Divine Sword Irelia Chroma Splash by Pandart Studio

Irelia, The earth bender and metal

SUMMER BODIES SHEESH

Headshot commission for Alex 🍵

Goth Irelia

one thing i really enjoyed in sisterhood of war was the way the environment was portrayed. the story doesn't make ionia seem less magical, or even paint it in a more somber sort of way; instead, it makes it clear how alien that is for the people not used to it, and how nightmarish it can turn when the land is alive and does not welcome your presence there.

"gentle rain that glittered and shone with every color of the rainbow" isn't a description that would evoke horror. even the next part, which gets more into things not being the same way they naturally are in other places isn't inherently negative. "some of the drops struck the ground as rain should, others winked in the air like tiny stars, dissolving in a mote of light with the soft chime of a distant bell" is still pretty imagery, even though the "as it should" makes it clear the character sees it as unnatural. what i like the most is that, despite it all being described in a way that evokes beauty and magic, there's no wonder in how that's looked at — instead, that's followed by saying the noxian soldier hated ionia, and that the land haunted her even in her dreams. it's not even just the war, or the ionians; it's that the land itself is a source of so much discomfort that it bothers her even in her sleep.

unlike arrel, erath (the character in this excerpt's pov) is in ionia for the first time. she fought during the invasion, but he's young and only recently became a soldier, and his perspective is that of someone seeing all of this for the first time; it's not as negative, but it's still portrayed as dreamlike and unreal. it's all so different from what he's used to he starts to extrapolate what may or may not be, because if everything is so surreal, why wouldn't the sounds be trees calling to each other instead of animals? and i love the idea of how much the noxians don't understand ionia and don't know how it works and that its magic becomes frightening as a result.

i mentioned it before in a post about the blade dancers (i'll link it here if i can find it), but in zinneia's art, she and a bunch other dancers are mixing their costumes and what seems to be illusion-related magic to create a certain effect, and when you look at the whole, it seems there's part of a woman and a giant insect thing (which makes the noxian soldiers wary), but when you look closer, it's just a bunch of other dancers there.

and i'm bringing it up because i think it plays right into that idea of exploiting the fact they understand so little and do not know what to expect. it's making use of that to fight back, distracting and turning it into a likely surprise attack of sorts, that won't happen the way the soldiers would be expecting, since they're looking at it like a beast and not a number of fighters. and i'm especially fond of them using the noxians' ignorance about magic against them when magic is supposedly at the very center of why noxus wants ionia so badly (one of irelia's lines is they came for our magics. they'll pay with their lives). it's just neat they turn the thing noxians supposedly wanted and use their lack of understanding against them.

going back to how the noxians perceive ionia, after a while into their journey erath is already clearly Not a Fan of ionia. to someone familiar with noxus, ionia is seen as unnatural and bizarre. but i think that, more than just the difference in how these two places work, that is deeply tied to how unwelcome they are in ionia. i doubt someone originally foreign, but accepted by the land, would regard it the same way, even if things were seen as odd at first. i like to think even in the moments the land isn't outright trying to murder the noxians they still never get to feel comfortable because the spirit's presence makes them feel this place doesn't want them there.

and speaking of ionia making noxians miserable, it's noted throughout a good portion of the story that it's constantly raining, making things harder and more miserable for them (imagine the effect when it isn't a small group of people, but an entire army trying to march under incessant rain and unreliable soil c:). erath doesn't think that's purposeful, but we know the climate is also influenced by the spirit, and the story itself suggests that (but we'll get there).

they seem to get a break from that, and erath even feels like he can appreciate the land more (it's not unnatural, unreal or bizarre; now it's "wondrous", "breathtaking", filled with "graceful harmony"). i just really like the detail that, despite that, he still looks at it and feels like an outsider; capable of seeing the beauty in it for a moment, yes, but not part of it, purposefully left outside of this melody that is beyond his ability to experience.

i like how this also highlights the difference between noxian ways and ionian ways, and how influenced by the environment some of that is. to the noxian soldier, the need to make a fire leads to the idea of a simple solution: chopping the necessary wood. he has the notion trees are living beings in the same way we do, and is kind of terrified at the prospect even the trees could try to kill him (he ends up just picking up fallen branches, which work just as well, but that he wouldn't have looked at if not due to the fear of retaliation). ionians learn to respect the life and the spirits around them; they do not cut trees, not because they are afraid of the consequences, but because they respect them as living beings. the trees are convinced to grow in a certain way and entwine with others to shape a house; they're not just taken for the materials they can provide. and even though all that is certainly influenced by their respective environments (noxus not being anywhere near as alive as ionia, being a harsh land where survival was difficult vs ionia being so magical and alive and how its people know that's simply the way of things), there's no way both sides wouldn't be astonished by the other's approach.

the text doesn't state that, but the impression i got (and the reading i like to do of it) is that the break in how miserable the weather was, allowing the noxians enough respite they started to get somewhat comfortable, would've been purposeful on ionia's part — because it's when they're no longer expecting that the river flooding happens, except it isn't just a river flooding, it's a living river trying to murder them. i also like that in this case, that's a much more terrifying display of ionia's magic. where the other descriptions show even the beautiful is unsettling to those who see it as unnatural, this part shows ionia is also capable of being ugly and furious and brutal. it's scary, it's cursing its invaders, it's enraged. i'll not get into it re: irelia and how justified she feels in her own hatred and rage because of how ionia deals with noxians but. yeah.

right after they escape the murderous river, the weather gets miserable again, which definitely points to how the spirit of ionia influences even the weather, and also the reason why the period of good weather the noxians get seems like a purposeful trap. as soon as the attack is made and fails, things go back to how they were before (even worse, actually, as this is a much fiercer storm), with the sun vanishing in minutes. tell me this isn't ionia pissed off they didn't die :/ it is. i know it is

but my point is i greatly enjoy that all of that portrays how alive ionia is and how much it influences the lives of people in it, at the same time it shows that all of it is at best surreal to the noxians and at worse bizarre, unsettling or downright frightening. it's no wonder several passages also highlight the noxian soldiers being very wary and spiteful toward magic. but that's a discussion for a different post.

hiiii! I dont know if ur taking questions rn but

what do you think about riven x irelia? u seem like a pretty big syndrelia fan but I was curious what u thought about it !

btw I love ur leodia art its so perfect ❤️❤️

Hi Anon!! I always take questions so dw about that! And before answering, I'm glad to hear that you find my art enjoyable!! ❤️ About my thoughts on Rivelia, well... It is a quite popular ship for both Irelia and Riven (truth being said), and I can perfectly understand the concept behind it and why people find that appealing. In my case however it's not a feeling that I share or that I myself can see, for the sole reason that this ship just ain't made for me. I think their dynamic is and can be very interesting by itself and I'm glad we got that on the Sentinels of Light event!! but I'm only capable of seeing them sharing a friendship. (Again, I respect and understand why others ship them because of this dynamic!) At the same time I'm not a multishipper by default and I just can't change that or force me to be one, so if my brain decided to find Syndrelia more appealing for my personal tastes, then it'll always be them for me. I think that's all I have to say really, if you enjoy Rivelia then just enjoy it to the fullest! The same to anyone who enjoys Syndrelia as well :) ❤️

Season 2024 Look Ahead

A very quick summary of the dev video posted an hour ago. This summary is mostly skin/champion-related with very little regarding gameplay.

Skarner VGU is very close to being released

An Arcane character will be receiving a VGU early next year -> this was specifically called an "Arcane-inspired VGU", aiming to bring "their Arcane version to the rift" featuring updated visuals, voice lines, and gameplay, which leads me to believe that this character is Viktor though Singed and maybe even Heimerdinger also seem possible.

Shyvana VGU will be released in 2025 after the Arcane character VGU -> her VGU will focus more on visuals and expanding her lore rather than overhauling it. from the concept art, they appear to be working on making her buffer, which was, from what I saw, a common grievance about her Immortal Journey splash art.

Dragon ADC Smolder has been revealed. His abilities can be found in a video posted by SkinSpotlights.

Mel's mother, Ambessa Medarda, will be released as a champion and "won't be for the faint of heart in game".

Arcane S2 will bring new gameplay and new skins -> based on the trailer, both Singed and Warwick appear to be contenders for receiving an Arcane skin. Viktor, especially as a fan-favorite, also seems likely, though I'm not sure how that might work if it is released before his supposed VGU.

The following champions will be receiving a prestige skin in the first half of 2024: Rakan, Ezreal, Kindred, Evelynn, Kayle. Rakan's has already been revealed to be Prestige Dragonmancer Rakan. Ezreal's prestige will be for this year's Lunar New Year skinline, Heavenscale, which will focus more on an ancient thematic similar to Lunar Revel.

Other champions receiving a Heavenscale skin include Lee Sin, Kai'Sa, Master Yi, Diana, Janna, and Smolder. -> this makes Kai'Sa's second Lunar New Year skin when counting Wild Rift's Lunar Fairy Kai'Sa (third if you also include her Special Edition/Prestige), Ezreal's second (third, again, if you count his prestige), and Diana's third without any variants (bc she's the moon get it).

New Primal Ambush skinline revolves around tiger thematics and draws heavy inspiration from Southeast Asian cultures. Champions receiving a Primal Ambush skin include Vi, Talon, Sivir, and Riven, each with icons.

Porcelain, Faerie Court, PROJECT, and Blood Moon will be returning in the first half of the year -> this was not included in the video but was posted by BBB: the champions receiving a Porcelain skin include Kindred (prestige), Graves, Darius, Miss Fortune, Morgana, Irelia, and Aurelion Sol.

Old legendary skins will be revisited to receive loading screen borders.

Rammus and Olaf will probably be receiving skins this year.

Divine Sword Irelia by Bebseo

Mythmaker Irelia by xiaoyuan xiao

I drew this art for my artist friend. The flower in Irelia's hands is a reference to a fancomic

Yea i know it’s not a doodle but hey it’s something different that i always do on my main blog ( furu-aka-saber quality 100% legit).

Irelia clearly couldn't miss the beach! Relaxing after a long battle in Ionia against Noxus is good for health 😘