Xayah and Rakan and Representation
Whoa, hey, another post representation-related made by me, the guy that gets hundred of downvotes every time I bring this shit up. Well, I ain't stopping.
Anyway, I have nothing against the new champions. It's why the post isn't labeled "FUCK XAYAH AND RAKAN" because I like them, they're cool. What's not cool is the situation surrounding them.
The post I linked (http://aqa473.tumblr.com/post/159206238919/oh-look-itsme-aqa473-oh-look-itsme-tbh-i) and the post that is linked in that cover what I have to say about this topic. I use tumblr as a sounding board for this type of stuff but I think it's important for the League community and Rioters to see. I couldn't find any posts here already discussing it so I'm opening the conversation.
Something I find funny is the alarming lack of posts saying "Why do we have characters flaunting their sexuality?" "Why is Rakan so aggressive in his flirts?" "We don't need sexualities shoved down our throats; this is a video game!" Because, y'know, everytime we talk about queer characters, everyone says that kind of shit. Why is their sexuality important? Why do we need to know about something unrelated to gameplay? Why can't we just shoot people in the face instead of being worried about where they stick it?
Double standards. Yep. But that's not why this post is here, just partially. I mean, it's part of the same issue. The former part of the issue is related to the community, while the latter and more egregious part of the issue is related to the company, Riot.
These aren't the first confirmed straight characters, it's just directly tied into their designs. The last time this happened was with Kindred, but you could sweep that under the table with the "Life vs Death" argument. This time, at least one of the characters is aggressively flirtatious and sexual. Which is fine. If I'm going to demand queer representation, I need to support and celebrate any kind of sexual expression outside of hyper-sexualized female characters (that argument's been beaten to death). So that's very cool. Go be super sexual and hit on all the ladies and hold your woman as you ascend to the fountain. Awesome.
There's just some hypocrisy at play here. Everything else I have to say is said in the post I linked and I don't feel like repeating myself. But if you don't trust tumblr, here's the short version:
Riot said they want to introduce queer characters, but don't want to enter the development for that character with "This champion needs to be gay!" in mind. But they have done just that with a straight character (I'm not including Xayah because I know people will get super technical with me). This happening isn't a bad thing, it just comes off as hypocritical to me.
Now downvote me and berate away. But I do welcome any civil discourse.
Btw, I understand that these characters could totally have been developed in a different way, that maybe their sexualities come about organically and not on the outset of their design, but that's just what it looks like from where I'm at. If you prove me wrong, I'll accept your judgment and move on.
UPDATE APRIL 10, 2017 One, I've now played the characters extensively and discovered that they are dating and thus are obviously attracted to the opposite sex and have it built into their designs. What I stated above still stands. Two, it seems people are having discussions below that don't belong on this thread. This post is not about whether or not League (or anything else) should have queer representation because Riot said they're already going to do it, kinda the point of my post. This post is also not about whether or not queerness is real. These discussions just show me how ignorant and shut-out most of the League community is. Queerness is not new. It hasn't been new since the dawn of life. Society makes it a bigger deal than it is. I'm making a post like this in hopes of calling attention to people and organizations that continue to live in the dark. I hope and pray for a future where calling out things like this won't be necessary, where the "default" will be diversity and acceptance, but that is not today. We need to keep fighting, keep telling people that we're here and we deserve to be heard as much as the white cis hets of the world (who are actually the minority because most of the world's population is people of color). This isn't the point of this post. Please, if you want to discuss the existence of queerness, take it somewhere else. There are hundreds if not thousands of blogs on the internet discussing just that. My post is not about that. Thank you for your understanding (or failure to do so).
UPDATE APRIL 22, 2017 A little late, but Riot released a behind-the-scenes video about Xayah and Rakan. Yesterday, they released the first of a series detailing the development of a champion, showcasing Jinx. That article revealed that Riot begins development by tossing ideas on a board and seeing what sticks. Through the X&R video, we find that their board-concept was likely "lovers." If you watch the video, it quickly becomes apparent that they were conceived to be a cis man and woman from the beginning, surprising literally no one. I shouldn't have to, but I will reiterate that this isn't a bad thing. What's bad is that, by entering the development process for Xayah and Rakan knowing they would be straight, Riot is being hypocritical and/or holding double-standards. I was working off the assumption earlier that they had entered development "knowing" the sexualities and genders of the "lovers," now it's confirmed. That's what this update is for. Here's an article covering the same basic argument as my post.
