Thoughts on where lore is, where it has been, where it may go, etc.

Might as well use this place for the couple months the Reds will actively scour it, right?

Retcon discussions/arguments aside, Riot, there's been something that has always bothered me about the way you write your lore, and with you producing new lore at a rapid pace lately, I notice the problem persists. So, here it is.

Your lore and characterizations are absurdly black and white.

The 'good' guys are blatantly good, and the evil ones, blatantly evil. We've got Demacia run by a guy named Lightshield, and Noxus formerly run by a guy named Darkwill. I thought and hoped that you had moved past that, but the Sion rework has made you guys drag Darkwill back up and expand further upon it.

I also remember one of the early JoJs, where you guys had Katarina say something to the effect of "those Ionians should be THANKING us for giving them technology and actual culture. I don't understand what they're complaining about". Noxus slaughtered them (even innocent civilians begging for mercy, as was written in Riven's lore), and she claims Ionia should thank them for it. Heil, Katarina du Fuhrer.

And it even comes down to things as simple as the in-game quotes, which I think can best be summed up by a sampling of Garen and Kat:

Garen: Fear not, I'm coming! Kat: BLOOD FOR NOXUS.

Yeah.

Riot, as long as you're trying to retcon everything and write a bunch of new stuff, I'd like very much for you to take a moment and reconsider all of this.

1. Where are the thousands of Noxian protesters speaking out against Noxian attacks on Ionia/Freljord/even Demacia? Every nation, no matter how brainwashed and zealous, has that. Why not Noxus?
2. Why do Noxians have to live in a giant skull, as if the city was designed by Dr. Wily?
3. And what about Demacia? Are we to believe that Demacia is the first military in the history of humanity to have soldiers who have never committed horrible war crimes when they thought nobody was watching?
4. Why is Riven the only Noxian to not take "we value strength in all its forms" to "I have the right to kill you because I'm capable of it"?
5. Why is every scientist in Piltover a noble researcher, and every scientist in Zaun a maniac?
6. Why is there no expansion on Annie's family and their Gray Order, which apparently are moderate and tame enough to tentatively work alongside Demacia for the greater good of peace?

And even just coming down to plain and simple motivations.

1. Why do you HAVE to depict Sejuani as being more inclined to burn a farm down for being "a weak way of living life" than use said farm to feed her starving people?
2. Why does LeBlanc, whose supposed goal is to restore the Noxian Aristocracy's power, have to be a megalomaniac? The lore claimed Noxus was far more tame and peaceful when the Aristocracy was in power, so why is LB yet another insane, power hungry Noxian?
3. Swain opposed the Ionian campaign, so why does he have to immediately become a power mad tyrant upon finally disposing of Darkwill? Can we not go five minutes without a cartoon villain ruling Noxus?
4. Why do you HAVE to depict Sivir as only refusing to work with Noxus in their Ionian campaign because "their strategy sucked", as opposed to, you know, opposing slaughtering innocent people because LOLSTRENGTH?
5. Why is Miss Fortune constantly depicted as working with Noxians over anyone else, even though she's supposedly a pirate hunter and "good" Bilgewater resident, even sharing many of noble smuggler Han Solo's traits? I must have missed the movie where Han and Vader tag teamed.

But a few of many questions, all of that. And what kills me is, the final JoJs had Kat and Talon working alongside J4 for a greater good. Garen fended off his own soldiers to ensure they didn't harm the Noxians, and everyone was working to expose the JoJ's attempt to incite violence between Demacia and Noxus. I really thought you guys were moving past the saturday morning cartoon writing you were putting into Demacia/Noxus, and all of LoL's lore in general. But now I see you slipping back to all that Darkwill and PASSIONATE PASSION crap, and it bothers me more than your want to retcon everything. It's not enough that you want to retcon, but you want to only bring back the cartoonish writing? Come on.

No nation is entirely good or evil. No conflict is between entirely good and evil. No PERSON is entirely good or evil. And I think I speak for most of us when I say that we'd like for your lore to start reflecting that. A little less Katarina du Hitler wondering why the Ionians aren't thanking her for killing them, and a little more Katarina working with J4 for a lasting peace.

Yay, my first rant on the new boards.