So with Fiora's new lore, I'm a bit curious, and possibly confused about the state of Demacia. In some ways, it feels more cruel than Noxus. These people are so obsessed with honor that they're willing to kill each other for it, while dishonor means either the offender is exiled, or the entire family.
Then we have gender roles in Demacia. Fiora had to escape being seen as a political doll, but what does that mean for other Demacian women?
I think the thing that stuck with me most from Fiora's new lore is how Patriarchal Demacia was made out to be. Kind of ironic considering Demacia's the only major Runeterran nation with more female than male champions representing it in game.
Looking at that for some women, for instance Sona and Lux, these things don't affect them as much because they were raised in to this establishment and likely are more accepting of it, and overall seem content with the whole thing, but then we have Vayne, Shyvana and Quinn, who're all women in roles that are likely very peculiar from the perspective of a Demacian. Shyvana probably gets it worst because not only is she a woman, but she's also a half bred dragon. The two combined likely hamper her way more than if she was a man. Quinn'll probably get a lot of the "know your place" stuff since she's a woman from outside the capital.
Kinda speaks volumes to Jarvan considering he's on good terms with both of them and has a great deal of respect for them.
Now I'm wondering about what people in Demacia think of Vayne. Considering that she's the head of House Vayne, a hunter of monsters and wicked sorcery, and a woman.
Is it true that a homeless guy on the streets of Noxus can become a commander or general if he has proven himself on the battlefield?
That's pretty sick if that is true. I don't like Noxians but if they give everyone an opportunity to shine, regardless of social status, that philosophy is highly respected by me.
I agree that the new Fiora lore is a a new direction when it comes to gender roles in Demacia. This is definitely new, since there were no objections based on her gender in her old lore.
I'm not sure how having such sexist attitudes aligns with the women they have serving in the military. Traditionally serving in the military is a great leveler, because when you fight, bleed, and die in each other's company the walls tend to crumble and you take those attitudes home with you.
I'm sincerely hoping that the overwhelming sexism shown in the new lore is only a small percentage of Demacian culture. I'm not looking forward to each and every female Demacian champion having to overcome the obstacle of sexism. Poor Quinn already has to overcome classism and ageism but now she has to fight sexism too?
It has ramifications for every woman even associated with Demacia. With such a sexist culture, why to some of them stick around? Why doesn't Bandle City send a male ambassador? Kayle loves justice, but does her definition include inequality for women, or is she willing to put up with it because it's the closest she can get? Why doesn't Sona take a tour in Ionia and stay there?
Adding gender roles doesn't only affect the women. The men now have a choice between aligning with society (and being sexist) and being rebelliously progressive. Since Jarvan and Garen are both touted as ideal Demacian males, if Demacian ideals include sexism, they should be sexist, but I really don't want to see that played out.
I think Riot's writers are making an effort to ensure Demacia is not stuck in the clear role of "the good guys" compared to the "the bad guys" in Noxus. They seem to be trying to emphasize the rough parts of living in a society obsessed with justice and honor, so Demacian ideals can provide just as much personal conflict as the Noxian ideals that drive the likes of Riven and Darius. I am mostly pleased that they are keeping Demacia and Noxus in shades of grey, but I am a little concerned that they might spend too much time emphasizing they good parts of Noxus and the bad parts of Demacia that they will wind up simply switching which state is the obvious, if morally imperfect, "good" city-state.
It's kinda funny. Demacia sticks to tradition. Noxus experiments with new ideas.
So.. Basically like Japan?
It seems like the same Demacia too me. You break the law, you get executed.
[{quoted}](name=Chromatic Eagle,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=sw6lwvr4,comment-id=,timestamp=2015-10-08T21:03:36.324+0000)
So with Fiora's new lore, I'm a bit curious, and possibly confused about the state of Demacia. In some ways, it feels more cruel than Noxus. These people are so obsessed with honor that they're willing to kill each other for it, while dishonor means either the offender is exiled, or the entire family.
Then we have gender roles in Demacia. Fiora had to escape being seen as a political doll, but what does that mean for other Demacian women?
The only reason that House Laurent was to be exiled is because Fiora's dad fucked up big-time by trying to sabotage a duel. Duels are meant to be honorable battles, and breaking that honor - especially for a duel between nobles - is unthinkable. That's why they were to be exiled - and I'm sure that that punishment is quite rare indeed.
The only reason Fiora's dueled so many men is because they don't respect her, and because she prefers bladework to politicking anyways. Fiora'd much rather fight than deal with slights against her house in a more peaceful manner, and the men from other houses keep thinking that she's just a pretty face because of their gender roles. The two facts play off each other quite nicely.
Other Demacian women avoid dealing with gender roles - for the most part - by being warriors. Quinn and Valor proved themselves and got a fairly massive reward indeed - but it is mentioned that a lot of people in Demacia weren't happy with their becoming noble. Lux is in the military, which is likely to be a lot less restrictive due to its nature. Shyvana's a half-dragon - nobody's going to try and put her in a box she doesn't want to be in. Vayne doesn't give two shits about Demacian culture, given how obsessed she is with hunting down black magics. She likely never uses her noble status at all. Sona was born into it, but gained a special status because of her fame as a performer.
I actually really like it being clearly stated that Demacia is patriarchal. It plays up their hypocrisy and finally gives us something bad that we can hang on Demacia's door. Noxus has always been so evil in appearance and Demacia's never had something to tarnish their reputation. Now, things are a bit more grey between the two.
Go read Lux's Judgement. It's part of the old lore, so it's not really canon anymore, however you should find it to be an interesting spotlight on Demacia's other side.
