Riot, PLEASE! (Champion Lore)

I know many people will go 'who cares' or 'cry me a river', and I know a lot of players of League don't even care for the lore. But the fact Riot insists on doing lore means something for the players who enjoy it. It connects them to their characters, which is something they want.

Characters who got major changes: Trundle, Sion, Yorick, Evelynn, Shurima champs. Just some examples I can build on. Starting with Trundle, people liked his lore but it wasn't a point that made people want to play him, and both game and story wise he was suffering. Unique, yes, but he was a champion that needed the changes he got in order to survive. Typical, young bully ice troll we've all seen, sure, but for Trundle Riot could have done worse. The other three they also needed change and I think quite a few of us lore fans would have liked more on the Eve 'mystery'. Instead she just became a demon, which again isn't the worst Riot could do and makes Evelynn a more unique demon being born of the Rune Wars and learning what humans find attractive to make herself a better hunter and sustain herself. Yorick and Sion were old and revamped in interesting ways. As for Shurima it tied all its characters in a neat package while keeping them as they were and more.

Yet none of them brought about the outcry and my own personal, selfish pleas as Varus, the Arrow of Retribution. I KNOW he's a fictional character and I KNOW it's just a game. But if Riot wants people to care for its characters, first Riot has to care what the community thinks. We know they listen to the game play and take surveys on it, but what about the LORE. No one in gaming listens to its fans about possible story.

My problem with Varus: He is not Varus anymore. And the characters he was made into deserve more justice even though I hate them for tearing my character apart and wouldn't play them even if they were individual champs. Kai and Valmar clearly get enough love to deserve being imagined into champions those people can play and even interact with Varus on his own. Instead Varus, who chose vengeance after doing his duty for his family and losing them, gets scrapped for a half thought, garbage concept to fit their Darkin plague when Kayn and Raahst aren't even a year old yet. We have love with Xayah and Rakan. We have Darkin with Kayn and Raahst and Darkin color scheme is significantly redder than Varus crystalline bow, unique to the Pit of Pallas.

Varus had elements. Pit of Pallas, his bow, his family, his nation, his own personal struggles. All of that could have been expanded and if there had to be a Darkin, there are other ways to show it's there than just throw him out. Corruption and fully controlling can be as different as murder and killing--finer definitions. Also, his new splash. I love it. But I can't look at it the same way. The head piece and tattoo could have been part of his role as guardian. The scarf could have been from his wife, his necklace meant to hand down to his son, who had a name in his old Judgement. You can't just slap an image and a name onto a new concept when the old one was solid enough to build up on.

Riot, I'm sure this won't be read, but if it is, why can't there be a poll when you're planning something new? Something that causes enough uproar to get your attention (the champs above either needed it or the fans were fine with the changes to begin with) then take a vote from the community? A significant enough poll (like say 46% vs 54%) would be close enough to keep and reincoorperate the lore whereas a dominating swing (19% vs 81%) lets you do what you want and/or viewed as a necessity. You say the 'crown is heavy', but a king who rules his people and does not listen to them is a king no one wants to follow although it's all about the game that will ensure you survive.

I'm sure you're not changing it, but I feel too strongly about this to just keep to other posts. If you should somehow, some way, decided a reversion can be done with Kai and Valmar as their own champions, I'm sure you'd receive a stronger response from your community as far as your storytelling. Your game is awesome enough, but if you're going to put story to them, it needs to fit, not just a general consensus on something that stirred up controversy even in your own office.

Long post I know, but does anyone else feel similarly? There's been other discussions on the topic when the video/comic came out but this is for Varus and lore specifically and that Riot does have the power to revise it without solidifying such drastic changes in stone right away.