Elementalist Lux doesn't fit into a Universe (Skin Lore)
(I’ll summarize my points at the end)
Recently, I’ve been in the mood to write about Elementalist Lux, my favorite skin. Elementalist Lux is probably my favorite character in the game; honestly, she was one of the main reasons I got into the game. There is a lot of depth to her character, and I find her easy to relate to and admire. I’ve been a big fan of the skin bios we’ve gotten recently. As someone who loves to build collections and can’t get enough of new stories, skins have been one of the highest points of engagement for me as a player (although I only buy them for a small handful of champs I really like). I’m excited with some of the retroactively-created Universes for skins. For example, connecting Grey Warwick and Blade Queen Lissandra to the “Gothic Horror” skinline was really cool, linking them all to a unique aesthetic and theme within the game. These skins gained from being grouped together. However, for these very reasons (aesthetic and theme), I’d like to contend that Elementalist Lux would be better as a totally standalone skin, not one as part of a larger Universe.
For the purpose of this post (essay?), I’ll be talking about the thematics of Elementalist Lux as a whole and for each individual element. There are a couple reasons why I feel that Lux shouldn’t be linked to other skins simply on the grounds of sharing an Elemental theme. First of all, there are just far too many for it to be realistic to link them all. Elderwood, Infernal, Atlantean, Winter Wonder, Dark Waters, and many others all have elemental themes, but they obviously aren’t linked to one another. They are grouped together by their specific elements, which makes sense, but Lux essentially doesn’t fit into any one of those. If any one of them is linked to Lux on the grounds that they’re an elemental themed skin, it stands to reason that ALL elemental themed skins should be linked together through Lux, which would be absurd. Secondly, even if we were to concede that the aesthetics of elements is enough to link them, Lux’s thematic isn’t simply about the literal elements themselves. Each element represents a different aspect of her personality, a different philosophy.
##When it comes to Lux, the best place to start is with Light.
Light Lux follows a similar philosophy to base, Runeterran Lux, for obvious reasons. The element of light represents hope, kindness, joy, and understanding. “Knowledge illuminates the true path.” “Hope banishes fear as sure as the sun does darkness.” “Brilliance is a beacon.” “Light is but one of many paths.” Light is actually one of the most in-depth philosophies of all the elements, but we’ll save the details for later. As opposed to any other Light themed champion/skin (Leona, Kayle, Dawnbringer, Arclight), Lux is essentially missing the rigidity, the zealotry of those characters. That isn’t mean to be a knock to those characters; simply that literally having the element of light doesn’t mean they fit alongside Lux.
##Next, Air.
The biggest things related to this skin are spontaneity and tranquility. You could think of this as the happy-go-lucky part of you. “Nothing can touch me.” “Flighty and unpredictable? I’m just a free spirit.” “Ah, breathe it in while you can!” This element is one that everyone feels at some point, but not one many people truly embody. Too stressed to feel blessed, as it were. Strictly speaking, the only character with this element is Janna, not any skins. However, even Janna seems more focused on repose than motion.
##Fire’s up. This thematic is focused on anger, aggression, and passion. “Be aggressive!” “Fanning the flames works for me.” “Am I the only one warding?!” My favorite quotes is actually “The thing about is you can’t control it. I can.” I think there’s power in having strong emotions, but being able to control them to your own purpose. People will often give advice to those with short tempers that should take that energy and use it toward something productive, which I think is a great detail for this element. To be fair, nearly every champion in the game has some kind of aggression as part of their thematic. It’s a given for a combat-based game. But to my knowledge, there aren’t any fiery skins that have that cerebral part of this element (that’s the main point; all of Lux’s elements are more inner-focused than outward). I won’t list them because Fire themes are one of the most common.
##Nature’s turn. The theme of Nature is all about life. Every aspect of life, growth, and death. This element is probably more literal than any other. It’s all about harmony, patience, and understanding with others and with … nature. “Nurture that which nurtures us.” “Creation meanders, and so must I.” “To everything, there is a season.” “The seeds of conflict bear bitter fruit.” Actually, I think this element fits the best with other skins (specifically Elderwood, Dryad Soraka, and Emerald Taric). Others, not as much (Death Blossom). Again, probably because this element comes off as more literal than the others. However, I actually don’t fully grasp what the thematic of Elderwood is, as although the theming may be similar, the Universe likely wouldn’t match up in this case.
##Last of the basic elements is Water. This theme actually took me awhile to understand. I just wasn’t sure which direction it was taking. However, I’ve found that some points of this element are acceptance, learning, and resolution. “The river charts its own course.” “Thoughts are like water: shallow or deep.” “To be fluid is to adapt.” I’ve come to like this element a lot; it seems to believe in a rigid reality, but actually the point is that the self remains fluid, ready for new challenges. Most water-themed skins (Nami aside) seem to focus on literal depth and the darkness that comes with it (Deep Sea/Deep Terror/Deep One, Dark Waters). In this regard, the Water element stands in stark contrast with this, at it revels in exploring (figurative) depths.
##On to the next element, Storm. I had already wanted to write about the themes of Elementalist Lux, but comment regarding this element actually made me want to explain why I think she should be a standalone skin, not sharing a Universe. The element of Storm eluded me as largely overlapping with Fire, Magma, etc.. However, one very late night recently while I was walking in the rain (yes, I know), I was thinking of her lines and it came to me. The element of Storm is about overcoming. “Blue skies cannot last forever.” “Inclement weather shows us who our true friends are.” “Only the strong can master the storm.” In other words, this element is all about personal growth through the obstacles in our lives. It’s not just solving problems, but accepting them and perhaps even seeing them as an asset. It’s a shockingly positive message. Now, skin comparisons. I saw a comment saying Lux should be linked to the two Thunder Lord skins. For the purpose of my comparison, the only other Storm themes skin is Tempest Janna. However, all of these skins take the element of Storm in an entirely different direction than Lux. They are all about the power of the storm. The storm isn’t something to be overcome, it’s really just the source of their strength. I won’t go into detail for those skins, but because of the thematic differences between the use of the element, I strongly disagree that these skins should be linked.
##Magma, the lamest element (I kid). In all seriousness, I feel like this element was meant to be “stone”, but stone would be impossible to render on Lux’s abilities (it would be sand, and we’re going for Taliyah, not Azir!). The other side is that many people link magma and fire in other games (“Fire levels” are those with magma instead of bottomless pits, for example). However, I think this element doesn’t care for strong emotions and is rather focused on confidence and control. “I temper my flames with purpose.” “Nothing can stop me.” “So beautiful they forget to run.” I think this element is the closest we have to an uncaring Lux (“My heart is hard as stone.”). Like Nature, many lines in this element are literal rather than philosophical, but I still believe it has a strong theme. Are Infernal skins related to this element? Scorched Earth? Or are they Fire? Again, Magma often isn’t considered its own thing in many cases, so like Fire I’ll skip over this one.
##Ice is up next. This element is the opposite of Fire! It’s all about rational thinking and emotional temperament. However, I think it also has aspects of contemplation. So ultimately, it seems the point is actually about thought. “Cold calculation is the key to victory.” “A frozen heart never hesitates.” “We freeze those moments we cherish the most.” I actually find this is exactly opposite to many ice-themed skins, as a lot of those skins are related to Snowdown (whether it’s actually Christmas, or Snow Day, or Winter Wonder). Light-hearted fun is exactly the point of those skins, and exactly not the point of this one. I wouldn’t say opposite (“sentiment” is a key point for both, for example), but there isn’t much overlap in their purposes.
##I save Mystic for this time because it’s such a weird element.
This one is focused on consciousness, sleep, dreams, magic, miracles, wishes …. And more. A bunch of ideas that all fit together nicely actually, but there’s no umbrella term for them. “Mystic” sounds fitting enough. “So many secrets; all the time in the world…” “A dream is memory, magic, and wishes.” “Believe in the person you want to be.” Have you ever thought about where you go when you fall asleep? Not your body, but you, your conscious mind? Does it just disappear? There’s a lot to talk about with this element with all the metaphysics going on, but I think you get the idea.
She also says a lot of neat words! "Dementia" "Numinous" "Oneiromancy" "Addle". Very fun.
The closest thing we have to this element is Zoe. The similarities (sleep, butterflies, whimsical) are actually kind of on-the-nose for an element that most would say is basically made-up. I think it speaks to how well-defined this element actually is, though!
##Last, but certainly not least, is Dark. I wanted to talk about this one last because it and Light are my favorites, and the two of them work off of one another more than any other elements. I actually think these two, together, pull together and define the whole point of the skin quite well. I originally didn’t like Dark at all, but there’s one line that really changed my perspective: “Darkness isn’t evil. It’s honest.” This line made me think a lot about not just a character in a video game, but about myself and who I am. Who I want to be. I think that Light and Dark represent Ideals vs Truth. One is about the person you should be, and the other is the person you are. From The Light Within: “Look within yourself. What do you see?” I actually have come to like Dark quite a lot because of this. “In darkness, one’s true nature stands revealed.” “Shade conceals our flaws.” Another favorite: “The light will betray them.” To me, that sounded like she’s saying goodness is all a facade for selfish people. But now I understand it more to mean that pretending to be good, yourself, can only lead to bad things. It’s better to be honest about who you are, because that’s the only way you grow. If you aren’t honest, you can’t better yourself; you can become that “good person” you want people to see. There aren’t really any skins that are specifically Dark-themed. Most are related to things themes like Death or Evil more so than actual darkness, especially the philosophy behind Lux’s element.
##I want to iterate on that last paragraph. The main thematic of Elementalist Lux isn’t that her personality changes, but rather that these are all aspects of who she is (who we are). These parts of her don’t just go away when they aren’t the one she’s presenting to others. The main theme with her is determining which of these is the “real” her. There are other skins and champions that have the theme of self-discovery, or of coming to terms with oneself, but none that capture the same thematic as Elementalist. In my opinion, this thematic couldn’t have been pulled off without an Ultimate skin. And, in my opinion, no other skin truly shares this thematic with her. The reason I liked some of the skins being linked to one another is because it added layers to each of the skins. However, Lux’s themes are all insular; they’re all within herself. Having another skin happen to share the same universe doesn’t add anything to her, because her character arc is 100% personal. She could be “fighting” literally anything, and she would be the same. Likewise, being in the same universe as Lux would be a slight for other champions, as I feel she doesn’t add anything to them, either. Instead, all that would do is close off the possibility for other kinds of Universes that actually could develop those skins’ characters further.
I do want to say that I personally just prefer single skins over skinlines, and I think it would be awesome if every champ could have at least ONE skin that is totally unique and only theirs in every way, lore included. I think Elementalist is the obvious choice for Lux. However, I realize this explanation is flimsy, so I wanted to appeal to the writing of Elementalist Lux as to why I think she should remain by herself. I also want to reiterate that I’ve wanted to just put into words what I thought about her thematic for a long time, regardless of the whole “related to other skins” part.
TL;DR Elementalist Lux’s theme is all about self-discovery and finding your “true face” amongst all facets of your personality. Since her thematic is all insular, sharing a Universe with another skins doesn’t add anything to Lux, nor does it add anything to those other skins. Other skins that share elements with Lux lack the meaning behind those elements, as well.
