#katarina

Any thoughts on Garen/Katarina? Their dynamic, perceptions of eachother, how you’d image a relationship would develop etc etc

Ugh, I love them so much. Garen really is the immovable object to Katarina's unstoppable force.

Garen might not be as visibly "cool" as Katarina but I actually kind of adore the whole "swag-gap couple" thing they have going on—it brings out unexpected aspects of their characters. Like, sure, Garen might be a stern, by-the-books military dude, but look at the stunning redhead he pulled—he's got game. And Katarina might be a fiery, rebellious badass, but maybe, just maybe, her personal teddy bear doesn't need to be covered in spikes and studs. It kinda defeats the purpose of a teddy bear, no?

I love it for Katarina especially. Because I know my girl has dependable, no, DISCERNING taste in men. She literally had to infiltrate an enemy state Solid Snake-style to even cross paths with a man good enough for her and you know what? That's valid as hell. Like, yes, you go girl. Don't settle for less, settle for THE dictionary definition of hunk/beefcake/studmuffin/etc. Settle for prince charming if he could win an Arnold Classic on a random Thursday. That's AMBITION.

And conversely I love the idea that for Garen, an otherwise exemplary Demacian, Katarina is the ONE detour he's willing to go down full-speed because he just loves her that much. He'd treat her so good. I specifically love the idea of Garen being a house husband for Katarina. Even the dagger-throwing assassin extraordinaire can't say no to a warm plate of brown butter chocolate chip cookies when she comes back home from work. Katarina is the reliable call-to-adventure in Garen's routine-based life, and Garen is the one stalwart constant in Katarina's YOLO ass life. And that's so beautiful, ugh.

My primary complaint about the ship is that it's stuck in this strange limbo where it IS canon and yet there's almost no canon material exploring their relationship; it's weird. I know we have the Katarina comic and some voice lines confirming their relationship but I need MORE. I wonder if the whole Demacia Noxus thing makes Garen x Katarina stories a minefield to write narrative-wise, but it's probably just that Riot is lazy as hell and doesn't write anything at all.

And in the end I'd rather keep the warring nations dynamic because it adds so much to the relationship even though, again, Riot doesn't do anything with it. The trope of the knight who secretly loves the untouchable lady is cliché as hell (I mean, they were writing about it in the MEDIEVAL times) but it's a cliché for a reason, okay? He's a strict, disciplined guy. He's practiced restraint all his life, but all of a sudden, that ability eludes him. Which is hot as hell!

Bad girls