#and it was a brilliant idea Vi

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

Lines that somehow single-handedly kinda broke my heart:

"Thank you."

"Never thank me for that."

[morbethgames]

NEW UPDATE IS OUT!

I’M FREE! FREEEEEE! 32 MOSTLY UNIQUE VARIATIONS OF INTIMATE SCENES DONE!

Clears throat

So, like stated above, the update is out! I’ll leave a list of patch notes, but this is majorly a bigger one for Alzarez and Lance romancers. The Lance extra story “Movie and Dessert” is being released with this update. You will need to replay the game. I’m sorry about that. BUT it’s because I added in new variables to the train scene so that stuff said there could possibly be brought up in this new scene! Reactivity, yay!

Along with that, you’ll get to read Alvarez’s flashback scene which is the actual end of Chapter 4. Along with a lot of little goodies. All in all, there was about… 44k-45k words added into this update? 40k of them are entirely optional and only happen if you choose to hang out with Lance after Alvarez’s flashback scene scene.

Not gonna lie, 1 variation in I was confident it would take two weeks. 8 variations in I was a bit tired but still energized to get this scene done. 16 variations in I had to step away for a couple of days to not let my brain melt. By the time I hit mid-twenties in variation for this scene, I was finding myself thinking that it just. wasn’t. worth it.

I have no idea if I’ll make the other intimate scenes this branching. It was honestly a lot of work. Like, a lot, it it was so fatiguing after a while, but I knew I had to get it done. IT’s also the reason I paused my patreon this month, because it wouldn’t be fair to charge people for something that they’re not getting early as promised in the rewards. This took way longer than I thought, so I wanted to just release it to everyone at once.

I do hope you guys enjoy it, and without further ado, here are the patch notes for this update.

Stay Brilliant, -Vi

Patch Notes:

“Movie and Dessert” Lance Extra Scene is finished.

Alvarez Flashback scene is finished.

Added a Text Box Investigation Tab in the Stats Screen.

You are now able to toggle between Text Box Investigations and regular choice script gameplay for TBI sequences.

You can now view the Text Box Investigation tutorial at any time via the stats screen.

Removed the Text Box Investigation Tutorial from chapter 4.

Added an option in the beginning of the game to Fade To Black during intimate scenes.

You can now pick asexual and aromantic as separate options, and they are not tied to each other.

Grammar edits and fixes (thank you to all who report them).

🛡️Patreon | Forum Page | Demo Link🛡️

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Broke college student hero and rich over the top villain. Hero is tired and done. That's it that's the request lmao

“…that has got to be the dumbest idea ever. That’s…I don’t even have any words left,” the hero said but they knew just as well as the villain how their ears had turned tomato red.

For the record, it was a stupid idea. And it was something the hero definitely had to stomach for a few days before deciding.

“I am not interested in twisting the knife but your apartment is pathetic,” the villain said. They picked up a dusty snow globe and observed it. A little figure with a lei stared back at them and the hero cringed internally when they realised it must’ve been over a decade old. As if they had the money to visit Hawai’i any time soon. “And I’m not one for adding salt to wounds but you are, undeniably, poor.”

“Wow, thank you. What are you gonna say next? That I have no prospects?”

“I don’t know, are you already a burden to your parents?” the villain asked, a sly smile stretching over their lips. They seemed quite amused at the hero’s current situation, despite offering their help. Eventually they sat down on the hero’s creaking bed which didn’t help the hero when they tried to tell them they were doing just fine.

“Not that I know of,” the hero said. They crossed their arms in front of their chest and tried to stare at the villain as intensely as they could. “I’m not this desperate, you know? I’m alright. I’m good. This is fine, my apartment is okay.”

The villain stared at the empty ramen packages on the hero’s stove.

“That stuff kills you, you know?” they said, their thumb pointing at the trash angrily.

“I’m doing fine. I’m great. Great physique. Amazing grades. Impeccable catching-criminals-rate.”

“Brilliant,” the villain said. They tilted their head. “Great physique?”

“Yup.”

“Hm.” They looked around the room slowly, observing every imperfection. The hero was ashamed. They weren’t the cleanest person. “A little birdie told me you’re failing most of your classes. Which isn’t all that surprising, given that you’re spending most nights on rooftops in that…interesting costume.”

The villain looked them up and down and the hero stared at them, eyes wide. They had mentioned before that the hero’s costume wasn’t hiding much. The hero had thought it to be a joke.

“I’m not a child, you know? I don’t need your help with ridiculous offers.”

“How old are you again?” the villain asked.

“I’m a year older than you,” the hero reminded them and the villain gave them a belittling look. Sometimes the hero forgot about that, too. The villain seemed like they’d everything figured out. Organised, rich, intelligent — the hero was falling behind and didn’t even know how to change that.

On top of all that, the villain was taller than them.

“I apologise for not respecting my elders then.”

“You—”

“Look, this is a shithole. If we get married you could have a good life. That’s all there is to it. It’s a signature on a paper and some financial decisions. Nothing else,” the villain said. They seemed to suggest this quite casually, as if the hero’s parents wouldn’t freak out on them for failing to introduce their spouse.

Their parents had been asking for grandchildren already. That alone seemed like a burden with the little sexual experience the hero had. It was exhausting and the hero was starting to feel the pressure of college and their nightly activities together. The villain was technically right.

If they lived with someone else, if they had money, they could at least get something real to eat for dinner.

“Well, aren’t you such a generous soul? Offering your money, your life to me like that…”

“We wouldn’t see each other much.”

The hero’s heart was doing something weird.

“Of course…” They stared at the floor. There was something the villain wanted. Some kind of information, some kind of contract. They weren’t doing this because they were a nice and sweet person. Behind every decision, there was a plan. There was calculation. The villain functioned that way.

“Obviously, you can screw whoever you want,” the villain clarified but the hero hadn’t even asked for it nor did they desire it. For a brief moment, they gazed at each other but it was more than that. It was more than a simple look. It was a question, it was an answer. And the hero felt trapped. They feared the villain had a wrong picture of them in their head.

“Why are you offering this?”

“Because it’s an agreement on paper, nothing more. I wouldn’t force you to sleep in the same bed. We don’t even have to live on the same floor,” the villain said but they hadn’t understood the hero.

“I meant the marriage specifically. Why are you doing this? What am I supposed to do in return?”

Now, the villain lowered their gaze. They scratched the back of their neck and the hero was more than curious. If the villain wanted information, the hero would have to decline. They rather lived in this horrible apartment and live from paycheck to paycheck instead of endangering anyone.

“I need protection,” they mumbled. “There’s a mole in my team. Someone tried to assassinate me two times last week. Normally I would…I would have my ways but I don’t want any of my employees to suffer.”

The hero was flabbergasted. They had expected anything but this.

“I’m supposed to be your bodyguard? Me protecting you?” The hero would’ve laughed but they were too surprised by the fact that the villain could’ve died last week.

The villain took a deep breath and leaned back, eyes half-lidded.

“It’s more like…detective work. The marriage is supposed to cover for the both of us. You living at my place out of a sudden would be less suspicious if people thought we were…you know. Plus, I could give you money that way. As payment.”

The hero stared at them. Admittedly, they felt as tired as the villain looked. Both had been through a few rough months. The hero wasn’t sure what to say.

“Think about it,” the villain said. They stood up and walked over to the door. But before they could even reach for the doorknob, the hero grabbed their arm.

“I swear, if you’re using me, if you use the…situation I’m in—”

“Believe me. I don’t enjoy seeing you live like this.” The hero pressed them against the door. They’d missed being close like this. “And I’m getting anxious.”

“You’ll have to meet my parents,” the hero said. They looked down at the villain’s expensive clothes. They couldn’t really concentrate.

But the villain only grinned. They pulled the hero closer, close enough to kiss them. “And they’ll love me.”

Two days later, the hero agreed.

A week later, they hooked up for the first time.

[hikaruchen]

I shine only with the light you gave me. — The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives

INPRNT

-

This is a recreation of The Meeting on the Turret Stairs (1864) by Frederic William Burton. Credit to the wonderful @soulhollow for giving me the brilliant idea and commissioning this 💚

-

The costume design for Alfred

They said they wanted to see Alfred in purple/gold tones, so I self-indulgently designed a costume for Alfred (though again not necessarily trying to be historical accurate)

-

Details for archaeology nerds (So it happens again I guess)

1. The tablet-woven bend

Design is loosely taken from an actual archaeological find from the Taplow Barrow in Buckinghamsire, dating to the early 7th century. The original piece really had the gold threads on it by the way. You can see the modern reconstruction here.

2. Pattern on the tunic

Taken from a part of an arcade illustration in the Royal Bible (Royal 1. E. vi, 4r.) c. 1000-1025 in British Library, London. Added some vine patterns that are quite common to see in insular art for reasons.

3. Pattern on the shawl

Taken from a part of the stole and the maniple in St. Cuthbert’s coffin, dated to early 10th century, now in Durham Cathedral Museum.

4. Embroidery on Alfred’s sleeves

The pattern is from an illustration in the manuscript of Bede’s Life of St Cuthbert (MS 183, f. 1v) c. 937 in Parker Library, Cambridge, which depicts King Æthelstan showing the book to St Cuthbert himself.

-

The process

Such a pleasure to work on this one! Thank you again for giving me the chance✨

[bwat5-blog]

The Beauty In Caitlyn & Violet's Reconnecting

**Spoilers for Arcane Season 2**

I spoke recently on my issues with the pacing of Cait and Vi's reunion and I can't change how I feel on that. But it doesn't take away from the meaning and heart of what we got. When Caitlyn and Vi run into each other..onto each other? outside of the commune, Cait is so stiff... It seems almost comical for a moment before you realize she has been shutting herself from the idea that Vi could still care for her. Until she hears her nickname. The stunning animation of this show does all the work as Cait's eyes soften. Its hardly a brilliant insight from me, but when you think about what a dark, and terrible place Caitlyn had been in mentally so months. Grieving, alone, (fuck you Maddie you traitor), still so full of rage and hate and being told the entire time that she was right to keep hating, right to hold on... sound familiar?

But when Vi comes back to her, its like someone lights the fire in her again, that hope, that trust from the person she wronged the most giving her the will to become who she was meant to be. The Real Commander. Who fights alongside her soldiers to protect those she cares for, and sheds her own blood to keep others safe.

Imagine for a moment that Caitlyn had lashed out at Vi when she found her in the cell. That she hadn't arranged for Vi to have the chance to help her sister, and laid down her hatred for the person she loves. I don't know that Vi would ever have come back from that. For Vi, who cares so deeply for her loved ones and thinks so little of herself, in that one decision Caitlyn showed Vi that she was more important to her than her hate. And that she knows Vi so well and loves Vi's heart, her belief, and her trust.

Idk... this is just a raindrop in an ocean of what could be said about these two. I honestly feel like their story will be remembered as one of the great fictional love stories of our time for what they mean to so many people. Have a good one!

[mischieveousmayhem]

I'm thinking of Bruce Wayne x stark!reader. What if their company are just rivals that don't like eachothers guts very much? They met eachother with their mask on so they both didn't know eachothers identity. So like, I get the idea of there's a maybe commotion in one of the gala they both are invited, maybe one of the rogues did sum crazy again that needs both of them to act fast. And things starts brewing from there😧🔥🔥🔥

Hidden Teamwork

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x Stark! Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: CROSSOVER, violence, enemies to lovers.

Synopsis: Y/N L/N sets foot into Gotham City for a Gala for the biggest and richest companies. However, it can't be a normal night.

A/N: Thank you so much for all the likes and follows I have received!! I apologize for disappearing but I am starting to write again:) Please enjoy!

—

Wayne Empire; one of the biggest companies to exist. Stark International; Another big company.

Though they both have their similarities, it didn't mean necessarily they were allies, realistically they clashed because they were so big, popular and most importantly similar.

There was a big Gala, where all businesses sent one representative to. Which you, Y/N Stark, was sent to Gotham City, to represent her big brother's company, which was founded by their father.

Of course, you were not thrilled because THE Bruce Wayne was going to be there, and you would have to put on the most phony smile ever and thug it out.

You stood in the middle of the gala, in a black dress/suit, blending in with everyone else. You were talking to a bunch of other business owners and workers, who had brilliant ideas to expand their companies. You even found a few companies you could work with in the future.

However, you couldn't fully avoid the billionaire himself, Bruce Wayne. The two of you had crossed paths multiple times and never even dared to speak to each other. Instead, death stares were thrown at each other, which you have to say is childish for their big age.

The peaceful night, turned not so peaceful as suddenly there was a big explosion heard. You turned around and saw a bunch of goons with guns, and other sorts of weapons. You look around trying to figure out the best place to suit up.

Before trying to find a place to suit up, you help escort innocent people outside of the building.

"Help!!" An elderly voice says behind you. It's an old man who runs another one of the biggest companies ever, you rush to his side immediately.

"I got you sir, we need to get out, it's not safe for us." You say while helping him. You bite your lip clearly stressed out.

After escorting everyone out, you go in an alley nearby and suit-up. You're trying your newest invention, the collapsable suit.

After you got your suit on, you were officially "Iron-Sib", which was short for Iron Sibling because you weren't exactly an official avenger, but you were there in dire situations.

You fly to the gala and levitate in front of the goons, who were hired by top-notch villains.

"Face it Vi—" You were about to tell the goons to surrender because they will never win however, a dark figure suddenly swoops in and knocks some of them out.

"What the?!? Who are you?" You literally were shocked under your mask.

"I'm Batman," The figure speaks, "Now help me."

After being shocked for a solid 30 seconds, you then help the Dark Knight himself, knockout about a total of 335 goons.

Before knocking out the last goon, you hold him by his shirt, "Who hired you?"

The Batman was watching from the distance. Who were you? Why were you helping? He didn't need your help.

"Please!! I was just doing my job don't hurt me!!" The figure was scared, your grip tightened just a tad, "Okay, okay!! Lex Luther and the Riddler teamed up for this!! Lex Luther wanted important information that was held here but The Riddler just wanted distraction and disturbance!!"

You don't knock this goon up, but you tie him down so he can't move.

"Your job is done , I got Lex Luther and The Riddler." The Batman spoke.

"I'm sorry but I think you are going to need my help." You speak while crossing your arms.

"I work alone." The Dark Knight answers.

"Not today."

It was obvious you weren't going to let The Batman take down the two villains alone. However you didn't even have to track them down as you hear two voices behind you two.

"Dammit Riddler! You failed me!!" The bald one spoke.

"I didn't know The stupid Bat and that thing would be there! It isn't my fault." The one wearing a hideous green color spoke.

You put it together to figure out who was who, but you didn't act and neither did the Batman for the two were sitting there arguing for a bit about how the Riddler should have planned for Batman.

While the two were distracted, you were the one to make the first move by kicking The Riddler in his groin area. That had to hurt!! Your wearing a metal suit. Which means by that, he was already down, clutching that area miserably. As you tied him up , you watched The Batman fight Lex Luther with hand-to-hand combat.

You watch as The Batman has such agility, making him able to dodge, and such strength, making him able to land powerful hits on Luther.

You can't help but to wonder to yourself; Who is The Batman?

You can't help but to realize how similar that dark voice is to ugly (handsome) , disgusting (mouthwatering), Bruce Wayne's voice.

Lost in your thoughts, you hadn't realized Luther was knocked out and restrained. You look up at The Batman and speak,

"So you're The Batman?" You ask. He nods subtlety but enough for you to notice. "I'm Iron-Sib. Nice working with you."

That's all you say before flying off to that alley and taking off your suit before returning to the crowd of innocent people, acting like you were there the whole time.

That was until you hear that billionaire, Bruce Wayne's voice behind you, "Someone looks disheveled."

"As if the Gala, didn't just get ruined." You say.

"No, you're too calm."

"So are you." You squint.

He had the smallest smile on his face, "Want to grab some dinner since this was ruined?"

You stare at him for a moment. You guys hated each other's guts because of your companies. But now he is asking you for dinner.

"Of course..." You smile, "Bat." That last part was barely audible, but he heard you , which confirmed your suspicions about each other. You were Iron-Sib and he was The Batman. What a start of a beautiful romance.

[fear-is-truth]

What is a random headcanons you have of Kai? Like the type of headcanons that would make him seem really human and not like he's constantly a murderer or psychopathic.

KAI ANDERSON // headcanons

a/n: here goes.. but i fear he’s just as fucked up bc i was trying to be realistic ya know

judges people by their handshakes. a weak grip disgusts him, and he’ll never respect someone with gross clammy hands.

watches old footage of leaders like hitler, stalin, or jfk to study their body language, hand movements. kai practices in front of a mirror until it feels natural. every gesture he makes while speaking is rehearsed. the way he waves his hands, points, or clenches his fists is meant to manipulate emotions.

practices subtle gestures (touching someone’s shoulder, making intense eye contact) to make people subconsciously trust him.

enjoys watching true crime documentaries and infodumps about jonestown or heaven’s gate.

remembers oddly specific details about people but weaponises them later in arguments.

thrives on debates, especially when he can dominate someone intellectually. he’ll derail conversations just to win, even if it’s about the dumbest shit like the best way to eat a subway sandwich.

has entire passages of nietzsche and shakespeare memorized, knows random latin phrases and sprinkles them into conversations to seem cultured.

hates losing at anything—he’ll rage quit a game of monopoly if it’s not going his way.

when fixated on something—a person, an idea, or a goal—he becomes consumed by it. spends hours researching or strategising, often at the expense of his health.

has casually invested in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. checks his coinbase and binance accounts obsessively. has strong opinions about dogecoin being a joke.

occasionally reads self-help books.

his library consists mostly of power-centric books. his favourites include the prince by machiavelli, the 48 laws of power by robert greene, the art of war by sun tzu, and nietzsche’s thus spoke zarathustra. also delves into russian literature like dostoevsky’s notes from underground and tolstoy’s war and peace.

collects super offensive internet memes in a private folder. posts pepe memes on 4chan ironically but secretly thinks they’re funny.

leaves people on read for hours, just because.

desensitised himself to gore.

loves gta, rdr2 and civilization VI. played cod religiously in his incel days.

follows elon musk on x (formerly known as twitter) and admires him as a disruptor of society. or maybe it’s a tech bro thing idk. retweets his memes but also calls him a sellout for pandering to the masses.

loathes andrew tate for his shallow and illogical takes but agrees with 10% of his misogynistic rhetoric.

posts inflammatory tweets that toe the line between radicalism and satire, carefully wording them to avoid getting banned.

an avid user of letterboxd. some of his reviews are super scathing—but for some reason, they always blow up. he’d open the app to find that his hate review on la la land got 7.2k likes. screenshot compilations circulate on reddit and instagram.

his letterboxd favourites are: american psycho, fight club, the social network and the matrix (all 5 star ratings)—but claims he likes them for their philosophical depth.

his favourite show is mr. robot, saying elliot alderson is “the closest thing to a genius on tv.” he also likes the twilight zone and breaking bad.

obsessed with eminem—he’s been a fan ever since d-12. the marshall mathers lp are his go-to rage anthems. thinks lose yourself is the pinnacle of motivational music.

thinks kanye west is a misunderstood genius and frequently defends him online.

uses dark mode on every device.

apple loyalist. owns a macbook, iphone, and airpods because he appreciates their sleek and minimalistic design. calls android users “peasants.”

never charges his phone until it has like 2% left.

brilliant with tech—can hack into nearly anything. knows how to code in several languages, always staying on top of the latest tech trends and occasionally contributes to dark web forums.

builds custom pcs for fun. dabbles in coding and hacking. knows how to create computer viruses.

used to spend wayyy too much time on forums like 4chan, r/RedPill, r/foreveralone and r/incels, though he’s mostly active on subreddits like r/iamverybadass, and r/unpopularopinion. also lurks r/atheism just to mock people with religion.

frequently visits r/AmITheAsshole to judge people, always siding with the “bad guy.” bro has the potential to be a criminal defense lawyer that the DA despises.

lowkey obsessed with angelina jolie, specifically from her tomb raider days. probably has a pinup poster stashed somewhere in his room.

uses arctic fox’s poseidon blue hair dye.

firmly believes in the efficiency of 3-in-1 body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.

wears dior sauvage because it’s “masculine but sophisticated.” probably bought it after seeing johnny depp in an ad.

when he’s in a mood, kai loves sneaking up on people to startle them. he’s perfected the art of standing silently in doorways until someone notices.

prefers dogs because they’re trainable, loyal, and trusting on their owner. in other words they are easy to manipulate and control.

constantly rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck. it’s both a habit and a way to intimidate people.

his lust for power stems from feeling powerless in his youth, particularly after witnessing his father’s abuse to his mother and the lack of control he had over the situation.

struggles to process complex emotions like guilt, shame, or empathy. often suppresses them or redirects them into rage.

swings between grandiosity (believing he’s destined for greatness) and crippling self-doubt (thinking he’s fundamentally unlovable)

finds it almost impossible to open up emotionally unless it’s to manipulate someone.

criticism, even minor, eats away at him. he’ll stew over it for days, replaying it in his head while devising ways to “prove them wrong.”

gets uneasy if someone expresses affection without clear reason—suspects ulterior motives.

goes online to stalk whoever winter’s dating at the time. sends cryptic, vaguely threatening texts from a burner number or straight up dox them. half of it is for shits and giggles, the other half is rooted in jealousy.

he’s attracted to girls who are intelligent and opinionated. independent but emotionally vulnerable, so he can swoop in and “save” them (he has a saviour complex). loyalty is non-negotiable, and she has to make him feel like her top priority.

anyone resembling winter is immediately his type, but he’d never admit it.

freakishly good at darts and chess.

knows how to pick locks and also, how to build a perfect pipe bomb.

his clown mask is inspired by satan in dante’s divine comedy (based on this convo with @porcelainlipgloss)

alternates between ice-cold showers and scalding hot ones depending on his mood.

drums his fingers or shakes his leg while sitting. can spin a pen around his fingers like a pro. learned it during boring college lectures and now does it absentmindedly.

can’t stand slow walkers, or when someone scrapes a fork on their teeth. his reactions to these are disproportionate and borderline hostile.

prone to road rage.

has read elliot rodger’s manifesto once, mostly out of curiosity and boredom, but ended up getting weirdly immersed in it. he disagreed with the bravado and entitlement, though—he finds it pathetic and would mock it, but still, he couldn’t put it down. deep down, he understands the mindset too well, which makes him uncomfortable.

selectively polite. says “please” and “thank you” when it benefits him but will completely ignore social etiquette in other situations, like cutting lines or taking the last slice of pizza.

his workout playlist consists of nine inch nails, rammstein. aggressive rap like eminem (“till i collapse” is a staple) and dmx. sometimes mixes in orchestral movie scores (the dark knight rises soundtrack pumps him up)

brushes his teeth aggressively, so his toothbrushes always wear out quickly.

loves gas station beef jerky and bags of plain popcorn with way too much salt.

doesn’t drink often, claiming alcohol dulls the mind. but when he does, it’s always something hardcore like everclear or absinthe. has a surprisingly high alcohol tolerance.

can literally live off black coffee or monster zero ultra (white can). claims he doesn’t need caffeine, but drinks it constantly because he “likes the bitterness.”

his handwriting is pretty neat, but only when he’s focused—otherwise, it’s chicken scratch.

loves the smell of gasoline and sharpies.

can’t sit his ass down during phone conversations—kai paces back and forth like a caged animal.

rarely gets more than four hours of sleep.

and when he does sleep, he sleeps on his stomach with one arm dangling off the bed.

sleep talks under extreme stress.

secretly likes it when someone takes care of him. whether it’s bandaging a cut or insisting he eats when he’s been working too hard, he fucking melts. he’ll complain about being babied, but it’s a front.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Maybe it's because I watched all of Arcane after the series was finished and didn't have time to develop theories in between episode drops, or in between seasons. Or maybe it's because I've been on my Paul Atreides bullshit for most of a year (character who undergoes a transformation that alters his experience of reality to something incomprehensible to a normal human, but still maintains a human understanding of and responsibility for his actions). But it never once occurred to me that Viktor was doing the things he does in S2 out of anything other than his own free will. The idea that he was being controlled or manipulated by the Hexcore (beyond it giving him the power to amplify his worst impulses way beyond what would have been possible otherwise) was not a theory I even considered until I started reading meta about S2. It's way more interesting, and imo thematically and tonally consistent, if my man did all that shit himself.

Damaged people spiraling to extreme actions is like the driving force of the plot of this show. Vi and Vander both lash out at someone they love in a moment of shock and grief, in a way that defines the life of that person for years to come. Caitlyn, with her guilt and her need for vengeance and her longing for respect, becomes a military dictator when given unchecked power. Jinx, with her impulsiveness and suicidal self-hatred, becomes a nihilistic vigilante when encouraged to indulge her violent urges without thinking about the consequences. In both of those cases they had someone (Ambessa and Silco) who nudged them onto that slippery slope for that person's own ends. But they still did all that shit themselves.

With Viktor I don't think the force is a person. (And I don't think it's the Hexcore either. Whether the Hexcore is sentient to the degree of having plans and goals is also something I have thoughts on but that's a subject for another post.) I think it's terror at his own powerlessness in the face of his impending mortality. He escaped the conditions of his birth, clawed his way up out of the undercity using nothing but his brilliant mind, and it doesn't matter. The conditions of his birth are gonna get him anyway. He's dying of poverty. If suddenly given the power to Fix Things, of course he is gonna take it. And if he can Fix Things for himself then why not others, who no more deserve to live in these conditions than he does? Of course he's gonna start out from a completely understandable and sympathetic position and take things WAY too far, one seemingly logical step at a time. That's how everything in this show happens.

[comicsohwhyohwhy]

Arcane and Love

Arcane is about

love as a blessing, the thing that saves you, being really seen by someone and at the same time

love as violation, being seen as someone you are not, being changed against your will in someone's eyes or in reality

With Vi and Jinx, it's about Vi's inability to let Powder go. She only sees Powder, she wants her little sister back, she sees Jinx as a violation of what she should be as Powder. But Jinx cannot go back - the break that happend, the trauma, is inscribed in her, she is forever changed by it, even if it isn't (or is only partly) Vi's fault. Vi sees Jinx as someone she's not (anymore), at a moment in Jinx' life when she has gone through the painful journey of trying to accept herself as somewhat 'broken' and 'perfect' despite it all (Silco calling her 'perfect' with his dying words). But neither does Jinx really see Vi - Vi should be her sister who loves her unconditionally despite her transformation, who's there only for her, but Vi isn't that person anymore either. Vi has gone through her own trauma, she has lost everything, and when she comes out of prison and realises 'Powder' is alive that is her obsession - gaining her back, also to take back the biggest mistake she ever made, her biggest regret when she slapped Powder and talked to her cruelly. When they look at one another in season 1, they only see what they can't have anymore, what the other person can't be anymore. It takes their arcs in season 2 for them to reconcile somewhat to the new realities - Jinx, in being an 'older sister' to Isha, realises how fraught the task of caring for and protecting someone is, and Vi sees Jinx with Isha and sees how kind Jinx can still be, how she can care, even though she will never be Powder anymore. And Jinx comes back to help, to save her people. In the end, Vi and Jinx know this:

They will always be with each other, even if they are worlds apart, even if their images of each other are irreconcilable, because their stories are so entangled that they can only fully understand themselves by looking at each other.

With Viktor and Jayce, they start out truly seeing one another - Viktor sees through what everyone else views as Jayce's insane obsession that his entire life revolves around and sees his brilliant ideas, he sees him, which is why he's able to save him from suicide, give him a reason to live. And though Viktor offers himself to Jayce as what he is always perceived of in Piltover, someone subservient, an 'assistant' at most, 'let me help you with your Hextech dream', Jayce sees him as the brilliant man he is and makes him his equal, his partner working on their Hextech dream. But then Jayce starts seeing Viktor less and less throughout season 1 - he gets mixed up in politics and enjoys the adoration of the masses, he gets distracted by attention and becomes scared of the responsibility he suddenly shoulders. He often leaves Viktor alone to try and find a cure to his disease, he starts using an 'us vs. them' rhetoric when talking about Zaun, not counting Viktor's people - and by extension Viktor himself - as his people, he weaponizes Hextech even though this is Viktor's worst fear. And Viktor retreats, he becomes quieter, he doesn't fully trust Jayce, the only person he ever trusted, anymore, he experiments on himself recklessly, incresingly desperate not to die before he has done some good or without being able to prevent the worst. And then Viktor does die, the man Jayce has increasingly disregarded is suddenly gone, and Jayce, who has distracted himself from this reality that was imminent even without the explosion, can't let him go. He violates his trust and his body by merging him with the Hexcore that he explicitly promised Viktor he'd destroy. Love as violation in its purest form. Viktor is changed against his will, and Jayce cannot let him go, he wants back who he lost through his own doing. But Jayce has to go through his own journey of suffering, realising what pain and self-loathing are, and at the very end, he sees Viktor fully for the first time - a complex, idealistic, self-loathing, broken yet beautiful person. This is what frees Viktor from the very curse that Jayce set upon him.

And in that moment of seeing and being seen, the world is saved.

[livstarlight]

Jayvik AU with no Hextech, no problems (except good old fashioned social disparity UGH), EVERYONE IS ALIVE, where Viktor never left the Undercity, and he's sort of Silco's ward/adopted son along with Jinx and occasionally Vi (in this universe the Zaun dads are FINE and together don't ask me how it just is), and he works and experiments with Silco growing up hearing talks about independence and progress, and he really wants to do good for the people of Zaun (and Piltover too when he doesn't scoff at how condescending and untitled they are).

Life goes on as always, trying to get by with the scraps that Piltover leaves them, until Zaun is finally declared independent and a few zaunite representatives are invited to monthly represents the newly recognized state at Piltover's council meetings, among them there is Silco who one day brings along Viktor, and THAT'S where sparks fly between him and a scruffy all too goody shoes named Jayce Talis, pupil of Piltover's academy and counselor Kiramman's protegée.

Literally, because they cannot stand each other at the beginning and keep snarking at each other during meetings about science, about rights, about ANYTHING really (mostly it's Viktor initiating because he's a menace and deep down he enjoys riling up Piltover's golden boy), and they keep doing it in every fucking meeting and everyone is SICK of them, until one day Heimerdinger suggests that they should work together since they are both so good at science, and they really would love to argue but EVERYONE in the council agrees, even Silco, and it would be good for image and giving the idea of a united front, so they suck it up and agree.

And then that's that forced proximity that helps them recognize each other's qualities, how Viktor is sarcastic as much as brilliant and fundementally gentle and that is snarkiness is just a defense mechanism for much more complex emotions and issues (Jayce), how behind Jayce's golden boy attitude who longs to be praised facade there is a genuine desire to learn and do good (Viktor) and they realize they do work well together, they like doing it, and... oh. Oh.

[venomwrites]

Violet Vanderson died horribly.

Vi taps the pen to her lip. Considers her next move. Caitlyn’s couch is super comfortable and she can hear her working across the room. Vi takes a deep breath, she needs to get in the right headspace. To focus. 

“You seem upset,” Caitlyn says. 

“I’m in your blindspot,” Vi reminders her. 

“You’re huffing,” Caitlyn replies evenly.

Vi rolls her eyes. 

“I heard that.”

“Bullshit. Alright listen to this,” she says and rolls onto her stomach. “Vi Vanderson died horribly. She is survived by her sister who got so high on body paint fumes she forgot Vi spent every second looking for her and would be deeply affected by her death,” she taps the pen to her lip again, “come immediately to pay your respects because as per her last wishes, Ekko is in the coffin and running out of air.”

“Vi!” Caitlyn says her name with equal parts affection and frustration, “that’s horrible.”

“Horrible enough you’d come to the funeral?” She asks hopefully. 

Caitlyn sighs and pushes herself up. Vi rolls onto her back and lifts her head as Caitlyn sits down, slipping her thigh at the nape of Vi’s neck. She’s wearing a pair of soft, expensive pants that turn her thigh into the nicest pillow ever. So nice that Vi barely protests when Caitlyn takes the obituary form and pen out of her hands. She gets one soft noise out before Caitlyn sweeps her fingers through her bangs and scratches her fingertips into Vi’s scalp. 

“She has to come if she thinks I’m dead, right?” Vi mumbles. Caitlyn digs her fingers against her scalp and Vi arches into the touch. 

“Vi Vanderson died horribly because her girlfriend got very annoyed with her writing her own obituary given the number of times she has almost died,” Caitlyn says. 

“You beat me last time,” Vi points out. Caitlyn’s fingers still, “okay okay,” Vi sighs, “Vi Vanderson died horribly because her girlfriend has pretty nails.” Caitlyn’s fingers go back to work. She drags a sound from Vi’s throat, “Vi Vanderson died horribly because this feels fucking great.

“Maybe Vi Vanderson should not be drafting her own obituary,” Caitlyn says. 

Vi has always liked the way Caitlyn says her name. Even when it was said in completely exasperation. When she’s exasperated color goes high on her cheeks and she looks so real and warm, sometimes Vi does shit just to get her to say her name like that. She likes it when she says it softly, when she moans it, she likes all of it. She’s always been Vi to Caitlyn. Violet sometimes, usually when she’s asking something serious or wanting her attention. But then she slips right back into Vi. 

Vanderson had been a gut punch split second decision. They could have just set her shoulder but Vi wasn’t leaving Caitlyn’s side. The only way to stay with someone when they had a gut wound and a gouged out eye was to get yourself admitted. Apparently screaming VI wasn’t enough for Piltover. So she had blurted out the first thing that she could think of. Vanderson. Vander was my dad. I’m from him, he’s with me no matter what I do. Where I go. Like he always has been, even when we’re worlds apart. 

Violet Vanderson. 

“I wouldn’t have to write this stupid thing if she was just—thinking straight,” Vi mutters. 

“Let’s say you write it,” Caitlyn says, “what then? We have to throw your funeral?” She frowns at the paper.

“I guess?” Vi says. Caitlyn makes a noise, “don’t worry I was only joking about the Ekko thing.”

“Vi I am not throwing you a funeral,” Caitlyn says like it’s not a brilliant idea. It’s fair play too. Jinx let her think she was dead, now she can cry over Vi’s funeral, “why don’t you just wait for her to contact you?”

“Because she won’t,” Vi says. She looks up at Caitlyn who meets her gaze with an arch of a delicate eyebrow, “she needs a trap. Wasn’t that on your board?” Caitlyn goes red, “maybe that’s why you never caught her.”

Caitlyn shakes her head and pulls her hand away. Vi almost regrets the teasing until Caitlyn clicks the pen between her wonderful, nimble fingers. 

“Vi Vanderson died horribly because she opened her mouth,” she starts. Vi parts her lips, “and finished the sentence we both know she is about to say.” 

Vi makes a face. 

“You know you like it,” she says, “Vi Vanderson died horribly because her girlfriend has no sense of humor.”

“Vi Vanderson died horribly because she keeps getting lost in the house.”

“Vi Vanderson died horribly because her girlfriend wouldn’t let her go to the fish market after—”

“You did almost die!” 

“Barely.”

Caitlyn huffs but she combs her fingers back through Vi’s hair. There’s a sound of creasing paper. Vi opens her eyes to see Caitlyn fold the obituary form into a precise shape. She gives Vi a look and flicks her wrist. The paper makes a precise loop and then dives into the fire. Vi tilts her head to watch it be devoured in the flames. She drops her head back against Caitlyn’s thigh. Caitlyn gives a satisfied smirk and goes back to rubbing Vi’s scalp

“Vi Vanderson died horribly because her girlfriend is very good with her hands.” 

[butchreg]

puppy ! regressor caitlyn kiramman headcanons !!

requested by anon. i see caitlyn as more of a bunny or kitty regressor but why can't she be a puppy too ? also i've decided that i'll turn anons back on once i've gotten through all the requests that i have. if another meanie tries something again i might turn them back off but :3.

as typical for me this post contains he/him vi ! if that's not your thing that's okay but hate / transphobia will be blocked. arcane masterlist here , upcoming list here

she's a pretty quiet pup but she follows vi around wherever he goes. she's not exactly the most threatening pup, her bark is worse than her bite but vi lets her think she's his guard dog.

puppy ! caitlyn who wears a collar with a tag that says "if lost return to mama" with vi's contact information and she's soo proud of it ! she loves the way her tags jangle as she walks, she'll stim that way sometimes !

everyone knows she's vi's puppy, sometimes people will give him little treats or toys to give to caitlyn, and people are always asking him about her. he's always happy to chat about his pup !

she's a very obedient pup, definitely a good girl, keeping her nose out of trouble. she's always there when jayce or vi calls. imagine vi coming home from a long day, patting his knees and calling for caitlyn. "yoohooo, where's caiti?" caitlyn comes running immediately, tags jangling as she runs towards vi, jumping up on him excitedly, licking his face like a real puppy would. this makes vi giggle, gently pushing her away because her licks tickle.

caitlyn will only get loud if she's left alone for too long, especially when she misses vi. she's a very loyal girl and after all she's only little, a few hours feels even longer when you're so small. she starts out with a few soft whimpers, maybe a few experimental yips. before long though she's howling, sobs wracking her body. she only stops when she's tired herself out, sobs and howls subsiding back to small whimpers. vi is heartbroken when he comes back to find cait curled up asleep on the floor, eyes swollen from crying. he pampers his baby, apologizing over and over again when she wakes up.

vi getting jinx to make caitlyn a custom dog bed which excites her so much !!! jinx pretends to be annoyed and uncomfortable when caitlyn hugs her but she can't contain a smile. vi taking so many pictures of cait in her little bed, cait so deeply regressed all she can do is babble and yip quietly.

vi and jayce getting the brilliant idea of teaching puppy ! cait tricks... it would be so chaotic Flop Duo cheering and yelling every time she does anything, feeding her too many treats because they can't get over what a cutie she is.

vi tying a little bow to caitlyn's collar, kissing her head telling her what a pretty little puppy she is.

caitlyn isn't the most playful pup, she's very laid back and calm, but she Loves squeaky toys. if someone is to squeak one around her she gets a bit rowdy until she has it in her mouth. she may even try to tug it out of their hands, though vi scolds her gently for this.

caitlyn being one of those silly puppies who does Not stop chewing on her squeaky toy even after it's sound has gotten super annoying for everyone else. being autistic she struggles to pick up on this, especially when she's so engrossed in her toy.

adding a picture of what i think her ears look like :3 i imagine her tail to have a bow as well.

[sapphiresaphics]

^^^———

I’m P.O’d because I spent 10 mins writing a response only to find they’ve blocked me. So I’m gonna do it anyway here. Let’s go!

So the reason the AU is different is because of the different circumstances of the explosion. In OUR universe the kids set off the explosion and run away. They become fugitives who stole from Piltover and blew up a building. They become low level terrorists in the eyes of Piltover.

But in the AU universe, Vi dies. The kids don’t get away. Marcus finds them crying and mourning her death. The story becomes not as mini terrorists, but as poor kids trying to survive brutalized by the negligence of Jayce (and by extension Piltover). Vi dying here becomes a wake-up call to police themselves better and to help the poor of the undercity.

And let’s not forget Heimerdinger too. He was transported into this universe 3 years before Ekko was and by his own admission has achieved wonderful things here. Given that he’s more connected to helping the undercity because of Ekko, it’s not really much of a stretch to assume that his influence helped shape the AU to become a much better place. That he frequents the Last Drop and knows the kids there is evidence of this.

Powder isn’t cured of her psychosis either. While she doesn’t have the negative catalyst of killing her family and being slapped and name-called by Vi that sets her off into becoming Jinx, she’s still struggling with the loss of Vi in the AU. Vander says as much to her. She may have had healthier coping mechanisms to get her through losing Vi, but she’s still refusing to move on despite how brilliant and smart she is.

Silco knew who the kids were. In our universe the explosion and blame on the kids gives him the opportunity to take Vander down because at this time Silco sees Vander as keeping Zaun from achieving its ultimate goal. But in the AU, the blame for the explosion is on Zaun. This would be a perfect opportunity to reach out to Vander and work with him to champion for the rights of Zaun. So while it’s nice to think that the letter helped bridge the gap, I don’t think that was the only thing that did it. I think Vi dying caused him to reach out.

And finally, there’s no Jayce. He either died in the explosion, was expelled, or killed himself for causing what happened. Either way, without him to champion the idea of Hextech, nobody else is around to MAKE Hextech. That seems pretty straightforward to me.

———

It’s amazing how this initial two paragraph “arcane critical” post requires SO MUCH unpacking. Their ignorance and refusal to see beyond the surface of the show results in them glossing over SO MUCH STUFF that to properly address it all I need to write 6 full paragraphs to explain each point! It’s SO reductive to take this AU and simplify it into “Vi dying is why it’s better.” That’s not wha the show is presenting, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to piece to clues together.

[bwat5-blog]

Breaking The Cycle: Silco and Jinx's final talk

**Spoilers For Arcane**

The relationship between Silco and Jinx is wonderfully complex and dark. Father and daughter, teacher and student, but also haunter and haunted.... People love both of these characters and rightfully so. Even Silco who I have been so harsh on is a wonderful character in his own right. Brilliant, well spoken, and so tragically twisted he cannot see how lost he has become. Jinx, for her part, is the story of a little girl whose mind is ripped apart by the violence around her, and how through her own strength as well as the love and support of those she meets along the way reclaims her soul in the face of overwhelming loss.

What I want to talk about today is this discussion between "them" in the second to last episode of the series. I have done so in a few small ways over the last few weeks but never as a focus. And every time I have been surprised to read some of the thoughts and responses to this scene. So, to that end. I thought it merited a good focused look. To any who take the time to read, thank you so much. I hope you get something out of this like I do!

How We Got Here:

Okay, we are here to discuss that scene, but that is almost at the end of the show. I have written quite a bit about both Silco and Jinx, and their relationship. Therefore I am not doing a complete and total deep dive here regarding their past. But, as I like to say context is our friend. So to understand this moment, let's at least do a quick rundown of what lead to it.

Silco, Vander and Felicia were all very good friends in Zaun when they were young. Silco and Vander were the primary architects for the idea of Zaun but Felicia was very close with them. Silco and Vander swore an oath to create a safer Zaun for Felicia's unborn child, who of course is Vi.

Sometime after Felicia's death during their revolutionary activities, Vander blames Silco and almost kills him. Leading to their complete parting of ways, Silco losing an eye, and Silco completely reinventing himself from that pain and anger.

Taking revenge, Silco abducts Vander and causes the deaths of Sheriff Grayson and Benzo. During the attempted rescue of Vander, he tries to have Vi killed, and through his actions causing the scenario to begin with is responsible for the deaths of Vander, Mylo and Claggor.

Silco takes Powder for his own and raises her as his daughter. Teaching her to weaponize her pain and anger until she starts going by Jinx and becomes a part of his operations, spreading Shimmer and fear and death throughout the Undercity.

Silco is killed during Jinx's mental breakdown while trying to convince Jinx to kill Vi instead.

Now, a few things of note moving forward regarding their relationship that are very important:

Silco Did Love JInx- Despite the darkness of their meeting. I do think Silco loved Jinx as his daughter. He is shown to be very patient and defensive of her. He is extremely distraught when she is dying on the bridge after her fight with Ekko and even more so when it seems Singed may have killed her.

That Love Was Completely And Totally Toxic- As I stated in the beginning of this document I am not doing a whole run-down on their relationship again demonstrating Silco's influence. But for a quick example; Silco knows Jinx carries a tremendous amount of unresolved trauma over losing her family. She thinks Vi is dead. Silco finds out Vi is alive and the only thing he tries to do is kill her before she can find Jinx, to prevent losing her himself.

Jinx Loves Silco- At the end of the day, regardless of how their story together began, Silco matters to Jinx. She was with him during her formative years. She was so young when Connal died she probably barely remembers him. And she has mentally distanced herself from Vander as a father figure to protect herself. (I'm not saying she doesn't care. See almost all of season two as proof that she does. I'm just saying they don't have the same bond as they might have if things had gone differently. That's all).

Life Without Him:

In the wake of Silco's death, Jinx is alone. She and Vi are worlds apart, Vander is dead, Silco is gone, and the people of the Undercity fear her. But as the story develops she starts to come back to life, little by little. Growing "closer" with Sevika, Isha coming into her life. These things and more slowly start to open her world in a way that is more than death and destruction, especially when she reconnects with Vi.

But we do see hints of how Silco's legacy influences her.

Life With Isha-

In the months since the battle against Vi and Caitlyn, Jinx has found a measure of piece in living quietly with Isha. She stays out of the public eye. She has not fought against the Noxians or Enforcers. Her whole life is with this little girl who quite literally fell on her. And while of course there are bigger things at work, and we understand that this small world she has made for herself cannot last, we need to remember how we left things with Jinx. On her back, urging Vi to kill her. So how does Silco's memory intrude?:

Sevika comes in, wanting Jinx to take part in their upcoming rally. And when Jinx refuses Sevika grows frustrated:

S- "Silco spent his whole life trying to rally the undercity together.. stupid joke that it is, you have the chance to pull it off."

J- "I told you, I'm not interested".

S- "Do you know how much he sacrificed to protect you?!.. he believed in your potential". (As soon as she slams her fist down Jinx starts breathing heavy, glitching, eyes wide)

J- "well then he shouldn't have died!"

Cut to Silco's former office...

"Still giving me the silent treatment"

We listen as Jinx speaks to the open air, spinning Silco's old chair. What it basically comes to is she feels she probably owes him being that symbol (the idea of her owing him anything is completely outrageous but we aren't going there right now), but is afraid of losing what she has with Isha. She says he should speak up if he wants her to be his rebel leader otherwise, he really is gone. And there is no reason for her to stay.

Isha Taken-

Isha being taken at the rally is what drives Jinx back into the world against her will. Back into the violence and the death. And why did Isha attend that rally? Sevika came and spoke of Jinx's responsibility. Of Silco's sacrifice. Now, let me totally clear. Isha is a wild-child and was already doing stuff at the checkpoints and painting images for the rebellion. I am not putting this on Sevika in turns of blame. My point, is that it all comes back to Silco. Silco's shadow slithered into her peace and now, it's gone. And as we see, in this moment he is not comforting, or reassuring as a specter. He is another mocking demon in a moment of loss.

So what does this all mean:

The death of Silco, while incredibly emotional and traumatic for Jinx, was the beginning of her freedom. Even in death, Silco's reputation, his legacy, his actions, they all cast a shadow over Jinx that she cannot get away from. The people of Piltover see the monster Silco made her into, the people of Zaun see her as his heir. The one who can unite the Undercity in glorious revolution. All she wants is to be with Isha....

She can't get away from it. And through plot, and visual story telling the show is NOT vague about this. "Still giving me the silent treatment" implies she has tried to talk to him since his death. When does she finally see him? When she is angry, and scared for Isha, and pushing back against the shadows in her mind.

I am willing to admit that it's probably just my dislike of him (again as a villain he is amazing but I'd chuck him in a meatgrinder in person). But the way I see that image above is that after Jinx tearfully said he needed to speak up or it would mean he was really gone in his old office.. here he is laughing at her in a moment of darkness and rage.

"Haha, you wanted me. Here I am"..

In the Bunker:

J- "go away.. you're too late" S- "oh, it's a hell of a place. It says something about the late Marcus that he found imprisoning your sister to be a greater mercy than killing her" J- "killing isn't mercy" S- "a spark of rebellion still burns inside that husk, I see. No. Killing is a cycle. One that started long before Vander and me. And one that will continue long after the two of you. J- "I'm done running in circles' S- We build our own prisons. Bars forged of oaths, codes, commitments. Walls of self-doubt and accepted limitation. We inhabit these cells, these identities, we call them us. I thought I could break free by eliminating those I deemed my jailers. But... Jinx.. I think the cycle only ends when you find the will to walk away".

Okay, we come at last to the scene I really wanted to dig into here. Jinx is in the Kiramman bunker, not Stillwater as some folks seem to have missed. She has lost Isha. She has just spoken with Caitlyn, she is quiet, and weak, and sounds so.. so exhausted. Her hair is undone, she isn't eating, and she has been picking at the skin of her fingers. She is truly in a very dark place.

But it is so.. so different than the darkness we are used to from her. There is no glitching, no fits of rage or empty pained laughter. For all the pain she is in and the clear, crushing depression, there is also a clarity she has not really ever shown. She apologizes to Caitlyn in her way, she finally can see how much Vi loves her and how much she loves Vi in return. In giving up, in surrendering all of those horrible battles in her mind and laying them down because she intends to end her life, she is seeing things more clearly than she has ever been able to. And it is in this state we get the above exchange.

Now, I have seen some various gripes about this across several places. Here are a few:

Silco has been reduced to being a pro-piltover mouthpiece.

By hearing it from Silco we are seeing jinx hasn't really progressed.

The scene doesn't make sense because Silco would never say this.

Regarding the accusations of character assassination of Silco:

Silco as his own character, including his own story, beliefs, ideals and values, is completely and utterly irrelevant to this scene. This is not about what he would or wouldn't do if he were alive, because he isn't. At the risk of stating the extremely obvious, Jinx is alone in this place. But even as far as she has come her mind is still not whole. So in this terrible moment of loss and pain as she is on the cusp of a realization that will change her life forever, who Silco was does not matter. He is simply the pencil her mind is using to write the lesson in a way she can understand.

Regarding the accusation that seeing him means Jinx has not learned or progressed:

This moment is without a doubt, one of the most important moments in all of Jinx's development to me. She is seeing Silco because for better or worse she views him as a father figure. He has become the lens through which she at least partially views the world.

Remember this?:

When Vi was hurt, and alone , and wanted so badly to give up it was Vander she saw and heard in her mind. So as Jinx is processing this revelation, that she doesn't want to keep being this person anymore. She doesn't want to keep killing, to keep running in circles, to be a revolutionary or a terrorist anymore and she just wants it all to stop this conversation is how her mind does this.

Take away Silco from this moment and what are we left with: Jinx realizing that the only way for the horror to end is to walk away.

Let the message come from Silco in its way: Jinx's mind freeing itself of Silco's influence and what she feels she owes him because he is telling her it's okay to walk away.

CONCLUSION:

In this moment, Jinx is essentially, giving herself permission to turn away from the pain and death of her history. Away from the guilt of who she has been and even away from the corrupting tendrils of Silco's legacy. She applies this same lesson to what she does with Vi, giving Vi permission to start living for herself again and stop dwelling on the pain of their past.

Now of course, what she does with Vi is based in love, and right now she has come to believe that she herself is not worthy of said love. There is no good version of her in her mind. And thankfully she is able to be pulled out of that darkness by Ekko. But what we are seeing here regardless of her plans, is the clarity to realize that as long as she and Vi stay shackled to their pain, it will just keep repeating over and over.

Thank you for reading, have a a great day!

**Y'all I know I repeat this every time but I think it's important. So much of Jinx's story is impacted by her mental health especially the state she is in during this part of her story. I AM NOT in any way, shape, or form a mental health professional. I am just a fan doing my best to understand what I think is one of the best stories and one of it's best characters in my lifetime. Thank you**

[1d1195]

Traditional Extra VI

Read Traditional here

Here's a little angsty bit from our lovely (jealous) MC this time around based on this ask

~4.5 k words

“I think you should talk to him.”

“No way,” she snorted. “Do you know how embarrassing that would be? And pathetic.”

Louis laughed. “The man has literally fired his best friend over jealousy of you. This is nothing,” he promised with a shake of his head.

“You don’t need to go with me, baby.”

“M’not arguing ‘bout this,” Harry muttered holding the door open for her to go through first. As she passed him, he glared at the cast on her delicate arm. For the last six weeks he looked at it loathingly. It hurt him to know she was in pain those early weeks, shaken, and physically broken.

Fortunately, it was the last day of glaring at it.

Things were better at Styles Incorporated. Her brilliant idea of course was beyond helpful, lifesaving in more ways than one. Harry was certain without it he would have had to make some deep cuts and would have ruined an innumerable number of his employees’ lives. They didn’t even know she was responsible for the idea.

Thanking her would never ever be enough.

Niall wasn’t fired anymore. She brought Harry tea every day at quarter past one. His office was spruced up with new furniture and electronics once more. Niall caught M&Ms in his mouth that she tossed from her desk and passed notes to her during meetings. Everything was right again.

Except her fragile arm. After the first week, she claimed it didn’t bother her (it didn’t, truly; but Harry was miserable about it). It was a little inconvenient. Showering was a challenge, but Harry rarely let her do that on her own without a broken bone, so it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Having sex with a cast on was also her least favorite. There was nothing un-sexier than a honking plaster on her forearm. Harry swore it didn’t even register in his brain.

I hope this doesn’t bother you... But m’never looking at your forearm when we’re in bed whether y’have a cast or not.

So, there was that.

Harry was still Louis’ least favorite person. It made him extremely anxious; in some ways, he was more worried about Louis’ feelings for him than her arm being broken or even the state of his company. There was no her if Louis didn’t like him. She reassured him that he was being extra, and she would speak to him, but he was certain Louis would melt him with his eyes if he could.

“It wasn’t his fault, Louis!” She whined laying across the sofa dramatically. “You’re being the worst right now!”

Louis shrugged. “I don’t like that you got broken.”

“It’s not like Harry was the one that crashed into me or snapped my arm,” she reminded him.

“I don’t care; you shouldn’t have left.”

She groaned. “So blame me!”

“Never,” he shook his head decidedly. Even getting Eleanor to talk him off the ledge was no help. Louis was almost unbearably stubborn. Eleanor swore she would keep working on him.

Once the cast was off, she was hoping it would go back to normal.

That day was today. She waltzed up to the counter to check in and then sat beside Harry on the hard plastic chairs. He was on the phone while she checked in, speaking in hushed whispers so as not to bother the others in the waiting room. It was definitely a business call—it was the middle of the day and she almost got away with leaving without him knowing and fussing but Niall told him.

Niall walked toward their office when he dropped Harry off at the elevator beside her.

“Tattle tale,” she glared at his retreating figure. He turned his head over his shoulder and winked at her with a telling smile that he didn’t care at all.

Harry frowned. “Kitten,” he sounded so hurt waiting alongside her. “Why didn’t y’tell me?” He pouted.

She sighed. “Because you’ve been so fussy. They’re just going to take it off. Plus, it’ll smell and—”

The elevator pinged with its arrival cutting her off from listing anything else. The nice thing about riding the elevator with the CEO was rarely did anyone want to be caught in the elevator with Harry. It meant they often got to make out privately in the middle of the workday. Harry stood at the back, leaning against the handrail. He looked at the ceiling as they descended the floors with the world’s weariest sigh. She stood beside him and tilted her head up as well. “I’m tired of you being upset about it.”

“You’re the most important thing in the world t’me, kitten,” he reminded her. “M’not taking this lightly.”

She smiled sadly at him. “I know. I know, baby. But you’re... it’s not your fault. And I don’t need you to be here for this. I know you’re busy. I saw your schedule. That’s why I didn’t tell you about it. If you had the time I would—”

“I’m never too busy for you,” his look was nearly ferocious. Intense and serious. Way too much for getting her cast sawed off on Thursday. He grabbed her hand and twined their fingers together. “Y’have t’know that,” he whispered. “I’d...I’d give up everything for you.”

“I don’t want that,” she shook her head with a little eye roll, but the gravity of his words ached her heart. She could feel each syllable shaking her body and soul.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She smiled. “Say it again,” she teased.

He chuckled pressing his forehead to hers and pecked her lips quickly. “I love you,” he repeated.

“Again.”

“I love you,” he promised and cupped her face between his hands and kissed her until the elevator brought them to the main floor.

“You can stay out here while it gets cut off,” she offered when he ended the call and scrolled through a plethora of texts and emails.

“Absolutely not,” he murmured without looking up from his phone.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her good arm around her stomach and let the cast arm lay limply in her lap. He was way too overdressed. It wasn’t his fault. He was just dressed for work. A button down tucked into a pair of fitted slacks. He looked like a model for Armani. She stared at him and looked at her outfit—having known she was leaving early for the cast cutting, she wore a pair of leggings and a jersey dress over it. She was comfortable—not overdressed but still presentable for work. She looked like a mess in comparison to Harry.

“S’matter?” he asked glancing from his phone. “Are you in pain?”

“You look really nice,” she murmured.

He smirked and shook his head. “Yeah? S’that make y’sad?”

“I look like a goblin right now.”

He chuckled, tucking his phone back in his pocket. He shook his head. “You look beautiful. You always do.”

“Hey Harry, what are you doing here?”

They turned to the sound of the woman standing at the door leading to the patient rooms. The woman was stunning. Even in scrubs, with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Her cheekbones were sharp and accented by the prettiest contoured makeup she had ever seen. Her eyelashes were full and lovely. She was almost certain they were natural.

Her jaw dropped a bit just looking at her, seeing that she very obviously knew Harry.

“Oh, hi, Soph,” Harry stood and cleared his throat. “Um... my girlfriend,” he gestured holding his hand out for her to take and she rose to her feet. “Her cast is coming off today.”

“Oh, you can come this way. Sorry! That was a bit unprofessional. Just surprised to see Harry,” Soph smiled sweetly and gestured for the pair of them to walk through the door. She glanced at Harry as she followed behind the pretty woman in scrubs. Harry looked a little paler. If she wasn’t so obsessed with him, she might not have noticed the change in his expression. But she had seen the worry in his eyes hidden behind the careful front he managed to keep composed when he talked with other businessmen and businesswomen. Usually when they said something that irked him because he disagreed with their philosophy or work ethic—Harry was good at what he did and had been for a while. It was hard to listen to all but bad ideas.

But she hadn’t seen it in relation to a woman she had never heard of. Was Soph short for Sophia or Sophie? Or something else? How did he know her? Why did he call her by a nickname?

“How’s your arm feel?” She asked gesturing for her to sit on the patient table while she walked to the counter to type on the chart on the tablet she carried.

“It’s fine. I think it could have come off two weeks ago,” she said still feeling weary about how Harry knew her. Harry rolled his eyes.

“She’s been trying t’rush the healing process,” Harry said.

Soph smirked. “I don’t blame you,” she said looking back at her. “It’s no fun with a cast. I was in a splint for my ankle after an ice-skating thing, remember how irritated I was?” Her question was directed to Harry. She felt the pit of her stomach churn and warm with anxiety.

Harry smirked at the memory almost instinctively. “I remember,” he mumbled quietly. It felt like a knife had been twisted in her heart. She hoped her face wasn’t betraying her internal feelings.

Soph pulled the saw off the table that would cut the plaster off her arm. She had trouble focusing on what Soph was saying because she was almost unbearably pretty. Soph went through the standard cast-cutting procedures as if she said it a hundred times a day and showed her how the saw wouldn’t cut her, pressed it to her own hand as proof and reminded her to speak up if for whatever reason she felt pain and wanted to take a breather.

“You two know each other?” She couldn’t help but ask while she sliced through the plaster. Harry was staring at her arm and nothing else.

“Like four years ago,” she smiled softly. “I was in college; my roommate was an intern at Styles Incorporated. She hated it there,” she laughed quietly. “But she brought me to the holiday party, and I asked for a drink at the bar and this guy bumped into me; spilled my drink all over me. I was glad I was wearing a dark colored dress.”

“Niall shoved me,” he grumbled looking away briefly to hide the irritation he felt over the little faux pas.

“It wasn’t a big deal. Obviously, I was used to frat house parties so having a nice Chardonnay spill on me was a lot better than party punch,” she rolled her eyes. “He was beside himself though,” she glanced at Harry with this knowing smile that made it seem like a secret. Harry’s lips twisted slightly in a half smirk. Her insides twisted again, and she had to remind herself internally to keep calm. They had a private thing. Something she didn’t know about.

Harry was clearly with this very pretty girl. Someone he obviously cared about. Sure, it was ages ago, but it was everything she feared. That stupid woman from one of the worst days of her life was right. Harry didn’t date plain girls. Not if Soph was any indication. “Have you been dating long?” Soph asked.

“Just...” she shook her head trying to do the math and feeling pathetic that it didn’t add up to much. “Just about a year,” she murmured.

“Officially,” Harry added quickly. “We dated for about six months prior,” he reminded her and told Soph like it was necessary she knew.

“That’s sweet,” she cooed kindly. Her smile was genuine. Soph was genuine. There wasn’t an ounce of jealousy or cattiness in her voice seeing Harry. She wasn’t sure she would feel the same way if the roles were reversed which made her inferiority ache in her stomach and chest more. “Well,” Soph had excitement in her voice. “Here it is,” she smiled and pulled the plaster and cushioning off her arm in two pieces. “It might be a little stiff. Regular over the counter medicine will help alleviate any final pain from the muscle stretching a bit more freely. But you’re good to go,” she patted her arm.

She shook her head trying to remind herself that she was supposed to be polite. But the feeling of inadequacy washed over her. “Thank you,” she said kindly. “I love your nails,” because she did. They were pink for Valentine’s Day maybe and the little hearts on the ring finger were adorable. It also made her notice that she didn’t have a ring.

“Oh thanks! I am actually really disappointed in my nail place—I need these off, but I don’t want to go back to where I went—they’re so outgrown,” she frowned. “I’ve been trying for ages to find a good one.”

“Oh,” she pulled out her phone. “I go to this place—not very often, admittedly. But they’re good,” she offered and held her screen out to show her.

“Thank you so much, that’s awesome! Your nails look so healthy and lovely, I noticed while I was cutting  the cast off. You don’t even have a color on them and I’m so jealous of them,” at least the feeling was mutual. “Would you mind texting me the name?” She asked with a kind smile. “Harry probably still has my number,” she turned to Harry for confirmation.

This time Harry’s posture was as stiff as her arm. He cleared his throat. “Mm.”

“Perfect,” Soph smiled as if she hadn’t a clue how weird this all was. As if she wasn’t aware of the anxiety and jealousy coursing through her. Maybe she was a good actress. “It was nice meeting you!” Soph chirped sweetly. “Nice to see you, Harry,” she pressed her hand on his arm as she passed out the door and left the pair of them to leave behind her.

*

Harry chatted on the phone while he drove back to Styles Incorporated. Normally, she listened in on the phone calls trying to help as best she could when needed. Muting his call when she had something important to add or a tidbit of information, a file, or something to help with the call.

But the feeling of inadequacy was the only thing she could focus on during the car ride. She scrolled through her phone and tried to ignore the images of someone so pretty with Harry. She was a good three inches taller than her. Her skin was flawless. She looked like she worked out often. The thought of her in Harry’s personal space made her feel sick.

She was nothing like her.

How could Harry want someone like her when he had dated someone like Soph?

“Y’okay, beautiful?” He asked. “Your arm hurt?” He wondered, reaching over and placing his hand on her thigh. He gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Just kind of tired all of a sudden. Skipped our coffee.”

He smiled softly. “I was going t’stop on the way,” he promised.

“Thank you.”

“’Course, kitten.”

*

She hoped the feelings of inadequacy would have dissipated by now but after tracking down Soph’s phone number she even sent her a pic of her new nails thanking her for the recommendation.

An M&M hit the side of her head. “You okay, darling?” Niall asked.

It was hard to keep it in. “Do you know Harry’s ex, Soph?” She asked.

“Sophie?” He blinked in surprise. Her heart felt heavy knowing her full name. “Yeah...they dated a while back...uh...for like a year, maybe? She was in college. Harry was only just getting Styles Incorporated under way. The second or third year?”

A year?

She nodded. “She cut my cast off,” she explained.

“Oh,” Niall tilted his head. “Was she...mean?”

“No, she was...really nice.”

“Yeah. I kind of figured. She always was.” As awful as it felt to watch Soph and Harry share a smile at the fond memory of ice-skating—even if it ended with her in a splint—knowing that Niall thought she was nice was somehow just as awful. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked. “Is your arm bothering you?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine. Just a little distracted. I didn’t sleep well,” she lied.

“You should go home, I think Harry left for a lunch meeting,” Niall explained.

“He left?” She asked quietly.

Niall smirked biting his lip. “Sorry, darling. He pushed the lunch meeting to today so he could go to the hospital with you the other day.”

She hated when he did that.

“Okay,” she sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

She gathered her belongings trying to feel less ridiculous but unable to quell the frustration she felt. “Call me if you need something,” she reminded him.

“Always, darling. Same to you,” he eyed her suspiciously.

*

Louis was glad her arm was freed of the cast. “Maybe you should get my name tattooed on it,” he suggested missing his name across the entire plaster more than he hated the reason for the cast. She snorted.

Eleanor was still at work, but Louis returned to their place early per her request. They sat on the sofa, watching a movie and snacking on popcorn and candy. “Do you want to tell me why I left work early?” He asked.

She shook her head. “It’s stupid.”

“Trouble in paradise?” He questioned.

“Drop it, Louis,” she muttered stuffing a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

He did.

For like four minutes. “Did Harry mess up?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing Louis, I’m being ridiculous.”

Another minute. “Are you finally mad about him breaking your arm?”

“Can you not be a child for like, five minutes?”

“Probably not.”

She sighed and pressed her palms against the length of her face and kept them over her eyes. “Harry’s ex cut my cast off,” she mumbled. “She was beautiful and nice,” she explained. “It was so humbling. I’m nothing like her. She was this dainty fairy and I looked like a potato farmer in comparison,” she sighed.

“Babe,” Louis frowned. His voice was gentle. Him acting like a child finally ceased. “Obviously I’m still mad at Harry—”

“Stupid,” she grumbled.

“–But that man loves you more than anyone has ever loved anybody. Except me with El of course,” he reminded her. “There’s a reason they didn’t work out.”

She bit the inside corner of her lip and tried to stop the feeling of tears in her eyes from surfacing. “She was so pretty, Louis,” she whispered. “It wasn’t even close.”

“But Harry loves you,” he repeated. “I know I’m being a little ridiculous about my frustration toward him, but honestly, there’s no one I trust with you more than him. He would probably break every bone in his body for you still.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“I think you should talk to him.”

“No way,” she snorted. “Do you know how embarrassing that would be? And pathetic.”

Louis laughed. “The man has literally fired his best friend over jealousy of you. This is nothing,” he promised with a shake of his head. Her phone vibrated with a message. “Speak of the devil?” Louis asked. She ignored him reading the message from Harry.

Niall said you weren’t feeling well. Hope everything is okay... Let me know what you want for dinner. See you later, kitten xx Tell Louis I said hi (and I’m sorry.)

“Can you imagine your ex-boyfriend doing that for you?” Louis asked reading over her shoulder.

She sighed and put her phone faced down. “Just tell him?”

Louis nodded. “Communication, babe. You might even get to have really hot sex after too.”

She spared her best friend of the details that all of their sex was really hot.

*

Harry had laid out a feast for the two of them when she arrived home. ���Whoa, it smells good in here,” she called from the entryway kicking her shoes off. The relief flooded him. Niall told him she left early while he was gone, and it made him almost crazy immediately. It shouldn’t have, he had her location (she had his too) and he knew she was at Louis’...but it was more than that. She had been off all weekend. Less chatty with him. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes which always happened right before she got sick. She had gotten a nasty cold twice since he knew her, and he also remembered her cycle messing with her regular, adorable self.

He hurried around the corner to look at her. She was in a black turtleneck with a pair of tweed overalls. She was so pretty it hurt his chest and he had seen her at work, and he still felt speechless. As much as he loved to get a peek at her cleavage, he thought the turtleneck was so sexy and she looked like a princess. Her hair was twisted in a clip, a few pieces falling forward to frame her face. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked. “Are you okay?”

“God, you’re beautiful,” he sighed dreamily.

She laughed and looked at her feet briefly, her face warming at his compliment. “Thank you, baby.”

He pulled her into his chest and kissed the top of her head. “Are y’okay?” He asked. “M’worried. Y’were a little off all weekend. Like when y’get sick. I made y’some comfort food,” he explained. She nodded against his chest. He had swapped out his work clothes for a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

“M’fine,” she murmured in his shirt. She inhaled his heavenly scent and tried to steel herself to be brave and have the conversation she needed to have.

“Yeah? Y’seem sad, kitten. Tell me s’matter and I’ll fix it.”

She bit the inside of her lip. Part of her knew it would break Harry’s heart for her feelings of inadequacy. He had done nothing but adore her and she knew that. It was just... well, she couldn’t help the shake to her confidence (or lack thereof) seeing the pretty, nice girl who knew Harry intimately. “Is dinner ready or can we sit outside for a minute?” She asked. With her face still pressed to his chest, her body caged in his arms, she could feel his heartbeat flutter. She thought it was weird.

“We can sit outside,” he murmured and released everything but her hand and tugged her to the cold bed outside. Harry flipped on the heated lamp and aimed it toward the bed. She pulled a blanket from the basket near the swinging furniture and climbed onto the mattress. She waited for Harry to join her and wrapped the blanket around him, especially with his short sleeves.

“I have to tell—”

“Are you breaking up with me?” He blurted.

“Oh, for the love of God,” she rolled her eyes. “No Harry, of course not. You’re stuck with me,” she gave him a squeeze now understanding the flutter of his heart against her cheek was anxiety.

His relief deflated out of him in a sigh. “Oh,” he sighed. “Then what’s wrong?” He frowned. She closed her eyes and tucked her face into his collarbone. He rubbed her back soothingly, brushed his lips on her hairline. “Kitten,” he murmured. “Y’can tell me anything. M’sorry you’re upset—”

“I’m jealous,” she whispered.

He blinked, pulled back a bit from her so he could peer awkwardly at her face. “Jealous?” He repeated.

She closed her eyes and nodded. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

“Jealous of what?”

“Soph,” her voice was so quiet Harry wasn’t sure he heard her right.

“Who?”

“Oh, stop it, Harry,” she grumbled.

“Kitten, I have no idea who you’re—oh. Oh,” there was a long pause. “You’ve been upset since Thursday?” He asked. “Why didn’t y’tell me?”

“Cause it’s embarrassing.”

He snorted. “Kitten, I fired m’best friend in a jealous rage,” he reminded her. “Y’have nothing on me.” She imagined when she told Louis about this, that not even the embarrassment she felt would feel as bad as Louis’ smug I told you so. “Did I do something t’make y’uncomfortable?” He asked. She could see his mind spinning thinking back to Thursday and the entire interaction.

“Harry,” she sighed and looked at his green eyes filled with concern for her. His gaze was gentle. It felt like a hug in itself just to be looked at him. “She is so pretty.”

“So?”

He was going to make her say it. “I look nothing like her,” she whispered.

“Well, ‘course not. You are much more beautiful,” he shrugged casually.

“Harry,” she whined and pressed her face into his chest.

“Are you jealous because you think she’s prettier?” He asked, tilting her warm-shamed face back up to look at her with those beautiful eyes. “Kitten,” he frowned.

“I am not jealous because I think she’s prettier,” she grumbled and looked down at her nose to avoid his gaze. “I know she’s prettier,” she mumbled.

He clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “Kitten, s’absolutely wrong,” he promised. “You are infinitely more beautiful than her. Look at how pretty y’look right now. And every time y’hold a door open for someone? Or how you jus’ know what I need in every meeting before I do. Or for anyone. The kindness y’have for everyone you meet. You were jealous of her and y’still told her where t’get her nails done,” he reminded her. “She would never do that. She’s pretty and nice but there is no comparison t’you, my love. We dated ages ago and it didn’t work. S'no reason t'be jealous of her.”

“I know but—”

“Kitten, I don’t think you would ever make out with someone else while we were dating; even if y’were drunk and at a college party,” he explained silencing her completely. Her lips parted slightly in surprise trying to process it. “We were at different stages in life. I was too busy for a girlfriend while m’company was starting. She wanted t'have fun in college. M’glad she’s happy. But when she told me she kissed someone else, I was relieved,” he explained. “It hurt a bit, but it was jus’ easier t’let go of something I knew wasn’t really right for me.”

“She made out with someone else?” She asked in shock. “How could she do that while dating you?”

Harry laughed loudly. He nuzzled his face against her ear and kissed the side of her head. “S’exactly why I know y’have nothing t’be jealous of, kitten,” he whispered. “M’so in love with you. I think if y'made out with someone else, I would probably kill him,” he admitted. “I didn’t feel that way with her,” he was quiet for a few moments. “Does that make y’feel better?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“M’sorry if I didn’t make y’feel beautiful or perfect, kitten. Y’very much are. Think I’d lose m’mind without you.”

She frowned slightly. “You always make me feel beautiful.”

“S’because you are,” he murmured and kissed her softly on the lips until he pulled away and kissed her forehead. “Y’ready for dinner?” He asked.

She nodded, but stopped him before he fully climbed off the bed. She gabbed his face and kissed him again, a smile on his lips as he kissed her back. “I love you,” she sighed softly when she broke away. His gaze was soft looking at her eyes again.

“Say it again,” he whispered, making her giggle.

--

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[yesbothways]

Any decent reads floating around where the Arcane creators themselves talk about their ideas for Caitlyn's story arc? Some of these reads here on tumblr are missing most of what happened, maybe on purpose, maybe not. I thought it was pretty clear that in season 1, Caitlyn was a class traitor and also Vi's OTP. She breaks the law to continue to investigate and uncover the corruption of Silco and Marcus and to let Vi out of prison, risks her life while sustaining injuries yet endures on, brings Vi and speaks before the Council in a way (along with Jayce and some other players aligning with her) that leads to the vote for Zaun's independence. There are multiple moments where we see Vi look at her in genuine surprise, and I think it's clear that solidarity and vision is why Vi is falling in love with her. The show is primarily interested in complexity and how small characters are compared with what's happening, especially cycles of violence. So there was about zero chance that Caitlyn's story would go that one way the entire time. The way they carefully crafted the set up of Caitlyn's mom voting for Zaun's independence at the moment of being murdered by Jinx, Caitlyn talking to Jayce about trying to integrate the complexity and loss of what happened and hold on to her core ethic, her fixating on her chance to have prevented her mother's murder with a little more willingness to use force and violence with her confessing to her grieving father, "I had the shot," and repeating to Vi, "I had the shot, and you stopped me," and the way she snapped when Vi compared her to her mother's murderer all maintained the integrity of her character for me while pushing her past an extreme. Which is what this show does to characters.

And I thought how young and naive she was in season 1 despite being intensely perceptive set us up to see how without her alliance with Vi she would reasonably get played by someone brilliant and experienced like Ambessa in collusion with people like Maddie who present a facade of something she believes in. Caitlyn's power suddenly rises when she inherits her suddenly lost mother's power, and she essentially stands in the hole Marcus left as the only person who knows what's going on who isn't also a part of it. Ambessa then drastically accelerates that consolidation of power around her by getting the city leaders to collectively declare martial law and appointing her the commander. Caitlyn's character was set up to reject that foray into unchecked use of power, and the theme that it's love that causes the sort of confusion she had during that whole era gets laid out in words as a theme in the show.

They also had Vi say openly to Cait that she would do anything to bring her mother back if she could, and when Cait then got the completely unprecedented chance to bring Vi's father back, she completely flipped and tried as hard as she could to help make that happen. She nearly dies multiple times for those choices, not even going into all the details they put into the final duel with Ambessa. She even says aloud to Jinx, "In hating you, I've hated myself," and then lets Vi let Jinx completely free before the final battle. Caitlyn is a game-changing character, because of the choices she makes. And I think she makes sense as an OTP for Vi specifically. That's even with the pivot to seeing how wrong it could go instead in S2 during the time when Caitlyn starts making the choices people with power tend to make. I feel like it's a real thing that right now some people just cannot do both the lived experiences with the realities of police violence and rise of fascism in the USA and themes in a fantasy show that evoke those. And that is honestly totally fair to me. But I'm seeing folks saying that Caitlyn and Vi going down with the strike team and destroying shimmer while fighting the gangs that were fighting each other for Silco's organized crime operation was Caitlyn ruining Vi's character. Vi was literally going to go do that by herself and probably die, and the Enforcers before Caitlyn got involved were definitely not going to do any of that. They have a shared mission and vision, and that is the crazy, unprecedented thing their love forms around. I think all of the stuff that happens is extremely complex on purpose. I have never loved villains more than I did Silco and Jinx. And Viktor. My God, Viktor. Seeing Zaun thriving in a world without hextech while in our main world also seeing how Jayce responded to causing the death of one boy and how Viktor reacted to the death of Skye when they are essentially responsible for a drastic deepening of inequality and crimes against humanity was a total mind-trip. At one point, Viktor's human face split in half and another non-human face emerged... like I genuinely don't know if it is actually possible for this show to be more complex. And I do think Caitlyn and the love story between Caitlyn and Vi is as rich and complex as anything else, and it really works for me on those terms.