#shen vs zed

[yanlei-a]

i think i've mentioned the Other part of this page before w shen saying akali reminded him of zed but this part.... this part gets me bc shen is obviously protective of akali and cares for her even though she left the kinkou (he is her Dad) and when zed says i understand shen is quick to shut him down and say he doesn't but i just think he really does bc kayn is his finest student and his son and he'd also be concerned for him even though he's very capable of defending himself (all the more so when it comes to a situation like with jhin, which is just. personal and entwined with so much trauma)

[k8felge]

Hi!! I recently got pulled back into my Ionian ninjas obsession cuz of the 5 seconds of shen in the new spirit blossom video, and as a result I found your shenzed art and just wanted to say: it’s !!! so gorgeous!!!! I love how you draw shen especially, he looks so kind and sweet (and beefy lol) as he should 🥺🥰

Anyways, I hope you have a good rest of your day! 🌺

UM HI?? THANK U SM!?!?>= ueueue... (sound of crying)... 🫶🫶😭 this means the world to me esp bc ive poured sm into my design for shen he's just so. Gorgeous 2 me.. AND BEEFY 🤤🤤 i definitely still care abt sz a LOT despite not posting them much (hello school) but I post more frequently on twt abt them :] (not much tho bc again school is kicking my ass rn). the 3 sec we got of shen in that cinematic was crazy and life changing and im so happy 2 hear ur getting back into it!! when we get sb zed in the next batch of skins OR even the next cinematic(?) (pure delusional speculation on my part) I will DIE!

[anriri]

The Great Assist

Zed & Shen’s rivalry continues on the rift! Who will save bot lane from over extending?!? Not Jungle

My entry for League of Legend’s Comic Contest! Vote here for my entry :3c

[ladybuvelle]

// It hurt a lot more than it should have to have to win a game for the God King Darius icon.

[runeterrankhaleesi]

400 FOLLOWER EVENT MILESTONE

ZED VS SHEN RAP BATTLE

Who won?

(tell me in the comments and we'll announce the winner two weeks from now)

[ravenkult]

Shen vs Zed by Wasan Techawibulchai https://www.artstation.com/artwork/RVver

[infinite-xerath]

Thoughts on Sentinel and Ruined Skins

Alright, I plan to give my full thoughts on the entire event once it’s over, but for the time-being, I wanted to give my general thoughts on each skin so far. I’ll be putting this under a read-more for convenience.))

So I guess I’ll start by saying that I like the concept of the event as a whole, though I’ve got some gripes (as do many) with who was chosen to partake. I think, having played through the VN up to its current point, that they do a decent job justifying most of the characters who get Ruined/recruited. That said, it does annoy me that they didn’t even go all-in on the concept; one Sentinel and one Ruined champ per region could have been great, but then there are some regions that don’t even have one of each.

So yeah, in addition to giving my overall thoughts on each existing skin, I also wanna touch on who else I think could have been included.

Sentinel Vayne: In my opinion, the best Sentinel skin of the lot. Not only does it look good (arguably better than her original design) but Vayne is a natural fit for the Sentinels. She already devotes her life to hunting monsters and dark magic, so it absolutely makes sense that she would join up at least until the Ruination is dealt with.

Ruined Shyvana: I wasn’t so sure about this one at first, but I’ve warmed up to it now that we know how Viego’s possession works. Taking the worst aspects of someone’s personality and bringing them to the forefront? Yeah, go figure that Shyvana would give into her monstrous side and resentment for being persecuted almost every day of her life. You could argue that there were better picks, but hey, better Ruined Shyvana than yet another Lux skin, right?

Sentinel Olaf: While not my first choice, I can’t deny that it works in the long-run. The dude already has a history of fighting the undead in his endless quest to find a worthy foe capable of slaying him, and of course the Ruined King seems like a suitably worthy opponent for Olaf to go up against. That being said, I feel like we should have gotten a Ruined Champ from the Freljord as Olaf’s rival, rather than it just being Vex. I don’t mind Vex appearing when she did to have us encounter her for the first time, but she should have had a Ruined champ to help her, which leads me to...

Ruined Tryndamere: Come on, this one’s obvious. There are a few characters in the Freljord that might have fit the Ruined theme, but none more-so than Tryndamere, I think. The guy’s already got a whole thing about controlling his rage and trying to use it as a force for good in the Avarosa tribe. Imagine Viego corrupting Tryndamere and causing all of that primal fury to just explode forth. Plus, come ON Riot, Olaf vs Tryndamere. Battle of the Berserkers. Frankly, it’s absurd to me that Olaf hasn’t tried fighting Tryndamere already, given that they’re both too angry to die. He HAS to have at least heard about the Barbarian King, right?

Sentinel Riven: Honestly, this one is interesting to me. With the other Sentinels, we all kind of know/expect that they’ll return to normal once the event is over and go back to their status quo. Riven feels like an exception. As she stated herself in the event: she’s a wanted criminal in Noxus and it’s not exactly like she’d be super welcomed back in Ionia. She joins the Sentinels because she has nowhere else to go and no other cause to fight for once freed from Draven’s arena. Aside from Vayne, Riven feels like the one who’d most likely stay with the Sentinels once the event is over, even though I know that probably won’t happen. Still, I like her inclusion, all-in-all.

Ruined Draven: Honestly, not the one I would have picked. I mean, it’s just Draven. Absolutely nothing has changed from him being Ruined. Granted, I do think it’s absolutely hilarious that Draven’s worst version of himself is already just himself, an egotistical prick who craves attention, but there are way better picks in Noxus to see getting Ruined. I mean, the event teaser showed Darius getting possessed, and I think there’s a lot more to work with there. Also, am I the only one that thinks that Ruined Draven feels redundant when Soul Reaver Draven is already a thing?

Sentinel Diana: So this one I have some complicated feelings about. On one hand, it makes sense that Diana would join the fight against the undead for the sake of the Lunari. On the other, it feels like MOST of the Aspects should be getting involved with this. I mean, the VN has her say that the other Aspects ARE fighting the Undead all over Targon, but then you’d think we would wanna go and recruit them as well. Seriously, Taric? WTF are you, Protector? Also, Diana needing a Sentinel weapon is weird since we already confirmed that the Mist doesn’t like Celestial magic, but... Eh, the blade she gets is cool, I guess.

Ruined Pantheon: And here comes the controversial one... Right, so like many, I did not care for this skin. In fact, I still have reservations about it. I DO like that it is actually Ruined PANTHEON, because yeah, the Black Mist turns dead things undead. Go figure it could bring back the remnants of the war god lingering in Atreus. That’s a really cool idea, but there’s absolutely an argument to be made that it fucks with Atreus’s whole character arc and makes his seemingly indomitable will look like a joke... But hey, Viego himself said that he’d never be able to take a proper Aspect, which absolutely tracks, which kinda makes Atreus the only Targonian champion he COULD defeat and corrupt.

Sentinel Irelia: To be frank, not too much to say about this one. Irelia’s entire character motivation is defending her homeland against invaders, and... Yeah the undead definitely count as invaders. While someone like Shen probably would have been a better recruit for the Sentinels, Irelia works just fine.

Ruined Karma: And heeere’s another controversial one. Yeah, Karma is not the one I would have chosen. Honestly, just about anyone else from Ionia would have been a better fit for Ruination. Ruined Pantheon can be justified by the dead war god coming back and taking over Atreus’s body again, but Karma and her vessel Darha should have absolutely been able to resist it... And they kind of do. In the event, we actually do see Karma switching back and forth. She’s the only one we’ve seen fight back against Viego long enough to revert to her normal self, at least for a time. In fact, the implication that Darha is being corrupted while the entity of Karma itself fights back is neat. Still, I would have preferred Ruined Zed or something along those lines.

Sentinel Graves: OK, I love this skin. I don’t love the context around it. First of all, the fact that he’s the Sentinel for Piltover is dumb. Graves is from Bilgewater, and should have been the Sentinel we recruited there. I also don’t care for how Twisted Fate is completely missing and never even referenced from his story. Like, OK, Graves fled Bilgewater because it was already overcome with Harrowing. Fine. But... Did he just leave TF behind? If so, why does he have Fate’s blue card? There’s so much we’re missing here. I love that he’s joining just because he’s got a bone to pick with Viego, but Graves should have been the choice for Bilgewater. As for who should be the Piltover Sentinel? Well...

Sentinel Jayce: Think about it. Jayce is a character who’s had nothing to do in the Piltover/Zaun lore for ages. He already considers himself a hero and a defender of Piltover. Plus, imagine what a Sentinel version of his hammer would be like! Hell, Jayce���s whole conflict with Viktor revolves around their opposing beliefs around free will. Of course he’d have a word or two to say about the Ruined King, who’s running around and stripping people of their free will! On that note..

Ruined Viktor: Absolutely a perfect fit for Ruination. Under Viego’s influence, he could deem undeath as the next logical step of evolution, casting aside the limits of flesh and emotion for a spectral form where one’s thoughts were dictated by a single, “superior” consciousness. It would be a perfect contrast for Sentinel Jayce, and besides: we’ve already seen a ghostly version of this concept with Death Sworn Viktor. If Draven gets two undead skins, why not? Plus, we know that the Harrowing can effect machines thanks to Legends of Runeterra, so... Yeah. Ruined Viktor. Let’s go.

Sentinel Pyke: Another controversial one. While I like the general idea behind it, frankly, I would have just left Pyke as he is. We already have him fighting the undead in the Ruined King game, and we know Nagakabouros power can hurt the undead; there was no real need for him to pick up Sentinel gear. Much as I love the line “Wraiths, wraiths are on the list,” I would have just made Graves the Sentinel rep for Bilgewater and called it there.

Ruined Miss Fortune: This one just sucks. It absolutely sucks. The Sarah Fortune I know would have never gone to such lengths merely for power, especially when she already rules most of Bilgewater at this point. Her various short stories show her doing a pretty damn good job stamping out the warring factions challenging her rule, and even if she decided that she needed some kind of supernatural leg up on the competition, it’s not like Bilgewater is lacking in magic. Also, the design sucks, turning her back into the sex icon that they’ve spent the last 7 years moving her away from. Ruined Fortune sucks. As for who SHOULD have gotten the skin instead...

Ruined Gangplank: Now HERE’S a pirate lord desperate for power. He lost his ship, he lost his fleet, he lost his throne, he even lost an arm. Gangplank has been struggling to regain control of Bilgewater ever since Burning Tides, and while we haven’t heard much of him recently, it can be safely assumed that he’s not making much progress with how much control Sarah currently has. Gangplank is absolutely ruthless enough and immoral enough to bargain with the Ruined King for power. Plus, think about it: he’s already been “reborn” once, so to him, Ruination probably wouldn’t even be that big of a deal.

Sentinel Rengar: All things considered, I like this one. Rengar, I think, has one of the best justifications for joining the Sentinels. When Rengar’s jungle is invaded by wraiths, Rengar finds himself faced with monsters that even his skills cannot take down. Yeah, these undead are worthy prey challenging his reign as the apex predator in Kumungu, and if the Viego is their alpha, then he’s the target to go for. Now, obviously he’s still got a hunt for Kha’Zix that has yet to be resolved, but let’s be honest: we’re never going to see that rivalry conclude, and this is the most lore relevance Rengar has had in ages. I’m for this skin, though of course we do still have the issue of who in Kumungu would be a good Ruined rival for him. On that note...

Ruined Zyra: Alright, here me out. Ixtal as a region doesn’t have that many characters, let-alone good candidates for Ruination. Perhaps the best and most obvious candidate would be Qiyana, but I take issue with this for a few reasons. Firstly, accepting Ruination for the power to rule is already something we’ve done with MF/GP, and second, I don’t think the Shadow Isles aesthetic works super well with her elemental-swapping gameplay. I chose Ruined Zyra because, well, Zyra already wants to spread her plants far and wide across Runeterra, and the Mist would be a great method for carrying seeds, not to mention making her offspring harder to prune. Not the most deep, but yeah, I think Ruined Zyra would have been a cool concept to work with.

Lastly...

Unbound Thresh: A mistake. I’ve already made my opinions on Thresh’s lore abundantly clear in my rewrite for him, and this skin just destroys any hope for his character for me. This sexy E-Boy is unquestionably the worst thing to come out of the whole event, and whatever Riot is planning to do with Thresh in the future, it does NOT justify this design. Plus, the whole idea that an undead character can become “unbound” is just dumb. Like, when has it ever been implied that Thresh himself was actually bound in any way? He’s one of the few Shadow Isles entities that can freely leave the Mist, at least for a time! Yeah, this skin was a mistake, but Riot has to cash in on the simps, I suppose.

Anyways, I’ll give my thoughts on the story itself once this is all said and done, but for now, these are my takes on the individual skins. Hope you all enjoyed hearing me ramble.

[the-storm-chaser]

Quotes. (elder verse) (going under read more and still needs to be edited...on mobile atm)

Sorry if its cheese

Sky - Master, it is good to see you well

Eiji- It is you who is the master now, Hart

Eiji - Elder Hart, it seems we made the right choice

Sky - I humbly disagree. This seat should have been yours...

Sky - I have never forgotten your teachings

Eiji - Glad they served you well, my student

Tatsuo- THE TITLE OF ELDER WAS MINE

Sky - you will not cause trouble in this house…

Tatsuo - They stormed our home and you hid… NONE OF YOU TRIED TO SAVE US

Sky - We were children, ‘suo. What was I supposed to do...

Tatsuo - You took my hope, my path to redemption

Sky - This was not my choice to make...

Tatsuo- You don’t know what noxus is capable of...

Sky - Why not use that knowledge and help me, help us?

Sky to koshona cards

- May Ionia protect its children

- Fear not Noxian iron, wild magic is stronger.

- Kõshõna will not fall, you are safe here.

Sky to alliance cards

We will protect our homeland

Thank you for lending your aid

Your power is valuable to the cause

Ionia’s future depends on us

Vs. Noxus

Swain : ‘By my hand, noxus will rise.’

Sky ; ‘Thought you lost that to us, didn’t you…?’

Swain - The first isles are more broken than we last came here

Sky - More edge’s to find resistance, Demon.

Swain - Ionia will fall under Noxus’ banner.

Sky - Ionia’s will will determine our fate, not your armies.

Swain - This resistance is futile, Elder.

Sky - Not to us it isn’t.

Darius - ‘I have my orders’

Sky - ‘As do I, General’

Darius - Scourge. You will fall to Noxus this time.

Sky - We will bend but not break, General.

Darius - A rag tag army...how disappointing.

Sky - I trust my people. You will see why.

Draven - ‘Time for the main event’

Sky - ‘They’re resorting to bringing reckoners to war? Have they gone mad?!’

Draven - Ew. Fashion disasters. All of you.

Sky - ...You haven’t looked in a mirror recently, have you?

Vladimir - The rivers will run red darling, is this really what you want?

Sky - How does burnt blood smell? Let’s find out. (also a retort to all crimson circle cards)

Allies

Zed- ‘Do not fear the shrouded path’

Sky - ‘ I have no reason to fear knowing you’re with us’

Zen - ‘I am the blade in the darkness’

Sky ‘ And I am the blade in the light’

Shen - The eye of twilight see all

Sky - I am fine, help *them*

Shen - ‘The eye of twilight see’s all

Sky - I respect your judgement, Shen

Karma - ‘We’ll bring peace to Ionia, whatever the cost.’

Sky - Our alliance will save countless lives, just you see.’

Lee sin- ‘Force is meaningless without skill’

Sky - ‘We have skill and wisdom on our side.’

Yasuo- ‘death is like the wind, always by my side’

Sky- ‘It won’t be in vain, I swear it’

Aatrox (facemeandperish) -"Challenge me, mortals! I am here!"

Sky - ‘ Help us change the course of history, Darkin’

Piltover/zaun champ cards

Sky - ‘ Use your technology on the right side of history

Vi - ‘One girl Wrecking crew!’

Sky - ‘Not this time, we have your back’

Targon champ cards

Sky - If we have the star’s blessing, we can see this through.

Bilgewater / shadow isle champ cards

Sky - Ah, our neighbours. Wasn’t expecting you to meddle in our affairs.

Twisted fate - ‘Deal me in’

Sky - To gamble my fate, is it worth it?

Tank Kench- ‘Table for one, if you’d oblige’

Sky - ‘To deal with a demon for the fate of Ionia…is it worth it?’

Demacia/frejord champ cards

Sky - For you to travel this way...I am truly thankful.

[thedemonlady]

ZED: ISSUE #3

A confrontation a lifetime in the making: Zed vs. Shen! Assassin versus warrior monk! Can they settle their blood feud and work together to defeat the twisted Khada Jhin? And the origins of Zed’s shadow magic are revealed!

BONUS:

[jhindraven]

okay now that issue 6 is out and ive read the thing like 3 times, im gonna do my full review/breakdown of the zed comic and allll my thoughts on it.

no screenshots bc i dont want this to be longer than it is already, and also im not gonna talk about the art itself either. this is simply about the characters, the story, and how that relates to the lore of league itself.

all of this is my opinion, you can agree or disagree with me whatever, yadda yadda lets begin

ISSUE ONE

Probably the best one? In my opinion. The lack of expectations really helped this one not suck. Also the most consistent when it comes to characters personalities, comparing them to the in-game voice lines from league and the card game.

There are scenes in issue 1 that almost foreshadow, or at least reference, the events of Issue 6, specifically Zed looking up to the statue of Kusho, and how Zed kills Althon vs how Zed kills Kusho later on.

The dialogue between Shen and Akali is.. a little clunky? Shen’s dialogue is just a little. formal. but to the point that he sounds like he’s lecturing a stranger, not talking to a former student.

Jhin giving Zed his scalpel from 19 years ago is a neat detail that I wish they used more in the story. Sure, we can assume now that Jhin probably only got it because Kusho gave it to him at some point after releasing him- which means that the scalpel is one of the many wasted plot opportunities I’ll bring up here. Part of the appeal of that scene, if only just for me, was the idea that Jhin stole it from Zed while he wasn’t looking. I remember people pointing out background characters and being like “but what if that’s Jhin there! what if he was there all along!!”  But that has now been thrown out the window.

A thing I wish they did was shown more of Jhin’s ‘performances’, even if only in a montage. To show more of the impact this had on Zed and Shen, the strain it put on them mentally and emotionally, and how it affected their relationship. But I understand time and probably page restraints. So whatever about that.

Again, I think this was the best one. Set up the story well, showed why everything happening is important for the character. Neat, cool. Let’s move on

ISSUE 2

Seeing the bodies was pretty fucked up, but tbh? That shit vibed. It’s one of those things I hoped they were gonna do and they did. The bodies looking like porcelain with gold blood?? And the peacock feathers???? Thats fuckin cool as hell.  Then they never did it again.

In the flashback comes one of the worst fucking things in this comic. Yevnai.

Listen I adore Yevnai as a character, one of my favourites to come from the comic. You know, in the ONE ISSUE SHE ACTUALLY SHOWS UP IN????? She shows up as simply conflict between Shen and Zed (which never actually comes up mind you), as bait for Jhin, and for? Zed to show that he can sense magic from her kids to show that she’s been cheating on her husband with Quno the vastayan servant (bc we know Zed hates vastaya i guess?). oh and Guess What? the sensing magic thing also doesn’t show up again. 

Oh and Jhin follows Zed to Yevnai’s place. But nothing happens from that.

Issue 2 was good, but just a total waste imo. A lot of plot points set up only to never happen again. Best things about it were dead bodies, Jhin’s tiny Zed and Shen puppets, and the knowledge that Shen still writes letters to Yevnai :’(

ISSUE 3

I got so fucking pissed when this issue came out, no shit. They took the events of The Man With The Steel Cane and just. Threw it out the window. I did a whole other post about my issues with it so I won’t just rewrite the same shit twice. But I had to actually stop reading and pace angrily for a bit. I HATE issue 3 bro.

The scene with Kusho :) . Good to know that was now a waste of misdirection because EVERYONE seemed to call that Kusho was still alive. What bullshit. But I’ll get to that.

The inconsistencies in character really show in this one. And that connects to it being a shitty rewrite of The Man With The Steel Cane. They probably wanted a fight between Shen and Zed by this point, being halfway through the comic, and just shoved it in there. Doesn’t mean I’m not mad about it.

Akali and Kayn’s dialogue was probably the best thing in the entire issue. I don’t vibe with Akali/Kayn as a ship personally, but it got a giggle out of me im ngl.

Akali attacking Zed. I guess yeah sure she would. Fits her whole “fuck you i wont do what you tell me shen” vibe. But SHEN? calling off the armistice between the yánléi and kinkou due to the actions of one of HIS ex-students?? Shen would never. Let’s add another point to the ‘This Is Really Out Of Character’ board!

The sworn and witnessed scene was nice, it’s what Kayn deserves. Finally knowing the Kashuri Faction was nice, too bad they never get fucking mentioned ever again I guess.

There’s so many references to The Man With The Steel Cane that they could’ve implimented so much better, especially dialogue. I can’t read the original story without feeling cheated out of what it was before Issue 3. So more wasted potential I guess.

Issue 4

This was a big step up from Issues 2-3. My personal favourite, but not the best (if that makes sense). But there isn’t too much to talk about here? Jhin sets off his bombs from the last issue, it looks cool, but there’s no real story to talk about here. There is a lot of character stuff to talk about though.

Zed choosing to save Shen over getting Jhin is fucking HUGE for Zed as a character. For a character so hellbent on vengence throughout the entire thing choosing instead to save his "hated enemy and closest friend” ?? im sobbing.

This whole comic was emotional as hell, and the most character development we ever fucking saw in this thing. From Zed’s daddy issues to the realisation that Zed’s shadows are shades of Jhin and Kusho (which is now fucking hilarious and makes no sense after Issue 6).

There was a lot of setup for plotpoints that actually did show up later for once, like Kayn being the temporary leader and all that jazz. What it had in emotion, it seemed to lack in real story progression until the end. 

Issue 5

This issue was weird for me. Like there was a lot of plot and a lot of character shit that seemed so condensed that it felt like nothing. Zed’s confession in the cell-wagon and the information that Shen was out fighting Noxians too? Alright, sure okay. 

Shen still seems wildly out of character for me, since we mostly know him as this beacon of peace and calm- he’s so violent towards Zed all the time it’s strange. Like he points a sword at Zed while saying that he isn’t allowed to kill Jhin, wtf

The callback to Awaken is fucking superb. Really solidifies that video into the lore of the game. Camille being mentioned had me like :hearteyes: This is a nitpick- but I wish we knew what happened at the end of Awaken. Is Camille okay? Did Jhin get injured? It was a week ago, if he did get injured- where and how did he recover so fast? Little details  that I wanna know, not really for any real story purposes.

Rhaast finally showing up :hearteyes:, nothing else to add bc nothing else happened with him.

Jhin making the most of Piltoven technology is really cool, and its a scene that made me go “OH YEAH he was a stagehand for a good period of time!!”  That’s what we call Tying In Pre-Existing Lore fellas.

Jhin just really shined in this issue. Really set him up to be The Big Bad of the comic, like he had a monologue and everything! Once again, though, that gets absolutely wasted by Issue 6.

Issue 6

Where do I fucking start?

Let’s start with Jhin. I don’t know about yall, but since we spent a solid 5 issues chasing after him I expected more of a dramatic fight. More like the explosions in Issue 4. But uh we got. Some fancy prop work before he got punched in the face twice and thrown on the ground. It’s What He Deserves but like you know, he deserved worse.

As much as I didn’t want it to happen, I’m disappointed they didn’t unmask him at all. His mask was still fucking pristine by the end of the fight!! Not a scratch, not a chip!! But to be fair I think we got maybe 2 pages worth of a physical fight with Jhin so,, sure. Whatever. Out goes 5 issues of setting up? Not to downplay the conflict in that scene of course, I think it was pretty cool. It was just so anticlimactic at the end like wh-

Kusho! Haha they got us good!! The dead dude is actually still alive oooo~ [heavy sarcasm]. Why. It wasn’t a good twist! It was a “oh. okay yeah sure” twist. This might be my heat of the moment response but I have no words for how cheap and absolutely horseshit that twist is. Good thing we only have to think about it for 10 pages because HE FUCKING DIES AGAIN. WHAT A WASTE!!

Whatever, whatever, thinking about it makes me so mad because they set it up barely in Issue 5? I’m just tired this actually drained me irl.

At least we have baby Kayn and good dad Zed at the end to cleanse us of that.

HEY actually did you know that they thought that Good Dad Zed was considered contoversial by Marvel’s editors?? HUH????

whatever, whatever. i’m pissed. 

BONUS SHIT

So Jhin’s lore has now had an update to connect with the comic. And it’s fucking weird. Now suddenly Kusho didn’t care about catching Jhin after he found out it was just a human person murdering people? And that it was essentially Not Their Job anymore??? excuse me??

CONCLUSION?

This comic started with a good beginning and a lot of potential. It brought up so many new theories and so many new headcanons. But all that potential and all that interesting story got washed away with unconnected plot points, ‘important’ characters that show up once, and a cheap twist ending that simultaneously came out of nowhere and was easily predicted (in the bad way). It was a fun read for a while, but the ending has soured the experience I had reading it.

Some issues may come from time + page constraints, and the limitations of the medium. But those were mostly minor issues. I wanna give the artists and the writers the benefit of the doubt, maybe blame Marvel as I like to do. But...

6 months worth of waiting for an ending like this? I’m just disappointed.

[expirator]

Zed’s affair with Yevnai makes me think that he’s not actually as confident in his person as he might have been.

When it comes to his skills as a warrior, and as a practitioner of shadows, he can safely say that he’s mastered the abilities he set out to perfect.

When it comes to handling people, it’s tougher. It’s easy in the Order, since he has placed himself at the top of the chain of command. Any arguments that disciples might have amongst each other will go to Zed and he can usually resolve them.

When it comes to weighing the importance of one person vs another, that’s when it gets tricky. With Yevnai, he struggled compromising his feelings with hers and with Shen’s (and Kusho’s). When it comes to some of his senior disciples (like Kayn and Crux) it’s actually difficult to put one before the other.

Zed claims that he’ll put his goals over anything, but if you put the Order and/or his disciples in danger and make him split his focus, he’ll falter. I can see that when outsiders come to Ionia, and through whatever circumstances, he befriends several of them, he’ll have a hard time trying to actually figure out how much they mean to him.

[the-shadows-angel-archived]

Morgana would like her shadow powers BACK since SOMEONE doesn’t know how to use them PROPERLY

Spoilers below

Comic ending was....alright. Truth be told I knew who it was really early on, especially after that flashback to Zed and Kusho, so I was not surprised to see that is was Kusho all along, wish the fight between Zed and Shen vs Jhin was a lot longer, but did not enjoy Akali being the “damsel in distress” because that’s just...not her, at all. And like, so now what? Jhin’s locked up again and Shen and Zed still have beef with one another or what? 

I do like how they confirmed what we already knew, and that Kayn is as loyal as one could be to his Master, which I truly enjoyed. I also like we got a glimpse of Kayn at the age of 10, so we can all be satisfied with that. I know I am =w=

Now then...WHERE’S MY MORG AND KAYLE COMIC!? AND IF YOU END UP DOING IT AND RUIN THAT FOR ME TOO I’LL FUCKING HUNT YOU DOWN RIOT!

[shxdowborne]

Junior once again realizes.... Kayn and Crux are just Zed and Shen 2.0.

Ambition vs. Loyalty 🤫

[raiko-exe]

Zed and Shen

Similarly to TF/Graves, I like Shen/Zed as both romantic and platonic and believe they belong in each other’s lives somehow. They have such a good backstory and have the potential for angsty reconciliation down the line. I hope the rumors are true and we get a Shen and Zed vs Jhin comic in the future cause I’d love to see more exploration on the bond these two have.

[runeterrankhaleesi]

Darlings, where are the votes for the "400 follower milestone event: rap battle zed vs shen"?

It's still 5-2

[ur-mom-kayn]

Loyalty Chapter 7: League of Legends

Zed Pov

"What's this league supposed to be?" Shen rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Do you live under a rock? The League of Legends has been around for about 2 years now. Hm ... how can I put it that way for dumbasses ... Think of it as the place where elite fighters from all over Runeterra break their heads. Mostly 5 vs 5 in one round. It's a kind of game where you have to destroy the enemy Nexus. I know that is not the part that interests you. During a round, you can get killed or kill your opponents as often as you want. You do not really die. It's complicated. Inform yourself independently. Anyway, you cash in fat, for that you are there at any time ready to fight. Sounds very lucrative." And how it did that. Kill and get money for it, but do no real harm or take it.

"Does that mean if I join in there, could I kill you every day again and again?" "Ha ha, as if you can, but basically yes. For that, the Fields of Justice were also made. To clarify wars without harming the civilians. However, it could happen that enemies have to end up on a team and work together. Unfortunately, you have to stand over it. "Zed did not really care. It was too long ago for the two brothers to fight side by side. The last time was at the capture of Khada Jhin. Zed was reluctant to remember. Something broke in him that day when he was not allowed to kill the virtuoso. His stupid master insisted on the capture. This was the first and last time that Zed and Shen agreed. They both wanted Jhin's death. But he was put into Tuula Prison at the mercy of his master. No five years later, Jhin escaped from prison. He was free. That was the last result of their collaboration and their biggest defeat. Working with him again could wake unwanted memories. However, the offer was just too tempting. Because of this, Zed made every effort to banish the pictures from his head.

"Being in a team with you would be a complete horror. Is there any more of your kind?" "Charming as always. And yes, Akali and Kennen are there too. The three of us can provide the complete Clan all by ourselves. The catch on the whole thing is that unfortunately, you have to live there. Only between the seasons or if you have requested vacation, you can go back home. Holidays are only available under certain conditions. The one is if you are a permaban or not chosen at all. Ah yes, you are also summoned. You can not rage around wildly. That is not possible. As I said, look for yourself. "

Great, the green slut and the fast hamster are also there. There was a lot against accession, just as much as admission. It was impossible to decide that now in the middle of the street. Especially there was a corpse on the ground, which must be delivered urgently. "I think about it. But first, let's pick up the bounty. And yes, we mean both you, Shen, and Kayn. We share the money as agreed. "Zed leaned down and threw the body on his shoulder. Without exchanging words, they set off. The silence was pretty overwhelming. Having Shen so close to her made Zed uncomfortable. What if he starts on Kayn to take revenge on Zed? Instinctively, he approached his student and searched for Kayn's hand. You never could be sure enough.

...

Finally arrived at the client, Zed threw the corpse at Shen. "Ehm okay Zed? What will that be?" "Go in and get the money. I stay here with Kayn. You said it yourself. He is still a child. So you do that." Shen joined Zed and entered the building. 10 minutes later he came back with two well-filled suitcases. Shen handed him one of the two suitcases. "Take it. I made sure that there was exactly the same amount in both suitcases." "You do not believe that yourself." Zed did not trust his adoptive brother. He insisted on counting the amount of both cases. To his surprise, in his 10% was more in it. "Why Shen? Why are you kidding?" "The 10% go to Kayn. He was really damn good. Buy him something nice." With that, Shen finally disappeared. Sometimes he could do this guy even less than usual. Kindness was a weakness. And Zed loathed weakness more than anything else.

"Come Kayn. Let's go home." "Okay, Master." At last the boy spoke again for hours. Understandable that he had no desire to talk when Shen was present. On the way to the temple, Zed sought the conversation with Kayn. "So how was that again? How could you be so fast? We were in an open field." "Yeah. Sure, it was open, but there were still obstacles. I did not know if the Shadow Step worked on humans, but apparently, that worked, at least for a very short time." "You flew through people? That brings me to an idea. You know my technique Deathmark. I'll disappear and leave a mark on my opponent that does more damage the more I hit him after the marker is set. The prerequisite for this is, unfortunately, the technique of the shadow double, you can not. But maybe you can completely become a shadow, invade your opponents and tear them apart from within. "

Kayn smiled. "Sounds good ... Tell me, Master, are you really proud of me or did you find my action crappy?" Walking, Zed grabbed Kayn by the shoulder and pulled him towards him. For a moment the younger man stumbled but quickly recovered. "Hey!" Kayn protested. "Where does that come from?" "I just want to show you that I'm proud of you. Did you seriously think that I wanted to cause an accident?" Instead of fighting Zed, Kayn put an arm around Zed's waist. That was not the plan, but his closeness to Kayn did not bother him. Basically, he felt better with him than with anyone else. He was somehow really his son.

...

When they finally arrived at the temple it was pitch black. Nonetheless, Zed put on his mask again. In the hallways, they did not meet any of the other acolytes. Most of them were already in their rooms at this time. Just like Zed. Together with Kayn, they entered his room. Before that, the younger man brought bedding out of his room. They quickly agreed to spend the evening together. After a short snack, the two threw themselves to bed. As usual, Kayn lay in Zed's arms and laid his head on his chest. For a while, it was quiet between them until Kayn broke the silence. "So that's your brother Shen?" Actually, the older one had his nose brushed out by his brother. But Kayn to love he pulled himself together. "Yes, unfortunately..."

"Hmm ... for beheading your father, he was amazingly relaxed. His emotions were also pretty played. "" Do you think so? Anyway, the values of the Kinkous Klan are knitted so that you should be in the right with yourself. That is, in principle, love and hatred must be in harmony. Just as light and shadow must be in balance. If Shen sticks to it, he must not be tempted by his anger towards me to kill me. Why he was nice to me, I can not explain with the best will. "The action with the higher amount of money, he was still a mystery. Supposedly because Kayn earned it. In fact, Shen just wanted to make fun of Zed's situation. A child had saved his ass, so what? Kayn was not a normal kid. Zed was not ashamed of it. It would have been worse to let Shen save her.

But maybe it was the money issues that Shen found so funny. Unfortunately, Zed did not find any way to think about his offer. The biggest problem was that he did not want it either. He was well aware that when he joins the league, he will automatically leave Kayn and the others. And that was his biggest concern. Kayn ... The boy did not like all the talk about the league, as he has not yet commented on the subject. It was understandable to Zed that he did not like it.

Kayn Pov

For Kayn, her togetherness was a bit uncomfortable. All along, he had in mind the thought that it might be their last time. If Zed decided to join the league, then they could only meet once a year. He could not and did not want to endure this thought. Zed was for him everything. He was dependent on him. Just letting him go that way would not be an option. "Hey, Kayn ... what do you think of the offer?" Zed stroked a few strands of his face to give him a better view of his reaction. Kayn pulled himself together to hide his true feelings. He did not want to show weakness in front of his master. Nevertheless, his master expected an answer from him.

"I'm sorry. Unfortunately, I can not express an objective opinion." "Then tell me your subjective opinion." Kayn wanted to avoid that. "Master ... I do not want to talk about it ..." Zed then put two fingers around his chin and forced him to look into his eyes. In the incredibly beautiful, red eyes. Damn ... He just could not resist his orders. "Be honest with me. I want to hear your opinion." "That's good. I do not want you to leave. I need you here and not on an imaginary battlefield. I know that we are becoming more and more soldiers, but we are too young to earn money. I understand it when you say that you are leaving to make us feel better. But honestly ... I feel better when you're with me. I can not master without you. You have become everything for me now. You are much more than just my master, and you know that. Why do you ask my opinion, when you know the child wants to keep his father? "

Kayn tried hard not to put emotions into his voice. His words were honest and they hurt him from the inside. He showed weakness and he puked himself already. He honestly did not want to know what his master thought of his words. He certainly did not care about his gibberish. It was Zed, after all, who was shaking his heart out. The Master of Shadows did not care about weaklings. And that was Kayn right now. He thought of his own needs first and not of the Order. He already felt a little bad. Nonetheless, he stood by his words. Zed belonged to him.

"I understand," his master answered after a long break. He did not let anything is read out of his face. "Still, I think you're wrong, Kayn. You are far more independent than you dare to do it yourself. You do not need me here. I'm your incentive to get your engine stronger, or am I wrong? I'm still, even though I'm not here, but in the league. Besides, I do not completely disappear from your life. I will always take a vacation if I get the opportunity. So you let me go?" Kayn almost snorted in amusement. He knew it did not make sense. "As if you stay here if I say so. You have already decided. I do not care about my opinion. You want to finish Shen, right? You are keen to fight against the best in the world. You can not fool me, Master. I know you too well. Your blood is already boiling with fighting spirit. But just for the record, I'll say it again. I do not want you to go, Zed. "

It was the first time that Kayn addressed his Master without a title. He had his reason. Zed had to understand that he finally recognized him as a father. He was his educator, his lifesaver, and friend. He was much more than a teacher. Inwardly, Kayn's heart broke, if he had one, into a thousand pieces. No matter what he said, Zed would not change his mind.

"Shit ...", Zed cursed, turning his face as far away from Kayn as possible. "I care about you Kayn. How many times do I have to tell you that you are my son? Your opinion is important to me, even if I wish that you had the same as me. From your father's point of view, I would just stay here and raise you. But from the point of view of a master, who I am, I must act for the good of the entire clan. I'm sorry Kayn ... I'm going to curse myself for not seeing your progress. I think that will be the worst for me. It's like missing the first words of your child or the first steps. Your development as an Assassin is very important to me. As well as your development as a man. Kayn please never say again that I do not care, because that's not true. You are not aware of how much you have already done for me. Before I knew you, I could not open anyone. I could not trust anyone. I was terribly lonely. Then you came and I finally had someone to show me the way I am. I realize that I will give it all up, but this time, everything will be different because I know that you will always be waiting for me. Thanks to you, I'm no longer alone, Kayn. Please forgive me if you feel like I'm leaving you. Please let us enjoy when we see each other again, okay? "

Now the younger one finally understood why his master turned away. He also showed weakness. That was new to him. And that just made it harder for him. They were emotionally closer than ever before and now they had to split up? That was not fair. But he knew that the only thing to do would be to let his master go. "Okay ... Could we let the topic go now? I want to sleep, Master." "For me, you deserve it to sleep. Good night. "A few minutes before Kayn finally fell asleep, he felt Zed petting him over his head.