#arcane deckard

Vander criticism incoming because I re-watched the Sevika rematch in the last drop and holy moly did he do Vi dirty (What his guardianship style meant for Powder, Mylo, and Claggor all deserve their own posts) and I can’t think about Vi’s struggles without thinking about VanderLand™. Not saying he didn’t do good, not saying he couldn’t have been worse, just that…:

Vander preached against fighting, but lived (comparatively) large off of his reputation for fighting AND through the exchange of a blind eye from the enforcers in return for keeping his own community under heel. Grayson saying, “I keep out of your business and you keep your people off of my streets” or whatever, suggest to me the passes that Vander has enjoyed in his interests over the years.

His thriving business, the life he projects, no fighting oppression, only bar-keeping, but we see him throw his reputation around as a favor to to his friends, like Huck and Babette. Would the undercity merchant/business owner class want your protection if they knew what was up? Maybe, Benzo was on board. What about the rest of the undercity that aren't enterprising? Silco saying, "Not JUST for the Lanes, but for the whole of the underground," is huge.

It pays to be Vander’s friend, but no one else could possibly realize the success that I think he pretends he did. The lifestyle he's trying to get Vi to subscribe to (VanderLand) doesn’t actually exist. Everyone is seeing that but him and Vi is boiling over in confusion and frustration and self-doubt and anger.

If any other kids had caused the damage in Piltover that made Marcus go all ham, their parents would not have had the luxury of negotiating with Grayson, and I honestly don't believe that Vander would have turned himself in to protect them. When Vander or Grayson die, the little pocket of safety that he's carved out for the lanes will be lost, this only benefits a select few for as long as Vander can pull it off.

Bless you Sevika for leaving him behind, my god. The way he claims all responsibility for the day of ash is honestly just insulting. If you hadn’t led them across that bridge, maybe someone else would have, my guy.

Look at the lengths Sevika and others go to to fight YOU so they can have another chance to fight the real enemy without you protecting your cushy life (and kids, yeah, yeah, but it’s still painfully short sighted. People had kids the first time around, some people in the bar calling to fight back with Sevika surely also have kids. That’s -why- they want to fight) all over the conversation. He talks to vi like he opened and closed the book on revolution - get out of the WAY OLD MAN.

To Vi he’s like, Yes, I live a better life for myself, my family, and my friends leveraging just the sheer -memory - of when I used to fight, but you can’t.

There's a difference between self-defense in dangerous streets and planning a heist to steal your way through life, but he seems to lump them together. Then in the same conversation telling her that fists aren’t the answer, he checked quality assurance checked that she kicked Deckard’s ass, because ultimately that is what he expects from her. Attacking the root cause of gangs like Deckard's is immature and selfish, but you better be a good enough fighter to beat the shit out of them on call. WHAT a moving target.

What I saw in Vi’s delirium in the bar in the Sevika rematch was Vander dissing her guard and telling her she has no choice but to keep fighting, that she’s needed, whether she’s wanted or not. And yeah, it’s not Vander that said that, it’s in Vi’s head, but it's reminiscent of things we did see him tell her as a teenager, that message of “you are the only hope that the people you love have, you're responsible for everything that happens when you interact with them, you're not allowed to not interact with them, in fact you must -lead- them. Also, you're stupid.”

For that to be what her brain cooks up for her mentor to say to her to stay conscious and in the game, the way that she accepts it with a huffed laugh and it actually HELPS HER is so gaahhhhhhh.

“Huh! I guess you just don’t have skill” Jayce says, smirking when his trash talk immediately riles her up.

“I DON’T HAVE ANY SKILL? ARE YOU JOKING ME?” Violet is around the table and up in Jayce’s face within a moment. He wasn’t bothered by the competitive nature, too confident in his sure-win once he got his hands on the ball again.

“It’s okay,” Jayce faux soothes, putting up his hands and laughing. “You’ll learn eventually, if you practice enough.”

“Yeah, laugh it up! You wouldn’t be beating me if you’d partnered up with that twink on the couch like last week.”

“What did you call him?” Jayce said, his tone suddenly very unfriendly.

“It’s okay Jayce,” Viktor’s smooth voice said, “I am a tw-“

When Claggor came back from the kitchen with a new cold beer in his hand, he almost dropped it when he saw the two of them tussling. Jayce had Vi in a headlock underneath his arm while Vi was punching him in his gut. “Let me out of your armpit, you smell like you’re in the closet!” She wheezed, body twisting in an attempt to get free

18+ This is a Mylo/reader smut fic, but you should read the first half anyways because their house party is hilarious

You can't tell me that wasn't Deckard. There is even those shimmer lines around his eye. I can't believe I barely heard anyone talk about this.

Singed is a fucking freak. I knew he had to go back for Vander's body at some point, but to have the confirmation that he not only got Vander, but was in the building and picked up Deckard too? He was an asshole, yes. But he was also barely older than Vi. Just a teenaged trouble maker. Rough way to go out.