Riot Jareden Ask.fm Lore Questions MegaThread

That title doe.

Gonna list all the ones he answers here. Since discussion is fun and stuff. Here's the link https://ask.fm/RiotJaredan

https://akimg2.ask.fm/assets2/155/045/774/080/normal/ScottRiotPicture.jpg

1) Are there any plans to potentially have a weekly updated League of Legends Webcomic? Something like The Dawngate Chronicles.

J: We certainly plan to have regularly released storytelling, including through the medium of comics. It may not be in the same format that you mention, but we want to provide great episodic story content (as well as cool one-off stories). Woohoo! First question answered!

2) What is the ideal release rate for new more in your mind?

J: Right now, I just want to see us putting out additional great content at a reliable cadence and then build from there. Teams like Champ, ChampUp, and Promo are already producing very cool content pretty regularly, but we want to do more alongside that to develop the world and engage with Champs you already love. We're building the means to provide stories in various media that will build and meet expectations for quality and arrival, but I wouldn't want us to just set up things that aren't sustainable. I can't provide the exact quantity and turnaround, but getting players meaty stories (sorry vegetarians) you can expect to land on your desktop (or tablet, phone, phablet) without worrying it's going to happen is the first task.

3) Are we ever going to find out more about some of the most popular pairings in LoL, such as the Syndra x Zed pairing?

J: Syndra and Zed isn't something on our minds at the moment, but we've certainly discussed possibilities and pitched stories around other possible duos. Amumu and Rammus road trip. Just kidding. Maybe.

4) How's the work in foundations going? Excited to see the world of runeterra flower out :)

J: It goes well! I was just chatting with Ant in Oz. Cool stuff you'll be seeing in the period following immediately (I didn't say 'soon.' Until then. Ah, crap).

5) If we where ever to get a map of Runeterra. Would it be an interactive one or a regular one?

J: It would be one made from the artifacts of people who have walked that part of the world. Such as the one for Bilgewater.

6) With the changes to past champions lore, and focusing them around places in Valoran, what are (if any) plans for Morgana/Kayle lore? I always loved that Morg was beyond the petty squabbles of Valoran. That there was a place seperate with it's own story; separate in a different way than, say, Targon.

J: We've pitched a few ideas around Morgana and Kayle, and their duality is something we're very keen on keeping, no matter where they end up. Nothing concrete that I can talk about right now, sorry, but it's that essence of them that is most important rather than concerns of any nation state.

7) Can you talk about how much the new client will help in delivering lore?

J: I can't, sorry! Things are still percolating and I don't want to preempt the work of the teams.

8) Hello RiotJaredan! I would like to know if there is anything in stored for LeBlanc's mysterious organization called ''The Black Rose''?

J: I can't talk to anything specific (the joys of avoiding spoilers, eh?), as there's no confirmation on a release, but there was a pitch from someone on Foundations that floored me. Wonderful concept and focus on LeBlanc as a character, while fleshing The Black Rose out in a really cool way. I'm bouncing in my chair a bit at the thought of it. Those moments in writers rooms when my eyes light up and there are audible "Oooohh"s uttered (often by me) make my day all kinds of awesome. I'm lucky to work with the folks I do.

9) Hello Jaredan! This is SylvanasWrunner and I'm really passionate about the Black Rose which is LeBlanc's cult. Is there anything in stored of this mysterious organization? Thank you! :)

J: Nothing on the immediate horizon, but as I answered in another question, there are ideas we've considered that get me all excited.

10) Hello, I go by Talos of altmora in Leauge, and I have to ask you about Targon. 1) Why was this a good direction for Targon? 2)Why are the aspects a part of there? 3)Why are Taric and Sol connected to Targon? Also please see the thread on the boards called My problem's with new!Leona.

J: Hello, Talos! 1) I think it was a good direction because it opens up a lot of potential for developing its own mythology in a way that can embroil Champs we know and perhaps introduce characters we haven't seen yet. 2) The celestial concept was one that seemed to fit well with the already asserted sun and moon dichotomy. We just wanted to open that up a bit and add a bit of funky. 3) I think Taric and Aurelion's stories explain their involvement individually. Making Taric something otherworldly and grand, was just a way to expand and elevate his inherent magnificence. I think he makes a great foil to Pantheon in a number of ways, too. Aurelion is a dragon of the stars, things just came together with his and Targon's development. I have read through that thread and I understand the passion and concerns. There are evolving motivations and actions from Leona through even that short piece (personal morality, taught indoctrination, new perspective, reasserting agency). All I can say right now is that we're placing Leona on a certain path that isn't complete within what has been shown so far, particularly in contrast to Diana. They both have a journey as people that is destined to change each of them as it also brings them together - seeing how they deal with each other, what they learn from each other, and how they handle the truths they both possess, will be very important.

11) I know that Rammus' new color text is on the way, but I'm so super curious I don't think I can hold it- Will he be more than just, uh, "OK"? (Does he actually have a character now?) ... Am I asking too many questions? :P

J: No, but I'm very disappointed that I can't answer with just, "OK." ;) You'll be reading more than just one phrase.

12) Hey. Just wanted to ask some quick questions regarding the lore of League. 1. Braum has shown to have considerable strength and superhuman endurance. Would he happen to be an Iceborn? 2. Did the Darkin exist in this dimension or another? 3. Was Brand alive during the time of the Watchers?

J: 1) He's not Iceborn, he's my brooOOOtherrrr. Ahem. Sorry. He's simply just that strong. He does wield something a bit special though... 2) This one. 3) Which time? Dun dun duuuuuuun!

13) Hey Jaredan. I'm a guy who writes a lot of fanfic and headcanon (clean, mind you. I have standards >_> ). Anyway, do we have an ETA on the new map? It would make my job easier. On a different note, I'm interested in possible languages of Valoran (having come up with two already). Anything on that?

J: Hello! Very cool, and glad it's clean. I have delicate sensibilities. (No one I know would agree with this.) Anyway, I can't give you an ETA at the moment, sorry. It is being worked on. That's awesome about the languages, and we are looking at them. For example, WAAARGBobo is a fiend for coming up with new names and adding flavor with dialects. He's a bit of a beast. Foundations has been looking at particular regional variance too, of course. Valoran is a big place. And so is Ionia.

14) I miss dominion .. do you too ?

J: I have to be honest ... not really. I was always pretty much exclusively an SR and then ARAM type of fella. Sorry!

**15) Dibs on first question! Does Lux have a flat-chest complex? I know, silly/pervy question to ask, but wouldn't she be jealous of Sona's chest? **

J: Ermm. Err. Hmm. Ahhh. Whuuuu? Eww! /runs away.

**16) Followup question of the "Is Braum Iceborn?": He seems to have been around and known as legend for a good number of decades (Seeing how the grandma tells the story from her childhood to her granddaughter in his color text). Is goat milk THAT powerful? **

J: It is the way Braum drinks it (he squeezes it out of 10 goats at a time). I'm an awful person.

17) Of the past canon relationships (TryndAshe, LuxEzreal,GarKat, LeBlancSwain, and Tristana/Rumble/Teemo), which ones are considered still canon?

J: Can't speak to that right now, but I'll say that personally I've had a TryndAshe and GarKat state of mind. My good friend and colleague John O'Dyin' is all about Tristana and Rumble. ** 18) Reading the recent lores, it really seems like you had this idea for Aurelion then forced his lore into Targon because you didn't know where else to fit him, was that what happened? **

J: Nope! Development work on Targon and Aurelion Sol just really worked together nicely. Space dragon, meet celestial covenant. Deities of the stars, meet breathing stellar nursery.

**19) How is Sivir getting along with Azir? I'd read there'd be another small update to the Shurima storyline, but I don't know if it was actually true or not. **

J: Sivir and Azir, sitting in a tree, E.N.M.I.T.Y. Ok that didn't work. Things are just beginning for those two. And they're not the only ones playing in that sandpit. And what you heard is true.

**20) Short b/c sign-limit, sorry: Why remove TF's betrayal then do reconcile-plot" anyway? Why change personalities of Leona/Diana when the established ones would've worked just as well for new story? Why turn Targon into pseudo-sci-fi when that transition from fantasy never went well (ex. midichlorians) **

J: TF's betrayal was absolutely real to Graves. He not only left him to carry the can, he didn't back him up and believe in their ability to get out of anything, which you might say is proven through Burning Tides (once they stop being pissed at each other). Graves would have blown a hole in the world for his partner and grinned doing it. Then things got dicey and he was gone. Of course, TF had a different opinion. Leona and Diana are shown in particular parts of their lives. We're not done telling their story and we want to give them room to grow and change. Targon is not midichlorians. There's still plenty of fantasy included at the top of the world.

**21) So, you guys turned Pantheon into an immortal body-hopping space parasite, basically pissing on what he once was. Why did you think this was a good idea? It was terrible. **

J: I'm sorry you feel that way. There's a lot of story still to be told about Pantheon, and Atreus. As I've said before, rules are meant to be broken. Even Pantheon's.

**22) Are the Aspects or rather, where the Aspects power come from (The celestial bodies, The Sun, The Moon, The Protector, War, etc) considered a race? Like, do they have some crazy political system? Are they all in agreement. Taric seems to think A. Sol is pretty rad. But is that Taric or the Protector? **

J: As an example, put Taric's very human and personal motivations next to Pantheon's. Then put them on the same field. Then stand waaay back.

23) Any updates on Singed? His lore is still long out of canon with everyone else's. (September 2012, I believe).

J: Here's one where I flat out throw my hands up and say sorry. To be honest, I did some work on Singed and then had to focus on a lot of other things (like hiring awesome writers who can actually focus on rewriting Singed). Foundations is handling that amoral genius.

24) You didn't answer the question though. Why did you think it was a good idea to turn Pantheon into a body-hopping space parasite?

J: Because it sets up Pantheon as a huge player in a number of areas, and sets up some very personal internal and external conflicts that can play out in stories for some time to come. It's because we think we can make some really cool content for players moving forward. I'm sorry you don't agree. Hopefully you'll see things you like as we progress. ** 25) thanks for getting an ask.fm. I know there's a lot of stuff that you won't be able to answer, but it's nice to have someone around in an easy to access place! (Don't forget about Karma, she's super rad!) **

J: Thanks! It's rather fun so far. I'll try to answer whatever I can, but yeah, some things I have to keep my lips zipped over. (I won't, and she is!)

26) What does Aurelion Sol think about Xerath? He didn't have any quotes for Xerath while he has for all other ascendeds.

J: Here's my take: If you are an incredibly powerful, intelligent being who is being subdued under the yoke of beings that seem to consider themselves gods, I'd look at Xerath as a rather interesting opportunity.

27) Is there some lore-thinking behind the new elemental dragons?

J: Yes, we've been having some fun chats with the designers. All I can say for now.

**28) Is there a master web that shows which characters have interacted with other characters, or is that something that needs to be researched every time? Also are there any plans to give Jax some canon lore? **

J: 1) Not yet. 2) Yes. It's my loquaciousness that makes me endearing.

29) So if we look at Taric and Pantheon, then, or The Protector and Pantheon, I should say, we see polar opposites who want very, VERY different things. Are conflicts like this the reason why Aurelion's Star Crown has begun to fail? Infighting among powerful entities?

J: What a remarkably interesting theory.

30) If you could make two far-removed champions meet, which do you think would make for an interesting story?

J: Off the top of my head (dangerous as it is): Jinx and Lux.

31) Is this gonna be the first question you're gonna answer?

J: Sorry, no. Afraid it's my last for the night though. I have to get home. I shall return!

DAY 2 OF QUESTIONS

32) So whats is narrative priority right now? Follow ups on newly updated champs or updating champion to the new lore?

J: Insomnia time! That's not really how we work. We're a discipline (a group of craftspeople) that works on product teams (groups of different crafts that make stuff). We prioritize based on the priorities outlined by different initiatives (for League of Legends teams, that's Champ, ChampUp, Promo, Skins) for Creative Development, there are a variety of of different teams working on things, such as Foundations. We're making new Champs (including the introductory bios etc.), updating Champs (for example on Poppy, her thematic cohesion, concepting, personality, VO, comic book etc.), creating world-building materials for teams, and other things all at the same time across a number of product teams. As we ramp up our resources (in other words, hire more excellent writers and editors so we can support more teams), we're focusing on things that include pure story products (such as comics, short stories like the ones we wrote for Bilgewater and Shadow and Fortune, and more). Sorry the answer isn't straightforward, but we work on a variety of teams across Riot and our priorities are based on overall creative strategy and initiative needs.

**33) I love how Mordekaiser became just he ultimate "evil" due to him lacking any redeemable features and his intentions revolve solely on conquering the world. Are we going to see him being pitched against the entirety of Noxus and maybe even force them into an uneasy alliance with gasp DEMACIA? **

J: I'm not sure about an alliance between Noxus and Demacia any time soon, but Mordekaiser is going to be extremely important when it comes to the future of the Shadow Isles.

**34) Any future event involving Zaun and Piltover? (Like viktor, Jayce, Caitlin, all of them) (I like viktor) **

J: We've got a variety of plans for Zaun and Piltover and the inhabitants therein. Viktor is a very interesting individual.

**35) I think the new Targon stories are great, but I can see why some people would misunderstand your intentions to let certain defining character traits grow into the characters over time. Maybe you should have signaled your intentions or foreshadowed them more to avoid the interim controversy. **

J: Perhaps that's true, we just want to give people the chance to find the stories as much as possible rather than define them ahead of time. Even in the things I've been saying or hinting at to try and explain that we're no longer focused on producing characters whose stories are mainly complete, it's given away some things that aren't hard to figure out. It's a balance that sometimes we get right and sometimes we don't. I'm glad you're enjoying the stories.

36) First I am a lore addict and have loved the increase in lore content being put out. That said, there seems to be hints from both Aurelion and Taric's stories that there is a void threat coming. Am I imagining this or is there maybe a glimmer of hope? Any answer of varying vagueness is appreciated!

J: There's a constant Void threat. Targonians are just much more aware of it, and the damage it could cause, than most. Varying vagueness achieved!

37) Do you have a preference for anonymous vs attributed questions? Or, any particular types of questions that you prefer anon vs attributed?

J: Not really. I leave that for whoever wants to ask the question. I'm working out the general flow and idea of ask.fm at the mo, but I wouldn't want to assert the way people should ask things. There might be a reason that I haven't figured out yet, but I don't foresee it. I also didn't foresee moving to America, getting married, having kids and then working at Riot either. Anything's possible.

38) Is it safe to say that Mordekaiser just became way more Metal with his new lore, he might not have the title anymore but his themes and the way he's portrayed is so very reminiscent of Metal archetypes. Unimaginable evil, unholy powers and being nothing more than the will to dominate and conquer.

J: He's pretty metal. That's safe to say.

39) What role/purpose is Syndra envisioned for in the League world? With the recent advent of the Ionian psychopath, I'm deeply concerned her story direction may go to places that I've never felt as befitting of her character. Thank you for your time.

J: I don't think Jhin's existence alters who Syndra is. I'd be interested to know what you think the dangers are.

40) What is the primary magic-type for each faction?

J: It's not a case of primary rather than most prevalent, perhaps (even though you don't trip over magic in most of Runeterra) Freljord - True Ice, Piltover/Zaun - Hextech, Demacia - Shhh, keep that magic quiet! Noxus - whatever they can get their hands on, Bilgewater - Though Illaoi and the followers of Nagakaborous are rather powerful, it's too eclectic a place to be cut and dry. No pun intended. Kinda. Ionia - natural, wild magic. Shadow Isles - undeath, necromantic.

41) internal and external conflicts sounds great and all, especially since it's really 2 people so internal struggles are just weird, but will I ever get my Pantheon back who was not some space parasite and was an awesome normal guy sometime in the enxt 3 years or is he gone for good?

J: All I'll say is that Atreus's story is not over.

42) Is Icathia going to show up in lore again?

J: Yes.

43) How about Urtistan?

J: Possibly, no immediate plans that I can think of though.

44) Does anyone stop and think about how these things fit together?

J: Yes. Constantly. We communicate across teams about how things funciton, possible directions, what people are working on, how that can influence and inspire other teams. Foundations is the team responsible for providing support on the core elements and how they interact.

**45) Why do you say you want to give characters room to grow and change but then rewrite them instead of growing them? **

J: Sometimes it takes some adjustments to do that.

46) Why don't you make cool content right now instead of setting things up for making cool content moving forward?

J: Mainly as it takes production resources that can be depended on for the long term. Just grabbing whatever you can, burning the midnight oil and getting something out the door isn't sustainable and causes frustration in the long term because it creates inconsistency. We are still making cool content alongside and through current production teams, we're just putting things together to bring more content streams online in a way that should promote more consistency.

47) Why is Leona, Diana, and Taric all seem to be avatars of their aspects (but still retain their own personality and will) when Pantheon is a complete possession, and is nothing but his Aspect?

J: It's to show some variance in how things work, to keep things a little unscientific, and to allow for different types of character arcs and stories. Leona and Diana are finding their way and discovering their identities in the light of differing revelations. Taric knows inherently what he's about and strives to make up for past failure. Pantheon has his own agenda, but he might have underestimated the strength of the human spirit.

48) Are you ever going to add lore that isn't tied to a champion release or rework?

J: Yes.

49) Which Champions does Zyra like/dislike? We only know that she is a Rival of Maokai :c

J: I'd imagine she's not a fan of Singed or Viktor, for starters.

50) Your updates seem to be faction based (IE, Shumia>Bilgewater Bay>Shadow Isles>Targon). What faction are you looking at next?

J: Back to Shurima.

51) Hey, just wanted to say thanks to you and the rest of the narrative team! I love all the stories you've been releasing! Any clues as to where the next story will take place?

J: Thank you! And we're going to check in on how that whole reborn Ascended Emperor thing is going on.

52) So, hello again, reading the LoLboards and this thread, the terms space parasite comes off rather often. Was this view of the Aspects intentional or just what the populace unintentionally saw Diana, Leona, and Pantheon as?

J: It's not how we view the relationship between Aspect and subject. Taric, Leona and Diana aren't being fed upon, neither is Pantheon, even if his transformation is initially far more extreme than the others. The Protector empowered Taric because it sensed not only his incredible spirit, but his sense of goodness and the fact that he just gets what's important in life. The Protector isn't an infection. I'm a little bleary eyed so thinking of a reference from other IPs is making my head hurt a bit, but think of DC's Firestorm perhaps as another example of how merged identities can work in a way that isn't parasitic. The 'parasite' usage has become prevalent as a take on the situation from those who are particularly critical of the direction we've chosen, which is fair enough. If that's how people feel then that's perfectly valid. Hopefully as we explore things, our intent will become more explicit.

53) Not sure how much you are involved in that but when are we going to see the reworked map of Runeterra?

J: I like to check in on it, and give feedback but I'm not driving on that project. No ETA as of yet, sorry.

54) Shurima lore when?

J: The answer is a series of words that means soon without me having to say soon. So ... soon. I know it's the frustrating answer, but the joys of production across multiple teams is that things can change and I don't want to tread on the plans of those teams when it comes to release planning. Sorry.

55) Hey there, I harken to the name of Narasimha. So here's my shot: Are the Aspects trying to stop the Voidborn on Runeterra so badly because the Void has caused problems elsewhere, and if so, to what extent has the Void impacted the rest of the Universe?

J: Ahoy Narasimha, awesome name. The Aspects are fully aware of the danger of the Void. Subtlety isn't the Void's strongpoint. Mainly as the Void doesn't need it.

56) Unfortunately I found your response to my last question a bit "dodg-y", for the lack of a better term, which I blame on the format here. Ever considered to do some kind of interview/round-table with critical fans, to explore repeated issues in more detail to avoid such issues?

J: Headbiter! Not sure on that to be honest. Also, not sure what answer I provided that would be dodgy?

57) Several questions: 1. Ionia lore update - rather sooner or later? 2. Opinion on official novels? Too restrictive since you might have to retcon them in the future? 3. If I wrote fanfiction, would you read it and tell me if it's plausible and in character? 4. Any plans for Sona? :3

J: 1. Later. Shurima is sooner. 2. Novels are just long format stories. No need to feel restricted by them. 3. Sorry, I can't. 4. Other than playing her a lot (she's my main), there are some things in the pipeline.

58) Also, is your general goal to mend game and story, as the IoW-setting attempted or are you intending for them to be utterly seperated entities? Like, do fights on the Rift even occur in Runeterra and will we ever learn why? Does the Rift even exist?

J: There's not currently a one-for-one version of the Rift in Runeterra. Our general goal is to create a vibrant story world and a vibrant game. They're related to each other, but they're not exactly the same.

59) 2/2 champions like Pantheon, or Poppy were in any way evolutionary in their development as opposed to just writing entirely new characters that have nothing in common with their original selves?

J: Pantheon has changed quite a bit from a character and motivation standpoint. At the moment (Atreus wasn't just brought in as a bait-and-switch). Poppy's details have changed, it's true, but her Demacia-ness (it's a real word, honest), nobility, and heroism feel very true to her still, in my opinion. She's not as tragic at the first read of her, but we have suffered from a lot of Orphan-by-Noxian-assassin syndrome. I think she's more unique and endearing. ChampUp looked at core elements of her and then built from them in a way I think worked rather well. Just my opinion, of course.

60) "They're related to each other, but they're not exactly the same." Example of what this "related" part would look like in your ideal vision. Feel free to name a fictional example if you can't/don't want to spoil anything, mainly curious to understand the concept you're going for.

J: They're allegorical to each other, as we've outlined in the past. The Champions being the most directly related elements, though they might not always be identical to the game in how they're shown in different stories. For example, we might do a fun romp with Garen and Corki (pulling things out the air here). In that story, in whatever format it is, it'll be obvious it's Garen, but him through a more whimsical lens that's obviously just for that story. Or we could do a story about Garen and the effect that years of war have had on his ability to connect with his fellow Demacian soldiers. There's a range of possibilities and tones, and it's unlikely all of those tones will be reflected within the game. It should always be distinctly Garen though in whatever medium you see him in, including the game. Even with that in mind, I'd love to get around to adding some more lines to Miss Fortune in a post-Burning Tides world. We want to show Champs growing through story, changing as they make life-altering choices, in ways that can be reflected in the game, when appropriate. Summoners have their own identity, but I can't go into that yet. If you want a specific explanation of how the game is explained by a story, placing it within Runeterra, then I'm afraid that isn't likely.

61) As far as ETA's go, would it be possible to just give very large windows such as "Expect this in 3-7 months, barring any unforseeable issues on our end."

J: Honestly, it depends on the subject. There is always the chance that something we think is absolutely nailed on to come out in that timeframe will blow up on the launchpad. It makes developers less than keen on talking ETAs because we're so used to things just not turning out for many very good and very unforeseeable reasons. That's the joy of video game development. Even the safest bets can, and will, surprise you.

62) Will the next batch of shurima content also involve some champs that didn't get much last time around, such as Amumu, Skarner & Rammus?

J: Indeed

63) Any plans for Caitlyn? Also as a Cait fan please do not ship CaitxVi I'm not a fan of it. I don't see Cait as a champion that would look into romance, but one that is married to her job

J: Definitely plans for Caitlyn. And fair enough on the shipping.

**64) Are you enjoying Ultra Rapid Fire this weekend? :D **

J: Not yet! I just haven't had time trying to catch up with players' Qs!

65) What is Rengar's deal now, and where does he hang out?

J: In the bush. Just kidding. Rengar's deal hasn't really changed. He hangs out 10 feet above wherever the best hunt is.

66) "Not sure what answer [...] would be dodgy": Answering would go beyond sign-limit of ask, so let's call it "my feeling" for the time being. Also, should I imagine my name being yelled out rather in terror, glee or annoyance? :P

J: Haha! Just recognition, no worries. And I'm just giving you the honest answer. If I can't give you the honest answer, I just won't answer.

67) What on Earth do you guys the Narrative team do all day? I'll be honest whenever you guys give us some new lore, it's top quality. But the time is what sets it off for me :9

J: We spend our time on a variety of things: Champion ideation, pre-production, production, general development, writing artifacts for Champ development (story sketches, which are like concept stories, archetype and personality documentation, short bios, long bios, stories, scripts for promos, short stories for promos, all of those things for ChampUp too, and usually working on two or more Champs at once), meetings with the different teams to brainstorm and insure we're all on the same page, same for stakeholders, thinking of cool stuff for the world, working with various disciplines (artists, producers, etc.) to put those cool ideas into formats for other teams to use, rewriting all the bios, meeting with teams to help with thematic cohesion (making sure it's all the same world and the same Champion across teams) craft improvement and development, management, internal comms, recruitment (I spend a lot of time on the last three) waking up dazed and answering questions in a rambling manner on ask.fm, reading the boards, and lunch. Plus some other stuff I can't go into. We're pretty busy.

68) Do you read fan fiction? Any fanfics you like?

J: I don't really. It's kind of a limitation we have to place on ourselves, unfortunately.

69) Are there any plans to update Wukongs lore? I feel at the moment he's just Master Yi's apprentice with no real impact on the world (like Garen or Shen) and even that needs redone a bit since Yi can't agree to get Wukong into the league of legends if Wukong agrees to learn Wuju anymore.

J: There'll at least be some work due to the IoW reference. I can't think of any other plans off the top of my head right now though.

70) What champions are the least fleshed out, as of now? Are there any no writers has done much work on yet, other than rough plans?

J: We've done at least an initial evaluation on every Champ. Most of them we've got idea ruminating around. I've heard pitches for pretty much all of them. Yes, including Rammus.

71) Is there a lore reason of what happens to Jhin's mask when he dies in game? It just kinda flies in the air and then explodes/disapears

J: You stumped me! I can't remember one. I'll ask WAAARGBobo.

72) No spoilers of course, but what factions would you say Fiddlesticks, Nocturne and Shaco will have the closest connection to, despite seeming quite independent?

J: They're pretty independent. It'd be interesting to see how they would interact with certain Shadow Isles denizens. I say that completely for no reason.

73) How do different factions compare in military strength? What are some important economic features of various factions, like Bilgewater's sea-monster fishing?

J: Noxus has the largest army. Demacia's is smaller, but ridiculously well-trained. Piltover and Zaun have innovation and industry as the hallmarks of their economies. Bilgewater has monster fishing, plus the biggest black market for rare items. Ionia has a variety of features, it's not quite as big as Valoran, but it's pretty huge.

**74) Jaredan, could you let the community know what the structure of the greater Narrative discipline looks like? Who leads are per departments/how it functions/how things need to get approval? I think a lot of frustration stems from people just not knowing how Narrative actually works behind the scenes! **

J: Narrative is a discipline that provides craft support on various teams across Riot. There are three main initiatives: League of Legends, Creative Development, and R&D. I'll speak to two of them here. (Ixnay on the &DRay). On League of Legends, I bear the overall privilege and responsibility of managing Narrative and acting as stakeholder for the craft across products. For Core Gameplay (Champ, ChampUp, Promo), Loping Cinder manages the Narrative contingent that works on those teams and provides support to those teams through his craft and understanding as a developer. He's a talented so and so. For Creative Development, Ant in Oz manages the members of Narrative on Foundations (he's also the product lead for the team), and provides support for the various saucy enterprises going on in CDev. He provides integral Australian elements too. Approval goes through the product teams. Each product team has a delivery lead that makes sure things get made and are accountable for quality. Each team has stakeholders who are SMEs from various disciplines who give different perspectives and craft support to help the team make the best product possible for the players (I'm responsible for providing character, story, and thematic cohesion feedback for League teams, for example). However, as with other disciplines, Narrative supports its members across all teams and initiatives. We seek feedback and share notes on things we are working on across all initiatives to make sure our individual strengths support each others' individual weaknesses and we learn from each other. I hope that helps.

75) Just tell me this; is Swain's powers & Beatrice connected to Fiddlesticks in some way?

J: Nope.

76) Questions concerning Kindred. What does it mean to be Marked in the canon itself? Do they mark people who have defied Death? People who are good/fun targets? What do they think of Ekko and Zilean? Have they met Aurelion and Bard? (Sorry I just love them a bunch and want to know).

J: Marked means your time is pretty much up. There are those who have defied that mark. They're all fun for Wolf. Ekko might look like he's getting things right first time to the world around him, but Kindred might feel he's sadly burning through his young life. Imagine if you spent a year making a moment perfect. How old would you be tomorrow? Zilean can travel to whenever he wants. He can't avoid his destination. They might not have met Aurelion and Bard yet, but they meet everyone eventually.

77) Are you planning on expanding/concluding the Freljord lore? It's my favourite lore/part of Runeterra, and I'd love for there to be a resolution to the impensing 3 way war! Also, have Riot thought about releasing lore books? I'd definitely buy them if you did! Thanks.

J: We've thought a lot about how things will go in the war, and beyond... No comment on the other things, other than I'd buy them too. Thank you!

78) Lux, any new lore in the upcoming future even if it's 10 years?

J: Lux is very important in the way we see Demacia unfurling. I can't overstate that.

**79) What is Amumu? **

J: The friend you always wanted and can never have.

80) Nunu is rarely talked about, but might we get stories about his and Willump's adventures someday? :) Him, Annie and Amumu meeting eachother would be really cute!

J: Indeed it would! I think Nunu and Willump have a lot of potential for a particular style of story I'm looking forward to us telling.

81) While not relevant to his overall story, did you think of Taric as specifically gay, or bi, or something?

J: I specifically thought of him as something. In all seriousness, as Taric was being developed, we were thinking of Taric's journey and his motivation as we would any other Champ.

82) In-game she levitates, but is Nami generally able to travel on land lore-wise?

J: I'd certainly think so. Even if it meant just dragging herself along by her arms. That was a joke. God I hope that was a joke.

83) Is there any hope for Senna beyond her just being put out of her misery? :(

J: Yes, Thresh may employ Feng Shui and interior decorating to make that lantern more comfortable. Sorry, I'm hitting my 3am bizarre brain. While there's life in Lucian, there's hope for Senna. Also, remember, Senna was Lucian's equal, and he's pretty awesome. Don't count her out.

84) What can you tell us about Yordles?

J: Other than they're awesome, you can expect us to delve into them a bit more later this year.

85) Is there any chance of a sympathetic/light-hearted character from the shadow isles?

J: To be honest, we already have a sympathetic character on our mind. Light-hearted is a bit of a challenge on the Shadow Isles though.

**86) Will we get a Jax story, ever? Is there anything you can reveal? ...Is he human, yes/no? **

J: Yes, I know Ant in Oz and others are itching to tell some Jax stories. If he is human, he's awfully bad at chopping carrots.

**87) Well shoot, I'd like to personally apologize for kicking you in the shins. **

J: Ow! And thanks!

88) What is Riot's stance on ever featuring a canonically homosexual character? As a gay man, I'd like to see one in the game

J: This is me talking, not Riot, but love is love. And that's anywhere.

89) You guys intend to talk more about the Black Rose soon? It's sad that is such an important part of the lore but not too well explored and explained

J: Ideas for it, but I can't in all honesty say 'soon.' I try to keep that word for things that are a bit more impending. We'll get there.

**90) Could fiora ever fall in love? **

J: Absolutely. Would she choose that love over the responsibility she has for her family's name and the ferocious independence she employs to back it up? I'm shaking a magic 8-ball and it just won't give me a damn answer.

91) what would fiora think of jhin and vice versa?

J: If she's smart and gets the chance, "Kill." It's far too early in the morning for me to get in Jhin's head. I want to be able to get back out before my daughter's soccer practice. I said 'soccer.' Sigh. Football practice.

92) What's up with Yordles? According to Poppy's lore she was there at the founding of Demacia, are they immortal? What is Tahm Kench exactly, I know he/it takes that name from The Gambler, before that encounter, what was the being calling himself TK? Do the new Elemental Dragons fit in the lore?

J: I wouldn't use the word 'immortal', I'd choose 'timeless'. Tahm is a river demon who has been around long enough that his name has been lost downstream. They do

**93) Is Kog'Maw a child or an adult? **

J: A tween. This amuses me far more than it should a rational mind.

94) How do you feel about characters that got removed or whose core got changed? There's a lot of criticism from the community on this and I myself quit LoL because Trundle got removed. Will you let past mistakes be? Or do you think they're still the same characters? Or do you think changing them is ok

J: Hey, nice to see you. I think we've learned a lot (though some might disagree), and we try to make changes that are either more evolutionary, or are leading toward a payoff that is core to the original Champ, than we have in some more startling instances in the past. To be honest, I don't foresee reverting Trundle to a previous version as likely any time soon though.

95) Oooh, could you do something like "an Ionian, a Noxian and a Piltie walks into a bar"-joke, like the one Poppy tries to do, in a story sometime, for real? That'd be great!

J: You've got it!

96) Welcome to ask :D My question: What relation have Taric with Garen after his climb to Mount Targon. Are they stil friends? or enemies? Thanks :D

J: I think it's a very complicated relationship. Taric has enormous respect for Garen, and also a great deal of regret for how he let down the man who embodies the spirit of Demacia more than any other. Garen sees Taric as a personal failure, a warrior of incredible gifts that he couldn't put on the right path. A good friend lost to him for good. Bringing those two back together is one of the stories that gets me very excited. We need to give Taric a bit of room to breathe first though. And Garen has plenty on his hands.

97) Wow, you're gonna get a tsunami of questions, haha.

J: Lol, yup!

98) LETS SETTLE THIS RIGHT NOW! Was Amumu a yordle or a human child in life? I NEED TO KNOW!

J: Yes he was! Phew. I'm glad that's settled.

99) We can ask lore questions here? :o Is the Ruined King of the shadow isles still ''alive''? If yes, is he actually in charge of the Shadow isles? If yes, did he actually find his wife or is he still trying to get her back?

J: If I were having to tread any more carefully I would be reenacting The Walk across a minefield. Nope, no way through this one. Not yet. Sorry.

100) Which Xerath is more powerful? The old Xerath who used an ancient transformation magic or the current Xerath who used the Corrupted Ascension?

J: In an arm-wrestle, I'd call it a tie, most likely.

101) Shurima lore when? It has been postponed for almost 2 years after claiming it was done.

J: Not right now. Not a long time away. The thing between. Ah, bugger, I'll just say it. Soon.

102) I have a 2 part question. 1. - Is there any League charaters that have their parents known? 2- Would we ever see those parents in the game as champions? Thanks for answering my Questions

J: 1) Katarina, Cass, and Talon spring to mind. 2) Never say never, but I like the fact we have supporting characters who are important.

103) ETA on very next project? General thematic? vat iz fiddel?

J: Hopefully 20 minutes and the theme is unconsciousness. Sorry, I can't really give you anything in that way due to the work being done by teams and how things might change. I'd start packing warm weather clothes and a bucket and spade though.

104) Hello Jaredan. I've been a close follower of LoL lore for many years, back to the early days of the JoJ. One character I've always admired and loved is Soraka, even roleplaying her for a time on the old forums. Would you be looking to possibly expand her story in the future?

J: Hello! She is rather unique isn't she? We've had a few thoughts about Soraka, nothing that we can talk to yet, but she's been on our minds for sure. Expanding her story is certainly a possibility.

105) It will be commom to show a big lore event (like Shadow & Fortune and Illaoi and Targon and Aurelion) with a champion release?

J: I wouldn't really call those examples big lore events, personally. To answer your question though: Not every time, but when it makes sense and when we think we can do something fun, we'll take any opportunity we can to get some story to you. There will always be some content though due to the extended character intros we now do as standard.

106) Where do the other nations stand technology-wise? It feels weird that Piltover and Zaun are so advanced, yet places like Demacia and Ionia feel stuck in Medieval Stasis. Wouldn't they at least try to pick up on some of the technology Piltover and Zaun have? Like electric lighting, at the very least?

J: Tech and magic combined can prove to have startling results in the evolution of a society. Demacia is rather suspicious of all that malarkey, and they'd say they have been doing very well without it, thank you very much. Ionia has its own way of doing things that they think is just much more attuned to the way things actually are, not blinded by constructs of one's own hubris, they might say. If they did it would be really loud, there are a lot of Ionians.

**107) This one is for Trinimmortal from his beat league series. Who is the older sister? Morg or Kayle and what is the age difference Thanks in advance **

J: I believe they're the same age.

108) We'll see some more big lore in the first half of this year? Or all planned for now is after?

J: You'll see some story that will hopefully be right down your alley soon. Sorry, I am biting my lip as I'm typing this.

109) Is there any merit in thinking that Vi, Ekko and Jinx were once used as test subjects by Singed back in Zaun? How would that drive the narrative on that regard?

I think they'd remember that. I also think Ekko would be particularly interesting to Singed right now. I'd say it would drive towards conflict.

110) Do you think shaco's character overlaps to much with jhin, his introduction text in particular has alot of similarity with Shaco's

Not really. I think they are very different people. Except for the one who might not be a person.

111) Is it possible there could be a story-event that led to an updated in-game model & offering the old one as a skin, like you did with Gangplank? (Except the "old" gangplank was a new model too, but you get the idea.)

J: I hope so, though there are no specific plans. I love the idea of telling a story about a Champ that shows them changing, and then reflecting that. It's one of the things I think worked well with Burning Tides.

112) Welcome to ask.fm!!! I love League's lore, I hope you'll give all the non-spoiler info about the world you can!!!

J: Thank you! I'm just getting my feet under the table, but I'll do my best.

113) I really loved Shadow and Fortune. Will be get more stories in that format this year? :)

J: Yes.

114) Lux, an amazing under rated sorceress according to the lore. The fact she can reverse engineer any spell arguably makes her the most powerful individual in the Valoran. I would love to see her have stories about unlocking her potential. And her being blind to her powers not noticing her potential

J: Agreed. I think there's a big future for Lux. It could also be a monumentally harrowing and tragic one, but big! ;)

115) Hi. Do you like working for rito?

Nope. I love it. And "Hi!"

116) Will the Ryze VGU also have a lore update?

J: Yes.

117) Are you considering using a e-book format to investigate past events, like the Ionian-Noxus war? And if not, why?

J: Yes we have.

118) Hi Jaredan I find the language you use in the events (thinking especially about the bilgewater ones) quite verbose and cumbersome, there are a lot of useless or redundant adjectives and descriptions. What is your thought about it? Are you satisfied with the writing style you (lore team) use?

J: There are varying styles (including slightly different ones depending on the character in-focus for Burning Tides), due to varying writers and what suits the Champs that are the subject. I'm satisfied that we are improving. I'm not satisfied with everything we do Also, we're not the 'lore team,' we're the Narrative discipline. I know it seems a pedantic distinction, mainly as it's a pedantic distinction, it's just the way we organize ourselves at Riot. For example, the Narrative discipline doesn't decide on its own to go make stuff and release it. That's done through product teams. There is no product team named "Lore Team," though there are teams who are now dedicated to story. This was a phenomenally boring public service announcement. Sorry for going off on a tangent.

119) As a worldbuilder myself, exactly how common is "magic" in post retcon Runeterra? It seems far more scant than it once was. That said, how common are magic items & spells in the world and are they accessible by normal folks, or fairly rare and hard to get?

J: Pretty rare, though it varies a bit. Your average Demacian would completely freak out at the sight of Lux letting rip. An Ionian would still be pretty bloody impressed though.

**120) Any news on Warwick narrative direction? :) **

J: Look, there goes Elvis! /runs away.

**121) Yo! Still recovering from vegas? :D Congratulation on opening the ask.fm! I have questions for you but i want to keep it easy, to give you time. How much sugar do you put on your coffee? And if you don' t drink coffee, how much you are a liar? **

J: Yo! No, but I'm still recovering from being 42 in Vegas. Thanks! I put no sugar in my coffee. Sweetener only, usually two Splendas. I would not lie about coffee at 4:30am. I would lie about tea as it's the debil's work. And yes, I'm an Englishman who prefers coffee. I was destined to move to the States. I should sort out being a citizen. I have no inner monologue.

122) Hi! I know you are working on putting out LoL narrative more often (events, backgrounds, whatever). What would be your ideal schedule be? (e.g. one lore-related "item" per month, be it a new champion, an event, a non-event like targon...)

J: Hello! That would be a good start.

123) Do you guys have plans for all of the heavily IoW influenced champions? Fiddlesticks, Orianna, Morg and Kayle, all feel super "lost" in the world right now, and it would be nice for them to find a new home. I know you guys are strapped for writers right now, just wondering what you think about them.

J: We have plans for all of them, and you're right, we need to bring them home.

124) Hi again! :P Just writing here to say I recognize your effort over the last one-two years to improve LoL lore! :D There are still some flaws (of course), but I can definitely see that you care :)

J: Cheers! It's much appreciated.

125) Riot always seems to be hiring for higher positions on the totem pole, but never for entry-level or lower level positions, especially for things like Narrative. Is there any real hope for people who don't have big portfolios and industry success to get to write for your world outside of fan work?

J: Right now we need to get enough leadership and mentorship in place to make sure that when we bring in phenomenally talented people at the start of their career (which will still require a decent portfolio, writers they be writin'), they have the support to set them up for success in the unwaveringly challenging (and fun) creative environment of Riot. We don't want to have people starting their career with us and not getting the specific coaching they need to succeed for Riot, the players and themselves. When we've built the discipline out a bit, you'll see things change. The bar will remain high though. In fact, it's getting higher.

126) There's any plans for LeBlanc?

There are, though nothing on the immediate horizon. OK. I think I've hit the demented hours. Time to try sleep again.

127) Do writers have "ownership" of a champion's story or a lore-project in the same way champion designers do their projects?

J: I think that's a bit of an outdated view. Champion designers don't own their Champ. They work as part of a whole team to create it, from open ideation, focused ideation, pre-production and production up to launch. In regard to initial ideation, we use the DNA model of production, where the character is honed to an atomic level to ensure it is thematically cohesive. The initial work is done by Design, Narrative, and Art as a core triumvirate in conjunction with the rest of the team. Each discipline is accountable for what it brings in regard to craft, but it's not owned by any single person. Except perhaps the Team Captain (formerly known as Product Owner), who is accountable for the overall quality of what ships.

128) Hi Jaredan! How does it feel to have so many spoilers you can't give away rn? :D Also, how's the progress on the Yordle lore? (Lulu especially? Rn her lore is frustratingly standalone, vague, and needs love ;w;) Can we expect something about them in the near future? Cheers!

J: Frustrating and exciting! It comes along well. More to talk about a little down the road.

129) I'm sorry you are overwhelmed by questions, but It's really cool to be able to ask specific questions like these!

J: No worries! It's fun, and I'm glad it's of use to you.

130) Hello Jaredan! I'm Hige (both ingame and out) and I wanted to ask you about bandle city and yordles in general, will they become a bit more serious characters who happen to be furry and small? I love that direction! and I also wanted to ask about Corki and Kennen backgrounds since they'e quite dated

J: Hi Hige, There's a lot of flexibility in the tones we can create with yordles. They're our most obviously whimsical bunch of Champs, but there's room to explore outside that avenue. Corki and Kennen will get some love. Background-wise, that is.

**131) I'll try to ask simple,non-ETA questions. 1) Have you guys ever considered present art work along side your bios/ color stories? 2) Will Annie ever grow up in the lore or are you guys just going to Simpson it & have her be the same age for over 20 years? **

J: 1) Yes, but tasking artists with producing over 130 new pieces of art isn't an easy undertaking. We have to think in terms of production priorities. 2) That's a very good question. I think Annie's age is an integral part of who she is as a character. Though the joys of story timelines are they can be pretty elastic (here's another story of Annie at [insert age here]).

**132) Hi, I'm The Goat Tsar and I'm an Urgot main. Any plans for my favorite undead mechano-crab? Also, how do you plan to incorporate champs that were heavily tied to the Institute of War without majorly changing their identity? Thinking mainly of Fiddlesticks and Nocturne, but also champs like Alistar. **

J: Yes, there are. That's all I can say for now. Those Champs will need us to look at the core of who they were as characters and then see how we express those without the specific detail of the IoW's influence. It's easier for some than others, admittedly.

133) Hello again Riot Jaredan! I'm following up with some more ''Black Rose'' questions. What do you think about this organization?

J: I think it could be the most dangerous threat to the sovereignty of various parts of Valoran and beyond. Part of me wonders if things would be better under our new overlords though. Not that we'd know it.

134) Hi! Have you heard, by any chance, about Factions community game mode? They've got story, they've got art, do you like at least something of their work?

J: Yup, I have. I know Cupcake and the crew work very hard on it, and I think it's a seriously cool idea. Power to 'em.

**135) Take Fiora, for example. Her backstory change with her update didn't really change anything with her current character, but it did drastically change her background for, as far as I can tell, no real payoff. It's like you guys wanted to make Demacia a more cliche, less unique place for some reason. **

J: The change made Fiora a catalyst for conflict on a societal level in Demacia. It puts her front and center with the society around her and gives us the opportunity to show her confronting situations and people that will emphasize her individual strengths and vulnerabilities. That's your opinion on what it means for Demacia, and you have every right to see it that way. It's just not one we share.

**136) Every time I hear 'evolution, not revolution' in the podcasts for narrative, I get kind of irritated. Narrative seems to be changing a lot of things for no real reason other than 'we like it better.' Which, you know, is fair...but it really sucks to have most lore releases involve retcons. **

J: We make any changes we do for a variety of reasons. Some of them not apparent initially due to wanting that to be a payoff in story as we develop it. We don't do holistic life stories to introduce Champs anymore. Also, we make changes as part of teams in conjunction with various disciplines (Art, Design, Dev Management etc.). We don't make any decision in a vacuum. At times, we'll make mistakes, and at times we'll simply do things that you won't like. We hope that the value of the decisions we making can get you excited in the future. Though we understand that's not going to be the reaction for everybody. The changes are done for the long term health of each Champ, the game, Riot, and players. We get some right, we get some wrong, but we never do it without putting a lot of thought into it.

137) What do you mean by you have to place limitations on yourself with regards to reading fanfiction? I think it's a very good way to learn the audience's expectations.

J: Very few professional writers read fanfic. We spend a lot of time checking our creative veracity and sanctity when it comes to influence versus reference. It's far too easy to be accidentally led down a path with some decisions, particularly when reading things already in the IP you are working in.

138) I really appreciate you answering all these questions. You'll have to slow down sooner or later, but after that maybe you can just see what kind of questions are trending and make an encompassing post on the subject elsewhere?

J: That's a good idea. Once things are up and running, I'll chat with the community team and talk through how to do that in a way that might have a better reach, beyond just the board post of course.

139) Hello, to follow up the Syndra question: Essentially, 'Look at me I do evil things because reasons'. Syndra's selfish, but still Ionian in a lot of ways--she's just more about personal empowerment. A lot of people read her as 'crazy girlchild'/equally insane, and may encourage design that way :(

J: We don't want one note Champs wherever we can help it, so making her just 'crazy' wouldn't be interesting to anyone I know on Narrative (or other disciplines). What do you think are the characteristics that make her 'Ionian'?

**140) Hey Jaredan, hope you had a good night's sleep! Now on to questions...hm...I have so many GAH. Alright well let's start with Poppy and Galio. How're they doing? Still all buddy buddy? Because if they are I'd love to know the story behind how they met! **

J: Nope! I'm going to try for a nap after I've answered a few more. But thanks! Poppy and Galio are doing great, individually. Things aren't ready to talk about beyond that, sorry.

141) Kalista hunts Zed, LeBlanc, TF. In other say human characters. Why can't she kill them? Is she that much ineffective? For a rioter she was 9/10 power-wise, may be even 10/10. But she can't hunt humans.

J: Remember, Kalista is usually invoked to cast her wrath upon traitors. That keeps her pretty busy. It's less that she has failed to kill her prey, she just hasn't got to them yet. She isn't omnipotent or omnipresent. And I think TF is off the hook with Graves right now. Who knows what happens next with that pair though.

142) Do you guys have anything planned with the Darkin? From his current lore (Don't know If still canon), Aatrox seemed to have influenced the world in a lot of ways and It bothers me that his character isn't as fleshed out. I think he's a really cool character with a really cool concept.

J: We do. Oh, we do...

143) Do you think Kog'Maw would be most likely to appear in a serious/dark story or in a more lighthearted story?

J: I really think he could be either. He rides that edge between disturbing and off-puttingly cute rather gracefully.

144) Tahm Kench is listed as a friend for Aatrox. Thematically one seems sinister (closer to the evil end of the specturm) while the other seems more chaotic neutral (one could argue, even slightly virtuous since they generally favor the underdog). So out of curiosity, what makes them allies?

J: FYI, I really am not a fan of the Friends/Enemies set-up at the moment. I don't think Aatrox favors the underdog as much as he favors tilting the tide back to keep the carnage going for longer. I personally don't see TK and Aatrox as allies at all. I'll look into that one with the team.

145) Will there be further development on Aatrox and the Darkin? I feel like there is some huge story potential with them.

J: Yes. And agreed.

146) In Aurelion's Q&A it was asked whether or not there are other equally or stronger forces out there and it was stated that there were. Sol has a handful of lines referencing "darkness" as his only true enemy. Is this more of a broad statement or possibly a specific thing?

J: It's both. All I can say, really. With that, I need to try and knock the rust out of my eyes and get a little sleep. Catch you later!

147) " If you are an incredibly powerful, intelligent being who is being subdued under the yoke of beings that seem to consider themselves gods, I'd look at Xerath as a rather interesting opportunity." Please, no Full Metal Alchemist rip-off.

J: I'd have to watch it first (I'm really behind on a lot of anime).

148) Are there stories for champions you'd like to put on hold until they've gotten a VGU?

J: Personally, yes. Swain being one.

149) Any plans for Varus? His lore has a lot of untouched potential.

J: Ohhhh, sooo many plans. My lip is bleeding again.

**150) Maaaaaan so many teases!! (I asked about Warwick narrative direction) :( He was my first champ i wanted to play since S2 and one of my mains...and i really, really, REALLY want him to be the one reworked at the end of the year... :( I understand if you cant talk but.......any tease, at least? :( **

J: I am a terrible tease. By that I mean I'm a terrible person who engages in teasing a lot. Mainly because I have to rather than I enjoy it. Or that's what I tell people. ;) All I'll say is that there's a lot of people at Riot taking a look at Warwick.

151) Do you have a list/consensus on what skins are canon? I only know the new TF/Graves one's are for sure.

J: Not to hand (I'd add Captain Fortune, too). We're trying very hard to work closer with the Skins team, but we've been trying to get the right writer to lead the charge in partnership with them. We might look at that at that point (I can't wait, there are so many awesome folks on Skins).

152) Regarding the hiring - does that mean that Riot is now not accepting any new talent? That only experienced are now being accepted?

J: That's been the case for over a year. Once we have built up the right mentorship and leadership on teams so fresh new talent can thrive, we'll do it.

153) I'm so god-damn excited about more league stories. I've consumed it from the start, but I've never been more delighted with the lore than now. SO EXCITEDDDDD!

J: Me too! And thank you!

154) How do you feel about Jhin's debut? Felt a little premature to me in regards to the armor vs. prosthetic confusion.

J: I think the team did an excellent job. Personally, however, I do think there are some elements of thematic cohesion that could have done with some more baking. I still love Jhin though.

**155) Can the non - new champion lore releases please be around every 2 weeks rather than 6 months? **

J: That would be wonderful. It's the direction we want to go in, whether that's the actual cadence for a while or not.

156) I'd love the see a Ryze-Zyra connection become a reality. I'm not even sure it's headcanon, it felt like there were obscure but strong hints in their old stories!!

Ryze and Zyra sitting in a tree. Maokai tells them to run.

157) Is there a skin for Zyra being worked on since her last skin was a long time ago and she's getting reworked?

J: Ermm, not sure on that. The lovely Skins team folks know better than me.

158) How good of a person would you say Swain is?

J: On a scale of 1-10 I'd say nothing in case he overheard me and set up some grand strategy that killed me three years before I actually died.

159) I really loved Olaf in Shadow and Fortune. Could he be a reoccurring, light-hearted subplot-character in more serious stories? :D

J: He's fun isn't he? We'd have to be careful not to pigeon hole him, but using him selectively would be cool.

**160) In many of my more scorching criticisms on the boards, I often point out the text-to-content ratio and the verbose writing style (esp. with Targon, the latter one in particular with Sol). Will we see more substance than style in future writings? **

J: I have my own thoughts on the Aurelion Sol piece that I've shared with the principal writer. I do think it has a lovely contrast between his pompous self-confidence and his utter vulnerability. Faux is excellent at doing that. It was a style choice that was pursued due to Aurelion's character. Whether you think it's successful is up to you. That's always the case. I disagree with you on your assertion of style over substance, but that's the joy of subjectivity.

161) Hello! Might I ask, can concept art start an entire story for Narrative? Can inspiration flow and then get guided by mentors?

J: Ideas can start form anywhere, concept art or artists can certainly get things rolling.

**162) I'm loving the responses but do note I'd rather see you answer 2-6 questions per day for the next 3 years than 200 questions this week and burn out and leave the platform. Also, Ghostcrawler intentionally varies the length of his answers (picking a variety of long/short) and I rather enjoy that. **

J: Yup, I'm trying to vary it up a bit in regard to length, but I'm still getting used to the format, to be honest. And I'll be here, I just want to get this initial wave taken care of so I'm not playing catch-up. Getting lost in where to start would be a bigger barrier than me just being a bit tired. I do warn folks though that I am taking my first fully non-working vacation in May, so I might go quiet for a week or two.

**163) Well for me, I like Poppy because she was the only Yordle wasn't trying (and failing) to be cute, and Pantheon because he was a normal soldier/spartan in a world of gods. Watching them be erased has been irksome, and leaves me worried for other. Thanks for answering my questions though. **

J: I get you. We all have something personal that we carry with us for certain Champs, or other characters that influence our lives. Small changes to some can seem big to others. We just try to do the best job we can in making the core of a Champ something that will live on across the game and other things. Thanks for asking them.

164) What are the best kind of questions to ask you? If I want to know more about the League world, what sorts for questions can and can't you answer? :)

J: I don't know! Ask and we can find out.

165) What are your favorite champions, story-wise and to play?

J: Often, story-wise depends on what I'm tinkering with in my own time. Ashe is always up there, I've got a lot of thoughts about where Miss Fortune is heading, Shen, Zed, and Akali are rattling around my head a lot too right now. In-game, Sona is my girl, but I'm currently enjoying playing Illaoi, Morgana, Jhin, and Poppy.

166) Are we gonna know what Cassiopeia thought was gonna be in that tomb? and why she backstabbed Sivir for no apparent reason?

J: She'd learned of a great power, perhaps even godhood. She thought she could claim it for Noxus, gain favor with her father (sibling rivalry is a dangerous thing), and perhaps gain power for herself. She wasn't interested in some bandit trying to claim any part of what lay within the tomb. Cass, as became obvious, should have stayed in her comfort zone.