#CLAIRE NUÑEZ TAKE OVER!!

[alpheuslibrary]

Went insane and drew up some Claire designs—I’m not fully hooked on them yet but I don’t hate them either. Any opinions on these are great! (Also Claire is so fun to draw apparently)

@alchemisticramblings!!! (Start drawing Claire, I dare you)

[socratesvisitsarcadia]

Panic

Tw: Panic attack

Another night in the Nuñez household, another night Claire had to spend “babysitting” her “little brother”. Even though it wasn't as bad as it had once been, with Nothenrique now usually content to leave her alone, save she brings some actual food for him (usually fast food), focusing on her studies was difficult with so many thoughts racing in her mind. Questions left mostly unanswered.

Her brother was safe in the Darklands, but for how long?

Chompsky had yet to return, and there had been no sign of the gnome, so no guide, how were they gonna navigate in there?

They had no clue what Jim's new weapon from either of the stones was going to be, they couldn't go in without knowing. 

She was perfecting the use of the Shadow Staff, but she was still unsure. 

And how on earth were they going to keep that secret from their parents?!

The thoughts spiraled through her mind, the textbook was important, but a lot more frustrating. So, pushing herself away from the desk, she groaned with much annoyance. Her changeling brother looked away from the magazine he read through, wanting to poke fun at her, but deciding ultimately against it. 

“Ya should take ‘a break!” 

“If my grades slip even a decimal, my parents are gonna know something’s up.” 

“Well, a break ain’t gonna ‘break ya’!” He found his own joke hilarious, Claire groaned again, turning to the book once more. “C'mon! Ye’r gonna cramp your brain muscles if ya keep this up!”

He climbed onto the desk, closing the book himself, he was looking after her after all. The girl frowned, about to argue when something else caught their attention. A loud thud, followed by a green glow in the distance and a tree falling, disappeared into the woods. If it was just the one tree, they would simply tell Jim and handle it some other day, when more of them started to fall, both understood the problem was more serious.

“Well, now I have to take a break!” Taking the shadow staff to her hands, Claire rushed out of the room.

“Aren’t you gonna tell the others?!” Her fake brother yelled, chasing her down the stairs. 

“I’ll tell them once I know what’s going on! Jim deserves some sleep.” She rushed out the door, leaving the small changeling behind. 

Not-Henrique wasn’t one to usually care deeply for people, though he would lie and say that he hadn’t gotten attached to the girl and her friends. Plus, it would be a hassle to try to explain the girl’s death and without a sister, “normal life” could not keep going.

So, he grabbed the walkie-talkie and told Blinky what was up. Then, he ran to make sure his sister didn’t die in the woods, taking her phone with him in case he needed to call 911.

It didn’t take long to track her, after all, she had a very characteristic lilac hand cream which he loved to eat. He found her hunched behind a bush, spying beyond the leaves, trying not to be seen. He rolled his eyes and tugged onto her leg, pulling his best puppy eyes up at her. 

“How could ya leave this cute face b’hind?” She shushed him, putting a hand over his mouth. “Oi! Don’t ‘shush’ me! I told yer friends where-”

“SHUHS- look!” She pointed, whispering. 

He grumbled under his breath. Beyond the bush, there was a troll, digging his dagger into an old, now petrified, tree stump in what looked like a fit of rage.

It was Angor Rot, obviously. So far, only he was known to have Creepersun poison, especially one potent enough to petrify even trees. But his behavior was beyond incomprehensible. He had shown himself to be so calm, collected, even under pressure, and now seemed completely rabid, stabbing the petrified stump with so much rage. It was the opposite of the troll they had left in the canal. Yet at the same time, between stabs, there was clear pain in his roars. 

If Claire was able to see him from a distance, then others would too, and she didn’t want to think about what would happen if they did find him in that state. Or if they found him at all. Thankfully she had the staff, so getting out of there in case of trouble was easy, but it wouldn’t solve the issue, and in that state, he could turn on her. 

“What's wrong with him?! He was fine the last time we saw him!” Claire watched as the troll in front of them became more and more agitated, continuing to tear down trees and break them. 

She had to do something.

Climbing out of the bush, much to the worry of the changeling, she clutched the staff tighter and approached the troll.

“Angor Rot?” Her voice froze him in place, he turned slowly and eerily towards her, who clutched tighter to the staff, ready to diverge a blow. “What’re you doing here?” 

The troll swerved around, staring at her, instantly dropping his weapon and crawling away from her as if she were some sort of dangerous beast. “Please- I didn’t- I-”

His voice rang desperate, terrified even, his breathing speeding up and eyes getting distant. She recognized the signs of a panic attack from a mile away, or what seemed like the equivalent of it, however, she had no idea if it was similar to trolls or what to do in a situation such as that. She was at an utter loss, yet did what she could. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay I’m not gonna hurt you, you’re okay!” Her words seemed to phase right through him as she put the staff away, and any movement she made seemed to scare him even more. 

If he ran, he could run to the street, and that would be a disaster. It was like trying to wrangle an animal, one conscious, sentient and very scared animal. 

Thankfully, soon the others arrived. Jim was the first to call out, reaching the girl and looking over for any injuries, which he thankfully did not find. “Claire what’s going on?!”

“I- I don’t know- I found him like that and I think he’s having a panic attack or something! I don’t know what happened!” 

Blinky took the front, confirming the girl’s thought. “You are right, Claire. He is in the middle of a panic attack. I’ll handle it. Just stay back. Aarrrgh. Stay with them.”

The conundrum approached Angor calmly, moving slowly and fluidly, keeping all his hands in sight, not that it seemed to matter as he now kept his eyes somewhere on the ground frozen. Once in front of the other, blocking his view of where he once glanced, he knelt. ���Angor Rot, I-”

“Don’t! call me that!-” He screamed, a mix of shame and anger seeping into his voice, shielding his face as he panted frantically, kicking back and pushing himself further away from the trollhunters. “I’m not a rot! I’m not- a blight!! That’s not my name!” 

“That’s alright! That’s quite alright. Is just Angor fine then?” The other continued gasping for air, but nodded. “Alright. Angor. I need you to look at me, can you do that please?” Shakily, he did, meeting with the Conundrum’s calm semblance as he picked up a rock. “Follow this stone, alright? While you do so, breathe. When it changes hand, you inhale and exhale…” He started moving it across his four arms, changing it slowly and carefully. “In… out… in… out…”

The pattern continued, slowly, Angor’s breathing slowed as well his shaking ceased altogether. Soon reaching a point where he did not need to watch Blinky switch hands, just continued breathing slowly. The ones who watched sympathized with him, many times during their trials as trollhunters they had similar experiences, Jim personally wasn’t surprised after all the times Blinky had to calm him down from several panic attacks. Jim unsummoned the armour, pocketing the amulet into his hoodie, slowly and calmly walked toward the troll.

“Are you feeling better?” Angor took one last deep breath before nodding. Finally shifting his eyes up to meet the rest of the group, who he now realized gazed down at him with what he remembered to be sorrow or pitty. “That’s great. Now, my friend, what has you so terrified?”

The troll sighed, glancing to the side where the Inferna Copula sat on a stone, carefully placed upon a stone. 

Claire caught on first. “Your soul… Did something happen?”

Angor brought a hand to his horns, tapping the very point of one of his ram-like antlers, trying to avoid the embarrassment of the words next. “No… I… I couldn’t do it… I couldn’t risk…” 

Although he didn’t finish his sentence, all knew what he was referring to. A tension loomed over the area, the group was silent, none with particular answers at hand. 

It was awkward enough for the changeling to speak up. “Listen’ spooks. Your situation is real bad, doin’ your magic stuff’s this close to town ‘s gonna get you found and worse. So… Why doncha take this elsewhere?”

“I thought I was far enough…” He rubbed his face, gazing to the side where he could see the moving cars, he was too close. He moved to collect his ring, putting it back in its chain. “Apologies for disturbing you.” 

He began walking off, though, that did not feel like a good solution to the problem. Angor didn’t feel like a bad troll, after all, he did have the history of being a warrior, one who was misled. Jim knew betrayal close to his heart, he felt a call again, and he was bound to answer it. 

Turning to his friends, who all had the same thought process as him, he reached out. 

“Hey Angor!” The troll stopped in his tracks, turning to the boy once again. “Look, it’s… Kinda obvious you don’t know what you’re doing right now with the whole soul-bound-to-a-ring situation. It was obvious three days ago and it’s even more now.” The troll had plain tiredness in his eyes, a feeling quite relatable. “And you’re right, it’s too dangerous to mess with your soul out of all things. So… Hey, why don’t you come with us to Trollmarket and ask Vendel? He might have a solution, or something similar?”

“Yeah! Come with us, man! Vendel can be an old goat but recently he’s been helping Jim a lot!” Toby chimed in excitedly, wrapping an arm around Jim’s shoulders. 

“And how exactly would I walk in there?” Both boys peeked up at him, slight confusion in their brows. “I am known as a soulless assassin, brutal killer of Trollhunters, who’s… Taken souls…” There was an ache in his voice, neither doubted why. “The moment I set foot in there, there will be a mob trying to kill me.”

“Jim can protect ya! No one will hurt you!” The chubby boy’s confidence in his friend’s ability to calm an entire town of trolls was inspiring, yet, unrealistic. “Or… You could sneak in! Just, spy your way in! I mean, from what we know you’re really sneaky right?”

That… was indeed a better alternative, not fewer risks, but more realistic. “I would be able to get in unnoticed, I’ve been known to gather information without them knowing.” 

“In today’s terms: Spying on people.” Blinky pipped up, always excited to teach new things to people.

“Right. So… I can do it, but it won’t be easy.”

“Or we could ask Vendel to come up here for a house visit! I mean, if we get him to know it’s an emergency!” Claire also pipes up, getting next to Jim as well. “He’s not very fond of coming up, but I’m sure he’d rather avoid the risk of a big commotion.”

Also a much better option, yet, Vendel had only left Trollmarket once in the past three centuries and he was constantly complaining about never doing it again, under any circumstance. So it was just as much of an option as him sneaking into the underground. Angor looked away from the kids, waiting for the team’s verdict.

“Well. Both options lay on the caller’s hands.” The conundrum stated, putting a hand on the troll’s back, much to Angor’s confusion. “It’s your soul and thus your choice. So. What do you choose?”

Having a choice was something Angor became a stranger to for centuries, so now, being blatantly given it, it was foreign. It took a second to make his choice, after once again looking through the options. “I… Would rather stay away from that place. Even as I watched all of you in there… When I look back something feels wrong.”

“Wait, you  followed us in there?” 

“Not all of me.” He removed his right eye, rolling it around in his hand with pure strength of thought. “A trick I learned centuries ago.”

All were unnerved by it but tried to pay more mind to the challenge at hand. “Sounds… Good then! We’ll bring Vendel! Meanwhile, you wait-” 

Jim was going to say “here” when there was the sound of people coming through the woods. Panic quickly spread through the group, Aaarrrgh whisked Toby and both hid beneath some big bushes and trees, Angor climbed on top of a tree, hiding amongst its foliage, blinky seeking to hide behind a few thicker tree trunks, while Nonenrique hid inside said trunks, leaving Jim and Claire as the only two exposed. The girl knew the voice of her family, approaching through the woods. If she was caught there, there’d be a worse penalty than a simple grounding. 

“Trollhunters, here!” Angor called and reached out his hands to the two, who darted, clinging to them and almost just as fast being pulled up. 

There was no better option available at that moment anyways.

The Nuñez parents walked past them, examining the new rocks amongst the greenery, both of them speaking in Spanish as they transited through the group, not noticing anything besides the weird rocks. Claire made an annoyed face, which solidified the point of them not wanting to know what they were saying. 

“We need to get back to my house. If my parents don’t find me and ‘Henrique’ there, we’re doomed!” Claire whispered fiercely, sitting on a branch keeping away from the path of sight of the adults.

“Do you have the Staff of Shadow?” Angor queried as Claire produced the item, understanding the plan, yet showing concern. “Should I really be giving this to you?”

“Have you spent seven centuries with it?” 

Valid point. 

She handed it and the troll quickly made a portal for the three of them, pulling Claire and Jim inside. Inside the shadow realm, they floated through, Angor made another small portal, pulling Not-Henrique through as well, kicking the log somewhere else. Once all fully emerged from the portal, they were inside the Nuñez’s house, more specifically in the girl’s living room. The changeling turned back into a human baby, Claire rushed and placed him on the feeding table in the kitchen and gestured for Angor and Jim to run out the door and hide in the backyard. 

Soon after both of them left, hiding amongst the bushes, the girl's parents arrived through the front door. “Hi Mom! Hi dad! You’re home early!”

“We actually came in earlier and didn’t find you or Henrique. Where did you go?” the voice of Councilwoman Nuñez rang as serious as ever, with her husband right behind, eyeing her daughter sternly.

“Oh! I was… Getting Henrique food! His baby food ran out, so I went to buy some more!” Good lie.

“At this hour?”

“I had a few friends take me! We were safe all the way!” Claire assured the sound of the microwave ringing and proving her statement. 

That seemed to convince the adults, much to the calm of the other two…

The ringing of Jim’s phone erased all that calm.

In a quick reaction, Angor opened another portal, teleporting both of them back to the opening where Blinky and the others were, Jim falling a lot less graciously than the troll. “Dude?! Where did you go?!”

“Back to Claire’s house so she doesn’t get her head cut off by her parents.” Jim replied, getting up and brushing off the dirt. “Look, we were gonna say you could wait here, but it’s waaaay too close to the other houses. Just come to the edge of Trollmaket, you don’t need to come in, just stay out if you want. But it’s better than staying here and risking being seen.”

Again, the troll felt a tightness again, anxiety, fear, apprehension. With another look towards Blinky, who gestured for a deep breath, he did and nodded, following them. 

The walk there wasn’t unknown to him, after all, he had followed them to the entrance before. But now, there was new weight to it, even the last time he was at Trollmarket’s door he felt another a wave extreme of uneasiness. Something about that place felt wrong in a thousand ways. His eyes were focused on each grass strips as he walked, paranoia startling him with each sound that came from behind the shadows. Most of the time being something minimal, like a true raccoon, seemed to make him even more defeated.

It was impossible not to notice how agitated he was, again, bringing more pity from the team. They all exchanged looks with each other, communicating without words, mostly through gestures and eye movements.

Aaarrrgh understood there was communication being done there, yet couldn’t understand what exactly. Looking back at Angor, he saw himself, just leaving Gunmar’s army, with an entire society that hated him for what he did, he didn’t pity Angor like the others but he wanted to help. Knowing himself, if he was in that situation again, he would get what his Wingman called “cold feet” and run away, and in his situation, it wouldn’t do well.

“We stay with you.” He pats the other’s back again, snapping him from his thoughts. “We stay waiting Vendel with you.” 

“Yeah! We can stay with ya man! Don’t want the anxiety getting worse than it is, right?” Toby pipped up from Aaarrrgh’s back, sliding from Aaarrrgh’s back now that they had reached the canal, hopping up excitedly. “Also, like, is it okay if I ask you some questions? Like, nothing personal, or that at least shouldn’t be- But like, we never met a troll that looks like you and I really wanna know more!”

It was clear Angor was dubious about it, almost denying it. But Toby made the effort to clear up what he imagined were the doubts.

“If we cross a line- just tell me! I am very understanding! Also! You don’t gotta answer questions you don’t want to! Just say ‘pass’ and we move on! No questions asked!” Angor snorted, containing himself as quickly as he did. “Pun-not-intended and yet glad it was appreciated!” 

Thinking it over one more time, Angor agreed to the terms. “Alright. I’ll indulge you.” 

[yourneighbourhoodtraumatisedkids]

Hey guys!!!

Yeah, we got an account. All of us collectively. The Guardians of Arcadia have a Tumblr account. Douxie and Toby wanted to get Twitter too, but Jim managed to convince the two of them that Tumblr was the safer option- with the help of Shannon and Darci. Mary was hyping them up to go into a physical fight with each other, but Jim loves Douxie and Toby too much for that sort of thing.

If you can't tell who's speaking, it's Claire here. I wrote this the day before but Jim decided he'd post it while he's in Spanish. We started school today- on the third of January- and now we're currently trying to figure out a strategy to kill Gunmar, if you want to know where we've gotten up to- but if you've checked out @theonceandfuturetrollhunter's account, then you'd know exactly what we're talking about. Still haven't figured out the ultimate game plan yet.

Douxie and Jim chose the username for the account because they thought it would be funny.

Personally, I find it kind of disturbing, but that's probably just me 😂😭. Dios mio, I've already started to use emojis like Jim.

Anyway, the people you'll find who make updates usually are me, Douxie, Toby, Mary, Darci and Eli. Steve will occasionally make a random s***post, and Jim will update regularly, but perhaps less than us because of the fact that he has his own Tumblr account!!!

We've actually got two followers already thanks to them knowing exactly what we're up to- thank you @imaclotpole121 for letting us use your account, and thank you @bluheaven-adw for not getting too annoyed by Jim's... shenanigans. If you guys follow Jim, make sure to follow us too- Toby's especially excited to beat Jim with his followings, but Jim's already somehow managed to grapple 60 followers in one entire month- which surprised all of us, actually- we didn't think he'd be so popular [or Toby keeps saying. The rest of us are proud of him for getting over his anxiety and making new friends :). So is Toby, but you guys know he can get a bit competitive.]

So I suggest you take a seat, and get ready for the most random of posts from your favourite group of Trollhunters, wizards, Creepslayerz, fashionistas, moles, scammers, and time travellers (but for the last four there are one of each. Just saying). And maybe there will be a bunch of trolls and changelings butting in every now and then, but Jim is adamant they don't mess things up- or f*** things up, as he likes to so eloquently put. I would swear without the asterisks, but my mom made Strickler promise that if we're meant to be doing this, she doesn't want me to write swear words 🤦‍♀️

She doesn't know what we're going to be talking about though- she doesn't know the truth about anything. And I wouldn't want her to anyway.

Grab the popcorn, and get ready- because you have no idea what the hell is coming your way. Mierda, you really have no idea what we have set up.

-Claire Nuñez ;)

PS: I know Mierda translates to a certain word (search it up if you don't know it) but Strickler thinks it's a normal word. I pray he won't search it up. I hope.

[rosemaidenvixen]

Witch Hunter

Chapter 16

<Previous Next>

Ao3

Claire dusted off her hands and followed Temperance back towards the house. Squinting against the light of the setting sun. It had been a long, hard day. She, Temperance, and several other young girls assisted Goody Nurse with her cleaning and laundry. She was too old and arthritic to do it herself, and her own daughters were busy with families of their own.

Abbie had been there as well. Goody Nurse had given her a half hearted congratulations on her sister’s innocence being proven. Abbie’s only response was to give her a long, lingering, hollow eyed stare before going back to mending the sock she had started on.

No one spoke to Abbie for the rest of the day.

Her heart gave a twist and Claire pulled in a deep breath to settle it as she followed Temperance inside. Burning sun giving way to dusty dimness.

However much she had suffered the matter was done, Sarah’s innocence was proven–

Even if she’d been bedridden with pneumonia for days, noticeably absent from Abbie’s side at Goody Nurse’s house

And now that the shadow of suspicion was off of her it was only a matter of time until it was cast on someone else.

Claire needed to keep her wits about her if that someone turned out to be Barbara.

“Good afternoon father, mother,” Temperance stepped into the room, Claire trailing after “How do you…”

Temperance trailed off into silence. Concern pinching her stomach, Claire hurried to catch up to her.

They found Reverend and Goody Greystone sitting at the table, faces morose in the lamp light.

Temperance glanced back and forth between her parents “What’s wrong? What troubles you?”

Goody Greystone glanced up at her husband, who slumped back and let out a heavy sigh “Show her, perhaps it is best if she hears directly,”

She gave a curt nod, then reached out and grasped a piece of paper off the table, stood, and approached–

But not Temperance, Claire.

Goody Greystone held out the paper towards her. And when she spotted the broken seal, familiar crest pressed into the wax, Claire’s heart soared. 

This was it, word from her father at last. She and Jim would finally be able to escape the nightmare of Hopkins and his hunters and escape to Spain.

Claire plucked it gently from Goody Greystone’s hands, barely able to restrain herself from tearing it away, eyes already devouring the elegant script.

Lady Ophelia Nuñez,

It is with my deepest regrets that I inform you that on his return voyage your husband, my brother, Lord Javier Nuñez, took ill with consumption and passed away shortly before his ship landed. 

As he has no official heirs present, I took on the responsibility of his holdings and estates myself. 

I mean no accusation but circumstances force me to be frank. We have no way of verifying the legitimacy of any claimants to Javier’s estate should any appear. As such my brother’s estates will fall under my care and be inherited by my sons and their children, any other claimants will be turned away. I know this must come as a great shock to you but I assure you this choice was one I made with a heavy heart with the best interest of the whole family in mind.

You have no doubt gone through much turmoil in these last several months and I’ve no wish to cause you further strife. Therefore, I give you my permission and blessing to remarry any man of your choosing in the New World. Your daughter and newborn child no doubt need a father, and my brother would not fault you for taking a second husband to ensure both your and his children’s security.

I strongly encourage you to think of what is best for your children and embrace your life in the New World.

With greatest sincerity and deepest regards,

Lord Felipe Nuñez

The paper slipped from Claire’s grip, drifting to the floor. In the corner of her vision she saw Temperance scramble to pick it up but couldn’t bring herself to care over the roaring in her skull.

She slumped forward, bracing herself against the table with both hands, swaying back and forth. It took everything she had to remain upright, vision pulling in and out and a deep pit opening up in the bottom of her stomach.

Her father was dead, had been for months, maybe even before her mother. His family had all but abandoned them in the New World–

Who did uncle Felipe think he was fooling? He was leaving her and Enrique to rot just to have their father’s estate all to himself

Claire’s fingers gripped the table so hard it hurt, head swimming and stomach pinching dangerously. She felt dangerously close to fainting or vomiting or both. 

She and Enrique had been abandoned. There was no one coming to sweep her and her loved ones away to Spain.

Temperance’s eyes widened as she read over the letter, head snapping back up to stare at her parents incredulously “Claire’s father is dead!?”

“Yes,” Reverend Greystone said solemnly “And it appears that no family is coming to collect her and her brother either. So their stay here will last longer than we planned,”

Temperance’s mouth gaped open and shut like a fish, a sight Claire normally would have found funny if it weren’t for her entire world crashing down around her.

“B– b– but with no family to pay rent–”

Goody Greystone slammed her hands on the table and threw herself to her feet “Temperance! For shame! Claire and her brother are members of this household, and we will provide charity to them as long as it is needed,”

“B– but,” Temperance floundered “The harvest was so poor, we’ll barely have enough to feed ourselves, much less–”

“That is enough.” Reverend Greystone’s voice wasn’t overly loud. But it had the effect of sending the whole room into silence.

He turned and fixed Temperance with a steely gaze “We provide charity as the lord bids us to, not merely when it suits us. Claire and her brother are staying here with us and I will hear no more on this matter,”

Temperance shut her mouth, face red.

Thick silence settled over the room, only broken by Goody Greystone clearing her throat “Enough of that now, best trust these matters to lord and focus on our earthly duties, girls lets get supper on the table,”

Temperance rushed to obey her mother while Claire was slower. Feeling as though she was pulling her limbs through tar as she moved to follow them.

Her father would never return. He’d never hold Enrique in his arms and smile at his son. She and Enrique were orphans now, no standing, no inheritance. Abandoned on the other side of the word.

A tear dropped down, staining the dirt floor beneath her, smothering her gut wrenching wail into a whimper.

She was alone, truly truly alone. Left to the mercies of Hopkins and his witch hunters.

[winter-leftovers]

Til The End Of Eternity || Chapter nineteen: Night Shift (19/?)

(Douxie Casperan x f!reader)

Summary: Y/n is trying to figure her life out but is going to be hard since her brother is the new trollhunter and she is plagued by dreams and feelings she doesn’t understand.

Chapter Summary: Gunmar finds the trolls’s hideout

Word count: 1480

Warnings: no. Should a ben platt song be a warning? Im just kidding

(Season 3 Episodes 1)

Song?: Grow as we go by Ben Platt

Previous - Next

Masterlist

Y/n sat on the couch with her gaze lost in the dancing of the branches of the tree that lived outside her house against the pink sky while she absentmindedly stroked Al’s back furr.

“You seemed distracted” Al turned his head.

Y/n sighed “Can I tell…you something?” She looked down at him.

Al stretched his legs and turned himself to be belly up.

“You can’t tell, Hisirdoux” she stopped petting his belly.

“I’m always loyal to you. You have always been more generous with the tuna” his brown tail twitched at the thought of food.

“I remembered…about Morgana” she whispered, not being able to look him in the eye “My sister” she smiled over the grief.

“Morgana?” Al’s pupils retracted.

“She was my sister and she died” Y/n closed her eyes, the turbulence of the sea coming back to her “she was murdered” she repeated, the feeling of betrayal was still fresh on her chest.

Alfred sat up when he heard her. It wasn’t a false alarm. Y/n was remembering.

“Y/n, I…” he put his paw on her leg.

“No. I just…” she turned back to the tree and cleaned away the tear that fell “I just need to process it again. I…Just…Don’t tell Douxie. Alright? He’s so excited with the battle of the bands” Y/n didn’t let him answer, she didn’t want to have this conversation, she stood up and went to the kitchen where she left her phone charging. A message from Jim light up the screen:

‘Tell ur friend to stay away from Claire’

Y/n rolled her eyes and went to prepare herself for the night guard.

—

The sun had long left the sky of Arcadia. Jim and Y/n were walking along the entryway of the old abandoned warehouse where the trolls were hiding after the fall of trollmarket. The Lake siblings were putting more enchanted Nuñez signs to keep the gumm gumms away.

“Have you been to the basement lately?” Jim interrupted the comfortable silence.

Y/n frowned, the memory of her mother’s art coming back to her “Yes” she shook her head. Her mother’s portrait of Blinky was strangely good “I didn’t know she could paint”

“We have to do something”

“I mean, it was bound to happen. You can’t permanently delete someone's memories without damaging their brain or someone actually taking them from you” Y/n shrugged and continued her task.

Jim turned to her sister, mouth wide open. How did she know that?

“What?” He asked.

She turned back at him, eyes wide open like a deer in headlights. She hasn't told his brother the truth about herself. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was that she didn’t know the whole truth, only bits and pieces or maybe it was because she’s afraid of losing another family.

“Master Jim, Lady Y/n, thought you could use this” Blinky interrupted the awkward stare down and brought the two cups “I manage to scrounge up all the components for a fine cup of coffee”

Y/n smiled grateful for the coffee and the interruption. She took the cup up to her nose and stopped, her brows furrowed at the smell of the coffee. It didn’t smell right.

Jim took a sip as Blinky announced that he used an old gym sock as a filter. The Trollhunter spited the drink into the troll face.

“Ugh!” Y/n pushed the cup as far as she could from her face.

“I know. I’m not a fan of the french roast either” Blinky wiped his face “How's the watch?”

“It’s given me time to think, Blinky, this Gunmar stuff and…the Eternal Night. What if I don’t have it in me to stop it?” Jim asked, his eyes filled with worry.

Y/n gave him half a smile and put her free arm around his shoulders as they started to walk. She knew his brother had what it took to stop Gunmar, Merlin’s amulet doesn’t make mistakes, she told him this before but it doesn’t matter, she could shout it from the top of every building in Arcadia, Jim has to realize it himself.

“We’ve discussed this before. Your heart is stronger than you know” reminded Blinky

“What if heart isn’t enough? This is Gunmar. He's ruthless. He…He doesn’t show mercy”

Quick lashes of the war appeared in Y/n’s brain. Jim was right. Heart isn’t enough.

“That may be true, Jim but you’re kind, smart and strong, stronger than you think. Gunmar may be a ruthless monster or whatever, but he has never won anything” Y/n pushed Jim closer to her. No matter how insecure she feels right now, she trusts her brother and his ability to win this.

“That doesn’t change the fact that Gunmar is ruthless” Jim insisted.

“Yes, Gunmar is a savage,and that’s precisely why we left his violent ways and searched for a new path” Blinky recounted “Master Jim, as our Trollhunter you have been, eh, awful” Blinky gave him a half smile “so many times, making horrible, horrible mistakes”

“Hey!” the siblings complained at the same time

“I’m trying my best!”

“He is trying his best”

“Precisely!” Blinky put his hand on Jim’s shoulder “And that’s why I would follow you to the ends of the earth. You are human. You grow. You learn from your mistakes. You always try to make the right choice. Unlike Gunmar, I believe trolls can grow with you”

“Let’s hope you’re right” Jim sighed.

“Jim…”Y/n called for her brother. When she lifted her eyes, she noticed that all the signs were gone.

“The signs. Where’d they all go?” Jim looked around and couldn’t see the signs.

“Jim, Y/n” Blinky screamed as the three of them saw the last sign disappear behind a bush.

“Why is the bush growling?” Y/n started to take steps back as the gumm gumms started to emerge from the woods.

“Oh no, for the glory of Merlin daylight is mine to command”

Blinky and Y/n ran to the warehouse to alert the refugees of trollmarket while Jim distracted the gumm gumms.

“We’ve been compromised! We must defend our ground!” Blinky screamed as he closed the door with the help of Y/n.

“Jim!” Y/n screamed.

The trollhunter slowly lifted himself from the ground after a gumm gumm threw him through a window.

“I’m okay” he stood tall and grabbed her sister’s hand “I’m okay”

“Trolls, stand with me! For tonight, we…” Blinky found himself alone when the gumm gumms opened the door.

“Whatever” said a troll before leaving.

Y/n took a deep breath and ran to a lead pipe that laid on the other side of the room. Avoiding big, rocky hands, she grabbed the pipe from the floor and started swinging, trying to take the attention away from Aaarrrgghh and Blinky that were taking the trolls to the swears.

“There’s too many of them!” Y/n screamed to anyone who’ll listen.

“If only I could use my staff” she thought.

“We have to get them all…” screamed back Jim.

Draal rolled in and pushed Jim to the floor:

“I told you this husk wouldn’t stop coming after you but you let Draal live. Now you will die!” Gunmar laughed through Draal’s body and attacked Jim, taking the fight outside.

“No” Y/n whispered and with all her anger, kicked the gumm gumm she had on top of her, killing it when it hit the wall.

Y/n got tired. She dropped the lead pipe and undrawed her staff, taking care of the rest of the gumm gumm with some magic and the sharp end of it.

“Are you coming or not?” Asked NotEnrique.

Y/n and Blinky looked at eachother.

“We have to help Jim” she answer

They ran outside and followed the sound of the struggle of battle , quickly finding Jim standing on top of cursed Draal with his sword in his hand ready to strike.

“Master Jim! Don’t do it!” Screamed Blinky

“Do it, trollhunter!” Taunted Bular “If you think your armor’s too much to shoulder today. I’ll make sure it’ll break you tomorrow! I found you once. I will find you again. Kill him”

“I’m the trollhunter” Jim reminded him.

“Master Jim, we must leave at once”

“You cannot escape me. I’ll find you” Gunmar screamed as Blinky and Jim started to walk out. Y/n stood there observing him for a moment. She remembers him as stuff of nightmares, as the thing that would lure in the shadow that would bring her to tears as a child but now? She feels pity. How many times is he going to fight a war he is going to lose? How many times is going to try to win a world that doesn’t want him?

“What do you want, witch?” He spits

“You haven’t learnt your lesson, haven’t you?”

A/n: Happy new year’s 🎉🎉 I bet you weren’t expecting this huh? I’m uploading this with 2 hs of sleep and ready to go to a pool to keep parting 🫡 hope you’re having fun as well

[cartoon-character-competition]

I finally have ✨️the list✨️

these are all the characters competing, first two rounds will be randomized, then I will make a bracket out of the remaining competitors

polls won't start until at least this Wednesday as I'm having a very busy weekend and I still need to compile all the images, so in the meantime, if you wanna submit some images to help me out, please do!! images without backgrounds are the end goal and would be the most helpful but finding the images is what takes the most time so if you have one please send them!! you can via asks or dms. if you send via asks I won't post them and anons are still on if that makes it easier. once I get some I'll cross out the ones I have so you guys know what to submit

thanks everyone, and I'm sorry you guys had to wait this long!!!

505 (Villanous)

Aang (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Adora (She-Ra: Princess of Power)

Adrien Agreste (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir)

Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Aja Tarron (Tales of Arcadia)

Aleksandr Kallus (Star Wars: Rebels)

Allura (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Alya Cesaire (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir)

Amelia Hughes (Infinity Train)

Amethyst (Steven Universe)

Amity Blight (The Owl House)

Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)

Apple White (Ever After High)

Arthur Kingsmen (Mystery Skulls)

Asami Sato (Avatar: Legend of Korra)

Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Badyah Hassan (Dead End: Paranormal Park)

Baljeet Tjinder (Phineas and Ferb)

Barbara Millicent Roberts (Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse)

Bart Simpson (The Simpsons)

Beatrice (Over the Garden Wall)

Beatrice Horseman (Bojack Horseman)

Beckett Mariner (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

Bee (Bee and Puppycat)

Bender Bending Rodriguez (Futurama)

Benson Mekler (Kipo and the Wonderbeasts)

Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls)

Blake Belladonna (RWBY)

Blitzø (Helluva Boss)

Bloo (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends)

Bloom (Winx Club)

Bluey (Bluey)

Bojack Horseman (Bojack Horseman)

Bolin (Avatar: Legend of Korra)

Boots (Dora the Explorer)

Bow (She-Ra: Princess of Power)

Bubble (Battle for Dream Island)

Buford Van Stomm (Phineas and Ferb)

C1-10P/Chopper (Star Wars: Rebels)

Cabbage Merchant (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Candace Flynn (Phineas and Ferb)

Captain Rex (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Carmen Sandiego (Carmen Sandiego)

Cassandra (Tangled: The Series)

Catra (She-Ra: Princess of Power)

Claire Nuñez (Tales of Arcadia)

Clawdeen Wolf (Monster High)

Cleo De Nile (Monster High)

Commander Peepers (Wander Over Yonder)

Courntey (Dead End: Paranormal Park)

Courtney (Total Drama)

Craig Williams (Craig of the Creek)

Cybersix (Cybersix)

Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Darcy/The Core (Amphibia)

Daria Morgendorffer (Daria)

Darius Deamonne (The Owl House)

Darling Charming (Ever After High)

Delilah Briarwood (The Legend of Vox Machina)

Diego (Go Diego Go!)

Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls)

Discord (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Dora (Dora the Explorer)

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb)

Dr. Saira Bellum (Carmen Sandiego)

Draculaura (Monster High)

Eda Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Eddie and Venom (The Spectacular Spider-Man)

Electro (The Spectacular Spider-Man)

Emperor Belos (The Owl House)

ENA (ENA)

Entrapta (She-Ra: Princess of Power)

Ezra Bridger (Star Wars: Rebels)

Ferb Fletcher (Phineas and Ferb)

Finn the Human (Adventure Time)

Fluttershy (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Frankie Stein (Monster High)

Freakazoid (Freakazoid)

Fred Jones (Scooby-Doo)

Frobo (Amphibia)

Garnet (Steven Universe)

Gene Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

George Pig (Peppa Pig)

George Washington/Jason Funderburker (Over the Garden Wall)

Giovanni Potage (Epithet Erased)

Glimmer (She-Ra: Princess of Power)

Goo (Inanimate Insanity)

Grace Monroe (Infinity Train)

Grand Admiral Thrawn (Star Wars: Rebels)

Greg (Over the Garden Wall)

Grog (The Legend of Vox Machina)

Gumball (The Amazing World of Gumball)

Gus Porter (The Owl House)

Harley Quinn (Harley Quinn: The Animated Series)

Hera Syndulla (Star Wars: Rebels)

Hilda (Hilda)

Hisirdoux Casperan (Tales of Arcadia)

Hollyhock Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzerelli-McQuack (Bojack Horseman)

Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

Hopadiah Plantar (Amphibia)

Horse (Centaurworld)

Huey Freeman (The Boondocks)

Huey, Louie, and Dewey Duck (DuckTales)

Hunter (The Owl House)

Iroh (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Isabella Garcia-Shapiro (Phineas and Ferb)

Janna Ordonia (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

Jim Lake Jr. (Tales of Arcadia)

Jude Sharp (Inasuma)

Kagami Tsurugi (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir)

Karen (Spongebob Squarepants)

Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Keith (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Kelsey Jannings (Bojack Horseman)

Kelsey Pokoly (Craig of the Creek)

Ken (Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse)

Kikimora (The Owl House)

King Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Kipo Oak (Kipo and the Wonderbeasts)

Korra (Avatar: Legend of Korra)

Krel Tarron (Tales of Arcadia)

Kurt Wagner (X-Men Evolution)

Kyoshi (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Lagoona Blue (Monster High)

Lake (Infinity Train)

Lance (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe)

Lemmy Koopa (The Super Mario Brothers)

Lena Sabrewing (DuckTales)

Lewis Pepper (Mystery Skulls)

Libby Stein-Torres (The Ghost and Molly McGee)

Lilith Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)

Lorna (Over the Garden Wall)

Luigi (The Super Mario Brothers)

Lunella Lafeyette (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur)

Luz Noceda (The Owl House)

Lyra Heartstrings (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Maddie Hatter (Ever After High)

Mai (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Map (Dora the Explorer)

Marceline (Adventure Time)

Marco Diaz (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

Marcy Wu (Amphibia)

Marge Simpson (The Simpsons)

Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir)

Mario (The Super Mario Brothers)

Mayor Fred Jones Sr. (Scooby-Doo)

Mikey Simon (Kappa Mikey)

Miko Kubota (Glitch Techs)

Milo Murphy (Milo Murphy's Law)

Mingi Park (Infinity Train)

MK (LEGO Monkie Kid)

Molly Blyndeff (Epithet Erased)

Molly McGee (The Ghost and Molly McGee)

Montana/Shocker (The Spectacular Spider-Man)

Mordecai Heller (Lackadaisy)

N (Murder Drones)

Nox (Wakfu)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Odd Della Robbia (Code Lyoko)

One-One (Infinity Train)

Oodle the Doodle (Animated Inanimate Battle)

Orko (He-Man)

Pacifica Northwest (Gravity Falls)

Patrick Star (Spongebob Squarepants)

Pearl (Steven Universe)

Penn Zero (Penn Zero: Part Time Hero)

Peppa Pig (Peppa Pig)

Peridot (Steven Universe)

Perry the Platypus (Phineas and Ferb)

Philip J Fry (Futurama)

Phineas Flynn (Phineas and Ferb)

Player (Carmen Sandiego)

Poison Ivy (Harley Quinn: The Animated Series)

Polly Plantar (Amphibia)

Princess Bubblegum (Adventure Time)

Princess Carolyn (Bojack Horseman)

Radicles (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)

Raine Whispers (The Owl House)

Rapunzel (Tangled: The Series)

Raven (Teen Titans)

Raymond (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)

Redson (LEGO Monkie Kid)

Rex (Generator Rex)

Riley Freeman (The Boondocks)

Rock Rickaby (Lackadaisy)

Rok-Tahk (Star Trek: Prodigy)

Ruby Rose (RWBY)

Ryan Akagi (Infinity Train)

Sabine Wren (Star Wars: Rebel

Sabrina Spellman (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

Sam and Max (Sam and Max: Freelance Police)

Sasha Waybright (Amphibia)

Scorpia (She-Ra: Princess of Power)

Scratch and Grounder (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog)

Sea Hawk (She-Ra: Princess of Power)

Shadowsan (Carmen Sandiego)

Sheriff Stone (Scooby-Doo)

Snap (Chalk Zone)

Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbende

Sonic the Hedgehog (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog)

Soos Ramirez (Gravity Falls)

Peter Parker (The Spectacular Spider-Man)

Spinel (Steven Universe)

Spongebob Squarepants (Spongebob Squarepants)

Sprig Plantar (Amphibia)

Squidward (Spongebob Squarepants)

Stanford Pines (Gravity Falls)

Stanley Pines (Gravity Falls)

Star Butterfly (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

Starfire (Teen Titans)

Static Shock (Static Shock)

Stella (Winx Club)

Steve (The Owl House)

Steven Universe (Steven Universe)

Stewie (Family Guy)

Stitch (Lilo and Stitch)

Stolas (Helluva Boss)

Suki (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Sylvia (Wander Over Yonder)

T.K.O (OK K.O.: Let's Be Heroes!)

Tendi (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

The Powerpuff Girls (The Powerpuff Girls)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Tigger (Winnie the Pooh)

Toby Domzalski (Tales of Arcadia)

Todd Chavez (Bojack Horseman)

Tom (Tom and Jerry)

Tom Lucitor (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Tulip Olsen (Infinity Train)

Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Valerie Gray (Danny Phantom)

Vivi Yukino (Mystery Skulls)

Wakfu (Wakfu) The Professor (Hailey's On It!)

Wally West (Justice League (2001))

Wammawink (Centaurworld)

Wander (Wander Over Yonder)

Waylon Smithers Jr. (The Simpsons)

Webby Vanderquack (DuckTales)

Weiss Schnee (RWBY)

Wendy Corduroy (Gravity Falls)

Willow Park (The Owl House)

Wilt (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends)

Wirt (Over the Garden Wall)

Wolf (Kipo and the Wonderbeasts)

Yang Xiao Long (RWBY)

Yugo (Wakfu)

Yummyan Hammerpaw (Kipo and the Wonderbeasts)

Zadra (Tales of Arcadia)

Zetto (TOME: Terrain of Magical Expertise)

Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

[elizabethemerald]

I was scrolling your blog for other Claire related reasons, and I found this again and had some more thoughts.

Claire was a very fussy baby after the core was implanted. Akiridion children can feel the resonance of their parent's cores which Claire was missing. Javier found she slept best while in the car because it was the closest to the core vibrations she needed.

As a child and preteen, she was very spacey. She constantly had a thought in the back of her mind that there was something she had forgotten, but would only remember when she desperately needed to. That meant that things like forgotten assignments or missed appointments got filed away as the same background forgetfulness. (Yay metaphors for neurodivergence!)

Because she felt like there was something off about herself, she often found herself daydreaming in a fantasy world, or reading. (I'm totally not projecting at all)

By high school she had much of her strangeness either scolded or bullied out of her and she got much better at masking (to the detriment of her mental health) allowing her to take the position of Queen Bee of the school, with only a few people allowed to see her drop her mask.

Due to her suddenly becoming much fussier as a baby, and her general disconnect from reality, her parents had already put the thought in her head that she might have been replaced as baby and when Jim told her about Changelings she was initially terrified of touching a gagletak out of fear of what it would reveal and what it would change about her new friends. (Funny how both of the Nuñez kids end up as pseudo changelings, I wonder if that says something about their parents)

Overall she is able to mask less and less, both with Jim and Toby and at school which helps her feel more comfortable with herself.

When Jim goes into the Darklands, she is finally desperate enough to remember the time capsule her Akiridion left for her. She regains her Akiridion form and while the trolls in the Darklands are completely unprepared for alien tech, she's not well trained with the tech or with her new form so the results are largely the same. (Never mind my annoyed rambling at Merlin for changing their best warrior into a new and different form right before their climatic battle as if all the muscle memory would translate over to a new, larger, and unfamiliar form perfectly)

AU where Claire is secretly (part) Akiridion?

Great AU idea!

This is sort of a head canon for the AU, but also sort of just an observation, but have you thought about the fact that Akiridion-5 has a MASSIVE standing army? And an incredibly developed military industrial complex? Kind of implies that they are or were a imperial super power in their corner of the galaxy.

Claire's Akiridion mother was a refugee hiding from the rest of her people for reasons revealed later, but she eventually finds herself on Earth. She knows that forces from A-5 are hunting her and she doesn't want her infant daughter to get hurt. So she hides her core in the body of a human infant, Claire Nunez.

She does a more thorough job of hiding Claire's Akiridion form because she had more time and her ship was undamaged. So Claire and her human family is fully unaware she's part Akiridion. Except her mother implanted a memory and hid what is effectively a time capsule with more info about A-5, Claire's heritage and gives her the ability to switch back and forth.

Claire's mother than leaves Earth and is eventually tracked down. She chooses to detonate her ship so no one can track Claire down. she beams a message back to earth as her final fairwell to Claire in which its implied that the person hunting her mother is Morando.

(Five ideas and it's only the intro!) Claire has this memory that there is something important for when she is in a desperate need, but doesn't do anything with it until Jim goes into the Dark Lands. Then she finds the capsule, sees her mother's message, and unlocks her Akiridion form.

I'd love to info dump some more about this idea, just let me know if you want me to!

[crispy-jim]

happy valentines day

[ewritesfanfics]

Saturnalia Candles

My Secret Santa gift for @bluheaven-adw! Merry Christmas, hope you like it!

Also shout out to @sakon76 for catching a mistake and helping me figure out one of the presents!

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43786933

What starts as a normal Christmas in Castle Camelot for Jim turns into something far more special.

Jim slowly awakens to bright golden sunlight pouring in through his large bedroom windows, illuminating the entire room. In the concentrated beams, he can see dust motes in the air, just barely moving from the air circulation.

Slowly he turns over onto his side, facing in, to gaze at the person sleeping next to him. Claire is still fast asleep, her breathing slow and measured. She’s on her side as well, face smooshed into her pillow, and her dichromatic hair is mussed and tangled, sticking up oddly in several places and covering half of her face. Jim could spend all day staring at her.

However, they can’t lay here all day.

Carefully, he reaches over to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone, trying to gently rouse her. It takes a second, but then he gets a response, her nuzzling into his hand. A few moments after her eyes open, still hazy with sleep, the deep brown turned rich melted chocolate in the glowing morning light.

“Morning,” she says with a small, sleepy smile, her voice slightly gritty from having just woken up.

“Merry Christmas,” he says, his voice in not much better shape than hers.

She slowly pulls away from his hand and shuffles closer to him. He meets her in kind, the two meeting in a lazy kiss.

“Can we just stay in bed?” Claire asks, already knowing the answer.

“Well, if we stay too long, one of them is gonna come in here and drag us out,” Jim says. “My money is on Douxie, and knowing him, he’s gonna use his magic to upend the mattress or something like that.”

“He wouldn’t while his star pupil is on the bed as well,” Claire then says.

“Maybe at first, but I think his love of annoying me would override that sooner rather than later,” Jim says. Not that it’s unwarranted – he loves annoying Douxie just as much, and it’s all done out of love.

Claire giggles at that, which draws a giggle from Jim as well.

Reluctantly, they pull themselves from the warmth of the covers, the cold air prickling unpleasantly across Jim’s bare torso. He throws on an old, worn t-shirt, and slips on his wedding ring before going over to the ensuite bathroom to shave and run a brush through his hair. Normally he’d shower too, but he’s gotta get food going, and he did shower yesterday, so it’s not a pressing matter.

As he exits the bathroom, he finds Claire standing there, obviously waiting for him to get out, holding The Sweater.

“Not you too,” he groans.

“I think it’s cute,” she says, holding it out for him. “And you know Douxie’s not going to let you just not wear it, especially when your mother gets here for dinner.”

He takes it, giving a weary, exaggerated sigh. “I suppose you’re right. But I’m not putting it on until we start opening presents.”

“Which I think is fair,” she says. “Now, move, I need to get in the bathroom.”

He then makes his way down, first stopping in the common area to throw The Sweater over the back of one of the couches, to the frankly massive kitchen of Castle Camelot. Krel made sure to equip the kitchen with high-end modern appliances when rebuilding, making it practically Jim’s dream kitchen.

Thinking for a moment, he figures he’ll keep breakfast simple since he’ll be cooking all afternoon for the big dinner tomorrow, them being joined by Mom, with her Strickler of course, and then Nomura as well, the Nuñez family, Zoe, and Mary. They’d have even more if a good few weren’t on Akiridion 5 (and he’s actually rather thankful they are, he has to cook for so many people already – he loves cooking, loves cooking for his friends and family, truly, but he went from cooking for himself, Mom, and the Domzalskis to cooking for the entire circus over the course of two years, has been ever since, and it’s exhausting).

He decides to just quickly whip up some pancakes, and as he puts the batter together, he can hear movement from out in the common area, the sound of the rest of the castle starting to rouse. More sounds join gradually, and by the time Jim has finished everything – pancakes, coffee, and a pile of tin, cardboard, and the used coffee filters for the trolls – the common area is filled with chatter.

Going out, sure enough, everyone has gathered in varying states of grogginess. Blinky and Aaarrrgghh are talking with Toby and Darci about something, Darci leaning against Toby, still half asleep in the throws of the comedown from her finals week – but on the bright side, she’s only got one more semester, and then she’ll have her masters, so only one more round of finals now. Krel and Douxie are on the couch he set The Sweater on talking about one of their new magitech projects, Krel in his human form and sporting eye bags that rival Douxie’s, an impressive feat. Behind them is Archie perched atop the couch back in his dragon form, his tail swishing back and forth slowly across Douxie's shoulder. Sitting lightly on the arm of said couch is Claire, wrapped in the fluffy dark violet bathrobe her parents got her for her last birthday, her long, damp hair laying across her shoulders, the water making it look closer to silver and black than white and dark brown.

“Ah, Master Jim!” Blinky exclaims, loud enough to get his attention, but not so loud as to disturb other conversation. He turns to see the troll making his way over, having separated from the conversation with Aaarrrgghh, Toby, and Darci. “Merriest of Yuletides!”

Jim laughs lightly at that. “Thanks, Blink.”

“I have been deeply pondering on what tradition I would indulge in this year,” Blinky starts, and Jim has to hold in the tired (though fond) sigh. Every year they’ve spent up in Camelot, Blinky’s tried to get into the Christmas spirit the human way, and it’s turned out some … interesting results. Like, one year, Blinky had consulted his books on human customs, all of which are really, really old, so he had come upon the old tradition of burning a Yule Log, as in lighting one end and letting it burn every night for several days starting on the solstice – however, the Troll definition of a “proper” log is different from the human one, and they ended up with a burning tree trunk in the common area. Another year, after getting caught up in the idea of warding off evil spirits à la the pagan Germanic roots of the holiday, he tried to set up magical deterrents that ended with Douxie and Claire nearly getting magically yeeted from the castle.

“And what’re you looking to try this year?” Jim asks. One may think they should tell Blinky to knock it off, and they probably should for their safety, but Jim could never do that. Blinky always has so much fun with these things, Jim doesn’t want to take that away. Plus, his merriment is quite infectious, at least, it is up until and then after whatever the yearly incident turns out to be.

“Well, I realized I have only been drawing from the Germanic traditions that contribute to your Christmas, and so this year, I have branched out. I came upon this Roman tradition called ‘Saturnalia’–”

Oh no.

“–and I have elected to attempt to recreate the giving of candles!”

Oh thank god.

If Blinky had elected the drinking or the partying Jim knows was part of Saturnalia, Jim might have actually had a breakdown.

“I am still working on constructing them, so they shall be given a little later this afternoon. I chose the candles because, according to my books, when these specially made candles are lit, they represent and serve as a reminder of the sun returning after a long, cold winter and they were the Romans’ attempt to manifest the dawn of a golden age for their friends and family in the coming year, which I thought was simply splendid! Human holidays always carry messages of such hope and celebration!”

“That sounds great, Blink,” Jim says, genuinely. He can always appreciate a good candle, and well, he’s always been a sucker for presents from Blinky, ever since he got the Vespa for his 16th birthday, what feels like a lifetime ago.

“I thought it would! The symbolism of the gesture is what ultimately lead me to choose the candles over the sacrificing of bulls!”

Jim blanches at that, unable to contain the visceral physical reaction to that.

“Yeah,” he says, voice higher than normal. He clears his throat roughly before continuing. “I’m gonna have to put a hard ‘no’ on bull sacrifices. Or any animal sacrifices. Please, no sacrificing.”

“Right, humanity has certainly drifted away from the more carnal traditions of your ancestors,” Blinky says with a hearty laugh. “Though such traditions are quite similar to some troll traditions, you know! We don’t have animal sacrifices as you would think of them, but often we have contests wherein the loser is killed and offered, which serves a similar symbolic purpose in several cases!”

“Well, you know how I feel about the killing stuff,” Jim says, thinking back on all the Trollhunter traditions and practices he broke or fucked up all in order to not kill someone. Which turned out for the better – Gnome Chompsky turned into a good ally and can be found in Toby’s old dollhouse (which has been relocated to Camelot because Toby without Chompsky is simply something that cannot and will not happen) with his Go-Go Sally wife and all the peanuts they’ve adopted and Draal turned into an invaluable ally, friend, and brother to Jim.

“Of course,” Blinky says, placing a hand on one of Jim’s shoulders and squeezing gently. “And while I understand the candles are just superstition, their lighting does not truly do anything without some sort of magical component added which I am avoiding due to the results of my last endeavor with spelling items, I do sincerely hope this coming year treats you well, Master Jim. You deserve nothing less.”

Jim smiles and says, “You deserve it just as much.” And then pulls the troll into a tight hug, something Blinky has always been excellent at – he might be made of hard stone, but having four arms makes up for that, his hugs firm and comforting in a way no one else’s hugs could be.

Jim pulls away and moments later, there’s a soft touch on his upper back. Claire’s come over, her delicate hand sliding up to sit lightly on his shoulder, a warm expression on her face. No doubt she overheard at least the latter half of that conversation if not more.

“I’m guessing breakfast is ready?” she asks quietly, not looking to interrupt, no, just simply wondering, and giving Jim the prompting that he needed, a refocusing.

“Oh, yeah,” he says before turning to the entire group and raising his voice enough to cut through the other conversations. “Guys, breakfast is ready!”

People begin making their way toward the kitchen, but instead of following Krel, Douxie stops in front of Jim, The Sweater in hand.

“You’re missing something,” the wizard says, holding out the item of clothing.

“Any chance I could get away with not wearing this until presents later?” Jim asks.

“Nope.”

“Please?”

Douxie rolls his eyes but then gives Jim a knowing smirk. “… if you truly want to.”

Dammit. Douxie knows him too well – he (not so, he guesses) secretly loves this sweater.

Jim slips The Sweater on over his nightshirt, leaving him and Douxie in obnoxious ugly Christmas sweaters with fake tinsel and fuzzy bauble decorations around knit images of wrapped gifts – they are specifically matching Christmas sweaters that both say ‘Will Trade for Presents’ with arrows pointing at each other when they stand correctly.

Once everyone’s gotten their food, they all sit down at the round table, Krel’s tech and all the stuff needed for strategy sessions and information meetings put away to allow them to do so – the banquet tables in the actual dining hall are far too big, the round table is much more centrally located, and Jim thinks the look on Arthur’s face upon learning his sacred table has been coopted as a part-time dinner table would be hilarious.

When Claire’s gotten settled next to him, he notices that rather than the pancakes, she’s just gotten some toast.

“Claire? You don’t want any pancakes?” he asks. He’s never seen her turn down his cooking before.

“Oh, my stomach is just acting up a bit, been a little nauseous this morning, thought I might start with toast and go from there,” she says, trying to wave him off as if what she just said doesn’t make him more concerned.

“Are you ok?” he asks.

“Trust me, Jim, I’m just fine,” she insists. He searches her eyes and finds nothing that says otherwise, so he lets it be – though he does keep a careful eye on her.

Breakfast takes roughly 45 minutes, and by 11 – they got a much later start than Jim had thought – they’re all finally gathered on the couches around the Christmas tree Jim had insisted on getting, an excursion he undertook with Toby, Blinky, and Aaarrrgghh about a month ago, the first outing just the four of them had had in a long time. Passing over the taiga of the far north, they stopped, and Jim and Toby went down to look for a nice, big evergreen. They’d found the perfect one, and once the sun set, they got it chopped down, but it ended up being too big even for Aaarrrgghh to carry, so they had to enlist Douxie to help get it into the castle. Krel had proceeded to wrap the thing in strands upon strands of lights – matching what he did to the rest of the castle – and they as a collective put up the ornaments and other trimmings like the tinsel and the star at the top. Around the base, dusted by needles that are also all over the marble floor, is a menagerie of presents of all shapes and sizes and colors, some wrapped better than others.

“So, who’s passing out the gifts this year?” Jim asks, looking around.

“I would be remiss to not volunteer!” Blinky says enthusiastically.

“Will help,” Aaarrrgghh says.

The trolls begin the process, carefully pulling presents from the base of the tree and ferrying them to their addressees. There aren’t too many, everybody just having gotten one present for everyone else or couples getting one present for everyone else since, you know, none of them have real paying jobs and therefore little actual money on hand to buy gifts with. Since they live in Castle Camelot, and with Douxie and Krel onboard and Ricky and Lucy acting as constant maintenance workers, they don’t exactly have to pay for housing or electricity or water or internet, so none of them really have actual jobs. Of course, if they really need money, Krel is the king of a planet, so it’s not like they’re short on it – in the years since the battle with the titans exposed both magic and extraterrestrials to humanity at large, the official exchange rate for various earth moneys and the intergalactic creston has been established, so Krel’s money does work on Earth now.

As Aaarrrgghh and Blinky pass out the presents, Claire shifts a little closer and curls up into his side laying her head on his shoulder with a satisfied hum. He loops his right arm around her waist, hand settling on her hip, and presses a kiss to the top of her head. She then pulls his left hand over to lace their fingers together, the cool metal of her wedding ring a familiar feeling as her hand works into his before it settles against his own ring. He can’t help but smile at the memory – it had been a warm, early spring day almost two years ago now, and Jim doesn’t think his breath ever properly returned after it was taken at the sight of Claire in her wedding dress, a cascade of white lace that trailed behind her and made her look like an angel. Her smile was blinding, and honestly, he doesn’t remember anything from the actual ceremony other than just her.

And looking at her now, hair half dried and wearing a fluffy bathrobe, she’s just as radiant.

Once things are fully passed out, the unwrapping and unboxing and unbagging begins, them opening things by gifter.

Since they passed the gifts out, they start with Blinky and Aaarrrgghh’s presents. They had gathered and cut stones for the lot of them, each of them getting a different stone. As they one by one extract their stones from the small boxes they’d been put in, Blinky gives a speech as to the significance of each.

Toby gets a– “Holy shit, is this azurite?”

“Very good, Master Tobias! And do you know the magical properties of azurite?” Blinky asks.

“Well, I do know that it’s a carbonate mineral and the deep blue coloration is the result of the weathering of copper ore deposits, theorized to specifically be from d-d transitions associated with the d9 metal center! Because of it being a result of the weatherization of copper, it’s very unstable in terms of color.”

“Your gemological knowledge is as impressive as ever!” Blinky says. “But the coloration is a result of the magics of the material, and the instability you speak of originates from humanity’s lack of knowledge as to how to maintain the magics of gems when cutting them. Azurite is known widely for its ability to instill and augment creativity! Yours has been cut to express this power with specific faceting to direct it toward your directorial and writerly passions!”

“Awesome sauce!”

Jim’s sure another installment of Captain DJ Kleb will be in the works here soon.

Darci gets a citrine. “The citrine is known as a stone of luck, and this particular stone has been cut to enhance its magical properties regarding professional luck. May it aid you in all your post-education pursuits!”

“Thank you, Blinky,” Darci says sincerely, cradling the yellow-orange gem carefully in her hands.

Douxie gets a celestite. “The celestite is notable for its abilities surrounding sleep. There is no stone better, known to the troll or man, at influencing sleep, both the magical and the natural kinds. ‘A lullaby for your soul’ is a proverb commonly said about the celestite! This one has been cut to induce and deepen natural sleep and has been cut to do so at its fullest potential so that you may get the rest you need, Master Douxie!”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny,” Douxie says, giving Blinky his best unimpressed look, holding the sky-blue stone in a palm-up hand limp at the wrist, which exaggerates his unimpressed-ness.

“Take a look in a mirror and tell me you don’t need that stone,” Jim says, arching an eyebrow.

Douxie sticks his tongue out at Jim, which Jim returns.

“Real mature,” Claire teases despite knowing full well she would do the same.

To prove that point, Jim sticks his tongue out at her, and she playfully responds in kind, though her face as she sticks out her tongue is undoubtedly much cuter than his own.

Archie gets a lapis lazuli. “The lapis lazuli is the gem for wisdom in all of its forms. If you seek wisdom, lapis lazuli is invaluable, and if you seek to share wisdom, lapis lazuli will aid you well in such a pursuit. Archibald, yours has been cut to enhance its magical properties of bringing wisdom and faceted to direct it toward allowing you to share wisdom, so that your guidance and teachings may be the most effective they can be.”

“Oh! Well, I rather wish I’d had this a few centuries ago,” Archie says with a chuckle. “Particularly regarding all the years we’ve spent going over monstrology.”

“I’ve gotten better!” Douxie says indignantly.

“Not so long ago you couldn’t tell the difference between an umber imp and shadow mephit!” Archie says.

“That was years ago!” Douxie says.

“A blink of an eye in terms of our lifespans,” Archie says.

Krel gets something called ‘Lemurian Quartz’. “The Lemurian Quartz is an extraordinary stone! You see, the unique striations in its surface tell stories. These stones contain secrets and wisdom that they have pulled from the universe, absorbed through their innate magic. This one, in particular, is very special though. The secret it holds is one as of yet undeciphered, and I thought you might enjoy the challenge!”

Krel’s eyes gleam as he turns the stone over in his hands, fingers carefully brushing over the groves of the nearly clear gemstones that’s obviously been left natural, Jim figures in order to preserve the entire message. Jim can practically see Krel’s brain working – if this were a cartoon, he’s sure smoke would be coming from the Akiridion’s ears right about now from the sheer speed and force of his thinking.

Jim gets a sunstone. “The sunstone is a stone of excitement, passion, the warrior’s spirit, and the masculine, amongst other things depending on where you get it from. This sunstone has been cut to express its innate magics regarding good fortune and joy – may this next year bring you both!”

Goes well with the candles.

“Thanks, Blink,” he says, carefully placing the deep reddish-orange gem back in the box.

Claire gets a moonstone. “The moonstone is a stone of destiny, new beginnings, steadiness, and the feminine, again, amongst other things depending on where it’s from. Miss Claire, yours has been cut so that it enhances your insight and provides a point of guidance, invaluable assets in your pursuit of the arcane arts and shadow magic!”

“Wow,” she says, turning the white, almost luminous in its opalescence stone over in her hand, inspecting it. “I love it, thank you, Blinky. I’m sure it’ll be a lot of help.”

Looking between his stone and Claire’s, Jim realizes he has no idea how the magic of these will manifest – he’s only ever used magic stones in his amulets. He’s looking forward to finding out.

“So, who’s next?” Toby asks.

“Well, if we wish to keep with the current theme, you all can open mine and Archie’s next,” Douxie says.

Krel picks up the spherical present about the size of a baseball and removes the paper. The sphere aspect is just a plastic case, and within it is a glowing crystal the same color as Douxie’s magic and about the size and shape of a guitar pick, strung on a silver chain so it can be worn as a necklace.

Douxie explains that they’re made of regular quartz instilled with a specific spell/magical ability by him, custom charms.

Krel’s contains magical energy that he can use as he wishes for his projects when/if Douxie is unavailable. He will have to have Douxie recharge it, but he managed to make the pool big enough that that won’t be necessary for a while.

Blinky and Aaarrrgghh go next, their necklaces identical save for much longer chains and the crystals being scaled up, Aaarrrgghh’s in particular. Blinky’s has a search enchantment. So, if he’s looking for something in particular in a book, he can hold it above the book and think about what he’s looking for and it will flip the book to the page he’s looking for. Aaarrrgghh’s goes with Toby’s, a linked pair of crystals that act as communicators, what with Aaarrrgghh being unable to operate a cellphone with how big his fingers are.

With Toby’s explained, Darci then goes. Douxie had a similar idea as Blinky, the charm being something that shifts probability in the user’s favor, a real lucky charm, though less specialized than the citrine and less powerful, working more on day-to-day stuff. She won’t have to worry about failing anything in her last semester from here on out.

That leaves Jim and Claire. Claire’s stores energy like Krel’s, except it stores her own energy, that way if she ever runs out in a tight spot, she’ll have that extra to help out.

And Jim’s …

“Jim, yours can make you invisible for about a minute, roughly,” Douxie explains, “that way you can make quick escapes if you find yourself in a tight situation.”

Oh, ho, ho, that was a mistake. All the things Jim could use this for, all the pranks he could pull on Douxie … the possibilities are endless.

With Douxie and Archie’s gifts opened, Krel volunteers to go next. His gifts are the most varied, each a different size and often different shapes, but, as Jim expected, they are all gadgets of sorts.

Douxie gets a semi-translucent glowing Akiridion-blue box that he can put over the headstock of his guitar. It’s activated when Douxie stums – once the guitar is strummed, the box automatically tunes them.

Archie, who has the biggest box, gets a cat tree – a massive, indestructible cat tree with features built in for his dragon form, that can collapse into a glowing metal cube for transportation.

Blinky, who has the second biggest box, opens his to find a small robot, about two feet in height. Its face is just a pair of large eyes animated on a projected screen and it makes auto-tune-like vocalizations that Jim can only describe as cute. Krel tells them it’s a library assistant – it’s not quite sentient in the same way that Ricky and Lucy are, it’s closer to a pet that can carry out input orders, including cleaning, organizing, finding, and putting back. With extendable arms and an extendable neck, it can reach even the highest shelves.

Aaarrrgghh gets a set of helmet-like items that apparently can be used to play Go-Go Sushi as virtual reality, which Krel has been working on developing for Aaarrrgghh and Toby.

Toby’s gift is a hover camera he can use on any future cinematic projects he’ll have. If Jim wasn’t already certain another installment of Captain DJ Kleb was on the way, he certainly would be now.

Darci gets a high-quality laptop – Krel’s definition of a high-quality laptop. Jim honestly doesn’t have the knowledge to even properly describe it.

Claire gets a gadget that looks like a smartwatch that, once she puts it on, reveals to function rather like Douxie’s bracelet, storing runes for spells that she can call up as needed.

Jim’s gift though is appreciated in the same way that Douxie appreciated getting the sleep stone.

As he opens the box, he lets out a long groan. He pulls out a pair of glasses.

“Really, Krel?” he asks, looking at the Akiridion.

“You do need to go to an optometrist, mister,” Claire says, poking him in the side, causing him to flinch away with a sharp yelp.

“It’s not that bad!” Jim says. Because it’s not! Far away things are just a little blurrier than they used to be, but it’s not drastic or anything.

“Yet!” Claire fires back. “Your mother has told me that after her vision started going wonky in her 20s, it only got worse. She was legally blind without glasses by 35 because she put off getting glasses until she was almost 30!”

“Those aren’t even actual glasses for seeing,” Krel then says. “They don’t even look like glasses for seeing. They’re based on the mind-reading glasses I made back when I first arrived in Arcadia, though that’s not what they do.”

“It’s still a reminder for Jim to go get his eyes checked,” Claire says.

“I know, ok?” Jim says. “So, what do they do?”

“They allow you to see infrared, ultraviolet, in the dark, underwater, and they also can zoom in on things,” Krel says. “And if you do get a prescription for your eyes, that can be calibrated in.”

Toby and Darci go next, their presents being more like what you would expect for Christmas.

Blinky and Aaarrrgghh get actual Christmas sweaters, custom made by Toby and Darci – each having learned to knit from their grandmothers – both made to fasten in the front for ease of putting on, green with red Santa hats for Blinky and blue with white snowflakes for Aaarrrgghh, an obvious switch of their colors which they both are delighted with.

Krel also gets a custom sweater for his Akiridion form – four arms and with obvious consideration of however the fuck his lower … shoulders? … work – of a deep, rich blue color with a silver reindeer on the front.

Douxie receives a new makeup kit, and he appraises each and every item, getting especially excited about the electric blue eyeliner and the black lipstick – apparently, he’d run out recently.

Archie’s gift is a cookbook that only has salmon-based recipes. Jim already knows he will be cooking one of them for dinner – he won’t have a choice in that one.

Claire gets a beautiful dress of a deep scarlet, making it both holiday appropriate and fitting with her darker aesthetic. She says she’ll wear it tomorrow for the big dinner with all the family, and Jim can already imagine how pretty she’ll look in it.

Jim gets new cast iron cookware, and hey, he will never turn down more kitchen stuff, especially stuff as nice as this. He figures he can christen them by making tomorrow’s dinner with them.

Jim and Claire make up the end, their presents also being pretty standard Christmas presents.

Blinky gets some new books Jim thought he’d like, both magical (which Claire got) and mortal (which Jim got), both of which the troll is very excited about, rambling about expanding both his arcane knowledge and his human culture knowledge.

Aaarrrgghh gets some Japan-exclusive Go-Go Sushi merch – they passed over Tokyo last month, so Jim and Claire popped down to get the stuff.

Darci and Toby get matching ugly Christmas sweaters, Toby’s being red with green text ‘I Don’t Do Matching Christmas Sweaters’ and Darci’s being green with red text ‘But I Do’.

Krel receives records Jim and Claire have been slowly accumulating over the past year, picking up something in each country they stopped in, giving Krel a wide variety of types of music and languages to look through.

Archie receives a couple of books containing stories of ancient dragons, something Claire stumbled on during their last touchdown in Beijing. Archie’s knowledge of the history of western dragons is vast, but Jim’s heard him lament over his lack of knowledge of eastern dragons. With this, he can start closing the gap.

Douxie’s gift is a new goddamn amp – he’s needed one for a long while now, the feedback from his old one is ungodly and the quality of the sound has turned to shit. But Douxie has categorically refused to get a new one, citing ‘I already have one that still works’ – debatable – and he wouldn’t let Krel fix it because ‘it works just fine, really, I have had worse before, and I didn’t even have an amp until the ‘50s and I managed just fine before that’. But he can’t refuse a gift, at least not when the gift is part of an established social contract.

Once presents are hauled back to rooms, they all bundle up to go outside for a bit – though Blinky and Aaarrrgghh elect to sit in the shade of an overhang near the courtyard since it’s still partly sunny, and Archie decides to sit with them and stay out of the snow, not liking his fur getting wet. This high up in the atmosphere, they don’t need magic to make it snow. Ice covers the towers and rooftops, water frozen mid-drip, icicles glittering in the midafternoon sun that peaks out from around silvery clouds, some suspended and others trickled down walls like drizzled icing. Snow dusts the walkways and the walls, powdered sugar along the high points, thick banks of refined sugar in the low points. Out on the walkway that runs along the outside of one of the towers, he can just make out Lucy and Ricky with brooms, sweeping away the snow that’s accumulating over there – the two bots are mainly on maintenance for the massive castle now, according to Krel, who would know since he’s the one that integrated the remains of the Mothership and therefore their core programming with Camelot. But their current sweeping efforts are for naught. Flakes drift lazily through the air, ever adding to the snow already there, though a mass of clouds heading their way promises thicker snowfall for them and a rainy day for Arcadia far below. The bow on top of the present is all the lights Krel has strung up in addition to the light already created by the magitech keeping the castle flying. They turn great swaths of ice into shimmering rainbows, some of the lights reflecting off the ice so that it glitters, and some of the lights glowing from within the ice so that it shines, the lights having been frozen over in some places.

It's peaceful. There’s a quietness to the world that only comes with snow, a serenity in the sense of stillness of slowly drifting and settled snow that makes even Jim’s perpetual tension start to unwind.

At least, it unwinds until a glob of wet cold hits him in the back of his head, trickling through his hair and down his back, leaking under his coat and sweater and old t-shirt to bite at his skin.

He whips around to find Toby already in the process of packing another snowball.

“Oh, it is on, Domzalski!”

Sides are quickly taken. Darci is of course on Toby’s side, and Claire on his. But, in a betrayal he feels like he should have seen coming–

A snowball hits him square in the face just as his foot catches on some ice sending him falling cartoonishly to the ground, back first legs flying into the air. And at the other end of that snowball is Douxie, a mischievous grin on his face, which Jim sees once the stars have stopped dancing in his eyes.

“Et Tu, Brute?” he gasps out – he’s read so much Shakespeare for Claire, all so that he can get some of the stuff she says and engage in theater conversation with her. He remembers how she lit up the first time he made a reference to Shakespeare that wasn’t Romeo and Juliet.

Both Claire and Douxie laugh at this, Claire with cute giggles, and Douxie with an excited exclamation. He starts to form his next ball, and so Jim leaps into action. He scrambles to his feet, scooping up the accumulating snow as he goes, not wasting a moment, and snowballs quickly go flying once again, now with more fervor.

What had started as a fight turns into a full-on war, Douxie, Toby, and Darci on one side, Jim, Claire, and transduction-less Krel wielding four snowballs at a time on the other, the Akiridion not even needing convincing to join their side, the idea of pelting Douxie and Toby with snowballs all the motivation he requires.

With the amping up of the competition, though, comes the introduction of advanced strategy.

“Ok, so Douxie is our most dangerous opponent, I don’t doubt that he will use magic,” Jim says in the huddle the three of them find themselves in behind their newly erected barricades made from the patio furniture they managed to snatch before the other side could get it.

“Then we use magic against him!” Claire says. “I can use my portals!”

“If you use your portals as I throw with all four arms, we can get him from four different angles,” Krel then says.

“Excellent idea,” Jim says. “We could also use the portals to hit all three of them at once, which might be our best bet. Even if we got Douxie down, Toby and Darci are nothing to sneeze at. I could act as a diversion while you two make the snowballs and then unleash them!”

“I feel like Claire staying out of sight for so long would be suspicious though,” Krel says.

“Well, I could be handing snowballs to Jim while you make the ones to throw through the portal,” Claire suggests.

“But then only Krel would be out of sight, which would definitely tip off Douxie,” Jim says.

“You both could take the front line while I make snowballs and hand them to you while simultaneously making the ones for the portals. Once I’ve gotten those ready, I’ll hand them to Krel and once he’s thrown them, I’ll open the portals,” Claire suggests. It’s a longer play, but probably their best bet to avoid the other side fully catching on to their shenanigans.

“You sure you don’t want to get in on the throwing?” Jim asks. Normally she’d be looking to absolutely smoke Toby and Darci.

“I’ll be fine with the snowballs. I’m still kind of tired so I figure I’d probably be less than stellar on the front lines,” she says with a shrug.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Jim asks, mind going back to the toast thing. Is she sick? She doesn’t look sick, but …

“I think you’ve got other things to worry about right now than my being tired,” she says, eyes glancing upward.

Jim barely leaps out of the way in time to avoid the barrage of snowballs coming from the roof, Darci standing up there and pelting them with an arm only years of softball playing can give someone.

Back into the fray, it doesn’t take long for the three of them to easily fall into the plan, Claire making regular snowballs to quickly hand off and extra big and harder packed snowballs for the portals, Krel and Jim manning the front line, Jim fending off the efforts of Douxie and Darci, Krel having cornered Toby.

Claire tugs on the back of Jim’s coat – the snowballs are ready.

She passes them to Krel quickly and ducks behind the barricade to cast her spell without being seen, and in the next moment, several things happen.

Krel lobs the balls and Claire opens her portals, one for Toby, one for Darci, and two for Douxie (with the wizard having a close relationship with all three of them, it was no question who would get two snowballs instead of one). For a second, he rejoices in the looks on their faces as they register the snowballs mere inches from their faces.

And then Douxie unleashes his plan, just managing to activate it before he’s taken out by snowballs to the face and the gut. Several snowballs that had flown past Jim, missing him and therefore being given no thought, now ricochet back toward the trio, getting Jim in the back of the head, sending him face first into the ground, Krel in the back of his knees, knocking him off the table he’d been standing on, and Claire in the side and shoulder, not doing much since she was already in a low crouch and braced against the barricade.

In a matter of seconds, five of the six of them are laid out in the snow, with Claire, the sole survivor by virtue of her position, covered thoroughly in the stuff head to toe. The thumping in the back of Jim’s head, the sting across his cheeks, the ache in his knees, and the twinge in his lower back all say this is where the fight ends. At least, where it ends if they want to all be in one piece for dinner. He’s still young and physically fit, sure – he’s still heading the Guardians of Arcadia with Douxie and fighting bad guys and all that. But he is not 16 anymore and he’s got years of said fighting under his belt and on his joints now. It’s in moments like this – especially moments like this where he wasn’t even fighting or training but rather doing something silly or stupid – that he can really feel that.

Back inside, after a nice, hot shower that helps lessen the feeling of the ravages of time and stress on his joints and muscles, Jim heads back to the kitchen to start setting up for dinner, both tonight’s and tomorrow’s – the plan is to cook everything tonight and have Douxie place stasis charms on all of it so that it is still fresh and hot tomorrow, and he won’t have to worry about getting it all done in time.

As he’s getting out all the various utensils and pots and pans that he’s going to need, including the beauties he got earlier, Claire enters the kitchen, hair tied back in a ponytail, an apron in one hand, Archie’s new cookbook in the other – the cat-dragon must have intercepted her on her way down here.

“Mind if I’m your helper?” she asks, walking over to him.

“Couldn’t imagine a better one,” he says with a smile, which she reciprocates before leaning up to give him a soft kiss, tasting faintly and familiarly of green apple ChapStick.

She puts on her apron, hands him the cookbook wordlessly since it’s obvious why she’s brought it, and immediately gets to work without needing to be told a thing, already familiar with how Jim likes his kitchen set up when he’s making big meals.

The two maneuver around each other naturally, falling into a rhythm they both know well, a sort of dance they’ve done before and will do a thousand times more, for as long as Jim has a family to feed and is capable of doing so.

He keeps an eye on her, though. She looks perfectly fine and is acting normal, there’s nothing that betrays the queasiness from this morning nor the fatigue from the snowball fight. But he can’t shake the concern. He also knows, though, that pushing the issue is a fight he will not win.

The concern fades as they work, Claire as lively and helpful as ever. She passes him utensils and bowls and ingredients as he needs them, stirs when he must attend to other items, and keeps an eye on the dishes that sit on the stovetop. With her help, what would have taken him all afternoon only takes him three hours or so. She even performs the stasis spell, meaning they won’t have to hunt down Douxie – a task and a half in this big of a place. Thanks to this, they get a quick start on dinner for tonight. It’s ready by seven and eaten by eight, at which time Blinky stands from the table and clears his throat.

“Now that we have consumed dinner, I believe it is a good time to unveil my Yuletide project!”

Everyone stiffens, exchanging nervous glances. But once they all see that Jim is relaxed, they start to relax as well, though the buzz of wary anticipation doesn’t quite go away.

“In the Roman tradition of Saturnalia, close comrades would exchange the gift of specially crafted wax candles!” Blinky announces. “As I described to Master Jim earlier, according to my research, such candles represented and were a reminder of the sun returning after a long, cold winter and were the Romans’ attempt to manifest the dawn of a golden age for their friends and family in the coming year! So, here I have for you all your own Saturnalia candles!”

Blinky then, with the help of Aaarrrgghh as per usual, goes around the table and passes out the handmade candles.

As he hands the first candle to Toby, Jim can’t help but smile. Blinky hadn’t just made candles, he’d also personalized them, and quite well too – Toby’s is in the shape of a warhammer set on its head, the wick sticking out the bottom of the handle.

Darci gets one in the shape of a rolled-up diploma – a nod to her impending graduation.

Douxie gets a guitar with the body attached to a base so it can stand, the wick coming out at the end of the neck like a guitar string that’s just a little too long.

Archie gets one shaped like a salmon, also with a base to which the tale is attached, the wick coming out of its mouth.

Krel gets one that looks like a record on a sort of stand, a little thicker than an actual record though so that the wick can actually run all the way through it without being exposed save for the part you light.

Claire gets one that looks like her old shadow staff set into a base like Douxie’s and Archie’s.

And Jim gets one shaped like the long-gone Daylight sword, the hilt set into the base which he notices is carved to look like the amulet, the wick sticking out of the point of the blade.

Excalibur is a great sword, and it’s an honor to wield it, but he must admit, he misses Daylight.

“So,” Blinky says once they’re all distributed, “may you all find good days ahead of you, dawns of your own golden ages!”

“Thank you, Blinky,” Claire says, the sincerity of it deep and striking, in a way that throws Jim off balance. She gets up to hug Blinky, who returns the hug enthusiastically, and Jim has to take a moment to try and wrap his head around what just happened. She had thanked Blinky, nothing unusual, something expected, but the levity of her words was entirely unexpected, and he can’t quite figure it out. Like, yeah, the sentiment of the gift is touching, he had that moment with Blinky earlier, but …

He does his best to shake it off, knowing he’ll just think himself in circles. He probably just heard something that wasn’t there or wasn’t as prominent as he thinks.

With dinner over and Blinky’s candles handed out, Jim and Claire retreat to their room for their personal Christmas.

Upon entering their room, they set their candles on the dresser. Claire lights them with a snap of her fingers, twin lilac flames that cut through the darkness of the room flickering to life, providing a low mood light alongside the bedside lamps they turned on. After they both change into pajamas, Jim rummages through the closet for the gifts he got for Claire – three to be exact, despite their agreement on one special gift for each other for Christmas. But Jim’s always been bad at following that one. After excavating them from beneath the pile of various and sundry items they keep in the closet that they should really go through some time, he takes them all to the bed where Claire’s sitting, her own presents, three as well, already set out.

“We’re both as bad as ever at keeping to the ‘one gift’ rule,” Jim says, taking a seat beside her.

“Well, you’re a sap at heart and I keep track of how many you get me to make sure you get just as much in return,” she says with a sly smile.

“You went through the closet, didn’t you?” he accuses.

“I didn’t look at the presents, so the surprise isn’t ruined, but I did look for them to get a count,” Claire says, completely unapologetic. “Because, again, I want to get you just as much in return, you deserve just as much in return, and I can’t exactly do that reliably without looking when you can’t help but get me more than the agreed upon one present.”

He huffs but concedes her point. “Fine, fine. But at least it’s only three this year.” The first year they were married, he went super overboard with the gifts. Like, got-so-many-he-lost-count overboard.

“True. At least it’s only three.”

“Now, open your first one.”

He pushes a violet gift bag into her hands, the present within obscured by the red tissue paper stuffed inside. She takes it, making quick work of the tissue paper, and slowly pulls out the gift. She unfolds and the smile on her face immediately makes his heart beat a little faster than before. This was a gift he managed to get through Douxie – a Papa Skull t-shirt exclusive to their most recent tour, with the cover of their most recent album, a stag skull covered in thorned vines, in shades of violet swirled like marble displayed against the black of the shirt.

“This had to have cost a fortune,” she says, and normally, she’d be right – this was exclusive to the tour, and even more than that, only 500 were printed in total. But–

“I got Doux to call in a favor,” Jim says with a shrug.

“And what do you owe him?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

“I have no idea,” Jim says. He just gave Douxie an I.O.U., which he’s sure will come back around sooner rather than later and will bite him in the ass in one way or another. Worth it.

“Well, thank you, I love it,” she says sincerely, refolding the shirt and setting it aside.

She then hands him one of her gifts – a medium-sized box wrapped in candy-cane wrapping paper. He rips it open and finds a new jacket, barely a shade darker than the old one that he outgrew years ago. Taking it out, he can’t hold back the gasp as he unfolds it to find it is almost exactly like his old jacket – the color is the only thing different, and even then, it’s slight enough to be barely noticeable. He’s been looking for a replacement jacket for years.

“Where did you find this?” he asks, unable to keep the amazement out of his voice.

“On the internet. Although, let me tell you, it was not easy, I had to go through, like, five different websites, and contact three different companies to get to it! Why’d you have to go and have your favorite jacket be one impossible to find?”

“It wasn’t impossible to find when I got it!” he defends. It was your average department store jacket on a rack with twenty identical jackets when he bought it, how was he supposed to know it would disappear off the face of the Earth?

“Well, try it on, I want to make sure I got the right size,” she says. “Your shoulders have broadened enough to make shopping for you a nightmare.”

She has a point – if they buy for his shoulders, the shirt is too big, but if they buy for his torso, the shoulders are too tight, a result of the muscle it takes to wield Excalibur. He slips the jacket on, and to his delight, it fits perfectly, just as well as his older jacket, and the material feels exactly the same.

“It fits!” he says with a grin.

“Good,” she says, “I’m glad. I gotta say, I missed seeing you in this jacket.” She reaches over to smooth out one of the arms as she says this, a hot spark entering her eye.

He grins at her and wiggles his eyebrows. “Well, I’m happy to provide.”

She leans forward as if to kiss him, which he eagerly goes to meet, only to push him away at the last second down onto the bed, her turning to grab her second gift.

“You would reject your own husband? On Christmas?” he asks, dramatically flinging an arm over his eyes.

“I would like to open the rest of the presents sometime tonight,” she says. “And if we get too far, I know for a fact that won’t happen.”

A fair assessment. He sits back up and they both grab their second gifts. Hers, though wrapped in deep green-with-Christmas-trees paper, is obviously some sort of book, and his is a small box wrapped in blue snowflake paper.

She tears hers open first, and when she opens it, her excited squeal is music to her ears.

“I’ve always wanted to see Wicked!” she says, eyes sparkling as she clutches the tickets close to her chest.

“I know, but did you look at where the performance is?” he says, directing her attention. She looks over the tickets again and her jaw drops.

“Broadway? You got tickets for Wicked on Broadway?”

“And they were even harder to get than that shirt,” he says with a chuckle.

She scoots over to wrap her arms tightly around him, and he returns the hug just as warmly, deeply inhaling the lavender scent of her shampoo.

When she breaks away, she looks down at the present and then looks to the side. “My second gift isn’t anywhere as nice.”

“I’m sure it’s wonderful,” he says honestly.

Tearing his own open, he takes one look at the title and lets out a bark of laughter strong enough to punch the air out of his lungs.

“You seriously got me Snoop Dogg’s cookbook?” he asks through the laughter.

“I thought it was funny and that it might be fun to try together,” she says with a shrug.

“I dunno what you were talking about, this not being as good of a present, this is great!” he says, having to wipe away the tears building from the force of his laughter. He takes a couple of deep breaths and tries to flip through it, sees the recipe ‘Hey Shorty, It’s Your Birthday Cake’, and promptly loses his shit again.

Once he finally manages to calm himself down and regain his breath, he grabs his last present – the easiest to get, and the most expensive in terms of value by far. But before he can hand her his, she hands him hers.

“I get to go first this time,” she says, a glitter in her eyes. The last gift has always been the ‘biggest’, whether in importance or cost, and she’s obviously very excited to give him his.

He takes the gift from her, a small bag with a gingerbread man on it, and digs through the green tissue paper for the gift. He pulls out a key. The sort of key he hasn’t seen since the end of his sophomore year of high school when Merlin took away his pride and joy to make armor for Toby and Claire.

“A Vespa?” he says, unable to keep his jaw off the floor.

“Yep,” she says as if it’s no big deal. “Now, technically, this is a joint gift between me, your mother, and Blinky. Barbara helped me find it, and Blinky has laid claim to tuning it up with you – it’s not in the best condition as of right now since it’s the same model as your old one and therefore rather old. But they were both fine with me presenting it as my third present to you. Your mother is bringing it up tomorrow, by the way, I’ve just got the keys right now.”

“Holy shit, I love you!” he says, pulling her into a kiss. She giggles fondly as he does so, and barely stops long enough to kiss him back.

“Love you too,” she says, breath warm across his lips. “Also, you are not driving it until you’ve gone to the optometrist.”

He pouts at that, but not seriously. She got him a Vespa, nothing could possibly ruin that for him, not even the reminder of him having actually inherited his mother’s vision problems.

“Now, what’s your big final gift for me?” she then asks.

He draws back from her and picks up the last gift from the bedspread. He holds it out to her with a delicate grasp, a small box wrapped in silver wrapping paper with reindeer printed on it in white. She seems to understand that this gift is a little different, as she takes it carefully, almost reverently. She slowly rips away the paper to leave a rectangular black velveteen box with a hinge. She opens it with just as much care, and a quiet gasp leaves her when she finally sees it.

Carefully, she lifts out a necklace, the silver chain shining even in the low light, and every inch or so, the metal bends to hold in place chunks of rose quartz.

“I know pink isn’t really part of your aesthetic, but I liked the thought behind the rose quartz. Blinky told me that the passive magic that radiates off of rose quartz promotes love, and not just romantic love, but all types of love, including friendships, and familial relationships. In terms of familial relationship, apparently one of the biggest ones the rose quartz is used for is mother and child, but it works for any familial relationship, and– woah, Claire, are you ok, what’s wrong?”

His hands immediately reach out for her as tears start to roll down her cheeks. One goes to her shoulder for a reassuring grip and the other hovers, waiting to see what she does next so he can make his next move in accordance.

She bites her lips and sniffs before her eyes meet Jim’s, the dark brown positively shining. She wipes away the tears, and, without saying a word to Jim, gets up, sliding from his hold, setting the necklace gently back in the case.

“Claire?” he tries again, but she gives no more of an answer. Instead, she gently sets the box on the nightstand and goes over to the large dresser they share. She rifles through her drawer, digs all the way to the bottom, and pulls out something.

“I actually have one more gift for you,” she then says, her voice watery but not upset like he had expected since she’s crying. “I saw it in a store when we made our most recent stop for supplies back in New Jersey after checking on the Trollmarket, and I just … couldn’t resist,” she says as she walks slowly back over. Standing directly in front of him, she holds the item out, a folded piece of clothing of some sort, he can’t quite tell what though.

He takes it and unfolds it. It’s a cooking apron of an off-white color, and across the chest scrawled in bold black are the words ‘World’s Best Dad’.

His brain short circuits and stalls out for a second that feels like forever, several functions going offline simultaneously. But as things start to reboot, dots start connecting – she was nauseous this morning, she’s been more tired than usual, she got emotional after he mentioned the significance of the rose quartz for mother-child relationships – and as the understanding slowly comes to him, his grip on the apron tightens. His head whips up fast enough to pop his neck. He stares at Claire and her teary smile – wide enough to make her cheeks hurt he’s sure – in complete and utter disbelief, his heart thudding so hard against his ribs he’s certain she can hear it because he certainly can.

World’s Best Dad.

World’s. Best. Dad.

Dad.

DAD!

In the next moment, he’s on his feet, the apron tossed aside. Arms moving around her waist, he pulls her into his chest and kisses her deeply, his own tears now joining hers in between them. When he pulls away from the kiss, prompted by the need to breathe, he brings her fully into him, hugging her fiercely and tucking his face in her hair, his cheeks burning with the force of his smile.

She moves slightly, and he follows her lead, them moving just enough so they can set their foreheads together. One of her arms moves from his shoulder and her hand comes to cup his cheek, her thumb wiping away a tear. He nuzzles into her hand, just barely disconnecting their foreheads, placing a light kiss on her palm as he tries to get himself together enough to say something.

“I love you,” is all that he manages to get out, voice hoarse and breathy from the sheer intensity of the emotions he’s feeling right now, the disbelief, the wonder, the joy, and the heart-stopping, breath-taking, earth-shattering love.

“I love you too,” she says again, just as quiet as him, voice just as thick with emotion. Then she says something that makes him let out a choked sob, his smile growing impossibly wider. “And they will too.”

Behind them, the magical flames of the Saturnalia candles flare brighter.

[yellowmagicalgirl]

AU where Claire was raised by Morgana?

Instead of making a new AU, I would like to introduce you to Fontaine de Morgan, aka my version of Claire who's part fairy and was raised by Morgana. She can be found in my fic A Faux it Was (She Shook Afraid) as well as the various stuff in this tag.

Also, because there are three different versions of this AU, I'm gonna go about it like this: 1-2 Trollhunter!Darci (Determinant AU, not de Morgan’s Law), 3-4 Trollhunter!female!Jim, 5-6 Trollhunter!Fontaine. Whichever two I don’t roll will be available for others to ask about if they want.

That's a four, so we're going with Trollhunter!female!Jim version of this AU. In order to be less wordy, female!Jim in this verse is called Jennifer "Jen" Lake.

In 2008, it came to Morgana's attention that there was a little girl who had both fairy blood and the capacity to be a powerful wizard. Morgana decided to have her changelings kidnap the little girl and bring her to the cave by the Black Sea.

Morgana wiped the little girl’s memories, telling her that she had been abandoned. Morgana would now take care of the little girl and make her her apprentice. Morgana’s apprentice did not get a name. Instead, she got a slow medical treatment that would, over the course of the next 16-30 years, transform the apprentice into a fairy.

When Jen picked up the amulet, Strickler didn’t see it in her bag, and Bular didn’t know who it was beyond a human teenager. Given the direction she came from, however, Bular suspected she came from Arcadia Oaks High.

Morgana sent her apprentice back to the town she was kidnapped from to spy on the trollhunter. Morgana does not give her apprentice back her old identity, but rather a new name: Fontaine de Morgan, Strickler’s newly-orphaned niece who was homeschooled since she was eight. By this point in time, Fontaine has back pain and an allergy to iron.

Strickler find out that Jen is the trollhunter and forbids Fontaine from immediately killing her. Strickler mentions that a member of the city council has been lobbying for laws to keep children from going missing, and he does not want to deal with the scrutiny if he doesn’t have to. Fontaine grumbles about this. Strickler does not mention that City Councillor Ophelia Nuñez is doing this to cope with the loss of her daughter.

Jen did not try out for Romeo, and Eli got the part opposite Mary. However, not enough boys tried out, so Ms. Janeth put out a second round of casting calls in which this time, it was specified that all available roles were gender neutral. Jen got caught in armor, so she tried out for Mercutio. Strickler made Fontaine try out for Tybalt so she could keep an eye on Jen. Cue lots of homoerotic sparring, in which Fontaine is spying on Jen and learning Jen’s moves while Jen thinks they’re flirting. (Look, Jen is a simple butch who doesn’t know how to flirt with pretty girls.) During this, Jen finds out about Fontaine’s back “injury”.

Fontaine hangs out with Mary. There is something familiar about her. Too familiar.

Fontaine reveals herself to Jen, casting spells to try and harm Jen and Toby. Jen exploits Fontaine’s bad back so she and Toby can get away.

Killahead bridge happens. Fontaine is not there for the battle. The play happens. Fontaine gets a flashback of being friends with Mary when she was seven, and she begins to question if her entire life was a lie. She decides to try and find her parents.

Strickler summons Angor Rot. Morgana finds out that Fontaine now has conflicting loyalties, so she instructs Angor on creating a special poison: it will dramatically increase the fairy transformation, and the pain would kill Fontaine. Instead, Jen finds her as in A Faux it Was (She Shook Afraid).

send me an au and i’ll give you 5+ headcanons about it

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

Moving On...

Hey y’all! This is my first fanfic I wrote for the TOA fandom and I’m excited to finally share! Since I felt pretty unsatisfied and disappointed by the ending of ROTT, I felt the urge to write my own version rott fix it fic. This is a pretty bittersweet ending I came up with where Jim makes a different decision with the Kronisphere. I hope this provides you with closure and most importantly, enjoy!

~~~

Heart Shattered, speechless, Jim just couldn't accept that Toby was gone. Tobes, his lifelong best friend since they were kids, gone. If it weren't for his sacrifice, Jim wouldn't have defeated Bellrec and saved the world. When he finally let go of Toby's hand and stood up, he was hugged tightly by Blinky, his surrogate father. He couldn't stop trembling as everyone around him cried. Claire ran to him for a comfort hug. He knew that no one was able to recover from everything they've been through. He was already missing Toby now.

"Master Jim," started Blinky as everyone looked at the green ball rolled towards them. "The Kronisphere" Jim wiped his tears and knelt down to pick it up.

                        The Kronisphere will make everything right.

Nari's soft voice rang in Jim's head as he figured out its purpose. Time. He could start all over and bring back everyone he loves. Toby, Strickler, Nari, Nomura. Not just them, but everyone he'd lost on his trollhunting journey, Merlin, Draal, Vendel. He noticed everyone around him staring at him waiting for him to make a decision.

"It's your choice, Master Jim," Blinky smiled at him. "Just know, you will always be my son. My magnificent son." Jim knew that behind that smile was a lot of wariness. Aja and Steve held hands tightly and lovingly as they looked on. Then there was Claire, the love of his life who stood across from him with teary eyes. They've been through so much together and he couldn't ask for a better soul mate.

The heroes of Arcadia have all been through so much together. They defeated Gum-Gums, Morgana, Morando, the Arcane Order. Jim turned to look at his fallen best friend and burst to tears once more. He and Toby went through so much in their trollhunting adventures and have had so many victories together leading up to this. Jim clenched the Kronisphere in his fist.

"No" he said as he tossed it. "We've made it this far. We've finally won! We can't just go back and let that all go," With Excalibur in his hand, he lifted it into the air and delivered the blow that would destroy the Kronisphere once and for all to prevent it from ever falling into the wrong hands.

Jim had never been this determined before despite all the pain he felt. "Toby and everyone we lost sacrificed their lives to save the world we live in. If we go all the way back, we not only throw that away, but we bring back everything we fought to destroy." Jim paused and took a deep breath. "We need to honor their memory by moving forward and rebuilding Arcadia for the better,"

He finally knelt down by his best friend and held him tightly in his arms one last time. "Goodbye Tobes," he whispered as tears fell from his eyes onto his friend's cheeks. "Thank you for everything buddy, you'll always be in my heart." Finally everyone knelt down and paid their respects to their fallen friend. Aaarrrgghh, finally recovering from his mental breakdown, approached and knelt down by Toby, grabbing his hand. "Goodbye... wingman,"

*** 

In the days to follow, on a dark, gloomy morning, the remaining trollhunters gathered along with the Arcadian citizens to mourn those they have lost along with the destruction of their home. All dressed in black and surrounded by rubble and debris, they held hands and sought to comfort one another. 

After giving Toby the proper burial he deserved, Jim walked up to the podium and grabbed the mic, looking ahead at the grieving audience. Darci grieved her beloved T.P. as her father and Mary held her tight to comfort her. Nancy Domzalski wailed uncontrollably in Varvatos's giant arms. "I should've said goodbye to my Toby Pie when he went off to college," she sobbed harder as Varvatos stroked her gray hairs with his three fingers. "Your grandson fought with valor and honor. He had... a glorious death," 

Claire stood with Barbara who was grieving her fiancé and they held hands as they looked towards Jim, encouraging him before his speech. He cleared his throat and finally spoke. 

"Tobias Domzalski was more than just my best friend and fellow Trollhunter, he was my brother. He's always been there for me  since we were kids. He always supported me in all my adventures and I know for a fact I wouldn't be the trollhunter I am today if it weren't for him. I couldn't have asked for anyone else to find the amulet that day in the canals. He was with me from the start, and he will always be with me," Jim placed his hand over his heart and looked up to the sky, smiling with tears in his eyes. "Rest in peace Tobes. I'll always remember you," 

As Jim stepped away from the podium, a round of applause along with sniffles came from the audience. Everyone walked towards the pictures of Arcadia's fallen heroes and placed flowers and other things they've remembered them with. 

Jim and Claire walked towards each other and reached out for a heartwarming hug.

"You did great up there," Claire whispered in his ear as she stroked his hair. He held her even tighter and buried his face in her shoulder. They looked at each other tearfully and lovingly as they held each other tight. 

"I love you Claire, always and forever," 

"I love you too, Jim Lake," 

They held each other once again, not intending on letting go anytime soon. 

*** 

In the years to come, the citizens of Arcadia all worked together to rebuild their beloved home while Blinky and Aaarrrgghh rebuilt Heartstone Trollmarket from the revived heartstone, inviting the trolls from Hoboken, the quagawumps, and from all around the world to come help them and live there. The citizens of Arcadia were eventually welcomed to Trollmarket as friends and trolls would always be welcomed to Arcadia to spend the night with their fellow humans. 

As for the fallen heroes, they each had statues built in Arcadia. Despite the Hero's Forge always having previous Trollhunters chosen by Merlin, Toby had a statue of him built there by his wingman with his warhammer in his hand. To honor one of his valued customers, Stuart renamed his taco truck Toby D. Burritos. Strickler's portrait was hung at the school where everyone would see. The museum honored Nomura by showcasing troll, extraterrestrial, and magical history and promoting harmony. Last but not least, a vast, colorful garden was planted in the center of town in memory of Nari. Each and every one of their stories, along with those of everyone who fought for Arcadia and the world, would continue to be told for centuries to come. 

The remaining heroes of Arcadia all went their separate ways, but not after a heartfelt goodbye. They each promised to stay in touch and to unite wherever the fight takes them. Douxie traveled to Hong Kong after receiving a spare Horngazel from Trollmarket to save Archie and Charlemagne, always keeping a flower pot with him. Steve moved to Akiridion-5 to be with Aja and to become a co-Earthen ambassador with his fellow Creepslayer Eli. Nancy was unable to stay in Arcadia any longer on her own, so she moved to Akiridion-5 to be with Varvatos, but always kept her Toby-Pie in her heart. Krel stayed in Arcadia and helped advance the technology available on Earth and promoted further education on extraterrestrial presence at the high school. Barbara continued to save lives in the hospital while also strengthening ties between humans and Trollkind. She never stopped wearing Walt's engagement ring and always made sure to keep his memory alive. 

As for Jim and Claire, they eventually married and built their home in Arcadia. They had a girl, Deya Nuñez-Lake and a younger boy, Toby Nuñez-Lake. The two kids would never get bored of hearing their parents' trollhunting adventures and the story of Toby's heroism and sacrifice before bedtime. They were always eager to accompany their parents to Trollmarket and role play their parents' adventure with their favorite troll Aaarrrgghh. They also loved when Blinky would share trollkind's marvelous adventures from the start of time. 

Arcadia had become an attraction site known worldwide for all the crazy magic and extraterrestrial activity that people would crave to visit in their lifetimes. It may have been at peace in recent times, but that doesn't mean there wouldn’t be any future threats to come. But the trollhunters battled life-threatening wars in the past, and would be ready for whatever comes their way.

~~~

Thank you so much for reading this! This definitely took a huge toll on me to write and I was pretty emotional but writing this helped me cope with my disappointment with the movie’s ending. I do plan to do another fix it but with a happier ending where Toby and Strickler are alive so stay tuned!

[wizardouxie]

PANTONE 2046 C

Genre: Fluff, #ZoeAppreciationWeek

Pairing: Zouxie

Summary: The Pink Hair Origin Story (alternatively also the Blue Hair Origin Story)

Word Count: 2788

Author's Note: First day of Zoe Appreciation Week! Wanted to participate so have this not so little one shot to showcase our lovely pink haired witch <3

"Wow, the dye came out really nicely," Zoe murmurs as Douxie exits the bathroom, his hair freshly blown dry -- from its tips to the full bangs dipped in a deep yet striking blue. He smiles widely at the quiet compliment and waves over to Archie.

"How does it look Arch?" they ask, though the answer is pretty clear, if Archie's fond gaze is anything to go by. The familiar flies in to nuzzle his face.

"Dashing as ever, Douxie."

Zoe leans back into the couch with content, taking in the beautiful sight that is her best friend. She did really good. The faint buzz of adrenaline lingers on the pads of her fingers. Right, she forgot. That was her first time.

"Are. You. Crazy? I've never even dyed hair before!" the natural brown haired girl hissed. She begrudgingly wiped the bubblegum that had exploded over her lips -- a result from the initial shock when Douxie first made his request. Granted, she felt honored that they would come to her before anyone else, but still! She can't risk ruining his hair, she doesn't have experience, plus the hair salon could totally do it better and-

"I'd rather it be you than anyone else," the wizard confirmed firmly. Zoe turned to the familiar. Surely the cat who lived with this stubborn kid could knock some sense into them. Archie could only provide a shrug in response.

"They're pretty sure about this."

She groaned.

"Fine, fine! But give me a few days unless you want me to pick out the wrong dye and end up with neon green."

[ 1 Week Later ]

Zoe couldn't keep track of just how many hair channels and blogs she'd gone through. She mimicked their hand movements, using cheap wigs and mannequin heads to simulate the experience. Through it all, one voice echoed the same message: "You can't mess this up."

She bought all the necessary tools. Gloves, hair clips, bleach, foil, just to name a few. Oh, and of course the dye -- though you'll be surprised how one can forget the simplest things while getting caught up in trying to memorize everything. Blue, Douxie had asked for. But what kind of blue? Sky blue? Cobalt? Midnight? Which one? She pinched the bridge of her nose before angrily texting the wizard. It went a little something like this:

DOUX: go with whatever you think will look good! i'm fine with anything tbh :]

ZOE: i Hate you so much

DOUX: ??? WHY

ZOE: IDK SHIT ABOUT HAIR DYE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT LOOKS GOOD

DOUX: let's talk about this in person before you electrocute your phone again

ZOE: you won't let me live that down will you

DOUX: you know me so well ;)

She shoved the phone back in her pocket. There's no way she was actually doing this for him.

She was.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" she asked for what would be around the 73rd time. Douxie pulled his face down with both hands.

"Ugh, the answer is still yes, love. I'm not asking you to dye the whole thing, just the front part, bangs and sides."

She rolls her eyes at the nickname and smacks the clean brush against his head. She smiles at the little 'ow' that Douxie lets out with a pout. Hm, cute.

"Alright, but don't start moping around if it doesn't come out the way you wanted it!"

"Nothing that a little magic can't fix if it gets to that point. Which I hardly believe it will."

And now here they are.

Douxie crashes on the couch with Zoe, slinging an arm over her shoulders. She raises an eyebrow at the sudden physical touch, but it's never unwelcome. Not when it comes to him.

"You know of all human creations, I gotta say, this one really takes the cake," they start and Zoe snorts.

"You say that about nearly everything."

"Can you blame me?"

She looks at them and no, she really can't. In fact, she finds herself agreeing with him. He looks... really nice. A faint blush spreads over her face; not that it is noticeable by any means -- the two of them happen to have done this dying process starting from the evening to night, so the dim lights in her home do little to highlight her features. This is still her Douxie, lovable guitarist and wizard nerd who cares about everyone. Yet there was something about the hair dye that changed things up a bit. Something good, naturally.

The two of them fall into a comfortable silence, doing whatever is usually available. Sometimes it's texting, scrolling through social media, or listening to music. Other times it's zoning off and reminiscing about the past.

Zoe decides to go for her phone, unconscious of the way her hand finds its way into Douxie's hair, carding through the locks and untangling them with nimble fingers. It's peaceful. Maybe even a little too peaceful, considering the two of them are adrenaline junkies.

"Douxie, I can hear you thinking..." she begins. It's a common way to start the conversation between them, and oftentimes she's right.

He turns around, her hand still in his hair, but enough to meet her eyes. Their own eyes look serious and her heart sinks. Were they not happy with their hair?

The answer is quite the opposite.

"You ever considered dying your hair too? Maybe we can match."

The untangling stops.

And then the tugging starts.

"Ow ow ow-"

"Hisirdoux Casperan you are a menace to society."

She does though. She considers it for weeks. Of course, Douxie doesn't push; it's her hair at the end of the day, she can do whatever she likes. But after seeing how well she did with the wizard, she kinda felt excited. She definitely can't forget the exhilaration she felt when she saw people compliment Douxie at Benoit's or at the GDT book store. Her heart started beating faster when he looked back at her with a proud smile on his face-- damn that wizard, they told the others that she did it for them, didn't they?

After a few days, a young girl in a cap comes up to her at the record store. Probably from Arcadia High, if her backpack stacked with books is any indication.

"Hi! I'm Claire. Claire Nuñez," the girl starts. Zoe raises an eyebrow in interest.

"Hey Claire. What can I get you?" she asks, raising a flask to her lips. There's no water. Damn.

"Um, it's not really a standard request, but um, I was wondering if you could dye my hair?"

Zoe chokes on her water. Dye her what?

"Kid, are you new here? This is a records store. I can give you the direction to the hair salon it's really not that far."

"No, no, no! It's just, this guy got their hair dyed and I asked if he did it himself and they said you did it for them so I came to you. It's nothing too big! Just a strand really," Claire rambles. She gestures to the invisible front of her hair, currently tucked away behind the cap, outlining it with her fingers. The hedge witch groans.

"That would be Douxie. Now, here's the thing I don't do this for just anyone. Douxie happens to be a close friend so what I did was a little gift for him. I don't even know you, so what do I get out of this?"

Claire pales.

"Uh, $20? I know a full head of hair costs way more but like I said, just a strand..."

Zoe's stomach rumbles in response. She had $5 currently in her wallet which could buy a snack at most. She pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Ugh, you're lucky I'm hungry. Catch me after my shift is done okay? And I only got one color on me, which is blue, you good with that? Otherwise bring your own."

"Yes of course, of course! Thank you so much."

"Yeah, yeah, now scram if you're not here to buy anything."

"Oh actually, I was wondering if you had anything Papa Skull released recently!"

Curse this girl and her good taste in music.

[ 45 minutes later; 2:00 PM ]

"Thank you for doing this by the way," Claire starts. Zoe waves it off. She doesn't really know why she agreed to this. Well kind of. She wanted to eat. But besides that, she also was curious to see if she could satisfy another "customer". Hair dying was never a profession she had properly considered and right now? It doesn't hurt to entertain a thought.

"Alright so I have the bleach, you'll need to let that set in and keep that before dying the strand you want. We can even add toner to neutralize the color post bleaching if necessary," she lists off. Claire shakes her head.

"That won't be necessary!"

The girl pulls off her cap and surely enough, there's a light blonde lock, similar to Douxie's, just a little lighter. Zoe's impressed.

"Well that definitely makes my job easier. Especially since this is my second time."

"Wait, second time?"

"You didn't know?"

"No?"

"Of course Douxie leaves that part out. You want out? I'll pay you back the $20 in four days."

"No, I trust you."

Zoe always believed that she had tough and cold demeanor. Clearly she's doing something wrong if people are finding her trustworthy just by looking at one dye job.

"Alright then, here we go! Don't say I didn't warn you," the witch replies. She wraps the cloth around Claire softly, and pulls up the bowl with the dye in it. With a gloved hand she separates the pale strands from the brown ones. The blue will definitely be more prominent here than it would be with Douxie's. Something tells her that Claire wouldn't mind.

From the looks of Claire's surprise, wonder, and delight, she definitely didn't mind.

"It. Looks. So cool! You're really good at this. Maybe you should start a hair dying salon or something," the girl rattles off. Zoe raises a hand.

"I'm already working two part time jobs so... no. But I'm glad you liked it. The blue looks really good. Stands out well."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Claire repeats, putting back her cap on. A feeling of confusion overcomes Zoe.

"Wait, why are you putting your cap back on? Don't you want to show people?"

"Duh, but um, my mom doesn't know about, uh, all this. You know, councilwoman things."

Zoe's mouth drops, the $20 bill crumpled in her hand. So that's why she didn't go to the hair salon. Nuñez is the councilwoman, so she'd know pretty much everyone in the town. And word spreads pretty fast. In summary: Claire would have gotten caught.

"See ya!"

These kids are going to land her in some serious trouble one day.

With a burger and soda in her tray, Zoe takes a seat and pulls out her phone. That Claire girl though, she's sort of inspiring. Adventurous. Not hesitant in taking chances. And you know Zoe, she absolutely loves the thrills of life. Whether it be hunting magical creatures or refining her usually unpredictable magic. The humans tend to have mellow definition of risk taking, in her opinion, but their examples are fun enough in their own way: crossing the speed limit, riding rollercoasters, anything along those lines. The brunette clicks on a familiar contact and begins typing.

ZOE: which color looks good on me

ZOE: don't ask it's for a stupid job thing

DOUX: which job?

ZOE: WHAT PART OF DON'T ASK

ZOE: hex tech, something for employee uniforms

DOUX: i was going to say pink since it brings out your eyes but if it's for uniforms i dunno, light blue?

ZOE: hm interesting

DOUX: you should just work here at the book store it's chill

ZOE: but then i'd have to deal with you

DOUX: now is that really a bad thing?

DOUX: zoe.

Light blue is definitely a no go, Zoe decides. Too much blue dye going around. But pink, hm she could work with that. It's a pretty bold color and it would compliment her eyes as well as her face in general. A win-win for her.

And as for how far she's willing to go? She decides to go all in. No tips, no ombre, just complete bubblegum hair. Of course this takes a few days to gather the guts.

'You can do it Zoe, just go for the bleach,' she thinks to herself. Her hands shake with nervousness and excitement. Frankly, hunting niffins didn't compare to the rush she's feeling right now. She closes her eyes and brings the brush to her hair.

Well, here goes nothing.

She winces as she feels the tingling sensation, but loads of videos have assured that such symptoms were normal. She continues to work at it, using the foil to make sure she doesn't bleach a part of her hair to death. It's long and strenuous, but she knows the results in the few coming weeks would be worth it.

She doesn't have to worry about Douxie finding out thankfully. Turns out these weeks are essential for Merlin's "To-Do" List. Apparently it was to find Camelot?

"The castle he means. Not the actual kingdom. That's been gone for centuries. Anyways, I'll be back once I actually find it. Dunno how I'll do it and it probably will take me and Arch a month or so, haha. Oh! And if my hirers ask you anything, it's a family emergency."

Hm, whatever. A brief thought of Merlin dying his hair neon green amuses her, before she goes back to watching more hair dye videos. They've become a little addicting nowadays. She's amazed at how often people do it. How do they keep their hair so healthy?

It's been four weeks now and Zoe's eyes stare at the pink concoction in her hand. PANTONE 2046 C. This was the shade that stole her heart in the middle of the hair dye aisle. No other color could compare in the slightest. Even the cashier who packaged her order hummed in approval.

"Nice color! Not many go for it, but it'll suit you for sure."

This time her movements are calculated, not clumsy or fear driven like it used to be. One could even say she's getting the hang of this. Her hair over time changes from platinum blonde to a dark matted pink. She lets it sit for a bit, meanwhile focusing on getting the dye out of her hands. This turns out to be harder than she thought and she sighs. Well, maybe another day.

After washing and blow drying her hair, she stands in front of the mirror. The witch staring back at her is almost unrecognizable. As if she were a new person completely. And she liked it.

The blank stare shifts into a grin and she tugs at her own locks. Goddamn. She looks really good.

And well, Douxie's reaction is priceless to say the least.

DOUX: you said to meet up at the museum where are you

DOUX: i swear if you slept in i'll send archie to knock down everything in your apartment

DOUX: ok no i won't but still it's been a month since we last saw each other come on

DOUX: wait a second

DOUX: you're joking

DOUX: IS THAT??? YOU????

DOUX: IN THE PINK

DOUX: oh fuzzbuckets you look stunning

DOUX: Hello this is Archie. You broke Douxie so could you please finish your conversation with whoever it is you're with and come pick him up? Your hair is absolutely lovely by the way.

ZOE: omfg

ZOE: can't take you guys anywhere

The witch smiles at the girls and nods over to a gaping Douxie and his cat before gracefully exiting the conversation. She approaches her friend and pushes his jaw up with her index finger.

"So I'm assuming you're digging the new look hm?" she teases.

"You have no idea," Douxie responds. A pink tint lighter than the shade of her hair blooms across Zoe's face at the expression of adoration in her best friend's eyes. The two of them have been through a lot together, seeing each other grow and change. And this time, it was a really fun and welcome one.

"I might try this again with a different color some time. You wanna join then?"

"Don't have to ask me twice."

It's crazy how all of this came from a chaotic, impulsive research project to help a friend. But honestly Zoe wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe Douxie was right. Of all human creations, this one beats pretty much everything else.

[fear-before-valor]

Tales of Arcadia AU: hold on my dear, i’m coming home

Premise: James Lake Sr. tried to take his trans son, Jim Lake Jr., with him when he left Barbara Lake. By the time Jim Jr. found a chance to run away, wanting to return to his mother, they were pulled over at a gas station out of state. Choosing the woods over getting back in the car, a lost 5-year-old finds himself in the presence of a kind, if not mischievous, forest spirit, who offers the frightened child a place to feel safe. He takes her hand, and off they go. All he can remember is that he lived in a town called “Arcadia,” and that his mother had red hair. Using his faint memory of what his house looked like almost 11 years ago, he tries different Arcadias across the Continental United States, until finally, fifteen years old, a month and some change shy of his sixteenth birthday, Arcadia Oaks, California beckons him with open arms, and a feeling of familiarity. After working it out with his three very magical guardians, who have raised him both dutifully and compassionately, one Jim Lake enrolls in Arcadia Oaks High. What ensues from there is a mystery and an adventure that tests Jim, and the Arcane Order themselves, in ways he never could have predicted... 

Plot Points So Far (Bulleted):

Jim is raised by the Order from age 5

He doesn’t learn magic, but he does learn other lessons from them, including combat training

He is still chosen to be the legendary Trollhunter, after his very first day of human school

This is a fact he very much keeps to himself at first, not daring, even, to acknowledge his duties as Trollhunter for the first few weeks

A parent-teacher conference is called by one Mr. Walter Strickler, after Jim, previously his best student, and elected president of the history club, appears distracted, standoffish, and anxious

Nari goes in a glamour to meet with Mr. Strickler, and upon returning, does not out him to Jim as a changeling, but does inform him that he walks in magic

She recommends that Jim remain close with this teacher

Jim takes this to mean that Strickler is a wizard, 

With this in mind, Jim goes to him for help in masking the magical scent and presence of Merlin’s amulet, so that he can be the Trollhunter without his family noticing

He gets training from Strickler as well, though the Heartstone Trollmarket trolls are beginning to take notice of him...

Jim is not aware of this but as these events happen, Claire Nuñez and Toby Domzalski have been separately investigating him

Eventually, they happen to compare notes one day, and start to piece together something that is not quite true, but equally, acknowledges that Jim is not who he says he is

They eventually confront Jim, and he confides in them some truths-- namely, the Trollhunter-related ones, and together, the three of them begin to work together

From there, the events of Trollhunters, Parts 1-3 begin to occur, with slight differences, of course, though most of it remains the same (much of this will be explored in more depth in fics)

There is only so long that Jim has before the Order starts to get suspicious of his activities. Meanwhile, Jim also has to juggle Bular, Gunmar, Strickler and the other changelings, his schoolwork, the play he didn’t mean to get cast in, and the world’s most confusing crush. He hopes that he can handle it all, but the stakes continue to tense; eventually, he may have to admit that he needs some magical help. But will The Order be interested in the events of troll factions? Not to mention, the long-term grudge they hold against Merlin Ambrosius, creator of the Amulet of Daylight, which Jim dons every night. 

This AU is not meant to be grimdark, and will feature light and happy or humorous events, as well as the tense, mysterious, and more angst-heavy plot points, but overall, it is meant to explore themes of identity, secrets, outward appearances, and the dangers of heroism, as well as the duties that stem from needing to be a hero. 

The AU is now available on my blog for questions and rp threads, and I will be uploading fanfic works within it as well, as time goes on. If you have any questions, or would be interested in learning more about this AU, please feel free to send an ask or a message, and I’d be delighted to answer!

AU Tag for this blog: hold on my dear; i’m coming home - arcane order jim au

You may also see me refer to this AU as: coming home au

First fic in the series so far: you are a stranger here, why have you come?

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Hunter!Jim is not a manifestation the part of Jim which is ‘Just The Trollhunter’.

Hunter!Jim is a manifestation of Jim’s sense of guilt. 

That’s why Hunter!Jim: 

-Shows up when Jim is panicking about Love-struck!Jim being at the Nuñez barbecue; Jim’s primary feeling in that moment is guilt over Trollhunter stuff spilling over onto something that was supposed to be ‘normal’. 

-Goes on that rant about ‘protecting Arcadia’ and how maybe he should run for political office, which would actually interfere with his capacity to trollhunt if he followed through with it; Jim feels like he’s supposed to be able to handle every pressure put on him and that it’s his job to take care of everything. 

-Tries to break up with Claire to focus on Trollhunting full-time; Jim feels bad that he can’t do classical boyfriend-girlfriend activities with Claire, because his job gets in the way, and Jim has also had it thrown in his face a few times that his feelings for Claire influenced his decision to rescue Enrique and risk freeing Gunmar. 

-Yells at Jim about possibly letting Gunmar out, and how Jim can’t balance both worlds; things Jim has struggled with for the whole season and the whole series, respectively. 

Hunter!Jim is, literally, Jim beating himself up for not being able to Protect Everyone All The Time or live up to every promise he ever makes to others and himself. 

[rosemaidenvixen]

A Secret's Worth

Chapter 29: Mary

Ao3

“Here ya go love,” food truck guy passed the bag down to her.

Mary reached up and accepted it “Thanks,”

Food truck guy might be one of the only strangers who could casually call her ‘Love’ without it sounding creepy at all, just plain friendly. But still, slippers and a bathrobe in public in broad daylight, not a fashion choice she would ever understand. 

Mary balanced the bag in both arms and headed back towards the picnic tables, but not before dropping a few bills in the tip jar.

Reaching their table, the others sitting ready and waiting, Mary plunked the bag down in the middle.

“Lunch is served”

Not wasting a second, Mary shot a hand into the bag to snag her own burrito. No sooner than her hand was clear than everyone else started tearing through the bag. Mary leisurely plunked down on the wooded seat, calmly peeling the foil off her own burrito while the others scrambled for theirs.

She took a bite and chewed, lazily watching everyone else claim their food and settle into their seats to eat.

Mary waited until she was halfway finished with her burrito and everyone else had at least gotten a few bites into their own meals before speaking up.

“Since we’re all here let’s talk summer, today’s Monday, and we only have two weeks left until break starts, so we need to start planning now,”

Everyone paused in their chewing and glanced over at her, Toby swallowed what was in his mouth and spoke up.

“Do we really have to? I mean, it’s summer, we can just wing it,”

Mary narrowed her eyes, set down her burrito, and fixed him with her most piercing stare. Holding it without flinching, waiting until just as Toby was starting to squirm.

“We might not have school, but in the summer there’s going to be a lot of family vacations and trips and other stuff like that, so if we want to do things, especially with all five of us, we need to start planning now,”

Toby held up a hand and scooted back “Withdrawn,”

Mary gave him one more sharp look before turning towards Claire “Is the party still on for Saturday?”

“Yep,” Claire beamed and pulled out her phone “Mom actually had Enrique last night,” she held out her phone, the screen filled with a picture of her mom, skin shiny with sweat and greasy locks of hair pasted to her forehead, staring tenderly down at one wrinkly, red Enrique Nuñez swaddled in her arms. 

Everyone squealed and cooed over just how cute Claire’s new brother was, Mary taking advantage of the diversion to pull out her own phone while also ‘aww’ing over baby Enrique.

Once Claire put her phone away and they all settled back, Mary had already pinned the event in next Saturday’s schedule.

“So Darci, when are you leaving for your trips again?”

She puzzled over it for a second “I leave for New Orleans right after school ends, and I come back about halfway through June. I’m not exactly when we leave for Paris, I remember dad said I should still be able to do the cabin trip, but we’ll have to leave like right after,”

Mary jerked a little at the reminder, even as she typed Darci’s vacation dates into the group calendar. It was a good thing Darci brought it up, she’d been dragging her feet asking Jim about that for a while, and if she waited any longer it might be too late. Mary needed to bring it up today. But first…

“And Jim when do you leave for Salem?”

“A week from Saturday, first thing in the morning. And we won’t be back till the end of June,”

Toby winced sympathetically “Bummer,”

Jim looked just as glum “Yeah I’m not looking forward to to it, but it’s…something ge have to do,”

Well that wasn’t heavy at all.

Everyone at the table squirmed and shifted awkwardly, the atmosphere suddenly ten times heavier. Mary laid her phone down and cleared her throat try and break the tension “So while we’re all there’s something I want to ask–”

“Actually,” Toby cut in “Do you mind if I bring up something else first?”

Normally Mary hated when people interrupted her, but she was curious at what was so important Toby would cut in. And if she was honest, relieved that the big question would be delayed a bit “Sure, what?”

“So Jim and I were talking….”

He briefly met eyes with Jim, who gave him a single nod.

“We were thinking of having a sleepover, with all five of us,”

“Yeah, mom says it’s ok,” Jim picked up “And I think…I think I’m ready,”

For a moment all Mary could do was blink at him.

She’d thought things had been going really well. Their hangouts had been getting less and less awkward, and aside from one little hiccup that ended up being no big deal, their bonfire had been a blast. But hearing Jim say he was ready to have all of them over in a big slumber party caught her off guard.

More than anything Mary had been trying to avoid rushing Jim into something he was uncomfortable with, but it looked like Jim was making pretty good progress all on his own.

“Oh, ok,” she slowly picked her phone back up “You have any nights in mind?”

“Not really no, we were wondering what you guys thought,”

Claire leaned forward, frowning slightly “Well…I don’t think we can do this weekend, at least not with all of us, I’m going to be busy with the party for Enrique,”

“And plus after that, me and Jim are going to be on vacation for a good chunk of June,” Darci added.

Toby’s face fell “Oh, I forgot about that…”

He trailed off, uncomfortable silence settled over the five of them.

Jim gave a strained smile “It’s ok, I’ve waited this long for a sleepover already, I can wait until July…”

Mary bit her lip, tapping her screen thoughtfully, turning over the idea for only a few more seconds before speaking up “You know…we might be able to do a sleepover next Wednesday,”

Everyone looked up at her sharply.

“Think about it, I mean yeah it’s a school night, but the last of our finals are that morning, and there’s no basically no classes on Thursday, just another pep rally and the museum trip. So why not run the idea of a Wednesday to Thursday sleepover to our folks?”

They all glanced around at each other, excitement slowly dawning on their faces.

“Yeah,” Toby’s mouth stretched into an ecstatic grin “Let’s try it, the worst they can do is say no,”

“I guess I could try to convince my mom…” Jim said slowly.

“I’ll ask my parents to,” Claire set her jaw, steely glint to her eyes “I’ll convince them,”

Darci eagerly nodded along with that “Yeah, like you said there’s no real class on Thursday, and this will be our last chance for all five of us to hang out until July,”

Mary felt a grin tugging at the edges of her mouth, thrill of anticipation bubbling up in her chest “Great, I’ll mark it down as a maybe, let me know what your parents all say,”

“Ok,”

“Got it,”

“Sounds good,”

“Will do,”

Finishing her typing, Mary slid her phone into her pocket. She was still nervous about bringing this up, Jim had been doing so much better and she didn’t want to do anything to throw a wrench in that. But if Jim had straight up started planning a sleepover with all of them, he should be able to handle being asked about this.

And that’s all she was doing, asking, and if the answer was no she’d accept it and move on.

“So…every year my aunt and uncle have this party towards the end of July…”

Darci and Claire started a bit, looks like they’d already figured out where Mary was headed with this.

“They have it at their vacation cabin up in the Sierra Nevadas,” she continued “They invite a bunch of people to come. Me and my moms are going, you guys can all come to if you want,”

Toby perked up “Ok that sounds–”

“The thing is…” she drummed her fingers against the table “The drive there is super long, so…we usually stay there overnight,”

Dead silence settled over the table, Jim blinking at her owlishly.

“So yeah what we usually do is go up Friday, spend Friday and Saturday there, and come home Sunday morning,” Mary knew she was rambling to try and shake off the obvious tension“If that’s something you’re interested in,”

Jim looked like a deer in headlights “I…I mean if it’s a family thing, I don’t want to impose–”

“You won’t,” Mary waved him off “Lots of non-family people are invited, Darc and C-Bomb have been coming every year since we were ten, my cousins bring their roommates, one year my grandpa even brought a guy he met at the bus stop. Basically my aunt and uncle like having a big huge party every year, and they’re not too picky about who comes,”

Jim chewed his lip, nails digging into the elbows of his jacket “But how can I– overnight, with me being all…..you know,”

“I…thought about that,” Mary leaned forward onto her folded arms “Lots of people who stay overnight camp in the woods, we could set up a tent for you far away from everyone else where you can hide out after dark, or figure something else out if you want,” she fought to make sure her voice stayed light and upbeat “If you do want to come we’ll help you, but if you don’t want to come that’s ok, if it’s too much or you just don't want to I completely understand,”

“I…I need to think about it,”

No clear answer, but it looked like asking had gone over ok. That had gone better than Mary was worried it would, a lot better “Ok, let me know when you decide,” she turned towards Darci “You have the exact dates for your New Orleans trip?”

“We leave next Friday and we come back the morning of June 16th,”

Mary nodded along as she typed it into the calendar “And Jim you leave for Massachusetts the day after Darci leaves, and you’ll be back before June’s over but you’re not sure when,”

“Yep, that pretty much sums it up,”

“Ok, the waterpark opens Memorial day weekend–”

“You guys can go without me,” Darci cut in “I don’t mind,”

“Same here,” Jim added.

Mary nodded at the two of them before looking back down at her phone “Got it, thanks. But it looks like the Summer Festival starts the last week of June, you guys think you’ll be back in town for that?”

“I…think so,” Jim said slowly.

“I should be for sure,”

“Great,” Mary turned towards Claire to ask her if she needed to go with her mom to the Fair’s opening ceremony, and to see if Claire would rather they join in solidarity or help her slip away, but the words never left her mouth. 

For a moment Mary couldn’t move, frozen in her seat staring with her jaw hanging open. But not at Claire, but at what– or more specifically who she saw over her shoulder.

“Shit.”

They all jolted at hearing her curse, Claire scooting towards her, eyebrows crinkled in concern “What’s wrong?”

No time to explain, with the way he was scoping out the park it was only a matter of time until he spotted them. And after what he tried last time there was no way in hell Mary was letting him get in a twenty foot radius of them.

“We gotta go,” she scrambled out of her seat “Now.”

No one moved, gaping up at her faces awash with confusion. Toby frowned “But wh–”

“James is here, we need to scram before he spots us,”

The second the words left her mouth all their expressions went from confusion to panic as fast as flicking on a lightswitch. Jim had it the worst, jaw gaping open, every speck of color draining from his skin.

They all shot out of their seats, leaving what was left of their lunches and heading straight towards the edge of the park. Hopefully if they moved quick they could slip away before–

“Hey! Hey you kids!”

Shit shit shit

Mary sped up her power walk to a near jog, the others keeping pace as they moved towards the crosswalk. She didn’t dare risk a glance back until they were in the middle of the street. A quick peek over her shoulder revealed James was still a ways behind them, but was jogging in their direction and closing the gap rapidly.

Mary pretended she hadn’t noticed “Ok guys,” she said in a low voice “As soon as we reach the sidewalk, Run.”

The looks they gave her at that were terrified, but they nodded all the same.

It took everything Mary had to keep moving at a steady pace, adrenaline surging and every hair on the back of her neck prickling, heart threatening to beat out of her chest. The only reason she was even somewhat able to hold it together was knowing that she was with a group on a busy street, not all alone in a deserted hallway. 

The five of them kept up their same pace as they approached the street corner, then, the second their shoes hit cement, they all broke into a run.

From behind, far too close for comfort, she heard James shouting after them “Hey wait! I just want to talk!”

They ignored him and kept sprinting along the sidewalk, dodging past trees and trash cans and other pedestrians. Running and running as fast as they possibly could. 

But not fast enough.

“Guys he’s gaining!” Toby called out “We’ll never get back to school before he catches us!”

“We don’t need to make it back to school,” Darci shouted back, panting “Just somewhere secure,”

“Yeah but where!?” 

“Here!” Claire pivoted, turning a sharp corner down a side street leaving the rest of them scrambling to follow her.

Part of Mary wanted to ask Claire just where exactly she was going, but the bigger part of her knew to run now and ask questions later.

They sprinted for another block and a half, making several turns through alleys and side streets, Mary not even daring to glance behind her. Then Claire abruptly skidded to a stop in front of a store and dashed inside, the rest of them following so close on her heels they nearly ran into her. Mary had just enough time to read the sign above them ‘GDT Arcane Books’ as she raced in, Darci slamming the door shut behind them.

The store looked like one of those small, indie bookshops. With cozy looking couches, stairs leading to a loft, and a fireplace strangely enough. Behind the counter the clerk, a tall skinny guy with blue streaked hair, jumped at the commotion, a black cat lounging on the desk leaping up with a yowl, landing on the carpet on all fours with hackles raised. 

Apparently this was the type of bookstore where there was a cat or cats who had free run of the place. 

Blue haired counter guy recovered and stepped around the counter towards them “What’s all the–”

“There’s a creepy guy after us,” Claire said without preamble.

The guy got serious instantly “Go into the stockroom,” he gestured to a narrow door behind him, holding out a keychain in the other hand “Here’s the key, it’s the only copy and the door deadbolts shut from the inside, go inside and lock yourselves in,”

Mary spared him a quick nod of thanks before snatching the key and racing into the room behind the others, almost immediately having to scramble to a stop as she did. Calling it a room was a bit generous, it was slightly smaller than the average walk-in closet, the already limited space cluttered but boxes and stacks of books, lit by a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.

But it had enough space for all five of them and a locking door, and that’s what counted.

As soon as she came through Toby slammed the door shut behind her and latched the deadbolt into place.  

No one moved, the sudden quiet and confinement unsettling after their frenzied race through the street. The only sounds the five of them panting for breath and the hum of the lightbulb dangling overhead. None of them dared to speak, buzzing with adrenaline, tensed and waiting for something to happen at any moment. The taut silence stretched out to a minute, then one minute became two. Breathing started to slow and shoulders started to lower. Mary forcibly uncurled her fingers, the stinging of nails against palms fading. Looks like they’d managed to shake–

Muffled shouts came from just outside the door. Each of them going stiff and whipping their gaze towards the door.

Curiosity winning out over caution, Mary took a hesitant step towards the door, standing on her tippy toes to peek through the narrow frosted glass window. The blurry image of James was in front of the counter and the blurry image of blue hair was behind it. Their voices were muffled by the door, but not so muffled she couldn’t understand them.

“Look I just need to talk to my son,”

“I already told you he’s not here,”

“I saw him and his friends run in here,”

“Let me put it this way,” blue hair folded his arms “Even if they were here I’m not letting you see them,”

James paced furiously in front of the counter, both hands going up to tangle in his hair “This is ridiculous, Jim is my son, I’m not going to hurt him or anything, I just want to talk,”

“I don’t care, either you leave or I’m calling the cops,”

“Oh come on! He’s my kid!”

“Actually I’m calling the cops right now,” blue hair pulled out his phone “I won’t force you to stay but you aren’t seeing those kids,”

Even through the foggy glass she could see James’ face turn purple “Alright that is it!” he slammed a fist against the counter, Mary jerking back involuntarily “Jim is my son and I have a right to see him! And I’m not going to let myself get pushed around any more, especially some stuck up broke ass punk–”

The conversation, if you could even call it that, degraded into James spitting insults at the guy, Mary ducked back down and took a peek at the others behind her. Claire was right up against the window next to her while Toby was crouched below them with an ear pressed against the door. Darci stood fidgeting in the middle of the room, glancing back and forth between her phone in her hands and the door in front of her, Jim was sitting on the floor up against the far side of the closet staring at nothing, face a vacant mask.

Wait…now that she thought about it, Jim hadn’t said a peep since they’d booked it from the park. And considering it was technically his dad out there…..

As freaked as the rest of them were right now she couldn’t even imagine what Jim was going through.

Mary took half a step away from the door “You doing ok Jim?”

It took him a few seconds to respond “Oh– yeah, I’m fine,”

She blinked at him, then moved her gaze over to Toby, Claire, and Darci in that order, each of them looking equally unsettled by that response.

Jim winced and pinched the bridge of his nose “Actually…no, I’m– I’m not fine, I’m just…tired,”

Ok, Mary herself was feeling a lot of different things right now, mostly in some category of stressed or freaked out. But ‘tired’ didn’t fit in there anywhere.

But emotions were weird and didn’t always make sense, and at least Jim wasn’t pretending he was ok when he wasn’t and he was actually telling them what was wrong.

“Well just hang tight, there’s no way he’s getting to us in here, and the shop guy’s calling the cops,”

Jim’s only response was to nod.

All of a sudden the sounds of commotion in the store got even louder. Mary pivoting back around towards the window. Outside in the shop James was having both hands pulled behind his back by a man in a police officer’s uniform, who then hauled him out the door and out of sight while blue hair and another police officer stood and watched.

“Wow,” Claire muttered “That was quick,”

“Actually I texted my dad, he said he would send someone straight over,”

They all turned to stare at Darci, who fidgeted under their gazes “And I texted the rest of our parents to,”

“Oh,”

There was a soft knock at the closet door “You guys can come out now,” blue hair’s voice “That guy got arrested and he’s gone now,”

Toby undid the deadbolt and opened the door just a crack, peeking out at blue hair suspiciously “He really got arrested just for chasing us?”

“Actually he had an outstanding warrant on him,”

Toby opened the door the rest of the way “Yeah that checks out,”

They all hesitantly crept out of the closet, the police officer stepping up to them “Ok kids let’s try to get in touch with your parents and then–”

The front door slammed open, everyone in the room jumping at the sound and whirling around to see–

“Mo!?” Mary squeaked out.

Catching sight of her Mo rushed forward, letting the door slam shut behind her, and scooped Mary up in a powerful bear hug, that, after a few moments, Mary returned out of reflex.

Darci did say that she texted all their parents, and Mo’s office was downtown, and it was exactly like Mo to run all the way over here.

“Are you ok baby?”

Mary nodded as best she could with her face crushed against Mo’s blouse “Y– yeah, I’m fine,”

Mo turned and surveyed the rest of them “Are any of you hurt? Do you need to lie down, something to drink?”

“No,”

“Nu uh,”

“Nope,”

“I’m good,”

Mo gave a single nod of satisfaction at that. From the corner of her vision Mary could see blue hair locking the front door and switching the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed’.

Pulling back, but not loosening her grip on Mary, Mo fixed the officer with a piercing stare “Are you who I talk to about pressing charges?”

“Oh– uh, yes,”

“Good because I am definitely pressing charges, it was bad enough when that man broke into the school to harass my daughter, this has gone on too far, I–”

“Uh, Mo, could you…”

Mo glanced down, as if just now remembering she had Mary locked in her arms.

“Oh, yes sorry sweetie,” she finally released her, giving Mary one more once over just to confirm she was as ‘fine’ as she said she was “You kids just hang tight, the adults will handle this,”

She moved over towards the officer “To start with I want to make sure to press charges for criminal harassment of a minor…”

The conversation between the two adults quickly devolved into an exchange of legal jargon, leaving the five of them standing there in the lurch.

“Why don’t you guys take a seat?” blue hair spoke up, pointing behind him with his thumb “Take a breather while we wait for the rest of your folks to get here,”

Mary barely managed to nod in response, somehow exhausted and keyed up at the same time, the five of them walking over and soundlessly flopping onto the couch, Mo’s animated discussion with the officer a dull hum in her ears. 

They were safe now. James had been hauled away and Mo was pressing charges, she was going to make sure he didn’t get away with this. Maybe Dr. Lake would press charges to and maybe she wouldn’t, but Claire’s mom and Darci’s dad definitely would. They wouldn’t let James keep going after them.

Mary leaned back into the plush fabric of the couch, staring into the fireplace in a numb haze. They were safe now, she knew that, adrenaline draining away, but now that the panic was gone bone crushing exhaustion had taken its place.

Pressing charges meant paperwork, and taking statements, and waiting for all their parents to get here so they could have them all go over their story again both separately and together. All of which would almost certainly eat up the rest of the day.

She’d have to remind Mo to call the school and let them know that they weren’t going to be there for the rest of their classes.

Mary blinked at the flickering fireplace, utterly wrung out.

She knew that pressing charges against James was the right thing to do, it was the only way to  stop him for good. She knew that, but right now more than anything Mary just wanted to be in her own bedroom of her own house forgetting the past half hour ever happened. And as exhausted as she felt….

Glancing over to the far side of the couch she caught a glimpse of Jim hanging his head, hair obscuring his expression.

Suddenly feeling tired made a lot more sense.

The droning of Mo and the police officer’s voices washing over her, Mary scrolled her eyes back over to the fireplace, which had to be artificial now that she thought about it. The cat had crept out from wherever it had been hiding and seated itself on the rug in front of the couch, surveying the five of them with an unblinking yellow gaze.

[sopafa]

HAPPY 15-16 OF SEPTEMBER [Tales of Arcadia]

A little One-Shot ot the team celebrating a "Noche mexicana" on the Nuñes home.

====

It was an important day.

It was a very important day.

Even if the calendar didn't market it as one, at least for Claire and the Nuñez family, it was.

And the occasion was nothing less than the 15 & 16 de Septiembre. The date that remembered the independence day of Mexico, their cultural root home, and the origin of their latino offspring.

So, as they used to each year, the Nuñez Family organized a "Noche Mexicana", as they liked to say. That was nothing more than using a fancy Mexican term to say that they were going to trow a  small -really big- party, with enchiladas, chiles rellenos, tacos, nachos, and montados, to celebrate the independence day.

Claire took advantage of the situation as an excuse to invite all the team to her home, and pass the night between drinks and laughs with everyone, as the really big family they were.

In the beginning, Aja and Krel were not very convinced at all, they were still struggling with all those "cultural earth traditions", but after a really romantic Steve asking his queen to go with him, Aja accepted exited. She would finally have another opportunity to have more "earth dates" with her Steve. Krel, on the other hand, was a little harder to impress, the "Guacamole" and other traditional stuff didn't steal his attention as Claire thought. Fortunately, Douxie helped convinced him, after saying that they could have a "guitar lesson" during the Noche Mexicana.

The idea didn't upset him, so he agreed.

Toby tried to maintain Jim's mouth close because the trollhunter was very excited, and he didn't stop to speak Spanish, with his horrible accent, and quotes off of context. It was annoying, but dam, Claire loves him too much.

The party began around that of 9 p.m.

Humans and Trolls coexisted happily on the Nuñes Home, even NotEnrique helped his "NotDad" to create cocteles on the bar, while the human prepared Piñas Coladas, Clamatos and Aguas-Locas-con-Tequila, the little changeling was creating his own cocteles for his fella trolls. Everyone in there was wearing a sarape, a poncho, or at least a Sobrero de mariachi, just to stay in "roll".

Even Nana danced a good part of the night with Varvatos, at the sound of the mariachis and las valadas.

Douxie joined the group of mariachis with his own guitar, to everyone's surprise, the songs sounded really good, combining the mariachi theme with rock. Something that no one expected at all. The main singer of the group was happy to see that there was more musician spirit around them, and the two other guitarists adjusted some space for the wizard to join his -now trio- of members, behind the singer.

The trollhunters team enjoyed the music, at least for a couple of songs more, until Jim started to signing. The human theft the singer position with a rose in hand, and looked at Claire with all the love of his heart, at the beat of "La Llorona". With a sweet tone, and his really marked accent, he stared so sing:

"Todos me dicen el negro, llorona. Negro, pero cariñoso-"

Was Jim-? Yes, he was doing a serenata.

A "Serenata" consists of a musical composition sung outdoors, normally a boy in love hires a group of mariachis, to sing outside the house of the girl he loves, as a form to please or praise her.

And he wasn't doing it badly at all.

Claire put her hands over her mouth in surprise and felt her cheeks burn out when Jim offered her the rose.

"Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona. Picante, pero sabroso..." Jim took her hand. "La pena y la que no es pena, llorona. Todo es pena para mi-" They stared to dance.

Steve rested his head over Aja's shoulder. And Douxie slowly backed away from the love birds to Claire's mom without stopping playing.

"Does he-?" The wizard whispered.

"Nop. He doesn't know the meaning of the song". Douxie nodded with a small and holder a laugh before returning to his place.

"Cuando la vi pasar, hermoso huipil llevabas, llorona. Que la virgen te creí- Ay de mi llorona-!"

Douxie helped with the cores as the rest of the mariachis. "Ay de mi, llorona" They all said.

Slow and sweet steps were the ones of their vals, with their hands together and their bodies against each other, Jim spun her, and when the song finally ended, he planted a little kiss on her lips.

The little and beautiful interpretation of Jim left the bar open to others to sing with the musical group, so the serenata turned into some kind of karaoke. Krel -Diego Luna- was the next one on the file, with the theme of "The Apolgy Song". Steve and Eli sang "Tequila" -while the Mariachis singed the actual rest of the song-. Toby elected a more basic one: "La cucaracha". Claire rolled her eyes by their elections.

And when Douxie's turn finally came, there was quiet.

The wizard took a second to think, before taking a deep breath and scream from the top of his lungs the best Mariachi-scream that Mr. Nuñes had heard on years.

Then Hisirdoux started passing his fingers over the spellcaster, moving the strings according to a couple of chords that Mr. & Ms. Nuñez instantly recognized.

The Mariachis began to keep up with the boy.

"Un par de ojitos negros-" Hisirdoux began. Claire opened her mouth, not because of how well he sang, but because he was doing it in her mother tongue. When the fuzzbucket had Douxie learned Spanish?

When the core of the song started, it was a matter of seconds before everyone started signing with him, in group the well-known lyrics of "Cielito Lindo".

"Ay- Ay- Ay- Ay- Canta y no llores. Porque cantando see algran Cielito Lindo, los corazones".

They hugged each other and keep singing. Some of them, with their harmonical voices, others -As Jim, Steve, Blinky, Aaaarghhh & Toby- just screaming on the top of their lungs with all the happiness that tequila had given them.

At that moment, Claire felt lucky. Because she had the opportunity to spend nights like that with her family and friends.

And she wouldn't trade that moment for anything.