Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Skin Universe Lore in 2019: Alt Fantasy, Multiverse Theory, and You

RiotCarnival Knights·1/17/2019, 8:16:41 PM·53 votes·32,552 views

Hello, friends! It's me, Carnival Knights, lead skins writer and growing twitter problem. I've come to you today with a burning question only you, boards, can answer: what are you looking for in alt universe lore for 2019? Short stories? Long stories? Comics? Another 27000 words worth of skin bios (yes, last year saw 27000 words worth of skin bios, and we'll probably match it again this year)? Deeper legendary VO? Interactions? Tell me your heart's desire. This isn't a trick. I am not tricking you.

But wait! Before you answer, this question comes with a couple caveats. One, I can't guarantee any particular skin universe is worked on, now or in the future. I don't make those calls, though I am part of the conversation and can at least advocate for certain lines to get more love. So if you want to see some really deep Leprechaun Veigar lore go ahead and ask for it. What's stopping you? Nothing, that's what.

Two, time and bandwidth constraints are extremely real, so I can't always knock out a 5000~ word novella for every single skinline. I'm always looking at new styles of writing and applications of narrative storytelling for new and existing universes, and I'm keeping an eye on lines I get a lot of requests for (I've seen your Eclipse posts. All of them), but even if X universe shows up again in a product roadmap I can't 100% say it will see a story/comic/cinematic/etc.

Three, I can't confirm anything that hasn't already been announced. You know the drill. Sorry, Spideraxe specifically.

With those points out of the way, feel free to ask or request whatever you feel like, and I'll do my best to answer or elaborate throughout the day. Or you can check out the High Noon Gothic, Star Guardian, K/DA, Odyssey and Blood Moon stories from the last year. An equally good option!

195 Comments

Galiö1/17/2019, 8:59:27 PM46 votes

I honestly dont think alt storylines are a good use of resources. A lot of the main lore is outdated and is more connected to (it is) the established universe. There is so much more room to explore there that I don't feel expanding a 'non canon' lore really would accomplish much or even help sell the skins.

The best Riot can do to help sell the skins is build up the skins in some sort of 'short cinemati' similar to what was done with the... uh... odyssey(?) Skins.

I feel that skins should stay as a marketing tool to make money based off of design and intrigue of w.e set they belong to.

The story wouldnt really offer much and doesnt effect much either, imo.

Hope that didnt come off too negative, especially if you and/or other rioters are more passionate about those alternate storyline.

saltran1/17/2019, 8:25:24 PM21 votes

Thank you for asking here.

I think that what brings more character deep to a champion is having a proper VO. To use a more and personal point of view I'll say that I have like 6 MF skins but since I got GGMF I just cant go back to the other skins not because the quality itself it's lower but because those skins have a really old and poor VO.

TL;DR I want more new VO for old champions as you guys did with Lux.

ModCaptainMårvelous1/17/2019, 9:50:41 PM12 votes

I'm going to be real with you, and this might sound harsh:

I honestly don't care about AUs or Multiverse that much.

Unless it's specifically related to the main lore universe (IE: Noxus Poppy is what happened if Poppy went to Noxus), I just can't really care that much. Now, this isn't because you guys tell bad stories (They're good!) but because I just...don't really care. I want to see more about the main universe. If you guys wanna do a short story or a side-project/skin lore for your AUs, I'll give it a read. However, I just can't help but be far more invested in the canonical universe or universes directly adjacent as "What Ifs" than any sort of weird AU where everyone is a cowboy.

The Iceborn1/17/2019, 8:41:21 PM11 votes

I dont feel like Skins deserve long stories, i believe that that should be reserved for champions... What I would honestly look for is short stories but only under the condition that it wouldnt inhibit the Lore release for our champions! The Coven skin line seems very cool so Id love to see them get stories.. I also hope the skin line did well to deserve that :)

You Are Cute XD1/17/2019, 9:28:47 PM11 votes

I want sixteen hours of Pool Party Graves cinematics.

IcyColdStare1/17/2019, 10:28:11 PM10 votes

Heyo! Huge general lore fanboy here (skins included, naturally). Some opinions/asks:

VO is a huge, huge deal for me personally. It's how a champion gives life to the alt-verse they're from, it's what gives them character, it's what gives them that feeling of being a real (well..relatively real) person in their own world. VO has been a tipping point when purchasing skins for me (hello, GGMF). Interactions with related champions in-universe, items and in game events with their own spin on them, and random asides talking about where they're from/the world they live in can really make a skin stand out. I think the Eclipse skins (Solar/Lunar Eclipse Leona) really sold that alt-universe witch-knight fantasy quite well in terms of VO and content of said VO. I think that's the bar I'd like 2019 skin VO to adhere to if at all possible.

Written lore is also something I greatly enjoy. Worldbuilding and character building is very important to me, and when it's done well it's fantastic (See: Odyssey) and can really make a world stand out and feel whole - which is something that unfortunately isn't always the case (See: Steel Valkyries - that line is easily my favorite line in the game, and the lack of worldbuilding around it feels, well - bad). Selfish take here: I adore longer form stories. I enjoy following a narrative with a twist on the champions I'm already familiar with - Odyssey's The Lure is my shining example, with High Noon's The Man with The Grinning Shadow at a close second.

Which kind of brings me to my third point: maybe look to adapt and change existing skin lines and add content for them? High Noon being the example here, of course. The reimagining of the world/skin line really changed the line from being 'hey champions but WILD WEST' to 'the Frontier with champions who actually like, exist here as real people!'. It's kind of been done elsewhere, but the Infernals (as an example) didn't have anything to go with it, really; without any story or real content beyond the blurbs to back it up kind of makes the world fall flat.

Anywho, those are my thoughts on skin lore and stuff. I appreciate the question and I can't wait to see what y'all have planned for 2019!

Slade251/17/2019, 8:28:09 PM8 votes

I personally think special interactions are some of the best stuff League has put out. Aatrox's rework, for example; his special interactions REALLY bring the character to life and pull you into the game in a very special way. Taunting his enemies, lamenting his form, and calling Jax a worthy vessel makes playing Aatrox feel awesome.

EROTIC RAID BOSS1/17/2019, 8:27:31 PM8 votes

I liked the bios and short stories. might be cool to do short descriptions of the world they come from, like bite sized versions of the runeterra region pages.

So for example a few paragraphs laying out the world of project and program skins.

Honestly while the VO interactions for skinlines can be cool they often feel pretty wasted because its rare to come across specific skins while you are also using a specific skin

Parshy0471/18/2019, 1:11:30 AM6 votes

You know how we have the DnD-esque skin line?

What if there was a real campaign behind it?

Blood Magicks1/17/2019, 8:44:33 PM5 votes

I just want to thank you for the wonderful skin universe stories and the hilarious VOs. Honestly, the Odyssey Kayn VO and announcer were some of the lore highlights for last year.

First of all I hope all the skins get their bios. Once this happens, I definitely want to see more Eclipse & Coven lore and skins, it's all so beautiful.

Starsworn1/17/2019, 8:33:54 PM5 votes

Short and long stories featuring champions interacting in or outside of leagues canon universe (think irelia’s lore vs the star guardian universe) are my favorites, because they go a long way towards making the champions feel more like characters then just an assortment of voiceover lines. Yes, taliyah tells me dozens of times to throw another rock, but the most important part of her character isn’t really seen in game, it’s seen in her lore. That’s just one example, but others that really make me happy were the series of stories involving lux, garen, and galio, as well as the riven vs yasuo stories.

SithesisLord1/18/2019, 12:35:44 AM5 votes

what are you looking for in alt universe lore for 2019?

Animated miniseries.

And since i´m biased towards all things sci-fi. Animated miniseries featuring all of the sci-fi skin lines.

RiotRiot Scathlocke1/18/2019, 11:17:49 PM4 votes

Especially since 5,000 words is not a novella...

[slayer-jinx-unamused]

loli nukes1/17/2019, 9:43:51 PM4 votes

Hey carnival knights! Just wanted to start saying that all you guys on writing/ and the skin designers themselves have been killing it, all these events, stories, bios,etc. have been great to see. These alt worlds have been showing their own teeth in the ground and giving feel to these characters(even if its alt stories a lot of times u can see more of the actual characters personality). I have 2 things I'd love to see in the next year or 2:

Skin line interactions with each other. I'd love with a group or team would say lines when together (new line of super galaxy the people banter to each other, or make comments about other super galaxy champs). This imo brings the alt universes to the next level where we dont just hear the stories and see a mission in a gamemode, but hear more of their personal interactions, regardless of location. I dont know how much it costs to write up and put the dynamic va like xayah/rakan, but even 1 sided comments could be great (things like comments when a blood moon takes/gets a kill when you get an assist, or even comments when they get a kill you arent part of but near, even like leveling up next to one another (maybe for like arcade world). Think would be really fun to get their personalities into the game, when you have the skin. Also i don't mean necessarily add these to old skins (im guessing that's too much work/has problems overall) but for the future products in these skin lines.
Alt / older/younger versions of characters: things like riven as a noxian general, maybe wukong more primal, yasuo before being made a traitor, xin zhao in the Colosseum, sylas as a mage hunter :3. Alts like what if morg was good and kayle was evil, what if lamb was sadistic and wolf was kind, what if rumble went evil and trist had to take him out. Just some thoughts where skins actually give a different perspective on the actual world while also not being their cannon form. I think the alts would be best with vs events because there is a lot of characters that are foils to each other.

Thats just my thoughts, idk how much of this is directly in your field but love that communication and the work you guys do! Keep it up

Zoli Ben1/17/2019, 11:47:50 PM4 votes

I dare you to answer this question, Carnival Knights.

Does Star Guardian Urgot exists in the Star Guardian verse in a form?

Wrathof3001/17/2019, 11:56:47 PM4 votes

Personally, I would love to see more from the Dragon World universe. Especially since the first dragonslayer Pantheon and the fearsome dragon knight Mordekaiser are due for reworks soon, I also believe Dragon World is an alternate universe that can deliver well on a game mode dedicated to its setting similar to Odyssey and Star Gaurdian. Keep up the good work.

Malicious Metal1/18/2019, 12:52:41 AM4 votes

Gimme a Metalocalypse-style Pentakill story/series.

Please.

a teeto main1/18/2019, 12:29:05 AM3 votes

Can we have Omega Squad lore?

Larriet1/17/2019, 10:40:00 PM3 votes

I'd like lots and lots of comics, if that's an option! They're probably my favorite story-telling medium. I'd like more long-form stories otherwise, unless the style of writing specifically works better in shorter-form (Trial of the Masks was my favorite story released the past year, alt-universe or otherwise). I really enjoyed both Star Guardian stories, so longer stories really caught my attention. On one hand, comics can feel "smaller", and if it's alt-universe content it's not unlikely we'll never get another expansion, so there are pros and cons to both formats. I greatly enjoy both, however! Cinematics are very cool to see, especially with unique art and animation styles, but since they're mostly promotional in nature, they don't feel good to go back to the same way other content usually is. Looking at the Odyssey and Elementalist Lux cinematics, they both give context and actual character for the characters featured, which is awesome. Just too trailer-y, I guess! I would die for more audio dramas like we got about Bilgewater last year; if you're recording VO for a new Legendary/Ultimate, you already have one of the key actors there …

Nitpicks about the organization of alt-universe content on Universe: Stories without a minisite aren't easily findable in the alt-universe tab (High Noon Gothic, Blood Moon, PROJECT: Hunters stories). Some content that was released isn't on the Universe site at all--Pentakill minisite, VS 2017 comic, a Chinese comic of Irelia/Talon from Immortal Journey. Basically, it'd be nice if more stuff was readily available for people to discover alt-universe content. Stuff online that isn't collected, or stuff in the client that was never online (hello GGMF).

I really enjoy the dialogue of skins like Pulsefire Caitlyn, Elementalist Lux. Specifically, please give me more puns.

The only real request for specific content I have is something for Elementalist Lux. I don't care how big/small (looking forward to the bio!). Of course, I'm a huge fan of the stories released this year, and I personally think she'd be a great candidate for a soliloquy-type piece, which is something I haven't seen done in League yet. No expectations, though! :) This is also the place where I ask that not every skin need be part of a larger skinline to have its own story/universe.

Jeddy0171/17/2019, 8:42:45 PM3 votes

Well, personally, I would like to see more of these alternate universes. More art showing off these alternate universes & showing the champs being a part of these worlds. It could be simple bonus art as seen in the Starfall short story. It could be a video like Odyessy. It could be a comic like......um....when was the last skins comic? Anyway, I just want to see more. I know that's not really writing related. But it's the only thing I feel like asking about.

Spideraxe1/17/2019, 10:11:45 PM3 votes

Apology accepted [slayer-jinx-catface] So I what personally want to look more into for skins lore in 2019 are just more ways of connecting stray skins in to a cohesive set. I absolutely loved what you did with Fables, Omen of the Dark, Infernal and Eclipse this year by grouping a bunch of mismatched skins under one theme. In terms of content I think I hard want more short stories for the bigger lines that haven't been explored yet like Event Horizon or Omega Squad. Deeper VO interactions are something I want more off too, I really liked your work with Eclipse Leona's VO, interacting with multiple champs, personally was less so happy with DT Heimer not having super deep interactions. In general i do want to see more skins VO interactions, like on VGU'd skins or release skins like with Irelia, Swain Kai'Sa

Lady Faceless1/17/2019, 10:40:14 PM2 votes

Hey, so first of all thanks for all work you did in 2018! Especially Odyssey Kayn and Eclipse Leona have amazing VO and I love these skins so much. (Seriously, since I bought the Leona one, I almost played Leona only. I love the VO so much.)

Okay, here is my take:

More Skin Bio. Like, every skin should have a small bio which you can read in the Skin Collection, such kind of things bug me always if the work is only half done.
The VO's are great, keep doing your work. Seriously, these have been amazing so far.
Ask the Universe Team to create a better way to find all the skin stuff. Things like High Noon, PROJECT and Blood Moon are difficult to find if you don't know where exactly to look. It is fine for Veterans like me, but is really bad for people who are new on the website.
Maybe try to use some smaller text forms for skin releases? Haikus are perfect for the Immortal Journey for example. I have a soft spot for Drabbles as someone who used to write these like all the time, so I could imagine that this could be at least worth a try. (Btw, I mean the actual definition from Drabble - a text which is exactly 100 words long without the title. In the english writing scene it seems to be everything that is less than a short story).
Crossovers. Things like that "The Omen of the Dark" being a fables in "Eclipse" is amazing. "Odyssey" and "Pulsefire" have huge crossover ability and it would be a shame not to use it.

Bonus Points:

Already said, but Coven deserve a short story. SG is already popular enough, the short story was not needed. I know, it has been said enough and it was mentioned that they will get skin lore if these return, but I really think the Universe amazing and deserves all the love and attention it can get.
If a legendary Syndra skin is in work, please make sure she feels powerful, like Leona does. I almost quite the game cause of her absolut awful Lore Update and I really hope her only shot for a legendary wont be wasted. Especially since the rumors about Anti-Star Guardian exist and it felt like a dodge a bullet that Syndra hasn't got the legendary one. Give me Cosmic or Coven Syndra, which has so much potential visual and lore wise. Something powerful. Not cute, not nice, but actually powerful and sovereign. And that she has more personality than her given lore counterpart, which sadly has none anymore.