Trolls are a humanoid alien race that can be found in Homestuck, Hiveswap, and other related works. They are from the parallel world planets Alternia and Beforus. The trolls in Homestuck were first presented as a group of twelve online trolls who frequently bothered the children on Pesterchum before being revealed to be actual trolls. These specific trolls, who are the main characters of Hivebent, the first half of Act 5, are roughly the same age as the children.
Trolls have grey skin, dark yellow reflecting sclera, and black eyes that eventually take on the color of their blood. Additionally, they have black hair, yellow nails, black lips, and sharp teeth. Their most distinctive characteristics are the horns that grow from their heads, which have a candy corn-like color pattern (i.e. red-orange bottoms, progressing gradually to yellow at the tips). These horns are typically highly distinct amongst individuals and can develop in a variety of various sizes, forms, and even numbers.
Any one troll may have blood that ranges from one of several various colors to others. The Hemospectrum, on which a caste system based on tiered social standing is founded, is known. Low-ranking trolls are referred to as “Lowbloods,” whereas high-ranking trolls are referred to as “Highbloods.” Additionally, different blood classes have different biological characteristics, such as Lowbloods’ strong psychic prowess and the high-blooded ruling Seadwellers’ possession of gills. Rustbloods may only survive for a few decades, whereas high-blooded Ancestors like Mindfang lived for centuries, and the Condesce lived to rule the troll empire for millennia. Natural lifespan also grows in accordance with one’s rung on the Hemospectrum. Trolls have dark grey eyes before they are fully grown, but as they get older, they develop the colors of their respective blood. Condesce has demonstrated this, however Sollux, ioniic, and possibly Mituna are exceptions in both respects. Trolls’ tears have a somewhat diluted version of their blood’s color. It is mentioned in Hiveswap Friendsim that adult trolls have darker grey skin than juveniles.
While older trolls have been shown to acquire adult names or titles, typically with 8 letters, there are some exceptions, such as Marquise Spinneret Mindfang (8/9/8), the Grand Highblood (5/9), and Expatriate Darkleer (10/8 when spelled without Mindfang’s quirk). Young trolls have always been shown to have first and last names with six letters each.
Each troll is given a sign from an alphabet of signs for each caste of the Hemospectrum, which is often represented on their attire in some way. A troll will typically lack a sign if mutation places them outside of the caste system, like Kankri and Karkat Vantas. A troll’s sign could be taken away as part of their punishment for some offences. The zodiac signs of the twelve prominent trolls in Homestuck were changed into those of the human universe. Each of these trolls has horns that correspond to their zodiac sign; for instance, Tavros (a Taurus) has enormous horns that resemble bulls, while Sollux (a Gemini) has two sets. Other characteristics of the signs have also come to light, including Nepeta’s (- Leo) catlike inclinations, Karkat’s (- Cancer) grumpiness, and Kanaya’s (- Virgo) helpful, maternal disposition. However, it has been demonstrated that trolls in Hiveswap lack this because of the lack of weird storyline crap, even though some characteristics are shared by all castes (Such as the duality theme among goldbloods and the motherly role of jadebloods.)
What Pumpkin published a “expanded zodiac” of extra signs prior to the publication of Hiveswap: Act 2, which at least partially reflected the wider alphabet of troll signs used on Alternia. You can find the complete list of these here. An official personality test that includes calculations for one’s aspect and lunar sway (the moon of one’s dream self) can also be used to identify one’s own extended zodiac sign.
The Sgrub trolls harass Jade Harley for years before the main events of Homestuck and Sburb, and they also make John change his Pesterchum handle. Some of the trolls are particularly inept at their craft; Tavros blocks Dave rather than the other way around when he hears Dave’s nasty beats and dreams. The trolls eventually unintentionally become friends with the children.
Online handles associated with the Greek zodiac and DNA nucleobases are used by the twelve most prominent post-scratch trolls. To create the 16 two-letter names from the letters A, C, G, and T, the four DNA nucleobases, which relate to ectobiology, add their truncated trolltags to GG, GT, TG, and TT.
Terezi, a female?
Terezi Pyrope, one of the trolls and a prominent figure in Homestuck, is also known by her Trollian handle “gallowsCalibrator.” She was introduced in Homestuck: Act 4 and has the astrological sign Libra as her patron. She has pointed teeth like Karkat, but unlike most other trolls, her horns are completely conical rather than bent in any way. This is likely a representation of the gap between the strings that support the pans in a balance scale (a callback to her associations with balance.)
Before Karkat persuaded her to give the leadership of the Red Team to him, Terezi was intended to be in that position.