#sg fiddlesticks

[mangaka-neko-chan]

Thanks to a comic on TFT twitter, it’s canon to me now that SG Fiddlesticks loves Pizza a LOT. Adorable~

[smoresie]

Art dump featuring my star guardian au because I've been a distracted bitch (my other projects cry out to me)

[agonizedembrace]

i did do some art last night though!

they are very rough ideas though, not sure if i'll keep them. i did do another of her actual sg outfit but wasn't vibing too much with it.

whenever she fights her lingering corruption shows, and it's usually violent. it's why she tends to work alone, for things can get out of hand. she often disguises herself as a student, though it does appear as general suspicious due to her more mature appearance.

she usually doesn't stay at valoran city for long, often enough just check in on the few she cares for and ensure another disaster wont strike. minor fights are often not her concern, and yes, she too often ignores the call from the first star (thankfully calls less since her corruption/redemption).

[sasoxichomoshi]

WHY STAR GUARDIAN NILAH IS CREEPIER AND WAY MORE TWISTED THAN YOU REMEMBER

First of all, i want to thank and credit  Sir Catnip III for uploading the novel on youtube. All the screenshots on this post were sourced from their videos, so again thank you Sir Catnip The Third !!!

Star guardian 2022 summer event surely added a lot of new content regarding the AU, and i couldnt be more happy that nilah took an special spotlight in it

(people will say that it’s not true but i have arguments that, in fact, nilah had a major role in the development of the novel story, however people are not prepared for it nor it’s the topic i wanna discuss here)

Before i dive further in my analysis, i need to refresh your minds (or bring up the evidences to the table)

in the second chapter of the novel, it was revealed to us the nature of Fiddlesticks and what happened to Harp

[context: Syndra is describing what happened to Harp after she fell]

basically, Harp fell and due to an external force, she turned into the monster Fiddlestick we know

(also notice how Fiddlesticks battle act goes by its formal title as part of The Ten, which ashlesh makes part as well)

proceeding with the analysis, now looking at what nilah exposed at the novel

nilah directly affirms that fiddle and ashlesh are alike... they are both fallen guardians 

you still didnt get it i believe

ok so... in short, nilah carries a trapped undead guardian in her waist....

cute, isnt it?

(isnt it just like carrying a coffin around?)

ok now i will indulge myself with THEORY AND HEADCANON MOMENT, so from now on be aware that it’s gonna be my interpretations and imagination at play

the whole thing goes further: nilah also says that ashlesh is the star of joy - a pretender star, to be more specific (notice how zoe, despite being a pretender star, is also called star guardian, confirming again that ashlesh was once a common guardian)

this is something oddly interesting, since fiddle is just described as a monster and the only star related directly to it is zoe

this could put ashlesh higher on the hierarchy “can this thing destroy the universe without sweating?”; fiddle is presented much more like a local thread going after tasty star guardians, ashlesh could devour the universe if free

now let’s analise ashlesh situation: is a star guardian (very happy very cool), gets corrupted/crazy, becomes a pretender star, ultimately falls BUT its existence and influence goes on...

what if ashlesh had a different motivation? what if ashlesh was too obsessed to die...? 

i mean, zoe lives in anarchy, refusing to follow any rules 

fiddlesticks represents the fear the guardians have to face

as fiddle represents its main thematic from the base runeterra, so do ashlesh; “[it pushes joy to its hideous extremes, feeding on the dark, inverted aspects of the emotion, like delirium and obsession]”

ashlesh could be, in this case to make things more interesting, an counterpart for zoe; if zoe respects no rule, then ashlesh follows everything to a literal point 

as star guardian it values discipline, discipline spirals into obsession, it wants to serve the First Star so bad it starts to hallucinate, until it is so deep in a state of delirium that it begins to consume everything, without discrimination...

ashlesh is a very interesting character in the SG universe because we have no information about it unlike fiddlesticks, yet we can affirm that, once, ashlesh was just another teenager, living the best of their lives...and then the oath happened

as for last thought, i imagine how things would develop if ashlesh was originally part of nilah’s team? some will say that this is not possible (i actually have a theory explaining this) but im here for the sadness and angst ehehehe...

[wind-without-wings]

Stuck at work rn, but I'm scratching my brain over SG!Yzl

Before SG 2022 released, I had her pinned as an outer Guardian like Syndra and Nilah.

But after the event was over and we had some lore on Fiddlesticks... I really think Yzl would be a Nemesis--a Star Guardian that has fallen into the deepest depths of dispair and hatred.

But that also makes me wonder: What seperates Nemesis from Corrupted Star Guardians (Zoe, Rakan, Xayah, and also arguably Syndra and Akali)?

Well, personally.... I think Nemesis are devoid of "hope", the very thing the First Star stands for.

Out of all the Corrupted, Zoe and Syndra might be the hardest to identify "hope" in. But they also don't seem to outright hate the Guardians the same way Morgana does. They're not keen on Morgana's plan to spiral the universe into entropy.

On the flip-side. Rakan and Xayah, as well as Akali, are the easiest to see hope in. Both groups anchor themselves to another and rely on them to keep them stable.

Xayah and Rakan rely on eachother (Xayah fights for Rakan, and Rakan wants to save Xayah from her hatred towards Ahri).

Akali grounds herself on the promise she and Kai'sa made. They're best friends, and neither of them want to lose that to Morgana's plans.

But back to Yzl. Based on everything my brain has spit at yall, why would I say Yzl would be a Nemesis? Why not just a Corrupted?

Well, I really think Yzl would lose hope. She would realize The Oath is founded on empty promises and unavoidable sacrifice. While she gained the power to protect those close to her, she would eventually realize there is no happy end.

Her friends and everything she vowed to protect was gone. What now? What purpose did she have? None. She no longer had purpose in the eyes of the First Star--her oath was broken.

But she did not turn herself over to malice as Morgana did. Many saw Yzl as the enemy--a being that appeared and scattered the light of many Star Guardians.

But her goal wasnt of malice. Her means were cruel, but her goal was something she wished she could achieve herself.

Yzl wishes to believe there is still hope, somewhere, for this dying universe. So she challenges Star Guardians, testing their resolve. Testing their willingness to go the extra mile for the oath. For eachother. For the hope that binds them together.

She did not want a repeat of her own fate. She didn't want any more dispair.

[league-of-starlight]

Enemies/Star nemesis:

Zoe:

Likes referring to fights as games. Everyone’s a playmate or a toy. Usually the latter.

The reason why Lux became a statue was when she used a powerful technique to stop Zoe’s attack on the city. Since then, Zoe’s been recuperating strength, waiting for the day she can get some sweet payback.

Had a pet void-monster. Lux exploded it in the big battle.

Her plans are usually: “Fight the guardians, kill them, celebrate.” Xayah tries to say that they’re good, but she’s lying.

Deep down, beneath the childish cruelty and chaotic nature, there is a wounded soul. A soul that just wants to have her friends back.

Corrupted guardian Xayah and Rakan:

Both of them:

Their lovey-doveyness makes their enemies sick. It’s a perfect distraction.

“Aw, look. Junior guardians. Aren’t they just the cutest?” “Sure are, time to kill ‘em.”

Basically like Team Rocket, very haughty and smug to Lux’s team. It’s partly a front.

Just Rakan:

“Hey, foxy. Remember me, didn’t think so.”

Makes a list of villainous taunts and words. He’s a big fan of “quaint” and “star-losers.”

Despite his jokey approach to battle, Rakan is smarter than he comes off. He gets more aggressive towards Ahri.

Often tries taking hits for Xayah. She often tosses him out of the way and calls him an idiot. One day, he’ll get to pull it off.

Just Xayah:

“Hey, Ahri. Miss me? Yeah, didn’t think so.”

As a contrast to her lover, Xayah is far more cold and dispassionate.

She knows that something is up with Zoe, and is trying to work out a plan. She’s not going back to the Star-Loser’s, no way, but she and Rakan aren’t puppets for Zoe to play with.

Taunts Lux about how new she is to all of this. “You think this life is some fun adventure where you blast the bad guys. Let me tell you, it’s not.”

Despite her complaints, she likes how Rakan constantly jumps to protect her. It’s sweet, if a tad cheesy.

Star nemesis Morgana:

Currently spending time observing the new group, picking up on their weaknesses. The one with the ninja mask seems to have doubts. Doubts that can be used to control her.

The only thing she actually treats with care is her familiar. They share a love of destruction.

Ages ago in the past, she had a sister named Kayle who wished for cosmic order. As siblings are want to do, they fought. Morgana won. Sorry, sister.

Star nemesis Fiddlesticks:

Practically Runeterra Fiddlesticks but with extra glitter and a priority of ruining SG lives. It isn’t really loyal to Morgana, but they have a common cause.

The familiar is a weak point, but good luck hitting it.

Has a strange fondness for chess motifs. A holdover from Harp?

[teeto-peteto]

Strange question, but I’m curious: Hypothetical SG slice of life anime/show actual magical girl series. What champions do you think would make good magical girl villains of the week? If so why?

I think Vladimir would be a good fit, have him lure Star guardians to feed on their magic to stay alive, Jhin could be fun as both a straight villain and a red herring when there’s a new drama teacher and everyone assumes he’s the villain but he’s just a dramatic guy. Anyway, no pressure, I’m just curious.

In my opinion it highly depends on wich type of magical girl anime you take inspo into, i believe Star Guardian took a lot of Sailor Moon references for the first team and maaaaybe the second? And the next ones became more Madoka Magica kind of storyline. So it very much depends.

By taking Sailor Moon for inspiration, honestly all the champions (non star guardians) can become episodic villains. As 90's Sailor Moon just keep a small reduced group of champions for the 'this is the main villain', 'these could be redeemed' and the 'these are a lost cause'. A girl with anger issues and problems with her dad that turns into a terrific dragon cause her crush wont pick up the phone? Good. A little mummy/emo child that cries until he drowns everyone in his tears? Also good. Massive kraken lady causing distress around the school after a messy breakup? Also good. Use the champions like Nocturne or Bel'Veth be the main season villains that send stuff to mess up the students and make them become monsters that the Star Guardians have to save and purify to revert the spell. Once you think about it, it could be cool to see all the champions have their little villain spotlight.

As for a Madoka Magica type of storyline, i have to give an ''''''unpopular opinion'''''''. I dont like corrupted Star Guardian skins, wich doesnt mean that they arent pretty, or cool, i just mean that i dont really feel that ''corruption'' it shows on the name. Both Morgana and Zoe are sassy but...? Yeah once we know about Harp we can understand how Zoe got corrupted but it never looked like she cared that much...? She doesnt look hurt, neither does Morgana, they do feel like episodic villains because i see them so plain. Fiddlesticks is... well, better, really tackled on that 'I was once a magical girl and turned into a horrific mush of a witch' that Madoka Magica has, but again, i dont really see suffering, i see funny sticky leg Fiddlesticks tossing starlight around.

As for champions i would pick for this type of storyline someone sent an ask not so long ago about Pyke possibilities of being a corrupted guardian and also Sarah is there, as Madoka Magica likes to go deep into the characters emotions in this example we could see Pyke slowly fading into corruption as a cause of isolation, mistrust, abandonentment issues, etc, directly implying Sarah cause she was a part of the problem aswell and make it so that pain actually feels like a menace once corruption completely takes over. As for other champions, I believe Annie could be a good example of familiar issues/death of a loved one and childhood trauma like Nagisa was on Madoka Magica and make her small and seemingly defenseless but with a huge power that could set a star guardian on fire without hesitation. Kalista would be a good option with the grief, revenge and broken promises mix up making her an extremely aggresive enemy. There's actually a bunch to think of if you dig into their trauma.

[lablass-2882]

So.... League’s Star Guardian Event has been going on..... and I drew some art for it. 

I did a screen redraw from Riot’s sessions music video. Taliyah and Fiddlesticks are just a couple of bestie jamming out. Lol

[sg-chat]

Okay i think nobody wants to talk about this bit i will

Jinx how do you feel kwoning that Archi némesis fidelsticks Is coming for you?

Akali: Fiddle is here?! * hides*

Jinx: Well...i don't see a problem, let him * get shiro and kuro ready*

[handsomejackrussell]

oh apparently from the leaks ekko is getting a star guardian skin this go around? I'm down for that

[agonizedembrace]

hello, is it you, sg fiddlestick?

feeeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR

[miek-unofficial]

Necrit (@Necrit94): “Spirit Blossom, Dream Daddy AND Fiddlesticks were written by the same person. SG Visual novel is coming... you know the drill.”

[piltover-sharpshooter]

//Ok I just thought of a concept in discord that's so big brain, I need to share it here.

So in the SG universe, it's revealed that Fiddlesticks was a girl called Harp who got so corrupted she turned into a monster. This is obviously different than in canon lore, where Fiddlesticks is a Demon of Fear and came from basically nothing.

We also found out, through Legends of Runeterra, that in the canon lore higher level demons can take control of minor demons and basically turn them into an extension of themselves, like we see with Evelynn and their followers.

SO, MY IDEA.

If/When Fiddlesticks arrives in Legends of Runeterra, it should have demons under its comand like Eve, and one of the minor Demons should be named Harp, as a nod to the event.

[kalijhomentethi]

She shyly hugs akali. (Any verse but mayhaps sg even though I got nothing up! Ahhhh)

Akali is taken out of her thoughts when she feels the gentle embrace. “What— Shizuko?” She freezes for a moment, simply staring back at her, arms awkwardly at the side. Man. How sad is it that just being hugged makes her want to cry? She needs to push Fiddlesticks and Morgana out of her mind. They’re there every hour of the day, and now her friend is here to bring her out of the darkness, even if only for a little while.

Taking a deep breath (Not going to cry, not going to cry!), she wraps her arms around Shizuko as well, albeit in a tighter embrace. “What brought this on?” she mumbles as the two of them stand there in each other’s arms.

[prodigal-ezreal]

Nach Little Box of Hopes And Fears: Ezreal rework edition.

Let’s open this Pandora box, okay?

So, The Ezreal rework is probably hitting live somewhere at the end of the year after Worlds and the PBE during them, which gives us two months to sit, twiddle our thumbs and think. And Oh Boi! Have I thought! More under the cut because this Got Long.

This is all VERY subjective. Please take it with a grain of sea salt.

Let’s start from the beginning, as all organized matters should: What has Riot been doing with their reworks and Lore updates lately?

In my opinion, is give everyone and everything a place in the world, connecting characters and things that might have not been connected previously and retconning a few things along the way— With various degrees of success. The Darkin in Shurima are probably one of the biggest offenders here. While it gave them a place in Runaterra other than ‘Maybe aliens from another dimension/Old As Hell Demons’, Aatrox’s rework, Varus’s music video and Rhaast’s release never tied their designs or origins to anything Shuriman, from there the whiplash I got at least.

But that’s beside the point I’m trying to make. What’s Ezreal’s current state in the Lore?

Well, Ezreal has always been kind of in a weird spot post-institute, he’s from Piltover but has never had any strong affiliations or associations with the City State other than the place in which he spent his childhood, and now with the Piltover/Zaun and his own lore update, he has little ties in design as well! Back in the day, belts were all the rage in Piltover, now it’s more of an Art Deco thing —which I love— but Mr ‘I could probably go a week eating only the leather in my outfit’s belts and I still wouldn’t go hungry’ doesn’t fit anymore aesthetically. Shurima is still important to his character, since that’s where he got his gauntlet from, but as we can see from Elixir of Uloa, he’s not limited to exploring the desert, and to be honest? he never was.

Talking about design, it’s not that his design is horrendously bad, even if a bit ridiculous for his job (leather is not a breathable fabric), it just grew old. And it could have grown older! But the disparity between League’s current aesthetic/lore direction and Ezreal’s would have grown way too large for a champion so played. That’s why I reason they chose him, and not fiddlesticks or Udyr, for a VU/VO right now.

And here is where the box gets opened: let’s go first through the fears to have hope be sitting nice and pretty still inside at the end, okay?

I think everyone that follows me knows that, while I eat up any and all canon Ezreal content, I really don’t like the most recent approach Riot has had with his art: That Cutesy, Pixie Boy aesthetic that gets in my nerves and is present both in Star Guardian and the most recent World Championship skins. (Not to mention, they have gotten really lazy painting/modeling his face? I’d argue Ace of Spades has a prettier face than SG/SSG). Were his rework to take that direction for the sake of the good old ‘Ez is a girl’ joke, I’m going to be really sad about it. And Mad. Smad.

Not because I have a probelm with Ezreal not being your traditional hypermasculine fantasy male character, I quite enjoy that he isn’t, and if they were to tilt the scales in that direction to overfix the same joke, I’d still feel weird about it.

I think its easy to understand the fear of my favorite character being changed into the joke that has plagued him for years because of the homophobic fanbase that birthed it. My beef of course isn’t with male aligned people who don’t fit into the expectations of the gender, and it’s not my intention to imply that if you like the joke/ship, that you are contributing to your own oppression by reclaiming something they named as shameful— of course not. My beef is with the fact they claimed it shameful and that Riot is Not Woke Enough to pretend like it was their intention all along and they aren’t playing into the vices and prejuices of its fanbase. Let me explain.

Tar/ez or Eztar!c exists only because of the powerduo they used to be all the way back in Season 2, and persisted as an intracommunity joke because people just loved making fun of characters that didn’t quite fit with the usual Male Archetype(tm), Ezreal with his assumed ‘pretty boy’ looks (assumed because tbh no one was pretty back then) and lithe physique, and Taric with his ‘affeminate’ liking of gems. This joke, rooted in homophobia, turned both of their characters into jokes that Riot despite its best efforts because I mostly liked Taric’s rework, shut up, still l can’t completely overcome to this day, when the usage of ‘lol that’s so gay’ is not as negative as the beggining of the decade. It’s not like I think that it’s going to go away, I just fear it’s gonna get worse.

Not to mention! The wildly original, very alive horse that is the ‘Ez is a girl’ joke, comes from people forcing heterosexual roles into same gender relationships which, ew! That and his “Pretty anime boy” archetype, since those are also popular in yao! media (double ew). AND from the misogony that any male aligned person, or in less serious cases like this one, character, that doesn’t fall into line with the expectative of its gender, it’s marked as lesser. You might see this issues and think ‘I barely see that anymore’, which, fair. It has been in decline in the general Internet Population since the second half of the decade, but all of these problems stem from early 2010’s gamer culture so— Yeah. That’s another can of worms I am NOT opening.

TLDR: I feel like the the recent art direction comes from toxic places and I’m fearful Riot is gonna play into that instead of ignoring it.

It may be something else behind those decisions, but this is what my confirmation bias looks like.

Enough of unfounded fears I have now struck into your hearts because if I’m going to hell worrying about this, I’m gonna bring you all with me. Let’s think about hope.

My highest hopes for the update is that Riot plays into Ezreal’s lack of strong links— Not only do I think that it makes sense for a explorer to never truly belong in one place, it’s just easier and doesn’t force anything too alien to his character. I’d really like if they went for a ‘citizen of the world’ kind of deal. Make his design something based on Piltover but obviously worn and foreign, pepper his language with words from Shurima, Freljord, Ionia! Hell, with how big Noxus is, he’d have to learn to speak the language if he wanted to cross through it. I feel like he’s a wonderful opportunity to represent how diverse, yet interconnected Runnaterra is. I also feel like it plays into his fantasy of being a dashing —pun intended—young man who gets in and out of trouble, from adventure to adventure a la Indana Jones.

But going back to Riot’s Lore direction, we still need to tie him with somewhere, or at the very least, something.

Enter the world rune.

‘But Nach’ I hear you wail as I use either 50’s sellsman tactics or early 2000’s fanfic writer interrumptions to catch your attention, ‘World Runes are Ryze’s thing!’

Which, Fair. They are. I’m not saying Ezreal is gonna ‘prove himself to be able to let go of a World Rune’ since that is Ryze’s exclusive thing (even if the thought of that happening and Ez outright rejecting it cos Adventure sounds very appealing to me) I just want him to be tied to the missing World Rune because it makes sense for League’s token explorer to accidentaly stumble into the World Magic Battery.

Also because of the promo, but who knows. Maybe he wasn’t in the Ryze short precisely for that, maybe because since it had been so many years on the making, Ez wasn’t even in the Update Radar then and they just didn’t include him/made reference to him. It doesn’t matter, we don’t know. Time will tell.

Plus, him being tied to the World Rune would make Zoe’s fixation —as creepy as it is— make a bit more sense. If the Aspect Of Change that damned The Darkin is the same one we have today, It’d make her have more secretive, ulterior motives and connect her happy go lucky and childish personality to that mischeveous, manipulative persona we got to see in the Darkin story. If it turns out they are different, it still makes sense with Zoe’s Color story and IG characterization since she can’t seem to get serious about/remember what precisely she was supposed to omen.

TLDR Hopes: Just tie him to the world rune, it’d be cool. Also make him a fucking tutti fruti of cultures.

To tie it all up, I know there’s not much I can do but wait, since I am not active in the forums or the reddit community— but If I could feel in my heart Zoe was gonna have a crush on Ezreal when we got her ig teaser, then I do dare hope.

[toripar]

SG EKKO SG EKKO HIS FAMILIAR IS SO CUTE!! love the outfit too!!!! fiddlesticks tho>>> djjsjs it's animation is hella cool