The “crabby customer” is a giant crab monster! This crab monster is the closest thing Karkat has to parental caregiver. Trolls are brood parasites who are adopted by monsters known as “lusus naturae.” After troll grubs pupate in the brood caverns and complete a number of trials, they are chosen by one of these lusus naturae who take them to the surface where “carpenter droids” build them homes to their specifications. It should be noted that the majority of adult trolls are not on the surface of the planet. Alternia is pretty much The Girl Who Owned a Lord of the Flies City Jungle Book.
Trolls sure are weird! (This is going to be a continuing refrain.) Continue reading