Arcane Matchup -Closed-
This is a matchup trade with @daily-daydream
Arcane, for as well-written as it is, tries to do far too much spread across far too many characters, in a very limited duration. The result of this is a wide cast of seemingly interesting, but intrinsically superficial characters.
I hope no one comes after me for this but it's TRUE.
Any character that exists outside of the Jinx/Vi, Jayce/Mel matrix are left stunted, underdeveloped, and slightly contrived. Unfortunately, I do believe that your match here today is one of the more neglected arcs of the “main” characters. So I will be filling in gaps with some evidence-based conjecture (headcanons).
You have been warned.
•──⋅☾EKKO ☽⋅──•
In a world divided by a quite literal chasm of wealth disparity, yours and Ekko’s paths converge not by chance, but by inevitability as two kindred spirits drawn together by the quiet gravity of shared conviction. Your razor-sharp wit and closely guarded heart were broken down only by his timeworn soul and endless patience. It’s the kind of meeting that doesn’t spark immediate fireworks, but rather ignites a slow-burning flame, kindling the fires of a friendship that could span decades.
In this scenario, you were most likely known to each other since childhood. Reading through your information, you vibe with the kind of hard-edged intensity of a Zaunite native. One who fiercely clawed her way to the top, obstinate in her determination to do better for herself. With a series of contingencies upon contingencies, it is no wonder you were able to force yourself to become accepted by Piltovers, conforming your disposition and style of dress to align with their expectations. But that does not mean you ever truly felt like you belonged. Now you're stuck between two worlds: the one that adopted you, yet still holds you in disdain, and the other you were born into. Yet envy has garnered the ire and disgust of your peers for conforming to the “Pilite” archetype.
Returning to Zaun, perhaps with your fancy degree and even fancier dialect, would feel less like a homecoming and more like a penance. Even Ekko, someone you would have known since childhood, someone who was once a friend, would regard you with an inherent distrust. As though you had somehow betrayed Zaun, and by proxy, him. I do feel he would warm up to you again eventually, especially after realizing that your goals align closely with his own: to make the world a better place. To help to ease the suffering of whomever you can. Eventually, he may even let you in on the secret he’s been building for the past several years.
He isn’t intimidated by your sharp tongue or your tendency to keep people at a distance. He understands why.
He knows better than to rush someone who’s learned that vulnerability often comes with a price. He likely sees a bit of it in himself as well.
His calm steadiness would serve as a dependable anchor against the fires of your own temper and sharp wit. Not to smother you, of course, but to enable you to burn brightly without burning out.
Best of all, he actually listens. He listens to your anger, your anxieties, and your fears. He reminds you each and every day that you don’t have to face them alone. Which seems counterintuitive to your independent nature. And over time, you’ll find yourself accepting it, almost without realizing you have.
I also feel as though you’d fit in naturally with the firelights
I could see you as becoming something of a counselor among the rebels, not because you asked to be, but because people gravitate toward your empathy and your insight
Having a psychology degree to back it would enable you to ease the unseen injuries left by trauma, pain, and starvation. I could see you becoming beloved by everyone in the community for this.
And Ekko would admire that. Admire you. You, with your beautiful dreams and wild schemes A through Z to change things that others call immutable.
Your relationship wouldn’t be built on dependency or neediness, but on mutual respect and resilience. You’d both value independence, understanding that love doesn’t equate to losing oneself. Furthermore, as a leader, Ekko remains busy. He needs someone who can handle their own.
And when the world weighed heavily on you, either during medical flare-ups, exhaustion, or the resurfacing of old trauma, he would simply be there. Not with empty promises or platitudes, but with presence.
He’d make time, even amidst chaos, to ensure you were cared for.
Ekko’s patience is very well-established, after all. It was never stated exactly how many resets Ekko went through to save Jinx from herself before he finally found the proper thing to say to make her stay; however, the implication was in the dozens.
That same relentless compassion would be your anchor.
It’s hard to imagine a pairing more balanced.
There were a few other options I had considered:
Jayce was one of them.
However, his ambitions are his sole, unrelenting focus.
While he also dreams of improving the world, he lacks the human element of connection. You'd always be stuck playing second fiddle to his work... and let's be honest, his lab partner.
Ekko, though, fights for both. His brilliance is tempered by empathy. He understands the cost of progress, and he fights anyway, not for glory, but for people.
Together, you’d be unstoppable. You’d temper each other’s stubbornness, learn to channel your anger into something greater, and teach one another the beauty of patience and trust.
He’d show you that vulnerability isn’t weakness
And you’d remind him that even the boy savior of Zaun deserves rest, laughter, and love.
The romance would be slow-growing. Patient, deliberate, unhurried.
The first time his hand brushes yours, it’s an accident. The second time, it isn’t. Ekko doesn’t demand affection; he earns it, in the way he treats your boundaries as sacred rather than obstacles.
He never pushes for more than you’re ready to give.
I also do not see him as someone who is need of sexual relationships. His relations with Jinx were anything but, and still, they maintained their romance.
Overall, I think Ekko would be a great match for you. I think your desire to improve lives on an individual level matches well with his own. I believe that between the both of you, there is a real chance for genuine systemic pain. Just by focusing on one individual at a time.
I hope you enjoyed!