In fact, we're in such a hurry, you could almost say we need to get moving… A young troll with four horns and a shirt with the symbol of Gemini stood in his respiteblock. One of his eyes was red and the other was blue. He put his glasses on and finished that first sentence.
"... on the double," he said. Okay, so there was this pretty cool dude, ok? Or, at least, some people seemed to think he was cool. Sometimes. He guessed they were right. I mean, maybe. If they said so. Actually, you know what? They were right. This guy was dynamite lit in a box of hot shit. Screw the haters.
Anyway, he was standing around being all chill, like cool dudes were known to do sometimes, when they weren't moping around or nursing migraines or whatever. A cool dude like this probably had a real cool name. Or at least a name that didn't fucking completely suck. Like at least not the kind of name that belonged to someone he'd want to perpetually wail on. Maybe just a name that made him cringe a little, but he guessed he could deal with it if he had to. It was just a guy's name; it wasn't like it really mattered. Who cared? But he probably would just tell you what it was if you asked. He'd be way two moody for that. In fact, this guy probably thought you had some attitude and didn't want a damn thing to do with you. You could always try to guess his name.
"But instead of that," the troll said angrily, "here's a better idea. Why don't you just fuck off and go to hell!"
Okay then, dude. Whatever you say. Here, let's name this kooky broad instead.
She wore a blue helmet over her long, flowing hair, had two sharp teeth, and long eyelashes. Medium-sized pointy horns stuck out of her head. She wore a long green jacket that touched the floor over her black shirt with the green astrological symbol of Leo. A blue tail stuck out through the back of her jacket and she had blue shoes on as well. She was definitely a cat troll.
Okay, what was her name?
Wait… you've got to be kidding me… it looks like the narrative is switching back to that other guy again. Alright, hang on…
It appeared that this cool and moody dude had had a change of heart. He felt pretty bad about flying off the handle like that, as if shit wanted nothing to do with the handle. Shit would like to reconcile with the handle, and perhaps seek marital counseling.
Okay, anyway, what was his name gonna be? Sollux Captor? Yup, that was his name.
Sollux was apeshit bananas at computers, and he knew all the codes. All of them. He was the unchallenged authority on apiculture networking. And though all his friends recognized his unparalleled achievements as a totally sick hacker, he felt like he could do better. It was one of the number of things he sort of beat himself up about for no very good reason during sporadic and debilitating bipolar mood swings.
He had a penchant for bifurcation, in logic and in life. One of his curtains was red and the other blue. Hell, even his recuperacoon had two entrances, one of which contained red slime and the other blue instead of the usual green sopor slime that everyone else had.
Sollux's mutant mind was hounded by the psychic screams of the imminently diseased. His visions foretold of Alternia's looming annihilation, and yet, unlike the typical sightless prophet of doom, he was gifted with vision twofold… for now.
He had developed a new game, adapted via code parsed from the runes and glyphs in an ancient, underground temple. He believe this game to be the salvation of his race, although he didn't know how yet. To ensure success, he'd distribute the game to two teams of friends, a red team and a blue team. He would lead the latter group. His trolltag was twinArmageddons and he tended two 2peak wiith a biit of a lii2p.
Sollux briefly considered equipping the ninja stars in the back of his respiteblock and allocating them with his strife specibus, but quickly through the idea out the 12-paneled window. A high level psionic had no use for any particular specibus allocation.
He made short work of the specibus and flung the throwing stars to the side. It slashed one of the beehouse mainframes he had in his room. The silicomb had been sliced clean through by his foolish maneuver. What had he been thinking? The worker bees paired up and danced angry message to Sollux in beenary code.
He looked at the honey on his hands, wondering if he could just taste it a bit… No! He did not under any circumstances eat the mind honey. The consequences were highly unpleasant. Sollux cultivated it for his lusus, helping the guardian not be such a complete idiot all the time. Merely most of the time instead.
He 2napped his fingers and the bees all fell asleep.
Sollux sat at his computer. He was always up to his nook in the newest and hottest games. It was hard to walk around the place without squishing the silly grubs. Whenever that happened he was screwed, and he had to grow a new one from scratch. Or just pirate it he guessed.
But tonight was no night for games. Well, ok, it was. But just one game in particular, and this game was no joking matter. It was delirious bugnasty.
twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling gallowsCalibrator [GC]
TA: TZ you want two be the leader of one of the team2?
GC: YOU M34N FOR YOUR G4M3 TO S4V3 TH3 WORLD?
TA: yeah.
GC: OK 1 P1CK TH3 R3D T34M! 8D
TA: ok ii diidnt 2ay anythiing about a red team, or even that there were two team2, but fiine.
GC: OBV1OUSLY YOU W3R3 GO1NG TO S3T UP R3D 4ND BLU3 T34MS COM3 ON
TA: you dont know what iim goiing two do, 2top beiing a2 though you can read my miind.
TA: iit2 not a power you have, your 2trength2 are beiing bliind and triickiing people about 2tuff.
TA: and ii gue22 beiing generally 2avvy and pretty decent at other 2tuff, but that2 why iim piickiing you and not 2ome other fuckiing 2chlub from retardatiion row.
GC: SOLLUX, PL34S3
GC: YOU 4R3 MR 4PPL3B3RRY BL4ST 4ND 3V3RYON3 KNOWS THOS3 4R3 YOUR F4VOR1T3 FL4VORS
GC: 3V3N THOUGH YOU TYP3 1N YUCKY MUST4RD
GC: WH1CH 1S W31RD :\
TA: maybe there ii2 more two me than you thiink.
TA: maybe ii am not the two triick hoofbea2t you want two make me out a2.
TA: maybe ii ju2t want two giive the red and blue thiing a re2t for a change and not make iit 2o iit2 liike, oh look iit2 that prediictable fuck wiith tho2e two 2tupiid color2, iit2 amaziing how much everyone fuckiing hate2 hiim.
TA: maybe red and blue arent that great and ii hate them 2uddenly, have you thought of that.
TA: maybe iim more of an aubergiine guy plu2 whatever that putriid color is you type wiith, what ii2 that, turqoii2e?
TA: maybe iit2 makiing me turquea2y.
TA: maybe the new name for that color ii2 2ummer 2hiithead mii2t, have you con2iidered that?
TA: but iim 2tiickiing wiith red and blue 2o maybe you 2hould 2uck on iit.
GC: M4YB3 M4YB3 M4YB3
GC: M4YB3 M4YB3 1S 4 STUP1D WORD
GC: M4YB3 TH4TS TH3 B1G M4YB3 W3 SHOULD 4LL POND3R TON1GHT
GC: OV3R SOM3 HOT SHUT TH3 H3LL UP T34
GC: SO YOU TH1NK 1M S4VVY? :]
TA: yeah ii thiink 2o.
TA: piick out whoever you want for the red team and iill lead the blue team.
TA: iill 2end you the download 2oon, talk two you later.
GC: W41T!
GC: M4YB3 YOU SHOULD T3LL M3 MOR3 4BOUT TH3 G4M3 F1RST?
GC: HOW 3X4CTLY 4R3 W3 S4V1NG TH3 WORLD?
TA: ii dont know yet.
TA: ii ju2t know what iive 2een iin my vii2iion2.
TA: that the world wiill end and our whole race diie2 and thii2 ii2 how we 2ave iit.
TA: and aa can back me up on thii2 2o dont be all doubtiing me about iit.
GC: 1 4M NOT DOUBT1NG YOU
GC: 1 TH1NK YOU 4R3 R1GHT!
GC: MOSTLY
TA: mo2tly, what doe2 that mean?
GC: W3LL WH3N YOU T4LK 4BOUT HOW YOUR3 GO1NG TO D13 TOO
TA: ii am goiing two diie.
TA: ii mean we all are.
TA: but e2peciially me.
TA: ii am goiing two get my a22 2erved two me twofold.
TA: double the 2erviice.
TA: liike two dude2 on doublebutler ii2land.
TA: gettiing worked over by a 2iiame2e twiin ma22eu2e.
TA: but before ii diie, iim goiing two go bliind liike you.
TA: iit ha2 two happen liike that.
TA: iim not 2ure why, but ii thiink iit2 liike...
TA: fulfiilliing 2ome requiirement for a true prophet of doom.
TA: iin order for the vii2iion2 two be riight, that ha2 two happen, and the uniiver2e wiill make 2ure iit wiill.
TA: iit2 kiind of liike how a prophet earn2 hii2 2triipe2, by beiing bliind, liike how an angel earn2 iit2 wiing2.
GC: WH4TS 4N 4NG3L
TA: 2ome terriible mythiical demon.
TA: wiith the2e awful feathery wiing2.
GC: Y1K3S
TA: paradox 2pace u2e2 them two u2her iin the end.
GC: HOW DO3S 1T KNOW WH4T 4NG3L TO US3... ...
TA: huh?
GC: :?
TA: 2o yeah.
TA: we wiill all diie but mo2t e2peciially me, end of 2tory.
GC: BUT
GC: DONT T4K3 TH1S TH3 WRONG W4Y BUT HOW C4N YOU B3 TOT4LLY SUR3 4BOUT 4LL TH4T?
GC: HOW DO YOU KNOW SOM3 OF TH3 R34L V1S1ONS YOUR3 H4V1NG 4R3NT G3TT1NG K1ND OF T4NGL3D UP W1TH UHHH
GC: SORT OF TH3 W4Y YOU 4R3 4BOUT YOURS3LF
TA: what do you mean.
GC: HOW YOU G3T MOP3Y 4ND YOUR3 4LW4YS TH3 V1CT1M OF SOM3TH1NG 4ND HOW SOM3T1M3S YOU TH1NK YOU SUCK WH3N YOU R34LLY DONT
GC: M4YB3 TH4T 1S CLOUD1NG YOUR V1S1ON?
TA: ok that2 ju2t 2ome per2onal priivate emotiional ii22ue2 and iim dealiing wiith that, and hone2tly iid appreciiate you not alway2 throwiing that iin my face every goddamn opportuniity you get.
TA: liike thii2 ii2 a biig ciircu2 act two you, and that ii2 your 2peciial clown piie.
GC: S33, GOD
GC: SO S3NS1T1V3
TA: 2eriiou2ly talk two aa 2he wiill corroborate everythiing.
TA: you and 2he are pretty tiight arent you?
GC: NOT R34LLY 4NYMOR3
GC: SH3 US3D TO B3 4 LOT OF FUN
GC: BUT NOW T4LK1NG TO H3R, 1 DONT KNOW
GC: 1T JUST SOM3HOW 4LW4YS M4K3S M3 S4D :[
TA: ok well toniight2 not about fun, thii2 ii2 2eriiou2.
TA: deliiriiou2ly 2o.
TA: we are iin 2meariiou2 2hiit2taiin ciity.
GC: SCR3W YOU 4ND YOUR SH1TST41NS
GC: 1 W1LL H4V3 4 FUCK1NG BL4ST 4ND YOU C4NT STOP M3
GC: BLU3 T34M 2222222CUM :]
TA: oh 2h11t 11t2 onnnnnn 2uck4.
The mysterious Aries girl floated to the top of the frog statue and knocked the headless frog to the ground. Okay, that had been completely meaningless. What had been the point of that? Whoever she was…
Sollux looked at his computer. He was being trolled by AA.
apocalypseArisen [AA] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA]
AA: did y0u set up the teams
TA: 2tiill workiing on iit but yeah more or le22.
TA: we 2hould all be playiing 2oon.
TA: and ii gue22 leaviing thii2 diimen2iion.
TA: that ii2 what happen2, riight?
AA: yes
TA: 2o ii gue22 you 2hould be pretty happy when we fiinally get out of here?
AA: i d0nt kn0w ab0ut that
TA: oh.
TA: wiill you at lea2t be able two leave the voiice2 behiind?
AA: i d0nt kn0w ab0ut that either
TA: ii2nt that kiind of depre22iing?
TA: the thought that they miight 2tay wiith you tiil you diie?
AA: n0t really
AA: im 0k with it
AA: im 0k with a l0t 0f things
AA: even 0ur inevitable failure
AA: th0ugh it will briefly masquerade as vict0ry
TA: wow FUCK.
TA: that wa2 2o much more depre22iing than the thiing ii ju2t 2aiid.
TA: terezii wa2 riight, you are 2uch a drag two talk two the2e day2.
AA: she was right ab0ut a l0t 0f things
TA: wow what a my2teriiou2 thiing two 2ay, ii am 2o iintriigued.
TA: do me a favor and 2pare me your 2pooky conundrum2 twoniight, youre kiind of pii22iing me off.
AA: but y0u like t0 talk t0 me
AA: this a fact n0t a questi0n
AA: they t0ld me
TA: oh your 2ource2 have 2poken!
TA: relay a me22age for me, tell them two go haunt my huge creakiing bone bulge.
AA: why d0 y0u like t0 talk t0 me
TA: oh ii dont know, maybe becau2e we are 2uppo2ed two 2ave the world twogether?
TA: ii al2o talk two you becau2e iin ca2e you havent notiiced ii de2pii2e my2elf and perpetually 2eek two dupliicate through emotiional paiin the cacophony of phy2iical paiin my hiideou2 mutant braiin cau2e2 me every day.
TA: oh my god ii ju2t had a breakthrough!
TA: thank you 2o much for thii2, iit wa2 great.
TA: that wa2 a joke, here type "ha".
AA: ha
TA: now type iit agaiin.
AA: ha
TA: there you go, you are now offiiciially the liife of the party.
TA: eheheh ii ju2t took an embarra22iing viideo of you cuttiing loo2e there, boy ii 2ure hope thii2 juiicy nugget doe2nt wiind up on the iinternet!
AA: 0_0
AA: s0llux i actually w0uld like it if you were happy
TA: ok. thank you for 2ayiing 2o.
AA: y0u seem sad and angry all the time
AA: what d0es anger feel like
AA: i f0rg0t
TA: have you ever been angry?
TA: ii dont remember you gettiing angry about anythiing.
AA: maybe i never was
AA: i feel like i was th0ugh
AA: 0nce
TA: why dont you a2k karkat, he2 way angriier than me.
TA: for that matter why dont you get on HII2 ca2e about iit iin2tead of MIINE.
AA: i think his anger serves a greater purp0se
AA: its part 0f his destiny and thus 0urs
AA: it will help him t0 sab0tage his 0wn designs
AA: which are very much in 0pp0siti0n t0 the br0ader purp0se
AA: and will s0w the seeds 0f 0ur failure
AA: a failure which will ir0nically pr0ve t0 be missi0n critical
TA: iif you thiink we are goiing two faiil why wouldnt you get mad about that?
TA: at the voiice2 2endiing you down thii2 bliind alley the whole tiime?
AA: they never lied th0ugh
AA: this is h0w it had t0 be
AA: i have t0 be t0tally h0nest
AA: th0ugh at n0 p0int did i ever lie
AA: but thr0ugh 0missi0n
AA: this game will n0t save the w0rld
TA: the fuck?
AA: and th0ugh it is still very imp0rtant even in 0ur defeat
AA: unf0rtantely it is much cl0ser t0 serving as the instrument 0f 0ur pe0ples demise than that 0f their salvati0n
AA: and we twelve will behave simultane0usly as the pawns and the 0rchestrat0rs of the great und0ing
TA: ii dont want two play anymore then.
AA: y0u will th0ugh
TA: fuck that ju2t watch, thii2 2hiit ii2 du2ted.
TA: check me out, all du2tiing iit liike a 2aucy fuckiin maiid.
AA: it cann0t be st0pped
AA: mete0rs are en r0ute
AA: y0u kn0w this s0llux
TA: who care2, iim yankiing the grubtube on thii2 overpunctured biitch.
TA: iim telliing red team leader two forget the whole thiing.
TA: iim quiittiing a2 blue team leader.
TA: iif you want two 2hamble through thii2 macabre fanta2y of your2 2olo be my gue2t.
AA: y0u were never g0ing t0 be the team leader th0ugh
AA: which is t0 say
AA: the first t0 enter
TA: are you me22iing wiith me?
TA: you do realiize iim p2ychiic two.
TA: ii could pull 2o much triippy 2hiit out of my 2piinal creviice, iit would make your head 2piin liike dervii2h iin a fuckiing blender.
TA: 2o GET OFF YOUR HIIGH HOOFBEA2T.
AA: im c0ming up
TA: huh?
TA: up where.
TA: hello?
Sollux trolled Terezi and Karkat to tell them about the change of plan.
twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling gallowsCalibrator [GC]
TA: hey change of plan, we arent playiing thii2 game anymore.
TA: you dont have two bother recruiitiing, 2orry two wa2te your tiime.
GC: 1M NOT TH3 L34D3R 4NYMOR3
GC: K4RK4T 1S
TA: he ii2?
GC: H3 THR3W 4 T4NTRUM 4BOUT 1T SO 1 L3T H1M B3 TH3 R3D L34D3R
TA: ok that wa2 faiirly prediictable but that2 fiine.
TA: iill talk two hiim about iit.
GC: WH4TS GO1NG ON?
TA: nothiing, thii2 game 2uck2 and aa ii2 full of crap.
TA: 2orry about all thii2.
GC: :?
twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]
TA: hey change of plan, we arent playiing thii2 game anymore.
CG: HEY.
CG: GUESS WHO THE RED LEADER IS?
CG: I'M THE LEADER. IT'S ME.
CG: YOUR PLAN TO CRIPPLE YOUR RIVAL TEAM HAS FAILED.
TA: ii know, 2he told me, ii dont care.
TA: the game ii2 bad new2, iit wiill cau2e the end of the world, not 2top iit.
TA: 2o forget iit, ju2t go back two whatever you were doiing.
TA: wriitiing your 2hiitty code or whatever.
CG: HAHAHA! SO PATHETIC.
CG: THIS IS YET ANOTHER FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO WEAKEN YOUR OPPOSITION.
CG: TEREZI AND I HAVE ALREADY ESTABLISHED A CONNECTION AND WE ARE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS HERE.
CG: WE ARE A GREAT TEAM, AND I AM A FANTASTIC LEADER.
CG: WE WILL BEAT THIS GAME IN NO TIME, WHILE YOUR TEAM IS CLEARLY STILL ASLEEP AT THE THORAX.
TA: oh god.
TA: no you iidiiot, ii dont care about the game anymore.
TA: ii ju2t quiit, iim not playiing, you 2hould two.
CG: AMAZING.
CG: YOU'RE EITHER BEING REALLY PERSISTENT WITH THIS TRANSPARENT RUSE, OR YOU REALLY ARE JUST THAT SAD AND INCOMPETENT.
CG: NEITHER CASE DESERVES MY RESPECT OR MY FRIENDSHIP.
CG: IN FACT, YOU KNOW WHAT, FRIENDSHIP CANCELED.
CG: THERE IT'S OFFICIAL, BYE BYE FRIENDSHIP!
TA: oh liike you havent 2aiid that liike a biilliion tiime2.
TA: you arent iin any po2iitiion two que2tiion my competence.
TA: youre the wor2t programmer iive ever 2een, you dont know anythiing about computer2, why do you bother.
TA: the only thiing youre good at ii2 yelliing and makiing huge mii2take2.
TA: and beiing UGLY AND HORRIIBLE IN EVERY WAY, AND HAVIING 2TUPIID LIITTLE NUBBY HORN2.
CG: TO BE HONEST I DON'T SEE WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT YOUR PROGRAMMING OR HACKING.
CG: WHAT IS A HACKER EVEN? JUST SOME SMUG ASSHOLE IN MOVIES DOING FAKE THINGS AND MAKING UP WORDS.
CG: IT'S NOT EVEN A REAL THING TO BE, IT'S JUST SOME BULLSHIT TITLE YOU GAVE YOURSELF SO YOU CAN FEEL JUST A TINY BIT LESS LOATHESOME.
TA: oh no, more chiildii2h burn2, ii dont have two prove anythiing two you, iim a great hacker, periiod.
CG: NO IT'S ALL SO CLEAR NOW, YOU WERE A FRAUD ALL ALONG.
CG: WHAT DOES ALL THIS NONSENSICAL CODE YOU WROTE EVEN DO?
CG: IT'S ALL NONSENSE.
CG: LIKE A BLUFF. YOU JUST SAY, OH KARKAT WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT I WROTE IS BULLSHIT BECAUSE HE'S TOO DUMB TO FIGURE IT OUT.
CG: WELL YOU'RE BUSTED, THESE VIRUSES HERE I BET DO NOTHING AT ALL.
TA: waiit, KK...
CG: I BET IF I RAN THEM NOTHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN.
CG: MIGHT EVEN IMPROVE MY COMPUTER'S PERFORMANCE!
TA: no don't.
CG: HOW ABOUT THIS IDIOTIC PROGRAM WITH THE RED AND BLUE CODE, WHICH IS A MEANINGLESS THING TO DO WITH CODE ANYWAY.
CG: WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? IT'S ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR SCAMS.
CG: WHY NOT SNEAK SOME BAD CLIP ART INTO THE FILES TOO, AND PRETEND THAT'S CODE?
TA: oh god, no dont run that, iim 2eriiou2.
CG: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?
TA: iim not 2ure, but iit would be really, really bad iif you ran iit, ju2t dont.
CG: AH HA. JUST AS I THOUGHT, YOU CAN'T EVEN COME UP WITH A GOOD LIE WHEN I PRESS YOU ON IT.
CG: YOUR BLUFF HAS BEEN CALLED.
CG: COMPILING AS WE SPEAK, IT WILL AUTORUN WHEN IT FINISHES.
CG: AND NOW I HAVE TO GO ATTEND TO SOMETHING OUTSIDE, BECAUSE TEREZI IS DOING SOMETHING JUST UNSPEAKABLY STUPID RIGHT NOW.
CG: WHOOPS, FORGET I SAID THAT. IT WAS PRIVILEGED INFORMATION.
TA: you are the dumbe2t grubfucker on the planet, ii 2wear.
CG: LATER DOUCHE BAG.
TA: KK DO NOT RUN THAT CODE.
TA: hello?
carcinoGeneticist's [CG'S] computer exploded.
TA: oh my god.
Karkat walked out onto where the Alchemiter sat and looked out to the toilet far out in the lava. Suddenly the entire house shook with the force of an explosion. We are highly shocked by this totally unexpected new development.
The troll boy walked down to the front of his house and looked sadly at his dead lusus lying on the ground. The unprototyped kernelsprite flew above him and spouted gibberish, but Karkat didn't pay attention.
He and his friends and everyone they would ever meet thereafter would experience great misfortune on account of the curse unwittingly implemented through Sollux's esoteric Mobius Double Reacharound virus.
Every troll's lusus would soon die. All but one of their kernelsprites would be prototyped with a dead lusus, each prior to entering the Medium. Upon entry, they would each have a bittersweet reunion with the creature after the kernel hatched, triggering the sprite's metamorphosis. For the first time, the trolls would be able to have verbal conversations with their custodians, and would be guided by them along their journeys.
Unfortunately, the underlings and the warring royalty would gain the benefits of the monstrous prototypings as well. Each sprite, except for one, would only be prototyped once. The players would learn quickly that while one pre-entry prototyping per player was absolutely necessary for ultimate success, additional pre-entry prototypings merely empowered their enemies unnecessarily.
Elsewhere, on a beach, Gamzee nuzzled his dead sea goat custodian's head affectionately.
The game had no explicit rule that demanded something dead for prototyping, but in practice, the kernelsprite had particular attraction to the deceased or doomed. Across every session ever played, exceptions to this pattern were extremely rare.
Sollux smashed his fist against the side of his head. Why had he even sent Karkat that code to begin with? It'd been such a bad idea. He supposed it had been a boastful gesture to get a friend to think more highly of him. But why would flaunting his superior skills accomplish this? It was foolish.
He ought to wipe all these clever viruses he'd written off his computer. They could only bring more trouble.
While deleting his virus folders, he paused on one oddball file he had lying around. He had not written this virus. Rather, he'd copied it from some obscure server, far beyond his planet's global network. This application was running on that server perpetually. It read:
import universe(U);
~ATH(U) {
} EXECUTE(X);
();
Except where it says "X" as the executable program, his screen instead showed a .gif file that flipped through all of the pool balls from 1 to 15.
The program itself was extremely simple. Its main loop was tied to the lifespan of the universe. When the universe died, the mysterious subprogram, X, would be executed. Sollux had no way of knowing what that subprogram did. It ran on a protected part of the server that was completely unhackable.
He deleted the file, but it didn't do much good. The program was already running elsewhere. Luckily, whatever harm it would do would not be done for many billions of years. And even after that, what harm could a virus do after the expiration of the universe? This file had always struck Sollux as quite odd.
But Sollux, even with his vision twofold, did not have the perceptional luxuries of our vision omnipresent. We observe the Furthest Ring and, within it, a small green remote control with the image of the pool balls.
When executed, this remote would summon an indestructible demon into the roughly voided universe. This monstrous being with the power to travel through time was inconvenienced very little by his arrival upon The Great Undoing. He had the entire cadaver of the expired universe to pick apart at his whim. From its birth through its swelling maturity and tapering decay. In a reality, he was known to have marked for predation, he would go about assembling followers through various epochs, even going as far as personally establishing the parameters for his future summoning.
Sollux couldn't have known that the virus was essentially a formality. The demon was already here.
Sollux looked up at his ceiling as some mumbling resonated from above. It sounded like his lusus was agitated about something up there. The troll had already given him his serving of honey for today. If he thought he could get more, well that was just being greedy. Sollux wondered what could be bothering him.
He kept his enormous biclops chained to the roof of his communal hive stem. It was the only place there was room for him. Dueling with him on the roof during feeding time was a daily ordeal.
The biclops growled suspiciously as a troll girl with a red symbol of Aries on her shirt floated up to where he stood on the roof.
Suddenly, the narrative shifted to one of the five unknown troll girls. This one's horn was slightly crooked and had thick black eyeliner and black lipstick. Her black shirt had a green symbol of Virgo on it, and she had a red skirt on as well. She held a chainsaw in one hand and she stood on her flying Mother Grub lusus.
She was positioned near her white tower, which was somewhat like Jade's, in her oasis next to the ruins of an ancient civilization.
Suddenly, the narrative shifted yet again away from the girl (or any of the other five, for that matter) to a strange guy sitting in a wheelchair.
