“YEAH. YOU COULD SAY THAT,” he sighs and tries to formulate an explanation in his head. “TO MAKE A VERY LONG STORY SHORT. THE HUMANS INITIATED THE SCRATCH AND CREATED THE NEW UNIVERSE. THEY GOT SEPARATED, SO STRIDER AND LALONDE ENDED UP WITH ME, TEREZI, KANAYA, AND GAMZEE. TECHNICALLY ARADIA AND SOLLUX ALSO LIVED BUT THEY STAYED BEHIND TO BE CREEPY UNDERWORLD GODS IN THE DREAM BUBBLES FOR SOME FUCKING REASON. SOLLUX USED THE LAST OF HIS STRENGTH TO CATAPULT THE METEOR THROUGH PARADOX SPACE INTO THE NEW UNIVERSE, BUT IT WOULD TAKE ONE AND A HALF SWEEPS TO GET THERE. I’D BEEN THROUGH THE MOST TEDIOUS HALF A SWEEP KNOWN TO TROLLKIND BEFORE WAKING UP HERE.”