~HaruMichi's Ramshackle~

it all started from a post i saw somewhere, that expressed surprise that the same girls we saw in this scene

are the ones we see in this scene

'how can Vi be so meek and skittish, while Caitlyn is the confident one? it was the opposite before!"

and like, of course characters can change (like people do), but it i think this is a misreading of whats going on here. or at least, a surface level understanding. and the more i thought about it, the more i realized how much body language matters in Caitvi's scenes, and how the way they touch is extremely consistent and relevant to their relationship and identities.

to explain what i mean, let's start with Vi. Vi's touch is brash and confident. in the beginning of their relationship, Vi was the one pushing herself into Caitlyn's space, like we've seen in the brother scene, but also in small moments like shoulder checking Caitlyn after her very sensitive remark about The Last Drop, or her grabbing Caitlyn while they were escaping Silco.

i don't think Vi is intentionally being rougher with Caitlyn, as she touches other people (Jinx, Ekko) in a very similar manner. but to Caitlyn, this is a big deal- the fact Vi doesn't coddle her, and doesn't give her "special treatment"- is something Caitlyn has been craving her whole life.

Vi shows no hesitation before reaching out. its very unapologetic. You'd think they're already dating by the confidence Vi exudes when she's touching Cait.,

Vi tends to almost maneuver Caitlyn around. it's not an aggressive thing, it's gentle- but her touch is more assertive. i don't want to call it possessive, but something about it shows she feels like she has access to Caitlyn from a surprisingly early stage in their relationship.

now, look at how Caitlyn touches Vi. it's almost the complete opposite. her touch is feather light and careful, almost like she's unsure whether she's even allowed.

Caitlyn's touch is less assertive and more guiding. even in positions where you'd think she should be using some force, she finds the most gentle, non-intrusive way to go about it.

where Vi's touch is claiming, Caitlyn's touch is asking. you can see it every single time Caitlyn reaches out to Vi. she's slow in her approach, a little hesitant before she commits, incredibly delicate and soft.

as to why this is, i suspect their upbringing is at play. Vi is used to taking whatever she can get her hands on, because she never had enough growing up. Caitlyn is extremely aware of her privilege and is concerned with "taking too much". This approach is what makes Caitlyn come across as humble.

now, back to the kiss.

looking at it from this lens, are we sure that "Caitlyn is the confident party while Vi is meek" is the correct reading here? cause the way i see it,

Caitlyn takes her usual 5 million years to approach, because she's essentially non-verbally asking Vi for consent the entire way through. very on brand. Vi, however, seems to lack her usual confidence, and i've seen people attribute it to shock. i think it's somewhat related, but not because she's surprised Caitlyn is making a move on her, or that it's finally happening- come on, Vi knows Caitlyn is down bad for her. all the points i brought up, about the way Vi touched her up until this point- it's clear Vi knows that her touch is wanted. that's why she's so confident basically from that brothel scene. i suspect that if her sister hadn't murdered her mom, Vi would be making this exact move on Caitlyn in episode 1 of this season. the only thing holding her back is guilt.

no, the reason Vi is shocked is because Caitlyn is back. right after she begged her to not change, the girl she loves, and thought she was losing, came back. what do i mean she came back? in the scene before this one, this is the Caitlyn we see

Vi is clearly distraught by this aggressive, dominating version of Caitlyn. she doesn't recognize her. That's not who Caitlyn is. there's a reason they keep showing us this specific memory through Vi's eyes

this Caitlyn, attentive, gentle, asking, is the girl she fell for, in all her dorky glory. Vi asked Caitlyn to not change, and in this kiss, with that soft touch, Caitlyn proves Vi that she hadn't- not entirely, at least- that her girl is still in there. Vi is almost stunned in relief to see her again, especially after we saw how desperately she was clinging onto the memory of her.

and it's when she recognizes her, that non-apologetic grabby Vi is back.

(it was too good to be true, sadly. i think you can see a level of hesitancy in vi's body language here, like she can sense something is a little off.)

so, what about that sex scene, you probably wonder. why i havent mentioned it so far, seeing as this is the most intimate scene they have together. well, it's because if you've been following along what i said, nothing in it should surprise you.

so we have-

brash, grabby, assertive Vi

who tends to maneuver Caitlyn around

Caitlyn is being slow and soft in her approach

with feather light touches,

(like seriously every time caitlyn touches vi its almost floaty, so gentle its barely there. You can see there's no force behind it whatsoever. She licherally doesn't want to use her power on Vi.)

and of course, most importantly, we have Vi recognizing Caitlyn, the girl she fell for, 3 times in this scene. every time she does, she reacts with a surge of passion and joy.

first time is what kickstarted this whole scene

Caitlyn was making a grand gesture of selfless trust, just like she had all the way back when they first met and she chose to release Vi from prison based on trust alone.

second time is here

Caitlyn putting honesty above all else, choosing to not keep Vi in the dark, and looking like a nervous mess while doing it- very s1 Caitlyn of her.

third time is here

again, the soft, slow touch, asking for permission (and forgiveness).

Now, why does any of it matters? well, for Vi, i think that failing to recognize the body language just leaves out a layer of her character that adds to her personality. that brash, confident way she touches really lacks in some fan interpretations of her.

for Caitlyn, however... if you can't read her body language you can come out with a completely different reading of her character, one i'd consider a misinterpretation. Caitlyn's words are much more calculated and closed off than her touch. She uses her Big Scary Sheriff tone to make herself seem respectable, but her true self, the gentle, sweet side of her, only comes through her touch and actions. Like, if you only take Caitlyn at face value, based on what she says alone... let's just say, the amount of people who think Caitlyn is an evil manipulator who abuses her power starts to make sense now, doesn't it?

Armored Bear Stuffy [Part 2/?]

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