#2541

The underlings have been getting enormous lately. Must have been something one of those other clowns prototyped.

But you can look at them without your brain melting, which is a good sign.

I just hope they don’t start Glubbing. 

It does not appear to be a message from Karkat directed at you specifically.

He has just updated one of the many memos on the transtimeline bulletin board he set up a while ago. You've since no longer bothered keeping up with the endless and mostly incomprehensible communique.

But while checking the update, you can't help but skim through the first memo in the long sequence, which was written hours ago from your present perspective.

Holy shit, Karkat with the group chat!

Forget literally everything I’ve said about his leadership skills. He is the most qualified leader on the team, on the strength of this decision alone. 

It looks like Feferi and Sollux entered the Medium at more or less the exact same time, right down the the pixels. I assume Feferi told Karkat that the Glub was imminent, and he must have hauled absolute ass to get Sollux in as quickly as possible. 

Karkat was furious with himself for being too late - but, thanks to him, Sollux was able to activate his Entry Item before dying, allowing Feferi to resurrect him in person. Karkat didn’t fail - he rose to the occasion, but just try telling him that. 

PAST carcinoGeneticist [PCG] 6:12 HOURS AGO opened public transtimeline bulletin board TEAM ADORABLOODTHIRSTY.

Karkat is so proud of adorabloodthirsty, which is totally adorabloodthirsty.

This memo was started six hours ago, when less than half the party had Entered. Karkat had been in the Medium for about three hours - the immediate danger was over for him, so I guess he decided it was time to organize. 

PCG: THIS IS A PUBLIC BULLETIN USING TROLLIAN'S WEIRD TRANSTIMELINE FEATURES WHICH I DON'T EVEN REALLY UNDERSTAND YET. PCG: BUT I'M GUESSING MIGHT BE USEFUL. PCG: [...] YOU SHOULD ALL BE ABLE TO READ THESE MEMOS AT ANY TIME. PCG: THAT IS, ALL THE MEMOS POSTED, PAST AND FUTURE. I THINK. PCG: IT COULD GET PRETTY TEMPORALLY CONFUSING OBVIOUSLY.  PCG: DO NOT REPLY TO MY MEMOS!!! [...] PCG: IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO ME IN RESPONSE TO A MEMO, MESSAGE ME IN PRIVATE AT THE APPROPRIATE POINT ON THE TIMELINE.

Sounds like Karkat is choosing to use Trollian’s non-linear messaging features, even though he doesn’t understand them, because they ‘might be useful’. This is the exact mistake he’ll later make with his approach to Project Trolling, and I love that this is now an established personality trait of his. 

Traveling through the darkness of night, Union Pacific ES44AC-H No. 2541 along with AC44CWCTE No. 6001 and AC44CW No. 6259 (Ex-Southern Pacific 214) proceeds north with a manifest train in tow.

Taken on 11/15/23