Riven might oppose Swain's regime, but would she make friends with any Demacians to try and achieve her goals?
Seems like fanfictions depict her frequently as either amicable or outright friendly towards Demacians and even Ionians.
Riven is a 'traditional Noxian', who firmly believes in 'might makes right', generally speaking. However, the duty of the superior is to reform and uplift the weak, to make them strong, such that they can be fought to create an even stronger person afterword. Slaughtering the weak is against this ethos, and there is probably some contention on using 'allied states' in war because that is not Noxus' own strength being used. I imagine the latter point might be a good philosophical argument for them.
Thus, it would make sense for Riven to be against the Demacians, especially if she opposes Demacian values - where they seem your more typical Germanic/English monarchy rule and all that entails for the citizenry. It would be more accurate to say Riven 'hates' Demacia and its way of life, not the people. The people are just the vessels that can be changed, but the ideology is what corrupts them. The same brush can be used for Ionia, really.
The core issue is that Riven isn't portrayed as a traditional Noxian, or a radical/believer of any kind. She's stuck in this pity-pot mode and 16 year old anime girl angst that buries most of the intrigue her character is based on.
I don't know why people portray her the way they do. She is good as far as Social Darwinists go, but considering our moral values differ harshly such that they are insurmountably different that wouldn't mean much to us.
IIRC, one of her problems in previous lore was not that Noxus invaded Ionia. It was that Noxus engaged in mere slaughter rather than properly reforming the Ionian people. But what drove her away was not the use of Chemical weapons on either the Ionians nor her own. It was the origin of those weapons.
When Rivens forces were ambushed, they were practically doomed. The Ionian's had the advantages of surprise, position and numbers. Riven was going to die and she accepted that. It was completely consistent with her view. If the Ionians won, they did so of their own strength and they deserved to win. If Noxus won they would have done so by their own strength and deserved to win. But that's not what happened.
The weapons which were used in that battle were owned by and use by Zuanian forces. It was through their use that Noxus came out on top over the Ionians in that fight. And THAT was the unforgivable sin that drove her into a self-imposed Exile. Noxus had won the battle by relying not on their own strength, but on the strength of another. That was in her mind, when Noxus ceased to be; the new Noxus being some pretender that she could not fight for.
You can't rely on fan fiction writers. :)
As an "exile," I'm sure Riven would accept any help from any source. This would include Demacians, Ionians and other Noxians not loyal to Swain.
The real issue would be whether or not Riven would be welcomed by the aforementioned groups, given her membership in the Crimson Elite, one of Noxus's most prestigious military squads.
It's a very simplistic idea to have the enemy of my enemy instantly become my friend.
I think Riven could accept anyone who can prove their worth, regardless of origin, much like traditional Noxus values; those with the will to succeed can, and should be respected for doing so.
doubt she is much of a fan of demacians or ionians. All this "lets help the weak" is probably not her thing,but she would probably respect their strongest warriors to some extent.
I think Riven values strength above all else, even nationalities. I believe she could definitely respect Demacian champions for their feats on the battlefield, like Garen/J4/Xin. And despite what all the fanfic writers would have you believe, I don't think she'd take a shine to Lux. I'd imagine Riven views magic as a weak practice that people who must rely on other "crutches" besides their own personal fortitude cling to in order to maintain power. She might view Quinn in a positive light, as one who is able to survive on their own in the wilderness has to be unquestioningly tough.
Basically, if you've proven to the world (or the IoW, such as it is) that you're a competent warrior on your own merit, I think you'll have Riven's respect.
