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On Leona's new Character Bio and the negativity sorrounding it.

Kadavik··30 votes·3,615 views

Like her new motivations and personality or not she is definitely more fleshed out than she used to be.

Leona's personality other than what little we were told about her was heavily molded by the community through constant fan comics fanart and fanfics. As time progressed everyone had the same head cannon about said characters.

"Leo is an all caring protector who would never harm anyone."

While one of Leo's most defining character traits was refusing to attack those she cared about and protecting them in no version of her old lore does she actively refuse to kill someone whom if not stopped would harm her people. You cannot say that "old" Leona would never rain fire on retreating murderers were she given the chance, because she never got the chance to do so in her previous lore.

But as time progressed we made assumptions, filled the gaps ourselves and collectively decided on this lovey dovey view of Leona. Now that our own head cannons are being shattered by this fleshing out of their personality we are lashing back. Think about how mad you are about how Leona's personality has changed. Now think to yourself how much of this "personality" is your own view of Leona and how YOU think she would act, not what we actually know from her old lore.

I personally like her much more now, she isn't as one dimensional as she used to be. Heck this "new" Leona even fits her in game personality much more. Leona is a heavy engage champion and is extremely aggressive in lane. She brings protection to her friends (Peel) and Death (Engage) to her enemies.

On the topic of Pantheon and Leo disliking each other I do admit it is a complete deviation from previous lore. However, I do believe this opens up way more possibilities story wise and adds a much needed internal conflict between the Rakkor and Solari which demonstrates their differing views. Overall I think these changes to Targon make it a much more interesting place overall and I'm willing to sacrifice "Old" Leona for that.

60 Comments

HowPlayGAEM13 votes

[deleted]

Remlap12233 votes

Except for the fact that Samus had literally no backstory outside of "she's actually a chick dude." I really think Leona is in a similar boat, simply because her backstory was your extremely old LOL lore.

Headcanon nazis are why I will never hear the Karma whines end. You would think from the way they go on that Riot turned a character from the best female protagonist of all time into a Gainaxing ball of sexism that can't go half of a second without making a reference to the fact that she is showing cleavage now...

Sharjo9 votes

I think you're trying too hard to discredit headcanon; dismissing a significant portion of fandom headcanon as one person's imagination is ridiculous.

I feel like even then you should always treat headcanon with a heavy amount of salt because it's based on assumptions. I have a crap ton of headcanons and I hold all of them as subject to heavy scrutiny and change because I can only draw conclusions from what's there, and that's certainly not the whole picture.

Kadavik5 votes

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiDsMrU5Z3LAhUO3iYKHT0UAQYQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgiphy.com%2Fgifs%2Fthe-office-thank-you-michael-scott-1Z02vuppxP1Pa&psig=AFQjCNG-XJJNrgAk09s4Gvsi6nm3ZwpNsg&ust=1456863516126830

Star Guardían2 votes

Same. I have lots of head canons and artistic preferences that Riot may or may not have as well. If they end up being true, great. If they end up being false, I move on even though it sometimes sucks.

Mandaari1 votes

The fact that Leona grew up breaking apart fights and standing up against her culture is not an assumption. Unless Riot inserts more information into her past with upcoming lore then that will never again be true.

Valaran Nara2 votes

[{quoted}](name=OMG halp meh plz,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=pwKHhsao,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2016-02-29T12:02:37.043+0000)

I think you're trying too hard to discredit headcanon; dismissing a significant portion of fandom headcanon as one person's imagination is ridiculous.

IMO, if the majority of certain headcanon is similar, then that means there are character traits that a universal audience recognizes and adapts.

I think the best example of this was Samus Aran. She was basically given a personality by the community since she was a silent protagonist, and when Other M turned her into some fearful idiot with daddy issues there was quite a lot of criticism.

Reminds me of the Fiora debacle. Fiora was always meant to be one way by League, but the fandom saw her as a young upstart.

Unfortunately, League didn't see that during the Fiora rework and kind of screwed the pooch on that. Which is why she looks like she's in her 30s now.

Star Guardían3 votes

I personally don't find anything wrong with a 30/40 year old Fiora's who is not conventionally "attractive".

Gapybo12 votes

I like the new lore. I think it give the characters more depth in every way. Old Leona never made much sense to me and her abilities and VO are definitely more fitting now.

Serika Zero3 votes

Diana is as plain as Annie's chest on the new lore >.> Depth??? No, she doesn't have that anymore.

Same thing for Phanteon.

Trylobyte9 votes

[{quoted}](name=Serika Zero,realm=EUNE,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=pwKHhsao,comment-id=00040000,timestamp=2016-02-29T18:11:47.884+0000)

Diana is as plain as Annie's chest on the new lore >.> Depth??? No, she doesn't have that anymore.

Same thing for Phanteon.

Pantheon never had any depth to begin with apart from his 'baker' comment, which was a joke. His whole thing was 'Guy likes war, wants to be perfect warrior.' You could argue he still doesn't have any, but at least now there's a reason he's shallower than a kiddie pool.

Diana is no longer 'scholar learns ancient secret, goes crazy, tries to fix old murders with new murders.' This is a positive development, since it makes her less of a raging hypocritical sociopath and more of an actual human being.

Serika Zero5 votes

Diana was more than "scholar learns ancient secret". She was a very good student of the Solari. Kind of like that class president you have in schools. Due to being so smart, she started to question the teachings passed down to her. Such a thing is not presented in the new lore. She questions them just because it fits the plot.

She accidentally discovered an ancient secret. Which the Solari society were hiding on purpose. Another thing lost in the new lore. The scheming and brain washing Solari members that tried to keep everyone from ever learning the truth (that a moon worshiping cult also existed). She is also to be executed without trial, right there at that point. And when she was about to die. The moon saved her.

Another thing totally lost in the new lore. In the new lore she gets a "Trial" where she is found guilty. The person that's supposed to kill her (Leona) is left alive.

Before it had hate, it had betrayal, it had depth. Now she fucking doesn't. She is the Generic Itachi >.>

Splision5 votes

But none of those things are lost in the new lore. You basically just described Diana's new lore. The only major difference is that Diana isn't on a crusade of vengeance.

GreenLore1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Serika Zero,realm=EUNE,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=pwKHhsao,comment-id=0004000000000000,timestamp=2016-02-29T18:47:56.561+0000)

Diana was more than "scholar learns ancient secret". She was a very good student of the Solari. Kind of like that class president you have in schools. Due to being so smart, she started to question the teachings passed down to her. Such a thing is not presented in the new lore. She questions them just because it fits the plot.

Uhm then what about this part of her old lore: "Though she was born to the Solari, Diana's inquisitive nature set her apart from her brethren. She had always found solace and guidance in the night sky, and questioned the dominance of the sun in her society. The Solari elders responded to her challenges with only derision and punishment"

This sounds a lot like old diana was already a troublemaker and kind of an outsider. I mean would you really say that someone who is punished by the upper guys on a regular basis is the kind of person who would become class president? No they are more likely to get isolated by others.

Before it had hate, it had betrayal, it had depth. Now she fucking doesn't. She is the Generic Itachi >.>

Well before she was the generic Sasuke uchiha who is all like "oh the superiors of this group did something bad(i don't care for their reasons),now I must kill them all(unless they convert)"

Serika Zero1 votes

Well before she was the generic Sasuke uchiha who is all like "oh the superiors of this group did something bad(i don't care for their reasons),now I must kill them all(unless they convert)"

superiors were about to cut my head, but i got moon powers and killed them instead, similar to leona's superiors were about to cut my head, but i got sun powers and it protected me

GreenLore1 votes

I was more referring to:

Diana wages a dark crusade against the sun-worshiping Solari [...] She now presents her foes with a terrible ultimatum: revere the moon's light, or die by her crescent blade.

Which basically says that afterwards she was going to fight the solari as a whole.

JacctheInsomniac5 votes

[deleted]

Pyrodinium1 votes

Except that in the old lore she becomes vengeful at the very last moment.

While violent avenging Diana is quite badass, I always felt a big disconnect between her original person and her post-transformation persona. She became murderous and fanatical where she used to be inquisitive and driven.

Not to mention my biggest issue with the original Diana lore: IT ACTUALLY FRAMES THE ASSHOLISH SOLARI ELDERS AS BEING RIGHT IN TRYING TO COVER UP THE CULT OF THE MOON, GIVEN THAT THE LUNARI EVIDENTLY ARE COLD-HEARTED KILLERS.

GreenLore1 votes

While I agree that diana became a bit too good,I think her previous hatred was rather irrational.

I mean she pretty much went from "hmm maybe we should also worship the moon" to "only the moon is good all sun worshippers must die or convert",which really seemed over the top,especially since her lore made it pretty clear that many solari had no clue about the lunari. It felt more like a lame excuse to turn her into the tragic villain and made it questionable if this isn't the influence of the moon.

In the end my hope for the new lore is that she'll be developed a bit more into a morally darker character,but in a believable way(so a middle ground between new and old would be good)

GreenLore11 votes

Yeah the problem is that we got only a very small amount of characterisation,which people started to interpret in their own way or which is pretty much everything the people clung onto.

I mean the friendship between Pantheon and Leona never really made that much sense,after all Pantheon is someone who enjoyed battle,who enjoyed war,which kinda went against Leonas whole character.It looked more like they were childhood friends merely because they were from the same tribe.

Kadavik4 votes

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjUmpfa5p3LAhVIKCYKHWPcAUoQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgiphy.com%2Fgifs%2Fbreaking-bad-walter-white-bryan-cranston-U1XhGr8CWqvVC&bvm=bv.115339255,d.eWE&psig=AFQjCNE9Mpsehv3F9w4ulxcNGQwF4AFL_g&ust=1456863791796840

Trylobyte9 votes

My simple take on the old lore vs. new lore was always, if Leona is solely a protector who would never hurt anyone, then why does she have a sword? Agreed that her new characterization gives her more depth and makes more sense. She's less of a soft, fluffy pile of loving joy like people used to see her and more of a hardass paladin like she is ingame.

Embertine9 votes

To me, it seemed like Riot was changing Leona to be more like how she is in both the game and how we meme her.

In game she's a force to be reckoned with, hunting down foes and locking them in place for her team, and ensuring that her team mates can escape by either stalling, or sacrificing herself to stop the enemy, often times their whole team.

As for the memes, she's always been depicted as both a caring individual and a true zealot in every sense of the word.

To me Riot has remade her lore to reflect what myself, and many others saw Leona as. A strong woman whom had a caring heart, but also dedicated to her religion and fully willing to cleave a man in two.

To me she simply coincides with how I've always seen her.

Nahara9 votes

I don't really get how people saw her as someone who would "never harm anyone". I mean...

Leona "Stand and fight." Leona "I will break their line." Leona "They will be sundered."

She sounds pretty willing to wreck someone to me.

Kadavik7 votes

Don't forget my favorite.

Leona I think I broke a nail! Good thing it wasn't mine ;)

Shac Norris7 votes

Nobody that disliked this post actually read it. Typical boards users.

Kadavik3 votes

Don't worry, if it happens again I'll give you a call and you'll roundhouse kick them for me ;)

Edit: Get it? Chuck Norris? Eh? Anyone? :(

ADepressedLeona7 votes

A while ago I made a thread depicting my own opinion. Leona has always been my favorite and most played champion since her release. I loved her caring nature and her personality. At first, the new lore rubbed me the wrong way. It was jarring to see my absolutely favorite character be changed in such a way. But the more I read it, the more I enjoyed it. The more I understood what the writers were going for. I like it a lot more and it really does add a layer of depth to Leona that I really enjoy

Kadavik3 votes

Exactly! :D Thats what I was going for.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiiwpGj5p3LAhXCTCYKHZL6CTgQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2Fgallery%2FxZ2sEbd&psig=AFQjCNGAGt23PCxVkwN_D66rz_mvLo5nVA&ust=1456863679004023

Star Guardían5 votes

I couldn't have said it better. 100% agree.

JacctheInsomniac3 votes

[deleted]

Kadavik6 votes

I like her better this way she is no longer insecure and is ready to kick some ass. I'm exited about that.

JacctheInsomniac4 votes

[deleted]

Kadavik1 votes

To each their own I guess, no need to hate.

Edit: Also by ready to kick some ass I mean that she's ready to get some story progression other than her evolution as a character. Because she has advanced as a character and has a clear mindset we can move forward with the story.

JacctheInsomniac5 votes

[deleted]

Kadavik2 votes

The same could be said about the old lore though.

Leona was born into the Rakkor tribe She is being executed for being too passive In complete Deus Ex Machina style the sun blasts her executioners away. Leona gets new powers and is elected by the sun as the new radiant dawn.

The only difference here is that Leona isn't the perfect character we thought we knew. She has flaws. But likable characters aren't always good characters. Creative Writing 101.

333lom6 votes

The thing is, Leona was far from perfect in her old lore. This thread is so full of people ready to hate on those who aren't satisfied with the new lore. I don't understand this.

In the old lore, the Deus Ex Machina served only as a physical event that created an opportunity. In the new lore, the Deus Ex literally influenced the character's personality and thoughts themselves, and that's why it's bad.

One of the very important things a story should provide is a character with which the audience can bind. New Leona is not that. She was turned into a plot device, a side-character for Diana's heroic journey.

Your arguments as I understand are: -old Leona was a one-dimensional character -We projected our headcanons and that's why we're wrong -She's more like her in-game personality -You like the new Leona

My counter arguments: -Old Leona had a very short lore. We barely knew anything about her. But what we did know, was solid as a rock. She defended other weak children, and felt guilt for their deaths later on, because they didn't learn how to fend for themselves. She again refused to kill, when her culture was forcing her to. This shows she thinks for herself and doesn't want to do what she's told, just because it's tradition. The new Leona lost this aspect, as she's fully indoctrinated by the Solari faith. It says so. She's a mentally weak character because she followed her tradition, listened to Solari Elders and literally had no voice of her own. Then the Deus Ex Machina moment strikes her when she manages to climb the mountain. Even if she becomes a protector then, it goes against the just mentioned character in the new lore. A very unreasonable, sharp turn, for something trying to be character development.

In the new lore, I see a very generic zealot character who at the end of the story sees enlightenment. Old Leona was going against this trope, as she was the paladin of a zealous group, but not a zealot herself, because she wasn't one of them. She came from another tribe. Why they thought they couldn't have continued this way, I have no idea. It could have been nicely continued with Leona renouncing the Solari Elders and trying to reason with Diana. Diana would have had an arc where she's battling her hatred towards the Solari and getting to terms with her vision that they should in fact work together.

I liked her old lore because she was strong and skilled enough to take an entire Noxian legion perhaps, but she believed that a soldier's true strength lied in her ability to defend and protect.

-In-game, Leona is a support. With lots of stuns and small damage. If she was imagined as a killer from the start, she would have been a fighter. Maybe like Diana?

I love the new lore surrounding Mount Targon itself. I really like the idea of the otherworldly creatures appearing, because that gives a reason for the existence of the Rakkor. But I did not automatically accept every lore change because I think for myself and I know a lot about tropes and character development.

CritDoge2 votes

{quoted}

In the old lore, the Deus Ex Machina served only as a physical event that created an opportunity. In the new lore, the Deus Ex literally influenced the character's personality and thoughts themselves, and that's why it's bad.

THANK you.

Also, has everyone forgotten that whole thing where Leona refuses to kill the other Rakkor during the trial by combat and that's why she was SENTENCED TO BE EXECUTED?

I don't get how she suddenly turned into a religious fanatic that literally took BEING POSSESSED to turn her into someone who wasn't a complete asshole.

Kadavik1 votes

We aren't hating on old Leona, we simply think the hate new Leona is getting is out of hand and misplaced.

Her being a zealot at first brings more personality to her character. She isn't all good from the start, but changes once she receives this new revelation. This makes her a much more believable character. People don't always keep the same views for their entire life and neither should good characters.

I remember when I first started posting on these boards. I had a very different view on the course narrative should have taken, but over time my views changed. Heck 333Lom you were the first person to comment on my very first thread. It sucks that we have different opinions this time around.

http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/story-art/vPHEBpwB-lets-all-cooperate-to-give-riot-our-opinions-and-ideas-for-the-direction-of-leagues-new-lore

GreenLore1 votes

I feel like her previous character was extremely mary sue-ish. I mean out of a bunch of brutal warriors she is the undeniably good one who stands up against the barbaric traditions and even in the past she always protected the weaker members of her tribe. Instead of receiving the punishment for such a behavior she gets chosen by a deity for this and receives new powers from it,which turn her into a high ranking character of a mighty faction in pretty much no time at all.

Even out of the Diana-solari conflict she was pretty much the only purely good character as both the elders and diana were morally rather dark(grey at best,black at worst)

And said self doubts make her even more mary-sue-ish in my opinion as they are a common characteristic for mary sues to make them even more likeable. They are like "her big flaw is that she doesn't know how good she is herself is/that she thinks she should do even more to help people"

Splision1 votes

That was before the retcon.

Jeddy0173 votes

Eh,I came to terms with new Leona because of what they said in the lore podcast. The new bios are meant to be the foundations of the champs.They're meant to set up futures stories & developments.They're not "End all,Be all" ,set in stone biographies that tell us the whole life,or in some case existence (Kindred),of these champions.Leona may very well develop INTO a character more similar with her old self.

Xulsigae1 votes

Lores change faster than the champion quotes do. If Poppy was to get story progression to where she realizes she's the hero, Riot would have to update her quotes to match that, which they are unlikely to do. She's kinda locked into not being able to progress as a result.

Jeddy0171 votes

Yeah,Riot is going to have to work on that issue where lore developments/updates contradicts or doesn't match the stuff in-game.

Narsicus3 votes

So......

Your argument against people who say "This new lore changes the characters into things I do not like" is "Well I like the changes so you are wrong"

The fact of the matter is that every character you have ever read or seen is created by yourself, you were prompted along the way sure but in the end you are the one who gave them the personality. Where one person saw a defender who uses force only if absolutely necessary another can see an aggressive warrior who is only protective toward her people.

In the end this new Leona and the other champions offer neither significantly more nor less in the way of development than they had previously, it just makes them different. And to many it would seem that these differences are in what were considered their core values.

You may be willing to sacrifice old Leona or Pantheon for the new but others don't seem to feel the same way, and calling them out as being 'wrong' because their thoughts went beyond what lore was given only ensures that everyone is wrong whenever they attempt to understand how these characters will act.

KING OF MASKS2 votes

I like how the new lore pushes her firmly into the ballpark of zealous, vengeful crusader, as opposed to having her be some kind of vague sun paladin.

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