how i so desperately wish i could consume media in a vacuum, especially popular media because going online and seeing the most braindead takes about it is almost (emphasis on almost, don't get your knickers in a twist) enough to completely ruin the experience.

i hate to side with the cishet dudebros on this one, but i do think "shipping" is singlehandedly the downfall of fandom spaces, every time. if you walk away from a piece of media (that isn't like... a love story, or a romcom, or a romantic drama) and the first thing on your mind is who is fucking who, i fear you might have a problem.

  • there are, of course, some caveats to this. since canonically queer relationships are so rarely seen on screen, it makes sense for it to dominate the public consciousness's opinion of whatever media, both by those who are in favor of it and those who aren't.

that said, in the case of arcane: there is exactly one canon queer relationship showcased on the show. which i (along with a lot of other fans capable of critical thinking) can't even root for because of the oppressor/oppressed dynamic. timebomb was a bit of a blessing in disguise in that it kind of came out of nowhere (to me), but i don't think there was a single person that actually didn't like ekko and jinx together. as far as relationships go, that of course leaves us with... jayce, mel, and viktor.

i am a jaymelvik truther, for a few reasons. firstly, to piss off jayvik truthers. secondly, because it solves whatever issue of the jaymel vs jayvik debate in a way that makes sense, if you're willing to expand your horizons a bit.

  • i've seen many people say that mel falls into the expendable (black) girlfriend trope, and while i do think that is true, i think it's only true because of the audience's (specifically, the jayvik truther's) view of her.
  • there is nothing new or groundbreaking about jayce and viktor's relationship, even down to the way they both sacrificed themselves together at the end. shocking? yes. but we have seen it ("it" being a potentially homoerotic friendship) in media a thousand and one times over. even if they would have kissed or something crazy like that to confirm it, it still wouldn't have been revolutionary. nice representation? sure. we can never have enough queer representation on screen, but it's 2024, it's not exactly new anymore ...do you want to know what is new? what we haven't seen on any major television program or blockbuster film to date? a throuple. a QUEER canon throuple, specifically between a woman, and two men who all like each other, that isn't played off for laughs. and you would think, in the year 2024, that we would have at least seen something like that once or twice, but no. challengers came close, but again, there was nothing (canonically) queer about that situation. another missed opportunity, alongside this one. a polyamourous relationship between a black woman, a latino man, and a disabled man? it would have been revolutionary. a bit of a tall order for a league of legends franchise, i know, but i prefer it to the reality of casting mel aside completely just so jayce and viktor can be together (even in death). i wish more people could agree with me on that. again, with it being part of the league of legends franchise... misogyny (and in most cases internalized which is crazy) being a large factor in the "ship wars" should not have suprised me.

even casting the jaymelvik problem aside, season 2 still had some major issues. the pacing? the run-time? the music?? it all just felt rushed. the story-telling (and the story itself) did not hold up to season 1 in any way. it almost felt like they were trying to use shock value to make up for it. did i still gag? yes. was i still living for it in the moment?? yes. multiple things can be true at once. it's good to critique the things you love. i'm sure even the creators know the fans make critiques because they're that passionate about something that they made. it's good.

with all that said, i'm looking forward to whatever project they come out with next. i think a fresh start will work out in everyone's favor. i hope the success of arcane allows them to operate with whatever budget and whatever timeframe they need to make something they're truly proud of (and that we love).

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Pub: 18 Dec 2024 22:12 UTC

Edit: 28 Mar 2025 11:02 UTC

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