Arcane teased queer relationships, but season 2 can do better

Since Arcane, Riot Games’ first foray into television, debuted in November, it has received adoration and praise across the board from critics, particularly in its handling of yet another video game adaptation. Missing from much of the criticism is any nuanced consideration of the show’s queer narratives. Fans of League of LegendsIt was great to see Caitlyn and Vi interact, and we were equally excited about their potential romance. However, the AAA gaming space offers the most current version of the show.

ArcaneCreates a confusing world where everyone borrows Queer aesthetics, and a little bit of queer programming. However, I never fully committed to the existence LGBTQIA+ characters. Piltover is the city that glitters with magic Victoriana upper class. Zaun, the seamy underbelly, is full of Mad-Max-meets-Paris-Fashion-Week types, pointing to how the show uses gender nonconforming “otherness” to define that space. The Vi is an updated appearanceThe part that leans well into the territory of butch feels like it is her, what with her undercuts and tattooed muscle. Piltover’s upper classes aren’t immune from this subtle version, such as Councillor Salo who exhibits queer coding through his sexuality and passion for wine.

Image courtesy of Netflix

This contrasts with the fact that it appears to degrade all OvertSpaces that look like bawdy homes are a perfect place for gay behavior. Set around different brothels in the Lanes, the first and fifth episodes are the only times we see people engaging in intimate queer behavior — the latter being mostly behind closed doors, hinted at as Caitlyn and Vi wander through the hallway. Also, the first episode contained an a transphobic sight gagSome viewers were astonished. It’s a common trope to portray queerness as being risqué, seedy, or aberrant, and ArcaneIt feels retrograde to place that information in the background of the main characters.

ArcaneIts portrayal of Vi and Caitlyn is being widely praised. These stories collide only in Runeterra’s version. Vi is an orphaned child from Zaun and has been in prison for many years. Caitlyn however, is high-ranking Piltover citizen and recently minted peacekeeper. They meet in Stillwater Hold when Caitlyn frees Vi to allow her to investigate who might have taken Hextech gems from Zaun. Both characters are familiarly paired in-game, by fans. However, the MOBA puts them in the flirty friend cop category and not in a romantic relationship. ArcaneThey are discussed in detail. League of LegendsAlthough it was not possible, the process is still confusing.

Caitlyn is assumed to be queer, as Vi and Vi have a vagueness about their relationship that hides who they really are. Vi calls the willowy sharpshooter “cupcake” and points out that she’s hot, to get her to try and glean info from brothel clientele. Caitlyn is comfortable sitting beside a lovely female patron. But there’s never a discussion from either of them that actually illuminates their choice.

Image courtesy of Netflix

A writer for Arcane, who noted their experience as a queer woman, explained in a Reddit comment that the lack of terms like “gay” in the aforementioned scenes was informed by an absence of stigmatization for sexuality or presentation in Runeterra. However, the show’s inordinate time spent developing this idea undermines any claim of homophobia being exempted from the real world. The script backs away from scaffolding anything that would make Vi and Caitlyn’s relationship We offer less ambiguous. Vi does question Caitlyn about her preference for brothel life, but Caitlyn is unable to answer.

Our hopes and dreams for Caitlyn & Vi are based on their growing closerness over time, even though there is a lot of pressure to be distrustful. Caitlyn strokes Vi’s cheek while they lie on the bed; Vi walks away from her angstily after a huge fight about their different worlds. These moments are definitely good relationship drama, but there’s a strange tension that demands more explicitness in a way the show never fulfills. ArcaneJayce and Mel had a full-on sexual scene after spending much less time interacting. It would have been difficult to make Caitlyn follow Vi around and kiss her in rain.

The women’s maybeship would have passed as serious homoerotic tension several years ago, roughly around the time when development on the show started. With the rise of streaming and animated TV shows, this has been overshadowed. However, the major gaming studios are still not able to understand the dynamic of homosociality or create queer characters that exceed the expectations of an audience.

Riot didn’t unveil its first official LGBTQIA+ League of Legends Champions until 2021 It has a handful of characters that have either these concepts or are part of their backstories. been “confirmed” after the fact, but it’s been very easy for the company to avoid the topic directly when so many of its games don’t meaningfully engage in a narrative. The Ruined King is a League of Legends StoryRiot is proud to present this title, which goes far beyond the mere snippets of information on characters barks and cards.

The showrunners, as well as the head writers, are also included. Arcane, Alex Yee & Christian Linke, They were experienced creatives who worked in the studio and not screenwriters that had been hired to create the world. The Washington Post interviewed the pair about the lack of TV adaptations for video games when they began work. ArcaneAccording to them, they were looking at things such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Game of ThronesFor inspiration. Netflix and neither of these are particularly well-known for their efforts to address LGBTQIA+ concerns.

Image courtesy of Netflix

It feels cynical to come down on Riot’s first foray into television, but it also feels like everyone else is not being cynical enough. Arcane took baby steps into canonizing a potential relationship between two beloved characters; it doesn’t deserve a parade just yet. This show, for Queer people from all walks of life, feels almost like a meal. You can find it validating to be validated. AnyRecognizing someone is acknowledged, however, it comes with a cost, particularly in these days of media.

What savvy media companies generally have angled toward, in the last few years, is taking a queer audience’s collective thirst for recognition, and then using that audience to generate that recognition from scraps. We’ve moved from a place where fans transformed something for themselves to one where companies do the bare minimum, then advertise it back to us using our language. This means inclusion can be used as a marketing tool, rather than a starting point. That means you can get the best reflection possible, just a small part of it, and not a vivid, authentic representation. The fans of Arcane say Caitlyn and Vi are “gay without saying it” in a positive light, it means we all fucked up.

If a show or a game can keep any LGBTQIA+ representation ambiguous enough for queer people to put the clues together, while not alienating its more conservative audience, then all we’re left with is Schrödinger’s canon — one that only reveals itself upon a viewer’s perception. If you don’t want to be bothered, it can be ignored.

It’s too early to know how the next season of Arcane will pan out, but it’s never too early to start demanding better. Riot is a very large, profitable company, and it shouldn’t be scared to piss off its audience by daring to show two women kiss, much less making Runeterra more queer. It doesn’t matter if it’s bad for metrics, ratings, or critical appeal; we should want more, and it’s the least Riot can do.