What will happen to Fiddlesticks?

Apostasy Now·Oct 24, 2014·18 votes·24,137 views

As of now, the lore is or is in the process of being retconned. As far as I know, from what I've read, the League is gone. While this is sort of ironic, I'm wondering if this means the Institute of War has been removed as well, and if this is the case, what will happen to Fiddlesticks?

I can totally see him as being related to the Shadow Isles. His original lore states that his existence came about when a mage, a summoner named Istvaan hailing from Zaun, entered the chamber in the Insititue of War to commit to a super dark ritual. This is implied as the birth of Fiddlesticks. This also leaves me wondering whether or not Fiddlesticks is Istvaan, or if Fiddlesticks was summoned by Istvaan, upon which Fiddlesticks killed the mage immediately.

This of course implies that he is not of the Shadow Isles. My only reasoning that he would be a SI champ is that he looks like he fits the scene. Also, I feel like he makes for a fun comp when paired with various shadow isle champs as well (Thresh Support, Maokai Top, etc).

What are the community's and developer's thoughts on champs like Fiddle who seem to not have a real homeland, especially ones like Fiddle who have to be contained at all times unless they are on the fields of justice?

75 Comments

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 24, 201431 votes

Hello! I'm currently the guy taking a crack at Fiddlesticks (still in the early stages, nothing concrete). For the current iteration I've decided to keep him separate from the Shadow Isles, if nothing more than to keep SI from being our Spooky Scary Champ megamart. Plus, I think he fits in better elsewhere anyway :)

One of the things I want to preserve is the core of Fiddle's personality, while expanding on his origins and purpose. I'm throwing in a bit of Lovecraft and Alice in Wonderland to the early drafts (I also took a couple suggestions from the forums), so hopefully the result is a bit of creepy absurdism with a hint of something-wicked-this-way-comes. We'll see if we end up using any of it, but I'm definitely trying to do him proud!

Nucleophilic atkOct 24, 20141 votes

Whoop whoop! Does that mean visual update?

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 24, 201417 votes

I'm not part of that team, so I'm not sure. If he's on the list it'll probably take a while, as he animates better than a lot of older champions and is notably missing pizza feet/chunk body. Plus I like his funny little dance-walk.

PtarlorrOct 24, 20143 votes

dance-walk best walk

Meep ManOct 25, 20143 votes

Hes a skinny guy with stick feet, he has the opposite of both of those problems.

Von EverlyDec 9, 20171 votes

[{quoted}](name=Carnival Knights,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=XAfHFmc3,comment-id=000200000000,timestamp=2014-10-24T17:20:55.349+0000)

I'm not part of that team, so I'm not sure. If he's on the list it'll probably take a while, as he animates better than a lot of older champions and is notably missing pizza feet/chunk body. Plus I like his funny little dance-walk.

Id really like a one legged Fiddlesticks , even if for one day I would cherish it.

Stars ShaperOct 24, 20143 votes

Hello! I'm currently the guy taking a crack at Fiddlesticks (still in the early stages, nothing concrete). For the current iteration I've decided to keep him separate from the Shadow Isles, if nothing more than to keep SI from being our Spooky Scary Champ megamart. Plus, I think he fits in better elsewhere anyway :)

One of the things I want to preserve is the core of Fiddle's personality, while expanding on his origins and purpose. I'm throwing in a bit of Lovecraft and Alice in Wonderland to the early drafts (I also took a couple suggestions from the forums), so hopefully the result is a bit of creepy absurdism with a hint of something-wicked-this-way-comes. We'll see if we end up using any of it, but I'm definitely trying to do him proud!

I'm glad to hear that because I always felt that Fiddle was a "different" kind of scary compared to the SI (which are more bound to the Epic-Undeath motive). I hope we will see more champions from Fiddle's plane of existence :)

FlemmanOct 24, 20142 votes

alice in wonderland? not wizard of oz :p

ChroniclerCOct 24, 20146 votes

Firstly, thank you for coming in to discuss lore stuff before it's set in stone. I know some of us are sounding like a broken record in this regard, but I really want to acknowledge when ya'll do this. ^_^

Anyway, I'd really like to see him with some kind of SI tie, even if it's subtle. I know you said that you don't want all the spooky guys to go to Shadow Isles, but I feel that's kind of like saying you don't want noble knights all going to Demacia or cold ice-theme champs going to Freljord.

Baron Von BanginOct 24, 20144 votes

Voodoo Lands please.

clickheadOct 24, 20143 votes

Thumbs up because Lovecraft

nosafterburnOct 24, 20141 votes

Lovecraftian huh? Last I knew Fid didn't have tentacles. :D

Stars ShaperOct 24, 20142 votes

Lovecraftian huh? Last I knew Fid didn't have tentacles. :D

Yet :D

Toa of DeathOct 24, 20143 votes

Nocturne never really had a home and his whole existence was based around the summoners. His whole concept is a spooky champ megamart. Is anyone working on him?

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 24, 201413 votes

He was one of my options along with Aatrox and Poppy, but I went with Fid (and took a crack at Poppy) because cosmic horror and puppets pretty much make up the entirety of my wheelhouse. Well, that and youtube sketches. But last time I checked we didn't have a magic death scarecrow watching Cute, Win, Fail in his underoos.

Not sure where he ended up, though I know who would've taken him immediately if they had the option.

EdasichOct 24, 20147 votes

That reminds me. I actually drafted some new quotes for Fiddlesticks on the Memes and Games board.

Fiddlesticks

Upon selection

The crows are the last thing you'll ever hear... (cackle)

Upon starting a game

To our end.
The end is near!
Indeed.
Are you afraid?

Movement

Fear. The air is rank with it.
I feel their fear.
The crows. The crows!
Sorrow comes at the end of all life.
Fear is sweetest...when mixed with empty hope.
I live for torment.
Suffering is only natural.
What doesn't kill you makes you beg for death.
I grow restless.
The League of Legends can no longer chain me.
I revel in despair.
There is little greater fear than of your own frailty.

Attacking

I'm coming for you...
Afraid? You should be.
Darkness take you.
Doom!
This will be...your final destination.
I'm coming to get you...
Maybe I should let you hit back...
The end is here!
The boogeyman? No. I'm much worse!
Oh, foolish meat bags...

Taunt

Hear that cawing? Your end has come!
I think I'll let you suffer for a while.
I do so love to hear you scream!
The summoners of the Institute of War have failed. Prepare to join them!

Taunting an enemy Nocturne

Tell me, Nocturne. Why do you still cling to that obsolete hulk?
Your blades look a little dull. Let me sharpen them for you.

Taunting an enemy Shaco

You want to tell a joke? I've probably heard it.
Death is for the living, Shaco. Point your shivs elsewhere.

Taunting an enemy Thresh

All those chains in hand, yet you're still a prisoner.
You are the warden of your own dungeon.

Joke Fiddlesticks rips off his head, dangles it, and then puts it back on.

I haven't got a brain...and soon, neither will you!
No need to lose your head...unless I take it from you!
I'll make you a real...head case! (laugh)
Don't get too...ahead of yourself! (laugh)

Upon using Terrify

Fear me!
Scurry!
Flee!
Run! Run!

Upon using Drain

Give me your soul!
Ah, delicious...
I'll suck you dry!

Upon using Dark Wind

The crows beckon!
Be silent!
You cannot escape!

Upon using Crowstorm

(diabolical cackle)

Upon buying item 3151

Ooh, I love the tears of the tortured.
All eyes look to oblivion.
Torment. Despair. I love it.

Upon buying item 3089

Deathcap! Ooh, I love the sound of that word.
This hat will fit any scarecrow.
Hallow's Eve has come early this year.

Upon buying item 3206

Wraiths. I hear them calling me.
The ghosts of the forest still cry out.
Even monsters know fear.

Upon buying item 3157

A moment of fear frozen in time.
With this, I will be untouchable.
It is time, my friends. Time for doom.

Upon placing a item 2044 or item 2043

You can run, but you can't hide!
I see you!
I know you're there!

Upon selling an item

This has outlived its usefulness.
I no longer need this item.
You can have it back.
Take it before I take your soul.

Von EverlyDec 9, 20171 votes

{quoted}

Upon using Drain

Give me your soul!

Ah, delicious...

I'll suck you dry!

Oh didnt know Fiddle was into that.

Insur SalesmanOct 24, 20145 votes

Awesome! I definitely agree - Fiddlestick's lore, in my mind, should be more like a spooky camping story (maybe even a little darkly humorous) rather than being a part of the gothic horror that is the Shadow Isles.

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 24, 201417 votes

Interesting you mention camping stories...

DiahaneOct 24, 20142 votes

Hello! I'm currently the guy taking a crack at Fiddlesticks (still in the early stages, nothing concrete). For the current iteration I've decided to keep him separate from the Shadow Isles, if nothing more than to keep SI from being our Spooky Scary Champ megamart. Plus, I think he fits in better elsewhere anyway :)

One of the things I want to preserve is the core of Fiddle's personality, while expanding on his origins and purpose. I'm throwing in a bit of Lovecraft and Alice in Wonderland to the early drafts (I also took a couple suggestions from the forums), so hopefully the result is a bit of creepy absurdism with a hint of something-wicked-this-way-comes. We'll see if we end up using any of it, but I'm definitely trying to do him proud!

Thanks for sharing infos with us and hearing the feedback =)

Emperor of ArimaOct 24, 20142 votes

I liked these ideas:

Fiddlesticks is guarding something
Fiddlesticks' origin is unknown, perhaps even to him, but he knows his purpose
Whatever fiddlesticks' purpose is, its either to a) prevent some evil from coming (maybe whatever he's guarding) or b) protect something that is building up/biding its time to bring misery and doom to the Runeterra

RiotCombatCubeOct 27, 20142 votes

Cross-posting from Nocturne's retcon thread:

I like the idea of Shaco, Fiddlesticks, and Nocturne being related somehow, at least where they came from. Not from the Void, not from the Shadow Isles; these places seem too "real" (relatively speaking).

These characters are the physical manifestations of humanity's dread.

The Void is at the separation of the alien and the familiar.

The Shadow Isles are at the separation of life and death.

Shaco, Nocturne, and Fiddlesticks came from the place at the separation of fiction and reality.

Lore I made up for illustrative purposes:

The world of ideas has no physical presence, but surely existed. Many theorized about visiting this place, but modern academics dismissed it as nonsense.

One night, a group of three sorcerers found an ancient text that seemed to describe a ritual that would open a portal to this world. Defying all rational thought, they sought to find it and control its power. After all, when one has control over reality, he is all-powerful. They performed the ritual during a mid-autumn's new moon, a particularly soul-shivering, frightful night where ideas of doom, darkness, and madness prevailed...

The sorcerers did not know what to expect. There was no portal, for ideas do not have a concrete form. Yet the sorcerers felt something heavy in the air regardless...

Thunder struck, and the ideas manifested themselves in each of the sorcerers, embracing their powers. The sorcerers' identities died that day, but their consciences remained. These beings, now known as Fiddlesticks, Nocturne, and Shaco, seek to rid themselves of this last shred of humanity that remains inside them...

ColeslawOct 27, 20143 votes

I will be deeply upset if you miss the opportunity for a reference (or many references!) to The Hollow Men. The poem is basically Fiddlesticks.

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 27, 20144 votes

I do love The Hollow Men, but this time around I'm taking a couple minor cues from a personal favorite, West.

ColeslawNov 20, 20141 votes

I missed your reply, sorry! D:

But that's actually freaking awesome. I love seeing where inspiration for things comes from, because it really does help with appreciation and understanding of a design.

Swift2568Oct 28, 20141 votes

I will always love the creepy "boogie man" type evil of Fiddlesticks. I think he is like Slenderman with a grin. Fiddlesticks is the kind of chaotic evil you contain or ward off, but can never be rid of. He is not going to take over the world, or hatch a devious plan to steal your children. But if you are in the fields late on a cold night, beneath a high full moon, he will get you.

Stars ShaperOct 24, 20142 votes

I predict that he will be put in the Shadow Islands the same way that Rene and Susan found place in Shurima.

MerxamersOct 24, 20142 votes

so quick question; is every champion having lore written about them right now? how many champions are each writer tackling?

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 24, 20149 votes

Yes. Writers tackle about one to three at a time, with short foundational stories thrown in every week as prompts/practice/inspiration. Some do more, I do less. As opposed to a full-time writer, I'm (as my forum badge says) the ambassador to the writing team, so I have a bit less writing work and bit more leeway concerning what I'm able to poke at between inquiries.

GapyboOct 24, 20143 votes

Do you know if anyone is looking into Fiora? I feel like she could use a complete rework and not much would be lost. She feels disconnected from other Demacian champions and Demacia itself. When she was released I hoped she would shed a new light on this city state but I was sadly disappointed. I wish you expanded her relations with other champions and give a her a stronger purpose.

5G8Nri0B54Oct 24, 20142 votes

Yes. Writers tackle about one to three at a time, with short foundational stories thrown in every week as prompts/practice/inspiration. Some do more, I do less. As opposed to a full-time writer, I'm (as my forum badge says) the ambassador to the writing team, so I have a bit less writing work and bit more leeway concerning what I'm able to poke at between inquiries.

Soooooo..........

Does that mean we'll eventually get to see more of Jarvan, Swain, and LeBlanc's dirty relationship? Because you guys were clearly trying to make something happen between the three of them but then it just stopped.

Same goes for Nidalee being dumped for Janna by a SUMMONER.

SamosaKingOct 25, 20142 votes

Please keep the dread/unsaid horror aspect of Fiddlesticks around. Don't make him some childish champion that is "spooky" but the same, as a terrifying but enigmatic fiend

WolfBVOct 25, 20142 votes

A scarecrow prank gone horribly wrong. Fiddlesticks

McGunnickleOct 25, 20142 votes

i read the idea somewhere to connect fiddle, nocturne and shaco, as they all seem to be "supernatural fear avatars" and i really like it. i too like fiddle not being from the SI or having no relation to them. how about having him have something to do with the world of the faeries. fae are creatures of dreams and magic, but are currently only represented through lulu. could fiddle (or shaco or nocturne) be something like a nightmare version of what lulu is?

missinggraveOct 25, 20142 votes

Based on his quotes, what he is currently doing pre-retcon, and his quotes, I'd say he just likes toying with people. Sadistic as that might sound, he enjoys watching people run in fear and just flat out suffer before they die. For example, in his lore he never goes out of his way to kill anyone. Instead he just waits for people foolish enough to come near him so he can drive them mad before trying to kill them - after all, it was said few had lived entering where he stood and those who had were driven mad. There's no reason for him NOT to leave, there's certainly no reason for him TO leave. So he just sits there waiting for his next victim, eventually being used as an executioner.

If I were to see him under a new light outside of the old lore, I would put him as someone who just sits in one place. Some place that it's rumored that a dark magic was used or is supposedly haunted by a powerful mage driven mad. Everyone knows that the rumor is true - after all, how could you not know about a murderous scarecrow? However, Fiddlesticks would probably just be played off as a legend to try and forget what he's capable of. A murderous, sadistic, mind-games playing scarecrow with no mercy.

"I haven't got a brain...and soon, NEITHER WILL YOU!"

StexeOct 28, 20142 votes

Just create Fiddlesticks to be a ghost story like Candlejack! Ta-da, done.

I Feed PeopleOct 30, 20142 votes

You guys should make Fiddlesticks like Candlejack, giving him that mysterious and spooky-scary kinda the

MerxamersOct 24, 20141 votes

Last question for @Carnival Knights; what is your favorite Fiddlesticks skin?

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 24, 20148 votes

Pumpkinhead Fiddlesticks ftw. Though I really like saying, "Fiddle Me Timbers"

2nd FiddleOct 24, 20147 votes

I still want a "Golden Fiddlesticks" that you have to gamble your soul to get.

RiotCarnival KnightsOct 27, 20144 votes

...oh my god.

2nd FiddleOct 27, 20142 votes

And here I was, afraid that no one got that joke.

Jeddy017Oct 27, 20141 votes

Actually,you don't have to sell your soul........just buy item 3157

Swift2568Oct 28, 20142 votes

"Fiddle Me Timbers" is my favorite, but this would be a close second if Rito did it. A devilish scarecrow carrying a golden fiddle? Trying to drain souls? HELL YES. Swap all the crows with music notes. Give him a hickory stump to jump up on for a recall/taunt animation.

2nd FiddleOct 28, 20142 votes

On ult: Fiddlesticks "Fire on the mountain, run boys run."

Ironclad DragonOct 28, 20142 votes

Could I terrify you with "Fiddle Me Tibbers"?

Swift2568Oct 28, 20141 votes

Fiddles voice overs reciting Annie's lines is a terrifying thought. "Have you seen my crow Tibbers?" "Beaten by a little Bird" "I never play with matches"

I love it!