=>[INFO]The MEGA INFORMATION THREAD (Alternia & Trolls)

[Hivestuck]

TROLL INFO MEGA THREAD
I HOPE YOU LIKE WORDS
Table of Contents:
=>Part 1: Alternia
Alternia, Cities, Calendar

=>Part 2: Troll Biology
Blood types, Stages, Powers, Seadwellers, Mutations

=>Part 3: Life Cycle
Reproduction, Birth, Death, Symbols, Childhood, Lusus Naturae

=>Part 4: Society and Culture
Monarchy, Hemospectrum, Technology, Religion, Entertainment and Facilities

=>Part 5: Groups and Ghouls
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Take the step. Begin your destiny. Play now my lord.

 

[Hivestuck]

ALTERNIA
GALLOPING MUSCLEBEASTS

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Alternia is a nocturnal planet, and during most of the year it remains a constant state of dusk. From space it appears to be black, due to the dark clouds that cover it, while in reality it is just as vibrant and bright a planet as any other plant bearing hunk of floating space-rock. Alternia has two moons, both which contain military bases set up and developed by the troll army sometime during its extensive history, however they are currently not in use due the previous army focusing more on expansion far away from Alternia, and the new one lacking in any functioning spacecrafts. The larger of the two is green, while the smaller is purple and has a small moon of its own. Both have atmospheres and are inhabitable, to a degree.

The Alternian sun is blinding to most trolls - looking up at it for even a moment is enough to blind a troll, and will certainly burn a troll in a very short amount of time. Additionally, zombies known as "daywalkers" roam Alternia during this time, and occur in such droves that going outside during this time is incredibly dangerous. Its flora and geography are very similar to those of earth, with some minor colour and appearance differences. There are forests, lakes, rivers, deserts, plains, tundras, swamps, and all other kinds of topography. Oceans and large bodies of water are traditionally viewed as prestigious and dangerous areas of the planet, as the most powerful trolls tend to live in and around them. Alternia's landmass is one large supercontinent, with a few small islands dotted out around it, the rest of the planet being dominated by the ocean.

Alternia's fauna consists of beasts equally as bizarre as the Lusus Naturae that live inside its vast network of caves and tunnels below the surface. Dragons, giant spiders, musclebeasts, and giant flying whales are common sights in the wilderness outside the cities. For the most part, Alternian animals are white with the same rainbow hue of blood that trolls posses. However some creatures on the planet, most noticeably the deep sea cuttlefish, are as colourful on the outside as on the inside.

While the length of any given night is the same as on Earth, Alternia takes a much longer time to make a full orbit around its sun. The average solar sweep lasts 2.16 times longer than an Earth year. Alternia also goes through several more seasonal cycles as it completes its journey. Overall, the seasons are known as being either “dark,” or “dim.” Within those two major seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter all occur three times in one sweep, each one lasting for four perigees—the troll equivalent of months. A perigee is the time at which a moon is closest to its planet as it orbits. Alternia goes through 48 perigees in one sweep.

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As trolls have lived on Alternia for millennia, there are quite a few cities that have been built up and fallen down. In the current day and age, there are only a handful of cities, since in recent sweeps the population has been more focused on expansion to other planets. Thanks to modern vehicles and transportation systems, moving between the major cities can take as little as two hours.
For locations within the cities, check here: Locations Info Thread

New Hemisect City
NHC is the largest city on Alternia. It is a bustling metropolis, packed full with communal hivestems. While it also has the largest ratio of speakeasies, nighteries, hideaways and watering holes out of any city, it also has the strongest imperial presence, and it is where most soldiers on leave come to relax, unwind, and start a few bar brawls. As soon as you leave the inner city core however, the noise and crowds quickly fade and are replaced by the sprawling hives of affluent bluebloods, and the occasional well-to-do greenblood. Passing beyond the city limits the houses break up and become less common, forming small communities that dot the sprawling plains that surround the city.

Four Fronds
Nestled away in one of Alternia's ancient forests is the town of Four Fronds. Built around a medium sized lake deep within the forest, it is viewed as somewhat of a luxury resort by trolls from larger towns. Four Fronds has every luxury a troll could want. Hot slimebaths, moontanning by the lakeside, and even offers 'big game hunting', where incarcerated lowbloods are let loose into the forest and chased for sport by the patrons. It's rumored that the empress herself comes here often to unwind and relax. The lake certainly houses her summer home, along with the hives of a few other noble trolls. Rumours also say that the lowbloods who managed to escape the hunts have taken up residence in the woods, attacking those who stray too close and risk discovering their home.

Busthind Mountain
The small nameless town that clings to the slope of Busthind Mountain has been in place for longer than anyone can remember. For generations, young trolls have climbed the mountain to train and strengthen themselves on it's treacherous cliffs and slippery slopes. Populated by serious trolls who have the endurance to shrug off freezing climates and barren snow-covered expanses (terminating in sharp drops), Busthind is where you go if you love being strong. If you've made it to the top of the mountain and down in one piece, you are a force to be reckoned with.

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Chittentown
The polar opposite of New Hemisect City, Chittentown is a place of hardship and work. Surrounded by deserts and constantly beseiged by sandstorms, Chittentown is a underground city, built into a massive canyon that cuts the vast desert in two. While life in Chittentown is gritty, warm, and uncomfortable, it is the second largest city on the planet. Redbloods, orangebloods, and yellowbloods flock to the safety of it's stone walls, knowing that they will be safe from becoming the idle playthings of the spoiled and pampered highbloods. Chittentown also turns out some of the brightest and most intelligent trolls, and all of Alternia's major technological and military advancements from the past two hundred sweeps have come from Chittentown.

Salamire Outpost
The hidden bastion of Salamire Outpost is known only to a handful of trolls. A once-abandoned tree village hidden deep within the northern heart of Alternia's great swamp, this location was recently re-discovered by the anti-monarchy group of self proclaimed freedom fighters, the Phoenix Initiative. A safe haven for trolls who are fleeing the grasp of the Empress's long arm, and her troupes, this location is a closely guarded secret of the trolls who do live there. While the outpost is completely off the grid, it is a short distance away from the foothills of Busthind, where natural caves link it to local supor springs, a safe tunnel system allowing for travel to and from the populated slopes of southern Busthind, and at the centre of the caverns - a mother grub guarded by the Initiative. Trolls who are born from this mother grub are not registered in the imperial citizenship ledgers, and are instead taken in by the Initiative to live at Salamire Outpost


Civisect City
The newly reborn Civisect City, formerly known as Old Hemisect is the current glittering jewel of troll prosperity. Having been utterly destroyed by Gl'bgolyb during the death of the previous empress, it was left in a state of abandoned ruin for a few sweeps, turning into a ghost town. Now, thanks to the efforts of the citizens and military of Alternia, it has been rebuilt and repopulated, and is beginning to rapidly outpace Chittentown in terms of tech and weapons creation. Drawing creative and intelligent highblood trolls who found the conditions of living in a desert surrounded by lowbloods too abrasive, already a rivalry has sprung up between the two cities, while remaining as friendly as rivalries can go between trolls.

 

[Hivestuck]

TROLL BIOLOGY
WHATS GREY AND BLACK AND MEAN ALL OVER

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Trolls vs Humans
What is a troll? A troll is a grey-skinned, black-haired humanoid alien from the planet Alternia. They seem to have descended from insectoid creatures, rather than mammalian ones like humans, but there are several large similarities between the species.

Fully pupated trolls stand upright on their hind legs, with bodies that appear to be completely the same as humans. However, what appears to be skin is in fact a thick grey exoskeleton. Apart from that major difference, trolls also have a pair of reddish yellow horns that grow and darken in colour throughout their entire life. While the most common number of horns is two, some trolls have three, or four. Finally, trolls have a large variety of natural blood colours, ranging nearly across the entire colour spectrum. A troll's blood colour is considered their most important and defining trait, and their place in the social hierarchy is entirely based on it. The caste system they use, based on blood colour, is known as the Hemospectrum. Trolls at the lowest end have red blood, and at the highest end, purple blood.

Trolls also vary from humans in other ways, such as the yellow sclera on their eyes, no irises, blood coloured pupils, and their pointy teeth. (Which yes, do grow back.) They only have one hair colour, black, and while their natural age is mostly dependant on their blood colour, even the lowest trolls have reasonably long lifespans. Trolls are also a very hardy and tough race, and can easily survive losing limbs, recover from massive amounts of blood loss, and in extremely harsh conditions.

Unlike on Earth, where many languages exist, the domineering nature of troll history has cemented a single Alternian language throughout the land. What we might consider on Earth to be "speaking another language" on Alternia tends to mean "speaking in a very thick accent" or using an excessive amount of localized slang and jargon.

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Troll Life Stages
When a troll is first hatched from it's egg, it has a grub-like body and dozens of small limbs which it can use to climb and scuttle up walls and down steep cliffs with ease. It's head is the same grey exoskeleton as it's fully evolved form, along with baby horn nubs and already fast growing hair. In this form, the troll searches for a safe, quiet place to spin itself a cocoon, in which it finishes growing the rest of it's humanoid body, replacing the temporary first one.
After it emerges, it will keep the same body for the rest of it's life. The only further changes that happen to a troll's body are the continuous growth and darkening of it's horns, and a change in the pupils of it's eyes. When it is first born, a troll will have pupils in the colour of its blood. However after emerging from stasis, it's pupils are black. When it reaches physical maturity at adulthood, a trolls pupils will fill with blood again, returning them to the same appearance as when they were in their larval stage.

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Mutations and Powers
The troll genetic code is a little unstable. Genetic deviations, as in all species, occasionally pop up, although for trolls they can be a little outrageous. Some kinds of troll adaptations, such as psychic powers or the ability to live underwater, are commonplace on Alternia, while others are very rare and viewed with heavy social prejudice.

Physically mutated trolls are uncommon on Alternia, but when they do appear, their mutations are diverse and unusual. Unlike psychic-based powers and abilities possessed by trolls, many physical mutations are not socially accepted traits. For lowbloods, physical abnormalities of the body (wings, etc) are considered to be a malady. This can paint them as targets to be culled by overzealous genetic purists, but for the most part is overlooked or seen as simply unattractive. Blood mutations, gained when a troll is born with a blood colour that is outside of the hemospectrum, are considered an offence to basic troll society. Trolls with unnatural blood colors are not tolerated by the population, and are culled as social pariahs - or simply die young due to a lack of lusus.

Trolls at the highest end of the Hemospectrum, purplebloods that have begun to edge into the warmer end of that colour, can naturally live and breathe underwater. They all have a set of gills, are perfectly capable of functioning on and off land at any time, and are known commonly as seadwellers. While this would be painted as a regrettable mutation on lowbloods, the fact that it is exclusive to highblooded trolls has meant that it is viewed as natural and completely sociably acceptable. In fact, seadwellers see their difference as a point of pride, and regularly flaunt their fins.

In addition, teal, blue, and purplebloods that display physical changes that for a lower blood might be considered a mutation, are instead simply seen as 'gifted'. Trolls down at the lower end of the hemospectrum however, have the ability to manifest psychic abilities, and this is the one abnormality that is accepted for lowbloods. Psychic lowbloods are prized and lauded for these abilities, as they are useful in the army for various purposes. Unlike mutations, these aforementioned abilities are a regular, socially accepted occurrence on Alternia. Many trolls have powers that they are born with, while others train for sweeps to unlock latent powers that they may possess.

 

[Hivestuck]

LIFE CYCLE
FROM WIGGLERHOOD TO THE GRAVE

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Troll Reproduction
Troll courtship and romance is rather complicated, from a human's point of view. Rather than the traditional human feeling of 'love', is divided into four quadrants, represented by the four suits of cards; Matespritship ♥ the flushed quadrant, Moirallegiance ♦ the pale quadrant, Kismesissitude ♠ the caliginous quadrant, and Auspistice ♣ the ashen quadrant. For full information on each quadrant, please see the troll romance thread.

Matespritship ♥ and Kismesissitde ♠ are the two relationships that relate to trolls breeding and making troll babies. Matespritship is similar to the traditional human love, and Kismesissitude is easiest described as hate-love, the kind of attachment that comes from an arch-rival, if you found yourself in one of those sports animes. As the saying goes... when one troll loves another troll, and hates still another troll, and happens to have two buckets around ... and that's how you were born. Only not exactly. Trolls themselves do not give birth, instead, they secrete a slurry that contains their genetic information. The sex of a troll is of utterly no importance while breeding. Therefore on Alternia, there are no concepts of 'straight' or 'gay'. The genetic material in turn is collected in the aforementioned buckets, and brought down into the brooding caverns of Alternia, to where one of the domesticated Mother Grubs awaits.

There, it is combined in the Mother Grub along with genetic slurry from countless other trolls, until she receives enough and lays a massive batch of eggs. Why not then simply go down on your own with a bucket and contribute by yourself, a young troll might ask. The reason behind having the partners is simple. The stronger the feelings of love or hate towards the other trolls, the stronger the genetic material secreted. Therefore, to ensure your genetics get passed down in the next batch of eggs, it is essential to find the best partners possible. A notoriously practical and down to earth culture, trolls veer from this in terms of romance, with popular culture believing heavily in 'soul mates' and trolls that were hatched for each other in each quadrant. Encouraged not to settle with second best and always seek the other troll that fits them perfectly, this belief coincidentally (or not) coincides with the need for the strongest emotions to create the most potent genetic material.

The obvious downside of this method of breeding is that trolls do not really have parents. They are born from all the genetic goop of hundreds of thousands of other trolls, and it's kind of hard to determine what troll has the responsibility of taking care of them as they grow up.* However, this has been solved due to the fauna of Alternia, and more specifically, Lusus Naturae.


*When breeding is carried out in shop, only the genetic traits of the trolls used to request breeding are used. This is for simplicity's sake.

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Lusus Naturae
Trolls have an incredibly symbiotic relationship with their home planet. They are so dependent on it, in fact, that they rely on the creatures that live on it to raise their young. Lusus Naturae are a class of monstrous beasts that live deep inside the caves of Alternia. The rarest and most important Lusus of all are great bug-like creatures known as Mother Grubs. These jade-green blooded insects point towards the probability that Trolls have in fact evolved from Lusus Naturae themselves. This is due to the fact that Mother Grubs are a key step in how trolls reproduce. Like trolls, they have blood colours ranging from each end of the spectrum, but apart from that they are completely albino. Lusus naturae have an amazing amount of variations, and can range in appearance from that of a common earth housecat, to that of a twelve eyed, three winged rhinodinosaur.

How this partnership began has been lost in the mists of time, but when the young trolls have freshly pupated, and are beginning their long and dangerous trek to the surface, Lusus of all shapes and sizes travel to the brooding caverns to seek out trolls with the same blood colour that they have, and take it upon themselves to protect and look after that troll till the end of their days. Occasionally, two trolls are born from the same egg. This is the closest trolls will ever have to siblings, and they are always twins. However, thanks to the confusion of the brooding caverns, these trolls are most often separated at birth and taken away by different Lusii to be raised. While some twins end up seeking out and finding their 'other half', a good deal of them go through life unaware that they ever shared an egg with another.

Most trolls end up functioning as a sort of zookeeper for their Lusus as they age up, as despite everything, they are still wild animals, and only feel the need to protect and look after their specific troll. While Lusus communicate with their trolls through whatever hoots, grunts, or cries they naturally produce, most trolls end up learning how to understand their caretaker, and through that can understand other Lusus Naturae that are of similar species. Since each Lusus is responsible for teaching their troll about the Hemospectrum, the world, and how they fit into it, each troll often tends to come out of childhood with a view on life heavily influenced by how their Lusus chose to raise them. It is also not unheard of for trolls to pick up quirks and behaviour patterns from their adoptive parent.

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Birth and Death
Trolls are in danger from the moment they emerge from their coccoons. Immediately after pupating, trolls find themselves alone in the labyrinthine cave structures below the surface of Alternia known as the Brooding Caverns. They must adapt quickly to their newfound humanoid forms, as the caves are incredibly dangerous. In addition to diverse and horrifying obstacles, the caverns contain many hostile lusii and other newly pupated trolls who are equally desperate to survive. Troll children are drawn to find their lusus, who will bond with them and protect them from then on.

While troll families consist of monstrous beasts that raise them, some trolls do try and tie themselves in with trolls in history, to find out about their own past and help them feel more connected with their society. All trolls have a personal symbol, linked back to one of the trolls that contributed to their genetic material. This is the closest trolls will get to a family heritage, and some trolls try to trace back their symbol and emulate the trolls before them who bore the same crest. All trolls pick out a symbol when they are young children, and wear it proudly on their clothing throughout their life.

Eventually, (most) trolls die. Trolls are extremely unlikely to die through natural causes such as old age - and to some trolls, passing away peacefully may be a sign of an unproductive life. As a society, trolls do not have consistent ceremonies with regards to burial of the dead. With death on Alternia being commonplace, corpse disposal is similar to other forms of waste disposal. Removing, burying, burning or otherwise getting rid of bodies is all seen as equally practical, and the concept of a "corpse party" or funeral is entirely foreign. In general, little respect is given to the bodies of the dead on Alternia. The inconsistency of dealing with death is shown in various other rituals and practices of living trolls.

 

[Hivestuck]

SOCIETY AND CULTURE
FACEPUNCH YOUR NEIGHBOUR

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Troll Leadership & Values
Socially, trolls are a matriarchal society, ruled by a empress. The royal line consists of female trolls who have the highest natural blood colour possible. Sufficiently rare enough numbers of these are born so that the current empress tends to stick around for a very long time. Ruling by a mixture of bribery, lies, blackmailing, manipulation, and full scale genocidal slaughter, they have managed to keep their race from committing self-extinction countless times.

Their one ace up the sleeve is their power to control the fearsomely huge royal Lusus, Gl'bgolyb, a lovecraftian horror that lives in the deepest trenches of the Alternian ocean. Gl'bgolyb has the ability to instantly kill every single troll currently in existence through it's terrible psychic abilities (known as the vast glub), and only female trolls of the royal blood colour can control and command it. The threat of their ruler unleashing this unstoppable death upon them is possibly the only true reason that trolls continue to follow their monarch's command.

The empress, along with the rest of the troll population are a warrior culture, with highbloods placing value heavy on strength, cunning, and an individual's prowess. Society expects and encourages lowbloods to be docile dutiful, while painting highbloods as commanding and violent, but these stereotypes are not necessarily true. These are simply ideals dictated to the society by those who enforce the hemospectrum. Individual trolls posses the same range of personalities that any sentient race would. While this is true, certain values are not upheld by society, and are therefore much more uncommon in older trolls. In addition, survival of the fittest is a heavy part of troll life and those who cannot learn to change their ways of thought to match with the society they live in, often end up either culled, or secluding themselves away from society for their own safety.

Throughout their lives, trolls are constantly tested by their guardians, their friends, and their enemies, resulting in a very aggressive, dangerous, and violent culture. Typically, the only way to get trolls to stop infighting has been to get them to fight someone else, and so they have become one of the most feared conquerors of the galaxy. Having overthrown and enslaved countless other races in their time, they are feared throughout the known and unknown universe as a brutal, violent, xenophobic race of warmongers. Of course to a troll, this would translate as strong, assertive, loyal and brave.

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The Hemospectrum
Life up and down the caste system is as different as Alternian night and day. Being born into a certain caste determines your status, and while some trolls have a strong desire and ability to succeed, others falter with the burden of their place in the hemospectrum. While culture and upbringing has created many differences and traditions in the behaviour of trolls, there is no biological difference to the way trolls behave.

Lowbloods (red, orange and yellows specifically) are the most underprivileged trolls on Alternia. Redbloods are especially picked out as being cannon fodder and target practice, while green-tinted yellowbloods may occasionally pass as middle class. As a lowblood, beetles are harder to come by and keep, and the advantages of connections are often lost when preference is given to trolls of higher status. A proper lowblood is considered to be deferential but industrial -- the usefulness of a lowblood is typically seen in high levels of productivity, a useful cog in the machine. In populated areas such as New Hemisect, Four Fronds, and especially Civisect City, it is easy to go missing, get into an altercation with fatal repercussions, or find yourself on the wrong side of Alternian law.

Greenbloods are considered to be the middle class by those of higher blood colour, and are the lowest caste to be considered "cool-blooded". Those in the green and teal range live comfortably, and are generally overlooked in Alternia considering their middling range. Green, teal and bluebloods do not suffer the same injustices that face their lowblooded counterparts. They are not granted the same natural resources and glamorous lifestyle as those higher than them on the hemospectrum. However, they do have the ability to pull some strings, when it comes to getting away with things that lowbloods could be pinned with and culled for. Those above the teal range are effectively able to harm trolls of significantly warmer blood without penalty, and have a concerning tendency to bend and break the laws as they see fit.

Trolls with purple blood are the highest tier on Alternia. Landdwelling and seadwelling purplebloods are considered to be royalty, and have the ability to live lavish lifestyles and do as they see fit. Bending the law to their own needs is all to common for these trolls, who make up a great deal of the impressive titles of Alternian government (a joke of an institution, entirely under the nub of the Army and the Empress). There is a significant gap between the prestige of seadwellers and landdwelling purplebloods, considering the biological differences, and many seadwelling trolls consider all trolls without gills and fins to simply be equally inferior. However, wronging a purpleblood in anyway is easily a culling offence.

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Troll Necessities
After arriving on the surface of the planet, young trolls are usually processed by waiting adults who man the surface exits of the known brooding caverns, and let free to survive on their own with the help of their lusus. Immediately after, most trolls and their guardians find a place where they would like to live, either using the hive of a previous owner who has since departed (or sweeping it's withered husk out the door), or choosing an empty plot of land. If it is within the marked city limits of any Alternian city, construction drones will arrive to assist the new troll in building the hive to their specifications and whims, with the time and effort allotted, as always, being relevant to the blood colour of the child. However, each building is created to code, and furnished with a few key items necessary for survival, such as the Recuperacoon.

One of the most important inventions in troll history was that of the Recuperacoon. Each troll sleeps in one of these supor slime filled body-sized pods each night. Sopor slime, while potent and toxic to the brain and not to be consumed, allows trolls to have a nightmare-free, peaceful slumber. A natural reagent that is found in the deep caves of Alternia, it has been synthesized and mass produced by the population for centuries, allowing for rapid expansion on the surface of Alternia and beyond. Trolls who do not sleep in supor slime suffer horrific nightmares and peaks in aggressive, irrational behaviour, and after a few days of this they are incredibly violent, unpredictable and aggressive, and cannot function in society. Sopor slime is readily available for no cost all over Alternia, and is even pumped directly into all hives located in major cities. Even in isolated areas, Sopor stations may be utilized to fill up supply tanks that can be transported to and from even the most hard-to-reach hive.

While rural trolls may trade each other easily for things that they need, in urban areas a currency known as "beetles" is used which is perfectly descriptive of what they are. While a previous ruler tried to put in a system of using small metal tokens, this fell out of favour as she fell out of power, and they are now mere novelty items. While you do have to pay for most comforts and luxury, all trolls are provided from birth with a hive, a Recuperacoon to sleep in, and basic clothes. Their lusus helps them with food when they're young, and as they grow up they are expected to get what they need on their own, through whatever means necessary. Crime on Alternia is, after all, only really considered a bad thing if you get caught in the act. Currency in Hivestuck is in-character only. While beetles should be considered as difficult to come by as money in real life (and even more so for lowbloods, who are taxed proportionately higher than other trolls), users are welcome to consider their troll to have as much or as little currency as they would like.

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Culture
As troll society has been around for much longer than human society, they have become advanced enough in the sciences to create intergalactic spaceships, fully functioning robots, and other technological advancements beyond ours. Unfortunately, what they have in military prowess they tend to lack in other areas, such as agriculture and the arts. They currently also lack a functioning public internet, thanks to the fears of a previous empress that allowing trolls access to such a thing would sow discontent in the public. No empress has bothered to lift the ban since then. Being technologically advanced and ruled by a dangerous and oppressive caste system makes for some bizarre features of society.

Troll cinema and television is, despite not being as advanced as other parts of their culture, still a thriving part of troll society. Stars of acting such as Troll Will Smith and Troll Leonardo Dicaprio are almost as famous and revered as the empress herself! Troll theatre is a good deal older, contains aspects of all kinds of performance art, and has a firmly followed tradition of giving the piece the most literal and lengthy name possible to describe the story. This is, most historians claim, because all the shorter names have been used up already, the tradition is that old. The arts are deeply established among the cooler castes: Alternian High Art is considered to showcase Alternian ideals and class. In reality, the definition of this "high art" includes often lewd depictions of musclebeasts and displays of Alternian anatomy, and in many cases is an acquired taste upheld through bizarre Alternian tradition.

While on other planets and worlds needless violence is seen by the majority as not desirable, on Alternia it is simply a part of life. Violent sports are incredibly popular, either to watch or participate in, and safety precautions are not even considered as an option. Most pastimes that are popular with trolls are given a dangerous twist, such as fatal live action roleplaying, aka FLARPing, and the popular card and monster game Fiduspawn. While some trolls consider this constant lens of aggression over every hobby to be unappealing, they are always in the minority, and the ones who speak this opinion are an even smaller section of that group. For the rest of the population, it's either cathartic to watch someone else getting their teeth knocked out, or genuine good old fashioned entertainment.

Literature exists on Alternia, but only so far as the oppressive system of censorship allows. Every kind of tome and tale may exist, but there is a long and storied history of destroying contrary evidence to the Imperial status quo which makes public libraries a highly officiated place for trolls seeking cultural knowledge. These libraries primarily carry practical texts and standard education literature - books on math, science, robotics, geography, tactics, survival, metalworking, computer science, medicine, and other practical fields of knowledge. Historical texts are incredibly biased and heavily edited, serving as no more than propaganda than accurate historical documents. While public libraries usually do not specialize or officially maintain fiction literature, plenty of fiction exists in Alternia. Subversive literature and self-published books may be asked for discreetly, however most libraries choose to stay safe and not carry these kinds of books at all.

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Public Services
Public works in Alternia are unbalanced and spotty at best, but the population makes do with what is available. Since the most recent vast glub, the event that killed the old empress and ushered in the new one, the majority of Alternia's population has been reduced to a few cities that exist very close together. The length between each city and its closest neighbour is approximately one night's forced march, but when taking the train the distance is reduced to around 2-3 hours. Most transportation is operated by the military, for the military's use only. Public transportation is limited between a few cities that are considered important enough, and is generally intended for teal and up trolls, while the lower castes have to pay inflated prices for cramped conditions. When travelling around or between cities, the option for private transportation is usually limited to the occasional industrious lowblood with a large or powerful lusus that will drag, fly, or push wheeled containers around the city for a modest sum. As always is the case, public works are sometimes restricted to lowbloods, and in general services (and even some fixtures in cities like transportation and convenience) are barred or reduced for the warmer castes, should they not be a registered part of the military.

As altruism tends to come as naturally to trolls as space flight, the social services provided towards the public are also sadly lacking. Public health services such as hospitals and other large facilities are foreign to troll society. For physical injury, small clinics and medically trained trolls making house calls are the solution to most serious injury, especially for lowbloods who can only afford the local apothecary for their health. Thankfully, trolls are incredibly physically tough, and while loosing a limb is possible, death from it is unlikely. This balances the system more, and most trolls do not consider public healthcare as an idea that would ever be necessary. Mental health facilities are still relatively unheard of, with the exception of a rehabilitation center set up after the battle of Old Hemisect (now Civisect City). This facility was primarily a government run re-education centre, however, and mental health on Alternia is a largely misunderstood and undervalued field. Overall, in most cases trolls are generally told to suck it up. If you aren't able to take care of yourself, most highbloods will be all too happy to remove you from society, in fact the practice of culling weak or vulnerable trolls is considered completely acceptable by most of society. If you have problems in your life that put you at risk, or suffer from disabilities that cause you difficulty in your daily life, you are expected to deal with or learn to work with them as quickly and quietly as possible, or risk a messy and hopefully quick end.

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Technology & Religion
One solution to the inevitable missing body parts after serious conflict among trolls concerns technological advancements. While teeth will grow back, and horns are not nessecary for survival, having functioning arms and legs is nessecary to defend yourself, and if all else fails, run away. Robots, and robotic replacement limbs have become a necessity for the violent race of Alternians. Fully functional prosthetics are in hot demand for the high classes, and run at a steep price. While highbloods are readily able to replace their parts, lowbloods are not as lucky. If they are prepared to pay a marked-down price for lower quality, their parts may be sub-par or rudimentary. Of course, having a highblood ally in one of your quadrants means a patronage is a possibility, and many a lowblood with fine parts is labelled, fairly or not, as a 'highblood's pet'. Alternian technology is incredibly advanced; essentially all of a troll's body may be replaced with cybernetic parts if necessary. Working full robots are also used as combat accessories for trolls who have the means to procure them, and the army always maintains a special force. These creations are strong and agile, however they posses no intelligence greater than a crude ai that allows them to fights for the troll in control of them.

The dominant religion on Alternia is the colorful Cult of the Mirthful Messiahs: a group that foretells of a band of rowdy and capricious minstrels which will rise one day on a mythical Paradise Planet (that doesn't exist yet). The Cult is not officially endorsed by the empress and most seadwellers, who exist and rule as a separate body of trolls. The majority of Alternian trolls are not so much atheists, as they are completely unconcerned about any kind of spirituality whatsoever. However, the Cult has been allowed to continue uninterrupted to this day thanks to the leaders of the group being predominantly highbloods, and due to it never interfering with the current system of troll governance, or going against the hemospectrum. The Cult open it's arms to trolls of any caste, and takes in any member. It recruits the outsiders of society, believing strongly in second chances and in finding solidarity in their various deviant interests. Capriciousness and "following your pump biscuit" are also primary ideals, which gives many juggalos reign to do whatever they want. There is a certain refusal within cult members to avoid learning more about life than necessary to preserve the 'miracles' of existence, and a blatant disregard for the fields science and logic. While cultists believe in strong family ties and togetherness, the content of their scripture is primarily crass, violent and completely up to interpretation. Disrespect towards the family and unsavoury trolls are often looked down on as being worthy of violence. In addition, disrespect against the 'family' of the cult is seen as the most grievous sin and will attract Juggalos from miles around to viciously attack the percieved offender, be they a cult or non-cult member alike. Cult members are easily identified by their facepaint, masks, or facial tattoos, created to give them an appearance of the most wicked of clowns.

 

[Hivestuck]

GROUPS AND GHOULS
INFORMATION FOR THE ADVANCED TROLL

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Special Military Positions
There are special positions in the military and government available to trolls of all castes. Such positions are often given to trolls who can fulfill a particular niche in society. Others are assigned to trolls who don't have a hope at any other future career.

Helmstrolls are one of the job possibilities available to lowbloods who posses some form of telekinesis. Helmstrolls are able to power Alternian spaceships, and are vital for space travel. Trolls can see being a helmstroll as a position of the oppressed, but others see it as a distinguished opportunity.

The highblood sponsored cult of the Mirthful Messiah has a unique place in the Alternian military. Subjugglators, land dwelling purpleblood cultists, are traditionally enforcers of the empress. They function as Special Forces, and are currently seeking the same influence over monarchy as they had before the glub. If not directly serving the empress, they can be found in police and military forces. They serve with an emphasis on force and fear tactics. Through countless trials and traditional rituals, these purplebloods can access latent abilities specific to their caste. These allow them to assist in subjugating the population. These psychic abilities, called "chucklevoodoos", are used to disorient and terrify, placing flashes of terrifying or confusing images in the mind's eye.

Not considered important by any troll, but the bedrock of Alternian society are drones. These trolls are a huge part of the on-world military force and Alternian civil service. Drones fill the necessary roles of civil service on the home planet. They make up a good percentage of the population that fills in the service industry and other mundane jobs. Street cleaning, road repair, low level law enforcement, and all other tasks that allow a civilization to function are filled by these trolls. Drones are also trolls that have ended up at the bottom of the social heap. They are lowbloods who failed to distinguish themselves enough to succeed at carving out a place for themselves in life. In general, they are seen as little more than walking furniture by most upward climbers and highbloods. In the industrial culture of Alternia, criminals of any blood color are often put to work as one of these nameless drones rather than put to death. They are not allowed to breed, and spend their lives working behind the scenes, unappreciated and ignored.

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Undeath Myths vs Reality
Like any culture, there are many myths on Alternia which concern certain types of trolls and what occurs after death. Many of these are based on long forgotten traditions, are misunderstood due to their obscurity. Trolls in shop can be reanimated after death - more information can be found here.

Spirits and ghosts are a reality on Alternia. They are a mysterious occurrence without much acknowledgement in society. Their existence is often challenged and misunderstood. Trolls become ghosts if they have unfinished business or other circumstances that draw them to linger around the living. Regular ghosts cannot afflict change on the physical plane. They cannot be seen, heard or felt, and objects are only barely affected their presence. The only way they can be felt is if a psychic with spirit-talking capabilities is able to command them. They can also be materialized by a specialist to allow them to interact with other trolls and their environment.

In addition to becoming ghosts, certain special trolls have the ability to become what is known as a "rainbow drinker" after death. Rainbow drinkers have been mysterious and largely misunderstood throughout troll history. Rainbow drinker tales range from dangerous legends of bloodsucking murderers, to imaginary figments that exist to keep wayward wigglers subdued. These myths have persisted because the traits of rainbow-drinkerism are only found in rare jadebloods. In reality, rainbow drinkers have small advantages over regular trolls, but are otherwise unchanged after death. Since rainbow drinkers are a rare part of Alternian culture, can be seen as a curiosity or misunderstood and persecuted by general society, being feared or even romanticized.

The most obvious sign of a rainbow drinker is the glow that they exude. Rainbow drinkers naturally glow bright white, an ability that they can train to turn off and on if they so choose. They often wake up during the daylight hours as they desire and are drawn to the Alternian sun. While they are still at risk of day terrors if they sleep without sopor slime, they don't burn as easily as other trolls and can withstand the sunlight. Rainbow drinkers are able to consume blood (from living or dead) to rejuvenate themselves, but do not actively crave it. They will only be drawn to blood if their life depends on it, in that moment of near-death.

Non-jadeblooded trolls are not able to be natural-born rainbow drinkers. However, one notable rainbow drinker, Vrykol Akaas, has recently created an essence that allows for trolls of any blood colour to become one.

Finally, after death there is another option for trolls wishing to return their fellow friend (or enemy) back to life: Robotics. Robots, and robotic replacement limbs have become a necessity for the violent race of Alternians. Fully functional prosthetics are in hot demand for the high classes, and run at a steep price. While highbloods are readily able to replace their parts, lowbloods are not as lucky. If they can afford it, their parts may be sub-par or rudimentary. Alternian technology is incredibly advanced; essentially all of a troll's body may be replaced with cybernetic parts if necessary. In the case of a troll needing a full body after death, the spirit may be placed in a robotic shell that is filled with blood of any color the troll so chooses. Placement in a robotic body allows for dead trolls to re-enter society.