#caitlyn stan

[chronicsyd]

and of Course when I announce a break something ELSE happens. so, if you aren't caught up on the Arcane side of tiktok apparently someone got a Mel funko instead of a Caitlyn one and proceeded to use their Vi gauntlet to smash it (because switching it out just Wasn't an option right? I mean if i WERE going to smash any of them my pick would be Heimerdinger but that would just be a waste of my time/money)

Was this a racially motivated thing? I wouldn't doubt it, Mel faces the Brunt of the racism from the fandom.

HERE'S my issue though:

I've seen more callouts against Caitlyn and Caitlyn stans in the past 24-48hrs than I've seen against Jayvik stans who've had Worse behavior towards Mel in the past Three Years I've been apart of this fandom (like we Literally JUST went over the Mel organ harvesting thing people!). People have been going ON AND ON about how All Caitlyn stans are bad and apparently we're All racist because of ONE person being a little shit; and NOW we're jumping into the "Caitvi's the Worst ship I've ever seen and you're disgusting for shipping it!" like if you're a complete PUSSY who can't handle complex characters and storytelling JUST say that. Because Caitvi? not even in the top 10 worst, and this is coming from someone who used to get death threats for saying Ezaria was shit.

like most of us Caitlyn and Mel stans have been ride or die together because we've faced the Brunt of the shit from this damn fandom.

and then there's the irony of people being racist towards Caitlyn calling characters like Vi and Jinx "POC" over her like Those two aren't the most UNDENIABLY WHITE women in the ENTIRE SHOW. like once again trying SO hard to be "politically correct" that you swing and miss entirely.

so all that being said, any Caitlyn or Mel stans in the crowd? we can band together against this nonsense :)

[atomicjellyb3an]

Katie Leung watching the Caitlyn discourse online after season 2

crying bc she basically said “idk why people are hating her so much”

nobody is a bigger caitlyn fan than her own VA and i love that for her

[snakes-of-the-undercity]

DIVORCES

SO MANY DIVORCES

OR DEATH

ALL THE HOMOSEXUALS ARE EITHER DIVORCED OR DEAD

[im-not-a-virgo-im-a-lesbo]

If I see one more fucking person saying "oh well it was really fucking shitty of caitlyn to go in and expect sex from vi after jinx left her in the cell" I'm going to run away and live in a cave

Need I remind you all that Vi basically said, "I've lost everyone, including you, I am expecting you to ridicule me for it." And Caitlyn's IMMEDIATE RESPONSE was, "No, I'm choosing you because I love you."

People joke about how flirtatious the predictable line sounded, but to me, that was Caitlyn trying to lighten the situation, and for the fucking love of God, Vi was the the one who initiated.

Everyone seems to be like, "Caitlyn's a terrible person who only wanted to have sex with Vi." And they just. Forget. That it was Vi. Who initiated it in the first place.

I'm going to lose my mind, guys

[ematini]

So I was thinking about the whole music videos situation in Arcane and guess what, I once again have something to say. No surprises there.

Arcane soundtrack is absolutely amazing, that's true for both seasons, but compared to season 2, season 1 contains significantly fewer montages. In season 2, music isn't just a background for current events. Instead, we get montages, which are basically used as a skip forward button for the show's time skips of unspecified length. A mandatory "Hey, that's what's going on in the world, but we don't have time for that. Now, back to our favorite character!"

Visually, they're gorgeous, but that's not what Arcane was originally praised for. They're more eye-catching music videos than actual storytelling. Good for Riot's promotional material, but when you put them in the middle of an episode? It makes the originally full world of arcane feel like an empty board on which characters play without any real impact on the world around them. Sure, it can be done well, like they did with Firelight's introduction in season 1, but not when it's used to tell very important parts of the story that SHOULD have an impact.

It's abundantly clear in episode 3.

Yep, that infamous part. We montage through Caitlyn using the Grey in Zaun and move past it. That's it. No real influence on the story, characters, or the world.

Imagine if they used the same approach on Jayce and Vi storming the Shimmer factory. If, instead of a mission going wrong, they showed us a montage of them taking over one factory after the other.

I know someone will come screaming "Oh, but they Grey wasn't used on civilians!" Well guess what, Jayce and Vi didn't want to hurt civilians either, that wasn't their intention, just an accident. Are you telling me that during Caitlyn's Strike Team Adventures™, no kid suddenly got in the way? No one was running away in panic and got punched in the face? They were dismantling Shimmer factories too. What happened to all the kids there? None of them panicked at the sight of five fully armed Enforcers?

That is exactly the issue with how they handled that topic and why people are so quick to defend this and Caitlyn's actions and honestly, i get the thought process. It's the writing's fault. Everyone is always screaming about media literacy, show don't tell, you don't have to be shown every single detail, the show shouldn't dwell on it, etc. But the moment they don't literally show us this on screen, people forget about the consequences of the last failed strike attempt at Zaun's criminal underground. They're are quick to say that everything worked out fine, no need to nitpick. But is it nitpicking, if the show made that clear before?

You can't just storm in and take over. Innocent people will get hurt. That's the conclusion Jayce walks away from this. That's the reality of the situation. But it's conveniently forgotten about when the writers don't want to deal with said consequences.

[homuraakemis]

I find it quite ridiculous when people hate on Caitlyn for hitting Vi and say that Caitlyn was "abusive" to Vi while at the same time saying that Vi should have ran after Jinx and stayed with Jinx and put Jinx above everyone else. Because if we actually compare how these two characters treat Vi, Jinx is the one that has been constantly violent towards Vi.

Let's make a list of how each of these characters has treated Vi.

Caitlyn

Violent behavior towards Vi:

Hits Vi in the stomach.

I'm not counting Caitlyn ambushing Vi, because Caitlyn didn't even know that was Vi, and I'm not counting Caitlyn hitting Vi to sell their ruse against Ambessa, because Vi is the one that asked and clearly that was part of a mutually agreed plan.

What Caitlyn did to make up for it:

Helped Vi in her attempt to save Vander and risked her life by betraying Ambessa;

Allowed Vi to set free her mother's murderer and the woman who kidnapped her (no matter how much you hate Caitlyn, you have to recognize what a huge sacrifice and proof of love this is);

Is honest with Vi before they get intimate (telling her about Maddie), and stops to silently apologize when she sees Vi's wound (yeah, she doesn't say the words, but Vi very much understands what she means. During that moment, Caitlyn acknowledges what she did to Vi all those months ago).

Jinx

Violent behavior towards Vi:

Threatens Vi with a gun during their reunion, even though Vi had just apologized for "leaving" and is trying to reconcile;

Shoots at Vi at the bridge because she sees Vi with Caitlyn, almost killing Vi out of jealousy;

Hits Vi after Vi's fight with Sevika and knocks her out;

Kidnaps Vi and ties her to a chair;

Psychologically tortures Vi with mementos of her dead family and with the thought that she might have decapitated Caitlyn, and smiles at the torment she's inflicting on Vi;

Demands that Vi kills Caitlyn, someone she knows Vi cares about, as a proof of love (once again, out of jealousy. Demanding that a person should love only you and no one else and threatening violence if that person refuses is classic abusive behavior).

I'm not counting their fights against each other in Janna's temple and in the tunnels, because a fight is a fight, and in Janna's temple, they were explicitly enemies. However, it's important to notice that all of the things listed in the bullet points above were not fights in which they were mutually hurting each other: they were one-sided aggressions from Jinx towards Vi, without Vi doing anything to justify said aggressions done by Jinx. In fact, all of them happen before Vi becomes an enforcer, so at this point, Vi hadn't initiated any aggression towards Jinx. And no, Vi slapping Powder and calling her a jinx all those years ago is not a justification for Jinx's actions, because not only did Vi apologize for what she did, but Jinx's retribution towards Vi is completely disproportionate. Nothing that Vi ever did to Jinx warrants the retribution Jinx gave her, the physical and psychological violence Jinx inflicted on her. (And Vi becoming an enforcer and going to fight Jinx in season 2 only happens as a response to Jinx's own actions and after Jinx had already hurt Vi in plenty of ways; so Vi fighting Jinx in season 2 is not an argument as for why Vi "deserved" to be hurt by Jinx in season 1)

What Jinx does to make up for it:

We never actually see Jinx explicitly acknowledge any of these things she did to Vi. But I guess Jinx's best attempts to reconcile with Vi in some way are:

Coming to get Vi to rescue Vander. Jinx doesn't do this as any kind of apology to Vi. In fact, I'd say Jinx still doesn't recognize all the harm she caused Vi, considering that right after getting Vi, Jinx throws all kinds of accusations at Vi in the tunnels without ever recognizing her own actions against Vi. But it's also clear she does it as some attempt to reconcile with Vi. Not exactly an apology, but I guess I will count;

Leaving Vi behind so that Vi could be with Caitlyn. This one does actually seem to be a decision made by a recognition of all the harm she caused Vi as well as realizing how despite all that, Vi never gave up on her. So I do consider this as an attempt to apologize/make up for what she did to Vi. However, the way Jinx goes about this apology is still all kinds of messed up: she punches Vi (so more physical violence), locks her in a cell (without thinking of how this might affect Vi, even though she knows Vi spent seven years in prison), and fakes her own death, without ever considering Vi's own opinions or feelings about this (I think Vi would clearly have preferred if her sister simply talked things out with her and explained why she wanted to walk away). It's a step in the right direction, considering that she finally seems to recognize that Vi is hurting as well instead of only focusing on her own suffering, but it's still a very flawed apology that still causes Vi a lot of suffering.

So looking at all that, I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could say that Caitlyn is abusive towards Vi, while at the same time saying that Vi should have stayed with Jinx instead. If you don't hate Jinx despite all that she did to Vi, then why would you hate Caitlyn for hitting Vi once? Caitlyn shows no pattern of violence against Vi that could be called abuse: she hurt Vi once, and she did absolutely everything she could to make up for it (letting her mother's murderer go free is no small thing). Jinx, on the other hand, does show a pattern of violence against Vi, and her apology, while well meaning, comes with more violence and disregard for Vi's own feelings and opinions.

Also, of these two women, only one of them has been constantly caring for and supporting Vi in every way she could throughout the show, and that person is Caitlyn: she freed Vi from Stillwater, risked her life by staying with Vi while Silco's goons chased them when Vi was stabbed (she could have abandoned Vi to save her own skin but didn't), gave up her rifle (the only way she had of defending herself) to heal Vi, offered herself to the Firelights in Vi's place, tried to use her body as a shield to save Vi from Jinx's bullets, comforted Vi about her guilt and told her that what happened to her sister wasn't Vi's fault, got Vi an audience with the council and defended Vi in front of them, spared Jinx's life when Vi asked her (which cost her mother's life), betrayed Ambessa and risked her life to save Vi's father, and let Vi free Jinx. Caitlyn is a light in Vi's life, the person who cared the most for her ever since Vander died.

[blackholezyy]

People who call Caitlyn “abusive” for hitting Vi once then turn around and excuse Catra for torturing Adora every chance she gets are the biggest hypocrites I’ve ever seen.

[velvetinkbym]

Smoke And Starlight

M’s Masterlist

Summary: Forced into an arranged marriage, Caitlyn and her fiancée escape to the undercity, where freedom brings unexpected consequences—and feelings.

Chapter 1: The Escape

Chapter 2: Into The Depths

Chapter 3: Strangers and Something More

Chapter 4: Playing the part

Chapter 5: In the process

Chapter 6: In the process

[chronicsyd]

"you're gonna hate Caitlyn after S2!" who? me? that's cute (but really, if Jinx stans are allowed a certain level of bias towards her after what we've seen her do, I think I should be allowed that same thing as a Caitlyn stan dontcha think? also don't get me wrong, I'm probably not gonna agree with Everything that Caitlyn does this season but that's like-- the Whole Point of the show. And knowing me, I'm probably gonna make a long winded rant about why I'm still defending Caitlyn and not gonna start hating her...)

(Also I'm starting to feel like we're heading into Abby Anderson territory with the way I'm already seeing people start to talk about her with S2... and LOOK, you can not agree with everything that she does and all that jazz but ISTG if I start seeing y'all send death threats Katie's way I'm Gonna LOSE it. Dislike the character, Whatever, but Leave The Cast ALONE. you can wish death on a character All you want, i may not agree with it and I probably won't be able to change your mind on it; but sending those same threats to the actors makes you rather pathetic)

(I also forgot to add that Katie's already been through this when she played Cho Chang in Harry Potter and let's just say the Harry Potter fans were... not the nicest to her, and that's putting it Very lightly. so I Expect Jinx stans to behave nicer to her regardless of your feelings of Caitlyn this season)

[emiliaisis]

A caitlyn stan just called me (a bisexual, bigender and ace person) a homophobic fuck just because i told her that being a lesbian doesn't make her literate (which is true because sexuality does not affect any of your intellectual abilities, it is the individual who has them)

Also, shouldn't she be more angry at how caitlyn is actually written? The writers literally wrote this femme lesbian to be abusive to her butch gf only for it not only to be forgiven by the narrative but actually glorified.

I don't know about you but i'd be pissed.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

{ @qin-qin16, @averageimp. The post I was talking about. }

Had a random thought while scrolling through the arcane tag but the way some caitvi shippers hate on Maddie for “getting in the way of caitvi” instead of also hating Caitlyn (both cait and Maddie, but I feel there’s a lot better reasons to dislike Maddie outside of “ruining” a relationship that was hardly even a relationship like Cait wasn’t equally as willing and responsible—such as ya know, being an indoctrinated seemingly sadistic spy helping a military force invade and conquer another nation) for—

not only choosing to sleep with and share her bed with another woman while the one who she supposedly “loves” is being beaten in a pit for money and drinking herself half to death,

But also using her power and authority and money and position to oppress and abuse the people of Zaun instead of helping them or even using all those resources to look for Vi and apologize or some shit,

Also abusing her power over Maddie. Maddie introduced herself to Vi as a “junior officer.”

Caitlyn is a Commander/Sheriff. She is Maddie’s commander. She is Maddie’s superior. Now I don’t know if the Enforcers would be considered more like the police force or the military, maybe both, but I think this could be considered Fraternization and an abuse of her power.

Now we all know that it turns out Maddie is a Noxus spy and her superior is actually Ambessa, but Caitlyn doesn’t know this. She believes she has power, authority, and rank over Maddie. She believes Maddie is her subordinate.

Caitlyn abuses her power and authority in more ways than one, and if Maddie weren’t a Noxus spy and Ambessa wasn’t buddy buddy with Caitlyn, Caitlyn could’ve very well ruined Maddie’s life and career if she so chose to do so on a whim,

Not to mention: Maddie’s whole spy gig wouldn’t have worked at all if Caitlyn weren’t so eager to abuse her authority and sleep with her subordinates.

Between Maddie and Vi, maybe Cait has a thing for women who are of less power and privilege than her—or at least women she views that way. Or maybe she just truly is that blind and ignorant of the power and privilege she has, or perhaps she just doesn’t care.

Regardless, it’s a little strange. Caitlyn is a full grown woman who has enough power to declare martial law and a warlord of another nation and her forces behind her. Maddie is a junior officer, who Cait does not know is actually a spy.

She is perfectly okay with the knowledge of this, and felt it was perfectly okay to allow a relationship with someone below her in rank and status and authority.

This sets up an inherent power dynamic where, in a more realistic world or if the writers had acknowledged this/Maddie hadn’t been a spy, she very well could’ve been at a risk of being fired or discharged from her job if she ever decided she didn’t want to sleep with her Boss anymore; even if the reason is as simple as Cait doesn’t want to take the risk of Maddie telling anyone and getting her in trouble.

Or, considering the fact that Cait had the power to declare martial law and is basically a dictator, could potentially have Maddie executed and claim it was for reasons such as “treason” or “being a traitor,” regardless of if it’s actually true or not in this scenario. Because Cait has so much power that her word is basically law, especially when compared to Maddie’s.

All in all, Maddie only “got in the way of caitvi” because Cait allowed her to and actively refused to use her massive manpower and resources to go look for Vi and make things up with her for months on end—instead wasting that time oppressing the lower class, hunting down and obsessing over Jinx, training with Ambessa, and using her subordinate’s body for her own gain while also acting cold and dismissive towards her once she got what she wanted for the day.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

catra: constantly abuses adora physically and emotionally, gaslights and manipulates adora, doesn't try to better herself even though she is offered several second chances, continues repeating her toxic behavior even after her "redemption arc"

fans: omg relationship goals! we love toxic yuri 🎀

caitlyn: hits vi once because she is overwhelmed by the grief of losing her mother, corrects her actions after meeting up with vi again, tries to help vi rescue vander, never repeats her toxic behavior and supports vi unconditionally afterwards

fans: what an abusive bitch! vi deserves so much better!

[littlerebels]

Caitlyn stans: Why don't you guys criticize Jinx, Silco, and Sevika as much as you do Caitlyn? Sevika is a baddie too! She was the right-hand to Silco's drug empire, and also let me proceed to tell you for the 5894th time about how Jinx-

Also Caitlyn stans: Caitlyn "gave" her Council seat to Sevika. Isn't that so niiiiice!

Me:

So... is Sevika an irredeemable monster or not, because if she is then Caitlyn actually did a pretty BAD thing "giving" her a Council seat... right? These stans never make any sense.

[frothy-commissions]

The issue with Caitlyn in Arcane is that her story was told in reverse. If the writers had started off with her being the poster child for youth indoctrination, only to learn through interactions with the residences and meeting Vi and getting to know her would she learn that her views were wrong and gaining empathy for the Underground and optimisitically trying to reworking her system and offering Vi as her partner to help, then I think she would have been recieved better. And still sadly in-line with her character in League, which was another big issue for another day.

[violent-viscera]

okay, so most definitely an unpopular opinion considering the amount of caitlyn fans/stans (in addition to fans solely bc of caitvi) but i wanted to articulate my thoughts on her s2.

firstly, i loved the idea of her character in s1. along with jayce, i understand that they were both fundamentally flawed due to inherent, latent prejudices that they held against zaunites. they often misspoke and stepped out of line when speaking to ppl like vi and viktor just on the basis of their privilege of being born piltovan.

but it was interesting to see how their good hearts and intentions led them to being forced to face their troubled and unfair prejudices. of course, i didn't agree with how they viewed zaunites, but i was rooting for them to become spearheads of change and reform.

anyway, i digress to where i am now where i am feel incredibly disappointed by the writing of her character.

i love a good villainess and was actually quite excited to see where her fascist arc would take her. it would be such a diametric, polar opposite of her character in s1 where she was slowly beginning to see piltover's role in the systematic oppression of zaun.

it would've been compelling to see her become completely lost to her grief and rage and the message behind how the repercussions of cataclysmic calamity that she and jinx cause as mirrors of one another would've been interesting (ie. jinx shooting a rocket launcher at the council in her loss of silco vs. caitlyn gassing innocent civilians in a bid to discover jinx after losing her mother)

but again, the writing didn't do much for me in the way of caitlyn or her mother in s2 in so many different ways.

i understand that there are nuances and complexities in difficult mother-daughter relationships and i understand caitlyn has every right to grieve. but her grief is not parallel to the grief of vi or jinx or any other zaunite when most of the misfortune that befell zaunite deaths can indirectly stem from the choices made by ppl like cassandra and the council.

yes, cassandra built systems to ensure that the grey did not completely suffocate zaunites. but this still by no means absolves all her other sins in her complacency in the oppression of zaunites–not to mention her attitude towards zaunites or anyone else that she deems "less than"

caitlyn's villain arc was watery and diluted at best. it was initially really interesting to see count caitlyn and her cape step up to the plate under ambessa's encouragement, but by the next episode she was already wavering and uncommitted. it seemed like a pointless route to entertain with how brief it was. and as others mentioned, caitlyn was being a cruel asshole without the direction of ambessa with the usage of chemical warfare.

caitlyn's choices had very little repercussions throughout the season. she hits vi with a rifle and turns her back on her and is basically instantly forgiven. she performs chemical warfare and her guilty conscience is the only real consequence she faces. she loses her eye in a fight, yes, but it is also a battle she invited when she accepted tutelage under ambessa to sustain a fascist regime. she makes it blatantly clear that she accepts vi bc she views vi as an entity separate of the rest of the animals of zaun and there isn't really any content that implies these views have changed or that there will be any reform imminent for enforcers/piltovan-zaun relations aside from reluctantly allowing Sevika a spot on the council

i dont even want to get into how vi become completely a shell of the amazing, compelling character she was in s1 and how the heart and soul of the show (the sisters' rs) was essentially abandoned to make caitvi happen rather than rly considering the optics and pragmatism of having an oppressed, falsely imprisoned, vulnerable zaunite being with an enforcer without due sensitivity and consideration of what needs happen to make caitvi happen in a sensible fashion.

i just feel like by the end of the show, caitlyn ends up right where she started where she's a privileged piltovan living her cushy life with no repercussions. there was no real reason to write her as an empathetic character, struggling with what she knew as a piltovan vs. what she sees when she is with vi down in zaun, bc in the end, the empathy did nothing to change how she treated zaunites or how her enforcers operate on the day-to-day.

and i actually think if the writers didn't try to play caitvi off as being a healthy, beautiful representation of a lesbian relationship instead of toxic one marred by power imbalances, it would've been a compelling and tragic message.

TLDR: i think many ppl have expressed their disappointment in how vi (and jinx) were written in s2, but i also think the writers did a terrible job in writing caitlyn as well.

[velvetinkbym]

Smoke And Starlight

Masterlist || Next Chapter

Caitlyn Kiramman x fem! reader 🤍

🥀Soft whispers, pink-tinted secrets, and a story just waiting to be told—shall we begin, darling?

Chapter one: The Escape

The chandelier overhead gleamed like captured starlight, its golden glow reflecting off the pristine marble floors of the Kiramman estate. Laughter rang through the grand living room, refined and poised, as Caitlyn’s parents exchanged pleasantries with your own.

You sat stiffly, hands folded in your lap, nodding at the appropriate moments but barely hearing a word. Instead, your mind swam with one singular thought:

I don’t want to do this.

Caitlyn sat across from you, her expression unreadable as her mother gushed about the upcoming ceremony. Your families spoke as if this was something joyous, a union of two esteemed lineages, a match destined for greatness. But all you felt was the suffocating weight of expectation pressing down on your chest.

A warm hand landed on yours. You flinched, looking up into Caitlyn’s sharp blue eyes. She studied you for a moment—whether with sympathy or resignation, you weren’t sure. Then, ever so slightly, she tilted her head toward the balcony.

You didn’t need further instruction. Rising gracefully, you murmured an excuse about fresh air and stepped outside, the crisp night breeze brushing against your skin. The city stretched before you, Piltover’s skyline glowing like a beacon of wealth and prosperity. Yet all you saw was a cage.

A moment later, Caitlyn joined you, leaning against the balcony railing with a heavy sigh. “You look like you’re about to be executed,” she muttered dryly.

You scoffed. “Aren’t I?”

Silence settled between you, thick with unspoken words. You crossed your arms, gazing out at the city below. “It’s not fair,” you murmured. “Why do they get to decide who we marry?”

Caitlyn hummed in agreement, eyes distant. “I don’t even want to get married.”

You turned to her, brows raised. “Ever?”

“Ever.” Her voice was firm. “It’s all so… constricting. Like they’re trying to mold us into perfect little heirs instead of actual people.”

You hesitated before whispering, “What if we just… left?”

Caitlyn snorted. “Easier said than done.”

Another pause. Then, as if struck by lightning, her expression shifted—sharp, determined. “Wait. What if we did?”

You blinked. “Did what?”

“Left,” she said, turning fully toward you now. “Ran away. Together.”

You laughed, expecting her usual sarcasm. But Caitlyn’s face remained serious. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? We don’t want this. What’s keeping us here besides a bunch of old traditions?”

You stared at her, trying to process the insanity of the idea. Running away? You had spent your whole life in the comfort of Piltover’s high society. You had no idea how to survive anywhere else—let alone the Undercity.

“We’d get caught.”

“Not if we’re careful.”

“We have nowhere to go.”

“We go to Zaun.”

You recoiled. “Zaun?” The very name carried whispers of danger—lawless streets, smugglers, chem-riddled criminals. “Caitlyn, we wouldn’t last a day down there.”

Caitlyn arched an eyebrow. “Would you rather last a lifetime here?”

That made you pause.

Your entire life had been a carefully curated existence: etiquette lessons, silk gowns, social events where you played the role of the perfect daughter. And now, they wanted to shackle you into a marriage you never chose.

A life of safety and suffocation. Or a life of risk and freedom.

“…How?” you whispered.

Caitlyn’s lips curled into a smirk. “Meet me at the east wing once everyone’s asleep.”

Later That Night

The Kiramman estate had never felt so vast. Every step you took down the dimly lit halls felt like stepping deeper into uncertainty.

Caitlyn waited for you near one of the servant entrances, dressed in a dark cloak, her rifle strapped to her back. “Didn’t think you’d actually show,” she murmured.

You swallowed hard. “Me neither.”

Without another word, you followed her into the night.

The city was different at night—quieter, but still humming with life. You kept close to Caitlyn as you weaved through the alleys, avoiding the main roads where Enforcers patrolled.

“Do you actually have a plan, or are we just winging it?” you whispered.

Caitlyn smirked. “Would you believe me if I said I had every step mapped out?”

“No.”

She chuckled. “Then let’s wing it.”

Despite the anxiety twisting in your stomach, you found yourself smiling. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe it was the first taste of true rebellion. Either way, for the first time in your life, you felt like you.

And you had a feeling this was just the beginning.