#s1 caitvi come back to me

[bostoncreamdonut]

“Disliking Caitlyn but not Silco is just misogyny.”

LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER!!!

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t care if people like Caitlyn. You can like characters who have done wrong— hell, my favorite is, in fact, Silco. There’s nothing wrong with that. Second, just because a character is well-written doesn’t mean people have to like them. I think Silco is amazingly written, and I like him, but I also acknowledge his wrongdoings and don’t deny the harm he caused. The same goes for Jinx. So, why don’t I like Caitlyn?

Because Silco and Jinx are a byproduct of their environment. The result of systematic oppression, neglect, and inequality at the hands of Piltover. They cracked, and we can understand why and how someone could break in that environment. How they could turn to aggression after living like that their entire lives. Piltover is safe, clean, and livable at their expense. People aren’t living in Zaun, they are surviving.

Caitlyn didn’t have it nearly as bad to justify her actions. Yes, losing her mother was horrible, but that doesn’t excuse how quickly she turned on Zaun. One Zaunite killed her mother (edit: amongst other things that she experienced, but I believe her mom’s death was what ultimately dictated her decisions in S2), and suddenly, she’s making a group suffer for it, including Vi. Can you imagine how many kids in Zaun have been orphaned because of the toxic environment and oppression they face every day? Caitlyn’s reaction is so drastic, especially considering her experience mirrors the harsh realities that Zaunites are forced to endure all the time.

This is also why I dislike CaitVi when I think about it for more than a second, to be honest.

Also, people do NOT have to explain why they dislike characters/ships.

(I’m just in a yappy mood.)

Sometimes it’s just a feeling, maybe personal bias, maybe they just don’t care to explain, etc. That’s okay.

You will live if people dislike your favs, I promise. [pats back]

Do I writhe on the ground when I see Silco hate? Maybe… Can I accept others hate him? Yeah! (In his case, I don’t even need to ask why.)

Let me know if you think I missed any crucial points or made a mistake! My memory is not the best but I have rewatched recently so I hope it served me well today. Honestly, I don’t want to upset people, this has just been bothering me for a while. I really dislike some Caitlyn stans’ reactions to criticism of her.

Okay, I think I’m done. See ya!

[arcanegifs]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: Season 1 ↳ Vi + Looking at 🧁

[shmooseee]

s1 caitvi come back to me pleaseeee

[chronicsyd]

I'm gonna be so serious, y'all are remembering POWDER and Ekko and not JINX and Ekko when screaming about how much you "wanted Timebomb endgame over Caitvi"

shoving JINX in a relationship with her current mental state is not a good writing choice whatsoever, because Ekko literally had to keep rewinding time because she kept trying to kill herself. If Anything, That relationship would be rushed and fanservice because they would have jumped the gun in 2 episodes vs the 2 seasons it took for Caitvi and showing their ups and downs throughout their whole relationship.

The alternate universe works because Powder doesn't become Jinx and the two don't separate, unlike this universe where the two have been at odds for 7 years and almost kill each other back in Ep 7 of S1.

"But Cait never said sorry!" she didn't really have to, because Vi never stopped being in love with the girl that she Knows Cait is at heart, the Cocktail Molotov scene in Act 2 makes that VERY apparent. Cait saying that she was waiting for Vi to recover to address Jinx is the start of it because Act 1 Cait wouldn't have even Considered doing that, because she was so gung-ho about putting a bullet into Jinx that she Demanded Vi move out of the way for her to do so. She holds herself accountable with the mistakes she's made ("We can't erase our mistakes. None of us." that wasn't just a line targeted at Jinx to prove a point, there's deeper meaning behind it), and moving the guards out of the cell proving that she trusts Vi and her judgment on Jinx is that apology, Caitlyn has always been an "acts of service" kinda person over being a "verbal" kinda person; it's all over the place in S1 but Especially here in S2. But even after she takes Vi's shirt off, you could tell by her eyes and body language that she was most likely going to stop herself again to apologize for hitting her because the wound was in the same spot she initially hit, which was part of the lead up for This wound to even happen, but Vi's the one that just pulls her back in instead.

I'm also gonna add on that Vi thinks she made the wrong choice in trusting Jinx and thinking Jinx's changed because Jinx locked her in the cell and ran away again. So why in the Hell would Vi go chasing after her Again to be met with the same result time and time again? Vi isn't responsible for Jinx's mental health and y'all saying that are just weird. And I think it's apparent that Stillwater probably wasn't even in the top 10 things in her head being with Caitlyn, she was just running wild on emotions that she hasn't allowed herself to feel like-- Ever. And even if it Was Vi probably would have said she wasn't comfortable being in a jail cell of all places.

What was I talking about? Oh right, Timebomb.

Like Yes, it's shitty that Ekko doesn't get a happy ending considering he's the most unproblematic in the entire show. But people tend to forget that at the end of the day, Arcane is a TRADGEDY. It's not She-ra, it's not The Owl House, it wasn't going to be wrapped up in a neat little bow where everyone gets to smile and walk into the sunset with their loved ones, especially considering the fact that this season's being used as build ups to other stories, it's relatively clear that this isn't the last we're going to see of a lot of these characters. When they come back into play? well... who's to say?

But also, let's address that a lot of the Caitvi hate is just straight up homophobia at this point because a lot of people can understand Mel's admission to manipulating Jayce as an apology but Cait's actions we're suddenly braindead and need shit completely spelled out. like good lord I'm so tired of this. Y'all would NEVER have survived Catradora let me tell ya...

(My next post is gonna be a long winded rant about Maddie so stay tuned for that...)

[sukibenders]

I was a Cait and CaitVi fan during s1, but now? Oh, it's such a struggle but more so for how fans won't let either be criticized without taking it as a personal attack (some are even being racist towards other Arcane fans and Ekko's VA over it, but then playing victim and acting like the fandom is no longer a safe space for them). Like, I enjoyed Caitlyn's character in s1 (even though she read as very rich girl rebelling against her parents for a bit) and liked CaitVi's dynamic, even though it needed more work especially in regards to Cait's classicism, something in which I hoped s2 would address. It did not, because now we have Cait taking her mother's intent of helping the undercity breathe and using it to poison them without hesitation. A place in which Vi calls home, something in which you would think would make her [Cait] hesitant but then she goes off and calls them "animals" but refers to Vi as "one of the good ones". Oh, the undertones of that. And it becomes even more sickly with, aside from how quickly Cait became a cop and roped Vi into it (though, I also don't vibe with Vi for still being a part of gassing Zaun either), ignoring how enforcers literally killed her parents in front of her, how Vi views herself as the dirt beneath Cait's nails. Like that's not something sweet or even cute to say, that's deeply concerning especially coming from someone who practically lost everyone they cared about. A lot of people have said that most of Vi's character was pushed aside, and I agree, but also how a lot of her trauma was too because what do you mean, after hearing that her sister has suicidal ideations and runs off to fulfill them she [Vi]....goes and has sex with her cop/dictator girlfriend in said sister's cell, even though she has trauma from being in prison? To me, personally especially following the CaitVi breakup, Vi isn't really used to softness or not having to be tough and, in s1, it felt like Cait opened the doorway for that. Then s2 comes and it just takes away from it, even if their sex scene was a bit playful the context around it kind of overshadows it to me. I wanted better, softer for Vi than having it take place in her sister's cell, along with Cait apologizing or making attempts to bring back trust into their relationship. Like, was it really that hard for the writers to have it take place in a bedroom, perhaps even focusing more on softness and pleasure toward Vi instead? Like s2 really did a number on these two and their relationship.

[angellwingss]

Wasn’t going to go on a big rant but you know what since that other post is gaining traction yeah I think I will. So big long rant under the cut. Lolll

I feel like. A lot of people might tell me ‘it’s not that deep’ but to me it is that deep.

I don’t have a problem with JayVik or it’s shippers like. At all. I just think some of them are à really good demonstration of like. Every bad thing when it comes to fandom ever LMAO.

Once again I am (supposed to be) writing a whole big long essay about this already so I will try and keep this kind of short and sweet and it might be a bit lacking but wtvr.

I think a lot of JayVik fans tend to be white queer people. Someone left a tag on my OG post that said basically ‘my take is I’m a faggot and I don’t have to care about a character if I don’t want to’ and no hate to that person cuz you’re right, but this is exactly the kind of stuff that made me make that first post.

I feel like a lot of white queer people have an issue with seeing outside their own identity? If that makes sense? This is seen time and time again with the way some of them behave when big movements happen online, some have a tendency to centre themselves and whatnot so i think it’s kind of the same thing.

It makes total sense that a queer person would prefer queer ships and would prefer JayVik over MelJay, that is not a crime. But I do think part of that is because they can’t relate/identify with Mel or see themselves in her like they can with Jayce or Viktor.

I hate to also make it about feminism but i think a lot of you guys are super like. Male centred, like just in your attraction which once again, not the issue not a crime. But i think it’s also why CaitVi, which is a canon queer ship, although popular is still not quite as popular as JayVik despite being canon. Women fetishizing gay men in fandom is not something new, which I think might play a small part in it- I’ve seen a lot of people especially back in s1 infantilizing Viktor and acting like he had no agency or independence and that he NEEDS Jayce to take care of him (that’s another thing. Ableism(looks at you with my eyes)) and they also do the same thing with Jayce where they act like he had 0 agency with any decisions he makes and that he’s like a big dumb baby who doesn’t know anything politics. Hey, guys. That’s a grown man.

My main issue isn’t that people prefer JayVik over MelJay it’s just that some shippers demonize Mel to an insane degree, blame her for getting in the way of their ship (this is also happening right now with Maddie- there’s a leak going around saying that she gets with Caitlyn and people are so upset that this character is getting some INSANE hate and I feel like that’s the same thing going on.)

they blame her for ‘stealing’ Jayce etc etc like. Idk. You don’t have to ship MelJay but I wish more people would appreciate Mel just as a character- imo she is super interesting and has a great story but she’s only ever seen and ‘the other woman’. I’ve seen people say she isn’t like, well characterized and that her story entirely revolves around Jayce which. Yeah she’s definitely heavily involved with him in s1 but she’s clearly got a lot more going on than just that and you would know that if you GAF 🗣️🗣️

for just being. Who she is. I think Mel deserves more attention just in the fandom and it’s just frustrating. People making memes about Jayce going insane over Viktor leaving but like. Mel also just got fucking kidnapped guys. His lover has just vanished without a trace why is nobody also talking about that !!!! Why can’t he care about both these people at the same time !!!!!!!

Anyway I’m not nearly well equipped enough to talk more in-depth about like. Any of this but I do think the demonization of Mel and refusal to see her relationship with Jayce as it is can often times be boiled down to racism like straight up. And also things like the fetishization of gay men in fandom and just things like that are sometimes what can lead to female characters- even the well written ones to be shelved and pushed aside in favour of their male counterparts.

Obligatory ‘not all JayVik fans’ obviously a lot of you are awesome, shouldn’t have to say this. If I’m not aiming for you, you shouldn’t be getting shot.

[trrenchertrash]

I was finding it difficult to reconcile with Caitvi’s arc this season, and so I’ve been thinking about it and in the end what made it work for me is that the through line of their entire relationship is trust. In s1 you have lines like “in what mad world would I trust someone like you,” and “this only works if we can trust each other,” and of course we’re shown that they do come to trust each other — up until s2e3, when Cait breaks Vi’s trust, breaks her promise. Then they reconnect in act 2 and hesitantly decide to put their trust in each other again, but not without wariness. That’s why Vi has a contingency plan set up with Jinx. She’s giving Caitlyn a second chance to prove herself, to earn that trust back, but she’s not fully convinced. It’s a test, and should Caitlyn fail, Vi is prepared. This leads to their conversation in e8:

Vi: She saved your life! Even knowing you’d never have done the same for her.

Cait: We’ll never know, will we? You didn’t let me in on that part of your plan.

Vi: Clearly the right call, since you still can’t trust her enough not to shove her in a box!

Cait: Trust? You believe I’m so daft I can’t recognize a contingency? She wasn’t there for my benefit, she was there because you didn’t trust me to follow through.

Vi: Can you blame me? How long were you sidled up with that shifty, self-serving war pig? She oinked poison in your ear and you just ate it!

Cait: I know!

Imo, Vi’s “can you blame me?” is the most important part of this exchange. This is Vi holding Caitlyn accountable: Remember what you did? I do. Can you blame me for no longer trusting you?

The second most important part of this exchange is Caitlyn’s “I know!” Her acknowledgement that Vi is right. That yes, she does remember and she knows what she’s done is wrong. She can’t blame Vi.

Initially I was pretty put out that Cait doesn’t outright apologize, but ultimately I think because we’re strapped for time, this is more important. The purpose of an apology is to admit that what you did was wrong and express remorse for it. And here, that’s exactly what happens. Now, Caitlyn’s remorse doesn’t look the way I expected it to. I think I’m probably not alone in that. Her remorse isn’t soft or weepy (at least not at this point), instead it’s angry and loathsome. But the next steps here are clear. Caitlyn needs to find a way to repair the trust that’s been broken between herself and Vi. And she does, by letting Jinx go, in direct contrast to the action that broke that trust in the first place. It’s I trust you to choose, and you can trust me to stand by you while you do. It’s proof that Vi’s “I always choose wrong” isn’t true (and it’s not, because the narrative payoff of freeing Jinx is that she’s able to rally Zaun to swoop in and save the day later on), and it’s proof that Caitlyn is ready to put Vi ahead of herself, as Vi did for her.

All of the turning points in their relationship revolve around the trust between them. S1 is about building the trust between Cait and Vi. The midpoint of their story, the darkest point, is the breaking of that trust. Then the second half of their story is about repairing that trust. It’s all there.

[guabie]

Here so you guys know them babysitter x child their minding dynamics. It’s often in like Christmas movies like for example (idk the names so stick with me)

* that one hockey big brother that has to become his little sisters Girl Scout mom cuz their one died and dads busy or sum and all that. It’s very cute and all and sad too but ygm

* Another is Steve fucking Harrington with all the Stranger Things kids and especially Dustin.

*Adventures in babysitting the one that has Sofia Carson and Sabrina carpenter in it.

* Also that one movie from that popular clip of the babysitter and the child at some adventure park spinning some teacup yoke and they both look so out of it idk how to explain it but people always say shit like oh when your young and wanna be all grown up and when you grow up and just want your childhood back or sum like that.

ANYWAYS——

I need fics or something of himbo babysitter Jayce and posh lil dipshit kid caitlyn getting into ludicrous shit and having wild adventures as he takes care of her growing up.

Idc if it’s in the cannon universe or whatever, but people sleep on their friendship too much cuz that’s literally annoying big brother and spoiled little sister right there ESPECIALLY considering their big ass age gap like cmon people make use of that.

I’ve seen someone (bless their heart cuz it was amazing) make fanart on like Jayce being sponsored by the Kirammans but he’s literally being treated like caitlyns babysitter where he has to mind her all the time and he takes her to his lectures and deals with common child sass and questioning from her and it’s the funniest most heartwarming shit ever and I love it. He literally gets a reputation as “the kirammans dog” or something like that and that shit fits like a glove, I love u person who made this 🫶🫶🫶

But like YALL FEEL ME!!! Like give it to me racheallllllll

Like just imagine

Jayce trying to be responsible and all and he’s so tired of caitlyns constant yappatry and caitlyn always tryna get him to show her the world or take her out to places since she’s stuck at home all the time

Caitlyn just being her brutally honest self (cuz let’s be so fr that girl needs a filter sometimes especially in s1 😭😭 “you don’t have parents” - caitlyn babes stfu) and roasting the living shit out of Jayce even unintentionally

Imagine Jayce being partners with Viktor working on whatever hextech project and caitlyn being all like “you going to see your boyfriend today too?” Or “can I come too?” and her getting along with Viktor but also behind Jayce’s back being defensive of him like “you better not hurt my brothers feelings or ur dead meat” type shit

Also imagine wholesome stuff like in a modern au where Jayce is the first person caitlyn comes out to and it’s super sweet yk

Even better if it’s teen caitvi or just caitlyn having a crush on a girl at her like private school or whatever and she rants to Jayce about it and asks for advice but he has no knowledge at that point about relationships cuz he’s a mad scientist stuck in his lab all day so he gives horrendous advice 😭

Her forcing him to take showers cuz he’s stinks and dragging him out his lab to photosynthesis or acc interact with another person for the first time in weeks (basically making him touch grass)

Caitlyns ass always getting into other peoples business and Jayce dragging her away

Caitlyn going on adventures investigating shit like she’s Sherlock Holmes’s and she drags Jayce with her (he follows her to make sure she’s safe but then gets really into it)

Tooth gap siblings

When Jayce pisses caitlyn off in public she’ll go out screaming “HES KIDNAPPING ME”

Caitlyn has her own little corner in jayces lab with her investigation poster board that only she really understands and Jayce doesn’t let anyone else touch it

Jayce: What friends have you got don’t say me

Cait: You! Well what friends have you got? don’t say me

Jayce : You!

Cait: Well neither of us have friends

This whole shabam 👆

I have a lot more in mind but yall get the vibes I’m tryna put out right?

Also I need whole plot lines for crazy babysitter stories like them movies above cuz interactions alone ain’t doing it. I need them to get into DEEP shit and try to get out only just barely scraping that edge out. Also I need baby caitlyn being jayces wingwoman for either Mel or Viktor or hell anyone and Jayce being caits girl crush confidante

Pls to them fic writers out there and artist make my dreams come thru or ima have to pull thru 🙏

[colorfulbaobab]

i'm really not doing this to be salty but am I the only one who didn't enjoy caitvi this season?? i was so rooting for them coming out of s1 and i would reaaally appreciate it if someone who enjoyed it would like to elaborate

cos it felt kind of undercooked and rushed to me :( they made up super fast like wtf?? plus vi the whole season was super... how to put it... reactive?? it felt like she got swept wherever the narrative took her, without making a single concrete decisive act?? caitlyn led the manhunt for jinx, jinx found and convinced her about vander, again, jinx made the final decision to sacrifice herself. i get that anyone would be depressed after that much trauma, and it's extremely human of vi to hesitate when her sister is involved but isn't it a bit cheap that her traumatised little sister had to take herself out of the narrative so vi could be happy? she got back with cait in the finale, sure, but it almost felt like they were bound by trauma more than love with how melancholic the finale was :(

dunno man maybe i missed something? or had too high expectations??

[froggo-333]

ARCANE SPOILERS

sorry this is about to be longwinded asf but is anyone else kinda disappointed with the last arc. this is mostly gonna be about vi and jinx although i think them teasing sevika stuff but her showing up like twice and not saying shit was also weird. from the start i didn't like caitvi on like a yay shipping level but i didn't mind them that much. the lesbian situationship bit in the first two acts of season 2 were funny, i actually enjoyed it cause hey girl i've def been there before, but the third act is where i really begin having issues. at the start of the season vi becomes a cop. i know she is one in league but with the story in arcane it feels a little bit of an odd choice but i digress, its coming off like she once again is shouldering the blame for jinx. she is vi's problem. she is trying to fix things. obviously this doesn't work, cait starts changing, there is the whole isha protecting jinx moment (isha's character in gen), vi crashes out. the build up so far feels like vi and jinx are going to reconcile at least somewhat to have an understanding of each other, the crashout for vi aiding in this with vi completely changing and then starting to have an understanding of her sister. the vander and isha moment in ep 6 was what i thought to be the climax for this. then act three starts. we're in a different universe where vi is dead but everyone lives in the memory of her. jinx has a huge memorial and pink in her hair, vander has a vi tattoo, ekko paints the mural. we go back to our universe and vi is rightfully yelling at cait not mincing her words at all, sure cait explains herself but never once has she shown any change with her actual actions. Vi learns jinx turned herself in and later when she goes down to find jinx she sees her suicidal and depressed. when jinx tricks her and escapes locking vi in why, after cait gets vi out, does vi not go running after jinx? why does she proceed to have sex with cait randomly in the jail cell her sister was in???? the line of jinx "supporting" caitvi felt like she was bitter and added to her depressed state. remember she became jealous that vi showed up with cait in s1?? that should've been ekko AND vi saving jinx later on. whats the point of jinx coming back with a haircut JUST like vi's and with pink in her hair for barely anything. what was the point of any of this. it does an incredible disservice to vi and jinx as characters and their entire relationship. its weird after all this vi would go back to cait. the final line for them comes off soo unbelievably laughably classist after everything i legit have no words for that shit. "i am the dirt under your nails cupcake nothings gonna clean me out" to the upper class person whose family was gassing zaun and who knows what else historically we as the audience don't know. i simply just do not think a character that is supposed to be embodying the hardships of the zaun would do all that.

[mvmnbnv]

Hot take on my end maybe but honestly justice for Cait too...like the WRITERS did her dirty asf. Because all last szn you could tell she cared about vi no sex required. She gave up her rifle to save her life and was concerned for her after she found out she'd been beaten in prison, she comforted her when vi decided to be vulnerable and told her it wasn't her fault what happened to her sister. And who actually yearned for vi and felt something when she felt like shed failed her. Hell she broke the law for vi. The writers were the ones who wanted to push her character and take it to a bunch of unnecessary routes and continue to keep the relationship one sided but in my mind s2 is irrelevant atp. Caitvi s1 come back to me cuz wtf. I feel like Cait in ep 8 where she tells jinx she just doesn't have thr energy to hate her anymore and that's literally me with Cait, bc wtf were these writers smoking.

[applebuttercringe]

Arcane episode 8 immediate thoughts

-NGL this is not the direction I thought Mel was going in.

-cool that she is a magical girl though, and made of gold.

-oh it’s the girl her mom killed.

-Mel’s outfit is very fan service

-Leblanc

-this is a lot to introduce in the second to last episode

-Well that didn’t take a lot of convincing…

-Richters funeral

-Time for Viktors T-shot

-Is Ambessa gonna lecture him into living?

-Viktor Machine Herald voice!

-No Viktor you are anti war.

-Oh, so Sky is her own will, disturbed by his actions.

-Do we not see Caitlyn’s reaction to Jayce.

-Ah she thought Loris was Vander

-Caitlyn’s haircut is hot.

-Is she still with Maddie?

-Maddie knows she is about to be cheated on

-Jinx isn’t eating, she is suicidal.

-the hair down

-The Jinx pain train is brutal, this is a lot even for Arcane.

-The Jayce Mel reunion?

-If Mel is untwined with the Arcane then Jayce’s mission will be to end her as well.

-Excuse me what?

-Viktor achieved the ultimate tenderness form? Mannequin.

-Why not come as Huck?

-Well, the Polycule is back together again. This time it is a three way breakup.

-Mel knows how to do the magic at will now?

-Why not explain what you saw? It might not change anything, but he didn’t even try.

-Viktor wants his evil BF back

-Aw man. Villain Viktor. That idea sucks.

-Once again Jayce rushes to Mel lol.

-Is Viktor gonna get broken up with on the astral plane?

-Jinx is finally hearing and seeing Silco hallucinations.

-Killing is a cycle and yet in Ep 7 Vi dying ended the cycle and healed its wound?

-Doesn’t the metaphor not work for Zaun? How do they walk away. They are trapped in the mines working forced labor and banned from Piltover institutions. Is the moral to become passive? Cease to care? How do you forgive and walk away when the crimes are ongoing and inescapable?

-The hug is good

-IS JINX GOMNA KILL HERSELF?

-That’s her resolution?

-Jayce’s self made leg brace perfectly fixing his untreated wound is bullshit.

-The shoulder armor is a CHOICE Jayce.

-How did he manage to get them together? They hate each other? His proposals for peace don’t work but he can get them talking and civil from off screen? Arcane is really abandoning the Zaun v Piltover thing. Like, straight up pretending it was never happening.

-Caitlyn gasses these people like a month ago.

-Yeah, start treating the Undercity as people so you can draft them. Whatever.

-Why the emphasis on the pianist

-I knew they were gonna abandon it but this is unreal to watch.

-Sassing your gf during her mental breakdown is insane

-Caitvi sex scene in a prison cell lol

-Maybe care that this is cheating

-Freaky~

-Damn

-The Tumblrinas are gonna love this

-The Medea’s scene is good

-She can touch embers with her bare hands

-Ambessa you’ve been trying to use Hextech for magic, TF do you mean you hate magic.

-Is there a delay on Viktor saying stuff and the clones saying it? Cause that happened a while ago.

-The song. So this was real Sky all along. She just really wanted him to use the Arcane this way. If this was the intention she should have had more S1 screentime to build up their relationship.

-He is letting them kill her again

-He’s gonna become Warwick?! That is a twist

-EW THE FEET SHOT

-He’s kindred? It isn’t a mask? It’s his head?

Ok so thought: This is a fumble for me. It feels like they are abandoning all the pre established plot and just rewriting the characters into new plots and then rushing those new plots to hell and back. They aren’t finishing what they started. The Jinx pain train is disappointing. Like, more Jinx being self loathing and suicidal, cool. Likely she will have a turn around in this last episode but. IDK. Did I like the time I spent with Arcane? Yes. Is it peak anymore? No. Sorry.

[messrsrarchives]

robyn i’m begging please tell me you’ve watched arcane and that you’re a caitlyn/caitvi defender i am tired of fighting alone 💔💔

I AM I AM I AM !!! and i get the dislike okay, i get the whole cop/marginalised community thing but so many of the people that are against caitvi just WATCHED arcane and didn't understand it, yk? i know the "we need more complex female characters" crowd HATEEEE to see a complex female character coming (but of course, prefacing this by saying you can like/dislike whatever characters you want ! the same way cait/caitvi enjoyers should be able to without being called facists)

first of all, mirror of jinx. if you hate cait, hate jinx too. and i know it's different because of their classes but that's the POINT. that's the whole point, they're all just people and they both lose someone important to them and are subsequently manipulated. and look, cait's morals are dicey okay - that's what makes a good character, and i mean good in terms of interesting not as a pinnacle of moral righteousness - but she is fundamentally good.

i think the big thing with caitvi, is a lot of their conversations are non-verbal and we don't actually see them discuss any of it. would i have liked to have seen it? yes. do i get that it happens without seeing it? also yes, that's what the whole end scene is. "are you still in this fight, violet?" - we've only just begun, the war is over but we have a lot to talk about and so much untangle and i need to know if there's a chance for forgiveness because i know i've done awful things. "i'm the dirt under your nails, cupcake. nothing's gonna clean me out." - i know. i know we have a lot to talk about, i know there's awful things we have to clear up, but this is me reassuring you that i'm not going anywhere, and i'm still in this fight.

and then the prison scene?! cait is so blinded by hatred and we see that, we see a complete difference between s1 cait and s2 cait and that's the POINT!!!! i'm adding a photo below of a something that's been in my drafts for ages (unedited so not very coherent) but !!! it's the whole point 😖 that prison scene is a return to the cait we know, to actual cait who isn't being manipulated and finally understands that her grief is being monopolised (there were many signs throughout that she was against this and had been manipulated, but this is The Big Revelation scene) - AND SHE APOLOGISES HERE TOO! the slow reach out to the wound, letting vi take control, stopping to be honest about maddie? the entire interaction with jinx?? "hating you, i've hated myself" - againnnn, none of this excuses her actions but it shows she isn't the big villain everyone wants her to be.

and vi forgives her.

and we joke a lot about "one cupcake and she deflects" in the mongoose/oil slick scene (lmao) but it's so much more than that. it's so much more than just liking vi, because vi is the first person she meets that shows her she doesn't have to be like her family, that the world is bigger than being head of the house, and that people contain multitudes - of courseee that reconnection is going to cause a shift, because she never truly believed in it anyway, and the physical reminder that she has a Choice has just come back into her life

and i think the most important thing is actually explicitly said: "No amount of good deeds can undo our crimes."

she's aware. she's so aware of what she's done, she becomes aware of why she did it, and whilst that doesn't excuse any of it, she explicitly acknowledges that it doesn't !! and she opens up the door in that last scene for the conversations that need to be had.

so do i think she's perfect? no. do i think any of this excuses her actions? no. do i think she's a raging facist that contributes to poor wlw rep and anyone who likes the ship should be bashed over the head with a rock? also no.

i think she's a character that contains multitudes, is an incredible example of how the human spirit and morality is not built for war, we weren't meant for this weighing of lives, and i think her character arc is so important for class consciousness and social change - we need those at the top that are more empathetic to see our struggles, and we need them to unlearn their prejudices which are embedded into them by the very same systems that oppress us. which feels pertinent today with all the eat the rich discussions and people saying luigi isn't some hero, he's the rich we need to eat - class is so much more complicated than that.

so,,, yes ! caitvi defender and a cait defender because i understand that liking a character does not equate to liking all their actions, and that morality is never going to be as black and white as we were taught to believe in disney films. humans are messy, humans are complicated and will never be easily-categorisable into good or bad, and i think that love is not always perfect, but it persists anyway and that's rather lovely for caitvi.

i think it's incredible character design, incredible relationship design, and the show asks so many questions about morality and class divisions that aren't always easy to comprehend, and aren't always explicit. you have to dig for the details - the slightly shift in lighting, the dilating of a pupil, the slow reach out; it's all there, it just isn't obvious. and i'm rambling and looking too far into it now but we also only see vi through caitlyn's eyes a couple of times. we only get caitlyn's first-person pov a few times: shes's so closed off even to herself, it's going to be difficult to decipher her character and her morality when she isn't even allowing herself that dissection. and i think she doesn't allow that because she knows she'll dislike what she finds, she knows she is fundamentally against what she's doing, she just needed a reminder that life is bigger than her predetermined role (vi coming back - see here; one of the view cait povs we get is immediately after vi coming back, and them fooling ambessa) and she can infact make that choice.

so complex and so interesting.

ANYWAY! this has been a messrsrarchives ted talk, thank you for joining me here today and i leave you with my other rant about something i keep seeing on tiktok - unedited and messy oopsie.

[idkwhatimdoingbutslay]

I think what it is is that the heart of Arcane has changed as of right now. What’s guiding the plot isn’t character dynamics anymore, it’s just plot. It’s not Vi and Jinx or Jinx and Caitlyn or Mel and Ambessa or Ekko and Jinx or Silco and Jinx or Vi and Vander or Jayce and Viktor or Mel and Jayce or even Caitlyn and Vi. There are hints of all of those things, yes, but they weren’t hints in season one, they were driving forces. The characters don’t feel like people as much anymore and their relationships suffer from that.

Edit: I wrote this after act I and I feel this even more after act ii. There is so much intimacy missing this season. The interpersonal conflicts are lacking so hard and I feel like the plot isn’t even heavy enough for the sacrifice to be so great. That’s why we’re missing the importance of characters like Ekko and Vi who are so driven by their care for other people. I’ll come back to this draft once act iii airs.

From season one, I can tell you that this is a tale of two sisters. From season two… I don’t know what’d I’d say.

Edit post act iii: I have to say, regarding this, Act III is the best. I really didn’t hate the focus on Jayce and Viktor and the Arcane considering that’s the name of the show and this is the most consistent and well thought out storyline stretching from s1 to s2, but I do have my gripes with Mel being so disconnected from this story despite her also having the Arcane within her and being a main player in Hextech in s1. The black rose s1 set up was a complete fumble imo. Either do it well or don’t do it at all.

This act felt a lot more propelled by the relationships in this show. What I loved about Arcane s1 is that it’s not just a bunch of people within a plot but a bunch of people making the plot. Things aren’t just happening to them, they are actively making them happen. This cast in s1 is how you write real, good and well thought out plot devices. They’re all elements of a narrative that feel so so real.

Episode seven being the best episode of the season is such a good example of this. We get to see the characters we love in the story we love. We get to see the consequences of the characters existing (or not). We also have an Ekko centric episode which is just the cherry on top.

Act II wasn’t too bad in the relationship propelling the story aspect with Jinx, Vi and Vander (and Isha). But they barely lasted and the Warwick we saw in act III was so obviously not Vander that it felt kind of meh. And Isha felt empty to me, sorry. She should have lasted longer but she would have no significant part to play in act III. She was just TOO MUCH of a plot device to me.

The fact that we got ONE Silco hallucination and it was in act III is another reason why I feel like it’s better in this way. I know Jinx was getting healthier and whatnot, but in act I we didn’t see any hallucinations at all after her literally killing Silco and really leaning into the Jinx persona which felt a little off.

Erm not to talk about the lesbians but I’m gonna do that lmao. This season was so wishy washy we them. We got what we wanted but not how we wanted it. Their characters were kinda fumbled (Caitlyn less so) so thereby, their relationship felt a little fumbled. I think them ending their respective storylines separately is fine, but having them hardly be intertwined felt off. And even the final scene with them felt a little empty. Like of course they’ll forever be together but that can’t be it. There’s so much more to CaitVi than that. I feel like they’re missing the “despite it all……”, even tho it was implied pretty well I suppose. Idk, just a little unsatisfied with the “Dirt Under Your Nails” line.

TLDR; this show is made up of characters and relationships that make the story move forward and I feel like s2 was lacking in this in comparison to s1.

[chronicsyd]

Yeaaaaa my brain’s like Literally not shut up since my last spam post about this GOD DAMN SHOW and it just… keeps spiraling… spiraling… spiraling… So, let’s talk about Vi again!

On my tiktok yesterday I brought up a post from the AMA for Arcane a couple of years ago that the co-creators were answering. And someone asked, “Will Vi and Caitlyn shippers be happy with the upcoming season?” to which the answer was, “There’s that part they might like, and that part they probably hate.” To which Amanda Overton (basically the writer responsible for most of the Caitvi scenes we got in s1) said, “I take full responsibility for both and they make the show better” so that’s… not all that thrilling.

However, it’s gotten me to think about what on Earth that “probably hate” bit would be.  Now this is something I’m saying as Complete speculation, I’m not Certain that this is what’s going on but if you’re willing to take a grain of salt with me then I’m willing to explain my reasoning. With that, let’s continue.

My HOPEFUL guess is that the “probably hate” thing is that Vi and Caitlyn split again at the beginning of S2. Honestly, it could be over a number of things: conflicting motivations about Jinx (Caitlyn wants revenge, Vi’s probably still in denial and wants to find “Powder”. Because she doesn’t call Jinx “Jinx” until After she’s already an Enforcer), Vi probably feels out of place and wants to figure things out on her own (As in she can’t trapse around Zaun she’s unwanted there, but on the flipside she’s a complete outsider to Piltover. Because even though Caitlyn would probably welcome her with open arms, doesn’t mean everyone else will…), there’s really a whole list of things that could probably explain this. So, Vi goes on her own to try and figure herself out and Caitlyn tries to go back to being an Enforcer and go through life without Vi.

But just because Vi left doesn’t mean that the conflict between Piltover and Zaun stops. And simply being an Enfocer is putting targets on Caitlyn’s back, which I think Caitlyn is fully aware of. And she and the others get ambushed at her parent’s tent that I pointed out in an earlier post; to which we Also saw Vi seeing the aftermath of. And, I think Vi has to make the decision that being an Enforcer is her best shot at bringing the conflict between Piltover and Zaun to an end; regardless of what her past has been with them. So, Vi probably comes back to Caitlyn probably midway through-ish (ep 4ish maybe?) and that’s when Caitlyn leads the strike teams to Zaun with those 3 objectives: Find Jinx, get rid of Shimmer, and neutralize anyone still loyal to Silco. I think that Vi and Caitlyn are the one team that goes after Jinx in that temple scene we see in the teaser (because that’s NOT the “finale fight” between the two, there’s NO way they’re showing that this early on) and I believe this for a few reasons: When Vi says “My sister is gone” the background looks like the temple and Vi really only holds that vulnerability in her eyes when talking to Caitlyn (See the bed scene from “Oil and Water”), and the last clip of Caitlyn we see she’s clearly in the temple as well, so I bet she’s probably backup for Vi in case thing’s get nasty. On the downside of this, there’s a still of Caitlyn that doesn’t show up in the trailer where she’s still in the temple, she’s lost her hat and her hair’s a mess and the cut on her lip is fresh. So Clearly this fight doesn’t go the way that they want it to, and that’s where Caitlyn gets the scar on her lip.

Now what happens After this? Ehhh it’s hard to say, mainly because I believe that they haven’t really shown us anything that has to do with the last episodes of the show. And to be honest even with a final trailer they’re probably gonna give us around Sept./Oct. they might only show scenes from up to ep 8 of the season (I only say this cuz that’s what they did for s1).

(Although my little shit of a brain DID say “what if the show Ends with Vi getting amnesia instead of it happening During the season?” soooo thx for That brain, that isn’t upsetting to think about AT ALL…)

So, yea just more speculations on what I think could possibly happen. Also, does anyone know what was said at the Annecy festival? That was supposed to happen today, right? Anyways, I’m out until my brain comes up with something else. Bye!

[snapescloaca]

i cannot stop rambling about arcane but something ive been thinking about with seeing people say season 2 is rushed is like. yeah it does feel rushed but i remember watching season 1 and also feeling like it was kinda rushed? maybe its bc i watched season 1 all the way through after it had already come out because i found it later, and maybe when you have more time between episodes it feels slower. but i remember finding certain things off about the pacing. like even vi and cait's bond seemed to go rather fast at times.

but that didnt stop me from liking it and i still appreciated it for what it was. i DO think s2 is faster bc theyre trying to wrap up shit WHILE adding more shit? but idk maybe because my expectations are lower about the pacing im just less disappointed by it

i think im so grateful to even have a show like this in the first place that maybe thats why im letting it kinda get away with it. but like. i keep hearing the crew that worked on arcane talking about how they wanted to always push animation and push what they could do. and i think what makes arcane so visually stunning is also perhaps what makes the pacing falter. like the more complex they get in animation technique, which they HAVE since s1, the more they wanna put in as many action/moving sequences as possible so you get more conflict back to back.

like i do truly wish arcane was maybe a season longer. that, or had more episodes to really draw things out and explore things with more due diligence. but i also understand that from a writing and production standpoint thats just not feasible. for arcane to look this good it is fucking EXPENSIVE. i think theyve tried to balance budget with the amount of time they have, and although they couldve potentially mitigated some of the fast pace by having fewer plot threads i think ultimately arcane did what its known for. being ambitious.

so this is kinda what happens when a gorgeous and ambitious project tries to do as much as they can with what they have with the time allotted them. and its not enough time. but with the time we DO get? idk. i find myself more grateful to have it at all.

but maybe thats bc this is the kind of show i rlly wished to have growing up. where its basically entirely women as the main cast save for like. a couple male characters LOL. the center relationships are all between women, like caitvi and the sisters. where women are allowed to be messy people and fully human. they were fuckin ambitious to do so much but im glad they even tried it in the first place yknow