Arcane Vander - Tumblr Posts

The Least Sane Moments

Part 1/?

Vander X OC

Pairing: M/F

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Sexual tension, Canon typical violence, barely proofread and edited, no beta, I'm giving y'all my raw ass writing.

Taglist: @gaybybirth (DM me to be added to the taglist!)

-Vander-

It wasn't often that he saw a new individual in The Last Drop. And when he did, Vander always had the right judgement to decide if he needed to interfere with whatever they were doing. The bar was a hub for all kinds of business transactions, most illegal, but all were under his protection. If something was about to go sideways, he always knew when and how to step in.

Always meaning except for now. And all Vander could do was watch and make sure she stayed right where she was. 

He had no idea who this woman was, and the way she watched the room so intently was starting to make him nervous, especially as the drink in front of her remained untouched. From the looks of the bar, Vander wasn't the only one. Every once in a while, another patron would glance at her out of the corner of their eye, or shift in their seat away from her. 

Their uneasiness was likely because of how comfortable the mysterious woman was. She wore a mask that covered her entire face, making it impossible to see exactly what or who she was so focused on. She wore a floor length skirt that fanned out as though it turned her hidden corner booth into a throne, and her shirt clung tightly to her frame, showing she was muscular and likely an experienced fighter with the hook-swords that rested on her back. 

More people began to notice her, and it was definitely starting to throw everyone off. That, Vander couldn't have. The least he could do for his patrons would be to occupy her. 

Vander made his way to her booth, and sat down next to her like it was a courtesy to everyone else. He didn't say anything, and she didn't even turn her head to look at him. He struck a match with his thumb and lit his pipe, still gaining no attention from her. 

Fine, breaking the ice could be his job. "My drinks that bad, or are you just not thirsty?"

She didn't even spare him a glance. 

"Or maybe something else has captured your focus." 

No movement came from the mysterious woman, but she spoke. "Work." Came a growl like a whisper. Some kind of modulator in the mask must be changing her voice. 

Vander only nodded along, letting out an understanding hum. "If you're waiting for someone, I doubt they're gonna show. You've been here for hours and I'm the only one to even approach your booth here." 

"If you're lucky, he'll be a no-show." She stated with finality. 

"And if he does?" 

"Then I'm the lucky one." The voice modifier glitched as though she gave a small chuckle. 

Vander raised his brow at her, but looked around the bar once again from her vantage point. The entire room was visible from this booth, and her spot was chosen well. 

"Not to sound crude, but is there any situation where we both get lucky?" He asked. 

"One where I'm fast enough, and you're smooth enough, but that second one is looking less likely by the minute." The remark made him laugh a bit, but he was starting to get the picture now. 

"Then I'll leave you to focus on work while I think of a good pick-up line." Vander stood up again, heading back to the counter. For a brief moment, she looked over him like she was finally acknowledging his existence. 

He was barely even behind the bar when she dashed out of her booth like a flash of light. Vander barely had time to realize what she was after until she already had it in her grasp. What he did see was the hook of her sword looped around a man's hand that was holding a pistol. Her other blade was held at his neck. 

Even the shooter was struggling to process exactly what happened because it had all happened in less than a split second. Vander himself was just now putting the pieces together. 

This man had just tried to kill him. And she had just saved his life. 

The woman didn't waste another moment before bringing the butt of her sword across his temple, knocking the shooter out. The pistol clattered to the ground as she slung him over her shoulder. 

She tossed a small bag of coins onto the bar counter for her untouched drink. "Guess I got lucky this time." 

If that had happened to anyone else, Vander might have thought she was just a bounty hunter. Which brought its own problems if he just let bounty hunters come into his bar and start taking people.

But that was an attempt on his own life, which likely meant someone was trying to make a poorly thought out power-play. But if someone knew about it and saved his life, then that had to mean she was either on Vander's side of a war he didn't know about, or she was making a power-play of her own. All of this on top of the fact that she took the attempted shooter alive, which made no sense at all, unless someone was paying her to bring him back alive. 

The entire floor was quiet, everyone wondering just as much as him what the hell just happened. Some appeared just as worried as he was that someone might be out there trying to take over his position in charge of The Lanes. Others just looked concerned for him and were just waiting for him to say he needed help, or that he was fine. Most were curious if he would start a manhunt for the shooter and try to make him pay for the attempt on his life. 

All he could do for now was take it in stride as he picked up the dropped gun and shrugged. "Not a night at The Last Drop without at least one murder attempt, aye?" 

The majority of the patrons laughed it off. If Vander wasn't worried about it, they wouldn't be either. One woman came up to the bar and asked him if he was really alright. Vander just assured her that it wasn't all that surprising, but he'd keep an eye out now. 

She seemed to take his answer, even though Vander was definitely going to get to the bottom of this. 

Only a few hours later, everyone had left The Last Drop and Vander found himself cleaning up on his own. The back door swung open, giving him the only warning he would have for what would happen next. 

"Vander?" Powder called out into the empty hallway as soon as the door was barely even open. 

"I'm just closing up." 

All four of the kids found him, Powder jumping and hugging him the second she saw him, while Vi, Mylo, and Claggor took a seat at the bar counter. 

"What happened? We heard someone tried to blow your brains out." Mylo wondered. 

"And that someone was unsuccessful." Vander said matter-of-factly. 

"Something about a crazy bounty hunter too?" Powder asked. 

"Yeah, something about her." He agreed, lifting Powder up and sitting her on the counter. "I guess she was going after the shooter. Still paid for her drinks, though." 

"Who was she?" Claggor asked. 

"No idea." He answered honestly. "She was smart enough to wear a mask with a voice scrambler, but she didn't seem super interested in sticking around after she'd grabbed her mark."

Mylo shrugged when Claggor looked at him, and Powder just looked relieved that he was alright. Vi, though, could tell something was wrong. She hadn't said anything since she walked in, but Vander could tell she wanted to say something.

"While you're all here, you might as well help me close up. Vi, I could use a hand in the supply room. Everybody else, grab a rag or a broom." He ordered them, getting a few groans from the lot of them. 

Vi followed him to the supply room where he started organizing everything and taking mental note of anything they were running low on. "You got something on your mind, or are you gonna help me out here?" 

"Don't you find this all a little weird?" She asked. 

"Can't say it's never happened before." Vander shrugged. "I try to keep The Last Drop sane, but there's always at least one attempted poisoning or stabbing on the floor a day." 

Vi huffed, "No, I mean the one day someone finally decides to try you, a bounty hunter just happens to come along looking for the guy? It's suspicious as hell!" 

Damn girl was smart. "You might be right." She definitely was. "I certainly doubt it's a coincidence. Regardless of the odds, that woman protected me, and it won't go unnoticed by The Lanes. She's gonna get a few allies, and a lot more enemies because of what happened tonight." 

"So you're just gonna let it slide?" She questioned. 

"No. You know I won't let some bastard try to kill me and not drag his arse through the mud." Vander joked, getting a laugh from the young girl. "I just need to gather some intel before I get to dragging." 

Vi laughed, giving him a side hug as they came out of the supply room. 

It was best the kids didn't know how close of a call it had been. If the bounty hunter had been even a split second too slow, he might not have walked away. The Lanes would see her action as a sacrifice with no hesitation for the sake of his life. That meant more for him than it did for her. 

The people would see Vander as a man in her debt. A debt he would have to pay back to her in one way or another. He didn't like being in the debt of someone he knew well, let alone someone he's never seen the face of. And for her, well, it would surprise him if someone were to make an attempt on her life now that they would assume they were working together. 

And the matter of the guy that actually tried to kill him was a whole different mess. Of his goal was just to make a stupid power-play, then why did someone know about it? There was no way this guy was that stupid. 

Vander would have to get to the bottom of this, and all he had to go on as of now, was the pistol that was left behind. He'd picked it up earlier, but now he actually had the chance to get a good look at it. 

The thing was barely functional. Most of the original pieces were missing and replaced by new ones. This thing had been frequently repaired, but the gun itself was new too. Which meant it likely came from a shop recently. 

The first place on his mind was Benzo's. Vander made his way to the shop, more people than usual watched him as he walked down the street. News always spreads fast down here. 

Benzo's door wasn't even locked thus late at night. "We're closed!" 

"Sounds like a shit business strategy." Vander replied. 

Benzo laughed, "Well, you're never here to buy anything anyway." 

"Then I can't break tradition, now can I?" He laughed back, placing the pistol on the counter. 

"This from your biggest fan?" Benzo asked. 

"Yeah, he dropped it after the hunter knocked him out." He said, "Looks like it came from a shop recently. Figured I'd start with you." 

Benzo looked at the piece carefully. "You were right to. Ekko repaired it, I sold it. I remember the fellow too. Nothing unusual about him, just that he looked scared stupid. Not all that weird for a guy buying a piece for as cheap as he can. Wouldn't have remembered him if it weren't for who came in looking for him." 

That was more promising. "Who was looking for him?" 

The larger man shrugged. "Don't know. Never saw her face, but Ekko recognized her. She asked what he bought, and if the gun was functional. As soon as I told her she was gone. I take it she's probably the woman that saved your ugly mug." 

"You don't know anything about her?" 

"Don't think anybody does." Benzo shrugged. "But you could always try to ask her yourself." 

"I would if I knew where to find her at all." 

"Well, then good thing I know a kid who does." Benzo gestured behind Vander. 

Ekko stood in the doorframe, looking between the two of them. The kid couldn't even be six years old, only a little younger than Powder. 

"Ekko." Vander acknowledged, "Do you know how to find the woman in the mask?" 

"Yeah, but why do you want to find her?" Ekko asked. 

"I'm sure you heard too. She stopped someone that could have killed me. I owe her one." 

The young boy took a second, glancing back at Benzo for a minute. "I'll tell her you're looking, but she'll come find you." 

Vander nodded. "That's all I really can ask. Thank you, Ekko." The boy nodded, running off as fast as he could. "How does he know her?" 

"Told me she protected him." Benzo answered. "Something about a few older kids trying to steal from him. She was waiting at the end of the alley, and scared the shit out of them. But she gave Ekko his stuff back and got him home safe." 

She had a soft spot for kids. Vander doubted she was after a bounty on a couple petty thieves, and she didn't have to help Ekko. 

"You think she's dangerous?" Benzo asked. 

"For Ekko, no." He answered honestly. "I think she's alone, though. Probably a vendetta hunter only going after debts and bounties she hears about." 

"You think she'll meet with you?"

"Only one way to find out." Vander shrugged, heading back out the shop door. If she does show up, it'll be by morning. 

Vander didn't sleep very long. He had to be up well before opening, and he was not a morning person. Along with the thought that either Ekko would show up and say the hunter wouldn't meet with him, or she'd show up herself. 

It was early for a barkeep to be up. And even earlier to be surprised in the alley next to the bar. 

"A little bird told me you're sticking your nose in my business." The modified voice startled him, and if he'd been anyone else, he probably would have jumped away, but he had no idea where her voice was even coming from. 

"Well, it makes sense that I wanted to thank the woman that saved my life." He still couldn't see her. 

"I didn't do it for you." A sudden thud on the ground behind him made it clear where she was. 

She was a little shorter than he remembered her. Though, admittedly someone probably looks bigger when they're throwing an attempted murderer over their shoulder. Now, she was nearly a whole foot shorter than him.

"Then why did you?" He asked. "And why'd you wait until he tried to kill me to grab him?"

"Didn't want to leave a mess." She stated simply. If ever there was a woman of few words. 

Her reason did make sense. If she had gone after him at any other moment, the fight would have trashed the bar, and someone else could have gotten hurt. Waiting until he was focused on his goal to attack was the only way to make sure the least amount of damage was done. 

And if she had attacked him on the way to The Last Drop, anyone on the street could have been caught in the crossfire. She was smart, and did her best given the circumstances. 

"Fair enough." Vander agreed. The woman started to leave, walking past him, but he stepped in front of her to block her path. "I still have questions." 

"I'm sure you do." 

"You know why he went after me?" 

"You have plenty of enemies." She said. 

"I've never met him." 

"Plenty with friends." She argued back, a blank mask staring up at him, hands at her sides without any movement at all.

"Then who hired you to save me from an assassin?"

"Nobody." 

Vander was growing impatient. "You're not giving me a lot to go on here."

She tilted her head to the side with faux innocence, "You noticed?" 

He actually had to look away from her to stop himself from laughing, but even he couldn't help but smile, even if she was vaguely annoying. "Then what can you tell me?" 

"I can tell you anything I want. I just don't want to." 

Vander took another step up to her. Usually he did so for intimidation, but something about her made him sure that not much scared her. There was one thing true about The Lanes, and she made it explicitly clear. Nobody wants to tell you shit unless you got shit to give. 

"Alright. Fair enough. Maybe I could invite you in for drinks. On me, of course." He offered.

He heard that glitch again like she was laughing and the modulator couldn't quite make sense of it. "It's eight in the morning, Vander." 

"A little day-drinking never hurt anyone." He argued back.

She visibly relaxed. "Thank you, but I have to get to work. Don't worry, I'll keep it out of your bar tonight."

"Then the least you can do is tell me your name." 

She tensed up again, and Vander worried he'd crossed a line. She stepped back a bit, looking away from him. "Don't have one to tell." 

So that's what it was about. Not that it was unheard of, in fact a lot of people in the undercity gave themselves names because they didn't grow up with anyone that cared enough to give them one. "Well, I'd like to call you something if you'd let me." 

Her head snapped up to him once again, this time the gesture held surprise and curiosity. "What?" 

"How about Minute? Call you Mita for short?" 

"Minute?" She asked. 

"'Cause I knew you'd be trouble the minute I saw you." 

She looked up the wall of the building she stood in front of, plotting a climbing route. Vander was certain she was just going to jump away and leave him there in silence.

"Mita…" her voice was so quiet the modulator barely picked it up. "I like it." 

She pulled the hook-swords off her back and jumped up, latching onto one of the pipes and using it as leverage to get to the next ledge before disappearing. 

Mita. He didn't get much out of her, but with any luck he'd see her again. Though, Vander had to draw himself a line; he wouldn't ask Ekko to find her again unless one of her problems dropped at his feet again. Now that he had a way to contact her, he didn't want to abuse it. Especially since that only contact was a five-year-old boy. 

The kids went out by noon, and still weren't back. Though Vander wasn't too worried, he knew they were playing by the bridge. It was a pretty slow night, and everyone was gone well before he officially closed. These days, quiet nights are hard to come by. 

Just when Vander thought he could relax, the bell at the front door rang. "We're closed." 

"I can go if you want, but I came to see if your offer was still open." Her voice made him look up immediately. 

"Mita." Was all he could get out for a brief moment. "Sure, the offer's still open. But it depends on how much you drink." 

The glitching laugh in her modulator made him smile again. "I'll be sure to control myself." She comforted. 

"Well, pull up a stool. What'll you be having?" 

"What do you have that has a fifty-fifty chance of killing me?" 

Vander nodded, knowing the exact kind of thing she was looking for. Mita watched him with unwavering focus as he brought out the bottle and poured both of them a glass. It was hard not to immediately start asking questions. Not only did he want the ones she had refused to answer earlier, but he was also curious about why she'd changed her mind about coming here at all. 

Instead, he leaned against the counter in comfortable silence, taking the first drink to assure Mita that the bottle wasn't poisoned. 

Mita's hand went up to her jaw, pressing a button that clicked, and opened the mask right down the center. It took everything in Vander to not stare at her; to see her face for the first time and obsessively watch the expressions that she'd kept private until now. 

She comfortably slid the two halves of the mask to the side of the helmet, and took the whole thing off her head, placing it on the counter beside her. Mita took a deep breath in, relaxing with the breath of fresh air without the faceplate in the way. 

Now Vander watched, suddenly all the more enamored as she brought the glass of hard liquor to her lips. 

He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting, but somehow she was definitely a battle-hardened bounty hunter. She was a pale thing. Short, dark red hair was cropped close to her head and looked a mess from being in that helmet all day. The stress lines around brown eyes and across the rest of her face told him she was around his age; probably fighting with those swords long before the oldest of the kids ever saw the light of day. 

Vander wasn't sure what Mita looked like when well rested, and stress free, but whatever that looked like, this wasn't it. "Rough day?"

She sighed, trying to let out the stress that came with her job. "A typical day." 

Her unmodified voice was still low and meticulous, but smoother than the mask made it. Really the mask only added some crackle and deeper tones to an already intimidating voice. But right now, Mita wasn't intimidating; she sounded soft, and perhaps a little defeated. 

"Oh so a normal day doesn't look like heroically saving a man's life?" He joked, earning a small smile from her. 

"I'd love for that to be a normal day." She chuckled. "Maybe I could get more kind gentlemen offering a free drink or two." 

"Then what does a typical day look like for you?" 

"A hell of a lot less exciting, and not nearly as rewarding." Mita gestured to her glass again. "Most of my work is just following tracks; some marks are just bad at covering theirs up like your favorite patron." 

Vander nodded in agreement. "You never did tell me how you knew he was after me." 

"Because of who he owed a debt to." She explained. "Someone who hates you quite a bit. He thought killing you could repay that debt. When he scrambled, I was hired to bring him back alive, but I didn't know it was you he was looking for until he was already here. But you don't need to worry about getting shot at again. My employer got so angry he killed the guy himself." 

While it would be invaluable to know who hired her that hated him so much, Vander knew better than to ask. "You're right, that's quite a day. So what brings you here?" 

Mita thought for a second. "I'm not exactly sure." She said. "I just didn't want to be alone." 

"There's a few places that specialize in that profession around here. So why me?" 

She smiled again. "You're the only one that knows my name." 

Vander wasn't sure why the comment struck him the way it did. It made him want her to stay much longer than he knew she would. It made her smile seem all the more important, and made him realize just how vulnerable of a state she was in right now. 

He saw her face. Heard her voice. Knew her name. As of now, nobody else in the world could say the same. 

All too quickly, he also realized he hadn't said anything in a while, and she hadn't either. 

Mita's soft smile hadn't changed, and she comfortably leaned against the counter, simply taking in Vander's presence like just him being there was enough to heal the aches and tiredness that had accumulated throughout her day. And for some reason, he felt the same. 

"So, what's a typical day look like for The Hound of the Underground?" She asked playfully. 

"Ah, well, not nearly as exciting as yours, but if I had a coin for every time someone nearly died here, I could close up shop for good." He chuckled. 

"If you're empty this early, I take it today was slow." She noted. "You get one in here tonight?" 

"Yeah, actually." He recalled. "Today was a botched poisoning. Young girl, trying to capsize an older fellow that was creepin' on her. She just wasn't as slick as she thought." 

"He saw?" 

"No, her poison was too strong. He tasted it with just a sip." 

"Maybe I could give her a few pointers." Mita joked. 

"I doubt a girl like her would take too well to fancy hook-swords." 

"Come on now, Vander. Of all the things you've learned about me in the last twenty-four hours, you didn't pick up on how non-confrontational I am?" She poked at his arm. 

"Well, I know you stay away from catching other people in the crossfire." He allowed. "But poison? You just don't seem the type." 

"That's the best time to poison someone." She pointed out, getting a laugh out of him.

"Alright then, what would you have done, smooth poisoner?" He asked. 

"Depends on the drink he's having." She pulled out a small box from the pouch on her belt, opening it to show Vander what was held inside. The box had nearly ten vials of various liquids and powders, all of which were labeled as some kind of poison or antidote. Mita picked out a few. "I'd say these four are best for subtle poisoning."

"If he's drinking hard liquor, I wouldn't feel too worried about using cyanide. It's effective, fast, and doesn't take a lot to kill a very large man, but it's bitter, and will be noticed very fast in just about any other drink." She explained. 

"Alright, what about mixed drinks? Some are very delicate, and others are pretty strong." Vander had to admit, the interest on her face when she pulled out the poisons was outright beaming, and he didn't want her to stop.

"Can't go wrong with ricin." She picked up the fourth of the vials, but he noticed this one was filled with a white powder. "Put it on food, in a drink, or anything else the victim will ingest. Odorless, tasteless, and unnoticeable until the guy is already dead. But it is a bit slower to take action as it slowly makes the victim grow more ill." 

"Subtle if you don't want anybody to know you killed them." Vander noted. "But what if I needed him to drop dead faster?" 

Mita grinned, moving the third vial forward. "Nightshade." She said, "Sweet to taste and smell, but it takes quite a lot to kill a full grown man quickly. It'll also mess with the color, so either you hope he's drinking something dark, or you'll have to risk the bitter cyanide or slow ricin." 

That was certainly interesting. Mita grinned, Watching him consider her expertise. Normally someone displaying their finest poisons would be an intimidation tactic or a foolish boast. But the way she smiled made Vander sure that it was a sign of trust. 

Why she trusted him, he didn't know. Why he was so happy about it was also a mystery to him, but he wanted to know the extent of her trust, and how much he wanted to do the same. 

Vander leaned forward on his elbows, bringing himself nose to nose with Mita. She didn't lean back; only tilting her head to the side as though she was unimpressed. "And do tell me, Mita. What if you wanted to kill me?"

"Depends on exactly what I'm trying to prove." She considered, "I know fighting you gives me only a fifty-fifty chance of surviving, so that's only if I need to prove I'm stronger than you." 

"Optimistic, but what if you just wanted me dead." 

"I would want you to know it was me that killed you." Mita said, "So I might show off my poisons, tell you what they do, and how to slip them into someone's drink." 

"But I might be expecting you to poison me now. Maybe I won't leave my drink anywhere near you." He took another sip from his glass, still not looking away from her.

"I wouldn't slip a poison into your drink." She stated, laughing slightly, but he was close enough that he felt her breath on his beard. 

"Then what would you do?" 

Mita smirked. "I'd flirt a bit. Tease you a little, maybe let you give me a name, and give you just enough attention to drive you mad." 

"I think I'm following so far."

"Good. Because I would use a poison I haven't told you about yet." Mita picked up the second vial, and placed it in his hand. "This is a concoction of my own design. One that I regularly take an antidote to. Very potent, tasteless and odorless." 

"And what would you do with this?" Vander asked, looking away for a second to see what the liquid even looked like. It was a pale pink, almost syrupy in consistency. 

"Once I've got you completely enamored with me, I would bring you close, and keep teasing you. Maybe offer a touch or two. Just enough to make us both excited, but never enough for either of us." She continued.

"Hey, now this seems a little familiar." He joked, looking back up in time to see her smile again.  

"All of this until you can't take it anymore, and you can't help but kiss me like doing so would save your life again." Mita lifted a hand tracing her fingers so lightly across his jaw. "Only to find the poison was on my lips the whole time." 

Neither of them moved, and Vander found it hard to breathe. "But that's only if you wanted to kill me." 

"Right." She agreed. 

"How fast does that one act?" He asked, his voice quiet. 

Mita snuck a glance down to his lips, still gently raking her nails through his beard. "Less than a minute."

He hummed, knowing full well that he had only known this woman for twenty-four hours, and he had no reason to trust her other than saving his life was a by-product of her job for a night. Still, Mita's words were hard to ignore, and her touch offered only more difficulty. 

Vander wanted to know if she trusted him, but it seems Mita was calling the shots in this game. Now he had to decide if she was bluffing, or if she really did have a deadly poison on her lips. 

Her feather-like touch made it all too easy to call her bluff. Vander leaned forward, catching her lips on his, earning a surprised moan from Mita. She held his jaw with both her hands, nails digging into his skin lightly as she sighed.

The kiss was more like a command from Vander than a question, but Mita still answered with enthusiasm. He cupped her jaw and slipped his tongue just past her lips, and she didn't even hesitate to let him deepen the kiss. But he only allowed it for a moment before pulling away, leaving her riled up, and wanting for more. 

Her eyes were wide when she finally pulled away. "You cocky bastard." She accused.

"I like to call it courage." Vander defended. 

"I think I'll call it what it is." Mita took another vial out of her box and put it between them, collecting the other four. "It's called stupidity." 

Vander read the label on the side Antidote. His heart dropped. 

Mita finished her drink quickly and grabbed her helmet, placing it back on her head. 

"You actually poisoned me!?"

The mask slid back over her face as she looked back at him from the door. 

"Only one way to find out." 

Without another word, she was gone. 

The test wasn't actually calling her bluff. Either he didn't trust her not to poison him and would take the antidote to play it safe, or he did trust her, and he'd risk his life to prove that to her. 

Fuck, that was some woman. 

Hottest Arcane Character: Men's Bracket

The men's preliminaries are done! The results are here! Accordingly, the guys will be matched up against each other as so (forgive me for using Google Sheets to make this bracket):

Polls start tomorrow! Get your votes ready!

Hottest Arcane Character, Men's Bracket: Round One

Vander vs. Jayce

Please reblog for sample size. Voters are encouraged to add propaganda, screencaps, gifs, etc. to their reblogs.

Pro-Jayce tag round-up

Pro-Vander tag round-up

Vote for Jayce OR Vander HERE

Hottest Arcane Character, Men's Bracket: Round Two

Viktor vs. Vander

Please reblog for sample size. Voters are encouraged to add propaganda, screencaps, gifs, etc. to their reblogs.

Hottest Arcane Character Poll, Round 2 Men's Results

View the results here.

Ekko beat Silco and will go on to the final round. The real story, however, is that after an honestly pretty sleepy week, Vander fans rallied in the last 18 hours or so to push their guy over the finish line. In the first upset of the tournament, Vander, the fourth seed, beat Viktor, the first seed.

That means we won't be getting the brother v. brother, Vander v. Silco battle for third place I was hoping for, but rather Vander will be battling Ekko, our anarchist prince, for hottest man in Arcane.

The final round of the Men's Tournament, Ekko v. Vander, will start TOMORROW, that is, FRIDAY, so get your propaganda ready!

The winner from that will go on to fight the winner of the Women's Tournament, the second round of which is still going on! Vote here.

There will be a one-day poll battle for third place, Viktor v. Silco on MONDAY.

Hottest Arcane Character, Men's Bracket: Round Three

Ekko vs. Vander

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Darkwing Duck Characters as Arcane Characters

*I only did a few because I couldn’t decide for other ones*

Nega-Gosalyn - Jinx/Powder: Jinx is a tragic character. Compared to her sister Vi, Jinx was not as physically strong and relied on more of her smarts.  But, people usually underestimated her and her ideas didnt work most of the time in her childhood except once that caused dire consequences. This tragedy caused her intense mental trauma and fear of being abandoned. 

Gosalyn - Violet: Vi is Jinx’s older and stronger sister. She is tough, rebellious and cares about her family. When she was young, her and Jinx’s parents died which made Vi want to help her little sister grow. Vi is also not afraid to fight and is great in hand-to-hand combat.

Darkwing- Vander: Vander took in and raised Vi and Jinx when they were kids. He’s also in charge of taking care of the under city where people considered lower class live. Vander loves both of the girls but bonds more with Violet since he taught her how to fight and is trying to teach her leadership. He used to be a stubborn person but has since mellowed down after adopting Jinx and Powder. 

Negaduck- Silco: Silco is an antagonist and lives in the under city but is mostly looking out for himself. He once trusted someone but was betrayed which changed his view of the world. After the tragedy, he took in Jinx and considered her as a daughter. She grew to be the only other person who mattered to him

Launchpad-Benzo: Benzo is Vander’s good friend and sidekick in helping him. He is a nice store owner who takes care of a kid named Ekko who is his assistant. 

Grayson- J. Gander: Grayson is head of the police force for the utopian city and sometimes the under city. She is fair and works with Vander to keep peace in both cities. 

Bonus:

Heimerdinger- Scrooge: Heimerdinger is an immortal man who has considerable power in the utopian city. He is against magic due to an unknown tragedy. 

Did Vi ever stop and think about Vander in this scene?

Sorry I'm going to stop

“Oh, it all makes sense now brother. Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”

Since everyone has already pointed out almost every clue that Vander is Warwick, I wanted to point one specific thing no one said

Warwick's snout is turning gray (he's old)

You know who else was turning gray?

Boom, mystery solved, it's cannon.

Oh yes, just another normal day of playing with the psychopathic killing machine caring old bartender father

AND THERE HE ISSSSSSS

No kidding, this thing will probably create one of the most horrifying and dramatic experiences in cinematic history

Words can't describe the hype this short thing brought me.

The lullaby makes it all so creepy and yet it's such a melancholic thing? Singed looking like a zombie, almost fainting from the blood transfusion, and Warwick back there??? That thing is gigantic.

It's sad that we can't see his face, but I really hope they keep the bat-like ears and the twisted fangs. Over all, the animators really captured the meaning of an absolute chimera beast. I can't wait to see him begin his killing spree.

O Cachorro Caramelo de Zaun !!!

here’s some Arcane text post meme things bc they’re so fun to make

reddit woulda loved silco's stories

How to deal with an abusive ex, slice him, kidnap him, kill his best friend, stab him twice, steal his daughter, retake your old home, have your new boyfriend turn him into a dog "I will show you what you are"

r/prorevenge at it's best

Thinking about how Vander and Silco complete each other...

Where Vander lacks physical affection for his kids, Silco gives too much of it.

Where Silco doesn't let his daughter be independent enough, Vander enforces his daughter being so independent she is the one in charge of her siblings.

Where Vander teaches kindness and peace, Silco teaches war and rebellion.

Where Vander makes Zaun slowly die, though have a community, Silco makes Zaun thrive economically but puts people against each other.

They are parallels but foils.

Arcane Season 2 - The Base Violence Necessary for Change

I think this shot is the most interesting part of the trailer. We see a shot of Jinx as a painting on a wall. A symbol. A leader. Her actions stand for revolution in Zaun and I think this could be an interesting expansion of Arcane’s exploration of violence and the idea that there is a base violence necessary for change.

Silco is framed as an antagonist in season 1 because of his actions against the undercity people specifically.

In act 3 he’s not the revolutionary he positioned himself as and is instead hurting the people of Zaun through his leadership. He’s doing as much to hurt topside as Vander was in act 1 (meaning nothing at all). He’s even got the sheriff working with him just like Vander, but, unlike Vander, Silco is hurting his own people to facilitate power and he’s not even fighting for that freedom he claimed to want so much.

We see the damage his actions have wrought. We see the shimmer addicts, forgotten and exploited. We see that he's created a hierarchy rather than a community.

And it’s contrasted with the firelights. People considered terrorists to Piltover, who do use violence to fight back against Silco and topside, and yet offer the biggest glimmer of hope. They aren’t villainized. The act of fighting back isn’t villainized and it shouldn’t be.

Because it’s not the violence in and of itself that’s the issue. It’s what that violence is used for.

The series hammers this idea home through Vander. 

Vander’s staunch stance against violence is flawed as well. It comes from a good place. A desire to protect what he loves rather than destroy what he hates and it did create a time free of the death revolution brings, but it’s made it so no ground could be made to free Zaun and create a better world for the people in it. It created stagnation. 

The people of the undercity are still stuck in a cycle of crushing poverty, growing up without parents, dying young due to pollution or violence wrought by desperate people or oppressive enforcers.

It didn’t move the needle because Piltover and the system in place wasn’t going to change just because the people of the undercity were playing nice.

The unrest and anger felt towards Vander for his ideal was understandable. His views on the cyclical nature of violence and the fact that if you fight you will lose people (“What are you willing to lose”) is correct, but that doesn’t make this option the ideal one.

Which brings me back to that shot in the trailer of that painting of Jinx.

Season 2 looks like it’s going to be a season of opposites and rediscovery where it flips what we expect of Jinx and Vi on its head and further explores these ideas of violence, oppression, and revolution.

And I think this season is going to do that by reversing how Vi and Jinx reflect Vander and Silco.

In the first season the siblings were direct reflections of their respective father figures, but now they’re inversions. Jinx the good to be found in Silco’s ideals and Vi the pitfalls of Vander’s.

Jinx’s actions in season 1 weren’t those of a revolutionary. Her actions weren’t meant to free the people of the undercity or improve their lives. She didn’t steal the hexcrystal to bring hextech to the undercity and improve their lives and she didn’t kill the enforcers on the bridge to get rid of dirty cops. She didn’t kidnap Caitlyn for a greater cause.

But we know that Jinx isn’t only the violence she enacted. That she is “the monster they (the system and people around her) created”. Her actions weren’t heroic in the first season, but they were driven by the life that was forced upon her. Her hurt and anger are justified.

Now that she’s away from Silco, no longer a part of his machine and actively participating in his actions that were hurting the undercity, her actions and anger can take on a new light. She can rediscover herself away from his manipulations (this isn’t to say he didn’t love her but what he did and said isolated her and allowed her issues to fester) and become that symbol we see on the wall.

Jinx could be in a way what Silco could have been if he didn’t let his own self interest get in the way of his ideals. Not quite as forward thinking as Ekko or as idealistic, but still a symbol for resistance that fights for Zaun.

Whereas Vi is sort of on a path to becoming a darker reflection of Vander’s ideals.

Vi becomes a part of the system she used to rage against.

 Based on the season 2 teaser that was released in 2021– 

“Nobody else needs to get hurt.”

–I think it’s likely that Vi believes she can prevent more death or can stop Piltover’s violence against the undercity if she takes Jinx in.

Vi sees herself as a protector who has failed at every turn to protect those she cares about. She lost her parents, Powder, Vander, Mylo, Claggor, etc. and she is constantly desperate to try and save what she loves and that will likely drive her decision to become an enforcer.

Vi, like Vander, wants to save what she loves and as a result isn’t going to fight back against topside. This is a much more extreme version of Vander’s ideals. Where she “compromises” in an attempt to prevent bloodshed but as a result enables (or in her case helps) the system in place.

This decision will have negative consequences (and deservedly so!) because no matter what thoughts or feelings are the driving factor in it she is still siding with her oppressors and ultimately helping the system that is the root cause of that loss and pain in the first place. 

Based on the clip released at Annecy and what people have said the writers explained about Vi’s arc in season 2 it seems like Vi will be ostracized for this decision and deservedly so. She won’t belong anywhere. To the undercity she’s a traitor and to Piltover she’s nothing more than an undercity rat.

She will have lost everything. She will have no one to protect. And who is Vi if she’s not a protector?

Vi will be forced to re-evaluate who she is and what she wants. Just like Jinx, Vi will have to redefine herself when she loses everything.

I can’t wait for season 2 and what the team at Fortiche has in store for us. The way the show tackles complex themes and ideas is incredible and Vi and Jinx are some of the most compelling and complicated characters I’ve seen on tv. I’m looking forward to November.

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that my asks and inbox is open for anyone who might be interested. So if you have any fic requests, maybe want to read something about a different Arcane character, or just some fun thoughts or comments, please let me know? I hope you all have a wonderful day ❤

PS. I'm busy working on a new fic, so hopefully I won't keep you all waiting too long for that 😉

I'm going to leave this right here...