I have a feeling he will be represented by the green power source (it powers his board, seems related to the firelight bugs, and he shows up as soon as Jinx uses the firelight bugs to create the explosion.) As an added bonus, Jinx used to use the green power source (it runs the shooting range and boxing machine), but seems much more interested in Hextech later on, and her off-screen transition between the two could mirror the shift in her relationship with Ekko. I reaaaalllly hope we get to see some flashbacks confirming Ekko's attempt to get Jinx into the firelights, and her reaction and ultimately caving to her need for a parental figure. I think Season 2 will be in a great place where we have the 3 magic/power sources each representing a side and stance. There has also been some yellow color play (the binding crystals and some on the final bomb) so I wouldn't be surprised if that's introduced in Season 2, and if I had to guess I'd say it will tie into Mel and whatever flash of power we saw in the last few seconds. If so, it will likely represent a third stance and approach to the problem. Maybe something like: Mel = Yellow = Peace through innovation and diplomacy Ekko = Green = Peace through equilibrium (fighting only when absolutely necessary) Vi = Violet = Peace through physical power and threat Jinx = Blue = Okay, Jinx has a lot to be unraveled. I guess you could say peace through destroying everyone and everything who might threaten it? After all, you could say an empty forest is peaceful. I'm not super set on this one as Jinx has a lot more puzzle pieces and they are much more colorful and blurry than those of the other characters.
One thing I love about Arcane, is that knowing the lore will give you a better understanding of the world and a rough idea of where the characters are going, but since Arcane changed the story of almost every character and introduces plenty of new ones, it's hard to predict what will happen next. Who are the Chem-barons? Where do the Hexcristals come from? What is the green energy that almost everything in Zaun runs on? Why are there giant frissures in the ground? If you know the lore, then you know the answers to these questions, but since they aren't important to the story, you don't loose anything by not knowing them.
That was what I found most fascinating is when the questions came up I had the thought: "I bet LoL fans could answer this" but that was followed by the thought "but would the answers add to the story?". And it helps knowing they changed a lot about the characters because that re-enforces for me that they want this to be able to be its own thing and stand on its own, and so I don't feel bad analyzing it as such. I loved it so much I keep wanting to go consume ALL of the lore, but I'm thinking I might keep my bubble intact. Lots of people are LoL experts and can offer that perspective, maybe I can cover the other side and how the story feels to those without that context.
I love this lens on Arcane, and the 'main two characters being representative of the main two magic systems' is a really cool idea that will definitely help me with my own work, thank you! Great video!
Thank you so much! I'm so happy I decided to make the video because it was only through deep unpacking that I realized the connection, but I really do think it contributes to the piece even when it isn't consciously noticed. It's really changed my whole view on worldbuilding. As a writer obsessed with character and cause and effects. I think this might be the revelation I needed to finally break through my fantasy worldbuilding walls.
Excellent breakdown. Coming from a once-player of the game, I knew Arcane had potential. The lore behind League of Legends is really cool. But I never expected it to be so damn good. It's such a phenomenal show, quite literally one of my favorites of all time. I can't wait for not only more seasons within this plotline, but more seasons that explore the rest of this world. The lore behind this world is enough to span multiple, full-fledged series of NOVELS. It's insane and I hope they take advantage of it.
I 100% believe it. As long as they maintain the quality of writing and branch out into other parts of the world, they can get as many seasons and spin-offs as they want out of it. It's such a solid foundation, and is already next gen animation level, and having an already existing fan base? There's no stopping it. The only limiting factor is the level of work required to produce it, but I'm sure the teams will have all the resources in the world after Arcane's performance. I cannot wait for the next season. I've never so thoroughly appreciated every production level of a piece of complex media.
I think all the worldbuilding that's left out in Arcane still exists, it just isn't delivered to the audience. The worldbuilding still needs to be written somewhere because it can inform everything else, but the audience doesn't need it all explained to them for it to be apparent that it's there.
Very good point. It can be so hard to cut content as a creator, but in doing so we naturally filter the story down , which tends to refine it into something cleaner and more powerful. I also agree that audiences can generally sense when there's nothing under the surface.
Now I HAVE to watch Arcane, then come watch this again. Even without context, I loved this video. So many great quotes from you: "Words are just a tool of communication, and should thus, always come second to the meaning they're meant to covey." "The most important element to a lively world is movement. And movement is born of change." "Characters are models onto which the Worldbuilding is painted." Your videos are master classes on story structure, covered in entertainment and humor. I Don't think you've been doing it (worldbuilding) all wrong though. I think you've maybe been doing it differently than what fits with your heart. There is no one right way to write, just the way that's right for you. Thanks so much for this video. It's given me lots to think about. ❤❤
Thank you so much for this amazing comment and highlighting the quotes you liked. Sometimes I forget script writing is a form of writing and having it laid out like this is so motivating. I definitely reccommend you give Arcane a try. It's got really solid writing and incredible animation and acting on top of that. I cannot wait for season 2. Also very good point with the worldbuilding. There are so many different ways to look at it and I shouldn't be seeing them as right and wrong, but rather, just different methods.
This was extremely helpful, thank you. Yes, plot comes from character. The world and challenges they face need to reflect their internal struggles. Easy to forget when you're chugging away at your script though!
You're so welcome! And yes, definitely easy to forget, especially in more complex worlds with so many moving parts. I bet starting out with a solid target theme right from the start probably helps. I wish I had more insight into how this writing process was impacted by the unique situation of having well established visual character designs with somewhat limited additional information, but pre-existing lore. It's a completely different set of building blocks than the average writer will ever work with and it's neat to think about how that changed the process.
Fantastic video. Super surprised when I saw it has only 1000 views. Side note: Balance your audio in the future. It was NOT centered; my left ear got a lot more sound then my right
So, funny story. This is my first video with a new mic and it just so happens that I got a tragus piercing two weeks before editing this. Guess which ear my piercing is on 💀 I've been wearing my headphones one-sided ever since and my husband proofs videos on the TV. If not for this comment I probably would have spent the next 6 months uploading un-balanced videos. So thank you for bring it to my attention
I never put the parallels between Shimmer and Hextech vs Vi and Powder/Jinx together. How the hell does this show keep surprising me after like 10+ rewatches? Also I wanted to point out that part of what ultimately created the Jinx players know from the game was her being augmented with Shimmer (giving her the pink eyes and superhuman speed), so as she says her self, Vi created Jinx.
It truly blows my mind everytime I watch it. It's a masterclass in so many story elements that I feel I'll never tire of studying it. That's really neat about the game!! I tend to go for more story-based video games so have never dipped my toes into LoL and came into the show completely context free. Which is nice in a way, but it means I miss out on neat tidbits like this. So I appreciate you sharing! I think that's technically what we see happen at the very end of the show when Silco has her saved. I believe her eyes change after that. It will be really interesting to see what they do with that in the next season. Good catch on the "Vi created Jinx" bit!
One of the best videos i've seen on Arcane! It might seem stupid because it's so in our face, but i've nerver thougt about the shimmer being violet and the hextech being blue ahah. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for your analysis! As an aspiring writer myself I often feel like worldbuilding is the most daunting task. Especially in fantasy, where it's usually viewed as one of the most important elements of the genre. I've seen many writers spend a lot of time creating rich, beautiful worlds but when they begin writing the actual story they hit an insurmountable wall. My problem is the opposite. I have a rough outline of the story and I know where I want to take it but my worldbuilding is not detailed enough. I fell in love with Arcane and its masterful storytelling and I am impressed about how much of a story can be told without getting bogged down in details. I am also amazed that upon further analysis we discover new aspects that we didn't take into account before. Arcane paints such a vivid world and it manages to do so merely through the lens of its characters. It's amazing.
It really is amazing. Truthfully I have the opposite issue of you where worldbuilding is my favorite part and so I tend to fall down the rabbit-hole and design WAY too much world and though I don't struggle with story, I am absolutely terrible when it comes to over-writing. So I really needed Arcane to remind me to rein it in and focus on what matters. Just because I loved every second of brainstorming a complex dystopian labor system, doesn't mean readers want to learn about it. And so maybe my next series won't consist of 500+ page-long books lol. But I find it really extraordinary that Arcane can help writers on both extremes, and I really do think the show found masterful levels of balance. I'll be watching it a few more times before I embark on my own fantasy series, because if I can over-worldbuild dystopia, fantasy is an outright danger genre for me lol
I took some of Arcane's limited worldbuilding as inspiration for my own story. It's a retro sci-fi screenplay about humanity having to live on another planet after the events of World War 6. I introduce places and factions mostly through casual conversations between characters, that way the audience anticipates what's to come but also so that they can see how the factions influence the characters and the world.
As a player worldbuilding is all there as soon as i saw the hexcrystal i already knew where it came from and how it was discovered and all the lore just by looking. But for someone who doesn't know that wouldn't matter so much.
Yeah I'm analyzing Arcane itself as a standalone piece of media having never delved into the games myself. Though I can't say I'm not fascinated by how coming in with game lore knowledge might effect the impact of the story of Arcane. I suspect there are pros and cons to both sides in terms of story impact.
Who would've thought that a video game adaptation made by people who love and know the original work would be sooooo much better than one made by a detached Hollywood studio, looking to make a quick buck? I said sarcastically.
It really does help having people passionate about the IP. Sometimes development hell finds a way to ruin it anyway, but I think passion is the most important ingredient to any story across any medium. It's truly rare to see in a tv show project that requires so many hands and minds.
Thank you!!! I didn't notice it until I started deep-diving for this video so I am happy to be able to share. I truly think that it comes across in the theme and vibes though, even when people don't make the direct connection.
Your vids and analysis are deserving of so many more views, it's ridiculous. I don't watch anything like this, nor am I its target audience, but I watched all of this just to learn about storytelling. 😀
I agree with lots! I would air caution. Arcane came from an established lore, its easier to expose a few important parts of a whole, than to try build a whole from a few parts.
This is an incredible way to look at writing and an uncommon perspective. I am very happy to be your subscriber, you certainly are a unique person! I hope you can get your voice heard!
Wow, thank you! It was really important to me to make this video because I didn't always see writing this way and I feel I was really limiting myself before. Thank you so much for the kind comment and sub! I hope to get back into making content very soon!
Great video and analysis! Though that's called soft worldbuilding, not neglectful :) Soft worldbuilding is greatly interwoven with the narrative. And a world can have soft or hard worldbuilding, but how it's communicated through or interwoven with the storytelling is one thing apart from it being soft or hard.
In this context, Vi hating Shimmer so much is extra painful! She views it as purely destructive, the greatest bane of her home, even after it saves her life (tho tbf, I'm not sure she knew what was in that potion). In her mind, Shimmer is the main thing that has changed the undercity for the worse, at the same time she blames herself for Powder's transformation into Jinx,,, and she wants both to go back to the way they were,,,,,
Ooof, this is a great point. And is extra meaningful because Vi blames herself for Vander's death (since he turned himself in to protect her), and so she likely blames herself for the way Vander's absence negatively impacted the Undercity. Excellent catch!
Wow! Superb video analysis, your Vi/Jinx - Hextech/Shimmer parallel is something I didn’t thought about, at least not that way. I am unhealthy obsessed with Arcane, its my #1 show ever, so I consume everything I see about it... like your video. Let me say, its one of the best, and one key thing is that you are right, the world building for League of Legends (side note the World is called Runeterra) is mostly done trough its characters and their Bio's... all 150+ playable characters. Of course there is more like comics, books and short stories. And there are a answers to most of your questions like the green power is called Chemtech. You got a lot of theories and I’m hesitant to recommend you to investigate the world because you will get some answers but it be like spoiling yourself. I’m sure that going in blind to the series was even more impactful to see the story of Jinx. For the fans it was like watching Ep 3 of star wars and seeing how Darthvader ended up the way he did. One thing that I do recommend is watching "Bridging the Rift" pretty much the making of Arcane, you will find yourself a pleasantly surprise that if all goes well Arcane is programed already for multiple seasons. One other thing that is not mention on that show is that Riot bought and now is a shareholder of Fortiche studios, this is great news because it ensures the new seasons and they are probably going to hire a lot of people for the new seasons! This means we might get new seasons every 2 years more or less with the same level of quality! One last thing I hope this will not be a downer for you but I doubt that we will se more of Jinx or Vi in the next season, at least not the first episodes, they are probably going to explore new areas of the world and they are going to create a Game of Thrones level of show but better! Cant wait!
Thank you so much for this comment! I am right there with you with this being my new #1 show of all time. I've never had a show periodically come back to mind the way this one does. Never had a piece of fiction that felt so thoroughly perfect in every way. I want to do a hundred videos on it, but need to pad it with other content types and life got in the way. But I'll be back at it soon. Bridging the Rift is definitely on my to-watch list (I've been saving it for a rainy day when I need to inspiration boost). But that's excellent about the studio acquisition, that should REALLY help things along. And it may be an un-popular opinion, but I'm actually happy they are branching out to other characters and making it more complex. I'm the type of person where I absolutely LOVED HTTYD and yet absolutely do NOT want them to make a single movie more ever again. I prefer when stories and character explorations are focused and impactful and then are allowed to retire when they've run their course. That's not to say it's impossible to continue adding new complexity and have character development that works story after story, but it's very rare. If new main characters every season means fresh new experiences and stories every season I am SO very here for that. I do think the season 1 characters still have arc runway left though, and would expect their strings to still be a part of the tapestry going forward.
@@CloudKitten Oh no... Thank you! I'll be waiting for new videos you bring out ^^ Consider me subscribed. Bridging the Rift will give you a whole new level of appreciation for the show and not just for Arcane, but for all of media, just thinking about how hard it is to get something out there, when this work of art now considered by an ever increasing number of people as a Masterpiece was so close to have never been made. Can you imagine? Makes me think what other masterpieces are lost to humanity and never came to be because of reasons. I'm thankful for Christian and Alex for sticking to their passion, they are an inspiration for us all. Makes me want to create a short story about Vi and Jinx and explore that “What Could Have Been”. Oh and also the near failure of Christian Linke made me think about Steve Jobs when he was fired from Apple, what did he do? Well just help create another multi million dollar company called Pixar one year later. When Arcane was placed on pause, Christian and Fortiche created the videos K/DA "Pop/Stars" and "Rise" 2018 worlds anthem. Much respect for them. Well... you made me think of Arcane again... My thoughts now are on how season 2 will start, I will like for the story to fling us of to a distant land like Noxus or Damacia just a couple of years in the future and there the people talking about how they heard about the tragedy of the Council in Piltover, I'd be losing it! itching to know what happend, Jaice fully recovered but scared? Victor is forced to advance his... "Glorious" transformation and Caitlin focused on tracking down Jinx because her mother is in a coma or worse. Hope we get news of the next season soon, maybe late 2023? Fingers crossed.
Interesting, I just commented something among these lines on another video. 😅 It's true, a lot is left unexplained (the origins of the crystals and Shimmer among the most obvious) and yet nothing is missing. On the contrary, focusing on unnecessary details may have taken away from the characters and the story. I'm still hoping for "Vander and Silco - Rascals of the Undercity" though. 😂
I 100% agree. As much as my curious side REALLY wanted answers, it was nice to see the characters and world without a clutter of information that wouldn't have contributed more than intrigue. But yeah, I would also love to see a deeper look into some of the backstory, Vander and Silco being top of the list.
It's Gatekeeper by Torii Wolf. It's available for use in creative content through Epidemic sound (www.epidemicsound.com/referral/nqluot), but I think you can also find her on Spotify and such
Maybe I don't quite understand what worldbuilding is because I see nothing but worldbuilding in Arcane. It just lacks explanation and drops you smack dab in the middle of the unusual.
Hence the wording "neglectful worldbuilding" because I used to believe that providing no explanation and hand-waving away even the most basic questions was a form of flawed worldbuilding. But the ultimate conclusion of this video is that I was wrong, and there can be power and purpose in skipping worldbuilding steps that writers (myself included) traditionally see as essential. The wording of the title is a bit extreme, but alas that is what the algorithm and human nature demand.
The world Acane really created isn’t neglectful, they have a whole universe page, with a map, their characters and world presented on it. The story of Arcane is then written around the characters that lives in it, acknowledging the existence of that world they created.
This isn't an analysis of the lore of an entire fictional universe in all its formats, but rather, the singular piece of media that is Arcane. The show is made to stand on its own and thus, its fair to analyze it without factoring in external sources of world building information. And so, when I say "Arcane Neglects Worldbuilding" in the title, I am referring to the way ARCANE conveys worldbuilding information to the audience of the show. Also you may want to watch the video, because my entire point is that the show is expertly written and that information traditionally conveyed via worldbuilding is actually being incorporated into character building in an incredibly artful way.
These are basic elements of worldbuilding VIA storytelling. Writers should know this stuff. Arcane's far from original in this approach. Worldbuilders - people who focus on worldbuilding as an element separate from story - might find this revelatory.
This video isn't about Arcane being the only story to use worldbuilding as metaphor for story elements (which I still think is less common than you think it is), but rather, how it leaves portions of the worldbuilding blank as a method of enhancing the story and the link between two. This is about the use of negative space within worldbuilding as a method of enhancing the elements that truly matter to this particular story.
This is really great to know. I'd wondered but was worried going down that research rabbit-hole would give me too much game-lore context and I'd like to stay in the dark as long as possible.
Neglectful worldbuilding? Are you sure this is a good word for it? It actually shows everything you need to know exactly when you need it without spoon feeding boring exposition. Show don't tell at it's finest. Writers and artists must have spend countless hours refining every subtle detail through subtext, as well as visual and environmental storytelling. It's incredibly hard to pull off something like that. Calling it neglectful seam really inappropriate, because it's literally anything but.
@@CloudKitten yes. According to your conclusion, Arcane leaving bits and pieces of worldbuilding unexplained in order to focus on characters, however it only partially true. Piltover and Zaun are characters on their own with very distinctive personalities and style. Most of your questions have perfectly adequate answers within the show and expanded on in the lore of LoL. For example, how the magic works and where it comes from? Explanation from the show: it is a sentient force of nature speaking through people with arcane talents, allowing them cast spells in exchange for sacrifice (magic crystal or blood) and driving them crazy by always demanding more and more. Spells are cast by summoning runes in specific order. How do we know that? Because a) Heimerdinger literally explaining it on two separate occasions, b) we see mage performing teleportation spell using crystal, c) we see Victor performing transformation spell using hexcore and blood sacrifice (his own blood pumped with shimmer and poor dear Sky). We also hear two separate characters telling magic caused endless wars and brought destruction of their worlds, and it drove our boy Viktor to edge of suicide. What are those magic crystals? Explanation from the show: it's unstable volatile power source used by mages and hextech to cast spells. To be fare it's not much, but it's enough to follow the story. Also for fans of LoL crystals come with meta context, because there is entire story about them in the lore. How do we know that? Because Jayce literally explains it on two different occasions, and we see mage and hextech performing spells with it many times. Where Jayce got those crystals? Explanation from the show: he bought all his illegal equipment from shady merchants in undercity. How do we know that? Because Ekko and the gang mentioning it at the very first episode, because Jayce telling it to Caitlyn at his very first scene. And again for fans of LoL there is meta context about who that merchant might be and where he got those crystals. What is the green stuff powering hoverboards and other machinery? Explanation from the show: it basically local version of petroleum called chemtech. It's a liquid flammable power source, distributed by chem barons. How do we know that? It mentioned by Council member, and we can see this stuff powering various machinery in undercity, and we see it caching fire at the end of third episode. Those guys Silco poisoning with gas.. they are chem barons, and they worried not about shimmer getting stuck at the border, they worried about chemtech, because it sold even overseas and happened to be their main source of income. How does hexgates work? Explanation from the show: it's recreated teleportation spell Jayce witnessed as a child. Instead of mage scribing the runes, special flip-flop machine making right combination of runes around the crystal, which activated by high frequency resonance. How do we know that? Because Jayce and Victor explaining it out loud and then doing it on camera :) The same can be said about every other aspect of worldbuilding from history to inhabitant races, from geography to justice system. Details are not cut off at all, they just delivered in subtle and elegant way. If you want answers, you can watch closely and see it all, or just focus on a story and let your subconsciousness absorb it automatically.
The color violet IS traditionally more purple, but I think the important thing here is that Violet's hair color closely matches the shimmer color in most scenes it's portrayed in. I went with the term "violet" because i think it's pretty clear she was named that for her hair color, palette arguments asside. (Note: "Vi" is a nickame, the height markers on the wall of their destroyed home in the undercity say "Violet", showing that's her full name. Likewise "Powder" is likely short for powder blue which is a shade of light blue). Ps: Powder is only a kid for the first 3 episodes, so if you give it another go that's something to keep in mind. And I'll be honest, the first 15 minutes I was also feeling somewhat meh on the story concept, but by episode 3 it was my absolute favorite show. Take that for that it's worth. PPS: the first time I read this I thought "gave up on this" was referring to this video and I was like "15 minutes? Damn you were basically at the outro. Also what kids? My cats weren't even screaming in this one." 💀
This is a video about the tv series that is Arcane. Not the extended universe and all its lore. I have done all the research I need to in order to examine this piece of media within the stand-alone context the creators are aiming for. Arcane wasn't made to be supplemental to a game or wiki (this isn't some intro cinematic), but rather to be enjoyed and appreciated as an independent art-piece that it is.
This is why Ekko's involvement in the conflict is so important. He is neither hextech nor shimmer. When he appeared to fight Jinx, it was so epic.
I have a feeling he will be represented by the green power source (it powers his board, seems related to the firelight bugs, and he shows up as soon as Jinx uses the firelight bugs to create the explosion.) As an added bonus, Jinx used to use the green power source (it runs the shooting range and boxing machine), but seems much more interested in Hextech later on, and her off-screen transition between the two could mirror the shift in her relationship with Ekko.
I reaaaalllly hope we get to see some flashbacks confirming Ekko's attempt to get Jinx into the firelights, and her reaction and ultimately caving to her need for a parental figure. I think Season 2 will be in a great place where we have the 3 magic/power sources each representing a side and stance. There has also been some yellow color play (the binding crystals and some on the final bomb) so I wouldn't be surprised if that's introduced in Season 2, and if I had to guess I'd say it will tie into Mel and whatever flash of power we saw in the last few seconds. If so, it will likely represent a third stance and approach to the problem.
Maybe something like:
Mel = Yellow = Peace through innovation and diplomacy
Ekko = Green = Peace through equilibrium (fighting only when absolutely necessary)
Vi = Violet = Peace through physical power and threat
Jinx = Blue = Okay, Jinx has a lot to be unraveled. I guess you could say peace through destroying everyone and everything who might threaten it? After all, you could say an empty forest is peaceful. I'm not super set on this one as Jinx has a lot more puzzle pieces and they are much more colorful and blurry than those of the other characters.
One thing I love about Arcane, is that knowing the lore will give you a better understanding of the world and a rough idea of where the characters are going, but since Arcane changed the story of almost every character and introduces plenty of new ones, it's hard to predict what will happen next.
Who are the Chem-barons? Where do the Hexcristals come from? What is the green energy that almost everything in Zaun runs on? Why are there giant frissures in the ground?
If you know the lore, then you know the answers to these questions, but since they aren't important to the story, you don't loose anything by not knowing them.
That was what I found most fascinating is when the questions came up I had the thought: "I bet LoL fans could answer this" but that was followed by the thought "but would the answers add to the story?". And it helps knowing they changed a lot about the characters because that re-enforces for me that they want this to be able to be its own thing and stand on its own, and so I don't feel bad analyzing it as such.
I loved it so much I keep wanting to go consume ALL of the lore, but I'm thinking I might keep my bubble intact. Lots of people are LoL experts and can offer that perspective, maybe I can cover the other side and how the story feels to those without that context.
I love this lens on Arcane, and the 'main two characters being representative of the main two magic systems' is a really cool idea that will definitely help me with my own work, thank you! Great video!
Thank you so much! I'm so happy I decided to make the video because it was only through deep unpacking that I realized the connection, but I really do think it contributes to the piece even when it isn't consciously noticed.
It's really changed my whole view on worldbuilding. As a writer obsessed with character and cause and effects. I think this might be the revelation I needed to finally break through my fantasy worldbuilding walls.
@@CloudKitten I’m glad! I hope you break through those walls and make something fantastic!
Excellent breakdown. Coming from a once-player of the game, I knew Arcane had potential. The lore behind League of Legends is really cool. But I never expected it to be so damn good. It's such a phenomenal show, quite literally one of my favorites of all time. I can't wait for not only more seasons within this plotline, but more seasons that explore the rest of this world. The lore behind this world is enough to span multiple, full-fledged series of NOVELS. It's insane and I hope they take advantage of it.
I 100% believe it. As long as they maintain the quality of writing and branch out into other parts of the world, they can get as many seasons and spin-offs as they want out of it. It's such a solid foundation, and is already next gen animation level, and having an already existing fan base? There's no stopping it. The only limiting factor is the level of work required to produce it, but I'm sure the teams will have all the resources in the world after Arcane's performance. I cannot wait for the next season. I've never so thoroughly appreciated every production level of a piece of complex media.
I think all the worldbuilding that's left out in Arcane still exists, it just isn't delivered to the audience. The worldbuilding still needs to be written somewhere because it can inform everything else, but the audience doesn't need it all explained to them for it to be apparent that it's there.
Very good point. It can be so hard to cut content as a creator, but in doing so we naturally filter the story down , which tends to refine it into something cleaner and more powerful. I also agree that audiences can generally sense when there's nothing under the surface.
Now I HAVE to watch Arcane, then come watch this again. Even without context, I loved this video. So many great quotes from you:
"Words are just a tool of communication, and should thus, always come second to the meaning they're meant to covey."
"The most important element to a lively world is movement. And movement is born of change."
"Characters are models onto which the Worldbuilding is painted."
Your videos are master classes on story structure, covered in entertainment and humor.
I Don't think you've been doing it (worldbuilding) all wrong though. I think you've maybe been doing it differently than what fits with your heart. There is no one right way to write, just the way that's right for you.
Thanks so much for this video. It's given me lots to think about. ❤❤
Thank you so much for this amazing comment and highlighting the quotes you liked. Sometimes I forget script writing is a form of writing and having it laid out like this is so motivating.
I definitely reccommend you give Arcane a try. It's got really solid writing and incredible animation and acting on top of that. I cannot wait for season 2. Also very good point with the worldbuilding. There are so many different ways to look at it and I shouldn't be seeing them as right and wrong, but rather, just different methods.
This was extremely helpful, thank you. Yes, plot comes from character. The world and challenges they face need to reflect their internal struggles. Easy to forget when you're chugging away at your script though!
You're so welcome! And yes, definitely easy to forget, especially in more complex worlds with so many moving parts. I bet starting out with a solid target theme right from the start probably helps. I wish I had more insight into how this writing process was impacted by the unique situation of having well established visual character designs with somewhat limited additional information, but pre-existing lore. It's a completely different set of building blocks than the average writer will ever work with and it's neat to think about how that changed the process.
Fantastic video. Super surprised when I saw it has only 1000 views.
Side note: Balance your audio in the future. It was NOT centered; my left ear got a lot more sound then my right
So, funny story. This is my first video with a new mic and it just so happens that I got a tragus piercing two weeks before editing this. Guess which ear my piercing is on 💀 I've been wearing my headphones one-sided ever since and my husband proofs videos on the TV. If not for this comment I probably would have spent the next 6 months uploading un-balanced videos. So thank you for bring it to my attention
I never put the parallels between Shimmer and Hextech vs Vi and Powder/Jinx together. How the hell does this show keep surprising me after like 10+ rewatches?
Also I wanted to point out that part of what ultimately created the Jinx players know from the game was her being augmented with Shimmer (giving her the pink eyes and superhuman speed), so as she says her self, Vi created Jinx.
It truly blows my mind everytime I watch it. It's a masterclass in so many story elements that I feel I'll never tire of studying it.
That's really neat about the game!! I tend to go for more story-based video games so have never dipped my toes into LoL and came into the show completely context free. Which is nice in a way, but it means I miss out on neat tidbits like this. So I appreciate you sharing! I think that's technically what we see happen at the very end of the show when Silco has her saved. I believe her eyes change after that. It will be really interesting to see what they do with that in the next season. Good catch on the "Vi created Jinx" bit!
Your videos got me to watch Arcane and I am glad they did
I shall convert the world, one viewer at a time
One of the best videos i've seen on Arcane! It might seem stupid because it's so in our face, but i've nerver thougt about the shimmer being violet and the hextech being blue ahah. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for your analysis! As an aspiring writer myself I often feel like worldbuilding is the most daunting task. Especially in fantasy, where it's usually viewed as one of the most important elements of the genre. I've seen many writers spend a lot of time creating rich, beautiful worlds but when they begin writing the actual story they hit an insurmountable wall. My problem is the opposite. I have a rough outline of the story and I know where I want to take it but my worldbuilding is not detailed enough.
I fell in love with Arcane and its masterful storytelling and I am impressed about how much of a story can be told without getting bogged down in details. I am also amazed that upon further analysis we discover new aspects that we didn't take into account before. Arcane paints such a vivid world and it manages to do so merely through the lens of its characters. It's amazing.
It really is amazing. Truthfully I have the opposite issue of you where worldbuilding is my favorite part and so I tend to fall down the rabbit-hole and design WAY too much world and though I don't struggle with story, I am absolutely terrible when it comes to over-writing. So I really needed Arcane to remind me to rein it in and focus on what matters. Just because I loved every second of brainstorming a complex dystopian labor system, doesn't mean readers want to learn about it. And so maybe my next series won't consist of 500+ page-long books lol.
But I find it really extraordinary that Arcane can help writers on both extremes, and I really do think the show found masterful levels of balance. I'll be watching it a few more times before I embark on my own fantasy series, because if I can over-worldbuild dystopia, fantasy is an outright danger genre for me lol
I took some of Arcane's limited worldbuilding as inspiration for my own story. It's a retro sci-fi screenplay about humanity having to live on another planet after the events of World War 6. I introduce places and factions mostly through casual conversations between characters, that way the audience anticipates what's to come but also so that they can see how the factions influence the characters and the world.
As a player worldbuilding is all there as soon as i saw the hexcrystal i already knew where it came from and how it was discovered and all the lore just by looking. But for someone who doesn't know that wouldn't matter so much.
Yeah I'm analyzing Arcane itself as a standalone piece of media having never delved into the games myself. Though I can't say I'm not fascinated by how coming in with game lore knowledge might effect the impact of the story of Arcane. I suspect there are pros and cons to both sides in terms of story impact.
@@CloudKitten I personally think it's much better not to know about the game because it has a surprise factor. Great analysis btw really enjoyed it.
Who would've thought that a video game adaptation made by people who love and know the original work would be sooooo much better than one made by a detached Hollywood studio, looking to make a quick buck? I said sarcastically.
It really does help having people passionate about the IP. Sometimes development hell finds a way to ruin it anyway, but I think passion is the most important ingredient to any story across any medium. It's truly rare to see in a tv show project that requires so many hands and minds.
Awesome video! I never noticed the parallel between shimmer and hextech being both used to heal and to destroy. It's obvious now that I think of it 😅
Thank you!!! I didn't notice it until I started deep-diving for this video so I am happy to be able to share. I truly think that it comes across in the theme and vibes though, even when people don't make the direct connection.
Enjoyed your breakdown!
Your vids and analysis are deserving of so many more views, it's ridiculous. I don't watch anything like this, nor am I its target audience, but I watched all of this just to learn about storytelling. 😀
The fact that you would watch this purely for my analysis has made my entire week
I agree with lots! I would air caution. Arcane came from an established lore, its easier to expose a few important parts of a whole, than to try build a whole from a few parts.
This is an incredible way to look at writing and an uncommon perspective. I am very happy to be your subscriber, you certainly are a unique person! I hope you can get your voice heard!
Wow, thank you! It was really important to me to make this video because I didn't always see writing this way and I feel I was really limiting myself before. Thank you so much for the kind comment and sub! I hope to get back into making content very soon!
great video!
Great video and analysis! Though that's called soft worldbuilding, not neglectful :) Soft worldbuilding is greatly interwoven with the narrative. And a world can have soft or hard worldbuilding, but how it's communicated through or interwoven with the storytelling is one thing apart from it being soft or hard.
I was almost offended when I first read the title of this video, but your explanation makes it perfect. Well done.
I appreciate you watching it through before commenting! I wish I didn't need such spicy titles, but the algorithm god demandeth
Yes! Thumbs up for the new vid!
In this context, Vi hating Shimmer so much is extra painful! She views it as purely destructive, the greatest bane of her home, even after it saves her life (tho tbf, I'm not sure she knew what was in that potion). In her mind, Shimmer is the main thing that has changed the undercity for the worse, at the same time she blames herself for Powder's transformation into Jinx,,, and she wants both to go back to the way they were,,,,,
Ooof, this is a great point. And is extra meaningful because Vi blames herself for Vander's death (since he turned himself in to protect her), and so she likely blames herself for the way Vander's absence negatively impacted the Undercity. Excellent catch!
Wow! Superb video analysis, your Vi/Jinx - Hextech/Shimmer parallel is something I didn’t thought about, at least not that way.
I am unhealthy obsessed with Arcane, its my #1 show ever, so I consume everything I see about it... like your video. Let me say, its one of the best, and one key thing is that you are right, the world building for League of Legends (side note the World is called Runeterra) is mostly done trough its characters and their Bio's... all 150+ playable characters. Of course there is more like comics, books and short stories. And there are a answers to most of your questions like the green power is called Chemtech.
You got a lot of theories and I’m hesitant to recommend you to investigate the world because you will get some answers but it be like spoiling yourself. I’m sure that going in blind to the series was even more impactful to see the story of Jinx. For the fans it was like watching Ep 3 of star wars and seeing how Darthvader ended up the way he did.
One thing that I do recommend is watching "Bridging the Rift" pretty much the making of Arcane, you will find yourself a pleasantly surprise that if all goes well Arcane is programed already for multiple seasons. One other thing that is not mention on that show is that Riot bought and now is a shareholder of Fortiche studios, this is great news because it ensures the new seasons and they are probably going to hire a lot of people for the new seasons! This means we might get new seasons every 2 years more or less with the same level of quality!
One last thing I hope this will not be a downer for you but I doubt that we will se more of Jinx or Vi in the next season, at least not the first episodes, they are probably going to explore new areas of the world and they are going to create a Game of Thrones level of show but better! Cant wait!
Thank you so much for this comment! I am right there with you with this being my new #1 show of all time. I've never had a show periodically come back to mind the way this one does. Never had a piece of fiction that felt so thoroughly perfect in every way. I want to do a hundred videos on it, but need to pad it with other content types and life got in the way. But I'll be back at it soon.
Bridging the Rift is definitely on my to-watch list (I've been saving it for a rainy day when I need to inspiration boost). But that's excellent about the studio acquisition, that should REALLY help things along. And it may be an un-popular opinion, but I'm actually happy they are branching out to other characters and making it more complex. I'm the type of person where I absolutely LOVED HTTYD and yet absolutely do NOT want them to make a single movie more ever again. I prefer when stories and character explorations are focused and impactful and then are allowed to retire when they've run their course. That's not to say it's impossible to continue adding new complexity and have character development that works story after story, but it's very rare. If new main characters every season means fresh new experiences and stories every season I am SO very here for that. I do think the season 1 characters still have arc runway left though, and would expect their strings to still be a part of the tapestry going forward.
@@CloudKitten Oh no... Thank you! I'll be waiting for new videos you bring out ^^ Consider me subscribed.
Bridging the Rift will give you a whole new level of appreciation for the show and not just for Arcane, but for all of media, just thinking about how hard it is to get something out there, when this work of art now considered by an ever increasing number of people as a Masterpiece was so close to have never been made. Can you imagine? Makes me think what other masterpieces are lost to humanity and never came to be because of reasons. I'm thankful for Christian and Alex for sticking to their passion, they are an inspiration for us all. Makes me want to create a short story about Vi and Jinx and explore that “What Could Have Been”.
Oh and also the near failure of Christian Linke made me think about Steve Jobs when he was fired from Apple, what did he do? Well just help create another multi million dollar company called Pixar one year later. When Arcane was placed on pause, Christian and Fortiche created the videos K/DA "Pop/Stars" and "Rise" 2018 worlds anthem. Much respect for them.
Well... you made me think of Arcane again... My thoughts now are on how season 2 will start, I will like for the story to fling us of to a distant land like Noxus or Damacia just a couple of years in the future and there the people talking about how they heard about the tragedy of the Council in Piltover, I'd be losing it! itching to know what happend, Jaice fully recovered but scared? Victor is forced to advance his... "Glorious" transformation and Caitlin focused on tracking down Jinx because her mother is in a coma or worse. Hope we get news of the next season soon, maybe late 2023? Fingers crossed.
This show is so good.👌
Agreed. In fact, I cannot get over how good it is
Interesting, I just commented something among these lines on another video. 😅 It's true, a lot is left unexplained (the origins of the crystals and Shimmer among the most obvious) and yet nothing is missing. On the contrary, focusing on unnecessary details may have taken away from the characters and the story. I'm still hoping for "Vander and Silco - Rascals of the Undercity" though. 😂
I 100% agree. As much as my curious side REALLY wanted answers, it was nice to see the characters and world without a clutter of information that wouldn't have contributed more than intrigue.
But yeah, I would also love to see a deeper look into some of the backstory, Vander and Silco being top of the list.
I can answer all your questions huehue freeby is that hexcrystals are mined in the deserts of Shurima
Ahh! I did not hesitate to click the moment I saw this!!!!
Btw, in LOL lore, the technology fueled with Shimmer & other chemicals is called 'chemtech'. :)
16:33 does anyone know the title of the song
It's Gatekeeper by Torii Wolf. It's available for use in creative content through Epidemic sound (www.epidemicsound.com/referral/nqluot), but I think you can also find her on Spotify and such
@@CloudKitten thank you♡
Hey there you!!!
I'm alive! I was just hibernating for the winter
Maybe I don't quite understand what worldbuilding is because I see nothing but worldbuilding in Arcane. It just lacks explanation and drops you smack dab in the middle of the unusual.
Hence the wording "neglectful worldbuilding" because I used to believe that providing no explanation and hand-waving away even the most basic questions was a form of flawed worldbuilding. But the ultimate conclusion of this video is that I was wrong, and there can be power and purpose in skipping worldbuilding steps that writers (myself included) traditionally see as essential.
The wording of the title is a bit extreme, but alas that is what the algorithm and human nature demand.
The world Acane really created isn’t neglectful, they have a whole universe page, with a map, their characters and world presented on it. The story of Arcane is then written around the characters that lives in it, acknowledging the existence of that world they created.
This isn't an analysis of the lore of an entire fictional universe in all its formats, but rather, the singular piece of media that is Arcane. The show is made to stand on its own and thus, its fair to analyze it without factoring in external sources of world building information. And so, when I say "Arcane Neglects Worldbuilding" in the title, I am referring to the way ARCANE conveys worldbuilding information to the audience of the show.
Also you may want to watch the video, because my entire point is that the show is expertly written and that information traditionally conveyed via worldbuilding is actually being incorporated into character building in an incredibly artful way.
p̴r̴o̴m̴o̴s̴m̴ 😩
These are basic elements of worldbuilding VIA storytelling. Writers should know this stuff. Arcane's far from original in this approach. Worldbuilders - people who focus on worldbuilding as an element separate from story - might find this revelatory.
This video isn't about Arcane being the only story to use worldbuilding as metaphor for story elements (which I still think is less common than you think it is), but rather, how it leaves portions of the worldbuilding blank as a method of enhancing the story and the link between two. This is about the use of negative space within worldbuilding as a method of enhancing the elements that truly matter to this particular story.
Even die hard fans will warn you DONT PLAY THE GAME BEFORE WATCHING THE SHOW!
fans of the game* lol
This is really great to know. I'd wondered but was worried going down that research rabbit-hole would give me too much game-lore context and I'd like to stay in the dark as long as possible.
Neglectful worldbuilding? Are you sure this is a good word for it? It actually shows everything you need to know exactly when you need it without spoon feeding boring exposition. Show don't tell at it's finest. Writers and artists must have spend countless hours refining every subtle detail through subtext, as well as visual and environmental storytelling. It's incredibly hard to pull off something like that. Calling it neglectful seam really inappropriate, because it's literally anything but.
Did you watch the video?
@@CloudKitten yes. According to your conclusion, Arcane leaving bits and pieces of worldbuilding unexplained in order to focus on characters, however it only partially true. Piltover and Zaun are characters on their own with very distinctive personalities and style. Most of your questions have perfectly adequate answers within the show and expanded on in the lore of LoL.
For example, how the magic works and where it comes from? Explanation from the show: it is a sentient force of nature speaking through people with arcane talents, allowing them cast spells in exchange for sacrifice (magic crystal or blood) and driving them crazy by always demanding more and more. Spells are cast by summoning runes in specific order. How do we know that? Because a) Heimerdinger literally explaining it on two separate occasions, b) we see mage performing teleportation spell using crystal, c) we see Victor performing transformation spell using hexcore and blood sacrifice (his own blood pumped with shimmer and poor dear Sky). We also hear two separate characters telling magic caused endless wars and brought destruction of their worlds, and it drove our boy Viktor to edge of suicide.
What are those magic crystals? Explanation from the show: it's unstable volatile power source used by mages and hextech to cast spells. To be fare it's not much, but it's enough to follow the story. Also for fans of LoL crystals come with meta context, because there is entire story about them in the lore. How do we know that? Because Jayce literally explains it on two different occasions, and we see mage and hextech performing spells with it many times.
Where Jayce got those crystals? Explanation from the show: he bought all his illegal equipment from shady merchants in undercity. How do we know that? Because Ekko and the gang mentioning it at the very first episode, because Jayce telling it to Caitlyn at his very first scene. And again for fans of LoL there is meta context about who that merchant might be and where he got those crystals.
What is the green stuff powering hoverboards and other machinery? Explanation from the show: it basically local version of petroleum called chemtech. It's a liquid flammable power source, distributed by chem barons. How do we know that? It mentioned by Council member, and we can see this stuff powering various machinery in undercity, and we see it caching fire at the end of third episode. Those guys Silco poisoning with gas.. they are chem barons, and they worried not about shimmer getting stuck at the border, they worried about chemtech, because it sold even overseas and happened to be their main source of income.
How does hexgates work? Explanation from the show: it's recreated teleportation spell Jayce witnessed as a child. Instead of mage scribing the runes, special flip-flop machine making right combination of runes around the crystal, which activated by high frequency resonance. How do we know that? Because Jayce and Victor explaining it out loud and then doing it on camera :)
The same can be said about every other aspect of worldbuilding from history to inhabitant races, from geography to justice system. Details are not cut off at all, they just delivered in subtle and elegant way. If you want answers, you can watch closely and see it all, or just focus on a story and let your subconsciousness absorb it automatically.
First?
First.
The color is magenta IMO. I gave up on this 15 mins in because it was too much kid crying crap. Maybe I will give it another chance. Nice video.
The color violet IS traditionally more purple, but I think the important thing here is that Violet's hair color closely matches the shimmer color in most scenes it's portrayed in. I went with the term "violet" because i think it's pretty clear she was named that for her hair color, palette arguments asside. (Note: "Vi" is a nickame, the height markers on the wall of their destroyed home in the undercity say "Violet", showing that's her full name. Likewise "Powder" is likely short for powder blue which is a shade of light blue).
Ps: Powder is only a kid for the first 3 episodes, so if you give it another go that's something to keep in mind. And I'll be honest, the first 15 minutes I was also feeling somewhat meh on the story concept, but by episode 3 it was my absolute favorite show. Take that for that it's worth.
PPS: the first time I read this I thought "gave up on this" was referring to this video and I was like "15 minutes? Damn you were basically at the outro. Also what kids? My cats weren't even screaming in this one." 💀
You haven’t really done any research on this.
This is a video about the tv series that is Arcane. Not the extended universe and all its lore. I have done all the research I need to in order to examine this piece of media within the stand-alone context the creators are aiming for. Arcane wasn't made to be supplemental to a game or wiki (this isn't some intro cinematic), but rather to be enjoyed and appreciated as an independent art-piece that it is.