The new Netflix series “Arcane: League of Legends” was released on November 6, 2021. The series is about a dangerous discord between the cities of Piltover and Zaun, also known as the Topside and the Undercity. The two main characters, Jinx and Vi, are sisters fighting on rival sides of a war between magic technologies and clashing convictions. While the main focus is on this war, there are sparks of romance. This series has queer-representing characters like Caitlyn, from Piltover, and Vi, from Zaun.

In many movies or series, queer relationships are forced and developed too fast.  A good example is “ELITE,” a Spanish series that involves the characters Rebeka and Mencía. These two met on the school campus on Mencía’s first day. About a day or two of Mencía being there, she invited Rebeka to a party. When Rebeka arrived, Mencía was already all over her. A short while after hanging out and talking, Mencía made a move on Rebeka that was way too early to do. Later in the series, still too abrupt, they formed a relationship and had begun to live together.

However, in “Arcane: League of Legends,” they do the quite opposite. The characters Vi and Caitlyn meet because of a case that Caitlyn is pursuing. In the following episodes, they are together a majority of the time. Typically, we would see queer characters already showing fondness for each other and/or romance between them. Instead, Vi and Caitlyn have a friendship bond first and small, small moments of admiration for the other. Among the chaos of the war, they are solely stuck on their mission. In other shows, it wouldn’t matter what was going on, they would still try and stick in a forced moment between the characters.

These characters were originally head-canon (which means not confirmed) lesbians by the fan base, but in recent events they have been confirmed by the voice actors and creator of the show. Fans could tell by specific moments that they were not straight. For example, Vi asked Caitlyn whether she preferred men or women. Caitlyn was then interrupted by a man and had to entertain the conversation, in a flirty way, for the case. She seemed very uncomfortable and forcefully talking to him. Later, she is seen having a conversation with a woman and seems much more comfortable and able to speak. This gave the fans the implication that she most likely preferred women. In Vi’s case, she is constantly giving Caitlyn complements, slightly romantic, and calling her pet names.

Others characters, such as Jayce and Mel, have had many years to form a bond that eventually lead into a relationship. They got to know each other and went through the friendship phase. Vi and Caitlyn only knew each other over the span of a week. If the creators had followed through with the typical movie/show queer relationship, they would have been using the stereotype that are placed on lesbian relationships: the idea that lesbians move too fast in a relationship.

Of course, the fans would have loved to see a romantic scene between Vi and Caitlyn, but most of them appreciate the fact that the creator is giving them time to kindle a spark.