There’s there’s a trope in storytelling where a young girl will defy the stereotypical gender expectations placed upon her in favor of more (again, stereotypical) “manly” aspirations. So it was with young Fiora of League of Legends, who chose to take up on fencing in lieu of the “girly girl” stuff her parents pressed on her. Honor was also extremely important to Fiora in all stages of her life, and she would brook no insult against her family, House Laurent. In keeping with her feminist ideology, she refused to be political pawn and married off. At her wedding, she publicly refused her betrothed, shaming his family. They sought recourse in a duel to the death, and as leader of House Laurent, it was up to her father to be the champion. Fearing defeat, he attempted to drug his opponent, but was discovered and arrested. House Laurent fell from grace.
In order to reclaim her family’s honor, Fiora utilized an ancient code of honor that allowed for her to fight her father rather him die through public execution and her remaining family be exiled. The fight was ferocious, and Fiora buried her rapier in her father’s heart and thus assumed his place as the next head of House Laurent. As the years passed, she left the impulsiveness of youth behind and became a tenacious, but pragmatic, leader. She still will not accept any gossip or naysay about the honor of her house, and challenges those found guilty to a duel – from which she always emerges victorious.
Fiora may sound like something of a stuffy character, but there’s a fabulously fun and campy homage in her taunts. “Prepare to die” is a reference to Inigo Montoya from the book and move The Princess Bride, as is her second taunt, “I like you. I hate to kill you” (so similar to Inigo’s line “You seem like a decent fellow. I hate to kill you.” She also gets a variety of fun skins, some of which play wonderfully into her backstory and personality.
The Headmistress skin gives Fiora a very different look, but suits her well. The skin is absolutely a reference to the “sexy school teacher” porn stereotype, but authoritative Fiora must be a Headmistress, not a mere teacher. This skin was recommended by the League of Legends community and changes her sword into a yardstick. It’s no surprise that this skin is sexy, considering that it was inspired by a common pornography character type. But it works well for Fiora in that it’s sexy and strong, not gratuitous or in any way submissive. Cosplayer Dysama has a lot of fun with this look, playing up the stereotype of what such a sexy schoolmarm might be doing when no one’s watching…or what every horny school kid fantasizes about seeing. Dysama looks fabulous and has put together a wonderful photo set with this cosplay. The pinup vibe is gorgeous and definitely brings the fantasy.
Photography by Miihelmina
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