jespy-wespy

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The sexualization and mischaracterization of queer (relation)ships: Arcane edition

In a relationship between 2 people of the same gender one does not need to present more masculine/feminine than the other. They do not need to fit into the category of one being purely dominant over the other. This is something I think Arcane has done really well. But just because the show did good, does not mean the fans will.

Something I have noticed within fan art+fiction is the feminization and weakness of Caitlyn. I scroll through Tumblr and pass image and image of Caitvi art where Vi is hugging Caitlyn, taking the lead, being the "dominant one". Vi has her arms, very large, with defined muscles, wrapped around Caitlyn's skinny ones, which have no muscle definition. Caitlyn is drawn with softer, more femmine features, given a shorter stature than Vi, and is usually pictured in the purple camisole she wore once.

This is simply not who either of them are.

In Arcane, Caitlyn is defined by being a powerful sharp shooter. Later by being a ruthless cop, a brutal dictator, and a powerful warrior, even with out a gun. We see her training with Ambessa, while not holding the same level of skill, Caitlyn is able to physically hold her own. Caitlyn has never been shown as weak. She has never been someone to need or ask for protection. She can barely if ever be considered a femme, if people really feel the need to stick some meaningless sub title on her.

Vi is very emotional, she feels deeply. Even though she is this tough pit fighter, she holds a heavy heart, and this is shown throughout Arcane. Vi, repeatedly through the show, has been vulnerable in front of Caitlyn, both physically and emotionally. We see her cry out for her sister, injured, and in need of help through multiple acts and I believe that should make more of an impression on fans.

Sadly it is not surprising fans have taken this approach to their ship. The need for one lesbian to be more masculine than the other is something that people cannot seem to get out of their head. Caitlyn has certainly taken the brunt of the mischaracterization, since she is the one interpreted as "more femmine".

These misinterpretations of their characters are based in misogyny, homophobia, and sexualization. Plenty of the people doing this simply cannot conceptualize a relationship where the characters are not some form of man and woman. Lesbians can never just be 2 women, they have always been expected to present themselves as "almost straight". This form of mischaracterization is typically done by straight people who often don't realize they are contributing to a harmful stereotype.

Sexualization comes into play because girls liking girls simply cannot be talked about without somebody bringing up sex. Lesbianism is not inherently sexual, but is inherently sexualized. This type is (obviously) from mostly men who see lesbians as nothing more than a way to get off, though its not only from them.

Queer relationships are often sexualized within the community by pushing strict top/bottom and dom/sub standards onto characters and even real people. Similar to how some people can't comprehend a relationship that isn't of the opposite genders, some people can't imagine a relationship where the sexual roles aren't just as strict. These expectations are also rooted in misogyny and is mostly just the progression of gender roles into other aspects of queer relationships. Vi is usually pushed as the top, as the dominant one, simply because she is also perceived as the man. In real life, gay relationships and sex aren't about who is going to be doing the work, but instead about mutual love and mutual doing.

I wanted to also bring up Jayce and Viktor in this post but a lot of their perceived dynamic isn't simply just gender roles. The mischaracterization of their ship lies heavily in the fact of Victor being disabled and therefore "the weak one". Viktor being oppressed in their world while people ignore how their perception of Jayce is altered by the fact that he is an oppressed minority in ours. I just don't think I can apply their ship to only the issues I brought up previously and instead, they need their own discussion.

I will also specify, there is nothing wrong with seeing Caitlyn as the bottom in their relationship, there is nothing wrong with wanting to draw Vi with bigger muscles than what she has in the show. It's simply important to understand that this expectation and wanting of them is not an original thought, and is often caused by the misogyny that has seeped into every part of our world without our knowledge, including the brains of queer people.

[jespy-wespy]

me giving maddie backshots:

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GAHHH

part 2 to this... the mutual parasocial relationship thickens

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convinced my friend to watch arcane. they forgot mel's name and tried to look her up,

google spoiled them.

[jespy-wespy]

Everyone will remember Jayce as a hero, sacrificing himself to save the world. No one will ever know he sacrificed himself to save his partner.

[jespy-wespy]

The urge to actually read the bible so that you can understand the parallels of Viktor & Jayce to Jesus & Judas.

Gah. The urge to write an essay on them is too strong. Giving in.

[jespy-wespy]

Arcane S2 Texts posts

[jespy-wespy]

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'Shimmer' by Fuel.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'The Good Life' by Three Days Grace.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'Runaway' by Bon Jovi.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'Let The Band Play' by Badflower.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'Innocent' by Our Lady Peace.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'Killing In The Name' by Rage Against The Machine.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'No Spill Blood - Live' by Oingo Boingo.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to 'Wild Sex (In The Working Class) - Live' by Oingo Boingo. (caitvi😛)

Need someone to make an arcane edit to all of the songs from 'Live in The Bunker Studio' by Big Thief. (jayvik😞)

Need someone to make an arcane edit to any of the songs from the 'Here She Comes-a-Tumblin'' album by birdeatsbaby.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to any 4 Non Blondes song.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to any Koffin Kats song.

Need someone to make an arcane edit to any öOoOoOoOoOo song.

I'm being so for real pleeeease tag me (jhex.mix on tiktok) or put your @ in the comments🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏.

[jespy-wespy]

Mel and Viktor having moles/freckles in the same spot.

[jespy-wespy]

Au Powder's pink streak for Vi

Vi's blue streak for Powder

[jespy-wespy]

How I feel being a Day 1 Jayce defender watching the Arcane fandom suddenly love him after Season 2:

[jespy-wespy]

the kiss of judas

[jespy-wespy]

Viktor's finger prints looking ugly and and unnatural on everyone else:

Viktor's fingerprints looking like a crown on jayce:

[jespy-wespy]

The sexualization and mischaracterization of queer (relation)ships: Arcane edition

In a relationship between 2 people of the same gender one does not need to present more masculine/feminine than the other. They do not need to fit into the category of one being purely dominant over the other. This is something I think Arcane has done really well. But just because the show did good, does not mean the fans will.

Something I have noticed within fan art+fiction is the feminization and weakness of Caitlyn. I scroll through Tumblr and pass image and image of Caitvi art where Vi is hugging Caitlyn, taking the lead, being the "dominant one". Vi has her arms, very large, with defined muscles, wrapped around Caitlyn's skinny ones, which have no muscle definition. Caitlyn is drawn with softer, more femmine features, given a shorter stature than Vi, and is usually pictured in the purple camisole she wore once.

This is simply not who either of them are.

In Arcane, Caitlyn is defined by being a powerful sharp shooter. Later by being a ruthless cop, a brutal dictator, and a powerful warrior, even with out a gun. We see her training with Ambessa, while not holding the same level of skill, Caitlyn is able to physically hold her own. Caitlyn has never been shown as weak. She has never been someone to need or ask for protection. She can barely if ever be considered a femme, if people really feel the need to stick some meaningless sub title on her.

Vi is very emotional, she feels deeply. Even though she is this tough pit fighter, she holds a heavy heart, and this is shown throughout Arcane. Vi, repeatedly through the show, has been vulnerable in front of Caitlyn, both physically and emotionally. We see her cry out for her sister, injured, and in need of help through multiple acts and I believe that should make more of an impression on fans.

Sadly it is not surprising fans have taken this approach to their ship. The need for one lesbian to be more masculine than the other is something that people cannot seem to get out of their head. Caitlyn has certainly taken the brunt of the mischaracterization, since she is the one interpreted as "more femmine".

These misinterpretations of their characters are based in misogyny, homophobia, and sexualization. Plenty of the people doing this simply cannot conceptualize a relationship where the characters are not some form of man and woman. Lesbians can never just be 2 women, they have always been expected to present themselves as "almost straight". This form of mischaracterization is typically done by straight people who often don't realize they are contributing to a harmful stereotype.

Sexualization comes into play because girls liking girls simply cannot be talked about without somebody bringing up sex. Lesbianism is not inherently sexual, but is inherently sexualized. This type is (obviously) from mostly men who see lesbians as nothing more than a way to get off, though its not only from them.

Queer relationships are often sexualized within the community by pushing strict top/bottom and dom/sub standards onto characters and even real people. Similar to how some people can't comprehend a relationship that isn't of the opposite genders, some people can't imagine a relationship where the sexual roles aren't just as strict. These expectations are also rooted in misogyny and is mostly just the progression of gender roles into other aspects of queer relationships. Vi is usually pushed as the top, as the dominant one, simply because she is also perceived as the man. In real life, gay relationships and sex aren't about who is going to be doing the work, but instead about mutual love and mutual doing.

I wanted to also bring up Jayce and Viktor in this post but a lot of their perceived dynamic isn't simply just gender roles. The mischaracterization of their ship lies heavily in the fact of Victor being disabled and therefore "the weak one". Viktor being oppressed in their world while people ignore how their perception of Jayce is altered by the fact that he is an oppressed minority in ours. I just don't think I can apply their ship to only the issues I brought up previously and instead, they need their own discussion.

I will also specify, there is nothing wrong with seeing Caitlyn as the bottom in their relationship, there is nothing wrong with wanting to draw Vi with bigger muscles than what she has in the show. It's simply important to understand that this expectation and wanting of them is not an original thought, and is often caused by the misogyny that has seeped into every part of our world without our knowledge, including the brains of queer people.

[jespy-wespy]

Viktor and Jayce are literally Jesus and Judas.😭

I knew some sort of religious parallel between them was coming, especially with Viktor's intro scenes, but jeez.

[jespy-wespy]

How long was Jayce in the Hexcore? (Aka: how much did his hair grow?)

using google, a ruler, and my own hair

Remember that time spent in the Hexcore does not equal time gone in the real world.

In this pic, from right before Jayce gets sucked into the Hexcore, his hair appears to be around four inches at the top. I measured by aligning a piece of my own hair with how his was styled and then holding it flat to measure the length.

This photo, from after he escapes, shows his hair to be around nine inches. The blue is hair right on his hairline and represents what is likely new growth, so I'm not using it's length.

One inch of hair usually takes 2 months to grow, meaning my estimate of a 5 inch difference means Jayce was in the Hexcore 8-12 months.

Obviously his beard did not grow 5 inches, but that can be explained by the fact that many men simply can not grow long beards, or their beards grow much slower than anywhere else.

Do keep in mind there is no canon amount of time Jayce was stuck there (that I know of), and it is not guaranteed that arcane animators took into consideration how his hair growth lines up with his time spent inside if the core. This was just me being curious and theorizing based off something I knew could be measured. 😆