can this arcane/league of legends character be trusted with your drink at a party?
caitlyn (8/10)
attended to house parties her whole life (probably not voluntarily) and kept a lot of peoples drinks safe. she tends to stay away from the party so a very solid option if you need a quick toilet break. will only let go of it in emergencies but makes sure to buy you a drink as an apology.
vi (4/10)
might take a sip if the beverage is up her alley. can and will judge you based on your drink of choice. doesn't let go of the drink in any cases but anybody could spike the drink and homegirl wouldn't realize it. (makes sure they memorize her fist print is she does though)
jinx (0)
you wake up in a cold bath with empty ice bags on the ground. the side of your body feels super warm. you got the jinxed ending. have fun living without a liver.
ekko (7/10)
he dances while holding the cup 🥺🥺 will definietly ask if he can take a sip regardless of what the drink is. slightly pouts upon hearing no but won't force you to elaborate on it. drama queen, will close the cup with his palms if he hears you approaching
"my bad, thought you were coming for my buddies drink there"
heimerdinger (7/10)
will try his best to protect your drink. holds it with both of his hands. realistically, somebody could just swoop in and take it from his grasp but otherwise, another solid choice.
viktor (4/10)
why must you do this to him??? nervous that a half empty drink in hand might be an excuse for other people to speak to him. just stands there, you find him in the exact position as you left him. there's a big chance he might just leave it there if the party gets too intense.
mel (10/10)
super natural and professional about it. will sip only a little to make sure she leaves her lipstick mark on it. sways the glass slowly while gracefully holding a conversation.
jayce (8/10)
he's excited🥺🥺 holds it like a trophy. he fights for a safe drink, he'll die for a safe drink. might get bored if you take too long and theres a slight chance that he WILL judge you for your drinking choices.
singed (no)
no
silco (5/10)
if he likes you, he'll death stare anyone that gets close to the drink in question. if he doesn't, the houseplants will be seeing some action.
"hey silco can you hold this for a minute?"
"of course, love."
"cut the cameras"
sevika(6/10)
she also drinks without asking, not because she likes it but just to see you flustered. other than that, people could "joke" about grabbing the cup and they would be catching these blades.
aphelios (10/10)
he's a soldier with a mission. cup locked in sight, just silently stares at it until you come back. gets praised by his sister for being such a responsible friend.
kayn (7/10???)
actually very happy to hold it for you. might think of you as a stupid cunt if he sees you drinking embarrassing stuff but this is a very good opportunity to shut people up.
"oh sorry, kind of busy here you see. i'm keeping an eye on this one. have a good time" *bends down to rhaast's level* "kill this bitch right now."
aatrox (??/10)
YES HUMAN!! FINALLY YOU UNDERSTAND THE TRUE PURPOSE OF BEING A DEATH BLADE. ofc he will keep you tiny cup safe wdym *gets fucking split in half*
sett (10/10)
surprisingly (or not) responsible. he will cross his arms on his chest but hold onto the cup firmly. he's making his momma proud, no screwing around on his watch.
akali (6/10)
sure bestie, doesn't actually mind it. the only problem is, she also probably doesn't care if you're not very important to her. makes sure that the drink is safe from other substances but leaves it on the counter if she sees you approaching.
jhin (no)
art, shall blossom from the absence of your wit and self-awareness. what were you thinking :D?
vander (10/10)
another professional. definitely knows what an angelshot is and definitely slapped a bitch in a blue t-shirt before. tired and unamused dad keeping the cup safe, that's it this is the motto.
graves (???)
you get the goody aaah ending. he drank the spiked drink that he was supposed to protect, good job! twisted fate was there to witness everything and he did nothing to interfere just for the fun of it :)
i REALLY liked the cait story but the timeline confuse me so bAD like I tried to read it with my 3 neurons remaning and it didn't work. I LOVED IT THHOUGH KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK SIS ଘ(੭˃ᴗ˂)੭
OMG SLDJFLDIDHUFJG tysm aaaaahh, as a non-native english speaker who writes fics in english, i simply refuse to finish a sentence unless im like at least 3 commas in, so i guess this was to be expected :D?
idk how to explain the timeline as well since i need to know what you specifically missed, so here's a poorly made chronology:
please note that i don't have much experience with art but i also just refused to search for caitlyn pngs without the annoying backgrounds, enjoy 🫡
"the always enchanting tale, of star crossed lovers"
being an unndercover zaunite working for the kiramman family, slowly planning doom (was what i said but brace yourself cuz that's a lot different sdfsjklfjsdf)
a.n: i believe caitlyn is supposed to be around 24ish (although some redditers think she's in her late twenties which is, um, kinda unrealistic imo :D). so the main part of this takes place between the first and the second act, meaning the explosion + hextech bullshit did happen. caits just not a part of the police deparmant yet. capisci?
!!!again, since english is not my first language you will be seeing a lot of clownery in this. little bit of this little bit of that, yknow? (i'll probably edit this after a nap)
caitlyn x gender neutral(god i hope) reader (4,4k words)
warnings: reader is wearing a nightgown, abuse, they are both smitten but they don't notice yet trope, there's the zaun-piltover racism going on i guess???
supporting characters: tobias, cassandra
you were born to alow-middle class family in zaun, a surprise child, considering how your parents had the impression of giving birth to a child in the lawless down city was just another mouth to feed. not an unwanted one, i might add, but even though your parents were always discreet about the hardship of their lives, it would also be a lie to say your life was as easy as some folks got it out there.
nights were your parents came home exhausted, visibly wounded and gasping for air. even though they were broke, they were also proud to lead an honorable life in a city where illegal activities never stopped. as a child, you used to admire them for it, having stone fights with other "poor" kids while bragging about how good your parents were. but that started to change as you've realized how your family stopped eating proper meals, sometimes they worked for over 14 hours with no pay, you started to wear your summer shoes even though it was freezing cold. you guys stopped having dinner conversations because all your parents wanted to talk about was how they were going to pay this month's bills. they stopped asking how your day was, if you had any new drawings to put on the fridge this week. they didn't wake up early to see you off to school anymore, hell, you couldn't even be sure if they had just gone to sleep, at 7 in the morning!
so you stopped as well. you weren't as keen to hug your parents anymore, you stopped asking for money to buy crayons from the junk markets, and by the time you were 12, maybe by luck maybe you were just at the right place in a right time, you bumped into a very, very important person. someone that has it so easy that they wouldn't even have to think twice before purchasing a very expensive counter-part for their new pricy clock. you apologized profusely, of course. you were brought up with proper manners after all. you saw a machine like man, whom you assumed was unable to speak, shaking his -you weren't actually sure if they were even a mister- hands rapidly, trying to communicate. you heard of piltovians going down to buy their own creations for cheaper prices here, but you also thought it was illegal. zaunite gangs were responsible for stealing and smuggling them downstairs, but whatever happened to them afterwards was none of their business. everyone out here had their own vouches and sales people, so actually seeing someone from upside doing shopping here was very unsettling to be fair.
you froze, i mean god, you were just here to possibly sell a few junk that you stole the other week (which you weren't really proud of but life was getting harder), and you HAD to run into one of the tough guys of piltover. you clutched your backpack, ready to run if the dude saw you putting a puzzle piece in one of your pockets, but the mechanic citizen just put their palms in your face as if to say 'stop'.
his robotic fingers pointed to your bag, sweat down your forehead and coming into your view now, you also slightly changed your position to look at what he was showing. of course you knew what was there, it was just a dumb reflex. he was trying to ask about a few invention blueprints you were doodling earlier at class today. zaun didn't have a proper education system, but there were scholars teaching kids privately if offered a fat amount of money. your parents wanted you to take science courses, working for a chemlord themselves, but you always found yourself coming up with different drawing of tech products.
you enjoyed drawing, sculpture and art in general, but down here, these stuff were just seen as well-heeled brat hobbies, they didn't make money and they for sure didn't protect from any punk trying to catch some hands. but in piltover? people appreciated fine arts, they did not dismiss them for not bringing any income to the family, they were overjoyed upon seeing their children take interests in them. oh, how lovely it must be. not having to beg to your parents about art supplies but them simply coming to you with new offers for more creative aspects of life. and the rich brats, who often refuse to see their parents' kindness and just complain about them being so 'overbearing'. you couldn't even remember the last time your guardians knocked on your door to ask for your opinion, on anything!
seeing you clearly confused, the piltover citizen politely put his hands on your shoulder before quickly making a gesture to show you what he was really interested in. using his open palms as a paper, he pretended to scribble over it with another robo-hand. clumsily throwing your bag to the ground, you took out your biggest notebook for him to use, a bit uneasy but still curious nonetheless.
"did you create them?" you shook your head in affirmation. your tiny heart was beating with both horror and excitement. "they are quite complex and creative." he nodded slightly as you read the words with a smile now. your ideas, getting praised by someone for the first time ever. not to mention someone who seems to know about his way around.
he hesitates now, looking at you as he stops writing. he can tell by your clothes and demeanor that you must've seen the rough side of the town, a kid that's maybe around a middle-schoolers age, trying to get away with stealing stuff to possible survive, he assumes. he just draws a smiley face on the paper, handing it back to you with ease and determination. a bright kid who deserves to receive education in the prestige academys of piltover, getting lost between the chemical wastes of zaun. he watches you take the notebook back carefully, still watching out for any hostile activity in the way he's behaving. he uses every power that's limited by his mechanical body to show you a simple chuckle, and then points once more.
"you." "me." "upside."
and that he does. trying not to get your hopes up, you spend the next few days just like any other, but you're yearning. looking out the windows more, up to the sky that you can hardly see because of piltover's majestic buildings. hoping for that meeting to be a plan of fate, a hope.
"if the servants are of any trouble to you, just let me know! kirammans do not tolerate rudeness." there you saw a bright 14 year old smiling at you politely as you struggled to carry some books about neuroscience. you knew of her, of course you did. the little lady of the kiramman family, the girl with the weird hair color and a gap in her teeth as the only thing that slips from her perfect aura. you didn't quite want to admit, but you were a little scared of her. she was beautiful, first of all. standing tall with her head high and chin up. always walking straight, never doing any mistakes. you'd sometimes see her talking to very particular searchers, young and talented people very important in their own areas, as equals?? she always spoke whatever was in her mind in an intelligent perspective, never failing to make her mother proud.
"you shouldn't be seen helping me." you said, voice cracking while your eyes search the corridor for any witnesses in panic. normally you wouldn't care about other students pushing you around, it just wasn't worth throwing your scholarship aside. since that faithful day, even though you never saw the 'machine man' personally again, there was a feeling deep inside always telling you that you had to make sure his efforts were not in vain.
you could see that she was not able to make much of your tension, clenching her own books to her chest.
"what is that suppose to mean? we're just going to the same class. it's not a big deal, no?" caitlyn answered quickly with a slight tone of hurt in her voice. she was right actually. you were heading to the same class, but it was very clear that you two were very different from each other. you were a meek child for many reasons: being loud and expressive usually meant getting hurt in zaun, being noticeable made it very hard to sneak past shop owners when they see you trying to steal a delicious fruit. and there was caitlyn, an open-minded girl with parents loving her unconditionally. drifting to sleep after being kissed goodnight by her father, not having to wonder whether her parents would make it after tomorrow's work.
you used to envy her a lot as a child, seeing her trying to approach you made your blood boil, during your first year here as a 12 year old you quickly realized how different piltover was from your dreams. it was not a magical place where people came together for science regardless of origin. it was still as ruthless, if not even more. "her and her spoiled child antics" you though while she struggled making a conversation with a few girls from your class. you knew she was having a hard time with getting friends but you simply didn't care. a privileged girl born into one of the most wealthy families in one of the most advanced cities in whole runeterra is sad because everyone is so intimidated by the idea of talking to her? boohoo.
being an apprentice to the hollaran clan was not as easy as you actually though. funny, people'd think managing to get out of zaun, scraping your way to the topside would be a new page waiting to be turned. but it wasn't. it was studying for more hours, getting told off by others for doing minor mistakes, being looked down upon for being born to the hardships they created. you spent numerous nights simply crying, going to bed starving. not even being able to look at others kids from your same house in the eyes without being felt disgusting. but you still prayed to janna, you hoped she would keep your family safe, you begged her to help you find a way of these endless circles of suffering. and rest was history, being assigned research-mates with caitlyn after nearly 6 years of ignoring her, was the start of your ultimate plan.
first it was cait suggesting to meet up at a cafe to 'change the atmosphere a bit. she was simply cooped up in the huge private library of hers as the teacher's assistant' (you remember scoffing at the idea and caitlyn having to explain the impact of motivation. in your mind, there was no motivation. consistent hard work was all there is to it) then it was meeting up at the library after its closing hours, shushing caitlyn as she gets excited talking about detective work. exchanging notes in class, and you calling her 'ice queen'. caitlyn offering to go to the restroom with you, just to stand there and glare at people that talk behind your back. seeing her efforts, you started warming up too, and you soon realized caitlyn maybe wasn't as fortunate as you always made her to be. being born into money and royalty did not seem the best, especially when caitlyn started dozing off on your shoulders when she was too exhausted to study from taking house management classes. finding caitlyn at the academy infirmary, clearly dizzy but still compassionate and stubborn about 'not working enough'. you started purchasing snacks and pastries for her, trying out a new tea brew because you want to impress her, taking notes of interesting books you saw at the library just in case she wanted to take a look too.
and when you two started getting even more comfortable, your 'study dates' as she liked to call them, turned into you bringing your pajamas to her house for a sleepover. but even then, you were surprised to see new sides of caitlyn, who was becoming your best friend even faster then you thought. supposedly, she was never this intimate with other people. forget about going for a cup of tea, caitlyn did not even speak to anybody else from your studies. even though you didn't find that very surprising, her mother looked horrified while talking about it, making you question if caitlyn wished not to talk to them about these matters at all.
that being said, her parents were getting quite used to you as well. greeting you at the door themselves, asking for what you'd like to eat for dinner. you were ashamed, to put it plainly, for thinking that they would treat you differently just because you were a down people. but you also reassured yourself, being reminded that after nearly 6 years of coming up here, caitlyn was the only person to treat you like an individual. but nights when you cried yourself to sleep, hugging the extra blanked caitlyn gave you, trying not the sniffle so hard just because caitlyn insisted on sleeping together on the floor as a sleepover tradition. you thought about how your experience in the kiramman household was the closest thing you got the family bonds since forever. not from your patrons, professors, friends, not even your own family. but from the girl you tried so desperately to ignore because you were simply jealous of her.
her father coming to check on her after you two over-do it arguing about your classes was something that all household members were used to by that point. tobias was pleased by your presence, he acknowledged that his daughter often needed someone to listen to her talk about her obsessions and you being more than happy to just listen and nod was enough to make his heart melt. he urged caitlyn to invite you around more often, unknowingly also being the reason of her having to confess to you.
she was shy at first, cheeks all rosy while fidgeting with her fingers uncharacteristically. she pointed at the small sofa of her work room, inviting you to sit down. now taking tours around the room not daring to meet your eyes, she seemed adorable.
"you gonna start talking already or am I suppose to understand what's wrong from your body language as always?"
"ah, yes, pardon me. i didn't think you'd notice." you couldn't help but sigh very loudly. sure, you had a weird friendship with her -you were not even sure you could call it friendship honestly. it was as if she just picked you and started hanging around- but you already knew enough about her to know that caitlyn was not the one to chicken out from speaking her mind.
so after what felt like hours of waiting and playing with your fingers, she finally got up with new found confidence.
"you may move in with us. to our house, i mean. my parents already talked to house holloran about your apprentice-ship." taking a deep breath, relief spread to her face after finally blurting out what has been on her mind for weeks. she opened her eyes, excited, wanting to meet yours as soon as possible. but her smile dropped instantly at how hard you were gritting your teeth.
piltovians and their selfish wants. never once stopping to consider if their acts would hurt people, only caring if it's to their advantage. you wanted to believe it very badly, that maybe caitlyn was different. your first day at the academy made you hopeful of the little girl that saw nothing wrong with talking to a zaunite. but now she was standing there, arms trying to reach out to you, very hesitant. she's a mess as well, eyes frantically searching for any twitch of movement on your face, visibly tense, but even in times like these, she's trying to understand what she did wrong.
you didn't say anything, caitlyn was a smart girl, you knew she'd understand what you were thinking about just from how hard you were clenching your fists. you stared at her with utter disbelief in your eyes, angry words threatening to build up now. looking back at this exact moment in a few years you'd realize how much of a scene you were causing. this would be your dream!! "being considered a member of the kiramman family was not something everybody could dream of" is what you would've said if you were a 12 year old standing in front of a gate with a few belonging of yours. tears forming in your eyes as you made out silhouettes of your "housemates" looking at you with pity and disgust. you were nearly 19 now, having spent the last few years of life observing none other than the kiramman girl. looking at her family with envy at first, with sadness, yearning then love and finally disgust. somedays you wondered why you continued being friends with her, from being her project partners to today, of barely being together as actual friends for 5 to 6 months. and the answer was simple:
you didn't know. you didn't know why you hated seeing caitlyn all exhausted after an all-nighter, you hated seeing her get praised by superiors after taking a semi-good shot because you knew she did too, you hated seeing how pretty she looked with a dress suited for a princess -even when she complained about having to wear it. - she was the only person who cared for you without having any gains from it. caitlyn knew you were from the undercity, so she knew there wouldn't be much to receive from you money wise, and maybe, maybe she just wanted to help you have an easier life by living , but it couldn't reach that deep. not when you were hurt by her people.
your pride was taken from you long ago, but hearing caitlyn say those things as if she could be the one to make the decision was taking you back to some of the most painful memories. getting hit by the kitchen maids for wanting to snack before anyone could wake up, having to walk to the academy after failing to wake up just on time, not doing as you are told, not being at the place you were told to be.
you couldn't think of a word to say now, you couldn't stay here but you knew better than to just go back 'home'. so you just did a quick nod, just a nod. not one of the usual ones, caitlyn took note of. not a "caitlyn can you please stop talking about cats this is important nod." or a "i can't believe i'm friends with a nerd like you but mechanics is super hot please continue" nod. this was a nod to protest, to show how hurt you were. seeing you this defeated and disappointed was breaking her heart too. you were supposed to feel happy about it!
ms. kiramman has been doing arrangements for months only for this moment. caitlyn begged her parents to give you a chance despite them obviously being skeptical about your zaunite roots. she didn't talk to her dad for a whole week after he said "they couldn't trust a down born to be their daughter's friend." they only agreed at the cost of you also being accepted as an apprentice, though it would be a more fancy word for "servant." you would be in charge of the huge family library by caits special request since she always saw your eyes get instantly huge upon witnessing how comprehensive it was. cait thought you would fancy the idea, she did. just like how she fancied you.
she was always looking at you, from day one. caitlyn knew that you had a poro mascot that you enjoyed to doodle in a specific corner of your notebooks. she demanded to be waken up earlier by the servants, not because she was eager for school or anything, but had to sit at certain spot that looked over yours. she watched as you spent your whole education as a loner, not a desperate one, but you took pride in being able to be enough for yourself and caitlyn though highly of you because of it. she immediately tried to steal a glance off of you after making a joke to see if you were laughing or not. and yes maybe she did smile to herself thinking about you, looking at your space a bit too long, making sure that her touch lingers on your hands as she receives your paper work.
why did she keep comparing your schedules to see if you'd take literature together? or why did she insist on you taking the extra credit for a class that didn't even matter so that she, as the professor's assistant, could grade your work and possibly put a little smiley face on it? cait didn't know. one thing she knew though, was that 12 year old caitlyn would never cause you to have such a look on your face. she wouldn't make you insecure about anything that had to do with you. that's why she knocked on your door, now that room renovations were done as well. hoping that you'd actually open, but still understanding if you'd rather not to.
after waiting for a while, getting quite cold since she basically thought coming to your door without a second plan in mind or a pair of socks was a good idea, caitlyn sighed as she closed her eyes. resting her forehead on your door, not trying to be nosey or anything but still hopeful of you feeling the same way.
"cait?" it was so faint that she would've missed it if she stopped to process it. her heart started beating so fast that she was hearing it in her ear drums, steadying her voice to not scare you even further.
"yes?" no response, you're not even sure what you were going with this to be honest. the only thing you knew, hearing her familiar footsteps made you get up from the couch that you've been sitting on for the last few hours.
you had a lot of time to think, to plan, to conquer. even your own conscience telling you to make them all regret. living in a make believe dream made you lost to the truth and to yourself. a zaunite, always a zaunite. nothing but a spawn of filth on the eyes of those who made your lives so miserable. you've lived your life as if it depended on luck, not being sure if you'd be alive tomorrow only to come upstairs??? just to forget about how your people were suffering because of the silly parties that these rich people were having?? and you? what about you coming here with the promises of going back down, to have a better zaunite, only to be the house playmate of the girl that you liked? shame on you.
but your fog of darkness vanished as soon as you heard caitlyn knock, it was her habit to knock with a rhythm even thought it was not necessary at all. you felt lighter, your sorrows still fresh as new but you didn't seem to mind now, not with her. they weren't clouding your mind anymore, your vision was clearer than ever.
"i don't know if i can make you understand, cait." your voice was cracking with the emotions you struggled to keep, you wanted to look strong and undefeatable even when talking to the woman you loved. realizing that you fell in love in the middle of making a life changing decision wasn't helping with the whole 'keep calm' mindset either.
"i don't need to understand, i only need you to be okay." you yanked the door, wood harshly hitting the wall, echo spreading throughout the whole corridor. you looked terrible, night gown swaying with air that was coming from your slightly open window. caitlyn looked rough around the edges too, she always tried her best to be as emotionally available as possible but you were successful in seeing through the cracks. she was wearing the ugly fangirl shirt you got her for caitlyn's coming of age party. you still remembered how horrified her parents were despite caitlyn's loud laughter. she always told you about how she was using it as a pajama but you were never fortunate enough to see it with your eyes.
and there she stood, with her seraphine shirt and big bags under her eyes. your heart filled with the overwhelming urge to hold her as close as possible and yet, you stood your ground. your family was never the touch-feely type, they much preferred to argue over their emotions. so seeing caitlyn close the gap in between you, hugging hard enough to make you gasp for air, you finally felt at ease after nearly six years of being here. in front of caitlyn, you didn't need to put on a façade, you didn't need to look strong or hard to argue. after staying in the exact same position for long enough, feeling her hands softly gather around your waist, you whispered with the strength that was left in your body.
"i won't let anyone get in our way, cait." she tensed, sensing the venom in your tone. caitlyn wasn't sure if you were just speaking from pain or if you were actually serious. if only she could see your eyes, the ones that lost their color after being mistreated for your whole life. but they were shining now, a light that caitlyn was very familiar with.
you only had that type of look when you were successful in finding the formula to the theory that you've been working on, only when you received bad news from back home, only when you saw a few guys that bullied you in the past asking you for help.
the type of shine you had in your eyes only when you were about to change things in a way that would last forever.
marital culture and domestice life in runeterra (a series???)
starting with freljord to celebrate udyr's rework 🎉🎉🎉 m so happy he's not looking like cubic bear anymore!! now he's got the sexy martial artist bear oathdaddy vibes just right 🤭🤭🤭
"animals act on instinct, not choice" ok sir???? 🫣🫣🫣
+++ its has also come to my attention that many of the fans in lol community are solely arcane fans (hurts me in mah heart), so this is like my informative+headcanonish way to make my fics make more sense 🤓
marriages in freljord
freljord is a very feminist region skfjfkfıofvo different tribes are usually ruled by powerful women called "warmothers" and these women tend to have multiple relationships throughout their rule. complicated family dinamic are very common in freljord:
warmothers usually have many spouses, husband or wives, which are called oathfathers or sisters. now the idea of 'marriage' is a bit different for these ice people. they see their oath as promises to protect the person they are promised to, but having an oath with someone DOESNT UNNECESARILY MEAN HAVING SEX WITH THEM. (sex is not very, um, common for them i guess? unless its not for baby making, these people got their priorities straight 🫡)
to make is more simple, lets say this:
1. you are a warmother (again needs to be a woman, there are tribes being ruled by men but usually even those tribes bow down to bigger tribes ruled by women)
2. you need to have a marriage to secure your political position and also to gain more power. warmothers usually get oaths to either very very VEEEERY strong warriors or relatives of those strong worriers.
now here's a quick break. the main reason why people from freljord marry is to make sure they can HAVE and PROTECT babies. they are literally living in a++ smart freezer'' you can think of antartica. babies often die or are very hard to maintain. freljordians make multiple marriages to make sure there are more people to protect the warmothers children and the warmother herself.
3. you get promised to very strong warriors and now your children have multiple oathfathers. (note: this is usually the case for "noble" women of freljord, in civilian side i don't think there's much idea of a fatherhood??? its probably expected from the mother to take care of the baby. and since children are important for any and every tribe, the tribe members all look after the baby as their own)
from now on as a warmother, there are a few roads you can take. you can:
-adopt your oathhusband's children (if he has any) as your own to show how important your partner is for you as a political advantage and as a guardian figure to your biological children.
-you can oath to your oathhusband's mother or sister to make sure your children are extra protected. if you do so, they will be called "sisters" and rise up the ranks. if something were to happen to your homeland however, you husbands' duty is to protect his oathchildren before his actual family. (which is a bit fucked up but its children what do you do 💁)
-you can rank up some of your loyal servants (male or female) to have an oath with you as well. being promised to the FUCKING WARMOTHER is a pretty big deal and not something a lot of servants can dream of.
here are some extra things:
+being married to an oathhusband doesnt unnecesarily mean the warmother herself has to have kids with him. he stills has to protect the warmother and her children, and she can still live her lesbian dream fr.
+even though the oathfathers don't unnecesarily have to have children with the warmother herself, the warmother having children with people that are not her oathhusbands are kinda frowned upon (i guess that's the right way of putting it???), if she's going to have a child, it must be with one of her oathhusbands. but the kid having one specific father doesnt change anything all the dads treat the baby like their own child.
+i dont think same-sex (especially between two women) relationships are something freljordians give a shit about, its another tuesday for them no big deal. freljordians are not relationship kinda people anyways, they probably leave a day of the week empty to try for babies and wish they never see each other again 😭😭😭
+"romance and sex is overrated." -probably all freljordians idk. living in harsh conditions made these folks crazy warriors they have much better things to do than go lingerie-shopping to spice up their bedroom time.
+all this poly craziness aside, there are cases of freljordians having only one spouse. ashe, who is literally the embodiment of idealism and peace, wanted to marry a crazy man with anger issues to show that THESE UGLY BITCHES looking for HER hand in the marriage needed a reality check. and they did 👑👑👑
(even though it was a purely political relationship, now they are kinda falling in love 🤧🤧🤧)
wedding ceremony!!! girl honestly?? not much. LITERAL crickets going crazy over here. probably like an oath ceremony attended by a high ranked shaman and thats it. you're the parent of my child now 🥰🥰🥰
note note note: this was like a warm-up for a small headcanon series where i plan to write about being spouses of villians of league of legends. so just so yall now 🫣🫣🫣 babes you wanna be oathparents to a literal bitchboss' edgy and stuck up children????? OOOO I KNOWWW😩😩😩
Hello you talked about the sickness in the ekko fic, can you explain what it is? i only watch arcane and now i kinda feel left out xd
yes of course! i can see how it may be confusing for arcane-only fans :D
but even from watching arcane, you might be aware of how polluted zaun's air is. it was brilliantly showed in the scene with silco and the chem barons, where he nearly suffocates them with heavily toxic gas that made their lives hell before silco basically took over zaun.
(ok at this point it's just me gushing but i really liked how they didn't act as if this toxic gas thingy was something cartoonish. they made it seem like it was plain old air, which it used to be for zaunites. they could easily make it a goofy pinkish or green color but they didn't 🤧💞)
this scene right here:
the way silco explains it is pretty smart too: air so thick it clogs your throat, gets stuck in your eyes.
he offered them a taste of top side, of fresh air. (but also how badass is it that silco isn't affected by it at all 💀🤚) he's right too, piltovians use the term 'the gray' to explains this chemical air of zaun! and the sickness caused by 'the gray' is called the gray-pox. now i'll be honest with you, not much is known about this sickness (at least that i'm aware of), but i guess we could make a few guesses from how dramatically finn is coughing here 😭😭😭
it's pretty damn obvious that whatever is inside that gas, it affects the respiratory system, plainly making people unable to breath. i though it looked pretty familiar to copd, (even though it's not that AT ALL), with people having trouble breathing, coughing real bad and rapidly producing mucus.
+people with copd could start having trouble doing daily activities like walking around even, and that's basically what i pictured writing about 'the sickness that affects the whole body' for the reader in the ekko fic.
(that was waaaaay to long im sorry have an old style potato 🥔 <3)
"the always enchanting tale, of star crossed lovers."
being an archivist in piltover and getting assigned to the firelight case
a.n: jinx is believed to be around 19 in the second act of arcane. i assume ekko was only a little older than her, so i thought of ekko as 20 writing this, reader is basically the same age.. also, the reader was found before the bridge incident, so they had no connection with any of the zaunite characters before.
!!this is super random, messy and unedited. read at your own risk im so sorry sdfjdsfjslfjk
ekko x female reader (she/her pronouns used)
warnings: vi swearing :D, kidnapping??? reader has a sickness that affects her body entirely (actual lore), adoption, political marriage mentioned
growing up a foundling saved from the polluted air and deadly sewers of zaun, you were brought up by the infamous kiramman family without being mentioned of your heritage, not even once!
spending your days in the kiramman estate, you were considered to be born into the lavish lifestyle of this matriarchal clan. since you were found by a group of enforcers during a riot in zaun as a baby, people did find it bizarre for the kirammans to suddenly pop out with a child, even though none would dare to gossip about it. this resulted in your parents spreading their wings' over you, wanting to protect you from any wandering gaze. you were quite the lucky scroundrel, being a teen around compassionate women like cassandra and caitlyn, you knew it wouldn't be long before you started reaching out for the greater good of your beloved piltover.
you were a daddy's girl to put it plainly, you were used to being pampered by tobias who enjoyed much finer and simpler things in life, prior to your mother cassandra who was quite strict about you taking an active role in the clan's representation of the council. even though you could not have a direct role as council member (not being blood-related and all).
you always though mother knew that caitlyn would grow up to be rebellious if it meant she was doing the right thing, whereas you, a poor zaunite who already got enough chemicals clogged up in her lungs during her short stay as a resident. thats why you were always tired and sickly from studying, having tobias constantly worry over you to an unnecessary extend. caitlyn was ambitious, she wanted to change the world for the greater good even if it meant abandoning her roles as the next heir as a council member. and you were the more 'passive kiramman' who stayed home all day reading history books and playing music with your favorite parent. still, caitlyn would have none of these people pushing you around, you were simply different! special in your own way and she made sure to remind you that many times. cait is a woman of very reassuring hugs, and you are one of her favorite people.
having roots from ionia, your dad often recognized your longing to your true parents, to the toxic smells and industrial sounds of the undercity. he often saw you frustrated and ashamed of admitting how precious you thought the fauna of the zaun was. not being able to tell you the truth hurt him dearly, but he was still a parent, and he thought more of your well-being compared to your previous life as an infant.
you loved your small family though, you really did! and when your big sister decided to start working as an enforcer, you knew that you didn't want to be apart from your role model for much long, you still did it without giving your mother more of a heart attack :D.
thats when you started working as an archivist for the piltover corps, a pretty youngling wicked enough to see more to the details to crime scenes than any other officer in the department. you spend your whole life putting yourself in your sisters hat, blowing your mind over how exactly precise she was when it came to analyzing the crime scene that you were the first archivist our dear soon-to-be sheriff would seek out. it was bound to be really, you spent many of your time hanging around caitlyn's room that she would sometimes jokingly say you knew her more then she did herself.
we could say that you were happy, having a semi-office job that did not oppose much of a threat to your weak body, you still longed for the serious and one of a kind aura of crime scenes. since you were highly respected in your job, you would get assigned to cases that involved zaun more often than not. having grown up in a powerful family in piltover, forget about having any experience with the undercity, you never even came close to seeing the bridge before. needless to say, you were excited to learn more about zaun's firelights. the robin hoods that came to surface during those dreadful times.
"you see anything suspicious, you tell me. i don't want you fainting around the precious crime scene." caitlyn was half-serious as she said that. you could see how stressed she was after the incident with the former sheriff, grayson if you recalled correctly. you knew your sister thought of her dearly, she gushed over how brave and intelligent she was that grayson dying right underneath her feet was too much for her. you watched them do shooting training from the big window of your parents' workroom. grayson seemed like a gentle giant to you as a child, she retrained from showing affection but she never missed any opportunity to give advice to the 'kiramman girls'. piltover police department hid everything from commoners that it meant even you, a powerful family, couldn't know what was going on down there. something so terrible that it could easily kill a woman you always knew as ambitious and powerful.
you knew how worried caitlyn was, she was walking on egg shelves, constantly getting told off by other enforcers for messing up with the crime scenes, but nobody knew your sister as well as you did and you were SURE that if there was one officer who could go to the bottom of this, it was caitlyn.
and that was basically why you were standing here :) with rain softly hitting your small umbrella, so small that half of your boots were soaking already, trying to sneak after your dear sister as much as you possible could. even though you were sure she already heard you cough really bad a few times , the cold was a bit too much for you already, you wanted to believe that cait was lost in the moment for now. maybe you hoped she didn't notice you, or maybe because caitlyn was so tense and panicked about being discovered again, but alas, your prayers were answered when you arrived at what seemed to be a depot for emergency items being transmitted to zaun. 'that's it!' you heard caitlyn whisper softly, it actually took you by terror! you were waaaay to close for comfort now.
with a moment of panic, you quickly took a few steps back, your heavy boots stomping through the old road. a few seconds later, when you try to memorize what you last saw of your sister, you were going to wonder why the council never bothered to fix up such places. piltover was suppose to be this megacity, no flaws or cracks to been seen from the outside, it was suppose to shine through whole runeterra. but zaun has always been a thorn in piltover's side. people too proud to let their city be renowned by those they saw as arrogant up starters, whom would rather live in toxic waste than let their own culture be lost to those who went crazy over having control over both magic and technology? to be honest, it never seemed like a bad thing to you, you could never admit it to yourself as a kiramman, but you thought of zaunites rather highly. they were interesting folks that you admired, a part of you has always been on their side, maybe it was what you saw in yourself after all. poor, lost, weak, not good enough even?
your train of thoughts had to be cut short as your shoulder hit through a heavy metal box sharply. you took a painful breath, immediately putting your hand on your left shoulder to do "damage control" as your father taught you. caitlyn jumped with surprise all of a sudden too, taking a brief look at her surroundings before rushing inside the depot. you tried to compose yourself, but walking over here was already tough enough for your sickly body. you kept hearing footsteps and unnatural sounds that you couldn't make much of, before feeling a rough hand surrounding your mouth. 'caitlyn?' you tried to mutter even when you could clearly see her silhouette getting smaller by passing second. you took a glimpse of the few words written on the metal box before hearing a soothing voice.
"keep it quite, you don't want them to hear us. trust me." the tone was not soothing at all. it was demanding, persuasive even. was he after this weird purple looking box too? shimmer? not like you had much power in your body to resist him anyway. you saw your sister jumping through the side window of the building from the corner of your eyes before letting your exhausted body in the care of a stranger. you felt his arms tense right before your conciseness slipped away, it must've been shocking for him too. he probably didn't expect you to faint, not like you could care much about it now anyway.
you believed it was the other day when your body finally started to feel okay again, you could see weird sources of light appearing and disappearing constantly even with your eyes closed. you were put on a neatly assembled room: a small bed that was pushed to the corner of two walls, a very used table with a single little vase on it -the vase was empty- a small rug that seemed to be hand-knitted. your head felt heavy as you forced yourself to get out of the bed, the air was so dense that it was starting to burn your eyes. you kept inhaling, even though it was no help at all. there was no window, no air conditioning, no nothing. the gray was quite literally consuming you whole.
"i get that you think yourself as highly, piltie." you saw a young man leaning to the frame of the door. "but you don't even bother resting? you're in the wrong neighborhood, you better start acting right." he ignored you trying to breathe for your dear life and started approaching you. he eyed you from tip to toe for a moment before giving a satisfied hum. "it'll do." he mumbled under his breath before putting a small package on top of your now messy bed. 'a change of clothes' you hoped, the boy seemed to enjoy seeing your eyes light up over a simple thing, though it looked more out of annoyed amusement.
"welcome to zaun, little piltie." he said after leaving a some-what friendly pat on your shoulder. your left shoulder might i add, and even a small touch was already making the wound burn so bad, you fought the urge to flinch, as to not be seen as weak to your kidnapper. the next few days followed as such, sometimes it was different people bringing you questionable food, but you still saw ekko doing the errands most of the time. your guess? they were still deciding what to do with you. they already stripped you off of your "piltie belongings" so they probably already had a few ideas of your importance and profession. it would take a few more days for caitlyn to get where you are, or at least you hoped. a part of you didn't want her to, you still couldn't decide who you were dealing with, and you didn't want cait to get hurt. who were these people anyway? some chem-punks with hate towards the upsiders? zaun police community thing? if they even had one? maybe some ordinary sump suckers targeting you for your position???
"you have a funny look on your face. are you gonna show something new already?" there he was, ekko, now that you knew his name from a little child that has been on your meal duty for a while now. it seemed your relationship improved for the better recently, he kept questioning you still, there was that, but he seemed pleased with how calm and collected you seem. a piltover 'noble' that was willing to talk to a zaunite as an equal? that was a huge advantage for them. ekko has been informed about a device that piltover was working on, something powerful at that. to his surprise, he was dealing with one of the best archivists in "stuck-up city". he wanted you to trust him, so he started tending to your wounds himself. ekko understood that you weren't comfortable showing yourself in a vulnerable manner, but he was the easiest to get along with out of all community members. you felt as though you could rely on him, even though your rational side was screaming "stockholm syndrome!" on the top of her lungs.
"zaun is actually quite beautiful, its unique in its own way"
"you really thought we were half-mutant monsters that drank toxic shimmer water to survive or something?"
"..."
"your silence is scary, but appreciated whizkid."
you felt ekko starting to get closer to you day by day, he was fascinated by your neutral opinions on zaun as a piltover citizen, but mostly he just stayed to enjoy your company. he always felt the burden of the firelights in one way or another, he owed them as much as he needed them. but with you, you could talk about how you marked different information in the piltover library for hours, and he could pretend to listen while taking notes of your hand movements. your peaceful days of companionship were cut short after you were assisted to your room by a strange looking friend of his.
"don't follow me, i'll be with you as soon as i'm finished." you took notice of how a lot of people seemed to be on edge, they kept rushing around with a different material on their hands each time. the errand boy that got used to greeting you before couldn't even spare time to look at you now. you felt uneasy, you've been here for a few weeks already, but even you could tell this was odd. so after sitting in your usual room for a few hours -which was customized to your liking by now since ekko was planning to keep you here for a while - you decided enough was enough. you never put your nose up in the firelights' business until now, but you were just starting to see yourself as a part of the team recently, and it was -to be perfectly honest- hurtful. you cared for those people, you tried picking up ionian just so you could say thank you to the strange looking human-like members. they were finally starting to ask about you as a person, not as a piltie, and now it was all crashing up on you.
you followed the small made up road up to the first level of the huge tree that the hideout was centered around. you could hear ekko speaking in a cold manner, something that you stopped getting used to after a few days of being here, and it sent a chill down your spine. ekko was always understanding with you, he stated many times that he saw himself in you, a kid lost all by herself in between the dirty and the dense pipes of zaun. he tried to speak softly to not seem suspicious to other firelights, ekko always made it very clear that HE was the one responsible for you. after you saw ekko clinging to a pink figure, you couldn't stop the scenarios rushing into your mind that was running non-stop. why is he shaking? wow, he seems really short compared to them now. oh god, was it a lover perhaps? you were getting jealous NOW out of all times?
the pink haired individual noticed you as you made yourself very well known. spilling out a frustrated scowl you let out with the last thought crossing your mind. you were letting your emotions get the best of you, no no, you were acting like a "snipe" as your mother phrased it when she was angry. a foolish zaunite kid. what an irony it was.
"thank god i didn't know how much i could go on with this emotions bullshit." her voice was smooth and full of mischief, you could also see her pointing at ekko with her eyes, mouthing the word 'clingy'. ekko didn't notice it however, he turned around with his pupils wide, trying to dry his eyes using his red scarf thingy to help the process. he looked shaken up a bit, you wanted to do nothing more than hug him.
"that's so uncool. let's just get this over with." "what do you mean uncool? is she your girlfriend or something?"
you could feel the heat rushing to your face, trying to get a glance off of ekko's reaction. you couldn't believe that you would be wondering if a boy from the undercity was fancying you, it felt odd, like it wasn't meant to be. your parents were very open to the idea of you marrying for love, even then they and your distant relatives hoped that you would marry a powerful piltoveran diplomat to bring more power and name to the household. you knew that, of course you did, it was merely your responsibility to thank your parents. but you still wanted so bad for him to answer positively. yet, ekko's stance did not change one bit, it was as if he didn't even hear what the pink haired girl was talking about. all the while you could also see her looking at you two suspiciously, especially to you.
"a penny for your thoughts, ma'am?"
"name's vi, stop calling me that it feels weird."
you could see that vi was slightly amused with the way you were conversing, considering her obviously looking rough around the edges. she would like to consider herself 'intimidating', but you were disciplined by one of the finest teacher's in the whole uppside, cassandra kiramman herself, so you couldn't help yourself being polite in a stoic way.
"she can't help it, whiz here is a welheeled piltie you see." he was still refusing to take a look at you. it felt as if you were at the step 0 all over again with him, his cold but straightforward speaking was back at it, and you were hoping he would stop calling you a piltie already.
"funny you say that, she reminds me of a very dear friend, actually. i hope you didn't shake cupcake badly." you perked up upon hearing this, your mind was clouded with ekko that you were having trouble keeping up with the conversation. they were joking between themselves, talking about some mathilda, which was making you feel uneasy all over again. and, cupcake? that seemed like a weird nickname coming out of vi's mouth. the word itself seemed so out of place there, that it made you remember unpleasant things. ever since you've been cooped up here, you felt as if this whole stay was the most free you've ever felt. you didn't have to listen to enforcers bickering, pushing people around. even though you were clearly a prisoner, you still enjoyed hearing people talk so fondly of zaun. it almost felt like, home...
home was a word that lost its meaning in your eyes a long time ago. dusty bookshelves and open windows of the brilliant piltover stopped felling like home when you started seeing how big the cliff was between piltover and zaun. you started to feel guilty listening to your mother and father voice their concerns about zaunite riots, it was uncomfortable looking through archives and finding the hardships zaunites had to go through because of piltover. now, home was here. but it was still missing something, you loved your family, and you were proud of your nation. you missed seeing tobias panic over how to tend to a small bruise on caitlyn's arms. caitlyn, was she okay? last time you saw her, she was all alone too, she didn't have her usual shadow following right behind her step. you couldn't help but smile with the though, she hated hearing you say that. 'gob it' she would shout every time she heard someone talk about how passive you were even though you were a kiramman.
caitlyn was your dearest, but you even though you have been a hostage for weeks now, never once did you think about her well-being. oh, cupcake!
"caitlyn!" you shouted with realization, your thoughts only catching up with you just now. "were you with caitlyn?" vi was taken aback by surprise before tensing her shoulders. she was obviously wary of your suspicious behavior now.
"how do you know her kid?" the way she was standing was scary now, before she only seemed like a puppy with big guns. caitlyn was your sister, but why was vi looking offended that you knew of her too? the worst possible case came racing, did vi hurt your sister?
"that's enough, vi." you failed to notice ekko moving closer to your side, up until now he was leading your small group to what seemed like a bunch of bunkers. he was near you now, his left arm covering you partially from vi's gaze protectively. you were sure he could hear your heart banging in your chest, was it vi's intense gaze that was scaring you? or ekko clearly protecting you from someone that seemed important to him? either way, the room's temperature was so low by now that the silence, for the first time of you being here, started to physically hurt.
you closed your eyes momentarily, you were already tired with the satiation you were failing to put a meaning on. you still didn't know who vi was, you didn't know what she was doing here, but most importantly of all, you had to know what she had to do with your big sister. so you built up your courage and opened your mouth to question her one more time.
"pfft!" you looked up with surprise, ekko was also taken back with vi suddenly laughing. he was confused, but he refused to leave your side.
"oh god ekko you still stand like a little boy. grow a spine, little man." she was clearly enjoying seeing both of you squirm around, still trying to understand what was going on and looking around with alarmed eyes.
"don't be scared little man, no one's gonna hurt your little girlfriend." with this, vi started to walk again, not waiting for both of you to either answer nor start walking again. you shared a confused look with ekko for a split second, right before ekko grunts and starts walking again, but you swear that you saw his hand twitching with embarrassment.
after an awkward walk -super amusing for vi- you arrive in front of a metal door, you see another group a firelights hanging out around the specific door. they rise up as soon as they see ekko and put their hands on the circular handle of the door. but they stop, eyeing you for a moment. if it was your first few days here, the feeling in their eyes would be that of annoyance, suspicion even. but they seem worried, maybe guilty too, they refuse to meet your eye and just keep fidgeting with the door. ekko seems to take up this bizarre action after a while of standing there.
"you stay. for real this time." he gives you an assuring look before giving a signal to the taller fireflight again. vi eyes you both for the 100th time this evening, mouthing the word 'adorable' while looking directly at you. they get inside the small bunker, you put your back to the wall. unable to hold back your curiosity, you try to hear them through the wall. ekko sits at the door while vi talks with the firelights. you can't admit it, but you envy her a lot, how comfortable she is around this place already, even though you're almost sure she hasn't been here for a long time. you envy how she can talk so comfortably with ekko, how she can hug ekko, how vi seems to tease ekko without any consequence. it hits you there and then, you are falling in love with ekko. its a goose bumpish feeling, you're feeling warm all over your body but your heart breaks even more with every passing second thinking that you two are never meant to be. oil and water, uppsider and downsider. star-crossed lovers, written tragedy by destiny.
you get scared by an object hitting the ground harshly, followed by a small kid rushing out of the room. you hear ekko talking, but the sound comes from so far away now. there's a huge gap between the two of you that you will never be able to fill. you're only about 50 cm away from him but his features are already impossible to see from the tears forming in your eyes. you have been hopeful until now, no, you KNEW caitlyn would come to find you, that's who she was. but at this point, do you even want her to? or is it better for you to go back to piltover and continue living your silly little lavish life as if you've never fallen in love with a boy that had his whole life taken from him because of you, your people? you never asked for this, you didn't ask for ekko to put you down here, you didn't ask for him to treat you so nicely even though you were exactly the type of person he hated the most. arrogant, thinks she's the center of the world, a narrow-minded fool who only took his politeness for something more?
"you alright there?" vi whispers softly. you see her standing near ekko now, it seems she stopped talking to whoever was inside for a second to take a look at you. you could see the concern in her eyes, but ekko looks still preoccupied with what is happening in there. you slowly shake your head as a 'no'. she looks at ekko again for a moment, opens her mouth but doesn't say anything. she looks defeated, and still respects your boundaries.
"you get a pass back topside, that's it. let's go" ekko gets up with a huff, without looking back at you, he starts walking to the same firelights that opened the door for you three. you try to compose yourself, the last thing you want to do is be more of a burden to them. taking deep breaths you start walking, just as you get to the heavy metal door, you see a woman struggling to walk normally, clearly tired from being bound up for so long. as you start getting your thought on a track, you start seeing better, and the first view that hits you is a bunch of purpleness just popping out into the view. you smile knowingly with all the power left in you, that's your cait. she did come for you! and in one piece. but then, why are you not happy? you spend your first few days here praying that caitlyn comes to you as fast as she can safely, but now the only thing you want to do is stay here.
you didn't have a chance to visit the black markets of zaun yet! ekko promised that you would find many of piltover's creations there for even cheaper prices, 'just like how i found myself a piltie, plus for free.' as he said. he would treat you to a "bilge-wateresque" food feast at jericho's. you have to inhale the toxins to have a good time, "that's the zaun way, baby!"
caitlyn didn't have the time to process what was going on before your legs gave up on you, you could see vi was helping caitlyn walk away, clearly worried. it warmed your heart, your stubborn yet outspoken of a sister was finally able to trust someone other than herself. but as you started falling onwards, ekko was the first one to reach out to you with a surprised expression, breaking your heart even more.
