Spoiler: I mean it's possible, but seems unlikely to me? trolls don't pick their symbols, they're given them. and since those are the assigned symbols of the twins, it seems unlikely to me that that would be the thing to hint at them being Sufferists? that said, I find it interesting they have like, the same symbol, but like....horizontally opposite from each other--it makes me wonder if the practice with twins is to give one symbol and then just horizontally flip it for one of the twins. though that's assuming twins are common enough that there's a practice for that at all, and also that these two didn't just survive because highbloods.
Twinning is not a mutation. Mutations occur at the genetic level, where as twins results from either a) two fertilized zygotes in one egg (fraternal twins) or b) one fertilized zygote divides into two separate embryos within the egg (identical twins). Twinning happens in egg laying animals but it's more rare for twins to survive to hatching because the space doesn't grow with them. The size of the yolk(s) is static, the air cell will be shared, and positioning can make it difficult for babies to properly pip.
Interesting and informative. I mean... we don’t know enough about Troll biology to rule it out. I just find it really bizarre because of the whole slurry thing.
what about that would make twins less likely? Honest question. Because even assuming mammal typical two-opposite sex-gametes-reproduction nothing about 'mixing a whole load of gametes from different contributors to then put into an egg laying individual' (whether this is something of a symbiotic relationship or all trolls are biologically equivalent to bee-drones with the mother grub being the queen doesn't actually matter here) makes twins *less* likely to happen imo, if anythign it would make (at least fraternal) twins *more* likely because a bigger number of gametes are put in vicinity of eachother for a while.
my first thought would be, though, even if it's a natural biological thing--all things that are considered 'mutations' in troll society are 'natural'. I mean, Karkat's blood color mutation? it's abnormal, yeah, but there's nothing life-threatening about it, and even if it's not what's expected to happen, well....identical twins aren't exactly the expected outcome either. they're both perfectly harmless things, but they're not the expected outcome, and so they're considered mutations. so I feel like there is a possibility, still, for troll society to consider twins, or at the very least identical twins, a mutation. similarly, Sollux's psionics are considered a mutation--but because his is a useful mutation, those born with it survive.
Well the issue with karkat's mutation is that it's threatening to the hemospectrum system. Mutations like twinning isn't, and there's a lot of cast members with mutations. Equius' sweating, Eridan's streak, Vriska's eye... So twin highbloods are probably fine.
Yeah, with Karkat's mutation, he's got a blood colour that's entirely outside the known hemospectrum. It could plausibly be argued that it's a bad idea to let him contribute to the genetic future of the species, since it's such an exotic mutation. (I mean, I super doubt that it is. But something being untrue has never prevented people from arguing that it's true anyways.) Twinning is basically just a bonus grub, there's nothing harmful to society there. So - yeah, it's probably considered a type of mutation, but it's a generally harmless, potentially useful one. I doubt it's encouraged, but they're not actively trying to discourage it either.
Plus they're highbloods, engaging in what seems to be classic highblood endeavours. So they'd get a lot of leeway.
Yeah I think we get a lot of the fear for mutants from Karkat, who's... a pretty extreme example. But aside from odd blood colors, I think most grubs get culled by the trials. I think they let a lot of aberrants through if they're on-spectrum and don't have anything HUGE like if they could have seen signs of Summoner having wings at grubhood then they just let them at the trials. If they survive then they're good enough to give a chance even if they're twins or have a hair stripe or are REALLY psionic. Off-spectrum blood definitely gets the fork, and if a grub has/shows signs of things like wings or, I dunno, vestigial mandibles or something they probably go in the "too weird to live" pile. With the drone season thing I think there's too many grubs pre-trials to match them all against Imperial Standards. Deal with the ones that'd disrupt stability and in case your oddballs survive to be useful to society you let them trough. Eta: also I haven't slept in a day and I'm trying to make a culling system that makes sense because my brain's decided that's what we're doing now.
I mean psionics, in and of themselves, are the mutation. not just powerful psionics, all yellowblood psionics like Sollux and Mituna are mutated. and on one hand, I think it’s possible a troll with powerful psionics could threaten the empire—but on their own, they aren’t off-spectrum, they’re just one troll, and their mutation has a legitimate use, so they’re allowed into the trials. off-spectrum mutants are culled, of course, for being a threat to the hemospectrum. and if grubs with an obvious wing mutation weren’t culled before the Summoner, they probably were after. at the same time, non-useful mutated grubs are definitely more tolerated, at least, if they’re higher on the spectrum. I mean, Vriska’s abilities and her eye were probably technically mutations, since that far up the hemospectrum, psychic abilities aren’t really a thing unless you’re a purpleblood with chucklevoodoos. but Vriska was also a cerulean, and so even though her mutation isn’t exactly about to make her a great ship battery, she’s allowed through. personally, I imagine that’s because a cerulean is assumed to be more likely to support the hemospectrum, so they’re less likely to be a threat even with powerful psychic powers, and also because highblood trolls are less common—like, rustbloods live short lives and seem to be viewed as....replaceable. so there are probably a lot of them. which makes me think clutches of grubs probably produce more lowbloods than highbloods, and so the system is probably a bit more lenient on non-useful mutations in highbloods. but if a lowblood shows up with a mutation that isn’t useful and seems like a potential cause of trouble, well—there are always more lowbloods. best to cull the unusual one rather than risk rebellion. like, Sollux is mutated, from what we know—but powerful psionic yellowbloods are canonically used to power ships. sure, a powerful psionic could probably be troublesome if they chose, but it’s worth the risk. basically: I think highblood mutations are more tolerated even if non-useful, but the only mutations solidly not tolerated are blood color ones, and as such these are the only mutations that repeatedly get referred to as a “mutation”, since mutations are supposed to be grounds for culling.
So: This is Xefros, and this is Dammek I have a surmise as to what might be going on there, but I want to see what people have to say. In the meantime: Trizza Zebede Tyzias Mallek Daraya Barzum Baizli
I'm kind of surprised the twins don't have actual paired aspects. They don't have opposing aspects, they don't have the same aspect but on different moons...
