#vi whump

[saphicresus]

One of the many missing scenes where technically we don't know resus didn't happen....

[garchankdefender]

Everyone's out here losing it over underboob, but what caught my attention from the leaked storyboard (other than the sex scene itself, I'm not immune lol) was this shot from before we get into the main action:

Impact marks from her fists.

We knew she was punching the walls from her banged-up knuckles, but to actually SEE the cracked stones around her, as she stands, heaving, overwhelmed and despairing... oof.

[saphicresus]

Little simple caitvi mouth to mouth. No, I don’t care if this position makes sense or not

[garchankdefender]

Silco Confronts Vi: Arcane S1 E6

Wait no this scene is actually horrifying. So Vi has been out of Stillwater for all of one day. She just learned from Sevika that Jinx is working for Silco; she also got stabbed by Sevika. This scene is just after Caitlyn heals her up.

Silco just learned, from Sevika, that Vi is still alive. So Silco tracks her down to have a little chat. This is how he greets her:

Flanked by two goons (is that the guy she decks at the bar in S2?), extending vials of Shimmer to the desperate beggars at his feet.

He addresses her as "Vander's prodigy," and goes on to, very creepily, tell her that Jinx is working for him. And as he's talking, the people at his feet gorge themselves on Shimmer, and begin to mutate into monsters, all while Vi watches.

Let's recall the last person Vi saw consumed by Shimmer like that - it was Vander, fighting a mutated Deckard and then dying horribly. So the fact that this is how Silco chose to face Vi is deeply unsettling.

And why did Silco hunt down Vi in the first place?

He says to her, replying to her threat to find Jinx and take down his empire, "You don't know your limits, girl. It's what got Vander killed, and what drove your sister away. And it's why I'm here right now."

Blaming her for Vander's death and for how Jinx turned to him (which Vi already blames herself for, so this is really just reinforcing that).

So Silco's there to... teach Vi her limits? He picked a hell of a way to do it. He tracked Vi down specifically to terrorize her.

I'm not sure exactly what he hoped to accomplish with this, or exactly what he was intending to do with Vi. Kill her? Discourage her? Scare the hell out of her? Why the theatrics?

Silco may be a good villain but... he's such a bad dude :(

[garchankdefender]

Y'all, have we talked about the lyrics of Cocktail Molotov yet?

Get your filthy eyeballs on me What else am I wasting for? Feed me all your woes and pity I am nothing anymore (don't trip) I'm at the bottom, it's a long way down (don't slip) I'm on the bend, and it's a long way round (I'm sick) Of who I am and what I'm talking about 'Cause no pretty face can save me now

So lock me up, I cannot take it Lock me up, I've already lost Lock me up, I've gone and jinxed it Hold my cocktail molotov

Kick me 'til I'm cold and weary Stab my heart and hope to die Writing my obituary Might as well just bury me alive I'm in the grave, I'm in the underground (I try) To beat my demons, but I only drown (I cry) For all the reasons that I'm talking about 'Cause I'm down and out, I'm down and out

That's... just incredibly bleak. These lyrics are pretty clearly spelling out Vi's mental state here. This is her at arguably her lowest, in the midst of a deeply self-destructive spiral. It literally says that she feels like she's nothing; she's at rock bottom.

Let's take a closer look at a couple lines.

Spoilers for Arcane Season 2. CW: self-destructive behavior/thoughts

Remember, this is Vi with no one to protect. She is more alone now than nearly any other time in her life, save for in Stillwater. No Caitlyn, no Jinx - no one is in her corner right now.

So she throws herself in front of a crowd -- get your filthy eyeballs on me - what else am I wasting for? What else does she have to live for right now? She feels like she has no purpose, wasting away.

We also hear some of the self-hatred that's fuelling this spiral. I'm on the bend, and it's a long way round (I'm sick) // Of who I am and what I'm talking about. My reading of that is that she's sick of who she is. Now, is that hating who she is right now, as pit-fighter Vi? Or is that hating who she became, joining the Enforcers and enacting their agenda in the streets she knows and loves? Maybe both.

'Cause no pretty face can save me now. I wonder if that's a reference to how Caitlyn got her out of Stillwater, drawing a parallel between these two different types of imprisonment. One is a literal imprisonment (she was in a literal prison), and was saved by Caitlyn. One is more of a figurative imprisonment - she's imprisoned in her own mind, and this time, Cait won't be there to pull her out of it.

Then we have the chorus, where Vi is almost pleading to be locked up - she can't take it; she's already lost. What else does she have to lose? She might as well be back in Stillwater, in her cell. The parallels are strong here - tiny, uncomfortable apartment/cell; daily fights; a miserable little routine to keep her going, mostly. Another question this raises to me: is she seeking out these similarities because she's seeking the comfort of routine, or is it something more self-destructive - a punishment for her guilt?

She's gone and jinxed it. What a lyric. Vi feels a lot of guilt, which I won't go into here (but @bwat5-blog has a ton of very well-written deep-dives on the subject), and I think that's exemplified in this line. She thinks that she's think jinx - that she's the reason things are so messed up for her.

I don't have much to say about the second verse, other than... ooooof. Vi is just Not Okay right now. Kick me 'til I'm cold and weary // Stab my heart and hope to die // Writing my obituary // Might as well just bury me alive. I think that speaks for itself :(

She has gone through so much, and now everyone important to her is gone. She's drowning herself in alcohol; no purpose, no will to live.

Nothing to fight for, only people to fight.

[garchankdefender]

As-promised, here is the fic! Get your canon-compliant Vi whump on, and strap in for a lot of blood and gore! Vi gets gravely injured during the commune fight and does not enjoy the experience. Mostly action, whump and some scattered CaitVi hurt/comfort as a little treat. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14422355/1/All-Your-Insides

It's been a full ELEVEN YEARS since I last wrote fic. Then Arcane happened, and now I'm sitting on like 3k worth of self-indulgent Vi whump that I don't know what to do with. So here I am, releasing it to the wild and giving the people what they want. Assuming that what they want is graphic injuries and sad lesbians.

[garchankdefender]

All Your Insides Ch2: Commune Battle Aftermath

Chapter 2 of All Your Insides is up!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

It's a canon-compliant, very gruesome recounting of the battle at the commune, and the aftermath.

Some action, a scattering of small CaitVi moments, and a whole lotta whump. Y'know, as a little treat. First chapter is Vi's POV through the battle at the commune and her injury (while she's still conscious). Second chapter is Caitlyn's POV as she and Jinx work to stabilize her. Also Jayce shows up.

CW: lots and lots of blood, gore, and guts

[garchankdefender]

Arcane fic: cannon-compliant Vi whump with a smattering of CaitVi.

Turns out, tumblr lets you post whole-ass stories right on main! Which I didn't realize at first! So here - an exerpt from a longer fic. CW: major injury (disembowelment, blood loss, shock - it's fairly graphic), implied vomit, canon-compliant character death. Set during the fight with Ambessa/Warwick at the commune.

*

Vi realized what was going to happen.

There was not a moment of hesitation as she ripped herself out of Caitlyn's grip, even as Caitlyn screamed out desperately after her. Vi paid her no heed. Jinx was running to her death; Vi couldn't let that happen. It was that simple. Not after Jinx had saved her own life. Not after they had just been reunited.

Fresh adrenaline dumped into her system, heartbeat kicking into high gear. Her breaths were coming fast and harsh as she ran, left arm still clamped determinedly over her side. Each step shot a lance of pain through her stomach, but, drawing from her deepest reserves of energy, she pushed it aside. Pain or not, she needed to get to her sister. 

She and Jinx were both running flat-out when they collided. Vi wrapped her in her arms and held on in a desperately tight embrace. Jinx kicked at her, crying out in wordless anguish. She twisted violently in Vi's grip, and Vi screamed as she felt an agonizing tear along her left side.

"No!" her sister was shouting. "No, no, no! Isha!"

Still, she held on tight, pulling Powder in close to her chest even as she wriggled and thrashed to escape. Vi threw her weight backwards, pulling Jinx away from Vander, and from where Isha stood observing them.

Jinx shrieked with rage as she realized what Vi was doing, and she kicked and writhed and clawed with renewed fervor. Vi received an elbow in the gut, and for a moment the world went muffled and dark as a guttural sob ripped from her throat.

Jinx struggled in her loosening grasp, and it was all Vi could do to keep holding her. She grunted through her teeth, keeping her sister trapped in the bear hug.

"Please, please," Jinx was begging, eyes fixed with horror on Isha's. "No."

Through the mass of soldiers, Vi saw Isha point a finger gun at them and, with a little smile, pull the imaginary trigger.

(She looks so much like Powder, Vi thought.)

Then the girl took a breath, looked up at Vander, and pulled the trigger of the real gun.

Vi saw it all: the small finger depressing the trigger; the sudden, initial crackle of the volatile hextech; Vander's agonized roar; Isha, her eyes closed, her expression one of peace. Jinx howled brokenly, fists uselessly beating against Vi's arms.

She felt every hair on her body prickle.

They were too fucking close.

Jinx screamed, falling back as the hex crystal detonated. Vi used one last, desperate burst of energy to turn and grab her sister, curling over her body, using her own as a shield.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Her vision flashed to bright white, and then to black.

...

Cool dirt against her cheek. Sulphur and iron in her nose.

...

Something tickled at the side of her face. When her eyelids fluttered briefly open, two pink rings of iris stared back at her.

White-hot pain rippled across her shoulders and down her spine. Her head pounded, and her midsection felt like she had been ripped in half. Sharp, agonizing nausea rolled through her.

Vi whimpered, and slipped back into the darkness.

...

Someone was calling her name.

...

There were hands on her. She was being moved – turned onto her back.

Vi felt a sharp twinge in her gut, and groaned softly as she experienced the disgusting, deeply unsettling sensation of organs sliding wetly out of her body.

...

"Vi? Vi. Vi!"

It was Caitlyn.

Their eyes met; Cait's were huge and terrified. Vi saw them dart down to her abdomen, and back up just as quickly. Vi was facing up and couldn't see what Caitlyn had, but, seeing her shaken expression, she felt cold dread settle in her chest.

Something pressed soggily into her midsection, applying firm pressure, and her whole body jerked violently at the terrible ache of it. She cried out, her own voice ragged and weak in her ears.

Caitlyn was saying something, but the words skittered across her consciousness without registering in her brain; like rats across concrete, leaving no footprints.

There was another voice now, too, hoarse but familiar. Two hollow, pink-ringed eyes appeared in her vision. They held her gaze – but only for a heartbeat, before they blinked away, and were gone.

Vi tried to say something, to cry out to her sister, but all she managed was a loud, embarrassing whimper in between shallow breaths.

Warm fingertips gently cradled her jaw. Head swimming, Vi blinked up into Caitlyn's eyes. Before, they had looked terrified. Now, they simply looked lovely, like deep pools of calm blue water. Vi let herself be soothed, watching them as they darted over her.

The fingers slid to the side of her neck.

"So sweet," Violet murmured, mostly to herself as she felt the world start to slip away again. "Like a cupcake."

...

Her eyes opened again, lids slow and heavy. Gradually, the world filtered back in. The pain was still there, but it felt quieter now, less consuming.

Cait's face still floated above her, but she had turned to speak to a man standing behind her. Vi recognized him, maybe, but not enough to know from where. He had a beard, and a fancy piltie jacket in tatters.

He looked fucking haggard.

He spoke, animated with intensity. His voice was deep and urgent. Vi struggled to comprehend his words, brain sluggish. Slowly, they filtered their way down into her murky thoughts. "Come on,” he said. “We need to get outta here!"

Caitlyn’s voice shook when she replied. Vi wished she knew what she’d said. The man knelt next to her, and the motion made Vi's head spin. More was said, but the words and voices blurred together, indistinct and distant.

Something was tapping at Vi's collarbone, hard and insistent. She opened her eyes – she hadn't even realized she'd closed them again – and saw Powder in front of her, tapping her metal middle finger on her chest.

Her expression was detached; stoney. Her eyes looked so, so sad.

Powder. Vi tried to reach up for her, but all that resulted was a twitch of her hand. She tried to speak, but again only managed a feeble moan.

The tapping stopped.

There were more words; a sudden flurry of movement. They were shifting positions around her, and Vi had to squeeze her eyes shut to avoid being sick. The world spun dizzyingly. It was almost like being drunk – there was a certain comforting familiarity in that, at least.

Her eyes flickered open again when she felt the pressure lift off her wound. Above her, she saw nothing but smoke and dust - Caitlyn was no longer there. Vi hated herself for the loneliness and fear that washed through her in Cait's sudden absence.

She felt hands on her limbs and body, but couldn't identify their owners. Through her dulled senses, a sharp cramp began radiating from her belly, and Vi moaned quietly. 

Lying face-up, limp and helpless, she stared at motes of dust swirling leisurely above her.

Vi was used to soaking up damage. She was built for it – she'd been weaned on the street fights of the Lanes, after all, and raised in the bloody pits of Stillwater. She had been kicked; stabbed; beaten until the world around her turned to a blurry mush. Vi knew her body, and knew her limits – she had met them too many times not to.

This felt different. She felt a heavy, abject wrongness in her gut - something she had never felt before. That scared her. Everything hurt - her head, her back, her hands, her fucking stomach - but she couldn't quite pinpoint the individual injuries. It was all becoming a confused, muddy din of sensation. Her breathing was fast and shallow as she felt a deep fear grip her. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, as if she was still in the fight, still sprinting towards Powder.

Cait reappeared above her, face sweaty and pale. Softly, she clasped Vi's face in both her hands, saying something gentle and pleading. Vi's skin was cool and sweaty, and in contrast Caitlyn's felt burning hot.

The world moved around her again, and Vi had a moment of wild confusion. Am I on a ship now? The ground under her seemed to roll and pitch like a boat on the waves. But no – she had been picked up; she could tell from the thick, solid arms braced under her knees and back. Each jarring step made her gut twinge ruthlessly. She could feel wetness slicked across her whole front, soaking into the man's broad chest, pooling in the bend of her waist, dripping into the dirt below.

She felt, very strongly, that she was going to die.

But Cait and Powder were there beside her as they walked, and she felt a hand close over hers, and maybe dying wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all.

She let her eyes slide closed. There were more words, but Violet did not hear them.

*

(Extended cut at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14422355/1/All-Your-Insides - plus, stay tuned for another chapter continuing with Cait's POV)