Shout out to Gregori, the unsung hero who gave us Annie

Totally Not Jinx··88 votes·3,352 views

Seriously, as much as I despise that heckin Stepmonster of hers, Annie's dad never wavered in loving his child. Even until the moment he died, he did it for Annie.

I had a hard time feeling bad for Leanna at any point in that story, because she was just determined to hate on Annie as much as possible.

79 Comments

HalcyonDweller14 votes

I wholeheartedly agree, Leanna seemed to have made the mistake of assuming children are as aware and malicious as adults are and she judged Annie wrongly for it.

Even from her limited perspective, thinking that Annie somehow caused her stepsister to fall in the river, with children it is more likely to be an accident, while an adult it would be more reasonable (at least compared to a child, that is) to think malicious intent was involved.

Ralanr27 votes

Fear makes us do stupid things. The stepmother put her own child first and I cannot fault her for that.

Annie to a normal person is a scary being.

HalcyonDweller7 votes

Ok that's fair, I didn't really take into consideration how Leanna felt. Bit of a problem of mine, I side quite strongly with the primary characters in stories I consume.

The Goodest Boy11 votes

It's okay! I felt the same way when Leanna asked Annie "what's wrong with you" as if Annie wasn't a child and didn't know what she was doing. SHE was the adult, she was the mature on who was supposed to deal with the situation, NOT the child. A bit incredulous to be honest; but that is how some people are.

Age doesn't signify maturity in an situation, and Leanna, with her always siding with her own daughter and chastising Annie's every action (despite Leanna KNOWING Annie was born TO A WITCH) was not a mature woman.

She absolutely lost her own child, and reacted accordingly. But up until that point she was.. questionable.

those are my thoughts, anyways!

Totally Not Jinx8 votes

I honestly think Annie also brings up some untold bitterness for Leanna, because of how much Gregori loves her.

You can kind of see it in her eyes after he comforts Annie over the fight with Daisy, and Leanna just WON'T LET GO.

HalcyonDweller4 votes

Jealousy is a powerful force for evil. :(

The Goodest Boy8 votes

That's probably true! However, Leanna must have known about the fate of Gregori's wife when she got together with him. And if Leanna was really that insecure about her relationship with Gregori... that's her own issue.

In the end, this is new lore, and I think we should probably be talking more about what this means for Annie as a character, and less about whether Leanna was bad or not.

Did Leanna cause Annie to burn down the house by saying she wasn't her child? Yes. Did she probably teach Annie that people would hate her and her powers, regardless of how nice Annie actually was? Yep. Is she a large factor in Annie's current situation and character? Totally.

rtbf2256182411 votes

But...no. She wasn't. She was obviously blinded by her own love for her child (understandably) too much to view Annie objectively.

I'm going to go out on a long-shot and assume that I'm a normal person. To me, Annie was completely normal. She was behaving like a kid and showed shame visibly. Leanna had an inborn hatred for her because she wasn't hers, i guess and never wanted her despite Annie never showing any resentment. She even reached out for her when the house burned down in a final attempt to say "I really am sorry." and she ripped her last chance apart.

I didn't feel sorry for her.

Ralanr4 votes

Children however can lie, and Annie is not normal. I don’t think Leanna understands just how Annie’s fire powers work.

Annie doesn’t either.

rtbf2256182411 votes

Annie seems sincere. She wasn't deceptive or anything. She never hid her actions.

Ralanr2 votes

seems

Look, children can hide their feelings. I’m not saying Annie was lying, I’m saying that people could interpret the girl with fire powers that happened to be the only one nearby when their kid was killed as lying and not trustworthy.

rtbf2256182411 votes

Okay but Annie is about 8 years old canonically. Does noone actually know her? The stepwhore, sure. But referring to "people" using an exceptional asshole as a template is a pretty severe assumption imo.

Ralanr3 votes

Her father knew her, which is why he trusted her.

But beyond that, no one really knows her.

Put yourself in the stepmother’s shoes. You just lost your biological child and the only one left is a girl who has flame tendencies and has had issues with your daughter before.

It’s not at all unreasonable to not trust Annie from her perspective.

rtbf2256182411 votes

It's not like she ever gave Annie a chance. She overreacted to everything, more like a child than Annie was.

It seems to me like she hated Annie from the start because it wasn't her child, it was a reminder that there had been someone else Gregori loved. I suppose it may have been that Annie is an afterimage of her mother.

Ralanr1 votes

Or because, you know...Annie has literal fire powers and is by all accounts a freak of nature.

rtbf2256182411 votes

This is Runeterra we're talking about. How bizarre can it be? Did Gregorie never tell Leanna that her wife was a fucking witch? Had she not seen magic before?

Ralanr2 votes

Magic is actually not as common in Runeterra. The champions are exceptions to the rule.

And no, I don't think telling your wife that your previous wife was a witch ever came up.

The Goodest Boy1 votes

HI there! I'd like to say you're right about magic being really uncommon, but I'd also like to point out that, in Noxus especially, magic doesn't exactly seem to be shunned. You can see this by fact of Swain making no effort to hide his clearly magical arm.

That said, we have nothing saying whether people accepted Gregori''s wife or not, so it's up for debate. The short story is neutral on it:

Gregori the Gray and his wife, a witch by the name of Amoline, preferred to demonstrate their Noxian strength by taming the borderlands, rather than partaking in the political intrigue of the noble houses.

Don't take it as fact, but interpret it however you'd like.

rtbf2256182411 votes

I'd say magic is known throughout the world to exist at least. The setting is on the outskirts of Noxus, i think and it would have to be mere weeks after Annie's mother died that this bitch would not realize she is only grieving her which is where the anger is coming from. The pyromancy is basically just a nazi excuse for her to hate her, it seems.

Ralanr1 votes

I think you're vastly underestimating the fear one would have if they have a child that could literally produce fire.

rtbf2256182411 votes

I think you're ignoring that Eleanna would then underestimate that it's a little girl who just lost her mother, assuming Eleanna is fairly recent and obviously doesn't know Annie that well.

Because her father doesn't care about the pyromancy at all. It's literally just something she was born with and can't control.

Rolling Girl6 votes

{quoted}

Fear makes us do stupid things. The stepmother put her own child first and I cannot fault her for that.

Annie to a normal person is a scary being.

I think part of the reasoning is that as the roster of League of Legends is so filled with magically infused humans, otherworldly monsters, deadly shadow ninjas, and occasionally happy tree men, it's difficult to remember that these sorts of characters are still not the norm within Runeterra.

Because the game can't exactly give us Philip the regular carpenter as a champion it can be hard to remember that this world is filled with a lot more Philips than Annies

Kitty Cat Tosha2 votes

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella_effect

It's unfortunately not uncommon in stepparents

Electro5222 votes

There is one thing that I think all parents should try and remember:

Children do not lie.

Now, I know what you're saying "But Electro, of course they do." Thing is.....they really don't. The only time they do lie is when they are trying to protect themselves. When they feel that they are in trouble, and have done something wrong, they will lie in order to keep themselves from getting in trouble. If someone else is to get in trouble, they will gladly tell the truth. Now, of course this does change as the child gets older, and their mind becomes more complex, but for the age Annie is at in the cinematic, this fact still holds true.

And that is exactly what Annie did.....she told the truth. How do you think Gregori and Leanna would have found out about it? She is old enough to know that there was nothing she could do, and she even tried to save Daisy, and since she knew this (and I'm sure due to how well Gregori treats her), she came home to give the bad news.

But Leanna didn't know that fact......that Annie was telling the truth because Annie knew there was nothing she could have done......but due to her actions towards Daisy, and her overall behavior, Leanna came to the conclusion that Annie was lying, and had killed her daughter.

Had she known or remembered the fact that children do not lie in general, and only due so to protect themselves.........then Annie may very well not be an orphan.

revliledpembroke5 votes

Children only lie to protect themselves

Like, say, protecting yourself from being punished for murdering your step-sister?

HalcyonDweller1 votes

Annie wouldn't think that way about it, if she were then she would have concealed what happened.

Kids are too innocent to notice when something that is the truth could appear to be a lie to somebody else.

Electro5222 votes

^This.

I did have a feeling that someone would call me out on that, but I couldn't figure out a way to work around it. So, I just kept it.

That said, if Annie had done something to cause her death, than she may very likely have tried to keep herself out of the picture. Like "Oh, she will be home soon." She wouldn't have told them at all of what happened, and tried to make it seem like she wasn't even there when it happened.

Oxyrotten2 votes

{quoted}

I wholeheartedly agree, Leanna seemed to have made the mistake of assuming children are as aware and malicious as adults are and she judged Annie wrongly for it.

Even from her limited perspective, thinking that Annie somehow caused her stepsister to fall in the river, with children it is more likely to be an accident, while an adult it would be more reasonable (at least compared to a child, that is) to think malicious intent was involved.

Or was it an accident? You saw the bear start to ignite as they were holding on to it.

Muwahahaha! The seeds of doubt have been sewn.

HalcyonDweller2 votes

Nah I'm fairly confident that was an accident. The bear is just the conduit for her power. That power leaks out whenever she feels strong emotions. So fear for her sister's safety would also spark it just as much as anger or other things.

Oxyrotten2 votes

{quoted}

Nah I'm fairly confident that was an accident. The bear is just the conduit for her power. That power leaks out whenever she feels strong emotions. So fear for her sister's safety would also spark it just as much as anger or other things.

Didn't you see the cryptic pictures she drew, pictures of her dead mother, and pictures of leaving the new step-mother and step-sister out in the cold and dark, not accepting them as family? Didn't you hear her describe how Tibbers tears at the neck of another creature in "harmless play"? Did you hear how Daisy mocked Tibber's when she stole him, as if Annie had already sewn the seeds of resentment and hate? And that smile when she got angry and burnt her sister? Did you see that devilish grin at her step-sister crying? And the disappointment when her step-mother came hearing the cries to ruin her fun? She was smiling again when describing the incident to her father, as if she enjoyed burning and scaring her step-sister wasn't she, "Daisy started it"? Then pouting like a child to manipulate her father, and grinning over his shoulder at her step-mother as if she had won, you saw that right? Her father consoling the step-mother in conflict and depression, knowing the evil that his daughter contained? And when the step-mother accused her of being a monster, did the father say anything in protest? No, he remained silent... And when she screamed in hatred at her step-mother right before murdering her in fiery rage, did you not see the darkness that poured from her?

Annie the dark child. [slayer-jinx-wink]

HalcyonDweller1 votes

I don't recall seeing any such malicious behaviors or grins. I remember the drawings but I'll have to rewatch it to see the context in which it was shown.

it is certainly possible that Riot intentionally left things open ended for perspectives such as yours and mine to coexist supported by the animation, but for now I'm not inclined to believe your viewpoint of things.

Oxyrotten2 votes

{quoted}

I don't recall seeing any such malicious behaviors or grins. I remember the drawings but I'll have to rewatch it to see the context in which it was shown.

it is certainly possible that Riot intentionally left things open ended for perspectives such as yours and mine to coexist supported by the animation, but for now I'm not inclined to believe your viewpoint of things.

Boooo!!

GIve in to the dark side! We have cookies, and children love cookies! What more proof do you need?

HalcyonDweller3 votes

Alright I see what you're up to now.

[zombie-brand-facepalm]

My mistake.

Wrathof30014 votes

##GregoriTheGray #BestDad2k18

Player3Th0mas10 votes

What I wasted to know was if the sisters were blood sisters or sisters because their parents married.

The woman calls Annie "your child", which can mean that she doesn't see Annie as he own anymore or that Annie is actually not hers

Ebonmaw Dragon36 votes

{quoted}

What I wasted to know was if the sisters were blood sisters or sisters because their parents married.

The woman calls Annie "your child", which can mean that she doesn't see Annie as he own anymore or that Annie is actually not hers

The lore explains it better, no they arent blood sisters, the actual mother of Annie died (or dissapeared its not really clear).

Player3Th0mas3 votes

Ah okay thanks! Haven't read the (updated) lore yet.

Darius Strada2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Ebonmaw Dragon,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=K08zdosf,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2018-02-01T22:20:38.782+0000)

The lore explains it better, no they arent blood sisters, the actual mother of Annie died (or dissapeared its not really clear).

Annie's parents are same as in the old lore but they retired magics to live a normal life since they were going to have a daughter.

The Ecdysiast9 votes

Greg #1 Dilf in Runeterra

AbiwonKenabi7 votes

Some Kudos to Amoline, Annie's real Mom, who made Tibbers.

Oxyrotten6 votes

BUT IS TIBBERS STILL A CAPTURED PYROBEAR OR NOT?

WHY NOBODY ANSWERS ME?

Papa Andrei6 votes

I was damn near close to tears from that video solely cause Gregori. I would love more story on him, maybe like a journal he kept that shows us more about Noxus?

AninLegions7776 votes

If I was Gregori, I would do the same. HOWEVER, you cannot knock Leanna's reaction. Losing her daughter was really hard. Then she lost her husband. And let's be honest, that was Annie's fault.

Totally Not Jinx1 votes

I don't doubt that Leanna's reaction was genuine, I just feel like even though Annie was a troublesome presence, Leanna could've probably been a little more mature about it, at least up until Daisy died.

I won't fault her her emotions at that point, because as a mother my soul was crushed watching literally that entire cinematic.

AninLegions7772 votes

What I believe is, Leanna was jealous of Annie because she knew, that no matter how hard she tried, Gregori would never love her as much as he loved Annie. So that sowed a little seed of bitterness in her. So I'm guessing she kept trying so hard to find faults in Annie to make Gregori love her less but it didn't work and she just kept getting more frustrated.

4th3t0s5 votes

Just wait, they'll retcon Leanna as Kassadin's wife, despising magic after what happened to him; Daisy somehow pulled into the void through that river, soon to be released as next champion with some kind of twisted vendetta against Annie.

I Main Swain6 votes

{quoted}

Just wait, they'll retcon Leanna as Kassadin's wife, despising magic after what happened to him; Daisy somehow pulled into the void through that river, soon to be released as next champion with some kind of twisted vendetta against Annie.

but didnt kassadins stuff happen AFTER his daughter was claimed by the void?

Hexs Fortune2 votes

Annie probably wasn't her biological daughter. Both Leanna and the other girl had blonde hair to annie and the fathers darker colors

Totally Not Jinx2 votes

Oh, for sure, it's in her Lore. Hence why I called her the Stepmonster [slayer-jinx-wink]

For real tho Leanna was a DICK to Annie, for no reason.

Glory ln Death6 votes

You move from a comfortable life in the city to the untamed frontier, filled with monsters and demons and whatnot. Your husband dies, leaving you alone as a single mother in that setting. There is a single father nearby with a daughter the same age as yours. Being a single parent on the frontier is tough and lonely. You decide to get married, although it's more of a marriage of convenience, rather than love - pickings are slim on the frontier. But he's good to you, and it seems like it's working out. However, his daughter is troubling. She won't open up to you, unable to accept that her own mother is dead. She is overly attached to her stuffed bear and throws tantrums anytime she is separated from it, and has a fiery temper, anyways. You begin to notice strange occurrences around her - the fireplace lights itself, candles flare when she is angry, etc. You remember the story of her mother's death, when the daughter had such a hot fever, she couldn't even be touched - but was miraculously fine the next day. Your husband does not share your concerns - he passes them off as slips of the mind or tricks of the light. Then, there begin to be incidents - the two girls get into fights and arguments. When these happen, you find that your daughter has burns - especially when the fight involves the bear. You're sure, now - she somehow controls fire, and is hurting your daughter. Still, your husband turns a blind eye and refuses to do anything about it. She is dangerous. The tantrums and the burns get worse and worse, until, one day... She comes home without your daughter. Her bear is smoking and smells of burnt flesh, like it often does after a fight. Your daughter is dead.

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