Champion Reworks
In the game League of Legends, the player controlled characters are known as "champions." On occasion, a champion creates too many problems for the game's balance or makes so little sense conceptually that he/she/it has to be "reworked."
Poppy was one of the original champions, and her abilities were very simple and one-track. Her ultimate, "Diplomatic Immunity," was one of the most overpowered abilities in the game.
She was stale, conceptually uninteresting, and unbalanced; her rework was long overdue.
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| "Classic Poppy" Original and Reworked |
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| In-game Models (eclypsia.com). |
This video explains her balance issues and abilities better than I can, and it was made before the official rework was announced (language warning).
Poppy
Henceforth: "Old Poppy" will refer to Poppy before Riot reworked her, and "New Poppy" to after.
Champion reworks, as opposed to lower scale changes, touch nearly every aspect of a champion's identity and game-play. With the Poppy rework, her lore was changed, as were her voice-over and quotes (which modifies personality as well).I began to play Poppy long before she was reworked. Old Poppy was very intriguing to me because, as concerns both her in-game personality and her role within a team, she seemed both 1 dimensional and 3 dimensional at the same time. She was also one of the few champions to be popularly designated a "hypercarry," (a champion strong enough to win a game by herself if played correctly).
| Old Poppy's Champ Select Voiceover in various languages. |
Every champion has jokes, dances, and other ornamental features that don't affect game-play. Old Poppy's joke was a perfectly deadpan irony, "Jokes? I don't know any jokes." When they reworked her, this changed drastically to a mess of horribly worded and poorly executed jokes:
Macro-evolution? The Spirit of Vatican II? Whatever it was, Riot did a decent job of preserving the irony of Poppy's original joke even they made her a more bubbly persona.
Poppy and Self-Righteousness
When reworking a champion, Riot endeavors to utilize the input of both their own employees and their players to make a result that's as pleasing as possible to every party.
When discussing Old Poppy's personality some people cheekily asked "What personality?"
That wasn't entirely true, but she was very determined, priggish, and utilitarian. She is an example of the trope of a kind of Crusader who is concerned about doing what's "right," no matter the cost. Her quotes demonstrated at the very least that she took her job seriously:
Upon selection/movement: "Valoran will know harmony."
Movement: "My convictions will not falter!"
Movement: "If it will bring peace."
Attacking: "Fighting is serious business."
Upon selection/movement: "Valoran will know harmony."
Movement: "My convictions will not falter!"
Movement: "If it will bring peace."
Attacking: "Fighting is serious business."
Naturally, then, a few people described Old Poppy as "self-righteous."
But was she really?
Self-righteousness is a vice that is tricky to define these days for two reasons: (1) Its reference to "self." and (2) its reference to "righteousness."
By referencing "righteousness" to "self" one can make the definition of righteousness accord with what one believes. In 'Murica, at least, "righteousness" connotes religion, while a technical synonym like "justice" connotes the legal system. It's why unbelievers often call believers "self-righteous," because they perceive that believers think of themselves as superior by virtue of their belief alone.
By referencing "righteousness" to "self" one can make the definition of righteousness accord with what one believes. In 'Murica, at least, "righteousness" connotes religion, while a technical synonym like "justice" connotes the legal system. It's why unbelievers often call believers "self-righteous," because they perceive that believers think of themselves as superior by virtue of their belief alone.
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| See?! Also: justness (thesaurus.com). |
The perennial Biblical example is contained in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector (Luke 18:10 onwards), which Jesus told to those who "trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and regarded others with contempt." The Pharisee expects favor from God because of the good he's done, while the tax collector asks pardon from God in spite of the evil he's done.
To speak now of Old Poppy, she was quite literally unstoppable if she had the power to be. With her old Ultimate, she was able to fight any battle on HER terms. Here, a Korean Poppy Player utilizes the spell to defeat 5 champions by himself (triggered) after his (triggered) team loses a 4 vs 5 fight.
So, her old ult definitely can be an embodiment of self-righteousness, where she uses real or perceived superiority to shape situations according to her will.
(My Respective Lore Summaries:)
Old Poppy was a blacksmith's daughter and a bit of a tomboy. A general of the kingdom of Demacia ("the good guys") commissioned her father to craft a helm for him and to personally deliver it (It was a father/daughter road trip of sorts). Some Noxian ("the bad guys") assassins learned of the order and killed her father in front of her. She escaped with her life and was finally able complete the delivery after an arduous journey. For this she was honored as the ambassador between Bandle City (home of the yordles) and Demacia.
New Poppy left Bandle City when she grew tired of the happy-go-lucky lifestyle of the yordles. She sought out human settlements until she found one headed by a man named Orlon. Together, they all ended up founding the kingdom of Demacia. When Orlon passed away, he bequeathed his hammer to her and instructed her to guard it until she found one suitable to wield it. She's now known as the "Keeper of the Hammer," and is obsessed with her quest of finding "The Hero" worthy of the weapon. The truth, and it's really quite sappy and "anime," is that she's really the hero she's been looking for all along...
To answer the question of whether Old Poppy was self-righteous is thus nearly impossible, even with the arguably neutral (italicized) definitions above. We would have to know whether Old Poppy's reference for righteousness was herself, and also whether she used this to look down on others.
Old Poppy was certainly a colder, more austere figure, almost certainly because of the murder of her father at a young age.
New Poppy is, on the contrary, cheerful and happy. Her story is nowhere near as dark as it once was, and she approaches her new calling with an almost childlike self-abasement. Her new champ select quote is: "I'm no hero... just a yordle with a hammer!" Nevertheless, it is a very serious task, as the "Hero of Demacia" is iconic of all that is good in Demacia, the invisible glue which holds that society together.
Self-righteous attitudes, actions, and dispositions are all sinful in the Christian understanding. God is the ultimate standard of righteousness, and the work of Jesus Christ allows us to measure up to that standard, not our own good works.
Old Poppy was certainly a colder, more austere figure, almost certainly because of the murder of her father at a young age.
New Poppy is, on the contrary, cheerful and happy. Her story is nowhere near as dark as it once was, and she approaches her new calling with an almost childlike self-abasement. Her new champ select quote is: "I'm no hero... just a yordle with a hammer!" Nevertheless, it is a very serious task, as the "Hero of Demacia" is iconic of all that is good in Demacia, the invisible glue which holds that society together.
Self-Righteousness as Sin and Poppy's Rework
Self-righteous attitudes, actions, and dispositions are all sinful in the Christian understanding. God is the ultimate standard of righteousness, and the work of Jesus Christ allows us to measure up to that standard, not our own good works.
For Poppy, therefore, a personality update and some nice behavioral modifications are not enough to deliver her from potential self-righteousness.
Whether she's the more mundane yordle ambassador to humans which she was, or the archetype of an entire nation which she is, selfish pride is always capable of turning what is noble about the task into something destructive and evil.
Even the cheerful, happy New Poppy could use her idealistic vision of "The Hero" to deny the Hero if he appeared. If she discovered herself to be the Hero, what a tyrant she could be!
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| "You're the Hero, Poppy!" "I'm the what?" (A Hero's Calling. Image Credit: League of Legends Wikia) |
Jesus embodies and perfects everything that is good in Poppy's old and updated stories. He's also in no danger of being sinfully self-righteous, for He is God in the flesh. Any Catholic and indeed any Christian should be proud to call Him his Lord, or even, *cringe* his "Hero."
But take care, for being proud of your faith in Jesus is only ever a few steps away from being proud that you're not like that dirty sinner over there, or being, in an oft misused hyphen:
Self-Righteous.
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.- Titus 3:1-7 KJV
P.S.
This post wouldn't be complete without the old Lollipoppy splash. Enjoy.
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| the old to prevent false confidence... |
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| ...and the new to prevent despair. |
