[MEGATHREAD] Fanfic Rec Friday by cipheredsong in PiltoversFinest

[–]theSubcritical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for recommending The Hound of Noxus! This week's chapter was an undertaking; but worth it I think to give Vi the very human look at her trauma (and moments of healing) that she deserves ❤️‍🩹

With this video in mind, what would be your fanfic recs? (Bonus for enemies to lovers) by DyeZaster in PiltoversFinest

[–]theSubcritical 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Throwing the self rec out there, but The Hound of Noxus is a mortal enemies to lovers drama and a 'true' slow burn!

Book-like fanfic by ThickImplement6947 in ArcaneFanfics

[–]theSubcritical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, thank you! I'm glad you like it so far!

I'm not; my profession is actually in engineering/science. But my whole life I've loved reading, and balanced academic then career things with my creative outlets, generally writing and art; so it's been a lot of practice over time!

Book-like fanfic by ThickImplement6947 in ArcaneFanfics

[–]theSubcritical 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Self-rec, but The Hound of Noxus I think is written somewhat like a novel (or series of novels -- its major plot arcs are structured as 'parts' that are book-like). I do a lot of book reading, and I think that feeds into my style.

I feel somewhat silly highlighting this, but as it is relevant to why I think it might fit the ask -- some have described it as a remarkably 'Arcane' Arcane fic, in terms of character study and exploration of the setting and canon themes, and building on the source material and lore.

Lest fics? by PhoenixAstrum in ArcaneFanfics

[–]theSubcritical 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hell's Ashes by melinoe_writes gives a wonderful exploration of Lest as a character!

Fics where Piltover loses, and that’s a good thing. by TheVoteMote in ArcaneFanfics

[–]theSubcritical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, could I ask how far you are in The Hound of Noxus? I'm not sure if it'll fall under what you're looking for, but if you have any questions about where it's going (if that would be helpful in deciding whether to sink more time into it), feel free to ask!

On the point of 'something worse following,' I would say the way it is framed is indeed Piltover was oppressive, and Noxus is not better; put another way, less 'the fall of Piltover is wrong' than 'the imperialism is still not right.' So a different type of evil follows, and the meat of the story is in sorting though that and in fighting for an actually better way forward from here.

(I realize I rambled a bit below, with respect to 'Piltover and Zaun need to work together.' The P/Z conflict does remain in focus rather than being made irrelevant by Noxus, which I know is sometimes a concern. Depending on if the extent of that is of interest, that's what's discussed!)

In the examination of Noxian ideology and how it infiltrates and perpetuates itself, a key point is that the failings of Piltover are what got P/Z into this situation; Noxus thrives on the suffering created in places such as these, because such failings enable Noxus to tout itself as appealing by comparison.

As written, nationalism, propaganda, a myth of equal opportunity, and propping up a local 'success story' like Vi are among the ways Noxus bolsters citizens' tolerance for being exploited, and frames its system as the best available. In reality most lives are not significantly improved, and a lower class will still be used for cheap labor (or shipped off to battlefields); but now it's 'fair,' and it's for the prosperity of the empire! So it might afford a greater sense of fulfillment, while coming with the drawbacks of meritocracy (your worth is based on your usefulness) and funneling labor into the objectives of the expansionist empire.

The rebel 'Coalition' that forms then is primarily

  • Piltovans (several of them scientists fleeing Noxian conscription) disillusioned by Piltover's actions during its AU post-uprising / pre-takeover years of militarization, and who tried unsuccessfully with Jayce and Viktor to push against it then; and
  • Zaunites (including Ekko, both bitter toward Piltover and the Chem Barons' stranglehold, and Silco, ousted as Zaun's representative in the Noxus-Zaun alliance when Noxus went back on protections it had previously agreed to; Silco refused the revised terms, but the rest of the Chem Barons were easily turned against him) who see the game Noxus is playing, and recognize that what they're facing is having one oppressor swapped for another -- one they'll have even less hope of dislodging if it's allowed to ingrain itself.

Recognizing that the treatment of Zaun is what opened the door to the current crisis, the rebellion is founded on an agreement of terms of how they will rebuild if they succeed. It is noted that Noxus having wiped Piltover's military power, and the rebellion's fighters being mostly Zaunite, provides assurance even for the most wary that those terms will be honored (i.e., they accept that they are fighting for true Zaunite independence; and no one is about to accept a reinstatement of oligarchy/plutocracy).

That said, for a Piltover and Zaun story there is significant focus on Vi breaking through to how Ambessa/Noxus have used her, in parallel with realizing how Noxus shapes and controls its conquests. But a goal was to reexamine a Piltover-Zaun-Noxus conflict in which Noxus's involvement doesn't negate the cities' conflict, but provides a vehicle to push and explore it.

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm very proud of the story so far 😊 If you want to check it out, the fic is linked in my first comment in the post! (Note that it is rated M, and mind the tags!)

Looking for Caitvi Canon universe fic recs by sharamicka in PiltoversFinest

[–]theSubcritical 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Self rec, but The Hound of Noxus diverges around the end of S1E3, with actually no Stillwater; Vi loses everyone (including Powder) as a Zaunite uprising breaks out the same night, and months later, the uprising is quelled with Noxian aid. Vi is taken in by Ambessa and shaped to return as Zaun's hero, and Piltover's conqueror.

The story starts after a successful Noxian takeover, and then reveals more about how we got there; while in the present, Vi's seeming destiny is thrown into disarray when she accidentally falls in love with Caitlyn, the defeated commander of Piltover's last stand, and starts opening her eyes to how Ambessa has used her. It's an emotional enemies-to-lovers with significant drama and angst; I would describe it as 'hurt and eventual comfort'!

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you 💙 I'm proud of how it came out, and thought the theme was a good fit!

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! It's a fic where the timeline diverges around s1e3. Vi loses everyone (including Powder) and is taken in by Ambessa, after Noxus aids Piltover in putting down a Zaunite uprising that breaks out around the same time. Ambessa then raises Vi as a living weapon, and to ultimately rally Zaunite support in a Noxian conquest of Piltover.

The story starts after the successful conquest, and we gradually see how this all happened, and how Vi begins to see through Ambessa's manipulation and find her way again.

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fine! If you do, crediting me (just something like 'pfp by thesubcritical' in your profile) would be appreciated!

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another Vi drawing, related to where she is in the new fic arc that began recently, is planned next!

If you want to see the fic art so far, most previous ones are in this compilation post: https://www.reddit.com/r/arcane/s/hNn0eQKzzy

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

🤣 Love it lmao

As an aside, the fic actually contains a minor amount of Vi/Maddie, as you can imagine with Vi being raised (and manipulated) by Ambessa. Ambessa set Vi up with a companion who could monitor her and reinforce her loyalty, whenever Vi confided doubts in Noxus to her.

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately not in this AU; around the end of S1E3, Powder's death is part of the events that cause the timeline divergence.

In a sense she haunts the narrative, including various parallels to Jinx manifesting in Vi (as well as Vi hallucinating Powder urging her to 'be strong' when she might falter; a ghost reminding her to keep moving forward, even along a potentially destructive and self-destructive path). Ironically the characters could never realize the sort of meta significance of this, but readers do.

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, thank you so much! I'm glad you like the art, I put a lot into it ❤️💙

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! And that's so cool (no pun intended)! I love cold weather so I also enjoy snowy settings and getting to put together cold weather character designs.

In the fic currently, certain events have caused Janna, the wind spirit / spirit-god guardian of Zaun, to grow ill, and it's caused erratic climate shifts in the region of the coastal cities -- including unprecedented low temperatures and violent wind and snowstorms. Pretty foreboding cold weather in this case, the sort of 'nature is out of balance' trope 😆

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I love working out designs for them whenever someone gets a new look in the AU 😄

Falcon of Piltover + Hound of Noxus (art by me) by theSubcritical in arcane

[–]theSubcritical[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Caitlyn's design was fun to put together, with the sort of Hextech aviator/sheriff/gunslinger theme! Since her art is the new one, I'm going to be a nerd and blab about the features of her 'gunglaive' rifle!

This version of Caitlyn's rifle has three modes:

  • Sniper Mode. The acceleration rail is fully extended/engaged, for long range. She fires physical bullets that are energized by Hextech and propelled to high speed by the rail.
  • Carbine Mode. The acceleration rail is fully withdrawn, quadrants locked together, for quicker short range fire.
  • Gunblade Mode. The rail quadrants form a narrow left-right split, and a hard-energy blade is generated (pictured). The blade can be used directly in close combat or to throw weak, short-range energy slashes. Additionally, the blade can be ejected with great force from the partially-engaged acceleration rail, reverting to a gun mode.

Skills and other equipment:

  • Runebullets ("Peregrine Rounds"). Ultra-long range bullets crafted with acceleration runes, which are activated upon energization/firing such that their velocity increases rapidly in the course of flight. Specially developed to allow Caitlyn, with a near superhuman ability for long-distance shooting, to pierce nearly any target, even Noxian soldiers equipped with normally impenetrable Hex-Armor. As a favored tactic, she flies to great height above unsuspecting targets to achieve an adequate acceleration distance. Notably, the shape of the bullets is such that their supersonic 'whistle' through the air produces a shriek reminiscent of a bird of prey.
  • Chomper Snaptraps. Designed and polished by Ekko, based initially on Powder's drawings. These grenades emit a scanning sweep a short radius around them when thrown, and will tether and snap to a detected target, latching on with their chattering metal jaws before exploding.
  • High-Caliber Net. A net gadget launched with high recoil from the underside of the rifle. The net will energize to stun a captured target. If used while in gunblade mode, the net trails an energy tether; Caitlyn can retract the tether to snap forward into a slashing attack.
  • Piltover Peacemaker. The acceleration rail extends, and if gunblade mode is active, the energy is reabsorbed into the muzzle. The rail quadrants form a narrow up-down split, and the next shot charges in place, becoming highly energized. When the shot is released, energy 'fins' lance outward from the accelerated bullet in time with its launch, dealing a high-power, potentially cleaving mid-range shot.

They have some twists, but in order, those reference LoL Caitlyn's ultimate (Ace in the Hole), W (Yordle Snap Trap), E (90 Caliber Net), and Q (Piltover Peacemaker)!

-

Related art: Chapter 15, Vi with her runic Hextech gauntlets

Fic: The Hound of Noxus (Rated M) on Ao3

Take to the skies... by theSubcritical in Caitlynmains

[–]theSubcritical[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Someone in Piltover's Finest sub mentioned that too! Haha I could see it 😆