#when you have timebomb brainrot and everything has to be about them

[typewriteringalaxy]

extremely cursed timebomb au idea

Ekko winning Silco over, talking to him about political theory and the best future for Zaun while Jinx screeches in the rafters. Vi is somehow there too (just replace younger brother with older sister lol)

I DID SAY IT WAS CURSED

[arcane-ish]

Why I like Cait and Vi

After completing my Timebomb brainrot phase and my zaundads brainrot phase, I figured it's time that I sit down and write down why I like Vi and Cait. Here's the thing. I kind of worry that what I like about that probably completely differs from what majority of people like about them.

See, I love messy, dysfunctional couples. I do like the occasional wholesome sweet couple for contrast, but overall, a dysfunctional hopeless couple is much more likely to keep my interest. I'm the kind of person who sees this scrolling by on twitter and chuckles. Like, I probably wouldn't fully co-sign it, but I'm at least chuckling.

Or who looks at "Vander did his best to try and kill Silco, Silco did his best to try and kill Vander ... it's a feature, not a bug!".

Every once in a while, I see a post scroll by that goes "why don't people ship Vi x Jinx".

And you know the sane answer is:

1.) A good chunk of people are not into incest, even if its fictional 2.) A good chunk of people prefer couples with the potential for a happy and healthy relationship

But from my position as a fan of messy darkshipper couples, my reaction is "why would I want to?" when there are so many other couples on the show that have angsty messy darkshipper potential as well?

I like Vi and Cait because they kind of have both. They have the genuine caring for each other and being good for each other but they are also torrid and angsty and dramatic.

So the things that people might criticize about them "Caitlyn drives a wedge between Vi and Jinx when Vi cares so much about Jinx" my reaction is "YES that's what makes it good!". It's what makes it angsty and torrid and high stakes.

Now the sanity and rootability of the couple is clearly preserved by the fact that this is not Caitlyn's goal and intention and that Jinx's demands are cleary unreasonable. But the fact that Vi has to choose between who to hurt when she genuinely cares about both is what makes it good. The fact that somebody whose opinion genuinely matters to Vi is against it and isn't all that likely to just see reason and turn around is what makes it dramatic.

Similarly, the whole concept that Vi might turn her back on everything she has known to follow Cait into enforcering? Again, yes! I look at this and go "this makes it larger than life and dysfunctional and delicious". And don't get me wrong, if it were to happen in the duration of the show I have every intention of defending her choice. After Vi has been kicked in the face by fate so much, can you really blame her for feeling like she doesn't have a home anymore? Maybe you can, but I don't.

Again, this is the appeal of shipping couples like that, of having these huge sensible obstacles between them and imagining their love, their desire, their pull towards each other is just so strong that they can't help but overcome it. And yeah there is pull between Jinx and Vi, but the precisely because that pull is very strong makes Vi and Cait more delicious, makes it delicious that Cait is even stronger, makes it interesting how she will handle Vi's guilt, her responsibility towards Vi. How she will protect Vi, how she will comfort her.

A lot of shows try to set up couples with big obstacles and all, but it's not that often that they do that good of a job of making you feel the stakes and make you optimistic in that the show will take those stakes seriously without devolving into just a chain of new soap opera misery (I think this will be the interesting balance for Arcane to hit, taking the challenges seriously, but not overdoing it, finding the right moment to hit the exit).

The coolness of Vi x Caitlyn comes from how they can kind of have it all. They have that tragic side to them. But they also have the a lot more simple, more stable "cop partners odd couple/opposites attract" thing going on. Which I probably also would have been into if the melodramatic tragic angle didn't exist, because I like people who work well together with a common goal. those backgrounds and abilities contrast and complement each other.

And in addition to that they also have genuine potential for a strong and working and healthy relationship where they make each other better and heal and support each other.

I love that Cait an Vi's attraction is (to me) so obvious and instantaneous and so quickly a strong force in both their motivations. And I think it's wonderful that they clearly have the full support from the creators.

But at the same time, I feel like I probably would have shipped Vi/Cait even if their ship situation had been more dire (though I'm absolutely happy that it isn't and that I feel like I can look forward to well-executed drama instead of just being given a cool setup and I have to make up the romantically satisfying stuff in my headcanon/consume in fanworks)

Are there certain niggles in characterization? That I can see when others make them or that I've even made myself? Yeah, sure. But those niggles are pretty meaningless to me as long as they have vibes. And IMO Vi and Cait absolutely have those.