#the severity to which Caitlyn stans defend Caitlyn is respectable

[thewistlingbadger]

The show isn't about trauma Olympics. Everyone went through bad things and reacted to those experiences. My issue, and what my post was about, is that Caitlyn goes through significantly less trauma than the main cast of characters and yet has a way more severe reaction to her trauma. Compared to other characters, her reactions grossly do not fit or match the suffering she has been through. Obviously, in the real world, all trauma is valid and there's no need to make companions. Obviously in Arcane there are certain characters that despite everything they go through, they choose to not take it out on other people or the world around them (looking at vi, Ekko, Vander, jayce, mel). But there are certain characters that do react to what they went through and their reactions match the energy of their trauma. Jinx consistently is blamed for specific tragedies, loses everyone she loves, struggles with mental illness and identity. Given everything she's gone through it makes sense that she would become a crazy terrorist that kills people on sight and without remorse. Silco loses his family, gets betrayed in the worst way possible, and survives an attempted murder. Given everything he's gone through, it makes sense that he wouldn't give a shit about anyone and ruin their lives. Viktor is robbed of being a "normal" person from the pollution Piltover pumps in Zaun, is constantly on the receiving end of prejudice, and then is forcefully brought back to life in a manner that he explicitly said he didn't want. Given everything he's gone through, it makes sense that he would try to take over the world.

Trauma is not an excuse for actions and morals, and it never will be. Manipulation is not an excuse for actions and morals, and it never will be. The issue with Caitlyn is that the show's writing set up a standard for its characters. "You're either going to go through some very shitty things and make the world pay for it, or you're going to experience some very shitty things and be the bigger person." Caitlyn goes the route of making the world pay for it, but her shitty things were only that: shitty. Yeah, losing her mom sucks...but not enough to start gassing the masses and terrorizing the lives of the entire lower class for several MONTHS.

Another reason I take issue with Caitlyn's overreaction is that she never is held to accountability within the narrative. Silco, Vander, Jinx, Viktor, Ambessa, and Jayce all pay the price for the sins via death. And given what they did... low-key earned? At least for a few of them. They may not have received punishment tangibly, but in the narrative they were punished. Caitlyn's only punishment is losing an eye, which imo doesn't fit the crimes she committed. This wouldn't be so bad if A. We got to see Caitlyn's arch or B. The narrative wasn't telling us that what Caitlyn did was fine and repercussions weren't necessary. We never see Caitlyn go from "I don't give a shit" to "ah I fucked up." And even when she realizes she fucked up, she's still an ass about it, and she gets what she wants! Caitlyn shows a little bit of guilt, Vi gives her shit for two seconds, and then folds like a lawn chair and all is well.

Arcane is a fictional piece of work, a work that has established how cruel the world can be to our characters. And there's no denying that of the main cast, Caitlyn had it the most easy. Her only trauma is the death of her mom, being a victim of jinx's attack in ep4 s1, and what she experienced in the Undercity with Vi (being chased by Silco's men, being kidnapped by Jinx, etc). Yes, perhaps certain characters did do worse things, but the show makes it obvious how much shit they've gone through, how "justified" their acts are. Additionally, the show makes sure to punish the characters that went too far. Caitlyn is never critically examined in the show like all these other characters are. No one holds her accountable, not the narrative, the fans, or even the other characters. It's very clear in the narrative that Caitlyn's shittyness is to be excused since she's a good guy. If that's the case so be it but her actions will never be justified or right in my eyes. Had she gone through worse, I would have more empathy- hell maybe I'd even side with her. But doing all that for a mom she didn't even get along with? ESPECIALLY since the S2 didn't show any guilt on Caitlyn's end for the way her relationship with her mother ended, I don't have any sympathy for the shit she went through. All I can really say is better luck next time, cupcake.

Long story short

All trauma IRL is valid and there's no need to make comparisons, but when trauma is fictional comparison and questions of validity are going to be made

Compared to the rest of the cast, Caitlyn suffers the least, is held responsible the least, and reacts the most.

Tbh my original post was more about the way she's treated in fandom and not the show but all of this is true. I understand that people are gonna defend their favs, and that's completely fine, but please don't go on posts SPECIFICALLY TAGGED "anti Caitlyn Kiramman" and to respond with Caitlyn defense.

Hot take, but in a show where our main characters go through shit like being falsely imprisoned as a teenager and being robbed of several years, accidentally killing your entire family and being blamed for it, being saved from a deadly snow storm by a wizard in a world where people are against magic, growing up with disabilities directly caused by the government's pollution, and being exiled from your family and home as a teenager and forced to grow up in an unfamiliar land... A singular parent dying instantly is literally nothing. I'm not sympathetic to Caitlyn's trauma because literally everyone else has gone through way worse shit and ended up way more normal than Caitlyn. Caitlyn's hardships, which at the start of s2 is literally ONLY being kidnapped by Jinx, sustaining a small injury from Jinx, and having lost her mother, don't mean shit to me! You lost your mom? Girl look around literally EVERY CHARACTER in arcane does not have parents- to the point where even their ADOPTIVE parents die! The only character besides Caitlyn who had two living parents (that we know of) was Mel. I literally never want to hear this "oh but Cait's mom died and that's a horrible thing to go through and had it been my own mom I would have done worse" bullshit ever again.