When Jayce commented about Piltover being a bastion of equality and enlightenment, entirely unironically... Oof. That was some serious privilege.
@coolbrotherf127
2 жыл бұрын
It's not surprising that he would feel that way growing up there. He sees the wealth and prosperity that he and his companions experience and is proud of the accomplishments of his city.
@naholiel
2 жыл бұрын
SPOILER (JAYCE/VIKTOR BIO) And you can already see the conflict with Viktor incoming, being a disabled and a zaunite. Jayce is entitled with vague buzzword ("progress", "liberty") while Viktor is far more compound when he speaks about human progress.
@randomthoughts0829
2 жыл бұрын
Even though Jayce clearly wasnt raised upper class, he was still born in piltover and had a lot of advantages that saunite kids didn't have
@JolteOnWisconsin
2 жыл бұрын
@@naholiel I want Viktor/Jinx/Singed vs Jayce/Vi/Caitlyn now
@cloudsin8748
2 жыл бұрын
@@randomthoughts0829 his family is a minor house who owns a factory. Lol the guy is literally a trust fund kid
@hanabanana4637
2 жыл бұрын
Imo Caitlyns dynamic with Vi&Jinx and how it's framed will be integral to the framing of politics in Arcane. She is the sympathetic topsider being taken on a trip through Zaun by two very radical people, her perspective in the end will be telling on what Arcane is trying to show
@travelkingable
2 жыл бұрын
I mean, considering we know this leads to her and Vi becoming a cop, I think we all know where this is leading.
@Silenteric
2 жыл бұрын
@@travelkingable Caitlyn was already a cop. It doesn't lead to her becoming one. If anything, the end result seems to be her focused on protecting civilians, not following orders.
@travelkingable
2 жыл бұрын
@@Silenteric then it's the "There can be good cops in a broken system" scenario, which is honestly worse than her being uncritically a tool of the state.
@JT-xn9ei
2 жыл бұрын
@@travelkingable Why do you consider it worse?
@toomayps214
2 жыл бұрын
@@travelkingable I mean there indeed are good people inside broken systems, what would be bad is if you justified keeping a bad system because of those good people which I think is what you are implying
@mathewrobson9968
2 жыл бұрын
"this video is not sponsored by riot" I'm eleven minutes in, and I can see why they probably wouldn't wanna sponsor it haha
@peaceowl4863
2 жыл бұрын
Politics? In *my* show about poor people getting opressed? No way!
@Patmax17
2 жыл бұрын
This got me to laugh out loud, thanks :D
@YondaMoegi
2 жыл бұрын
It's more likely than you think!
@Unlyricallyrics
2 жыл бұрын
the main characters are females... it was political from the start /s
@realdaggerman105
2 жыл бұрын
@@Unlyricallyrics Women being protagonists is not automatically political. Eg Alien and Alien II.
@Unlyricallyrics
2 жыл бұрын
@@realdaggerman105 nah if the protagonist isn't a straight man it's political
@jimstoesz3878
2 жыл бұрын
I truly worry for the people employed by RIOT. If the politics writers are *forced to put into their games by the execs* follow the model of "a bad ruler is better than a disobedient citizen" then it's safe to assume that RIOT itself is run on the model of "a bad boss is better than a disobedient employee" and that's a terrifying thought.
@vex7550
2 жыл бұрын
:(
@rdtiel
2 жыл бұрын
Thats a leap in logic right there
@sorzin2289
2 жыл бұрын
Yikes
@theundyingunknown8824
2 жыл бұрын
@@rdtiel Might be a leap in logic on its own, but Riot legitimately does have issues with crunch and overworking of employees. There was a walkout in 2019 and demands for unionization
@Kaiexists966
2 жыл бұрын
@@rdtiel Not such a leap when u consider how companies in the US and around the world treat their employees
@TheBigMole1
2 жыл бұрын
"Having conceived Babel, yet unable to build it themselves, they had thousands to build it for them. But those who toiled knew nothing of the dreams of those who planned. And the minds that planned the Tower of Babel cared nothing for the workers who built it. The hymns of praise of the few became the curses of the many." Metropolis continues to stay relevant nearly 100 years after. I will be so disappointed if they don't pay at least some homage to the Ur-example of Cyberpunk.
@nullskull6860
2 жыл бұрын
wait what is that quote from?
@gabuurr3791
2 жыл бұрын
@@nullskull6860 Metropolis, a film from 1930 (iirc). it is about a society divided in two (the workers and the rich), in which a wealthy guy falls in love with one of the workers. a lot of it was lost because of shitty preservation and wwii, but there is a mostly complete version that came out in 2010 or so.
@TheBigMole1
2 жыл бұрын
@@nullskull6860 It's from the 1927 film Metropolis.
@agustinamagpie
2 жыл бұрын
Me, being dragged by two nurses through a hallway back to my room: SYLAS WAS RIGHT! BURN DEMACIA! The nurses, paid by Riot: it's nap time, night night both sides are right~
@relloz6
2 жыл бұрын
Skyen: *Warns us that he is being payed to talk Arcane and has motivation to be positive* Also Skyen: *Produces an eloquent and blistering spicy piece, dismantling Riot's story telling structure and presenting that what riot tells us to think isn't the only, let alone best, perspective to take.*
@CM_Kha
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah but this is not a sponsored video anyway.
@danha3107
2 жыл бұрын
@@Oscar97o most game devs don't *explicitly* tell anyone what to think. However, like skyen says, every story is presented through a certain lens and with a certain mental/philosophical/political/whatever framework. Humans are inherently imperfect and biased, so how can we make things that are 100% completely unbiased? They're not telling us explicitly to think anything, but the choices they make in their stories tell us something anyway, whether we like it or not.
@kitnal4143
2 жыл бұрын
@@danha3107 however, as a viewer it is pedantic and loses the point of the entertainment/art if you don't at first view it through the lens given, *then* push past it.
@danha3107
2 жыл бұрын
@@kitnal4143 yes ofc. I should’ve been more clesr about that. I’m just saying that I think it’s important to recognize that because the idea that “they’re not telling you to think anything, they just make stuff” is just wrong
@kitnal4143
2 жыл бұрын
@@danha3107 yeah, I guess I see it as a more: " they make stuff that is insight into how *they think* and follows the creators viewpoints" rather rather "they are trying to make you think a certain way". I could be wrong, but I don't think art that tells people what to think works very well.
@AndriiVoron
2 жыл бұрын
The funny thing about "don't judge" or "don't choose a side" is that the person who tells it always chooses the side. Still, there is someone good and someone bad. And only in recent years has there been a mania to please everyone at once. Which made some characters more complex and better revealed motivation. On the other hand, it removed from the focus of the characters whose motivation is really bad things: greed, malice, corruption, insidiousness. Which in general makes the stories too vanilla-sweet. Like a cartoon about a pony. But bad people exist.
@Tybeena
2 жыл бұрын
I think Piltover and Zaun is the most politically interesting area of Runeterra, it has so much potential and with the story of Arcane focusing on two sisters just surviving I’m really excited to see what they do.
@someonelikeable616
2 жыл бұрын
Noxus also has a lot of political intrigue as well, I've always wondered how a person survives being a politician in a city full of assassins and... leblanc
@frostfrost8907
2 жыл бұрын
@@someonelikeable616 Basically all those who survive are part of lb's plan at some extend. Some are even back ups plan just in case her first choice messes up.
@frostfrost8907
2 жыл бұрын
@Pedro Benitez-Racero And... Well, Demacia is not that interesting tbh. They are pretty much usual monarchy setting, with a basic conflict explored in many different games (yeah, the mage revolution and discrimination is a topic in half fantasy settings). It is not bad, but... Vanilla, as almost everything in Demacia.
@kerwinwarner2743
2 жыл бұрын
@@frostfrost8907 to me all of there regions are amazing Damacia has a Civil war, there king is dead, there prince had gone missing before, mages are a used and persecuted (except noble families they live with ease), 3 demon powerful demons are destroying each part of the county. Honestly I dont think damacia is that boring and vanilla. But it your points
@LoveYou-wr8bi
2 жыл бұрын
@@frostfrost8907 i think it can be interesting if they make demacia ft noxus
@olive4093
2 жыл бұрын
the way riot portrays class oppression, or just oppression in general makes it very painfully clear who is in the writers room lol.
@zabeerfarid7687
10 ай бұрын
True lol revolutions and social movements are literally one of the reasons I’m allowed to exist as a poc in the US
@RunningGladeXStray
2 жыл бұрын
"Remember to act with solidarity towards those who are worse off than yourself" Best signoff I've heard in a long time, thanks for keeping it real. You got me really interested in the show, I'll be watching it!
@EliasSharkcia
2 жыл бұрын
The two sides ended up being presented not as two sides piltover and Zaun but much more about the two (or more) sides of the various character stories. Jinx and Vic, Jayce and Victor, Silco and Vander. While there is some happy memories associated with the peace Vander sought with Officer Grayson, it is still represented as tenuous and, in some ways, one made in fear. Vander is afraid and Silco is violent, but we see that it was Vander who betrayed the cause and Silco who took it down a darker road. The conflict between Vander and Vi is also hinged on this idea, peace in misery versus violence towards progress. I'll be interested to see how it all progresses
@mafediaz1934
2 жыл бұрын
It always bothered me that Sylas was portrayed as just a villain, instead of someone who was desperate and broken by so many years of torture and unfair treatment... and was driven to take extreme actions.
@joaoteodororeis2051
2 жыл бұрын
Well... tbh his "extreme actions" did cost a lot of lives in Demacia. So yeah, I can see him as a villain
@mafediaz1934
2 жыл бұрын
@@joaoteodororeis2051 Demacia's rule of capturing, torturing and killing mages just for being who they are costed a lot of lives, too. If Sylas is a villain, then so are Jarvan III, Jarvan IV and the upper class of Demacia. Also, take into account that they've been hunting mages for centuries.
@alvarolopezgomez6543
2 жыл бұрын
@@mafediaz1934 any of them is good. Do you think random people of demacia have to be killed just because of the leaders? NO. Usually jokers of history end badly, you need probably some violence but in the end a political structure behind.
@georgiverse
2 жыл бұрын
And those extreme actions make him a villain. Just like how Demacia's government is a villain as well. Both sides are committing bad things. Yes, Sylas was basically created by this system, doesn't excuse his actions. Just like the government isn't excused either. No one wins the ethical war.
@strongsuccessfulweeb1400
2 жыл бұрын
This is why i like Noxus better.. Its simple whoever has strength in any form gets the prime cuts
@markbr5119
2 жыл бұрын
Skyen did what no other content creator had the guts to do: he tackled the politics of piltover and zaun in one of the biggest media releases on one of the biggest and most toxic gaming communities out there. i have nothing but utmost respect for you, my man. Also prepare for the shitstorm that is going to come from this here and on twitter on the following days
@simonm1233
2 жыл бұрын
Even more toxic than CoD?
@cloudynguyen6527
2 жыл бұрын
@@simonm1233 well COD is dominated by children. League gears towards more to teens and adults. And I kid you not... the toxic from kids is different from the toxic from grown up.
@primetyrant2891
2 жыл бұрын
I dont think its about other creators having guts or not, but more so about having interest in the thing. Plenty of people dont think about this angle of inquiry because its not something they are used to keep an eye out for, even if for people who are in the know one physicaly cant unsee political messaging. Hell, writers often cant see it, even as basic as "drawing equivalence is a political statement", and they wrote these!
@dasdingoooc6727
2 жыл бұрын
Your content is immaculate. I think the concept of a character like Sylas being "flawed" could lead to an interesting story, but not when he is portraid as a villain for not only questioning the system, but to stand up, and stand against said system. Also it's very interesting that the name of the company is y'know...Riot, and yet if the character does so much as point a finger at the flaws of the system they are treated as a "bad guy".
@elpunoenojao4842
2 жыл бұрын
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 Yes, that's true, most revolutionaries have done and still are doing some terrible things and it's completely valid to cast a light on that to not idolize bad people for their only redeeming action, but thing is that both sides act like they're in the right and they have no flaws, that's just silly, you can ask someone that has lived through revolutions and government oppression and you see how jaded about everything they are, they have seen, both sides, time and time again making the same mistakes as the previous ones, the point I'm trying to make is that, in your comment I see that you feel like a revolution, a violent, armed revolution is never the right thing to do but you have to understand, when the people have felt like their lives don't belong to them, like you don't get to decide how to live your own life, generation after generation of oppressed, torn apart from the absolute despair of seeing a loved one lose their life because they dare to speak badly of the government, do you really think a government like that should just stay as it is cuz revolution violent bad?
@dasdingoooc6727
2 жыл бұрын
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 I agree with both of you.Thank you for pointing out the possibility of passing people as "heroic !" instead of flawed people who often are just as bad as others. I agree about Sylas, i really like him as himself a flawed character, but the framing is what I don't like, it instead frames him as the villain, and ignores the flaws of the system, it shows him as just a "bad guy" going against the "totally not flawed and oppressive system". It's pretty hard in general to not make it feel like the story is just excusing terrible people, which is how the Sylas and Xerath framing feel like to me.
@elpunoenojao4842
2 жыл бұрын
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 Actually I totally agree with your point there, I actually hate the idea that a singular person is "the hero" of the "glorious revolution" I have seen that, time and time again just leads to fanaticism.
@brandonontama2415
2 жыл бұрын
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 That doesn't mean you write revelationaires as one dimensional bad guys, that's just as bad as white washing revelationaires because they're no naunce. Yes, revelutions often end up becoming as bad as the oppressors but there are good arguments for violent action and not all people who support violence are just madmen indulging in violence or simply fighting for more power. The solution is to simply have a villain that simply wants a revelution for the sake of reveage thus showing have violent protest can lead to people becoming just as bad as the status quo and another character that use violence but has self-restraint and simply wants change but still pointing out the issues that come with violent revelution.
@brandonontama2415
2 жыл бұрын
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 There's not even one person he uses violence and has self restraint, Sylas is the only character representing violent protest and that's the problem. I'll give Riot credit for showing both sides however one side is being more humanized than the other.
@firecrushfox
2 жыл бұрын
I think the problem is, and believe me I struggle with this all the time too, is that these stories are not *about* politics, they just have politics in them. At the end of the day, whether Piltover remains corrupt or not is irrelevant to the stories at large being told here. The political unrest is merely set-dressing or world-building meant to establish context for why these events might be happening, but it itself is not the main focus of the story. None of the characters are fighting a political revolution, except for of course, Silco, whose only purpose in the show is to serve as the antagonist. Even his political revolution plot is set-dressing meant to explain his motives, but his purpose is in how his revolution impacts all of the Champion/main characters and their stories. The only aspect of the government that really plays a significant role in any story is how The Council, namely Heimerdinger, impacts Jayce and Viktor's stories which have nothing really to do with equality and are more about the study of magic with regards to Hextech.
@Merlincat007
2 жыл бұрын
@@mustard5382 Yep! I really loved the scenes in his community.
@Clemerlen
2 жыл бұрын
As I listen to this video, I couldn't help but think that you would be a good professor.
@zephyrschiesser5408
2 жыл бұрын
THIS!
@Blacklight.2025
2 жыл бұрын
"The system is good! The problem is that a few bad apples created the bad situation! As soon as the good apple is in the right place evwrything will be good again!" Uhh... Why would you consider a system good if a few people can throw a wrench into it and screw evwrything up? A system with a clear and crucial flaw is not a good one! Failsafes people! Mechanisms that forbid "a few bad apples" to ruin everything for everyone else!
@StarDreamsStudios
2 жыл бұрын
I mean any system with good intentions can be turned rotten. There really is no perfect system.
@Blacklight.2025
2 жыл бұрын
@@StarDreamsStudios But any system that relies in a single position/person is easier to corrupt Systems don't have to depend on "good intentions" nor "good faith". Look at the legal system, and in particular, DMCA. That system is prone to abuse because it depends in the good faith of the person making the DMCA claim has evidence that their copyright is being disrespected, and platforms have no responsability to check if said claim is true
@eospolaris9472
2 жыл бұрын
There's also the thing that if they portray some piltovians (likely caitlyn) as the "good apple"...we alrrady know that despite this, they did nothing to change the system
@ApexGale
2 жыл бұрын
i have a degree in political science your discussion was great skyen, will return to flesh out my thoughts after work ok, i have some time, so I'm just gonna have a long stream of consciousness because i can't organize my thoughts on break. first i want to discuss the "right of revolution" that you may have come across before. this political philosophy indicates that a people has the right to revolt against a tyrannical government that directly endangers their wellbeing. american revolution, french revolution, iranian revolution. oppressors don't have any right to sovereignty. sovereignty lies within the people, and unless the people all willingly agree to bestow sovereignty onto a body, then there is no "rightful" overseer. using the american government as an example: we have traded in personal liberties and freedoms in exchange for the governing body ensuring their people very broad and general basic rights (bill of rights, constitution, amendments, you know the deal). in exchange for the government protecting these rights, we vest in them powers like creating laws, passing judgement, etc. they have a constituency to help the people - congress at a local level, the president at a national level. the concept in theory *should* work well. the issue is that we went from 13 states to 50, and the history of this country has been violent, bloody, full of horrible oppression that still loves to rear its ugly head today. the national constituency is often at odds with the local constituency. the pro being that many voices are heard, the con being that the two parties will always butt heads and progress is rarely ever made. the upper class control the direction of the country with their wallets while the working class have to figure out how to keep their liveliness. hey, what does that remind you of? sylas was not wrong. xerath was not wrong. when ekko trash talks piltover, he isn't wrong. they exploit the working class and use agents like camille to periodically remind zaunites that they will never, EVER be anything better than that. they allow the chem barons to abuse the working class, have no sympathy to people struggling to survive in hazardous living conditions, make no attempt to improve their lifestyle. sure, you could argue zaun is on the cusp of being an anarchist state, and anarchy = bad, but said anarchy is inflicted by piltover's governing body. they keep just enough control to ensure that the flow of goods and resources into their own hands remains steady, while letting the working class suffer and struggle to live day to day. it's pure, rampant, unchecked capitalism with no love for the common man.
@ApexGale
2 жыл бұрын
@Mohamed Ramadan i didn't say wealth inequality is capitalism, i said wealty inequality is a product of unchecked capitalism. and rampant capitalism as I phrased it is not anarcho capitalism and/or laissez faire. Yes, rampant capitalism means completely unchecked capitalism and the free market. But I meant it in terms of it being corrupt and heavily controlled. piltover has a very clear rigid structure designed to maximize profit at the expense of the physical, mental and economic well being of the working class. i don't know how you can even try to argue this isn't a rampant, corrupt capitalist society. Laissez faire fundamentally doesn't work anymore because there will always be people who will monopolize, cut costs, and exploit to generate as much revenue for themselves as they can. They neglect to help out the people who make less than them because it does not serve their interest. In Piltover, the upper class control the direction society moves in by controlling the circulation high value goods such as hextech crystals, (which need I remind you are *products of genocide on Skarner's entire race*) and stamping out any working class citizens who try to make better futures for themselves. Ekko's parents are working themselves to the bones trying to secure a better future for him in Piltover. That future would literally entail them being separated from their son - it's effectively them sacrificing their lives to try and make sure Ekko lives a good life. I'd literally said that was a disorganized stream of consciousness, did you not read the first few sentences?
@davidbiton_
2 жыл бұрын
i rly hope that singed will be in the storyline of arcane cuz he matches the story so much! there is the possibility that the barmen guy in the trailers is warwick and if warwick is in this story, singed has a high chance of being in the series.
@nidhogg8446
2 жыл бұрын
Singed is the late Halloween special
@amitaiavrahami4920
2 жыл бұрын
נודר נדרים שאם סינג'ד מגיע התוכנית הופכת לGOAT שלי תוך דקה.
@davidbiton_
2 жыл бұрын
@@amitaiavrahami4920 מילים כדורבנות
@jayjaywolf8988
2 жыл бұрын
You can actually find his name + voice actor in the credits of episode 1&2
@davidbiton_
2 жыл бұрын
@@jayjaywolf8988 yea the actor can voice multiple characters but that doesnt mean warwick is 100% in the series
@Tkokat
2 жыл бұрын
From what I have seen thus far the show actually criticizes Piltover quite a lot. In an episode Caitlyn actually sees that the lower levels of Zoan are horrible nightmarish and all kinds of fucked up, while Vi confronts her by saying "do you forget about this place, up there?" (or something along those lines). The kids are poor and trying to survive against the enforcers who are shown to be vicious and, all around assholes. So I'd say that the shows sides with the little guy, which I say it's a good change of pace. It also portrays the higher ups to be corrupt as all hell.
@VaryaTheVillain
2 жыл бұрын
Arcane is going to be my first time directly interacting with LoL lore and plot, and while I already was cautious about Riot (with its MANY problems) presenting the series, I'm even more on my edge over the "both sides" comment. however. you've already talked a lot about this show, about the people's work and thoughts coming into it outside of pure "company think", about the animation *and* the politics that it's based on, and I've got some hope on having a good time without cringing about Some Choices. thanks for the vid!!
@maxs-lz4pn
2 жыл бұрын
It's funny the whole time watching arcane I was like 'ok I know who is supposed to be the bad guys but I definitely agree with them way more than the the people who are supposed to be the good guys' this is an excellent vid to break down the subtext in arcane. The final scene is a perfect example of the whole idea of the 'antagonist' being impatient
@KL-ii6dt
2 жыл бұрын
This video was so much better than I expected! Blown away
@LobsterSpecial
2 жыл бұрын
I suspect that they see the Piltover-Zaun conflict more in light of the conflict between the Piltover Aristocrats and the Zaun Chem-Barons, as opposed to a true class conflict between those with political power and those without.
@seniorcactie2722
2 жыл бұрын
Watched the final clip and thought: Dammit, it was going so well and guess how it ends. The system was about to do peace thing with the thing they oppressed. Jinx was out of line and ruined it. Jinx is portraited as lost and piltover was redeemable because they where bout to offer peace. Not shitting on the series, but Skyen freaking called it.
@sydneydunaway5618
2 жыл бұрын
It's interesting to come back to this after Philosophy Tube's "Violence & Protest" video essay dropped. A lot of points dovetail together well here. Above all else, the show suggests explicit (often intentional) violence is unredeemable while implied (often unintentional) violence isn't. To pull from Zizek's "Violence": "He [Nikolai Lossky] simply couldn't understand who would want to destroy his way of life. What had the Losskys and their kind done? His boys and their friends, as they inherited the best of what Russia had to offer, helped fill the world with talk of literature and music and art, and they led gentle lives. What was wrong with that? While Lossky was without doubt a sincere and benevolent person, really caring for the poor and trying to civilise Russian life, such an attitude betrays a breathtaking insensitivity to the systemic violence that had to go on in order for such a comfortable life to be possible. We're talking here of the violence inherent in a system: not only direct physical violence, but also the more subtle forms of coercion that sustain relations of domination and exploitation, including the threat of violence."
@tsunamistate
2 жыл бұрын
I would say to your criticisms of Demacia and Shurima stories that there have been multiple historical precedents where the revolutionaries turn out to be worse dictators than the regime they overthrew. You portray Zaun as this worker region that should rise up and topple Piltover. While the portrayal of the Zaun villain does show that revolutionary does not always do things for you. Sometimes he just uses popular dissent to make a power grab.
@mycenaeangal9312
2 жыл бұрын
I am still really hopeful having watched the first 2 parts that it has something interesting to say beyond centrism. Nobably in the show's criticisms of Heimerdinger we get some resistance to King's the myth of time and it's done by one of our piltover heroes. Heim is a good vehicle for this due to his longevity. It's gonna be interesting to see if they stick to that idea or if it's revealed to be portrayed as a character flaw in part 3. It was really hard to say what it would be in the moment. I honestly just hope they don't do Vi and Victor dirty in this. Even though I know her backstory, I hope she doesn't end up as a cop and I hope he's portrayed sympathetically. Basically it's make or break for part 3 and it's kinda interesting not knowing where they're going to go with it. I know my hopes will probably be dashed but based on a lot of what I've seen so far I'm willing to take the risk.
@Chain_l.l
2 жыл бұрын
Vey well put, this is exactly what I feel might disappoint me with Arcane. I've had the same issue with Legend of Korra where the first season had a very bad dynamics between factions and all grievances of non benders vs benders where just thrown out as jealousy and the main issue was never examined
@PotatoSeb
2 жыл бұрын
Really nice video. Honestly a lot of mainstream media have really bland takes on social conflict or power struggles or all that, there's some popular anime and games with the same problems.
@timothymclean
2 жыл бұрын
This video feels like a thesis statement for Skyen's entire channel, or at least the parts that aren't tied to character design. 9:05: In a literal sense, showing the conflict and letting the audience come to their conclusions is a good thing. In practice, though, the author should probably be leading the audience to one particular set of conclusions. You shouldn't outright say the xenophobic fascist empire is evil, but you probably shouldn't give the impression that their view of the world is equally valid to those egalitarian heroic rebels. For the record, I think Riot (and other "apolitical" game publishers) _does_ lead the audience to certain sets of conclusions-they just don't want to admit it.
@TheThomas2730
2 жыл бұрын
In a way I find it sad that art has to be "justified" because life is not either. Show me a (realistic) dystopia were bad things happen and nobody gets to save them because sometimes worlds go down like that. But (sadly) art will always be influently to ones perspective, one way or another so not many dare to create it.
@timothymclean
2 жыл бұрын
@@TheThomas2730 Um, most pre-Hunger-Games dystopian novels? And a lot of post-YA-dystopia-crash ones, too. I'm not sure what your point is, anyways; neither I nor Skyen are complaining about the existence of bad things, just the framing. The existence of enslaving emperors and genocidal kings isn't the problem; framing them as flawed but ultimately noble, and their opposition as power-hungry villains who're doing more harm than good, is.
@HistoryMonarch1999
2 жыл бұрын
Of course riot known by how shitty they treat their own employees and overlooking harassment would be like “we gotta look at both sides”.
@tsuritsa3105
2 жыл бұрын
I watched this after seeing the show itself. I see your points, but I found that Silco was addressed in a far more nuanced way. I thought he was a master class in who to write a strong antagonist.
@JACK-dn3qo
2 жыл бұрын
I know I’m way late but I wanted to talk about my biggest annoyance with Arcane so far. My biggest annoyance is the fact that no one from Piltover recognises Piltover’s fault in the state of Zaun and it’s effects. For all Joyce talks about his family making the hammers that built the city’s he doesn’t say the people wielding them were underpaid, starving and exploited workers from Zaun. And for all Caitlin blames Silco and Jinx for all the bad that happens and for the situation Zaun is in she never acknowledges that Piltover made Zaun what it is and exploits them to this day. It makes it seem like Piltover has no fault in creating what Zaun is and has tried to help them instead. It just rubs me the wrong way.
@shadowgamer4306
Жыл бұрын
Caitlyn does blame the council in episode 8, so maybe that counts.
@donedonefree6828
2 жыл бұрын
Still crying over the fact that Riot didn't make Seraphine actively advocate against the ruling class. My girl deserved to be a socialist icon
@drysofa2001
2 жыл бұрын
Wasted potential the champion
@teacupkoala175
2 жыл бұрын
Sera litterally embodies the "there's no wrong side just two perspectives that need to compromise" idea that riot uses in Piltover and Zaun. She just floats between the cities and sings to make everyone happy and cooperative again
@GH-pf6mw
2 жыл бұрын
did you hear about P*ssy Riot? those are the kind of artist i would like to see seraphine become.
@scottwerner279
2 жыл бұрын
I think they sidestepped our concerns in a way I didn't expect with the last episodes. Obviously there was the Revolution vs. Opression that you discussed, but I never got the message that the revolutionaries were bad or misguided. At the very least it wasn't the same ham-fisted look this topic that they did in the comics.
@latrodectusmactans7592
2 жыл бұрын
They basically just made Silco a failed revolutionary and had Ekko, Jinx, and Jayce shown as actual movers and shakers... But then undermined that by not giving Ekko nearly enough screen time. Still, it's far better than the "rich old white guy who owns multiple factories run on child labor and sics the cops on his enemies is the face of the revolution" narrative some people apparently wanted.
@wilfredpeake9987
2 жыл бұрын
this show was amazing the politics was discussed perfectly, every character made the decision that was right for them and their cause but the conflict rose when others did the exact same thing, no character was stupid and they all tried to do good arcane is an amazing show
@LuckGG1
2 жыл бұрын
I still think that Riot did a pretty thrash job at portraying Silco as a villain. He was always said to be bad and do bad things in Zaun, but how??? Does he randomly attack people's homes? Is he taxing them unreasonable fees to keep his militia afloat? But he produces Shimmer! Which he sells in the black market and... to the people of Zaun?? But why? The way they portray him makes it feel like it was all an afterthought and that he lacked any themes to keep him consistent. It's the difference between subtlety and carelesness. The exact material condition of people in Zaun is almost a complete mystery. Like, how can the Firelights maintain themselves? Can't everybody else just do that? What was Vander doing, even? I don't get how he could possibly control the Chembarons or any gangs when he is just a guy with friends, where does the funds come from to handle that?
@Chain_l.l
2 жыл бұрын
Actually also my biggest grievance with the show. Silco says he wants the best for Zaun but Ekko says he's making things worse for Zaun and we never really got an answer. He was also willing to stop shimmer production at the end, he doesn't really care about the money too I guess so....(?)
@LuckGG1
2 жыл бұрын
and the whole point of shimmer is to be a weapon right? So Silco has all those factories, he can already produce those mech super soldiers, why would he sell it to the people of Zaun? It is such a disgusting attempt at recreating an opioid crisis and moralizing poor people into being irresponsible and dangerous. For me it is insane that one of the most developed characters and major political players in the show seems to have zero internal dialogue or long term plans.
@kitnal4143
2 жыл бұрын
I think your point about the rebellious being seen as bad and the ones that rule being seen as flawed but redeemable interesting because it seems like you are going what Riot have asked you to do: "we shall make it neutral and you can decide what you believe". I won't comment on Surima because I am not well versed with its lore, but Sylas is still portrayed as redeemable and sympathetic. Not all the time, sure, but that is the same for every person in the demacia story. Lux is an optomist that wants a better world for everyone but still benefits from her noble status and hides her magic and let's her own family hunt people just like her so she can save herself. Garen is a complicit soldier of the state even when he knows the mages that they hunt are often innocent of any crime beyond how they were born, but stays in line to protect his sister as out of fear of not being able to defend his home from other threats. Sylas is no different. He is someone that witnessed the torture and murder of hundreds of innocent people and then saw himself imprisoned for 15 years, even after being a loyal dog to the state. He fights to change the status quo knowing that no meaningful change could happen without forcing it to happen. Yet he doesn't kill the king, and is worried when he realises the message the the Kings death would send. He kills people, but only to exact change, to him it isn't revenge but the cracked eggs that must be sacrifices to save more people. The way modern league portrays it lore is less "I I scared to take strong opinions either way" and more "these characters all have detailed motivations and histories that we are trying to make as human and believable as possible". It represents a drive to move away from "this guy is bad" and "this guy is good", because everyone is grey, and only a very select few characters will ever fit into the "unredeemable bad"- the only one I can think of is Morde and even then he has layers to his villainy. It isn't just bad people bring bad for the sake of it.
@caledvwych1366
2 жыл бұрын
There are a few more I can think of as irredeemably bad, but none of them are human. ex. Fiddlesticks, Nocturne, Volibear, The voidlings in general, and I think veigar.
@kitnal4143
2 жыл бұрын
@@caledvwych1366 Volibear defo isn't all bad, like as far as I am concerned we can't place labels of "good" and "evil" on creatures and beings just following their survival instincts. Like Voli is a god that sees beyond the mortality of man.
@totetoresano
2 жыл бұрын
Exactly, he is just proyecting his own political biases.
@caledvwych1366
2 жыл бұрын
I can accept that certain things are outside the spectrum of regular human morality. But I'm also pretty sure that both Anivia and Ornn consider Voli to be at least hostile, and probably evil, so they seem to fit into the "human" morality system and thus I think that I would include voli as well. Though, I can see why you would say he is outside of it. Also, I do not understand how anything I said was political? Moral and political are two different things (at least for me, I am aware they are more connected for some people).
@GreatWhite00000
Жыл бұрын
Dude this video fucking rocks your analysis is on point. Even the terms you use are top notch. Immediate subscribe
@ligitadventurez
2 жыл бұрын
After having watched arcane, you hit the nail on the head.
@Merlincat007
2 жыл бұрын
I'd argue that he was right on some political things in Arcane but pleasantly surprisingly wrong on others.
@micaiahborchers8914
2 жыл бұрын
I reallllyyy hope that season 2 and season 3 are able to use Ekko and the Firelights as the good guys dismantling the council and Piltover's power structure.
@adambirch6466
2 жыл бұрын
Piltover has exploited Zaun, where things have consistently gotten worse, not better, over the last 200 years. They've lost the right to ask for more time. They've had the resources to solve or at least begin to mitigate Zaun's problems for at least a century and consistently choose to do nothing, and oppress Zaun violently any time it demands better. Piltover's out of chances. Time for Zaun to rise and kill their oppressors in Piltover and their robber baron allies beneath. Kill anyone who resists. Just like what's done to them by Piltover every time they resist.
@sainttito
2 жыл бұрын
How the hell isn't this guy more famous.His breakdown of the teaser of Arcane described the first three episodes to a tee and they hadn't even came out yet. Even after watching them, I hadn't realized half of what he described in this video.
@zachparish3468
2 жыл бұрын
I hope this leads to us getting more animated series based on other locations like ionia and bandle city.
@Domblestdoof
2 жыл бұрын
I just wanna say, what god damned commitment to integrity by a creator. Not only did you release an in depth (so far as you can be) video explaining the financial relationship, but you still disclose it at the start of the video for new viewers who might not have seen the other one. AND he’s still critical of Riot. No matter what anyone says, no one can say TBSkyen doesn’t have integrity.
@themitry4811
2 жыл бұрын
He literally said he would have to moderate the comment section because his video was about politics. Do you think so because comments would be heated or because he is just afraid people would criticize his opinion?
@alibitter6361
2 жыл бұрын
This video reminds me so much on Slavoj Zizeks descriptions of how ideologies are shaping us, no matter how free we think we are free from ideology
@newyin9214
2 жыл бұрын
Idk if I haven't watched enough of your videos, but I wasn't expecting this level of leftism from you. It is a breath of fresh air, I am grateful for your nuanced, yet not centrist perspective, and overall, rather objective analysis.
@Spicyyykoala
2 жыл бұрын
The analysis that takes place in your Bad Apple segment was chef's kiss, very well done!!!! @T B Skyen
@bgm8663
2 жыл бұрын
I really want to know your take with the series already out. I don't see many analysis of the story focusing on the class conflict.
@di5963
2 жыл бұрын
I think it's important to look at piltover and zaun not just as one region with extreme class divide but also as two separate regions, piltover seems to be a sort of authoritarian democracy, so it's not just one person ruling and instead a group but at the same time their decision is final and no one can oppose them While zaun seems more anarchist, the power structure isn't created by a specific system but rather by the respective person's power and really anyone can try to get to the top but seemingly the only way to get ahead involves violence, corruption and overall evil deeds It seems that the lack of a system to punish those in power for their evil deeds is exactly what causes all the problems in zaun while in piltover it's the opposite, the system gives those at the top so much power that they can never be punished for any of their wrong doings Side note Both jarvan and azir are shown as redeemable as they seem to be in a position of power while they're really not, azir wanted to do good while he actually got that position, as without it a civil war and anarchy could break out ending in many deaths Jarvan could possibly be just a pawn in the mage seekers' hand, weaponizing his grief to do their bidding even if it goes against his true morals, but now being unable to oppose them On the other hand xerath and sylas are people that wanted good and needed power to accomplish good but once they actually got the power they did bad But I believe riot have tried to show that they were monsters created by the evil system they were a victim of
@Afri_Pandora_Archieve
2 жыл бұрын
Not strange taking into account Tencet, that made an app about clapping to a xi Jing ping discourses, influencing what stories are told
@noaburr
2 жыл бұрын
Going from "I have a direct financial relationship with the company behind the show" to the topics covered in this video deserves applause. This kind of integrity is rare.
@Balla4Chryst
2 жыл бұрын
This Video was FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!! Nevermind the exceptional eloquence, the information and depth of the discussion here is outstanding. I'm a complete stranger to League of Legends lore, but I have friends that love the game and I've seen it played enough to be interested in Arcane. I want to watch the show with SOME knowledge of what's going on so I have the ability to appreciate it for what it is. Which is why I am here. This is my 4th or 5th League lore video (8nclud8ng those mentioned at the beginning) and is easily my favorite! Looking forward to watching other T B Skyen video. Whether they are about League or not 😁
@abrarnoorani8385
2 жыл бұрын
I really would like to see more videos of fanfics or just theory crafting new variants of pre-existing stories and taking them in new directions
@darthvaderreviews6926
2 жыл бұрын
After seeing the first 3 episodes, MINOR SPOILERS I can say I can definitely see what the creators were going for with "perspective", but it's "perspective" in the same way Nazi secretaries signing papers did what they did because of "perspective". It kind of boils down to the narrow minded idea that all violence is literal- Silco and the Enforcers are "the violent ones" instead of the Piltover Council, who are so far just being portrayed as bumbling fools/devilish opportunists. Vi and Jinx's parents died _because Zaunites decided to march on Piltover_ *and not because the Piltover Council upholding their current power structure is inherently more violent than anything Silco could possibly hope to do*
@michakakol7629
2 жыл бұрын
I think people arent understanding the show. Neither sides are 100% good or evil here, even Silco has some redeemable qualities and we can see that Enforcers and the upper side has their flaws too. Its all intended, its not like Riot is trying to push that only one side is good here.
@darthvaderreviews6926
2 жыл бұрын
@@michakakol7629 It's not that there's NO nuance but so far, Silco is very obviously The Bad Guy of the show...
@michakakol7629
2 жыл бұрын
@@darthvaderreviews6926 Well, someone had to be the villain, I guess. But so far he is quite a good one. We can see that despite his hate for the upper class and his brutal ways of solving conflicts, he has some sympathetic qualities. That being said, I really hope the show wont put all the evil things on him. So far they've done a pretty good job of presenting that neither Piltover or Zaun are the good guys, so hopefully it stays that way. I personally disagree with Skyen, since the first 3 episodes have been pretty clear that both sides have flaws and room for improvement. Hell, I would even say that Piltover (the "system" side of the show, since they are the ones enforcing law) has been obviously more evil than anything we ve seen yet (except Silco sometimes) and the show is aware of that.
@jmanwild87
2 жыл бұрын
@@michakakol7629 i was actually kind of impressed by silco's ability to seemingly express empathy to Powder could be he had just intended to manipulate her but i feel it would be more interesting for Silco to care for her to see the part of him that presumably made him and vander friends or at least partners
@Kitmerlin
2 жыл бұрын
The idea that you can't critique the things you like has always blown my mind. I may have a different opinion or view point but it doesn't mean that I don't overall enjoy the material. I'm gonna call a spade a spade but at the end of the day it just means that you care enough to say something. If the material wasn't something compelling and interesting people wouldn't bother to critique it.
@NaohMkS
2 жыл бұрын
Coming from watching the first 3 episodes, your fears ring true. I won't write any spoilers since it just came out yesterday but the actions and motivations of the main cast... yeah, the tone favors heavily piltover, they do a very nice work exploring the way of life of Zaun though, and the show is very enjoyable so far.
@gilsai4990
2 жыл бұрын
delicious azir slander. thank you for this food
@70good91
2 жыл бұрын
first vid on the channel and i immediately sniffed a revolutionary and smiled when I realized I was right. thanks for calling out riot on its bullshit lol.
@knavenformed9436
2 жыл бұрын
The stories a told from the view of the countries themselves and it's obvious you'd portray radical acts as villainous from that view, it's rather cool the writers have made the world a more grimdark as contrast to what they're doing to the visuals and feel of the game itself.
@Ash-bx6kq
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this. I'm not into league of legends at all but I have quite liked the show so far
@michaelgray1223
2 жыл бұрын
Absolutely Excellent! I hope this inspires young folk think critically. Subed.
@TheRainoshi
2 жыл бұрын
I saw vids of villains in Korra being analyzed by Kay and Skittles in the same way. Guy was talking about their ideologies portrayed as dubious attempts of getting to power or "crossing the line " in their struggle for world's betterment. And it all resulted from writers' not doing their homework on the topics showing us very same problem you were concerned about in your video here. Namely, narrative,regardless of how good it can be written, still being influenced by authors' upbringing. "You didn't notice, but your brain did" -- so to say.
@infiniteenigma1
2 жыл бұрын
In an 80/20 story like Piltover/Zaun one side has merits and flaws and another side has excuses and cover-ups. And its usually the more guilty side that accuses the former of the latter.
@seanphelps4057
2 жыл бұрын
TB is a comrade?
@sorcierenoire8651
2 жыл бұрын
one properly placed bomb down below and everything falls apart... Piltover is literally on the hands of Zaun yet Zaun cant capitalize on it.
@mekaelbayati8040
2 жыл бұрын
It’s such a shame that the politics will end up turning Arcane into a shit show. The first three episodes are really good, and if they had just shifted the framing of Silko and the oppression, it could have been amazing.
@Merlincat007
2 жыл бұрын
Well it was good thru S1!
@itsaperfectionist4158
2 жыл бұрын
Okay. I get what hea saying about the "trust the process" or "trust the system" kind of thinking these stories tend to lean towards and it just makes me ask the question what if the system is wrong? How would you fix it? Because if the system is wrong (which i personally think all of these stories portray), people have been hurt by it and they are rightfully mad and want justice to be surved. And then you start getting into the murky territory of what is justice and what is just raw, brash revenge. Its like. They want to tackle really deep and complicated questions but they just kind of skim over all the nuance and uncertainties that these questions and problems require. They know people are going to want a "satisfying" or "feel good ending" so they pander to that. It makes me think of the Mistborn book series and how it deals with a corrupt system. Yes it has some aimilar flaws and might have a "feel good ending" but it shows how people who didnt have the power overthrew the people who did with some violence. I feel like that story handled more of the nuances than most of Riots politcal stories (but again that is just my opinions.)
@katchii93
2 жыл бұрын
this is my first time watching any of your content- i have to say, it’s extremely high quality. i love the way you present ideas
@ying0878
2 жыл бұрын
I mean, sure for Demacia and Shurima but isn’t Noxus about tearing down the entire system of kings and slavery over there through violent and radical action.
@TBSkyen
2 жыл бұрын
Noxus is a fun one, because it is a violent expansionist empire that has abolished slavery, but whose entire society is organized ENTIRELY around the military and led by an extremely thinly veiled Caesar stand-in who literally governs in a Triumvirate. It is Fantasy Rome with a splash of social darwinism, basically, and Noxus rejects slavery entirely on the basis that "free" people are more useful to the state's war machine.
@3vs891
2 жыл бұрын
Turns out you were completely right: Silco, the guys who wants to dethrone the rich and powerful council that oppresses the zaunite people, is the big evil while Vander, who is trying to keep the system as it is, is the good guy. I guess Vi will inherit Vander vision while Powder/Jinx will inherit Silco's ad we know who of the two is the good and the bad one.
@magnusm4
2 жыл бұрын
Why do they have to be so afraid to just say "these guys who are supposed to be good are really bad"
@TheRusty
2 жыл бұрын
Good news everyone!
@RenZeffie
2 жыл бұрын
I’m excited for the animation of Arcane, I think it’ll be superb, but since Riot literally exists in the imperial core (the United States) Skyen’s right. It’s impossible this show will say anything radical. It’s not within the class interests of Riot executives to release anything that challenges the status quo. It’s a standard example of corporate censorship (something USA’s pop culture is dominated by) to preserve the “free” market. This isn’t to say that Riot’s writers are bad people or couldn’t create a radical story. It’s to say that they can’t.
@spuriusscapula6481
11 күн бұрын
I will never get over the irony of a company called "Riot" being so staunchly centrist
@russellmcdonnell8437
2 жыл бұрын
I respect your opinion and really enjoyed the video! I wanted to share my own. I think Riot does a really good job of making real characters in real world situations. I have read every comic/book that riot has published and when I read those stories I never pinned any of the characters as "good" or "bad". Instead the writing was so good that I understood why each character was making those decisions. It's interesting that you have such strong opinions one way and I can see that those are the driving factors for the characters that you say are "bad". But I also see the other side. So I would say that Riot did a good job of staying in the middle and letting people decide for themselves how they feel. I hope Riot doesn't change because these stories where there is no "good" or "bad" are the most interesting.
@ssy2416
2 жыл бұрын
Yes, exactly this! I agree with this
@thetrashhunter_yt700
2 жыл бұрын
Regardless of political spectrums, I root for Zaun and Jinx
@zyrus917
2 жыл бұрын
one thing that i thin you dont quite grasp is that it also implied that sylas, xerath adn the like are portraied as partly villian yes, but as a result of the others sides moral failure. While yes sylas is portrayed as "beeing too harsh", this is a direct product of the way demacia treated him, and therefore its their own fault.
@LionStaring
2 жыл бұрын
huh, I never though of it that way, the way a lot of writers tends to push what you said about "trust the process". I don't think I know enough to form an opinion on this, but I'm definitely thankful that you gave me insight to this.
@captainjellie14
2 жыл бұрын
this video goes hard
@Merlincat007
2 жыл бұрын
Feel free to screenshot. I know I have on a bunch of good comments!
@bayuf995
2 жыл бұрын
about the sylas part: i wasnt really into league's lore before arcane but when sylas came out, with all the cinematics and demacian background i had to know a little bit... and i found out that sylas was imprisoned for years, used to find other mages, and his own magic was sucked as a powersource to demacia (iirc?)... i was confused why sylas was sort of potrayed as the bad guy on the cinematics, they basically said "magic bad you go jail for magic", AND THEN they use it themselves, and lux was a magic user too!... from there on i hate garen, j4, and lux for their hypocrisy
@patrickholtz
2 жыл бұрын
Awesome take, thank you so much for doing these awesome videos
@БоянПетров-о7ж
2 жыл бұрын
Well after seeing the show I can say I don't think riot is protecting the system. I believe they have the opposite approach. A flaud system(Piltover) with few good apples like Jayce, Caitlyn and Heimerdinger
@junishearer2932
2 жыл бұрын
You think Heimerdinger is a good apple?! He’s one of the worst of them, he’s been there since the start and is the most prevalent in trying to not change the system. I honestly hate him
@aimilios439
2 жыл бұрын
Caitlyn is more the good apple. Jayce is privileged and Heimer is the one blinded by knowledge. But everyone's dark side seems to be when they support the system, at all sides.
@БоянПетров-о7ж
2 жыл бұрын
@@aimilios439 hummer isn't blinded by knowledge but by his immortality. Jayce is privileged but dreams of a good future. Sadly he doesn't understand everything at stake
@johnforkner
2 жыл бұрын
So basically this is ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ but with magic.
@PixelAspen
2 жыл бұрын
A lot of people are saying what you said about Jinx nuking the council and don't question if the council did anything to cause that.
@shadygodd
2 жыл бұрын
ooo im happy i found you/this. my alleyyyy
@PepiiChu
2 жыл бұрын
I would love to hear you opinions on this now, that the first season is over. I hope you will make a video 😁
@CG-eh6oe
2 жыл бұрын
3 Episodes in, and your "worries" are 100% spot on. The good old father figure is the one making deals with the ruling class, calming down the idiots who want to resist...
@easygreasy3989
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for This. Lesson learned not just for Arcane
@rashh7891
2 жыл бұрын
This way gave me a new perspective on Riot lore. Thanks Skyen!
@Camo_Ink
2 жыл бұрын
As a political science graduate, well said mr skyen: Eloquently put. Though I tend to align with your ideas, your philosophy and politics are always a pleasure to hear. Thanks for sharing your particular flavor of media critique with us. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.
@luisgalindo54
2 жыл бұрын
Am i dreaming or i saw a radical left analysis of the politcal history of Runeterra and I LOVE IT??? really, this was incredible. I will enter your channel to see if u got more videos like this hahahha
@pedrocarnelos703
2 жыл бұрын
Hope this generates some discourse. Great vid
@frederickfoster1409
2 жыл бұрын
Listening to what you said only one show come to my mind and its "code geass" It actually shows you the perspective of both sides It actually shows you that each side had flaws and each have a good side The conflict in the anime show is shown as a conflict between organized anarchy and corrupt empirialism .
@zacharynewman7713
2 жыл бұрын
First I will say I agree 100% with the analysis of how Riot does its stories though I do feel it is worth mentioning that atleast from my understanding that the system is good and that radical action is bad is not always the case. The one that came to mind as I watched this is Rell, who from my understanding was clearly the victim.
@Gamemaster13000
2 жыл бұрын
If I see so much as ONE of Urgot's legs, I'm gonna scream from joy.
@msj7872
2 жыл бұрын
I get it. Life is complicated. People do things for a multiplicity of reasons. Lots of things are gray. But, I believe there are some absolutes. Slavery is always bad. Exploitation is always bad. There are no both sides with things like this.
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