#then i read her wikipage. n i read- at the end there when shes about to be burned she asked for a cross. she was accused of *so* much.

[spotsupstuff]

i ADORE yoyr skills in making characters with wildly complex personalities. how do you do it this well

THANK YOU!!! I HAVE NO FECKIN IDEA!!!

i usually just start with a concept (heehoo iterator who doesn't care for their puppet and the puppet has a blankie thrown over it and there's creepy peepy teefs under there) and then built off from that (the character now leads death itself to its family no matter how much it hurts and tears away at it because it recognizes this is ultimately the best thing that can happen to them and it Only wishes for the best for its family cuz it loves them a lot. no matter what it will take, its family will be alright.)- OH a VERY important thing for character making is interconnecting them with other characters!!! that is literally the Most important thing Ever imo. and then details. details are what build the complexity!

the more interactions with other characters and the world you put the peepo thru, the more shaped they will be, i suppose? while still keeping a core idea very clear

also taking inspirations from other characters and then remixing n combining these different inspirations is a valid thing to do. one of Notos' big inspirations is, for example, Wednesday Addams from that netflix show! sometimes the inspiration comes from a certain pack of feelings i get from a song/situation, like for example Zephyr and Johanka by Brotosauři/Joan of Arc in general. Johanka and where i first heard it, the way i first sung it, was already full of so many things that simply applying it to Zephyr gave her a complex personality

and as always -claps- don't forget to give your character low points and weaknesses. but ALSO don't forget to give them their shining moments and strengths

[matriarchofwar]

ambessa's cinematic..... this whole thing contradicts what i'd previously wrote for her so that's been scrapped for now until i can tweak it to fit. + it is obviously a lot more league based considering it was a trailer for a new line of skins i believe n i am nawt willing to get that into it bc there's so much shit.

but her dying on the battlefield and being visited by a wolf is!! so fitting.

i recently skimmed through the principles of strength too (amongst some other material), given i've been trying to soak up as much information about noxus as i can (and while it isnt directly about noxus it's vv informative) - and it states that "death was often represented as dualistic in nature, taking a form of the lamb of peaceful death, and the wolf of violent ends." given that noxus values strength above all else, the latter is obviously honoured far more than the former. dying in ones bed (a peaceful death, taken by the lamb) did not display strength and therefore did not deserve as much honour as one who died in the throes of battle (a violent death, taken by the wolf) would receive.

(though i read on the wikipage for kindred that the lamb carries a bow, and those who run from it/will not fall to it proceed to meet the wolf. however,i think in noxian culture they view the lamb and her role differently, as she doesn't have a bow - at least not in the cinematic - but she does hold up a symbol of the wolf to ambessa, which insinuates her job is to lead people to the wolf? or give them the option to fight the wolf, should they desire to? idk i'm still researching rn.)

so it makes sense that ambessa, who lay dying amongst her slaughtered war band, would be visited by death in the form of a wolf.

so it would also make sense for a wolf to challenge someone in the form of a warrior while they're on their deathbed, as again it's something held in such high regards in noxus. it is effectively one last duel to the death to see if she is both worthy enough and strong enough to continue living.

i'm aware that there was somebody else (multiple people?) who fought a wolf in similar situations, but i cant remember details nor names considering i'm really only interested in ambessa and what it means for her. although she technically doesn't fight a physical wolf, and instead the armoured warrior in the trailer which no doubt symbolises death in place of the wolf previously seen. which?? i guess isn't really an assumption seeing as when the warrior expands its shield it shows the face of a wolf - and later down the line it shows her reflection in the shield, explaining the whole 'raised by wolves' thing. both metaphorically in the sense that a wolf raised her from the dead, and that a wolf (the one she fought) 'raises' her into the warrior she becomes throughout the fight.

there's also the scenes with her holding what seems to be a statue of a lamb close to her chest. which doesn't represent a peaceful death considering she's already been fatally wounded in battle, but lambs evidently have huge connotations of peace - so it's likely representing a somewhat subdued, peaceful life? yes, she was a warrior of the noxian army, but her resolve was not as fierce as after her resurrection. and when she finally lets go of it, essentially beginning to separate her somewhat 'peaceful' past self from her present, it returns to her fighting the warrior.

AND!!!! before the whole letting go of the lamb thing she was getting her ass downright fucking whooped, and she was gradually accumulating more and more scars. but as soon as it cuts back to the fight after the release of the lamb she manages to actually land a few solid hits.

when the scene changes to the statue of a younger ambessa holding the lamb, it is in reference to her father taking her to the aftermath of the battle of hildenard. she was only ten years old at the time, but it desensitised her to death and showed her that it wasn't something to be feared, but instead respected - and that greatness required sacrifice. which also ties in with the way she 'sacrifices' the lamb in the cinematic to be able to win against the warrior. (edited)

but towards the end it goes back to ambessa fighting the warrior, and her sheer will and determination prove her worthy enough to continue with life - considering she was now littered head to toe in scars, had taken quite the beating, yet she still refused to give up, so the fight ends and she is victorious.

AND I LOVE THE END SCENE W THE FLASH OF GOLD ACROSS THE FETUS BECAUSE!! it can absolutely represent mel - which would explain how she has all that magic, because her mother fought death and survived while carrying her. but i saw somewhere that it might also represent ambessa herself. because in a scene before it, a flash of light passes across ambessa's masked face from right to left, and it does the same thing on the fetus. and given that there have been so many flashbacks into ambessa's life throughout the entire cinematic, it cld be another flashback, faaaar into the past, insinuating that ambessa had been chosen by the wolf since birth, and that this was all part of her destiny. again tying in w the whole 'raised by wolves' thing. BUT ALSO the same flash of gold happens to the armour on mel's back when jinx fires at the council, which would also insinuate it was actually mel, which i imagine actually makes more sense.