Syndra's Updated Lore

This is partly a copy paste from a comment i made earlier, but was developed a bit more, not trying to accuse the lore team of Riot baselessly, just want some clarifications, as well as to display my thought process if it helps her lore any. Lol, i'd really appreciate ur presence @Scathlocke and Overlorde forte crosses fingers hopefully xD

P.S. This references both The Dreaming Cave (leaked lore, which luckily ehlemayo managed to save before it was removed.) and The Dreaming Pool, but focuses on her Lore.

The color story i have less issues with than the lore. To the mains saddened that the story wasnt entirely told from her perspective, We could eventually see the interaction with the mentor/a color story entirely for her. This type of color story (where it's about her but not focusing on her) isn't new, and was used to varying degrees in both Rammus' and Janna's color stories. I think the color story was more so revealing a new, looming threat or wild card in the unveiling "change" that is coming. That's why i think it'd work better than if she was also present and a known threat developing alongside the noxian invasion in the past. I honestly think had just that interaction with the ghost willow been removed(her sapping its magic) and something else referenced instead, the story would've been fine, I found that description "ripped across the threshold of the spirit world", or something like that, quite interesting, gave a sort of exotic flair and actually corresponded pretty well with her splash art.

>With a sickening tearing sound, Syndra conjured another dark sphere—all of her bitterness, resentment and anger made manifest. Torn from the spirit realm across the threshold into reality, it hovered above her hand, slowly spinning. [from The Dreaming Cave version]

The lore on the other hand... I had issues with because it is a summary of the major influencing facet of her character, it gives us insight on her motives, what she does, her power etc. She was set up as a child with symptoms of ADHD lol, or at least was easily distracted by the world around her (which i found endearing lol) We then learn she's scolded and blamed for pretty much everything bad, then teased and picked on by the rest of the village. Also fine... well..... not fine morally haha, but in terms of story and development it's fine. But then we hear that her power is basically innately negative... pure negativity in fact, which i simply don't like. It's understandable that emotions will affect the power, and is a common trope, However the way the lore is set up it is implied no matter what happens her power is always gonna be innately negative. If you are gonna go down that route u HAVE to display the struggle she faces in terms of not letting it overtake her, You have to show her trying, not just referencing it off hand. That is what would make the mentor giving up on her all the more tragic, it gives us an actual pivot. If this route was taken i'dve been less disappointed as it's an understandable, sympathetic storyline with nuance...still wouldn't have really liked it as it's not "Syndra" her story revolved around her loving her power, loving the growth she experienced daily, thinking the mentor was helping her in developing her power seeking solace in that, only to find he's suppressing her power, his fear and possibly even jealousy causing him to threaten outright removal of what she loved resulting in an outburst of anger... instead we have a Champion who has seemingly lost her special unique attunement to magic (the spirit world aspect would likely remedy this imo and allows for more exploration to the nature of magic) at the same time seemingly removing her unlimitted potential and transcendence theme.....

Added to that, we now have the problem where her reaction isn't much of a pivot, something that we can clearly say justifies her reaction to the mentor's betrayal because the mentor himself is portrayed as more sympathetic than Syndra. It paints a picture where her destiny was always gonna go downhill, rather than her embracing her power, thinking she's being helped only to find her master actively plotting against her just cuz she's powerful, we have her being a negative affect on the environment, draining magic irrevocably and then a guy who's trying to help her who thinks it's the best option to limit her power and gives a sympathetic reason, we see next to nothing to justify her complete outrage other than a slight implication she was trying to control her powers.... We don't see anything saying she loves this aspect of herself.. Lux for example, was conflicted as hell and her powers weren't really doing anything negative vs a person who has been referred to as having Negativity incarnate... (and sure lux has a different personality but it's not like Syndra's unaware) we can sympathize with Syndra abit, but her reaction seems extremely exaggerated. and unrealistic, especially compared to the old lore... and this can be corrected just by changing how her power is described...... no.. not even described it was outright said it's negativity, Say her emotions color the magic but do not relegate it to something objectively bad and try to make her character seem relatable by using this type of storyline..to follow this storyline u kinda NEED a power that is effectively neutral, but due to the JUSTIFIED emotions of the character, becomes more volatile and dangerous cuz of the negative emotions. Change/reword the interaction between Syndra and the mentor (simply reusing the old lore's phrasing would likely be enough tbh.. or build upon the case to justify Syndra's reaction.

the nature of her power, there's little to suggest she loved it, in fact, in this theme of magic....her greatest slight is that gone is the fantasy of the mage with potentially limitless power, There's absolutely nothing to suggest what was arguably the most profound part of her, what separated her from other mages... instead u in fact have a set limit implied because in the original lore, it's not that her gifts weren't advancing, it was that they weren't advancing as prodigiously as they used to, and the reveal that it wasn't that her powers were finally plateauing, but that her mentor was trying to weaken her. Now we have her actually being weakened her powers and potential, seemingly are limited with nothing to hint otherwise.

Even just saying something like "the orbs are condensed spheres of raw magic, tainted by the compilation of all the pain and hate she's been subjected to/experienced", would show off her unusual attunement to magic, it builds upon how you are trying to reinvent how magic works in Runeterra (at least by humans) while not making her innately negative, (Tho i do prefer the "original" spirit world twist, cuz it implies she's not as restricted like normal mages.)

hmm.. i feel like there's a reference to Raven from teen titans that's gonna be made haha, i'll save my comments on that if it's brought up

PPS lol, this was largely typed on my phone during transit so didnt really have time to edit, so sorry for any typos/weird blobs.