Amid corporations giving rainbow patterns to their logos to celebrate Pride month, Riot Games' League of Legends is taking things one step further. In May, League of Legends began its Pride event, featuring items, such as a Diana and Leona emote, that hinted to fans the champions were a couple. On June 17, the game's official Twitter account posted a short love story between two of its champions, Diana and Leona. Written by Dana Luery Shaw, "Rise With Me" expands on the existing backstory of Diana and Leona, showing how two peers formed a friendship that quickly blossomed into something deeper before their ultimate falling out.
In League of Legends lore, Diana and Leona had an intertwined, conflicted past. Both were raised in the Solari faith among the Rakkor and shared a close friendship, though Diana often found herself in trouble with her community for asking too many questions about the relationship between the sun and moon. When she finds evidence the sun and moon are companions, not enemies, she is labeled a heretic. Diana climbed Mount Targon seeking answers, with Leona following in an attempt to save her friend and bring her back to the light. At the summit, they were met with two Aspects, changed into the powerful warriors known to the League of Legends community. An epic battle erupted between the longtime friends, ending when Diana fled.
"Rise With Me" dives deeper into their time training in the Solari temple, showing how the two became friends in the first place. The short story uses rotating perspective, featuring notes and diary entries for both Diana and Leona. It also uses unique visuals to show the changing dynamic between the two champions. At first, all Diana's writings are right-aligned, and all Leona's left. However, as feelings blossom between the two and Leona learns more about Diana's point of view, her writing shifts to be right-aligns as well, showing the two are in sync with one another. "Rise With Me" is a tender addition to League of Legends' 2021 Pride event.
Diana and Leona: A League of Legends Love Story
Diana finds herself in trouble at the Solari temple for asking too many questions about the Moon, a secondary light source during the night, inquiries labeled blasphemous to the Sun's power. Leona, meanwhile, needs help in her debating skills and asks Diana for help. The two spend hours together, working on Leona's oratory skills and debating the Solari fundamentals. Leona is rigid in her faith in the sun, while Diana is drawn to the gentler light of the moon.
The story's difference from established League of Legends lore begins as Leona slowly realizes she has feelings for Diana, and begins to think of ways to ask her to the Nightless Eve Festival. Diana sees the invitation as an attempt of Leona's to preach to her, and turns Leona down. What was supposed to be a romantic encounter turns into a screaming match, and the two are assigned penance. It does not take long for Diana, who also bears feelings for Leona, to realize her mistake, that Leona had been asking her out.
The night of the Festival, Diana climbs to the a temple on a small mountaintop to get time to think, and Leona follows her to make peace, a climb that foreshadows what's to come. The two made peace, relaxing for hours under the moon. Eventually, knowing how important the event is to Leona, Diana asks if they should join the Festival. Leona agrees, but not before the two League of Legends champions share a kiss under the moonlight.
Source: League Of Legends