#and that he's probably the VGU

[piltover-sharpshooter]

//You known, I just noticed that the Arcane version of Singed fits his name much more than the current league version?

Like, clearly his name is a pun right? It implies he got his scars by getting 'Singed', but in league he didn't get those scars by burning, he got them by getting clawed on by Warwick.

Meanwhile in Arcane he got them after his lab exploded, hell it might not even be what his original name was, maybe it's something he named himself after the accident. In the pursuit of science he became Singed.

[meownotgood]

posting tomorrow. 15k words ish. thank u

anyway before I drop 12k+ words of shameless filthy porn that was made exclusively to appeal to me with my tastes in mind. you guys are hearing me out on him right. RIGHT

[arowyn-m]

In light of the VGU leaks I’m posting the concept art for S2 Viktor from Bridging the Rift, mainly because it seems like there’s a lot of worried rumors online about Riot taking a completely different approach to Viktor’s design—making him either Hexcore-corrupted or Void-related instead of mechanical—but also because we probably have people new to the fandom that never saw it when it was circulating last year :)

⚠️‼️Blurred concept art under the cut⚠️‼️

Viktor’s Machine Herald form in a character lineup—he looks like over 7 feet tall (213 cm)

Looks like Viktor gets a mechanical arm in S2 further reflecting his lore. I wonder when this will happen considering Viktor’s arm either looks fine or Hexcore-corrupted in the teaser.

These images are cool but there’s a solid chance they’ve since been tweaked or completely reworked for season 2.

The thing that really gives me pause is the fact that Ekko’s silhouette looks much closer to his in-game design. That may be because they still plan to give Ekko his mohawk by the end of S2, but idk.

[derpydoteddrake]

Why s2 will set viktor up as the future main antagonists for piltover and zaun after arcane.

(this is less of a thematic analysis and more of a meta one about the marketing and worldbuilding they did so far and probably do in the future. no le*ks)

First, let's ask the question, why is arcane canon? yes money but beyond that looking at where s1 left the characters off, it was quite oblivious if they only wanted 1 more season (which they said even after s1 came out), they can not finish every ones story properly.

They got to pick between letting it stay unfinished, more seasons, or making it canon so they can get back to it later.

And we know which they picked.

They wanted to use their popular show to function as an entry point for this universe/brand.

And this is the second important question to note: what's arcanes purpose?

Yes to be a good show, but let's not be naive, they want to sell you their universe, they want you to play the games and watch the shows and read their books.

So s2 will end with a hook. The storie of the 2 sisters may be over for now, but they want u to come back, so some tangible conflict for the future will be set up.

And we know that they already using arcane to set up future major players in the universe.

But then why cant ambessa fill that role for the future? they pushing her so hard.

Well, the book summary kinda gives it away.

After arcane she wont gonna stay as key player in pnz, she will be a key player in noxus, as an adversary for swain.

So who or what could work as setted up future antagonist, someone who commands enough power to be a real threat for the cities?

Silco - is dead

Warwick - dangerous but couldn't bend an entire city

Singed - he doesn't organise people in a way that would be a problem

Jinx - by the end of the show her story is probably finished for a while

Ambessa - the conflict with her is also finished for at least while

other then them pnz had prominent antagonists before like Renata Urgot or Camille, but with the rewrites they not only exist in a limbo, but if they goal with arcane is to bring in new fans, they would use an existing character in the show to fill that role.

and even though I think noxus will be presented as a continuous threat, (even in the previous lore it said noxus wanted to take over piltover and it even had a strong relationship with zaun but) the main one will be something else to switch things up.

So we are left with one glorious man who is the best candidate for the job.

Not only it wouldn't make sense for his story to conclude yet since even in s1 it was oblivious his story is only beginning, but it would make a lot of sense if they spend the series setting up the next big villain, in a way casual watchers didn't even realize.

It looks like they going strong with the cultist angel which means:

he has a considerable amount of manpower he can command

by himself he is capable of magic

and it is very likely when he changes people's bodies he will have some control over them.

Which means he will most likely end up in the perfect position to take over this role, the marketing and release dates also seems to be align with this.

First they teased the main villain for the series with her release to properly build up hype.

But I suspect when the show kicks into full gear they will switch their markething around and promote the 3 main women and thats when most likely they legendaries drop.

legends of runaterra pretty much confirmed this. They using Ambessa to promote the beginning of the series release (prologue), we have a middle that will most likely feature most prominently jinx, vi and caitlin, and then an epilogue that sets up future things.

The same way they wanted to drop Ambessa everywhere in a relatively short time frame, we could expect the same treatment for the Viktor vgu next month, which would align with the epilogue celebration in december.

Which will most likely feature jayce and viktor. Not only they have been absent from the promotion so far, they will both receive confirmed legendaries, and the hex cores present is continuously alluded to in marketing.

I believe this indicates that they have big plans for them, and in a way that will be a surprise for both newcomers and old fans, this is why they are so secretive about them.

And thats because the 3. act and the epilogue of arcane will set viktor up as the next main antagonist of pnz.

[bringthekaos]

"And as for the solution to this? I think it’s to have less armor, and have the metal be a more obvious part of him. " YES YES MAKE HIM NAKEY LMAOO

Ok but for Real, Machine Herald really suffers from "2011 league champ design" syndrome. Is important to note that at that point they didn't even had a proper narrative team or cohesive lore direction, and they were just starting to build the world of Runaterra and the aesthetics associated with each region

That being said, they do (very slowly) update old champions under new standards, this is called a VGU or VU, and the results have always been fantastic (look up vgus for Volibear, Yorick, Fiddlesticks, Warwick and even Cait), and I can't wait to know what they will do with Viktor... eventually. There are some Champs that are in far more need that him

Yessssss, Viktor being *technically* naked would be so hype. Like… the armor IS HIM and he is the armor. He could probably move shit around, slim things down when he requires stealth. But it would be awesome if he just… doesn’t feel the need to put clothes on. His build is perfect, the mechanized form that it is. Why bother hiding it under something purely for cosmetic reasons? (Which is actually a decent argument for why should anyone wear clothes, and I think that’s kinda hilarious. Viktor=accidental nudism spokesman).

Also ooooooo yes those VGU are pretty great! And I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason they’re not/haven’t given Viktor an update in the last 5 years… is because they’re saving it to make it match Arcane; either by giving him an Arcane skin, or straight up changing his main look (kinda don’t want that?? Like I want him to be updated, but… I have a fondness for his outdated look, and I think it should still be an option. Like call it a legacy skin or something, rather than wiping it out entirely).

But either way… I want him to be spooky. I want him to be terrifying. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if Arcane MH doesn’t trigger my inner monster fucker, I don’t want it 🤣

[i-suck-but-i-love-league-anyway]

Zeri is my main of course but one of the only other champs i play is victor, hes my boy and i love his playstyle even if im not as good at it as i wish i was.

So this surprise vgu hes probably getting . . .

Lets just say i hope its in my favour and pls riot, dont make him to twinky.

Also frightnight skin when?

[scarlet-moonlight]

Okay thoughts on the new Fright Night skins (I would usually just reblog the splash arts once they come out but I just have way too many thoughts about them and i don't want too much)

First off, I thought this was just gonna be a filler skinline like last time so I’m surprised that its actually the worlds event this year! I guess it did well enough last time that Riot thought its okay to bring it back.

Viegar-Veigar already had a legendary but it’s been 10 years since Battle Boss so I think it’s okay compared to other champions who had multiple legendaries, you go short king

Zeri-Zeri had a problem with getting put into skins that dont fit her (Why did she get Immortal Journey last year instead of Street Demon idk, to make matters worse some of her WR exclusive skins did a better job at making skins that suit her like Chromacrash) so I was kinda worried when I saw the leak, but they actually did it really well! Using her electricity as a frankenstein/mad scientist is just really fun and it's probably my favorite just based on creativity (Though the prestige one just looks like a True Damage Ekko with pigtails)

Pyke-He has the same problem with Zeri, I don't know what he's supposed to be here? I'm assuming he's going to be like a Ghostface serial killer type but Draven literally did just that? Maybe cause it's just a preview but I'm not feeling this one

Nunu-I also didn't feel this one until i found out that Wilump has a bed on his back where Nunu sits on him, so he's quite literally, a "monster under the bed", which is AWESOME and makes me appreciate it a lot more. I guess the snowball which I thought was paper is more like scrapped together pillows? Also they're just so cute, Wilump kinda gives me cheshire cat vibes too

Shaco-Is it just me or do I feel like Shaco has been getting a lot recently? Like Winterblessed/Soul Fighter+Prestige and now this in the span of two years (Is this a sign that he's getting a vgu riot/hj) but I also looks kinda boring because he's already kinda halloween themed and also his model is just too clunky. I don't know if its because of how the video was cut off in the preview, but what was that jumpscare in the recall?

I think my favorites are Zeri and Nunu, I wanted Gwen to be in this skinline instead of Battle Queen tho its so much better :/ I don't think they hit as hard as the original line but Nunu and Zeri are really good skins for now

[nadia-cannot-think-straight]

They said that Arcane champion is getting a VGU which is either him or Singed.

They also worded it a bit weird, like they said that we get Arcane VGU early 2025 (because spoilers), then they say that VGU comes alongside Ambessa, which they specified comes out this year.

Also in this part of dev blog they say "an in game change to a beloved arcane champion" like come on

In an ideal scenario Singed gets a rework (holy fuck he needs it) and Viktor gets an ASU (holy fuck he also needs it) but really at this moment i have no idea who is getting what. But i think it's fair to say that 100% Viktor is getting something. I've talked about it before but:

-Singed may be older than Viktor but at the very least he got that model update in 2014. Viktor looks exactly the same as he launched back in december 2011.

-He has very little skins, only 6 in fact, while Singed has 11. And he didn't get any in 2023 which is weird considering how popular he have gotten, like this is riot company we are talking about, aint no fucking way they would not capitalise on it

-Viktor's passive has a huge potential, and could use some visual improvement. Something like Kayle, Viktor evolves through out the game, just instead of leveling up you augment your abilities. I was working once on fan Viktor redesign, and honestly it just kinda feels like an obvious idea. You augment q? Viktor gets taller (because now his q gives him speed buff). You augment e? Now he gets a second laser. And at the end of the game you get a cool terminator science mage cyborg. To be fair i don't know if this amount of changes could be covered by ASU, it's really hard to tell.

-One of the rioters already said that they are changing Viktor due to Arcane retcon regardles, bur they can't talk about because of spoilers. He also said something about keeping his champion indetity despite changes blah blah that sounds like a rework talk actually, like that's the words they used to decribe Udyr or Shyvana's VGU.

-He still isn't in Wild Rift also, while Singed is, i guess that also influences this stuff a lot.

There's probably more that i am just forgetting.

Also i should mention that Singed probably needs this rework more. He's still much longer in the game, his thematic disconection between lore and gameplay is even worse than Viktor's, apparently his gameplay is toxic af.

I really wish Singed VGU and Viktor ASU becomes real man. I think it would also make sense, like they are going to probably spend more time together next season, teacher and student and stuff, they deserve it, and i love them both.

I AM ACTUALLY GOING CRAZY AMBESSA AS A CHAMPION FUCKING AMBESSA YOU KNOW HOW HAPOY IT MAKES ME LIKE AAAAAAAAAGH YES YES YESSSS AND ALSO FUXKING WARWICK TEASER WARWICK HE'S HERE HESE HEREEEEEE FUCKING SINGED SINGED SINGED SINGED SINGED HE LOOKS SO FUCKED UP I LOVE IT I MISSED THEM ALSO ARCANE INSPIRED VISUAL CHANGES????? MY COPIUM OVERDOSE BECAME TRUE????? ARCANE VIKTOR REDESIGN REAL???? YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY IT MAKES ME??? WHAT THE FUXK WHAT THE FUXK HWATVTHE FUCKA AAAAAAa

[video-game-universe-smash-bros]

Video Game Universe: Lion (G&W)

Video Game Universe: Season 1 Episode 7: Lion (G&W)

Welcome back to Video Game Universe. In this episode we will look at a game that does the roar

Lion (G&W)

In typical VGU fashion let’s look at the manual

The Manual

“In this game, two lions appear in the cage. They try to escape through one of the 6 exits. Zoo Keepers run back and forth with a chair trying to prevent their escape.”- The Manual

Game A and B are basically the same so on to the events.

The Events

Not really a lot happens other than two zoo keepers one of them being Mr. Game & Watch  (Mr.ゲーム＆ウォッチ) .

https://youtu.be/XPjHgXeZ-4c

My Interpretation

So clearly who is the other zoo keeper. I probably think that this other Zoo keeper is Stanley (スタンリー) from Greenhouse and Donkey Kong 3. He and Mr. Game & Watch  (Mr.ゲーム＆ウォッチ) meet during the events of this game and then worked together in the greenhouse. What about the Lions featured in the game where have they come from? I also assume that they were from the same island featured in Mario’s Bombs Away aka Kong Island (DKアイランド).

World Building

It is clear that in the Smash universe Zoos commonly found. People go there to see various animals. Just like in the real world.

Timeline Placement

Between the events Mario’s Bombs Away and Mario’s Cement Factory. 

The Baby Mario Era

1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (Super Nintendo)

2. Modern Vermin (GBC)

3. Yoshi’s Story (Nintendo 64)

The Odd Jobs Era

4. Mario’s Bombs Away (G&W)

5. Lion (G&W)

6. Mario’s Cement Factory (G&W)

7. Wrecking Crew (NES)

8. Vermin (G&W)

9. Greenhouse (G&W)

10. Helmet (G&W)

Donkey Kong Sr.’s Rampage

11. Donkey Kong Circus (G&W)

12. Donkey Kong Hockey (G&W)

13. Donkey Kong 3 (Arcade)

14. Fire (G&W)

15. Manhole (G&W)

16. Donkey Kong (Arcade)

17. Donkey Kong Jr. (Arcade)

18. Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES)

19. Donkey Kong ‘94 (Game Boy)

Donkey Kong Sr.-Koopa War Interlude

20. Mario Bros. (G&W)

21. Mario Bros. (Arcade)

The Koopa War

22. Super Mario Bros. (NES)

23. Super Mario Bros. (G&W)

24. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

25. Super Mario World (Super Nintendo)

26. Wrecking Crew ‘98 (Super Nintendo)

27. Yoshi (Game Boy)

28. Yoshi’s Cookie (NES)

29. Yoshi’s Safari (Super Nintendo)

30. Modern Oil Panic (Game Boy)

31. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)

32. Mario Clash (Virtual Boy)

33. Modern Parachute (Game Boy)

34. Modern Helmet (Game Boy)

35. Super Mario RPG (Super Nintendo)

The Koopa War (Alt.)

22a. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES)

The Post Koopa War Era

36. Modern Donkey Kong (GBC) 

37. Modern Octopus (Game Boy)

38. Ball (G&W)

39. Mario the Juggler (G&W)

40. Flagman (G&W)

41. Judge (G&W)

The Pre Banana War Era

42.  Modern Manhole (Game Boy)

43. Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo)

44. Famicom Grand Prix (NES)

45. Famicom Grand Prix II (NES)

The Banana War

46. Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo)

47. Donkey Kong Land (Game Boy)

48. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest (Super Nintendo)

49. Donkey Kong Land 2 (Game Boy)

50. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble (Super Nintendo)

51. Donkey Kong Land 3 (GBC)

The Post Banana War Era

52. Modern Chef (Game Boy)

53. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

54. Super Mario Bros. 3 (Stage Play)

55. Super Mario 64 (Movie)

56. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)

57. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)

58. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy)

59. Wario Land II (GBC)

60. Mario & Wario (Super Nintendo)

61. Wario’s Woods (NES)

62. Virtual Boy Wario Land (Virtual Boy)

63. Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)

64. Modern Ball (GBC)

65. Dr.Mario (NES)

66. Pac-Man (Arcade)

Next Time

Get ready for battle becuase the next episode is Parachute (G&W)

[infinite-xerath]

Runeterra Retcons 4: Varus

Unlike the other Champions I’ve covered, Varus’s history is surprisingly straightforward. He was released all the way back in 2012 and, as far as I can recall, was the first Champion to ever receive any sort of major promotional material in the form of a short comic. He’s very straight-forward in both concept and design: a man willing to sell his soul, his very humanity, for revenge on the people who took everything from him. Given that this was before Kalista was added to the game, Varus had little choice but take matters into his own hands by bargaining with a vaguely-defined Eldritch being who would give him the power he needed in exchanged for taking over his body.

Original lore here

Varus’s lore is a very traditional revenge story, albeit with a slightly interesting twist in that he is the maker of his own tragedy. Varus opted to place his duty over the well-being of family and, in the process, was unable to even TRY to protect them while his village was being reduced to burning rubble. Out of grief and rage Varus turned to bargaining with the very entity he fought so hard to keep confined now that he no longer has anything to lose.

I and many others liked Varus’s story, and to be honest, Riot could have honestly just kept him more-or-less the same when they updated him post-retcon. Just remove the mention of the League and maybe better-define what the black flames were, and you’d be good. In fact, Riot technically did the former, as his second lore is basically identical save for removing any mention of the League of Legends.

Now, it’s at this point that things start to get a little more complicated. Now, if you want a more comprehensive breakdown of the Darkin and their history, I advise you go check out the part centered around Aatrox and his long and convoluted history, but tldr: the Darkin were a race of beings of whom only five remained, and it was later confirmed with Rhaast that they’re specifically a race of living weapons with the ability to possess whoever wields them. Now, while Varus was specifically possessed by an ominous black flame called Pallas, many drew parallels between him and the other Darkin characters, especially since Varus’s also seemed to be alive.

Given that the flames were never really elaborated on or given a proper origin story, Riot decided that it would probably be best to just go ahead and retcon Varus into being a Darkin as well, and nobody had any real qualms with this. It was a common fan theory for years, so why not? Just change the story a bit so that the flames were actually just a Darkin bow all along and boom, you’ve pretty-much done all you needed to properly fit Varus into the new post-reboot Runeterra.

Well, apparently Riot did not feel this way, as it was with Varus’s 2017 retcon that they decided to finally give fans a proper origin story for who and what the Darkin were. That origin story goes a little something like this.

Alright, so Varus is now an alien. They decided to make Varus himself the Darkin, rather than the man who would later claim the bow. OK, that’s fine. I mean, the whole alien thing is kinda weird and still very vaguely explained, but again, my full thoughts on the history of the Darkin as a whole can be seen in the Aatrox analysis. What I think is most important here is that Riot made an attempt, however sloppy, to explain who and what the Darkin were and finally give context to why Aatrox and Rhaast are such big threats to the world.

Now, it’s the next change that got a lot of controversy around it. Rather than just change the name of the Ionian guard who let Varus possess him, the guy who lost his family to the Noxian invasion, Riot decided to replace him with a pair of entirely new characters: Valmar and Kai, a duo of gay Ionian hunters.

Now, I’m just gonna get this out of the way: I’ve got no real qualms about gay relationships in media. Hell, we have a few LGBT Champions in the game already, and even some in the broader expanse of the world. My main gripe comes from the introduction of Valmar and Kai themselves, and how they’re just sort of these… Nothing characters. I mean, in the first lore, we knew who Varus was. We may not have known him well, but we could at least get a general sense of his character: he was proud of his skill, committed to the duty given to him even at the risk of his family, but ultimately succumbed to grief and rage when his decision caused him to lose everything he held dear. Varus was a good man warped by the loss of his home and loved ones, and that made him a fairly compelling character.

Valmar and Kai are… Two gay hunters. That’s it. That’s literally all we know about them from the bio alone. I mean, yes, Riot released a comic to further expand on these characters, but if your answer to the questions raised in your story are “go and read this extra supplementary material for context,” that’s… A problem.

On the topic of supplementary material, Riot also released a music video about Varus. It’s… OK. I personally don’t care much for the song but the visuals alone are really well-done. It’s supposed to detail the conflict between Valmar, Kai and Varus, but most of the context behind it is explained in the comic and short story.

Honestly, Varus’s retcon is kind of baffling. I mean, he didn’t receive a visual rework, his kit remained pretty-much the same as it’s always been, and he doesn’t even have any new voice lines in-game to indicate that he’s three different guys all stuck in one body. In fact, people who play him in-game without reading the lore probably wouldn’t ever be able to guess as much. Riot went to so much effort promoting Varus’s lore update with a music video, a new bio, a new color story, and a three-part comic, but they really haven’t changed anything about him in the game itself. They put more effort into him than they do for most ACTUAL Champion VGU’s. So… Why?

Admittedly, this is where I’m going to delve a bit into conspiracy theory territory, but I genuinely believe this is a case of Riot trying to push League’s first openly queer relationship. Seriously, Valmar and Kai are the first time a character in League has been confirmed gay IN THE LORE ITSELF and not just through a random tweet. Now, the word “pandering” gets thrown around a lot these days, and I don’t really like to use it, but it really does feel like Valmar and Kai were added JUST to have a confirmed gay couple in the lore.

The fact that they’re not even acknowledged IN THE GAME ITSELF really makes the whole thing feel like an attempt to just appeal to the LGBT crowd, though I’ve seen plenty of people in that community react… Less than positively to the portrayal. I mean, two gay guys are literally trying to hold back a corruptive, even influence with the power of love. I don’t wanna delve too much into the political side of things here, but that’s honestly about as cliché and stereotypical as you can get. Fans in general were extremely displeased that the man they knew as Varus, this genuinely tragic figure from the original lore, was replaced by two guys who’s only defining character trait is how much they apparently love each other.

Apparently, these complaints came through loud and clear, as Riot would update Varus one final time after deciding to retcon the whole alien plotline. So, let’s have a look at how his current, canon bio handles him.

Alright, well… Riot heard the complaints, but whether or not they fixed him is another matter. It seems like they tried to give Varus back his original origin story, basically making the archer we new from his first bio Shuriman. The problem is that there’s significantly less context for him now; we don’t know anything about his family, we don’t know why the temple he’s guarding is so important, and the story never even explicitly states that his family died!

I guess it’s implied because the Ascended acknowledged his “sacrifice,” though him being rewarded by becoming a demigod doesn’t quite have the same impact as exchanging his life and soul for a shot at revenge. On top of that, Varus seems pretty quick to give up on the whole “sacred duty” thing, despite the story claiming that being the thing he “he held above all else.” It all feels like a botched effort to mix his original bio with the new Ascended lore that Riot tied in with the Darkin.

Then, of course, there’s Valmar and Kai, who are… Still just gay hunters. They haven’t been expanded on at all. They helped drive the Noxians off from their home, Kai was apparently wounded, and Valmar decides that dipping his lover in an ominous pool of evil to save his life is a bad idea. Seriously, the bio states that they “inadvertently” freed Varus, but there was nothing accidental about it! There was no bargain, they weren’t tricked, it was literally just one guy making a stupid decision that got him fused with his lover and an ancient evil being.

Also, can we address the fact that Varus still wants to avenge the destruction of his race? Who does he want to avenge? The other Ascended? The Ascended who literally warred with each other for centuries? The same Ascended that HE FOUGHT AGAINST during the civil war for control of Shurima? Did Riot just… Forget that he’s not an alien anymore in that brief paragraph? They stated earlier that he was a cruel, merciless killer who just went to slaughter whoever he was told to slaughter, so for some reason I don’t feel like he’d care all that much about his “race” being felled. Oh, and there’s also still the unnamed warrior queen, who I THINK is meant to be a precious Aspect of the Sun? It’s never really stated in the bio itself.

Alright, enough ranting. Varus’s current lore suffers from one major fault: it is trying way too hard to tell several stories all at once. It tells the story of Varus as a human, Varus as an Ascended, Varus as a Darkin, the “story” of Valmar and Kai, and how they got fused with Varus. The writers tried way too hard to cram everything into a single bio and, as a result, nothing is elaborated on. Nothing is really explained, we don’t get to know the characters who are involved in the gestalt entities now known as Varus, and reason for his current existence AS a gestalt entity are just kinda silly, if we’re being honest.

So, how can we fix this? I admit: this was a tough one. There were a lot of different directions I could go when rewriting Varus’s lore, but I decided to take the Kayn approach, where the human host in the focus of the bio. Originally, I did have a whole bio written out for Varus and how he became an Ascendant, but I ultimately realized that I was going to run into the same issue Riot did: trying to cram way too much into a single character overview. So, instead, I chose to focus in more on the story of Valmar and Kai, and how the Darkin Bow was freed after ages of confinement. Without any further ado, please enjoy.

For years, the Darkin Bow has remained confined within the Ionian city of Pallas. The bow’s true nature has long been lost to time, though legends say it holds the spirit of an ancient god from a vast desert land. Others claim that the bow itself is something much older and viler than history itself dares to remember. Whatever the truth may be, the people have Pallas have guarded the bow for generations, choosing only their most skilled warriors from the task. Among them, none seemed better-suited for the task than Kai and Valmar.

Kai and Valmar were inseparable since they were children. Kai, a prodigy marksman, was known for his sense of humor and fierce resolve. Though infamous for his pranks, Kai would never hesitate to step in and defend someone in need, no matter how poorly the odds stood in his favor. By contrast, Valmar had trained in the ways of swordsmanship since he was old enough to grip a blade. Diligent and studious, Valmar was what many considered a model samurai in the making, yet he was also unendingly curious about the world and the many wonders it held.

At a glance, Kai and Valmar seemed near-total opposites, yet the two formed an unbreakable bond from the day they met. Kai would often accompany Valmar to explore the surrounding wilderness, only for Valmar to shelter Kai whenever one of his pranks went awry. As each boy matured, mastering the bow and blade respectively, their bond became something deeper than simple friendship. Valmar was a part of Kai, and Kai a part of Valmar. Neither was complete without the other, and so it came as little surprise that when Valmar was chosen to guard the Temple of the Bow, Kai soon followed.

Together, Valmar and Kai drove off many would-be thieves seeking to claim the cursed weapon’s power as their own. The two fought as one, each arrow from Kai’s bow in perfect sync with every swing of Valmar’s blade. Eventually, they came to be known as the Locust and Mantis, for the whirring of Kai’s arrows and the elegance of Valmar’s blade. It was believed that none could stand up to their combined might… Until the Noxians came.

From their post at the temple, Valmar and Kai watched in horror as the invaders stormed their home, setting fires and killing anyone who dared to stand in their way. For the first time, two warriors found themselves at odds; Kai wished to help defend the people of Pallas, but Valmar insisted on protecting the temple. In the end, neither had much choice in the matter, for the Noxians soon had them cornered on the temple steps.

Valmar and Kai fought for hours, their combined might slowly waning against the invaders’ onslaught. Kai’s strength was the first to give out, yet before death could reach him, Valmar stepped in the way to shield his partner from the blow of a Noxian axe. Kai watched in horror as Valmar fell to the ground, lifeless. Enraged, Kai fired all the arrows he had left before taking up Valmar’s sword, slaying the Noxian forces assaulting the temple. Even still, he knew it would not be long before more came, seeking to claim the forbidden bow.

In that moment, Kai heard a voice calling to him from within the temple. It promised him vengeance and the strength to fight back. Driven by rage and grief, the wounded archer let the voice guide him inside, just as more Noxian invaders began their ascent up the temple’s stairs. It was there, in the darkness, that Kai at last set eyes upon the cursed weapon he and Valmar spent years protecting: a bow thrumming with unearthly power. Kai hesitated for only a moment before grasping the bow, letting its power wash over him.

Kai’s mind was filled with images and thoughts not his own: a vast desert empire, a man made a god, betrayal, war, and finally, imprisonment. These were the memories of Varus, an Ascended being who devoted his life to serving Shurima, only to be abandoned in his time of need. His bitterness and hatred had summoned the Darkin Bow, granting Varus the opportunity to seek revenge on those who had wronged him. In the end, Varus was sealed within the bow, becoming one with it… And now, he would become one with Kai as well.

As Varus’s memories filled Kai’s mind, the Darkin’s power corrupted his body. Varus prepared to usurp Kai’s form entirely, but to his surprise, the Ionian’s drive for vengeance matched his own. Kai was prepared to give anything to avenge Valmar, his fallen half, yet he would do so with his own hands rather than entrust the task to a fallen god.

Even as their minds fought, the archers’ new, fused body moved on pure instinct. One by one, the Noxian forces in Pallas were felled by crimson arrows born of pure malice. Seeing the corpses of his kinsmen and the ruins of his home only fueled Kai’s rage, which in-turn empowered the Darkin in his grasp. Finally, the two archers came to an agreement as the Noxians fled: Varus would lend Kai his strength, in exchange for the Ionian’s body once Kai’s vengeance was complete.

Now on borrowed time, Kai has but one objective: to find and kill everyone he holds responsible for the destruction of his home and the death of his partner. To Varus, however, the destruction of Noxus is but the first step toward a much larger goal: revenge against the gods who betrayed him, and the world that sealed him away…

So, that’s my take on Varus’s lore. Now, the first thing you’ll probably notice is that I only have one of the lovers being possessed. Frankly, I felt that this was probably the best direction to go with; Riot still hasn’t updated Varus in any meaningful way to include Valmar and Kai in any of his voice lines, and something tells me that, being owned by a certain Chinese company, they probably never will. Given the circumstances, I figured it was probably best to give him a backstory more befitting of his in-game voice lines, which still portray Varus as a man on borrowed time who’s giving what little he has left in pursuit of vengeance.

Even so, I decided to try my hand at fleshing out Valmar and Kai. The first thing I did was change them from random hunters to trained soldiers tasked with guarding the temple. This not only harkens back to Varus’s original lore, but it also gives them more of a reason to stand their ground against the Noxian invaders. I also wanted to flesh out their personalities a little more, because I’ll be completely honest: I legitimately couldn’t remember which one was which even after skimming back through the comic. I forgot that Kai was the one who was injured in the original story, not Valmar, but quite frankly it matters so little given how poorly their characters are fleshed out.

Now, as for Varus himself… Well, like I said: I did have a whole bio written out for him that ties into the new Darkin lore I introduced in my Aatrox analysis, but I decided to focus the story more on Valmar and Kai and only have that backstory briefly alluded to. A tad disappointing, I know, but hey, it’s still more than what we learned about Rhaast from Kayn’s bio.

So, that was Varus, the Arrow of Retribution, otherwise known as Riot’s botched attempt at LGBT representation. He’s a far cry from what he started out as, and yet, hilariously, he’s really not on account of them still not updating anything about him in-game. In that respect, the Varus you play as in League isn’t really even the same character(s) presented in the lore. While I still firmly believe that his backstory never needed to be changed so drastically in the first place, I least wanted to present the potential that this direction held, and how badly the opportunity was squandered.

Oh well. At least the music video still looks nice.

[grabthelantern]

Top 5 Thursday: VU Candidates

By Helmight

The Ezreal update might be new, but the concept of visually improving a champion without dramatically changing their gameplay has been around for a long time. Riot used to do a lot of these back in the day, but started moving more towards full VGUs instead of putting out simple VUs.

However, with Ezreal finally getting some new duds and a new W, I think it’s time Riot revisited the concept of VU’s in order to improve some of their uglier - but still salvageable - champions. Today’s Top 5 counts down the champs that could most benefit from an Ezreal-tier visual update.

#5: Blitzcrank

The Great Steam Golem’s model hasn’t seen much change since he was put into the game - and boy does it look like it. An outdated rig, on top of an unpolished model and terrible VO, means that Blitz is a high-tier candidate for an Ezreal-level VU. His gameplay is super solid, so I wouldn’t want to see many changes there, but I think we can all agree that Blitzcrank could use some love.

#4: Jarvan IV

The Exemplar of Demacia has plenty of flashy spells, but his model and animations do a lot to drag him down. He’s incredibly dynamic in-game thanks to his flag-and-drag combo and ultimate shenanigans, but stiff animations and a wonky model really make him feel clunky. An Ezreal-level VU could help polish up the crown prince of Demacia and help him finally come across as the devastating warrior he’s supposed to be.

However, he did recently get new particle effects, so Jarvan is unfortunately low on the VU list. That means he can only take fourth place in today’s article.

#3: Corki

Corki is a bit of a niche character, but a VU would do him wonders. Replacing his old, dated model with a sleek new one could really help Corki feel like the daring fighter pilot he’s supposed to be - especially if it comes with new particle effects and an updated voiceover. It probably won’t help him be more popular, but for those of us who love the Daring Bombardier, it’d be enough.

#2: Miss Fortune

Sarah Fortune has been a highly-requested VU candidate for years now, ever since she started getting showcased in the story. We’ve all realized that badass bounty hunter Miss Fortune is WAY cooler than the generically sexy pirate that we play as in-game, so she’s an obvious choice for an update. Replacing her old model for something closer to Captain Fortune’s appearance would be a good first step, and she could use a couple gameplay tweaks to smooth out her playstyle.

Despite the popularity of a Miss Fortune VU, there’s still one champion who’d benefit from it far more.

#1: Caitlyn

Let’s be honest with ourselves - Caitlyn could look WAY cooler than she does currently. The purple dress, giant tophat, and way too many belts worked back when Cait was released, but she just doesn’t fit in with the current standard of champions now. Updating her to wear something more befitting her position (like this exploration done by IronStylus) would be a huge improvement, as would giving her a new voiceover.

Playstyle-wise, Caitlyn could use some small touchups as well. I’d love to see her embrace her sniper thematic more than she does currently, and I think it’d only take a few tweaks for Riot to get her into that position. Miss Fortune is still a top-tier candidate for an Ezreal-level VU, but you can’t deny that Cait could use one a whole lot more.

Let me know which champions you think need an Ezreal-level VU in the comments, and be sure to like and reblog this post if you enjoyed it!

[piltover-sharpshooter]

//Right after talking with some friends and sitting on it, here are my predictions for Arcane.

The VGU is between Viktor or Singed, and the reason they are being coy about it is because whatever it is might be a massive spoiler for Arcane itself.

The little thing he's holding not only has a picture of his daughter but is also a music box? And Orianna is designed after a dancing clockwork doll? Oh he's so her dad.

Ambessa being the Arcane champion coming probably means she's going to play a larger role in season 2, my bet is that she'll be the main villain, the 'outsider' where both sides might need to unite though I have been wrong about predictions.

Uuuuuh, if Ambessa is the main villain she probably needs a reason to act more aggresively so I absolutely FEAR for Mel's safety lol, her chances of surviving that rocket have gone down HARD.

[soulshepherd]

lmao @ all the people getting salty about varus’ lore because “you’re just taking a character and completely changing his story” like dude. riot’s been updating all their lore with every vgu that comes out, yet keeping the core element of their old character. yorick before the vgu was just an ugly gravedigger. now he’s a gravedigger with a tragic past and a purpose. galio before his vgu was an anti-mage gargoyle and.. that is it. there was nothing else to him. now he’s an anti-mage gargoyle with an extra layer of emotional depth and purpose

varus’ new lore isn’t any different. it’s still a tragedy where in the end the character seeks revenge. the new characters aren’t a nameless family of “wife” and “son”. there honestly wasn’t ever this much outrage for any champ lore update except varus’ and honestly? it’s just because they’re gay characters. except they don’t want to say it’s because they’re gay. and they can’t argue that the romance was “”””shoehorned in”””” like a lot of cishet ppl do because it wasn’t. it’s about two lovers and they just happen to be gay and i bet you if this story was exactly the same except a het romance there wouldn’t be nearly this bad of an outcry, in fact it would probably even be praised.

[fede-lleh]

Since the last year we know that the new top tier candidates for a rework are:

Irelia, Chogath, Pantheon, DR. Mundo, Mordekaiser, Rammus, Nunu, volibear, Shaco, Akali, Morgana, Kayle.

Now Riot August said he come back to the champ team, also than he is going to work in a VGU for a female champ.

We only have 4 ladies in the top tier, they have been working in Irelia already, we have three left. About Kayle and Morgana, they said that Morgana would be the one who need less work so she probably will be last in being picked between the sisters. So based on this, (unless an unexpected candidate has appeared) the next rework is Kayle or Akali.

But there is one last thing that made me belive the chosen would be Kayle, in the rework of swain there one thing than maybe helps them to start with the rework of the angelical sisters: Wings.

Before the month end, a Champion Roadmap will be out, and finally we know the truth.

[askghostcrawler]

“Could you talk about the 6 "Unique Playstyle" champions, that you haven't given a subclass? Cho'Gath, Blitzcrank, Singed, Fiddlesticks, Kennen, Urgot. For what reason specifically can't each of them fit anywhere, while other unique champs can be classified? It's also noticeable how they'll likely all be candidates for VGUs within a few years. While a VGU will preserve what makes them unique, would finding their home among the subclasses be likely too, or at least be something desirable as well? “

“For every champion in the game, name one of its abilities that make the kit. I'll do the first one. For Annie, it's her passive. Your turn :) “

I’ll try to be clever and answer both questions with the same answer. Blitz’s Q defines him so completely that it overwhelms any tank or other aspects that he might have. He feels like he’s in his own subclass - Grabber.

In terms of updates, all the champs mentioned could stand to have some 2017 art. Urgot needs both a gameplay update and a visual update. I don’t personally feel like Singed or Blitz, or probably Fiddle, need much in the way of gameplay. Kennen and Cho are probably somewhere in between.

1/13/2017

[elementroar]

Latest updates on Swain’s VGU - Dev comments on Swain’s age

I know for a lot of Swain-mains and fans, the fact that Swain’s one of the oldest champs in the game since the early days of League of Legends is one of his defining aspects. For some people, it’s one of his biggest draws.

Well turns out the majority may have gotten the wrong impression of his age. Between his limp, the fact we can’t see his face, the fact his original lore blurb called him a ‘gentleman of wealth and taste’, and his 40-years-chain-smoker-voice, I mean, he must be at least 50 years old right?

Turns out, NOPE. He’s actually closer to late 30s-early 40s!

From this thread yesterday, with Riot Reav3 who is commenting on Swain’s VGU:

“It's funny because Swains age is by far the most controversial and discussed thing internally working on Swains VGU. As you surmised live Swain is definitely not 5O. We agree that he is somewhere around late 30s to early 40s.

The thing is that many people's perception of Swain is that he is much older. I think part of this is due to the cane and limp even though being a cripple doesn't necessarily imply age.

You would be surprised just how many meetings and discussions happen and will probably continue to happen about Swains age :)”

“The rationale behind the debate is deciding if we want to keep him closer to his live age or if it makes more sense to push him to be older then live Swain and which will create a overall more compelling and cohesive fantasy.

Many times we do push towards players perception of a champion over there actual live appearance.”

The thing is not only does his in-game model always gave the impression he was that much older, but it made far more sense with the lore. Both in terms of timelines, what little coherence there is for that, and the way everyone treats him.

Also this is silly, Riot at one point leaked a splashart that clearly showed him to be about 50-60 years old. They did change it drastically prior to release, but he still didn’t give the impression he was anything below 50 years old.

On the other hand, making him match his apparently ‘correct’ age more, would make my OTP more popular by removing the ‘ew’ factor of a 50+year old man paired with a 30 year old woman...though that was one of the unique and ‘mature’ aspects of their relationship that I liked.

Anyway, interesting to see what is discussed in and out. I’m still tentatively excited for this VGU and lore update.

I’d be sold if Swain has like 5 flirting special interactions with LeBlanc, both in human and raven form, to be honest.