#and this fleshbag keeps getting injured

[foone]

Alternative names for humanity along the lines of "Homo sapiens" (Wise man) and "Pan narrans" (Storytelling Chimpanzee) that I'm too lazy to look up/make up Latin for:

chef ape

throwing ape

walking ape

The idea being that we're apparently unique in the animal kingdom in that we cook our food, so we're the Chef Apes. We're also one of the best animals at throwing things: humans have more accuracy and strength when throwing stuff than other apes, by a long shot

And apparently our ability to walk slowly for ages was key to our early survival as persistence predators. We can't outrun a gazelle or mammoth or whatever, but we don't tire easily and so we can just keep following it until it runs out of stamina

Pan basipila: the baseball playing Bonobo

If only baseball had a cooking element, it would be the perfect Human Sport.

We need to devise a sport where you cook something, follow someone for a long time, and then throw it at them.

The most human thing is the surprise pie to the face

Also as much as I like Terry Pratchett's suggestion of "Pan narrans" I wouldn't be surprised if we turn out to not be the only animal that tells stories...

Elephants. I bet elephants do.

Like, there was that case where an injured elephant went to a ranger station for help. One it had never been to before, but other elephants had.

The theory being then that some other elephant had told this elephant "hey if you're hurt, go here, the humans will help"

That, combined with how they have burial rituals (some which might indicate there's an elephant religion!), and that we're working on figuring out how elephants communicate...

It wouldn't surprise me if we learn sometimes in the next decade or two that "oh yeah, elephants tell stories too. They've got FICTION."

So "Pan narrans" isn't what I'd want to bet on as our uniquely human thing.

But at the end of the day, maybe the whole idea of there being a uniquely human thing is, in itself, just another story we're telling.

So maybe it is a good fit after all.

But I especially like the idea that we're the Baseball Ape because I have this image in my head of a galactic council of aliens. Some angry alien who looks like Cthulhu had a baby with a spider has the floor, and they're ranting about "why do the Hu-mons deserve a seat?"

The Crogath are stronger, the Eldru are smarter, the Cybernetic Essense lives longer, the Dromans go farther and faster, the Moltriri have us beat in fiction and poetry, what is so special about these damn bipedal fleshbags that makes them unique in the universe?

And then WHAM. Right between the eyes. A handheld translator device, a bit bigger than a modern smartphone, beans the speaker out of nowhere.

And there's an (untranslated) yell in the chamber as the prime representative calls for order.

"WE CAN THROW, MOTHERFUCKER!"

(it takes a while to properly explain the insult. Crogathi (especially drones) don't really have mothers or sexual reproduction, so they don't really get why that would be an insult. It's finally translated as something like "bud-biter")

and it's true. even after the World Series becomes the Galactic Series, no non-human team ever manages to win.

The Eldrul Librarians almost make the cut in 2486 but accidentally piss off the ghost of Colonel Sanders and end up inheriting the Hanshin Tigers' curse.

alien textbooks describe The Colonel as some kind of human patron deity of baseball and cooked avian food, who should not be disrespected at all costs, or his vengeance from his place beyond the grave will be swift and punishing

(they're right)

"Look, we can't PROVE he was why Gemini Noctis went supernova unexpectedly, but given the protests that had happened right beforehand, and the incredible powers ascribed to the human spirits, do you really want to risk it?"

the funniest possible future: humanity gets a key place in galactic politics because we're never able to adequately convince the universe at large that our ghost stories are just that, stories, and they're terrified shitless that we'll unleash spectral torment on them

"humans? look man, living humans are a pushover. you can easily rip them in half, crack their planets with a quark bomb, their ships are little more than tin cans with a tachyon drive taped on the side. but it's not the living humans you have to worry about... it's the ghosts."

"humans are a bit like the Nontilek, with a two-stage lifespan, a grub and an adult. What you think of as "adult" humans is just their infant stage, and they only fully transform once they "die". Once fully hatched into Ghost form, their powers are almost limitless."

you want humans off a colony planet and bomb them from orbit? good luck, now you have a few million ascended humans who can pass through solid matter and can't be killed, and they will never rest until you and your descendants are gone or dead.

you don't believe me? look at this: One of their most popular stories is about them building an empire that spanned a large chunk of their little planet, then having it MURDER THEIR OWN GOD.

It only worked for a few revolutions, and he just came back, promising that one day all of them would join him in the next phase of their lifespan.

They still, to this day, thousands of orbits later, erect little statues of the means they used to execute their deity.

not even the Crogathi, who literally worship death itself, tell stories that frightening to their newly hatched grubs.

Humans are scary, man, stay away and just give them whatever they want.

the rest of the alien's education on the dangers of humans is just a selection of human movies. the sixth sense, poltergeist, ghostbusters, the shining, the devil's backbone, and, of course, field of dreams.

ghosts AND baseball? it's everything they're scared about humans all in one package!

the obvious twist you could do, of course, is simple:

the aliens are right.

humans are a two-phase species where the elder form has immense power but leaves communication and decision making to the younger form, which will be confused and angry if you acknowledge the presence of their elder-stage members among them.

this often leads to them cutting off contact or their elder-stage members causing immense damage through seeming "accidents" on the contacting vessel. This is believed to be some kind of religious prohibition that they are not able to explain.

so it's official contact protocol to pretend you cannot perceive the elder-stage humans among them, and to give them what they want to avoid possible retribution.

No means to combat elder-stage humans has yet been found, and the limits of their power is not known.

All alien captains are required to study the fate of the SS Ennolon, which contacted a lone human craft in the galactic year of 12,783. They had initiated contact and were getting along fine, until the human showed the Droman captain a picture of their "late father".

Captain Droless, accounting for the difficulty in telling humans apart, then pointed at the father sitting in a chair nearby and said "That is them, correct?".

The human looked at the chair, reacted in confusion, then anger, and asked the contacting crew to immediately leave.

It was another 400 cycles before contact could be reestablished between the Droman Federation and the Human Alliance.

the intergalactic guide describes humans as a powerful race of immortal energy beings who have the strange habit of sending their larvae out on missions around the galaxy, occasionally contacting other races, but refusing to acknowledge their elders, except in stories

they seem to frequently put their young in dangerous situations without lifting a hand to help, so this is suspected to be some sort of pilgrimage or coming-of-age ritual.

(From a twitter thread on October 1st, 2022)

[earth-ambassador-jim]

Forgiveness

Summary: Toby has a nightmare and accidentally hurts Jim.

(A "Changeling Loyalties" side-story. Takes place when Jim is somewhere between seven and eight.)

AO3 - Fanfiction

~~~~

The sound of harsh breathing and growls woke Jim up. He sat up in bed and rubbed at his eyes sleepily. The room was dark, except for a faint glow coming through the window. He frowned looking around until he was able to see where the noises were coming from.

It was Toby.

In the dim grow of Jim’s nightlight, he could see that his friend’s face was all scrunched up.

He must be having a nightmare, He realized. Jim had those sometimes.

He pushed his blankets off and slid his legs out of bed. He needed to wake him up. Then Jim would give him a hug and tell him it was okay, like his Mom did for him.

Toby let out a sharp gasp and whimpered, curling into a tight ball. His hands clenched tightly.

Jim reached out and gently grabbed his shoulder.

“Toby wake up!”

That turned out to be a mistake.

In an instant Toby’s eyes opened and he shot out of his curled position like a snapped rubber band. His bared teeth glinted in the dim light and his eyes seemed to be glowing.

Jim didn’t get a chance to react before Toby lunged.

~~~~

Toby felt his fist connect with something. It gave way easily and he braced himself for the returning blow. Except it didn’t come.

The haze of fear and anger faded and Toby finally realized he was in the blue darkness of a bedroom, not the sickly green of the Darklands.

He frowned in confusion.

What had he hit?

A sob broke through the last of the haze from the nightmare. Toby realized that Jim was in front of him. The fleshbag whelp was sprawled awkwardly against his bed, holding his nose. Even with his inferior human senses Toby could smell the blood that was dripping between the boy’s fingers. Jim whimpered again and tears leaked out of his eyes.

Toby’s eyes widened and he took a step back. His hands shook.

He didn’t… he hadn’t meant to… to hurt him.

His thoughts derailed as Jim let out a louder sob –though still distorted by his damaged nose.

The bedroom door opened and Dr. Lake burst in.

“What happened?”

Her eyes fell on her injured son and she immediately rushed to his side.

Fear overshowed concern and Toby cowered. This wasn’t going to end well for him. He had to get out of here.

~~~~

Barbara hadn’t been expecting to wake up to her son with a bloody nose at three in the morning.

“Come on Jim,” She said, gently tugging at his hands. “Let me see it.”

He reluctantly let go and she immediately felt a sympathetic pang in her chest. It looked like it wasn’t out of place but given the red discoloration, it was definitely going to swell and be painful.

“Okay, we’re going to go downstairs and put some ice on that.” She picked him up and turned to the other boy. “Toby…”

But he was gone.

Barbara frowned. Where…?

Jim let a hiccupping sob drawing her attention back to him. She drew in a slow breath as she rubbed his back soothingly. She would take care of him first and then go looking for Toby. Hopefully he hadn’t gone far.

…

Unfortunately she had no such luck.

By the time she got done taking care of Jim, Toby was still nowhere to be seen. A quick search revealed that he was not in the house.

Barbara returned to the living room where Jim was sitting on the couch holding an icebag to his nose and halfheartedly watching a movie. At the sound of her footsteps he quickly turned around.

“Where’s Toby?” Jim asked, voice nasally and slurred.

“I don’t know,” Barbara said, keeping her voice level, despite the rising fear.  “Can you tell me what happened?”

She settled on the couch beside Jim, wincing again at the sight of his nose.

“I woke up and… and Toby was having a nightmare… So I tried to wake him up… then…” Jim’s face screwed up and his lip quivered. “Then he punched me.”

Barbara frowned. That was concerning.

“Is… is Toby in trouble?” Asked Jim quietly.

Barbara sighed and reached out to brush his hair back from his face.

“No… It sounds like he didn’t mean to hurt you, but I will need to talk to him.” Jim nodded slowly. “First I have to find him.”

Soon too. It wasn’t safe to be out at night, especially in Arcadia. According to the police there was a nasty epidemic of rabies going around the local raccoon population.

“I’m going to call Nancy and you can stay with her while I look for Toby.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Barbara said gently but firmly as she stood up. “You’re hurt and I don’t want to lose you in the woods.”

With any luck Toby would be at Nancy’s and she wouldn’t have to run around in the woods either.

…

Luck, of course, was not on her side.

Toby was not back at his house, so, with great trepidation, Barbara left Jim in Nana’s care while she ventured into the forest.

“Toby?”

Her cries fell dead in the stillness of the forest. Barbara shivered. Something about night in Arcadia always felt a little creepy to her. She’d thought about moving once or twice, especially since Jim was born, but had never been able to scrape up the energy or money to actually do anything about it.

“Toooooby!” She called out again.

Still nothing.

This wasn’t good.

Ahead of her she heard a rustling in the bushes.

“Toby?”

~~~~

Toby had taken refuge in a small thicket. Initially he had planned to go home, but he had no doubt Dr. Lake would find him there. He didn’t really want to involve Nana in this.

Things had been going so well. Jim was actually tolerable company… for a human… And Dr. Lake had accepted his presence around the house easily enough.

He doubted she would anymore.

He looked down at his fist. Even in his troll form Jim’s blood was still on his knuckles. He almost licked it off but stopped himself, opting to wipe it off in the thick moss instead.

He sighed and leaned against the tree beside him.

What now?

He couldn’t stay out here forever… Well physically speaking he could, but the Janus Order would be pissed. They would find him and kill him if he deserted his post.

If he remembered correctly killing children was illegal among humans. If he waited until she calmed down a bit Dr. Lake probably wouldn’t kill him. He would still get a beating though.

She seemed pretty fair, maybe she’d let him off with a few blows? A busted nose for a busted nose? He hadn’t meant to hurt Jim after all…

But that didn’t change the fact that he had… and in their own house too.

How long would be optimal to hide out then? Nana would be worried…

“Toby?”

Toby flinched at Dr. Lake’s voice and rose to a crouch, ears pressing back.

“Toooooby!”

The changeling blinked. She didn’t sound mad. If anything she sounded concerned.

Toby moved to all fours and peered out of his hiding place. Barbara was bumbling about the forest in her pajamas, walking shoes, and a coat. Her hair was down for once, which was really weird. Her brows where furrowed but there was no aggression in her posture. He sniffed the air trying to catch her scent. He could smell the sweet tang of fear and bitter anxiety but none of sharp pungent aroma that accompanied anger.

Was she looking for him because she was worried about him?

There was a crackle of something moving about further into the woods.

Barbara shined her flashlight toward it.

“Toby?”

Whatever it was wasn’t him, but there was a strong scent of goblins in the area. The changeling flicked his ears indecisively.

Barbara took a step in the direction of the sound. Toby grimaced, he shifted back to human.

“Dr. Lake?” He called hesitantly.

He didn’t move out from his hiding place. Just because he didn’t want her to get eaten by goblins didn’t mean he was willing to risk her anger just yet. The thicket he was wedged in would be too tight for an adult to enter so he would be able to escape if it turned out he was reading her wrong.

“Toby!”

Barbara hurried over to him. Toby flinched as the flashlight hit him in the eyes.

“There you are!” She crouched down to peer into the bushes. “You scared me.”

Toby eyed her warily.

The human frowned and her eyes studied him.

“You’re all scratched up,” She said. She offered a hand. “Come on. Jim’s over at your house. We can get you patched up there.”

Toby stayed firmly where he was.

Barbara sighed.

“I’m not mad,” She said. “Jim told me what happened. You had a nightmare. It was an accident, right?”

Toby nodded slowly, keeping an eye on her outstretched arm.

Barbara glanced at her own hand and then lowered it to rest on her knee.

“Come on,” She said. Standing up and moving back from the entrance. “It’s late. Time for you to get to bed.”

Toby hesitated a moment longer. He would have to come out eventually and Barbara clearly wasn’t leaving without him.

Toby crawled out.

“Where are your shoes?”

“I forgot them…” He’d been in a bit of a panic.

Barbara extended her arms to him.

“I can carry you back,” She offered.

He couldn’t smell very well in this form, but her fists weren’t clenched and her posture was open. Now that he was a bit calmer, he could feel how sore his feet were. If he damaged them further it would be a pain to wait for them to heal. Toby nodded slowly.

He couldn’t quite suppress his flinch when she picked him up, but when no pain came he relaxed a little.

Barbara let out a quiet breath and brushed her hand across his hair.

“Please don’t run away next time,” She said as she retrieved her flashlight and started to walk. “Your Nana and I were very worried.”

“Okay,” Toby said quietly.

She was warm, he thought. Cautiously he let his head rest against her shoulder.

Soon they emerged from the woods onto the short neat grass of Toby’s lawn. Yellow light spilled from window. Barbara flicked off her flashlight.

“Can you hold this for me?” She asked offering it to Toby.

He nodded and released one of his hands from around her shoulders to grab it.

Barbara opened the door and entered.

“I found him,” She called out softly.

Immediately he was swept out of Barbara’s arms into his Nana’s. She turned his head this way and that, peering at him through her thick lenses. Toby put up with the prodding with a huff.

“I’m fine Nana!”

She pulled him into a crushing hug. Her smell of raisins, pie, and instant coffee surrounded him.

“Oh! I’m so glad you’re alright, Toby-pie. Don’t do that again!”

Toby awkwardly patted her back.

“Okay. Sorry, Nana.”

“Toby?”

Toby looked over Nana’s shoulder to see Jim emerging from the living room dragging his blanket with him. His noses was a fierce red and still had some crusty blood under it.

Toby grimaced. He tugged on Nana’s arm and she let go of him.

Toby hesitantly walked over to Jim. He stopped a few steps away.

“I’m sorry for hitting you Jim,” He said, studying the dirty rag rug on the kitchen floor.

Something collided with him and he let out a yelp, stepping back to catch his balance.

It was Jim. The boy wrapped his arms around him.

“I forgive you,” He said. “I’m sorry that I scared you when you were having a nightmare.”

Toby blinked. Right. That was what started this.

“That’s okay,” He said, cautiously patting his… friend’s?... back. “Thank you for trying to help me.”

He glanced over at the adults. They were smiling at them. Toby grimaced, feeling awkward suddenly. He tried to pull apart from Jim but the boy clung to him.

“Come on, Jim,” He whined. “I’m tired.”

Jim held on for a moment longer and then let go.

“Okay… Are you coming back to my house?”

Toby grimaced. After what happened he wasn’t really comfortable with that.

Barbara must have picked up on it.

“I think we’ve had enough excitement for the night. How about we sleep in our own houses and then have breakfast together?”

“Can Nana make breakfast?” Jim asked.

Toby snorted. Barbara looked taken aback. After a moment she closed her mouth and a wry grin tugged at her lips.

“Nancy?”

“I think that can be arranged,” Nana said, coming over to rest her hands on Toby’s shoulders.

She gave them a little squeeze and he looked up. She smiled at him. He gave her a hesitant one back.

“That sounds good,” Barbara said. “Come here, Jim.”

Jim yawned and walked over to Barbara who picked him up.

“Bye, Toby,” He said, waving over Barbara’s shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Toby waved back.

“Come along. Let’s get you to bed,” Nana said, taking his hand.

Toby followed her quietly up the stairs. They stopped by the bathroom to wipe his feet off and patch up his scratches, then they went to his room.

Toby crawled into bed and Nana pulled the sheets over him.

“Sleep well, Toby-pie,” She said kissing his head.

Something in Toby’s throat tightened.

She turned toward the door, flicking his lights off.

“Nana?”

She paused and turned back to toward him. His heart sped up, thumping wetly in his chest.

“Would you…” love me if I wasn’t your grandson?

He couldn’t get the last bit out.

“Would you turn the nightlight on?” He asked instead.

“Of course!”

Nana leaned over slowly and flicked the little amethyst nightlight on. It cast lavender shapes on the walls.

“Good night dear!” She said closing the door partway.

“Good night Nana…”

Toby rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, thinking through the day’s events. He had hurt Jim but he and Dr. Lake had both forgiven him. He hadn’t been punished at all.

Dr. Lake had even risked going out in the woods at night to look for him and carried him back, even though he wasn’t her child.

Nana may care about him because she thought he was her grandchild but Jim and Dr. Lake had never known his familiar. Which meant…

That they cared about Toby. Toby himself, not his familiar. His heart clenched strangely in his chest. He rolled over and pressed his face into his pillow.  

He thought of Barbara’s warm arms as she carried him home and Jim hugging him and forgiving him.

It made him feel warm and tight and light and heavy all at once.

~~~~

~~~~

Notes:

Toby has a lot of PTSD and other issues from his first childhood in the Darklands. There were a few Gumm Gumm mothers in the Darklands and Toby has seen exactly what happened to anyone who harmed their whelps. As a result he views mothers as a terrifying force of nature. Barbara decided not to ask to much that night because of how scared Toby was, but she tries to find out a bit more of what brought this on later. Based off how he's acting she's worried that a teacher or other adult hurt him at some point. Naturally she finds nothing. This is when Toby first starts to view the Lakes as family. Jim learns to be careful about waking Toby up as a result of this. By the time of the main story Toby is mostly safe to wake up but he has relapses sometimes when he's stressed or if he's just had a nightmare.

[albentelisa]

Hello!!! Jim here from the @theonceandfuturetrollhunter blog, but I'm making this text anonymous because Clotpole (who owns my blog) doesn't want the reply back- I'll have to search for it instead 😂😒

Anyway, we love your headcanons and the AUs you create with adks back here in Arcadia- Claire is obsessed with reading them- and we wanted to know how you wpould take to this AU...

What if mine and Claire's roles were swapped over (me being the wizard and Claire being the Trollhunter) but we found out about our respective roles at the times we did in the show (me first, then Claire)?

Can't wait for the reply!!!!

:)

Hi, Jim:)

This ask is something I really like, so I've put it up my queue of asks (there are more than thirty of those in my inbox, holy trolls!).

Anyway, to the AU.

So, in this AU Kanjigar manages to escape during his battle with Bular, so Jim and Toby pass through the canals as usual, with nothing happening. Toby sees that his bro is slightly disappointed that it's just a regular day and suggests investigating the stone monsters Eli mentioned. Obviously, Toby doesn't believe in any supernatural creatures, thinking those are just another one of Eli's delusions, but he thinks Jim needs some fun (and a minor adventure is better than no adventure at all).

It turns out to be a horrible mistake as Bular is pissed because of his failure and is actively looking for a consolation snack. Jim and Toby look like a wonderful meal for him. Bular nearly catches Toby - and it's when Jim awakes his shadow magic, firstly blasting and injuring Bular and then teleporting Toby and himself to the safe location. Jim collapses afterward as he has pushed past his limits.

The next morning, Toby is excited, but Jim is conflicted as he isn't sure it's the kind of adventure he wants. Besides, his newfound magic keeps acting on its own, complicating his life.

Jim comes to Strickler to talk about his issue, but chickens at the last second and tells some lie. Strickler initially believes that it's something trivial, but later notices Jim falling through the shadow portal, and everything clicks. After all, last night, Bular came back enraged, cursing some fleshbag wizard who injured him and swearing to kill that bastard. Strickler deduces that the wizard in question could be Jim. Unlike Bular, he wonders if he can use Jim's talent (after all, all the changelings are connected to shadow magic) and decides to get even closer to his student.

Meanwhile, Douxie visits Jim (as he learned about him from Archie who witnessed the encounter with Bular). Douxie wouldn't get involved in most cases, but apparently, Jim's magic is too strong for someone born during this age, and Jim lacks control, which could easily lead to a lot of damage. So Douxie decides to teach him a bit.

Because Bular has a personal vendetta against Jim, soon enough Kanjigar contacts him as well. Jim learns about the Trollhunter and his mission and proposes to help him (after some initial shock, Jim starts to wonder if there is some meaning to the fact that he got magic). Kanjigar is against it - he has worked alone since the very beginning, and well, Jim is a kid. Jim and Toby still sneak to the Trollmarket, and meet Blinky and Aaarrrgghh there. Blinky believes that having a trollhunting team might not be such a bad idea, so now there are four of them trying to help Kanjigar. Draal eventually joins too, becoming the fifth member. Jim keeps this fact from Douxie because Douxie forbids him to risk his life needlessly (out of concern that there might be another spike in Jim's developing magic which can be harmful to his soul). As for Toby, he gets his Warhammer early on.

Meanwhile, Strickler gets close to Barbara, wondering if she knows her son's secret. He discovers rather fast that she is in the dark about everything and uses it for his own profit.

Much like in the canon, Jim is in the school play, but he skips less because his outings are more controlled (be it magic lessons with Douxie or visits to the Trollmarket), so he has less friction with Claire. Claire still senses that Jim hides something and tries to talk to him about it.

Jim and Toby are the ones who discover the hideout at the museum and basically trigger all the changeling-related events, including Enrique's kidnapping. Enrique is picked because Jim is a regular guest at Claire's house by this point, and Strickler feels that he can use another pair of eyes.

Jim is the one who goes to the concert with Claire in this AU, while Toby babysits Enrique. Claire is initially upset with Jim afterward as she thinks that Toby and Jim decided to prank her together, but after giving it some thought, tries to investigate what is wrong.

Jim still gets Grit-shaka from Draal and ends up exposing his connection to trolls before Douxie before running to fight Bular. Much like in the canon, Bular exposes Strickler.

Claire catches her fake brother herself and encounters Jim, asking if he knows too. Jim decides to tell her everything.

Kanjigar decides to face Bular head-on together with his team (plus Douxie, who joins at the last second). Together they slay him and recover the Killahead.

Now that everything is more or less safe, Claire comes to Kanjigar and asks him to save her brother. Jim and Toby join her pleas, and Jim says that he'll travel to the Darklands himself if Kanjigar disagrees. Kanjigar agrees after some consideration (the previous Trollhunters are against it, but Kanjigar reminds them that his team has slain Bular).

Strickler frees Angor Rot, much like in the canon. Angor, however, disobeys the first command to attack the Trollhunter and judge his skill and goes for Jim instead (he senses his shadow magic and decides to get rid of someone who can possibly become a second Morgana). In this fight, Jim manages to wrestle out the shadow staff. After some examination, Douxie allows him to use it - as the shadow staff, apparently, stabilizes Jim's rather chaotic magic.

The Trollhunters recover the first triumbric stone, but during the quest at the Quagawumps' swamp, the tragedy happens - Kanjigar dies, taking the hit from Angor meant for Claire (it's something that will haunt her for a while). The amulet chooses her as the next champion, but she is conflicted wondering if she can be a good one. After all, she couldn't protect her brother, and Kanjigar died because of her. Draal also doesn't help as he questions her worth (he isn't as bad as he was with Jim in the canon, but his words are still mean).

Jim, however, believes in Claire and says that she can be the best (after all, she is a quick learner, brave, and loyal). Claire starts training, hoping to be able to catch up quickly. Draal warms up eventually and comes to help her.

Angor doesn't make any deal with the Trollhunters in this AU, as he doesn't trust Jim by default. Douxie is the one who suggests stealing Inferna Copula from Strickler, but much like in the canon it ends destroyed, and Angor unleashes his anger at Strickler, Jim, and everyone else. Barbara walks in amid the fight and gets wounded. In this AU she learns everything without losing her memories. Obviously, she is mad at Strickler for using her to get to Jim.

Angor Rot is the first Claire's major opponent, but she manages to defeat him with the help of Jim, Toby, and Draal. Draal feels that his father is avenged and thanks Claire.

However, for Claire, it's not enough. She doesn't want to lose another team member, so goes to the Darklands alone (besides, she was the one who requested that mission to start with). She saves Enrique but ends up trapped.

And here's the problem - only the Trollhunter can open the portal to the Darklands. Jim tries to find an alternative solution and finds a book in Douxie's library about summoning spirits and letting them possess the body. There is a risk, however, as the one who performs it is more vulnerable to possession later, but Jim is willing to risk. He summons Kanjigar's spirit and the team heads into the Darklands to save Claire.

Gunmar getting out isn't the only consequence of that venture. Morgana senses Jim's mind's vulnerability and starts to take over. She resurrects Angor first, then contacts Gunmar.

No one realizes that something is off with Jim at first, chalking most of the stuff to the shadow magic acting up. Claire gets suspicious first and goes to Douxie, demanding if all of that is actually shadow magic. Douxie admits that his fellow student Morgana was odd at times too. After hearing that, Claire is even more worried, and she and Douxie encounter Jim - only to realize that Morgana already fully possesses him.

Claire and Douxie restrain possessed Jim and decide to travel inside his mind to free him. They also bring Toby and Barbara with them, as more meaningful people should make it more likely to succeed. Jim is free, and fighting Morgana gives him a better understanding of his own magic.

With Gunmar and Morgana around the team decides to wake up Merlin (per Douxie's suggestion). And, well, Merlin isn't excited to learn that Douxie got involved and even took a shadowmancer as an apprentice (he is pretty much convinced that Jim will end the same as Morgana if not worse).

Merlin also plans to turn Claire into a half-troll, but as Douxie is around, he investigates the ingredients and discovers what they might do. The team encounters Merlin, and he admits his intentions but tells everyone there is no other choice. Strickler, however, intervenes and makes a guess that there might be some alternative in the Janus Order's records, which turns out to be true. The alternative just requires some blood from a shadowmancer, which Jim gladly provides. Claire becomes a shapeshifter with the ability to change forms at will.

However, Merlin also comes to Jim regarding Morgana. It's possible to seal her inside the Shadow Realm, but all the links between it and the outside world should be cut, meaning that Jim should stay inside the Shadow Realm for good. Merlin appeals to Jim's insecurities and reminds him that the shadow magic is evil, convincing Jim that it'll be better for everyone.

However, Claire overhears this conversation and confronts Jim about it. She also reminds him that Merlin's solutions have already proved to be not the only answer and that their team has already found an alternative once, so it's possible to find another one.

The encouragement from Claire prompts Jim to craft his own spell for the first time to use against Morgana. So, once the Eternal Night comes, both Claire and Jim defeat Gunmar and Morgana respectfully.

@theonceandfuturetrollhunter, I know that you feel down now, so hopefully, this one cheers you up a bit:)

[butwilltherebealcohol]

“are you okay?” No but so what! who cares :)

[erimeows]

How do you think Megatron would react when he finally admits to himself he has feelings for an organic?

Man, I love writing Megatron in love. Headcanons/scenario below the cut, thanks for the request; enjoy!

I feel like Megatron would try to ignore it at first, just like he would with feelings for another Cybertronian, but much, much worse.

Organic aside, relationships aren’t really something he believes are meant for him. He’s a Decepticon leader, he can’t show weakness, and if he dares to get close to someone, there’s a good chance that they could be used against him. So generally speaking, he keeps his distance.

But then you come along.

You have a bad interaction with the Autobots; one of them accidentally wrecks your house in a battle and offers you no compensation or even another place to say, only apologizing before running off, so you do some research on Cybertronians, find out about the Decepticons, and somehow do enough digging to find their base.

Megatron is shocked when you show up one day and pledge your allegiance to him and to the Decepticon cause, but when you explain your reasoning, he can tell that you’re genuine; Autobots are martyr-complex-having, inconsiderate fools who do what they can to look good and act like they’re doing ‘right’, their council is a bunch of stuck up pricks who don’t allow anyone to be an individual or have freedom, and they all act like they’re a working part of a system instead of their own mech/femme with an actual personality. Megatron is kinda like... yeah, okay, whatever. He almost tries to blow you off, but Shockwave and Soundwave argue that you could reveal some weaknesses that the humans have and that you’re an unthreatening enough figure that you could be used as a productive spy. So, he keeps you around and gives you a place to stay on base.

At first, he acts indifferent towards you; you’re a gross, human fleshbag that he wants nothing to do with outside of work, but he sees that you and Soundwave get along since you share a lot of the same ideals about humans needing to do their own work instead of relying on robots to do it for them, and you and Shockwave are actually quite friendly. Hell, you and Lugnut and Blitzwing even make a great trio. So, indirectly, without even realizing it at first, Megatron becomes fond of you through observing your conversations with the others. You’re respectable, brave, bold, honest, and you’re fully self-aware. He finds that, unlike the other humans, he doesn’t mind you; you don’t see him or his cause as evil and actually treat him with respect, and you don’t run or cower or act shy around him either- that shit gets on his nerves.

He knows it’s a bad idea, but he starts talking to you personally. In his berth room, you two exchange intel you’ve collected, and afterwards, you always hang around for an hour or so for in-depth discussions, about your lives and dreams and hopes and philosophies. He frequently finds himself sharing ancient data tablets containing Decepticon works of literature on them with you, and eventually, the two of you have/develop a lot in common.

Not all humans are gross like he thought they were initially, he realizes... In fact, though he’d never say so out loud, you smell nice and the few fleeting touches he’s had with you are always pleasant because of how warm and soft you are.

The first time he thinks about the rapid pace of the relationship the two of you have cultivated and about his feelings for you is after you’re injured. Your cover as a spy gets blown and surprisingly enough, you mention to escape Optimus Prime and the other four members of his team, but you come back sustaining some rough cuts/gashes from when Prowl chucked his shuriken at your clothes to try to pin you to the wall with them; they’re all along your arms, legs, and a few even managed to graze your sides.

You return to the base bloodied and beaten from their attempts to detain you, and though Soundwave and Shockwave (who are easily your best friends at that point) insist that they’re fully capable of handling your medical care, Megatron realizes that he wants to do it himself- doesn’t know why he wants to do it, just knows that he does and that no one is going to stop him. So, he takes you to the med bay and uses the small amount of human medical equipment they obtained for you to disinfect your wounds as you walk him through the process verbally, stitches the ones that need stitching, and wraps/bandages them. It involves you being half-clothed, and though he certainly isn’t going to ogle you like a pervert, he can’t help how his intake hitches at being so close to you when you’re so exposed and vulnerable. It just feels very intimate, and it’s something he’s not used to; no one has dared touch him in thousands of years outside of battle, nor has he touched another outside of such context.

You have to stay in the med bay overnight so that your vitals can be monitored and you can have your dressings changed and antibiotics given to you to prevent your wounds from getting infected. Megatron is also sure to give you painkillers if you need them and keep you well-fed/hydrated so you can heal properly.

He stays by your side while you sleep even though he doesn’t need to, watching you. He can’t help but think about how fascinating it is that your body is so fragile, so prone to bloody injuries when even slightly harmed, but you’re so strong and determined and courageous; completely dedicating yourself to his work, his cause, him when you didn’t have to. Part of that was out of your spite and dislike for the Autobots, but he admired that, too. You uprooted your entire life to come help him and the Decepticons, and even though he didn’t dare say something so kind out loud, he couldn’t help but appreciate you. Him taking care of you was just paying it forward.

You sleep peacefully, chest rising and falling with every breath you take and (s/c) cheeks dusted red. Occasionally, you’ll toss and turn, but at one point, you reach out for his servo in your sleep, so he takes your hand and holds it tight. If anyone ever saw him so tender and weak, he’d be done for, but you were asleep, so he figured it was fine- no one needed to know how much he loved you, not even you.

Oh.

Oh no. He loved you. As fate would have it, it all crashed down on him at once as he sat there, holding your hand. He had gone from assuming you were some disgusting human bag of flesh he wanted nothing to do with, to begrudgingly accepting you to help his cause, to respecting you, to befriending you, to... Falling in love with you. What terrible luck... Maybe it was his punishment for terrorizing organics for so many years, that he just so happened to fall in love with one.

The second he realizes it, he can’t deny it. You recover from your injuries well with Megatron by your side assisting you, but the more time he spends around you, the worse his feelings get, and he’s old enough that he’s not the kind of fool who pushes his feelings away. Instead, he wallows in them, bathes in them, drowns in them, and he drowns in you. It’s really horrible that he, a being so large and powerful and responsible for mass destruction, is so enamored with you, a being so small and delicate and honest. You’re an unfortunate soul, and if you love him back, it’s even worse.

It comes out naturally one of the nights that you’re locked up in his room together discussing some Decepticon poetry you read recently. It was one of his favorite works, and you seemed like you’d enjoyed it, too. Silence falls between you for a moment before he says, “I love you, (y/n). I never thought I’d stoop as low as to fall for an organic, but you’re the only one worth falling for, and Primus, have I fallen.”. The atmosphere doesn’t go tense or awkward, and you only smile up at him, putting the data tablet with the poem on it down on his night table before turning to him.

“And I thought I’d never fall for the leader of an alien robot rebellion, but here I am, and you’re worth falling for, too.”

It’s peaceful, nothing heated or tense but tender and relaxing as he pulls you into his arms and holds you close to him... Maybe being in love with an organic wasn’t so bad, after all.

[troublesometrollhunters]

Ok the trolls turn human (kinda like what happened to blinky after "Roaming Fees May Apply ") and they're s/0 has to help them adjust until they can turn back I feel like many people forgot about that episode 🥺👉👈

(Shorter headcannons because more characters)

Bad Guys

Bular

~ He's a baby about it the entire time. He can barely pick up his swords and yet he's still threatening everyone like he can crush them. Promises if his father hears about this there'll be blood. (His father is getting a very lengthy and embarrassing report through the fetch)

~ He continues to work around the Order as if nothings happened. Bular is still huge he's just human instead of a troll. He carries around a sword since he can't carry both and growls at any changelings that piss him off. Many changelings in the Order still fear him and grovel because no one knows home lonh he will be human. However his constant pestering is annoying after a few days and more than a couple death plots are made.

~ Wanting to keep him alive until he changes back into a troll you take him for a walk too cool down. It's the Day time so he's nervous about the sun. You stay in the shade for awhile but finally he gets curious. After all he's never felt sunlight. The warmth washes over him and he hums happy. He holds you close and just enjoys the moment.

~ All in all not terrible but not fun. He complains about everything and finds himself struggling with being smaller and weaker but he does just fine. When he changes back he's less grouchy and is a little nicer to the changelings because they have it hard enough in human form.

Gunmar

~ Kill him now. Gunmar the Skullcrusher a weak fleshbag? There must be a hell as he's living in it. He's very pouty the entire time he's human and mostly locks himself in his room until the spell wears off.

~ You have to force him to eat and drink because he's thinking of starving himself to save him the humilation of leading his troops as a human. He'll hold you close and lamate about how this is a curse and how do you live like this? Have patience if he doesn't kill himself you might.

~ Once he calms down a bit. He's very cuddly. Being a human makes him run at temperatures he's not used too. So he's colder than usual and loves to hug you close and leech off your body heat. He'll pull you into the bedfurs and cuddle for hours just holding you near and scenting you.

~ Still very much a troll just trapped in a human form. You have to keep him from eating things that'll kill him or doing something that'll injure him. Thankfully the transformation does not last long and in a couple days he's back to normal and ordering everyone around.

Angor

~ Angor is both annoyed and intrigued when he wakes up as a human. Waking up soft and squishy was not something he wanted however snuggling up to you perhaps he can live with it. He is just thankful when he finds his human form still has magic.

~ When you wake with a strange man in your bed Angor is quick to calm your fears and you got for a walk trying to brainstorm how this happened. As your walking Angor pauses staring at the sky.

"The sister of the moon. Though I have seen it. I've never truly felt it..." He murmers before taking your hand. You both stand there facing the sun and feeling it's warmth. Maybe this won't be so bad?

~ He is excited to try certain things. He goes to the movies with you, has a daylight picnic, goes to the nearby amusement park, explores a library. It's all new and strange but out of all the bad guys he has the most fun.

~ When he turns back he is very relieved but he must admit being human was very interesting. He's not sure how he changed but if it happens again he won't mind spending time with you out in the human world.

Good guys

Aarrgh

~ The big guys having trouble with it. You and Blinky have to help him out. He wants to eat everything that can kill him and forgets he no longer has his old strength.

~ Very curious troll trapped as a human. He rolls around grassy hills in the summer sun and feels and touches everything. Gets very excited to experience something new and leads you around asking questions as he does things.

~ Aarrrgh is still very big but at least now he fits through most doors. You give him a tour of Arcadia and he's very excited. He's aslo super cuddly! He can't hurt you as badly in this form so he's super cuddly and enjoys holding his friends without the fear of harming them.

~ When he turns back he's happy but he admits he misses the sun. You'll all just have to moon bathe with him instead.

Draal

~ Is intrigued but also disturbed by this chain of events. Wants to know what witch craft has befallen him but also wants to try a bunch of human things like sports and different foods.

~ Enjoys the tour of Arcadia during the day and gets excited to walk in the sun as no troll has done it before. Almost gets hit by a car in his excitement but thankfully is fine.

~ He enjoys watching your human sports and eating the food offered. He probably has half a dozen hot dogs and a few dozen nachos as a human. He also enjoys soda pop and wonders why he's never tried it as a troll, he'd always eaten the cans who knew something sweet was inside?

~ When he changes back he's a little disappointed he can't watch or play games anymore but you make your own versions to play in TrollMarket. All in all he was a bit confused but otherwise liked being human.

[emachinescat]

Evil Things in Robes of Sorrow

A Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunters Fan-Fiction

By @emachinescat

@febuwhump day 1 - mind control

Summary: It’s funny - being a troll, the son of Kanjigar, Draal has hurt many people throughout his long, long life. But there is a big difference in hurting someone of your own free will and being forced to hurt your friends.

Characters: Draal, Jim Lake, Jr.

Words: 929

TW: Canonical Character Death

Keep reading here or on AO3!

If you enjoy, please consider liking, commenting, or re-blogging!

But evil things, in robes of sorrow,

Assailed the monarch’s high estate;

(Ah, let us mourn! - or never morrow

Shall dawn upon him, desolate!)

And round about his home the glory

That blushed and bloomed

Is but a dim-remembered story

Of the old time entombed.

- From “The Haunted Palace” by Edgar Allan Poe

As a troll, Draal has seen his fair share of violence throughout the centuries - much of it done by his own hands. He’s no stranger to bloodshed; in fact, it has fueled him through some of his darker days. And yet - there’s something very different about choosing to attack someone, regardless of your reasons for doing so, and being forced to hurt someone you care about against your will.

Normally Draal isn’t one for contemplation or reflection - he is a troll of action, just like his father was. But now, all he can do is reflect, as a tiny corner of his mind is all he has left. It’s dark and cramped with this malevolent, oppressive force bearing down upon his will from all sides, and as much as he tries to fight it, Gunmar’s hold is too strong.

And now he is forced to watch, through eyes that once were his, as the entity controlling his body attacks the human boy who somehow has became his friend. It isn’t the first time he has tried to kill the human Trollhunter, but the last time he’d been grieving his father and angry at the injustice of the amulet going to another, a human. In retrospect, Draal has never been so glad to have lost a fight. James Lake, Jr. has become one of his closest friends and allies against the forces that threaten troll-kind.

He can feel everything; that is the worst of it. He can feel his hand curl around the human’s armor-clad, but still feeble, body, can feel the muscles hefting the struggling form off of the ground and the impact of Jim smashing into a set of lockers. Jim bounces off and slides across the floor, his armor scraping against the tile shrilly. His sword skids away from him, down the hall, and for a terrible moment, he doesn’t move. The demon inside of Draal smiles.

From inside his prison, Draal calls out desperately, but the words won’t touch his lips. They only echo back, unheard by the one person who needs them most: Get up, fleshbag! WAKE UP!

As Draal’s body advances, the Trollhunter stirs. Relief fills Draal, but so does apprehension. The fight is far from over, and Jim is outmatched - if only he’d fight back, he would have a decent chance!

That is another thing that makes this so agonizing for Draal to watch - while his body goes berserk, attacking the Trollhunter - a betrayal, unwitting or not, of the highest order - James Lake, Jr. refuses to fight back.

His voice, so puny and human, pinched in pain, might as well be coming from the mouth of a giant when he shouts, “I will not hurt my friend!”

He dodges the attacks that he can, and blocks those he can’t, and when there are ones he cannot block, he grunts in pain, soaring into walls and lockers and doorways, crashing into the floor. Draal feels the power of every connected hit and it kills him.

“Please, Draal!” Jim cries, dodging another attack. “It’s me - Jim! Your friend! You’re stronger than this - please, remember!”

Draal longs to scream back at him that he does remember, that he never forgot what he and Claire and the orange one and even Blinky and Aaarrrgghh have come to mean to him, and that he’s trying to fight it - by Deya, he is trying! But remembering means nothing in the dark hole he’s in, because remembering can’t get Gunmar out, can’t give him back control of his body.

Fight back, Trollhunter! he urges, and his pleas resound uselessly. You have to end this - save yourself and your friends. FIGHT BACK!

Deep inside, he knows the Trollhunter will not fight to kill, or even injure, no matter what. Even if he somehow survives to not-fight another day, his loyalty to Draal will surely kill him eventually.

As hard as it is to watch himself hurt his friend, to feel every crushing grip and pounding blow, Draal fears that the worst is yet to come. Self-hatred courses through what is left of him as he realizes that he is going to, sooner or later, feel the Trollhunter’s small human form break in his hands, see him dead at his feet, and hear celebratory laughter from his own mouth at the grotesque spectacle.

It is then that Draal retreats into himself, turning away from the macabre scene that is sure to come, giving that last inch of space to the darkness and allowing himself to be swallowed by the pain and self-loathing.

When he does finally resurface, he’s surprised to find himself free of Gunmar’s hold and the Trollhunter miraculously alive, and when the time comes to give his life to save that of his friend, he finds he isn’t doing it out of guilt or anger at himself for his failure - it is because of the happiness he felt upon seeing Jim somehow still alive. Even if it means losing his own life, it’s worth it to keep his Trollhunter alive for even a little bit longer.

Darkness isn’t always a bad thing, he reflects as the stone creeps across his body. Sometimes it is like a welcoming embrace, the peace of a job well done.

He smiles.

[grand-commandant]

🤕? (trollhuntermom)

There are rather few pleasures that came with being part of this existence in the form of a changeling if an honest answer was to be given. After all, so despised on all fronts with hisses of tricksters, lairs and noteworthy backstabbers where could you ever snatch anything positive? True they could enjoy things one side had over the other such as proper dental hygiene and wine or the quicker transportation routes below ground but the wise know that there is no true safety in either of those worlds. It would perhaps come as a surprise to outsiders that the Lady had foreseen that while they may walk in the sun’s light or the moon’s glow unheeded even the cleverest amongst them would still be left fighting the tide in her name. Thus when she had first begun her research into those who would be declared her children in the future it was decided that she would gift them favours to give them an edge. For example? Their bodies filled with magics rarely face the same sickness the likes trolls or humans suffered. Such a small thing and yet this proved highly advantageous for careful nudging or infiltrating knowing there would be no risk of being struck down with the rest of the unwashed masses.

Alas, the same could not be said for injuries or the equally infuriating cracked glasses.

A mere fleshbag managing to get the jump on him of all people? Ugh, perish the damn thought of anybody finding out! Or even worse Stricklander did, he is still firmly on his immense power trip with his private assassin in his pocket and this would be an opportunity ripe for the picking… No no no point worrying about that now, better to keep trying to stem the bleeding with a pilfered jacket lest somebody notice the colour was hm, unusual? Yes, that is probably a good word. It’s not like the owner will be needing this anymore, their knife might have slipped under his rib cage because they were stupid enough to follow the attack first ask questions later mindset but they severely under estimated the strength belayed by this humble face that was his preferred appearance, or at least would have done until their head cracked into concrete. At least their blood was the correct colour and added to the effect of walking wounded.

Hospitals however whatever form they came in would never cease to disgust him, they are utterly rancid places under the mask of cleanliness, filled to the brim with the breath of those dragged into this life as much as those slipping away from it wrapped in shiny whites and relentless footsteps on ill suited floors. How misfortunate it was that this wound would look too suspicious without stitches holding it together and a safe house risked passing far too many eyes to get to. This American system as ugly as it was had the decency to place him in a room with privacy away from the other humans when a credit card was flashed. The rare advantage of worshipping infinite Gods of nothing he supposed. The jacket is allowed to drop to the floor as uselessly as the owner had while he worked gingerly away at the buttons of his own under shirt after letting the suspenders drape off his shoulders for easier access to whomever might come in.

The doctor who enters the room with an apology for tardiness causes surprise for but a moment and when his eyes quickly scan the ID tag it was though everything had slotted into place at once with conniving recognition. Her. Stricklander’s little beau he seemed so desperate to hide as much as his lax attitude with the Trollhunter. How delightfully ironic and him without the means of testing the waters. A shame, truly.

“Dr. Lake I presume? Ah, please forgive the ramblings of the injured! A close colleague of mine has mentioned you a few times and I,” the smile is wide and friendly despite the flinch of pain when he tries to giver her a mock bow.

“I must admit the pleasure of meeting you in the flesh for myself could have been in far better circumstances than these. Your reputation truly proceeds you, I have heard nothing but good things.”

[lunartearrose]

Timsasha pleas (you know who this is)

OH HECK YES listen the moment u said timsasha i IMMEDDIATELY knew what i wanted to do so like. prepare for incoming angst and an alt timeline!

read it on ao3 here!

it got super long but also here it is under the cut!

Squish squish squish. 

Tim did his best to ignore the disgusting sounds of worm death under his feet as he ran to find a safe place. The best thing he could find for defense in case of more worm infested zombies was a flag pole with a rather sharp end - a fairly poor excuse for a weapon, but he figured it could at least leave a gross, corruption-ridden fleshbag confused enough for him to run more. And dear god, he hopes not to run into Jane again…

Before he knows it, he sees a sign dangling over a door up ahead, reading “Artifact storage.”

‘Oh that’s just great.’ Tim thought. It was the last place he’d ever want to hide in, but nonetheless he ran right in.

 It seems the worms weren’t daring enough to come in, but he heard someone walking deeper in the corridors of cursed objects. Steeling his nerves, and keeping that flagpole handy, Tim walks further into the cramped darkness. He kept careful eyes on his surroundings, keeping his eyes on everything he could, while avoiding brushing up against the things that sit in this space. He wonders what made it tough to hear what was ahead… was it the echo?

“I see you!” a familiar voice echoes around him, sounding close. 

He’d know her anywhere. It was Sasha. He picks up the pace, not caring what his weapon of poor choice brushes up against, just wanting to see a familiar face in this madness.

“I see you.” a… voice calls. It felt familiar. But it felt so wrong.

He rounds the corner as a struggle begins. The sight before him was nothing short of a nightmare to look at. Whatever was happening instantly caused a migraine to look at - but something deep inside him refused to let him shut his eyes. He felt like whatever this was had simply been another monster attacking, and he knew Sasha was in trouble. Between the bright, pulsing colors and hands gripping the person in front of him - no - people in front of him? There were two. But one of them was Sasha. He was so sure. They were fighting… and he had to act fast-

“SASHA!” Tim calls out for his trusted friend.

“Tim!” two voices call out, one a bit delayed. The image of both the struggling people flickers and ripples, as if reality just couldn’t handle the two existing at once.

But he saw what he needed to see. One figure’s reality seemed to twitch, spasming into elongated limbs and crooked features covered in frayed cobwebs. Tim didn’t need to think twice, and ran forward, plunging the sharp end into the figure that did the awful twitching. The sound it made was like that of plunging it both into a body and a foam square, strange but sickening all the same, as he shouldn’t have been able to just pierce it like that. The creature takes its hands off Sasha, whom he was now a hundred percent sure was her, and grips the end of that flagpole. 

“A brave one, aren’t you?” the warbling voice growls at him, now unsure of who’s form it wants to take. Who’s life does it wish to steal now?

Tim gives the pole one last quick thrust before abandoning it and picking up his injured friend. With Sasha in his arms, he runs like hell as the half finished monster gives chase, howling with laughter

“C’mon! That really hurt, you know! If you drop her then I might just spare you!” it shouts at him. 

“Fuck off!” Tim retaliates, and suddenly he feels like he’s losing his breath as the monster repeats his words and catches up dramatically.

“Such a coward! Always running away!” they mock, but it’s too late. 

Wise to the trick, Tim doesn’t respond, forcing himself to run faster. He’s aching, feeling the scrape of sharp claws that almost caught up, but he keeps going. This isn’t just his life at stake...

Tim doesn’t dare to look back, praying to reach a door, not even bothering to note the out of place yellow of the door he busted through. He ran, and ran, and ran, his surroundings a blur, until the adrenaline finally begins to ebb. His running slowed, his legs shook, heart pounding as he does his best not to fall, placing Sasha’s unconscious body on the shifting floor. He wasn’t sure if the need to cough or vomit was worse.

The entity that so kindly let them in and let the monster lose itself watches on, wondering what Tim will notice first. The answer soon comes as he looks over the girl he was carrying, a girl the distortion knew had a name. Once. They watch as Tim swears and fusses over the scratches on her chest, trying to use whatever he had on hand to slow the bleeding, noting the especially strange wound over one of her eyes, that traveled down her cheek and into her hair, still looking as if it were a glitch in reality itself. 

“Sasha! Sasha, stay with me, please…” Tim says to her.

And soon, with enough shaking and pleading, this Sasha girl opened her eyes. She struggled to sit, and Tim helps her, keeping the pressure on her chest wound. 

“Tim…” she mutters softly, “I…”

“Thank god, you’re awake… how do you feel?” he asks.

“Pain…” she answers softly, “Please… get help…” 

“Right, of course.” he says, finally taking a good look around him, “We’ll- ...oh.” 

This gets a chuckle out of the distortion avatar. The two look back at him, and Sasha whines in fear while Tim scooches away from him as fast as possible, not letting go of his dear friend for even a moment.

“We’re fucked, aren’t we?” Tim says.

Michael humms for a moment. “Well… you dragged in a fine meal a little while ago. I suppose I can let you leave just this once…”

“Great! How do we leave?” Tim says, suddenly finding the strength to stand whilst holding Sasha.

“Just keep walking.” Michael replies, pointing in another direction, “You’ll find an exit eventually.”

“Thanks dude. Would love to stay and chat but we need a hospital.” Tim says, running off the way he was told to go.

Once again, Michael simply chuckles to himself, and walks off to find out if the Archivist was faring any better.

…

Tim and Sasha were let out at the front of the institute, where police and ambulances had arrived. Sasha had to be taken to the hospital, and Tim never left her side. Thankfully, her vitals were still intact and all she needed was some stitches and something to help the pain. As for the strange wound over her right eye, it was certainly addressed, but the doctors soon found messing with it both caused Sasha pain and caused strange, unfavorable things to happen. The best they could do is give her an eye patch, and let it rest. Only when she could stay awake would Tim allow them to treat the scratch on his back. He didn’t want to leave her side, and she really didn’t want to be left alone. 

Once Tim was patched, he sat back down in the chair pulled up by Sasha’s hospital bed. “How you feeling?” he asks her.

“I’m feeling like an idiot for yelling ‘I see you’ at a monster, for one thing. Other than that, I’m at least not hurting too badly. How about you?” Sasha replies.

“I feel the very same way for not looking where I was running. I really thought we were dead in that moment…” Tim answers.

“Yeah. I thought that too… but we’re safe now, at least.” Sasha says.

She quietly reaches for Tim’s hand and holds it. Tim gives her hand a gentle squeeze in response, watching as she glances out the nearby window.

“I… really thought that was it for me, when that thing grabbed me. I’m glad you came around when you did.” She says.

“I’m glad, too. Really, I don’t know what I’d do if you ended up dead…” Tim replies.

“What was going through your head?” Sasha asks.

“A lot! It was confusing for a while, I don’t know exactly what I was looking at, but… definitely in the end, if that other guy hadn’t let you out at least, I was just afraid we’d never get to see each other again. And really couldn’t handle that thought. I think a lot of what drove me was keeping you alive.” Tim replies.

There was a bit of a pause. She squeezes his hand, and he squeezes back in turn. It was a bit difficult to have the right words to say to something like that.

“I think we both need a vacation after that mess.” Sasha says. 

“I agree. I think everyone’s going to need a break after hell broke loose…” Tim replies.

“Yeah… you think we could go somewhere together?” Sasha asks.

“...Like as a group of assistants or…?”

“No. Just you and I. I could use a really long one, and like hell I’ll take it alone with the week I’ve been having.”

The idea of a vacation with Sasha really made Tim happy. He couldn’t ask for anything better than that, and he honestly didn’t want to leave Sasha’s side either. Even if they got to escape that hell dimension, there was no guarantee that the entity of bullshit squiggles didn’t let the monster out too. 

“I’d be glad to join you, Sasha. Let’s hope Elias gives us a nice, long break.” Tim says.

Sasha nods. “Let’s hope.”

After that, they fell into another little moment of silence. Sasha listened to the little commercial playing on the tv, eye wandering around the room. Each time someone walked by outside the door, she couldn’t help but feel a bit tense. She tried to take her mind off that unease, focusing on the tv, and the warmth of Tim’s hand. She’s fond of how he’s always there for her, especially now.

“Hey Sasha?” Tim says.

“Yeah?” She replies.

“I… I think I want to tell you something.” 

“Alright then. What is it?”

“Well… this whole experience made me think-”

Unfortunately, Tim doesn’t get to finish his sentence. A Nurse opened the door, explaining that someone was looking for Tim. Tim sighs, and tells her to send them in here. The Nurse nods, and soon after she leaves, Martin enters.

“Hey Tim! I was looking all over for- o-oh.” Martin says.

Tim gives a short wave with his free hand, and so does Sasha. He asks, “What’s the matter?”

“I didn’t realize you were visiting someone, that’s what!” Martin replies, then glances over at Sasha and says, “I’m sorry for barging in, ma’am…” 

Sasha snickers. “Ma’am?”

Tim scoffs, “You don’t need to be so formal with Sasha, Martin. We’re all coworkers here.” 

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t realize. N-nice to meet you, Sasha! Um, what department do you work in?” Martin asks.

Now, it’s very apparent that something’s wrong. Both Tim and Sasha are now starting to get very worried.

“You’re joking, right?” Tim says.

“Martin we work in the same department! The three of us are Jon’s assistants!” Sasha says.

“What? Thats- no, that’s impossible!” Martin says, clearly confused, “It’s only ever been the two of us helping Jon out, just Tim and I. Elias is still searching for a third…” 

“That’s not true, though! Don’t you remember Jon’s birthday? We brought him a cake, scared the hell out of him? Martin, you have to be joking…” Sasha says.

“No, I- I’m sure I’d remember if you were there… you guys arent joking, are you?” Martin says.

“Look, I have proof she works with us!” Tim says, taking his phone out of his pocket, “I’ll find a picture of the four of us, I know I took one recently.” 

But try as he might, after several painful minutes of searching his phone, he came up empty. Determined to be right, because hell, maybe that monster just screwed with the memory of those in the institute, Tim marches over to the nurse and asks if she can get ahold of Sasha’s medical records. If there’s anything you can’t argue with, it’s records.

But according to their records, Sasha James didn’t exist.

The only one who ever knew she existed was Tim.

[foone]

Ghosts and Baseball

This is me ranting about names for humanity, before turning into a brief sci-fi story about Ghosts and Baseball. From twitter, last year.

Alternative names for humanity along the lines of "Homo sapiens" (Wise man) and "Pan narrans" (Storytelling Chimpanzee) that I'm too lazy to look up/make up Latin for:

chef ape

throwing ape

walking ape

The idea being that we're apparently unique in the animal kingdom in that we cook our food, so we're the Chef Apes. We're also one of the best animals at throwing things: humans have more accuracy and strength when throwing stuff than other apes, by a long shot

And apparently our ability to walk slowly for ages was key to our early survival as persistence predators. We can't outrun a gazelle or mammoth or whatever, but we don't tire easily and so we can just keep following it until it runs out of stamina.

OK I looked it up... maybe we're "Pan basipila": the baseball playing Bonobo

If only baseball had a cooking element, it would be the perfect Human Sport. We need to devise a sport where you cook something, follow someone for a long time, and then throw it at them.

The most human thing is the surprise pie to the face

Also as much as I like Terry Pratchett's suggestion of "Pan narrans" I wouldn't be surprised if we turn out to not be the only animal that tells stories... Elephants. I bet elephants do.

Like, there was that case where an injured elephant went to a ranger station for help. One it had never been to before, but other elephants had. The theory being then that some other elephant had told this elephant "hey if you're hurt, go here, the humans will help".

That, combined with how they have burial rituals (some which might indicate there's an elephant religion!), and that we're working on figuring out how elephants communicate...

It wouldn't surprise me if we learn sometimes in the next decade or two that "oh yeah, elephants tell stories too. They've got FICTION."

So "Pan narrans" isn't what I'd want to bet on as our uniquely human thing. But at the end of the day, maybe the whole idea of there being a uniquely human thing is, in itself, just another story we're telling.

So maybe it is a good fit after all.

But I especially like the idea that we're the Baseball Ape because I have this image in my head of a galactic council of aliens. Some angry alien who looks like Cthulhu had a baby with a spider has the floor, and they're ranting about "why do the Hu-mons deserve a seat?"

The Crogath are stronger, the Eldru are smarter, the Cybernetic Essense lives longer, the Dromans go farther and faster, the Moltriri have us beat in fiction and poetry, what is so special about these damn bipedal fleshbags that makes them unique in the universe?

And then WHAM. Right between the eyes. A handheld translator device, a bit bigger than a modern smartphone, beans the speaker out of nowhere.

And there's an (untranslated) yell in the chamber as the prime representative calls for order.

"WE CAN THROW, MOTHERFUCKER!"

And it's true. even after the World Series becomes the Galactic Series, no non-human team ever manages to win.

The Eldrul Librarians almost make the cut in 2486 but accidentally piss off the ghost of Colonel Sanders and end up inheriting the Hanshin Tigers' curse.

Alien textbooks describe The Colonel as some kind of human patron deity of baseball and cooked avian food, who should not be disrespected at all costs, or his vengeance from his place beyond the grave will be swift and punishing.

(they're right)

"Look, we can't PROVE he was why Gemini Noctis went supernova unexpectedly, but given the protests that had happened right beforehand, and the incredible powers ascribed to the human spirits, do you really want to risk it?"

The funniest possible future: Humanity gets a key place in galactic politics because we're never able to adequately convince the universe at large that our ghost stories are just that, stories, and they're terrified shitless that we'll unleash spectral torment on them.

"Humans? look man, living humans are a pushover. you can easily rip them in half, crack their planets with a quark bomb, their ships are little more than tin cans with a tachyon drive taped on the side. but it's not the living humans you have to worry about... it's the ghosts."

"Humans are a bit like the Nontilek, with a two-stage lifespan, a grub and an adult. What you think of as "adult" humans is just their infant stage, and they only fully transform once they "die". Once fully hatched into Ghost form, their powers are almost limitless."

"You want humans off a colony planet and bomb them from orbit? good luck, now you have a few million ascended humans who can pass through solid matter and can't be killed, and they will never rest until you and your descendants are gone or dead."

"You don't believe me? look at this: One of their most popular stories is about them building an empire that spanned a large chunk of their little planet, then having it MURDER THEIR OWN GOD."

"It only worked for a few revolutions, and he just came back, promising that one day all of them would join him in the next phase of their lifespan. "

"They still, to this day, thousands of orbits later, erect little statues of the means they used to execute their deity."

Not even the Crogathi, who literally worship death itself, tell stories that frightening to their newly hatched grubs.

Humans are scary, man, stay away and just give them whatever they want.

The rest of the alien's education on the dangers of humans is just a selection of human movies: the sixth sense, poltergeist, ghostbusters, the shining, the devil's backbone, and, of course, field of dreams.

Ghosts AND baseball? it's everything they're scared about humans all in one package!

The obvious twist you could do, of course, is simple:

the aliens are right.

Humans are a two-phase species where the elder form has immense power but leaves communication and decision making to the younger form, which will be confused and angry if you acknowledge the presence of their elder-stage members among them.

This often leads to them cutting off contact or their elder-stage members causing immense damage through seeming "accidents" on the contacting vessel. This is believed to be some kind of religious prohibition that they are not able to explain.

so it's official contact protocol to pretend you cannot perceive the elder-stage humans among them, and to give them what they want to avoid possible retribution.

No means to combat elder-stage humans has yet been found, and the limits of their power is not known.

All alien captains are required to study the fate of the SS Ennolon, which contacted a lone human craft in the galactic year of 12,783. They had initiated contact and were getting along fine, until the human showed the Droman captain a picture of their "late father".

Captain Droless, accounting for the difficulty in telling humans apart, then pointed at the father sitting in a chair nearby and said "That is them, correct?".

The human looked at the chair, reacted in confusion, then anger, and asked the contacting crew to immediately leave.

It was another 400 cycles before contact could be reestablished between the Droman Federation and the Human Alliance.

The intergalactic guide describes humans as a powerful race of immortal energy beings who have the strange habit of sending their larvae out on missions around the galaxy, occasionally contacting other races, but refusing to acknowledge their elders, except in stories.

They seem to frequently put their young in dangerous situations without lifting a hand to help, so this is suspected to be some sort of pilgrimage or coming-of-age ritual.

[elwolfen]

Hade this idea a few months ago.

You know what I want to see in a Fantastic Beasts movie? Newt having trouble with a creature. Like he comes across a creature that's very dangerous and maybe it's messing with some place (like a town or farm) or something. Newt trys to tame it but doesn't work out, he keeps trying learning things about the creature (also maybe he can't use magic on it at all). All the people and his friends are like it's a dangerous bloodthirsty beast, it can't be tamed, there's no use and it should be put down.

But he doesn't give up he keeps trying and goes and follows it in the woods but loses track and stumbles upon a nest or something and there's babies that look like the creature... it's a mother. Then a roar echos through the woods and Newt watches with wide eyes as a different creature comes and stands and is hungrily eyeing the babies. Newt does everything to protect the babies and succeeds or so he thinks the creature pounces and the mother creature comes out of nowhere and bites into the creatures neck, injuring it. While the creatures down, the mother creature looks back at Newt who is injured and is still guarding the babies. The mother creature is like oh this fleshbag is protecting my babies and he never hurt me, so he's a good fleshbag. And so the mother creature fights and succeeds and the other creature runs off, the mother creature looks back at Newt noticing he's badly injured and she brings him back to his friends.

Newt wakes up finding himself in a safe place and ya know his friends are like oh the creature brought you back and all the jazz maybe plot stuff happens. Newt goes back the nest and sees the mother and her babies playing, she sees him, he goes up to her and does the hand thing from httyd, finally taming her, understanding she was aggressive because she wants to keep her babies alive and cares for them, finding food and keeping dangerous creatures and humans away. Then he plays with the babies, maybe naming the babies and the mother.

Maybe later on like in the finale act, there's a battle and Newt is down and maybe someone is holding a wand to him about to kill him. The mother creature comes and attacks the guy and helps out. Maybe she gets killed and at the end of the movie it shows him taking care of the babies and honoring their mother.

Or maybe she didn't die either way this needs to happen.

Either a Manticore or Graphorn

(March 25/2020) (when I wrote the idea)

[albentelisa]

Hi! Here is an interesting ask.

What if Blinky and Aaarrrgghh found and raised an amnesiac human Jim since he was five?

This version of Jim found out he could manipulate and control plants a few weeks after Blinky found him due to a fight with Draal, but due to the amnesia, he can't recall who he got the ability from.

So, in this AU, Jim meets Nari really early (even before his father left) and befriends her. Nari doesn't mind as she is kind to children. Alas, this friendship leads to a horrible accident and Jim is mortally injured. To save him, Nari pours a lot of her magic into his body, so Jim survives but loses his memories (and his plant control is another side effect).

Blinky and Aaarrrgghh find the confused child in the forest and as Jim only can tell his name, they take him with them to the Trollmarket. Initially, it was a temporary measure as they hoped that going through Arcadia might help Jim to remember where his house is but it simply doesn't work and Jim stays at the Trollmarket.

Draal doesn't start a fight with Jim (from his point of view that one is just a weak fleshbag welp) - Jim is the one who initiates it because Draal is rude to Blinky whom Jim already likes a lot. Draal just intends to scare Jim, but the fear leads to unlocking Jim's plant-control abilities. After learning about those, trolls at the Trollmarket start to think that Jim is connected to the supernatural, so looking for his home in Arcadia is rather pointless.

Jim grows around trolls and it shows as he has no proper idea how human society works as his main source is Blinky and his knowledge is often 'off'. Initially, both Blinky and Aaarrrgghh try their best to cook something Jim can eat, but their attempts are so bad that Jim starts to learn to cook himself. His recipes are unorthodox but he is surprisingly good at that.

In this AU Jim is fluent in troll language and has read a lot of books from Blinky's library. He still wants an adventure, but more to prove himself (even if trolls at the Trollmarket adore him, they still consider him weak).

As for Barbara, her marriage with James ended with even more heartbreak as she realized that he not only cheated but also didn't care about Jim to keep searching for him. Barbara refuses to think that her son is dead and secretly keeps searching through all of the years.

Toby had no opportunity to befriend Jim, so he's friends with Eli and they often go searching for creeps together. Ironically, Toby doesn't believe in magical creatures or aliens, and after each of their common night missions, he is even more sure that everything is just Eli's imagination.

Barbara is the one who finds the amulet in this AU, but as Eli and Toby visit her the night when Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, and Jim barge in, they are also involved.

Barbara suspects that Jim can be her son (and her suspicions grow only stronger after she learns his backstory), but she is scared to talk to Jim about it as she expects him to push her away (as she hasn't been a part of his life all these years).

Meanwhile, Strickler has absolutely no idea who the new Trollhunter is (he doesn't even think that it can be not a troll). Bular decides to wreck some chaos and lure out the champion. Toby and Eli are attacked, but Barbara comes to their help and Jim arrives just in time to slow down Bular with his magic.

Anyway, now both Bular and Strickler know that the Trollhunter is a human woman, and Strickler decides to identify her and use a seduction approach (and as we all know, he falls in love himself).

As for Toby and Eli, they decide to teach Jim more about human stuff and start to take him out to explore. Jim manages to get into a fight with Steve (and absolutely obliterate him before the crowd) and falls in love with Claire after bumping into her accidentally. Claire is curious about who is the new guy, and Eli lies that Jim is his cousin. Later, during their second meeting, Jim forgets about this version and insists that he's Toby's cousin. This inconsistency makes Claire suspicious, and she starts her own investigation, which leads to her discovering Jim's secret too.

The Janus Order starts to doubt Strickler's loyalty, so they decide to send an additional spy. That is how NotEnrique gets into Claire's family. He gets more than enough information as no one suspects him at first. Still, he gets careless eventually, and Claire learns that her brother is an impostor.

As for Strickler, he actually starts to play his own game earlier as he wants to keep Barbara safe. At some point, he realizes that letting Gunmar out isn't in his interests and tries to recruit some allies within the Janus Order. It doesn't work though, as everyone suspects some ulterior motives. Nomura is the only one who agrees to cooperate and Strickler is forced to unseal Angor Rot as he needs to obliterate Bular.

Strickler commands Angor to join the Trollhunter's team and help Barbara slay Bular. Angor isn't trusted at the Trollmarket though, as everyone remembers that he was Morgana's champion. However, Barbara and Jim decide to give him a chance.

Jim keeps learning more about human life and Barbara makes a hopeful suggestion that he can try to live among humans and go to school with his friends. She proposes that he stay at her house (hoping that he will agree), but Jim is still reluctant. Sure thing, he has bonded with Barbara, considers her close to family level already, and enjoys communicating with Toby, Eli, and Claire, but human society remains too foreign to him.

Meanwhile, Claire who is upset and angry for not noticing that her brother was switched with the changelings, starts to take staff fighting lessons from Angor. Angor also senses her magic talent and proposes to her to learn that one too (he isn't trusting of wizards, but he feels that Claire might develop her magic to the level when she can break his binding to Morgana). He doesn't reveal everything to her though.

Nomura ends up compromising her secret identity and the bridge location, but Strickler is smart enough to keep his own secret hidden while developing his relationship with Barbara.

The team Trollhunters defeats Bular and secures the bridge. Nomura doesn't get trapped as she isn't present during the final battle per Strickler's suggestion.

Strickler thinks that everyone is great now and plans to reform the Janus Order into an organization to capture the world for themselves. His only issue is that all the familiars are in the Darklands, meaning that Gunmar has control over changelings' ability to transform. So Strickler decides to fool Gunmar and stall for as long as possible. He genuinely believes that the Trollhunter's side has no interest in opening Killahead.

However, Strickler doesn't consider that Barbara plans to travel to the Darklands and get back Enrique (as well as other kids). She doesn't want to risk her young allies though, so she doesn't plan to take any teen with her, which heavily upsets both Jim, who considers himself a competent fighter, and Claire, who believes that saving her brother is her mission, rather than someone else's.

Meanwhile, Angor Rot who has more respect at the Trollmarket now for helping to defeat Bular, decides to reveal Strickler's true identity to Barbara and request her help in getting free. Barbara is both sad and furious to learn Strickler's secret as she has genuine feelings for him and believes that everything from his side is just a lie. She doesn't give Strickler any chance to explain himself.

And it's not the only trouble Strickler faces as there is a rebellion within the Janus Order, and both Strickler and Nomura are forced to run from everyone.

They both decide to bargain with Barbara's team, proposing Angor's freedom and the Eye of Gunmar in exchange for protection. Barbara is still angry, but she agrees.

Strickler realizes what exactly he lost and decides to venture to the Darkland alone and save familiars to show Barbara that he is interested in changing. He tricks Barbara into test-opening the bridge and sneaks to the Darklands in secret. He doesn't realize that Jim and Claire both have the same idea and sneak there too.

All three meet accidentally in the Darklands and form the team. As Strickler knows the layout of the Darklands, they don't have much trouble finding the nursery, but it's when they face a huge problem as goblins and Gumm-Gumm soldiers discover them. Claire escapes with Enrique, while Strickler and Jim stay back to stall for some time and then escape. They miscalculate though, as Jim's ability doesn't work in the Darklands, so both are captured.

Meanwhile, at the Trollmarket, the Tribunal finds out that the gates to the Darklands are open when Claire gets back. The bridge is destroyed per Usurna's command and despite Barbara's, Vendel's, and Blinky's protests, the plan is to dump fragments somewhere. The Tribunal is even more willing to execute the plan than in the canon as their Trollhunter isn't in the Darklands and Jim is considered an adequate sacrifice (and well, the Tribunal isn't interested in saving Strickler).

Barbara's team recovers the Bridge similar to how it happened in the canon. Steve accidentally stumbles upon them and learns the truth as well.

As Barbara has the amulet, the team has no trouble going to the Darklands. Steve is the one they leave watching the gate (as no one thinks that something bad can happen). In the Darkland, they save all the familiars and free prisoners from Gunmar's prison. They don't realize that Gunmar uses the distraction and goes out with a full squad of Gumm-Gumms (Steve sees them and runs away before anything happens).

Barbara's team isn't welcome at the Trollmarket after their stunt, besides Usurna gets in contact with Gunmar way earlier, resulting in a full takeover.

Strickler goes around, trying to recruit some of his fellow changelings, who currently have lost their ability to change forms, but only a few follow him as they, apparently, have a new leader. The leader in question is Morgana herself, who is searching for a good vessel to possess (and she is pissed that Angor is out of her control). Nevertheless, her involvement protects changelings from outright extermination by Gunmar's hand.

The Janus Order kidnaps Claire whom they deem to be the appropriate vessel and finding her turns out to be a problematic quest as only Angor Rot is skilled in shadow arts and Morgana blocks him.

The situation hurts Jim the most (as Claire is his girlfriend by this point). He is upset and subconsciously taps upon an ability he hasn't known to have which is sensing human souls. Jim temporarily senses all the souls in the world (and nearly goes crazy), but these mere moments are enough to locate Claire. The team raids the Janus Order's hideout and frees her. However, during the capture changelings used all kinds of methods to break Claire's mind, so Morgana still has some hold on her psyche (not to the point of full takeover still, but she can seize control for some time).

The only way to fight it is to find a skillful wizard. Blinky suggests finding Merlin's staff as he was the creator of the amulet. Getting rid of Morgana is vital at the moment as it stops Morgana from joining forces with Gunmar. Morgana would gladly try to possess someone else, but Claire basically traps her within her own soul, even if it's dangerous.

What neither Claire nor the team Trollhunters realize is that Morgana wants to get Merlin's staff, so visiting her tomb is vital for her too. She sends Claire some visions about its location, which everyone thinks to be a side effect of shadow magic.

Claire, Jim, Toby, Draal, and Angor Rot decide to go searching for Merlin's tomb while everyone else stays behind to stall Gunmar's army. Before Jim heads out, Barbara has a talk with him (as she is scared that there might be no other opportunity after, with all the big fighting incoming), telling him that she is nearly 100% sure he is her long-lost son, but even if he isn't, she still considers him her son.

Jim and his part of the team discover something odd during their quest - it's as if someone is pursuing them. But only at Merlin's tomb, when they locate the staff, the pursuer reveals himself. He introduces himself as Green Knight and demands to give him the staff. The fight for it is short as unlike everyone else, Green Knight can use his abilities inside the tomb. Draal is injured, and Angor gets hit by the cursed shard, falling under the Green Knight's control. Green Knight withdraws with the staff and Angor as the tomb starts to collapse. Jim, Claire, and Toby try to escape with injured Draal and stumble upon the sleeping Merlin.

Merlin is surprised to see all of them as he has expected the Trollhunter to wake him up, but still, he goes with them back to Arcadia. He is also quite at a loss about Green Knight and his identity, so he decides not to delay contacting Douxie.

Meanwhile, Morgana is also rather confused and pissed because of the Green Knight's appearance to the point that she comes to Claire in her dreams and proposes cooperation. Claire doesn't believe her though, thinking it's just a scheme to trick her.

Merlin examines Claire and admits that he cannot do anything with her situation as he isn't skilled in the dark arts, which only angers everyone.

The team tries to deduce who is the Green Knight and why he took Merlin's stuff, but have no success as he apparently doesn't contact Morgana's or Gunmar's party.

During one of his strolls, Jim meets Nari. She seems extremely familiar to him, but he cannot remember much. Nari apologizes to him for changing his life so much, and Jim finally gets his blocked memories back. Nari also tells him that she unwittingly turned Jim into her champion when she poured her magic into him and that the Arcane Order will try to make their move. She guesses that Green Knight is somehow connected to them and that he took the stuff to prevent the Trollhunter's party from defeating Gunmar.

Gunmar decides to attack without starting the Eternal Night - he's rather disappointed in Morgana by this point as her independent actions only complicate everything. He is thinking about capturing Merlin instead and forcing him to find another solution for trolls.

As for Barbara, she and her allies were gathering all possible allies to fight against Gunmar.

The final clash happens in the forest at night, and the Trollhunters' team wins. Most of the damage is prevented too, and the Heartstone, despite being drained is mostly intact, so no one goes to New Jersey, instead searching for a way to revitalize the Heartstone.

Morgana (through Claire) tries to bargain with the different team members to get her freedom, but everyone is cautious, besides, Merlin makes it clear that without his staff there is no way to free Morgana's body.

Bellroc appears before Claire, proposing giving Merlin's staff in exchange for telling them the location of Genesis Seals. Despite not knowing what those are, Claire feels that something is off and refuses. Morgana hears the proposal too, and starts to wonder what the Arcane Order plans as she also knows about the seals and what they can do. Morgana is against world destruction, she simply wants to reform it.

Meanwhile, Jim is cornered and attacked by Skrael, who is searching for Nari and mistook Jim's energy for hers. Jim ends up captured and the Arcane Order realizes that he can also wake Nari's titan and is definitely easier to mind-control.

The team learns about Jim's capture, and everyone, except Merlin, wants to save him. Merlin, however, shows some anxiety when it comes to his staff, revealing begrudgingly that he hid Genesis Seal within it and that the Arcane Order unknowingly possesses the key to world destruction already. However, his plan is to pretend that Genesis Seals are still in his possession and stall for as long as possible.

Morgana makes a deal with Claire, promising her to save Jim if she temporarily gives her full control over her body. Claire agrees after some consideration, fully realizing that Morgana's shadow magic is superior.

Morgana (in Claire's body) locates the Arcane Order's base, finds Angor, liberates him from the Green Knight's control, and teleports him away without explaining a thing. Then she comes over to Bellroc and Skrael (as Jim is near them too) and proposes to get them Genesis Seals in exchange for the staff which can free her from her confinement. Claire hears that from the confines of her mind and is enraged, thinking that Morgana has deceived her. However, it turns out that Morgana tricks the Order as she teleports the staff inside the Shadow Realm the second it's in her hand. Enraged Bellroc casts the spell which binds Morgana to her sealed body, but Claire manages to escape together with Jim.

However, during Morgana's stunt, Merlin and Douxie are attacked by the Green Knight while they are meeting with Nari. Merlin discovers that the Green Knight is King Arthur and gets mortally injured while protecting Douxie. Nari is captured.

Back at the Trollmarket Jim decides to use Merlin's staff and free Morgana as his token of gratitude (as he is a human who can speak Troll language, it's possible for him). Morgana is surprised to be free and calls Jim naive for her decision as she might try to take over the world in the future. However, she has already given up on that plan after seeing that humans and trolls can work side-by-side and the world may have a better future.

Her plan is to use the same spell as Merlin and seal Bellroc and Skrael. Douxie returns with the staff, updating everyone about the recent developments. The team decides to use Genesis seals as a lure, and Douxie recovers them with the help of Charlemagne.

Morgana is preparing the trap for her sealing technique with the assistance of Douxie and Claire. Everyone else faces the Green Knight, with Angor Rot finishing him but dying in the process.

Morgana's plan works, and she seals Bellroc and Skrael (Nari comes to help her too). She puts more into it to make it more effective, so she crumbles to dust in the process, but the world is saved.

[trollhuntingdirectory]

What It Takes To Survive

Changelings.

To the common troll, the very utterance of the word evokes worry, suspicion, a suspicious glance to those around us. We all know our history with their people, a history full of deception, espionage, assassinations and infiltration. To the common troll, a changeling brings with them tragedy and misfortune.

But indeed, it is not just the common troll that suffers. To be a changeling is to never know peace. If they are found by trolls, they are killed. If they are found by humans, they are killed. This is the life of a changeling.

(Please click below for the full story)

Let’s make one thing very clear. I don’t excuse the horrors brought to our communities by the hands of these half-trolls, half-humans. There have been many deaths, and many tears shed, all for a purpose that none of us have yet to figure out, and may well never know.

But, at the same time, I will not deny that their existence is an ongoing hardship, and even those who have attempted to return after being taken have been chased away with stone and steel and the cries of ‘Impure’ at their backs. There is no home for them among trolls, or with humans, where they must always play pretend. Pretend has many more downsides, I’ve learned. Man may not be made of living stone like my people, but they are just as bloodthirsty, and capable of the same evil as Gumm Gumms and those who worship Gunmar.

Now, I know it’s going to be foolish to admit, but I did try tracking down a changeling up in Arcadia a while back. Not to capture or fight, but to speak with. It wasn’t easy, obviously. They hide in plain sight, and I cannot be out during the day like them.

Perhaps they got tired of my snooping, or suspicious at the very least, but I did catch the attention of one. Death threats aside, he was polite, and with a few exchanged words, a deal was struck.

He would grant me audience, I would agree to leave his people alone and not disclose any information that could be seen as a threat to their security. I imagine he was also amenable to the idea that a story may make sympathizers among trolls, making their goal easier to obtain. Doubtful, of course, but the idea of sympathy was not a poor one.

“The old Vespa Warehouse,” he told me. “Tomorrow night. We shall speak there, and you may ask for whatever story you wish. I cannot promise that it will be legitimate, though.”

Of course not, I thought. But the cataloguing of a real changeling’s life would be a welcome addition to my archives of Trollkind, and I’ve always been told that my curiosity was my constant lead to trouble.

Say what you will about changelings, but they keep to their words when bargains are struck, regardless of if they intended a backstab or not, which I had a feeling wouldn’t be necessary here.

He was in a small office within the building, sitting alone in a deteriorating room, waiting patiently. He seemed rather pleased that I’d shown up, at the very least. He greeted me, I took a seat nearby, and he asked a definitive question. What did I wish to know. I asked for only two things. His name, and what he’d done to survive among humans for so long.

The first was easy, just Otto. A surname was inconsequential, he was bound to change it in a few decades anyways.

The second, he found, was harder to answer.

“I am not sure if I understand this question fully, mein freund.” He said carefully, arms crossed.

“You’ve been on the surface for the last couple of centuries, right? We all know the humans have gone to war with themselves more than a few times. What was it like going through them, pretending to be human?” I asked.

Again, he found trouble finding his answer.

“I... hm. The last I was caught in, I did not pretend to be human for very long, I will admit, but that is a long, and difficult story.”

I encouraged him to tell his tale, though I could tell that the memories were something he did not want to bring to surface. This was a story to earn sympathy, to show the hardships of his species, to keep record of their stories as I would any other troll. It took some time, and some silence, but eventually, he told me his harrowing years in Poland, back in the human year of 1939.

“You must forgive me now if I do not remember everything correctly, but these times, they were chaotic, and I did a great many things to survive them. You trolls had long left to America by this time, with very few communities remaining as far as my people could tell, so I doubt you’d know much about World War Two outside of books. Back then, I was just another changeling, so to speak. A bit of muscle, just a quiet ear to the ground to send word back to the others in the area as was needed. My human life was nothing important... but that meant that food got harder to come by at that time, and neither of these things seemed to deter German soldiers from seeking me out. They were looking for magic, you see. Their fuhrer wished for power, be it from the deaths of other humans or from that which they call supernatural and arcane. Fellow changelings were captured, and it makes me understandably sick to think of what was done to them, but the most important thing was the safety of our sanctuary at the time.”

He paused, and looked me in the eye.

“I only mention it because it is gone now. Months before its destruction, sights had finally been set on me, and that place was the only that would keep me safe. We are not as indestructible as you, after all. Humans are always looking for ways to kill things even faster, even more painfully. One could easily brush off an arrow or sword, but wartime ballistic weapons pierce and hurt even our hardiest changelings these days. That much has been the way of things for a hundred years or so, now. But that is is aside from the point. You wish to know how I lived through such a dangerous time, when humans could easily shoot me down and were actively hunting me. The truth is, I’m... not proud of how. It was certainly not my first option, either, but one does what they must when they are cornered.” He paused, pushing his small glasses up his face a little.

“The first time it happened, I was cornered by a soldier in a back alley, in a town that I doubt still exists. He’d shot me in the leg, I was limping and helpless. I’m not sure how I’d been exposed, but he was after me because I was a changeling. A lucky reason to be hunted, many humans did not have that luxury, and were taken for far more mundane reasons... The first time it happened, I was cornered, and I was injured, and something in me snapped. I was a younger troll then, more quick to act on instinct.”

He shook his head, and looked troubled. I assured him that he didn’t need to continue if he didn’t wish it so, but he told me it was fine. It was difficult, but it was indeed something to be archived. If anything of changelings should be remembered, it’s what happens when they are pushed from all sides.

“One moment, he was approaching gun raised, the next... I was no longer in my glamour, and no longer hungry. It was... Hm. I was, scared, I think. We changelings were never part of the Pact you trolls follow, but we also normally don’t... eat, uh, humans. We ourselves are half human, so in a way it is cannibalism, yes? I was horrified, naturally. Killing a fleshbag is easy, but to lose control and eat was something different entirely. That’s when I knew I needed to return to my sanctuary. They would have food there, and shelter, and surely safety from the soldiers who wanted my capture. It was months before I reached it, having to hide often, trying to avoid losing control, and... occasionally losing it.” He laughed, nervously, as if it was an embarrassment. “The safe haven was gone when I came across it. Whether those inside had destroyed it to keep our existence safe, or there had been a lucky strike from a Luftwaffe, I will never know. It was still burning when I got there, with the soldiers pouring over it for anything useful. Those bastards, they do not realize how easily we crumble to dust. There was nothing for them there, but for me, it just meant there was nowhere for me to go... This is where things get fuzzy. I lost control, again, I think. And there are... moments, I remember, of lucidity, after that. Forests, snow, sometimes I think I came across soldiers, but I don’t know if I killed them or not. I was... not myself, then, but I still was particular. Only the soldiers and men with the armbands were eaten. You look in those history books from the surface, mein freund. You’ll see I did the fleshbags a service.”

“Ah, but that’s beside the point. The point is. Humans drove me into the woods. I did not have any changelings alive to help me anymore, and the local trolls would easily sniff me out. You asked me what I did to survive? Apparently, I lost my mind and ran off into the wilderness, for a length of time I still cannot seem to comprehend. I’ve been given numbers numerous times after being found, but they mean nothing to me. I survived by becoming a wild animal, because there was nowhere else to go.”

It’s been a few days since the meeting with the changeling, and I still wonder about a great many things. What is it like to lose yourself to instinct to survive? How do you life your life unable to find community, unable to trust others of your kind? What must it be like, to not be welcomed by anybody in times of trouble? The life of a changeling is a complicated one, and despite what many full blooded trolls may believe, they are still as much troll as any of us.

Perhaps Otto told a lie to earn sympathy, perhaps he told a truth to get it off his chest and forget about it for good... Or, perhaps, he hoped to have something of his people remembered in some way that wasn’t of fear or distrust. I don’t think I’ll ever know the truth, I don’t even know if he still lives, though changelings are notorious for faking deaths. There is only one thing for certain that I learned from this.

What would we do to survive in a world that is against us from all sides? Who would we turn to out of desperation and anger? What would we do to keep our people from extinction? These are questions we should always ask ourselves in the face of changelings who work against us. You do not have to like them or what they do, but you cannot deny their existence.

These are real trolls, three dimensional and complicated as any other, and we must never forget this.