Your honor League of Legends meme – What is it?

Ever heard of the “your honor” meme in the League of Legends version? It’s time to explain one of the most popular and creative memes.

Image Credits | Luke Correia, original comic by Tim Buckley

What is the Your Honor League of Legends meme?

The “Your Honor” meme refers to the webcomic “If the Tribunal Worked…” by comic artist Tim Buckley in which a plaintiff accuses the defendant of stealing his mid position in League of Legends. The comic went viral back in 2016 after an edit in which the plaintiff gets sentenced immediately after mentioning “League of Legends.”

Where does it come from?

On April 29th, 2013, webcomic artist Tim Buckle posted a comic titled “If the Tribunal Worked…”. In the joke, a court plaintiff argues that the defendant should be convicted for taking the mid lane position in the MOBA video game League of Legends despite the plaintiff calling the role for himself.

This was a typical action done by LoL players back when Blind Pick was a popular game mode, where players would be free to choose the role as soon as jumping into the champion select.

The comic starts with the plaintiff starting a speech: “Your Honor, I bring this case before your tribunal today to seek justice for grievous emotional injury for a blatant disregard for the rules.”

“Upon entering a League of Legends game lobby and finding myself fifth-pick, I immediately declared “mid or feed”, invoking the ancient right of ‘I called it so it’s mine’. The defendant then proceeded to ignore me and first-pick mid anyway! I threatened and whined, and he still ignored me. Are you going to stand for this behavior?

Image Credits | Tim Buckley

In the last panel of the comic, the judge decides on the death sentence, with the last panel revealing that it was the plaintiff, and not the defendant, who got sentenced.

It’s essentially an ironic way of condemning the negative behavior in LoL, which is omnipresent across all levels of play and a worldwide phenomenon.

The Your Honor League of Legends meme slowly gets recognition

While the meme was initially published in 2016, it started spreading a lot more in the following years when other people made edits to the original meme, replacing the plaintiff’s speech with nonsensical phrases. This means that the meme has no definitive answer to this question.

Prior to April 20th, 2016, an unknown user posted an edited version of the comic in which most of the text was edited out with only the phrases “Your Honor,” “League of Legends” and “Death” left.

What is the meaning behind the Your Honor League of Legends meme?

The meme is a great example of how a lawyer can use an absurd defense to get their client off the hook. It pokes at the fact that many people believe that only those with a certain title or status are worthy of respect. When addressing a judge in a court of law, it is important to be respectful and use the proper title. “Your honor” is the standard, formal way to address a judge, showing respect for the position and the person.

While the LoL meme is mostly linked to the webcomic, there are also other versions of the “Your Honor” joke, like the one with the character Saul Goodman from the drama series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, portrayed by Bob Odenkirk. By switching the captions and the reasons behind the defense, the meme can be used for many different jokes and in different contexts.

Why do judges want to be called Your Honor

The use of the term “your honor” is still used today to denote the higher stature and additional respect that judges deserve. In other words, it’s a traditional manner of addressing them as a sign of respect. Judges occupy positions that require them to give unbiased, honest, consistent, and reliable opinions about legal and criminal matters.

Can judges be called in other ways?

Always avoid using “Sir” or “Ma’am” when speaking to a judge in person. It’s best to address them as “Your Honor” or “Judge” with last name. If you are more familiar with the judge, you can call them just “Judge”.

Who gets called your honor?

When addressing the judge in the courtroom, always refer to them as “your honor.” If you need to refer to the judge while addressing a witness or the jury, you can refer to them as “the Court,” “his honor,” or “her honor.”

When you are in court, it is important to remember to be respectful to the judge. You should always address the judge as “Your Honor.” Even if you disagree with the other party, you should not interrupt or argue with them in court. You will be given time to speak and present your case.

What not to say to judge?

When you are testifying in court, it is important, to be honest and straightforward. Do not exaggerate the facts or mislead the court in any way. Most judges can sense when a witness is not being entirely truthful, and they will not appreciate it. Tell the truth, and let the judge decide what is important and what is not.

When addressing a judge, you should always speak clearly, calmly, and politely. Make sure to take a deep breath and clear your head before speaking. Address the judge directly, using his or her proper form of address. Do not gesticulate wildly or use inappropriate language.

Wrap Up

There is no definitive answer to this question as the meme is dependent on the particular meme and the context in which it is used. That said, the power of the joke comes entirely from using illogical reasons and non-sense and out-of-the-box speeches to surprise the readers.