How ARCANE Writes Men 

RE: Silco's makeup - he's not wearing it when he's introduced. He's in his oceanic observatory, interrogating Deckard, and treating his eye. He's got no makeup. Nor does he have that makeup when he's in the factory, interrogating Vander or fighting against the kids. Silco starts wearing makeup after he adopts Jinx. He wears the makeup not to hide his weakness from his underlings, but to look less monstrous for his daughter.

14:37 Maybe needing validation is why Silco takes in Powder. If he can raise Vander's daughter better than Vander could, it would validate Silco to himself. Additionally, Silco never recieved validation from Vander, who was like a brother. So he empathizes with Powder, who is constantly seeking validation from Vi

I'd make the case that Viktor's stereotypically masculine trait, more than even sucking up emotions, was his refusal to ask for help. He's dying and he knows it, but it's only once he's absolutely critical will he tell his best friend. If Jayce had known about Viktor's condition sooner he would have worked day and night to find anything to help him.

“Validation is the masculine equivalent to professing love” reminded me of the line from Mulan where Shang, instead of telling Mulan how much he’s grown to love her over their adventure together simply says “You.. fight good”

“The stereotype of what guys want to hear from their fathers isn’t ‘I love you,’ it’s ‘I’m proud of you.” *not a father but makes a mental note to compliment the men in my life more often*

I'm surprised you didn't mention that two men make the choice to become single fathers (to daughters, even). Nurturing and childcare are often seen as feminine, but these two characters easily "survived" parenting their daughters. Just the opening image of Vander, the burliest male character, dropping his weapons at the sight of crying children, and Silco very quickly switching from being a violent aggressor to embracing a crying girl --- they were both very strong choices to give to male characters.

"There is no feminine version of the word 'emasculate'" THAT is a cool ass point

as a girl speaking, i love how everyone in this show gets to be badass in their own way. men and women can be badass without undermining each other. the women can fight well without needing the men to be weak so the writer can push a message about how superior women are. the men get to be badass without women needing to be damsels in distress so men can seem more badass.

Moments of weakness in men that don't create lasting character change is so powerful, thanks for focus on that!

I actually really find the "local cuisine" character interesting. He doesn't even have any lines, but he has some interesting implications to me. He is using some very feminine qualities to his advantage, he's thin, and kinda soft looking to me, he is using his presentation and sex appeal to get things. Ambessa is very powerful in multiple ways and likely is getting the best of what Piltover has to offer for any given thing she wants. That to me says he is likely pretty expensive. So while Mr. Meal is showing very feminine qualities and using feminine qualities, he is likely getting something that men are usually shown wanting, status and wealth. Look at Ambessa and tell me being her favorite boy toy does not instantly give you power just from association. And just from some lines that Mel says, it is implied that Ambessa also has filthy money that Man Candy is now being given for his services. So it has depth of presentation of men even in a side character we barely see.

Powder in general gives Silco a way to be emotional. He sees her as a young version of himself equally wronged by society. Where Silco fought bitterly against Vanders betrayal and it permanently turned him colder and more distant, Vi's betrayal to Powder made her cry and run into Silco's arms. She reacted to crisis with emotional instability and vulnerability, which was probably a huge shock to Silco. He saw the raw emotions he felt being displayed outwardly and felt the protective and simultaneously vengeful urge to push that to it's max. This pairs pretty well with the father-daughter bond archetype, where one is cold and the other isnt, but it embodies it in a whole new way by having the composed and intelligent father be the clear-cut villain, and the unstable emotional daughter being both the villain and the victim.

As a women I've told another female friend, "I'm so proud of you." We were just sitting in the car after something and then she broke down crying. I said "ahhh shit I'm sorry..." (I don't know how to act sometimes and I acknowledge that irl) and she told me "no, no, you're fine. It just reminded me of my dad, and how I'll never etc.." I'm a pretty masculine woman so I feel like we all know this subconsciously. Like if Mel's mother said "I'm so proud of you, I didn't see it before but I do now." That would be huge and probably hit us all harder than "I love you Mel." Because we can see the love in how protective she is, how she reached out to try to give her daughter advice but she is a masculine woman. (Please correct me if she already said that shes proud bc I need to watch it all for the 3rd time)

I felt like Caitlyn's dad held a fairly strong "homemaker" role, his wife was a prominent and active political leader, and the scenes with him he often defers directly to her. While not overtly feminine he seems farther down the masculine scale despite an incredible beard.

i think viktor being disabled ties into the whole “suck it up” mentality as well, as disabled people tend to internalize a lot of their struggles because they’re already perceived as weak/lesser than in society. good video!

Validation is even a theme for jinx. She's the youngest so when we see powder do the things the older kids tell her to do there is never any compliments or congratulations. It's expected of her to just do the tasks like everyone else. I noticed Vander is so compassionate and complimentary and guides the older children. They forget that voice that guidance is what got them through their fearful moments and allowed them to get to where they are. Powder was expected to just catch up to them. Vi is the only one you see compliment and congratulate her but since she's the only one her betrayal is even more painful. The only person who believes in you says you are a failure

“Validation is the masculine equivalent to professing love” is so true it scares me. When I was young and just coming to terms with being a gay man I got careless and my father found out, he took me aside and told me he loved me, and it felt so good, but later in that same day right before bed he pulled me aside again and said, "I will always love you, but I will never approve of you." and that love he was expressing went completely hollow, it was like love wasn't what I wanted from him at all and what I did want I know I'd never have. Since that moment I still can't look at him in the same way, its a permanent scar in my image of him and it's impossible to talk to him without it in my head. Validation is important, never be afraid to tell your friends and your family that you are proud of them.

Great thing about how men and women were portrayed in arcane is that they’re all capable in some way or another. No gender triumphs over the other as if they’re more superior. For example, with the jinx and ekko fight, we know that both characters are smart, they have their own way of fighting, and we generally see them as equals. When ekko beats jinx up and completely manhandles her, it doesn’t make us squirm. At least in my experience, I didn’t. I’m a girl and in most media, you just feel an overwhelming difference in power with men and women so seeing a girl get totally wrecked in a fight makes me feel queasy. With ekko and jinx, however, we feel as though they are on even grounds so whoever wins, it’s because of their ability and them as a character, not because of their gender. Pretty cool.

I also love the fact that Silco despite everything genuinely loves and protects Jinx and it's so often that I see villain male characters casting aside or using female characters as shields or abandoning them because god forbid he lets a woman get in the way of his goal. But Silco literally gave up undercity's independence as not to betray Jinx, even after she killed him he wasn't angry at her. Meanwhile when you see archetypes like Joker and Harley Quinn, Harley will always be used and disregarded by Joker. Whilst both archetypes are valid and show different kinds of personalities I see the latter far more often

As a woman, Viktor hit me so fucking hard. Viktor is this character who does not posses physical prowess. He's super smart and calm and he always "sucks it up." All he does is work, always seeking this validation, striving for a legacy, craving pride and accomplishment. He is always working in the shadows, in private, on his own. Jayce is the rare exception, but he hides things even from him. I am all of these things. While Viktor doesn't necessarily have to compensate for his lack of physical strength because of the society he lives in, I, personally, feel that I do. The way I connect to Viktor is in the "suck it up" mentality in the way that it is used as a tool for _work ethic._ A huge fear in my life is not being strong enough, fast enough, powerful enough, to achieve what I want. Especially in things like sports. Whenever I feel like I lack the physicality I need, I get this "suck it up" mentality. I'm not allowed to complain. God forbid I ask for help. If I have a problem, I Google it, I work it out, I will willingly spend a long, arduous time solving it by myself instead of asking someone to help me. Because the more work I do, the more I feel that I am living up to that genius ideal I'm supposed to fulfill. Someone really smart wouldn't need help, right? And in school. Academic validation was the only thing that kept me going. It was like a rabid hunger. Relentless studying, ceaseless working, a constant restlessness when I wasn't studying because I felt like I _should_ be doing schoolwork. When I was working, I felt that I could be working _harder._ And just like Viktor, I suppressed the shit out of my feelings. I put concealer on my eyebags, I joked about my sufferings so that they seemed smaller than they were. I minimized my pain if it was exposed. The key was to keep my mouth shut and never tell anyone at all. Not my parents, not my teachers, not my siblings, not my best friend. I kind of felt a connection when Viktor hid his sickness from Jayce. I hide a lot of shit from my best friend, even though I actively encourage her to confide in me and she is very open about her experiences, and I admire her for this. However, it's like something is stopping me from opening up. I never tell her about my problems. Sometimes I even send her texts that sound like we're having a normal, cheerful conversation while I am actively crying lmao. So suppression, ouch. Like Viktor, I am socially inept. After a long string of being outcast due to a difference in interests between me and my classmates, I began to create some unhealthy habits when it came to socializing. See, I have a habit of _assuming_ that I am a negative prescence. I _assume_ people don't want to talk to me, that I am an inconvenience, that I disgust others, that I am an undesireable friend. And so I _automatically isolate myself,_ physically; I stand apart, I wander off, I put distance between myself and others without a second thought. Kind of like how Viktor brushed Sky off because he assumed that nobody wanted to know him any deeper. Plus he was too focused on work. And I, without friends, also dedicated my time to academics, even though I had this crippling self-hatred that told me that I Was Not Enough, that my Work Was Not Enough. So when the dude in the cave told Viktor that "Loneliness is often the byproduct of a gifted mind." I started fucking _bawling._ Because. Validation. _Validation._ I craved it. I blatantly ignored friends and potential romantic interests in favor of _work_ so that I could _impress teachers and parents_ and get _good grades_ BECAUSE I NEEDED VALIDATION. _LIKE VIKTOR._ AND ARE WE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT HOW WHEN THE STRESSES BECAME TOO MUCH HE ALMOST COMMITTED SUICIDE? _I'm slamming my head into my keyboard I can't with this fucking character my soul oh my god_ And the private breakdown, crippled with both a physical disability and the intangible weight of despair, sobbing his heart out all alone in the face of _failure_ The way Viktor is self-destructive in a way that makes him feel like he is fixing himself, with needles in his skin The lengths he is willing to go to stay alive, just a little longer, to get things done, The lengths I am willing to go to stay awake, just a little longer, to get things done Only to realize that his self-destruction damages _other people too_ and he ends up losing this incredible _oppurtunity_ at having a relationship with someone who loved him for who _he was_ and not for _his work._ I mean, the way he supresses himself is almost hinging on martydrom, the way he crushes his own problems in favor of reaching for a higher goal, a broader purpose: a legacy. It just... screams at me, like a mirror. Damn I ranted Anyway the takeaway is that I really relate to Viktor and a character's relateabillity has nothing to do with gender. (nobody was combatting this fact here, it just needs to be said more in general I think. Also I saw a guy comment about how much he related to Vi because she was an oldest sibling of 4, and he really connected with her, and he also mentioned that relateability is not connected specifically to a character's gender and I thought that was pretty sweet.)

Conclusion: they successfully subverted gender tropes and expectations for both men and women, respecting the difference in paradigm between the way we have culturally portrayed the two genders. Arcane just keeps getting more and more genius

One of my favourite things about how Jayce is written is how unapologetic he is about his emotions. He's very emotionally expressive and very in touch with his emotions (not always with those of others' but that's a whole different topic). He freely expresses both positive and negative emotions and isn't emasculated or punished for it. He's extremely physically affectionate with his loved ones regardless of gender and it's never questioned or ridiculed in-universe. Traditionally the only emotion men are allowed to express is anger, which is then either brushed off as "boys will be boys" or critiqued. And I love especially how this quality comes into play in his relationship with Mel who spends most of the show as emotionally closed off but for some brief moments slipping here and there. She is initially caught off guard by his vulnerability and openness in ep. 6 but then she encourages it in the next episode, she goes into his space when he's working off his frustration and encourages him to speak about his feelings. And she starts sharing in return and opening herself to the possibility of being vulnerable and in touch with her emotions. In the last episode you see her channel all of her hurt, anger and sorrow in the confrontation with her mother, who immediately chastises her for it: "I taught you better." This open display of emotion is clearly Jayce's influence. Furthermore he's a character whose closest personal relationships are mostly with women. His best friend is Caitlyn and the show implies their relationship is much closer than even that between him and Viktor, which gets way more screentime. He loves his mother. He loves and admires Mel and comes to value her opinion over anyone else's: "You were right. You were always right." and validates her at every turn. Hell, even the sex scene with Mel positions him as a giver, caring more about Mel's pleasure than his own. And there is a begrudging respect for Vi even though their interaction don't start or end with the two of them on the best of terms. Man drinks his respect women juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"What men want to hear from their fathers isn't 'I love you' it's 'I'm proud of you'" is a line that is so true it made me cry. Thank you for this. Amazing video!!

The "men express love through validation"-thing hit me deep. I've been struggling with the fact that I'm too embarrassed to tell my closest group of friends that I love them. I never thought I'd have movie-tier best friends, but these guys are really some of my favourite people in the world. And we sometimes say something to that extent, but I'm always embarrassed when things go in that direction, even though I don't want to be. In many ways I'm a pretty feminine guy, and as such I think I value directly telling people I care about them more than guys usually do. But despite this, this video made me realise that I already tell my friends that I love them in all these other ways you described. I never hesitate to compliment and validate them whenever I can. We spend lots of quality time together, having a drink when we get to meet up in person, playing videogames when not, or just hanging out in the voice chat (because I'm currently living in a different city). And I do feel this deep bond when we do that. I still wish I wasn't so damn embarrassed to just say it with words, but this does make me feel a lot better about myself, 'cause it turns out I've been saying "I love you guys" all along, I just didn't know it. EDIT: I did it, guys! Told my friends I love ‘em, and it felt amazing. Gotta thank some of the comments here, especially the one saying I’d regret it if I don’t say it out loud. That one stuck in my head ‘till I couldn’t take it anymore. And I’m glad it did.

i was kinda lost and then you described how validation plays a role in the representation of men and then it clicked. as a girl who loves to create stories, i’m just now realizing how important it is to gain a new perspective. yeah, the women video was great and perfectly embodied a lot of feelings i associate with feminism that i had yet to consciously understand, but i’m now realizing what an immense lack of perspective i have on men. the saying that goes along the lines of “just write women as people” is important, but it doesn’t always apply. your take was phenomenal and eye-opening-men and woman do share different struggles based on societal norms of both masculinity and femininity, and therefor can be addressed in a story in a very empowering way if done right. the stories i have been creating sofar in my life have been VERY reliant on a female perspective. yes, this is because it connects to me more as a female, but seeing it now, it was the easy way out. writers that only stick to their one perspective in life probably won’t get very far in terms of characters. of course, this is because a writer will likely run the risk of not having very diverse characters or that they won’t be very deep, considering that they’re all just the embodiment of the writers lone perspective. this idea also kind of relates to writing characters that embody tropes because it’s the easy way out of seeing a new perspective. you take a stereotypical character that’s about as shallow as a puddle and then input them into a story with no explanation for these traits or experiences to back it up. coming to this new conclusion about how character’s experiences affect who they are seems to be a really effective tool to create characters. sure, it’s obvious, but for some reason it can be difficult to include in the character creation process mostly because it feels intimidatingly complex. i’ll still have to do some trial and error with this concept so i can dumb it down enough for myself, but otherwise this is very helpful. i adore all the insight these videos give :)

Just to let you know 7 months later, this video is so good that I'm writing my final for gender studies on masculinity purity culture. It's such a profound and excellent way of viewing how masculinity is valued by men that I got inspired when I saw I could choose my topic. I'll be crediting you in the essay but just a thank you in general for this video, definitely one of the best

I love your analysis of how arcane writes men, but I think you forgot to mention a very important part, that seeking and giving validation or love, isn't something inherently bound to gender, but the characters themselves. For example, when you mentioned how jinx or other female characters seek love, protection etc, you forgot to mention how they also seek validation, for example jinx is looking for validation and respect from sevika just like mel is seeking it from her mother, just like how Ekko is seeking for Powder's love/past friendship or Vander is protecting his family instead of just seeking validation. So while love and validation can be a recurring theme for women and men respectively, they aren't really something solely based on gender, but rather characters and the expectations society put on them, because ultimately our current perception of gender and prooving who we are is honestly just based around society's expectations of us and Arcane showcases this very well with how society is structured and how inferiority or superiority plays a part in who they are. Vi per say tries to be this strong and impulsive person who doesn't show weakness specifically because of the sense of inferiority put on her shoulders by Piltover where as Jayce isn't afraid of showing vulnerability or his idealism because he doesn't have that weight on his shoulders, Piltover never gives him the burden of having to be a scientist, it's his choice alone lead by his determination. Anyway, this is just an opinion I wanted to share. Amazing video as always Edit: omg thank you all for the likes! 😀

What I love about the "Jayce is vulnerable with Mel" moment is, while yes she is a bit taken aback by it at first, nothing in the scene implies judgment to Jayce responding this way. The reason (I think) she's a little surprised at his vulnerability is rather because she's used to the logical, cold and compassion-lacking politics in Piltover. Cait for example regularly expresses her discontent with the dishonesty and ignorance of her city, so it's safe to assume genuine connection and vulnerability are rare in their society. This is why I believe Mel would have been surprised by anyone in Piltover showing true vulnerability and also why Cait's mom doesn't show any form of compassion towards Jayce when he's basically begging for validation (that whole segment in your video was incredibly eye-opening btw!) at the gates of her house in the rain during arc 1. It's not that men specifically can't behave this way, but rather anyone who wants to be part of Piltover's elite.

The bit about validation hits me hard personally only time I cried in the last 6 years was from just a text from my dad when I was going through a tough time was “whatever happens I’m proud of you”

I appreciate that Arcane doesn't mark femininity as weakness, but rather as power in a different form, and we can see that with characters like Mel. Men in Arcane aren't shamed or ridiculed by the story's narrative for being emasculated, because being less masculine isn't equated to being less strong or less valuable. Both masculinity and femininity are valuable in their own rights, and I think Arcane does a good job of expressing that. I also think one thing to consider would be that the concepts of "masculinity" and "femininity" might not exist in the world of Piltover and Zaun. Those are categories that developed due to our association of certain traits and behaviors with certain genders, but since Arcane takes place in a world "free from stigmatization," as Overton puts it, characters in that world wouldn't tie emotional vulnerability or a muscular physique to a specific gender - those things would simply exist as they are. Because of that, I think it's safe to say that no man in Arcane would be ashamed of losing to a woman, or of being saved by a woman. Since they don't associate submissiveness and physical weakness with the opposite gender, they would not perceive those events as belittling to their own power and strength as a person. Awesome video! I love your analyses.

Hm, interesting. Not sure I agree with all of it, but I still love the analysis. Also I would love to point out one interesting thing: Jayce is _almost_ always pretty. It's relatively usual for female characters to always be pretty, e.g. never get ugly injuries and make ugly facial expressions. They're pretty when fighting, they're pretty when emotional... And I hate that trope. Out of all the main characters Jayce was the prettiest, others have some form of realistic ugly crying, or ugly rage or get hit and their face becomes ugly for a moment. Vi's a prime example of that, a beautiful person whose face does have face physics when fighting xD But Jayce is pretty all the time *until* the moment where he has that short bloodthirsty moment seconds before he kills a child. And I think that's masterfully done. It's the only moment when his face isn't pretty in some way and it's there for the storytelling. Love it.

This might actually be teaching me lessons about my male and masculine friends :O I've got a close, very masculine, enby friend, whom I've told numerous times that I love - because I hold such deep love for them, and want to express it. They've never, ever, said it back. And that used to bother me a bit. Until I learned that they say it with their actions instead. They agree to hang out. They hold me when I'm sad. They bought me a very thoughtful, though somewhat inexpensive, present for my birthday, because they remembered me saying that I wanted it. Some people don't say "I love you" with words. And that has to be okay. So thank you, for making me understand my male and masculine friends a little better - while delivering excellent analysis of an excellent show.

Speaking as a man here: validation is something so many men will spend their whole lives chasing. Vander and Silco perfectly embody this through their dream of the nation of Zaun. Vander fought tooth and nail to see it come true, and have Piltover validate the entire undercity as equal, until he nearly murdered his own brother on the path to achieving that validation. Then, after Vander strayed from that path once he saw the human cost of it, Silco chose to walk it. Silco was willing to turn everyone in the undercity into henchmen, dealers, and junkies, all to have his dream of an independent Zaun be validated by Piltover. But in the very end, Silco strayed from the path for the very same reason Vander did: family. Just as Vander wasn't willing to sacrifice his people for it, Silco wasn't willing to sacrifice Jinx for it. The validation of family was more important to them than the validation of Piltover. The way Arcane writes the human animal is truly genius.

The Vander moment of 'whatever happens, it's on you' was pretty striking. It's from a father figure to a daughter, but I think the resulting fear of being a failure or a disappointment is something a lot of guys get. And Vander did love Vi, and was doing his best, but I think the series illustrates pretty well that the 'tough love' approach frequently winds up making love conditional, even if that isn't the intent.

i just like the way the women are allowed to be powerful without being one dimensional, and the men are allowed to be vulnerable without being seen as weak

My most eye opening moment about the writing of men in Arcane has to come from my emotional connection to the characters coming so easily and naturally outside of making a connection based on gender. As a woman, I completely relate to Viktor and his struggles with emotional suppression and the need to prove his worth to others and himself. Honestly, until watching this video and actively thinking about the gender aspect of these characters, I didn't question my connection to Viktor at all because of the character first approach to the writing. It's so important to validate these struggles, first, for the men that deal with some if not all of these "be a man" stereotypes, and also, for anyone who feels any of these struggles regardless of the traditional role they might fill in society (gender related or not). Arcane's characters are truly and purely human in the way that, while still filling story archetypes and plot points, they are so complex and gender is never a solely defining trait.

God damn bro, never really realized that whole “I’m proud of you vs I love you” thing. Well that honestly makes sense for everything I have experienced in my life and in my other male friends lives. Fucken incredible

I wish you had talked more about how men in arcane don't live at the expense of women. The fact that there is no need for these male characters to "establish dominance" or don't care about losing against a woman or opening up o a woman is a statement by itself. There is no trying to make Vi softer, or a man decided to win a fight with her, Jace has no problem in being "weak" with a woman or following a woman's orders, no one questions a woman's authority just because they're women. Really good analysis but I just felt like that missed, but honestly you did amazing with the validation theme

I really like the idea of women typically being more protective than men, especially mothers. There's actually a good reason Steve in Stranger Things is considerd the mother of the group, he's not even a female but people see him as the mother not just becuase of a joke but because he's protective of the group.

As a daughter I can see this difference between parenthood and motherhood, like my father says to me”you would accomplish great things” or “You will be better than me and your mother” and my mom says more “I love you” and thing like that.

you know its a good show when you dont realize HOW good it is until you think about

I think when people say 'write characters as people', what they're trying to say is to 'write characters as a culmination of experiences' without understanding what that really is. Some experiences are gendered, some experiences aren't, and all of them are influenced by the setting and society. It's a very 'from the ground up' approach that people don't realize takes a lot more effort to make work, but the approach they had with Arcane had a very similar result that will be a phenominal influence on a lot of people in multiple creative spheres.

Funnily enough, I just had a discussion like this with one of our Arcane servers on why I love Viktor, his character and his design so much. The one thing I love about Arcane is, it's not afraid of showing its male characters being fragile and imperfect in comparison to the countless swathes of media that generally tends to present its male characters like these perfect badasses who are only allowed to cry for the sake of hamming up drama. Like this is something I picked up on just this recently after going to the cinema to see Black Adam. A lot of writers are too afraid to make their male characters too vulnerable and too imperfect. But for me, I like to cite him as one of the most beautiful characters I know because there's just so much personality and storytelling in this character that when you see him at first is so subtle on him that many barely pick up on it at first, and this is all in a character that's not really seen much. His brand of masculinity is such a subtle, unconventional brand of masculinity that you barely see it at all in most media from the way he carries himself right down to his design from the beauty marks on his face to the way he's built and presented. And from what I learned from an old video of Pop Culture Detective's on Newt Scamander, it's because a lot of men in real life is kinda discouraged from carrying themselves the way Viktor does because people seeing it as being "too soft". But that's what I love the most about him. What I've always loved most about him on every facet is, they're not afraid of showing him being vulnerable and ESPECIALLY, being imperfect. Like, we've seen him at his most fragile, whenever he'd experiment on himself, we've seen him at his worst moments throughout the show including in his life and all his mistakes so far and his emotions around it as well as how he owns up to his mistakes. We've seen how he is with his relationships in these highly fragile moments, like with Jayce at the ledge, and with Singed, and in pretty much every scene that he's in, he just feels, refreshingly human. Not to mention how this is all reflected in his character design, when he's on his death bed, he actually looks like he's dying, as opposed to this highly Tim-Burtoned up, romanticized way people in his predicament are usually framed, like the old Victorian novels used to do with women who suffered from Tuberculosis. When we see him experiment on himself, we see him at his most fragile mentally and physically where, he literally looks like if you touch him the wrong way he'd break a bone or wind up bruised for months, but at the same time, to an extent we see him being a little animalistic. There's just this continuous sense of being scared for him AND being scared of him at the same time because by this point we know what shimmer does, and we have no idea what it might do to someone who at this stage looks like a living skeleton. They're more than happy to show him at his best where he's at his most stunning, healthy and most content in life, where we get to see what he could've been essentially had things been different for him, but at the same time they don't hold back on being messy with him, being dark and solemn and kinda gruesome in a sense, and showing him bounce back a little to a degree. Which, considering where he ends up in LoL, kinda makes me batcrap terrified of what they're going to do to the poor guy once Season 2 rolls around because, god forbid, has this poor man been through a lot already.

Silco is the manliest man in the show, he valued loyalty to the one he loves more than his own life and dreams.

“I’m proud of you” being the masculine form of “I love you” is such an amazing take that I’ve never thought of before but it’s so true! I can think of countless examples from both healthy and unhealthy relationships where that’s the case. A child trying to be the best in everything to get the attention of an uncaring father. Friends hyping each other up and congratulating them for their accomplishments. An older brother or father teaching a child to play catch and how much that means to the child especially when they’re told they’re getting the hang of it. As always this is incredible analysis. I don’t know how you do it but please keep up the good work.

“The boy didn’t even haggle.”

I went to a Brandon Saderson signing one, my mom is a huge fan, and part of it was that he had a q and a just before the actual signing. So I asked how he writes women and one of the things he said was that he had an issue when he first got into writing with writing men and women "the same", he said the issue was that gender is very important to factor in when writing characters. I don't remember it exactly cause it was like a decade ago and I was a kid, but this made me think of that advice about keeping in mind how characters gender is important when writing them and to factor in mind that gender shouldn't define a character (that was something he also mentioned). Great video btw.

To paraphrase the old Extra Credits host: gender or sexuality should INFORM a character, NOT DEFINE them

The validation point was actually really useful for me, I often find it difficult to write "masculine" men in my own stories because I have never experienced "being a man" (because I am not a man) and I often struggled with how they express emotion and, when together, seek validation from each other. This was a really useful insight and I will take it away and into my own stories hopefully. Maybe I can actually write some decent male characters now lol

I saw a trans man talk about the same sorts of things. Once living as a woman, he assumed that men did very little emotional labor, emotionally supportive work like talking through emotionally draining topics and being compassionate to struggling others (etc.), which is work that often falls to women (e.g., women/feminine teachers are the ones students share their personal struggles with and ask for flexibility from over men/masculine teachers). However, after transitioning and passing as a man to other men, he realized that men did emotional labor, too, but it was all about validating other men and their masculinity as you describe. The tough greetings, the brushing off of perceived emasculating moments, and more was the emotional labor he found he did as a man, which he doesn’t think is always useful if it prevents men from getting the deeper levels of support they actually need and if most other emotional labor gets pushed onto women as a result.

Mr. Kiramman I believe is stereotypically "feminine." Seriously. From what we've seen in Season 1, Caitlyn's mom was more of a "traditional dad" to Caitlyn than her father.

Entirely unironically, this video actually made me realize a lot of things about myself and other men in my life that I never even realized. This is such an incredibly insightful video, even beyond the topic of characters, stories, and gender. This is super applicable to real life and understanding the motivation for things some MEN ACTUALLY DO in the real world. My love language is Quality Time, and I have always felt strongly that I can hang out with a friend (or multiple), and we can be doing absolutely nothing, just hanging out and maybe not even say a single word to each other, and to me that feels like a genuinely valuable use of my time. I feel happy and comfortable in those moments. On the flipside, right now where I have basically no friends in close proximity anymore and no one to really hang out with, I have drastically felt as though I lack friendship entirely in my life. I never once considered the motivation and driver of validation within myself and why that makes Quality Time my love language. You described it absolutely perfectly in this video, and it really opened my eyes to things I didn't even really consider about myself. Incredible breakdown video tbh. This is some next level psychological understanding.

Theres at least one female gender stereotyped male character. Vic perfectly fits the stereotype of women trying to make it in a male dominated field. People look down on him, they don't take him seriously he doesn't get credit for his accomplishments, the credit is given to his male partner. Nobody expects anything of him except eventual failure. They pity him and think he's out of his lane.

I just wanted to say how fantastic this video essay is, and how accurately it hits the nail on the head as far as the core of actual masculinity. Now, if you who are reading this feel like indulging me, I've an experience to share: I'll start off by saying that I have not watched Arcane (something which I plan to correct once I get home), but that even through this video essay I relate to the struggle of 'surviving emasculation'. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I always felt really insecure about my masculinity. In short, I do not - and have never, really - fit the 'traditional ideal' of masculinity. I've chronic asthma and tendinitis, and have since I was little. It made playing sports difficult, and, being that by my personality I was and am only a passing fan of them, I did not enjoy playing nor going out of my way to watch them. While I appreciate being outdoors, and love nature, I'm not one for riding motorcycles or mountain bikes or hiking. I'm tall, and have been fit at points in my life, but aren't really able to make any muscle show. I prefered writing, and music, and telling stories. I watched movies instead of sports, read instead of playing football, listened to classical and blues instead of listening to rap or country music. I felt like a fraud, and struggled with trying to fit myself to what I thought was the idea of masculinity, and while I was able to put on a facade (surprise surprise, acting/roleplay is one of my passions) it was, in the end, always sort of a lie. This went on until 2021, in my second year of college. I was diagnosed with Bipolar II and, at first, I did not want to be given medication for it. I wanted to 'suck it up' and handle it on my own. But then my dad asked me if I wanted to stop taking my allergy medication. I thought he'd lost it (I've really bad allergies), and said no. He replied, "What's different about this than your allergies? You don't have the right chemicals being produced. The medicine makes that happen. It's the same as your allergy medication." Suffice to say, I started meds, and decided that I wanted to find the source of all this insecurity of mine, and why I thought taking medication for what is ostensibly an allergy was a sign of being emasculated. After a lot of soul searching and reading and a touch of therapy, I found that how I describe masculinity at its utmost is security. The ability to project security, so that those I care about feel safe. The ability to let people feel safe in my company, not only from outside sources, but also me. The ability, in the far future, to make certain my family is secure and provided for. And, most importantly, security within: acceptance of who I am, the flaws I may have, but without giving into them. Developing them, so that they might serve me, and accepting and wearing my personality proudly, and being secure in it. I always thought that this idea of the primacy of security was the case, but what I failed to realize is there is a difference between creating an aura of security and forcing security onto others. One is passive, and pure, and comes from within to reassure those without. The other is active, imposing, toxic, and is not about security for all, but about control and predictability for oneself. It's this inner security, this inner peace, that is healthy, that is the essence of being a man. I am a nerd. I do eschew many traditional definitions of masculinity. I do feel my emotions and, though I control them and they do not control me, I refuse to hide them. But I *am* a man. I am all of those things, but I'm also a gentleman. On a sinking ship, women and children *will* go before me. I am unafraid to defend myself and others. I *will* tell my friends I love them, that I'm proud of them. And I will *absolutely* talk to random dogs and cats in a baby voice, without shame. *That* is masculinity to me, at its purest. Thank you for reading, if you've made it this far. This turned into a longer post than I originally planned, lol. My one request is that if you are a man, or even a woman feeling the same struggle, please do not be afraid to be you. So long as you hold yourself to the values that you think are important, that define you, and that encourage you to do better and be kind, you are the pinnacle of yourself. Define your ideals of masculinity and femininity not by the will of others, but rather the aspects of it that you value that do not discount who you are. Thanks again, I wish you all the utmost love and wellness. May you improve the lives of others. - Connor

"We don't get a male sex symbol." "We don't get femboys." Me looking at Viktor:

The closest feminine equivalent for emasculate I can think of is the saying, “Thats not very Lady-like”

Aye, Arcane has strong (I mean giga chad level of strengths) women without needing weak men. And I am loving it!

I've been falling down the rabbit hole of arcane essays for 3 months now and I'm so glad most of them are from you, Schnee! Love this quick and to the point style you do.

16:50 for me, Vi is like "a mother and father" to Powder, because that's the role an older sister displays, as an older sister myself, she teaches Powder strength trough her kind and protective nature, encouraging her and securing her habilities

I can't believe how you were able to sum up the common issue in parental male relationships, is the child seeking validation. Wanting their father figure to be proud of them. My dad died 2.5 years ago and I got a tattoo with his hand writing except it wasn't him writing "I love you" it was "Make me proud" because growing up that's how he showed his love, by telling me how proud he was of me. I think I will add to the tattoo though. I still have his hand writing saying that he loves me. Just wanted to share that your effort in making this video was incredible and you hit so many things right on the head, in the show and in real life.

This explains a lot of why Silco is my fave character. His scene of him at vanders statue and just...coming to terms he had everything wrong. His choices werent the best. And now hes in the same hard position Vander was in. He was showing so much vulnerability over his choices and while by himself you can see that honesty. Youd expect him to blow up at the end of things like a lot of villians do. But he just...is beside himself in his choice. This show gets better everytime I take more time to think about it.

The idea of using humongous shifts to female gender norms but on the other hand using moments to challenge male masculinity is genius in a way that I would've never thought of. Man and women have different challenges, therefore they can't be written identically. Great breakdown!!

You put it perfectly "you didn't think there was that much there" to talk about. The women video while enlightening was more or less expected. Of course many of the women characters are masculine, of course they skip the cliches or apply them differently but this? These were perspectives I never thought about. Well done! To you and even moreso to Arcane! Damn man this show keeps getting better and better.

Yo, I am a cis straight dude who is flamboyant and feminine and this gave me some context about my relationship with dad. I held a grudge for a long time for he has never as far as i remember said i love you. At lunch when my family was together i brought that up, and he was so pressurized by my mom and brother he said i love you you fool to my mom which is also a rare occurrence. It seemed as if though he felt weak at that moment.

For me it has to do a lot with the setting in which arcane is on... the majority of characters have rough backgrounds with a not-so-kind childhood, and being forced to grow up quickly in dangerous surroundings can make people want to become "stronger" and since being strong can be associated with being masculine (there are exceptions) that's the behavior they show others. It's hard to allow yourself to be feminine and open in a world where you have to fight others physically almost daily.

this video has taught me so much about my own masculinity and how its tangible affects play out in my life. thank you

Something interesting is that if you define Fatherhood as validating the child and Motherhood as protecting the child...I'd argue both Silco and Vander do both as well. Vander validates Vi in several key ways, letting her go on missions, giving her space to lead the team, teaching her to fight and taking pride in her winning the fight with Silco's street toughs. But, he also struggles to protect Vi, most notably his attempt to take the fall for Vi in Episode 3. And his entire relationship with Powder is built on protection. His dying words are literally her telling Vi to keep Powder safe. And Silco is oftentimes spending more screentime openly protecting (or, at least, doing what he *thinks* is protecting) Jinx. Silco shields Jinx from repercussions on multiple occasions, but most notably uses the Firelights as a decoy for her after her progress day heist. And, if we're to believe him, he was always planning to turn down Jayce's deal for a free Zaun PURELY to protect her from those same repercussions. He takes her to Singed after the bridge fight to save her (arguably, more of a healing thing, but, again, is about keeping her from facing consequences) and he even stands up to the Chem Barons, his own people who are keeping him in power, to defend her. Arguably, again, if he's to be believed, him trying to capture Vi before Jinx found out was to also protect her feelings. I also feel like there's something of a transition for both parents. When we first see Vander and Vi's relationship, it's built almost entirely on respect and validation. Vander is chastising her for being reckless while still finding ways to praise her, pointing out how the others look up to her (ie, indicating that she is successful as a leader figure) and ending on an off-hand comment implying he's proud she can stand up to these much older bruisers in a fight. Towards the end, though, his focus has shifted to just keeping her safe. First he goes to Benzo's shop to take the fall for the opening heist in Vi's place. Then, at factory, he tries to send Vi away to protect her. And his final act is giving up his revenge and rage to save Vi from the fire. As I hinted at before, his first real scene (dealing with the outsiders at the bar) is about validation, demanding they honor their end of a deal when dealing in the Lanes, and his final scene is about protection, saving Vi and then telling her to keep Powder safe. Silco is the opposite. His opening scene is comforting Powder, pulling her into an embrace (a traditionally protective and comforting gesture) and telling her he'll save her from being alone. And while there are plenty of moments where he does validate (telling her he trusts her with the hextech, sharing his baptism moment with her), his primary actions remain being about shielding Jinx from the consequences of her actions. But then, his final moment, while dying from wounds she gave him, he validates her completely in a way no character has before. I'm not sure if there's a parallel there, but I find it interesting that these characters, made to be mirrors of each other, have opposing but reflective arcs in their parenting style.

Fantastic video. There is one small bit near the end I think is missing. Near the end, you mentioned Silco's application of make-up as an example of him caring about perception. Obviously true giving his use of theatrics, but I think it had a different purpose. I think it was there as a small, early, nod to his character growth. In the first arc, Silco has the same goal but wears his scars proudly and openly a testament to his ability to survive. He understood that power in Zaun and didn't care how it made him look to Piltover. It's only after adopting Jinx that he begins wearing makeup. My theory on this is that either his scars scared her as a child, and he didn't want to do that, or that he wanted her to see his as a man and not a monster. The make-up is the first instance the viewer sees of Silco compromising. It's the foreshadowing to the scene where he's speaking at Vander's statue of how raising Jinx influenced his growth as a person.

"sometimes violence is the answer" im framing that to my wall On a serious note though, i really love these gender related arcane videos. Keep up the good work snow

I never noticed the parallel between Rocky and Viktor sprinting on the wharf until just now...

im obsessed with how you explain things, the way you organize ur topics, n the clips/cuts you use. i think i've watched 10 of ur vids in a row over the past 12 hours

I think overall, all Arcane's characters are very human, they live in a ruthless world and they have to come up with different solutions (based on their own skills and personalities) to resolve certain situations to survive or to emerge, I really liked the "validation" part because although I think it's not necessarily a strictly gender related thing, but also in a world like Arcane's, it's very important for certain characters, mostly the phisically "weak" ones, and also because it creates a good balance and solidify their dignity , which sustans male's vulnerable side, aside from their social image/status

I really appreciate your take on the topic of masculinity. I wish more men could see that countering toxic expectations on masculinity isn't just about freeing women, but about freeing men as well.

This actually makes a whole lot of sense in relating to the men in my life. My bf tells me all the time "you did a good job," or "I'm proud of you," and that's how he expresses love in his own way.

I feel they're all different representations on masculinity and on how masculine characteristics aren't necessarily bad but they do need to be ironed down or at least managed as much as stereotypically femenin characteristics, being kind and giving is bad when it puts you in the way of manipulation just as being overly egotistical will close doors in work and relationships as a whole, arcane is amazing as showing that even the good qualities expected for each gender can be bad if not controlled

17:45 I know this video is a year old and probably no one will see it. But I recently figured out I am a Lesbian, and this has changed the way I approach friendships with men a lot! Before I felt like I had to consider every guy I befriended as a potential boyfriend because that is what I grew up thinking I should do. My family always assumed every boy I was friends with was because he liked me or the opposite. And being free of that has changed my understanding of male friendships a lot and I find myself picking up on those silent bonding/understanding moments a lot more and it’s kind of beautiful? I mean men are often not allowed to express themselves fully and so that somehow they manage to communicate this very profound feelings just by standing next to them and sharing whatever experience is really nice. Not everything has to be put into words, and I really appreciate that. Its crazy I never even realised this was happening before.

Holy shit, I am really stunned by your reasoning that men's love language is Validation. That makes so much sense in real life. Just as you said, you could feel it but wasn't able to name it until you actually devoted time to think about it. I see that now, not only in men, and it literally opens a new level of understanding people for me. Thanks for making this video :)

They're shaped by their environment. I don't think gender roles is something that plays so prominently into their personalities, as it is simply how they've needed to grow to survive in such a cut-throat society, being strong and able to stand for themselves to not be walked upon, where weakness of the body or mind could be taken as an excuse to jump into someone's throat.

I think that with so much nuance in this series as he has multiple videos about so many subtle and very hard to point out details regarding characters, story and overall theme, it is hard to believe they just sat and thought so deeply for each detail but more like they were just very good at their job and many of details were result of their incredible intuition due to experience.

As someone who commented on your last video saying the "They write women as people" thing, I heavily appreciate the respectful and direct correction, you're a damn good person. My personal outlook on a lot of prejudice in current society is "everyone is a person, and people deserve to be treated equally" as racism and sexism are still prevalent, but who is the target has been *ever so slightly* tilting in the opposing direction over the past few years, which I feel needs to be addressed before the very people who have been victims unwittingly because the perpetrators in the far future. (prejudice in any group towards any other group is a problem, as it's unfounded.) The way you describe how Arcane writes women and men differently is definitely not problematic, and is helpful to both sides, and I appreciate being given a different viewpoint which is equally concerned for everyone as a whole and not just having a bias towards one group. Thank you for being so respectful, concerned for the correct interpretation of your own points, and lack of aggression towards those who incorrectly took your points previously. I'm seriously in admiration as that last thing is still something I struggle with. (It's no justification, but I just get very annoyed with having to repeat myself when someone takes what I say the completely wrong way). Also, just realised I didn't subscribe????, wtf???, I could have sworn I did after your last Arcane video but I guess not.

See this is why your channel is so GOT DANG GOOD and has gotten so much traction. Because as you examine a part of a story and the depth of its layers and how fantastic and nuanced it is, you're also explaining how how those deeper themes apply to real life with a high level of your own nuance and treating these real subjects with the thought and respect they deserve. You're breaking down a huge number of things and how they are all connected both within the show and in the greater context of what the show (and your analysis) can each us as people interacting with others we have difficulty understanding. AND HOW TO WRITE BETTER. You do this super well and I don't normally comment on videos often but you have so consistently expanded my understanding and impressed me with your well explained takes on so many of your videos I really don't know how else to show my appreciation. These videos and especially your scripts are of such a high quality (like how your on screen text is often a more humorous way of saying what you're saying or a more detailed explanation to cover what the script couldn't fit naturally, great touch seriously) these must take a lot of work to make and I just hope positive feedback makes it feel worth it. Because let me tell ya brother my feedback is POSITIVE. You deserve every single subscription you get, including mine. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

On the whole subject of emasculating and it's counterpart in feminity: I would say that the equivalent of "crying" or being "emasculated" for a woman is getting angry (as in, going full blown physical confrontation and screaming like hell) wich is often regarded as a big no-no from what is expected from the normaly "calm nature of women" depicted in media. Once it happens, the woman is seen as crazy or unstable or dramatic, the stereotype of the housewive going batshit crazy at her husband for his wacky shenanigans. Which Arcane didn't do of course but I think we all have examples of those depictions in media since... forever? Dunno who said it but it reminds me of the saying: "The world would be a better place if men were allowed to cry and women were allowed to get angry."

I don't know how I missed that Silco really covers up his scars when dealing with certain people. Not sure how my brain just glossed over that.

The Feminine need to feel loved and the Masculine need to know validation. This theory perfectly portrays the gender based dynamics in this show and perhaps in mankind in general, which is probably why it has resonated so well with virtually all audiences. Very astute analysis mr.schnee!

the scene of Jayce showing weakness, Mel is showing some real strength there. if you find a woman like that in real life, one helps you back up when you are trembling, that is a keeper.

bro, ngl your videos ALONE have made me more and more inclined to start writing you're genuinely so inspiring and seeing your new, different perspectives is always amazing

I just realized that Skye saves Victor in the scene with the hexcore. That kinda changes how I read that scene.

God I remember this exact conversation in a sociology class once. Something to the effect, masculinity is something you do, but femininity is what you are. Men have to constantly preform masculinity at risk of loosing it. Women however cannot escape femininity because femininity will always be considered default for them whereas masculinity is something that has to be constantly upkept. Don't remember exactly that's just part of what I remember.

This was incredibly interesting. I'm going to use the "validation is the male 'I love you'" concept in life and writing for sure.

I would like to see that how do you define masculinity and feminity exactly. Because from my point of view Ekko is pretty masculine. Do you see this in terms of physicality or by personality? (Sry for bad english )

I think a quote from the movie dune does a lot for your point on validation, when Paul Atriedes asks his dad what happens if he doesnt become duke of house Atriedes his dad says, "Then you will be all I ever needed you to be, my son" It hits home and I think that's precisely what you are talking about.

I just want to make myself clear, when I said in the comments of the last video that you shouldn’t think about gender when writing a character I meant that their traits (whether society sees them as masculine or feminine) shouldn’t come from gender but should come from their roles in society. (Basically what schnee said in minutes 18:48 - 22:29) For example: Silco uses makeup to cover his damaged eye because he cares about his image and doesn’t want to appear weak, not because he is a man but because he is a leader in zaun and in zaun you need to be strong to survive. Jayce and even caitlyn are soft sometimes and it makes sense cause they’re sheltered rich kids. I also meant that when two characters of different gender fight and one of them wins its not because of their gender it’s because of their character and skills

The part about validation being the way of showing care and saying "I love you" is very interesting. I didn't entirely realize that they (validation and love) are two different things sometimes, and this also made me think about the distinction between validation / understanding / acceptance / love. Amazing video!

As a trans man, I've been made acutely aware of how men are expected to be tough, unfailing, good-at-everything big strong guys, and women are the ones at their side, sometimes helping, usually being in need of a man in their life. While watching Arcane, I never once felt like there were any of these societal pressures on the characters, they were all just. People. The neutralisation, the varied characterisation, all the things you've discussed helped me not only as a viewer to enjoy watching the show without any glaring issues or annoying tropes, but also as someone who wants to write their own story, and learned quite a few things from this series, and various analysis videos. Much like you said that you wouldn't have noticed these details, if you didn't look into it, I would also be in the dark about them, so thank you for this duology, it really helped me appreciate this show so much more!

I'll admit it. I saw the title & thumbnail and thought "uh oh". But then I watched it. And I enjoyed it. Great work 💪 (validation 😁)

this guy is great at talking about and understating so many topics it’s so cool

You make the best Arcane video analysis out there, it's a joy everytime a new one comes out, thank you!!

Honestly, I'm really excited if Arcane ever moves out of just Piltover and Zaun, because the way they write these characters on both sides would fit PERFECTLY into Noxus, where Strength in all of it's forms is valued, or Demacia where it's all Elite and structured and orderly, or Ionia where everything is wild and verdant and free, but also violent and untamed. Riot needs to stop denying what's going on here in Piltover and Zaun, stop saying "well it's an alternate canon." And Embrace it. Because imagine a League character effectively being announced in Arcane. Imagine that.

I think theres another layer we can add to viktor and masculinity and validation. The “suck it up” mentality is generally associated with very big strong men. Ones that are very physically powerful and tough through pain. They display this strength instead with a very frail feeble character slowly nearing the edge of death. He’s toughing through a different sort of pain than whats typically associated with “suck it up.” They are validating that you can have this character trait while also being your own type of strong, without touching every stereotype of the grander stereotype if that makes sense. I also think theres another layer to how they mix Vi’s maternal and paternal portrayals as well. Her validation is not just “I am proud of you, you’re doing it.” Its “i am validating your ability to do what you’re capable of now, and am preparing you so you can protect yourself for whatever is in the future.” Shes combing both facets in very fascinating ways.

This is likely said elsewhere, but using fatherhood to explore validation/love and motherhood to explore protection is it's own subversion of a stereotype, that of the father-protector and mother-nurturer. I enjoyed your analysis.

When I saw this video on my recommended I was ecstatic. Watching your videos is something I really enjoy doing and I'm really grateful for the effort you put into analyzing Arcane (you have not a single bad video). I look forward to what you come up with next.