iamsooraa

[iamsooraa]

one thing i feel isn't talked about enough is how caitlyn visually changes over the course of the series. from the decorative and honestly kind of silly looking skirt uniform in s1, to her zaunite disguise that strips all of that away, to the commander uniform in s2, to her tactical gear in the final act

THIS change in particular is so important. her commander uniform, with or without her little dracula cape, reeks of status. it's more functional than her original uniform, but it's still covered in decorative ruffles, gold trim, and symbols that represent her role as piltover's commander and the head of house kiramman

it's all gone in act 3. she wears her hair loose. her outfit is incredibly simple. the tactical gear she wears in the final fight is not only practical, but it does next to nothing to distinguish her from the other soldiers. she also switches to wearing much darker colors, deep navy and black, rather than the royal blue of the OG enforcer uniforms

to me, THAT is the real caitlyn. she's not wearing a uniform or a disguise. she's not putting on airs or attempting to make herself look like she's this perfect, put together person. she's being herself for the first time in the entire series. no titles or pretense, nothing unnecessary in the way. just her

[iamsooraa]

I want to talk about THIS moment. Right before. There's a TON of people misreading Caitlyn's intent because she's using such a playful demeanor after Vi's sorrowful self-deprecation. To be honest, it's the best response she could have had, and the best tactic. Her demeanor serves as a stark contrast to the spiral of self hatred that Vi is going down, and it's an excellent distraction. Caitlyn is stopping her line of thinking, right then and there, and she does it while delivering one of the most romantic and understated declarations of love I've ever seen.

Stay with me here.

Let's be very clear: Caitlyn did NOT come to the cell with the goal of seducing Vi. Not even. How do we know? Aside from several context clues that come before this scene, the way Caitlyn responds to the kiss is very telling:

See how long it takes Cait to even register what the fuck is going on?? She's literally like "oh. OH. we're kissing? WE'RE KISSING." And Vi also OPENS HER EYES very briefly, to check that Caitlyn is as into this as she is, right as Cait settles into the kiss, likely sensing her hesitation/delayed reaction. This scene is NOT Caitlyn seducing Vi. This scene is Caitlyn giving herself to Vi, and Vi choosing exactly what she wants to do with her, which is VERY different.

What does Caitlyn say right before the kiss? She says, "Do you really think I needed all the guards at the hexgates?" Translation: I left Jinx's cell unguarded on purpose. I want you to know that I heard you during our last conversation. I want you to know that I trust you. I want you to know that my love and care for you is more important than my need to sate my grief and desire for revenge. I choose you.

And following: "Sorry to say, you've grown a bit predictable." Translation: I know you. I see you. I knew you would choose this, coming after your sister, and I facilitated the circumstances in which you COULD choose this. You don't choose wrong. You choose love, and I understand that now. I want you to know that I support your choices, and they won't cost you the people you care about, at least not me, not anymore. I know that you'll always choose your sister, and I've made peace with that. What you want is what I want.

That is MONUMENTAL. That's quite possibly one of the most romantic things I've ever seen in media. Because who the hell has the guts to give up their grief and forgive their mother's murderer, all for love? That's a level of sacrifice that not enough people are acknowledging.

People say Caitlyn never changed, never felt remorse, never grew from the bad choices she made. I say wrong. And this was the turning point.

[iamsooraa]

yes cait obviously wants to be careful with vi bc she’s still healing, but that look in her eye??? it’s remorse. she’s thinking about when she hit vi all those months ago. and vi silently forgives her by pulling her in close again.

[iamsooraa]

Spot the difference

[iamsooraa]

I would like to remind everyone getting all fussy about the "dirt under your fingernails" line from Vi is that psychologically, the meaning of the phrase "dirt under your fingernails" means "staying grounded, humble, and connected, to keep one's head out of the clouds, always keep one's feet on the ground, never get too caught up in one's self, spend some time on the front line."

By saying "nothings gonna clean me out" she means that she's going to stay connected to Caitlyn, this is basically a love confession from Vi. And its a line that fits Vi's character really well considering that for the entire show she's spent her time being caught up in herself, questioning the decisions she makes and her relationship with others (namely Jinx and Caitlyn). she's finally grounding herself, and I find that extremely poetic.

[iamsooraa]

saw this on twitter and ouch

[iamsooraa]

guys. guys. when caitlyn hovered her hand over that bandage on vi’s ribs, she was clearly going to apologize! and vi knew that and accepted the apology before caitlyn said anything out loud — there is so much depth in the body language and facial expressions in this show and i feel like a lot of people are shooting themselves in the foot by not seeing those things as being just as valid here as verbal cues. (or they just want to find something to be mad at?)

[iamsooraa]

This is the little Ekko/Jinx moment that's been sticking with me:

Because on first watch, I expected this was going to be something negative. Ekko trying to defend why he'd been so hostile to Powder. 'You're not the kind of person who helps... because you destroy things,' or something to that effect.

But no.

oh

What a way to look at Jinx?? Even with everything she's done... He looks at this well-adjusted, 'ideal' Powder, and still thinks she's missing something that his Jinx has. The Powder that he knew was so determined to make something that mattered... it's a Powder who's content to play second-fiddle to the people around her, a Powder that settles that feels off to him.

And that ties into why he can't stay here. Our Ekko isn't the kind of person who settles either.

[iamsooraa]

Mel really stayed true to herself through it all. That's so rare for a character with this kind of arc. She never let go of her compassion, even with being kidnapped and tortured. It didn't harden her into someone unrecognizable. I did joke about a villain arc because that's what a character like that usually gets when it's time to be calculated and kill the thing that needs killing.

But Mel didn't need that to be badass, embrace her powers, and cut off the head of the dragon even though it happened to be her mother - her mother who thought she was so weak just because she wasn't brutal.

She is the wolf but only out of necessity. She can make the hard calls. She can even deliver death, but she won't without trying everything else first.

That's a leader. She's a leader her mother could never fathom, and now she has her army.

Arcane man... good shit.

[iamsooraa]

CAITLYN BEING ABLE TO MOURN AND BURY HER MOTHER IN A LUXURIOUS CASKETT

VI HAVING TO LEAVE VANDER IN THE STREETS

JINX HAVING TO BURY HIM UNDER DIRTY WATER??

these freaking parallels man..

[iamsooraa]

the moments that foreshadow cait losing an eye throughout season 2 of arcane

[iamsooraa]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 2x08 - “Killing is a Cycle”

[iamsooraa]

ARCANE: LEAGUE OF LEGENDS Season 2 (2024) + My Favorite Quotes

[iamsooraa]

jayce enduring a symbolic rendition of viktor's trauma is so painful and so, so clever.

being stricken down and immobilized through sheer accident or, in viktor's case, a cruelly random quirk that caused his disability.

then physically dragging himself from the lowest level of zaun to piltover, much like how viktor spent his youth reaching toward the promise piltover offered, but only if he could "pull himself up by the boot straps" and get there on his own. socioeconomic forces working against him be damned.

i appreciate arcane reminding us of viktor's origins - the reason he is so called to help people and, eventually, save himself - and putting jayce through the ringer - the contrast between he and viktor's lived experiences is front and center throughout season 1. the writers send jayce, and the audience, on a grueling journey to contemplate those experiences and how they've manifested in these intertwined characters.

[iamsooraa]

she does love a spectacle, huh? 

[iamsooraa]

the real MVPs of arcane

[iamsooraa]

i cannot believe that there are people who watched s2 act 3 and genuinely believe that vi's death created a happier timeline for zaun. the show goes out of its way to emphasize that the absence of hextech was the catalyst for zaun's peaceful coexistence with piltover. like ekko's story is juxtaposed with jayce's, showing the worst-case scenario of hextech. like the world literally fucking ends because they tried to cultivate magic through science.

we are not watching the same show.