The state of Evelynn overhaul & VU

m1racles·Sep 23, 2014·11 votes·3,682 views

Let's talk about the state of Evelynn overhaul and visual update. As much as I would love her to get a new model and skins, the situation is not looking so good as IronStylus said that we won't be seeing any updates on Evelynn this year. This saddens me because this should've happened when Riot reworked her kit, but instead we will have to wait for god knows how many years. But let's not focus on the negativity and talk creativity. I hope IronStylus-senpai notices us and my (and other people if they would like to join in) ideas will help developing the new backstory for the Widowmaker. If I recall correctly the general idea was that Evelynn is not a succubus, but she wears heels. I like that. And I would like to share my thoughts on what origins Evelynn might have.

Background Even Evelynn herself does not know where she comes from originally. As a child she was taken to the Shadow Isles by an unknown secret organization that seeked power in Runeterra. She does not remember her life before that and does not remember her parents nor does she feel any compassion about it. On the Shadow Isles they performed a mystical ritual on her empowering her with the mystical powers of vampirism. There she was raised and taught the ways of dark magics in order to become a loyal assassin to the organization that once brought her there. She mastered the art of charm, disguise and murder on her way to becoming a skillful and merciless killer who feeds off her victims' suffering. Since for everyone else she did not exist, she had to master the art of being invisbile for anyone else as she traveled around Runeterra and back 'home' to Shadow Isles. For the time being she was under control of her masters and she loyally served them as an assassin. But in her own mind she was never loyal. Mystical vampirism did not completely dim her mind as she was fully aware of her actions. But she did not know any different, because people who raised here here - she thought of them as of her parents - only showed her the cruel side of the world. But the more she travelled on her secret missions which involved seducing, scamming and assassinating people, the more she learned about life and how it is not all about killing and lying. As she was passing thousands of people by being invisible, she could hear and see what they speak of and how do they live and it was so different from what she ever knew. This slow realization led to her starting to hate her so called parents and feeling that they are ruined her as a person and turned her into a killing machine only to serve their own purpose. The only thing kept her from breaking free was the seek for more knowledge as she didn't feel that she have learned everything yet. But as the time came by she became stronger and turned against the organization, using all the powers they once gave her against them. Since then she has been travelling the Runeterra burdened by her own curse, but at the same time putting her obtained skills to a good use. However, she sworn to herself to never take any political side anymore as she religiously avoids being anyone's weapon of war. Unable to live a complete normal life due to her natural thirst for human suffering she found herself alienated from everyone which only fuels her desire to hunt for careless not suspecting victims. However, as she built up her reputation in Runeterra she has proven herself as a skillful assassin, powerful ally and dangerous enemy.

Note: The idea was that she was actually born in Zaun but was stolen from her family as a child by a secret organization (Black Rose or similar) because she has shown good potential for being experimented with vampirism (finding happiness in other people's despair?).

Note 2: Updated the lore.

P.S. Sorry fo the grammar and weird phrasing. I'm not a native English speaker.

21 Comments

SecretLoreSep 23, 20145 votes

Overall your version here does not solve the problem that Riot tries to solve at all.

The thing is that every champ is supposed to have some kind of archetype that is unique to him/her(some older champs may struggle with that,but even they have something and some champs even combine multiple archetypes into one champ). For example Vel'koz is a beholder,azir is a sand mage(and emporer),Yasuo is a Samurai(or ronin),Zac is a blob monster,quinn is a falconer,Xin Zhao is a chinese warrior,etc.

The problem with evelynn is,she doesn't have something like that.Yeah she is kind of a seductress,but so are Elise(who is also a spider queen),Ahri(who is also a 9-tailed fox) and cassiopeia(who is also a gorgon) too,so that is nothing new. The closest thing she has is being basically the invisble woman of LoL,but since invisibility is not unique to her,thats not really something to work with.

So what is unique to her character?Being a blue stripper?(Well you could argue about ryze being this,I mean he is shirtless the whole time).

And about your story in general: well I'd like to know who this mysterious organization might be,I mean it seems kinda random to abduct a child and then raise it on the SI to make it an assassin.I dunno it kinda feels forced if you ask me.

m1raclesSep 23, 20142 votes

Thanks for the feedback. About the first part - I thought I was going somewhere with the story in order to solve the problem you described above. Although this 'problem' isn't new to LoL champions and only now it's being brought up. I mean, we had visual updates to Trynd, Kayle without much change to their lore (which is not great).

About the story. You shouldn't grade it like Riot's story, it's just an idea to work with. I could use some of the existing political sides in Runeterra or create my own, but I think it's up to Riot lore team to decide and it's not really related to Evelynn's problem. About reasons they abducted her, there could be numerous. And here goes the same story as with that 'organization'. I think Eve's childhood and abduction can be connected to another champion, but I didn't want to go there, because it was only limited to Evelynn and I didn't want to change any other champions lore, so I just left it plain and simple - "organization". If you want to go there, it can be some rebelious group supported and lead by Aatrox in order to start another war in Runeterra and Evelynn wasn't the first person they abducted to experiment with. But after she killed every member (except for Aatrox whos identity was unknown even to the members of the organization), the organization ceased to exist. Another 'product' of this organization could be Janna who is also from Zaun and was taught magic when she was a little orphan.

SecretLoreSep 24, 20141 votes

Back then when they did VUs for Trynda and kayle,a VU basically took the old champion and simply upgraded his/her looks,not to mention that these two have pretty good character archetypes(the rage-fueled barbarian and the good angel/archangel),which is something that eve is lacking.

Thats why many people think of Evelynn becoming a succubus,thats an archetype that is not in the game yet and it would fit with her seductive character.

And as for the organisation: well I'd say if they'd add some organisation like that,then it should be fleshed out,not some mysterious organisation that gets wiped out without ever doing something,otherwise it'd be just written off as a cheap excuse for her backstory. Remember active conflicts are a lot more interesting than the ones that already happened.Making the organisation still active could lead to some interesting plots,making them pretty much dead to begin with doesn't lead to anything.

m1raclesSep 24, 20141 votes

You know I am kind of torn between to opinions. First of all, I really like the idea of developing Eve's character but on the other hand I wanted to buy Eve skins for the longest time and they have been all delayed by her 'upcoming' visual update which I've been hearing about for almost 2 years. Evelynn got her last skin back in october 2010, so her overall skin situation is pretty bad. But they could've just upgraded the existing idea of Evelynn. She is a red-headed blue-skinned yellow-eyed vicious vampire chick who wears purple shorts/top and spikey stockings. You can start from there for sure. Yet, I have this feeling that due to her invisibility being a nuisense to casual players, they never wanted her to get popular so that's why there were absolutely no Evelynn-related content for almost 4 years now. Yes, they come up with a semi-good excuse (we don't know who she is), but honestly it's too far-fetched and weirdly specific (I have never seen them use this excuse when talking about other champions). For example, we still don't know who Jax is and all we needed for him to get his new $kin$ is a couple of basic details (eyes, 3 fingers, body structure).

As for the organization. I really wish it could be the Black Rose or some of their former members, but I am not familiar with the history fo this organization and I don't know if it existed when Evelynn was a child. I will do some research on that topic and think of how can it be developed further.

SecretLoreSep 24, 20141 votes

When they talk about "we don't know who Evelynn really is",they probably talk about their plans to change her archetype/design,not about her actual backstory.

Jax has a pretty solid design and archetype(mysterious enigma,weapon master,guy who uses a gag weapon),there is not much to change.

Evelynns problem is that there is simply nothing to her character. She is no vampire and if they made her a vampire,she'd be the only vampire they'd ever do for LoL,so she'd need to be the best vampire they could make(which in turn means she needs more drastic changes)

Otherwise she is simply a blue red headed girl in underwear,if that was a suitable archetype,then the next 5 champs could be a bunch of chicks with weird skin colours. Also I think they want to go away from her being this scandly clad(and being scandly clad is nothing unique anyway)

Design itself is not enough what sets a character apart from the others,it is the archetype of the character.

Linna ExcelSep 23, 20141 votes

Evelynn is a blue chick in bondage that stalks the night. She's the hot but crazy chick who is into a little BSDM as all of the above. I almost think riot shouldn't try to justify her or give her a back story. Just take what she is now, improve the model and rigging a little, and leave it at that.

Evelynn is a bit of an enigma, keep her that way riot.

Also, whoever involved with her in the past must have been a borderlands vault hunter of some kind because of that symbol on her head. ;)

m1raclesSep 23, 20141 votes

Who would compensate us 4 long years of no Evelynn-related content? I think it's too late to turn back. Now I only hope that this update comes rather sooner than later and I wanted to share my thougts on how Evelynn's personality can be seen through the current "enigma-type" lore. Because basically I didn't change a thing in the original backstory, but rather added more detail to it to uncover some of the mystery.

Clarke SkaikruSep 23, 20143 votes

If I had a dollar for every "Amnesia backstory" or "...can't remember their life before..." backstory I've ever seen I'd be a millionaire.

m1raclesSep 23, 20141 votes

If I change the beginning to "she vividly remembers her life before the abduction", you will be happy? I don't think it's that big of a detail to be nitpicked on. It's not really an amnesia backstory because her 'life' before that is like age 0-7. Not much to remember anyway. I added just to underline that she treated the people who abducted her as her real parents.

Clarke SkaikruSep 23, 20141 votes

I remember things from that age range. Faintly, but I do.

If you were to put "She was a loved child in _______ before she was abducted" or something, it would add flavor. It would be unique. There's too many people writing stories, roleplaying, etc. with that "Amensia backstory" thing. It's a cripple for uncreative people who don't want to hash out boring details,

but boring details that help define the character.

m1raclesSep 24, 20141 votes

I understand what you're saying, but since they were going to develop the lore on the side, I think an "amnesia" story, while being somewhat overused (although as a person who does not read/take part in such things as roleplaying/writing fanfics etc and does not watch anime I don't have that feeling), fits Evelynn theme quite nice, not because you don't want to mention some of the details, but because you want to reveal them later little by little. So the story should not be finished here but rather started from here.

Also I am in no way a professional storywriter and I agree that story should be more rich and detailed and I leave it to Riot lore and they have all the tools to uncover a lot of details through the lore page/splash art/various sneak-peeks/additional artwork and articles on the subject. If they want to. Judging by the recent changes to the lore, they want the story in the lore page of each champion to be as short as possible to summarize the champion in 2 sentences and then they will develop the story through some other way. So in my case the story will be shortened to "Born in Zaun, Evelynn spent most of her life on the Shadow Isles where she was cursed with mystical vampirism that turned her into a merciless assassin who takes pleasure in suffering of others".

Ask The ScornedSep 26, 20142 votes

Aspects of Evelynn that I think are cool and would like to remain/explored more in her overall theme

Shadow User - I think the idea of her being a shadow using character is really cool. Out side of Zed who uses shadow clones, there isn't a shadow manipulator in the game. I think this one aspect of Eve that really has drawn me in. It ties to her abilities really well and it keep her in a unique spot overall all.
Assassin - What a perfect use combination with her shadow magic. Invisibility while utilizing her shadow powers really seems to mesh well with that Assassin style character. I really think she needs to refocused in being the nearly perfect assassin she was originally depicted to be.
Pain is pleasure - Honestly something that always stuck out is the "Your pain is my pleasure" line of hers. I think this can be used to really drive her character. A perfect sadist who stalks her victim inflicting a little bit of pain, until the point of "Climax". Finishing her victim.

Mirage NightSep 26, 20141 votes

I think I have a passive that effectively encompasses all these Ideas

Passive - Shadow's Embrace

When Evelynn breaks line of sight with enemy champions, she gains stealth for X.X seconds. The stealth takes up to .XX to initiate. If during that time, if line of sight is regained by enemy champions, she loses the stealth.

During the duration of her stealth, Evelynn gains a bonus of XX% to her movement speed.

During her stealth duration Evelynn's basic abilities become empowered. When an ability is activated, she loses stealth.

Takeyo EfthulcSep 26, 20142 votes

I like the way Evelynn is disconnected and sticks out right now. I think that is what makes her unique: she has no archetype or reason. She's in a class by herself. That's one of the things that really appeals to me about Evelynn, that she is her own unique class. What they should do for her is make her more distinctive.

I like your lore concept. Maybe it's not what I would have come up with, but I like it just the same ;)

Has anyone considered: what if Evelynn were a Half-Darkin?

GenoXxSep 26, 20141 votes

No, mortal on Valoran would dare start an organization on the shadow isles. Evelynn strongly resembles a succubus. From being a seductive being that isn't human to being able to turn invisible. The invisible part strong favoring the fact that when someone has reporting seeing one, they couldn't see the head all the way down to her shoulders. But everything else. I've research succubi before I even discovered Evelynn. And she bears a strong resemblance.

Kitae(when she was with lore) had confirmed that her story in fact involved the shadow isles, even adding more to the succubus theory. I simply don't understand why anyone from over the past years haven't figure what theme eve is suppose to have. Even her lore is the classic "they are a mystery and no one know where they come from" stereotype. I wish they would update her lore like the did Sion's or a complete rework because she(as well as other champs) really need it.

MassappealsOct 11, 20141 votes

Is there an ETA on Evelynn's VU? After doing some research, it seems they have been working on it for a long long time.

SpirangleOct 12, 20141 votes

While I do like the idea that nobody knows what Evelynn is because even Evelynn herself doesn't know, I have to agree with the criticism that your lore concept seems forced.

When I think about Evelynn, I think about how she "is not quite human", how her abilities connect back to shadows, hate, and pain; and that she is a powerful assassin. It would make sense to me if Evelynn was half human and half "demon" to explain her appearance and make her abilities a part of her heritage rather than something she learned. I say "demon" because I don't know exactly what term to use, but I would think the "demon" part of her would be her connection to the Shadow Isles.

I like the idea of Evelynn being an assassin because her powers are connected to darkness and let her feed off of and/or is empowered by pain. It's a pretty logical career path with all things considered.

mirAcIeApr 15, 20151 votes

bump

m1raclesMay 4, 20151 votes

Okay, so since Taric's update is going to take a year or so, I rest my case. Not sure what I will be up to in 2017 and beyond and whether will I be still concerned about Evelynn update.

19348180DEL1May 18, 20151 votes

I stumbled on this thread and figured I could help shed some light into understanding Evelynn, or rather, the Shadow Isle's mysteriousness.

You see, The Shadow Isle is a bleak and dark place, covered in a dense, unnatural fog, and has always been this way. This is (not canonically) parallel to the Bermuda Triangle, which is an area that is often regarded as a dangerous place to trek through. There are unknown islands and seas in the vicinity. Some speculate that this is where odd vortexes into the past of future, or even different locations away from Earth (multi-dimensional or not) are connected.

As the Shadow Isle is the equivalent to the area of the Bermuda Triangle (again, not canonically), there is only speculation as to what the origin of the thick unnatural fog is, as well as what happens to people who venture into the Shadow Isles only to be lost.

It could be that Evelynn once ventured to the Isle to befall some fate. It could be that she came from some portal within the Shadow Isle leading from another place or even another dimension.

(I'll let you in on a little tidbit of info I discovered while researching 'blue "people". Think Dr. Manhattan from the move The Watchmen. There are theories about the early days of human history, as well as stories of myth and legend riddled throughout Earth's history of a seemingly race of Blue creatures, obviously not human, who had the ability to appear and disappear at will. Some say they must have been Angels. Some others claim they could be Atlanteans, or even extraterrestrials. Even still, there are claims that these could be people of Earth, but not of our origins, who just dwell in the seas. Whatever the case may be, its all just hypothesizing at best, as no proof whatsoever exists that pinpoints anything. This is likely Evelynn's origin concept. )

Evelynn Only she knows. This makes her all the more intriguing, as she smiles under speculations and guesses