[va1kyr14]

Holy shit, I have resurrected.

Not only is Actors AU canon, but Cait in glasses......

I am drooling, I am also deceased.

*Chefs kiss*

[loycos]

Are you still thinking of doing a caitvi touch analysis? Cause the way I would DEVOUR that. Love ur work!! 💖💖

it all started from a post i saw somewhere, that expressed surprise that the same girls we saw in this scene

are the ones we see in this scene

'how can Vi be so meek and skittish, while Caitlyn is the confident one? it was the opposite before!"

and like, of course characters can change (like people do), but it i think this is a misreading of whats going on here. or at least, a surface level understanding. and the more i thought about it, the more i realized how much body language matters in Caitvi's scenes, and how the way they touch is extremely consistent and relevant to their relationship and identities.

to explain what i mean, let's start with Vi. Vi's touch is brash and confident. in the beginning of their relationship, Vi was the one pushing herself into Caitlyn's space, like we've seen in the brother scene, but also in small moments like shoulder checking Caitlyn after her very sensitive remark about The Last Drop, or her grabbing Caitlyn while they were escaping Silco.

i don't think Vi is intentionally being rougher with Caitlyn, as she touches other people (Jinx, Ekko) in a very similar manner. but to Caitlyn, this is a big deal- the fact Vi doesn't coddle her, and doesn't give her "special treatment"- is something Caitlyn has been craving her whole life.

Vi shows no hesitation before reaching out. its very unapologetic. You'd think they're already dating by the confidence Vi exudes when she's touching Cait.,

Vi tends to almost maneuver Caitlyn around. it's not an aggressive thing, it's gentle- but her touch is more assertive. i don't want to call it possessive, but something about it shows she feels like she has access to Caitlyn from a surprisingly early stage in their relationship.

now, look at how Caitlyn touches Vi. it's almost the complete opposite. her touch is feather light and careful, almost like she's unsure whether she's even allowed.

Caitlyn's touch is less assertive and more guiding. even in positions where you'd think she should be using some force, she finds the most gentle, non-intrusive way to go about it.

where Vi's touch is claiming, Caitlyn's touch is asking. you can see it every single time Caitlyn reaches out to Vi. she's slow in her approach, a little hesitant before she commits, incredibly delicate and soft.

as to why this is, i suspect their upbringing is at play. Vi is used to taking whatever she can get her hands on, because she never had enough growing up. Caitlyn is extremely aware of her privilege and is concerned with "taking too much". This approach is what makes Caitlyn come across as humble.

now, back to the kiss.

looking at it from this lens, are we sure that "Caitlyn is the confident party while Vi is meek" is the correct reading here? cause the way i see it,

Caitlyn takes her usual 5 million years to approach, because she's essentially non-verbally asking Vi for consent the entire way through. very on brand. Vi, however, seems to lack her usual confidence, and i've seen people attribute it to shock. i think it's somewhat related, but not because she's surprised Caitlyn is making a move on her, or that it's finally happening- come on, Vi knows Caitlyn is down bad for her. all the points i brought up, about the way Vi touched her up until this point- it's clear Vi knows that her touch is wanted. that's why she's so confident basically from that brothel scene. i suspect that if her sister hadn't murdered her mom, Vi would be making this exact move on Caitlyn in episode 1 of this season. the only thing holding her back is guilt.

no, the reason Vi is shocked is because Caitlyn is back. right after she begged her to not change, the girl she loves, and thought she was losing, came back. what do i mean she came back? in the scene before this one, this is the Caitlyn we see

Vi is clearly distraught by this aggressive, dominating version of Caitlyn. she doesn't recognize her. That's not who Caitlyn is. there's a reason they keep showing us this specific memory through Vi's eyes

this Caitlyn, attentive, gentle, asking, is the girl she fell for, in all her dorky glory. Vi asked Caitlyn to not change, and in this kiss, with that soft touch, Caitlyn proves Vi that she hadn't- not entirely, at least- that her girl is still in there. Vi is almost stunned in relief to see her again, especially after we saw how desperately she was clinging onto the memory of her.

and it's when she recognizes her, that non-apologetic grabby Vi is back.

(it was too good to be true, sadly. i think you can see a level of hesitancy in vi's body language here, like she can sense something is a little off.)

so, what about that sex scene, you probably wonder. why i havent mentioned it so far, seeing as this is the most intimate scene they have together. well, it's because if you've been following along what i said, nothing in it should surprise you.

so we have-

brash, grabby, assertive Vi

who tends to maneuver Caitlyn around

Caitlyn is being slow and soft in her approach

with feather light touches,

(like seriously every time caitlyn touches vi its almost floaty, so gentle its barely there. You can see there's no force behind it whatsoever. She licherally doesn't want to use her power on Vi.)

and of course, most importantly, we have Vi recognizing Caitlyn, the girl she fell for, 3 times in this scene. every time she does, she reacts with a surge of passion and joy.

first time is what kickstarted this whole scene

Caitlyn was making a grand gesture of selfless trust, just like she had all the way back when they first met and she chose to release Vi from prison based on trust alone.

second time is here

Caitlyn putting honesty above all else, choosing to not keep Vi in the dark, and looking like a nervous mess while doing it- very s1 Caitlyn of her.

third time is here

again, the soft, slow touch, asking for permission (and forgiveness).

Now, why does any of it matters? well, for Vi, i think that failing to recognize the body language just leaves out a layer of her character that adds to her personality. that brash, confident way she touches really lacks in some fan interpretations of her.

for Caitlyn, however... if you can't read her body language you can come out with a completely different reading of her character, one i'd consider a misinterpretation. Caitlyn's words are much more calculated and closed off than her touch. She uses her Big Scary Sheriff tone to make herself seem respectable, but her true self, the gentle, sweet side of her, only comes through her touch and actions. Like, if you only take Caitlyn at face value, based on what she says alone... let's just say, the amount of people who think Caitlyn is an evil manipulator who abuses her power starts to make sense now, doesn't it?

Tl;dr: Caitlyn's touch is like "can i touch you?" And Vi's touch is like "i am touching you". Failing to recognize this usually results in misinterpreting the characters' dynamics and even the messages and themes of show itself.

[bwat5-blog]

I’m not doing a whole thing here. I’ve done it to death and those who get it, get it. Those who don’t never will by choice or lack of ability.

But one of my coworkers recently watched Arcane for the first time and we had a wonderful good-faith conversation and it got me thinking over various things again.

Caitlyn makes plenty of mistakes. Just like everyone in the show. But as a reminder no matter how “calm” she seemed when she struck Vi at the end of this episode (which she clearly wasn’t but its said so often you get it), what was actually going on?

1. Jinx almost killed her repeatedly

2. Jinx killed MANY of her peers

3. Jinx abducted her nude from her home at gunpoint and terrorized her

4. Jinx tried to get Vi to kill her

5. JINX KILLED HER MOTHER

7. Caitlyn very likely could have saved her mother if she’d killed Jinx and ignored Vi’s pleading

8. After all that Caitlyn insists on alternatives to an invasion of Zaun, citing the innocents who will be harmed

9. Tobias is clearly (and understandably) a wreck and Caitlyn is being looked at to be to the stoic leader of her house. In her early twenties. Grieving and afraid.

10. The under-city attacks her mother’s memorial and she almost dies. AGAIN.

11. Rather than any person in command stepping in, the surviving leadership let her lead her mission to Zaun to hunt Jinx, sparing them the responsibility

12. Add numbers 1-11 up and that’s the absolutely unholy pressure cooker boiling in her mind when it all goes down!

This isn’t an anti-Jinx thing, and it most certainly isn’t anti-Vi (see my pages of pro-Vi writing). And this is the absolute most surface level it gets. But the weak and insipid argument that Caitlyn was in a sound state of mind, and chose to hit Vi like she was choosing what to order for lunch, is utter horseshit.

Do me a favor. You read that list, try to extend your emotional intelligence enough to picture how you would feel handling all of that, then tell me how rational you’d be.

Doesn’t matter regardless.

Cause WE.WON.

[va1kyr14]

The Ma Meilleure Ennemie MV was beautiful and I am now waiting for either the same thing for CaitVi with the soft Fantastic demo, or a 10-20 minute mini episode of them after Arcane being all domestic and soft.

Am I delusional, yes.

Do I want an extended sex scene.

Also yes.

Do I need help?

Extreme levels of yes.

[cutecatgirlyuri]

It’s almost been 3 months and I still haven’t let them go

[va1kyr14]

I still can't function.

[va1kyr14]

Need some fic recs with Kid/Teen!Caitvi, growing up and falling for each other. Trying to fuel post arcane addiction and in the mood for a slowburn love story.

Any recs let me know please link me!

[bwat5-blog]

"Clearly, Caitlyn Kiramman Should’ve Known Better at 23: A Masterclass in Ignoring Trauma and Believing War Criminals"

**Spoilers for all of Arcane**

Recently I made the mistake of delving into the comments of an otherwise excellent post regarding Caitlyn Kiramman and the aftermath of her time as "dictator", specifically in terms of were there enough consequences? did she do enough to make it right? should more have been done to her? that sort of thing. In the festering cesspool of those comments, I saw a variation of the following statement:

"if we were doing things based on what was fair and just, Caitlyn should have been executed on behalf of the two cities for peace"

It was more crude but you get the point. This person alleged that Caitlyn deserved death for what happened during those few months. Before we move forward lets review what we know about all of this. I have quite recently covered a lot of Caitlyn's arc so I'm not doing a deep dive here. Just enough to address this particular bit of idiocy.

How It Starts:

Like I said we aren't doing a deep dive here, so just for a quick reminder as to where twenty-three year old Caitlyn is mentally at this point(regardless of fault or nuance, just the facts):

Has been almost killed by Jinx three times

Almost killed by Sheriff of Piltover

Abducted naked from her childhood home, forced to dress in Enforcer uniform, bound, gagged, and forced to attend Jinx's tea party where Jinx tries to get Vi to murder Caitlyn

Violently knocked out

Shows Jinx mercy at Vi's request

Jinx kills her mother

Trying to become head of house Kiramman

Undercity attacks the memorial

Survives strike team operations

Brutal fight with Sevika

Vi stops her from shooting again

Very emotional split from Vi after hitting her and leaving her alone

So, with all of that under consideration, a Noxian warlord in her fifties who has commanded troops on various continents across Runeterra, calls her up and says trust me, i have your back, we will get justice for your mother. And Caitlyn folds... Le Gasp?!

Guys I know this is a little more snarky than my usual approach, but this really is just not that complicated. This is not even subtle. We literally see the flash back of Ambessa orchestrating the memorial attack to get us to this point. Caitlyn is an open wound mentally and emotionally, she never stood a chance. Lets take a moment to review some important points here by the way:

Ambessa came to Piltover for Hex-Tech. She doesn't hide this from Mel and is quite clear in her goals.

"If there is a chance hextech can be weaponized, we must have it". Mel responds "Piltover isn't your testing ground... I can't believe you'd start a war just to cover your ass" And Ambessa responds "i would set the world ablaze to protect our family". And the conversation ends with Ambessa ordering her daughter to "let the war unfold".

2. She executes her plan to make Caitlyn her scape-goat in front of:

Councilor Salo

Councilor Shoola

Large group of enforcers

Group of twenty plus people who make up as Ambessa states "every house and family with a modicum of influence"

Not a single, solitary person says a word when Ambessa brings a twenty-three year old grieving young woman with, if we're being generous two months of combat experience though probably less, and says She is in charge now! They let Caitlyn be walked right into the jaws of the wolf herself.

The Great And Terrible Rule Of Caitlyn The Creepy! WHAHAHAHA!:

What she gives her okay on:

Occupation of Zaun

Lawful (under martial law not normal law) arrests of those who cause problems

Yep... there it is folks. There is the great list of terrible crimes against humanity committed by the she-devil of Piltover herself. Checkpoints and arrests. Which by the way I am not justifying. People being arrested subjects them to Ambessa's brutality once they are inside. And as we clearly see Rictus uses the right to arrest to brutalize a Jinxer, and to break up the rally. And Caitlyn absolutely shares some portion of the blame for that. But um.. the way people reacted I was really expecting more public hangings and and labor camps.

**Not really a good place to put this but just fyi, despotic mad-women don't usually have to get up early to please a craftsman guild over supply complaints... just saying..."

"But OP! Sexy Zangief was beating people up and breaking up peaceful rallies!"

Well fortunately we talk about that!

"Was it for my encouragement that your man Rictus was instigating violence?"

How does Ambessa respond? Not with anger, or rage. First with guilt "You don't trust me", then with approval when Caitlyn responds the blade cuts both ways "fearless child, you never shy",

Ambessa is a master manipulator. Caitlyn is and was grieving her mother, and her whirlwind extremely intense romantic relationship with Vi. She had a gargantuan hole in her heart and a woman with decades leading and commanding soldiers and learning strategy slid right in. Recall that in bed with Maddie Caitlyn almost is defending Ambessa, talking about learning so much from her and the lives Ambessa saved with her assistance getting control of Zaun, so they could hunt for Jinx. Caitlyn has legitimately come to care for Ambessa at least on some level. I even believe that on some level Ambessa has come to care for Caitlyn.

2. "Arrests require cause"

When Ambessa is suggesting someone in Zaun knows where Jinx is, this is how Caitlyn responds. Not with orders to start dragging people out into the street. Not executing children in the street or burning down buildings. And when Ambessa tries to justify it "What greater cause is there than returning peace to the city?" Caitlyn responds:

3. "Why is peace always the justification for violence".. (Note Ambessa laying comforting hand on Caitlyn's shoulder during conversation)

Ambessa gives her this speech: "we've lost so many.. the anger, the sorrow.. it's tiring. Gods, I know it's tiring.. But you will never rest knowing that she's out there. Or maybe I underestimated you. Maybe you have the strength I do not.. to forgive.. and trust in tomorrow.. the decision is yours commander.."

"I know you are so tired, I know you are exhausted. I know you want this to be over. But you can't feel safe with her out there. I know you can't. Unless of course you can do what even I can't. Forgive your mothers FUCKING MURDERER. But ya know, up to you"-

If you truly cannot see the insidiousness of how Caitlyn is being twisted and manipulated, I envy you the charmed life you have lead. But be weary my friend, "you're off the edge of the map, here there be monsters." (POC 1)

"But OP! Ambessa was experimenting with Hex-Tech and committing brutal interrogations!"

I will admit the show does not explicitly state that Caitlyn did not know about this. Explicitly. However, given our context clues I feel quite confidant suggesting she did not:

See literally everything she said above

Every time we see them doing this she is not present

It seems like they are in some deep and away part of the prison when they are doing this

In private after the failed hex-tech experiment, Ambessa laments that they didn't secure the scientists before seizing control of Piltover. She is openly discussing that they are the actual ruling power. I seriously doubt she would be doing that anywhere Caitlyn may come knocking.

She Could Have Stopped At Any Time! Maddie Even Say So:

You mean that Maddie? The Noxian spy who keeps an eye on Caitlyn from her fucking bed, taking advantage of Caitlyn's grief and guilt over how things ended with Vi? Caitlyn is reminded she has a choice twice. The first time by the spy in her bed, and the second time by Ambessa herself. Her loyalty is being tested. Not her conscious. Ambessa literally put eyes and ears in her bed, and some of yall wanna argue Caitlyn wasn't being controlled. Ambessa assumed the role of Caitlyn's mother, and had her spy take on the role of Vi. And I will say this. Sure. Caitlyn could have gone to Ambessa and called it all off. No more war, no more martial law, the council is in charge again so no more imprisonment and hex-tech experiments. And maybe.. just maybe Ambessa would have row-row-row your boated her homicidal ass home. I rather doubt it. I suspect that conversation would have ended with Caitlyn getting this treatment:

We have been over this already but for a reminder:

Ambessa came here for hex-tech to fight the blackrose. She instigated the memorial attack for her cause.

"I would set the world ablaze to protect our family"

As we will come to see later, her last living child begs her to stop the bloodshed, even offering to go back with her, and all Ambessa can see is weakness.

Other indicators of how she is doing with everything:

"I never expected this to go on so long.. I thought.. I don't know what I thought.."

"Up again?" Maddie tells us Caitlyn hasn't been sleeping

Forbids the use of the cells Vi was kept in

REWIND BACK TO HELLFIRE:

I recently just did an in-depth doc on the strike team, the use of the grey, and what all of this means in story. So I will keep this brief here. but I do want to discuss it as "SHE WAS GASSING KIDS!" is still being vomited up by every double-digit iq booger eater with a keyboard.

Ambessa orchestrated the memorial attack to force Piltover retaliation

The strike team is an alternative to a full-scale invasion by Piltover.

They are hunting dangerous drug lords, destroying shimmer, and hunting Jinx. All three seem fairly reasonable. The issue is not if they are doing something wrong, it's the reason Caitlyn has them doing it. All you have to do is refer to the handy dandy song lyrics they use as Arcane always does to understand this:

"Can I do the right thing for the wrong reason? Is it bad that I'm making friends with my demons, and Living by a couple deadly sins Just to make sure I finish what you began And I ain't afraid to lose a life or ten If it means that I get to win in the end (woo) So I'ma do this on my own, step into the danger zone Pull the pin and watch it blow" (Hellfire Fever 333)

4. Using a crowd dispersal agent that incapacitates bad guys with no documented fatal effects (see multiple characters exposed who are all alive and seemingly well, those images of the people with health issues were from the unfiltered, unaltered smog the Undercity used to live with)to hunt a target who likes to blow shit up seems fair. Also the fact that it knocks people out means they don't have to kill them.

Caitlyn's Remorse And Attempts To Make Things Right:

Literally starts a war with Ambessa to save Vander

Saves a hurt Vi with Jinx's back exposed to her when she is armed

Takes care of injured Vi in her own bed and postpones any judgement of Jinx until Vi wakes

"I Know!"

"We can't erase our mistakes.. none of us"- Equates herself with Jinx

"No amount of good deed can undo our crimes"- Equates herself with Jinx

"Hating you.. I've hated myself.. I just don't have the energy for it any longer.."

Tender moment showing IMMENSE regret during she and Vi's big scene.

The Cost:

One statement I saw opined that there is a difference between remorse and punishment, and that Caitlyn should have been punished. That giving up her seat and losing an eye hardly qualified. Well! Boy oh boy do I have good news for you. Let's take a gander at the physical "not punishment" she acquires willingly leading from the front lines against Ambessa:

Cracked in the head with rifle stock, twice: Skull fractures anyone? how about a lovely concussion?

Stabbed in the stomach: Internal bleeding, bile leaks, intestinal obstruction due to scar tissue adhesions, bowel perforation, the list goes on.

Kicked in the midsection while still stabbed: potential to drive knife deeper lacerating organs and such, just massive pain, potential catastrophic bleeding if a blood vessel was hit, potential rupturing of stomach, kidneys or liver releasing harmful fluids into abdominal cavity, potential for long term chronic pain or permanent organ damage

Leg sweep by Ambessa driving Caitlyn's head into the ground: potential tbi, brain hemorrhage, or further skull fracture, potential vertebral fractures, potential long term cognitive impairment or loss of motor control if spine is damaged

Kicked again: We covered this. Knife is still there.

Ankle pinned/Leg kick/backhand: All sorts of fun things happening to ligaments and tendons. Potential permanent disability. Potential concussion and bruising as well as a whole host of lacerations.

Headbutt with War mask on: Concussion, skull fracture, brain bleed

KICKED OFF OF HER FEET

Pulls knife out of her own body: Potential fatal bleeding, massive pain, possible peritonitis and respiratory distress depending on what all was damaged during the fight with the knife still in her body.

Sacrifices her own eye

Now lets take a quick look at some reasonable assertions for the mental "not punishment" she will likely suffer from after all of this:

Massive potential for PTSD just from the wounds alone

Losing an eye impacts her shooting which is a huge part of who she is and a link to her mother

A woman she shared a bed with levelled a rifle at her neck and pulled the trigger. Caitlyn thought she was going to die.. that doesn't just go away..

look at her face...

She is twenty four people....

4. Guilt over death toll of war

5. Guilt over Vi's possible death from downward spiral

6. Guilt over Vi's possible death from explosion in commune all born from Noxian;s arriving there

7. Guilt over everything done to the Undercity

8. Guilt over perversion of her families ventilation system

9. The fact that from season 1 Act 2 til now, she only ages a year and probably not even a whole one. Refer to my list in the beginning. She has not a single fucking second to breathe or heal from any of that shit

RESTITUTION:

So aside from willingly leading the battle that most of the undercity walked away from until Jinx shows up and almost dying for it, how does Caitlyn start to make things right you may ask? (because it is a start, for those who don't get that. This is the beginning of a story not an end). For the first time in what we understand to be the history of the twin cities, Zaun has a seat at the table. People are REALLLLYYYYY underselling this. I guess because they wanted a whole political treaty signed and to watch Caitlyn get shame-nunned through the street or something. IDK. But what I do know, is that Caitlyn gave away the ancestral seat of house Kiramman, and all the power and authority that came with it, and it now belongs to someone from the undercity. An equal voice. And it's just the beginning. It's not perfect. It's not all wrapped up in a big shiny bow, it feels real. Change isn't instant. It never has been and it never will be, and if you need that to feel fulfilled I understand, but this show was never going to be that for you.

Caitlyn Should Be Executed?:

So back to the original statement. Caitlyn should be executed in the name of peace between the cities. Well, I'll say this. if you see a 24 year old woman who inside of a year had her entire reality imploded, fell prey to the manipulations of a violent war monger close to 30 years her senior if not more, yet found her way back to herself and shed her own blood as a war hero TO SAVE HUMANITY, and your answer is she should be executed. Sure! So long as you admit you have the humanity of a toaster oven you fucking idiot.

To those of you who have continued to read, and share your thoughts, and been open to kind debate and discourse in good faith. You all mean the world to me. As I have said many times, opening myself up to this community has really happed my "real" life in a lot of ways and I love getting on here to appreciate and celebrate this story with all of you. That being said, this particular issue is so god damn irritating to me I am done being nice about it. Have a wonderful day!

[va1kyr14]

I feel like you need a standing ovation for this.

This is why Caitlyn was one of the most incredible characters in the series.

[rah-nee-yah]

HAPPY ONE MONTH TO VI EATING CAIT LIKE A CUPCAKE

[va1kyr14]

Is it bad that watching the Caitvi Lesbian Sex scene is now an integral part of my daily routine.

Asking for a friend.

[harrowharksboner]

hmmmmmmm

[timeofdeathnote]

[juhyunism]

[eclectictragedypanda]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 2x08 - “Killing is a Cycle”…(Read More)

[va1kyr14]

Not meant like that at all, just that Cait wouldn't let herself be vulnerable like that with Maddie. She probably took her pleasure and that's it.

Oh mate massively. I am massively in two minds about it...

She either just wanted it over and done with and just let Maddie do what she wanted, or she took control because she couldn't bare anyone else controlling her.

However, most people of power prefer being controlled in other areas of their life as escapism, so I personally lean towards the latter, but alas, I don't think we will ever know!

[va1kyr14]

Lets be real, Cait was topping Maddie. I don't think she ever gave up control.

Oh god, I am not turning this into a Top/Bottom debate, I don't have the energy for another round :')

Either way, Cait is not enjoying it, hahaha soz Maddie.

[va1kyr14]

Always love seeing Vi fucking Cait against the wall in that one gif. You can tell when Vi shoves her fingers inside Cait. Maddie could never get a reaction like that from her

I could just imagine Maddie trying to be all badass, and Cait just raising an eyebrow, sighing and looking to the ceiling :')

Not that I want to think of them cus yanno cringe, but now I have thought of this, I cannot help but think how helpless the situation would be for Maddie, irrelevant of whether she was a spy or not.

[va1kyr14]

I’m sorry but Maddie would not have been able to handle Caitlyn. Like, she is a freak.

Vi can handle it. She is clearly experienced going by what have seen.

Maddie would be a fish out of water. I will die on the hill that Cait would lay there during/afterwards bored to fucking tears.