Hi there, and welcome to my silly little yume blog. I'm redoing my intro, so apologies if you'd already seen the old one! Art above was done by my brother, @/ruleroftheratempire on ig.
My name is Kitty, and I'm in a relationship with Viktor from Arcane. I primarily see myself with him as he is in season one act one, because we're the same age, but I love him in any form, including any LoL skins, AU variations, and his later appearances in the Arcane series. I am non-sharing with him, because I legitimately see him as my boyfriend, my husband, and my partner. I say 'yumeship' to simplify things, but it genuinely feels deeper than that. He's a great character, and I get people love him too, but I do block others who yume with him. No hard feelings, it's just for my own comfort. I ask that doubles please don't interact. Also DNI pro-shippers, please.
We've been in a relationship coming up one year now on 28 March! I remember loving him as soon as I watched Arcane for the first time, but it didn't occur to me that I wanted to be with him until much later, after the second season ended. I don't actually have an exact date of when I considered him mine, but 28 March was when I first mentioned him in my diary, so that's the date that stuck.
About me!
Like I said, my name is Kitty :) My pronouns are she/her and I'm currently 25. I have C-PTSD, OCD, and I am also autistic. My relationship with Viktor helps a lot with these things.
I have also always seen myself as nonhuman. This is likely because I am neurodivergent, but it also feels vaguely spiritual to me, despite not being a spiritual person. I consider myself to be a changeling - a faerie who has replaced a human as an infant. I won't go into the lore here, but I recommend reading into it because it is interesting! I specifically see myself as a púca changeling, a type of faerie that can shapeshift into animals. As such, I usually depict myself with some kind of animal features to reflect this. I was apart of the therian community as a teenager, but left several years ago. Please refer to me as fae or as a changeling, not therian or kin!
Here are some of my interests:
♡ kawaii culture - including j-fashion, oshikatsu, and being sweet and pastel! I'm a huge fan of Rilakkuma, Cinnamoroll, Pokemon, and various animanga series. (I'm actually in Tokyo as I write this!)
♡ cottagecore, academia, coquette, & weird girl aesthetics - when I'm not dressed in all pink, I wear more of this kind of look! I identify heavily with the soft girl life.
♡ alternative ideals - I was raised by a punk dad, so alt fashion, music, and counterculture have always had a huge influence on me. Sometimes I dress the part too. If you haven't been able to tell yet, expressing myself is important to me!!
♡ science - I am a woman in STEM (part of why I'm perfect for Viktor!) and I love working with animals. It truly gives me purpose. I'm trying to get into grad school currently.
♡ the arts - I love to write, read, and draw! My art isn't the best, but it's the act of creating that's important, after all. I write all the time and will post my work here and on AO3. I'm trying to get back into drawing after a several year depression spiral, so I won't post much of my work.
♡ gaming - Specifically fantasy and RPGs! I'm obsessed with Baldur's Gate 3 (and have a personal DnD inspired AU for Viktor too, hehe). I also love The Last Guardian, Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Monster Hunter, and so many more.
About us!!
I'll write about my personal headcanons in a separate post, but in the meantime, here are some things about me and Viktor.
♡ Lots of quality time! We can often be found near each other or touching in some capacity even if we're not engaging in the same activity. We read together a lot.
♡ I call him Vik, along with the more common pet names of love, babe, honey, etc. In addition to these, he also calls me kočička and lásko.
♡ our current relationship is considered post-canon to arcane
♡ I have a Viktor plushie that I take everywhere! He's called Tiny Vik, or Itty-Bitty Vik. I have two more on the way (his astral self version and machine herald version). I also collect Viktor merch and have a shrine of sorts.
♡ I steal his clothes often. I have bought clothes that look like his to wear and feel closer to him. It helps that we both like academia fashion. I also own his cologne and wear it from time to time. He adores it.
♡ Colors I associate with him are dark shades of purple, blue, green, and sometimes red. My own colors are baby pink, green (both pastel and darker shades), white, baby blue, and brown.
♡ We share the love language of quality time, and that's definitely Viktor's biggest way of showing love. Mine lean more towards physical touch and words of affirmation, things he makes sure he does for me plenty.
Long ass text post! Thank you for reading all the way if you have. I'm not expecting this blog to gain a lot of traction, but that's not why I'm doing this either. I just want to ramble in my own quiet corner of the internet and support others' yumes :)
imagine you and your f/o(s) in the comfort of your shared bed, lying down at the end of the day. hands reach for one another as you try to get closer—a way to unwind and relax before you need to get up the following morning.
you move to cup their cheeks and press slow, gentle kisses all over their face, and they reciprocate your tenderness by letting their fingers rest just below your back, thumbs massaging the skin there. you gaze into each other's eyes, your breaths mingle and synchronize. as you share your goodnight kiss and cuddle together, the warmth of your pressed bodies seeping in, you think there's no other place you'd rather be.
you and f/o sharing earbuds while listening to your liked songs, then a song you added ten billion years ago and forgot ever existed comes up and your f/o just slowly looks at you with a very puzzled expression
Imagine your F/O(s) blushing the first time you use what later became their assigned pet name. Baby, honey, pumpkin, sweetie, etc. and their cheeks flushed so beautifully you knew you'd found the right pet name for them.
proshippers, variants, neutral and rpf dni, thank you.
I just love my dog a lot, okay. I wanted to write about what his day with Viktor looks like while I'm at work
story under the page break - 3k words, no content warnings!
Five a.m. came too early. It always did. Viktor stirred as Kitty rolled out of bed with a string of curses. It was Saturday - he was off work, or he’d probably get up with her. Even on the weekends he usually made some kind of effort to wake up when her alarm blared, which wasn’t ever all that hard - sleeping had never made the list of talents he possessed. Today, though, exhaustion hung over him like a cloud. His eyes drooped again as the bedroom door closed.
Next he knew, the dog was jumping in bed with him. Kitty’s rushed tiptoeing was a mere ambiguity blending with the white noise of their bedroom fan. A door closed, opened again, a drawer was pulled out. Maybe he should get up now, but his body was so heavy… He faded out of consciousness just as her lips met his temple, mumbling affectionate words of departure.
Viktor pulled the warm body cradled into his chest closer, nuzzling his face into the pleasant familiarity of morning-time company. The sweetness he had learned to expect was gone; the full force of musk hitting him like a truck instead, and his eyes snapped open to the hairy, black deadweight that had caused his left arm to go fuzzy. “Ugh, Marc,” he groaned, recoiling in slow motion. Marcus yawned with a whine, his tail going at once. The dog craned his neck backwards, excited puppy eyes hoping and praying that Viktor was getting up. Viktor sighed, not able to help the smile from crawling across his lips. He ruffled Marcus’s soft ears and propped himself up on his pillow. “You are in desperate need of a wash,” he yawned.
The words were still coming and Viktor hadn’t rolled back over yet - Marcus leapt to his feet and sprang off the bed, his claws catching the wood with sharp tippy taps. He wagged his long, black tail, watching Viktor in bed expectantly.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” Viktor groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position. He stretched, dully acknowledged the ache in his back, and fumbled for where his cane rested against the nightstand. Manageable pain this morning, it seemed. He opened the bottom drawer, eyed the brace that lay hidden there before closing it again. His back was getting better, slowly but surely. He would try without today.
Another groan lingered in the air as he wrenched himself to his feet, wiggled some feeling back into his fingers. Joyous celebration! - Marcus jumped in a circle, scratched at the bedroom door that was littered with evidence of hundreds of identical mornings. Once freed, he dashed downstairs, paws hardly even touching the steps at all. Sometimes he waited with Viktor, moving slowly from step to step with the patience of a saint. Now was not one of those times. Viktor scoffed, smiling and shaking his head as he held firmly onto the handrail and made his careful descent.
“I suppose you’ve been fed,” he murmured to himself mostly, having reached the first floor safely. Kitty was good about giving him his breakfast when she got up for work. Marcus simply stared up at him, tail wagging steadily. Food wasn’t what he wanted. Viktor slid the back door open, poked his head out into the backyard. Clear of neighbors, it would seem.
He peeked back at the stout little dog, who, in all honesty, wasn’t that little at all. Nearly seventy pounds, Marc was a big dog cursed with knocked knees and half-grown limbs. In other words, a missile when he wanted to be. Somehow, though, he always knew to be a little extra careful with his dad. Marcus had politely parked himself in his crate, drooling and panting, rearing and ready for his morning outside time. Viktor took a hefty step back, gesturing out the open door, and in that exact moment, a shadowy blur shot like a bullet past his legs and galloped out into the grass. “Take your time,” he mumbled with another yawn, and shuffled into the kitchen as the dog did his business.
One screeching kettle later, he took up the library book he was working through and a steaming cup of tea and sat at the table on their back porch. It was already starting to get hot out - the sun never really cared to wait out the morning dew down there in the South. Still, the cicadas cried, the white-winged doves croned, and a gentle breeze wafted through the grass where Marcus snuffled through last night’s scents. The sky was blue and did not yet hold any inkling that it might rain again that day. A lovely, quiet morning.
When Marcus was thoroughly satisfied with his scouting of the yard and had made his argument clear with the neighboring squirrels, he trotted happily back onto the porch and nosed Viktor's leg. Viktor creased his book half-closed, looked down at him with a raised brow. “Oh, was there something you wanted?”
Marcus licked his jaws, tapped his front feet against the tile in a way that barely contained his excitement.
“Hm, do you want…your chew?”
The magic words. Marc reared up and threw his full weight onto Viktor’s right leg, just between them too. Viktor gasped, buckled over, shooing the dog away. “God!” He wheezed, covering his sensitivities from further attack. “You’ve made your point clear.”
After a moment’s recovery, he hobbled back into the house and retrieved the bag of dental chews, still groaning quietly. Kitty may just have to come home to a changed man at this point… Blissfully unaware of his assault on his father’s manhood, Marcus sat politely, drool pooling from the corners of his mouth. It was impossible to be upset with him. Viktor shook his head and offered the treat up.
Despite his voracious greed, the treat was taken with great care. Then he turned tail, sprinting back into his crate to consume it. Viktor laughed, cinching the bag closed again. He maneuvered around the slime trail Marc had left and made a beeline back upstairs. With their morning ritual complete, he had the afternoon to work on his personal projects. He was sure to leave the door open. Those treats stood no chance against the beast, and the beast happened to have a bit of separation anxiety.
Viktor leaned back in his desk chair, his elbows popping above his head. What time was it? Close to noon, he hoped.
Yes, sure enough, there was the front door unlocking downstairs.
Marcus’s head flew up from where he lay in the bed at Viktor’s feet, and he dashed out of the room and downstairs at breakneck speeds. Viktor followed behind slowly, his pace ill-matched with the pounding of his heart. “Hello, darling!” he called, taking them one step at a time.
“Hi,” came the weary yet relieved sigh. Kitty met him halfway, wrapping her arms around him. Viktor kissed the top of her head, rubbed the damp back of her shirt. “How have you guys been?” she asked with the same note of fatigue.
“Just fine. Come, let me make you some lunch.”
He tangled his fingers with hers, feeling the heat of her palm exacerbated by the torturous sun outside, and led her back to their kitchen. She leaned against the counter as he fixed her a quick lunch, something she could eat in a few minutes so she could enjoy the rest of her break unburdened by necessity. Viktor sat on the couch with her and listened intently to today’s workplace drama, giving her his full attention.
Marcus had squished himself into her right side, somehow conforming to the narrow space between her hip and the arm of the couch as if he were more liquid than dog. Viktor humored at how he watched them eat, only half attempting to disguise his desire for a nibble.
“You’re so fat,” Kitty cooed to him. “You can’t have any of this, it’s not for dogs.” She leaned over and kissed the soft fur of his forehead, his chocolate-colored eyes closing with brief contentedness. Her face wrinkled as she pulled away. “Ugh, he stinks. I wish I had time to give him a bath while it’s warm out.”
Viktor hummed quietly in response, a plan swirling about in his mind immediately.
The end of breaktime came too soon, and inevitably work tore her away from him again. Cane blocking the crack of the door, Viktor waved to Kitty as she pulled out of the driveway. Marcus protested this with a shrill whine, a sentiment that he could not help but agree with.
The door closed, and Viktor peered down at his hairy son.
“Can’t say you’re going to like what I’m about to do.”
The hose was tangled up next to the back fence, partially hidden by a haphazard pile of brush that, presumably, the landlords had left there for them to clean up themselves. That was never going to happen. Marcus watched curiously until the head of the hose emerged, and his tail drooped.
“I am sorry, Bugs,” Viktor started, hauling himself back up onto the porch with water already spraying from the nozzle. The dog reluctantly came when he motioned for him. At least he was cooperating without a fight. Viktor unlooped the leather collar around his neck and chucked it onto the patio table. “If it’s any comfort to you, you know now how much I love your mother.”
The second the cold water hit Marcus’s fur, he snaked away. “Hey, no,” Viktor grunted, stiffly stepping after him. His cane had been abandoned against one of the chairs, out of reach. He scruffed him, tried again. Tail tucked, Marcus ran off to the edge of the porch.
“Bugs, don’t do this.” He went for his cane this time, but the movement had the beast dashing out into the yard. Viktor sighed, already projecting how this would go. He tried to follow, but for every step he took, Marcus took four. He reached one corner of the yard, and Marcus was already back at the door.
“Shit.”
Only one thing left to do.
He pulled his phone from his back pocket, dialed, and put it to his ear. The call was picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, what’s up?” Jayce already sounded like he was half-listening, the TV buzzing with commotion in the background of the call.
“I have a half loaf of banana bread left on my kitchen counter.”
“You have my attention.”
“I need a favor. Are you free?”
“For banana bread, yeah.”
---
“I wasn’t expecting to have to get wet,” Jayce complained, staring at the dripping hose lying sadly on the porch with some disdain.
“I had to guarantee your participation,” Viktor said with a shrug, a smirk coiling his lips now that his back was to his friend. “At times that means neglecting to mention crucial little details.”
Jayce grunted again. Viktor turned the hose on, spraying him before he realized where it was aimed. “Oh, oops-”
“Viktor! What the f – dammit, let’s just get this over with.” Jayce irritably stripped out of his overshirt and kicked off his sneakers and socks. “I’m going to leave crumbs in your couch, you asshole.”
Jayce cooed after Marcus, who approached with a hesitant wag. Surely his beloved Jayce, the man who loved and spoiled him above all else, would not betray him—Jayce, with his pockets of delicious morsels—Jayce, who would lie on the floor with him and never cease with his pets. He crept straight into his hands and delivered himself to his captor.
“Excellent, keep him there,” Viktor said, spouting them both with the frigid hose water.
“Watch where you’re pointing that thing!”
“Calm down, just hold him.”
Viktor squirted a generous amount of coconut-scented oatmeal shampoo into his hands and knelt, working the suds into Marcus’s coat. The dog avoided his eyes, his rage at the entire world seeping out into the heat waves of the afternoon. Viktor laughed as he massaged the sweet soap behind his ears, finally meeting his eyes.
“This cannot be so bad, hm?”
Marcus licked Viktor’s chin and looked away again. Don’t speak to me, traitor.
He was doused with water again, and both Viktor and Jayce worked together to ensure every last bubble had been purged from his fur. Then, Viktor threw a well-used towel over him and tousled him dry. Jayce slid the back door open, and Marcus bolted back into the house without so much as a glance behind. Viktor looked down at his hands and grimaced. They were covered in sticky black hairs that refused to budge no matter how he shook them.
Jayce wiped his own hands against his cargo shorts. “Okay, I did your dirty work. Where’s my compensation?”
Viktor beckoned him into the kitchen and closed the door behind them. “Wash your hands first.”
Glorious banana bread was delivered. As an apology, Viktor switched the World Cup on for Jayce and gave him a clean towel. The favor was quickly forgotten, distracted by the excitement of the game. Marcus scrutinized the two cheering from the couch. He wanted a treat too, but not from Jayce the betrayer.
He got up from where he sulked in his crate and raked his long body against the couch, snorting and waving around to get the horrid scent of coconut and lime away from him. Not to mention, it brought him ever closer to the coveted banana bread.
“Look at him,” Jayce laughed. “You’re so ridiculous, bud.” He held a hand out, and Marcus dismissed all previous crimes against him for a good scratch on the butt.
After the game, and a few hours into Viktor displaying the project he was currently pouring his life into to Jayce, the house emptied once more. It was almost five in the evening - time had certainly flown. Kitty would be home before long, but there was still so much he needed to do.
Viktor opened the entrance closet and pulled out Marcus’s harness. “Fancy a walk?”
The response was an excited wiggle, claws tapping impatiently. The harness only ever meant leaving out the forbidden front door. Viktor chuckled, sliding it over the dog’s broad chest. “You have to promise not to pull me down.”
There would be no promises.
Marcus was so much nicer to Viktor on walks than he was to his mom. He didn’t pull, growled at passersby less. They couldn’t make much sense of it, but Viktor didn’t mind. It was good exercise, and the neighborhood was pretty, green, and most of all, quiet.
It was still hot, sitting firmly in the low 90s. It was actually a merciful day, if that could be believed. The graying clouds provided some solace from the heat, and he made sure that Marcus stayed in the grass as much as he could. They crossed a little red bridge as the birds above cawed at their intrusion. Marc peered over the edge with its peeling paint, and he perked his ears as the stream gurgled below.
Viktor pulled out his phone and took a video, zooming in on the wrinkles on the dog’s forehead. Marcus, suddenly aware that he was being perceived, yanked around, knocking his big head into the slat above him. Viktor barked out a laugh, pleased to have caught it on camera.
The phone was shoved away into his back pocket so he could rub Marcus’s noggin. “You are a funny boy, aren’t you? Never looking before you leap.”
They took the short way back home, Viktor’s back beginning to twinge not long into their venture. He swore up and down that the heat made his symptoms worse than they usually were. It was starting to sprinkle, anyhow. The A/C was like a kiss from a lover as soon as they made it back home, both man and beast deflating with relief as the cold air hit them. Marcus collapsed onto the cool wooden floor, and Viktor moved to fill up his water bowl before fleeing upstairs for the relief of his back brace.
He inched a return to the ground floor and groaned as he lowered himself to his knees, lying on the ground next to Marc. He had the right idea - the floor felt fantastic. He half-heartedly scratched his dog’s ruff. “I don’t suppose you want to eat after all of that?”
Marcus side-eyed him hard. Eat, he said? Well, it was always a good time to eat. Viktor’s stomach seemed to agree.
---
Dinner was cooking when Kitty came back home that night. The whole house smelled of shellfish and white sauce. She slumped forward, half with relief and half with exhaustion. Viktor rubbed her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, darling. Someone is very excited to see you.”
“He looks happy,” she remarked, smiling down at her child, who was all lolling tongue and toothy grins himself.
“Yes, we went on a walk. He got a bath today, too.”
Kitty turned to him, amazed. “You gave him a bath?”
Viktor smiled warmly, pleased to have successfully surprised her. “Of course. You mentioned that he needed it. I may or may not have roped Jayce into helping me.”
“Oh, that’s where the banana bread went.”
“...Yes. It’s gone.”
She burst out laughing and hugged him hard. Happiness bloomed from his chest, threatening to crack open his ribs. He closed his eyes and leaned into her neck. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me too,” she mumbled back. Her fingers were playing with the back of his shirt, and he was suddenly the happiest man alive all over again. “I’m always so happy to be home with my boys. Thank you for giving him a bath, you didn’t have to do that.”
Viktor pulled away only to fix her a bowl. “Of course I did. He’s our child after all, isn’t he?”
She stole a kiss before accepting the bowl. “He is. I’m just glad he has such a good dad.”
Ever since i first watched Arcane i have wanted to know (and i mean this in the nicest way possible,) what was wrong with Viktor. His disability was never explained beyond “he was born with a malformed leg”.
And so, i was left alone in the house with my thoughts today so i took it upon myself to figure it out, (and talk about his medical issues so i can ignore my own lmao) and i am releasing my thoughts upon yall!
(disclaimer: yes i am aware that this arcane is a fantasy world that is not our world and the disorders/illnesses and treatments will not be the same but the issues he has have to be based off of something (especially with how detailed this show is and how many references are made throughout.) this is not me trying to say that he definitively has any of these conditions, i’m just comparing them to conditions that exist today and suggesting what Viktors disabilities may have been based off of.)
(disclaimer pt 2.: i have not played League of Legends, i do not intend to play League of Legends, i have only watched Arcane and i am only talking about Arcane and Arcane lore and what i have been able to figure out from watching Arcane and spinning it around in my brain like it’s in a microwave.)
Now, i think i’ll just start from the beginning, and go in order of development.
1. Viktors Leg
According to the wiki (and about every other site that talks about Viktor) he is said to have been “born with a malformed leg”, and said pretty much nothing else. Now, when Viktor is an adult, his leg appears to be very not-malformed, so, let’s start at the flashback.
Now, even in the flashback Viktors leg looks normal. It’s pointing forward, and looks totally fine. But as the clip goes on, and he gets up and starts moving, the problem becomes apparent. Here’s a clip:
Yall have probably already noticed what i’m talking about with this clip, but i want to illustrate it more because the clip moves so fast:
As Vikto moves faster, his foot shifts inwards! It shifts inwards pretty severely (i mean, he full on trips on it), and the only time in this entire clip where it is doing so. And that is because the other times he is around someone else. I think he is purposefully pointing his foot forward and in turn walking on the wrong part of his foot (balance issues), and more than likely causing himself pain 1. to appear less ‘crippled’ and more “normal” to other people, and 2. because clearly, his foot is pointing inwards to a degree that is impairing his ability to walk.
Now to me, (and i’m not a doctor so if any actual doctors want to call me on incorrect information please do so!) this looks like Femoral Anteversion, or a twisting of the femur that points the knees inward (it’s typically found in both legs but it can happen with just one)
Now this isn’t necessarily a terrible thing, ~10% of children are affected with Femoral Anteversion (or “pigeon toes”), and most of the time it resolves itself, unless it is super severe, at which point it requires surgery to fix it. Which, of course, Viktor did not have access to.
Now, his leg does appear to be normal as an adult, but the femoral anteversion thought is still plausible. There are 3 reasons i can think of for this one.
1. He got to Piltover and after a little bit Heimerdinger noticed how messed up his leg was and Viktor got the surgery to correct it as much as possible (it’s implied that Viktor was in Piltover for years, based on how he acts and the fact that he’s Heimerdingers assistant) (this thought doesn’t seem very plausible to me, i don’t remember seeing any surgery scars on his leg in the hexcore scene, but it is a possibility.)
2. He’s simply just still correcting his leg. The reason we wouldn’t see him mess up like we did in the flashback is that he’s about 24-25 in act one, and i’d say that 14-15 years is probably enough to get used to doing that sort of thing.
3. (Honestly this one seems to be the most plausible to me) His leg has (partially) corrected itself. Most children whose femoral anteversion fixed itself had normal gaits by age 8-10, but that’s an average age and those typically aren’t perfectly accurate to everyone (i have. very personal experience with that.) and it makes the most sense to me that his leg has mostly/partially corrected itself and he’s just also continuing to self-correct to avoid appearing any more disabled than he already does (he shows quite a bit of internalized ableism throughout the season, and his line about people not listening to him because he’s “just a poor cripple from the undercity” really drives it home for me, honestly.)
2. Viktors Deterioration
When we first truly see Viktor in act 1, he seems lively, and unless he’s actively walking, he’s not using his cane, not really (he hangs his cane on his arm to read a book with both hands (really great rep btw, we do in fact do that!), he leans it against a desk to pace in front of a chalkboard with Jayce, he puts it down somewhere to go help Jayce with the experiment, etc.).
I mean, look at his stance, he’s not really leaning on his cane for support, more likely he’s using it for balance, and as an assist to his bad leg, rather than an attempted replacement like we saw in the flashback.
But in act 2? Hoooo boy
Look at that, beyond just looking 10x sicker, look at his posture, his shoulders specifically. He is actively leaning on his crutch (because he needs a crutch now, the cane wasn’t enough), using it like a replacement. Now, over the course of the ~7 year time skip, Viktors condition has deteriorated enough that he 1. needs the braces 2. needs a crutch 3. can no longer even get up without his crutch, let alone take a single step!
i mean, even when he’s sitting down, he’s holding onto it, leaning on it. The way he uses his crutch, how skinny he’s gotten, how much more tired he seems, all of these things say some sort of newfound muscle weakness, but why?
And the braces. Let’s start with the leg brace, since it’s right there. How it’s built around the actual leg and knee looks a whole lot like a much cooler unloader knee brace, or a knee brace that redistributes weight away from the weakened knee. I have to wear one of those when my knee gets really bad in the winter, when it starts buckling randomly and just.. not working. Which makes sense for the muscle atrophy/weakness theory i have, because that leg was already weak to begin with, and his knee would have been all kinds of fucked up if he did spend basically his whole life misaligning it like i’m thinking he did. (and to support that theory even further, the way that the brace goes over his foot as well reminds me of the braces some children wear to attempt to correct their ‘pigeon toes’ (which have been proven not to work, btw)
Now, the back brace. I’m gonna be honest, this part took me the longest, it truly confused me.
When you look at it, it just looks like a thoracic back brace, with some extra support on the hips (once again, pointing to muscle weakness)
But the thing that really confused me?
The screws in his back.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what procedure this was referencing (Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation (i’m like really sure that the screws aren’t showing in the real life surgery but the fact that they are makes sense with Arcanes style)), and an even more embarrassing amount of time to realize that the golden screws in his brace weren’t connected to him. (i am. very tired.)
But essentially, a Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation is a less invasive spinal fusion procedure. Now a spinal fusion can be done for many, many reasons, but only one really fit.
Support, because of muscle weakness.
Every single thing that got added on to Viktor could be explained by muscle weakness, but there’s never any explained reason why he was so weak all of a sudden. His terminal illness is cited as a reason but that didn’t really make sense to me, all of these procedures, all of these mobility aids made perfectly to his measurements would’ve had to have been caused by something with a much slower onset than the illness would have given him.
And after literal hours of scouring, i have a theory.
Post-Polio Syndrome.
The timeline makes sense, Viktor would have most likely gotten sick before the flashback, when he was a child (a lot of children who get Polio fight it off without even knowing they have it). Viktor is estimated to be about 32 in act 2, and the average time between the initial Polio infection and Post-Polio Syndrome onset is about 20-40 years (inconsistent numbers).
Now some of the symptoms we have no way of knowing if they affect Viktor or not, but the main ones that caught my eye were muscle atrophy, chronic fatigue, and, you guessed it, muscle weakness.
Given where Viktor lived as a child, and how heavily polluted it was (remember that Viktor was in the undercity over 10 years before we saw it in act 1 with Vi and Powders childhood), it’s not too far of a stretch to say that he could have contracted an illness very similar to Polio as a child, and only really be feeling the affects of it now.
3. The Illness
I have 2 main theories for Viktors illness, the first one seems to be the most popular among the fandom: Tuberculosis.
If you’re unaware, Tuberculosis (TB) is a sickness that mainly affects the lungs, with the main symptom being coughing up blood. Now this is a really good theory imo, it fits pretty well, with some of the other symptoms being muscle atrophy, fatigue, malaise (general feeling of discomfort/unease with no discernible reason), loss of appetite, and severe unintentional weight loss. all of this sounds like our guy, no?
TB can take weeks to be symptomatic, so we probably just caught Viktor at the worst time ever lol with this theory.
My other theory is actually one my friend suggested to me, and that theory is COPD.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that is basically a terrible combination of chronic bronchitis and asthma that can be caused by exposure to pollution (Viktor grew up in the Undercity before Cassandra’s vent system, i mean the river he was playing on had an oil slick on it, i think it’s safe to say he was exposed to some pretty severe pollution as a child.)
This theory makes a lot of sense to me, because it’s said in the show that his illness was probably caused by the air where he grew up, which this would have been, while TB would not. (not 15-20 years later, at least) COPD, once it reaches stage 4 is very severe, any flare up of symptoms could be life threatening at that stage, and the symptoms? Fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, weight loss, and less frequently, coughing blood.
Anyway, i guess that concludes my analysis/comparison? I’m gonna repeat that i’m not definitively saying that ‘he has this condition and this is why!’, i’m just analyzing and speculating on what different parts of his disability is based on in real life. So, let’s just all be nice, yeah? (also PLEASE feel free to use this as a reference point for modern aus and stuff!!)
i do genuinely think that Viktors disease progression and his deterioration is one of the best examples of chronic illness that i have seen in media, in my experience (both with my own issues and what i’ve seen in other people) and Viktor himself is one of the BEST representations of what it’s like to be young and disabled and the internalized ableism that comes with it (if anyone wants to hear about that i will happily yap your ear off about it!
Anyway, for real this time. Yap session over.
[edit: if you like this you should look in the reblogs there’s a couple of really good in-depth deep dives from others that build on this!!]
i need you to imagine your f/o’s “oh. oh.” moment. aka: the moment it hits them like a freight train that they’ve fallen for you, and fallen hard. what caused it? was it a big gesture, teasing from a friend, a shared moment together, or something else entirely? were they in public, trying desperately to hide their burning face? or do they take a moment to let out all of their emotions in private? imagine them frustrated out of their mind, believing that it was foolish to let themselves get so close to you. but now they can’t deny it anymore; they need to have you.
imagine your f/o noticing you’re off before you say anything.
they don’t ask a bunch of questions. they just pull you close, somewhere soft and quiet.
if you’re restless, they let you fidget with them. their hand, their hair, their clothes. if you’re tired, they let you lean into them. no pressure to be anything other than how you are.
they help with the little things. water. food. rest. gently, no big deal.
you’re not too much for them to handle. you’re just someone they love who needs a little extra care right now.
♡ the kitchen smells like fresh strawberries and whipped cream as the two of you attempt to make dessert together. it's less baking and more playful chaos... flour dusting your clothes, stolen bites of fruit, and your f/o pretending not to notice every time you sneak another taste. they laugh so hard their cheeks hurt, and somewhere between the mess and the teasing, they pause just long enough to admire you. they don't think they've ever associated happiness with a place before, but standing beside you like this… they think maybe they have now. ♡
🤍 | written by me, do not copy, steal or use my work to train ai in any way, shape or form | likes and reblogs appreciated, they let me know you want to see more! | plain text below the cut ↓
─────────── ୨୧ ───────────
the kitchen smells like fresh strawberries and whipped cream as the two of you attempt to make dessert together. it's less baking and more playful chaos... flour dusting your clothes, stolen bites of fruit, and your f/o pretending not to notice every time you sneak another taste. they laugh so hard their cheeks hurt, and somewhere between the mess and the teasing, they pause just long enough to admire you. they don't think they've ever associated happiness with a place before, but standing beside you like this… they think maybe they have now.
written by me, do not copy, steal or use my work to train ai in any way, shape or form | likes and reblogs appreciated, they let me know you want to see more!
♡ the two of you spread a picnic blanket beneath the shade of a big tree while a soft summer breeze rustles the leaves overhead. lunch is simple: your favorite snacks, cold drinks, and a few sweet treats! somehow though, it feels like the nicest meal you've ever had ... your f/o can't help smiling every time you laugh, and they swear the birds are singing louder just because you're there. before you head home, they carefully tuck a tiny wildflower behind your ear and quietly think they've never seen anyone more beautiful. ♡
🤍 | written by me, do not copy, steal or use my work to train ai in any way, shape or form | likes and reblogs appreciated, they let me know you want to see more! | plain text below the cut ↓
─────────── ୨୧ ───────────
the two of you spread a picnic blanket beneath the shade of a big tree while a soft summer breeze rustles the leaves overhead. lunch is simple: your favorite snacks, cold drinks, and a few sweet treats! somehow though, it feels like the nicest meal you've ever had ... your f/o can't help smiling every time you laugh, and they swear the birds are singing louder just because you're there. before you head home, they carefully tuck a tiny wildflower behind your ear and quietly think they've never seen anyone more beautiful.
written by me, do not copy, steal or use my work to train ai in any way, shape or form | likes and reblogs appreciated, they let me know you want to see more!
wanting to take care of a f/o who spent so much time taking care of you. making sure you're pampered in a way that makes you wish you could stay in their arms forever…
but it's their turn, isn't it?
holding their face in your hands to press gentle kisses against their face, from their eyelids, to their nose, to their lips, watching as they melt and let out a weak sigh of content as they trust their entire being in your hands. or running your hands through their hair, letting your nails scrape against their scalp as they nuzzle deeper into warmth as they wrap themselves around your waist.
to see them ready to collapse into your arms when they are tired from all the stress of life. even a hug from you makes them feel like they can forget all their problems. that a nuzzle against your neck to inhale that scent that they've grown attached to can save them from everything. as long as they're with you, they feel safe. secured. pampered. like they're finally home. even when they close the door to your shared home. it's not home unless it's with you.
F/O who never judges you, especially not when you start singing nonsense suddenly. Instead they look up from their work for a bit to gaze fondly at you, lips curled into a soft smile. They never get pissed at you for speaking over them, or when you add your own experience into the conversation to relate with them. F/O who keeps a stock of your safe foods, and reminds you to eat when they do. Encouraging you by making you food. F/O who celebrates how weird you both are.
