Building a Better Ashe: ruclips.net/video/0fi5fuv1nLs/видео.html Building a Better Janna: ruclips.net/video/27wMorIpkVo/видео.html Building a Better Unbound Thresh: ruclips.net/video/T_J47Nm3fTI/видео.html
I'd love it if Soraka ult temporarily revealed her true form, maybe giving her some kind of buff for a duration, instead of just being "oh you heal everyone wooooo"
I always pictured Soraka as a shepherd, tending to her flock of mortals out of deep love. Older body from years of use, her staff akin to a shepherd's crook, and a mentality and voice more akin of a kindly grandmother.
This description is very much like the witches of the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett, whose “hedge witches” are not only shepherds but midwives and counsellors and have covens of mostly very old women with complicated friendships to both one another and their young apprentices. If you haven’t read them already, the books are very funny and sentimental and probably shaped me for the better. Also they got great audiobooks (they were very popular in the UK but sadly didn’t make it across the pond as well as Good Omens)
I think the idea of her deaging in her ‘soraka the grey ‘ design is a great idea Because her old woman form is almost like the physical embodiment of her wants and what she loves . She loves mortals so she indulges herself by ageing as they would , loving every wrinkle and laugh line that forms because it’s just another way for her to show how much she loves life But when time comes to protecting the mortals that she’s grown to love so dearly she will brush her wants and indulges aside and take her place as their protector
@@icymeow3417 I know she’s a celestial, she’s an all powerful being who can’t age. The idea that I brought up was that she was indulging herself by allowing herself to age and experience live as a mortal . Not that she actually aged just her using herself to allow herself the form and attributes of different stage of a mortal life: That’s why she would shed that form when doing her celestial duties , because she knows she can’t both indulge her wants and desires while also using her magic to protect people. I know but probably doesn’t really make sense but it’s just a what if on a video full of what ifs
@@ellajazz4861 aging is just parts of the body wearing out & cells re-dividing imperfectly over time (like JPEG artifacts). I could see her celestial magic doing that to her physical body, giving her the appearance of age. She keeps the degradation under control with healing magic, but can choose when to stop.
This explanation of Soraka made me cry... Like UGLY cry... I'm a mom of 3, covered in stretchmarks, a relentless tummy that wont go away, and a Soraka main. Everything you explain about her is how I feel she embodies myself. I LOVE this remake, every bit of it is fabulously done. Mommy Soraka is my next Cosplay, 10000000% perfection. Then nice little Soraka the Grey when I'm an old lady lol
Best of luck on your cosplay. I'm sure it'll look amazing (although body paint is such a pain... Nothing but respect and pity for those who do it for the cosplay).
I 100% agree. Also a mom of three and a support main, I haven't really played soraka since they changed her whole kit though. I would absolutely pick her back up with more frequency if she looked like mommy-raka. Especially Soraka the Grey. My username is The Grey Dam, as a nod to a book character I love, she's the grey mother to her people. I love everything about the whole character concept redesign for her and I hope riot does something similar for her in the future. Would love to see it. 🖤 Also, unrelated to the character: you're doing a good job, mama. Your babies need you more than any societal expectation of appearance could ever matter. Take care of yourself. 🖤🖤🖤
I adore the idea of her carrying mana potions with her as a nod to the time she was able to give mana to allies The grandma design is my absolute fav, I love playing Soraka and I'm yearning for a proper old lady character in LoL, it's like a dream come true 💜 Tho I wouldn't say no to a more motherly Soraka redesign either, especially since you could probably fit her skins to that easier, but we all know they wouldn't dare try even that 😔
@@hhjhj393 that's all fair and really I agree with you of wanting more nontraditional champions, but champion popularity is a thing that exist, and as long as Riot can make do with one "weird" champ for every 5 or 10 hot anime champions then they're fine with that.
Now I absolutely need a cute old lady just wandering the rift healing her allies and giving them grandma compliments. Also some scolding lines as she cc's the enemies would make for such a loveable new character.
Honestly I think the mom one with stretch marks down her side has to be my favorite, it gives the vibe of a woman who’s been around for a while and will nurture you will the love and car you deserve. It’s the most welcoming to look at and all around an amazing interpretation. Plus the crystals and herbs really do give it a celestial vibe aswell.
God I absolutely ADORE this series, is one of my favorites from you, I feel like I learn so much about character design while also thinking of fun experiments on why this works/doesn't and how would you change it, 100/10 man
Same ! This series is really interesting, going into details about design problems and then trying to make the more... ley's say mediocre designs from Riot into something more intriguing and interesting.
There is a way to include the sexy versions, I think. You already went over the old woman and younger woman versions. These fit exactly into the Three Goddesses theme (it isn't without its flaws, but you've wandered in its space accidentally) - the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. The Maiden represents sexual energy (birth, creation), the Mother represents renewal, life, or regeneration, and the Crone represents wisdom and death. Conceptually, your Soraka rework was almost a rediscovery of this very ancient idea.
I absolutely adore Mommy-raka ! Framing her power and its effect on her body as the normal aging of a women’s body and her attitude towards it as body positivity is genuinely awesome, and would be a first for a character in League. Which is why it probably will never happen…
@@narcyz2134 Exactly what I was thinking! Like when she ults to heal everyone she could have bigger scars that expose her magical power from within with a green glow (like her ultimate). I say green because I feel like the color story of her original design doesn't quite convey her character well enough, I think her skin being this pale violet color is good as a base but I don't quite feel the orange and yellow to represent her 'celestial' side and mostly they don't correlate with her color coded abilities (W being green, Q being red, E being violet and her ult also green). So I love this idea but would probably switch it up to a color story more in the realm of violet, green and white. It would make it more apparent that she is mainly a healer, green is the color we associate with her healing and a vital part of her personality, I'd like seeing that reflected in her design and not just her abilities. The violet and white can relate to her being a celestial being, her staff can be white and still be crescent shaped and maybe have some stars incorporated.
One thing I think will make Soraka’s redesign for me is the understanding that she loves life. She eats, she drinks, she heals. Which would mean, to me, that she’ll have love handles, wrinkles and scars. And most likely, she’d see every one of those as a trophy and love them
God I love Mommy-raka. Those skin stretches are just... Porcelain skin looks good but something about the stretches just makes it for a very natural beauty. It's honestly just hotter
Some people Are into Scars, Probably do to it's Fraction being a bit of Atracttion, like People who Aren't Dicks but Aren't exactly Perfect could be Quite attractive because of their Flaws, it's what makes them Human, Stretchmarks can be Hot, like Scars Like Wrinkels. I Can See how everyone of them can be attractive, it really depends on person, thas why we make it varied.
The first two designs may fit as reworks like caitlyn, the second one also love the details of the marks on the skin, is so mother-like since pregnancy actually gives a lot of those marks on the body I loooooooove the face of the 3rd design with that grandmother vibe
Skyen can now claim the sexy Soraka art he commissioned on his tax returns because of this video. Truly a cultured move. The world needs more Mom-raka sexy fanart.
Soraka the Grey reminds me of King Bumi from Avatar: the last Airbender. "You thought i was a frail old man! But i'm the most powerful Earthbender you'll ever see!"
I love the concept of soraka having control over her looks, and I can immediately imagine a legendary skin that changes her appearance based on the characters in game ethnicities, is the game full of shurima, drink from egypt designs, is it full of noxians, give her a rugged cool grandma appearance, full of Ionians, give a more spirit like radiant appearance.
Wow, I love the "Soraka the Grey" design and the artist did such an amazing job. I think the concept could work with a lot of her skins as well, like Café Cuties making her an old cozy baking grandma; Star Guardian being more of a mentor character; SG, program and Dawn/Nightbringer could have her true form show in a lot of moves and homeguards. My favourite skin of hers is Reaper, which could be made to depict the traditional personification of the black death.
If they ever make an ASU for her, it would be easy to explain a large change to her looks in the lore through just saying "Celestial magic changed her body" or "Her old body was destroyed and she created a new one."
Which doesn't really do anything for the big problems-that no amount of handwaves will make Soraka the Gray or Mommy-Soraka look like a Star Guardian, and that removing the cute-girl-ness from one of League's first cute girls could negatively impact the bottom line.
@@timothymcleani mean, I think mommy Soraka could be a star guardian as a sort of "big sister" character, pretty common in anime. Like the Neo Queen Serenity to Sailor Moon.
i really like the 4th "soraka the grey" concepts because her gameplay is honestly very chaotic. as much as they make it seem like you're caring or tending to your teammates, it's so funny Qing people, running away, healing teammates, & being a nuisance & that fun, chaotic gameplay personality is something that draws me to soraka & i think the 4th concept also makes it show in the model itself.
Unpopular opinion, but i really enjoy her old design, the cubic Warcraftesque one - i was doodling it while watching this video and i came up with this type of scolding experienced mother archetype. She's toughened by mortal life, but also benevolent and willing to firmly grip one's hand and show them the way. I also went for the opposite to most of the designs in the video and made her sickly thin, with scars and pertruding bones, representing the struggle of mortality and her sacrificing her own good for others. Basically i like to imagine her as a more humanized Kayle, a godlike being with immense power, but who uses it to help and not hurt.
To be potentially "fatphobic" for a moment, I do prefer the super sickly looking concept to the larger version. She literally gives her life to help those she wants to, fitting both lore and gameplay. I suppose though, the outline of a thin character might be hard to implement.
@@drvurruct2274 yeah i prefer thinraka conceptually as well. a. celestial being sounds more like they'd be thin rather than big, since they're "above" food and needing this sort of nourishment. they are need-less. i imagine a soraka with the body and face of the nightborne ( world of warcraft race ), i think it would fit her very well. even the types of tattoos. it'd be that and her iconic horn and white hair
@@drvurruct2274 ayyyy! hell yeah. specially considering warcraft is pretty much the league origins. you can see so much in terms of inspiration from the designs
I like the age change idea but I think the opposite way around would make more sense. That her appearance may change at will but that she will inevitably will appear older when using her powers, both as a way to show how much pain it causes her but also because naturally, for us as humans, the body falls and dulls as it weakens- let it be the posture, skin and even how the fat falls, causing wrinkles and a less pumped up look.
Huh, I think in an opposite way to you - the celestial power stretches her like water does to a water balloon making her look younger. But I suppose that's just us being different.
I think it would feel counter intuitive to make the character look weaker as they are at their most powerful. It makes sense in longer forms of storytelling, but usually "showing your true power" means looking stronger than you did before. Like Master Roshi for example. I think her looking younger would make sense in a much simpler way. She chooses to look old and frail, but when she uses her full power, she needs all of her concentration, so she stops pretending and wasting concentration on a fake image - showing her the way she would normally look
I'm not sure I 100% buy the idea, but it would mean she's using her power to disguise her age and look younger and when she has to use it for other means her true, older, form comes through. I think this would make her look like a deceiver, which she isn't. Also, soraka does love mortality and imperfection, so why would she bother to look younger? I feel there's a good idea somewhere there, but I can't pinpoint it
@@Patmax17 - But she's Celestial, she can't age. Aging is a sign of dying. Yes we might want to tell ourselves that aging is natural, beautiful etc but literally aging is a sign of your cells being less and less able to complete tasks.
As a character design student I LOVE this style of video, not just because it goes into details about how more generic beautiful skins can be altered to tell a better story, but because by isolating these “keywords” into its own design I can better learn how each trait can send the design in a different direction
Another banger as always. Soraka the grey had me on the edge of my seat, and soraka the white had me cheering. Astounding concept and visual design. Now I humbly suggest a “building a better Kai’Sa” video, as I’m sure you will knock it out of the park. Thank you for this content.
I do love the idea of visually expressing how her physical body can’t really contain all of her celestial power, and how it hurts her to use it. ESPECIALLY giving her stretch marks that glow. That is such a cool detail. Like holy hell that’s awesome.
You know, I honestly kinda like Soraka’s oldest design? Like, aside from the obvious clunky quality and giant feet, there’s a lot I like about original Soraka. The more mature, slightly alien appearance that conveys her wisdom and her celestial nature, the golden tattoos that make her almost seem like she’s burning inside out with celestial magic, with some tweaks I honestly could see it working for Soraka’s current lore state.
Love the de-ageing and ageing idea. I imagine the old cells getting shed and burned away and replaced with new cells at a supernatural rate, then ageing without getting shed and consumed at the tail end of the magic. Pictures at an Exhibition feels very appropriate somehow... I don't mean for the short picture reel so much as for Soraka herself.
Hands down would vote for the Soraka the Grey or Mommy-Raka, prefferably the former than the latter. However, depending of how difficult the former is to implement gameplay-wise, the odds of implementation go for the latter.
I just wanted to say that the idea of glowing stretch marks and the beauty of underlying power beneath them inspired me so much to create an OC and made me love the find beauty and the flaws of my own body. Thank you!
I’ve worked in a lot of pre-schools, and I imagine my ideal Sorakka as being like some of my favorite co-workers. The ones who can be run ragged by work and stress but still calm a child with a word and give the best hugs. Mommy-Rakka looks like she gives AMAZING hugs ❤
found you from your shorts talking about league designs and i'm here now. i absolutely love this series-and i don't even play or care about league! i would love to see more of these, or character design videos in general :)
The grandma design send shiver down my spine. I dont know much about character design, heck , I dont know jack shit but something about that design make me absolutely adore it, maybe it fit perfectly with what you describe her in the earlier part of the video I dont know but super great video.
19:17 I'm absolutely in love with this version, such a delicate and gracious design You can see the motherly aspect but also the powerful celestial side And the patreon advertisement was adorable Skyen, wish I could support you
I like the idea that she gets younger when she uses their ultimate because her ultimate is a healing spell and so she's channeling so much raw power that she heals herself in a way and kind of de-ages herself due to the life force that she's emitting
I love the "Building a better ..." so much. It's a wonderful balance between getting to know the lore better and learning about character design as well as getting inspired by all the ideas and art. Pleas keep up the wonderful work you do. Thank you very much:)
I think the 4th idea is the best, but picture this, soraka is in her "Soraka-grey" form from level 1-5, and when she unlocks her ult she evolves or something, like Kayle :3 It nakes sence, maybe she can have bonus movement speed like bard as a passive, idk, something for soraka to like travel across rhe map like an actual traveller would be so cool too
Wow that last "Soraka the White" design and the contrast with the Grey version is Kickass. The cloven hooves look so good. It's such an action pose like she's gonna reverse her ult and karthus-smite the whole team. And the power channeled in her hands with the bandages... SO cool. The other designs were great too, I like the mommy-raka one lol.
I fell in love with soraka long time ago, when she use to to have a Mana heal hability. She could be a little more " hearty" since the siluette must kinda inform the type of character u are figthing , and she is a pretty tanky kind if enchanter. Maybe u can do someting with is particles nowadays where the lowest live u are the more u see the star power blasting out of his body denoting the danger u are getting into
Omg the idea of more and more glow as your health drains 👀 also would act like a big "hit here" sign to the enemy team, maybe then some of them would learn to not let Soraka heal so freely, I've seem so many of them playing her 😆
She's definitely not tanky - she's squishy but if you position right, move correctly and hit Qs then you can soak damage. That's why it makes sense she's slim and looks beautiful - because you have to be elusive to survive. I love your idea of her glowing brighter and brighter as she loses health though.
@@icymeow3417 she builds usually builds moonstone, redemption and warmog's as core items. I mean, people do play her without warmog's, with full build being the full enchatner build as moonstone, redemption, ardent censer, staff of flowing water and sometimes replace boots or support item with mikael's blessing. But I usually play her with warmogs as third or fourth item. That's what they mean by tankiness.
eyyy I remember you mentioning your beef with Soraka's design a while back! So happy to see this video after all this time :D I especially love how Soraka the Grey is a Physical God who can mold her appearance like clay and _doesn't_ use that as an excuse to be a perpetually young, waifish prettygirl. It subverts the laziest (and seemingly most common?) implementation of that trope and _expands_ on it. For my part as a non-League player, it seems like it would be hard to _see_ signs of age from the viewpoint the game's played at. As an outsider, it seems to me that it would just read as 'she stands up straight' rather than 'she literally de-ages herself' in-game.
The more i think about granny Soraka, the more i love it. I keep picturing her travels and the interactions between her and mortals around Runeterra. My brain has been stimulated! Wonderful video TBS. Keep em' comin
This is my favorite series from the channel and this episode did not disappoint. In my opinion, the best design in the video was Mommy-raka. While Soraka the Grey looked really cool, I don't really think Soraka would be constantly changing her form. In my eyes, she wants to feel everything mortals feel, and she only uses her magic when it is necessary, like with healing and such, so I don't see her changing her shape all willy nilly. Plus, the body positivity Soraka carries in the Mommy-raka iteration really feels like a philosophy Soraka would carry. Plus it's just nice having a character with those messages in their design. Also, her having one form no matter where she goes plays well into the traveler aspect. Like someone in Demacia could ask a Shuriman "Did you hear about the purple lady with the horn? She healed my village!" And the Shuriman can be like "The horned lady? She visited us too!"
God I am ABSOLUTELY in love with “Soraka The Grey” while it would genuinely be a great difference from her current design, and arguably a deviation from how people perceive her current fantasy, it is also an improvement of the fantasy she is SUPPOSED to deliver. It makes her unique. They wouldn’t work with skins which is so so sad, because it’s so much better. While it’s impossible for a rework like this to happen, I wish that one day she at least gets some type of rework, some day.
I'm in love with mommy-raka^^ It also can fit a redesign pretty well, I think. Because yeah, they would never make her an old lady, but... age her up, make her more worldly and nurturing, and just a tad bit more otherworldly? That honestly sounds like a perfect middle-ground. Of course they won't do that either, but THEY SHOULD, because this design slaps!
Divinely inspired take, good sir. I especially love the glowing stretch marks and the Soraka the Grey ideas. I agree this would never make it into the game, but I'd love to see *any* character use this concept.
Glad to see this series back even in limited capacity. Also Mommy Soraka is my favorite but that is obviously my bias. All these ideas are fantastic outgrowths of the original character concept. The old lady and your version with the celestial entity manipulating the vessel are so cool
Really like Granny Soraka. And personally, there's nothing more painful & scary to the heart and soul than a loving grandmother who is not only disappointed but KNOWS when it's time to beat someone's ass for their actions & behavior and does so with firm resolution. I think have her go the Iroh route, where she stands up to full height, cloak swept back to reveal a heavy-set, solid figure. The smile vanishes and her eyes open to leak out her Celestial energies. Maybe her horn could light up just enough so her face has harsher shadows. Also, maybe make her walking stick more of a branch instead of a lathed staff so it contrasts better with the Celestial Artifact she wields for her most powerful spells.
As a Soraka main of many years I loved all these rework design. I actually prefer them to the official one, they make so much more sense with her character. I do believe her base skin doesn't really fit with what a celestial being of Runeterra would be. But my biggest vent is how her game model is BLUE and not lilac (it barely matches the splashart). Please Riot give us a lilac mommy-raka. Great video as always, I've learned a lot thx to your channel (can't wait to learn more) 🌟
The Soraka the Grey idea is probably the best iteration of a newer Soraka I've seen so far cause it does seemingly take bits of all of the other aspects talked about and explored in here; like the motherly/grandmotherly vibe of offering aid to those she comes across without hesitation (babush-raka please) as well as the potential of her absolute power in all its glory. We need more artists like you and those you commissioned cause Riot certainly isn't going to do it anytime soon. (Yes Riot give us another anime waifu/hubby that looks generic af).
Great as always! I would love to see a building a better Nidalee at some point, especially considering the not great stereotypes and 'tropes' she leans very unironically into. She's one of those ones I can sadly never see Riot changing though, or not properly anyway.
Soraka is one of those champs were I get bursts of ONLY playing her and during those I always notice that her design is... well, yeah. I really love all your takes on her, it's really noticeable how much you care about all the designs that you pick up + all the art in the video is gorgoeus!
Mommy-raka made me happy cry when I noticed her stretch marks because I've got so many on myself and seeing them used as a character design and story piece for one of my favorite characters is just amazing. This just might be a future cosplay :)
The kinda Mommy Soraka and the Old and Adult Soraka are great versions! Soraka is one of the only champions I actually own lol though I dont play LoL. But man those two ideas were great, especially the old to adult one, it had a really strong impact with me.
Soraka the Grey is a prefect character design. I feel like having her swap ages throughout the game would be awesome. ie on respawn she a child and grows up as she walks back to lane. She's reincarnating herself
If there was a soraka that could look young for the fanservice yet be a wise and powerful healer, I would have given her glasses. Glasses shows that someone has old eyes like a librarian or a doctor. I loved your point on Soraka having some more weight in a motherly way. Just slightly more weight lower in the body can give a motherly effects. For her celestial magic, the hand she holds the staff could have a bright glow gleaming through the wrappings on her arm to show her powerful magic. One thing not covered much was her outfit. To draw focus, perhaps make her amber gems instead a blue crystal like the Gift Giver in LOR. Making her primary clothing color more teals and blues since those colors are very calming which is why they're used in hospital settings. Someone who is supposed to be a wanderer who's lived for centuries, they need to look trustworthy and approachable, not mysterious by hiding themselves. I would also give her a extra layer to her clothes since she needs to brave the elements. Overall, yes to weight, glasses, glowing arm, and more decent clothes.
is there any champ who wears glasses without a skin? i cant think of any rn (noz including stuff like yis helmet) edit: i dont think if ziggs or heimer would count either
Late to the party, but an idea expanding from the bandages: she 'bleeds' her form as her mana decreases. Literal exhaustion and pain, as well as powerful model communication. Perhaps consulting someone who lives with a condition that gives daily agony would help inspire the art necessary, as Leonardo did with _chiaroscuro_ and human anatomy centuries ago.
I rewatch this video whenever I feel demotivated about drawing, and, without fail, I find myself so damn inspired with every rewatch. Seeing so many artists' hands come together to build new variations of Soraka, each with unique style and so much care put into them, is just amazing to see. There's just so much passion seeping through the whole discussion that it's impossible to not feel inspired by the end, especially when you talk so earnestly about Soraka's love of life and how that's reflected in bodily "flaws". Every version of her in this video is beautiful in its own way, and there's so much to love about every iteration's focus. I love this video so so much, and the way you talk about design is really helpful when I think about my own art. Do I play League? Nope, but the way you talk about the designs in the game is just beautiful.
I’m sorry skyen but your art was amazing too. “Mommy” and “Grey/White” were my favorites though. This video was really inspiring (in that it inspired a lot of ideas and creativity) and was really interesting as well, like all your content. This channel is a gem.
I like Mommy-raka the most, I think. She looks exactly like someone who’d call you “baby” or “sweetheart” and tell you exactly what you need to hear, while you’re hunched over on a seat crying. Gives very comfy vibes.
I like the idea of Soraka being a sweet granny. The only character in the Lol universe I can think of that gives the same vibes is Norra from Legends of Runeterra.
I really like "Mommy-raka" so much, I nearly teared up seeing stretch marks as the tell of her power overflowing because I see myself in that design the most, I know Soraka the Grey makes the most design sense, but it is just so nice to see myself in some sort of character body wise.
Thank you so much for this video, especially for all the commission work you've shown, lots of great artists (especially the last commissioned art shown-- ahem). I really appreciate how you made me pay more attention to storytelling in character design, and with all of these examples I have a much clearer image on my head for future works of mine! And well, I really love seeing all of these different takes on the same design, while still maintaining the general idea from the original. While I know this series is one that takes longer to do, as explained on twitter, I am more than excited to see the next one, whenever it is released
I'd just add some more clear visualization to Soraka hurting herself by healing. Either with visual effects like burning particles or gameplay wise with gray health. Right now she just instantly loses health on cast, that is bearly noticeable until she is below 5% HP and you wonder why you cannot spell cast anymore. How about turning her lost HP into gray health rapidly decaying? That would look way more noticeable. Your entire green HP bar turning gray and rapidly draining because you healed 8 times in the last few seconds.
I never got where the "motherly = weighs more" trope came from, while I agree league needs a lot more body shapes, Gragas should in no way be the only one doing the heavy lifting for + size models sort of speak. But I feel like there's different routes to take to create a warm welcoming motherly nature than simply slapping on a few pounds. That sais, I suck at designing so I can't think of many options ^^
Its a shame, I honestly quite like current Soraka, her body type and colour scheme are kinda unique But i agree that it really doesn’t work for her current story, my perfect timeline would give her current story to a new character and create a new story for current Soraka. Either way tho, I love all of these redesigns, so pretty. And i never knew you could draw, you call it scuffed but its really not bad As for my addition to a potential redesign, what if her patterns were burns? They would be mystically shaped and look like cool patterns from a distance, but upon closer inspection they’d be deep blue burns on her indigo skin. Maybe the marks would glow when she uses her magic and emit smoke for a couple sections afterwards. Her starry energy could be made more fiery, more solar. This would work with the self-harming thing, and maybe lean into imagery of a campfire or a lantern. I imagine a story where a traveler is lost in a blizzard, before seeing a figure of glowing golden light like a human bonfire cutting through the snow. She could be a beacon for the lost and a fire for the cold, but to be that person, she’d need to accept the harm it does to herself.
I like the other redesigns, but out of all of them, old soraka works the best. If it was my first time playing League, and I saw that design, i'd immediately think "oh, that's the healer"
Oh I was waiting for your redesigns, they’re always awesome! Could you do a short character design analysis on Paladins: champions of the realm? I really like their artists working on the characters, just wanted to know your thoughts about it.
I love the glowing cracks under her bandages, it reminds me of stretch marks! I think it makes her even more motherly and more mature. Soraka gives up a piece of her in order to take care of others, that reminds me of a mother carrying a child and raising it
I love you for this. I've always adored your re-imagining of characters in league but this redesign really takes the cake. As a Soraka main and a healing enthusiast it really warmed my heart hearing you talk about her and seeing the effort you took to make sure she shows what she really wants to show as a character. And also as a lady-person who has generated stretch marks at a rather young age, hearing you talk about body positivity and the fact that stretch marks are rarely even flaws was really... Healing for me, all jokes aside. Thanks so much for your efforts in these redesigns, you're doing amazing, me and the other thousands of people here on yt are always delighted to experience your works.
Hot take (pun intended) while I think the third design is best for the "wisened guardian", I think the second version works the best To me the stretchmarks glowing really shows how her physical form is strained, and the design still retains a lot of that "cup of tea" vibe. Overall great episode doe, as an inspiring artist your content is always super lovely
I'm a plus-sized person and a learning artist/writer, and honestly these videos have been so nice to watch like, the design advice is really well explained, and I feel like it's opening really fun doors for both writing and drawing and generally playing with the narratives told through design and as a plus-sized person who struggles a lot (thankfully much less than I used to) with poor self image and self-hatred largely focused around that weight, the point about stretch marks really struck a cord. the reminders that there is no objectively good design/art being subjective and the acknowledgments given to the restraints on the official design team are both just nice. the words to expand on why are escaping me at the moment, but it all contributes to a very nice vibe to the longform content that makes it relaxing and informative. genuinely, this is one of my favorite channels at the moment, thank you
Soraka honestly sounds like an allegory for Jesus. The leaving of the celestial realm to be amongst mortals, the love of mankind, the self-sacrifice, the traveling healer theme, Etc.
The Soraka design based on her appearing old initially and becoming younger when she has to fight reminds me of Genkai from You Yu Hakusho and that alone makes me want to see that design in the game or other media.
I think Riot can do a lot keeping her young look but make her animation shows the age and wisdom, making her move slowly and gracious... If she is a kind healer who hurt herself to heal other, why her Q heals her after burning her enemies with celestial fire? (That also can be interpreted as falling horses)
Its a shame they would never do a design like this because soraka as she is now is a skin sale machine, however i feel like aspects of this could be used to make her into a top tier design while she keeps her more, uhhh... generally appealing aspects.
I personally love the mommy-raka I think it's an in-between of current and the all-out in the video and I feel that there is a chance they could take that one put it into the game and still have it fit with some of the skin lines she's been a part of
I feel like my favorite part about soraka is how graceful and "dainty" she is. I can't imagine mom-raka speeding her allies up after a q+w if that makes sense
It would be weird seeing grandma-raka running with a 70% speedboost to a wounded ally but maybe the goat legs thing could be expanded on and maybe make her a little younger to like the 60ish range like i could at least see my mom booking it over if i had a shiv in my back despite the arthritis The passive kind of deserves to be changed sort of badly and the speedboost on the q is low enough that it could be feasible
Like he said in the grandma part she's a god in disguise. She could potentially push that power within the mortal form past a limit and then have a repercussion. It would make sense for riot to punish us support main for putting a slow down debuff after her ult xD making raka more of a sitting duck.
I actually do not agree with any of these forms, I agree with your concept of how she should be but the design of these forms are not hitting for me, good art but ugly as well in my opinion, I believe she should look more like her divine soraka skin, add the cracks a bit, make her purple and make her face motherly, touch up the body a little bit but u don't have to be slightly big boned to be motherly, her body is fine but I do believe a more long dress or ancient mystic gown with a cape would work well for her, have her move with grace and care as her clothes flow, keep the hair as it is and the horn...thts what I think just a design similar to her divine soraka skin
![Building a better Janna || re-making a League of Legends champion [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/27wMorIpkVo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Building a better Janna || re-making a League of Legends champion [CC]](/img/tr.png)
Building a Better Ashe: ruclips.net/video/0fi5fuv1nLs/видео.html
Building a Better Janna: ruclips.net/video/27wMorIpkVo/видео.html
Building a Better Unbound Thresh: ruclips.net/video/T_J47Nm3fTI/видео.html
Soraka but with a jojo stand, well does my fellow dane.
I'd LOVE building a better Annie
what about Building a Better Olaf? It would be a interesting way yo challenge the viking stereotype
These "Building a Better" vids are my favorite of yours!
I'd love it if Soraka ult temporarily revealed her true form, maybe giving her some kind of buff for a duration, instead of just being "oh you heal everyone wooooo"
"there is no perfect charachter design" in this you are wrong, my friend, have you seen kirby? that is perfection if I've ever seen it
Rowlet moment
First you draw a circle, then you dot the eyes, add a great big smile and presto! It's *sublime!*
The being that make gods shivers
he is shaped like a friend
He is shaped like a friend
There is no better design than friend
I always pictured Soraka as a shepherd, tending to her flock of mortals out of deep love. Older body from years of use, her staff akin to a shepherd's crook, and a mentality and voice more akin of a kindly grandmother.
This description is very much like the witches of the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett, whose “hedge witches” are not only shepherds but midwives and counsellors and have covens of mostly very old women with complicated friendships to both one another and their young apprentices.
If you haven’t read them already, the books are very funny and sentimental and probably shaped me for the better. Also they got great audiobooks (they were very popular in the UK but sadly didn’t make it across the pond as well as Good Omens)
I think the idea of her deaging in her ‘soraka the grey ‘ design is a great idea
Because her old woman form is almost like the physical embodiment of her wants and what she loves . She loves mortals so she indulges herself by ageing as they would , loving every wrinkle and laugh line that forms because it’s just another way for her to show how much she loves life
But when time comes to protecting the mortals that she’s grown to love so dearly she will brush her wants and indulges aside and take her place as their protector
okay the way you put it convinced me!
She's celestial, she doesn't age. Aging is dying, she can't just "make herself die slowly" to look "accurate" to her character / story...
@@icymeow3417 I know she’s a celestial, she’s an all powerful being who can’t age. The idea that I brought up was that she was indulging herself by allowing herself to age and experience live as a mortal . Not that she actually aged just her using herself to allow herself the form and attributes of different stage of a mortal life:
That’s why she would shed that form when doing her celestial duties , because she knows she can’t both indulge her wants and desires while also using her magic to protect people.
I know but probably doesn’t really make sense but it’s just a what if on a video full of what ifs
@@ellajazz4861 aging is just parts of the body wearing out & cells re-dividing imperfectly over time (like JPEG artifacts). I could see her celestial magic doing that to her physical body, giving her the appearance of age. She keeps the degradation under control with healing magic, but can choose when to stop.
I could see it as a level up thing and when she ults she switches too
This explanation of Soraka made me cry... Like UGLY cry... I'm a mom of 3, covered in stretchmarks, a relentless tummy that wont go away, and a Soraka main. Everything you explain about her is how I feel she embodies myself. I LOVE this remake, every bit of it is fabulously done. Mommy Soraka is my next Cosplay, 10000000% perfection. Then nice little Soraka the Grey when I'm an old lady lol
current soraka -> mommyraka -> soraka the grey is the best circle of life
Best of luck on your cosplay. I'm sure it'll look amazing (although body paint is such a pain... Nothing but respect and pity for those who do it for the cosplay).
Sorakka should be someone you want big hugs from. You sound like you give big hugs ❤
I 100% agree. Also a mom of three and a support main, I haven't really played soraka since they changed her whole kit though. I would absolutely pick her back up with more frequency if she looked like mommy-raka. Especially Soraka the Grey. My username is The Grey Dam, as a nod to a book character I love, she's the grey mother to her people. I love everything about the whole character concept redesign for her and I hope riot does something similar for her in the future. Would love to see it. 🖤
Also, unrelated to the character: you're doing a good job, mama. Your babies need you more than any societal expectation of appearance could ever matter. Take care of yourself. 🖤🖤🖤
Pick yuumy
I adore the idea of her carrying mana potions with her as a nod to the time she was able to give mana to allies
The grandma design is my absolute fav, I love playing Soraka and I'm yearning for a proper old lady character in LoL, it's like a dream come true 💜
Tho I wouldn't say no to a more motherly Soraka redesign either, especially since you could probably fit her skins to that easier, but we all know they wouldn't dare try even that 😔
Summoner's Rift really needed Norra but she's permanently exclusive to whatever the card game is called...
@@hhjhj393 that's all fair and really I agree with you of wanting more nontraditional champions, but champion popularity is a thing that exist, and as long as Riot can make do with one "weird" champ for every 5 or 10 hot anime champions then they're fine with that.
I really love the "grandma-raka" design.
Camille is old, kappa
@@patriarchparamour who's kappa?
USING STRETCH MARKS AS PART OF THE CELESTIAL BLEED THROUGH IS SO COOL. THAT IS SO INSPIRED
Now I absolutely need a cute old lady just wandering the rift healing her allies and giving them grandma compliments.
Also some scolding lines as she cc's the enemies would make for such a loveable new character.
That's literally Ana from Overwatch (She's also in Heroes of the Storm)
@@shaheedk.3386 that's not a cute old lady, that's a hot old lady
Norra would fit that trope so well
Honestly I think the mom one with stretch marks down her side has to be my favorite, it gives the vibe of a woman who’s been around for a while and will nurture you will the love and car you deserve. It’s the most welcoming to look at and all around an amazing interpretation. Plus the crystals and herbs really do give it a celestial vibe aswell.
God I absolutely ADORE this series, is one of my favorites from you, I feel like I learn so much about character design while also thinking of fun experiments on why this works/doesn't and how would you change it, 100/10 man
Me too! I love this series uvu
Same ! This series is really interesting, going into details about design problems and then trying to make the more... ley's say mediocre designs from Riot into something more intriguing and interesting.
There is a way to include the sexy versions, I think. You already went over the old woman and younger woman versions. These fit exactly into the Three Goddesses theme (it isn't without its flaws, but you've wandered in its space accidentally) - the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.
The Maiden represents sexual energy (birth, creation), the Mother represents renewal, life, or regeneration, and the Crone represents wisdom and death.
Conceptually, your Soraka rework was almost a rediscovery of this very ancient idea.
I absolutely adore Mommy-raka ! Framing her power and its effect on her body as the normal aging of a women’s body and her attitude towards it as body positivity is genuinely awesome, and would be a first for a character in League. Which is why it probably will never happen…
Add to that faint scars running up her legs that would rupture and glow every time her passive activates
@@narcyz2134 Exactly what I was thinking! Like when she ults to heal everyone she could have bigger scars that expose her magical power from within with a green glow (like her ultimate).
I say green because I feel like the color story of her original design doesn't quite convey her character well enough, I think her skin being this pale violet color is good as a base but I don't quite feel the orange and yellow to represent her 'celestial' side and mostly they don't correlate with her color coded abilities (W being green, Q being red, E being violet and her ult also green).
So I love this idea but would probably switch it up to a color story more in the realm of violet, green and white.
It would make it more apparent that she is mainly a healer, green is the color we associate with her healing and a vital part of her personality, I'd like seeing that reflected in her design and not just her abilities.
The violet and white can relate to her being a celestial being, her staff can be white and still be crescent shaped and maybe have some stars incorporated.
One thing I think will make Soraka’s redesign for me is the understanding that she loves life. She eats, she drinks, she heals.
Which would mean, to me, that she’ll have love handles, wrinkles and scars. And most likely, she’d see every one of those as a trophy and love them
God I love Mommy-raka. Those skin stretches are just... Porcelain skin looks good but something about the stretches just makes it for a very natural beauty. It's honestly just hotter
Some people Are into Scars, Probably do to it's Fraction being a bit of Atracttion, like People who Aren't Dicks but Aren't exactly Perfect could be Quite attractive because of their Flaws, it's what makes them Human, Stretchmarks can be Hot, like Scars Like Wrinkels.
I Can See how everyone of them can be attractive, it really depends on person, thas why we make it varied.
Maybe it is saturation, we've been exposed to these perfect levels of beauty for so long that these traits seem refreshing and nice to look at.
Same. I love she still hot but with a more diverse body.
Mommy-take was also my favorite
Mommy-take was also my favorite
These videos are probably my favorites because they're just so creative and inspiring.
I wish i was such a good character designer
These are also my favorite videos of his! If only he was into fighting games because they're the best when it comes to character design
Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity! Mommyraka is simply everything to me ❤🛐
The first two designs may fit as reworks like caitlyn, the second one also love the details of the marks on the skin, is so mother-like since pregnancy actually gives a lot of those marks on the body
I loooooooove the face of the 3rd design with that grandmother vibe
Skyen can now claim the sexy Soraka art he commissioned on his tax returns because of this video. Truly a cultured move. The world needs more Mom-raka sexy fanart.
I really LOVE the design of "mommy-raka" (idea 3) the soft colours and overall shape is just so pleasant to look at, it all just works so well!
“There are no perfect character designs”
Rammus:
Ok
Soraka the Grey reminds me of King Bumi from Avatar: the last Airbender.
"You thought i was a frail old man! But i'm the most powerful Earthbender you'll ever see!"
I love the concept of soraka having control over her looks, and I can immediately imagine a legendary skin that changes her appearance based on the characters in game ethnicities, is the game full of shurima, drink from egypt designs, is it full of noxians, give her a rugged cool grandma appearance, full of Ionians, give a more spirit like radiant appearance.
Wow, I love the "Soraka the Grey" design and the artist did such an amazing job.
I think the concept could work with a lot of her skins as well, like Café Cuties making her an old cozy baking grandma; Star Guardian being more of a mentor character; SG, program and Dawn/Nightbringer could have her true form show in a lot of moves and homeguards.
My favourite skin of hers is Reaper, which could be made to depict the traditional personification of the black death.
If they ever make an ASU for her, it would be easy to explain a large change to her looks in the lore through just saying "Celestial magic changed her body" or "Her old body was destroyed and she created a new one."
Which doesn't really do anything for the big problems-that no amount of handwaves will make Soraka the Gray or Mommy-Soraka look like a Star Guardian, and that removing the cute-girl-ness from one of League's first cute girls could negatively impact the bottom line.
@@timothymcleani mean, I think mommy Soraka could be a star guardian as a sort of "big sister" character, pretty common in anime. Like the Neo Queen Serenity to Sailor Moon.
i really like the 4th "soraka the grey" concepts because her gameplay is honestly very chaotic. as much as they make it seem like you're caring or tending to your teammates, it's so funny Qing people, running away, healing teammates, & being a nuisance & that fun, chaotic gameplay personality is something that draws me to soraka & i think the 4th concept also makes it show in the model itself.
Unpopular opinion, but i really enjoy her old design, the cubic Warcraftesque one - i was doodling it while watching this video and i came up with this type of scolding experienced mother archetype. She's toughened by mortal life, but also benevolent and willing to firmly grip one's hand and show them the way. I also went for the opposite to most of the designs in the video and made her sickly thin, with scars and pertruding bones, representing the struggle of mortality and her sacrificing her own good for others. Basically i like to imagine her as a more humanized Kayle, a godlike being with immense power, but who uses it to help and not hurt.
Out of all the comments I do enjoy yours most.
To be potentially "fatphobic" for a moment, I do prefer the super sickly looking concept to the larger version. She literally gives her life to help those she wants to, fitting both lore and gameplay. I suppose though, the outline of a thin character might be hard to implement.
@@drvurruct2274 yeah i prefer thinraka conceptually as well. a. celestial being sounds more like they'd be thin rather than big, since they're "above" food and needing this sort of nourishment. they are need-less.
i imagine a soraka with the body and face of the nightborne ( world of warcraft race ), i think it would fit her very well. even the types of tattoos. it'd be that and her iconic horn and white hair
@@marcb.4401 Yeah, I know the nightborne, it's cool to see someone else who knows both WoW and LoL.
@@drvurruct2274 ayyyy! hell yeah. specially considering warcraft is pretty much the league origins. you can see so much in terms of inspiration from the designs
I like the age change idea but I think the opposite way around would make more sense. That her appearance may change at will but that she will inevitably will appear older when using her powers, both as a way to show how much pain it causes her but also because naturally, for us as humans, the body falls and dulls as it weakens- let it be the posture, skin and even how the fat falls, causing wrinkles and a less pumped up look.
Huh, I think in an opposite way to you - the celestial power stretches her like water does to a water balloon making her look younger. But I suppose that's just us being different.
I think it would feel counter intuitive to make the character look weaker as they are at their most powerful. It makes sense in longer forms of storytelling, but usually "showing your true power" means looking stronger than you did before. Like Master Roshi for example.
I think her looking younger would make sense in a much simpler way. She chooses to look old and frail, but when she uses her full power, she needs all of her concentration, so she stops pretending and wasting concentration on a fake image - showing her the way she would normally look
I'm not sure I 100% buy the idea, but it would mean she's using her power to disguise her age and look younger and when she has to use it for other means her true, older, form comes through. I think this would make her look like a deceiver, which she isn't. Also, soraka does love mortality and imperfection, so why would she bother to look younger?
I feel there's a good idea somewhere there, but I can't pinpoint it
@@Patmax17 - But she's Celestial, she can't age. Aging is a sign of dying. Yes we might want to tell ourselves that aging is natural, beautiful etc but literally aging is a sign of your cells being less and less able to complete tasks.
I love the mommy-raka design so much. For uh, well multiple reasons but that includes appreciating what it does for her storytelling
She has a very rounded character. Very large personality.
Mommy-raka is not something i ever thought i would need but here we are. really though that and soraka the grey are top grade stuff
I got here as fast as I could, the redesign videos are some of my favorites since Im really passionate about character design
Just finished the video, all of these are amazing with idea 3 being my personal favorite
most of the time i think they just make worse designs though. personal taste i guess.
As a character design student I LOVE this style of video, not just because it goes into details about how more generic beautiful skins can be altered to tell a better story, but because by isolating these “keywords” into its own design I can better learn how each trait can send the design in a different direction
Another banger as always. Soraka the grey had me on the edge of my seat, and soraka the white had me cheering. Astounding concept and visual design. Now I humbly suggest a “building a better Kai’Sa” video, as I’m sure you will knock it out of the park. Thank you for this content.
I do love the idea of visually expressing how her physical body can’t really contain all of her celestial power, and how it hurts her to use it. ESPECIALLY giving her stretch marks that glow. That is such a cool detail. Like holy hell that’s awesome.
You know, I honestly kinda like Soraka’s oldest design? Like, aside from the obvious clunky quality and giant feet, there’s a lot I like about original Soraka. The more mature, slightly alien appearance that conveys her wisdom and her celestial nature, the golden tattoos that make her almost seem like she’s burning inside out with celestial magic, with some tweaks I honestly could see it working for Soraka’s current lore state.
Love the de-ageing and ageing idea. I imagine the old cells getting shed and burned away and replaced with new cells at a supernatural rate, then ageing without getting shed and consumed at the tail end of the magic. Pictures at an Exhibition feels very appropriate somehow... I don't mean for the short picture reel so much as for Soraka herself.
Hands down would vote for the Soraka the Grey or Mommy-Raka, prefferably the former than the latter. However, depending of how difficult the former is to implement gameplay-wise, the odds of implementation go for the latter.
I just wanted to say that the idea of glowing stretch marks and the beauty of underlying power beneath them inspired me so much to create an OC and made me love the find beauty and the flaws of my own body. Thank you!
I’ve worked in a lot of pre-schools, and I imagine my ideal Sorakka as being like some of my favorite co-workers. The ones who can be run ragged by work and stress but still calm a child with a word and give the best hugs.
Mommy-Rakka looks like she gives AMAZING hugs ❤
found you from your shorts talking about league designs and i'm here now. i absolutely love this series-and i don't even play or care about league! i would love to see more of these, or character design videos in general :)
The grandma design send shiver down my spine. I dont know much about character design, heck , I dont know jack shit but something about that design make me absolutely adore it, maybe it fit perfectly with what you describe her in the earlier part of the video I dont know but super great video.
19:17 I'm absolutely in love with this version, such a delicate and gracious design
You can see the motherly aspect but also the powerful celestial side
And the patreon advertisement was adorable Skyen, wish I could support you
I like the idea that she gets younger when she uses their ultimate because her ultimate is a healing spell and so she's channeling so much raw power that she heals herself in a way and kind of de-ages herself due to the life force that she's emitting
All the designs you've brought up are quite lovely. I love the "Soraka the Grey", such a great concept. Honestly would come back to League for this.
I love the "Building a better ..." so much. It's a wonderful balance between getting to know the lore better and learning about character design as well as getting inspired by all the ideas and art.
Pleas keep up the wonderful work you do. Thank you very much:)
I think the 4th idea is the best, but picture this, soraka is in her "Soraka-grey" form from level 1-5, and when she unlocks her ult she evolves or something, like Kayle :3
It nakes sence, maybe she can have bonus movement speed like bard as a passive, idk, something for soraka to like travel across rhe map like an actual traveller would be so cool too
Wow that last "Soraka the White" design and the contrast with the Grey version is Kickass. The cloven hooves look so good. It's such an action pose like she's gonna reverse her ult and karthus-smite the whole team. And the power channeled in her hands with the bandages... SO cool. The other designs were great too, I like the mommy-raka one lol.
I fell in love with soraka long time ago, when she use to to have a Mana heal hability. She could be a little more " hearty" since the siluette must kinda inform the type of character u are figthing , and she is a pretty tanky kind if enchanter. Maybe u can do someting with is particles nowadays where the lowest live u are the more u see the star power blasting out of his body denoting the danger u are getting into
Omg the idea of more and more glow as your health drains 👀 also would act like a big "hit here" sign to the enemy team, maybe then some of them would learn to not let Soraka heal so freely, I've seem so many of them playing her 😆
That's such a good idea!! And the more she glows the stronger the healing!
She's definitely not tanky - she's squishy but if you position right, move correctly and hit Qs then you can soak damage. That's why it makes sense she's slim and looks beautiful - because you have to be elusive to survive. I love your idea of her glowing brighter and brighter as she loses health though.
@@icymeow3417 she builds usually builds moonstone, redemption and warmog's as core items. I mean, people do play her without warmog's, with full build being the full enchatner build as moonstone, redemption, ardent censer, staff of flowing water and sometimes replace boots or support item with mikael's blessing. But I usually play her with warmogs as third or fourth item. That's what they mean by tankiness.
@@petazedrok I am a firm believer of chonky Soraka supremacy, warmog second item always
eyyy I remember you mentioning your beef with Soraka's design a while back! So happy to see this video after all this time :D
I especially love how Soraka the Grey is a Physical God who can mold her appearance like clay and _doesn't_ use that as an excuse to be a perpetually young, waifish prettygirl. It subverts the laziest (and seemingly most common?) implementation of that trope and _expands_ on it.
For my part as a non-League player, it seems like it would be hard to _see_ signs of age from the viewpoint the game's played at. As an outsider, it seems to me that it would just read as 'she stands up straight' rather than 'she literally de-ages herself' in-game.
The more i think about granny Soraka, the more i love it. I keep picturing her travels and the interactions between her and mortals around Runeterra. My brain has been stimulated! Wonderful video TBS. Keep em' comin
Skyen really does love that "Evil Teemo" sprite.
It's adorable and I love it every time it comes up^^
I think this has been my favourite "Building a Better" video so far! Really REALLY loved the grey/white concept!
This is my favorite series from the channel and this episode did not disappoint. In my opinion, the best design in the video was Mommy-raka. While Soraka the Grey looked really cool, I don't really think Soraka would be constantly changing her form. In my eyes, she wants to feel everything mortals feel, and she only uses her magic when it is necessary, like with healing and such, so I don't see her changing her shape all willy nilly. Plus, the body positivity Soraka carries in the Mommy-raka iteration really feels like a philosophy Soraka would carry. Plus it's just nice having a character with those messages in their design. Also, her having one form no matter where she goes plays well into the traveler aspect. Like someone in Demacia could ask a Shuriman "Did you hear about the purple lady with the horn? She healed my village!" And the Shuriman can be like "The horned lady? She visited us too!"
God I am ABSOLUTELY in love with “Soraka The Grey” while it would genuinely be a great difference from her current design, and arguably a deviation from how people perceive her current fantasy, it is also an improvement of the fantasy she is SUPPOSED to deliver. It makes her unique. They wouldn’t work with skins which is so so sad, because it’s so much better. While it’s impossible for a rework like this to happen, I wish that one day she at least gets some type of rework, some day.
I swear I’ll draw fanart of the skins with the old lady concept in mind. A magical girl grandma??? That sounds rad as hell!!
I'm in love with mommy-raka^^ It also can fit a redesign pretty well, I think. Because yeah, they would never make her an old lady, but... age her up, make her more worldly and nurturing, and just a tad bit more otherworldly? That honestly sounds like a perfect middle-ground. Of course they won't do that either, but THEY SHOULD, because this design slaps!
Divinely inspired take, good sir. I especially love the glowing stretch marks and the Soraka the Grey ideas. I agree this would never make it into the game, but I'd love to see *any* character use this concept.
Scrolling through the comments, I’m seeing a lot of love for this series and I say It’s 300% deserved. These are brilliant. 👏🏽
Glad to see this series back even in limited capacity.
Also Mommy Soraka is my favorite but that is obviously my bias. All these ideas are fantastic outgrowths of the original character concept. The old lady and your version with the celestial entity manipulating the vessel are so cool
Really like Granny Soraka. And personally, there's nothing more painful & scary to the heart and soul than a loving grandmother who is not only disappointed but KNOWS when it's time to beat someone's ass for their actions & behavior and does so with firm resolution.
I think have her go the Iroh route, where she stands up to full height, cloak swept back to reveal a heavy-set, solid figure. The smile vanishes and her eyes open to leak out her Celestial energies. Maybe her horn could light up just enough so her face has harsher shadows. Also, maybe make her walking stick more of a branch instead of a lathed staff so it contrasts better with the Celestial Artifact she wields for her most powerful spells.
thank you for your work and dedication to get this much artists with models and designs to visualize your ideas
As a Soraka main of many years I loved all these rework design. I actually prefer them to the official one, they make so much more sense with her character. I do believe her base skin doesn't really fit with what a celestial being of Runeterra would be. But my biggest vent is how her game model is BLUE and not lilac (it barely matches the splashart). Please Riot give us a lilac mommy-raka.
Great video as always, I've learned a lot thx to your channel (can't wait to learn more) 🌟
The Soraka the Grey idea is probably the best iteration of a newer Soraka I've seen so far cause it does seemingly take bits of all of the other aspects talked about and explored in here; like the motherly/grandmotherly vibe of offering aid to those she comes across without hesitation (babush-raka please) as well as the potential of her absolute power in all its glory. We need more artists like you and those you commissioned cause Riot certainly isn't going to do it anytime soon. (Yes Riot give us another anime waifu/hubby that looks generic af).
Great as always! I would love to see a building a better Nidalee at some point, especially considering the not great stereotypes and 'tropes' she leans very unironically into. She's one of those ones I can sadly never see Riot changing though, or not properly anyway.
Soraka is one of those champs were I get bursts of ONLY playing her and during those I always notice that her design is... well, yeah. I really love all your takes on her, it's really noticeable how much you care about all the designs that you pick up + all the art in the video is gorgoeus!
WOOOOO PERFECT TIMING!! I was rewatching your past "Building a Better" videos, wondering when the next one would come out. what a treat ❤️
Mommy-raka made me happy cry when I noticed her stretch marks because I've got so many on myself and seeing them used as a character design and story piece for one of my favorite characters is just amazing. This just might be a future cosplay :)
The kinda Mommy Soraka and the Old and Adult Soraka are great versions!
Soraka is one of the only champions I actually own lol though I dont play LoL. But man those two ideas were great, especially the old to adult one, it had a really strong impact with me.
Soraka the Grey is a prefect character design. I feel like having her swap ages throughout the game would be awesome. ie on respawn she a child and grows up as she walks back to lane. She's reincarnating herself
If there was a soraka that could look young for the fanservice yet be a wise and powerful healer, I would have given her glasses. Glasses shows that someone has old eyes like a librarian or a doctor. I loved your point on Soraka having some more weight in a motherly way. Just slightly more weight lower in the body can give a motherly effects. For her celestial magic, the hand she holds the staff could have a bright glow gleaming through the wrappings on her arm to show her powerful magic. One thing not covered much was her outfit. To draw focus, perhaps make her amber gems instead a blue crystal like the Gift Giver in LOR. Making her primary clothing color more teals and blues since those colors are very calming which is why they're used in hospital settings. Someone who is supposed to be a wanderer who's lived for centuries, they need to look trustworthy and approachable, not mysterious by hiding themselves. I would also give her a extra layer to her clothes since she needs to brave the elements.
Overall, yes to weight, glasses, glowing arm, and more decent clothes.
is there any champ who wears glasses without a skin? i cant think of any rn (noz including stuff like yis helmet)
edit: i dont think if ziggs or heimer would count either
@@DomTheSub24 I actually looked through. Other than Heimerdinger (which is the closest thing) no which is crazy
Late to the party, but an idea expanding from the bandages: she 'bleeds' her form as her mana decreases. Literal exhaustion and pain, as well as powerful model communication. Perhaps consulting someone who lives with a condition that gives daily agony would help inspire the art necessary, as Leonardo did with _chiaroscuro_ and human anatomy centuries ago.
I adore ur series of "re-making" League's champs. I learn so much about creating characters. Love it !
I rewatch this video whenever I feel demotivated about drawing, and, without fail, I find myself so damn inspired with every rewatch. Seeing so many artists' hands come together to build new variations of Soraka, each with unique style and so much care put into them, is just amazing to see.
There's just so much passion seeping through the whole discussion that it's impossible to not feel inspired by the end, especially when you talk so earnestly about Soraka's love of life and how that's reflected in bodily "flaws". Every version of her in this video is beautiful in its own way, and there's so much to love about every iteration's focus.
I love this video so so much, and the way you talk about design is really helpful when I think about my own art.
Do I play League? Nope, but the way you talk about the designs in the game is just beautiful.
I’m sorry skyen but your art was amazing too. “Mommy” and “Grey/White” were my favorites though. This video was really inspiring (in that it inspired a lot of ideas and creativity) and was really interesting as well, like all your content. This channel is a gem.
I like Mommy-raka the most, I think. She looks exactly like someone who’d call you “baby” or “sweetheart” and tell you exactly what you need to hear, while you’re hunched over on a seat crying.
Gives very comfy vibes.
I like the idea of Soraka being a sweet granny. The only character in the Lol universe I can think of that gives the same vibes is Norra from Legends of Runeterra.
I really like "Mommy-raka" so much, I nearly teared up seeing stretch marks as the tell of her power overflowing because I see myself in that design the most, I know Soraka the Grey makes the most design sense, but it is just so nice to see myself in some sort of character body wise.
Thank you so much for this video, especially for all the commission work you've shown, lots of great artists (especially the last commissioned art shown-- ahem). I really appreciate how you made me pay more attention to storytelling in character design, and with all of these examples I have a much clearer image on my head for future works of mine! And well, I really love seeing all of these different takes on the same design, while still maintaining the general idea from the original. While I know this series is one that takes longer to do, as explained on twitter, I am more than excited to see the next one, whenever it is released
i love soraka the grey. That would make her so much more her than she is now.
I'd just add some more clear visualization to Soraka hurting herself by healing. Either with visual effects like burning particles or gameplay wise with gray health.
Right now she just instantly loses health on cast, that is bearly noticeable until she is below 5% HP and you wonder why you cannot spell cast anymore.
How about turning her lost HP into gray health rapidly decaying? That would look way more noticeable. Your entire green HP bar turning gray and rapidly draining because you healed 8 times in the last few seconds.
I never got where the "motherly = weighs more" trope came from, while I agree league needs a lot more body shapes, Gragas should in no way be the only one doing the heavy lifting for + size models sort of speak. But I feel like there's different routes to take to create a warm welcoming motherly nature than simply slapping on a few pounds. That sais, I suck at designing so I can't think of many options ^^
Its a shame, I honestly quite like current Soraka, her body type and colour scheme are kinda unique
But i agree that it really doesn’t work for her current story, my perfect timeline would give her current story to a new character and create a new story for current Soraka.
Either way tho, I love all of these redesigns, so pretty. And i never knew you could draw, you call it scuffed but its really not bad
As for my addition to a potential redesign, what if her patterns were burns? They would be mystically shaped and look like cool patterns from a distance, but upon closer inspection they’d be deep blue burns on her indigo skin. Maybe the marks would glow when she uses her magic and emit smoke for a couple sections afterwards. Her starry energy could be made more fiery, more solar. This would work with the self-harming thing, and maybe lean into imagery of a campfire or a lantern. I imagine a story where a traveler is lost in a blizzard, before seeing a figure of glowing golden light like a human bonfire cutting through the snow. She could be a beacon for the lost and a fire for the cold, but to be that person, she’d need to accept the harm it does to herself.
I like the other redesigns, but out of all of them, old soraka works the best. If it was my first time playing League, and I saw that design, i'd immediately think "oh, that's the healer"
Oh I was waiting for your redesigns, they’re always awesome!
Could you do a short character design analysis on Paladins: champions of the realm?
I really like their artists working on the characters, just wanted to know your thoughts about it.
26:12 now THAT is Mommy-raka
I love the glowing cracks under her bandages, it reminds me of stretch marks! I think it makes her even more motherly and more mature. Soraka gives up a piece of her in order to take care of others, that reminds me of a mother carrying a child and raising it
I love you for this. I've always adored your re-imagining of characters in league but this redesign really takes the cake.
As a Soraka main and a healing enthusiast it really warmed my heart hearing you talk about her and seeing the effort you took to make sure she shows what she really wants to show as a character.
And also as a lady-person who has generated stretch marks at a rather young age, hearing you talk about body positivity and the fact that stretch marks are rarely even flaws was really... Healing for me, all jokes aside.
Thanks so much for your efforts in these redesigns, you're doing amazing, me and the other thousands of people here on yt are always delighted to experience your works.
Hot take (pun intended) while I think the third design is best for the "wisened guardian", I think the second version works the best
To me the stretchmarks glowing really shows how her physical form is strained, and the design still retains a lot of that "cup of tea" vibe.
Overall great episode doe, as an inspiring artist your content is always super lovely
I'm a plus-sized person and a learning artist/writer, and honestly these videos have been so nice to watch
like, the design advice is really well explained, and I feel like it's opening really fun doors for both writing and drawing and generally playing with the narratives told through design
and as a plus-sized person who struggles a lot (thankfully much less than I used to) with poor self image and self-hatred largely focused around that weight, the point about stretch marks really struck a cord.
the reminders that there is no objectively good design/art being subjective and the acknowledgments given to the restraints on the official design team are both just nice. the words to expand on why are escaping me at the moment, but it all contributes to a very nice vibe to the longform content that makes it relaxing and informative.
genuinely, this is one of my favorite channels at the moment, thank you
I love love love her design! I can’t wait to see how u improve upon it :D
funny that you bring up leesin. because now hes getting one finally XD
Soraka honestly sounds like an allegory for Jesus. The leaving of the celestial realm to be amongst mortals, the love of mankind, the self-sacrifice, the traveling healer theme, Etc.
The Soraka design based on her appearing old initially and becoming younger when she has to fight reminds me of Genkai from You Yu Hakusho and that alone makes me want to see that design in the game or other media.
I think Riot can do a lot keeping her young look but make her animation shows the age and wisdom, making her move slowly and gracious...
If she is a kind healer who hurt herself to heal other, why her Q heals her after burning her enemies with celestial fire? (That also can be interpreted as falling horses)
I missed this series so much, I'm so glad to watch a new video
Its a shame they would never do a design like this because soraka as she is now is a skin sale machine, however i feel like aspects of this could be used to make her into a top tier design while she keeps her more, uhhh... generally appealing aspects.
I personally love the mommy-raka I think it's an in-between of current and the all-out in the video and I feel that there is a chance they could take that one put it into the game and still have it fit with some of the skin lines she's been a part of
I feel like my favorite part about soraka is how graceful and "dainty" she is. I can't imagine mom-raka speeding her allies up after a q+w if that makes sense
It would be weird seeing grandma-raka running with a 70% speedboost to a wounded ally but maybe the goat legs thing could be expanded on and maybe make her a little younger to like the 60ish range like i could at least see my mom booking it over if i had a shiv in my back despite the arthritis
The passive kind of deserves to be changed sort of badly and the speedboost on the q is low enough that it could be feasible
Yeah. I mean, being dainty and gentle fits her whole vibe of being so self-sacrificing.
Like he said in the grandma part she's a god in disguise. She could potentially push that power within the mortal form past a limit and then have a repercussion. It would make sense for riot to punish us support main for putting a slow down debuff after her ult xD making raka more of a sitting duck.
Such a spectacular walkthrough of the character and her redesign process. Mommy-raka looks like a warm cozy night market come to life, really lovely
"A strong design doesn't need to be justified, a strong design will justify itself", DAMN but I love that.
I actually do not agree with any of these forms, I agree with your concept of how she should be but the design of these forms are not hitting for me, good art but ugly as well in my opinion, I believe she should look more like her divine soraka skin, add the cracks a bit, make her purple and make her face motherly, touch up the body a little bit but u don't have to be slightly big boned to be motherly, her body is fine but I do believe a more long dress or ancient mystic gown with a cape would work well for her, have her move with grace and care as her clothes flow, keep the hair as it is and the horn...thts what I think just a design similar to her divine soraka skin