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So what does Janna's new lore mean for the future of League?

rtbf225618241··4 votes·2,728 views

I don't see how she will be important anywhere outside of Zaun or anyhow even inside of Runeterra in general because they may aswell have just deleted her lore entirely. Her presence is gone now. I don't believe Riot will ever make Janna an actual character in their Events or Stories outside of references or minor cameo-equal appearences. I had some hope that since Jhin is heading to Piltover (where Janna lived) she would have some kind of a role in it but i guess not. She'll never be a strong character because her background is destroyed now.

Think about it: She has no past, no character development even within her own bio. We know nothing about her powers other than she simply has them cuz she's an Elemental spirit. There are so many questions and so little known about her. Even the writing seemed lazy to me, like they don't care at all. It was strongly cliché and predictable. I can make up her story in a few sentences:"Legends say there's a Fairy named Janna who once, when a canal basically exploded saved a bunch of people from dying by using wind to push away the toxic waste air. She now onlooks fishermen because that is what's truly important while Icathia, The Freljord Sisters, Demacia, Noxus, The Shadow Isles, Targon, Shurima, World Runes and The Void are clashing with the Runeterra. Fishermen are more important.

Summarizing her lore is shorter than Amumu's.

Also, i should mention that it is really annoying when Riot pulls out random magic out of nowhere for the sake of being weird or something. Look at Lulu's lore for example. It makes no sense (and it's not meant to, that's the charm) but it should have some form of explanation behind it. At least tell us how Janna's magic came to be. Wind Spirits don't form in the real world out of prayers. It has to have some reason behind it.

Regardless, 3 years maining a beautiful young champion who seemed like one of the few without a selfish agenda (with the exception of few others) and they destroy her background, remove any chance of lore presence and make her like 40+ years old according to the splash art.

It's sad to see her go. I can't connect with a champion that i have to make up lore for myself.

Now she's just a shell of her former self. Yeah, her previous lore was about 70% shorter but even that was far more identifiable of her personality and life than "She just exists, she likes to help people.". Imagine if Soraka's lore gets re-done like that.

So TL;DR - Janna's new lore removes her identity and presence from medium/high-stakes events within Runeterra and cuts her off from the rest of the League because of it. Kind-of like with Kindred but i feel like Kindred can be used in lore regardless because of The Shadow Isles and champions with near-death experiences such as Gangplank.

Such a shame. An orphan girl with a rough childhood behind her, witnessing the horrors of Zaun and seeking hope from Piltover to right the injustice of her polluted and experiment-torn homeland using her powers turned into an Elemental Spirit who guards the waterways of some fishermen near Zaun's docks just because..she can.

To me at least, the only thing remaining of Janna's story at this point is the name.

22 Comments

Whyte Lyon7 votes

Think about it: She has no past, no character development even within her own bio. We know nothing about her powers other than she simply has them cuz she's an Elemental spirit.

Yeah fuck wind spirits like Zephyrus for having unexplained manipulation of nature! Damn Greeks and their lazy story telling, am i right?

Wind Spirits don't form in the real world out of prayers. It has to have some reason behind it.

Umm... that does or rather did happen in the real world. Belief and prayer got us all kinds of whacky deities over the millennia. You can't possibly think poofing out of thin air is so unreasonable even when it's within the context of a fictional setting?

they destroy her background, remove any chance of lore presence and make her like 40+ years old according to the splash art.

... rolls eyes and questions where has this person come from?

rtbf2256182412 votes

Yeah fuck wind spirits like Zephyrus for having unexplained manipulation of nature! Damn Greeks and their lazy story telling, am i right?

W-what?

Wind Spirits don't form in the real world out of prayers. It has to have some reason behind it.

Did you just bring up religion? I mean actual real spirits that everyone have a chance of meeting and interacting with due to prayers

Also, saying "Oh it's just fictional" doesn't mean it doesn't have to make sense. There is a huge differrence between fictional and just nonsense. We are not getting an explanation on Janna for the next 5 -6 years most likely simply because Riot doesn't want her in the lore.

rolls eyes and questions where has this person come from?

Is this your crap attempt at sounding better than me? Because it didn't even say anything other than "You're an idiot." for no reason. If you got nothing to say say nothing then. You didn't address half the things i wrote and wonder where i come from, well what's it to you then?

Valaran Nara2 votes

{quoted} So, the part with the spirits out of prayers thing.

There have been stories or mentions in different works of fiction that states that some spirits or dieties gain power and prestige from the amount of worshippers and believers they have. The less followers, the weaker they get.

This happens in D&D. Another example would be Disney's Guardians. While Jack Frost would exist regardless, he was rendered invisible because of lack of belief. The more people believe him, the more likely he is to be seen. If nobody believes him, he is pretty much a ghost.

Also, as much as I would like to argue the legitimacy of actual spirits, ghosts, supernatural entities or the like existing (which, I do believe, don't get me wrong), those things are usually type-casted into either religion or the occult. I haven't heard yet that science fully accepted the reality of ghosts, demons, angels, or the likes yet, so speaking of those like they truly exist in a way as to laugh at another person's knowledge does not prove any form of insight or higher understanding.

Also, I think Janna arrived at the same camp Ivern has. Both of them are near the end of their natural resolution. Ivern's background a conquering barbarian trying to protect his homeland. After a bunch of crazy stuff, he became "The Tree of Life" effectively. While there could have been a lot of story pre-transformation, our current Ivern is the tree father. He already did most of his quest and life changing events. All he needs to reach is his resolution. Kind of like Janna.

Also, Janna has some form of relevance. Like Kindred, she has passing mentions because now she's part of the mythos.

Other Mythos champs are Tahm, Ivern, and Bard. They make up the world's beliefs and ideologies. I'm sure she will sometimes appear in actual form to interact with things, but she did "cameo" in the Zaun story for whatever that's worth. The moment one of the boys shouted "Dear, Janna" an updraft of air caught him, and the breeze gave him just enough of a push to catch himself before plummeting to his death.

Now, while it is, without a doubt, one HELLUVA DRASTIC CHANGE, it is easier to swallow than her previous lore. The only reason I say that is because of character model and how, for some odd reason, she looks like a wind spirit or stereotypical, scantily clad spirit/fairy/elf, but just another zaun sump-snipe. Sure, she could have been part of the politics, but then what the hell is up with her attire and her personality which somewhat defies the position she was in (and that's regardless of retcon, old lore, or changes that happened prior or after 2014).

That and, well...let's be honest, nobody wants to see pre-retcon Janna killed. Unfortunately, Camille likes to keep things at the status quo, and I am pretty sure Janna would have been targeted for all that it's worth.

rtbf2256182411 votes

And sadly, ghosts aren't anything powerful in the real world at least.

Janna is weakened to the point of almost not existing without worship. How great is that?

I do believe ghosts exists but from the things i've seen, Janna shouldn't be classified as a ghost/spirit. She should be a human with incredible talent for Wind powers at the very least not some washed down version of a "Magical spirit" that can't grasp anything beyond Zaun's waterways. I don't believe anyone has ever even mentioned Zaun's waters before.

Yes but the reader knows Janna is real. Kindred is still questionable since their lore was a legend.

Ivern is at the very least able to influence the world around him further than some backwater forest. Imagine him finding a burned land and bringing it back up since he is "The Tree of Life".

At least Tahm, Bard and Ivern have more power than Janna. We both know Bard is a highly relevant cosmic being that will be used in the lore eventually and Tahm's very nature is what makes him relevant and sort-of like a mystical demonic interest. He doesn't need other champions for his stories since they are literally about scamming some poor bastards.

I never said i like her looks. The clothing is far too revealing..

Needless to say, i only play with Forecast Janna for this very reason.

If it was up to me, Victorious Janna would be her canon-default splash.

Camille doesn't have power over everyone you see. And Janna could evade her. It's not just about what abilities they have in-game or what they can do in the game.

Valaran Nara1 votes

{quoted}

Honestly, I don't think anyone mentioned Zaun's waters directly either; though, they did mention Zaun being a canal, and canals are usually used as waterways. We even have a map!

Also, disappearing because people lack faith in you, does suck, but that's how she was brought into the world, wasn't it? She was borne as a manifestation of human thoughts and emotions. First it was that of a Blue bird, but as more people believed in her, the more she was able to manifest into a humanoid form. With this, it makes sense that the reverse can happen since the energy and source which gave her relevance in our world slowly started to deplete. I believe there were mentionings or belief in some cultures that demons are actually manifestations of negative energy and human emotions.

But I'll drop that part since the main gripe is that she can now "poof" from existence.

Also, I don't really see gameplay as relevant to lore interactions. If Ekko's cinematic means anything, the kid definitely doesn't have a time altering frisbee or can cause a time distortion that actually cause physical harm to people outside of his person. Otherwise, he'd have used it on the Vigilnaut attacking him. With that being said, if Janna has to actively evade Camille, then Janna would have to become a background character. As in, she can't be in the public eye like that since it'll bring in Camille's attention. Oh, and I don't know how well her public image will be if she's caught fighting in the streets.

rtbf2256182411 votes

Well she was according to the new lore but that's a completely pointless trait without an origin since there's no actual reason behind why worship is required other than real world references which should never influence the lore outside of just referring to them.

Demons are yes but they don't go away if you stop being negative. They will torment or wound/kill animals and living humans if you let it remain unaddressed. Janna basically dies out if you won't pray.

Well yeah in-game interactions should never limit lore interactions.

I am pretty sure Janna wouldn't be the one in the wrong if she's being attacked by an assassin obviously and everyone is there to see it. Besides, she's been sort-of a background character for all of these years. I was just hoping she'd finally step into the spotlight instead of being put down. This was my worst fear and it came true.

swordofsun3 votes

{quoted}

Well she was according to the new lore but that's a completely pointless trait without an origin since there's no actual reason behind why worship is required other than real world references which should never influence the lore outside of just referring to them.

I'm just going to throw out that faith/worship=power is a fairly common trope in fantasy books. I believe D&D has been mentioned, but two of the biggest reasons it's gained traction is Small Gods by Terry Pratchett and American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Both books heavily use this trope and I've seen it in dozens of books.

Gods Need Prayers Badly is the name of the trope for further reference.

Basically, this isn't something Riot just pulled out of nowhere.

rtbf2256182411 votes

I don't care if others do it. That has nothing to do with this one.

And i don't care if they got the idea from somewhere, i don't see where the hell your point is at all.

The whole thread is about how it ruined her, i didn't come asking where they took it from.

Fashion Mage4 votes

I like her new lore, although it could use more motivation I suppose. My biggest issue is still her splash art not fitting her character at all. She looks strict and rigid in her splash, which is pretty much the opposite of what air is supposed to symbolize and be.

Sexy Jack Rabbit3 votes

I think I agree entirely. Any character development for Janna has been squelched. She literally has no backstory and even less of a personality then before.

Her old lore was short, but had meaning and weight. The new lore is a long 'winded' example of character destruction. Janna has no real reasoning or goals behind anything she does, not too mention an almost indescribable lack of interaction with the world surrounding her.

If this was what you planned to do with Janna why wasn't she shifted into the world WAY better then this? Lissandra mentioning the Wind Spirit of Zaun? Vi mentioning how Janna helped her as a child? etc etc.

Not too mention it causes an EVEN BIGGER Disparity between her in-game and her in-lore.. Why is an ancient wind spirit bent on protecting making innuendo's and acting like a cam-girl? It's as bad as a sociopathic pirate queen bent on total control and revenge, walking around like a hooker and spitting out sex jokes every second voice line.

Valaran Nara1 votes

{quoted}

Not too mention it causes an EVEN BIGGER Disparity between her in-game and her in-lore.. Why is an ancient wind spirit bent on protecting making innuendo's and acting like a cam-girl? It's as bad as a sociopathic pirate queen bent on total control and revenge, walking around like a hooker and spitting out sex jokes every second voice line.

MF is actually an example of an old in-game model and VO matching a champ's updated lore.

If you remember, in Burning Tides, she made a scene in the bar and had every man in there cheering for her. Sure, she's a bounty hunter, but she's also a woman who knows how to use her feminine charms to trick men and make her life easier. The way MF acts in game is how she "portrays" herself in-story.

Portray as in, she acts or pretends to be like that for show, but she's actually a very grim and serious person.

Sexy Jack Rabbit1 votes

I disagree 100%. There's a point where it's just plain fan service. God forbid people start screaming "STUPID SJW STFU", but that's not the issue.

She's a naturally sultry person and uses her seduction to her advantage, but that is not ALL who she is. Her VO and Model don't match her in-lore character in the slightest, who on a surface level might be a pair of tits, but is underneath supposed to be more then that. A character having sex appeal is not bad, but a character being sex appeal is.
She's conniving, clever, calculating and brutal, as well as seductive and attractive. Yet all we see in-game is the second part.

Sure she's a woman who knows how to use her feminine charm to trick men, but she's also a vengeful bounty hunter with a traumatic past.

If she only pretends to be that way, then we should see beneath that. Presenting only the surface level of a character is just bad writing and bad design.

Ralanr1 votes

This is more a fault with an old VO that would take too much time and money to change with nothing else. The lore department only has so much they can work with.

Sexy Jack Rabbit1 votes

It would have been nice to see Riot update Miss Fortune's voice-over when they did her update a while back, same goes to Nidalee.

It's funny considering they had to go and redo her kit again anyways. (Which is why I suppose Riot said they would stop doing mini-updates.)

The issue isn't with the lore department, but the champ-up and design department. In my opinion the Lore department does wonders a majority of the time. Save from a few questionable choices now and then (Like the Viktor scenario), I think the Lore department is the department I've never really had major issues with.

Ralanr1 votes

It wasn't really that much of a change to her kit that warranted "we might as well do this too"

Sexy Jack Rabbit1 votes

They explained that the new Love Tap passive was to give her a new way to trade in lane, as before her laning phase was pretty Un-interactive beyond her Q.

I don't think Riot does anything for the sake of it without at least, some small amount off forethought as to how it will effect the character in the long run. Not too mention it was a way to add power to her kit without over-tuning her abilities again, and not buffing her base AD.

Ralanr1 votes

It didn't change any animations though. Which usually leads to new VO.

Sexy Jack Rabbit1 votes

The minor update they provided her included new animation for each of her abilities, walk cycle, ultimate etc. alongside the new model.

It was more so that the update was done with massive time constraints, but it's still a shame regardless.

Valaran Nara1 votes

{quoted}

I disagree 100%. There's a point where it's just plain fan service. God forbid people start screaming "STUPID SJW STFU", but that's not the issue.

She's a naturally sultry person and uses her seduction to her advantage, but that is not ALL who she is. Her VO and Model don't match her in-lore character in the slightest, who on a surface level might be a pair of tits, but is underneath supposed to be more then that. A character having sex appeal is not bad, but a character being sex appeal is.
She's conniving, clever, calculating and brutal, as well as seductive and attractive. Yet all we see in-game is the second part.

Sure she's a woman who knows how to use her feminine charm to trick men, but she's also a vengeful bounty hunter with a traumatic past.

If she only pretends to be that way, then we should see beneath that. Presenting only the surface level of a character is just bad writing and bad design.

You quoted the wrong person. Last I checked, I fully agree with you 100% on who MF is. In fact, Riot already said that in-game MF is how the woman represents herself in front of men to gain an advantage.

Sexy Jack Rabbit1 votes

I did quote the wrong person yeah. mb.

midnight oil243 votes

She's got as much impact on the lore as kench or kindred. namely, jack. those guys aren't gonna do much of note in the lore. Janna is far more interesting now that she's a manifestation of faith.

rtbf2256182412 votes

Those guys have far stronger identities and easier to read personalities. I don't care if Janna won't interact with the rest of the lore, i care that she will never interact with anything. She can't. There's nothing to tie her with. Janna is nothing but a "protector that helps for no reason cuz it's a female and wind is generally considered a gentle element". She's a floating Support stereotype now not an actual entity who can fight for her or anyone else.

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