#I cannot stress enough this is not arcane

[sheriff-caitlyn]

There is something inherently important about Caitlyn and Vi's respective natures and personalities that make them Piltover's Finest. Caitlyn was released Jan 2011, and Vi in December 2012, so Riot had plenty of time to make Vi a proper narrative foil to one of the original Champions. And yet it seems like the most important aspects of their characterisation are forgotten, glossed over, or outright ignored in how Caitlyn and Vi are depicted.

Caitlyn is Intention, Vi is Impulse.

The sniper rifle is a tool to handle problems from a long distance away; magnifying lenses on a hat help bring small details in to focus. Caitlyn focuses on a goal, and then looks at every step in the long and short term to achieve that goal. She has single-minded purpose but is able to cover a lot of ground, to have unique perspectives on and multiple opportunities for her desired end result because she has a view of the big picture. She sees how everything is connected, no matter how arbitrary. Every move she makes - socially, politically, nationally, and even on the Fields of Justice - is both deliberate and carefully-deliberated. She leaves nothing to chance. Everything is calculated. Her intention is what matters most; her intent is what makes her powerful, dangerous, unstoppable.

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

"Me, miss? Not by a long shot."

"I have the tools for the job."

"Nowhere to hide."

"Go ahead. Run. I'll give you a five minute head start."

Fists are up close, personal; the gauntlets are hand-crafted, engineered by Vi's own hands to suit her own hands. Vi is reactionary, surrounding herself by the world, immersing herself in sound and sensation and situation and choosing to act in accordance with what feels the most urgent. Vi acts on whatever is closest to her reach or nearest to her immediate needs; she prefers short-term solutions because those are, in her mind, the most necessary solutions. Immediate needs should be met immediately. She doesn't look for the easiest solution, but she looks for the simplest one, the most expedient one. She is adaptive, and quick-witted, and capable of handing upsets and change step by step, without flinching. Vi's impulses guide her every step, trusting chance and circumstance and personal talent to back her up and make her next step possible. Her adaptability and her willingness to be personally-involved is the reason that her 'one foot in front of the other' style of action is so powerful.

"Sometimes you gotta make a door."

"One girl wrecking crew!"

"Let's get crackin'!"

"I like your smile. Makes a nice target."

"Plan? I don't need a plan."

Personified by their weapons of choice, these women are both forces of change in their respective cities. They are both incredibly effective on their own. Caitlyn had her plan and her rules and her methods that involved no-one but herself, and Vi was quick to repeatedly declare 'I'm my own backup'. They do not need each other in order to get things done, to have a wide positive impact on their community or for the people they care about.

And yet, they can do more together than they would apart.

Caitlyn can be distant from those she loves and those she is trying to save, can come across as cold and detached. She does not show her emotions well, if at all; she has more in common with the hextech rifle she carries than with other people. Caitlyn was capable of changing Piltover and becoming Sheriff all on her own, but she was not liked or respected by the people she was trying to save until she had a more-humanising force by her side. A short-sighted answer might be that Vi was so violent and dangerous it made the calmer Caitlyn more appealing by comparison, but that isn't the case at all.

Vi's past is lost to shadow, stolen by those in power who sculpted in misery, so to fight this aching void she surrounds herself with people who need help. She's used to being the underdog, to having the deck stacked against her, but she has built herself to be the strength of others, to fight on their behalf. She looks for joy and resistance in equal measure. Vi is smart, and intuitive, and has a very strong moral compass, even if - especially if - it causes her to clash with the powers that be, those in charge who don't do things they right way or for the right reason.

Both of them are raging against the world in their way. Both of them see potential in the world, for it and for everyone in it, to be better.

It is Caitlyn's intention and methodology that gives Vi the opportunity to do something bigger than the most-immediate threat in Zaun. It is Vi's impulse to send Piltover's trash back across the bay that connects her to Caitlyn, that gives Caitlyn the idea and means to encourage others and affect greater change. Like iron sharpening iron, the two of them improved each other as they began to interact. Of course they clashed when they first met, when Vi found Caitlyn too rigid and Caitlyn found Vi too reckless, but it was in these clashes that they learned to work together, to see from new perspectives. A sniper can't watch her own back. A boxer can't see beyond the ring. But together, they're more powerful than they would be apart. They've got each others' backs, they mitigate each others' weaknesses and boost each others' strengths, and they learn from each other.

Caitlyn is one of the few who can see, acknowledge, and respect the intelligence Vi is trying to hide, both in terms of Vi being an incredibly-talented engineer but also in Vi's social adeptness and comprehension of human motivations. It's Vi who can see Caitlyn's self-imposed isolation for what it is, and call her out on times when a more personal touch is necessary. Caitlyn has learned to be 'more human', to see the impact beyond just statistics and social change, to learn to accept other people into her life. Vi has had the chance to see that structure and morals can co-exist, that not every rule needs to be broken, that sometimes stillness and quietness can be productive.

Caitlyn and Vi are still their own people. Caitlyn will always lead with her intention, and Vi will always follow her impulse, but they'll do it together, mindful of each others' thoughts and methodologies. They've had years to turn their partnership into a kind of dance. It's not perfect, but they know each other so well, to the point of anticipation in movement and thought and action. Caitlyn - in purple, with her sniper rifle - and Vi - in pink, with her gauntlets - are the perfect team, and together they've brought Piltover into a (near-literal) Golden Age as well as been there to lead the city-state through disaster and reconstruction. They've even started making headway into helping those in Zaun, or at least inspiring others to step up and see them as a challenge to be equalled. They are Piltover's Finest, because they match and rival and equal each other, as foils, as partners, as symbols.

And that's something that Arcane absolutely failed to understand.

[cynical-canidae]

Me after Arcane finale showing up to Riot HQ to destroy the servers and prevent thousands from making the biggest mistake of their life (downloading League of Legends)

[solar-eclippse]

"We're all upset about cop!Vi"

No we're not, personally I love watching victims become perpetrators and characters becoming the very thing they sought to destroy

[patronsaintofchemicalwarfare]

tried showing my boyf that doesn't like animation Arcane

the SCREAM that i scrumpt when Vi and her teenage fuck ass half-shaved baby-gay hair came on screen and this man just so, so calmly says,

"lesbian"

[rainysofsunshineao3]

Guys

my crazy - but tbh, is it really so crazy - theory is that baby lost her braids and middle finger setting off a bomb that either was something the same as the bridge in season 1 or something that totally gave Zaun their final edge against piltover trust.

Picture from this blog btw -> @yourhandsomestepdad

[franollie]

i was so wrapped up in jayce not understanding that i didn’t even consider the tragedy being in him understanding

[murdermeadow]

in brief, I'm so upset. I wish people understood. Jinx and Vi mean so much to me, I feel I know them and am intertwined with them at a personal level. they are my world because no other media has captured such deep and relatable siblinghood like this before. they are intrinsically intertwined and no one seems to understand that they never, ever, truly hated each other at their cores. all they want is the best for each other. but that feeling is shrouded in hatred by the actions the other took to survive, and do what they thought they could do help. Vi wanted to believe that her sister was dead because she couldn't accept the reality that her absence is what caused the sister she loved so much to spiral completely out of control. Jinx wanted to believe that her sister had completely abandoned her and wasn't worth reaching out towards, because if she haphazardly cauterized the wound then she'd never have to deal with it again. but the thing is that they can never get out of each other's minds, and lives. Vi is her protector, that is what she vowed. Jinx wants to do the same for her, but can never find just the right way. they are bound, forever. nothing and no one could truly tear them apart, no matter how awful things become. their hearts are magnetized, always drawn to the other, knowing that is where they belong. sisters until the end.

[bloodied-dagger]

my “for you” page is fucked. Completely unusable

[gemstarstarlight]

Everyone go check out the arcane tag the lesbians are losing it

[quacaserous]

just finished arcane.... fortiche & riot games you might want to sleep with one eye open tonight ☺️

[sleebiebear]

this is my bi-monthly 'i miss arcane' post hi. i miss arcane. i am not ready for the person ill revert back into when s2 drops

[sheriff-caitlyn]

[x]

[hauntingblue]

WE STILL GOT ARCANEEEEE

[takethistoyourstardust]

I do wanna shout them out by name, because they were very instrumental in the cosplays coming together! The three girls were Stella Chuu, Jessica Nigri, and Zerggiee!

i just have to say. LOVE that they have their fujoshi crew with them pulling up fanart and fan animations that they can recreate. it's so fucking funny it's just bbno$, will neff, and three dyed hair girls cheering off camera every time they kiss or hit a gayass jayvik pose it's great

[violynxmaeve]

Arcane women x chubby! Reader <3

CAITLYN KIRAMMAN:

This girl does not care about your weight at all and will praise and appreciate every part of you.

Her favourite part of you is deffo you’re thighs, holding onto them or having her head on them always takes away all her stress.

SHE KISSES ALL YOUR STRETCH MARKS

She is always kissing your cheeks.

C’mon this girl is 6,0 and is strong, she will hold you like there’s no tomorrow

NEEDS YOUR HUGS.

Will not tolerate people talking about you and will hold your hand in public and show you off.

If anyone says anything she will ignore them and when you two get home she will worship your body.

If you talk to her about your insecure or if she figures it out herself she will make it VERY clear that your insecurities are what makes you perfect and she will help you love yourself.

“Darling you look beautiful in that shirt.”

“Oh my beautiful girl” she will whisper this while having her arms around your waist as you two stand in the mirror in the bedroom.

VI:

No matter what your size is, this girl will pick you up SOMEHOW.

Loves shoving her face into your plush tummy

Will hype you up in your outfits, “DAYUM baby you look amazing holy shit,” “all this for me? Damn sweets you always look so good, makes me wanna eat you up.”

God forbid anyone comments on your body because they will be beat black and blue.

Every morning when you two wake up she will admire you and kiss your cheeks like 927349 times.

If you two are sitting next to each other no matter where, she will have a hand on your thigh and squeeze is with a toothy grin.

If you ever talk bad about yourself she will make you understand how beautiful you are.

Stretch marks? Girl they are art decorating your skin and she will run her fingers over them delicately whilst telling you how gorgeous you are.

She steals your clothes.

If you tell her you want to start working out then she’s there, helping you, watching over you with admiration.

“Can i sleep on your thighs?”

JINX:

This girl hugs you all the time and always has a hand on you, no matter where.

Jinx will not stand for any type of insecurities, if you are insecure she will be so confused because if she thinks your perfect then you are, there not argument about it.

“Huh? You are perfect, my perfect little trinket!”

Your hoodies are not yours, they are hers.

She colours in your stretch marks whilst you sleep.

She calls you her teddy bear because she cuddles you like one, she’s the big spoon because she love curling up to you.

No matter what you wear she will scream in awe and hug you so tight.

She puts sticky notes next to mirrors and they always say how perfect you are and how much she adores you.

If you are sensitive about anything about yourself she will reassure you that she will always love you, no matter what.

“I’m never leaving! So don’t ever think that u big dummy!”

SEVIKA:

She lovessssssss bigger girls so much, this girl cannot get enough of you like, she will have a hand on your ‘squishy’ parts of your body 25/8 like this girl don’t mess around.

Your love handles are her lord and saviour, when you are stood in front of her, her hands are holding onto your love handles.

This girl will pick you up with EASE. She will pick you up and MANHANDLE you into the bed before kissing you EVERYWHERE.

Insecurities. Don’t make her laugh, she will give you a soft before guiding you to the FULL LENGTH MIRROR that is right in front of your bed and tells you how much she appreciates and cares for your body, and she will make you cry, in a good way.

“I love you so much, darl, you are so perfect, ya body is a blessing ‘nd ya gotta’ care for it.”

“Ya best be eatin’.”

Do not try and pull stunts like, if she finds out you are mistreating your body in anyway this girl will be on your case like a tiger, bro will not leave you alone until you understand she is always here for you, no matter how curvy.

Cuddling is her favourite part of the night, when she comes home after a long day, she will drag you to the bed or couch just to hold you onto her chest so she can squeeze you.

You are her soft spot, her heaven, anyone who says anything bad to you or about you, will be dead.

“They said what? Mkay where are they now?”

AMBESSA:

THIS WOMAN WORSHIPS YOU.

She looks at you as if you are the only person in the world, and you are the only person in her world.

Always hold you close, having an arm around your waist.

“My love.. you look Devine.”

She will get you the finest clothes and jewellery and treat you like a goddess.

Any insecurities? She kisses them away.

She loves holding onto you, having a hand on your plush thighs or an arm draped around your waist and stomach when cuddling.

Stretch marks? Battle wounds.

No one says anything about you because this woman is AMBESSA.

IM SORRY ITS BAD BUT IF U WANT A PART 2 OR ANY RECS PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! LOVE YA <3

[avelera]

(Arcane Meta) "Why do you persist?" And the Character Flaw of Viktor's Tendency Towards Non-Confrontation

After writing this post I had something of a brainwave about a character flaw of Viktor's that had previously never occurred to me before. Namely, that of his habit of simply removing himself from moments of disagreement or confrontations, rather than sticking around to fight harder for his causes or negotiating to reach a compromise.

I've spoken elsewhere about how Viktor comes across as fairly flaw-free after Season 1, so one thing I found really interesting about getting his full arc in S2 is that we can begin to see his character flaws brought into focus.

And I should clarify, a literary character flaw is not the same thing as a real life character flaw. A literary character flaw is when there is something about the character that stands in the way of them achieving their goal in the story. For example, being clumsy is not a "character flaw" in a real person, it's simply a trait of neutral moral value, but it could be a character flaw in a story about a person who wants to become a ballerina, something they need to work to overcome.

So, I would and have argued that these are a few of Viktor's character flaws, personality traits of his that get in the way of him achieving his character's goals in Arcane:

Political disinterest: despite the fact that Viktor has a stated goal of helping the undercity, he never looks to other methods for improving life down there outside his personal skillset of science. Even when his close partner, Jayce, becomes a Councilor, able to enact political change with a wave of his hand, Viktor is dismissive of this avenue as a waste of time even though he is proven wrong in this assessment by the Zaun independence vote (at least, until outside forces like Jinx's rocket interfere).

Self-isolation: Viktor is plagued by loneliness that appears to be so painful to him that it eventually sets him on his villain path. However, he is also surrounded by people who care for him, especially Jayce and Sky who are literally willing to risk their lives for him. But Viktor seems either unaware of their affection in Sky's case or actively pushing it away in Jayce's case. He's not actually alone, he just thinks he's alone because of his habit of self-isolation when he is focused on his work or (very reasonably) stressed about things like his imminent mortality. This is also a flaw when it comes to his goals as a scientist, because Viktor pushes away potential collaborators. He's not aware of Sky's research towards his goal of improving lives in the undercity until after she dies. He's so skittish about Jayce potentially shutting down his research into the Hexcore and by extension saving his own life that he doesn't bring in his best scientific partner in on the work when Jayce could probably accelerate or even solve the problems Viktor is facing if he knew about them. Heck, he doesn't even tell Jayce he's dying but still shows resentment towards Jayce not spending time with him or helping him in the lab!

Single-mindedness/Intractability: It's Viktor's way or the highway. He doesn't compromise, or negotiate, in order to advance his own goals. This is in some ways a virtue, he refuses to bow in the face of pressure to turn his creation into a weapon, which is laudable. However, as stated above, he also has blinders on when it comes to other methods for achieving his stated goals, like improving lives in the undercity. Viktor sets his mind on a course of action and cannot be swayed by any argument. If he sees a confrontation he can't win, that brings us to the final flaw I wanted to address in this essay:

Non-confrontation: Viktor does not fight for his beliefs or persist in searching for a solution in partnership with others, even Jayce. This isn't to say he never engages in argument. He states his position, but like many intellectuals, he seems to believe that simply stating his position is enough and then he refuses to budge. If he doesn't get his way after a certain amount of time, he shows his displeasure by removing himself from the situation entirely rather than looking for common ground or alternate paths.

I want to reiterate, these are character flaws for a fictional character. In a real life person, I wouldn't think of this as necessarily a flaw at all. Viktor's stance could even be a virtue in a real person, an unwillingness to bend the pressures of the world, and the maturity to not get involved in ugly fights but instead simply step away from a situation he no longer wishes to be a part of.

It is a mature and intellectual response but, when it comes to the problems Viktor faces in Arcane, it is a symptom of his pacifism that actively gets in the way of him achieving his stated goals.

Viktor doesn't fight again Hextech weapons. He simply states his disapproval and then removes himself from the debate, leaving the decision entirely in Jayce's hands.

Viktor doesn't fight Heimerdinger for the removal of safeguards or defend his research into the Hexcore. Once again, he makes his argument and then seems to wilt in the face of doing anything more than that. Jayce ends up fighting that fight in his place but even worse, Viktor doesn't seem to know about or acknowledge that Jayce fights this battle on his behalf, which in turn contributes to Viktor's sense of isolation and not having anyone in his corner, even though Jayce just overthrew the government for him.

Viktor is noted to frequently disappear for long stretches of time, without letting Jayce know where he went. Which is entirely his right as a real person, but given his character's patterns of behavior, it does heavily imply that he's hiding something, perhaps his failing health, from his partner. We know he actively avoids telling Jayce about the full extent of his health issues, given his own lack of surprise at his own prognosis when he collapses and Jayce's utter shock.

Viktor also avoids the spotlight and doesn't partake in the public aspects of promoting Hextech or even seem all that eager to put his name on things he created however, he also notes with despair that no one will remember him after he is gone. This one has always puzzled me a bit, I suppose he wants his inventions to be so groundbreaking they speak for themselves, but he not only makes no effort to attach his name to their work in Hextech, he actively refuses to go on stage even as a silent partner to Jayce to present himself as the co-creator of Hextech. This to me is another symptom of his habit of avoidance: he simply wants people to find their own way to his view, in this case acknowledging his work, without making any effort to persuade or even present himself to them.

But finally, and most salient to the point I'd like to make: Viktor after emerging from the Hex-goop making his greatest avoidance of all by removing himself from his partnership with Jayce, having decided that they have passed the breaking point of their partnership and have no choice but to go their separate ways.

The thing is, from a Doylist angle, this moment is necessary for furthering the plot. I actually think it's a rather clumsy beat in retrospect for how visible the hand of the author is in making it happen, because Jayce doesn't, for example, stop a naked Viktor from departing, which would be a reasonable thing to do under the circumstances when Viktor is clearly in shock, nor does Jayce offer to go with him, which feels particularly out of character given how unhinged Jayce is and his own wedding-vow like promises of devotion only moments before, offering to give up everything he's been working on to be by Viktor's side.

I suppose shock could explain it on both sides, or that Jayce just wanted to go back to how things were, not forge a new path, but regardless, the outcome is that Viktor once again removes himself from a situation he's decided is untenable, rather than asking for, say, some guarantees from Jayce that he is sincere, or negotiating for some concessions from Jayce, or even delivering an ultimatum for what Jayce needs to do to stay by his side.

I suppose you could argue that Hextech weapons was the line, and Viktor is so uncompromising that once it's crossed, that line cannot be uncrossed in his mind, even in the face of Jayce's regrets and desire to make it right by whatever path Viktor sets for him, perhaps reasonable given Jayce has ignored other requests by Viktor up to this point, like not destroying the Hexcore. But this all gets thrown aside when later, Viktor invites Jayce to the commune (if we even believe that's Viktor and not the Hexcore, as I've argued elsewhere, it's all a bit muddy and we can guess at many reasons Viktor left that day, one of which might have been to protect Jayce from the Hexcore and himself).

I bring up the question of how much the Hexcore is controlling Viktor being an active question, because I'm going to undermine my own point here for a moment. I'm arguing that Viktor tends to state his position and then retreat from any sort of compromise or negotiation with other parties, removing himself rather than yielding if he doesn't get his way, but he does persist in trying to make contact with Jayce during his villain arc. I'd argue that insofar as it is Viktor at all, the Hexcore's modifications have given him the confidence for the first time to fight for Jayce, and despite Jayce killing Salo, shooting Viktor, and destroying his robot self, Viktor as the Machine Herald is still pleased to see Jayce (what a simp) and does still seem to want Jayce to come to his way of viewing things. Arguably for the first time, Viktor is persistent in an argument or debate, but he still refuses to budge in what the outcome will be. He wants to persuade Jayce, but he doesn't want to change his position or consider Jayce's side of things at all, maybe because the Hexcore is in control, or maybe because Viktor has always approached academic debates in this way: by refusing to listen to the other side or change his position.

Ok, so this brings me, F I N A L L Y to the point I've been wanting to make:

"Why do you persist, after everything I've done?"

^^ Viktor's genuine confusion about Jayce's persistence.

I think his confusion is, as we've seen if you made it this far, very much in line with his character and this is what I just realized. Viktor doesn't understand why Jayce keeps trying to confront Viktor even though apparently they have opposing views. If Jayce isn't going to come around to Viktor's way of doing things, why are they still even engaging in a confrontation? Why doesn't Jayce just remove himself, the way Viktor would?

In his villain arc, Viktor is more persistent, but he's not more willing to negotiate. If anything, being a villain just gives Viktor the power to not need to avoid people who don't come around to his way of thinking, but to actively, forcefully change their minds against their will. Not by persuasion, or diplomacy, or sophistry. Not by making an argument. But simply like many engineers he thinks that his solution is best and the data will miraculously speak for itself and there's something inherently wrong with people who don't agree with his view.

Machine Herald Viktor firmly believes he's in the right, his mind cannot be changed, it's never been changed in the past (except by Jayce, by the way, when he made the argument for Hextech that seduced Viktor into being his partner in the first place. Once again, Jayce is the exception) so why does Jayce keep fighting?

And I think I'm correct in identifying Viktor's intractability, his unwillingness to accept any view but his own as correct or to hear opposing arguments, as a character flaw because it does get addressed by the end of the story and we see him recognize this and change. He sees Jayce was right, the path he was on was evil, it was going to lead to widespread destruction, not salvation. Viktor sets out to make it right. And once again, he tries to go it alone, without inviting his partner in on the process, and here too we see a flaw addressed: Viktor finally lets Jayce in. He lets Jayce help him and he doesn't run from the difference of positions, or self-isolate in the face of someone who cares for him, or try to solve the problem alone, secure in his incorrect belief that he must do everything alone.

It's a brief scene, but finally at the end, we address these deep character flaws Viktor has been carrying throughout the story of Arcane, and only then can he at least achieve his goal of destroying the Hexcore, with Jayce.