Viktor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
techmaturgy) wrote2022-01-30 12:11 am
techmaturgy) wrote2022-01-30 12:11 am
ABRAXAS APP
OOC INFORMATION
Player Name: Whit
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
whitticus or discord at whitticus#8139
Other Characters in Game: N/A
General Content Warning: This app contains discussion of terminal illness and a brief mention of suicidal ideation.
IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Viktor
Canon: Arcane
Canon Point: Episode 7, after returning to Piltover but before augmenting himself with the Hexcore.
Age: Early 30s
Background:
Arcane is a television spin-off of the MOBA League of Legends, and acts as an origin story for some of the game’s playable characters. However, it’s a fully self-contained soft retcon, which current wikis do not reflect accurately, especially in Viktor’s case. Full episode recaps are here, for reference.
Suitability:
Viktor is first and foremost a scientist, and as such will engage with the plot simply out of a desire to accumulate knowledge. He’s naturally curious and seeks innovation, with a particular focus on that which has potential humanitarian applications. There’s a great deal about the world of Abraxas that would interest him, especially the nature of magic and the Singularity itself, so it won’t take much for him to become invested in the general goings-on of the world.
Though he’s largely disinterested in politics, he understands that access to money and resources involves making himself useful to important people. He certainly has the relevant skillset–his research involves the technological harnessing of arcane forces, and his practical talents are that of an engineer and tinkerer. There are certain lines he won’t cross (he is opposed to the development of weaponry), but broadly speaking he’s a proactive opportunist with little to lose, willing to take substantial risk for high reward. If he wants something, he figures out a way to get it (even if it involves, more often than not, a flagrant disregard for rules). This bootstraps mentality is what secured him a place at Piltover's Academy, and he will approach his time in Abraxas in a similar way.
He is also terminally ill, and at his current canon point, is going to increasingly desperate ends to prolong his life, if not cure his condition entirely. Removed from the Hexcore, Viktor will explore any in-game options available to him (medical, magical, or otherwise) to continue his work, especially if he can leverage his discoveries into something useful for others as well. If this requires aligning himself with a certain faction or otherwise engaging with plot elements, he will be highly motivated to do so.
Powers:
He's just a normal human guy! What he lacks in physical or supernatural power he makes up for in genius-level intellect. He is shown to be primarily a mathematician, physicist, and a particularly resourceful engineer, helping to design and execute a variety of magitech devices over the course of the series. Though he has no inherent magical ability, the bulk of his work involves harnessing arcane powers via technological methods (Hextech). In developing this technology he gains an understanding of a rune-based magic system and creates an evolving magical conduit that responds to and transmutes organic matter, which he eventually uses to physically augment himself. Given time and resources it's possible he would be able to decipher and utilize similar magic systems.
PERSONALITY QUESTIONS
Describe an important event in your character's life and how it impacted them.
Viktor’s trajectory is set in motion when he meets Jayce Talis and collaborates with him to create Hextech. Upon first introduction, Viktor is generally unassuming; a soft-spoken person with a reserved temperament who actively eschews attention. He seems every bit a fussy academic: professional, emotionally guarded, and a little icy. Much of this outward demeanor is a function of being an outsider, as he is well aware of his tenuous position within Piltover’s rigid social structure, and he conducts himself accordingly.
However, this obfuscates a quiet ambition that is brought to light upon meeting Jayce. In explaining why he’s taking a chance on Hextech at great personal risk, Viktor is adamant that he did not become a scientist to be someone’s assistant, expressing a desire to leave a mark on the world. He understands the sheer potential of Hextech, and the lives it might improve. In actively seeking a like-minded individual in Jayce, who shares his convictions, Viktor secures himself a place at the forefront of a technological revolution that has wide-reaching consequences for both Piltover and Zaun.
This success, however, does not necessarily play out the way he imagined it might. As Hextech grants Piltover new prosperity that is not afforded to Zaun, Viktor continues to believe, naïvely, that the potential benefits of this technology are self-evident and that others should share his priorities, simply based on the merit of his work. He rejects most interpersonal relationships and the quid-pro-quo under which Piltover operates, even when indulging both might help further his goals. As a result, his efforts to enact real change are continuously sabotaged by political machinations and various special interests, setting him up for the desperate actions he plans to take at his current canon point.
Does your character have a moral code, or other set of standards they try to live by?
Viktor is a highly empathetic person who firmly believes that the purpose of scientific advancement is to end (or at least mitigate) human suffering. This is personal to him–he’s actively succumbing to a degenerative illness brought about by the polluted living conditions of his childhood, and wants to ensure that his work prevents these kinds of tragedies in the future. He walks out on his first mentor when he encounters an unethical vision of progress (in this particular case, securing the survival of a dying animal to preserve a potentially beneficial genetic mutation but torturing it in the process), rejecting amorality at a young age. As an adult, he is an idealist and pacifist who speaks out against the potential weaponization of technology while others around him waver. Viktor holds fast to the precept that his work is meant to “improve lives, not take them”, insisting that “there is always a choice” when it comes to enacting violence or otherwise causing harm.
His philosophy is challenged significantly when he’s faced with a terminal diagnosis–now, he understands the transgressive lengths some people go to achieve their goals. Forced to either accept his impending death or compromise his principles, he chooses the latter, returns to his old mentor for help, and flaunts ethical standards by experimenting on himself with forces he doesn’t fully understand and can’t control. As selfless as he believes himself to be, he is afraid to die, and as a result conflates curing his illness with his larger vision of societal betterment in order to justify his desperate, dangerous actions.
In crossing this line, however, Viktor only ever intends to harm himself, and he’s shown to recalibrate his moral compass almost immediately when his experimentation accidentally kills someone. To him, this an unacceptable price to pay, and he halts his research, finally insisting that it must be destroyed. He is so shaken by his failing that he contemplates suicide and admits to being blinded by his savior complex: “In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good”. Though he has not yet reached this low at his current canon point, his response to the consequences of his actions indicates that the standards he sets for himself are deeply-held convictions only breached when he believes he is fully out of options.
What quality or qualities do they admire most?
Viktor values dedication and persistence, especially in the face of opposition or adversity. He’s intrigued by the potential applications of Hextech, but ultimately it’s Jayce’s passion that solidifies his decision to intervene, despite the fact that others either fear the technology or ignore its obvious potential. Viktor learned from an early age that he is the only person on which he can depend, and is highly self-reliant and independent–if nobody is going to believe in him, whether that’s due to his Undercity origins, his disability, or lack of resources, then he’s just going to have to believe in himself. As a result, he greatly appreciates a similar drive in others, especially if the purpose is humanitarian. Because of his interests and academic background, he also values intelligence, the pursuit of knowledge, intellectual curiosity, and creative problem solving.
Given his altruistic nature and long-term goals, he is drawn to people who are forward-thinking and results-focused, and who, most importantly, don’t waver from their convictions. This becomes more evident later in the series, when he fully immerses himself in his work while Jayce is drawn further into the Council’s political quagmire. Having previously admired Jayce’s commitment to their shared cause, he grows distrustful of his partner and increasingly disillusioned as their priorities diverge. Ultimately, Viktor’s main concern is doing everything he can to achieve some kind of positive change in the time that he has, so others who display this level of tenacity and moral fortitude are worth respect.
Do they have a part of themselves they dislike?
Viktor is grappling with his own limited time and what he feels is a personal failure to enact meaningful societal improvement through a top-down approach. Though an awareness of his failing health is implied through his urgency to make Hextech available for public use, his disdain for politics and aversion to attention stymies his ability to advocate for his goals, leading him to believe that he has nothing significant to show for his life. When he receives a definitive diagnosis, he finally realizes how much effort he’s wasted by trying to act within the confines of a society that doesn’t care about him or the plight of the Undercity. After years of watching progress hindered by people who only want to enrich themselves, he despairs about his lack of legacy and what he perceives to be fleeting contributions that will eventually be rendered meaningless by an impenetrable status quo.
This brings out the worst in him: under duress, Viktor is an obsessive workaholic with no patience for a cautious approach and little thought for his personal needs, chasing after advancement at any cost once he’s run out his clock. Faced with his impending death brought about by the very living conditions he once hoped to change, Viktor’s reckless tendencies only compound as he withdraws into his research, disregards basic safeguards, and tampers with unknown powers. Unable to cope with his failure to fix the system from within it, Viktor barrels towards an event horizon, willing to further ostracize himself and sacrifice his humanity if it gives him the chance to leave some kind of lasting mark.
What is their sign, and why?
Death. Though Viktor has the expertise of the Magician and the self-reliant nature of the Hermit, he is primarily driven by the long-term goal of bettering lives through his work, even if he knows he will not live to see the full realization of that dream. At his current canon point, he is wholly preoccupied with legacy and works tirelessly to lay the groundwork for tangible societal improvement in the time that he has left, and is less concerned with fame or personal recognition than he is with ensuring that he leaves the world better than how he found it.
SAMPLES & ARRIVAL
Samples:
[TDM Top Level] + [PSL]
Arrival Scenario:
Free Cities
Player Name: Whit
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact:
Other Characters in Game: N/A
General Content Warning: This app contains discussion of terminal illness and a brief mention of suicidal ideation.
IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Viktor
Canon: Arcane
Canon Point: Episode 7, after returning to Piltover but before augmenting himself with the Hexcore.
Age: Early 30s
Background:
Arcane is a television spin-off of the MOBA League of Legends, and acts as an origin story for some of the game’s playable characters. However, it’s a fully self-contained soft retcon, which current wikis do not reflect accurately, especially in Viktor’s case. Full episode recaps are here, for reference.
✵ The gleaming metropolis of Piltover has a complicated relationship with its “Undercity” (called Zaun). While the former is a bustling, wealthy trade hub and mecca for scientists and artisans, the latter is industrial, polluted, crime-ridden, and historically subjugated. The events of Arcane occur as the development of magitech creates heightened prosperity for Piltover while forces in Zaun attempt to weaponize the technology as part of a violent push for independence.
✵ Before all this, Viktor grows up in the Undercity. He is a solitary child (in part due to his physical disability) who nonetheless displays a prodigious talent for engineering and an interest in science. He gains his first mentor by stumbling upon the workshop of an Undercity scientist, and then leaves after learning a hard lesson about the unethical lengths to which some will go in the name of progress. At some point (through persistent sneaking around), he gains the attention of Professor Heimerdinger, head of Piltover’s Council, who sees his scholarly potential and offers him admission to the Academy. Viktor leaves Zaun to study and eventually becomes Heimerdinger’s assistant.
✵ Meanwhile, Jayce Talis, a student, is doing off-the-books experiments in an attempt to harness magical energy through technological means. After an accident that reveals his illegal research, he faces expulsion from the Academy. Tasked with consolidating the equipment for disposal, Viktor recognizes the potential world-changing implications of “Hextech”, steals Jayce’s notes, convinces him to resume his research, and together they break into Heimerdinger’s lab where they successfully complete the experiment. The Council admits that Hextech is viable and worth pursuing.
✵ Six or seven years pass. Working as partners, Viktor and Jayce have successfully overseen the construction of the “Hexgates”, large-scale teleportation structures that have bolstered Piltover’s status as a global shipping lane. Now, the two scientists hope that they will be able to present their latest project, a stabilized Hextech “gemstone” that can be used to power portable devices, to the public. Viktor, whose health is in decline, wants to use this new energy source to improve the Undercity (which has not seen the economic prosperity afforded to Piltover by Hextech), but Heimerdinger believes the research needs more development to prevent general misuse.
✵ One of the gemstones is stolen in a violent attack on Piltover. Jayce is elevated to the Council on the grounds that he will be able to best safeguard Hextech in the wake of the attack. Viktor throws himself back into his work, developing the Hexcore, which he describes as an “adaptive rune matrix”, a continuously-evolving conduit for magical forces, though it does not function as intended and he isn’t sure why.
✵ Viktor collapses while working overnight. He awakens in the hospital and receives a formal diagnosis–due to prolonged chemical exposure throughout his childhood, he is deteriorating rapidly and does not have long to live. Now racing against the clock, his study of the Hexcore becomes an obsession as he observes that it reacted to his blood the night he collapsed. Armed with the knowledge that the device responds to organic matter, he begins a series of transmutation experiments that he hopes will be the key not only to physiological augmentation, but also a potential cure for his illness. However, all of his subjects (plants) die shortly after being exposed to the Hexcore, and when Heimerdinger is brought in to consult, he is horrified by what he sees and orders it destroyed. Jayce retaliates by enacting a coup and removing him from his position as head of the Council, allowing Viktor to continue his research.
✵ Having otherwise reached a dead end, Viktor seeks out his former mentor in Zaun, who offers him Shimmer, an Undercity drug that enhances the user’s constitution (the implication being that utilizing the substance will help the subject survive the Hexcore’s transformative properties). Viktor accepts and it becomes clear that he plans to perform his next experiment on himself.
✵ Viktor returns topside and is immediately detained, finding that Jayce has enacted a blockade between the cities to prevent further attacks on Piltover. This is followed by a heated conversation about the weaponization of Hextech in response to reports that the gemstone thief may have found a way to utilize the technology. Viktor, opposed to developing weaponry, realizes that Jayce is more easily swayed. Unable to trust that his partner will maintain his integrity or even understand the necessity of what he is about to do, he decides he has no choice but to proceed with his self-experimentation alone.
Suitability:
Viktor is first and foremost a scientist, and as such will engage with the plot simply out of a desire to accumulate knowledge. He’s naturally curious and seeks innovation, with a particular focus on that which has potential humanitarian applications. There’s a great deal about the world of Abraxas that would interest him, especially the nature of magic and the Singularity itself, so it won’t take much for him to become invested in the general goings-on of the world.
Though he’s largely disinterested in politics, he understands that access to money and resources involves making himself useful to important people. He certainly has the relevant skillset–his research involves the technological harnessing of arcane forces, and his practical talents are that of an engineer and tinkerer. There are certain lines he won’t cross (he is opposed to the development of weaponry), but broadly speaking he’s a proactive opportunist with little to lose, willing to take substantial risk for high reward. If he wants something, he figures out a way to get it (even if it involves, more often than not, a flagrant disregard for rules). This bootstraps mentality is what secured him a place at Piltover's Academy, and he will approach his time in Abraxas in a similar way.
He is also terminally ill, and at his current canon point, is going to increasingly desperate ends to prolong his life, if not cure his condition entirely. Removed from the Hexcore, Viktor will explore any in-game options available to him (medical, magical, or otherwise) to continue his work, especially if he can leverage his discoveries into something useful for others as well. If this requires aligning himself with a certain faction or otherwise engaging with plot elements, he will be highly motivated to do so.
Powers:
He's just a normal human guy! What he lacks in physical or supernatural power he makes up for in genius-level intellect. He is shown to be primarily a mathematician, physicist, and a particularly resourceful engineer, helping to design and execute a variety of magitech devices over the course of the series. Though he has no inherent magical ability, the bulk of his work involves harnessing arcane powers via technological methods (Hextech). In developing this technology he gains an understanding of a rune-based magic system and creates an evolving magical conduit that responds to and transmutes organic matter, which he eventually uses to physically augment himself. Given time and resources it's possible he would be able to decipher and utilize similar magic systems.
PERSONALITY QUESTIONS
Describe an important event in your character's life and how it impacted them.
Viktor’s trajectory is set in motion when he meets Jayce Talis and collaborates with him to create Hextech. Upon first introduction, Viktor is generally unassuming; a soft-spoken person with a reserved temperament who actively eschews attention. He seems every bit a fussy academic: professional, emotionally guarded, and a little icy. Much of this outward demeanor is a function of being an outsider, as he is well aware of his tenuous position within Piltover’s rigid social structure, and he conducts himself accordingly.
However, this obfuscates a quiet ambition that is brought to light upon meeting Jayce. In explaining why he’s taking a chance on Hextech at great personal risk, Viktor is adamant that he did not become a scientist to be someone’s assistant, expressing a desire to leave a mark on the world. He understands the sheer potential of Hextech, and the lives it might improve. In actively seeking a like-minded individual in Jayce, who shares his convictions, Viktor secures himself a place at the forefront of a technological revolution that has wide-reaching consequences for both Piltover and Zaun.
This success, however, does not necessarily play out the way he imagined it might. As Hextech grants Piltover new prosperity that is not afforded to Zaun, Viktor continues to believe, naïvely, that the potential benefits of this technology are self-evident and that others should share his priorities, simply based on the merit of his work. He rejects most interpersonal relationships and the quid-pro-quo under which Piltover operates, even when indulging both might help further his goals. As a result, his efforts to enact real change are continuously sabotaged by political machinations and various special interests, setting him up for the desperate actions he plans to take at his current canon point.
Does your character have a moral code, or other set of standards they try to live by?
Viktor is a highly empathetic person who firmly believes that the purpose of scientific advancement is to end (or at least mitigate) human suffering. This is personal to him–he’s actively succumbing to a degenerative illness brought about by the polluted living conditions of his childhood, and wants to ensure that his work prevents these kinds of tragedies in the future. He walks out on his first mentor when he encounters an unethical vision of progress (in this particular case, securing the survival of a dying animal to preserve a potentially beneficial genetic mutation but torturing it in the process), rejecting amorality at a young age. As an adult, he is an idealist and pacifist who speaks out against the potential weaponization of technology while others around him waver. Viktor holds fast to the precept that his work is meant to “improve lives, not take them”, insisting that “there is always a choice” when it comes to enacting violence or otherwise causing harm.
His philosophy is challenged significantly when he’s faced with a terminal diagnosis–now, he understands the transgressive lengths some people go to achieve their goals. Forced to either accept his impending death or compromise his principles, he chooses the latter, returns to his old mentor for help, and flaunts ethical standards by experimenting on himself with forces he doesn’t fully understand and can’t control. As selfless as he believes himself to be, he is afraid to die, and as a result conflates curing his illness with his larger vision of societal betterment in order to justify his desperate, dangerous actions.
In crossing this line, however, Viktor only ever intends to harm himself, and he’s shown to recalibrate his moral compass almost immediately when his experimentation accidentally kills someone. To him, this an unacceptable price to pay, and he halts his research, finally insisting that it must be destroyed. He is so shaken by his failing that he contemplates suicide and admits to being blinded by his savior complex: “In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good”. Though he has not yet reached this low at his current canon point, his response to the consequences of his actions indicates that the standards he sets for himself are deeply-held convictions only breached when he believes he is fully out of options.
What quality or qualities do they admire most?
Viktor values dedication and persistence, especially in the face of opposition or adversity. He’s intrigued by the potential applications of Hextech, but ultimately it’s Jayce’s passion that solidifies his decision to intervene, despite the fact that others either fear the technology or ignore its obvious potential. Viktor learned from an early age that he is the only person on which he can depend, and is highly self-reliant and independent–if nobody is going to believe in him, whether that’s due to his Undercity origins, his disability, or lack of resources, then he’s just going to have to believe in himself. As a result, he greatly appreciates a similar drive in others, especially if the purpose is humanitarian. Because of his interests and academic background, he also values intelligence, the pursuit of knowledge, intellectual curiosity, and creative problem solving.
Given his altruistic nature and long-term goals, he is drawn to people who are forward-thinking and results-focused, and who, most importantly, don’t waver from their convictions. This becomes more evident later in the series, when he fully immerses himself in his work while Jayce is drawn further into the Council’s political quagmire. Having previously admired Jayce’s commitment to their shared cause, he grows distrustful of his partner and increasingly disillusioned as their priorities diverge. Ultimately, Viktor’s main concern is doing everything he can to achieve some kind of positive change in the time that he has, so others who display this level of tenacity and moral fortitude are worth respect.
Do they have a part of themselves they dislike?
Viktor is grappling with his own limited time and what he feels is a personal failure to enact meaningful societal improvement through a top-down approach. Though an awareness of his failing health is implied through his urgency to make Hextech available for public use, his disdain for politics and aversion to attention stymies his ability to advocate for his goals, leading him to believe that he has nothing significant to show for his life. When he receives a definitive diagnosis, he finally realizes how much effort he’s wasted by trying to act within the confines of a society that doesn’t care about him or the plight of the Undercity. After years of watching progress hindered by people who only want to enrich themselves, he despairs about his lack of legacy and what he perceives to be fleeting contributions that will eventually be rendered meaningless by an impenetrable status quo.
This brings out the worst in him: under duress, Viktor is an obsessive workaholic with no patience for a cautious approach and little thought for his personal needs, chasing after advancement at any cost once he’s run out his clock. Faced with his impending death brought about by the very living conditions he once hoped to change, Viktor’s reckless tendencies only compound as he withdraws into his research, disregards basic safeguards, and tampers with unknown powers. Unable to cope with his failure to fix the system from within it, Viktor barrels towards an event horizon, willing to further ostracize himself and sacrifice his humanity if it gives him the chance to leave some kind of lasting mark.
What is their sign, and why?
Death. Though Viktor has the expertise of the Magician and the self-reliant nature of the Hermit, he is primarily driven by the long-term goal of bettering lives through his work, even if he knows he will not live to see the full realization of that dream. At his current canon point, he is wholly preoccupied with legacy and works tirelessly to lay the groundwork for tangible societal improvement in the time that he has left, and is less concerned with fame or personal recognition than he is with ensuring that he leaves the world better than how he found it.
SAMPLES & ARRIVAL
Samples:
[TDM Top Level] + [PSL]
Arrival Scenario:
Free Cities