Happy eleventh birthday, Riven. You’ll always have a place in my heart.
I’m not much of a fan of what they’re doing with Riven in this event. A lot of the time her voice feels off - they’re writing her less well-spoken than she tends to be - and her actual recruitment feels pretty forced in that written-off-a-surface-level-version-of-the-character way. She reminds me more of her Spirit Blossom AU self than the one in Seams and Scars or Sisterhood of War.
Riven had a home and loving adoptive family in Ionia for a not inconsiderable period of time - her father’s still waiting for her with no idea if she’ll ever return. The idea that she’d just go “Welp, I guess I can’t get back to Ionia” rather than committing herself to doing so no matter what, and having her be reduced to tears over finding a home in the Sentinels just feels wrong, especially when one considers that she’s literally in the company of people with a teleportation device that we know will get them to Ionia in due course.
Like … why not just leverage that? Make it that she’s working with them because she’s not going to run from the responsibility of trying to save the world and the Sentinels promise they’ll eventually head to Ionia where she can help relieve the place and her family with it? Isn’t that simple enough to do?
I don’t mind the jokes and all that, I just don’t understand why the serious stuff feels like it isn’t playing to the character and lore when opportunities to do so are right there.
Some brushwork practice
I almost forget to add that if you like my drawings pls reblog it. It helps me a lot
I’m not usually fond of doing much to disturb this blog, but I thought I might as well mention that I’m vaguely active over at https://sr-023.tumblr.com/ putting together the occasional WIP Valorant piece. It’s something I’m enjoying, but as has always been the case for me it’s more of a marathon than a sprint to get anything properly finished.
That’s only a side-blog so I thought it made sense to put that here in case anyone I follow who is more connected to Valorant stuff decides to look me up.
Man, every time Riot release new lore content for Riven I’m always hit by this horrible sense of like … this is very good but also full of things that make me go ??? because they don’t resonate with the version of the character I’m attached to or just seem weird.
Seriously though Seams and Scars is a nice story (with great art) and I’m sure someone coming at it without my old hangups would never even consider the things that bother me about it.
Burdens of the past amirite …
Seven years ago today …
Don’t worry little bird she would fly with you if her wings weren’t broken
Only a few days ago @xpirategirlx got in touch with me completely out of the blue and made the incredibly generous offer to produce some sort of Riven-centric piece for me - an icon, or so they said. I was only really expecting something along the lines of a headshot on a simple background to suit a tumblr icon, but it’s been really cool to watch inspiration take them and that base idea blossom into something as amazing as this. I’m completely and utterly blown away by the end product.
It’s been great talking with them these last couple of days and seeing some of their passion for art. I’d really recommend giving their blog a look-in and throwing a Follow and/or some Likes their way if you like what you see. I think someone who can produce a Kai’Sa as cute as this deserves a little more attention and love <3
The Spirit of Noxus is dying. For Riven, this is not an abstract. For Katarina, this is not acceptable. Katarina/Riven, rated PG for violence.
Commissioned by @askriven-theexile as a continuation of an AU scenario from this post.The Spirit of Noxus, they call her, and at first Katarina is too young to understand. She thinks Riven is strong, she thinks Riven is everything she wants to be when she grows up. She asks Riven for the stories behind her scars and listens raptly to the tales of Noxus’ past, forgetting what she asked about.
Riven has white hair and a scarred face. It’s not until Katarina turns thirty, and Riven still looks as she did when Katarina was six that Katarina understands Riven’s title is more than a courtesy.
The Spirit of Noxus stands before her in the flesh. How can Katarina help but love her?
“Disagree.
Riven still represents the best of what Noxus is and could be. Currently she is being tempered and reforged by Ionia.”
- WAAARGHbobo on whether Riven should now be regarded an Ionian Champion.
Huh. Apparently that Riven and Yasuo story has been essentially ready to ship for the last 18 months and they just haven’t had an opportunity to release it until now.