Boom Boom Vi - Srs Bsns Skin Concept
 

[center]6/14/2013 UPDATE: LORE STUFF!
More stuff on the way, although I'm still ideating on possible changes for the gauntlet I've written up some more lore. In the next part, we get the awesome conclusion to Part 1!

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WARNING: BIG-ASSED POST INCOMING. IT'S FULL OF COOL PICTURES, COOL LORE AND BOXING CLICHES THOUGH, SO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY STILL READ IT.

This is my first serious-business skin concept beyond going “Hey you know what would be cool”, so I’d genuinely appreciate any constructive criticism you could offer. Also, fair warning, I’m not that great with female anatomy. Definitely gonna work on that after all this.



TL;DR: Vi needs a boxer skin. I'm trying to make one.



Not just any boxer skin, though. I’m talking Boom Boom Vi.

“But FreestyleKneepad,” you say, “That name belongs to Blitzcrank!”

I know. It’s about time the reigning champ had a challenger, isn’t it?



Story time, kiddies. Skip this next part if you hate lore tie-ins, boxing movie clichés, fuzzy puppies and America. Skip everything but the images if you hate reading because your parents beat you up with Berenstein Bears books when you were little. Skip everything and go right to upvoting because you trust me. And you can trust me, I am an adult.


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So I was working on a drawing for the Digi-Art contest, which, as you may notice, ends tomorrow. Due to extenuating circumstances (my tablet not working well enough to let me actually draw) I couldn’t make a drawing to the quality level I thought appropriate for the contest. But it was cool, because while working on drawings for it, I got a badass idea.

I started thinking about how Vi would prepare for Season 3. Seeing as Vi grew up on the mean streets of Piltover, she probably “trained” the hard way, by getting in the dirt and pounding some skulls, akin to training for war by grabbing a gun and getting on a bus to the warzone. While she could have just chased down criminals with Sheriff Prissypants, that’s not really training so much as entertainment. Vi needed a challenge. She needs to push herself to the limit, to awaken the eye of the tiger, to be the best around so that nothing’s gonna ever get her down. She needed to fight the best in her field, which turned out to be one manbotgolembearpigthing. Lee Sin? He sprained his ankle trying to YE-KUH onto one of Vi’s powerful fists. Udyr? Once he squared off with the Piltover Enforcer, the only animal stance he used involved a female dog in heat. No, there was only one person that could even match up to Vi’s punchinating power- Boom Boom Blitzcrank, the current reigning champion of the Iceborn Tournament, the toughest boxing tourney this side of Noxus. On top of that, the golem held the ultimate prize: the belt of the Intercontinental Steelweight Champion.

So Vi prepared. She built new gloves, looking less like metal gauntlets and more like huge boxing gloves crafted of steel. She worked on her footwork, got her combos down, made fun of Caitlyn- everything necessary to physically and mentally prepare herself for the fight at hand. This skin is Vi, right before that incredibly awesome fight (unless Blitz was just stacking mana, because then it probably wouldn’t last long). Win or lose, Vi liked what she learned, and adapted it for the Fields of Justice. It helped that she looked awesome as hell, too.

I've written some lore that helps expand the rivalry of BB Vi and Blitz and helps set the stage, but it pushes over the character limit for one post. For the sake of condensation, I'll provide links to the posts that they're in. I like to write in my free time, so expect more of these whenever I get good ideas to write on.

Part 1: The Challenge: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/...7#post36943707
Part 2: What's Boxing?: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/...ostid=37185868
Part 3: The Showmatch: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/...1#post38738291



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Okay, people that hate lore and being cool and everything, you can start paying attention now.

My goal with this skin was to make a legit “boxer” skin for Vi. Her kit is the closest the League has gotten to a boxer, and honestly there’s not a whole lot that doesn’t work well for that motif. The only problem is her looks and animations. Don’t get me wrong, Vi kicks ass- if I could meet Gypsylord and have a chat with him, the first 30 minutes would be me gushing like a stupid fanboy about how he created my every hope and dream in one champ. But Vi’s not a legit boxer. I’ve seen people say that, while she’s close and she definitely punchinates the countryside and dunks all the peasants, she’s not the boxer they wanted. With this skin, I hope to change that.

Here’s links to the drawings and studies I’ve made of the design. I’m putting this up now, but it by no means means that I’m done drawing. Like the giant badass that runs the Firedancer Draven thread, I’ll be adding more drawings whenever I have the time, although they’ll be less sexy digiart and more scanned pencil drawings.

[CENTER]Head/Hair Study:
Attachment 673414
Full Image: http://i.imgur.com/vhBKSjK.jpg
Version 1, in which Vi looks like a dude: http://i.imgur.com/4BmOd7Wh.jpg
References: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U8EA-sN5SA...ohawk+girl.jpg http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc...8z9lo1_500.jpg

Clothing Study (NEW!):
Attachment 695073
Full Image: http://i.imgur.com/vzi0cPR.jpg
Revamped, here's the old clothing study: http://i.imgur.com/RZNEY38.jpg
References: http://abdalisport.com/cart/images/G...g%20Shorts.jpg http://www.hayashi.cz/equipment-usa/big/5252-1.jpg

Gauntlet Study:
Attachment 673480
Full Image: http://i.imgur.com/biIBtvu.jpg

Full Body Study:
Attachment 673415
Full Image: http://i.imgur.com/Qo28YHh.jpg

Various Rough Sketches:
Initial Ideation Drawing (part of my digiart contest attempts): http://i.imgur.com/661Na0jh.jpg
Second Ideation Drawing: http://i.imgur.com/JKBbmcL.jpg
Vaguely Related Drawing, Kinda, From A Skin Lore P.O.V. I Guess: http://i.imgur.com/dUAJTly.jpg
General body practice: http://i.imgur.com/mjuV17v.jpg
Excessive Force and some confessions: http://i.imgur.com/BjQlhAK.jpg
How to make Assault and Battery cooler: http://i.imgur.com/yQoqJTQ.jpg
Incorporating the tattoo Garthul designed: http://i.imgur.com/KGxojOM.jpg
Final Blitz taunt (see below): http://i.imgur.com/IoYwRnS.jpg
Splash art possibility: http://i.imgur.com/zGSouSI.jpg
You guys I haven't drawn a chibi since I was like 14: http://i.imgur.com/CwoQIrL.jpg
What would happen if BBV was in Dungeons & Demacians: http://i.imgur.com/Wyhyo9F.jpg
Backpack ideation, part 1: http://i.imgur.com/JML3Pxm.jpg
Backpack ideation, part 2: http://i.imgur.com/krh6660.jpg
Backpack ideation, part 3: http://i.imgur.com/TPDk8eL.jpg
A clothing study I decided not to go with: http://i.imgur.com/SFmZB8o.jpg
Final backpack concept sketch: http://i.imgur.com/V33LJjz.jpg[/CENTER]


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Alright, here’s the nitty-gritty: the animation changes that would hopefully change Vi from a brawler to a boxer. I’m open to suggestion on these, and I definitely want to get sketches of the animation frames up for these at some point.


Idle/Walk: Vi bounces on the balls of her feet, her gloves up in an offensive stance. She bobs and weaves at times, as if avoiding invisible punches, to keep on her toes and stay loose. When running she retains the bounciness in a jog, occasionally throwing out punches and weaving slightly.

Passive: Blast Shield
My idea for this is less of a particle change (although there would still be a particle change) and more of an idle/walk change. She would change from the offensive stance to the Peek-a-boo defensive stance. The way the gauntlets are designed it could easily make them look like a very literal steel wall between her enemy and her face, becoming a very visual “I’m tougher than I look” cue to allies and enemies alike. When the passive ends or is broken, the animations would return to normal.
My sketch of the pose: http://i.imgur.com/FDsHFlTh.jpg
Image for reference: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx2b6xE6oo1qes23l.jpg

Q: Vault Breaker
I’m not sure what would be a good change for this, so if anyone in the comments has a good idea, I’ll be reading. I like the pose for Vault Breaker, it’s very visually obvious and I’ve taken to calling it the “Universal Position for Impending Sh!t Wrecking”. The only significant particle change I can think of is light gathering around the hand, less like the original and more like the way light comes off of Justicar Syndra’s balls (heh).

W: Denting Blows
This would perhaps be the biggest animation change. I love the idea of this becoming Vi’s core combo because, well, it is. If it was possible to code the autoattacks to use specific animations for specific sequences of autoattacks, then I would set it up like this: Vi’s first application of DB on a target would be a left jab. The second application (I say ‘application’ because I’m assuming that I’m not the only one who procs it with Q) would be a right straight. The final shot that busts through the armor would be a vicious right hook.

E: Excessive Force
I wanted to go with less of a technology focus with this and make it seem more like a burst of insane force because, well… that’s what it is. Steam would shoot out of the vents on the sides of the gauntlets (see my Gauntlet Study below). Autoattacks with E active would be powerful step-in straights, perhaps with a bit of a move to the side as if dodging an enemy attack to differentiate them from the straight in Denting Blows. The shockwave would use a distortion effect like on Lux’s Lucent Singularity as the main particle, pushing outward like the shockwave of an explosion as jets of air rush away from the enemy hit.
For reference, see about the twenty second mark of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WebDMtitufk
Also, I have made a (very) rough sketch to show my thoughts on how the skill would work: http://i.imgur.com/BjQlhAK.jpg

R: Assault and Battery
My best idea involves Vi racing towards her target, weaving with a series of rapid short dashes like a boxer closing the distance to their enemy. If done right, the dashes could pull off the same "untouchable speed" look that Fiora has going and visually convey the "you can't CC me" feeling while still maintaining effectively the same travel speed over the ult's distance. Because I've heard feedback that Vi's ult is actually more of a grapple in appearance, I've done a (very) rough sketch to show that it could be made to look both more dynamic and more like the punches it seems to be.
Sketch of an idea I had on it: http://i.imgur.com/yQoqJTQ.jpg

Joke: Basically unchanged, but with a couple of air jabs at the end.

Taunt: Again basically unchanged. In the taunt at Caitlyn, she would summon the tea cup (was tempted to make it a Gatorade bottle but that kind of ruins the joke), then lightly toss it into the air and punch it into smithereens. Like a boss.

Dance: I would change this to some really cool shadowboxing routine, showcasing a bunch of different punches- flicker jabs, uppercuts, even stuff like the Dempsey Roll could fit into the routine (the anime one though, because it’s significantly cooler-looking).

Laugh: I like this one exactly as it is, which is part of the reason I designed the gloves so the pointer finger could still be extended. One time I was standing in front of an enemy turret spamming it, they all engaged on me while I was laughing, my team came out of the fog of war and we cleaned house. Good times.

Recall: I like this one a lot, too. The only change I’d have would involve creating some sort of cool boxer robe to pull out and put on, but I’m not too sure if that would look better than the current recall. Option two (which I was tempted to use as a taunt) would involve Vi swinging her hands down to her sides, throwing off her gloves and revealing actually-normal-sized boxing gloves underneath, which she would then shadowbox with. A “the gloves are off” quote would be funny, too.
Sketch of the alternate recall: http://i.imgur.com/w0qL7qK.jpg


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My high school English teachers all said that dialogue was my strong suit. All I know is it's fun as hell to write.

VOICEOVER TIME GO.

General Voiceover

Movement:
"The real champ is here."
"Eye of the tiger."
"Light on your feet."
"I smell a knockout."
"Duck and weave."
"Let's give 'em a show."
"Ready to rumble."
"I'm the best around."
"Always bet on the underdog."
“The steam golem's got nothing on me.”
"Everyone has a plan... 'till they get punched in the face."
"Vi? Stands for vigor."
"Vi stands for vindictive."
"Vi, hah, stands for VICTORY!"

Attacking:
"I predict PAIN."
"The best defense is punching harder."
"If you're gonna go out, go out swinging."
"They're gonna wish they banned me."
"Let's see how long they last."
"I haven't even warmed up!"
"They'll feel this in the morning."
"These gloves aren't for safety."
"This won't take long."
"I call this move 'The Punchinator'."
"Maybe this time they'll hit back."
“Float like Malzahar, sting like Skarner.”
“I practiced this one on a bank robber.”
“This doesn’t even count as sparring.”
“MAKE SOME NOISE, HERE COMES VI, BABY!”

Joke:
"Wait, you're telling me boxing is a sport? I thought it was just an excuse, like my badge."
"Here's a good joke: the other team thinks they can win."
"Okay, I'm gonna open with some defensive jabs, keep to the outside and PUNCH HIM RIGHT IN HIS STUPID FACE."
"So the other day I'm arresting this guy like usual and Cupcake goes 'Vi stop hitting him, he's been unconscious for twenty minutes!' Ha ha ha, I have no idea what she was talking about."
"CAAAAAAAAAAAITLYYYYYYYYYYYYN!" (In a Sylvester Stallone voice)

Taunt:
Vi starts off sounding sympathetic, but quickly becomes snarky, ending the line with a laugh.
“Oh, no, it’s okay... I’ll wait until you’re done crying.”
"Aww, come on, it's okay... it's only a bit longer until you can surrender."
"Hey, don't be so down on yourself... you're not the only person I've beaten that fast."
"Don't worry, buddy... you can buy some armor during the death timer."
"Come on, cheer up... you look really pathetic with those tears on your face."

If used within the first 3 minutes of game time, Vi raises both fists in a triumphant pose. (Only occurs once.)
"IIIIIIIIN THIS CORNER, IT'S THE PILTOVER POUNDER, THE TERROR OF TOP LANE, THE QUEEN OF THE DUNK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE COMES VI!!!!!"

Recall:
"Don't worry, I'll be back for a rematch."
"Oh, this isn't over... it's just beginning."



Item Purchases:

The Black Cleaver: "Nice armor. It'd be a shame if anything happened to it." "Oh man, where'd your armor go?"
Blade of the Ruined King: "Nice health. Too bad I'm Vi."
Health Potions: "I could use an energy drink." "Even better than Graggyade."
Iceborn Gauntlet/Frozen Mallet: "They're not going ANYWHERE."
Infinity Edge: "Cupcake said it was crazy good, so I figure why the heck not, right?"
Mercury Treads: "HAA ha ha ha ha... 'crowd control'."
Needlessly Large Rod: "You're kidding, right?"
Rabadon's Deathcap: "Go ahead, give me all the wussy wands and stupid hats. I'll still carry."
Spirit of the Elder Lizard: "That big golem's gonna be crying when he sees this."
Tear of the Goddess: "Do I look like I have a mana barrier?" "Yo! Summoner! Wrong boxer." "Beep boop, try again."
Trinity Force: "And to think I did tons of damage already."
Warmog's Armor: "They thought they did damage. ...Heh."
Youmuu's Ghostblade: "Vi's my name and speed's my game!"
Zephyr: "They can't touch this footwork."



Skill-Leveling Lines:
The order of these lines is randomized, with the exclusion of the 5th level of the skill.

Vault Breaker (Q):
"The first time, it was scary. Every other time has just been fun."
"This is how you close a gap."
"Man, the looks on their faces when they see this thing flying at them..."
"I call this the Universal Signal Of Impending Beatdown."
(Maxed out) "Did someone say something about a falcon?"

Denting Blows (W):
"Step one, break the armor. Step two, apply the pain."
"My combo is punch, followed by punch harder."
"Today we're going to count to 3... if they last that long."
"They should go toe to toe with me. That'll end well."
(Maxed out) "They have tanks? ...Huh, I didn't notice."

Excessive Force (E):
"You're not hitting hard enough until you're breaking the things behind the target first."
"Don't worry, this will only hurt... everything."
"Useful for the minor obstacles, like steel walls and armored cars."
"What a nice minion wave. It'd be a shame if anything happened to it."
(Maxed out) "Overkill is the best kind of kill."

Assault & Battery (R):
"They're about to hate me."
"Just call me the human bulldozer."
(Maxed out) "HERE COMES VI, BABY!"



Blitzcrank-Specific Lines:

When using Assault & Battery on an enemy Blitzcrank:
"Bring it, Blitz!"
"Come at me, bro!"
"Round 2!"
"Power fist!"

When being Rocket Grabbed:
"Whoa!"
"Hey what the-!"
"Sweet, free initiate!"
"You done goofed!"

When avoiding a Rocket Grab:
"Juked!"
"Are your optics working, Blitz?"
"Skillshots require skill, you know."
"Not even close, baby!"

After killing an enemy Blitzcrank:
"Vi wins! Fatality!"
"Come on, Blitz, were you even turned on?"
"KO!"
"And the new Intercontinental Steelweight Champion of Runeterra iiiiiiis-!" (Only for Boom Boom Blitzcrank)

After dying to an enemy Blitzcrank:
"No fair... quit clinching..."
"No grabs in boxing... you cheater..."
"No way... I want a rematch..."
"I'm not done, coach... I can still get him..."


Character-Specific Taunts:

Blitzcrank:
Vi imitates Blitz's Rocket Grab animation, then goes back to bouncing on the balls of her feet and shadowboxing.
"Come on, Blitz, get over here and let me show you why they're called DENTING blows."
"Come on, grab me, I dare you! ...I'm low on mana, I could use the free engage."
"What's wrong, is The Hook on cooldown? Most amazing skill or not, I don't really feel like waiting."

If Blitz is not using the Boom Boom skin, Vi shakes her head and wags a finger in a 'tsk tsk' fashion.
"I don't think so, Blitz. Until I see that belt on your waist, this isn't a real fight."
"Suit up, golem. 'Till then you're nothing to me."

Vi points towards Blitzcrank, dropping all defense in order to call out her enemy. As long as Vi has vision and is within the same special-taunt range as Caitlyn, the emote will always point to Blitzcrank, a la Draven's default recall.
"BLITZCRAAAAAANK! I GOT A WARRANT HERE FOR THAT INTERCONTINENTAL STEELWEIGHT BELT, AND BEFORE I TAKE YOU DOWN I GOT JUST ONE QUESTION: ARE YOU GONNA HAND IT OVER QUIETLY OR DO I GET THE PLEASURE OF BEATING IT OUT OF YOU?!"

Caitlyn:
Vi performs the same teacup animation, but this time tosses the teacup in the air and punches it.
"Oi, what's all this then? A jolly bout of fisticuffs?"
"Look at me, I'm too prissy to fight with m'hands, oh waaaah."
"Oooh, I'm Caitlyn, I like teeeea... Yeah, I got nothin'."

Vi pretends to avoid imaginary bullets before beckoning for Caitlyn to come closer.
"Hoo! Ha! Look at those reflexes! Try harder, Cait!"
"Come on Cait, put down the gun and let's have a good, old-fashioned brawl."
"This one's payback for the 'disciplinary action'."
"Arrest me. I freaking DARE YOU."
"Hey, shoot at me more. I wanna try something I saw in a movie."

Jayce:
Vi extends one hand outward, beckoning her enemy closer.
"Bring it, Jayce, let me show you how a real man fights."
"Come on, Wonderboy, don't tell me that's all you've got."
"Aww, what's wrong, Jayce? Too scared you'll break a nail?"
"Come on, put the hammer down and see if you can really fight."
"What's that, Jayce? You want another power slam?"
"I bet Viktor punches harder than you."

Udyr:
Vi imitates several of Udyr's stances, running around in circles mockingly when she gets to Phoenix Stance.
"Bring it on, Udyr, I'll teach you the Whipped Dog stance."
"Keep swapping stances, Udyr: you'll just die with no mana."
"I can't wait 'till I see a stance that doesn't suck."
"What's wrong, Udyr? Miss your Locket?"
"You watch out or you'll have a body with no ass!" (From Drunken Master, the best-written kung fu movie EVER)

Lee Sin:
Vi takes several cheesy kung fu poses, ending with a goofy karate chop.
"Come at me, Lee Sin, this time I'll leave you deaf."
"Come at me, Lee Sin, let's see you fight with your ears ringing." (Slightly less potentially offensive version)
"I'm coming for the Ionian title next, Lee Sin. Be ready."
"Good at everything? You can't even fight!"
"A smelly enemy? I'll just break your nose."

Vi covers her mouth away from Lee Sin with one hand, acting like she's not the one talking.
"ATTACK HER, LEE! YOU ARE IN THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUR YOUTH, YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY LOSE!"

Vi:
Against a Vi with a different/no skin, Vi flexes with a cocky smile on her face.
"Heh. Guess we know who the best one is."
"Skintimidation!"
"Let's see whose gloves break first, huh?"
"Cait would love to see this."

Against a Boom Boom Vi, Vi cracks her mechanical knuckles angrily.
"After this... there will be only one!"
"Stop copying me!"
"I wear it better."
"Back off- the faker's mine."

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Holy **** that's a lot of voiceover lines. GL HF, Cia Court.

I hope you liked what I have to show you. If anyone at Riot is reading, I’m totally cool with you using literally anything I wrote because I’d be too completely floored that I was noticed to sue anyways. Gypsylord, if you’re reading this, PLEASE add me and let me play a game with you sometime. I promise I won’t fanboy all over you. Much.

For the record, my inspiration for this skin came mainly from a few movies and shows, namely the Rocky series, Hajime no Ippo and the movie Fight Night (you should watch it if you haven’t, it’s great). As for music, this is the stuff that gets me thinking Boom Boom Vi: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...6jGsG4fuWhzP-J

Finally, I tried to draw a good bit of inspiration from an old thread about a boxer champ, so I'll link that here: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/....php?t=2126257

I'd also like to thank Spookypatrol, the stone-cold badass who made the Firedancer Draven thread and keeps giving me advice and generally acts like a cool dude whenever I talk to her. If she's not resting on a mound of pleased and exhausted supermodels right now, something is wrong with the world. Here's her thread, go bump the hell out of it: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/....php?t=2635335
She's also got a second better-than-mine skin concept going because she just LOVES showing me up (the jerk), go upvote the hell out of this one too 'cause it's badass as well: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/....php?t=3200855

Just gonna put discussion points here, along with my replies.


Yeah, that's less an intentional design choice and more that I have way more experience drawing dudes than chicks, so the chicks tend to look like dudes.

Edit: Redid the face, when I have the time I want to redo the horrendous anatomy on the clothing study as well.

The goggles (or lack thereof) were an intentional design decision. I liked them, but I thought that any headgear would be a bad idea to have in a boxing match (I couldn't wear my glasses when I wrestled in high school), so it made the most sense to leave them out.

As for the power pack, you have a good point and I understand what you mean. If you have a good idea as to how to make something like that that fits the skin, that'd be awesome. The only thing I could think of right now off the top of my head is some sort of jewel or gem (NO TARIC GO AWAY THIS THREAD ISN'T ABOUT YOU) that was on the back of her sports bra, but I don't know how to make that cohesive with the rest of the design.

I did suggest changing the E particles so it looked less like "ooh magic hextech" and more like pure force from a powerful blow. The concept I was shooting for with this was that these gloves aren't really super-magical or anything, she's just gotten really strong and has a couple of huge hunks of metal on her hands.

I tried a few drawings of that, and it really screwed up the look. I'm all for adding things that make it look like she was in a fight, but only if it doesn't take anything away from the "tough hot chick" look.

That would be good for a more cartoony skin- which I would also play the hell out of- but it seems a bit silly for this one.

I'm still iffy on the hair, which is why I drew a few different styles. I did like how Vi's skin had wildly different hair, so I wanted to do something similar with Boom Boom Vi.

This one wasn't in this thread but I saw it and immediately crapped myself. Not only do I see this as support for the idea of a boxer Vi skin (even if it's not my specific idea), the other two are ABSURDLY COOL AND I WOULD SELL MYSELF TO PAY FOR THESE RIOT PLS. If I wasn't already invested in one of those I would totally draw **** for the other two. I may sometime in the future if I feel like it.

But is it allowed when the person you're fighting is basically made of those horseshoes? The way I see it, Vi fighting a metal construct with metal gloves is just evening the playing field.

Isn't a tramp stamp on the back? I'm assuming you're talking about the little Iceborn Gauntlet on her hip. I was thinking of moving it up a bit, closer to her midsection. I believe that Vi is totally the type to rock tattoos, although not a ton- the way I saw it and sought to design it was that every one meant something in some way, so while there weren't many, they would all have some sort of story. She seems the sort of character who might do that, and wear them like badges of honor at the same time. I do agree, though, that anything closer to a sleeve or massive design would just be over-the-top, that's why I've kept them more or less minimal and uncomplicated.

I drew up several hairstyles in my first hair study. Some I shied away from because they looked too boyish (like the clubber or the straight-up spiked hair) and others I shied away from because they looked too girly (the ponytail and the long bangs). In the end, I knew I had to keep one thing about her hair that is a constant between the two skins: Vi's hair is completely crazy. Dreadlock ponytails coming out of a half-shaved, half-long head? Bright blue hair curved like a hurricane with points that could stab an eye out? While it's an entirely valid point that the mohawk might be too boyish, I also feel that it fits the ongoing hairstyles Vi adopts much better than what you or Garthul suggested (no offense meant to either of you).

I completely agree that Vi should be tough, but feminine- my biggest fear is that I made her too tough, which came true when I realized I kept drawing her like a boy! While a lot of that can be attributed to a lack of experience drawing female anatomy (a lack I am attempting to fix with each subsequent study, and the reason I'm going back to the ones I did previously) I also draw from the tomboy traits Vi possesses more than her femininity. Boxing is very, very far from a feminine sport, regardless of the genders of the boxers, and I feel this skin should indicate that. My end goal with my design was to overall make a tough-as-nails Vi skin, but at the same time try to inject a bit of an "athletic girl" vibe to make sure she still retained her femininity. That's why I went with a sports bra rather than a tank top- it still fits the theme and is significantly, noticeably more feminine as well.

While I don't demand that you love every aspect of my concept, I honestly hope you can understand where I'm coming from and why I'm making the decisions I'm making. I definitely plan to keep your feedback in mind for future studies.

While I don't see the resemblance beyond "fighting robots", I will say that I kind of already alluded to this sort of thing in the lore I wrote up. If you read "What's Boxing?" you'll find out that I wrote it as if Blitzcrank was in the Steelweight Division which, as its name belies, is reserved for golems and other machines, like Battlebots but with boxing gloves. Vi, being the giant badass she is, sees this less as "massive danger" and more as "get to wear hextech gloves instead of sissy boxing gloves".

Because she's awesome.

I didn't pick up on that (potential?) reference and I apologize for that if it is indeed the source, but a reference isn't going to stop me from attempting to make something awesome. Besides, if you look at the quotes and lines, there's references in there from everything from Muhammad Ali and Rocky Balboa to Dunkey, SivHD and Badministrator. About time people like them got some nods, isn't it?

Probably gonna be quite awhile before this gets a red post.

To be honest, it's been almost 3 months since I started. I'm doing this 'cause I love it and have fun working on it rather than to scream ROIT PLS.

That said, ROIT PLS.

This is a lot of good feedback, thanks a bunch. Let me explain some of the rationale behind the choices I made.

If you look at the glove study, I believe I listed MMA gloves as a reference material, and for good reason- they're a clear fusion between boxing glove and normal glove. In my initial concept for the digi-art contest I was trying to do some sort of massive boxing glove, but I quickly encountered a difficult problem: the "gigantic boxing gloves on tiny arms" look make her look absolutely goofy, like she was a little kid with those AWESOME Hulk Hands that I was deprived of growing up. You might not believe me when I say this because I'm not known for it, but I feel this skin functions much better as a serious tough/sexy (texy?) skin than as a goofy one. Plus, as I'm starting to develop in the lore, as Vi joins the golems-and-robots league as a puny fleshbag, having giant metal hands gives her a significant leg up. Maybe it's because I just watched The Man With The Iron Fists yesterday (which was ****ing awesome, btw) but I like that dynamic and the badass light it paints Vi in.

On the subject of the dashes, this is a really really cool idea, and I was considering that sort of dash for Vi's ult- a sudden step-in fits very well with boxing, but there's also gameplay aspects to consider as well. Changing the gapcloser from a sustained run to a sudden jump is changing the fundamental traits of the gapcloser from something like Maokai's gapcloser to something like Talon's. While both unavoidable, there is a very huge difference in what it allows in reaction time. The thing about Vi's ult- and I believe this is actually a balanceable issue- is that the sustained run gives not only time to react to the ult by shielding or using defensive spells like Morgana's E, it also gives time to kill Vi mid-flight, the only surefire way to actually stop the ult in its tracks. By making it a sudden dash you're playing with the enemy's perception of where Vi is in the path of her ult- like if Jarvan's hitbox moved with him during his dance (it doesn't, but imagine if it did). By changing how she moves, you're also changing a key part of the ability, which changes gameplay. Having a skin change gameplay in a noticeable (and possibly clutch) way just wouldn't work.

Edit: I think I misread what you meant about the dash, but my point is still valid. Sorry about going on and on about nothing, lol.

WELP.

I did what I came here to do.

SKIN'S OVER GUYS, TIME TO MOVE ON.

I would buy this skin, but Riot has not made it yet. RIOT MAKE THIS SKIN SO I CAN GIVE YOU MY MONEY

Bump for justice, to the top!

Reverse Vi, Armored Boots
nice thread dude, you really put in some work

actually, this seems quite a good idea o.O

very through i love the concept its a great rough and tough skin concept

RIOT PLZ TAKE ALL MY MONIES

I like it, and the faces on your haircut pic made me laugh irl good show

nice but i would redo the face to make it a bit more feminine (the neck looks too thick and Vi does have female lips and a rounded face). but the rest is really nice i love it.

Yeah, that's less an intentional design choice and more that I have way more experience drawing dudes than chicks, so the chicks tend to look like dudes.