View source for Collective of the Retconning Crocodiles

{{ImageLink}}{{Organisation
|title1= The Collective of the<br>Retconning Crocodiles
|image1= Retconning Crocodile (The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory).png
|caption1=
|aka=
|origin=
|created=
|dissolved=
|type= Organisation
|goals= 
|bases= The [[Time Sewers]]
|leaders=
|members= [[:Category:Members of the Collective of the Retconning Crocodiles|'''''See category''''']]
|first_seen_in= [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Faction of the Fooling Fish (short story)|The Faction of the Fooling Fish]]''<br><small>(mentioned)</small>
|also_seen_in= [[Collective of the Retconning Crocodiles/Appearances|'''''See list''''']]
|copyright= [[Aristide Twain]]
}}The '''Collective of the Retconning Crocodiles''' was a malevolent organisation made up of intelligent, time- and dimension-travelling crocodiles. 

== Nature ==
The Retconning Crocodiles were described as “so-called ‘[[quantum reptile]]s’” by the [[Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids]]' [[Book of Evil]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of Evil (short story)|The Book of Evil]]'') They were believed to dwell in an interstitial dimension known as the [[Time Sewers]], from which they could access whatever other universes they wanted, spontaneously creating manholes that connected the Sewers to the world of their destination. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory (comic story)|The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory]]'')

The Crocodiles worshipped [[Lord Thymon]] from afar as the “Great Time God”, but he had no knowledge of them until after his retirement to the [[Cupid Homeworld]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Time-Out (comic story)|Time-Out]]'')

== History ==
The sentient crocodiles making up the Collective were among the creatures genetically engineered by [[Professor Scarper]] of the [[First Horde]] using a mutagen initially developed to create creatures loyal to the Horde. Even after the Horde stopped funding Scarper's experiments, erasing all knowledge of themselves from him or them, this meant that Scarper's creations were compelled to form [[Strangely-Colored Secret Society|Strangely-Colored Secret Societies]] of their own. The crocodiles followed this pattern, arranging themselves into the Collective of the Retconning Crocodiles. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Strangely-Colored Secret Societies (short story)|The Strangely-Colored Secret Societies]]'')

[[Doctor Sigma]] mentioned the Collective of the Retconning Crocodiles' [[Time Sewers]] as part of a lecture on the various existing methods of interdimensional travel. As an example, he showed images of [[Retconning Crocodile (The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory)|a Retconning Crocodile]] using the Sewers to access a natural location where there should not have been any utility manholes, to the puzzlement of a [[Gnome (The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory)|Red-Bearded Gnome]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory (comic story)|The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory]]'')

At some point, a [[Retconning Crocodile (Pessimist and the Dromedaries)|Retconning Crocodile]] was captured by the [[Drove of the Database-Compiling Dromedaries]] and imprisoned in [[Research Laboratory 6]], but it was able to rewrite time to erase its capture from the timeline. It chose to leave behind a taunting note informing the Dromedaries of what had occurred, rather than leave them blissfully ignorant that they'd had any contact with the Collective at all. [[Darius]] would later mention this incident to [[Pessimist-242]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Pessimist and the Dromedaries (short story)|Pessimist and the Dromedaries]]'')

The [[Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids]] had various [[Cupid Fact File|files]] on the Crocodiles in their [[Cupid Archives|Archives]], but they kept disappearing; although [[Herodotus-724]] thought there was a chance they had simply been misplaced, it seemed sadly likely to [[Bibliophile-962]] that the Crocodiles had retconned them out of existence to protect their secrets. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Time of the Toymaker (novel)|The Time of the Toymaker]]'', ''[[The Case Against Conspiracy (short story)|The Case Against Conspiracy]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory (comic story)|The Beginner's Guide to Multiversal Theory]]'') It was also suspected that Crocodile retconning occasionally affected other Files in the Archive; for example, Fact File #444, concerning the [[Faction of the Fooling Fish]], once claimed that their first meeting with the Cupids had occurred in 2011 rather than 2019. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Faction of the Fooling Fish (short story)|The Faction of the Fooling Fish]]'')

[[File:Retconning Crocodile in the Cupid Homeworld.png|thumb|left|275px|A Retconning Crocodile in the [[Cupid Homeworld]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Crocodile Time (comic story)|Crocodile Time]]'')]]At one point, the Crocodiles developed a new temporal manipulation device called the [[Upstream Staff]] , which would make its wielder's time-stream run backwards relative to their environment — though in discrete chunks, corresponding to turns in a conversation, rather than moment by moment. A [[Retconning Crocodile (Crocodile Time)|Retconning Crocodile]] travelled to the [[Cupid Homeworld]] and showed the Staff to a [[Cupid (Crocodile Time)|Cupid]], but they both got angry due to talking at literal cross purposes because the Crocodile had inadvertently activated the Staff. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Crocodile Time (comic story)|Crocodile Time]]'')

Some type later, [[Retconning Crocodile (Time Loops & Treachery)|another Crocodile]] travelled to the Cupid Homeworld, presenting [[Pythagoras-858]] with a contract allegedly signed by the Crew in the future which pledged allegiance to the Collective. The Crocodile argued that the Cupids had no choice but to sign it to avoid a paradox. Pythagoras dodged out of the situation by burning the contract with his pocket lighter, rendering the signing of it irrelevant as it would be destroyed before the Crocodiles could do anything with it. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Time Loops & Treachery (comic story)|Time Loops & Treachery]]'')

When he visited the [[Interdimensional Black Market]], [[Doctor Curious]] bumped into a “pompous crocodile” and managed to steal the [[Story Rewriter 3000]], a powerful time-rewriting device, without his notice. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Companions of Doctor Curious (short story)|The Companions of Doctor Curious]]'')

[[File:Lord Thymon and Retconning Crocodile.png|thumb|right|300px|[[Retconning Crocodile (Time-Out)|One Retconning Crocodile]] prostrates himself before [[Lord Thymon]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Time-Out (comic story)|Time-Out]]'')]]At some point, [[Retconning Crocodile (Time-Out)|yet another Retconning Crocodile]] found his way to the Cupid Homeworld and bumped into [[Lord Thymon]], the first the Crocodiles' discovered of Thymon's presence in the Homeworld. The Crocodile tried to act as an obedient servant to the “Great Time God”, only for a bemused Thymon to demonstrate his change of heart by telling the Crocodile that they did not have much to say to one another unless the Crocodile needed some mail delivered. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Time-Out (comic story)|Time-Out]]'')

[[Cupid Fact File]] #1225 listed three “narrative parasites” who had proven able to penetrate the [[Cupid Homeworld]]'s [[conceptual shield]]s. The second and third were [[Rabbit Invasion|the white rabbits]] and [[Santa Claus]]; the first was redacted. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Father Christmas (short story)|Father Christmas]]'')

The [[Geometron Pentagon]] once brokered an ill-fated alliance with the “horrible three-dimensional reptiles”, which, after its failure, eroded the [[Geometron|population]]'s trust in the Pentagon. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Multiversal Mischief (short story)|Multiversal Mischief]]'') They were also involved in the quest for [[the Frost King#Member of the Council|the Frost King]]'s treasure, as were the [[Wellsian]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Time of the Toymaker (novel)|The Time of the Toymaker]]'')

[[Category:Organisations]]
[[Category:Dimensionally-active factions]]
[[Category:Time-active factions]]
[[Category:Prime Universe organisations]]
[[Category:Strangely-Colored Secret Societies]]