#Vi never put Caitlyn before the Undercity

[dothestarsshine-art]

Vi (presumably) being left out of the undercity revolution is breaking my heart. I don't want a Jinx redemption arc and I don't want the sisters to magically be reunited under the new faction, but this is all that Vi wanted seven years ago, to fight with her people for a better life, and for her to be outside of it now 😩

I'm seeing a kind of, "serves her right for choosing the wrong side" attitude and ????? I can't think of a single major choice that wasn't a vote for Powder and/or the Undercity, I never once saw her choose Piltover, unless I'm missing something? I know she's in enforcer uniform in some of the clips, but I don't know under what circumstances/duress/context/goals, so I can't judge that yet. What I can judge is her expression there and she looks like she's going to vomit in a shoe and hang herself in the barn.

Said it before and I'll say it again, if it's just about being sweet to Caitlyn (or not being happy to shoot her dead at the drop of Jinx's hat), catching feels from someone showing tenderness and who displays overall GOODNESS, regardless of class loyalty and proves their good intentions multiple times in life and death situations, is not the same as switching sides politically or turning a blind eye on the Undercity plight.

I can see the show characters rejecting her as a traitor, and it makes sense from their POV, heck, she rejects SEVIKA as a traitor to the undercity, but we can see the whole picture. I don't see where Vi ever acted in Piltover's best interest or expressed a desire to further their goals.

[wingedshadowfan]

do y'all not even realize jinx altered caitlyn's entire arc by kidnapping her and that bcuz of it caitlyn had a good enough reason to hate jinx before jinx even bombed the council and killed her mother in the process??

yes, jinx kidnapped her but it was heavily implied jinx kidnapped her from her fucking bathroom. i'm sorry but how fucking terrifying is that? the one place where you're at your most vulnerable, literally naked. then, jinx must've forcibly dressed caitlyn up in her enforcer uniform (you can argue she just politely waited in a corner for caitlyn to finish showering and get dressed but it was late evening and caitlyn had nowhere to go and no reason to put her uniform on after a shower, and even if you claim jinx allowed her to get dressed herself - why the fuck would caitlyn choose her uniform, considering who was kidnapping her), then jinx took her to the undercity and held her hostage there by herself for an entire day before she got silco and vi to join the tea party.

during this time, of course caitlyn would've tried to escape, like did we all see her with that broken wine glass? she was just waiting for a chance. but the fact that she couldn't escape likely means jinx was there with her the entire time (aside from when she was gone for silco and for vi). and what do you think happened between them so that caitlyn wouldn't try to escape during the time jinx was gone? what do you think jinx had done to make caitlyn flinch when she approached her?

we may never know but i'll give you a hint. when jinx tells vi she made her girlfriend a snack, she pulls off the cloche to reveal... a single cupcake.

how would jinx know about that unless she'd forced caitlyn to tell her? vi gave jinx her name. that's what she was, a jinx. of course jinx would've wanted to know what name she'd given caitlyn. but you're so sweet, like a cupcake. of course caitlyn wouldn't have wanted to tell jinx that, not only bcuz of its implication for her relationship with vi but for the fact that it would only make jinx angrier, more insane and more destructive - her only reason to kidnap caitlyn and want her dead in the first place was the fact she thought vi had replaced her with caitlyn. so she somehow got caitlyn to tell her. eventually. if i had to guess how, i'd say jinx waterboarded her - since caitlyn's hair was wet when jinx pulled her chair in, and there's no way it wouldn't have dried since her shower (24hr ago), even though it's also possible caitlyn was so scared and nervous that it was sweat.

and unless i'm mistaken, vi doesn't call caitlyn cupcake again up until after caitlyn tackles her on the border of the noxian camp. so perhaps vi connected the dots after seeing the cupcake and this became yet another thing she felt guilty for her sister doing to caitlyn, or perhaps there just hadn't been an appropriate moment to be flirty again after caitlyn's literal mother died. but vi hasn't called caitlyn cupcake again since. and, metaphorically and only half-jokingly, caitlyn stopped being sweet. the caitlyn we knew from season one was gone. and i hate to say it, because i strongly advocate that vi calling caitlyn cupcake is not what made her decide to betray ambessa, but it had a grounding power over her and i wonder if it would've made a difference in caitlyn's choices if vi had done it sooner. if she'd been reminded sooner of who she was, and what vi meant to her.

[mameillieureennemie]

caitlyn kiramman x reader, future!caitvi x reader

could be established!caitlyn x reader as well.

caitlyn returns home to you from the undercity.

it's been over a day last you last heard from caitlyn. which is odd because you and caitlyn talk all the time. about your day and how it's going; about the little things in life that don't have to be shared but need to be when it's the two of you.

her mother is worried, asks if you've seen or heard from caitlyn. asks if she's with you because if caitlyn's not at home or work, she's always with you.

your heart squeezes in your chest when you tell cassandra that caitlyn isn't here. you can feel her anxiety through the phone. and if she's anxious, you can't imagine the mess her husband is in.

you know, logically, that caitlyn is fine. she's always been tough—has never failed in managing herself. she's the strongest person you know. lithe and sharp, precise and dangerous. she's never gone down without a fight, and you know this isn't the case now.

but you can't help but fear that maybe, maybe she isn't so lucky this time. that she wandered into a fight that she couldn't handle, and now she's dead in an alley somewhere and—

there's a quiet tapping at your bedroom window, and it snaps you out of your spiral. you don't go to it immediately, erring on the side of caution as you've been trained to do. the tapping sounds out again, but this time, it's louder and more forceful. brows furrowed, you reach for your pistol, which you conveniently keep by your side at all times, and slowly make your way towards the window.

you hear someone picking the lock, just as you unlatch the pistol's safety and take aim. you watch as the window opens and are about to make yourself (and your pistol) known when you see her.

caitlyn.

who's staring back at you, wide-eyed, along with a pink-haired woman who's mirroring caitlyn's look of shock.

you all stare at each other for a moment before you put the safety back on your gun and loudly say, "what the fuck?"

that's all it takes to have caitlyn snorting, a tiny smile curving her lips, as she replies, "nice to see you too."

"shut the fuck up," you hiss angrily but you're hurrying towards her so you can take her into your arms. you feel how she instantly relaxes into your embrace, hiding her face in your hair as all her muscles untense. "where have you been? your parents have been worried sick and were about to send a search party out for you."

caitlyn pulls back a little so she can smile down at you. "just my parents were worried?" she teases, and you look at her, unimpressed. then you look to the woman who had been holding caitlyn up and say, "and i'm assuming you saved her ass from whatever trouble she got herself in?"

the woman blinks before letting out a laugh, amused. "you could say so," she replies. "does she always get herself into situations she shouldn't be in?"

"yes," you say before you notice the wound on caitlyn's thigh and sigh. "yes, she does." you slip around to caitlyn's other side so now both you and the woman are holding her up. "thank you for bringing her back in one piece,...?"

"vi," the woman responds, smiling. "the name's vi and it's no problem. cupcake wouldn't have survived if it weren't for me."

you snort, smiling up at a visibly displeased caitlyn. "cupcake?" you taunt and yelp when caitlyn purposefully leans all her weight onto you.

"shut up," she grumbles, cheeks tinged a light pink, and you share a cheeky look with vi.

"sure thing, cupcake." you chirp happily.

[leth-writes]

yandere arcane x reader from the undercity

SUMMARY: yandere arcane x undercity reader

WARNINGS: 18+ as always on my blog, though the work is safe for work. Typical yandere shenanigans.

mild spoilers for season two in Caitlyn’s part, but I think I managed to avoid season two spoilers in every other part.

MASTERLIST: https://www.tumblr.com/leth-writes/757800060720496640/requests-open?source=share 

Requests are open!

SILCO

Silco’s job is made a whole lot easier by you being a citizen of Zaun. He’s able to pretty effectively track you around the undercity without much effort, hell, he might even sick Sevika on you just to follow you around and take notes, who knows.

He’s really obsessive about making sure you’re safe. Before you’ve met, he’s got someone on you constantly, taking notes and giving him a detailed list of everything you do. He also manages to bug your apartment. He likes watching you just putter around, it helps put him at ease.

I think he’d have an easier time rationalizing his affection for a darling from the undercity; his whole goal is to make the undercity sovereign, and if you share those goals, he’ll give you a little more wiggle room. You still won’t be able to leave The Last Drop, like at all, but you’ll definitely get a bit more space than he would normally allow a darling to have.

Since you’re so familiar with the undercity, collaring and tagging you is a necessity for him. He can’t have you running away, so he gets Singed to embed a fucking tracker. You won’t even feel a thing, it happens before you even gain consciousness that first day.

Spends a lot of time breaking you down so you never try to run away; everyone knows how important you are to him, and that puts a target on your back.

VI or JINX

She doesn’t really care all that much. It’s a bit easier to get her to open up, but beyond that, I think she just sees the undercity as like the baseline, she doesn’t even consider that she would end up with someone from the topside.

SEVIKA

Makes her job a hell of a lot easier. You already know her reputation, you’re never gonna disobey her. Don’t even think about it.

Makes sure you stay on the premises of The Last Drop, keeps you cooped up most of the time. SHe’s worried you’ll run away if she takes you out, though she keeps you entertained by buying you trinkets and takeout. You’re just amazed to see stuff from the topside, you’ve never been, and it’s easy to keep you busy.

You’re like a kid, staring at the snow globe she buys you. She genuinely thinks you haven’t moved all day.

VIKTOR

Also makes his job easier. As a person from the Undercity, you understand his backstory in a way someone like Jayce never would. 

It also makes it easier to keep you isolated. You do face discrimination as an undercity person when you’re topside, which keeps you running into his arms. He knows you could beat him up, it wouldn’t be hard, but you would have no way to get back home, and your quality of life has shot way up anyways.

Your relationship is actually probably the healthiest out of everyone on this list, just by virtue of him feeling free to take you around town, though he does use the discrimination to subtly remind you not to leave him. You might not even notice you’ve technically been kidnapped, he’s so subtle.

CAITLYN

Season one Caitlyn doesn’t mind all that much.

Season two Caitlyn treats you like a fucking pet. She acts like you’re… lower than her. She loves you so, so much, but she definitely doesn’t trust you the way she would trust someone from Piltover. You’re never leaving the house, and you’ll never return home. She plans on cleaning the place out, anyways, so it’s not safe for you down there.

She probably keeps you on sedatives. She views you as slightly dangerous, so she isn’t willing to take that chance.

You’re a lot more pliant when you can’t tell up from down, and she’s free to just cuddle with you without a worry in the world.

[bloomblood]

pitfighter/'emo' arc vi x piltover scientist reader (soulmate au)

(IVE HAD THIS IDEA FOR SO LONG IMMA SPEW RANDOM NONSENSE BC IM ASS AT WRITING LMAO)

•basically, reader is from piltover and has studied love and soulmates her entire life. she looks for vi, the name engraved on her wrist because she was desperate for answers.

•reader is reffered to as 'she,' or, 'the girl,' it gets a little confusing. also sorry for ooc!

it seemed like a sick joke. yeah, there were letters-a name-carved into her skin since birth. she would stare at them on lonely nights, thinking, wondering.

maybe this person would love her, even after everything. every person lost, every mistake. after caitlyn.

maybe she had hope after all.

vi scoffs in the girl's face. this random girl, vi had seen her before, but she was looking specifically for vi. they were soulmates. yeah, soulmates-like that meant anything to vi. she could care less; the ache in her chest suggested otherwise.

"you- you're serious?" the girl asks. vi rolls her eyes. "i don't need a soulmate. i don't need you, piltie. i've been on my own, and it's gonna stay that way." vi's lips twitch up into a sly smile. both of them knew it was forced.

"so do yourself a favor, sweetheart." vi steps closer, towering over her. "run away and forget about me. let's pretend this never happened."

she crosses her arms. this woman-the one she wore the name of-just told her to leave?

"then leave. im waiting." she snaps, glaring at vi. "but just know, we'll end up in this situation one way or another. i've chased this-the answer to this for my entire life, and i almost have it." she says. vi stands there for a moment, brows furrowed. she was definately going to leave, but she seemed a little crazy. or determinded, to put into better words.

"answer to what?" is all vi asks her. "the reason for soulmates." she replies with an eyeroll. "there's a scientific and logical reasoning for everything. this should be no exception."

vi rolls her eyes. yeah, totally crazy.

"right, well...you have fun with that, sweetheart." vi says casually before turning around. she pauses. a wave of panic crashes through her stomach. she thought vi would stay, ask her what she was looking for specifically, anything. but no, she was going to leave?

"wait!" she calls out as soon as vi starts walking. "what?" vi snaps out. she didn't have time for this. after everything, she couldn't. with a wound as fresh as caitlyn and pain from everything, from jinx...

"y-you're just going to leave? no questions, no nothing?" she questions, voice quiet. "you don't even know anything about me!"

there's silence. uncomfortable silence. it surrounds them, engulfs them.

"you aren't curious? about...who i am?" her voice grew even smaller. vi shakes her head as if it would shake her thoughts off.

she was really curious. after fights, on lonely nights, after a couple drinks (more like a couple bottles, with vi), after a loss, she was curious. who was she tied to? why them? why her? how would things be different if she met them? what would change? it was only the surface of questions that had swirled in her mind.

"i don't need a little soulmate to fix everything. stay away from me. go find someone that isn't me." vi replies, voice almost barely audible. "we've met before." she blurts out. "in- in piltover. you and these other kids blew up a-"

"don't." vi cuts her off. that was the beginning of everything falling apart. "it's a part of this cycle!" the girl's voice raises. "two people are born with the other's name on their skin." she starts. "then, it goes to passing. a singular moment in time the two people see each other." there's a pause. "from there, it's meeting, which develops into a bond. whether it's lovers, enemies, friends-it's all the same." she rambles.

vi's silent for a moment. this girl was...interesting, to say the least. a piltover women and a fighter from the undercity. perfect match.

"we're complete opposites, sweetheart. we aren't meant to be." vi mumbles. "w-well humans are attracted to contrasts. it's what we learn to go to or stray from." she says softly. vi sighs. maybe, in a sense, they were alike. they're both stubborn. this girl was fragile, shy, stubborn. but vi is a fighter. she's strong and stubborn.

some people aren't meant to be. they aren't destined to succeed. others...it's in their blood-on their skin. just how in black letters, it read 'violet,' on her wrist.

(i'll write a part 2 if y'all like this lmk please!!! i'll take requests too if anyone wants any because i need to write more-)

[ahhhsami]

What makes Caitlyn so compelling this season? An analysis.

Season 1 Caitlyn is why Season 2 Caitlyn is so compelling. This may sound funny, but let me lay it out as to why I believe this. As someone viewing media, we are only privy to what the creators show us. They determine our journey, just as they determine the characters'. But why does this matter when it comes to Caitlyn Kiramman? It matters because we didn't truly know her character in Season 1 and neither did her closest companion during that time, Vi.

Season 1:

Fish Out of Water We're introduced to Caitlyn who is a rookie Enforcer. She's figuring out who she wants to be in a field that is new to her. She's not a rich kid protected by her influential family name, at least not when she's part of the force. It's foreign and she's adjusting, but obviously struggling as seen by her treatment by other enforcers and Marcus. She's following her innate need to help and follow her perception of justice. An idea that she still doesn't fully grasp herself. And before we know it, she's thrust into the Undercity. This is when she truly becomes a fish out of water. She's in a place she's never been, surrounded by people that she doesn't understand, with a woman who defies every belief she'd been taught, and has no control whatsoever. We see Caitlyn completely out of her element. Thrown into the fire. We do get some glimpses of who she is when in Piltover such as her winning over a woman with ease in the brothel, her confidence in her own abilities when shooting Sevika's arm, and her compassion to Huck when saving Vi. But these are just glimpses and we as a viewer are still parsing together what exactly makes Caitlyn Caitlyn.

Not Like Other Girls I've mentioned Vi in the previous section, but would like to go into more depth about her influence on our understanding of Caitlyn's character through Season 1 as well. Vi as a whole is completely foreign to Caitlyn. She's brash, impulsive, sarcastic, straight-forward, rough around the edges, and even rude. She doesn't care about how others perceive her. But she's also loyal, kind, and street smart. She defies Caitlyn's own understanding of someone from the Undercity and forces her to change how she sees Zaun as a whole. But that also means Caitlyn is completely caught off guard. She's found herself in a position where she isn't in power. She's put into her place when she makes insensitive comments, she's on the back foot when Vi tells her she's hot, she's brought into a brothel where she's witnessing things she most likely has never before, and walking the streets that she's only heard awful stories about. And then Vi continues to surprise her by her commitment to do what's right. She's committed to catch her sister because she knows it's right. They both believe that they are aligned in what they seek. Both aligned even though they're from two completely different worlds. Vi isn't like other girls to Caitlyn (and Caitlyn isn't for Vi, but this is about Caitlyn).

Innocence and Naivety Caitlyn's flashbacks show that she's curious, fiercely committed to succeed, and also innately empathetic. But it also shows us that she feels she doesn't fit in. She feels like she's on the outskirts even though she's growing up with privileges most will never be able to experience. She doesn't follow what her mother and father want. She finds friendship in Jayce who is much older than her. We're painted a picture of what Caitlyn is when she's young, a picture that reinforces what we're seeing with Caitlyn as a fish out of water in Zaun. Reinforces how she acts around a spitfire butch such as Vi.

So why does this all matter? It matters because we didn't know Piltovian Caitlyn. We didn't know the Caitlyn we're now seeing in Season 2. And just like Vi, we're learning more and more about this woman and we as a collective audience are being taken on a journey to either enjoy her as a character even more, or for some, dislike her because our perceptions of her have been broken.

Season 2:

Piltovian Caitlyn is Piltovian. She was raised steeped in their culture and has ingrained viewpoints of the world around her due to their societal standards. But she's not a normal Piltovian. She's one of stature from House Kiramman. Her family has sway in every facet of Piltover, but also over Zaun in many ways. This isn't the thing that truly matters in this analysis though. What matters is that at her core, she is Piltovian and she knows how to navigate the landscape there. She's in her element. She knows exactly how to carry herself, how to present herself to those around her, how to speak to Piltovians, and also how to get what she wants when she needs it. The confidence we had only gotten glimpses of in Season 1 are now at the forefront because she has regained her power and status of being Piltovian.

Casanova Kiramman Caitlyn Kiramman can get who she wants and has. This defies our initial perception of her not fitting in and also her lack of confidence when being flirted with by Vi. Season 1 led us to believe she was awkward, but in all reality, when she's in Piltover and able to be in control, she's able to draw in the women she wants. Once the growing pains were over from early childhood, it's evident she was able to find confidence and date the women she wanted. This becomes even clearer with her relationship with Maddie. Maddie idolizes Caitlyn, whether that be because of her wealth, status as a Kiramman, her looks, her leadership, or her commitment to justice, she reinforces that Caitlyn is a catch for anyone that is from Piltover. And once Caitlyn is back home, she knows that. I strongly believe that Caitlyn had found physical comfort in others but wasn't able to find mental and emotional connections with people in Piltover. They saw her as the rich girl and she allowed them to see her as that. But with Vi that's different. Vi got to see her at her worst, mentally and emotionally. This meant that her relationship with Vi progressed in the opposite way compared to her previous relationships. It started as intrigue, to attraction, to bonding (a splash of trauma bonding), to truly loving and caring for her. It didn't get physical until later on. But just as Vi didn't know Caitlyn fully, Caitlyn didn't know Vi fully. So the couple and audience were thrown into a fragile, tenuous relationship that was never going to flourish at the place it were then. And because Caitlyn is in Piltover, it allows her to easily regress back into a physical relationship (the one with Maddie) that lacks the mental and emotional connection she so strongly is seeking.

Control Caitlyn Kiramman has been searching for control her whole life. As someone in a rich family that has to fit certain roles and expectations, she didn't have control of many facets of her childhood and then even early adulthood. Sure she defied her parents and became an enforcer, but as soon as it became too dangerous in their eyes, it was taken from her. She didn't have control while in the Undercity. Then lost even more of her control as she mourned her mother's death and sought vengeance. And then when she thought an opportunity had arose, she instead was puppeteered by Ambessa. Where she has had control is in her relationships with women. She's able to cater those to her needs, but in doing so has never found what will truly make her happy.

Conclusion

So why do all of these things matter? It matters because we're finally seeing Caitlyn for all that she is. She's soft and kindhearted, but at the same time she's determined and committed to justice. She's timid and awkward, but at the same time she's confident and well-spoken. She's patient and empathetic, but at the same time she's impulsive and calculated. She's all of these things and none of these at the same time. There's layers to her and just as a real person, not all of those are good. She's complex and to achieve such a feat with a character is extremely impressive.

The writers have been able to lead us to perceive this character one way and shattered our perceptions. They made us fall for a woman that was out of her element and then question a woman that made debatable decisions. They showed us a character that seemed put together, but was broken at the same time. They created a character that can be loved and hated within the same breath. And that's only possible because of our understanding of who Caitlyn was in Season 1. That is why Season 2 Caitlyn is so damn compelling. Because of the journey we've been taken on by the writers, animators, and every other person that worked on Arcane.

PS: For people who were devastated or had a hard time with Caitlyn and Vi parting ways, what I've laid out here is exactly the reason why they needed to separate. Neither of them knew each other fully, only knowing the best parts of the other. So when that bubble was burst and they both started seeing things that they didn't like, their fragile, quick to burn relationship scorched them both. BUT as they understand themselves (especially Caitlyn) they will surely be brought together stronger than ever.

[peoplesgraves]

Could you do a yandere Caitlyn kiramman from arcane X fem reader?

Resolve

Yandere Caitlyn Kiramman X Fem Reader

“You know if you weren’t so stubborn this wouldn’t have-“ Caitlyn cuts herself off upon seeing the pouted glare you sent her way, probably supposed to be intimidating but Caitlyn has to bite back a fond smile as how cute it truly is. She hated to see you all laid up in bed, wrapped up from the injuries you’d gotten from a particularly close escape attempt.

“I was just trying to escape the psycho enforcer who seems intent on making my life miserable but it seems like the universe hates me as much as you do.” Your words practically drip with bitterness and had it been anyone else Cait would be just as cruel back but this was you. The zaunite who’d enraptured her, so how could she say anything pointed when you were right.

Not about her hating you, Cait could never hate you no matter how many times you ran or attempted to put her down for good to secure your freedom. She had been acting a bit crazy lately though, truthfully she’d been out of her mind ever since meeting you in the undercity when Vi took her to that hole in the wall… ’establishment’ to get information from an old friend. Leaving her all alone at your flirtatious mercy.

But ever since Jinx’s attack on the council she was even more feral. Back then she’d been content visiting you any free chance she got and paying lavishly for private visits up topside, hoping to win your heart honestly. Though after losing her mother, her hope and most of her heart, now she wanted, no needed you all the time. Needed you under lock and key at her place where she could keep you safe.

Cait sighs calming her bubbling anxieties at your rage and the general tension of her home, your home. “I wish you could understand, I only want to protect you” she brings a hand to you, pushing stray hair behind your ear and caressing your cheek. She shouldn’t relish in the pained wince when you attempt to lift an injured arm to swat her away, but she does just a bit. Hoping this would soften your attempts to escape just a bit and hoping the care you’d need from her over the coming weeks would soften you to her too.

“Understand?! I thought you were different. I thought you understood! Understood that we were different than you’d been told, that we were people just like you but you’re just like all the rest. Thinking your name and being from topside means you can do whatever you want to us…” your voice breaks and Cait feels her heart shatter along with it. “To me!”

She rests her forehead against yours like she used to, back before, back when the both of you thought maybe you could love her back. “I do understand, I know you’re different” your eyes meet hers and you feel a glimmer of hope, Caitlyn can see it in and she wants so badly to see that light forever. “But the undercity isn’t. That’s why you belong here, with me”

You let yourself go limp and Cait lets you fall from her arms, back onto the bed. Lets you curl into yourself as much as you’re able and sob until you both shake. No matter what she wouldn’t leave you and she wouldn’t let you leave her. Cait would prove every word she’d spoken to you and she would be deserving of being the light in your eyes as you were hers. Once she’d made the undercity worthy of you, she’d let you return as long as she was near. Her love for you would carry her and all of piltover through, not even Jinx would sway her resolve this time.

[viridian-fields]

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this theory that Caitlyn gave up her council seat to Sevika. This idea is based on the following:

Sevika now occupies the seat that Cassandra used to sit in

Certain council seats are inherited

Caitlyn used her influence to put Sevika in the Kiramman seat

I'd like to posit an alternative theory.

There's no question that Sevika now sits in Cassandra's old seat, so I'll simply acknowledge that and move on to the second point.

Certain council seats are inherited

I can understand why people make this assumption, but for me it remains uncertain. My primary disillusionment with this idea comes from Salo and his reactions to Caitlyn being present at council meetings after Cassandra's death.

Here Mel replies that Caitlyn is a witness who can provide valuable information. She doesn’t say Caitlyn is entitled to be there.

Cait doesn't claim that she has a right to be on the council, but asserts her authority as an officer. She uses her family name, sure, but neither she nor anyone else mentions any pending appointment to a council seat.

If the council seat is Cait's birthright why would Salo challenge her like this?

We don't get a lot of time with Caitlyn and her parents, but they never mention Caitlyn's future as a councillor. Cassandra says only "You're a councillor's daughter, your actions reflect on the entire body".

So what do we actually know about how council seats are assigned? We know that the council can add or remove members by unanimous vote (Jayce and Heimerdinger). We know that Mel is a Noxian who likely did not inherit her seat as her family isn't from Piltover. We also know that the council always had seven members before Jayce. Which makes me wonder - whose seat did Mel take over? Why wasn't that seat passed on to that councillor's heir if the seats stay in certain families?

I spent some time analysing what I could about the other new council members at the end of s2 - and I can't rule out that at least some of them could be heirs or house/clan members of the deceased councillors. Certainly Bolbok's seat seems to have passed to another of his kind, and the new occupant of Hoskel's seat could be a relation based on looks and clothing style. Unfortunately we do not get a look at the new owner of Salo's seat. However there are at least two vacant seats that are not hereditary (Mel's and Jayce's) so if Caitlyn did inherit a seat there would be no implicit need for her to give it up since there were so many other vacancies. There is also Heimerdinger's 8th (non-hereditary) seat which remains unoccupied.

So are these seats inherited or are they just generally appointed to members of influential houses, hence there being some semblance of continuity? I can't say for sure.

I do think that Caitlyn not being on the council is her own decision though, whether she gave up an inherited seat or declined to be considered for one when new councillors were being appointed.

Which brings us to my second nitpick about this theory…

Caitlyn used her influence to put Sevika in the Kiramman seat

Caitlyn knows that Sevika was Silco's right hand. She watched Sevika grievously wound and attempt to kill Vi. She had a brutal fight against her when she and Vi went after Jinx. She may have heard from Vi of Sevika's betrayal of Vander years earlier. Caitlyn has never seen any other side to Sevika. If Caitlyn were choosing a Zaunite for the council it would not have been Sevika. It would've been Ekko.

Ekko had built a haven for refugees and a competent resistance force against Silco, was a trusted community leader, and - like Sevika - had come to Piltover's defence during the battle against the Noxians and Viktor. To Cait, he would've appeared reasonable and compassionate compared to Silco and Sevika's ruthlessness and cruelty. She saw that Ekko had a desire to enact positive change in the undercity and had demonstrated a willingness to compromise and work with Cait and Piltover to do so. Sevika tried to kill Caitlyn and Vi. Ekko saved their lives.

So what actually happened after Caitlyn ended martial law and reformed the council? Apart from declining a seat for herself, I think she pushed for Zaun to be given a seat at the table, and then deferred to Zaunites to choose their own representative. Ekko either didn't want it, or didn't have the influence to win out over Sevika. I imagine Sevika being present and a leader of the Zaunite resistance movement for the months that Ekko had been zapped to a different timeline would've made the difference there. And perhaps Zaunites preferred Sevika because she is strong, ruthless and uncompromising. Who better to defend you and safeguard your interests against the untrustworthy Pilties?

tldr

It's unclear whether Caitlyn was entitled to a council seat and gave it up, or if she simply declined to be considered for one.

She likely was instrumental in advocating for Zaunites having a seat at the table

…but Sevika would not have been her choice. Sevika being there is the will of Zaun. Not Caitlyn.

Thoughts?

[bwat5-blog]

A Rant: Dear Stupid People

*Arcane Spoilers*

I haven’t commented on criticism of the sex scene between Vi and Caitlyn too much because there has been a significant amount of well written, detailed, very insightful defense and insight put out already. But there is one common thing I keep seeing that connects with my overall issue lately:

“Caitlyn did nothing to show Vi she felt bad about what happened before they had sex in Jinx’s cell”

You guys…… you guys……

COME ON. You can do better than this. Did you not notice Jinx wasn’t in there?!? Caitlyn literally freed her mother’s murderer and laid down the hate that almost destroyed them all for good. And she gave Vi the choice in doing do and accepted her and loved her for it.

Again. This all goes back to the same problem. It is just SO. MUCH. EASIER to demonize a character when you ignore details that don’t support it. I understand. really I do. But here is the problem. It makes you sound like an idiot.

One! Just give me one well-written, detail oriented, content driven analysis on why Caitlyn is a bad person and I will leave you people be. But that means no more of this shit:

1. Caitlyn loses her shit just because her mom died!

2. Caitlyn killed kids!

3. Caitlyn gassed the entire undercity!

4. Caitlyn seized power from the council!

5. Caitlyn murdered innocents with the grey!

6. Caitlyn never showed remorse!

7. Caitlyn never faced any consequences!

Because GUESS WHAT. You don’t have a leg to stand on to back any of that up. So go on out there and do the work! Prove your point! But do so in a way that makes it sound like you can walk and chew gum at the same time.

I swear to god I’m about to write a guide for you people. As usual enjoy a complimentary dancing Jinx for reading my rant.

[avelera]

Hi I just wanted to say that you have the best Arcane takes/meta and literally never miss!! I swear I’ve reblogged at least five of your posts so I can save them for fic references. Out of curiosity, what’s a take/analysis you’ve wanted to talk about but haven’t been asked before?

Thank you so much! And hmm, that's an interesting question. A lot of the meta I have in my head about Arcane is less ship-y stuff, so I assume it won't be as popular, but I think a lot about the metaphysics of the show (like how Hextech works, where the Anomaly came from, how the decline of normal looking people in the background indicates the hyper polarization of their society in S1, or how Jayce isn't the one who cared all that much ideologically about Hextech weapons, it was Viktor's belief that he was supporting, etc etc.).

I think in general, S1 is easier to write meta about because there's a lot more setup and a lot more exposition. S2 is more about wrapping up all the Big Events set into motion by S1. Also, admittedly, the writing is a bit tighter too in S1.

I will say one theme I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere that's a bit stronger in S1 is how Piltover + Zaun together become more powerful.

This manifests itself in several ways:

Shimmer + Hextech = Most of S1 is marked by the arms races between Shimmer and Hextech between Zaun and Piltover. It's an arms race that in both place, is leaving normal people behind. Though Hextech seems more benign, the prosperity it brought to Piltover allowed the Council to ignore the problems facing the undercity in favor of foreign markets. (Ironically, Hextech did more damage to the undercity than it ever did good, which is a tragedy in particular for Viktor.)

But, when Shimmer and Hextech are combined is when you see the greatest amount of power generated. It's part of a larger theme of how these two cities at odds would be stronger if they worked together, for better and for worse.

Vi + Caitlyn = Vi and Caitlyn are an individual example of how the strengths and weaknesses of Piltover and Zaun balance each other out, if both societies would just allow it. In something of a Romeo + Juliet story, albeit with a happier ending, we see how both Vi and Caitlyn work surprisingly well together and strengthen each other, in a partnership that puts lie to the idea that these two sides are irreconcilable.

Jayce + Viktor = In a parallel to Vi and Caitlyn, we see another Piltover/Zaun partnership that is one of the strongest and most productive of the series. It further shows how Piltover and Zaun are not natural enemies, but instead have the potential to compliment each other to achieve great things, if they only allowed it. Of course, their partnership also has moments of received prejudice to overcome, and it's not always smooth sailing, but time and again we see that it is a tragedy when Jayce and Viktor are kept apart. They are better off together, just like the city would be, so long as it can overcome the allure of foreign power and its own prejudices.

That's kind of a high level one, but thank you for the chance to talk about it and I'm so glad you're enjoying the meta I've written so far!

[chronicsyd]

the way i gotta be defending Caitlyn and Vi out here sometimes is Fucking Ridiculous! and the culprits bashing them are almost Always Jinx stans with ABSOLUTELY ZERO MEDIA LITERACY SKILLS to the point where I question if you even paid attention to what the show was Trying to tell you.

For Example:

NO, Caitlyn did not "brainwash" Vi; Caitlyn saved Vi's ass by letting her out of Stillwater in the First place, stays with her after being stabbed and traded her (probably) custom made rifle for the ailment to save Vi's life because she's a good person. Any other Enforcer would have probably left Vi to bleed to death for running off in the first place (if any other Enforcer were crazy enough to let Vi's ass out of Stillwater to begin with) Vi likes Caitlyn because she's good natured despite growing up with literally All the privilege in the world

With her marksman skills, Caitlyn could have Easily put a bullet in Sevika's head, but she doesn't. she aims for the shimmer device powering her arm, using a non-lethal way of taking her out (unlike a certain Other blue haired fanatic)

Caitlyn wants the cycle of violence to stop. she makes her objectives Very clear: Locate Jinx, Dismantle Shimmer, Neutralize anyone still loyal to Silco. with the grief over her mom she could have said she wanted to kill Jinx, but she doesn't. Neutralizing people still loyal to Silco, who mind you are still HORRIBLE people who, Like Silco have taken advantage of struggling people for power. and by dismantling Shimmer she's actually helping Zaun to recover from SILCO'S oppression and exploitation of them (remember people like Husk? the Children in Silco's shimmer facilities?).

NO Caitlyn did not maliciously interrupt Vi and Jinx's reunion in episode 6. Yes she and Vi did see the blue smoke but it's Very evident that Vi didn't tell Caitlyn what the hell it meant and just took off, and because she's faster than Caitlyn, Caitlyn spent the minute (or longer) of Vi and Jinx's reunion just catching up to her. she only looks up and see's the pair when she runs up the steps and stops, but Jinx had already heard her at that point and looked over, not giving Caitlyn enough time to make herself scarce before pulling out her machine gun. Vi Also didn't tell Caitlyn that Jinx works for Silco, despite having known that fact since her fight with Sevika.

Caitlyn didn't Force Ekko into agreeing with her. She even Says, "You'd be well within your rights to keep it, I wouldn't blame you." She offers a perspective that could help Both Piltover and the Undercity and Ekko trusts her on the condition that he's the one that gives the gemstone to the council (That is until Marcus and Jinx get in the way)

Caitlyn Tries to go about getting peace diplomatically, she doesn't manipulate the councilors into doing anything (despite them all being manipulative assholes themselves)

Manipulate: "control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously." JINX is the one that does this when she kidnaps Caitlyn and Vi and forces Vi to shoot Caitlyn.

Caitlyn did not choose to be born into her family's power and wealth, and that's not something you can blame her for. was she ignorant to what people in the undercity have faced? Yes but that's because she's been cooped up her entire life, surround by people with prejudice towards the Undercity and never set foot into the undercity until she was with Vi, you can't blame her for that either.

Vi was a 15 year old CHILD who saw her adoptive family die right in front of her eyes. she was exhausted and overwhelmed by her situation. and her younger sister (who she had told to stay) had said she was basically responsible for it, Vi's known to lash out when she's upset and angry. and when her brain catches up to what she did, she's horrified and leaves to calm down and not to do Anything else drastic. but when she tries to go back when Silco shows up, Marucs kidnaps her. hating Vi for this is stupid.

"Vi runs back to Caitlyn when she left to go find her sister!" Vi heard a Gunshot and saw that Caitlyn was being held at Gunpoint. Vi had NO IDEA that Jinx was even watching the entire interaction go down, the shocked look in her eyes when she picks Caitlyn up off the ground is evidence enough of that.

NO Vi isn't selfish for not wanting to shoot Caitlyn. for one, being asked to shoot someone is ludicrous enough but Vi IS allowed to care about other people, which is why she proposes that the two leave as a substitute to what Jinx is asking of her. yes leave Cait behind, but she wouldn't be Dead (you'd think that Vi's seen Enough people she cares about in her life being dead but according to Jinx stans, Apparently Not!)

Being upset at Vi in S2 is Ludicrous because we have Zero context for Any of these scenes that we have gotten. we don't know Any of the specifics of her becoming an Enforcer, why she's saying "my sister is gone.", why she's fighting Jinx, ANY of it. Geez.

(See, this is why we need the "Why is the curtain blue?" discussions because apparently some of y'all don't know how to think. And No, I'm not just bashing Jinx's character, I actually really like Jinx's character but her fans are some of the most annoying people to interact with sometimes...)

[tigers1o1]

Arcane s2 spoilers

“But Caitlyn lost her mom but but but she redeemed herself by betraying and battling ambessa but she let jinx go but shes not a bad person but shes-“ no.

She IS a bad person. More than that, shes a WAR CRIMINAL. She GASSED the people of the undercity and then when her stupid ass political decision turned out to be a stupid ass political decision, she got the ones that DIDNT get gassed to join her fucking army and die for a cause they never asked to be a part of. She lost her mother, yes, but she was a grown ass adult when she did. Vi and powder were orphaned before they turned 10. I am not downplaying the grief of a loss that monumental but.

Dawg she used her mother’s greatest act of charity against her own people. Caitlyn gassed the undercity bc she wanted vengeance against a single, mentally unwell teenager.

“But but she lost an eye and was almost publicly executed and her actions speak louder than words and” yeah dawg? She became a DICTATOR. Thats kinda what happens to dictators??

Sure, shes your little blorbo, your little meow meow that did nothing wrong. But to me, shes a fucking nepo baby that was racist the whole fucking show, disrespected her mothers wishes after her mother was murdered, committed a war crime, became a dictator, started a war and then got what was coming at her. She did not show remorse for what she did to the citizens of the undercity, she never admitted to seeing them on equal footing. Sure, her influence is probably what put sevika on the council and maybe that would have gone more in depth if the writers didnt have to cut a bunch of stuff, but putting a zaunite in a position of power is not an apology for putting all of zaun in danger multiple times and seeing them as animals the whole show.

She is not a good person. No one in that show is. Thats the POINT.

[wingedshadowfan]

the arcane fandom will hate me for this one but i have to speak my truth !

i don't think vi is the "not jealous type":

i think ppl are just misreading her reactions in two (2) particular scenes and that's why they think so! so i'll talk abt those briefly in a sec

i think ppl have this impression of her having so little self-worth that she wouldn't care if her partned flirted w/ someone or someone flirted w/ them, which i personally hate to see! (and yes, she does have issues w/ putting her own needs first and taking what she needs sometimes, she's been shown to self-destruct in dire situations, and she'd put everything on the line to protect her loved ones but that! does! not! translate! into potentially being okay w/ your partner breaking boundaries)

the scene where she learns caitlyn is into women: first of all, caitlyn and vi are still practically strangers at this point so it's very early to say vi has any feelings for (let alone romantic relationship to) caitlyn that would warrant her feeling jealous!! there's perhaps attraction there ("you're hot, cupcake") but no possessiveness, for reasons other than "vi isn't a jealous partner"! everything in vi's behavior shows this entire sequence is power play to her and she's just toying w/ her food ("the undercity will eat you alive") - she's putting a piltover girl of status, an enforcer, in a situation where she has to do something she deems unbefitting ("i will not!" ) if she wants to achieve her goal, because vi finds it entertaining! piltovians getting their hands dirty, being desparate (think of sevika's glee when she's choking caitlyn in s2 and caitlyn bites her hand, resorting to behavior that's beneath her). vi doesn't expect caitlyn to actually do it - so when she sees her flirting with a girl, this is the first time she's proven wrong abt caitlyn! she thinks, "wow, so she's for real/she's got it in her". not only is caitlyn willing to put her pride aside for more important things, she also seems to be enjoying herself - a contrast to her previous uptight and nervous demeanor, and a sign she's going out of her shell and that this place might grow on her, as well as proof she's into women, which to vi is at least smth they have in common. (and no, i won't get into social psychology and theories of homosociality rn but we are all likely to like ppl similar to us/to what we know, esp when we're unsure of someone's personality, views or values)

the scene where caitlyn pulls away from vi mid-makeout - after vi has forgiven her and decided to ultimately take what she wants for once instead of just running after her loved ones and carrying the responsibility of their safety - to tell her she "saw someone": i wrote a separate post a while ago explaining why to me her simple wording is brilliant in making it very apparent that whatever her fling was, she was not only willing to be upfront abt it but it was also shortlived, she thought of it as a mistake, and it was now over. crucial knowledge, although it can be argued vi didn't process it that extensively at all. which, fair. but it also very much happened when vi was gone and likely hadn't forgiven caitlyn yet (despite having had feelings for caitlyn at the time, and caitlyn for her, which she was obv aware of). so her reaction (cait, i don't fucking care) was completely understandable. they'd only kissed once, before having a huge fight/fallout, and this was before they'd put (at least on screen lol) a label on their relationship - and while we don't see them do that after their sex scene either, we see them basically living together almost domestically after the war and i believe that's confirmation enough. i've also talked before abt how/why caitvi have never doubted their love for each other so i'm willing to bet vi understood the insignificance of caitlyn's relationship in her absence - vi also did some questionable shit in the meantime

so, do i think vi is the jealous type then?

short answer is: yes, at least the normal amount. (so less than caitlyn). because to me, it makes total sense that she would be!

she was so madly in love she was hallucinating caitlyn after their fight, which lead to her descend into alcoholism, pit fighting, style change, madness and anguish. and during that time she'd kept the enforcers badge and used the kiramman house banner as a blanket, like?? do you seriously think she'd let caitlyn flirt w/ others once they're in a relationship (not that caitlyn would) or wouldn't mind someone else trying to flirt w/ caitlyn?? bffr vi is not sharing

idk how relevant this is since it's not exactly jealousy but i thought it's worth mentioning that since vi has been shown physically using her body to defend or shield others (both defensively and offensively): she's definitely the type of gf to tell caitlyn "wear whatever you want babe, i can fight"

[mights-quills]

i was talking to my butch today and i realized something. the love triangle in arcane should have been the opposite. vi should have gotten with a zaunite love interest. and i can back my opinion up.

to me there’s something flawed with where the relationship starts that could have always gone sour but the series didn’t even attempt to work on it. it resides in the intersection of theme and character.

in first season the topside and undercity conflict was framed as the main antagonist, the systems, and how the characters work within those systems reveals their character. superficially, cait is the classic trope of the good cop, the one good cop who actually cares. meanwhile vi is the hardened anti hero who had to hide her caring nature to survive a cruel world. but in relation to the oppressive system around them caitlyn is an enforcer of the status quo and vi is the marginalized, with the status’ quo boots on her neck. their navigate this system and their roles in it ( specially cait’s) is in direct conflict with their goals and morals.

caitlyn’s role transforms in the second season, from trying her best under a broken system to second main perpetrator of state violence, personally responsible to critical harm to a community. there’s very little to no coming back from that. it would require accountability, remorse, it would require of cait tangible change. instead, cait still lives in piltover, in the heart of the privilege and still wielding the power of her name even if her chair in the council is not hers anymore. cait loses very little ( one eye, spoils of war that could have happened to anyone in the heat of the fight ) and still gets rewarded the happy ending, the girl she loves in the city she loves, as if it was no harm done.

the addition of maddie to me is like salt to a wound, the narrative takes vi for granted, as if she will always wait for cait, no matter what awful crime against the lower classes cait commits. vi almost loses cait but cait would never lose vi.

love triangles have to mean something, to chose a love interest is to choose a life path, a moral frame work, a destiny. cait makes her choice before maddie enters the game making maddie’s existence meaningless. the real influence over cait is ambessa and the mother wound.

vi deserves to have choices, options, some form of autonomy that’s not just waiting for cait. vi should be the one in a love triangle, perhaps some girl from the undercity with shared struggle, maybe a gentle thing, maybe someone who yearns for more. someone who shows her a different path. that mirrors cait’s arc during that season.

it would come to the creators what to do with the ending but it would simply put vi in a less undignified position of endlessly waiting for people to choose her and having herself the option to choose.

[strawberry-shortcakey]

my defense of Caitlyn in wake of season 2

    Defending my wife rn 

    Lets get right into this mind you my spelling and punctuation are like non existent so yk

Starting off with the thing i feel people seem to not really understand is whats happening is shes being tugged in like 5 different directions struggling between her obligations to her family name the kiraman family is matriarchal this rests on her entirely she wants to maintain her mothers legacy yet theres the undeniable rage fueled by her mothers death and her feeling of failing all of piltover the feeling that if she had killed jinx before there wouldnt have been so many lives lost she feels ultimately responsible for everything in her life which makes that rage overpower her i mean most of the council civilians enforcers who she had been around her WHOLE LIFE. she feels all that weight in her heart and on her mind much like vi due to her trauma generalizes the people of piltover and enforcers cait blames zaunites and i feel its unfair to give vi a pass and not caitlyn shes trying to hold onto her morals she fights for avoiding innocents getting hurt until the memorial attack where it turns into more than an attack by jinx now an attack from multiples causing her to lose that part of her morals and the last pull is for vi caitlyn loves vi thats something i have never doubted for even a second i mean seriously she puts so much at stake for vi. People don't seem to see that her bringing vi before the council in season one couldve ended poorly for her it couldve reflected horribly onto her family if the council had decided not to hear her out. And on top of all of that shes trying to hold it together. We see her cry a few times but she doesnt ever really let it out i mean shes putting herself under that pressure part of her character has always been that she hates when things are just handed to her as we see in her scene with grayson when she gets upset at the mere idea of her parents paying off grayson to let her win and we confirm that stayed into adulthood when jayce offers her that job for him and shes offended at the mere idea and i feel part of her feels if she shows that pain shes in things are gonna be handed to her out of sheer pity something that would likely fuel her rage further and further.

Next topic is her being willing to kill isha if it meant killing jinx. Now i understand the shock of this how it feels “out of character for her” but it really isnt yes she has been openly against the idea of people getting hit in the crossfire but in her mind its 1 innocent for multiple innocents including her own mother. she also isnt the first character to directly or indirectly result in a child's death and she didnt even succeed so yk but anyway every single councilor is responsible for countless deaths of undercity children and families heimerdinger honestly the most responsible because yk like 200 years of  ignoring the undercity and can i also just mention vis switch up on her opinion season one jayce kills a kid when fighting at the shimmer lab and vi has the mentality “you did what needed to be done one life for like 100” yet when caitlyn finds herself in that same mindset vis all “whats wrong with you you're evil now” so uh yeah not an attack on vi just trying to expand on it throughout this i will make comparisons on how we excuse vi but attack caitlyn and why i think thats really telling of how people see her as a character only there for caitvi romance plot!! But anyway caitlyn had every fucking right in that moment mind you she also was running on adrenaline something that i feel a lot of people don't understand in that moment its often impulse you do the first thing to come to mind she was just fighting off sevika shes in that do or die mindset its kill jinx or people die people also don't understand how deep caits trauma around jinx runs we don't know what she was put through during the time between her abduction and the like final scene of season 1 also just yk the entire show. jinx is her personal trauma.

Now onto the caitvi argument in the tunnels lets loop back to the state of mind she was in shes pumped on adrenaline rage and fear. She feels a deep sense of betrayal much like jinx does when vi “picks cait over her” its that feeling of “oh so you care more about someone who deeply hurt me and a random kid than me.” that only fuels her rage/pain that is making her less and less of her core values. caitlyn gets on the defensive she makes a generalization Something once again we see vi do to caitlyn earlier with the oil and water speech which no doubt left a hole in caits heart something that will stick with her dare i even say that plays a part in why she no longer sees zaun and pilover as two sides of the same coin the person who helped her learn something so crucial suddenly saying “actually we are different piltover is all the same you're all horrible. We can never get along, you are not an exception” which no doubt shattered that view and helped cement the separation in her mind. The key difference is that vi didnt get physical cait pushed her and hit her with the rifle but like i said she's on the defense. Also ive seen people saying “oh well cait knows how shes traumatized by enforcers” to caitlyn that trauma is equal to the trauma of what jinx has done to her and honestly it is caitlyn has lost almost everything to this for the sake of what started off as her dreams of justice her need to prove herself has been what she feels like is the sole cause of the  downfall of piltover. Which is why i truly believe caitlyn is still herself that the development to her character logical and her actions fully explainable and defendable 

Little added thing it’s after getting compared to jinx that she hits vi I mentioned how that’s literally her main trauma jinx killed her mom and ruined her life I’d hit someone with a rifle over that too.

And thats all ive got for now lmk if i should cover more!! And i will be adding as arc 2 and 3 release!

[venomwrites]

I went back and forth on posting this but does work as a stand-alone for a hypothetical missing fight and I have posted all the other ones here. These are all an attempt to get us to the beats of cannon in the same timeframe, but not have it feel rushed.

They can all be found on Ao3: The Cycle

Vi, rightfully, is furious. 

She wakes spitting venom and lashing out. Caitlyn has tried very, very hard not to think about the moment Vi is fully cognizant. She is certain Vi is going to yell at her, probably about Jinx. She’s just not sure which part of it she’s going to yell about. But Vi zeros in and spits about the arrest. And even though Caitlyn has sworn she is not going to rise to the bait, the arrest is the one thing she did not do. Caitlyn has enough of her own sins Vi can yell about. Caitlyn snaps and Vi snarls and then she just—just leaves. Leaving Caitlyn with an ache in her chest and a low in her gut that screams for something more. 

Caitlyn ignores the urge firmly. 

Until she needs something from her room. 

Part of her prays Vi is going to be gone when she gets there. It’s only a matter of time before she flees. Caitlyn knew she would look at her with hatred when she woke up. She knew but it’s like anticipating a stab. The anticipation makes it hurt all the more. She needs to relax into the pain. Breathe into it. She’s had a long time to drink in Vi. To memorize her scars an features, to think on her actions. Vi has been unconscious the entire time. They are on different levels . Again. At one point that was her worst fear when it came to Vi. Now the image of her body washed in antiseptic with machines breathing for her is permanently brand by behind her eyes. It still aches when she opens the door and the room is predictably empty. The only sign anyone was here is the dangling tube Vi ripped out of her arm. 

“Shit—“

But not the bathroom. 

“Shit. Shit--“ the swearing continues, low and angry. Caitlyn hears the toilet paper spin through the door, “fuck.”

“Vi,” she raps on the door, “may I come in?”

“No!” the answer is snarled though the door. 

“No?” Caitlyn repeats, “Vi, the bleeding is not going to stop,” the toilet paper roll stops spinning, “it’s me or my father. Which do you want?”

What is she still doing here?

“Fine!” 

Caitlyn opens the door easily. Vi is standing in front of the toilet closet, ball of toilet paper in her hand. There’s red spotted paper everywhere. Red across Vi’s stomach. Caitlyn has sworn things will go slow, she will give Vi everything she needs. But her heart clenches at the splatter and before she can stop herself she’s in front of Vi, shoving her shirt up to check the bandage. Vi jumps back at the touch like Caitlyn has burned her. All the fears Caitlyn had about being the one to touch her come roaring back as Vi puts several steps between them. Her face is twisted, lip curled. She looks like a snarl made human. 

“Sorry,” Caitlyn says quickly, “I thought—“

“I didn’t tear those!” Vi snarls, “I’m not that useless.”

“I never said that!” Caitlyn shoots back. 

“Your face did!” Her tone pitches in volume, “I guess you were too busy arresting my sister!”

“She surrendered!” Caitlyn screams right back. 

“I bet you just loved that!” Vi continues, ignoring Caitlyn’s very fair point, “how many wet dreams have you had about her surrendering?!” Caitlyn reels with the accusation and something cruel sparks in Vi’s eyes, “So you got your satisfaction because Caitlyn Kiramman always gets what she wants in the end and us Undercity scum are just left following in your wake!” 

Caitlyn screams. 

She can’t help it. t’s like she’s been holding her breath this entire time. Maybe since her mother died. Certainly she’s been holding it while Vi lays and dies, while she brings endless trays to Jinx and tries to sort out the entire mess she’s gotten them into. She’s reshaped the world with her grief, brought them to the brink of war. And somehow that is easier to reconcile than the helplessness of watching Vi lay there. Of hearing the truths from Jinx’s lips. It rips from her chest in one brutal noise that echoes around the bathroom. 

She hasn’t screamed in here since Jinx clawed her fingers around her mouth and cut the sound off. 

This one just echoes around the vast space. Over the blood soaked tissues and the woman in front of her who Caitlyn loves but doesn’t love her back. Who thinks she is horrible and doesn’t know that Caitlyn has been fighting her way back this entire time. That the mere memory of Vi’s love is enough to carry her through. But she cannot say that. She cannot force the apology from her lips so she just howls. 

She grips the lip of the sink afterwards, panting like she’s run for miles. Like they are back on that battlefield and she is dragging Vi away. She is vaguely aware of Vi standing there staring at her. She drags her eyes up to the mirror. Vi’s remain locked on her. Confusion has wiped across the rage. Whatever response she was expecting from Caitlyn, apparently her screaming was not it. Caitlyn tries to collect herself as Vi watches her in confusion. Unsure of what to do. Of course she is unsure, it’s the first time she’s been upright for any stretch of time. Caitlyn does not know how she is standing. The blood loss is not helping matters. 

“I apologize,” she says, collecting herself, “you’re right. May I see your arm?”

Vi thrusts it out wordlessly. Probably to get out of the bathroom as quickly as she possibly can. Caitlyn doesn’t blame her. Vi has angrily ripped out the catheter. Caitlyn’s actions have once again torn at her. Caitlyn guides her elbow over to the sink and opens the medicine cabinet to pull out the hemostatic gauze. Things go almost automatic. She places it on the crook of Vi’s elbow and curls her arm around it. It’s like moving automatically as she undoes the wrist brace with one hand and puts it aside to wipe clean. She wets regular paper and wipes the blood from Vi’s wrist, careful not to get anything else wet. 

Then she remembers Vi is watching her. 

“Sorry—“

“Stop apologizing,” Vi cuts her off, “you—seem better at this,” her eyes narrow, “Ambessa give you time to have hobbies?”

“My father is a doctor,” she reminds Vi. 

“Bullshit, I’ve seen your patch jobs, Cupcake,” she says, “this is new.”

Caitlyn checks the pad, pleased with the progress before she returns he hand to Vi’s elbow to keep it up.  Instead of the smooth, familiar skin of Vi’s elbow, her hand meets Vi’s own. That snaps her back into the present. Vi is awake. She can hold up her own elbow. Caitlyn has just gone on automatic given how many times she has cleaned Vi up. Vi is considering something. Her eyes drag around the bathroom and she peers over Caitlyn’s shoulder. The entire time her elbow remains around the gauze, arm lifted above her heart. Her eyes lock onto Caitlyns.

“You’ve been taking care of me?” 

“Yes,” Caitlyn says, “I’m sorry I know this was an overstep. I wanted to make you as comfortable as possible. You’ve been under the care of doctors. Not my father.” 

“And this?” She says, jerking her head to the bandage. 

“I thought you wouldn’t like a stranger touching you. Or you would like that less than if I did,” Caitlyn says, “we worked together,” she tries to justify, “so I thought I was the better option.” 

Vi looks away. Caitlyn hates that she cannot look at her. All this time she only wanted Vi’s eyes to be open. Now she wishes desperately they could look at her. What right does she have to want anything from Vi? She turns to the wrist brace and focuses on wiping it clean. She can do this at least. While Vi gathers her strength to yell at her like Caitlyn deserves. She dries the brace with one of the cloths by the sink and offers it to Vi. She can ask someone else for help. Then she can come back and yell some more. Caitlyn can at least let her have that. 

Vi offers her wrist instead. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” she says quietly, “I would have hated that.” 

Caitlyn focuses only on Vi’s wrist as she tries to do the brace up without touching her. Vi’s arm wiggles and she immediately flattens her hand along the join, supporting it. Like when Vi was limp. She looks up to see something satisfied on Vi’s face at the contact. Caitlyn feels her own face get hot as she tuns back to the wrist in her hand, easing the brace on it and doing it up. Vi straightens her arm fully and lets Caitlyn wind the gauze the rest of the way around the injury. 

“Why?” Vi blurts out abruptly, catching Caitlyn off guard, “I was unconscious, why did what I want matter?” 

She’ll go to the ends of the earth for the people she loves. 

“What you want always matters,” she says, “I know I haven’t been the best at showing you that lately. For that I am sorry.” 

Vi stares at her in total confusion. Suddenly everything between them seems to fall away. It’s like they are back in the bedroom, Vi in her red jack and her in her purple dress. Vi is staring at her like she has reached into a place she did not even know existed. It sends a warm feeling through Caitlyn’s chest. Surprising someone as brave as Vi, someone who tries to plan for the worst case in every scenario. But still tries anyway. Caitlyn’s never impressed anyone like that, not in a way that means something. Vi doesn’t leave the bathroom when Caitlyn finishes. Instead she joins her next to the sink. They both lean against it silently, but close enough to feel Vi’s warmth. 

“So that scream—

“I don’t know what that was,” Caitlyn starts.

“How long you been holding that in?” Vi asks. 

Caitlyn sighs. 

“Probably since my mother’s funeral,” she admits. 

Vi nods. 

The feel of her thigh next to hers catches Caitlyn off guard. Vi doesn’t look at her, doesn’t acknowledge that she’s moved closer. But something warm curls through her belly. She has spent so long touching Vi in a practical way. A chaste way. Now Vi is not limp, not choiceness. And she chooses to press her thigh to Caitlyns. To stand next to her in the bathroom. Instead of doing what she wants to do and run off to see her sister. Some part of her wants to be here with Caitlyn. 

What will you do if she chooses me?

It’s hard to be loved like that.

“That’s a long time,” Vi says finally. 

Caitlyn nods. Vi opens her mouth and then closes it, blowing out a breath. The question hovering. 

“She’s as fine as I’ve seen her,” Caitlyn says, “I got her to eat every third day at minimum. We talked.”

Vi’s eyes go wide and hungry. 

“You talked?” She says, “with words?”

“Yes,” Caitlyn says. 

Vi looks like she cannot comprehend what is being said. 

“Bullshit,” she says but there’s no anger there, “what did you talk about?”

She loves you.

Do you love her?

Will you still love her?

“How your sister almost blew me up when I ruined your job in Jayce’s lab,” she says instead. 

“Wait, what?!”

Caitlyn inclines her head. Vi’s disbelief mirrors her own. It helps given how annoyed Jinx looked. Apparently she is not the only one who cannot wrap her head around the idea. Surely the pair of them have to be right and Jinx is just—too smart for her own good. Vi turns fully towards her, breaking the contact and staring at her in disbelief. But she knows exactly what she is talking about. Caitlyn can practically see her flipping though her memories, trying to pinpoint the moment. 

“I dropped something from a box.”

A surprised laugh leaves Vi’s lips. A sound Caitlyn wasn’t sure if she would ever hear again. Especially with her speaking. She can see the recognition plain on Vi’s face. Recognition and warmth and something more. Something Caitlyn can’t quite put her finger on. But something she wants to see more of in those alert grey eyes.

“That was you?” She nods, “you scared the crap out of me, Cupcake,” Vi says. 

The nickname cuts through Caitlyn’s core Cupcake. She likes it so much when Vi calls her Cupcake now. She really is turning into such a sap. Caitlyn knows it has nothing to do with the nickname. It has to do with the way Vi’s eyes light when she says it, the way her mouth twists like she’s proud of thinking of it. 

“Then I guess we’re even,” she says. Vi goes silent. Considers her with those sharp grey eyes of hers, “About that an—“

Vi touches her knee. 

“Yeah,” Vi cuts in, “think we’re even.”

She will never, ever be worthy of this love. 

But she will spend the rest of her life trying to be. 

“I need to go take care of some things,” she says getting to her feet. 

Vi watches her with some confusion. Caitlyn hates to break the contact. But she knows her time is running out. Vi trails her out of the bathroom and watches as she goes into the closet and puts a fresh shirt in front of her. Vi is already in her boots. Caitlyn goes to the door. Everything in her wants to stay in that room with Vi gently touching her knee. But this is not about what she wants. She has taken enough. Vi would willingly give her the world without a second thought. Caitlyn refuses to let that happen. 

“I know it may be too soon to speak about the upcoming battle,” she says, “but if you need to find me I will be at the Hexgate with all the guards.”

Vi inhales sharply. 

“When will you be back?” She asks, voice tight. 

“I don’t know,” Caitlyn says. 

She reaches into the bedside drawer and produces a small bottle of white tablets, placing them on the table next to Vi. 

“These should help with the pain if you are moving around too much,” she says.

She walks to the door.

Vi’s eyes are hot on her neck. There is so much Caitlyn wants to say. So much she wants to repeat. She wants to tell Vi everything, make her understand the answer to Jinx's question has always been 'I will love you anyway'. But this is not about her. And Vi has given enough. So Caitlyn gathers up the part of her that wants to beg Vi to please not go far. Or to please come back. Or to please stay, since she just got here. Since Caitlyn loves her more than she knew she could. But right now that is not what Vi needs. She needs what some part of her has always needed. She needs to go get her sister. 

"Don't pull or lift anything heavy," she says instead, "nothing more than opening a door."

Then she opens her own and walks away.