VIGIL
Did I add anything to the plot? No. I just wanted to draw Caitlyn 😌😂
Favourites Per Show ↪ Favourite Quote ↪ Succession 3x08: Chiantishire
No, because what do you mean Arcane has completely rewritten the rulebook on queer representation in media, and it did it so effortlessly that it puts so many other shows to shame. Like, how are you going to tell me this animated series—ostensibly a spin-off of a video game—has given us some of the most nuanced, unapologetically powerful sapphic characters ever without reducing them to stereotypes, side plots, or, worse, trauma porn?
Vi and Caitlyn? Their dynamic is ELECTRIC. You’ve got Vi, the rough-edged, fiercely loyal, scrappy brawler with a tender side that could wreck anyone emotionally, and Caitlyn, the sharp, principled, deeply empathetic enforcer with a heart of gold. The way their relationship is built on mutual respect and trust while navigating all the insane, tragic chaos around them? Literal chef's kiss. And not once do we get the tired, lazy "coming out" narrative or the "but what about the gays?" rhetoric. Their queerness isn’t the story—it’s just a beautifully natural part of who they are. And THAT is revolutionary.
And let’s not even stop there. This show handles gender like it’s been waiting for everyone else to catch up. Characters like Sevika, who could give you chills with her sheer badassery and gender-nonconforming energy, exist unapologetically without the narrative ever feeling the need to spoon-feed us explanations. It’s just there, woven seamlessly into the fabric of the world.
So many shows claim to want to "normalize" queer relationships or push the envelope, but Arcane has quietly dominated the space by just writing characters who feel authentic. Their struggles are about class, power, loyalty, trauma, not token representation or forced diversity. This show said, “We’re just going to make some of the most layered, compelling characters you’ve ever seen—and oh yeah, some of them are gay. Keep up.”
Like, the bar wasn’t just raised—it was launched into the stratosphere. What do you mean this level of representation isn’t the norm yet? Arcane said, “We’re not asking for permission to exist. We’re just existing.” And that? That is art.
This captures it all perfectly.
the thing about glinda staying behind is that it starts as an act of cowardice and self-preservation, but in the end it becomes the greatest act of love she can do for elphaba--to stay and take up her cause. in some ways, elphaba can only leave because she knows glinda will be there to keep fighting.
it's one of the reasons i go hmm when i see the argument that fiyero gets to be with elphaba because he makes the right/selfless choice where glinda could not. like yes, from one angle. but from another, he gets to be with elphaba because he never cares about oz/rightness the way elphaba does and glinda comes to--he is purely focused on elphaba. so he can go with her. but a story where glinda runs away with elphaba is a story where elphaba's fight cannot live on, where nothing of the home elphaba loved--even if that love was complicated--can be saved. i think that would be a different form of tragedy, personally.
we talk a lot about the hat and the cloak, glinda creating the wicked witch out of her love and affection for elphaba. but, y'know, i think we should also talk about how the reverse is true, too: elphaba creates glinda the good witch. some things elphaba cannot change, but she changes glinda, and that will make a difference.
What do you mean the iconic witch hat was born from Glinda's spite and cruelty but became a symbol of her willingness to stand by Elphaba even if it ostracized her from her friends and peers? What do you mean the witch's broom is an item enchanted in a moment of panic and innovation as Elphaba refuses to be cowed and grounded? WHAT DO YOU MEAN the spooky black cloak is a representation of Glinda's selflessness as she wraps it lovingly around Elphaba's shoulders, a threadbare cloak that will maybe, hopefully, keep her best friend (lover) warm? WHAT DO YOU MEAN all these symbols of evil actually represent a deep bond of friendship and love? What do you mean????
Do you think part of what made Vi sound so happy and endeared and almost amused when she said "Cait, I don't fucking care," was that in this moment, in the middle of making out, Caitlyn pulls away and stumbles out an honest explanation about how she had been with someone else?
This is the Caitlyn she knows. Not the puppet dictator, not the vengeful daughter, not even the suave girl who leaned against the wall and told her she's predictable a mere few seconds ago. This, the dorky, awkward, nervous Caitlyn is the one she first fell for, the one she first met. And yeah, Caitlyn is complex and can be dark and she's not the same, maybe she never was. But that part of her, the part that stuttered at Vi's flirting in the brothel, the part that tried to offer herself up to the Firelights in her place then sputtered in disbelief at Vi's appearance, the part that earned the name Cupcake, that part is real. Maybe it's tarnished, maybe it's changed, but it's still a part of her. And Vi had missed it desperately.
the other day I heard someone point out how since Arcane is animated, every little detail is intentional… and y’all I cannot stop thinking about it.
It’s not like live action, where someone’s finger might twitch of their own accord and then we as fans read into it. Every thing we see on screen in arcane was intentionally put there.
It’s like, on the surface level I knew this. I mean we all see how amazingly eyes are animated in this show for example
and we all know how incredible this animation team is. But when you think about the fact that nothing was a split second decision that happened to make the cut… like
The exact way Caitlyn collapsed into Vi’s arms, it wasn’t an actor making a random decision that the directors liked. The exact way Cait clings to her and Vi hesitates, people thought so hard and made strategic decisions to put this together.
Every stretch of skin was thought out, planned, animated to perfection.
I dunno, especially in context of the episode 8 scene, I just feel like this makes how incredibly executed it was even more groundbreaking. Because nothing was a one-off take that made it through, everything was explicitly intentional, and fuck I just think that’s beautiful.