Aatrox, my favorite boy

Hi, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about my favorite boy, Aatrox, and why I love him.

For years people have been trying to get me to play League of Legends. Years. And what did it take for me to actually finally say "FINE, I'll play League"? Aatrox: World Ender. About a minute of teaser footage of reworked Aatrox's form in cinematic action. I saw that and said, I need to play him, I need to play this game. Now, I don't play very often and I'm not very good (this is baby's first MOBA for me, pls be nice) but it was this character that got me to go from almost exclusively playing simulation games like Roller Coaster Tycoon or The Sims to trying out a game like League of Legends. So, Aatrox holds a special place in my heart for that reason.

Buuuuuut not just that reason, once I started to read his lore and hear his lines (especially his long move lines) I started to get a real feel for his character. Fallen hero archetypes are among some of my favorite types of characters; what does it take to make a good man go bad and all that. His range from mournful and reflective to lashing out in anger like an animal backed into a corner really made me emotionally attached to him. Yeah, he's a bad guy, but I can't help but feel a little bad for him. I mean just the thought of being imprisoned and sensory deprived for millennia is so frightening and viscerally horrifying that I couldn't help but get chills reading The Cage. That's a horrifying existence. Aatrox is a tragic character. And I love tragic characters.

And yeah, Aatrox has done some pretty horrible things, he is objectively a bad dude, but sometimes I can't help but want to hug him. He'd probably crush my spine into dust, but y'know what? Worth it.

Also I really enjoy his appearance; his whole imposing aura. I love how his horns frame his head and face, his smoldering gaze, and his broad wings with almost lava-like glowing veins. I find him horrifying in an almost handsome way, I find him cute. I even have a stuffed Aatrox plush, that's how much I like his current look.

I want to give a special shout out to WAAARGHbobo. I can tell you put a lot of care into the narrative of my boy, it really shows and I appreciate that. Every time I see you make a post and answer some question about Aatrox's lore I can feel the love you have for the character coming through. It makes me happy whenever I see a new Aatrox fact from you and it makes me happy to know someone else loves my boy. He is in good hands.

And, uh, yeah! That's it that's the post. I'm cutting myself off before I start turbo gushing about Aatrox. I know he's a very divisive character, especially among those who used to play him pre-rework, and I respect that, but personally I'm really happy with current Aatrox. I play him a bunch (I'm not great at him, but just playing him makes me happy) and I like talking about him.

Anyways, if you don't like Aatrox, instead of coming to this post with something negative to say I would like to invite you to say something nice about a champion that holds a special place in your heart, a champion you DO love. Who are your fave champs and why do you like them? You don't have to tl;dr gush like I did, but hey, I'm not gonna stop you!

[slayer-jinx-catface]