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The greatest tragedy of the Great Retcon: No Summoner hoodies

CupcakeTrap··79 votes·6,073 views

http://i.imgur.com/IJeqt5E.jpg Wearing our Summoner hoodies, drinking Elixirs of Monstrous Energy, living the life.
Also, I have no idea how this got past the Narrative censors.

With Riot first purporting to erase we the Summoners from Runeterra, then mumbling something about rewriting us as "Summoners" who don't summon Champions or contend for our factions in the League of Legends, a lot of damage has been done to the bridge between the lore community and this new Narrative team.

But I fear that, in our haste to point out problems like a loss of immersion, or the exiling of years of community lore to the periphery, or the elimination of League's most distinctive story element, we've neglected an even greater casualty of the Great Retcon: hoodies.

The Riot store just launched. How are there not Summoner hoodies in that new shop?

As an act of protest, I'm going to buy a reflective purple hoodie, add gold* trim, print out an attractively typeset protest sign, and begin a mass demonstration. There are dozens of us, Riot! Dozens!

*: Or perhaps dark green, given my allegiance to the Shadow Isles in the current Factions dispute.

39 Comments

DG Ashabel22 votes

Also, I have no idea how this got past the Narrative censors.

Given that the recent Legacy Skin sale had a joke story that references the Institute, the New Dawn has a very prominent Nexus in the end and Riot Games' president himself said he had no idea the Summoners and the Institute are gone from the story, the likelihood is that nobody in Riot is actually interested in following the revolutionary new direction laid out by the narrative team except the narrative team themselves.

CupcakeTrap11 votes

Also, I have no idea how this got past the Narrative censors.

Given that the recent Legacy Skin sale had a joke story that references the Institute, the New Dawn has a very prominent Nexus in the end and Riot Games' president himself said he had no idea the Summoners and the Institute are gone from the story, the likelihood is that nobody in Riot is actually interested in following the revolutionary new direction laid out by the narrative team except the narrative team themselves.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Tryndamere's comments simply indicated that they're planning on rewriting "Summoners" into something that has absolutely nothing to do with Summoners. He dropped some hints a while ago about "runes". It'll actually be worse than a total retcon: it's cleaner if they just stop talking about Summoners and let us pick up the pieces. Now, we'll have to do that on top of dealing with "no, not THAT kind of Summoner" issues.

He didn't even mention the Institute: he just said "we didn't retcon Summoners". It's obviously weird to speak of Summoners without an Institute, just like it's weird to speak of capital-C Champions without an Institute, but sadly I don't think we can safely infer that he also wants to bring back the Institute of War or (gasp) the League of Legends.

Baron Von Bangin2 votes

Really? "Didn't retcon summoners"? They were extremely specific about making sure we knew the IoW and us, the players, no longer had a place in their IP.

CupcakeTrap8 votes

Really? "Didn't retcon summoners"? They were extremely specific about making sure we knew the IoW and us, the players, no longer had a place in their IP.

Here's the link: http://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/2kxe0i/tryndamere_on_communication_philosophy_amas/clpln4o?context=3

They're actually going to do even more damage to the lore than a straight-up "no more Summoners or League" would. Just saying "no more stories about the League or Summoners" is basically just abandonment. Going through and reusing the same words for entirely different concepts will just cause further dissonance.

I mean, what would be worse: "Jax will no longer appear in League of Legends lore", or "we've invented a new character, a Freljordian boar-rider and warlock, named Jax, and will be writing lots of stories about this new Jax! (but not mentioning the old Jax)"? I think the former is actually preferable.

LANWhale1 votes

Ya know I have this sinking suspicion that they retconed the Institute of War so they can bring back a more and improved one(of course that would be their opinion, better). But well a man can dream, eh?

Baron Von Bangin3 votes

Well I mean they're saying that now. But I very specifically remember the Dev log post with hundreds of down votes telling they were no longer canon.

And besides, if summoners as we've known them have changed without it being through forward story progression then it is indeed a retcon.

Motajo1 votes

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Tryndamere's comments simply indicated that they're planning on rewriting "Summoners" into something that has absolutely nothing to do with Summoners. He dropped some hints a while ago about "runes". It'll actually be worse than a total retcon: it's cleaner if they just stop talking about Summoners and let us pick up the pieces. Now, we'll have to do that on top of dealing with "no, not THAT kind of Summoner" issues.

He didn't even mention the Institute: he just said "we didn't retcon Summoners". It's obviously weird to speak of Summoners without an Institute, just like it's weird to speak of capital-C Champions without an Institute, but sadly I don't think we can safely infer that he also wants to bring back the Institute of War or (gasp) the League of Legends.

If only the person who asked Trynd said "Institute of War" instead. I don't blame the questioner of course; I never thought that Trynd would use semantics to drop a big non-answer (I expected him not to reply at all). But if Trynd responded to the IoW retcon instead... Well, I can dream, right?

insaiyanbacca8 votes

please i need a summoner hoodie

AbyssionKnight7 votes

This is kind of a good point. Their hoodies are way too expensive (85 too strong) but I'd consider it if I could look like a bad ass summoner. :P Though, i'm also a dude who finds those 'knight hoodies' bad ass, so my taste in hoodies might be questionable.

Motajo7 votes

Also, I have no idea how this got past the Narrative censors.

Ah, the satire warms my heart.

But on a less heartwarming note, all the merchandise so far seems to either be of Champs/poros, or have LoL logos on them. I doubt the goods will feature many nameless purple wizards until there's ample junk of every Champ.

Unless those purple nameless wizards are PCMs, in which case... hmm... Drifts into thought

CupcakeTrap2 votes

Unless those purple nameless wizards are PCMs, in which case... hmm... Drifts into thought

We've gotta make a living somehow.

Motajo4 votes

We've gotta make a living somehow.

I've been the "mama" (cough) purple caster minion for too long to change my icon, anyway. I'll show those nooblord red minions how to take a nexus like a mom man!

Diahane6 votes

You know what else the retcon has deprived us of? The possibility of buying a neat physical copy of the good old JoJ =(

Earl Eulrich2 votes

Gosh, that really woudl have been great...I just imagine sth. like in those noir pictures, a boy running through a big (dirty) city and selling JoJs in 2015 to passerbys. That would have been great on so many levels.

Siachi4 votes

This is a good idea and I hope they do this.

That being said, the store IS kind of new for them, so I'd imagine they're testing the waters before adding a bunch of stuff.

EDIT: Either way I'd buy one; everyone knows purple is the manliest of colors!

vscAloha1 votes

Purple is Royalty, man!

Nveriyoth4 votes

Yes pls lol

I actually really need a sick league hoodie that DOESN'T cost 85 dollars. Where would this demonstration be?

Helmight4 votes

For real tho. I'd gladly pay the $80+ for a Summoner hoodie if that's what it took. Shame about that whole Great Retcon thing. It's almost as though it was avoidable...

TheTyeGuy3 votes

Summoners still exist, but Rito has yet to let us know exactly HOW they exist in the story as of this point, since the IOW doesn't exist.

Motajo3 votes

Summoners still exist, but Rito has yet to let us know exactly HOW they exist in the story as of this point, since the IOW doesn't exist.

I think Riot is talking about summoners in the generic-fantasy sense of the term. They mean wizards giving creatures from wherever a magical taxi trip, not Summoners of the IoW giving radio support to arena fighters. I doubt their new summoners will hold any special role or importance simply from being summoners.

Diahane3 votes

CCT, our liege, guide us to glory through purple hoodies protests!

10/10 would buy a summoner hoodie.

XalkXolc3 votes

Summoner hoodies could be a way for Factions to make some money. Just sayin'.

CupcakeTrap4 votes

Summoner hoodies could be a way for Factions to make some money. Just sayin'.

People posting surprised in-character responses to Narrative posts ("I'm not sure I follow. I was just at the Institute yesterday. There were dozens of matches. What do you mean it doesn't exist? Are you feeling alright?") is more than payment enough.

Ark Angel HFB1 votes

Yeah man... if come on... wouldn't some sick hoodies be awesome...

Oh oh and you could have badges for your rank... and patches for your favorite champ.... and I think I just made a high-school football Letterman rather than a summoner hoodie... T_T

Dreamspitter2 votes

http://i.imgur.com/IJeqt5E.jpg Wearing our Summoner hoodies, drinking Elixirs of Monstrous Energy, living the life.
Also, I have no idea how this got past the Narrative censors.

With Riot first purporting to erase we the Summoners from Runeterra, then mumbling something about rewriting us as "Summoners" who don't summon Champions or contend for our factions in the League of Legends, a lot of damage has been done to the bridge between the lore community and this new Narrative team.

But I fear that, in our haste to point out problems like a loss of immersion, or the exiling of years of community lore to the periphery, or the elimination of League's most distinctive story element, we've neglected an even greater casualty of the Great Retcon: hoodies.

The Riot store just launched. How are there not Summoner hoodies in that new shop?

As an act of protest, I'm going to buy a reflective purple hoodie, add gold trim, print out an attractively typeset protest sign, and begin a mass demonstration. There are dozens of us, Riot! Dozens!

Damn

Critmaster Garen2 votes

they said, summoners will still exist, just disconnected from the world the champions live in.

Earl Eulrich11 votes

yea...that´s like saying Spacemarines exist in Lord of the Rings....just not exactly in the same universe. It´s just a pointless existence regarding the actual Lore then (or well, maybe summoners should just exist in our world to summon money and throw it at Riots new store).

Critmaster Garen2 votes

yea...that´s like saying Spacemarines exist in Lord of the Rings....just not exactly in the same universe. It´s just a pointless existence regarding the actual Lore then (or well, maybe summoners should just exist in our world to summon money and throw it at Riots new store).

have you ever read about space marines referring to lord of the rings or the characters? no.

summoners still summon the champions. the league still exists. but the champions only influence the world the summoners live in, not the other way round.

Baval2 votes

You dont play much 40k. Theres lore that involves Space Marines coming to our Earth and cleansing it for "having the audacity to claim to be the birthplace of humanity instead of Holy Terra". 40k and Fantasy take place at the same time in the same universe. Pretty much anything can happen.

Jmonkey711 votes

You dont play much 40k. Theres lore that involves Space Marines coming to our Earth and cleansing it for "having the audacity to claim to be the birthplace of humanity instead of Holy Terra". 40k and Fantasy take place at the same time in the same universe. Pretty much anything can happen.

Just to clarify, you're referring to Warhammar?

Baval4 votes

.

ZenithEevee3 votes

they said, summoners will still exist, just disconnected from the world the champions live in.

So.. from what youre saying..

This will be like an advanced version of smashbros, Except that all the champions you picked live in the same world/universe/dimension as eachother, but you live in a different universe that summons them into an arena type area and have them fight for fun, bets, and competition...?

Critmaster Garen1 votes

they said, summoners will still exist, just disconnected from the world the champions live in.

So.. from what youre saying..

This will be like an advanced version of smashbros, Except that all the champions you picked live in the same world/universe/dimension as eachother, but you live in a different universe that summons them into an arena type area and have them fight for fun, bets, and competition...?

the smash brothers reference is a pretty good example. players are referred to as summoners. the champions all come from one world and maybe even different times in the same world.

Criomhthann6 votes

That literally makes no logical sense. At all.

If they are disconnected from the world, they are necessarily irrelevant (have no potential to be relevant) to it, and consequently don't exist in canon.

Critmaster Garen1 votes

That literally makes no logical sense. At all.

If they are disconnected from the world, they are necessarily irrelevant (have no potential to be relevant) to it, and consequently don't exist in canon.

basically players are still summoners who summon the champions from the world the champions live in (maybe even from differen eras). but the league itself doesnt exist in the same world.

Diahane4 votes

That literally makes no logical sense. At all.

If they are disconnected from the world, they are necessarily irrelevant (have no potential to be relevant) to it, and consequently don't exist in canon.

basically players are still summoners who summon the champions from the world the champions live in (maybe even from differen eras). but the league itself doesnt exist in the same world.

What the one you're replying to is saying is that if they're not in the same world and so don't have agency over the respective worlds, then summoners are not part of Runeterra's plot, thereby they're not canon in the stories that will unfold there. If it doesn't exist in your world and you cannot interact meaningfully with it, then it's as if it doesn't exist.

blutschaufel2 votes

The hoodies are gone, because you can't flim flam the Zim Zam.

You are welcome.

Silverthane1 votes

i lol'd at the last sentence XD

sick reference bro!

AntiSkillshot1 votes

It must be Red, Blue, or Purple.

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