This time around, Jayce never quite stabilized Hextech
Other rp blog as @abysmal-viktor
the blorbos meet
What happened to Jayce?
On the day of the break-in at his loft, an explosion elicited one casualty. His fate was far worse--both from his illicit experimentation of the Hextech crystals and the murder of a minor...and he was banished to Stillwater.
Now he sits in his cell, stripped of his titles, in the lowest depth's of the prison. In isolation. He navigates his way through hostile inmates and abusive enforcers, developing a thick skin against anyone who crosses his path.
Although...every now and then, he wonders. If he had been able to receive support to stabilize the stone, and if the girl from Zaun had never perished. What could have been?
Rules are simple
1. Ask me anything (OC, rp, hcs, etc)
2. NSFW asks are welcome BUT
It doesn’t mean I tolerate harassment
3. Age appropriate questions only
Tags
All asks - #stillwater asks
#headcanons
Bout the Mun
Mun is 32 (an old coot) and it's important to reiterate there WILL be some nsfw content. As it is impossible to tell, honor system is those do not interact or send asks that are inappropriate for their age.
Still learning as I go - terminology and etiquette or other rp related knowledge is still a little new to me. Please feel free to reach out if there’s something I can correct or clarify!
My other blorbos
My mainfic is Arcane’s most esteemed rare-pair (I’m totally not biased) Scar and Steb 🦇🐠 I obviously have to plug it in here. Ongoing longfic.
Themes of war, politics, morality, character studies, exploration of differing points of view (aka respecting the characters, their dimensions, and the stories they tell), obviously lurve and some smut. This fic is ALL up in Firelight business.
summary: Viktor is sent off to find a certain disgraced Piltovian for an assignment. Jayce is surprised when a strange Zaunite approaches him on the other side of his cell bars.
Viktor sat at the edge of Silco’s desk sifting through a folder of pages. Newspaper clippings, records from Piltover’s academy, prison logs.
“Did he even know her name?”
“Yes, he knows her name.”
“But he didn’t know the family.”
“No.”
He hummed under closed lips as he continued turning the sheets languidly. He spoke again.
“So he doesn’t know what came of the family after this all took place?” He heard a tired sigh,
“Would Stillwater bother to inform him of those things after they had already thrown him in prison? This is all good news. The less he knows the more compliant he’ll be.”
Silco took a puff from his cigar, eyeing the man with mild irritation before returning to his paperwork. Viktor closed the folder and smiled, veering his gaze towards the Chembaron. When he said nothing Silco looked back up at him with an incurious brow and spoke again,
“The man is still alive, and that’s a stain that needs to be cleaned off. This prisoner might be the only one who could successfully lure him out. Now stop bothering me with these questions and just do the job I’m paying you for.”
“Of course.” He slid off the edge of the desk and straightened his vest before bidding the Chembaron a good evening.
When Viktor stepped through Stillwater’s doors he caught his eye on the warden at the front. Tall, large, with gray skin and a lazy expression. And before the enforcer could say anything he watched a pouch of coins drop onto the desk in between them.
“From our friend downstairs,” Viktor smiled. The guard eyed him before picking up the pouch to study it. Not long after, he slipped a sheet of paper on the counter and stood up to step away.
Viktor walked through the prison’s corridors trying to make sense of the map given to him, when he began to hear padded thumping in the distance. The noise was erratic and grating, and the young Zaunite nearly had the wherewithal to cover his ears in agitation before he realized where it was coming from. He stopped in front of a prison cell, watching quietly. Every fist that hit the cell’s wall shook the bars, and every movement caused shadows to dance around the man inside. Viktor rolled his eyes then rattled on the metal pipes abruptly,
“Inmate 516? I apologize for the interruption.”
The prisoner inside paused before turning his way. He squinted carefully through a mess of dark hair, scanning the visitor from his eyes down to the paper in his hand. After a long scrutinizing moment, he responded.
“Who the hell are you supposed to be?”
Viktor traced his gaze down the sheet and hummed,
“Jayce Talis. 32. Seven years here with a crime punishable by life in prison. If Piltover hadn’t already banned the death penalty, surely you’d be on that row, no?”
Jayce turned to face him, grimacing with an apprehensive expression. He stared at Viktor before parting his lips.
“I don’t need to hear something I already know from some pompous stranger who just walked up to my cell.” Viktor’s eyes widened before a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Perhaps the young Zaunite would like this job more than he thought.
“I suppose. But you may be interested to know that a friend from the Underground has provided me with your release forms.” Jayce furrowed his brows,
“Release–?” He paused when he took in the information with a wide eye. Both men stood there on opposite ends of the prison bars, looking at each other in a brief silence.
As they made their way down the halls back to Stillwater’s entrance Viktor spoke without a pause,
“You’ll accompany me to the Undercity and stay there for the time being. Lodgings will be provided during your stay along with amenities and food of course. Don’t worry about payment, that’s taken care of too.”
As he continued, Jayce only walked next to him quietly. His eyes were cast down in confusion. It felt like things were moving too fast. He could hardly take in the fact that he was leaving Stillwater, let alone keep track of the endless bits of information Viktor was giving him. The young Zaunite eventually slowed when he noticed Jayce’s quiet demeanor.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything? Did the prison rob you of speech too?”
Jayce sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples as he finally spoke
“Can you just…give me a minute? This is a lot to take in, and you haven’t stopped talking since you first sprung up in front of my cellblock. I don’t even know why I’m being released. What am I supposed to say?”
When he looked up to meet Viktor’s gaze he paused briefly. It had been the first time he truly looked at the man. Porcelain skin with raven locks, and golden amber pools that still gleamed even in the dim lighting of the prison’s walls. He caught himself staring at the beauty marks on his face before eventually averting his gaze again. He hadn’t looked at Viktor long. Still, it was long enough for the Zaunite to notice. He half-smirked,
“Well. You could thank me for one. Dragging you out of this Janna-awful place, and from these ruthless enforcers who’ve surely treated you horribly. After all, I went all this way to escort you safely back to Zaun. You don’t think any of that warrants some type of gratitude?"
Jayce glared at the man who only returned the gesture with a devious, irritating smile. When he gave no response Viktor frowned.
“I hope you won’t always be such poor company while we spend this time togeth–” He was interrupted when a hand met his chest. Jayce stopped him in his tracks before saying in a low voice and dark eyes,
“You’re not going to tell me why I’m suddenly being plucked out of Stillwater after I was supposed to spend the rest of my life in here?”
Viktor looked down. The size of Jayce’s palm nearly spanned the width of his ribcage, and his eyes couldn’t help but study the wrapped hand mottled with scars. He looked back up to meet his hazel irises. He was quite handsome, and Viktor couldn’t deny that the man's thinly restrained anger was equally exciting.
“At least buy me a drink first before you start touching me.”
Jayce only scoffed before letting him go, shaking his head in disbelief. As they finally reached the entrance to the prison doors a swell of emotions reached him. Relief and apprehension swirled in the cavity of his chest. He could hardly believe he was leaving the place he spent nearly a decade of his life in. The guard nodded discreetly to Viktor as they passed, but it was a detail that didn’t escape Jayce’s notice. Once they finally walked through the doors he looked at the man who freed him again, staring at him carefully.
“Will you at least tell me your name?”
The question was returned with a deep amber gaze and a tug at the corner of Viktor's lips.
Similar to the established AU, Jayce has su*cidal ideation
He’s attempted a handful of times during his time in prison, nearly to the point of being thrown in a padded cell
Straight jackets have long been outlawed as an option for prisoners in all of Piltover (for inmate civil and ethical rights) but naturally, the rampant abuse and corruption within its own governmental system overlooks that ban
The only reason he stopped attempting was because the thought of being restrained 24/7 and in isolation sounded like a hell worse than death
Given that he’s been in Stillwater for several years, his mental health has fluctuated drastically
Only a handful of inmates know the depths of Jayce’s emotional strain; Likely the ones who’ve been there as long, if not longer, than him
Side notes:
As my thoughts on Jayce’s hc grows, I think more about the other characters in this AU. Aside from his mother, Caitlyn tries to visit as often as she can.
Since she never had the chance to meet Vi, and sheriff Grayson lived, she ended up being taken under her wing as an underling. Where the pendulum goes for her future is not yet known. But if she continues to study under Grayson, she will likely become an altruistic character, potentially helping pave way for a fairer judicial system. Grayson probably thinks she’d be better fit as a lawyer, or *gasp* a councilwoman
She’ll continue to find ways to uproot corruption, so it makes sense for me that she’d visit Stillwater to see to Jayce and his well-being, and at the same time try to shine more light on any nefarious activity that occurs in the prison.
Jayce sits down at the chess table in the rec room--well, more like a shaky table with a cheap chessboard and plastic pieces--playing against an old friend he met around the time he first arrived on Stillwater's doors. When he steals his victory he chuckles, before he sees a younger man in his periphery.
Eyes shifting, unassuming, and pressed into a corner of the open space with his nose buried in a book. Jayce studies him a bit longer. The man's face is still fresh with bruises; an initiation and pastime the guards always seemed to enjoy whenever new prisoners would roll in. He looks like he's hardly reading the book at all.
Before he knows it, Jayce sits at a chair just next to him, as the young man startles.
Do you mind?
Jayce takes the book from his hands without asking, thumbing through the pages. Neither say anything for a while; just sit there silently, while the stranger only trains his eyes forward in a mix of anxiety and apprehension. Then eventually, the new inmate's eyes widen when he hears Jayce.
If anyone gives you trouble again, just find me. We're not all monsters in here.
When he looks at Jayce, there's a weariness but a sober smile in his expression. He gives the book back to him and stands, before tousling the prisoner's hair roughly and leaving.
What did you think of Viktor at first? Did you consider attacking him at all or were you disgusted by the bits of fear and unease he felt around you?
Was it love at first sight?
Love at first sight? Hah. Hardly. He was a stranger. Just came to visit one day, out of nowhere. He barely introduced himself, just ranted about Hextech. I don't know if he was disgusted or afraid, but he was definitely intrigued. Looked like he wanted to open me up and pick my brain.
Jayce huffs with a smirk. Then his smile fades with a sobering eye.
He said he believed in Hextech. That he had faith in my work. No one's ever said that before.
The prisoner had a new visitor for a change, someone Jayce hasn’t seen in years…
“Still inspired by the arcane, I see. It’s truly incredible what it’s capable of, despite its wild nature at times.” The mage commented.
// @fields-of-dreamless-solitude, have grandpa Vik come and visit
Jayce squints, lifting his hand to block off some light that escapes the prison floor’s window. Through the bars he sees a silhouette in a white cloak. After registering who’s in front of him, his eyes widen.
At his core, Jayce is incredibly altruistic even in this timeline. He usually sticks up for other prisoners/new convicts that tend to get worse treatment
Group rivalries form in Stillwater, and because of his physique and instinct to fight, many groups have tried to recruit him for muscle. But he’s declined so far, preferring to be a lone wolf
And ALSO naturally (bc arcane is gay af and I want to be as canon as possible heh) a lot of inmates have fallen for him. Especially the ones he’s had to protect in the past.
The majority of the fights he’s been in during his time has been instigated by the other party. Despite his rough exterior and pent up anger, in this au he tries to practice pacifism
Aggression towards enforcers, however, might be a little different
He has a notebook full of inventions he’s been cooking up since his imprisonment. Even though he tells himself he’s forgone Hextech, he’s desperately tried to crack the code behind bars and with a pen and paper.
But obviously, without any material or means for scientific experimentation, he doesn’t actually know if any of his ideas would bear fruit.
Stillwater Jayce gives me top energy. This is just my personal headcanon, but s1 gave me bottom energy, s2 switch energy, and yeahhhh heh. But he’s a switch in this one if I’m being real
Jayce was wracked with guilt after finding out he had indirectly killed Vi. A day hasn't gone by since he was put in the penitentiary, where he hasn't thought of her--and her death.
He's been in prison for about seven years, similar to Vi's time before Caitlyn had found her there.
Despite being forcefully removed from the academy and officially stripped of his titles, he made little complaint—as agonizing it was—because it had been the first time he truly saw how destructive Hextech could be. He likely believes he deserves to be in prison.
He never had the chance to meet Viktor. But I'm sure somehow, somewhere, he will.
Jayce really likes orange juice. They don't serve much good food in Stillwater. Preserved and processed foods, and mostly powdered drinks if it isn't just water.
He always wonders what it would have been like if he had spoken to Heimerdinger about Hextech earlier. And if pursuing his dream in the first place was a complete mistake.
