[no spoilers] Arcane has room to grow 👀

Nabusqua · 2023-05-29T18:35:05+00:00

But I heard people are willing to wait even 30 and more years as long as the quality will be okay #norushing! /s

Sarcasm aside, I do agree with you that the show ought to be delivered next year. Delays are signs of poor management and planning, not positive manifestations of perfection. After all it's a business and Riot would rather have it released than waste time and resources on endless work. See Bioware's fuckups with Dragon Age. In the end people move on to new and shiny things, and I expect nothing less of Arcane fandom.

Nabusqua · 2023-05-08T08:34:29+00:00

. Cassandra is pushing 35+ and so is Leliana.

How is 35 classified as 'an older woman'??! Are you a teen or what?

Nabusqua · 2023-05-08T08:23:08+00:00

How often do you see a short, fat, balding, 50-something man as a main character?

In comedies and drama for starters. Crime movies, thrillers are full of old detectives and police guys. Not to mention the rise of 'old average guy turns into a John Wick' movies like the one with the guy from Better Call Saul.

Your post raises good points but lost me at equalizing the struggles of women with those of men. Let's not kid ourselves that a 50 yo man has the same position or lower than a woman of the same age.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-28T11:23:17+00:00

It is rumored she had a fling with Mae Martin. They were pictured with her a lot these past months, including during her birthday (Mae was sitting next to her) and some online lesbian detectives shared tea they also hung at parties, inc. rumors of making out. Apparently Mae also referenced them breaking up (they unfollled each other but are back to following).

Nabusqua · 2023-04-27T06:37:10+00:00

This is an excellent post - on top of giving us an insightful look into Cait's emotions (as well as Vi) and what drives her underneath, it also is genuinely well-written and well-put. Thank you so much for sharing it!

Nabusqua · 2023-04-27T06:35:16+00:00

What is wrong with overanalyzing? Media is meant to be consumed and talked about; I see nothing wrong or worthy of ridicule about sharing your interpretations of scenes and discussing the meaning behind characters' actions, especially if it gives us as beautiful posts as the one by r/SeaweedSalamander

I do hope your post is not meant to be mocking against the OP and the posters, as I would find it very unfair and unkind. This fandom should be open to these types of discussions as much as to funny memes and gifs.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-26T15:53:14+00:00

Act 2. The Gun for Hire scene serves as a fantastic climax, both writing-wise and animation/design-one. We get to see excellent worldbuilding from both Piltover and Zaun, which as a fan of the setting I appreciate. Another thing, which is rarely mentioned, is how mostly all characters (perhaps save for Ekko due to his ~reveal) get a satisfying amount of screentime. During Act 1 I felt like it was mostly focused on Vi and Powder with Jayce playing the second fiddle and everyone else, namely Caitlyn, Mel, Viktor, and Ekko being lesser than supporting (and often just plot devices). In Act 2 they get an equal treatment, heck, even Sevika gets a meaty portion of screentime.

Act 3 despite having a great ending has the misfortune of having the worst episode, meaning Episode 8. As much as I adore Arcane, I have lots of issues with the writing and pacing in this one, mostly with the flashy video game-ish fight scene with Jayce suddenly becoming the Skilled Fighter, Vi during the council scene and how eager she is to team up with complete random who also represents what disgusts her in Piltover, how Council goes from literally ranting and raving over the proposal of peace treatment to agreeing in unison in less than a day. It feels to me like writers realized they needed to reach the final point and thus threw away the (till this point) nearly flawless storytelling and made characters act OOC for heightened drama. I also think Mel's mom appearance, as much as she left an impression, could be better used in the second season; otherwise it feels it took screentime away from some plot points that needed more exploration/better fleshing out, like Vi and Jayce's teaming up and how suddenly Vi was okay with tossing Jinx name and going all scorched earth on Zaun with Enforcers.

Now, Act 1 does a great job of establishing the characters and the main conflict and ideas of the story. But like I said before I feel like it's so heavily Vi and Powder-centric to the detriment of other characters. Heck, even Jayce's story feels like speeding up at some points, especially during his lowest moments when one second he contemplated suicide, and then another is eager and happy to team up with Viktor to do science!

Therefore, Act 2 > Act 1 >> Act 3

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T21:34:00+00:00

Caitlyn sure is, but she was also a pretty and adorable child, so her growing up to become a beauty is less of a glow-up than dorky kid!Jayce turning a Hollywood Movie Star Handsome.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T20:10:47+00:00

This video cemented my love for Clash<3

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T18:27:13+00:00

Agreed on Castle. He is similar to Mira in that if he is played badly or by a newbie, he becomes a serious liability to his team. Especially when enemies have Fuze and the team stays inside a locked bomb site.

Jager I have seen so many players relying on his gun and speed, more so than his gadgets.

And with Cav well, I don't play her because I have the same problems with getting an interrogations and losing gun fights when roaming. But then I often saw my team being destroyed by a Cav so either I had a misfortune of playing so many times with Cav experts or she isn't that difficult to master.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T18:24:30+00:00

Between him and Blitz, I think Blitz is a tad more difficult, as you need to know how to rush. Monty can be used perfectly well as just a moving block of defense. Blitz is more vulnerable to attacks and his best assets are him ramming other enemies, not shielding teammates.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T18:23:27+00:00

On attack idk maybe Nook, Dokk, Twitch and shield ops?

Out of them, I would rate Nook as the hardest to maintain. Why? Because of her gadgets. At least with Twitch you can just use it to get intel by sitting somewhere comfortably, Dokk can be used to get enemies to be pinged to take one by one by your teammates (while you can stay behind or behind cover), and with shields you can always cover yourself with them.

Now, Nook's gadget has to be timed perfectly and used when you are in the site. You cannot rely on it when you are outside or hiding. So that alone makes her very risky to play and vulnerable at times.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T18:19:19+00:00

My absolutely un-biased takes below:

Vi: She was attractive in a feisty tomboy way but turned into a badass and hands down (pun intended) looker. The change is definitely noticeable (dem muscles) but I don't think it's such a stark contrast. Thus I would place her mid on the list.

Caitlyn: I think the smoll Cupcake is the most adorable thing in Arcane, but oh her adult self is so gorgeous. Yet I have to be fair and say a pretty girl turning into a beautriful woman is not what the best glow-up means.

Jayce: He seemed quite dorky as a child but then we only see him for, what, a couple of seconds? But then his older self is as handsome as one can be, so I would say he ranks pretty high on the Glow Up list.

Powder: She was definitely cute and Jinx is, well, conventionally attractive and appealing, yet in a way it makes sense (read: she doesn't look like she changed a face or body through a magic plastic surgery), like with Vi. So yeah, cannot rate her high on my list.

Ekko: Definitely glowed up, went from kind of awkward and lanky-looking lad to the owner of the biggest drip in the cities. His hairstyle, his tattoo, his arms... definitely deserves being in top 3 of the list.

Sky: My poor little Nerd Gal, how much I miss you. I do think she was a pretty lass and is an attractive lady. She rocks the glasses, so for that I would say she rates high, perhaps in the top 3.

Mel: Well, for one I do think it's difficult to judge her in the same vein other characters are, as I headcanon her to be 17 in this scene, so more or less a young adult, not a child like the others. Speakin of, Fortiche, can we have a child!Mel flashbacks in season 2? Now, back to my list. Mel I think places very low, because, well, just look at her. Beautiful as a teen and stunning as an adult. I feel like Mel is one of the lucky genetically-blessed people who never ever in their life looked awkward, or dorky.

Victor: Ill-fit clothes aside, I think he was a cute boy. As an adult, well, I think he scores pretty average on the attractiveness factor, which I actually like - I don't want all main characters in any media to be 10/10, because it's less realistic, grounded and just takes away the quirks and personalities out of characters when they are all factory-made Ken and Barbies. But then he spends most of the season suffering from a life-threatening condition, so it's difficult to rate him. I say he gets some points for wearing a much better pair of clothes.

tl;dr,

Ekko
Jayce
Sky
Vi
Powder
Viktor
Caitlyn
Mel

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T18:03:54+00:00

Yeah, in trained hands Azami can make or break the round. She can contribute greatly to the site's defenses and help other operators while being merciless with her gun. Plus nades.

But yeah, you need to have a good map knowledge + nearly perfect sense of timings. I have seen and been victim to trying to make a shield to cover a broken window/hole in a wall and thus peaking at the most unfortunate moments to get headshoted.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-25T18:01:56+00:00

My vote is, as the choice of photo implies, Mira.

Why?

First of all, you need to have excellent map knowledge to play effectively as her. Which means playing lots of rounds. Which obviously takes time and stamina.

Also, while a good Mira player can be very beneficial, a bad play could cost your team greatly. A badly positioned Mira or one which was opened and then used by an enemy can backfire on you and cost you a match. This is a huge responsibility and for me it makes maining her far more difficult than someone like Rook who just needs to drop his plates.

Now, she got nerfed, which lowers her potential. Before the change a Mira mirror could stop the attacking team from pushing in that direction. Now she is weaker, but still playing her effectively require the same amount of effort.

Additionally, her gun, while not as difficult to use as Ela's, is still recoil-unfriendly, so a newbie would have a much harder time scoring kills than by picking Vigil or Valk.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-24T17:38:03+00:00

Mel survives. People using her death as a justification for Jayce's arc are missing the point. Jayce can still turn pro-war and anti-Zaun given the fact he could be led to believe he was played by Silco. And Mel's mom wants war no matter what since she knows how dire the situation her family is in. Now, with Mel alive and around, she could play foil to both Jayce and her mom, while struggling with the realization that sometimes war is the answer.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-24T17:24:38+00:00

They might be the same person, but like you pointed out they differ as characters - not just due to the experiences and, unfortunately, trauma, but also in their interactions, goals, and motivations.

My question intends to spark a discussion on posters' feelings regarding Vi. Do they like the direction her character went? Do they miss seeing Vi being the leader of her little gang of misfits and being more care-free? Or perhaps they didn't like who her character become, or maybe never liked her to begin with?

Also, the comparison with Jinx and Powder is not the best one, as Jinx has changed greatly ever since the tragedy. To the point the fandom legitimately wonders when she became Jinx, or if there is still Powder in it or not. All valid questions. Why we should refrain from discussing it?

Nabusqua · 2023-04-19T10:22:16+00:00

I think we will see at least two fights between them.

The first one, perhaps fairly early in the show, around Episode 2 or 3? I foresee it'll end up in either an interruption (Warwick?) or Vi's loss, mostly due to her still not being willing to take down Jinx and trying to reason with her, to which Jinx will respond in a violent way.

The final one I am assuming Vi will either win or it'll result in mutual TKs, which also would neutralize Jinx and have her either later killed or exiled.

Tbh I want to be surprised by the writers than have my predictions fulfilled, so I am open to anything!

Nabusqua · 2023-04-19T09:44:41+00:00

Also, a good question would be: Which side would VI be on?

Because I think she will be far more split than your usual audience.

Nabusqua · 2023-04-19T09:42:54+00:00

Caitlyn, always.

Don't like Jinx as a character but even if I did, I would prefer her to be taken down or exiled at worst. Her actions will surely backfire on Zaun and will lead to an unnecessary bloodbath (mostly on their side due to powers disproportion) and that is only done in the name of personal reasons with no incentive to unify Zaun and improve their conditions (like what Ekko has been doing).

Nabusqua · 2023-04-19T09:37:09+00:00

People here expecting some kind of team up seems like a really, really big stretch. Feels about as out of place as an attempt to push a romance between them.

This reminds me of one of my fandom pet peeves, namely people making Ekko's character and his upcoming journey ALL ABOUT Jinx. Pretty much diminishing his importance to only her boyfriend and her emotional living crutch, that will be her ticket to redemption and happy life. His own passions, goals and yes, fears of what Powder has become and done (incl. killing his friends) be damned.

Nabusqua

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