June 2015

If Karkat and Terezi can't ascend to god tier, does that mean Kanaya can't either?

Karkat, Kanaya, Terezi, and Gamzee have no way to ascend currently. 

It's still possible for Kar, Kan, and Terezi to ascend - we don't know the contents of Derse and Prospit proper. The alpha kids ascended on their slabs in the destroyed moons (7738) but the main planets are still intact (prospit damaged, but intact.) And we know slabs can also sometimes in special cases be present in the main planets (5197), and of course that the session is omniscient, including about the arrival of extra players (6720).

The slabs at the center of the moons of Derse and Prospit were destroyed by the Condesce and Lord Jack and even if they were still in-tact, none of the living trolls have the Heart, Life, Void, or Hope aspect. The only Quest Bed that could be used by the trolls is Jade’s Space bed being used by Kanaya but those require a dream body and hers is dead. 

Wait I thought the alpha kids session was void?

Yes, their session is void. 

@ the session thing, where do the ancestors fit in all this?

Karkat created 24 trolls in total. His group were the ancestors in the pre-scratch universe on Beforus and Meenah and the others were the players. Meenah’s session scratched and the troll groups were switched. Meenah’s group became the ancestors post-scratch on Alternia and Karkat’s group became the players. 

how was it that jade went god tier??

She died and Bec Noir placed her corpse on her Quest Bed and Jadesprite (who was her dreamself) went godtier.

How did jack get the ring?

He got the ring when he cut it off the Black Queen’s finger with one of the weapons in the green box that contained all the Beta kid’s weapons. 

Sorry for being dumb and asking this question, but why would it be impossible for Karkat and Terezi to become God tier?

Their Quest Beds and Sacrificial Slabs have both been destroyed.

So, how does Roxy's session create Caliborn's universe if it's void? Is that what we might end up seeing because of the post-retcon addition of the beta kids, who might make the session no-longer-void?

A Void session means that the players don’t prototype anything pre-entry and their Battlefield never evolves and grows. Jade has the Beta kids’ fully prototyped Battlefield so they just need to place it at the center of Skaia. 

(I think I already sent this but oh well) couldn't Roxy create/spawn some sacrificial slabs for the trolls?

I want to say no but I’m not sure.

Doomed timelines and loops can only happen after they've entered the session right? I keep seeing headcanons about pre-session doomed timelines and I'm never sure how to correct them, can you help please?

Pre-session doomed timelines can happen. There was a doomed timeline where Karkat didn’t run the Double Mobius Reacharound virus and also Gamzee flipped out before everyone entered the game and he killed all 11 trolls. 

If a new universe is successfully made, do the inhabitants need to play another version of sburb?

Eventually, yes a new session will be started by a new set of players.  

how will killing snowman destroy the universe? (also, btdubs, love the blog)

Doc Scratch tied her life directly with the Genesis Frog’s life but the details of how he did this aren’t revealed. 

What are the scars on Cronus's forehead from and how are they connected to Lord English?

Cronus claims that Lord English tried to kill him with a spell once but the spell deflected and split his soul into several vessels until he could find another way to enter their universe. The entire event is an obvious Harry Potter reference. 

why did jadesprite go godtier but davesprite didn't?

The Dave that prototyped into Davesprite wasn’t Dave’s dream self, he was just a doomed Dave.

Can kanaya go god tier?

None of the trolls currently have a way to go godtier.

(I'm super sorry if I already asked this and it's been asked before!) Is Hal's android body just fanon or is it canon? If it's canon, may I get an approximate panel location?

It was a popular fanon concept that became canon in [S] MSPA Reader: Mental Breakdown.

Pretty sure that even if Roxy could create some slabs for the trolls there's an important fact to remember: their dream selves are dead and to my knowledge you can't go god tier without one because you have to die.

Dream slabs don’t require a dream self to ascend on, only Quest Beds do.

What even IS Skaia? It really confuses me. Also how is the battlefield inside Skaia? Can you stand on or touch Skaia? How do you get inside? Sorry about all the questions but Skaia makes no sense to me.

Skaia is the dormant crucible at the center of the session that is made of dense clouds that show past, present, and future events. The planet at the center of Skaia is the Battlefield which evolves with each prototyping. 

When did Terezi go god tier and why isn't she god tier in the retcon timeline? >:?

Alpha Terezi never went god tier.

How did Roxy get the Ring of Life?

John found it in the Furthest Ring and gave it to Roxy so she could revive Calliope. 

Okay so, as I understand it, sburb exists to help a universe "reproduce" in a sense, and the players of the game get to rule over their newly created universe. If so, where are the players of the session that created the kid's session? Tell me if I've just completely corkscrewed the entire idea but I never see any godlike people ruling over the kids' universe.

Karkat and his team where the ones who created the kids’ universe, they just never entered it.

is snowman being the tied to the a2 universe a pool reference? im pretty sure it is but i just need confirmation whether or not.

Yes, I believe it’s a reference to the fact that in Eight Ball Pool if you pocket the eight ball before your others then you lose. 

do you think that since the B2 kids didnt use their slabs, that the trolls can use then (ei kanaya use jades slab) because of same aspect? or is it hard wired for specific DNA (since the game has their DNA because of paradox cloning) and that this is checked through the blood?

Jade’s Sacrificial Slab was at the center of the moon of Prospit and Jack Noir destroyed that planet early on in their session. As for whether or not players who share aspects can ascend on the other player’s Sacrificial Slab, I’m really not sure. 

are dream slabs the same thing as sacrificial slabs? how many different kinds of slabs are there to ascend on?

They’re the same. You can ascend on either a Sacrificial Slab or a Quest Bed.

For post 120903245099 where was this detailed/mentioned?? Not like I don't believe you, but I want to reread that section! Thank you in advance!

On this page, Aradia states that Karkat’s computer didn’t run the virus that Sollux sent him which doomed the timeline. His computer exploded on this page in the alpha timeline before the session started. 

Im sorry, but i dont understand the whole Cronus thinks he is a human concept, is this just a fanon thing?

No, it’s canon. He refers to himself as “humankin” and he thinks of himself as a 1950s-style greaser.

where is it stated that calliopes session was made by the alpha kids?

Already answered that.

wasnt there a doomed timeline where Gamzee kills everyone before Sgrub?

Yes, the one where Karkat didn’t run the virus and Gamzee killed everyone happened in the same doomed timeline.

Why is it important that Calliope is revived?

Because she deserved a second chance and also she’s precious. 

Is it canon Dave will kill lord english?

Dave seems to think his prophecy (“They wait for he who would drop it like it’s hot whilst the pimp’s in the crib.”) refers to him being the one to defeat Lord English, the space pimp with the gold tooth and cane. The Condesce also believes he’ll kill Lord English. 

What exactly is Lil Hal. I'm sorry, it's been a while since I've read the comic and I don't remember ever really reading about it.

Lil Hal is another name for the Auto Responder AI in Dirk’s shades.

Does Aranea have telekinesis? She moved planets in GAME OVER, but it's not listed as a power of hers anywhere nor does Vriska have it. Was that her controlling multiple Damara ghosts again?

Yes, she was mind controlling 3 Damara ghosts. 

Yo so, my curiosity was peaked by another few questions you've recieved recently, and just wondering, so caliborn's universe is created by the alpha kid's session, which is created by the beta kid's scratch, which is in the universe karkat's group created, and the alternian trolls played in the post-scratch of the beforus trolls, but then how was that universe created? And caliborn won his session, was it mentioned which universe was created from that?

The session that created the trolls universe hasn’t been mentioned in-comic. Hussie said jokingly in his Formspring that it was created by a 48 player squiddle session. Caliborn won his session but the goal of a solo session isn’t to create a new universe but to obtain unlimited power and immortality. 

Can't Kanaya go god tier with the bed on LOFAF?

No, Quest Beds require a living dream self. 

In the retcon timeline, is Aradia still alive?

Yes.

Hey so you've probably been asked this before, I'm not really sure, but what ever happened to brobot? After he fought jake he exploded if I recall, but I never understood why, also him tearing his heart out was that just completely pointless or a confession of love? Also unimportant really, but do you ship dirk jake?

Brobot had uranium inside of his chest which is what Jake needed to power the machine to send the green package to John in the B1 session. I don’t ship DirkJake and I don’t think Mod T does either

source on “humankin”?

This Flash game where you’re introduced to Cronus. 

Is it possible for the alpha session to be scratched?

There wouldn’t be any point in scratching their session since a scratch switches the group of players and then we’d have the Beta kids playing again. 

in which page dave's prophecy was mentioned?

This Flash game is where the prophecies are mentioned on the flags with the Beta kids’ aspect symbols on them. 

Wait, if quest beds require a dream self then what about Jade and Aradia? Weren't their dream selves dead when they went godteir?

Jade’s dreamself was alive in the form of Jadesprite and Aradia dreamself was alive but she ascended on a Sacrificial Slab which requires only one life.

Quest beds can't require a living dream self because Jake English was able to become godtier despite his dream self being dead

He used a Sacrificial Slab which requires only one life.

How do we know that a person cannot use their planets quest bed to ascend with only one life left?

We know this because every time someone died on a Quest Bed their dreamself becomes their mainself.

how did Gamzee go god tier?

He did not, it is only a costume

Can you put the slab/bed questions and jade(sprite) ascending to God tier in the FAQ? I feel like you guys get asked those two same questions with slight variations a lot and don't know if that would make it easier.

I just did.

Uh... So.. How do I explain buckets to my girlfriends sister????

The problem is that when the subject of troll romance is broached, our sparing human intellects instantly assume the most ingratiating posture of surrender imaginable.

But we will do our best to understand regardless.

Humans have only one form of romance. And though we consider it a complicated subject, spanning a wide range of emotions, social conventions, and implications for reproduction, it is ultimately a superficial slice of what trolls consider the full body of romantic experience. Our concept of romance, in spite of its capacity to fill our art and literature and to rule our individual destinies like little else, is still just that. A single, linear concept. A concept usually denoted by a single symbol.

<3

Troll romance is more complicated than that. Troll romance needs four symbols.

Their understanding of romance is divided into halves, and halved again, producing four quadrants: the FLUSHED QUADRANT, the CALIGINOUS QUADRANT, the PALE QUADRANT, and the ASHEN QUADRANT.

Each quadrant is grouped by the half they share, whether horizontally or vertically, depending on the overlapping properties one examines. The sharpest dichotomy, from an emotional perspective, is drawn between RED ROMANCE and BLACK ROMANCE.

RED ROMANCE, comprised of the flushed and pale quadrants, is a form of romance rooted in strongly positive emotions. BLACK ROMANCE, with its caliginous and ashen quadrants, is rooted in the strongly negative.

On the other hand, the vertical bifurcation has to do with the purpose of the relationship, regardless of the emotions behind it. Those quadrants which are CONCUPISCENT, the flushed and caliginous, have to do with facilitating the elaborate reproductive cycle of trolls. Those which are CONCILIATORY, the pale and ashen, would be more closely likened to platonic relationships by human standards.

There are many parallels between human relationships and the various facets of troll romance. Humans have words to describe relationships of a negative nature, or of a platonic nature. The difference is, for humans, those relationships would never be conceptually grouped with romance. Establishing those sort of relationships for humans is not driven by the same primal forces that drive our tendency to couple romantically. But for trolls, those primal forces involve themselves in the full palette of these relationships, red or black, torrid or friendly. Trolls typically feel strongly compelled to find balance in each quadrant, and seek gratifying relationships that each describes.

The challenge is particularly tortuous for young trolls, who must reconcile the wide range of contradictory emotions associated with this matrix, while understanding the nature of their various romantic urges for the first time.

Of course, young humans have this challenge too. But for trolls, the challenge is fourfold.

When two individuals find themselves in the flushed quadrant together, they are said to be MATESPRITS. Matespritship is the closest parallel to the human concept of romance trolls have. It plays a role in the trolls’ reproductive cycle, just as it does for humans.

This is pretty obvious! Not much more needs to be said about this. Moving right along.

When a pair of adversaries delve into this quadrant, they become each other’s KISMESIS. As one of the concupiscent quadrants, it plays a role in procreation as well. There is no particularly good human translation for this concept. The closest would be an especially potent arch-rivalry.

For instance, human players would never be able to adequately diagnose the relationship between the queen and her archagent. But troll players could immediately place it as a dead ringer for kismesissitude. They would think we were all pretty stupid for not getting it. And they would be right.

Trolls have a complicated reproductive cycle. It’s probably best not to examine it in much detail.

The need to seek out concupiscent partners comes with more urgency than typical reproductive instincts. When the IMPERIAL DRONE comes knocking, you had better be able to supply genetic material to each of his FILIAL PAILS. If you have nothing to offer, he will kill you without hesitation.

The genetic material - WITHOUT GOING INTO MUCH DETAIL - is a combinative genetic mix from the matesprit and kismesis pairs, respectively. The pails are all offered to the mother grub, who can only receive such precombined material. She then combines all of it into one incestuous slurry, and begins her brooding.

This doesn’t mean the initial combination was for naught, however. In the slurry, more dominant genes rise to the fore, while the more recessive find less representation in the brood. Especially strong matesprit and kismesis pairings yield more dominant genetic material. The more powerful the complement or potent the rivalry, the more dominant the genes.

TROLL REPRODUCTION SURE IS WEIRD. We all take a moment to lament how pedestrian the human reproductive system is, and further lament that the phrase “incestuous slurry” is not a feature of common parlance in human civilization.

This quadrant involves a particular type of three-way relationship of a black romantic nature. Falling on the conciliatory side, it has no bearing on the reproductive cycle, except for indirect ramifications.

When two trolls are locked in a feud or some otherwise contentious relationship, one can intervene and become their AUSPISTICE. The auspistice mediates between the two, playing the role of a peace keeper, preventing the feud from boiling over into a fully caliginous rivalry.

Since such lesser feuds are quite common among trolls, there is a significant need for auspisticing parties. Without them, too many ashen feuds would become caliginous, and begin to conflict with other exclusive kismesis relationships, leading to a great deal of social complexity and sore feelings (even more so than black romance usually involves). Without auspisticism, the result would be widespread black infidelity.

The relationships each quadrant describes tend to be malleable, if not volatile, especially on the concupiscent half where more torrid emotions reside. It doesn’t take much to flip a switch and transmute blackrom feelings to redrom, and vice versa.

In many cases, one party will have red feelings while the other has black. But it will often be the case that one party’s feelings will swap to match the other’s, since there is no quadrant which naturally accommodates such a disparity. But thereafter, it’s not uncommon for the two to toggle between red and black in unison now and then. These scenarios naturally result in both red and black infidelities.

This sort of relationship volatility is why conciliatory relationships are an important part of troll romance.

An auspistice can stabilize particularly turbulent relationships. If the auspistice fails to mediate properly, or has no interest in the role, or perhaps has different romantic intentions him/herself altogether, then the relationship often quickly deteriorates into one of an especially hostile and torrid nature. There are many outside factors and influences tugging and pulling these relationships in different directions, and unlike humans who have very orderly, simple, straightforward romantic relationships without exception, trolls exist in a state of almost perpetual confusion and generally have no idea what the hell is going on.

Being confused by troll relationships is one thing we do have in common though.

This quadrant presides over MOIRALLEGIENCE, the other conciliatory relationship. A reasonable human translation would be the concept of a soul mate, but in a more platonic sense, and with a more specific social purpose.

Trolls are a very angry and violent race. Some are more hot-tempered and dangerous than others, to the extent that if left to their own devices, they would present a serious threat to society, or even to themselves. Such trolls will have an instinctive pale attraction to a more even-tempered troll, who may become their MOIRAIL. The moirail is obliged to pacify the other, to function as the better half. The two partners in a strong pale relationship will serve to balance and complement each other’s emotional profiles, and thus allow their other relationships to be more successful.

It’s often ambiguous especially among young trolls whether a bond formed between an acquaintance is true moirallegence, or the usual variety of platonic involvement. Furthermore, romantic intentions of a more flushed nature can often be mistaken for paler leanings, much to the frustration of the suitor.

But some pale pairings, as the one above, will be strikingly obvious to all who know them.

God you just can’t get enough of this can you! That would have been a great point for a transition out of this illustrated sociological study, but ok, if you insist.

Now see, what’s going on here is…

It’s perfectly simple. When the full matrix of troll romance is in action, we have… uh…

Hey, why don’t you figure it out! You should be an expert on all this by now anyway.

Later our troll hero would try to explain this to our human hero, attempting to convey all the nuance of troll romance through a nearly verbatim recitation of the preceding excerpts.

He would try to describe how rich and textured the troll romantic comedies were compared to the one dimensional schlock of our human cinematic counterparts. He would barely scratch the surface of Troll Will Smith’s virtuosity with the delicate lattice of troll romance, as he would assist the bumbling fudgeblooded Troll Kevin James through the interwoven minefield-briarpatch of redrom and blackrom entanglements, all the while sifting through his own prickly romantic situation and ultimately learning the true meaning of hate and pity. But would they succeed before the imperial drone came knocking with his thirsty pails at the ready??? Yes, they would.

But John didn’t understand any of this because he’s a moron, and he wouldn’t shut up about his awful bullshit Earth movies. He would just go on and on and on about that garbage.

But if there was one theme to be hammered through his thick skull, it would be the trolls’ cultural preoccupation with romantic destiny. Yes, the romantic landscape is rife with false starts and miscues and infidelities, red and black. But every troll believes strongly that each quadrant holds one and only one true pairing for them, and it is just a matter of time before the grid is filled with auspicious matchups through the mysterious channels of TROLL SERENDIPITY.

In short, their belief is that for each quadrant there exists a pair or triad of trolls somewhere in the cosmos that were…

MADE FOR EACH OTHER.

Is there one long running alpha timeline that goes through every session. (A1,A2,B1,B2,C1)or does each session have its own doomed and alpha timelines?

There is one continuous alpha timeline with each session having its own doomed timelines.

couldnt bec noir easily be defeated if they just cut his arm off??

…..yes

I love how "forgotten facts" has kind of turned into "explaining the mechanics of time and sburb"

Yeah, welcome to my life.

what happened to davesprite's john,rose and jade?

That John was killed by Typheus, Jade never entered since John died, and that Rose using some kind of Seer bullshit managed to merge her consciousness with the main Rose by going to sleep right as Dave travelled back in time.

Do all amporas have purple streaks? Cause it looks like cro dyes his hair (ie the grey patch in his sprite). Especially since Dualscar has the purple and I can't imagine a pirate with dye his hair also isn't Cronus supposed to be Dualscar also

It isn’t canon that Dualscar has the purple streak. This is the only picture we see of him in canon.