All Trolls Are Different: Difference between revisions

* In ''[[Tales of the Questor]]'' Trolls are a [[Bizarre Alien Biology|type of toadstool]], which live centuries, can eat nearly anything, and are capable of turning the average human warrior into a small red streak across the ground. They're usually too stupid to be good or evil, but they do tend to make good guards for the treasures of bad people.

* ''[[Dungeon Damage]]'' had a number biological [[Hand Wave|HandWaves]] for their regenerating trolls—body parts designed to survive disembowelment and dismemberment, including primitive auxiliary "lungs" in the sinus cavities to keep the decapitated head alive, an oxygen-absorbing fluid throughout the body that seals wounds and prevents infection and blood loss, arteries with peristaltic pumping action, and a nervous system that produces bioelectrical pulses to control limbs physically separated from the body. The author likes to [[Shown Their Work|show his work]].

* [[Ursula Vernon|Ursula Vernon's]] work features trolls that look like [[Ugly Cute|really rather adorable]] pudgey frog/goat things. Their eyes get ''huge'' at night, as the protagonist of ''[[Digger]]'' finds out. In Vernon's taxonomy, trolls and goats are actually descended from a common ancestor, which is why they're very embarrassed about that whole "billy goats" thing, and it's impolite to bring it up. Furthermore, the word "troll" also serves as a [[Troll Bridge|job title]]—meaning that the first "troll" we meet is actually a shrew.

* ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]'' gives a troll [http://www.forthewicked.net/archive/04i-01.html a cameo] under the bridge.

* In ''[[Errant Story]]'' the trolls were one of the original species (possibly the second after the dwarves) to inhabit the world, though their civilization was destroyed and their numbers devastated once the various elven races got together and launched a long, though ultimately unsuccessful campaign to exterminate them. They were likely created by Anilis and Senilis, the elven creator gods, though the elves believe that the mortal (albeit long-lived) trolls were failures and sought to wipe their creators' "failure" from existence. Humans and elves tend to have very little contact with them, considering trolls to be violent, unintelligent monsters. From what the audience has actually seen of the trolls they are large, strong, and matriarchal (as apparently only the women are able to use magic). They are cannibalistic, though it is more of a religious ritual than a survival mechanism, trolls don't believe in an afterlife and thus deceased individuals are eaten by their tribes so they may live on in another sense. They seem to mirror the Kroot of Warhammer 40k in this regard, but without the freaky genetics that make it actually true, and like the Kroot having your remains eaten after you die seems to be something of a compliment (they do it to humans only if suitably impressed). In fact, their culture's capital punishment specifically requires that the criminal's corpse [http://www.errantstory.com/comic.php?date=2009-07-08 be left for the worms.] They consider cremation very offensive, and burning a troll's corpse will royally piss them off.

** Also, despite the aforementioned cannibalism, they seem to have an [[Only Sane Man]] thing going compared to the other powers that be. Their reaction to the Woobie Destroyer of Worlds approaching them and asking for an alliance is to peacefully but loudly decline, then immediately decide to uproot their settlement and move to a place with less crazy.

* In ''[http://www.swiftriver-comics.com/ Swiftriver]'', trolls are blue skinned, hairy, and [http://swiftriver-comics.com/swiftriver/2009/07/15/true-colors/ sport horns]. They tend to to be over six feet tall (not counting their horns) and have two rows of teeth. They are always of Norse or Scandinavian heritage and can project a glamour to make them appear human.

* ''[[Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures]]'' doesn't have trolls as such, but does have the 'Mythos', which is a catch-all term for any Creature race that doesn't fit into any other category.

* ''[[Homestuck]]'' plays with the dual meaning by having [[Troll|internet trolls]] turn out to be actual grey-skinned creatures with horns. Further reveals have shown that they're [[Humanoid Aliens]], with [[Bizarre Alien Biology]] implying that they're closer to insects than humans. They're a [[Higher-Tech Species]] whose society runs on [[Blue and Orange Morality]] and lots of violence. They're almost all bisexual (because gender is vestigial) and polygamous (troll reproduction requires this); many are either psychic or psychotic. {{spoiler|Most of the less-savory aspects of their culture are not natural, but were engineered by malevolent outside forces. Prior to the pressing of an in-universe [[Reset Button]], trolls were a peaceful species.}} Personality-wise, there's a great deal of variation within the 12 trolls in the cast (and [[Generation Xerox|their ancestors]]): from [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heroes]] to [[Anti-Villain|Anti Villains]], [[The Woobie|Woobies]] to [[Smug Snake]]s, [[Complete Monster]]s to [[Messianic Archetype]]s.

** Not quite polygamous; they have four different kinds of romance (I am ''not'' going into that here), and while they believe in finding satisfying relationships in all four quadrants, they also try to stay monogamous within a quadrant, and having the same kind of relationship with more than one person is still a no-no. As is being in more than one quadrant with the same person simultaneously.

{{quote|'''Giacomo''': Gate operators prefer the term [[Game Master|"Gate Master" or "Keeper"]] and since by and large most of them are honest...}}

** ...or, y'know, as a [[Shaped Like Itself|reference to the actual (monstrous) trolls]].

* ''[[My Roommate Is an Elf]]'' features a troll named Dearg. He has green skin, yellow eyes, and ears similar to an elf's. He turns to stone when exposed to sunlight (but turns to flesh again as soon as he gets out of sunlight), and had to wear a cloak to attend a parade.

* Trolls in ''[[Looking for Group]]'' are a warrior race of greenish-skinned humanoid creatures with glowing red or orange eyes who live in a rather primitive tribal culture and possess shamanic magic, and are quite intelligent (except for Tim, though his stupidity is a product of multiple head wounds). They are initially introduced as antagonists, {{spoiler|until Cale helps recruit them into the Kingdom of Kethenecia}}. Although Benn'Joon, who has been described a number of times as being a troll, is [[Cute Monster Girl|most]] [[Hartman Hips|definitely]] [[Hello, Nurse!|not]] [[Ms. Fanservice|ugly]]. On the other hand, to say Benny's parentage is unclear is rather of an understatement, and she is universally recognized by other characters as a half-breed. Recent strips imply {{spoiler|she may be the daughter of Captain Tah'Vraay, who appears to be of an Elven subrace}}.

 

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