damned_bulletin | [Very messy print, strikethroughs heavily scribbled-out]

oH, sO, iT'S NOT JUST ME?
i ASSUMED EVERYONE WAS HUMAN, bUT i GUESS, tHAT WAS PRETTY PRESUMPTUOUS OF ME
mY HORNS ARE GONE, aND MY SKIN IS THIS, sTRANGE BROWNISH COLOR, aND i'M NOT SURE THAT i REALLY WANT TO SEE WHAT ELSE HAS CHANGED
uHH,
aND, i'M PARALYZED AGAIN
i MEAN, i WAS BEFORE, bUT, tHEN i WASN'T, bECAUSE i HAD ROBO-LEGS, bUT NOW, i HAVE MY NORMAL LEGS BACK, aND THEY DON'T WORK, lIKE THEY USED TO

-AT

~~Horns?~~

If you were partially android, it is not surprising they have changed you, but this is the first I have heard of [pen tap] an injury being re-imposed.

Why are you writing like that?

wELL, i WASN'T REALLY AN ANDROID, nOT REALLY, aLTHOUGH, i GUESS, yOU COULD SAY THAT
oHH, aND, lAST THING i REMEMBER, i HAD THIS BIG WOUND, iN MY CHEST, wHICH REALLY SHOULD HAVE KILLED ME,,
sO, mAYBE, sINCE THAT'S ALL FIXED, oR LOOKS LIKE IT IS, tHEY MADE UP FOR IT, sORT OF, bY MAKING MY LEGS USELESS AGAIN
i MISS MY ROBO-LEGS }:(

iT'S JUST HOW i'M USED TO ~~TYP~~WRITING
uMM
iT DOESN'T BOTHER YOU, dOES IT, bECAUSE i CAN WRITE NORMALLY, iF IT DOES

-AT

I am not bothered by it. I wondered if it was a custom of your people. I find it difficult to write, myself, because human fingers are clumsier than what I am used to.

I have been changed more than superficially, as well. Am I correct in thinking you are not from Earth?

-Ax

oH, oKAY, gOOD,
aND IT'S SORT OF A CUSTOM, i GUESS, aLTHOUGH EVERY TROLL WRITES DIFFERENTLY
wHAT i MEAN TO SAY, iS THAT WE ALL WRITE, nOT NORMALLY, bUT i'M THE ONLY ONE WHO WRITES LIKE THIS, iF THAT MAKES SENSE

i'M SORRY TO HEAR THAT, tHAT YOU WERE CHANGED TOO, i MEAN }:( iT'S REALLY KIND OF UPSETTING

yES, yOU'RE RIGHT, i'M FROM aLTERNIA
dOES THAT MEAN THAT, uHH, wE'RE ON EARTH RIGHT NOW

-AT

It appears to be Earth. At least, it is similar to the Earth I have spent time on.

I have encountered neither aLTERNIA nor trolls before. It seems as if we have all been brought here from very different universes.

[pen tap] It is upsetting. I do not like being unable to see behind myself.

oH, i SEE
i'VE NEVER BEEN TO eARTH BEFORE, aLTHOUGH i'VE SEEN PARTS OF IT
i WONDER HOW i GOT HERE

uMM, i'M SORRY, tHAT'S JUST HOW i WRITE AGAIN, iT'S JUST 'Alternia', iN NORMAL LETTERS
sORRY ABOUT THAT

,,
yOU COULD SEE BEHIND YOURSELF BEFORE
thAT, sOUNDS PRETTY COOL, aCTUALLY
wHAT WERE YOU LIKE, bEFORE YOU GOT HERE, iF IT'S OKAY THAT i'M ASKING

-AT

I was attempting cultural sensitivity. I am somewhat new at it.

I was not bipedal, and I had [pen tap] natural weapons. It is disconcerting, to say the least, to have a body that is not equipped for self-defense.

It is also somewhat ridiculous that human bodies are so prone to losing their balance, when they must turn around to have any reasonable degree of vision. I did not need to turn around before, because I had eyes that were not limited in this way.

oH
wELL
tHANK YOU, tHEN, fOR THE ATTEMPT, yOU DID VERY WELL

tHAT SOUNDS LIKE, a LOT OF aLTERNIAN WILDLIFE, wITH THE NATURAL WEAPONS AND SUCH
tHAT REALLY DOES SOUND REALLY COOL
i'M SORRY THAT YOU LOST ALL THAT }:( aT LEAST, i AM MOSTLY THE SAME, jUST COLORED DIFFERENTLY, aND WITHOUT MY HORNS, aND BACK IN MY FOUR WHEEL DEVICE, aLTHOUGH THAT LAST ONE ISN'T SO GREAT EITHER

hUMANS SEEM TO BE, a LOT LIKE TROLLS, iN HOW THEY'RE BUILT
wE WALK ON TWO LEGS, aND HAVE TO TURN AROUND, lIKE YOU SAID, aND WE MAINTAIN OUR BALANCE JUST FINE
aLTHOUGH, uHH, bY WE i MEAN TROLLS IN GENERAL
sINCE i DON'T WALK

-AT

It is not very easy, when your society is so much more advanced than others. Humans tend to take offense at being reminded of that. I am glad I am doing better.

I have heard that sometimes ~~at night~~ later on in the day, we might become more like our usual selves. However, I have only recently arrived, and have not experienced this for myself yet.

I suppose with practice, it will become less precarious to turn around to look behind me. I have not spent much time as a human so far.

What is the meaning of this [a clumsily drawn }:(] symbol?

rEALLY,,
tHAT WOULD BE NICE, tO BE BACK TO NORMAL
i HOPE IT'S TRUE, aND, i GUESS, wE'LL FIND OUT FOR OURSELVES, eVENTUALLY

oH, tHAT, iT'S AN EMOTICON, yOU KNOW, a FACE
iT'S SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT ME, wITH THE : BEING MY EYES, aND THE ( BEHIND IT BEING MY MOUTH, fROWNING, bECAUSE i WAS SAD FOR YOU, aND MY HORNS } UP AT THE FRONT
}:(
iF YOU, uHH, lOOK AT IT SIDEWAYS, yOU CAN SEE A FACE

-AT

I see now! That is very clever.

[several scribbled-out attempts] 8>:=

It is nearly impossible to express emotion in symbolic form when one does not have a mouth to work with. Perhaps that is why my people have never developed these emoticons.

aHAHA, tHANK YOU }:)

iS THAT YOU,
i'M REALLY WONDERING, wHAT YOU LOOKED LIKE, bECAUSE THAT IS A COMPLICATED EMOTION, aND IT LOOKS PRETTY COOL

-AT

[this note's folded over, with "AT" written on the outside]

It is supposed to represent me, yes. It is not as easy as I might have imagined.

8> is the eyes I do not have anymore, : is the ones I have retained, and = is my nose.

[this note is folded over as well, as Tavros is copying him, with "aX" written on the outside]

oH, i THINK i CAN SEE IT NOW
sO YOUR OTHER PAIR OF EYES, wERE ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD
lIKE, oN STALKS OR SOMETHING, bECAUSE THAT'S HOW i'M SEEING IT

i CAN'T IMAGINE LOSING MY EYES, eVEN IF i HAD TWO MORE }:( mY FRIEND DID, tHOUGH, bUT, uHH, sHE ONLY HAD TWO EYES TO BEGIN WITH, lIKE ME

-AT

[folded over in the same way]

I could move the extra eyes independently, yes. It makes much more sense than the way humans evolved.

I still have two, so it is not so much terrible as it is an inconvenience. What I really miss is my tail. 8>:=(

(That is not literal. It is to indicate displeasure.)

I am beginning to think that many of us here have come from dangerous worlds.

[ditto]

oH, oKAY
tHAT MAKES SENSE, wITH WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER, aBOUT NOT LIKING TURNING AROUND, TO SEE AND STUFF
tHAT WOULD REALLY COME IN HANDY, i IMAGINE
uHH
yOUR EXTRA EYES, i MEAN

yOU HAD A TAIL,
oH MAN, i CAN SEE WHY YOU'D MISS IT }:( yOU REALLY DID LOSE A LOT, iN THIS CHANGE

(tHAT's PRETTY GOOD, eVEN THOUGH, yOU DIDN'T HAVE A MOUTH
iT WORKS BETTER, aS AN EMOTICON, aNYWAY)

i'M NOT USED TO WORLDS THAT, uHH, aREN'T DANGEROUS, rEALLY
aLTERNIA IS FILLED WITH MONSTERS, aND DEADLY BEASTS, aND PEOPLE GET CULLED FOR, wHAT I THINK, aRE REALLY ARBITRARY REASONS
tHERE'S A LOT MORE TO IT, bUT, tHAT SUMMARIZES IT PRETTY WELL, i GUESS

-AT

[and again]

A limited range of vision is not pleasant to adjust to.

I have been human before, but I do not like the idea that the losses might be permanent. I can only hope they are not. I hope, also, that you will not need your four wheel device all the time.

My tail was my primary weapon before, as your horns might have been.

My people are at war, and have been for as long as I can remember. Who is it who carries out this culling, for yours?

[and again!]

i CAN'T IMAGINE, tHAT IT WOULD BE

yOU'VE BEEN HUMAN BEFORE
hOW DID YOU MANAGE THAT,,
aND, tHANK YOU, i HOPE SO TOO
iT USED TO BE, tHAT i COULD GO TO SLEEP, aND DREAM ABOUT FLYING, wHICH ISN'T WALKING, oBVIOUSLY, bUT IT'S BETTER, aT LEAST TO ME, bUT THEN MY DREAM-SELF WAS KILLED, aND NOW i DON'T GET TO FLY ANY MORE

oH, oUR HORNS AREN'T WEAPONS, aLTHOUGH, iF YOU TRIED, i GUESS THEY COULD HURT SOMEONE
i MOSTLY JUST, gET CAUGHT ON THINGS, bECAUSE MINE ARE BIGGER, aND EXTEND WIDER, tHAN MOST

wE DO, mOSTLY
bUT, tHERE ARE ALSO THE IMPERIAL DRONES, bUT i HAVEN'T RUN INTO ANY, eVER, tHANKFULLY, oR ELSE i'D PROBABLY BE DEAD
[pen tap] oR, uHH, i'D HAVE DIED EARLIER, tHAN i THINK i DID, mAYBE
tHE ADULT TROLLS, oR, mOST OF THEM, aRE OUT CONQUERING OTHER PLANETS, sO, i GUESS, tHEY'RE DOING A DIFFERENT SORT OF CULLING

-AT

[yep, still!]

The explanation is complicated. I would prefer to give it in person.

Are you saying that your self when you dream was a separate entity than your self when awake? I have never heard of something like that.

It sounds like your society is extremely violent, but you do not seem like the kind of ~~person~~ troll who would engage in pointless conflict.

[pen tap] I feel I should express, at this point, my disapproval of conquering planets.

[I'm noticing a trend here!]

oKAY, i UNDERSTAND
i WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT IT, sOMETIME, iF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU

yES
eVERYONE HAS A DREAM SELF, aND, yOU CAN DO PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING, lIKE FLY }:)
bUT, mY DREAM SELF WAS KILLED, aND MY FRIENDS LOST THEIRS, tOO, sO INSTEAD OF FLYING AROUND pROSPIT, tHERE ARE JUST THE HORRORTERRORS, wHICH ISN'T NEARLY AS FUN, aND THEY'RE ACTUALLY KIND OF, uHH, tERRIFYING

iT IS, aND, i'M NOT, nOT REALLY
i'VE TRIED BEING PROPERLY MEAN, bUT, uHH, i'M NOT VERY GOOD AT IT }:(
i'D MUCH RATHER JUST, bE NICE, eVEN THOUGH, iT'S KIND OF FROWNED UPON
i CAN'T REALLY AVOID CONFLICT, tHOUGH, eSPECIALLY WITH [several scribbled out words] MY ONE FRIEND, wHO IS, eSPECIALLY AWFUL

,,
oH
yOU DID SAY THAT, yOUR PEOPLE ARE AT WAR, dIDN'T YOU
uHH
i'M SORRY }:( iT'S JUST WHAT WE DO, i GUESS, aLTHOUGH THAT, dOESN'T REALLY MAKE IT BETTER, dOES IT

-AT

[once more! XD]

I would like that as well. I believe I can find you. I have not yet seen anyone with a four wheel device. I do not think they are common here.

My dream self does not have an existence separate from my waking self. Dreams, in my world, are a product of the subconscious, not a different realm entirely. This seems distinctly preferable to horrorterrors.

I do not think you should attempt to be unpleasant. When conflict is unavoidable, it is to be resolved as quickly and decisively as possible, but that is not to say people, trolls, aliens, or whichever, should seek it out. Your attitude is reasonable.

Our universes are clearly different, so my disapproval is purely theoretical, and not directed at you personally. Much trouble has resulted from a species' desire for conquest in my world, but it would be unfair to hold anyone but the actual species in question accountable for it.

8>:=)

[And one more time!]

aLRIGHT, tHAT SOUNDS GOOD
i GUESS IT WOULD BE BEST, iF WE WERE TO MEET UP AFTER LUNCH, uNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE PLANNED, iN WHICH CASE PERHAPS A LATER TIME WOULD BE BETTER
oH, uHH, yOU SHOULD PROBABLY KNOW MY NAME, iF WE'RE GOING TO MEET UP
mY NAME IS TAVROS

hUH
wELL, fEFERI SAYS THAT THE HORRORTERRORS AREN'T ALL THAT BAD, tHEY JUST LOOK SCARY, aND ARE MISUNDERSTOOD, bUT i DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE BELIEVES HER, bECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY, rEALLY SCARY
bUT, aNYWAY, mAYBE YOUR DREAM SELF IS JUST ASLEEP
tHAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES, i'VE HEARD

tHANK YOU, tHAT'S WHAT i THINK TOO, iT'S JUST THAT MOST TROLLS DON'T THINK LIKE THAT, sO I GET DRAGGED INTO A LOT OF UNWANTED CONFLICT
sOME TROLLS, aND SOME HUMANS i'VE MET, sEEM TO DISLIKE IT AS MUCH AS i DO, tHOUGH, wHICH IS NICE TO KNOW

oKAY, wELL, i'M STILL SORRY, aND, i HOPE i DIDN'T OFFEND YOU

}:)

-AT

[and ditto]

I do not know what they will make us do after lunch, but I will look for you then. My name is Aximili, but I have found it is simpler to go by Ax.

This Feferi may be right. In my waking world, there are creatures which appear very frightening, but are actually quite gentle in their [pen tap] natural state.

It is quite all right. I was not offended. 8>:=)

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[the strangeness of the writing in this note is obvious]

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