That split second characterisation on the bridge really does a good job of distilling their characters. Caitlyn protects by taking a bullet for you. Vi protects by pushing you away.
I’ve always been a sucker for the classic “opposites attract” but Arcane does it in a way that feels so realistic with how that dynamic works. In a way, the two may be completely different, but they’re both two women who have such strong hearts and they really bring out the best in one another. They’ll both chase each others monsters away, always.
A take on the classic princess and the pauper but with realistic spin on it. Showing contrasting views as conflicts etc is really refreshing from what you usually typically see
I love how strong and powerful they are in front of people but when they’re alone with one another they knock down each other’s walls and you see how tender they are with each other. With how Caitlyn treats Vi’s wounds and holds Vi up when she’s injured. With how Vi gently brushes her hand onto Caitlyn’s face to show her affection. I love how Caitlyn just stared into Vi’s eyes after giving Vi shimmer and you could feel the tension of a kiss was going to happen. I love how Caitlyn always vouched for Vi to her mum and the council and she isn’t afraid to show the ugly truth of years worth of oppression Zaun was going through due to Topside always benefiting over having power on the community of Zaun.
I really liked that they had a relationship that didn't immediately feel sexualized. Nothing can ruin a character dynamic than a forced romance, but Arcane managed to make everything feel like a natural progression of two people meeting an unenthused ally turn into two friends who'll be supportive of each other till the end. Can't wait to see what they do with that relationship in season 2
I actually think they led with the attraction and made that clear on a level you could feel in your gut, but all the character development and trust building that went along with it that made everything gel and feel earned. They somehow gave two animated characters palpable chemistry, but they also made us care about their relationship on a level that went far beyond just thinking it was "hot."
@@brennakingsbury9657 Felt the same way. There was an immediate physical attraction noticable between them, an innate chemistry. I am kinda tired of the way that shows with f/f relationships make it seem like there can only be attraction after two women have gotten emotionally close too. Sure, oversexualization is horrid, but denying that a lesbian can check out a woman before she likes her romantically is also dumb. Jayce was making eyes at Mel almost since the moment he met her and nobody found that excessive either.
I also really enjoyed how Caitlyn’s shower scene wasn’t at all male gaze/sexualized/bla bla. Showing off her strong back and arms pressing strongly against the wall is usually a portrayal used for male characters in my experience and well, I liked it being used here
@@mazvitaselemani If they are shot in a way that highlights the view of the female body at the expense of her enjoyment or experience, essentially if the woman isn’t shown to be an active participant but instead a prop.
@@snack2851 The way this show handles sexuality and nudity is really impressive. The shower scene shows a young woman completely naked from multiple different angles, from above, the side and even below and not once does it feel tantalizing. What Arcane has done is prove that nudity and sexuality doesn't need to be gratuitous, as is so often used as an excuse when it's done badly.
"Jinx, I'm sure, would highly approve of this video!" Of course she would. Caitlyn is Vi's girlfriend after all, she even made her a snack. Such a supportive sister.
Yeah, like if she's THAT crazy to hate a relationship that is making her sister happy. I'm glad she respected it so quickly and supported in lots of ways, such as helping Cait dress for the tea party
another little detail that makes me want to eat concrete: during the dinner party scene, when jinx is right about to pull off the lid of the plate after telling vi she's "paid [her] girlfriend a visit", we as an audience are expecting to see some sign that caitlyn is de4d and apparently vi is too as there's a quick split-second shot of caitlyn from aforementioned bed scene. but it's different when you compare the two shots side by side: in the actual bed scene, caitlyn's eyes are more hooded, her lips aren't parted the way they are in the shot vi sees right as jinx reveals what's under the lid. but in vi's head, caitlyn's eyes were widened and clearly vulnerable. so just like caitlyn in the shower scene seeing vi walk away from her in the rain, she's begun romanticizing their interactions in her head, replaying them over and over, until the edges seem to....soften.
I've seen this take on the different face shots a lot and it would indeed be a really nice visual demonstration of a love "filter". Buut I'm not sure they are that different actually. It seems the angle has just been changed to Vi's pov rather than the camera's we see as the audience the first time. What I get when looking at both pics is that the second one could very well be Cait's reaction when Vi held her hand, a continuation of her own surprised expression right before the scene cuts to Jinx being Mengeled on. And I think that's exactly why that image pops up, because it could be the precise moment in which they connected, and truly acknowledged it. Then Vi briefly holds Cait's hand again at the Council scene, as a sign with a somewhat clear display of mutual understanding rather than raw expression like in the bed scene, followed by the departure under the rain, and the "what about us? " line making sense. Ultimately, Vi remembered the exact minute of their mutual exchange (pic A and B) - the pivotal point where Cait turned into something more - and dramatically right in front of death's door. Or...probably I'm reading way into it. Gonna go eat sum bricks
Despite Vi's butch look and more straightforward flirting, I think Cait is actually the one who was more obviously gay from the start. She gave those obvious hints around Vi in Act 2 & 3 of course (she barely appeared in Act 1 and was mostly just there for set-up), but there is more to it than that. She just had that vibe about her in general which I find hard to explain. It helps that writers on twitter added a lot of little things about Cait that make it more clear just how gay she really was all along. Vi was stuck fighting for her survival in the Undercity or being stuck in Stillwater until adulthood, so she had very little room to explore her sexuality, but Cait allegedly invited girls into her home and snuck them past her parents (her mother apparently caught her sometimes, which explains why her reaction to seeing Cait sneak Vi in was so "Oh this again"). This also does explain how she was so confident and skilled at flirting with the woman in the brothel compared to her completely stilted and uninterested attitude towards the guy.
i agree with the vibe thing. it's written all over her but its hard to explain what it is exactly that sets off my radar. I think it's that, despite often being referred to as the "femme" one (when compared to Vi it's understandable) there's a masculine edge to her behavior and demeanor. a very subtle one. in a way that feels not-straight. Also the fact that she struggles to fit in with her peers, and her interactions with her only friend (a good looking straight(?) man), are mostly to sneer at and mock him.
@@loycos3648 Boils down too *I'd duck that fiery wild Gal NGL* when she met Vi she did not expect a Ripped fiery short head gal is her ticket to undercity. When she walk up to the cell she was having that let's get these over with and "get me to undercity you crooked inmate" face
@@loycos3648 It's funny, as a femme (as in the actual femme/butch lesbian subculture, not "feminine lesbian") I actually relate to Caitlyn more as a femme because of that, because our femininity isn't heteronormative and we can be mistaken as masculine by people unfamiliar with the femme/butch subculture because of how we present and act.
As a long time League player, a Vi main (first champ ever bought, first to by a skin for, first to get max mastery with, etc), and someone who was onboard the SS Piltover's Finest ever since I read their bios over half a decade ago, Arcane was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. With everything regarding Vi, from real personality they gave her to the updated design that actually makes her look like a butch lesbian brawler who has a tendency to "block with her face." Chef's kiss. As for Vi/Caitlyn, I'm still in partial disbelief that it's actually real now. Leading up to Arcane's release, I wasn't expecting more than maybe an easily disguised flirt from Vi that would purely just serve as a wink and nod for the fans that know about all the ship teasing in LoL. What we did get, that amount of it, and just how blatant and upfront it was, just blew me away. Think I set a personal record for most "holy shit"s uttered in a single sitting when Episode 5 came out. And on top of that, it's not even a background or side plot, they actually made it a center piece for the conflict between VI and Jinx. Literally everyone at Fortiche and on the Riot writing team are a bunch of Vi/Caitlyn fanfic writers and fanartists and I love them all for it.
Same here, also I'm a OTP Vi from the begining (almost 3kk if irc), and was one of the OG shippers when the fandom was dead many years ago, this ship was something "crack", there were not much material tbh and even rioters said that they wouldn't confirm if they have a relationship cause is not something that matters at all in gameplay, it doesn't add anything, they were very strict with that. C'mon, even the San Valentine Vi skin was like a bait, with Fiora instead of Cait, or the old Blitzcranck compatibility machine. With that in mind, I never expect what I got with Arcane. Like you, I expected a little flirt, something more like a easter egg. Not only they confirmed the ship, they give material, and also they make Vi this masculine character that fits so fucking well, the desing is perfect, the personality, they make her a boxer (that's a plus for me, cause I'm a pro fighter) It feels like they knew exactly what I wanted, and for what I see, what the community wanted, they teased and baited, but deliver. It's perfect for me. The only thing that can give me the 11/10 , is if they kiss, even a little one.
As a long time League player myself, and mostly ADC main (mostly cait and jinx cus wtf not) i am on board with everything this man^ has said. from all the ships league has and still continue to do, i still really like the VIxCait, sucker to the good cop bad cop sht, and seeing the dynamic of the two thru the interaction and secret passive they have is soo Good
@@falconeshield Man I had almost forgotten that the head writer for OW did everything he could to bury that ship when people started liking it far more than her being with his self-insert ninja character.
“Loves the angst but secretly wants the fluff.” Oh god if that isn’t the mood. I’ve talked about this elsewhere but I think it’s interesting how open Vi is compared to Cait. Vi has this really nice, tender moment of vulnerability with Cait (the iconic bed scene of course). Cait on the other hand, while genuine and wholesome in her want to do the right thing and fix, well, everything (like you said, hero complex) doesn’t really give as much. Like, in regards to personal matters Cait would rather focus on fixing the problem than talking about how she feels. In some respects, I think that’s a nice little subversion to have Vi be the more open in the relationship. Girl wears her emotions on her sleeve, really. At least, that’s how I saw it. Nice Wicked reference, by the way. As always, excellent work dude.
I think part of it could be that Vi just has much much more to open up about in comparison to Cait. Caitlyn has had a very sheltered life, with the most traumatic thing in her life (not counting the recent explosions and gunfire directed at her) was feeling as though she never earned anything herself. She doesn't have much to say about her emotional or mental state that wouldn't possibly come off as sounding a bit whiney. So she's more passive there, more receptive to helping others deal with their trauma than she is at trying to put any issues she might have out there.
@@WiqidBritt I agree with you. I think the point of the bed scene was specifically about Vi opening up and Cait listening and giving her empathy and care. I don't think the focus on Vi's vulnerability there means that Caitlyn will never open up to Vi or be vulnerable with her (especially considering that the season ended with her mother's fate up in the air--Caitlyn may certainly need to unpack some emotions about her mother next season).
I wasn’t trying to imply Cait would never open up to Vi, or that she should have when, yes, Cait’s woes (while still important for her) are not as harsh compared to Vi’s. That she’d never open up about her inner feelings and workings to Vi (or anyone). I’m just saying that, while (like Vi) Cait would give her companionship or lend her ear easily for those she holds dear, her feelings could easily be skimmed over by herself because she’d rather focus on fixing the problem. This is just how I see it however.
Being her sister, it's very likely she was aware her sister was gay, and in Jinx' mind there no other reason her sister would be spending time with a cop unless it was romantic/sexual. Also Jinx had totally seen how they were hugging and touching each other, so it's pretty clear to her that they are an item.
Another potentially interesting visual metaphor is that during the shower scene, Caitlyn washes off her wounds and we get some deliberate shots of the blood mixing in with the water. They aren't oil and water, they're water and blood.
I always thought that she did that because she was tired of the flowers she was getting. Her room is filled with flowers from other people wishing her a speedy recovery after the explosion. ( it was hilarious the way she chucked the flowers though 😂)
@@gersongomez1876 Right, but if she had viewed Jayce as a romantic interest, HIS flowers would have held a special significance for her. They didn't, and the manner in which she chucked them (right in front of him!) indicates that she hadn't even considered the possibility that he could be thinking that way. Unless we read Cait as super callous, which she's not...she's just oblivious sometimes.
I love that the Caitlyn x Vi relationship doesn't feel forced. It just feels like people, and the series lets the relationship evolve naturally, in ways that make sense given the situations. I'm usually one of those people who cringes at LGBT relationships in present year entertainment, but it'd not because those relationships bother me, it's just the way they are usually shoehorned into stories. I can identify with Caitlyn and Vi because the writers do the work to show who they are, and what they feel. I'm just tired of "representation" being used to excuse bad writing, and it's so refreshing to see such a sweet and believable relationship.
I hate it when the writers try to write a diverse cast, but know nothing about who they're writing about. In the end its just a cesspool full of stereotypes ranging from unfunny and mildly offensive to borderline racism/homophobia/transphobia/etc.
TL;DR this is an essay so i'll make it easy for you. gay cartoons feel fake, Arcane makes it real. Arcane represents the lgbt community and their relationships better than cartoons or shows that shove it in peoples faces to even the curve of media cover up. As a bi person, this made me proud. Start of essay: lately ive been watching kids and tween cartoons that have implemented a heap of lgbt relationships. As much as i love shipping them (eg, Lumity from The Owl House, Troy and Benson from Kipo, Catradora from Shera, Korrasami from LoK etc.), even though some of them are more justified than others, it just doesn't feel completely real, intentional and true to my heart. What makes Arcane different to this is the person behind each character and their emotions, intentions and beliefs. Lumity has your opposites attract dynamic, Amity being the careless selfish bully with secret insecure emotions and the pressure of her rich family moulding her into something she doesnt want to be and Luz being the kind selfless person who looks for adventure and doesn't let beliefs stop her from what shes passionate about. Ok while its cute that Luz appealed to Amity's emotions and caused her to redeem herself and crush on Luz, some important relationship building details just dont exist, and the crush seems sudden in a way despite it being cute. Luz, being oblivious, but suddenly understanding and liking her after the kiss just felt a little artificial to me. Also, its the fact that we weren't shown enough of them emotionally interacting. I get it, its a kids show, but every show needs to put meaning behind almost anything that exists within the show unless the show's intended audience are literally toddlers and babies (cocomelon and pj masks etc.) Everything was cryptic but slowly it came into light with not enough show and explanation. Arcane shows us who this character is, and once we understand them, they hand us out a relationship onto a silver platter if it can be fully justified and is compatible. Riot and Fortiche weren't shy with it either, no blushing and quick glimpses, no obliviousness, just raw emotion and show of love languages. Arcane made it extremely obvious, but in a really good way, while most other shows make it obvious but too in your face in an attempt to represent lgbt relationships. Arcane represented it perfectly and imo it did my bi heart proud. I know that we have been heavily unincluded in the media unless it was for comedic gags or for a thing to make fun of in the past, but it doesnt mean that once we have the chance to finally walk into the light, we need to shove so much in people's faces to "make it even". Ive been attacked for saying this, but its true, because sometimes its just doing worse for the lgbt community. As a bi person, its honestly just super cringe seeing it forced mainly because of representation purposes, but Arcane's representation was mind blowing, so natural, it really felt like they were normalising it better than most.
I've heard some people raise an understandable critique of "they were quick to show a sex scene between Jayce and Mel but still haven't shown a kiss between Vi and Cait" and I get why people think that way and may be worried that riot/fortiche are gonna duck out of a full gay relationship BUT, whilst it is off screen, Jayce and Mel have known each other for 7-10 years now, whilst Vi and Cait have known each other for a week at most. I'd have faith for now and if they really do duck out in season 2 then the complaints are valid. I know it seems they jumped in to Jayce and Mel extremely quickly and Vi and Cait have been a slow burn but comparatively, in universe it's quite the opposite. Off screen character development is still valid character development, Powder/Jinx is the perfect example of this.
I completely agree with you. I really wanted a kiss, but at the same time there was not a moment where it wouldn’t have felt forced or out of place. After all, the situation they were in was not one that lent itself to romance. I also have hope for next season, but if what I think happened after that ending happened, I don't really know how a relationship would be able to develop between Cait and Vi (at least in the immediate future).
Also it´s pretty obvious that Mel and Jayce aren´t meant to last, with him being easily influenced and her losing her grip on him. His politics escalating drove him away from Viktor and it shows that it´s eventually going to drive him away from her too. They´re meant to be a tragedy, so it´s easy to speedrun the better parts of their relationship.
I think in this case, they are two completely different sets of people. Some take a lot longer to reach the same physical intimacy milestones as others and Vi and Caitlyn being so different from each other on the surface means that they have a lot more walls to break through before those milestones are reached. Especially considering Vi's backstory, she is constantly going through a lot. Mel and Jayce's emotional stress is less severe and both are riding the high of picturing how they can obtain their ideal futures so for them they just click together as they're in a more stable place and have less walls to begin with. Edit: I think the slower nature is exactly what makes Vi and Caitlyn work so well. They take the time to get to know each other and trust each other and the scenes where they show emotion to each other come across much more as two people who love each other's faults and imperfections so much that they are too overwhelmed to hold back their actions of affection. By this framework, I found that their relationship was made with much more care and attention to detail than Jayce and Mel. Not because of laziness or anything, simply that Vi and Cait seemed to be more of a priority.
I also think it's because Mel and Jayce aren't really in love, the whole relationship feels like a business transaction, first on Mel's side and in the end on Jayce's, (when Mel potentially developed feelings) for me their relationship is more physical than anything, meanwhile Cait and Vi do seem to have feelings. But I think it was also not a moment where they could have kissed and it wouldn't feel out of place. At the beginning they just got to know each other and in the end there's just too much happening for them to actually kiss. I'm excited to see how it develops in the future cause I'm guessing the angst is not over yet 👀
If they don't get a happy ending I'll be so, so devastated. The chemistry these two characters have with just a few flittering hand-to-face touches is impeccable. Their relationship lights a small match of hope amidst the war-ravaged chaos. If they kill off Caitlyn for a "beautifully tragic twist" or to further Vi's plot I'll be livid. There is sooo much potential here! I'm begging they don't make Vi choose between them indefinitely.
I doubt either will die, but I don’t think it will be a wholly happy ending either. Vi’s guilt over failing to save Powder, and knowing that she chose Caitlyn over her, will tear at her constantly. On top of the ensuing war and the hunted death/ injury of Momma Kiramann, the mounting death and misery caused by Jinx will add to that. I think we will get a somewhat bittersweet but wholesome relationship, but Vi’s story probably won’t be a happy ending. She doesn’t strike me as wanting to run away from the Undercity and the people she left there for Piltover, even if it is Caitlyn. On top of having to deal with Jinx , I don’t even know what Vi will do if she catches her.
I don't think they're dumb enough to kill off either of the characters from their groundbreaking lesbian 'ship, especially with that writing team. I do suspect that they will not be a couple in S2, but the fact that they met in the same episode where Jayce and Mel had that out-of-nowhere sex scene kind of felt like throwing down a gauntlet to me. I think the writers knew what they were doing in terms of the expectation that would create for Vi and Caitlyn, and the writer of that episode has implied that she is at the very least attracted to women herself and seems to have made it her personal social media mission to keep fans thirsty for that 'ship. It's hard to believe that she's doing that, and not being muzzled by Riot, if she's full of crap and we're going to end up with a super tragic ending for them, or even a relationship where kissing and sex are purely subtextual and never onscreen. They have to know the backlash will be worse if they whip people into a frenzy and then just deliver more of the same old thing.
They're two playable characters from a video game first, whose open ended present day lore is years after Arcane takes place. They won't kill them off.
don't think either will die but Vi may give up the relationship to save her sister who she turned into a monster. things could get even worse as when the two them team up and fail Jinx most likly goes to get WarWick/Vander and Vi has to deal with that trauma as well.
Caitlyn's such a fascinating character to me. Pure hearted, genuinely idealistic but so naive from being sheltered. All she seems to want is some agency in her own life so she can help other people. It's like someone set out to make a character whos foundational building block is just compassion. Not something you'd expect to find in this otherwise really unforgiving and often cruel setting. It also sets up a really interesting personal dilemma/arc for her in S2 if what appears to happen at the end of S1 actually happens. She'll be confronted with something Vi knows all to well but that she's never faced. Something that could really cause her major internal conflict given her innate compassion. She's being set up to continue having her fundamental ideals challenged in a way that will also make her continued relationship with Vi that much more interesting to see unfold. I also just love her and Vi together. Getting well written gay characters is already rare, but getting ones that actually get to display tenderness and affection is refreshing. I just hope S2 brings them together officially without waiting until the final episode. It'd be neat to also get an actual onscreen relationship and not just a will they/won't they.
Something to add with your “lets get physical” section: After so many rewatching of arcane, I was able to decode that vi’s love language is physical touch. Its been evident enough that vi shows care towards caitlyn with gentle touches, most especially in the bridge scenes (e.g. before parting with cait, checking cait if she was ok after the explosions, and the knee pat when she was helping cait sit on the floor). Act 1 also proves as evidence to support my point. Vi shows reassurance to powder by caressing her face when powder was upset after loosing the bounty and finally when vi went off with her siblings to save vander. I’d like to imagine that despite the pain, vi also looks forward to the beatings given to her by the guards at stillwater rather than being left alone to ponder over her guilt of “killing” her family. Lmao just wanna share some thoughts i have after watching arcane so many times XD *sum additional stuff i also realized/guessed Vi: i feel like vi also has acts of service as one of her love language considering the fact that she’s a reactionary type of person. Also adding to this, she’s learnt to like cait more after cait expressed her concern over the well being of the undercity via talking to the council Cait: i honestly dont know what cait’s love language is cuz we rarely see her vulnerable in s1 however i’d like to give an educated guess that its acts of service since she also wants change to happen in the undercity (??) lmao im still not sure Jinx: as for jinx, i feel like jinx is a mixture of physical touch (face caressing from vi and silco) as well as words of affirmation (mostly from silco since jinx really appreciates silco’s word of wisdom) Anyways thats just my take from the series. Feel free to share yalls thoughs as well ❤️ Edit: fixed some grammar issues since english isn’t my first language
@@kellyxiaomedia omg kandjskd Its nothing really❤️❤️ this is what happens when you’ve literally watched arcane nearly everyday XD i guess you could say this is the fruit of my labor jk
I think Silco’s “words of affirmation” work better with Jinx because he “gets” her, Vi always sees Jinx as the “better” version of herself, while Silco recognizes she’s a broken individual(like him), this is specially relevant considering Jinx is insecure about herself and other’s expectations of her, at the very least she probably felt more free and genuine when with Silco, since she didn’t need to hide her “ugly side”
@@victormagoco9752 I agree. In hindsight, I guess you could say that physical touch was more appropriate when jinx was still powder back then. However, after silco took powder in, powder adapted to his style more- another symbol of change as powder turned into jinx.
Both Vi and Powder respond better to physical signs of affection, which is why Powder likes hugging her slightly evil adopted dad, Silco, and why Vi likes to get close to Caitlyn (of course, after they spent more time in hell together).
I got to say it... I don't normally like lesbian relationships in modern media. I feel like a lot of time they are just thrown into a show to check a diversity box and don't feel realistic or like you said they are blatantly oversexualized . But I really liked this relationships it felt realistic . Plus they were two well written characters who happened to be gay as opposed to that being their defining trait
@@stuarteaston1629 Furthermore it comes to show that diversity can really be a positiv aspect of a show, instead of just something you roll your eyes at thinking: "And there is the 'diversity' cast/character". Arcane for me sets a new standard of what we as an audience should expect from television.
WLW relationship is so good and few and someone who reviewed a show summed it up perfectly of how wlw and mlm are portrayed in media: wlw is all passion and pay off with no set up and emotions, mlm is all the emotions and feelings with sadly no pay off...and is written as implied or something tragic or some straight nonsense of them falling for a girl they barely met...So glad, some media is giving us good wlw and mlm rep! Hopefully, we don't get the old 'it has to end in a tragedy because gays can't have anything nice'
@@tschakatschada yeah seriously some series have 'forced' diverse characters and it makes me say exactly what you wrote. They should come up naturally as they did in Arcane
can we also apreciate the tiny moment where Jinx say "i paid your girlfriend a visit" and vi first and foremost is concerned for Caitlyn? instead of going like "she's not my girlfriend"? i know the moment had other priorities, but that it was never brought up again warms me.
I could *easily* hear Vi saying that too... the fact she didn't protest even a tiny bit is quite interesting. Not even a slight huff or hesitation, just goes directly into "she said 'my girlfriend', (which clearly means Caitlyn,) oh no did she hurt Caitlyn?!?" in her head.
To be honest, there is no way Jinx would mean anyone besides Cait. Still I love how she is not confused in the slightest. Her first thougt while hearing the word "girlfriend" was Caitlyn. Which means a lot. And I love it.
Honestly how Vi and Caitlyn's relationship is unfolding is the exact kind of relationship between two women that I wish we saw more of in media. Going from complete opposites that shouldn't work and start off not trusting each other, to that scene in the rain as Vi can bearly look at the woman who has come to mean so much to her in so short a time, as she lies and says they're "oil and water" and "it wasn't meant to be" is just superb writing. It all could easily have felt rushed too in that they've only known each other a few days but Riot and Fortiche has handled the progression of their growing relationship so well and made it totally believeable. Also props to them for the level of emotion and humanity that they've given these characters. You genuinely do forget sometimes that you're watching animated characters and not actual, real people acting. The voice acting and the expressions really are on another level.
16:41 Somebody made a compilation of Cait and Vi “being friends” and captioned the part where Caitlyn bites her lip with, “Shower thoughts: how to mix oil and water.” I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it for a week now.😂
Opposites attract best when deep down they aren’t actually opposites they have the same values and morals and deeply feel same/similar to certain things. On the surface you’d think they wouldn’t get along, but with vi and Cait they both value realness and loyalness and they find that within each other. This results in a trustful loving relationship between the two
Something else that didn't occur to me till recently is the Caitlyn is probably Vi's first real romantic relationship. Vi was about 15-16 when she was arrested and put in jail. Before that it seems she spent most of her time taking care of Powder and leading her little crew. After she was arrested she goes to jail and from what we see spends the next 7 years just trying to survive as prison is probably not the best place to find a date. Given that she was locked up at the age she would have normally started dating and developing romantic interests it seems like this is a part of herself that Vi never really explored. Any confidence she shows in this area is probably a mask since she knows admitting something like no romantic experience or even being a virgin is something that would make her seem weak to some. Despite appearances Caitlyn is probably the more experienced of the two in romance since she wasn't locked in a cell for almost a decade.
I'm really curious about Vi's background, as well, because it is relevant to how she approaches and interacts with Caitlyn, but I doubt the show will ever fill it in. I definitely think Caitlyn is Vi's first love, though (and vice versa), but I have to think Vi had some sexual experience behind the way she behaved at the brothel. There's knowing you like girls, and there's... that. Someone who wound up being as gorgeous and badass as Vi would probably have had a lot of offers from weaker, more submissive women hoping for her protection in prison. Or she somehow managed to stay out of that prison ecosystem and made Caitlyn and 80% of the viewing audience weak in the knees with nothing but fake bravado! I think Caitlyn seems inexperienced in general. She was relaxed with the woman in the brothel, which was definitely a flashing neon sign pointing toward "and the answer to the question is 'woman,' ladies and gentlemen," but the intention of the interlude at the brothel also seemed to be about her being adaptable and open to discovering new things, so I'm not sure she knew the answer with certainty when Vi initially asked the "man or woman" question (especially considering that her response was "Uhhhhh" plus a deer in the headlights look, even after she had plenty of time to recover and answer). Caitlyn's overall body language around Vi just kind of screams that it's all new to her. She's trying to focus and be professional and not let on how attracted she is to Vi, and by the time she just can't hide it anymore, she's also beginning to fall in love with her. Caitlyn was also portrayed as being extremely focused on her work to the point of obsession, so it's not a stretch to imagine she's avoided giving sex and romance much thought because she knew that would lead toward marriage and titles and other things she didn't care about (and I'm not sure sheltered, privileged Piltover girls would have appealed to her anyway). To me, Vi seems to be the first person who really made her feel tingly, whose directness made her sit up and take notice, who felt like a possible equal and not someone to roll her eyes at. Everything about her body language screams that to me. (Also, to be clear, I don't think Caitlyn experienced gay panic at any point. Vi caught her by surprise, but I don't think there was any trepidation about Vi being a girl, just uncertainty about how different they were, how trustworthy Vi was, how likely they were to end up on opposite sides of a conflict, etc.) I'm not sure the writers are going to fill in any more about their past history than they already gave us, so I'm just trying to read the shorthand we did get and take it at face value for now.
@@jubimadethis5167 Riot did give some details on what Vi's life in prison was like. You can find it on the Council Archives on the league of legends wiki. She was around 17 when she was locked up and spend seven years in jail. The records have her getting into constant fights with other inmates and spending time in solitary. No indication that she was friendly or intimate with anyone. I also don't see Vi as the type to sexually take advantage of others which is what it would have been in prison. Whatever romantic relationships Vi may have had before being arrested I doubt were very serious given her age and since her main focus seemed to be taking care of Powder and her crew. This really just reinforces my idea that Vi is actually very inexperienced romantically and is just very good at pretending she's not. The life she's led makes her feel like she has to put up a tough brash front or look weak which would be a death sentence for someone growing up in the mean streets and doing time in jail. Caitlyn seems to just be someone who choose to focus more on her career then dating. The main thing is that Caitlyn avoided romantic entanglements by choice but Vi was forced to avoid them due to circumstances. Caitlyn may not have a lot more experience then Vi but I think she's just less concerned about admitting it then Vi is.
@@Wilahelm2 Yeah, I've read the archives stuff as well. The file is pretty skimpy for 6-7 years, and I doubt the prison lackeys cared enough to record any personal connections she might have made, but I agree that I don't see her behaving in a predatory way in prison. I just also know enough to know that prison is not a sex-free zone by any means, and that someone like her would be seen as extremely desirable as a protector/partner, so it's hard to imagine that she got through 6-7 years of that with no engagement at all. I'm not especially attached to the idea that she had experience in prison, though. I just feel like the animators went for broke with her body language and confidence level in the brothel, but you may be right that it was a hard-learned persona with little or no basis in actual experience. I definitely don't think she's experienced at romance or at allowing herself to be vulnerable (emotionally or sexually). I agree completely re: Caitlyn.
@@jubimadethis5167 You could be right, she might have been with someone in prison. It just that everything seems to indicate that she was a loner in prison. She had no idea who she could trust and so was on guard the whole time. Even if there was some fling I doubt it would have meant much to Vi as her main desire was finding Powder again. Fun thought their time in the brothel was Vi really seemed to just be messing with Caitlyn rather then taking her seriously as a partner, let alone a potential love interest. That only happened after Caitlyn saved her from Savika and got her healed. Even when it's clear that Vi's starting to fall for Caitlyn she keeps trying keep her at a distance. Vi seems to always be trying to maintain a tough confident image in front of Caitlyn but the straight laced enforcer keeps busting through her guard and making her have feeling(Vander did say her guard needed work).
omg i don't think i ever thought of Vi as touch-starved until you pointed it out, probably because she's always "touching" things with her fists lol, but i guess giving and receiving calloused knuckles isn't quite the same HAHA. now i can't unsee how gentle and careful Cait is with her and it hurts, thanks. also i think these two work so well because they have that whole "superficial foils while actually being thematic parallels" thing going on. fundamentally, at their cores, they're extremely similar. they value the same things. it's like solving a math problem in two radically different ways but still arriving at the same answer. up until this point, their lives could not have been more dissimilar. but now that they've crossed paths, they can't uncross. like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through a wood, i guess. also, in that same interview with the writer, i believe there's a part where she just scripted that Vi and Cait "share a moment of connection" or something and the animators were like "yes, soft cheek touches" so let's just sign our collective gay souls over to the animation department lol they're out here serving up a frickin' BANQUET
This relationship has been portrayed so damn well and feels like its evolving in such a natural way that it just amazes me that its come out of a genre show. It is hand down one of the best relationship narratives i've seen regardless of gender or orientation.
Before I comment anything else‚ thank you SO MUCH for the subtitles. A lot of youtubers with way more subscribers don’t even consider them‚ but it means a lot to me (as someone who struggles with auditory processing) that you went through the effort!
I understood the Wicked reference! Amazing video, I honestly think Caitlyn and Vi are deep down very similar people, always striving for the better, they just have very different ways of achieving their goals from where and how they grew up but that just makes them compliment each other all the better!
This show deserves every shred of examination it gets, because every second of it is absolutely full. Like, someone else mentioned the rain, and how it ties to Caitlyn. We see her with an umbrella early on when she's talking to Jayce, symbolizing the shelter offered to her by her privilege. But over time we see her exposing herself more and more, until the climax with Vi and her parting ways in the pouring rain. She finally she finds herself in the shower, replaying that moment, the water symbolizing that she's truly acclimated to her new perspective, personified by Vi.
They’re absolutely perfect together and I’m not just saying that just for the sake of it. I love how strong and powerful they are in front of people but when they’re alone with one another they knock down each other’s walls and you see how tender they are with each other. With how Caitlyn treats Vi’s wounds and holds Vi up when she’s injured. With how Vi gently brushes her hand onto Caitlyn’s face to show her affection. I love how Caitlyn just stared into Vi’s eyes after giving Vi shimmer and you could feel the tension of a kiss was going to happen. I love how Caitlyn always vouched for Vi to her mum and the council and she isn’t afraid to show the ugly truth of years worth of oppression Zaun was going through due to Topside always benefiting over having power on the community of Zaun.
I thought for years that I didn't like romantic plots. But I've discovered over the past few years that what I really don't like is poorly written romantic plots. Cue Sturgeon's Revelation: "90% of everything is crud." I absolutely love how Arcane handled Caitlyn and Vi's relationship. It's natural, understandable, tender and intimate in a way that feels entirely believable and completely within character for both of them. It's like writers from TV and film have only discovered how to do this properly within the past 5-10 years or so, and they can only do it right in wlw relationships for some reason. I'm not complaining about lesbian representation, though. I just wish that other sexual orientations and expressions got the same level of care and nuance in the writing of their romantic plots. Straight couples are the worst, to be honest. It's almost like writers know society sees heterosexual coupling as being "natural," so they don't even try to do anything realistic or relatable in their romantic plots, they just rely on the littany of dead-horse "boy-meets-girl" cliches. So yeah, another brilliant queer romance in the books. Who knew? Good romance writing is actually possible! Maybe straight writers can learn a thing or two and stop pumping out the same inane garbage when they write romance.
This tbh. Sadly most straight relationships have a badly written buildup which is either the cliché boy-meets-girl or they barely have a few scenes where they're flirting (or the "flirting" is perceived as romantic only in the movie but irl it would be creepy if someone did the same) and suddenly they're kissing. It's sad because it doesn't make us care about the characters and their relationship. It just feels shoehorned there because the writer thought the story needed a romantic subplot between the main characters.
@@olivia-film Jayce and Mel are better written than a lot of straight romances, but that's mainly after they get together. The start of their romantic relationship is pretty rushed and cliche, but I can forgive that because they're more interesting in a settled relationship than they are in the "courtship" phase.
@@prophetisaiah08 Yeah I think their relationship feels rushed in the beginning because she's trying to manipulate him but she ends up caring about him later on. But yea when they did it I was like "dude's having the time of his life and poor Viktor is trying to survive". I'm glad that Jayce went to straight to Viktor when he heard he was dying. I expected the show to slowly turn him into the corrupt politician much like the other councilors but you can see that he still wants to help other people. What I like about Arcane is that these characters feel like real people, not just stereotypes. You can see they're all trying to do what feels right for them but the irony makes it so that they often end up worse than before.
@@justacat869 I was really worried about her manipulating him since she’s established as ambitious from her introduction, but they really show her to be more complex than that with her origins and relationship with Jayce. She’s not the type to do absolutely anything to get power, but she still seeks out opportunities for it through being in good standing with the right people. Although because she cares about her image she isn’t the type to go around trying to genuinely fix any problems in the city.
As someone who knew within 3 hours of meeting a new friend that that person is going to be most likely my best bro (he still is 15 years layer, was best man at my wedding years ago), then these two meeting, overcomming danger and SEVERAL deadly situations, is just how fast a relationship can develop. In real life we have people fucking and marrying within hours. And then people say that this relationship molded in death, hope, stakes, is forced and too quick? Get out of here…
Cait: "and just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness, for the things I've done you blame me for" Vi: "but then I guess we know there's blame to share" both: "and none of it seems to matter, anymoooooooore" * dramatic sapphic singing*
one of the best things about it is that it doesn't take over the narrative, a lot of times when a popular ship starts to really take off in canon it starts to erode other aspects of the story, simultaneously feeling like it's oversaturating the story, and doing so with increased contrivance for 'ship moments' with the pacing and development of the relationship suffering and the characters often reducing to little more than the ship itself. but the emotional crux of the narrative is still focused on Vi and Jinx, allowing Vi and Caitlyn's relationship to grow naturally and organically and allowing them to retain independence in their own plotlines.
One of the things I like about this relationship is that unlike other gay relationships in media this one is not fetishisised, rushed, or used to embarass men. It feels natural
I love how this story line wasn’t forced onto the audience. Strong women, diverse cast, and oh they’re gay? Fuck it, that’s awesome. I care about these characters because they were fleshed out and well written. Their relationship seems natural, and it’s as if there is no possible way it could’ve gone. This video gives me strong Critical Drinker vibes. Must be something in that Scottish water lol.
How to motivate a whole generation in proving that water and oil does mix. And in a less shitposting way, happy to have more essays from you!
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I just finished watching the series and now i'm thirsty for Caitlyn/Vi content the same way i was for Catra/Adora when i watched Shee-Ra or for Chloe/Max when i played Life is Strange. Sapphic couples gonna be the end of me
I’m excited for Vi to learn that not only can she trust Caitlyn to have her back, but her survival probably depends on it. And Caitlyn being able to grow and “see the real world” with Vi as a guide until she’s more confident is just… I’m excited that we are very likely going to see their relationship deepen and grow.
@@husseinrose4883 yeah I agree it's just annoying when people criticize their relationship and call it rushed when they say they just met and they're in love already. They have a problem with it yet they didn't hve any problem with the hetero sex lmao.
@@Vizible21 The hetero sex was weird as fuck, for me it felt super out of place and just randomly dropped in there, I'd consider that one rushed because prior to it we see like 2 maybe 3 interactions between the pair. Cait and Vi felt weird (for me) at first, but it grew on me with the episodes as I'm sure it was intended to.
Clearly the art dept did their job well. Big props the the writing and directing for this exemplary sub plot. I look forward to this relationship to strengthen.
Great video!! Glad you obliged us with an analysis of these two. I think this is the fastest I've ever latched onto a ship before; I'm in full brainrot mode xD I believe we are in for something special with them. Caitlyn and Vi really do feel like a breath of fresh air for wlw ships. 🏳️🌈
Oh. My. God. 13:54 Why didn’t they keep that moment on the bridge in slow-mo? Why?? It’s a split of a second and if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve never noticed!! (I even thought the bullets had reached them and was left wondering how they came out perfectly fine. Silly me, i know). What Cait and Vi did for each other is SUCH an important detail and definitely deepens their relationship. Why??!! Anyways, LOVED this analysis and thank you for giving us this new little detail to obsess over. 💕
Superficially, I think the obvious text of the narrative is "opposites attract. On the surface, it works. They look, act, and talk like they're from different worlds and they kind of are. And it works. There's a story there. But what makes Arcane the way it is that the people in charge made the decision to go beyond it. Their story is much more complex than "Rich girl and poor girl" or Piltover vs Zaun and ultimately tells the story of how similar they really are. Its a little more subtle but Caitlyn going pfft okay shot? I'm an *excellent* shot is no less brash and straightforward than Vi going "You're hot, cupcake"
I love the contrast between the mentality of these two characters. Caitlyn has lived a sheltered life in the nobility and her upbringing has taught her to be respectful of authority and the law, because for her the enforcers embody the peacekeeping and progress that Piltover enjoys. In her eyes, Vi is a brute from the underground city who does not respect anything or anyone other than her barbarous concepts of strength and pride. For her it is unthinkable that the police abuse their authority and behave like thugs. Violet, who has lived in a world in which force gives respect and it allows you to survive, the concepts of rank and law are little more than a nice uniform in which the enforcers use to separate themselves from the other goons. No one has tried her for any crime nor were the enforcers tried for the extrajudicial execution of her parents. To her, Caitlyn is a naive brat who doesn't know shit about the harshness of real life, and that she thinks her rules can really be applied outside of her sheltered world. But as they spend more time they realize that they have more in common than they think. They both have a good heart and have a leadership mentality that leads them to take responsibility for taking care of others and bringing justice to their world.
Arcane does an excellent job of burying foreshadowing about character building right in plain sight. We pick up on it subconsciously so while we don't 'see it coming' when it does come it just fits. For example the Caitlyn-Jayce rain scene: Caitlyn: My dad says you're a misfit and we can't be friends anymore. Jayce; So why are you out here? Caitlyn: I'm a misfit too, I suppose. That doesn't note Caitlyn as gay but if I were gay I think in hindsight that quick scene would resonate with me. It tells the audience that while Caitlyn is a child of privilege there's something that makes her feel she doesn't quite fit in. She isn't crushing on Jayce, she's empathizing with his feeling of being an outcast. It is using dialog to 'show, don't tell', as ironic as that sounds. And the series is filled with little things like that that make everything from deep world building to personal relationships seem so effortless and natural.
What you said about how lgbtq+ media often leaves most of the relationship in subtext is absolutely true and when you stressed it in the video it really became an eye-opening realization to me!! We have waited too long for scenes that explicitly suggest feelings and relationships such as these and it really was such a breath of fresh air. Thank you for covering this !!!!
In a lot of movies or shows, gay relationships are either contrived or more lustful than loving. It’s part of the reason I have such a difficult time getting behind those types of relationships in entertainment. There are a couple of gay relationships that I like, though. Caitlin and Vi is one of them. Their personalities work well with each other and their growing attachment progresses naturally.
Arcane season one: a tale of two sisters seperated by fate, a tale of two Father figures and their influence in shaping the personalities of their daughters, a tale of 2 friends pushing the boundaries of potentially dangerous science with the best of intentions, a tale of two cities at the brink of civil war. This season is packed full of content worth discussions and video essays till the next season airs by 2023, hopefully. Personally I would like to see your take on how Vander and Silco had major influence in how Vi and Jinx developed. Like when Vi was knocked out by Sevika, memory of Vander propped her up. How Vi could've ended up being a cold angry bitter person after being imprisoned without charges after losing her family but she didn't turn to the dark side. Similarly with Silco and Jinx. Heck character analysis of Silco could be a video in itself...
Im straight, male, 44 and I like this relationship. This is how you do gay right. Its not forced. Its not their defining characteristics. They are good characters who happen to be gay and happen to like each other that way. Thats....perfect. And yes, I want an on screen kiss.
As a fellow straight, male, 44 year old... I absolutely agree with everything you just said. Also... I love the yin/yang feel of the positions of the two on the bed in the bedroom scene. Just saying.
omg we are soooo glad a cishet approves, don't know what we would have done without you😩. No but seriously I get that you're trying to be positive about this, but saying that it's good because being gay doesn't define them and you feeling like it's not forced, well you just invalidate a lot of queer representation over the years. You suggest through your comment that you can be accepted/tolerated as gay when you don't act like it too much. Well reality check a lot of queer people "act queer" because they've been outcast for the longest time which forced them into creating their own culture. So when you, as a cishet, talk about queer representation in media, please think about whether you actually know what you're talking about.
@@ine2061 I'm pretty sure that's not at ALL what he was saying. The way I read the comment (and the reason I agreed with it wholeheartedly) was that it was refreshing to see a LGBTQ+ couple in media like this that weren't simply 2-dimensional gay stereotypes. Much like the recent push for people to use the term "people with disabilities" versus "disabled people" to emphasize the person (not what makes them 'different'), the point is that good characters need be be, well... 'characters' first and foremost. FAR too many characters in media (especially genre media) tend just be defined entirely by being a member of a minority or marginalized group... they're just there to check a box. That's not inclusion or representation... that's tokenism. Vi and Caitlyn are fully-fleshed out characters with real depth... who happen to be gay. That's not their ONLY trait. That's a VERY good thing... and something that even us stupid 'cishets' can understand.
@@WarpedLord like I said I get it. This is a great example of a realistic queer relationship and very ordinary queer people. I do agree that these characters are more than their queerity and it's great to see characters being something beyond that. Maybe I just took it the wrong way, but thats because I've been seeing the idea of accepting queer people as long as they act "normal" a lot lately. So I was pointing out that it's okay for some people to look/be/act very queer too. Also don't be offended when I call you a cishet, I don't think you're stupid. I am probably just more educated on this topic since I've been living a life full of experiences relating to it. Sometimes I just feel like some people think their approval of us is necessary and all queer people are looking for in their life's. In retrospect it was a lot of assumptions and reaching I did in my comment. I am sorry if they did not apply to the man I responded to. Though I stand by my points, since they highlight the issue that there are "good gays" and "bad gays" dependent on their expression of our culture and personality.
@@WarpedLord sometimes I just wonder... What if these were two guys instead of Vi and Caitlyn. What if one of them was trans/non-binary. Often times those will be discarded as unrealistic depsite being portrayed similarly. Exactly what happened with The Last of Us part II. I saw so much hate on Ellie and Dina being together even though the story was in no way actually about it and they were fully flashed out characters. In the same game a trans boy is also discarded as being pushed or something. Even though his story was so much more than him shaving his head: he left a cult, lost his mother to that same cult, lost his sister when running away from it. he finally gained someone constant in his life. Despite all of that people still think he's just trans, his constant is just a fucked up chick("because she is unrealistically buff"). The representation has been here. I guess I just couldn't believe that cishet people finally recieved it well enough. That's why it felt like he was boasting his approval, which we've learned to live without...
I'm also pretty sure in that scene where Jinx says I paid your girlfriend a visit Vi imagines Caitlyn looking more "vulnerable" (bigger eyes etc) I saw someone else talking about it
I really appreciate and love this kind of video, a deeper look at this series. I want to give my opinion in this. From my young age I always have struggling with life, in almost every aspect, and with time I started to grow, but my “past” gave me such hopeless vibes, thinking about my life in the future all that I saw were just bad things. Arcane gave me back something that I thought I had lost, my heart.. the ability of trust, of love, those things.. I really was accepting that my destiny was going to be a heartless and a lonely life.. but this, gave me hope, that maybe there’s still hope for hurt people like me. It made me want to live , but truly live, not survive day by day. Seeing Vi really trusting in cait, seeing that after all, she can still have true good feelings and letting her self be vulnerable at another human being it is something that change my life in a way that I thought was unable to. Thank you for this video, it made me put my feelings in words..
god i love this also wanted to throw out another thing that the hardworking gays on tumblr noticed: when jinx is presenting her "snack" to vi, and vi sees a flash of cait laying on that bed, the image she sees is a bit different from the actual scene! her memory of cait's a bit softer and more open, and that makes me feel things for these two LOL
I'm in love with how you express everything, the terms that you use, and the way it flows through the plot of Arcane and how you connect everything. I promise you that seeing this video from your channel for the first time makes me a really big fan of yours. Thank you for feed the anxiety for gay content from Vi and Caitlyn ahahahah, greetings from Spain and thank you again for the contribution :)
I LOVE this analysis Caitlyn x Vi (VioLyn, Piltover's finest, CaitVi, or whichever you may prefer) is one of my favorite sapphic ships. They're such a win for us sapphics, especially lesbians, since neither of them seem to be attracted to men. They make me so happy
lost my mind over the gotta go my own way edit- fantastic video, great analysis and it made me really happy to hear someone analyze it like you did :D also i love your voice
wow. i could do an essay on this series or only on your take, but everbody likes snap opinions so i can just say: there are many great caracter development scenes, and is easay to overlook all or process them, but that just one second (in shooting) that you discovered says so much about show and you. if i didnt get too much emotions already, now after seeing your videos my heart crumbles and also is in awe.
I love this natural and transparent relationship they have. There is no denying they are romantically involved! Im happy to live in a time when there are so many animated series that feature queer women/girls (Steven Universe, Owl House, She-Ra, Adventure Time, Castlevania, etc.), I hope to see just as many beautiful and authentic representations for queer men/boys in animation as well!
Alternate title: "Caitlyn x Vi: I fuck with this."
I mean, basically, though UA-cam would probably bury the video if that was the title 😅
@@kellyxiaomedia Ha! :)
yeah-
@@kellyxiaomedia UA-cam probably would demonetise your video because they just love to hide and throw away lesbian related content
@@kelsian_smith03 They wouldn't do that if it shown a gay relationship instead
That split second characterisation on the bridge really does a good job of distilling their characters. Caitlyn protects by taking a bullet for you. Vi protects by pushing you away.
Damn I never thought about it that way, very nice observation
omfg you’re right
AHHHH
OMG?
Holy shit
I’ve always been a sucker for the classic “opposites attract” but Arcane does it in a way that feels so realistic with how that dynamic works. In a way, the two may be completely different, but they’re both two women who have such strong hearts and they really bring out the best in one another. They’ll both chase each others monsters away, always.
It's even better, they have OPPOSITE myer briggs. Caitlyn is INFJ, Vi is ESTP. Literally Oil and Water
A take on the classic princess and the pauper but with realistic spin on it. Showing contrasting views as conflicts etc is really refreshing from what you usually typically see
I love how strong and powerful they are in front of people but when they’re alone with one another they knock down each other’s walls and you see how tender they are with each other. With how Caitlyn treats Vi’s wounds and holds Vi up when she’s injured. With how Vi gently brushes her hand onto Caitlyn’s face to show her affection. I love how Caitlyn just stared into Vi’s eyes after giving Vi shimmer and you could feel the tension of a kiss was going to happen. I love how Caitlyn always vouched for Vi to her mum and the council and she isn’t afraid to show the ugly truth of years worth of oppression Zaun was going through due to Topside always benefiting over having power on the community of Zaun.
@@pielova305 If you look into cognitive functions, those types aren't actually opposite to each other. The opposite of INFJ is actually ISTJ.
THIIIISSSSS☝️ and i noticed the tendou maya pfp😏
I really liked that they had a relationship that didn't immediately feel sexualized. Nothing can ruin a character dynamic than a forced romance, but Arcane managed to make everything feel like a natural progression of two people meeting an unenthused ally turn into two friends who'll be supportive of each other till the end. Can't wait to see what they do with that relationship in season 2
I actually think they led with the attraction and made that clear on a level you could feel in your gut, but all the character development and trust building that went along with it that made everything gel and feel earned. They somehow gave two animated characters palpable chemistry, but they also made us care about their relationship on a level that went far beyond just thinking it was "hot."
@@brennakingsbury9657 Felt the same way. There was an immediate physical attraction noticable between them, an innate chemistry. I am kinda tired of the way that shows with f/f relationships make it seem like there can only be attraction after two women have gotten emotionally close too. Sure, oversexualization is horrid, but denying that a lesbian can check out a woman before she likes her romantically is also dumb. Jayce was making eyes at Mel almost since the moment he met her and nobody found that excessive either.
Caitlyn x Vi was what Korra x Asami was supposed to be.
@@hiroshiramasendjews9539 Seeing this just reminded me of this phrase:
Korrasami walked so that CaitVi could run
@@yoursonisold8743 Well Mel looks like Barbados Hero Lady Rihanna, can you really blame him?
Vi: "Oil and water..."
Well educated Caitlyn: "Love is emulsifier!"
Love is egg
@@mooncat1321 True words spoken from a genius
@@mooncat1321 exactly! yes!
@@mooncat1321 **cuts to Mel using egg to make oil paint**
@@mooncat1321 Lmao i'm making an eggs right now.
I also really enjoyed how Caitlyn’s shower scene wasn’t at all male gaze/sexualized/bla bla. Showing off her strong back and arms pressing strongly against the wall is usually a portrayal used for male characters in my experience and well, I liked it being used here
YES I was so happy about this, same with the sex scene, wasn’t over the top and done tastefully and not male gazey
true true
@@jadeharley7190 how can heterosexual sex scenes be male gazey?
@@mazvitaselemani If they are shot in a way that highlights the view of the female body at the expense of her enjoyment or experience, essentially if the woman isn’t shown to be an active participant but instead a prop.
@@snack2851 The way this show handles sexuality and nudity is really impressive. The shower scene shows a young woman completely naked from multiple different angles, from above, the side and even below and not once does it feel tantalizing. What Arcane has done is prove that nudity and sexuality doesn't need to be gratuitous, as is so often used as an excuse when it's done badly.
"Jinx, I'm sure, would highly approve of this video!" Of course she would. Caitlyn is Vi's girlfriend after all, she even made her a snack. Such a supportive sister.
Yeah, like if she's THAT crazy to hate a relationship that is making her sister happy. I'm glad she respected it so quickly and supported in lots of ways, such as helping Cait dress for the tea party
I was watching the snack scene with Viet Nam flashbacks to Seven and Detective Mills saying "What's in the box?!".
@@anarchyfork2676 Jinx practically set Vi and Caitlyn up on their first date.
@@BlizzardofKnives And getting rid of the mother-in-law too! So considerate!
@@falconeshield I THOUGHT U WERE REFERENCING A MOVIE AT FIRST AND THEN I REALISED WHAT U MEANT AND STARTED CACKLING OH MY LORD
another little detail that makes me want to eat concrete: during the dinner party scene, when jinx is right about to pull off the lid of the plate after telling vi she's "paid [her] girlfriend a visit", we as an audience are expecting to see some sign that caitlyn is de4d and apparently vi is too as there's a quick split-second shot of caitlyn from aforementioned bed scene. but it's different when you compare the two shots side by side: in the actual bed scene, caitlyn's eyes are more hooded, her lips aren't parted the way they are in the shot vi sees right as jinx reveals what's under the lid. but in vi's head, caitlyn's eyes were widened and clearly vulnerable. so just like caitlyn in the shower scene seeing vi walk away from her in the rain, she's begun romanticizing their interactions in her head, replaying them over and over, until the edges seem to....soften.
I've seen this take on the different face shots a lot and it would indeed be a really nice visual demonstration of a love "filter".
Buut I'm not sure they are that different actually. It seems the angle has just been changed to Vi's pov rather than the camera's we see as the audience the first time. What I get when looking at both pics is that the second one could very well be Cait's reaction when Vi held her hand, a continuation of her own surprised expression right before the scene cuts to Jinx being Mengeled on.
And I think that's exactly why that image pops up, because it could be the precise moment in which they connected, and truly acknowledged it. Then Vi briefly holds Cait's hand again at the Council scene, as a sign with a somewhat clear display of mutual understanding rather than raw expression like in the bed scene, followed by the departure under the rain, and the "what about us? " line making sense. Ultimately, Vi remembered the exact minute of their mutual exchange (pic A and B) - the pivotal point where Cait turned into something more - and dramatically right in front of death's door.
Or...probably I'm reading way into it. Gonna go eat sum bricks
That's what love does to you. You tend to see a person through softer lens. I'm amazed Arcane got away with it.
Wow nice explain
Well spotted.
hjjjnniion
Despite Vi's butch look and more straightforward flirting, I think Cait is actually the one who was more obviously gay from the start. She gave those obvious hints around Vi in Act 2 & 3 of course (she barely appeared in Act 1 and was mostly just there for set-up), but there is more to it than that. She just had that vibe about her in general which I find hard to explain. It helps that writers on twitter added a lot of little things about Cait that make it more clear just how gay she really was all along.
Vi was stuck fighting for her survival in the Undercity or being stuck in Stillwater until adulthood, so she had very little room to explore her sexuality, but Cait allegedly invited girls into her home and snuck them past her parents (her mother apparently caught her sometimes, which explains why her reaction to seeing Cait sneak Vi in was so "Oh this again"). This also does explain how she was so confident and skilled at flirting with the woman in the brothel compared to her completely stilted and uninterested attitude towards the guy.
i agree with the vibe thing. it's written all over her but its hard to explain what it is exactly that sets off my radar. I think it's that, despite often being referred to as the "femme" one (when compared to Vi it's understandable) there's a masculine edge to her behavior and demeanor. a very subtle one. in a way that feels not-straight. Also the fact that she struggles to fit in with her peers, and her interactions with her only friend (a good looking straight(?) man), are mostly to sneer at and mock him.
Where did you read about that? I'd love to know more about caits past but idk where to look😭
@@loycos3648 Boils down too *I'd duck that fiery wild Gal NGL* when she met Vi she did not expect a Ripped fiery short head gal is her ticket to undercity. When she walk up to the cell she was having that let's get these over with and "get me to undercity you crooked inmate" face
@@loycos3648 It's funny, as a femme (as in the actual femme/butch lesbian subculture, not "feminine lesbian") I actually relate to Caitlyn more as a femme because of that, because our femininity isn't heteronormative and we can be mistaken as masculine by people unfamiliar with the femme/butch subculture because of how we present and act.
‘Allegedly invited girls into her home’?! Wow, hold on! What did I miss here?! 😂 I need more info for science 😉
As a long time League player, a Vi main (first champ ever bought, first to by a skin for, first to get max mastery with, etc), and someone who was onboard the SS Piltover's Finest ever since I read their bios over half a decade ago, Arcane was everything I wanted it to be and so much more.
With everything regarding Vi, from real personality they gave her to the updated design that actually makes her look like a butch lesbian brawler who has a tendency to "block with her face." Chef's kiss.
As for Vi/Caitlyn, I'm still in partial disbelief that it's actually real now. Leading up to Arcane's release, I wasn't expecting more than maybe an easily disguised flirt from Vi that would purely just serve as a wink and nod for the fans that know about all the ship teasing in LoL. What we did get, that amount of it, and just how blatant and upfront it was, just blew me away. Think I set a personal record for most "holy shit"s uttered in a single sitting when Episode 5 came out. And on top of that, it's not even a background or side plot, they actually made it a center piece for the conflict between VI and Jinx.
Literally everyone at Fortiche and on the Riot writing team are a bunch of Vi/Caitlyn fanfic writers and fanartists and I love them all for it.
Same here, also I'm a OTP Vi from the begining (almost 3kk if irc), and was one of the OG shippers when the fandom was dead many years ago, this ship was something "crack", there were not much material tbh and even rioters said that they wouldn't confirm if they have a relationship cause is not something that matters at all in gameplay, it doesn't add anything, they were very strict with that. C'mon, even the San Valentine Vi skin was like a bait, with Fiora instead of Cait, or the old Blitzcranck compatibility machine. With that in mind, I never expect what I got with Arcane.
Like you, I expected a little flirt, something more like a easter egg. Not only they confirmed the ship, they give material, and also they make Vi this masculine character that fits so fucking well, the desing is perfect, the personality, they make her a boxer (that's a plus for me, cause I'm a pro fighter)
It feels like they knew exactly what I wanted, and for what I see, what the community wanted, they teased and baited, but deliver. It's perfect for me. The only thing that can give me the 11/10 , is if they kiss, even a little one.
As a long time League player myself, and mostly ADC main (mostly cait and jinx cus wtf not) i am on board with everything this man^ has said. from all the ships league has and still continue to do, i still really like the VIxCait, sucker to the good cop bad cop sht, and seeing the dynamic of the two thru the interaction and secret passive they have is soo Good
*cries in Overwatch* Press F for Pharmercy shippers
You're all welcome here!
@@falconeshield this is either the better version or the alternative to the pharmercy ship
@@falconeshield Man I had almost forgotten that the head writer for OW did everything he could to bury that ship when people started liking it far more than her being with his self-insert ninja character.
“Loves the angst but secretly wants the fluff.” Oh god if that isn’t the mood.
I’ve talked about this elsewhere but I think it’s interesting how open Vi is compared to Cait. Vi has this really nice, tender moment of vulnerability with Cait (the iconic bed scene of course). Cait on the other hand, while genuine and wholesome in her want to do the right thing and fix, well, everything (like you said, hero complex) doesn’t really give as much. Like, in regards to personal matters Cait would rather focus on fixing the problem than talking about how she feels. In some respects, I think that’s a nice little subversion to have Vi be the more open in the relationship. Girl wears her emotions on her sleeve, really. At least, that’s how I saw it.
Nice Wicked reference, by the way.
As always, excellent work dude.
I think part of it could be that Vi just has much much more to open up about in comparison to Cait. Caitlyn has had a very sheltered life, with the most traumatic thing in her life (not counting the recent explosions and gunfire directed at her) was feeling as though she never earned anything herself. She doesn't have much to say about her emotional or mental state that wouldn't possibly come off as sounding a bit whiney. So she's more passive there, more receptive to helping others deal with their trauma than she is at trying to put any issues she might have out there.
YES!!
@@WiqidBritt I agree with you. I think the point of the bed scene was specifically about Vi opening up and Cait listening and giving her empathy and care. I don't think the focus on Vi's vulnerability there means that Caitlyn will never open up to Vi or be vulnerable with her (especially considering that the season ended with her mother's fate up in the air--Caitlyn may certainly need to unpack some emotions about her mother next season).
I wasn’t trying to imply Cait would never open up to Vi, or that she should have when, yes, Cait’s woes (while still important for her) are not as harsh compared to Vi’s. That she’d never open up about her inner feelings and workings to Vi (or anyone). I’m just saying that, while (like Vi) Cait would give her companionship or lend her ear easily for those she holds dear, her feelings could easily be skimmed over by herself because she’d rather focus on fixing the problem.
This is just how I see it however.
@@BGTitanAvatar I wasn't meaning to sound critical, your comment just made me think about their different personalities and experiences.
Jinx just straight up recognizes the gay and says it outright. "I paid your girlfriend a visit"
Being her sister, it's very likely she was aware her sister was gay, and in Jinx' mind there no other reason her sister would be spending time with a cop unless it was romantic/sexual. Also Jinx had totally seen how they were hugging and touching each other, so it's pretty clear to her that they are an item.
@@MistyKathrine In S2 she'll force them to kiss.
@@ZekeAxel S2 will be good. 2023 is so far away... :(
@@MistyKathrine Let it cook. Perfection takes time.
@@ZekeAxel Yes, but still... I want more!
Another potentially interesting visual metaphor is that during the shower scene, Caitlyn washes off her wounds and we get some deliberate shots of the blood mixing in with the water.
They aren't oil and water, they're water and blood.
Bravo
damn
Lmao red hair (blood) blue hair (water).
Aka vi and Caitlyn 👌✨😔
yes. . . its all starting to come together
*Squees in Zargos X Thanos*
Jinx: "Fuck the police"
Vi: "That's the plan"
Caitlyn: "Oh good, I was starting to think it was just me"
Yes!!!!! 😂😂😂😂
I cackled far too hard
“She’s got it so bad, I think we all do actually” straight up facts. 🤣
I just imagine Jinx in a corner of the bathroom drawing her monkey while thinking “damn, she’s down baaaad”.
@@biazacha 🤣 Then there’s like Caitlin in the shower for like 3 hours just thinking about Vi and Jinx keeps redrawing the monkey face 🤣
@@chickens1543 "Who in their right mind showers for this fucking long?!" **redraws the monkey for the 57th time**
@@anarchyfork2676 LMAO
Ok this is one of the undeniably funny things
I mean, Caitlyn also dunks the flowers from Jayce because she doesn't see him in a romantic light. Because she doesn't swing that way.
Also true 😂
I always thought that she did that because she was tired of the flowers she was getting. Her room is filled with flowers from other people wishing her a speedy recovery after the explosion. ( it was hilarious the way she chucked the flowers though 😂)
@@gersongomez1876 Right, but if she had viewed Jayce as a romantic interest, HIS flowers would have held a special significance for her. They didn't, and the manner in which she chucked them (right in front of him!) indicates that she hadn't even considered the possibility that he could be thinking that way. Unless we read Cait as super callous, which she's not...she's just oblivious sometimes.
Ok 👍
that too lol
I love that the Caitlyn x Vi relationship doesn't feel forced. It just feels like people, and the series lets the relationship evolve naturally, in ways that make sense given the situations. I'm usually one of those people who cringes at LGBT relationships in present year entertainment, but it'd not because those relationships bother me, it's just the way they are usually shoehorned into stories. I can identify with Caitlyn and Vi because the writers do the work to show who they are, and what they feel. I'm just tired of "representation" being used to excuse bad writing, and it's so refreshing to see such a sweet and believable relationship.
I hate it when the writers try to write a diverse cast, but know nothing about who they're writing about. In the end its just a cesspool full of stereotypes ranging from unfunny and mildly offensive to borderline racism/homophobia/transphobia/etc.
TL;DR this is an essay so i'll make it easy for you. gay cartoons feel fake, Arcane makes it real. Arcane represents the lgbt community and their relationships better than cartoons or shows that shove it in peoples faces to even the curve of media cover up. As a bi person, this made me proud.
Start of essay:
lately ive been watching kids and tween cartoons that have implemented a heap of lgbt relationships. As much as i love shipping them (eg, Lumity from The Owl House, Troy and Benson from Kipo, Catradora from Shera, Korrasami from LoK etc.), even though some of them are more justified than others, it just doesn't feel completely real, intentional and true to my heart. What makes Arcane different to this is the person behind each character and their emotions, intentions and beliefs.
Lumity has your opposites attract dynamic, Amity being the careless selfish bully with secret insecure emotions and the pressure of her rich family moulding her into something she doesnt want to be and Luz being the kind selfless person who looks for adventure and doesn't let beliefs stop her from what shes passionate about. Ok while its cute that Luz appealed to Amity's emotions and caused her to redeem herself and crush on Luz, some important relationship building details just dont exist, and the crush seems sudden in a way despite it being cute. Luz, being oblivious, but suddenly understanding and liking her after the kiss just felt a little artificial to me. Also, its the fact that we weren't shown enough of them emotionally interacting. I get it, its a kids show, but every show needs to put meaning behind almost anything that exists within the show unless the show's intended audience are literally toddlers and babies (cocomelon and pj masks etc.)
Everything was cryptic but slowly it came into light with not enough show and explanation. Arcane shows us who this character is, and once we understand them, they hand us out a relationship onto a silver platter if it can be fully justified and is compatible. Riot and Fortiche weren't shy with it either, no blushing and quick glimpses, no obliviousness, just raw emotion and show of love languages. Arcane made it extremely obvious, but in a really good way, while most other shows make it obvious but too in your face in an attempt to represent lgbt relationships. Arcane represented it perfectly and imo it did my bi heart proud.
I know that we have been heavily unincluded in the media unless it was for comedic gags or for a thing to make fun of in the past, but it doesnt mean that once we have the chance to finally walk into the light, we need to shove so much in people's faces to "make it even". Ive been attacked for saying this, but its true, because sometimes its just doing worse for the lgbt community. As a bi person, its honestly just super cringe seeing it forced mainly because of representation purposes, but Arcane's representation was mind blowing, so natural, it really felt like they were normalising it better than most.
I've heard some people raise an understandable critique of "they were quick to show a sex scene between Jayce and Mel but still haven't shown a kiss between Vi and Cait" and I get why people think that way and may be worried that riot/fortiche are gonna duck out of a full gay relationship BUT, whilst it is off screen, Jayce and Mel have known each other for 7-10 years now, whilst Vi and Cait have known each other for a week at most. I'd have faith for now and if they really do duck out in season 2 then the complaints are valid. I know it seems they jumped in to Jayce and Mel extremely quickly and Vi and Cait have been a slow burn but comparatively, in universe it's quite the opposite. Off screen character development is still valid character development, Powder/Jinx is the perfect example of this.
I completely agree with you. I really wanted a kiss, but at the same time there was not a moment where it wouldn’t have felt forced or out of place. After all, the situation they were in was not one that lent itself to romance. I also have hope for next season, but if what I think happened after that ending happened, I don't really know how a relationship would be able to develop between Cait and Vi (at least in the immediate future).
Also it´s pretty obvious that Mel and Jayce aren´t meant to last, with him being easily influenced and her losing her grip on him. His politics escalating drove him away from Viktor and it shows that it´s eventually going to drive him away from her too. They´re meant to be a tragedy, so it´s easy to speedrun the better parts of their relationship.
I think in this case, they are two completely different sets of people. Some take a lot longer to reach the same physical intimacy milestones as others and Vi and Caitlyn being so different from each other on the surface means that they have a lot more walls to break through before those milestones are reached. Especially considering Vi's backstory, she is constantly going through a lot. Mel and Jayce's emotional stress is less severe and both are riding the high of picturing how they can obtain their ideal futures so for them they just click together as they're in a more stable place and have less walls to begin with.
Edit: I think the slower nature is exactly what makes Vi and Caitlyn work so well. They take the time to get to know each other and trust each other and the scenes where they show emotion to each other come across much more as two people who love each other's faults and imperfections so much that they are too overwhelmed to hold back their actions of affection. By this framework, I found that their relationship was made with much more care and attention to detail than Jayce and Mel. Not because of laziness or anything, simply that Vi and Cait seemed to be more of a priority.
I also think it's because Mel and Jayce aren't really in love, the whole relationship feels like a business transaction, first on Mel's side and in the end on Jayce's, (when Mel potentially developed feelings) for me their relationship is more physical than anything, meanwhile Cait and Vi do seem to have feelings. But I think it was also not a moment where they could have kissed and it wouldn't feel out of place. At the beginning they just got to know each other and in the end there's just too much happening for them to actually kiss. I'm excited to see how it develops in the future cause I'm guessing the angst is not over yet 👀
If they don't get a happy ending I'll be so, so devastated. The chemistry these two characters have with just a few flittering hand-to-face touches is impeccable. Their relationship lights a small match of hope amidst the war-ravaged chaos. If they kill off Caitlyn for a "beautifully tragic twist" or to further Vi's plot I'll be livid. There is sooo much potential here! I'm begging they don't make Vi choose between them indefinitely.
I doubt either will die, but I don’t think it will be a wholly happy ending either. Vi’s guilt over failing to save Powder, and knowing that she chose Caitlyn over her, will tear at her constantly. On top of the ensuing war and the hunted death/ injury of Momma Kiramann, the mounting death and misery caused by Jinx will add to that.
I think we will get a somewhat bittersweet but wholesome relationship, but Vi’s story probably won’t be a happy ending. She doesn’t strike me as wanting to run away from the Undercity and the people she left there for Piltover, even if it is Caitlyn. On top of having to deal with Jinx , I don’t even know what Vi will do if she catches her.
both vi and cait are champtions in the game, so i dont think caitlyn will die
I don't think they're dumb enough to kill off either of the characters from their groundbreaking lesbian 'ship, especially with that writing team. I do suspect that they will not be a couple in S2, but the fact that they met in the same episode where Jayce and Mel had that out-of-nowhere sex scene kind of felt like throwing down a gauntlet to me. I think the writers knew what they were doing in terms of the expectation that would create for Vi and Caitlyn, and the writer of that episode has implied that she is at the very least attracted to women herself and seems to have made it her personal social media mission to keep fans thirsty for that 'ship. It's hard to believe that she's doing that, and not being muzzled by Riot, if she's full of crap and we're going to end up with a super tragic ending for them, or even a relationship where kissing and sex are purely subtextual and never onscreen. They have to know the backlash will be worse if they whip people into a frenzy and then just deliver more of the same old thing.
They're two playable characters from a video game first, whose open ended present day lore is years after Arcane takes place. They won't kill them off.
don't think either will die but Vi may give up the relationship to save her sister who she turned into a monster. things could get even worse as when the two them team up and fail Jinx most likly goes to get WarWick/Vander and Vi has to deal with that trauma as well.
Caitlyn's such a fascinating character to me. Pure hearted, genuinely idealistic but so naive from being sheltered. All she seems to want is some agency in her own life so she can help other people. It's like someone set out to make a character whos foundational building block is just compassion. Not something you'd expect to find in this otherwise really unforgiving and often cruel setting. It also sets up a really interesting personal dilemma/arc for her in S2 if what appears to happen at the end of S1 actually happens. She'll be confronted with something Vi knows all to well but that she's never faced. Something that could really cause her major internal conflict given her innate compassion. She's being set up to continue having her fundamental ideals challenged in a way that will also make her continued relationship with Vi that much more interesting to see unfold.
I also just love her and Vi together. Getting well written gay characters is already rare, but getting ones that actually get to display tenderness and affection is refreshing. I just hope S2 brings them together officially without waiting until the final episode. It'd be neat to also get an actual onscreen relationship and not just a will they/won't they.
Something to add with your “lets get physical” section:
After so many rewatching of arcane, I was able to decode that vi’s love language is physical touch. Its been evident enough that vi shows care towards caitlyn with gentle touches, most especially in the bridge scenes (e.g. before parting with cait, checking cait if she was ok after the explosions, and the knee pat when she was helping cait sit on the floor). Act 1 also proves as evidence to support my point. Vi shows reassurance to powder by caressing her face when powder was upset after loosing the bounty and finally when vi went off with her siblings to save vander.
I’d like to imagine that despite the pain, vi also looks forward to the beatings given to her by the guards at stillwater rather than being left alone to ponder over her guilt of “killing” her family.
Lmao just wanna share some thoughts i have after watching arcane so many times XD
*sum additional stuff i also realized/guessed
Vi: i feel like vi also has acts of service as one of her love language considering the fact that she’s a reactionary type of person. Also adding to this, she’s learnt to like cait more after cait expressed her concern over the well being of the undercity via talking to the council
Cait: i honestly dont know what cait’s love language is cuz we rarely see her vulnerable in s1 however i’d like to give an educated guess that its acts of service since she also wants change to happen in the undercity (??) lmao im still not sure
Jinx: as for jinx, i feel like jinx is a mixture of physical touch (face caressing from vi and silco) as well as words of affirmation (mostly from silco since jinx really appreciates silco’s word of wisdom)
Anyways thats just my take from the series. Feel free to share yalls thoughs as well ❤️
Edit: fixed some grammar issues since english isn’t my first language
Thanks for this insight and for stabbing me in the heart it's much appreciated 😂
@@kellyxiaomedia omg kandjskd
Its nothing really❤️❤️ this is what happens when you’ve literally watched arcane nearly everyday XD i guess you could say this is the fruit of my labor jk
I think Silco’s “words of affirmation” work better with Jinx because he “gets” her, Vi always sees Jinx as the “better” version of herself, while Silco recognizes she’s a broken individual(like him), this is specially relevant considering Jinx is insecure about herself and other’s expectations of her, at the very least she probably felt more free and genuine when with Silco, since she didn’t need to hide her “ugly side”
@@victormagoco9752 I agree. In hindsight, I guess you could say that physical touch was more appropriate when jinx was still powder back then. However, after silco took powder in, powder adapted to his style more- another symbol of change as powder turned into jinx.
Both Vi and Powder respond better to physical signs of affection, which is why Powder likes hugging her slightly evil adopted dad, Silco, and why Vi likes to get close to Caitlyn (of course, after they spent more time in hell together).
I got to say it... I don't normally like lesbian relationships in modern media. I feel like a lot of time they are just thrown into a show to check a diversity box and don't feel realistic or like you said they are blatantly oversexualized .
But I really liked this relationships it felt realistic . Plus they were two well written characters who happened to be gay as opposed to that being their defining trait
Shocking right? It's almost as if having a well crafted set of characters/story is more important than trying to tick a bunch of boxes.
@@stuarteaston1629 Furthermore it comes to show that diversity can really be a positiv aspect of a show, instead of just something you roll your eyes at thinking: "And there is the 'diversity' cast/character". Arcane for me sets a new standard of what we as an audience should expect from television.
WLW relationship is so good and few and someone who reviewed a show summed it up perfectly of how wlw and mlm are portrayed in media: wlw is all passion and pay off with no set up and emotions, mlm is all the emotions and feelings with sadly no pay off...and is written as implied or something tragic or some straight nonsense of them falling for a girl they barely met...So glad, some media is giving us good wlw and mlm rep! Hopefully, we don't get the old 'it has to end in a tragedy because gays can't have anything nice'
@@tschakatschada yeah seriously some series have 'forced' diverse characters and it makes me say exactly what you wrote. They should come up naturally as they did in Arcane
Ye the only good sapphic relationships i've seen are from she-ra and owl house
Alternative title: Kelly thirsts for Caitlyn & Vi for 17 minutes
Can you...really blame me? It's like the best of both worlds 😅
I mean dont we all?? 😩😳
can we also apreciate the tiny moment where Jinx say "i paid your girlfriend a visit" and vi first and foremost is concerned for Caitlyn? instead of going like "she's not my girlfriend"? i know the moment had other priorities, but that it was never brought up again warms me.
I could *easily* hear Vi saying that too... the fact she didn't protest even a tiny bit is quite interesting. Not even a slight huff or hesitation, just goes directly into "she said 'my girlfriend', (which clearly means Caitlyn,) oh no did she hurt Caitlyn?!?" in her head.
To be honest, there is no way Jinx would mean anyone besides Cait. Still I love how she is not confused in the slightest. Her first thougt while hearing the word "girlfriend" was Caitlyn. Which means a lot. And I love it.
@@athena8335This is also true. Vi’s social circle is literally two people. Two.
Honestly how Vi and Caitlyn's relationship is unfolding is the exact kind of relationship between two women that I wish we saw more of in media.
Going from complete opposites that shouldn't work and start off not trusting each other, to that scene in the rain as Vi can bearly look at the woman who has come to mean so much to her in so short a time, as she lies and says they're "oil and water" and "it wasn't meant to be" is just superb writing.
It all could easily have felt rushed too in that they've only known each other a few days but Riot and Fortiche has handled the progression of their growing relationship so well and made it totally believeable.
Also props to them for the level of emotion and humanity that they've given these characters. You genuinely do forget sometimes that you're watching animated characters and not actual, real people acting. The voice acting and the expressions really are on another level.
A small moment of silence for the least appreciated platitude bouquet ever animated
The biggest F's in the chat for this fallen soldier
16:41 Somebody made a compilation of Cait and Vi “being friends” and captioned the part where Caitlyn bites her lip with, “Shower thoughts: how to mix oil and water.”
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it for a week now.😂
Opposites attract best when deep down they aren’t actually opposites they have the same values and morals and deeply feel same/similar to certain things. On the surface you’d think they wouldn’t get along, but with vi and Cait they both value realness and loyalness and they find that within each other. This results in a trustful loving relationship between the two
Something else that didn't occur to me till recently is the Caitlyn is probably Vi's first real romantic relationship. Vi was about 15-16 when she was arrested and put in jail. Before that it seems she spent most of her time taking care of Powder and leading her little crew. After she was arrested she goes to jail and from what we see spends the next 7 years just trying to survive as prison is probably not the best place to find a date.
Given that she was locked up at the age she would have normally started dating and developing romantic interests it seems like this is a part of herself that Vi never really explored. Any confidence she shows in this area is probably a mask since she knows admitting something like no romantic experience or even being a virgin is something that would make her seem weak to some. Despite appearances Caitlyn is probably the more experienced of the two in romance since she wasn't locked in a cell for almost a decade.
I'm really curious about Vi's background, as well, because it is relevant to how she approaches and interacts with Caitlyn, but I doubt the show will ever fill it in. I definitely think Caitlyn is Vi's first love, though (and vice versa), but I have to think Vi had some sexual experience behind the way she behaved at the brothel. There's knowing you like girls, and there's... that. Someone who wound up being as gorgeous and badass as Vi would probably have had a lot of offers from weaker, more submissive women hoping for her protection in prison. Or she somehow managed to stay out of that prison ecosystem and made Caitlyn and 80% of the viewing audience weak in the knees with nothing but fake bravado!
I think Caitlyn seems inexperienced in general. She was relaxed with the woman in the brothel, which was definitely a flashing neon sign pointing toward "and the answer to the question is 'woman,' ladies and gentlemen," but the intention of the interlude at the brothel also seemed to be about her being adaptable and open to discovering new things, so I'm not sure she knew the answer with certainty when Vi initially asked the "man or woman" question (especially considering that her response was "Uhhhhh" plus a deer in the headlights look, even after she had plenty of time to recover and answer). Caitlyn's overall body language around Vi just kind of screams that it's all new to her. She's trying to focus and be professional and not let on how attracted she is to Vi, and by the time she just can't hide it anymore, she's also beginning to fall in love with her. Caitlyn was also portrayed as being extremely focused on her work to the point of obsession, so it's not a stretch to imagine she's avoided giving sex and romance much thought because she knew that would lead toward marriage and titles and other things she didn't care about (and I'm not sure sheltered, privileged Piltover girls would have appealed to her anyway). To me, Vi seems to be the first person who really made her feel tingly, whose directness made her sit up and take notice, who felt like a possible equal and not someone to roll her eyes at. Everything about her body language screams that to me. (Also, to be clear, I don't think Caitlyn experienced gay panic at any point. Vi caught her by surprise, but I don't think there was any trepidation about Vi being a girl, just uncertainty about how different they were, how trustworthy Vi was, how likely they were to end up on opposite sides of a conflict, etc.)
I'm not sure the writers are going to fill in any more about their past history than they already gave us, so I'm just trying to read the shorthand we did get and take it at face value for now.
@@jubimadethis5167 Underrated comment 👌
@@jubimadethis5167 Riot did give some details on what Vi's life in prison was like. You can find it on the Council Archives on the league of legends wiki. She was around 17 when she was locked up and spend seven years in jail. The records have her getting into constant fights with other inmates and spending time in solitary. No indication that she was friendly or intimate with anyone. I also don't see Vi as the type to sexually take advantage of others which is what it would have been in prison.
Whatever romantic relationships Vi may have had before being arrested I doubt were very serious given her age and since her main focus seemed to be taking care of Powder and her crew. This really just reinforces my idea that Vi is actually very inexperienced romantically and is just very good at pretending she's not. The life she's led makes her feel like she has to put up a tough brash front or look weak which would be a death sentence for someone growing up in the mean streets and doing time in jail.
Caitlyn seems to just be someone who choose to focus more on her career then dating. The main thing is that Caitlyn avoided romantic entanglements by choice but Vi was forced to avoid them due to circumstances. Caitlyn may not have a lot more experience then Vi but I think she's just less concerned about admitting it then Vi is.
@@Wilahelm2 Yeah, I've read the archives stuff as well. The file is pretty skimpy for 6-7 years, and I doubt the prison lackeys cared enough to record any personal connections she might have made, but I agree that I don't see her behaving in a predatory way in prison. I just also know enough to know that prison is not a sex-free zone by any means, and that someone like her would be seen as extremely desirable as a protector/partner, so it's hard to imagine that she got through 6-7 years of that with no engagement at all. I'm not especially attached to the idea that she had experience in prison, though. I just feel like the animators went for broke with her body language and confidence level in the brothel, but you may be right that it was a hard-learned persona with little or no basis in actual experience. I definitely don't think she's experienced at romance or at allowing herself to be vulnerable (emotionally or sexually).
I agree completely re: Caitlyn.
@@jubimadethis5167 You could be right, she might have been with someone in prison. It just that everything seems to indicate that she was a loner in prison. She had no idea who she could trust and so was on guard the whole time. Even if there was some fling I doubt it would have meant much to Vi as her main desire was finding Powder again.
Fun thought their time in the brothel was Vi really seemed to just be messing with Caitlyn rather then taking her seriously as a partner, let alone a potential love interest. That only happened after Caitlyn saved her from Savika and got her healed. Even when it's clear that Vi's starting to fall for Caitlyn she keeps trying keep her at a distance. Vi seems to always be trying to maintain a tough confident image in front of Caitlyn but the straight laced enforcer keeps busting through her guard and making her have feeling(Vander did say her guard needed work).
omg i don't think i ever thought of Vi as touch-starved until you pointed it out, probably because she's always "touching" things with her fists lol, but i guess giving and receiving calloused knuckles isn't quite the same HAHA. now i can't unsee how gentle and careful Cait is with her and it hurts, thanks. also i think these two work so well because they have that whole "superficial foils while actually being thematic parallels" thing going on. fundamentally, at their cores, they're extremely similar. they value the same things. it's like solving a math problem in two radically different ways but still arriving at the same answer. up until this point, their lives could not have been more dissimilar. but now that they've crossed paths, they can't uncross. like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through a wood, i guess.
also, in that same interview with the writer, i believe there's a part where she just scripted that Vi and Cait "share a moment of connection" or something and the animators were like "yes, soft cheek touches" so let's just sign our collective gay souls over to the animation department lol they're out here serving up a frickin' BANQUET
This relationship has been portrayed so damn well and feels like its evolving in such a natural way that it just amazes me that its come out of a genre show. It is hand down one of the best relationship narratives i've seen regardless of gender or orientation.
Before I comment anything else‚ thank you SO MUCH for the subtitles. A lot of youtubers with way more subscribers don’t even consider them‚ but it means a lot to me (as someone who struggles with auditory processing) that you went through the effort!
Of course, thank you so much, its a worthwhile effort so everyone can enjoy the video!
I understood the Wicked reference! Amazing video, I honestly think Caitlyn and Vi are deep down very similar people, always striving for the better, they just have very different ways of achieving their goals from where and how they grew up but that just makes them compliment each other all the better!
Thank you! Yes, absolutely, they do both have this drive to do good, but are coming at it from very different places
This show deserves every shred of examination it gets, because every second of it is absolutely full. Like, someone else mentioned the rain, and how it ties to Caitlyn. We see her with an umbrella early on when she's talking to Jayce, symbolizing the shelter offered to her by her privilege. But over time we see her exposing herself more and more, until the climax with Vi and her parting ways in the pouring rain. She finally she finds herself in the shower, replaying that moment, the water symbolizing that she's truly acclimated to her new perspective, personified by Vi.
They’re absolutely perfect together and I’m not just saying that just for the sake of it. I love how strong and powerful they are in front of people but when they’re alone with one another they knock down each other’s walls and you see how tender they are with each other. With how Caitlyn treats Vi’s wounds and holds Vi up when she’s injured. With how Vi gently brushes her hand onto Caitlyn’s face to show her affection. I love how Caitlyn just stared into Vi’s eyes after giving Vi shimmer and you could feel the tension of a kiss was going to happen. I love how Caitlyn always vouched for Vi to her mum and the council and she isn’t afraid to show the ugly truth of years worth of oppression Zaun was going through due to Topside always benefiting over having power on the community of Zaun.
5:58
The way I immediately started belting "Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you, I have been changed for good" XD
I catch myself singing it on a regular basis so I just had to out everyone else in my hell 😂
I thought for years that I didn't like romantic plots. But I've discovered over the past few years that what I really don't like is poorly written romantic plots. Cue Sturgeon's Revelation: "90% of everything is crud." I absolutely love how Arcane handled Caitlyn and Vi's relationship. It's natural, understandable, tender and intimate in a way that feels entirely believable and completely within character for both of them.
It's like writers from TV and film have only discovered how to do this properly within the past 5-10 years or so, and they can only do it right in wlw relationships for some reason. I'm not complaining about lesbian representation, though. I just wish that other sexual orientations and expressions got the same level of care and nuance in the writing of their romantic plots. Straight couples are the worst, to be honest. It's almost like writers know society sees heterosexual coupling as being "natural," so they don't even try to do anything realistic or relatable in their romantic plots, they just rely on the littany of dead-horse "boy-meets-girl" cliches.
So yeah, another brilliant queer romance in the books. Who knew? Good romance writing is actually possible! Maybe straight writers can learn a thing or two and stop pumping out the same inane garbage when they write romance.
This tbh. Sadly most straight relationships have a badly written buildup which is either the cliché boy-meets-girl or they barely have a few scenes where they're flirting (or the "flirting" is perceived as romantic only in the movie but irl it would be creepy if someone did the same) and suddenly they're kissing. It's sad because it doesn't make us care about the characters and their relationship. It just feels shoehorned there because the writer thought the story needed a romantic subplot between the main characters.
Honestly I saw my self not even being bothered to care for the scenes of jayce and mel… they get better but there relationship just bore me
@@olivia-film Jayce and Mel are better written than a lot of straight romances, but that's mainly after they get together. The start of their romantic relationship is pretty rushed and cliche, but I can forgive that because they're more interesting in a settled relationship than they are in the "courtship" phase.
@@prophetisaiah08 Yeah I think their relationship feels rushed in the beginning because she's trying to manipulate him but she ends up caring about him later on. But yea when they did it I was like "dude's having the time of his life and poor Viktor is trying to survive". I'm glad that Jayce went to straight to Viktor when he heard he was dying. I expected the show to slowly turn him into the corrupt politician much like the other councilors but you can see that he still wants to help other people. What I like about Arcane is that these characters feel like real people, not just stereotypes. You can see they're all trying to do what feels right for them but the irony makes it so that they often end up worse than before.
@@justacat869 I was really worried about her manipulating him since she’s established as ambitious from her introduction, but they really show her to be more complex than that with her origins and relationship with Jayce. She’s not the type to do absolutely anything to get power, but she still seeks out opportunities for it through being in good standing with the right people. Although because she cares about her image she isn’t the type to go around trying to genuinely fix any problems in the city.
As someone who knew within 3 hours of meeting a new friend that that person is going to be most likely my best bro (he still is 15 years layer, was best man at my wedding years ago), then these two meeting, overcomming danger and SEVERAL deadly situations, is just how fast a relationship can develop.
In real life we have people fucking and marrying within hours. And then people say that this relationship molded in death, hope, stakes, is forced and too quick? Get out of here…
Cait: "and just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness, for the things I've done you blame me for"
Vi: "but then I guess we know there's blame to share"
both: "and none of it seems to matter, anymoooooooore"
* dramatic sapphic singing*
Another excellent analysis. Goddamn, u pointed out things I didn't even notice, and ive rewatched the show 3 times
Arcane truly is the gift that keeps on giving 😁
one of the best things about it is that it doesn't take over the narrative, a lot of times when a popular ship starts to really take off in canon it starts to erode other aspects of the story, simultaneously feeling like it's oversaturating the story, and doing so with increased contrivance for 'ship moments' with the pacing and development of the relationship suffering and the characters often reducing to little more than the ship itself.
but the emotional crux of the narrative is still focused on Vi and Jinx, allowing Vi and Caitlyn's relationship to grow naturally and organically and allowing them to retain independence in their own plotlines.
Great video Kelly!
I'm fairly certain that a hug and a pep talk from Caitlyn Kiramman would solve about 97.5% of my problems
One of the things I like about this relationship is that unlike other gay relationships in media this one is not fetishisised, rushed, or used to embarass men. It feels natural
I love how this story line wasn’t forced onto the audience. Strong women, diverse cast, and oh they’re gay? Fuck it, that’s awesome.
I care about these characters because they were fleshed out and well written. Their relationship seems natural, and it’s as if there is no possible way it could’ve gone.
This video gives me strong Critical Drinker vibes. Must be something in that Scottish water lol.
Eyy yess!!
How to motivate a whole generation in proving that water and oil does mix.
And in a less shitposting way, happy to have more essays from you!
I just finished watching the series and now i'm thirsty for Caitlyn/Vi content the same way i was for Catra/Adora when i watched Shee-Ra or for Chloe/Max when i played Life is Strange. Sapphic couples gonna be the end of me
I’m excited for Vi to learn that not only can she trust Caitlyn to have her back, but her survival probably depends on it. And Caitlyn being able to grow and “see the real world” with Vi as a guide until she’s more confident is just… I’m excited that we are very likely going to see their relationship deepen and grow.
I think S2 is gonna fuck us all up emotionally with them 🤙
Me at first: nah, not gonna watch arcane, the art is good but I don't have time nor incentive
Me after seeing Vi for 1(one) second: *Oh hot damn*
Be Gay Do Crimes/Be Gay Solve Crimes was a dynamic I didn't know I needed until now
And then there's people who thinks Vi and Cait's relationship is rushed. Lmao.
They can't rush what isn't there, they're not a couple yet, though i suspect it'll develop more after vi becomes an enforcer
@@husseinrose4883 yeah I agree it's just annoying when people criticize their relationship and call it rushed when they say they just met and they're in love already. They have a problem with it yet they didn't hve any problem with the hetero sex lmao.
@@Vizible21 The hetero sex was weird as fuck, for me it felt super out of place and just randomly dropped in there, I'd consider that one rushed because prior to it we see like 2 maybe 3 interactions between the pair. Cait and Vi felt weird (for me) at first, but it grew on me with the episodes as I'm sure it was intended to.
@@LevyMegami to be fair, that's usually how hetero sex goes (super rushed and after a few interactions)
@@asimhussain8716 I mean they did save each other’s life during that time. So of course they’d be concerned about the other.
Clearly the art dept did their job well. Big props the the writing and directing for this exemplary sub plot. I look forward to this relationship to strengthen.
"She completely misunderstood the assignment of forgetting about Vi" bahahahaa
Great video!! Glad you obliged us with an analysis of these two. I think this is the fastest I've ever latched onto a ship before; I'm in full brainrot mode xD I believe we are in for something special with them. Caitlyn and Vi really do feel like a breath of fresh air for wlw ships. 🏳️🌈
Thank you! Honestly it's a disgrace how quickly this one has infected my brain!
Nahhh not a disgrace lol they came at just the right time, at least for me. They're curing my RWBY hiatus depression 🤣
5:35 i think we all just need to appreciate for a moment how god damn gorgeous Vi is in this shot
Oh. My. God. 13:54 Why didn’t they keep that moment on the bridge in slow-mo? Why?? It’s a split of a second and if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve never noticed!! (I even thought the bullets had reached them and was left wondering how they came out perfectly fine. Silly me, i know). What Cait and Vi did for each other is SUCH an important detail and definitely deepens their relationship. Why??!!
Anyways, LOVED this analysis and thank you for giving us this new little detail to obsess over. 💕
Superficially, I think the obvious text of the narrative is "opposites attract. On the surface, it works. They look, act, and talk like they're from different worlds and they kind of are. And it works. There's a story there. But what makes Arcane the way it is that the people in charge made the decision to go beyond it. Their story is much more complex than "Rich girl and poor girl" or Piltover vs Zaun and ultimately tells the story of how similar they really are. Its a little more subtle but Caitlyn going pfft okay shot? I'm an *excellent* shot is no less brash and straightforward than Vi going "You're hot, cupcake"
I love the contrast between the mentality of these two characters.
Caitlyn has lived a sheltered life in the nobility and her upbringing has taught her to be respectful of authority and the law, because for her the enforcers embody the peacekeeping and progress that Piltover enjoys.
In her eyes, Vi is a brute from the underground city who does not respect anything or anyone other than her barbarous concepts of strength and pride.
For her it is unthinkable that the police abuse their authority and behave like thugs.
Violet, who has lived in a world in which force gives respect and it allows you to survive, the concepts of rank and law are little more than a nice uniform in which the enforcers use to separate themselves from the other goons.
No one has tried her for any crime nor were the enforcers tried for the extrajudicial execution of her parents.
To her, Caitlyn is a naive brat who doesn't know shit about the harshness of real life, and that she thinks her rules can really be applied outside of her sheltered world.
But as they spend more time they realize that they have more in common than they think.
They both have a good heart and have a leadership mentality that leads them to take responsibility for taking care of others and bringing justice to their world.
Arcane does an excellent job of burying foreshadowing about character building right in plain sight. We pick up on it subconsciously so while we don't 'see it coming' when it does come it just fits. For example the Caitlyn-Jayce rain scene:
Caitlyn: My dad says you're a misfit and we can't be friends anymore.
Jayce; So why are you out here?
Caitlyn: I'm a misfit too, I suppose.
That doesn't note Caitlyn as gay but if I were gay I think in hindsight that quick scene would resonate with me. It tells the audience that while Caitlyn is a child of privilege there's something that makes her feel she doesn't quite fit in. She isn't crushing on Jayce, she's empathizing with his feeling of being an outcast. It is using dialog to 'show, don't tell', as ironic as that sounds. And the series is filled with little things like that that make everything from deep world building to personal relationships seem so effortless and natural.
Don't think I didn't notice you clocking that dump truck 🤣🤣🤣🤣such a good line lol
What you said about how lgbtq+ media often leaves most of the relationship in subtext is absolutely true and when you stressed it in the video it really became an eye-opening realization to me!! We have waited too long for scenes that explicitly suggest feelings and relationships such as these and it really was such a breath of fresh air. Thank you for covering this !!!!
gosh I've loved your video essays since "bumbleby is not forced". You have a talent for writing them.
In a lot of movies or shows, gay relationships are either contrived or more lustful than loving. It’s part of the reason I have such a difficult time getting behind those types of relationships in entertainment. There are a couple of gay relationships that I like, though. Caitlin and Vi is one of them. Their personalities work well with each other and their growing attachment progresses naturally.
EVERY TIME i see the oil and water scene i think about the high school musical part that you edited into, thank you so much lmao
6:09 "Who can say if I've been changed for the better?"
You are technically the first, so I think you win by default! Congrats! 😄
WHOOO! De-fault, De-fault!
(Thanks for a great video!)
Arcane season one: a tale of two sisters seperated by fate, a tale of two Father figures and their influence in shaping the personalities of their daughters, a tale of 2 friends pushing the boundaries of potentially dangerous science with the best of intentions, a tale of two cities at the brink of civil war.
This season is packed full of content worth discussions and video essays till the next season airs by 2023, hopefully.
Personally I would like to see your take on how Vander and Silco had major influence in how Vi and Jinx developed.
Like when Vi was knocked out by Sevika, memory of Vander propped her up. How Vi could've ended up being a cold angry bitter person after being imprisoned without charges after losing her family but she didn't turn to the dark side.
Similarly with Silco and Jinx.
Heck character analysis of Silco could be a video in itself...
Im straight, male, 44 and I like this relationship. This is how you do gay right. Its not forced. Its not their defining characteristics. They are good characters who happen to be gay and happen to like each other that way. Thats....perfect. And yes, I want an on screen kiss.
As a fellow straight, male, 44 year old... I absolutely agree with everything you just said.
Also... I love the yin/yang feel of the positions of the two on the bed in the bedroom scene. Just saying.
omg we are soooo glad a cishet approves, don't know what we would have done without you😩. No but seriously I get that you're trying to be positive about this, but saying that it's good because being gay doesn't define them and you feeling like it's not forced, well you just invalidate a lot of queer representation over the years. You suggest through your comment that you can be accepted/tolerated as gay when you don't act like it too much. Well reality check a lot of queer people "act queer" because they've been outcast for the longest time which forced them into creating their own culture.
So when you, as a cishet, talk about queer representation in media, please think about whether you actually know what you're talking about.
@@ine2061 I'm pretty sure that's not at ALL what he was saying. The way I read the comment (and the reason I agreed with it wholeheartedly) was that it was refreshing to see a LGBTQ+ couple in media like this that weren't simply 2-dimensional gay stereotypes. Much like the recent push for people to use the term "people with disabilities" versus "disabled people" to emphasize the person (not what makes them 'different'), the point is that good characters need be be, well... 'characters' first and foremost. FAR too many characters in media (especially genre media) tend just be defined entirely by being a member of a minority or marginalized group... they're just there to check a box. That's not inclusion or representation... that's tokenism. Vi and Caitlyn are fully-fleshed out characters with real depth... who happen to be gay. That's not their ONLY trait. That's a VERY good thing... and something that even us stupid 'cishets' can understand.
@@WarpedLord like I said I get it. This is a great example of a realistic queer relationship and very ordinary queer people. I do agree that these characters are more than their queerity and it's great to see characters being something beyond that. Maybe I just took it the wrong way, but thats because I've been seeing the idea of accepting queer people as long as they act "normal" a lot lately. So I was pointing out that it's okay for some people to look/be/act very queer too. Also don't be offended when I call you a cishet, I don't think you're stupid. I am probably just more educated on this topic since I've been living a life full of experiences relating to it. Sometimes I just feel like some people think their approval of us is necessary and all queer people are looking for in their life's.
In retrospect it was a lot of assumptions and reaching I did in my comment. I am sorry if they did not apply to the man I responded to. Though I stand by my points, since they highlight the issue that there are "good gays" and "bad gays" dependent on their expression of our culture and personality.
@@WarpedLord sometimes I just wonder... What if these were two guys instead of Vi and Caitlyn. What if one of them was trans/non-binary. Often times those will be discarded as unrealistic depsite being portrayed similarly. Exactly what happened with The Last of Us part II. I saw so much hate on Ellie and Dina being together even though the story was in no way actually about it and they were fully flashed out characters. In the same game a trans boy is also discarded as being pushed or something. Even though his story was so much more than him shaving his head: he left a cult, lost his mother to that same cult, lost his sister when running away from it. he finally gained someone constant in his life.
Despite all of that people still think he's just trans, his constant is just a fucked up chick("because she is unrealistically buff").
The representation has been here. I guess I just couldn't believe that cishet people finally recieved it well enough. That's why it felt like he was boasting his approval, which we've learned to live without...
ARCANE IS SO FREAKING AWESOME AND THEY WROTE THE STORY AND CREATED CHARACTER CHEMISTRY SO SOOO WELL!!
I'm also pretty sure in that scene where Jinx says I paid your girlfriend a visit Vi imagines Caitlyn looking more "vulnerable" (bigger eyes etc) I saw someone else talking about it
Thoughts on the end with the “Snack scene?” Asking since that’s another great moment for them in a way
I really appreciate and love this kind of video, a deeper look at this series. I want to give my opinion in this. From my young age I always have struggling with life, in almost every aspect, and with time I started to grow, but my “past” gave me such hopeless vibes, thinking about my life in the future all that I saw were just bad things. Arcane gave me back something that I thought I had lost, my heart.. the ability of trust, of love, those things.. I really was accepting that my destiny was going to be a heartless and a lonely life.. but this, gave me hope, that maybe there’s still hope for hurt people like me. It made me want to live , but truly live, not survive day by day. Seeing Vi really trusting in cait, seeing that after all, she can still have true good feelings and letting her self be vulnerable at another human being it is something that change my life in a way that I thought was unable to. Thank you for this video, it made me put my feelings in words..
Could you talk about jinx and silco's relationship? Damn maybe he was a villain in the story but he was a caring father, even if not the best dad
La relación de Silco y Jinx es la peor que he visto, si necesitaba un padre manipulador, entonces lo obtuvo.
The "blood hound-like ability" almost made me spit my coffee. Good video.
god i love this
also wanted to throw out another thing that the hardworking gays on tumblr noticed: when jinx is presenting her "snack" to vi, and vi sees a flash of cait laying on that bed, the image she sees is a bit different from the actual scene! her memory of cait's a bit softer and more open, and that makes me feel things for these two LOL
Well yes, I am going to click on everything Arcane related😅, but I do love these video essays! Would watch more about other shows. Great job!❤
Subbed! Liked! Watched all the ads till the end! That’s how much my thirsty ass is yearning for more Vi and caitlyn videos. Great analysis!
Vander's line about OIL jumped out at me during the second viewing, in relation to the oil and water episode
Amazing video and wonderfully edited! Thank you for articulating what I was feeling while watching the show ♡
I'm in love with how you express everything, the terms that you use, and the way it flows through the plot of Arcane and how you connect everything.
I promise you that seeing this video from your channel for the first time makes me a really big fan of yours. Thank you for feed the anxiety for gay content from Vi and Caitlyn ahahahah, greetings from Spain and thank you again for the contribution :)
This was inevitable, and completely amazing to watch.
this video is so well put! I hope you get more recognition! Amazing work, friend!
I LOVE this analysis
Caitlyn x Vi (VioLyn, Piltover's finest, CaitVi, or whichever you may prefer) is one of my favorite sapphic ships. They're such a win for us sapphics, especially lesbians, since neither of them seem to be attracted to men. They make me so happy
Vi and Cait really do seem made for loving each other... however they wish to love. 💖😌
The music at the ✨yeet✨ of the bouquet I DIED
lost my mind over the gotta go my own way edit- fantastic video, great analysis and it made me really happy to hear someone analyze it like you did :D also i love your voice
wow. i could do an essay on this series or only on your take, but everbody likes snap opinions so i can just say: there are many great caracter development scenes, and is easay to overlook all or process them, but that just one second (in shooting) that you discovered says so much about show and you. if i didnt get too much emotions already, now after seeing your videos my heart crumbles and also is in awe.
Jinx: F the police!
Vi: I'm trying!
Fortiche had no business making Vi so goddamn hot
they say oil and water, but the chemistry
*Love your analysis on this show.*
03:25 "caitlyn isn't really concerned about material things" *THATS BECAUSE SHE HAS THEM*
‘ and vi holds on to her hand for dear life’
Lmao I love that
i watch this video at least twice a day. maybe it's the subtitles or the voice or just the damn good 'case and point' of it all. well done
I love this natural and transparent relationship they have. There is no denying they are romantically involved! Im happy to live in a time when there are so many animated series that feature queer women/girls (Steven Universe, Owl House, She-Ra, Adventure Time, Castlevania, etc.), I hope to see just as many beautiful and authentic representations for queer men/boys in animation as well!
14:02 i didnt evn notice that but omg i love that
this is such a fantastic video essay!!! thank you so much for making it and sharing it with us all. i just finished "arcane" last night and i love it.
I really enjoy your content because it's so funny and informative/insightful at the same time. Keep up the good work!!
"be gay do crimes vs. be gay SOLVE crimes" that's when I hit like
Caitlyn is also just plain one of the best representations of Lawful Good in recent memory.
I'm glad you're (with a knowledge background) tackling this lovely ship but also your accent makes this video x10 more enjoyable
… this was the best video I could’ve possibly asked for. Thank you so much