So Quinn's journal is presumably "closed" now, and it's been a great journey but the ending left me a little sour.
Quinn was an amazing opportunity to represent a side of Demacia that we've never been able to experience before - the lower class. All of the champions we've seen so far were either born into or have become the 1% of society, so all we knew of that entire region of Runeterra was its pomp and grandeur, its elegance and its class. We've seen it in Garen, Jarvan IV, Lux, Shyvana, Sona, Xin Zhao, Vayne... we know what that side of Demacia looks like.
But that's all we know.
Quinn began as a peasant, a naturalist living either in the slums of Demacia or outside the city entirely. Her story was ripe with opportunity to expand upon an entire lifestyle we know nothing about - the lower class and their culture, customs, dress. Quinn was a modest girl with aspirations of honor and grandeur, and she succeeded. It's an amazing feel-good story, poor girl in a utopian society that seems to have a distinct cut-off in class - the elite we know everything about, and the peasants who aren't worth mentioning unless they become the elite.
I'm disappointed that now we'll be treated to another high-class soldier in the Demacian tradition, in gleaming new armor and the expected customs and behavior of the highest class of citizen. As refreshing or different as Quinn will end up being, I can't get over the nagging feeling that she could have, probably should have been so much more.
I really don't know how to conclude this. I'm not presumptuous enough to demand a champion in the vein of what I've been hoping for, and I can't say I think Quinn's character is bad because she is now part of the Demacian elite. But I do think she certainly lost something with her promotion. I think the state of League of Legends lore could have been vastly improved by introducing this entire new class of people - the lower class - but now there's no opportunity until we get our hands on another champion down the pipeline.
That is, unless someone writes some Quinn fanfiction from before her feel-good story. Which I plan to do.
She may have been made a part of Demacia's elite, but does a common girl really belong there? Will she really find her place among those more or less born in golden armor, sword in hand?
As the journal hints, there are many who don't trust or believe in her. Jarvan IV's "enabling" of Quinn was a controversial decision. Even though she's been "promoted," the upper class--those who have been born into the elite--won't necessarily greet her with open arms.
Also, as a small detail we didn't cover in the journal, her parents are alive and she still has connections to the common folk of Demacia. She hasn't at all severed ties.
Don't be misled--the first part may be over, but this isn't going to be an easy journey for Quinn and Valor.
I realize that she won't be a "true" member of the elite society (all I can think of is Sunflash and Skarlath trying to become Abbot of Redwall), but I still think she loses a lot of character by making her a part of it - even one that isn't fully compatible.
On the Fields of Justice, because of her status Quinn won't be wearing the armor or outfit she wore before she tracked down the assassin; because of her status she won't be saying the same things she might have before she became an elite; because of her status she won't be treated the same as she would have before she tracked down the assassin.
Her culture and customs and lifestyle outside of the Fields are no longer going to be those of a member of the lower class. The way Demacia seems to be set-up, she won't be able to ever act like a lower-class citizen again, nor will she be treated like one. She won't be able to interact with the lower class without being given the respect her new position requires.
You haven't changed who Quinn is on the inside, but you've thrown away the opportunity to really investigate the lower class of Demacia with this champion because she's no longer part of it. Any kind of look into the lower class of Demacia through Quinn is now distorted by her elite status - corrupted would be a good word for it. The same way that viewing Hobbit society through the eyes of Gandalf is inherently tainted because he's simply not one of them, viewing the 99% of Demacian society is tainted now as well.
Edit: I realize I probably seem angry, but I'm really just disappointed. Like I said, the 10 Demacian-centric champions are all already upper class. Their dress, their lore, their place in society is going to be similar. Unless Quinn "falls" from the upper echelon of society, any future lore and any canon armor/uniform/outfit styling is going to be that same upper class we've already seen 10 times before.
Another thing I should mention (that will be apparent in her text bio, but might not have come across in the journal) - Quinn wanted to join the military, not necessarily the "upper class." She didn't want to come to the central city to attend royal balls or engage in all the formalities of noble life. In her heart of hearts, she belongs in the forests, she's a ranger at her core. The fact that she would rather live like a commoner but still serve in the military will be another element that puts her in conflict with her noble-born peers.
Back on topic with that in mind: I do understand what you're saying, but I believe Quinn will present several interesting opportunities to explore Demacian society. She's essentially caught in the middle--she's managed to rise above her common birth, but she doesn't truly belong among the elite (and she'll have a hard time actively trying to fit in the right way, though she may be urged by the more traditional around her). We'll still get some of that contrast--the common life vs. the life of the Demacian elite--even if it isn't in the exact flavor you're looking for.
Quote:
because of her status she won't be saying the same things she might have before she became an elite
I hope you're surprised when you hear her in-game dialogue, actually. She's very much a Demacian character, but she has a very different attitude than what you hear from the more "core" Demacian champions (Garen, Jarvan, Lux, etc).
Beyond what's in-game, though, I've never perceived Quinn to be the type to "change herself" depending on her societal position. Outside her relationship with Valor, she's very cut-and-dry with people, to the point, all business. She was like this as a commoner and she'll remain that way as a soldier.
@IronStylus and the Quinn Team
Quinn was an amazing opportunity to represent a side of Demacia that we've never been able to experience before - the lower class. All of the champions we've seen so far were either born into or have become the 1% of society, so all we knew of that entire region of Runeterra was its pomp and grandeur, its elegance and its class. We've seen it in Garen, Jarvan IV, Lux, Shyvana, Sona, Xin Zhao, Vayne... we know what that side of Demacia looks like.
But that's all we know.
Quinn began as a peasant, a naturalist living either in the slums of Demacia or outside the city entirely. Her story was ripe with opportunity to expand upon an entire lifestyle we know nothing about - the lower class and their culture, customs, dress. Quinn was a modest girl with aspirations of honor and grandeur, and she succeeded. It's an amazing feel-good story, poor girl in a utopian society that seems to have a distinct cut-off in class - the elite we know everything about, and the peasants who aren't worth mentioning unless they become the elite.
I'm disappointed that now we'll be treated to another high-class soldier in the Demacian tradition, in gleaming new armor and the expected customs and behavior of the highest class of citizen. As refreshing or different as Quinn will end up being, I can't get over the nagging feeling that she could have, probably should have been so much more.
I really don't know how to conclude this. I'm not presumptuous enough to demand a champion in the vein of what I've been hoping for, and I can't say I think Quinn's character is bad because she is now part of the Demacian elite. But I do think she certainly lost something with her promotion. I think the state of League of Legends lore could have been vastly improved by introducing this entire new class of people - the lower class - but now there's no opportunity until we get our hands on another champion down the pipeline.
That is, unless someone writes some Quinn fanfiction from before her feel-good story. Which I plan to do.
As the journal hints, there are many who don't trust or believe in her. Jarvan IV's "enabling" of Quinn was a controversial decision. Even though she's been "promoted," the upper class--those who have been born into the elite--won't necessarily greet her with open arms.
Also, as a small detail we didn't cover in the journal, her parents are alive and she still has connections to the common folk of Demacia. She hasn't at all severed ties.
Don't be misled--the first part may be over, but this isn't going to be an easy journey for Quinn and Valor.
On the Fields of Justice, because of her status Quinn won't be wearing the armor or outfit she wore before she tracked down the assassin; because of her status she won't be saying the same things she might have before she became an elite; because of her status she won't be treated the same as she would have before she tracked down the assassin.
Her culture and customs and lifestyle outside of the Fields are no longer going to be those of a member of the lower class. The way Demacia seems to be set-up, she won't be able to ever act like a lower-class citizen again, nor will she be treated like one. She won't be able to interact with the lower class without being given the respect her new position requires.
You haven't changed who Quinn is on the inside, but you've thrown away the opportunity to really investigate the lower class of Demacia with this champion because she's no longer part of it. Any kind of look into the lower class of Demacia through Quinn is now distorted by her elite status - corrupted would be a good word for it. The same way that viewing Hobbit society through the eyes of Gandalf is inherently tainted because he's simply not one of them, viewing the 99% of Demacian society is tainted now as well.
Edit: I realize I probably seem angry, but I'm really just disappointed. Like I said, the 10 Demacian-centric champions are all already upper class. Their dress, their lore, their place in society is going to be similar. Unless Quinn "falls" from the upper echelon of society, any future lore and any canon armor/uniform/outfit styling is going to be that same upper class we've already seen 10 times before.
Back on topic with that in mind: I do understand what you're saying, but I believe Quinn will present several interesting opportunities to explore Demacian society. She's essentially caught in the middle--she's managed to rise above her common birth, but she doesn't truly belong among the elite (and she'll have a hard time actively trying to fit in the right way, though she may be urged by the more traditional around her). We'll still get some of that contrast--the common life vs. the life of the Demacian elite--even if it isn't in the exact flavor you're looking for.
Beyond what's in-game, though, I've never perceived Quinn to be the type to "change herself" depending on her societal position. Outside her relationship with Valor, she's very cut-and-dry with people, to the point, all business. She was like this as a commoner and she'll remain that way as a soldier.