Most of the criticism falls under two types. First are just right wing trolls; gays = SJW. Often gay relationships are shallow put there for the gay bucks and to clap themselves on the back about how good their farts smell and more importantly how bad everyone else's smell. This isn't the case here because the relationship is organic to the characters, it isn't something there to check a diversity box. That particular diversity is there simply because that diversity exists in real life and is honest to the characters. If you don't like Vi and Cait being gay as written it tells me you aren't against ham fisted SJW politicization of entertainment, you are just a homophobe. The second are left wing nuts who want more and anything less is a chance for them flex their virtue signaling muscles. This isn't some lame Disney subtextual 'gay', nothing is just hinted at. Right there in the script full of show don't tell story telling. It was not forced, it wasn't put there for political considerations, it did not happen too fast, nor did it happen too slow. Not only for the reasons you mentioned but in real life when we're smitten it doesn't take us weeks or months to lean in if we see the other person leaning in. Yes there are couples that end up together after years of friendship but those don't tend to be passionate people. And say what you will about them Vi and Cait are passionate people. For most people the chemical reaction is as swift as our culturalized animal nature allows. As with pretty much everything involving snowflakes on either side of the political spectrum neither are right and while obnoxiously loud neither are close to a majority opinion.

if you are put into a situation where you do not have other choice but to trust someone, you would be falling in love with them instantly. especially with vi who has been in prison for a long time and caitlyn who's probably never loved before because of the strictness of her parents. it is fast and easy to fall in love with someone when it's your first. bonus points that they make each other feel safe.

Vi is open to Jinx because she is literally her sister, to whom she felt protective before, during and at least a good part after prison. While she likely has used prison time to blame herself how she last interacted with her sister. Ekko is the last surviving member of her friend group. I do see those relationships different as Vi's relationship with Caitlyn. Next to the very obvious physical and romantic attraction, there is the aspect that's the only relationship of those three, where Vi isn'tjust being requested to do a thing (unconditional, solitary love in Jinx case, rolling along with Ekko), but actively offered support.

@@colpul2103 The people who claim that it isn't to direct and fast enough confuse me. Vi and Cait have like maybe one and a half scenes (prison and the meal scenes) where they aren't like hitting it off like very directly. The next scenes go to "you'r hot", "but your sweet like a cupcake", "face touching the slums" to "rolling in bed with soft touches" in a rather fast progression ^^; Though I personally thought about both of them them as dating when Caitlyn asked "What about us?". They she got like Caits Moms approval before asking Vi about their relationship status.

"A vocal minority" as most internet outrages are. Just how the internet works unfortunately.

Wow I didn’t even realize that. That’s makes it so much more meaningful that she’s willing to give up not only her only form of protection but also something that represents all the work it’s taken to become an the excellent shoot she is.

Also when she was asked “who are you shooting for?” She gave up the gun FOR Vi. And when she literally shot Sevika for Vi, saving her.

​@@almuzzzika grayson said that she is shooting for sake of piltover people and when she ask caitlyn about that caitlyn had no answer, yet she became the warden even before she met vi, it means that she was inspired by the idea of helping people so like grayson she is shooting for sake of people, even when savika was threatening vi, she shoots savika every single time in her metal arm to not harm her, thats why i think she value her gun as long as she can help people with it.

@@TaiFu2323 oh yeah actually that’s more logical. That’s why I love this show there are so many ways how to interpret it

Q__________________Q

Honestly? That was my biggest concern making a video on these two. Didn't want it to come across that way so I'm glad it didn't. Thanks for the comment.

@@AFlyingWalrus now you got a lesbian's confirmation lol. Love your Arcane content...will be waiting for another arcane video.

@@rashimalviya8263 I know nothing about homosexuality in RL, but that movie really did a good job in making the relationship feel natural. I was watching it and feeling the tension, no matter sex and gender and all that stuff. Even allowing for the material being conductive to it the UKpostsr did a great job even from the point of view of a 'normal' (😀😀😀) fella like me...

@@AFlyingWalrus and a pansexual one to :)

@@AFlyingWalrus i am a lesbian and it also made me so happy! the way you genuinely love their relationship makes me feel normal and have hope in humanity-

That was me in my first relationship, so I'm speaking first hand on that one. Granted it can also blind you to things, but we don't need to get into that

I'm not in a romantic relationship with anyone, but I know this to be true. I was extremely sheltered and eventually might've lost myself because of it. There are so many people I've "abandoned" because they didn't really care, but there was always this one annoying little pest that wouldn't let me leave and honestly-- made me better. I was able to see *beyond* myself and my expectations, and that's why I love this explanation so much. (As well as Vi and Caitlyn, who make me extremely happy to see)

This is SO true. Speaking from more than one experience myself (I was VERY sheltered)

FOR REAL I WAS SO SHOOK- explains the attachment very well now and even the blinding too

Same

Honestly, people who think Cait+Vi are forced have never played League They’ve always been a thing lol

@@craigtucker6001 Not to forget that the same kinds of people who complain about Cait and Vi being forced are those who are all about how creators should listen to the fans. Like, Cait and Vi were always a popular ship in the fanbase, I think I've never seen them shipped with anyone else, outside of maybe Vi with Jinx before it was confirmed that both of them are siblings, which before had been more of a fan speculation, but even that had been a less popular ship compared to those two.

@@craigtucker6001More like the “forced representation” crowd. The crowd that balks at any sort of portrayal of non-heterosexuality, whether good or bad.

I mean, personally it didn't feel forced at all, it just personally felt like the very classy enemies to lovers story. It is nicely done, I like it fine. As a hetero, I guess I wasn't all over it, but it still was nice to watch. I guess I see how a lot of shows and movies suddenly feature a gay couple somewhere, and that is going to put this show into a timeframe where people sre more critical with it, but like...just look at Vi, the moment I saw her make moves towards Cait, I thought that it makes sense. I haven't read from anyone that this relationship was forces, bur I also don't hang with the crown that likely would say that.

Yeah, it does seem to me like they have a relatively healthy and beautiful relationship

That's a great catch. And I'm glad to see other people of the same opinion as me. Was a litte worried as to how this video would be received lol

That's my thought, I was actually surprised they let it flow so naturally, but then Riot/Netflix have found the one thing so many shows lack lately, telling, without telling, they aren't beating the viewer over the head constantly (the feels thou, yeah, they're pummeling those pretty hard), so it shouldn't be a surprise they didn't do the whole these characters biggest trait is they're attracted to each other and have few other traits that help define them, bit. Now The long wait for Series 2 FML

Guess I've seen the wrong parts of the internet. But I'm glad that I am wrong about the distatse

@@AFlyingWalrus "Guess I've seen the wrong parts of the internet." Yeah, it seems so. Was surprise you thought this was a controversial take. Welcome to a new bubble.

@@AFlyingWalrus Yep... when you started off saying "this is going to be a controversial opinion.." I was SURE you were going to say you DIDN'T like Vi and Cate. I was super confused when you said you did.

@@WarpedLord True

yup, i was super surprised to hear that there are people who don't absolutely love this pairing and the way it was developed in the show

I was so sure that for the first few times I saw that scene, Vi said "good to know"

Oh I heard it loud and clear.

Yeah, the facial animations in Arcane are insanely good. They manage to convey so many emotions with even the subtlest expressions.

On some corners of the internet? Yes

@@AFlyingWalrus Those corners rarely go outside let's be honest

FACTSSSSSS

if anything was forced, it was jayce and mel. like don't get me wrong, they have cute chemistry and good moments after, but there was absolutely no buildup whatsoever, I was as blindsided as jayce was. most people dont really seem to care or remember that ship. which is hilarious since they banged and everything, meanwhile caitvi just had.... really emotionally loaded gazes and a super tight hug, and yet there are TONS of videos on them. haha

@@badbunnyky I do think that was kinda the point. Mel got close to Jayce on purpose, because she believed that he would lift her up in the world. She forced herself into his life.

I don't see them pulling any punches, and I hope they don't. Even if my Rollercoaster emotional state can barely handle it

I mean if you play the game you know stuff about their future selves, it's just that no one knew how much the show would fast forward within 9 episodes

@@Sergioshi_ Eh. Entire characters change all the time, hell, they're literally changing hextech crystal lore as we speak, so the game isn't exactly a reliable source imo.

Catradora sprinted so then Vi/Cait could win the Gaylimpics

If jinx is successful in her attack and kill Caithlin 's mother i do not think they will form any kind of relationship .

OMG PRICKLY ALPACA!!! I FOUND YOU - ALSO YES I ABSOLUTELY AGREE hdhdhsjajs👏👏✨ (LOVE your art btw!! I’ve been binging ur videos for the past two weeks ahah)

omg I love finding out about how the grammar in translations show certain relationships or feelings. Language is cool! It's so cool to hear about, although sadly I'm only fluent in English so it's not something I can find out on my own lol

i love seeing how tv shows handle this in general. it’s quite interesting that the translators have to figure out when it’s time to switch to the informal “you” since it’s not a concern in the original english shows. as a german, french and russian speaker, i’ll have to look up if all these languages switch to the informal form at the same time, though i think german might have used the informal one from the beginning, which it tends to do in a lot of shows, as opposed to russian, for instance where people tend to stick to the formal version much longer

WOW!! This is amazing, I absolutely LOVE this detail and it speaks so much to the depth of the show and characters ✨✨

Holy cow, that's an amazing new detail I'll now take note of ✨ thank you!

I think every language has that except English 😕 In German, you use the third person plural to address someone formally, and of course the second person singular to talk to somebody informally. In English, even the plural and singular form of the second person sound the same.

IKR they need to go outside. People do flirt and love.

Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment. I won't get into details, but I definitely pulled from personal experience to talk about this video. Arcane has ment so many different things and connects with a massive amount of people tactfully. I'm glad that this show has ment this much to you, and by extension videos of people talking about the show can keep the love for it going. Take care

I get you. You are not alone! :)

Magnets

Ya know, I have a friend who is Really similar to you, and I think you'd both get along really well! 😁

You can't spell VIOLENCE without VI

I know it probably wasn’t intentional but I’ve seen the “my favorite pairing is one that is feminine in a masculine way while the other is masculine in a feminine way” meme a lot lately, and while I also sorta vibed with it and thought it funny, I couldn’t really wrap my head around what that looks like. But your description of Cait and Vi actually helped loads so thanks

OOOHH THIS IS AMAZING!! I absolutely agree and I just love how you explained that, the characters do just have such a natural gravitation toward each other - it works so perfectly and feels so natural 🤌✨

You know, you’ve got a point about comparing Caitlyn to Jinx. It added SOOOO much more context to the “And I thought Powder could get obsessed” line.

Caitlyn also looks like Vi's mom, appearantly we tend to be attracted to people who look like our parents

To build on your comment I hope and believe that they will continue to build on what they've started in S2. Which just from the short teaser I'm guessing we will be spending a lot of time with Vi/Cait/Jinx and even Warwick

The intimate scene with Jayce and Mel wasn’t meant to be romantic, but rather showing the audience how the path that Jayce and Victor started on act 1 has drifted into separate ones. That’s why it also shows Victor with the hexcore. It sucks that not many ppl don’t see it that way. Like, when I first saw that scene, I was completely caught off guard and I was like “dammit, Arcane! Nows not the time for this shit!” But I finally understand the mean message(s) behind it and it completely makes sense, for me personally anyway.

as a league player of ten years, can confirm

"Piltover's Finest"

"Sheriff cupcake can't be mad at me" "Ooh, look at me, I'm on the case" "try cupcakes"(when a character says she should've brought her flowers) "what can I say, Cait's still got a taste for bad cops"

If you don't mind, I wish just pick up a (quite insignificant) detail. May be that's me who misunderstood (I don't have a good english level) what you wrote, but It seems to me than their break don't took place the same night than the Ekko/Jinx fight on the bridge (They reach Caitlyn's home a morning, they got the audience at the council the evening. I assume they're mainly resting during the daytime, they deserve it after theirs "adventures" like said Cupcake's daddy. I'm quite assuming three days go by between Cait's recovery and the Final. That' all ! Otherwise, I support all what you said (and congratulations for your 30th :))

@@T3MrLan i agree, i also think it was about three days. and thats three days of nonstop very close interaction with almost no sleep. which is crazy for vi, who has been pretty much alone every single day for the past decade.

beautifula story my man, wish you and your wife all the best from good ol' Germany :)

I'm so glad that they wrote so many twists and turns with Mel. And the scene where she takes off her family heirloom and supports Jayce in a vote for peace is so powerful

I think she definitely started off with more selfish motives, but she came to care for him more as she got to know him better. Of course there are no static characters in this show.

I do think it all started as a way to manipulate Jayce, as it was shown over and over again throughout the show, but at the same time, I don't think her intentions were ever harmful, just self-serving, and I also believe that she really did develop true feelings for him. Her "change of heart" also felt natural and well developed, especially after she meets with her mother and realizes she doesn't want what she is offering, she doesn't want to be like her.

Thank you so much. People have been going with Mel is bad in some reactions in those first few episodes and some don’t seem to let that go till episode 9 on the last few minutes. Mel reactions are odd and I feel myself a bit protective of her because seeing it from her pov seems very rare and far to often less then positive in all episodes of the show.

I hope they continue to allow things to develop naturally. Looking forward to seeing more of them in S2

It was fine up until the end of episode 7 when Vi seemingly forgot Ekko existed, then in episode 8 and beyond it felt like the writers were running out of screentime and just skipped past a bunch of much needed development until the "breakup" in the rain, which seemed to come out of nowhere. Just didn't feel fully earned to me. They've only touched on Vi's past with enforcers (murdered parents, thrown in prison for 5-7 years where she apparently received regular beatings, etc.). And Cait was weirdly understanding that Vi's sister just tried to gun her down for no real reason. Vi just warmed up too fast and Cait is almost saintlike in her tolerance for the utter insanity Vi unleashed into her life, even if it was unintentional. The third act in general just felt rushed though, not just the Cait-Vi dynamic. They stuck the landing but wobbled a bit right beforehand. I'd only call it bad writing if Cait just disregards what Jinx (in all likelihood) did to her mother when season 2 rolls around. That would be ridiculous.

Hahaha hey man. Never underestimate a Le$bean

@@AFlyingWalrus gotta love them lean bean machines

To be fair, the writers of the show have gone on record saying that Korra and Asami was supposed to be much more developed but Nickelodeon wouldn't let them show anything too direct. They were bascially limited to body language and implications (aka Korra only writing to Asami for 3 years and not Mako or Bolin). Not to mention that acceptance of gay relationships was in a much different spot at the time, Korra's final episode aired before gay marriage was legal in the US.

While I do agree I do wish to note that Korra did the best it could with network restrictions. Which why I think many still look back fondly on Korrasmi while acknowledging that it has been done better since because it very much they walked so others could run thing

Hahaha of all the comments this one got me. Well done

I'm glad to see that it was a vocal minority that was dissenting about their relationship. I saw people saying it in comments on prior videos and reviews so I thought I'd make a video on it. Because why not?

I think it will have many more twists and turns. Especially when it comes to Jinx and now potential Warwick being involved.

Glad you enjoyed the video

This is actually a good point. It just jarred me because we hadn't seen any onscreen chemistry yet.

what i think a lot of people forget is that if the writers wanted us to know something, we'd know it. and obviously there's gonna be a lot happening in the time jump but i dont think we see Mel and Jayces relationship much more developed after the timeskip than before. at most i think fact is that Mel started out trying to pull Jayce in one direction or the other, and later on realized she might have feelings for him. the line she says right before kissing jayce is really weird, something like "us medardas only ever take from the world, we're never in a position to give back." almost like she's giving a reason for the kiss, like it's an exchange of some sort. also the way that scene is shot is very predatory when mel is leaning in. some might see it as what jayce is seeing but i thought it was very invading.

I'll gladly accept the 🍪. As well as a wonderful comment to read through. Thanks for dropping by and glad you enjoyed the video

Well I'm not a professional or have any qualifications. But I can say that section was pulled from personal experience. Sadly it also had a dark side of attributing the positive experience to a unhealthy relationship as well. But that's a tangent for another time and place. Positive and negatives to everything and all that Glad you enjoyed my professional chaos

Glad you enjoyed the video and my small insight on the matter

I think everyone complaining about their relationship is just some anti-sjw who is in it for the homophobia, considering that besides their brilliant depiction in the series, Vi and Cait already had been a pretty popular ship for years in the LoL community, so actually pairing them off with anyone else would have been the move totally ignoring what the actual fans want.

This really opened my eyes to Jayce and Mel

Thank you for staying that they knew each other for 3 years

3 years it was not 7 years ???

i agree with all of this, very well said. i guess arcane is somewhat of a hidden diamond since people tend to automatically dismiss animation. their loss. if a wider audience finds it, great, well deserved, but in a way i like that the fanbase stays in a circle that truly appreciates the show and doesn’t just cater to *everyone* like marvel movies do, for instance.

7 months later because I came into this exactly like you. "I might as well, some gay representation is better than none..." and just fell in love. Jayce and Caitlyn's scenes made me cringe badly, but then the FULLY-FLEDGED CAITLYN taking on the world with VI got me so stirred up

We can hope

Thanks for the kind words

Who knew when you pour your heart into videos about discussions, people would discuss in the comments? In all seriousness, I'm just as surprised as you are, and so happy many people are having thought-provoking discourse in the comments on these videos. Hope you do stay, and if you are curious the past 4 Arcane videos on the channel also have some wonderful comments. Even if there are some on the Viktor video that break your heart reading them. Welcome to the Huddle friend

@@AFlyingWalrus Def excited to see what you work on next!

Perks of being an introvert, I get to think about stuff, probably too much, then I have a fresh voice from not talking to anyone all day. Joke aside thank you

Glad you enjoyed the video

Glad you enjoyed it

As a league player of now ten years I can relate with you on that Glad you enjoy my ramblings on the matter

Appreciate it

Based that line of my personal life. I was...involved, with someone that opened my perspective on the world and who I am as a person. I can look back with genuine greatfulness to them for that. Granted that also made me ignore red flags and end up a surviver of abuse, but hey. You live and you grow. Thank you for sharing your story

@@AFlyingWalrus Of course, any time. Sorry to hear that happened to you. Hope you are doing better now

Haha why would you ever say that? Of course I'm. I just. You know. Sometimes you need to. yes...........yes I do....

Flying Walrus cmhere bud i feel you;-;

Glad you did