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Please don't make Syndra one of those 'stealing magic from Ionia to power herself' tropes.

Overlord Forte·5/12/2017, 7:32:54 PM·19 votes·949 views

Hello,

Please don't make Syndra one of those 'stealing magic from Ionia to power herself' tropes (hi Zed), in so far as:

  • Her magic is some force that causes her to drain everything around herself to self-empower.
  • She actively pursues and steals other sources of magic to empower herself.
  • The utilization of her magic destabilizes Ionia or the world in some 'great power causes great damage just because you do it' trope vein.

I believe it very important to the sanctity of her character that her utilization of magic be, intrinsically, in a net neutral, or even net positive, manner. While she herself may direct it in other ways (e.g, destructively against Noxian occupiers or disobeying Ionian factions), the distasteful implication that she is somehow 'fundamentally flawed' due to the nature of her magic is completely avoided. Otherwise, you run the very real risk of distorting any other design decisions in her to the point their value is inconsequential, and flattens her character depth.

Self-pursuit of potential she already has, but lacks the training/education/practice to utilize is critical to what she does. Perhaps even to the tune of learning/studying from others (either in combat or through actual books, scrolls, etcetra). In essence, leaving her beyond the concerns many other mages have, and giving her a very different, and wholly Ionian, pursuit to the vast potential she commands.

Thank you for reading.

15 Comments

GreenLore5/12/2017, 8:35:05 PM9 votes

Well Syndra is pretty much defined by being this mage who has an extreme amount of magical power. Her getting this power from other sources,wouldn't really fit with her entire character(meanwhile this is actually fitting for Zed,since his lore included him breaking taboos for more power)

KoKoboto5/13/2017, 3:15:19 AM3 votes

I doubt Syndra would take power from Ionia let alone take powers from anything. She's more into her personal growth. Zed is about the true ninjas so he doesn't care about solo power and takes what he takes just to further his strength.

Also I don't think taking power from stuff is really a trope is it?

Arcus Diabolus5/13/2017, 5:08:53 PM2 votes

I'm more concerned with Kayle falling into the edgy "Blind Justice Angel" trope. People feel the need to make angels potentially evil or hard to side with for some reason and its getting annoying.

Felvyne5/13/2017, 10:45:56 PM1 votes

Probably Syndra will fall in something like she has so much power that disturbs the magic, or innately she draws a huge amount from the environment. And that would make sense: she is young and naive and uses her growing magic, Karma and her teacher knows she is a problem and try to limit her, she only notices that they try to seal her and she only wants to break free.

That wouldn't confront her current character I think.

Sexy Jack Rabbit5/13/2017, 11:12:19 PM1 votes

I think it'd be pretty cool if she could relate to the Vastayan in her struggles, as opposed to having the stereotypical "Mwhahaha I am so evil" kind of character. I love the idea of her being incredibly powerfuly and contemptful, but also curious and naive of the world.

ModAcademy Kayn5/14/2017, 5:56:02 AM1 votes

I don't understand where this concern came from. There's a huge distinction in her lore about her power being Natural and possibly infinite.

IamHuuVan5/14/2017, 7:21:30 PM1 votes

Syndra just use her own power around her to empower her. Anyway, if people don't read her lore clearly, they'll just see Syndra as a monster. Who knows anything about her daily life? We don't know beside training her power, what other things she do. This is why the term 'stealing magic from Ionia to power herself' is not appropriate, whoever said that.

Luashia5/15/2017, 4:37:55 PM1 votes

The current lore-idea behind Syndra is questioning the ways of Ionia. "Swim with the tide, or drown."

Ionia sticks with their old ways, of "balance" and "harmony", which may fit to the general mage, whose magic affects the environment and themself, but Syndra is special in that regard. Her magic is stated to be from an unkonwn source, not draining her or the environment she is in, that source is apparently infinite and she just needs to learn to control it.

Like Diana, Syndra is about a person who doesn't fit into a static society. While the Solari <-> Lunari arc is more about religion, Syndra's Arc is more about questioning the Ionan Society in itself.

It depends now on how they want to rewrite the society of Ionia, but I hope they don't want to make an Utopia out of Ionia and keep the story of "Not everyone can be squeezed into the mold you created."

If they keep the current idea behind Syndra gaining her strenght from an unknown source, then I hope riot will dive deeper into that and explain it some more.

Maybe they could simply make her nature about being in perfect balance with magic. Everytime she uses magic, it flows through her and she cleanses it, pretty much her being the natural solution of the planet itself to clean the mess which abusing magic created (if that arc of magic draining the planet is still in place). Yet Ionia's Society is too static to comprehend that, thus turning Syndra into the tragic fallen savior... but that might be too tacky. ^^

Anyway, there are enough decent possibilities, which are not the sterotypical "hurr-durr-evil-sorceress-theme".

Mannny5/16/2017, 2:51:38 AM1 votes

Last time I checked she was born with immense magical powers and potential so it wouldn't fit her lore if she had to steal magic. I doubt Riot will do that and I really hope they don't.