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Woman says LEAGUE OF LEGENDS character is based on her, Riot denies it

Is Seraphine based on a real person?

Awoman named Stephanie has alleged that a new League of Legends character with a similar appearance and name, Seraphine, is based on her. At the crux of this allegation is her brief relationship with a Riot employee in 2019, who she believes borrowed details from her likeness and life for the popstar from fictional girl group K/DA.

Riot denies the allegation, “Seraphine was independently created by Riot Games and was not based on any individual. Additionally, the former employee [Stephanie] is referring to left Riot more than a year ago and was in a department and role that has no input whatsoever into the creative design process.”

We omit Stephanie’s full name at her and Riot’s request. In a Medium post, Stephanie shared texts and recounts her relationship with ‘John’, an alias. Stephanie says she and John met twice, and otherwise chatted and played League over three months in 2019. When Stephanie visited Riot’s LA headquarters for a tour, John produced artwork depicting her as Ahri, which she thought “strange” given how briefly they’d known each other. She adds that John implied he could influence the KD/A project.

Afterwards, Stephanie cancelled future plans to see John and told him he was moving too fast. Then “he ended things and blocked me”.

Roll round to September 2020, and Stephanie was reminded of something John had said: a K/DA surprise revealed on her birthday. On

“IT’S BEEN KIND OF HORRID TO HAVE A LEAGUE CHAMPION WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU”

that day an illustration of Seraphine was posted to the character’s Twitter to announce she was ‘working’ with KD/A. It seemed like more than coincidence.

“I’ve felt really grossed-out about it, to the point that I can’t play one of my favorite videogames,” writes Stephanie. “It’s been kind of horrid to have a League champion who looks like you, has so many of your characteristics, and has a name that’s almost identical to yours. People I’ve never met send her to me online and point out the similarities, there’s already immense amounts of porn of her.”

THE LOOK

As for legal options, Michigan State University law professor Brian Kalt says those would likely involve “the tort of right of publicity, also known as appropriation of likeness”, which “protects your name or likeness from unwarranted intrusion or exploitation”.

Whatever happens legally, it’s understandable why Stephanie believes Seraphine is based on her. But there’s also a chance this is pure coincidence. If the resemblance is intentional, it seems hard to prove unless someone like John confirms Stephanie was the direct inspiration, and that seems unlikely indeed.

Tyler Wilde

The pink-haired Seraphine looks similar to Stephanie, and poses in illustrations somewhat like Stephanie’s photos with her cat, which she says she sent John in 2019.

TOP: One challenge to this allegation is that Riot senior designer Jeevun Sidhu claims his partner, another employee who goes by Riot Whiskies online, inspired Seraphine’s personality. Stephanie acknowledges this, and says she doesn’t believe Seraphine is based only on her. ABOVE: Stephanie notes that Seraphine comes from regions in League lore she wrote an essay about—an essay shared with John, which she claims he framed in Riot’s office.