Oh The Memes You’ll See @redwinds-spam - Tumblr Blog

we gotta get back to torrent distribution, i just watched someone eat eight grand in bandwidth charges because they ran a direct-download piracy site with local file hosting through cloudflare. torrents were invented literally for this exact reason

syngularitysyn

2XKO | Pool Party Nights Caitlyn

loycos

alrighty, after my previous analysis-es, I want to take a look at Vi and Caitlyn's interactions, specifically their dialog, throughout the show. precisely because it actually is very different than their touch language, in particular on Caitlyn's end.

I think no one would be surprised to learn that Vi is a very openly emotional person. Not only does she allow herself to be consumed by her feelings unabashedly

but she's also in touch enough with herself to effectively verbally communicate how she feels.

That last part throws a lot of people off- because Vi does have some walls she put up for proterction, in particular in front of strangers. I think her aggressive attitude and tendency to run away make people mistakenly assume she's a closed off person, but she most definitely isn't. People who are close to Vi get to see her be vulnerable- Caitlyn, Jinx, Ekko, Vander, and ever Loris. When Vi feels an emotion, she doesn't try to bury or hide it- she let's it come to the surface.

Cut to her Very emotionally repressed girlfriend, who not only buries her emotions on the regular, but also is completely clueless on how to voice them. when Caitlyn wants to express how she feels, she usually talks about the matter-of-fact, the dry details, to imply what she actually wants to say. that's why analyzing Caitlyn feels like decoding a cryptid message.

I think a lot of people miss this detail, because both Caitlyn and Vi are direct and honest people. the difference is, Vi is direct and honest through and through- whether the subject matter is casual or extremely sensetive to her. Caitlyn's directness comes in her matter of fact-ness. when it comes to subjects that are about her own emotions, she doesn't lie- but she often talks indirectly, or chooses to not speak at all.

and that's why Caitvi work so well- because Vi absolutely gets what Caitlyn is trying to say. she is a master at decoding Caitlyn's indirect backhanded language. and that's a big reason why Caitlyn feels so seen by Vi.

Just like ther touch language, the way each girl expresses herself verbally has direct ties to how they were raised.

Let's start by examining Caitlyn and her dad. Supposedly, according to the fandom, Cait's dad is the parent who gets her the most. well, maybe when the competition is Cassandra Kiramman, this isn't such a high praise. I'd argue neither one of Caitlyn's parents truly get her. In general, the Kirammans seem to not quite be able to communicate in a vulnerable way, despite clearly loving each other.

in this scene, Caitlyn is trying to express a very clear message to her dad.

translation: I feel guilty for Mother's death.

you'll notice she states a fact ("I had the shot") instead of openly expressing how she feels.

in return, her dad either 1. doesn't get that subtext from what she's saying, or 2. agrees with the subtext and decides not to challenge it. because I don't think Tobias is a bad parent, i'll go with the first option. But it still leaves Caitlyn feeling misunderstood, and her emotional needs unmet. it's not entirely Tobias' fault- he's grieving too, and his daughter isn't exactly spelling it out for him. But if anything, this scene shows you exactly how the Kirammans operate an emotionally raw situation- that is to say. they don't.

(Caitlyn also has no idea how to comfort her father)

compare this to the environment Vi grew up in.

Vi was always an open person- we see it in the way she openly grieves her parents in the very first scene in the show.

She was later raised by Vander, who himself was an honest man. Here's young Vi talking to her dad:

during their conversations, both Vi and Vander are communicating openly. Vi feels like she can be vulnerable around Vander, and he in turn takes her seriously, doesn't try to hide things from her just because they might hurt. that is the complete opposite to how Caitlyn was raised- she was protected, but also coddled. Vi expreienced the harsh reality growing up, but she had a mentor who was honest with her and gave her a place she could emotionally express herself. Caitlyn grew up being kept away from any pain or danger- away from the "real world"- but in return her mentors were much less emotionally available, and prioritized composure over vulnerabilty.

here's what happens when these 2 very different upbrinings clash.

Caitlyn is delivering one of her most vulnerable dialogs on screen, yet she keeps it to the facts; on the surface, she is talking about the literal vacuum her mother left, that she's now expected to fill- the legacy and responsibilty she enherited. however, the subtext here is Caitlyn trying to express the sadness, the loss and the grief she feels. Vi, who is used to open communication, sees through the first layer and addresses the subtext head on.

and so, Caitlyn feels seen, understood, despite never actually saying anything directly. Vi meets her at her own level, and Vi knows how to effectively comfort her.

most of Vi and Cait's scenes together are ruled by this dynamic seen above. Vi is the open one, leading most of their dialog. she will bring up things that hurt. she will say the quiet part out loud. she will confront the problem head on. on the other hand, Caitlyn is usually on the back foot of the dialog, replying rather than initiating. her words are short and indirect. more often than not, she stays silent.

let's look at some more examples.

im this scene, Vi, as usual, wears her heart on her sleeve. she expresses her biggest fear to Caitlyn- "everyone in my life has changed", and clearly communicates what she needs- "promise me you won't change". right before this scene, she apologizes to Caitlyn for her loss, relating to her pain- "I'm so sorry about your mother, I'm sorry I can't bring her back".

Caitlyn, uhh, well...

she starts the scene in her dry, militant way, and as Vi gets more emotional, she gets quieter and quieter. this gif is the last time she speaks in this scene, before her infamously cryptic "I won't". her words are unclear or sticking to facts, making her almost come across as cold. and the thing is, Caitlyn knows this. She knows her words don't offer comfort- and that's why, in this moment, she uses her touch to comfort Vi. because Caitlyn struggles when it comes to verbally expressing emotions, but her touch is always soft and warm.

here's another example.

Vi comes in this scene and just bombards Caitlyn with accusations. notice how she addresses all of her issues directly: Caitlyn being "ungrateful" to Jinx, her distrust in Caitlyn, her disappointment in Caitlyn's professional affair with Ambessa.

as for Caitlyn- she's on the back foot, as she often is when it's a dialog heavy Caitvi scene. notice how she doesn't state what she thinks directly, instead she's being the queen of passive aggressive sass.

what she says are the facts. You didn't let me in on the plan, you had Jinx there because of a contigency. the translation: "i'm hurt that you didn't trust me." but Caitlyn can't just admit that openly like Vi does.

The only time Caitlyn drops her defenses in this scene is when she admits her awareness of her wrongdoings.

"I know!"

this is the only direct admition we get, and it came cause Vi pushed her all the way against the wall and provoked her, which is something Vi is notoriously good at.

the second time she admits it is here, and she's back to her nondirect, vague language.

she's referncing a mysterious "collective", to avoid talking about herself directly... where else have I seen this?

translation: I can't erase my mistakes / i'm just like you. but Caitlyn doesn't make it personal. this phrasing makes the things she says, that are technically more subjective, sound grounded and objective.

Vi, of course, is as direct and personal as ever. and again it kind of looks like she answers Caitlyn's subtext rather than what she's saying on the surface, though this isn't as clear in this example.

Lets circle all the way back to this scene.

I think in the overall excitement of the fandom upon recieving this scene, plus the memeification that it went through, we all forgot that this is an objectively unromantic and strange thing to say. On the surface, it's a dry fact about a military operation. But after reading through this entire analysis, isnt this just the most Caitlyn line ever? And of course, the subtext here is abundant.

Translation: i knew you would go look for your sister, and I've decided to put my hate for her behind for you. I understand you will forever love your family and I'm not asking you to choose between us anymore. And more generally, I'm sorry and I love you, at the same time.

And the best thing? Vi gets it. Because she understands Caitlyn's indirect language more than anyone else.

So, in conclusion. Why all this matters? Well, truthfully, I'm just sick of the constant "Caitlyn didn't apologize" takes, that for some reason expected Caitlyn to sit down and directly say "I'm sorry" to the camera. I hope I explained why making this claim, or worse, trying to "fix it fic" is absurdly out of character. If youre a Caitlyn enjoyer, why erase her unique characterization for the sake of simplicity?

Not only is it out of character for Caitlyn, it's also out of character for Vi to ever demand that of her. Vi loves Caitlyn and underatands her cues. Just because an invisible audience needs things spelled out for them, doesn't mean the characters need it too. Vi gets what Caitlyn is saying regardless of whether she says it directly or not- that's part of the charm of their dynamic. That "imbalance" in how they express themselves isn't something that HAS to be solved- they clearly know how to work around it. And to me, that makes their relstionship feel more realistic and fleshed out.

Now that we addressed the fans- doesn't this also explain why so many people seem to get drastically different readings on Cait? Unlike Vi, whether you pick up on Caitlyn's subtext and body language or not, you'll get a whole different character. I suspect a lot of people who hate Caitlyn only read her at face value, based on what she says alone. By doing that, they get a much drier, angrier character than she actually is. and of course, Vi's devotion and attraction to her makes no sense if that's the only thing you see.

willatheewisps-deactivated20251

I've been thinking a lot about CaitVi (as usual), so my head is crammed full of thoughts about them and commentary on how fandom handles them. This post will be very scattered, sorry lol.

I am now thinking about how people see CaitVi in the context of season 2. Fanon versions of both caitlyn and vi seem to be artifacts from s1 interpretations, encased in amber as untouchable and ideal. This is Vi as the emotionally dull bro-y bruiser who deserves the world and Caitlyn as the spoiled princess who needs to get taken down a peg to access her ~true self. Neither of those constructions are versions of the characters that ever existed, but it's what people took away from S1 and what they wanted them to be in S2. These extremely shallow and wish fulfillment based reads of Caitlyn and Vi denied their built-in complexities, leading people to especially resent S2 development and any fan discussion that prioritizes CaitVi as they actually appeared in Arcane.

***There are always critiques to be made about any piece of art - I'm not saying Arcane is perfect.

I think a lot about the complaint that all S2 does is turn Vi into Caitlyn’s girlfriend. Not only is this innacurate to the show, it also displays something that I've had difficulty talking about. There is an expectation of heroism from white characters, particularly those who are masculine. Because Vi doesn't exist neatly, because she's not just a dulled down archetype, I think people felt robbed of having that fictional expectation fulfilled. It's clear that many folks wanted a Marvel hero moment from her - especially those who project onto her. #YOU_ARE_NOT_VI_ARCANE.

As much as the space revolves around Vi, conversations about her emotional vulnerability are handled abysmally. There's an embarrassment that wafts off of some posts - a shame that exists because "their Vi" wouldn't do X or Y. People ignored League lore and the clear signals Arcane was giving about where they were going lol. I predicted the entirety of CaitVi's arc post S2 Act1 (on video) and was mostly correct about what they'd set up. This wasn't some wild diversion - this was always the vision for them. Something not easily defined by labels and bog standard tropes. And sue me, but I like that! I like that there is messiness and rough edges and that there will be conflict, both interpersonal and societal. I don't want clean characters that are easy to place.

I especially appreciate the ways in which Caitlyn defies attempts to define her. She gets to be so many things, the most important of which is human! She doesn't feel like a tacked on accessory, and I really do resent that the preferred version/vision of her in fandom is so dull and lifeless. There's a reason handsome Caitlyn week/art meant so much to a lot of people. It wasn't just about genderisms (there's a lot to discuss there, from EVERY angle ...), it was about acknowledging her fully, without every damn thing having to lead back to the white character. Which lol - Vi IS white, as is most of the fandom. I have the right to think a cult of uncritical worship re: a white character is weird and uncomfortable, especially in a space where no one truly gives a damn about anti Asian or anti Black racism.

There's something to be said for the negative corrective work that CaitVis do in fandom as well. What's popular is very much defined by "fixing" issues people had with the show. But my thing is - you can't add your own sins into a so-called correction. For example, a lot of fic has Cait as the damsel in distress to Vi’s (white) savior. These transformations are not inherently a problem, but nothing exists in a vacuum. The execution of these concepts often relies on people falling back to really bleak writing choices made for Asian women with white (masc) partners. The things that made CaitVi interesting and atypical are generally completely absent. People can do whatever they want in fandom, but for a space that jerks itself off about how creative and subversive it is, I often find the same old racist, misogynistic bullshit.

The great majority of comphet exploration with CaitVi happens with Cait, which gets uncomfortable when considering how people are "unqueered" by race and gender expectations. Again, the fandom is very white ... how do white people usually handle queer characters of color? Because it's not that great or culturally informed! Why is Vi's sexuality treated like an obvious given, but Caitlyn's is a question mark before Vi defines it for her? She's the lost baby lesbian who's always being taught the ropes by Vi. Why is there a lack of confident and experienced Caitlyn in these spaces? What is this obsession with her and purity? Why does she always have to be innocent, naive, taken advantage of? Why are people demonized for questioning degradation and objectification when it's constantly and predominantly happening to the Asian character (this is about RACE and how society constructs desire for us, not your personal bedroom preferences)?

Because whenever any of this gets near Vi, people start to throw fits. like LMFAOOO?? People know they're doing Cait dirty as fuck! Please stop playing in my face. If you really believe that nothing is wrong with submission, then why is that so frequently treated as some punishment at Cait's expense for Vi's enjoyment? Why is it a violation for Vi to experience but expected of Caitlyn? I truly adore submission (on other people) and find it a precious thing, but it rarely comes without an ick where Caitlyn is involved because her desires aren't for or about her. She's not a character of her own while Vi gets to be. CV both suffer from incredibly poor and thoughtless characterization, but Caitlyn bears the brunt. This is part of how people want to punish her for her on-screen infractions, and that sucks! People have extremely strange '50 shades' ass views of D/S dynamics and we all suffer for it constantly.

I write smut almost exclusively. I like doing all sorts of kinky things with characters. One of my favorite things is exploring what this character *specifically* would like. No two people enjoy kink or sex the same way. It's not some pretentious character study to think about what appeals to Caitlyn. No one is "naturally inclined" to be submissive, and I need people to start making this a chosen act for Caitlyn. Otherwise, it just comes off as weird racial fetishism! So much talk in CV space is about sex in its least appealing forms and it's OFF PUTTING! I like sex a whole lot! CV is the least sexy, most fake freaky smut space I've ever been subjected to 😭.

How both of these characters look and act is so defined by fandom's whiteness and fradulent social awareness. It's inescapable and infuriating and nearly impossible to have constructive convos about because people genuinely think they've unpacked all their racism and misogyny by 21 due to fragments of theory they've absorbed through social media. Lord.

For many CaitVis, Caitlyn has to be vulnerable for Vi to be strong and I think it's a mindset that needs to be challenged a lot more than it has been. There's no scarcity on protectiveness. Cait and Vi can both be that. They can (AND ARE) be both the savior and the saved. They can both be vulnerable, both be soft. They can both have issues with anger and aggression. Cailtyn doesn't have to shrink for Vi to feel big. They're both meant to be heirs to their respective cities (prince4prince | princess4princess) and part of Arcane deals with the issue of these life expectations/ambitions being derailed by things outside of their control. They are both interesting conversations about legacy, power, loss, and love. Grief is what connected me most powerfully to them both (Caitlyn especially). They're both so full and vibrant and I haven't run out of new things I want to say about them! I like the ship, yes, but part of why CaitVi really works for me is that their individual characters are defined and feel strong on their own. Their relationship is a highlight for them, not the entirety of their substance.

So yeah, this has been an incredibly unenjoyable fandom experience for me, despite CaitVi being a fave ship of all time now. I will complain a lot more and there will be more senseless babble thought dumps. These are just a few things that have been bothering me.

revswanson

where in the HELL did that horse come from

lucifers-golden-bitch-apparently

knives-in-the-dishwater

the-big-mood

Walter White in Mario Kart Wii

maestrosigma

excellent names on the enemy team tonight

bairenalenko

genericpuff

no because this actually hits so fucking hard you have no idea

i know it's comparing apples to oranges because LO getting an adaption has nothing to do with BONE but like

do you know how long i've actually been waiting for a proper BONE adaption

do you know how long JEFF FUCKING SMITH has been waiting and FIGHTING for a proper BONE adaption

like i've been reading BONE since i was like 12 years old and despite being a comic from the NINETIES it's still aged phenomenally better than LO which came out in frigging 2018

confirmation bias ahoy but i don't ever see people talking about regretting BONE when they were in middle school, and i feel like that's all i see when discourse about LO comes up and people talk about how they loved it when they were 13 and then grew up and realized it was trash (and not even like enjoyable "guilty pleasure" trash) 💀😭

arcanegifs

Arcane Season 2 Blu-Ray Bonus Content: Inside the Writer's Room - Beauty and Tragedy

sapphiresaphics

^^^ NO, NO, NO NO NOOOO…. You don’t get to do that.

See the problem here isn’t that the queer community was trying to DEFEND Caitlyn, we were trying to help people like you understand her motivations. AND WE GOT SO MUCH SHIT FOR DOING THAT. Any attempt to explain her motivations were treated as confinement of her actions, which was NEVER THE CASE. We don’t agree with what she did, but we understand the NUANCE of what was going on and WHY. We tried to provide you all with context and you guys HATED us for doing that. And assumed we were trying to defend her from all criticism.

I will not accept that revisionist history you’re trying to make. I was there. For two fucking years I’ve been analyzing Caitlyn’s character and explaining EXACTLY what the writers stated here. And for TWO FUCKING YEARS I’ve been shit on and attacked and dismissed and gaslit.

sky-ham

I saw a womens firefighter calendar and went hmm

[Jan-Apr] [May-Aug] [Sep-Dec]

sky-ham

caitvi firefighters calendar part 2

[Jan-Apr] [May-Aug] [Sep-Dec]

sky-ham

caitvi firefighters calendar part 3

[Jan-Apr] [May-Aug] [Sep-Dec]

sky-ham

happy Caitlyn day :">

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[ art ]

explosionshark

Caitlyn hitting Vi with the "what about us? 🥺" less than 48hrs into this situationship is so real though

explosionshark

"the timeline throws me for a loop" "this happened way too fast" NO!!! I SAID WHAT I SAID

You're an early twenties lesbian who breaks a cute butch dyke out of prison - she's got broad shoulders, huge biceps, big wet puppydog eyes, a fat ass and a good heart. You spend two days tromping around the Undercity with her breathing in each other's fuckin pheromones and shit while she challenges your notions about the way the world works. You watch her go to town on a bowl of slop and then she flirts with you hardcore outside of a brothel after asking if you were into girls. You ALREADY KNOW what her moans sound like because that time she got gut-stabbed and you had to give her The Serum. She saved your life and carried you across a bridge when you got hurt and then you took her home and she laid on your bed with you and told you about the deep well of pain inside her and held your hand.

TWO DAYS??? AT LIKE 23 YEARS OLD? I would have been ready to sign a lease. Some of you are LYING about the fact that you wouldn't be ready to throw it all away after one "you're hot, cupcake" let alone TWO DAYS of all that