#general darkwill

[incorrectlolquotes]

darkwill: can you please take out the trash?

swain: sure. where do you want to go?

[lawful-evil-novelist]

Design Changes I’d Give Boram Darkwill to Make Him Look Less Like Bootleg Swain

Now as a brief disclaimer, I’m only writing these down because I am of the opinion that criticism should come with suggestions to improve, and because I am confident enough in my own skill as a writer in my character designs to think I can offer worthwhile critique and design suggestions that will never be read.  I figure suggesting improvements or design changes to a character, rather than making a flat critique, is a better idea.  Also, I like my Boram Darkwill design and want to share it.

As a base design in color, I actually like the Riven comic’s use of fair skin and brown hair because it gives much less of a nobility vibe than my design did, admittedly mine had been pale with black hair but looking back it also looked like a genderbent LeBlanc so I’d keep the hair and skin color, maybe darken the skin a little to give it a tanned or olive look.  Keep in mind my backstory for Darkwill is that of someone of fairly low status so this appearance works better for that backstory.

Keeping to the face first, I honestly prefer a younger appearance than the comic for the sake of keeping to form, Black Rose longevity seems to come with eternal youth and a pretty face, so I think following that trend would be interesting.  To highlight both his lack of nobility and that he’s a general, I’d add either freckles or a large birthmark, and a number of scars.

I’d keep the hair long, I liked it long because it’s a nice touch, but instead of it simply being slicked back, I’d pin it back with hair clips, which I’ll touch on later.  A General, even one who barely sees the front line, would want to appear battle-ready, and would probably keep their hair pinned out of their face as a result.

As for build, I’d actually make him shorter and slimmer.  Most Noxian men have fairly broad builds, so I think giving Boram a smaller build makes him stand out.  The slenderness and agility of the build also makes sense for someone who gained power through guile, aka lying his ass off to the nobility.

The last big thing I’d change is clothing.  Boram Darkwill is the leader of a huge empire and the first thing he’d want to do is look the part, that way governors who come from those places feel like he isn’t just catering to the nobility, even if he is.  The presentation is half the battle.  When I work with his clothing design, I pick out something similar to a warmason uniform, something simple, sturdy, and lightly armored so it doesn’t impede movement, but unlike a warmason uniform, it’s decorative enough to come off as impressive.  Boram could also be wearing objects from all over Valoran.  One of the main ones I consider is the hairclips.  Making them wrought from Targonian brass or Ionian silver would be a neat detail that makes him seem more involved in Noxus’s expansion than he actually was.

[lawful-evil-novelist]

Darkwill has two canon children, only two, and even that might be retconned.

I gave him six to seven, and one of those kids is an actual champion.

[lawful-evil-novelist]

My Full and Official Opinion on the Boram Darkwill Design in the Riven Comic

It looks like bootleg Swain and I don’t like it so I’m keeping the one I thought up.

[lawful-evil-novelist]

I have a firm and cemented design for Boram Darkwill, a fact that will end badly for me if they ever release him as a champion.

[lawful-evil-novelist]

I’ve come to the conclusion that I have a view of Boram Darkwill that’s probably due to me just really not liking LeBlanc and wanting to stick all the problems with Noxus on her.

And Riot kinda did this too so I think I’m justified in portraying him as more of a hero’s fall than an outright monster.