Arcane teased queer relationships, but Season 2 can do better

Since arcane‘Riot Games’ first foray into television, debuted in November and was universally admired and acclaimed by critics, especially when it comes to handling yet another video game adaptation. Much of the criticism lacks any nuanced consideration of the show’s queer narratives. Many fans of League of Legends enjoyed watching Caitlyn and Vi interact and were equally excited by the potential for romance between the two. But the show, which is front and center from AAA Travel, offers more of the status quo.

arcane establishes a world that borrows confusingly queer aesthetic and dabbles in queer coding without fully committing to the existence of LGBTQIA+ characters. Piltover is the golden city full of magical Victorian top crust. Zaun, the dark underbelly, is full of Mad Max meets Paris Fashion Week types who hint at how the show uses gendered “otherness” to define this space. Give vi to updated appearance who leans well into butch territory feels like a part of it with her muscles undercut and tattooed. However, the Piltover upper class is not entirely devoid of a more subtle version of this, such as Councilor Salowho stands for queer coding with his cheekiness and his penchant for wine.

Image: Netflix

In contrast, the show doesn’t seem to be turning anyone down open minded gay behavior to rooms that look like rough houses. Set in various brothels across the Lanes, the first and fifth episodes are the only times we see people engaging in intimate, queer behavior — the latter mostly behind closed doors, hinted at when Caitlyn and Vi go through the hike hallway. The first episode also contained a transphobic vision gag that gave some viewers Break. It’s a common trope to portray queerness as risqué, seedy, or aberrant, and arcane Dropping that into the background around the main characters feels regressive.

arcane is mostly praised for his portrayal of Vi and Caitlyn. In this version of Runeterra, their stories are just beginning to collide. Vi is a rowdy orphan from Zaun who has been in prison for years, and Caitlyn is Piltover’s high society kid and newly minted Peacekeeper. The two meet when Caitlyn frees Vi from Stillwater Hold to help her investigate more closely who may have been stealing hextech gems in Zaun. The two characters have been together for a long time paired in-game and by fansbut the MOBA puts them in the flirty buddy cop category rather than having any serious romantic inclinations. arcane concretizes them in a way that League of Legends never could, but the effort is confusing.

Caitlyn and Vi are considered queer in a way, even if that fact is shrouded in vagueness that obscures their relationship. Vi calls the willowy sniper “Cupcake” and points out that she’s hot to trick her into trying to gather intel from the brothel’s clientele. Caitlyn looks relaxed as she sits next to a beautiful female patron. But there’s never a discussion from either of them that actually sheds light on their choice.

Image: Netflix

A writer for arcanewho wrote down her experiences as a queer woman, explained in a Reddit comment that the absence of terms such as “gay” in the above scenes was due to the lack of stigma surrounding sexuality or representation in Runeterra. But the claim that the world is free of homophobia is undermined by the fact that the show spends very little time developing that idea. The script deviates from framing everything that could make Vi and Caitlyn’s relationship fewer ambiguous. Vi asks Caitlyn who she prefers in the brothel, but Caitlyn doesn’t answer specifically.

Most of our hopes for Caitlyn and Vi stem from how the two grow closer despite the pressure of suspicion as the show progresses. Caitlyn caresses Vi’s cheek as they lie on the bed; Vi fearfully walks away from her after a big argument about their different worlds. These moments are definitely good relationship drama, but there’s an odd tension that calls for more explicitness, in a way the show never fulfills. arcane

Female maybeness would have passed as serious homoerotic tension a few years ago, around the time development of the show began. However, animated shows have now eclipsed this, especially with the advent of streaming. In contrast, major game studios still don’t know how to deal with the dynamics of even the most basic homosociality, let alone create queer characters that exceed the expectations of a straight audience.

Riot didn’t unveil its first official LGBTQIA+ League of Legends master until 2021. ONE few characters have in his games these concepts in their backstories or have subsequently “confirmed”.but it was very easy for the company to avoid the subject outright when so many of its games don’t meaningfully tie into a narrative. Ruined King: A History of League of Legends is one of Riot’s first titles to go deeper than snippets of lore on maps or in character barks.

On top of that, the two are showrunners and headwriters for arcane, Christian Linke and Alex Yee, were veteran creatives from the studio, not screenwriters hired to bring the world to life. Speaking to the Washington Postthe two cited a lack of television adaptations of video games at the time they began work arcanewhich meant they looked at things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and game of Thrones for inspiration. none of these things nor Netflixis particularly known for pushing the boundaries when it comes to LGBTQIA+ issues.

Image: Netflix

It feels cynical coming down on Riot’s first foray into television, but it also feels like everyone else isn’t cynical enough. arcane took baby steps to canonize a potential relationship between two beloved characters; it doesn’t deserve a parade yet. Queer people of all stripes have been living on crumbs for so long this show feels like a celebration borrow a set. Having something can feel empowering any Recognition, but that recognition always comes at a price, especially in the media age.

In recent years, savvy media outlets have generally focused on tapping into a queer audience’s collective thirst for recognition, and then using that audience to generate something this recognition of shreds. We moved from a place where fans something transformed for yourself to a company where companies do the bare minimum and then re-advertise it us with our language. This means inclusion is a marketing tool to reach a wider audience, not a necessary starting point. It means getting the safest reflection, a fraction of a facet, rather than a vivid, authentic representation. If fans of arcane say Caitlyn and Vi are “gay without saying it“In a positive light, it means we all screwed up.

If a show or game can keep each LGBTQIA+ portrayal ambiguous enough for queer people to piece together the clues without alienating more conservative audiences, then we’re left with Schrodinger’s canon — one that reveals itself only through a viewer’s perception. It can be ignored if desired.

It’s still too early to know how the next season of arcane will evolve, but it’s never too early to make better demands. Riot is a very large, profitable company, and it shouldn’t be afraid to upset its audience by daring to show two women a kiss, let alone making Runeterra more queer. It doesn’t matter if it’s bad for metrics, ratings, or critical appeal; we should want more, and that’s the least Riot can do.