Truth Had Gone, Truth Had Gone, And Truth Had Gone. Ah, Now Truth Is Asleep In The Darkness Of The Sinister

saving this for later as I can see we have similar tastes <3

This is a post to keep track of my favorite jayvik fanficion since my ao3 bookmarks are a mess and hopefully get some quality recs as well!

Contingency Planning by @oodlyenough murdered me and i liked it so much its concerning.

Chrysalis and Window of Opportunity by @oodlyenough

A New Promise by @dis-embarks did the same, thank you 🥲

A lesson in rigor mortis by @orangechickenpillow still missing my heart after this one.

Here At The End Of All Things by queercatfan

I've Been Thinking of All the Little Things That You've Been Missing by @fouroddapples <3

Pygmalion by @twenty-qs 🩵

here is a map (with your name for a capital) by moonliving just 🥲

Run it back by spqr

be, be as you've always been by enbymegumi

Reflection and refraction series by @tryfero

Tastes like resurrection by @sulkybender 😭

disjunction by @nanashi-07

erosion by @nanashi-07

The Dead of Night by @bringthekaos

White lilies by whiskeyuncle ohmygod😭 destroyed in under 1k words

Crowbar by whiskeyuncle

High Hawk Season by JeanLuciferGohard

Bitter practicality by Kaeviat

Cradle to grave by @weatheredlaw

Switchblade by MmPumpkins

Differential Burdens in Displacement by @yallstar

void by @ironcy

Playlist for When Your Boyfriend Stops Breathing

The Taste Of Rot And Honey by @sunsetplums

Underrated JayVik moments/lines (8/∞)

"I've come with Viktor; my partner and a Zaunite."

Finally the hypeman Viktor deserved.

Jokes aside, this line is one of the reasons I started making this series in the first place. Specifically the "Zaunite" part of it.

Why? Because not only has Jayce up until this point always referred to just "people from the Undercity"... I feel like he never even fully acknowledged that Viktor was one of them, either.

Or rather: that Zaun was still a part of Viktor.

Sure, Viktor essentially introduces himself to Jayce as a "cripple from the Undercity" and often enough states his wish to help the people there, but I believe this likely struck Jayce as gracious - same as it was for him - rather than personal.

After all, Viktor had successfully escaped the Undercity, right? He more than deserved his place in Piltover, right?

Jayce never thought less of Viktor for being a Zaunite, but that doesn't mean he respected his heritage. (The biggest indication of which, of course, being their infamous argument on the bridge. When Jayce says "They're dangerous!" he absolutely means it as a them, not a you.)

Yet here, he finally acknowledges and demonstrates respect for Viktor's heritage as a fully integral part of who he is - a boon, even, rather than a misfortune - and gives him the floor for this crucial moment of the proposal.

Speaking of: it's a pivotal gesture not only in terms of Jayce recognising Viktor as a Zaunite. I want to draw attention to this moment in episode 4 real quick:

(I LOVE how this is a perfect mirror image to the scene above.)

Here, Jayce is keeping Viktor from speaking even one word in front of the council. To protect him, to take full responsibility, to do the right thing... to do everything except take into consideration what Viktor might have even wanted to say.

He means well, of course he does - but it will take him until the season finale to realise that what marginalised people need is not for someone to protect them or govern them or speak for them.

It's for their voice to be heard.

In conclusion: not only is the scene as a whole the perfect culmination of Jayce's character arc in season 1, but this line in particular proves how it would have also served as the perfect starting point for a mended - and while more jaded, way stronger - JayVik bond if things hadn't gone south again immediately.

I know Viktor will later say "our paths diverged long ago", but even though that is true looking back from that particular moment in time, I've always loved how in reality, they did, just for one day, fully find their way back to each other in this season finale.

Part 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/7½/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20

← Prev | Next →

Underrated JayVik moments/lines (11/∞)

[The crystal being set on the inside of Jayce's wrist.]

...as opposed to the outside, where you'd normally expect to see the jewel of a wristband like this. It's a simple fact that still carries so much weight:

Of course, one thing it signifies is simply how it's not for show, not an adornment, but instead something deeply personal to Jayce.

Beyond that, however, there is just something so symbolic about keeping a memento directly on top of your veins like this. Where you might feel for a pulse, or - you know - cut in order to end your life (Jayce's suicide attempt just so happens to be the only time he takes it off, too - he doesn't even take it off during sex).

And while it's not something I noticed consciously for the longest time, everytime Jayce rubs his thumb over the crystal, as he so often does... he is inadvertently also baring his wrist and tracing his lifeblood; his heart, his "whole life".

Jayce is quite literally carrying the stone, the beauty and the dreams it represents cased in gold and close to his heart.

And I don't know about you, but I can just never get over how - even though he won't know it for many years - what this gem really is at the end of the day, is the bond Jayce shares with Viktor across time and space made manifest. Given to him by Viktor in order to set them on their path to each other.

At which point, when Jayce does find out, it is then fully embedded into his body and his very essence; to be - at long last - dug out of his veins, gifted to and shared with his own Viktor during their final moments.

I don't know, man... the layers of symbolism with these two sometimes actually makes it more difficult to write these posts because there is just so much to consider. For instance, in this topic alone we have:

The crystal representing the mage who saved him,

who is also Viktor,

but also representing Jayce's dreams of bringing the magic that the mage i.e. Viktor brought to his life to the world,

those dreams being Jayce's "whole life"

and something of which he is immediately eager to share ownership with Viktor

after Viktor validated those dreams by returning the wristband to Jayce,

being the only other person to have held said wristband,

which in itself is again a symbol of their bond,

and -

You see the issue here? I feel like I can never truly get to the bottom of every facet I want to talk about in any of these posts (while still remaining coherent, that is).

Then again, I guess all that really means is that you are cordially invited to dig deeper if you wish to.

Part 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

← Prev | Next →

half•alive - still feel

Listen… this ship is really good💜✨🔥

Why does everyone assume Vander would be rowdy, fun, cool and lenient parent while Silco would be soft and nurturing but the disciplinarian and overprotective one. Their parenting style is canonically the OPPOSITE to this.

Vander is shown on-screen disciplining his children for going against his rules. He's not particularly strict (I don't think any parents in Zaun are tbh I think children just kinda roam unattended a LOT) but he does have rules and expect them to be followed. He has that Stern Dad voice down to a science. He has that "I'm not mad I'm disappointed also you're grounded" vibe down pat, and he scolds them because he is worried about their safety. This is a man who is taking childrearing seriously. He's also shown being very soft and loving with them. His little smile when he gives Powder juice. How gently he encourages Mylo when he successfully lockpicks the cuffs. He is soft and nurturing. He is protective. He is gentle but authoritative.

Silco meanwhile allows Jinx to do whatever she wants. You can argue he disciplined her when he yelled at her for killing those enforcers but 1- she committed a literal massive terrorist attack that derailed ALL of his plans and he's acting like she stole his car or something and 2- what we see is not the same practiced discipline that we see from Vander. This is not a man who has established a relationship where he is the Parent and she is the Child and must follow his rules. He is emotional, almost childish, acting more like her friend or colleague being pissed off than her dad. He is not protective, he lets her play with bombs and do all sorts of dangerous shit. He cares about her safety, he's obviously distraught when she's hurt, but he cares about her freedom more. He lets her fuck up constantly without repercussions. He lets her dress and act however she wants no matter how poorly it reflects on him because her freedom mattered more to him than anything in the entire world-- more than his own, more than his dream, more than his life, and more than her safety. He also appears a lot stiffer when it comes to expressing affection, even though his love for her is obvious, he lacks Vander's warmth.

This isn't to say Silco would be a worse father or anything, rather that he is objectively the "fun dad" who lets his kids do what they want, has absolutely zero backbone, and isn't as good at expressing affection but makes sure his kids know they are loved by him.

What I'm saying is Vander is so obviously Primary Caregiver and I don't know how people mix the two up.

Just kidding! I do know. It's the classic Forcing Hetero Gender Norms Onto A Gay Couple! You know, because Silco is small and dainty, and small/dainty = woman and woman = mommy and mommy = "does all the parenting work" = nurturing, affectionate, strict and protective.

Meanwhile Vander is a Big Strong Masc Man we know That = "Real Man" (vomit) = father = "gets to be the raucous fun parent and doesn't have to actually do any real parenting" (again vomit)

Rosa Diaz was my inspiration while fleshing out Tiafel and her childhood/backstory.

Thinking about how Rosa’s parents kicked her out of the house as a teenager when she couldn’t handle the pressure she was under and how they welcomed her back a decade later only to tell her that they still won’t be able to love her the way she is.

Thinking about how lonely and scared she must have been out on the streets until she woke up one day and decided to stop giving a crap about everyone except herself.

Thinking about how she’s so closed off to the people around her because she was conditioned to believe that she’ll never be a positive force in someone else’s life.

Thinking about how she put herself through college, study abroad, medical school, business school, flight school, and countless other programs on her own. Thinking about how her self-esteem must have dipped every time she realized that she wasn’t happy where she was.

Thinking about how it must have felt the first time Jake called her a friend, Amy told her she looked up to her, Charles brought her homemade lunch out of sheer kindness, Terry complimented her, and Captain Holt told her he was proud of her.

Thinking about how she hadn’t experienced those things for so long that she must have forgotten what they felt like.

Thinking about how she’s still tough and badass but more receptive to others and more willing to let them in than she used to be. Thinking about how the good in her life now outweighs the bad. Thinking about how far she has come since we first met her seven years ago.

Rosa Diaz deserves all the happiness in the world.

Okay I gotta talk about the Kuleshov Effect for a minute because I see a lot of people talking about how Silco and Vi were looking at each other on the bridge and it's got me scratching at the walls.

The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing effect. It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation.

In other words, the way a movie or show is edited influences the way you think or feel about it. This kind of subtle manipulation is very powerful and is used throughout film and television to guide the audience's emotional journey and can be used to influence characterization and plot just by putting things in the right order. When people talk about "unintentional implications from the writers" I have noticed several times that the cause of the unintentional implication actually being the editing, not the writing.

On the bridge just before the opening credits of episode 8, we have two perspectives: Vi's perspective and Silco's perspective. Rather than show what Vi's doing in one long sequence, and then switch to Silco's perspective in one long sequence, the editors break these sequences into smaller shots and inter-cut them.

The most common use of intercutting like this is when shooting dialogue: cut to one character, cut to the other. Because of this, to our minds, this sequence looks like they are having a silent conversation, but they aren't. They can't even see each other.

Silco can't see beyond the smog, flood lights, and oncoming parade of enforcers, and it's safe to assume Vi can't see past these obstacles either. They have no way or reason of knowing the other is observing the bridge.

So, now that we know they can't see each other, let's look at what happens if we reorder the clips so these are two distinct sequences rather than one long one.

The sequences on their own are not staged the way a conversation would be staged, because both characters are in the centers of their respective frames.

Vi is looking at the bridge where her childhood friend was about to fight her sister so she could get away. The last thing that happened on the bridge that she knows of is another bomb going off, just one. She doesn't know if Ekko or Jinx are still alive. Maybe she's wondering if she should have stayed instead of leaving Jinx again.

Silco is panicked and caught off guard by his own reaction. He has a moment of emotional vulnerability while his back is turned to his employees and while the enforcers are still too far away to see what's happening on his face. He steels himself before standing up, and faces down the enforcers before walking away.

So, why edit this scene this way? If they can't see each other, why make it look like they can? Specifically because they wanted these characters to have an emotional exchange, but can't, because they are physically too far apart. Vi and Silco only get two scenes together and they only talk directly to each other once. This helps fill in a hole where we want these two to interact, but plot-wise it makes no sense for them to be able to. The editors change the entire meaning of both of these sequences if the emotions on their faces are a conversation.

What I like about this is that it gives you two options for how to interpret this, and both can be true at the same time. You can look at each sequence on its own, and you can look at it the way the editors were manipulating you into seeing it. I do love what they've done here, and I think it's important when analyzing media to know what tools and techniques the creators have used to tell their story and be able to deconstruct their little tricks to inform your interpretation.

Anyway thank you @sweetestsixshooter for reminding me I wanted to write this down lmao

telephone 🗣