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Do Yordles fit in the new lore?

Chromatic Eagle·8/31/2015, 6:04:45 PM·8 votes·1,011 views

For me personally, I'm conflicted. I've been a bit critical of Riot making light-hearted characters more serious, but at the same time, feel that some characters should be more serious. Yordles are a complete contradiction. Maybe that's a good thing. Visually, they're tiny, furry animal people who are upbeat and social. Looking at several champions though, they either have a dark side to their story, or they engage in dangerous hobbies that I find hard to make comical in this more serious version of the story.

, for example, makes her crazy work. She's a criminal who doesn't care who she hurts.

on the other hand, I'm not sure. She's a soldier for her people, but she enjoys explosions. Reading the Burning Tides story, explosions hurt. Shooting people hurts. I'm not sure what to think of someone who enjoys shooting cannon balls at people.

It's very easy to see as a satanic sociopath, but he does care about his people. I doubt he's going to kill a bunch of kids. We don't know why Teemo is the way that he is, or if he was even born this way, but the way that he protects people probably makes him into an outcast. Maybe he keeps his methods a secret. There could be humor in that.

Then there's . A lot of people treat him as a comical villain. Even I do, and Riot. Thing that should be remembered is that he wasn't always like this. In an act of cruelty by Noxus, he was kept isolated. Denied a psychological need for companionship, Veigar went crazy. I'm not sure how to display it, and I don't want him to lose his comic side, but he does have a sympathetic side.

11 Comments

A Superb Villain8/31/2015, 7:55:32 PM9 votes

Yes.

I mean, to me, this isn't even a question; of course yordles fit. A major point of characterization for yordles is their dissonance. Yes, they are typically upbeat, adorable, and quirky, but many are efficient killers, psychologically volatile, and incredibly odd. This is good, especially for Runeterra, whose dominant species is human.

I believe yordles are perhaps one of the better fictional races that exist because they are more than just small and furry analogues for human culture. Their society and culture has parallels to our own naturally, we as humans can only distance ourselves so far from our own inherent and cultural values, but yordles exhibit significant distinguishment that make them alien to our own societies. I do not mean alien as in extra-terrestrial, despite what the Mothership may imply, but foreign to us, humans.

For yordles social interaction isn't just healthy, as it is for us, but a biological imperative; they go mad without substantial contact. Their civilization is built around this sense of community, which may suggest every connection they make is that much more personal, and every loss more keenly felt.

The point of yordles is that outwardly they are every bit delightful as their appearance implies, but just under the surface is something frightening that only needs a gentle nudge to push it into horrifying territory. If anything, I feel yordles are more suited to the League of Legends than they have ever been.

Sincerely,

A Superb Villain

ಠ_ರೃ

UomoAfide8/31/2015, 6:22:21 PM5 votes

While it's funny to always make jokes about Teemo and his role in the game, or how much we hate him, we should still remember that he is the furry version of a Shellshocked Soldier returning from 'Nam. Went and came back from hell itself

Celio Hogane HD9/1/2015, 12:43:56 PM2 votes

Tristana loves to shot canon balls, but not necesarially likes to throw it at people.

And even so, is her job, you gotta enjoy your job.

Ralanr8/31/2015, 6:13:20 PM2 votes

Omega squad Teemo is pretty tragic when you think about it. Implies that bandle city has had an interaction with war. I know skins aren't considered canon, but some could be by bringing up a characters past. Frost Queen Ashe and King Tryndermyre fit this philosophy (just not past form).

Though given how many skins there are, I can see why this wouldn't be used.

The Fast8/31/2015, 6:32:16 PM1 votes

What do you mean?

The only reason the recent lore was dark is because of the setting. Not every place is Runeterra is a pirate-run dictatorship. Bandle City will be a happy place, as per usual. Bilgewater and Noxus aren't, and neither is Zaun. It seems darker, but thats only because we haven't gotten to the light-hearted places yet.

Bandle, Piltover, the better half of Ionia should all be suitably more light hearted.

LithiumWednesday9/1/2015, 1:06:58 AM1 votes

Yes. Also, the Shurima event wasn't canon and the League and JoJ still exist. At least, this is what I choose to believe.

Kadavik9/1/2015, 1:32:26 AM1 votes

I do think Yordles would be able to fit in this new runeterra with a few minor tweaks. I fear, however, that these would most likely be the removal of the mothership and their comical love for cupcakes. I don't know if thats a world I would like to live in.

Ironclad Dragon8/31/2015, 7:05:37 PM1 votes

I rememeber a Rioter saying they're wanting to keep the yordles to even out the otherwise-grim world of Valoran.