#back when I first watched season 3 of Trollhunters and Jim got trolled that’s what I thought his arc would be going forward

[avirxy]

In the monster hunter au is there a reason the werewolf curse can't be cured?

Yes! I think it means a lot more narratively within the whole story if it can’t be cured.

Claire’s going to have to come to terms with it, she’s going to have address that her original recklessness set her on this path and no, it can’t be changed. Things happen, irreversible, good or bad things and you can’t change that.

But just because it happened, again good or bad, doesn’t mean you can’t continue, you can’t live, you can’t be happy, things may never be the same again and that’s sometimes a really hard pill to swallow. With time and support though things may just work out.

[fill-me-with-your-memes-daddy]

Watching the Rise of the Titans movie and I'll be documenting all of my thoughts/reactions here. [Spoiler Warning]

So instead of reblogging every new update, I'm just going to have this post up on my phone as I watch and type my reactions in a bullet list format.

Nari's human disguise is so cute. As someone who does have a cottagecore aesthetic, I want to cosplay her so bad

Are Skrael and/or Belroc non-binary coded? Regardless, I'm also obsessed and I want to fuck Skrael and be Belroc.

STEVE CARING ABOUT JIM BEING HURT YESSSS!!! My god his redemption has probably been one of the greatest there is because he doesn't just suddenly go from being a bully to a completely good person. You can see the gradual shift in learning better throughout the shows which is awesome.

IN NEW YOOOOOOORRRRRRRK!!!!!! CONCRETE JUNGLE WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE OFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!

The mugshot montage reminded me of season 1 of trollhunters when toby and Jim were arrested at the museum.

STRICKLER PUT A RING ON IT??? HE'S THE ONLY DILF IVE EVER ACTUALLY AGREED WAS HOT WYM I CAN'T HAVE HIM??? well I'm still really happy about his arc over the series probably one of my favorite character growths.

Eli my guy got his growth spurt!!! As an 18 year old who is still 5'0", I'm happy but envious for him

So I went into this movie without watching any trailers or promo, but I doubt anything could have prepared me for the existence of mpreg. In fact, I wasn't going to document my reactions until I saw that.

NAMURA!!!!!!!!! MY BELOVED!!!!!! I CAN STILL THIRST FOR YOU WITHOUT GUILT

The coach teacher just called the kids zoomers so I have to dock one point from my final rating just because of that. Unforgivable

Those husky animation models suck lmao

Oh fuck the titans got power ranger zords!!

God why did they include the mpreg??? This movie would have been perfect without it.... After that plot point being revisited only one time I'm already beyond done with it

Like it's bringing me back to the v*ltron days where they're was a suspiciously high amount of klance omegaverse and mpreg fics and art created and it physically hurts because Steve and Keith's voice actor is the same person meaning this is especially cursed to me since I was unfortunately in the v*ltron fandom and remember all of that

But like on another note, how old are these characters again??? I haven't checked any wikis because of spoilers but is Steve an adult??? I know aja might be technically a lot older than 18 because alien but is whatever age she is equivalent to an adult as far as emotionally and physically in Akaridion development??? IS THIS A TEEN (M)PREGNANCY IN A KIDS SHOW????

Like bruh I saw a singular post on here before going into the movie that was like "rott spoilers without context" and there was a pregnant belly but I was absolutely not expecting the actual context of it. I'll find the post after I finish and edit this post to tag the creator right here: @makoden

This entire post is just gonna be me ranting about mpreg huh

Anyway I love the whole roundtable allusion to the legends of king arthur (not the toa version but the one he's based off)

THERE'S 3 TO 5 BABIES????? I need to take a break bruh this is just too much

Alright I've taken a 30 minute break got some food and did some things i love (decompressed by tactile stimming with some owl plushies and watched some videos on my favorite owl, Garu. He lives in Japan with his owner and is a domesticated eagle owl who basically just acts like a sky cat. If anyone else needs some eye bleach, here is their YouTube channel)

Blinky and ARRRGHHH!!! saying their "if one of us doesn't make it" talk my god one of them is going to die I can see it and I will be utterly crushed. Jim can't lose another father figure and Toby can't lose his wingman again I will riot if this happens

On a similar but unrelated to the movie note, can we just talk about how toa started with Jim having 0 dads and (if strickler and blinky live to the end) will end with 2 dads? Like I just really feel happy for him that he has two dads who actually figured out how to put the past behind them to not have any infighting between them so that both of them are healthy father figures. Jim has already been through literal hell and back losing his actual humanity in the process so if he loses one of them, I'm going to be really pissed because at this point, this is just Jim torture porn. Y'all know how as SpongeBob SquarePants went on, the show just became Squidward torture porn? It's starting to feel that way for toa and I really hope they cut the shit by the ending

Jlaire is such a good ship but like I feel like it's too perfect they never disagree with each other

YESSSSSSS Someone finally doesn't treat toby like a fat waste of space who messes stuff up!!! I think out of all the characters that would have been most deserving of a rewrite, it's Toby. Sometimes I just feel he's only comic relief and any heartfelt moments he's had in the series was also born of stupidity (ie his flour baby project being unharmed was seen by him as divine intervention from his parents but was actually just Eli and Steve behind the scenes).

Ohhhhh yesssssss Archie's father!!! I was hoping I'd see him again because we got so little of him last

Ooooooooooh Asian trollmarket!!!!!

Oh never mind slavery trollmarket

Bruh titanic camelot

I feel like we're not seeing enough of the villains because I completely forgot about the power ranger zord things

NAMORA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MY LAST CRUSHHHH

STRICKLER NO NOT YOU TOO PLEASE

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE ONLY TWO CHARACTERS I SIMP FOR ON THIS SHOW DIED WITHIN FIVE MINUTES OF EACH OTHER

THAT WHOLE ASS RANT I WROTE IS COMING TRUE FUCK THIS MOVIE THIS SERIES IS JUST JIM TORTURE PORN

WAIT JIM'S SPERM DONOR INFO?

Oh thank God I don't want to know anything about that person

For the record, I call that man Jim's sperm donor because he has no business being called a father to him. All he did was donate some swimmers to the creation of him and give him abandonment issues

Oh another blind troll elder???? This fucker is just if vendel was a bad guy

Bruh I was grieving

PACIFIC RIM WITH GUN ROBOT VEX AND THE BELROCZORD? I've never seen that movie but I know the reference

Bruh Blinky doesn't read horoscopes? Does he realize conspiracy theories are just the manly version of horoscopes?

NO DON'T KILL VEX STOP KO-ING FOUND FAMILY MEMBERS

Oh thank God he's okay

NO NOT ARCHIE AND CHARLEMAGNE OH MY GOD

oh never mind they're just gonna coup de tat I believe in them :))

But I want to see him again

But I'm glad to see vex

Yay they're in arcadia!

But yeah I wondered why the trolls and Merlin didn't keep the whole "daylight doesn't hurt trolls" feature from the eternal night but now Guillermo del Toro I see you were playing the long con in that just to kill my girl Namora :(((

Oooooh I love the animation of the Narizord over Chihuahua!! It looks very good and realistic (if only they could have put some of that into those huskies from before smh)

Bruh the character designs of the arcane order are so good I want to be them

Nari making sure the Skraelzord doesn't crush the bus

DAMN DOUBLE HOMICIDE

Bruh I'm just glad we finally have an answer on why arcadia had everything going on as opposed to literally anywhere else!! I always found that as a weird coincidence for plot convince.

BRUH WERE BACK TO THE MPREG IM SO JEALOUS I FORGOT ABOUT THAT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS GRIEVING THE LOSS OF MY LOVELIES.

Oh that's real convenient that the ninth configuration meant all of them. Way to not decide which character gets more attention. Though it probably was a smart way to not have any infighting in the fandom between each character's stan group.

Bruh I just realized where is Barbera did they just ditch her on the Camelot ship???

And where are the other trolls that migrated at the end of trollhunters s3? They said something about new jersey but obviously Jim and the other main characters got on Camelot instead.... This feels like a plot hole

And we never learned the process of how changelings are made and bonded to humans and stuff. We just know it's super painful but I'm curious ffs!!!!

THE DONT THINK BECOME HERO SPEECH ALL SAID TOGETHER!!!

BRUH THEY REALLY HAD TO SHOW HIM GIVING BIRTH??????? WAS THAT AN ABSOLUTE MUST??????

Plus the main audience for this series is little children (the rating for the movie is literally TV-Y7) so even though my adult ass is not in the target audience, I STILL DONT UNDERSTAND WHY WOULD MPREG AND ANAL BIRTH WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT THING TO 7 YEAR OLDS???? THIS IS A LITERAL FETISH HIDDEN IN KIDS CONTENT ITS ELSAGATE ALL OVER AGAIN Y'ALL 😭😭😭😭😭

Though it's probably hypocritical of me to think fetishes don't belong in kids tv when I've openly admitted to thirsting for strickler and namora

HUZZAH

NEW AMULET WAZ GOOD????

STAB THAT BITCH JIM

WAIT NO I SAID STAB NOT GET STABBED

Alright good job just missed the directions at first but you fixed it

SEVEN KIDS?????????

T O B Y ????????????

W A I T NO

N O

IS HE ACTUALLY

OH MY GOD THERE'S HOPE

NO THERE ISN'T

F U C K THIS SHIT THEY REALLY JUST HAD HIM TO BE BULLIED THEN KILLED

Y'ALL IM ACTUALLY CRYING THIS NEVER HAPPENS

I NEVER ACTUALLY GET SO EMOTIONAL OVER MEDIA THAT I CRY IT ONLY HAPPENED ONCE AT THE END OF VOLTRON BUT AHHHHHHHH

W A I T

HE'S GONNA BE BROUGHT BACK?????

HOLD UP THEY'RE JUST GONNA BRING ALL THOSE DEAD PEOPLE BACK??????

WAIT IS HE

BLINKY CALLED HIM A SON

HOLD ON IS THIS GOING TO BE A CLIFFHANGER???????????

BRUH THEY REALLY JUST CAN'T END THE SERIES WITHOUT CLIFFHANGERS like there's always an open ending

TROLLHUNTER TOBY????? You know what forget the whole rants I had on how toby was written they just redeemed it all

And that's all! I'd rate it a 6.5/10 because it's definitely the weakest of all the sequels but still had amazing animation and some good plot points. It's just really hard to look over the bad stuff enough to rate it any higher.

[imthepunchlord]

I'm curious since you mentioned trollhunters, but if you ever feel like it, would you change the movie? I myself didn’t really watch the series after b3llow season 1, but everyone said that it sucks.

I actually haven't checked out the movie yet. It's on my list but I'm just not in the mood for it.

And personally, I feel like the whole series went downhill starting with s3 of Trollhunters. It wasn't a satisfying season to me. They didn't take advantage of possible scenarios, and did characterizations I didn't care for, and went in a route I didn't like.

Like, you have Angor's revival, and you got Claire stuck serving Morgana unconsciously. This could set up her and Angor stuck serving Morgana and that could've been so interesting as not only were they enemies that had personal clashes, but Claire was all for Jim wearing Angor's ring. And in a nice little touch of irony, she's now in similar shoes to Angor and they're being forced to serve Morgana together. And the only thing keeping them from going at each other is that they both hate Morgana more, but she holds all the cards and they're stuck in this tension and develop a grudging respect for each other. Maybe something similar to a friendship develops but not exactly.

And s2 made me think I was going to see Claire and Angor interactions and just so ready for that tension. Just like Jim and Walt had a unique relationship, I was ready to see this.

Only I didn't.

And Angor for some reason was ready to be all loyal to Morgana?

Also Gunmar who has been the long built up villain, THE BIG BAD, is now not the big bad and the recently built up Morgana is, to a point that Gunmar is like her servant? And follows her with blind devotion?

I don't know about you guys, but I didn't get that impression the first two seasons...

I'm putting the rest under cut cause I am going off. I don't know what's going on with me today.

I didn't like Merlin. He came out very differently than what I had perceived of Merlin at the end of s2. Yes, he did sound like an arrogant character, but not unkind. And based on what was built up, he was possibly the first and only human that trolls had a lot of respect for and vice versa as he made an amulet for this race to use.

Well, if he was planned like this, I got the wrong impression. He came out to be very obnoxious and creepy. And brought about one of the worst narrative choices I've seen at that time. Troll Jim wound up to be pretty pointless, and it had more cons than pros. He was made to face off against Morgana and guess what? He was out for most of that fight.

So we had gotten pretty pointless angst of Jim losing that normalcy he really wanted to go back to, for a plot reason that he wasn't even all that involved in. I could've rolled with half changeling Jim, but Troll Jim was pointless to me.

I also didn't care for s3's hammering in "your humanity's a weakness" and I'm over here like, wasn't the first two seasons more about his humanity being a strength??

Also missed opportunity of seeing Blinky and Walt butt heads as mentors. Side note, screw you Jim saying that Walt's like a father figure when Blinky is right there. It was only done to feed into the Walt and Barbara agenda which was going to happen anyway so it was a cheap move and a disservice to your dad.

Lastly, Douxie was a very pointless cameo to give attention to.

And then there's what comes after, 3 Below and Wizards.

3 Below I didn't enjoy at all, but I'll admit bias as I never liked space and aliens. This is why if ever asked, I'll say Dragon Age over Mass Effect easily. So 3 Below I personally wish I just skipped. There was nothing in there for me. They didn't even do Toby justice! He should be treated as more of a veteran character who has a unique wisdom to offer but nope! Just gotta still be a joke... it's also pretty dicey that one of the major villains of 3 Below is a black woman, which black characters are rare in this show.

And Wizards, I almost stopped watching at the first episode because Douxie annoyed me so much. At most, I kept watching for Claire and thankfully he got a lot better. And ultimately, I enjoyed Wizards far more than 3 Below, but not as much as the first two seasons of Trollhunters. Wizards was probably more confusing.

I still couldn't say why they had to travel to the past outside time travel convivence for unknown narrative reason.

I still didn't know who these new villains are and where did they come from? Why are they here now? Was I supposed to read a novel I didn't know the existence of?

The Morgana redemption was jarring as s3 was swearing up and down that she's the TRUE big bad. And King Arthur as a villain I didn't mind, but man I didn't like how they went about it.

And that could've been fitting as the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot's adoptive mother, is often thought to be a powerful fairy. And trolls should be of the fae folk, 1, I was suspecting that a lot of these characters were possibly reincarnations of famous characters from the Arthurian Legends. Jim for Lancelot, Claire for Morgana, possibly Steve for King Arthur, ect.

And that could've been fitting as the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot's adoptive mother, is often thought to be a powerful fairy. And trolls should be of the feyfolk, which could make sense as to why Jim Lake would be more easily accepted by races of magic if his ancestor was raised by a powerful fairy.

Oh, and Lady of the Lake, I am so sorry they made you an ugly giant one eyed kraken. Which to me is the most uninspired design that you could do. I'm all for her not being a human figure, but not this.

Last thing I want to rant about is Douxie. Thankfully, he did get better and became more likable. But knowing his set up and getting to see his character, I was so tempted to just turn off the tv. This character who is immortal and has been amongst humanity and "training" for years, well he's having a big tantrum like he's 4 yo. 3 Below already put me off majorly for Tales of Arcadia, and seeing this characterization, I wasn't in the mood for it.

So, that movie, yeah I'm not interested to see it. Mildly curious at most. But Tales of Arcadia, by s3 of Trollhunters, it was going downhill for me. They were making choices and changes I didn't like and it was clearly becoming a show that wasn't for me anymore. I don't know how the fanbase responded to ToA over all as I wasn't deep in it, so I'm going to presume I'm an odd one out fan wise. I'll probably see it sometime, but not anytime soon.

And sorry for going off, you probably got a lot more than you were expecting. I don't know what's going on but I guess I got a lot to let off these days.

[feather-dancer]

Tales of Arcadia Fanfic Recommendations - Part 6

I do admittedly have things left to read in my tabs I’d normally prefer to clear out before posting one of these but when you sail past the 30 mark I think it’s about time to get it out my drafts, yeah? Most importantly means this will be out before Rise of the Titans comes and emotionally destroys us all.

Needless to say soon as this is posted I give it 24 hours before 7 starts, we’ve got some amazing writers in this fandom and there’s a couple I juuust want one more chapter before I feel I can recommend it. Hope you find something you enjoy :)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

If at all interested in my own writing you can find it here!

General Trollhunters

Romeo, Question Mark - Jim is figuring himself out and has a question for Toby though nervous of how he might react. Honestly the support Aromantic’s need when they’re either questioning or coming out, Toby is a gem.

By The Book - After his dad left changing his world Jim had moments in his life where he needed to wrangle things in a way he could understand them with some moral support along the way that wasn’t there to do it for him, just give a light nudge the right direction. Comes with light Jilaire fluff.

That I Could Fear a Door - Jim was pulled from the Darklands whole but you cannot escape the trauma of your experiences quite so easily. It will take a little time, a lot of patience and perhaps the right ear to listen but with it can come hope.

Lest Back the Awful Door Should Spring - Sequel to the above, Jim’s capture to be sentenced by the tribunal echoes his experiences in the Darklands a little too closely sending all his careful progress hurtling back in one fell swoop. Is it any wonder he chose a false freedom that Unkar offered?

Façade - The confirmation that Mr. Strickler is not the man you thought he was probably was not going to be an easy one, Jim’s thoughts sit ill after that dinner.

Fashion - All changelings take root somewhere in a human life before their changeling one succeeds it and Nomura is no different. She felt love she could not understand and the ache of loss will follow for as she meanders through this world by the Whisper Man’s orders and her own volition of needing to belong somewhere. She will try her hand with the humans and the trolls, paint the road with blood as much as indulging herself with the arts and even risking her heart until everything leads her to Arcadia’s doorstep.

In Deep Trouble - What happened in the Deep during Season 2?

Aftermath - Just after the finale of Season 2 the Market trolls are forced to run leaving their homes behind and follow the Trollhunter they had dismissed so many times into the great unknown before them.

Don’t think - Jim weighs up his options and attempts to settle his thoughts before making the final decision whether or not to go through with using Merlin’s potion.

Nocturne for a Trollhunter - Jim learns a new hobby that gives him another way to relax that doesn’t involve cooking, one that follows him beyond Arcadia.

The Asteroid - A rare 3Below fic for my lists if centered on a certain hedge witch and Wizard. The end of the world is coming but not by Morgana’s hand and Merlin certainly never warned Douxie about it so if this truly is the end then it’s the best time to bring your loved ones close so you won’t be going out alone. Yes it’s Zouxie.

A bright future so it seemed (but that light grew a little less bright) - Claire’s parents (Or more specifically Ophelia) set her on the perfectionist’s path early, even a little slip can feel like the end of the world

Rest, Master Jim - You might be able to escape the Darklands but you cannot escape the consequences of being trapped there for so long as easily.

General Wizards

Not Found - So why did neither Douxie or Archie find the two remaining changelings in Arcadia or bring back the sole Akiridion when Merlin asked?

Place of Power - A lovely bit of shameless Zouxie fluff in that brief period the gang was at Hex Tech before the plot came to get them.

Bitter Water - Only two of the old team remain in Arcadia and those were Jim and Krel, the rest having left to pursue educational pursuits and in one particular case kept away for Nari’s safety. For the Akiridion he is still here with reminders of his heritage and what it took to have this life on earth chasing him all the way. It’s always good to have friends with a listening ear and hot chocolate.

Together, Dearest - The very act of resting is a potential invitation for nightmares and Nari is no different but when once more in the waking world you will find you’re not alone, there are hugs available.

The Night Belongs To Us - Lovingly described Skraelroc fluff during their long hunt for Merlin and the strangeness that can be observed on clearer nights.

Nineteen Plus Nine Hundred, Give Or Take - 900 years is a long time by anyone’s standards but perhaps during that Douxie can figure out how to truly live.

Twelfth Century Wizard, Twenty-First Century Witch - The follow up to the above, when you’ve lived a long and interesting life things can still pop up in odd ways... Even if you haven’t quite mastered the sacred art of texting yet.

ERAS TÚ (It was you). | Tales of Arcadia One-Shot - Would you want to live forever if it meant leaving everyone behind? Jilaire.

the only way for us to go - From his rescue from the streets of Camelot to the eventual guardian of this realm, Douxie has come a very, very long way. Through the frustrations of trying to learn magic, the belittling of others, the faith of Morgana and the power of music his experiences throughout 900 years truly make him what he is.

lay down your head - Even the mightiest can be plagued with the not so humble migraine. Skraelroc fluff.

Stricklake

Merry Christmas, Doctor Lake - Some Christmas gifts are worth going all out for and getting your friends and family to help out to make it extra special.

Grocery Run - After the incident where Merlin dismissed Strickler for being a changeling it is time for an excuse to get out the house for a bit and have a frank discussion about their relationship, the future beyond the incoming battle and lingering insecurities of two worlds colliding.

Alternate Universe

Fashionista, How Do You Look? - An AU that very much takes the term very literally here where everyone is human, Skrael, Bellroc and Nari are fashion designers plus many other ToA characters we know and love are either in the industry in some way themselves or on the fringes because of their jobs/who they know. Sometimes you work with catty bitches and want to kick back and watch the fireworks you know? Contains friends to almost to enemies to friends to maybe we’ll get our shit together this time but the odds aren’t great Skraelroc. There’s also a Zouxie oneshot in this collection that was a gift for meee because of the corner I dug in the AU.

Atlas, Fallen - When a star falls from the sky it is a punishment so when Atlas suddenly finds himself amongst the humans he had observed from above for countless ages in a flesh body like theirs he fears his Mother is punishing him and unable understand what he did wrong. While trying to find his way back home he gets a crash course in what it’s like to be human making friends along the way. Slow burn Jilaire.

she once was a true love of mine - I put this under the AU section even though it wavers between that and not, a mixture of classical Arthurian mythos and the glimpses of the Camelot in Tales of Arcadia where one kingdom collapses from war another strengthens by taking their princess as queen. While Arthur might have turned her head once it is the sibling that seems to be catching Gwen’s eye of late as much as her thoughts. Morgwen but in the department of pining.

Pulled From The Ocean - AU doesn’t quite fit this one but it feels a bit more fitting than general. A little oneshot snapshot of Jim living with deafness and the contrast of one world that falls easily into supporting that whereas the other tries their best but it makes the slip ups sting even more.

you are a stranger here, why have you come? - Fate is a funny old thing, something happens a little bit differently such as a father not leaving alone and everything can change so drastically. Nari’s fondness for children strikes again and this time it involves a 5-year old Jim Lake Jr. ending in the Order’s care and their foray into found family. Somehow Jim is even more of a disaster and as likely surmised from the fact I write this trope myself I am very weak for it.

go into your local forest and you will find a friend and a boy - Toby was unlucky in the friend department and by the time he is ten he still feels miserable and lonely having to endure Steve’s increasing bullying all the while. This is of course until he finds a blue half-troll hiding out the daylight hours munching cans in the local woods...

[tiecladartist]

Okay, spoilers beneath the cut because I have some issues with Rise of the Titans.

Tales of Arcadia is one of my favorite series ever. It handled the "Kid is the chosen one" situation brilliantly, every character had depth (even characters like Steve, Eli, the teachers, etc). Theme was expertly handled with each part of the series. Destiny, heroism and sacrifice for Trollhunters; Family, duty and home for 3-Below; Legacy, prejudice and family (again) for Wizards. Every season brought me to tears, made me laugh, made me fear for the safety of the characters and want good things for them after watching them sacrifice over and over again. It is a comfort show for me and always will be.

Now, the movie...

So, I don't think it was bad. I also don't think it was good, unfortunately. The animation took a bit of getting used to after bingeing everything else leading up to this, but I can't deny it was incredibly beautiful. It was especially nice to see places other than Arcadia and Akiridion-5. It started off strong with the train fight, and admittedly there were a lot of scenes I quite liked during the movie. But, just the scenes. I liked moments, but overall it didn't come together quite as well as the shows did.

The biggest factor is likely time. I doubt making this a movie was the initial plan since I know production companies enjoy snubbing out strong series for various reasons. Honestly, I was surprised we got an "ending" at all based on the trends of recent shows being forced to wrap things up prematurely. Even Wizards felt rushed compared to the others and as a result a lot of interesting concepts were brushed over quickly. I mean, I for one would've loved to see more Camelot "filler" shenanigans since those less plot-heavy episodes that we had throughout Trollhunters and 3-Below helped us explore the characters and grow to love them, and we didn't get quite as much of that with Douxie, Archie, Lancelot, Charlemagne, etc. But I digress, this post is supposed to be about the movie, not Wizards.

So yeah, I think Rise of the Titans should've been a show rather than a movie. We could have more time before Nari is captured, focusing on the "where are they now" of all the characters after the year we skipped. Jim gets to cook and eat human food after losing that passion when becoming a troll, adjusting to being human again! Maybe him and Toby talk about Barbara and Stickler being together and how it's kinda weird (Toby could compare it to having conflicting feelings over his Nana dating an alien). Krel and Aja have a call about how it is being the Queen and Steve interrupts because he misses Aja. Perhaps we hear Eli in the background doing something related to the "Secret weapon" and the call gets cut off quickly because this leads to a small disaster on Aja's end that she needs to go fix. Claire is practicing her magic with the help of Zoe while Douxie is off with Nari. NARI AND DOUXIE INTERACT WITH EACHOTHER AND WE ACTUALLY GET TO SEE IT! (Like, I know that they were travelling together for a year and that that is why Douxie is sad when Nari dies, but it didn't impact at all outside of empathy because there was no emotional investment on my end towards their friendship). But yeah, we get to see what's going on with everyone, and then perhaps this first episode ends with the reveal of them being ready for a plan of sorts (luring the arcane order and cutting off their magic. That wouldn't be revealed though). Cut to the Arcane Order in their super secret clubhouse saying they're close to finding Nari and you get a decent cliffhanger.

Episode 2 would start with the train fight and go fairly the same way. We see Jim struggling with fighting with no armor. Or perhaps he has akiridion armor, but it's too rigid or keeps malfunctioning (doesn't fit, so to speak). Only difference is that Jim's arc wouldn't be about whether or not he's still the trollhunter, because we've been through that already and he knows. I could get having moments of doubt, but his full on denial was kinda out of place after everything he went through. Instead, it could be that he feels useless due to now being a burden in a fight. Or perhaps instead he's wrestling with guilt. He's blaming himself since the arcane order got the seals due to them trying to rescue him. Maybe both? Maybe he even misses his troll body and feels that he's too weak now. Yes, he's still the trollhunter, amulet or not, but he's feeling less and less capable of answering this particular call, and that bothers him. He doesn't want to be a burden after all. Fight ends with the train crash, arrest, Douxie swapping with Nari, all the same.

Now, this is where things would go very very differently. Have more time before Douxie and Nari switch back. Let the Arcane order monologue a little more. They want to reset the world because the balance has been shifted? Cool! Tell me more! Did they used to try to get along with the humans? Did they try diplomacy in the past only to fail due to the stubborn humans, and that's why they've decided to take drastic measures? Or if not, explore why they believe they're the ones allowed to decide the balance is off. Is it because they're powerful? Or how long they've been on Earth? Did they reset it in the past and thus know through experience? I don't mind not knowing, since not everything needs to be spelled out for the audience, but there was potential to make them characters rather than obstacles, and it wasn't really utilized to its full potential. Allow Douxie to pick their brains a little instead of immediately swapping him and Nari back and only succeeding in delaying things a few more hours. Hell, if it was a TV show I honestly would've had one or two episodes before doing that while we address how that initial failure (and the fact that magical creatures/aliens were revealed to the world) affected everyone.

Maybe I'll go through and like, actually plot out episodes and stuff, but since I only just finished watching, here's just some various things I'd change:

-Get rid of that whole Steve pregnancy. That was just out of place and rather than the "comedy" breaking the tension, it shattered it completely and distracted from everything. If you wanna explore his father-based character arc, maybe have him and Aja discussing the fact that now that she's queen, she'll need heirs. And maybe Steve isn't sure he could be a good dad due to his history with paternal figures. You could even have it that he's taking care of Nari while her and Douxie are switched, and that leads to a situation where he helps her out and realizes he may be a better dad than expected. Or perhaps Blinky gives him paternal advice. Or Strickler. Or even BARBARA AND JIM like, Steve couldn't be worse than Jim's dad, and letting Steve and Jim bond over that would be nice. There was so much potential, but instead, Steve was reduced to an out of place running gag instead of getting a resolution to his character arc. And hey, if you wanna keep the whole male akiridions give birth thing that's cool, but it's gotta be done in moments where it won't distract. Or, you could even have it be that it means Aja and Steve need to adopt because uh... she's inorganic and he's organic? His body likely isn't actually built for akiridion childbirth despite the movie glossing over this fact? And maybe Steve has mixed feelings about someone else being the dad of his kids, but Coach and him talk about how Coach isn't his biological dad, but that doesn't mean he loves Steve any less.

-GIVE DOUXIE MORE SCREEN TIME! Seriously, had this been a show he would have the most potential for character growth out of everyone. His series was the shortest, so really all he got was a confidence boost and moving past needing Merlin's approval. But there was so much to explore with him still. What was up with that extreme burst of magic after Merlin's death that was never brought up again? How has he been mentally handling singlehandedly guarding Nari against the Arcane order for a year? Once he and Nari switch back, does he feel guilt over not being able to protect her? "Merlin wouldn't have failed like that. He kept her safe for thousands of years, I lasted a little over one". Perhaps, in his constant desire to prove himself to the people he cares about, he takes risky moves to try and save Nari again and make up for his mistakes, similar to how Jim was acting in the movie. Eventually, when he and Nari meet up again when trying to break her controlled state, Douxie is apologizing and talking about how he wants to make things right. He sees Nari as a friend; as family, just as much as Archie, and he doesn't want to lose her like he lost Merlin. He doesn't want to lose anyone else (which would make Archie getting stuck in the other Trollmarket, and Nari's sacrifice even more painful later on if that still happened).

-Krel, Eli and Stewart also needed more time. I get it was a movie, so time was short, but still. Krel's entire thing is that he grew to see Earth as his true home, and we didn't get to address the fact that he was immediately at risk of losing it at all. Not to mention the sheer amount of stuff he'd built for everyone. Like, could you imagine an episode where, to break up the tension (in a proper way, not a weird pregnancy way), in the midst of everyone trying to figure out how to stop the titans, Krel has overworked himself fixing and managing everyone's tech. He has to spend a day resting and disasters ensue as no one knows how to fix any of the stuff he usually manages. Like the tech keeping Camelot afloat, for example. Stewart and Eli could be the ones that end up stepping up to fill the Krel sized gap for the day.

-And I know that these fillers would lower the tension a bit, but like, having the titans need to charge up after awakening (like, absorbing elemental energy or something), or perhaps making the Arcane Order have to collect certain things to break the seals in the first place that they had on their fortress but lost when that was destroyed , or any other kinda obstacle to give time between the train fight and the Titans waking up would give time for less plot-heavy, more character focused episodes. And even after the titans wake up, they were moving super slowly and walking across the planet. It's not like they'd be short on time despite the movie making it seem like walking from china to america was a short jog at most.

-Don't give Toby the amulet. Don't get me wrong, I love Toby very much and literally bawled out loud at his sacrifice scene. But like, it made no sense to give him the amulet? Jim doing everything again with years of Trollhunter experience would help solve a lot of problems from his first go around (and I'm not fully on board with the whole time reset in the first place. Resetting to the start of the movie, or even just the fight with Bellroc would be better). Jim knows the burdens of being a trollhunter first hand, and you really think he'd be okay dumping all that on Tobes? Toby, the guy completely content with being the wingman and helping the people he cares about. Toby, the guy who never worried about not having a grand destiny up until the movie. The guy who in his biggest dreams was a Duke, not a king. I think Toby was well aware of how important moral support is and wouldn't see it as a lame superpower. But even if he did, in a tv show they could explore that in a way where he comes to learn just how much that moral support does for his friends. And if you still want his moment of glorious sacrifice (because I count that as one of the well done moments), then do that! But rather than going back in time to save everyone, make it so they sacrifice the stone to turn back time a bit. Risk their victory to try saving Toby. Have them fight Bellroc together instead of it being just Jim, because it's trollhunters, not trollhunter. It always has been, always will.

-And if you're like "But if they don't go back then Strickler and Nomura stay dead!" Then how about they don't kill them for shock factor in the first place? Have Strickler badly injured instead, because by god Barbara deserves some happiness. And think of the potential scene of her treating his wounds, and the two of them think about how things have changed since that visit to trollmarket when they were both hurt. About how Strickler stuck around, and when Barbara thought she'd lost him it scared her. How she's sick of almost losing everyone she cares about. She could talk a bit about Jim's dad then too, and it could be revealed that Jim was outside because he was going to check on them, but stopped when he realized they were talking. And then later on, he asks about his dad, admitting he overheard, and we get that conversation they had in the movie. And if you keep the Nomura sacrifice, give her more of a moment ffs. Like, she deserved better! Have the death be a sacrifice to save someone else instead of just "oops I got caught and I'm in the sun now". Make it deliberate. Make it her decision after a life of serving others. Finally, she got to be the one in control of her fate, and she chose to protect the people she cared about.

There's so much more I could say about this and the potential that was killed by the lack of time, but this is getting long and I should probably try actually doing the work I need to do today.

Edit (Because this just popped in my head and I need to add it).

THEY WERE LITERALLY AROUND THE ROUND TABLE! THE NINTH CONFIGURATION (which like, screw that there are more than 9 heroes here to save the day) WERE THE NEW KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE. They were there to protect the world, and like... did the bond between Lancelot and Steve just not exist anymore? Did that get timeline erased too? Could you imagine Steve fighting to protect the world, doing his best to protect the people he cared about so that he never loses someone like he lost Lance again? He gets to keep his promise to carry on the legacy of the Knights even after they died. THE POTENTIAL WAS THERE!!! THE SET UP WAS THERE!!! BUT NO! WE GET MPREG STEVE INSTEAD!!

[moonsofmars-writes]

Just a normal date

Fandom: Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro, Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez Characters: Jim Lake Jr. (Tales of Arcadia), Claire Nuñez Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Sort Of, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Some light angst, Anxious Jim, Post-Season 3 (Trollhunters), jlaire, Inspired by Fanart, Halloween

Summary: While in New Jersey, Claire asks Jim out for a surprise date.

“Jim, stop.” When he looks up, he finds Claire watching him with furrowed brows and pursed lips.

“What? I didn’t say anything!”

“You are overthinking! Don’t try to deny it,” she adds when he opens his mouth, “I can see it. Calm down, everything will be fine.” Her gaze softens, her grip on his hand tightens a little. “We are going to have fun, I promise. Trust me?”

Notes: I saw this amazing fanart by @sparemoon​ and simply had to write something about it because I loved the idea! It’s just so perfect! I hope you enjoy! 

It’s been weeks since they left Arcadia, weeks since he chose to become, as Merlin put it, a “true Trollhunter.” Yet Jim is still not used to feeling so incredibly vulnerable when he walks on plain sight, where everyone could see him and - well, most likely run away screaming. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” He asks, looking around nervously. Perhaps he is worrying too much; it’s late, the moon is a thin silver cut in the dark blue of the sky, and the streets are illuminated only by the warm light of the lampposts. The few people they met were dark, distant figures that quickly disappeared in other roads. He still feels nervous as he was walking in broad daylight. After all, this is not Arcadia. He highly doubts that here in New Jersey people would ignore a weird guy made of stone wandering in their roads, if they noticed him. He truly misses home right now. He and his friends hunted Goblins and fought Gumm-Gumms nightly and the only person who ever got suspicious was Eli! Things were so much easier there. 

“Don’t worry!” Claire glances back at him, a reassuring smile on her lips, and keeps dragging him down the street. “There is no danger, I promise you. I have a plan!” 

Read on AO3

“If you say so,” Jim says under his breath. His muscles are still tense and he is ready to jump away from the road if he hears someone approaching. Why has Claire insisted that they walked down the streets? But she seemed so sure when she asked him out for a date, so excited when she convinced him to go into town by her side, that Jim didn’t have the heart to refuse. They have grown closer during their trip and there have been plenty of strolls, just the two of them, holding hands and stargazing, but the last time they had a date in town was ... wait, how long ago was it? There had been that time before the Eternal Night, with Toby and Darci, but Morgana definitely ruined it. And before … Well, there were their patrols but they weren't very romantic - maybe before Gunmar got out of the Darklands? No, before there was Angor Rot and ... Jim sighs, giving up. Apparently being Trollhunters ruined way too many of their dates. 

That’s another reason why Claire deserves to have this. A normal date - or the closest thing to a normal date her half-troll boyfriend can offer her. She would deserve so much more, though, he muses, watching her walk in front of him. She deserves to be taken to dance or to the movie theatre or to eat something in a fancy restaurant - with someone who can actually eat with her instead of munching the cutlery. He hates the fact that he can’t do any of these things anymore. 

“Jim, stop.” When he looks up, he finds Claire watching him with furrowed brows and pursed lips. 

“What? I didn’t say anything!”

“You are overthinking! Don’t try to deny it,” she adds when he opens his mouth, “I can see it. Calm down, everything will be fine.” Her gaze softens, her grip on his hand tightens a little. “We are going to have fun, I promise. Trust me?”

It’s not like Jim has any other choice when she looks at him like that. “Always,” he mutters and he feels his cheeks getting warmer when she laughs. She let her hair down tonight and wears dark makeup around her eyes that make them look larger and intense. She is beautiful. 

“Okay Romeo, then let’s go! We are almost there!” She turns around, making her black skirt lift a little around her legs. The dress she is wearing is new, it has large sleeves and a hood, but he hasn't had much time to admire her before she put on a sweater. Has he told her already how good she looks with that dress? Maybe he should tell her again, if only to see her smile. He’ll have to remember to do that later. 

“Can you tell me where we are going now?” He asks instead. 

She turns just for a moment to wink at him, “You’ll see.” 

Jim knows better than to ask her again, he is not going to convince her to talk. He sighs and keeps following her, occasionally glancing around to make sure that no one is watching them from the windows. 

He hears the music first - loud and rhythmical, it feels closer every step he takes. His ears twitch and his nose wrinkles when the smell of smoke and food reaches him. That’s when they turn the corner and he can finally see the house down the street. Jim halts, his mouth falling open. The walls are illuminated by multicoloured lights and he can see the silhouettes of people dancing in the yard. “Is that - a party?”

“Yes!” Her mouth is curved into a wide grin, “Here’s where I came this morning. They said everyone could come and that we could join whenever we wanted!”

“But Claire, I …” He swallows and takes a step back, eyes darting from side to side looking for a hiding place. “I am so sorry, I can’t come with you! They would start screaming as soon as they see me, and I just don’t - I don’t want to ruin everything. You’ll get in trouble and - and the others are waiting for us, I can’t risk them being discovered!” His chest starts hurting and he has to stop to take a deep breath. 

“Jim, calm down, please!” Claire says as she reaches him and takes his hands in hers, “it’s okay! Do you -”

“It’s not okay!” He interrupts her, “You deserve someone who can take you at parties or wherever you want to go, and instead you are stuck with me.” He looks down, mouth clenched, and pulls back, away from the light of the lampposts and towards the shadow. 

“Jim, please, stop." He hesitates, eyes still fixed on the ground, and that's enough for her to reach him. He feels her fingers travel along his chin and cheeks, then rubbing tiny circles on his skin. "Look at me," she whispers. When he does, he finds her staring at him with determined eyes, brows slightly furrowed. “I don’t want a random guy who can take me at parties," she says firmly. "I want you, Jim Lake Jr. You and no one else. Do you get it? I love you, no matter where you can or cannot take me." 

He stares at her for long moments, breath stuck in his throat. She is not lying, she wouldn’t - she is really okay with it. Something warm seems to melt in his chest, and finally he feels his muscles relaxing. "I love you too," he manages to croak, making her smile. 

"Now, please, breathe."

He does, and his chest starts feeling lighter. Heaving a sigh, he leans towards her until their foreheads are touching. “You are incredible, Claire Nuñez.”

“We both are,” she chuckles, “Now, will you let me explain?”

His voice is small when he answers, “Okay.” 

“Do you know what day it is?”

“Erm … Saturday?”

“No - well, yes, but it’s not just a common Saturday!”

Jim lifts an eyebrow, “Oh?”

She grins and takes something out of her purse. He doesn’t get what she is doing until she has stuffed it into her mouth and gave him a wide smile to show a pair of white plastic fangs. “It’s Halloween, Jim! Tonight we can be whatever we want!”

Halloween? Oh. Oh. “Claire,” he says breathlessly, ��you are a genius!” 

“I know,” she laughs as she takes off her sweater, revealing her dress - now he gets it, it's a costume! “Now, let me finish my makeup and then let’s go having some fun!” 

Minutes later, they are entering the house’s yard, Claire now wearing black lipstick and some face powder. She waves at someone in the crowd, most likely the people she spoke with this morning, but Jim is too distracted by the people to identify them. Everyone is wearing costumes, makeup, even masks and fake horns and fangs. His gut clenches when he notices that some people still stare at him, but theirs are not looks of fear, they are looks of - wonder and admiration? 

“Wow dude, cool makeup!” A girl comments walking past him, winking at him front under a black witch hat. “Where did you get those fangs?”

“I, uhm, online?” Jim mutters before Claire drags him away. The girl is soon lost in the crowd, but she is not the only one who compliments him for his “incredible costume” before they finally get to the dance floor. 

Claire spins around so that she can face him and takes both his hands. “Now, may I have this dance?” She asks, beaming at him. 

“Of course,” he smiles, “No Troll assassin should ruin it this time.”

“Don’t say that!” She laughs, “Now, dance with me.”

Admittedly, Jim didn't have much time to practice his dancing skills in the past few months, and at first, he feels a little awkward. What if he ends up drawing attention, what if someone realises his it's not a costume? But then, he focuses on her. Claire dances, eyes closed, a wide smile on her lips, so obviously having fun that his heart warms. Finally, he lets himself go and dances with her - and it’s liberating, like the burden he felt over his shoulders until now has finally disappeared. A laugh escapes him as he takes her hand in his to make her twirl. No one is looking at them - not for the reasons he feared at least, and for once, he realises, no one is going to attack them in the middle of their date. For once, he can be a normal boy enjoying a date with his girlfriend. He can be just Jim again, tonight. 

[yellowmagicalgirl]

A Different Sort of Rage

“Why does tragedy exist? Because you are full of rage. Why are you full of rage? Because you are full of grief.“ – Anne Carson

OR

Toby grieves Claire. He also helps to save the world, again.

You know, at least once while writing this, I asked myself why I’d even bother. Claire doesn’t affect 3Below Season 2 at all, so why would that change because she’s dead? Well, Toby deserved better.

That’s right, almost a year later, the 3Below Interlude to Juliet Dies in This has been completed! That being said, you don’t need to have read Juliet Dies in This to understand this story; you just need to know it’s an au where Claire didn’t make it out of the Shadow Realm during the Eternal Night.

If you did read Juliet Dies in This, then this takes place between chapters 3 and 4.

Trigger/spoiler warning: there is drowning, mild body horror, and talk of suicide in this fic.

AO3

FFN

Toby clung to a set of wooden planks with one arm; the other was wrapped around Jim’s unconscious body. Saltwater slammed against his lower body, cold and angry. On the other side of the planks was Claire and a heavy anchor connected to a length of chain. With each moment that passed, the planks splintered just a bit more. Too much longer, and there wouldn’t be enough wood to hold on to.

“Can you keep the planks steady for me?” Claire asked. “Then I can shove the anchor into the ocean, and we won’t have to worry about it.”

“Be careful,” Toby said, adjusting his grip on the planks and Jim. Claire hoisted her entire body onto the planks. With a grunt she lifted the anchor and began to scoot it to the ocean.

She was about to drop it when the chain glowed gold and wrapped around her.

Toby didn’t let go of Jim, who would surely drown with no one holding onto him.

Toby didn’t let go of the planks, because he wasn’t a strong swimmer even without a friend to hold on to.

Toby didn’t grab Claire. Instead, he watched in horror as she fell into the cold ocean, her hair indistinguishable with the blackness that she was pulled into.

And then Toby woke up. It had been a while since he last had nightmares about drowning and sinking boats. He had had one or two back when Jim had been in the Darklands. Most of this species of nightmare had occurred before he started puberty but had been old enough to really understand just what had happened to his parents.

“Wingman okay?” AAARRGGHH!!! asked.

“Yeah,” Toby said. “It was just a dream.” He glanced at his clock. 12:51 am. He loved having a semi-normal sleep schedule again, but with most of his friends being nocturnal phone calls weren’t always easy. Oh, well. He was awake anyways; may as well call Jim and Claire.

Wait.

Claire didn’t go to Jim and Blinky to find a Heartstone in New Jersey. Claire had disappeared into a black void and Toby had been the one to lock her in.

So that was why he had that dream.

Toby put a reminder on his phone to look into what mental health options his nana’s health insurance had and then went back to sleep. Or at least, he tried to.

Sunshine streamed through the stained-glass windows of the Catholic church that Claire’s funeral was held in, which meant that even if trolls were allowed to go, they couldn’t have. Claire had family outside Arcadia, and to them she had died because she got trapped under rubble in the freak earthquake-and-tornado that had occurred.  To them, Claire was inside the coffin, though badly mutilated by rocks that had slammed into her.

Her body was probably mutilated by Morgana, come to think of it.

Toby tugged at his tie. This felt so stupid. Claire was a hero, and her extended family wasn’t allowed to know. He understood, though. They didn’t want to get anyone from the government involved, at least, the non-local government, since obviously Claire’s mom and thus the rest of the city council involved. The trolls were weakened, and Toby didn’t know if they were bulletproof.

It was probably for the best that trolls weren’t allowed to attend the funeral, but that didn’t mean that Toby wasn’t angry with the situation. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! had been Claire’s friend, too. He should be here. Besides, he hadn’t been the one responsible for this mess.

The unsettling calm in the week-and-a-half since the Eternal Night had given Toby a lot to think about. Specifically, how everything had gone wrong.

He should have smacked Morgana into the Shadow Realm with his warhammer and then destroyed the staff. He should’ve been smarter. He had been fighting alongside Claire for months; surely, they could’ve come up with something so that she would be either in Arcadia or on the road to New Jersey.

There was one thing about this funeral that wasn’t a farce: Claire was dead. Toby didn’t think Morgana would be interested in keeping Claire alive. After Merlin cleared away the Eternal Night, Jim had proposed going to Trollmarket to see if there was anything in Blinky’s library to see if it could help them save Claire. Blinky had told them that he had had one book on constructing magic items, but it was among the first of Dictatious’s books he had burned. Strickler, for all the dark magical knowledge he had from the Book of Ga-Huel, had nothing on making a new Shadow Staff. Probably to keep the changelings from rebelling against their Lady Creator, the former history teacher had mused.

To Toby’s right, Darci and Mary and their families stood for a prayer. Toby’s eyes traveled upwards to the rafters. One troll, or rather, changeling, had made it despite the odds. NotEnrique would probably deny the fact that he had been crying later.

“Dude, you sent me a thousand texts, what is your data plan?” Toby asked as he crawled through Eli’s window. It was easier than he had expected, despite his gym pass not feeling as intense of a work-out as fighting trolls and sparring Jim and – sparring in the forge. That was, that was pretty good, actually, he wouldn’t be the reason for anyone else getting hurt or worse if he tried to keep getting stronger.

“Some of them might’ve been queued up,” Eli said, shrugging as he held up a flashlight under his chin. “I… this is important, but I thought I could’ve gathered more evidence and, well…” Eli frowned and dropped the self-important tone. “I wanted to give you some time, since the funeral was a couple days ago.”

The light returned to Eli’s eyes, or maybe it was just the flashlight glinting off his glasses. His voice once more took on an air of self-importance. “Now, Tobes, are you ready for me to rock. Your. World?”

Toby glanced over at his girlfriend and Mary, who was complaining about boredom. Toby’s hands curled into fists. They had been friends with Claire for longer than he had been, how could they be so, so normal?

“TP, come here! I wanna talk to you about something!” Steve called from where he was leaning against Aja and Krel’s house.

“Don’t call me that.”

“I mean, it means vaguely the same thing as buttsnack but nicer?” Steve said as Toby made his way over to the house.

Toby rolled his eyes. Well, at least one person realized why he hadn’t wanted that nickname. If only Claire had realized that, before she, before she, before she had spread it around the school.

Toby blinked several times, trying to get the stinging sensation out of his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Dude, relax,” Steve said quietly enough as to not let Mary and Darci hear from their spot by the pool.

“Relax? Relax?” he whisper-shouted. “How am I supposed to relax when we’re in the middle of a war that will decide the fate of not only Earth, like the one with Gunmar and Morgana, but also Aja and Krel’s planet too? I relax, people die. If I’m not alert, someone else has to take the hit for me. If I don’t pay enough attention, then I’m the one responsible for trapping someone in an alternate dimension!”

Steve just looked at Toby for what felt like five insufferably long minutes.

“Stop freaking out,” Steve said, pinching his brow. “Or else you’ll be so high strung that you’ll end up swinging your oversized mallet at the wrong thing.”

“Warhammer,” Toby corrected, even though Steve did have a point.

Toby’s therapist said that it was important to have hobbies. Between trollhunting and school, Toby was used to having to be constantly alert and vigilant, and that may have been helping to contribute to his restless mind. Granted, Toby hadn’t told his therapist about the ruthless Akiridion dictator trying to attack Earth because that probably fell into the “I will alert the authorities if you’re going to harm yourself or others” clause in the doctor-patient confidentiality forms he and his nana had signed. However, filmmaking was both a good way to bond with his friends as well as maybe destress.

Pretending that he was only interested in making a short film made him seem vapid, like less of a threat. He didn’t trust these military goons, but he also knew they probably underestimated him. What could a short, fat kid with a warhammer possibly do to them?

Rule One of Trollhunting was to always be afraid, with the caveat of goblins. If Area 49-B was unafraid of Toby, then they’d underestimate him.

Besides, these people wanted to capture all sorts of extraterrestrials. Who knew what they’d do to trolls?

Toby still didn’t know if trolls were bulletproof or not. He got the feeling they wouldn’t be laser-proof.

Angor Rot hadn’t been laser-proof, if that’s what Morgana’s magic had been.

Angor had been their enemy, but he had saved them, too.

Tronos had been their enemy, but he had just saved the entire world.

“Get in my phone!” Toby yelled at the armored extraterrestrial as the Area 49-B goons approached, clearly interested in his warhammer. It reminded him a little of the robbers who had kidnapped them.

“What?”

“You did it before! I’m not letting anyone else die.”

Toby and Tronos barely escaped with the others.

“Okay, so, just so that we're clear, by ‘Earthly forces’, you mean me, Eli, Steve…” Toby said, covering his mouth to hide the sound from Darci. He didn’t want to worry her.

“And the brute,” Zadra said. “Yes.”

“Technically, AAARRRGGHH!!!’s a troll.”

“I'm not confident about your chances, but these are desperate times.”

“Well, not even the word ‘hopeless’ is void of hope, I guess,” Toby said.

“What?”

“Trollish saying. I, we’ll do our best.” The call ended; Toby turned to his girlfriend. “Hey, babe, you seem like you got this stapling thing down pat.”

Darci crossed her arms, suspicion in her eyes. “Toby, what’s going on?”

“It’s… a long story.”

“Then start talking.”

Toby looked away from his girlfriend.

“Is it more troll stuff?” she asked.

“No…”

“Then what’s. Going. On?” Darci grabbed his hand. “Toby, I’ve been to enough funerals this year. I don’t want to go to any more of them, and I really don’t want to have to go to another funeral angry that the person I cared about lied to me about the supernatural battles they were fighting. Not when I could’ve maybe helped.”

Toby sighed. “Okay, to make a long story short, there is life on other planets, including a planet called Akiridion-V. That’s Aja and Krel’s home, but it was taken over.” Toby tugged his hand away from Darci’s, giving her an apologetic look. He grabbed his warhammer and expanded it. “And the guy who took it over is going to attack their house so I really gotta go make sure they’re safe so bye I promise I’ll tell you more later!”

Between all the other problems of his life, having a creative outlet was a great way to destress. Usually. Theoretically. Considering that Chompsky broke character on every take, this was really just another source of stress.

His film wasn’t as important as the Akiridions in orange pods.

“Are those your parents?” he asked Aja and Krel. “Do you want me to help?”

“No, we’ve got it!” Krel shouted, waving him off as he, Aja, Varvatos, and Stuart set up the daxial array.

“What are you doing?” Aja asked.

“Well, while I was holding down the fort, I thought I’d finish my director’s cut.” Toby scowled. “But then Chompsky started acting out.”

There was chattering that only one who had lived with a gnome for months would understand. He was almost surprised that Bagdwella never learned how.

“No, I can’t make you taller in post!” Toby had a realization as he walked away from the gnome. “Wait, does this mean you’re going home soon? Back to Akiridion-V?”

“Of course,” Krel said with a glance towards his parents. “That was always the plan.”

Right. The plan. Aja and Krel were going to leave him. They had more important things to do than live a life in Arcadia Oaks. They were royalty from another planet.

“But wait, not yet!” Toby protested. He wanted more time with his new friends, and maybe he had just the thing to get them to stay. “I’ve got good news! Captain Kleb is going to premiere before Gun Robot 7 at the local drive-in!”

“That’s amazing,” Krel said, sounding surprised. He gave an almost incredulous chuckle. “All our friends are going to be there!”

Not all of Toby’s friends, but a good portion of them.

“Yeah,” Toby said, less enthusiastic than he was a moment before. “We’ll be local celebrities.”

Maybe they city would dedicate a nice park bench to him, for all his combined work as a filmmaker, trollhunter, and crook-catcher. He didn’t deserve an entire street, even though Domzalski Drive had a nice ring to it. Besides, Jim Lake Lane and Claire Court sounded better, more fitting.

“Your moving picture party will be the perfect way to celebrate after we stop Morando,” Aja said, breaking Toby out of the beginnings of yet another depressive spiral.

Toby turned to Aja, Krel, AAARRRGGHH!!!, and Varvatos. Sure, the crystal staircase didn’t light up with each step, but they were about to see the most incredible place ever! It deserved every bit of gravitas that he, Jim, and Claire had been given. “Welcome,” he said in his best impression of Jim and Blinky, “to Heartstone Trollmarket!”

Toby gasped.

“This is ‘the most incredible place ever?’” Krel said.

“Was,” Toby sighed, “before the Eternal Night.”

It was probably a good thing, that Blinky and Jim went to New Jersey so they wouldn’t have to see it. That Claire, Draal, and Vendel would never have to see it. The darkened, broken heartstone and the rubble-strewn streets were horrible to see; this was a place that Toby had considered to be practically a second home. He could only imagine just how terrible his Wingman must have felt at the sight of it.

“I know what it’s like, to lose one’s home,” Aja said as they passed by Bagdwella’s old shop. She was better at comforting AAARRGGHH!!! than Toby himself was. Probably Krel and Varvatos, too. They had left behind their homeplanet, and their house was gone, too.

“Your friends, Jim, Blinky, and the trolls are safe, and that’s what matters the most,” Krel said. Toby was about to thank him for the reassurance – he had gotten good at dealing with human feelings – when rocks collapsed.

Varvatos was right. There was definitely an aura of death and decay. Stupid Morgana, ruining everything.

“That looks… deep.” Varvatos said.

“How do we get down there?” Aja asked.

“We don’t!” Toby said. Memories of watching Jim’s cage fall filled his mind. “If you go down there then you face your deepest fear!”

“Why would anyone want to do that?” Krel asked. The light from the Soothscryer came back up again insistently.

“It’s a long story,” Toby said as the light spiraled downwards once more. “Jim made it out alive, and unfortunately, he’s the only one who has.”

“We don’t have much choice,” Aja said. “We have to find Gaylen’s core before Morando.”

Krel held two of his arms in front of his sister. “I’ll go!”

“No, if we have to fight then it’s better to have safety in numbers. We’re stronger together,” Toby said.

“But you and Varvatos need to fight whatever’s coming,” Krel said as Aja pulled out her hoverboard.

“We will,” AAARRRGGHH!!! said. He raised his voice to a slightly higher pitch. “So, fight!” he imitated, before lowering his voice. “Make proud, Wingman.”

“Will do.” Toby pulled out his warhammer and followed the Tarron siblings down into the Deep.

Unfortunately, Toby followed them straight into a stony wall.

Toby stood on a dock, watching a cruise ship sail away. His nana waved good-bye to him, along with two relatively young adults. They were familiar, just like the ship was. They were familiar from blurry memories and from morbid curiosity because at age twelve, Toby wanted to know just how his parents died.

“Don’t go,” Toby pleaded softly, but he knew it was no use. He looked over his shoulder and caught Jim’s eyes.

“Well, bye, then,” Jim said flippantly. He began to walk away, and Toby realized that so did all the other trolls. Darci, and Dr. Lake, and pretty much everyone Toby knew walked with them.

Toby tried to catch up, but each step was a herculean effort. Eventually, everyone passed beyond the horizon. It started to rain, and Toby realized that he had managed to find his way to the bridge where everything always went down.

A dark sliver appeared in the thin air in front of him. It widened, and Claire stepped out of it. Except “stepped” wasn’t quite the write word, not with how her limbs and neck bent at all the wrong angles. Golden manacles with small lengths of broken-off chains were attached to her wrists and ankles. A noose connected her neck to the Shadow Realm, and when the portal closed Claire collapsed, almost like a puppet whose strings were cut. She caught herself at the last second, dust swirling off the bridge to reform the Shadow Staff in her hand. She stretched each of her limbs as they popped into place with the sound of crunching bones and scraping metal. She then rolled her neck, the noose catching on one of the spikes of her helmet. It didn’t seem to bother her, but it added a gruesome effect.

Claire’s brown eyes opened, going from blank to full of hatred in the span of an instant. “You,” she said. Her voice echoed above the sound of rain and distant thunder. “You let me die!”

She lunged for him, and Toby found that the sluggishness to his limbs was gone as he jumped out of the way.

“You killed me!” she screamed, disappearing through a portal. She came out from almost directly above him, staff pointed to skewer him.

Toby caught it with his warhammer, sending it away from himself. “You, you told me to. You told me to break the staff,” Toby said.

Claire attempted to stab him in the back. “And you didn’t think to wait, did you? You didn’t think that maybe you should have waited for Blinky to have saved me?”

“There was no time, and you know this.” Toby knocked the Shadow Staff out of her hands. It crumbled into ash. “It’s not my fault that you didn’t think of any other way to end Morgana. It’s… it’s not my fault that you’re dead!”

The rain stopped, and the clouds started to part. As Claire looked up to the sky, Toby realized that he was crying.

The sun was eclipsed by the moon and then by even darker clouds. Claire closed her eyes as it began to rain again, this time even harder than before.

“You want to know what’s the best part of being dead?” she asked in an eerily soft voice.

She opened her eyes. They were purple and black. “I don’t have to look at your stupid fucking face anymore.”

Claire lunged for him, knocking his warhammer out of his hands. She pinned him down with one hand. “No one wants to have to look at it. And I’m going to be the fucking martyr that makes sure no one will ever have to again.”

And then she began to punch his face, the edges of her clawed armor piercing him. With each punch more cracks began to grow on her face and hand, but Claire didn’t seem to notice them. She didn’t look like she was in pain like the last time she had grown those cracks. If anything, the lightning glinting in her eyes made her look sadistic.

And then Toby woke up.

“I did it,” Krel said, overjoyed. “I did it!”

“I’m proud of you, little brother,” Aja said, rubbing at her arms. She sounded spooked. “Congratulations, you probably beat me by half a mecron. What… what did you see?”

“Morando destroying Arcadia Oaks and everyone in it, which he’ll do if he gets Gaylen’s core,” Krel said with a slight frown. “And you?”

“The same, but with Akiridion-V,” Aja said. The two of them turned to Toby.

They were going to have to leave anyways; they didn’t need to know that Toby’s worst fear was a combination of Claire hating him in her dying moments and everyone he cared about leaving him.

“Oh, well…” Toby gave a slight chuckle, and hoped that they’d believe the fat stigma. “Dieting.”

They had no time to question his lie because Varvatos and AAARRRGGHH!!! came crashing in.

“Purple. Pretty,” AAARRRGGHH!!! said, gazing at the altar to Gaylen’s core.

“Claire would have loved to have seen this,” Toby sighed, and then startled with a realization. “Kanjigar, do you know if Draal and Claire are, you know, resting in peace?”

Unfortunately, the previous Trollhunter had gone back to the void.

Toby supposed it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, not with Aja and Krel being shot down. Still, closure that his friends were okay in the end would have been nice.

“Where’s Krel and Varvatos?” Toby asked as he dismantled yet another OMEN. “Would be nice to get a little more help.”

“Krel’s working on getting us some reinforcements,” Aja said, “and Varvatos is protecting my parents and Stuart. I trust him enough to not try to power the canon with my parents’ cores twice.”

“Wait, why would he do that? He’s not evil enough to power things up using unwilling people!”

“I thought that too, but since two royal cores are needed it’ll be Krel and I and not my parents.”

“No.” Toby brought his warhammer down enough that deep cracks were left in the concrete where the OMEN once stood. “Aja, you can’t. That’s suicide.”

“It’s not suicide, Toby. It’s sacrifice. Of all people, I thought you understood that.”

“Oh, trust me. I understand that. I also understand that those two look really similar sometimes. Aja, promise me that I won’t have to attend any more of my friend’s funerals this summer.”

“I can’t, but that’s why Krel’s working on reinforcements. I don’t want to do this, but I will if that’s what it takes.”

Toby would have argued had an OMEN not thrown a truck at a random kid. There had to be another way, one that wasn’t trying to fight a losing battle. One where all his friends made it out.

“He’s too strong,” Toby said. “He’s stronger than…”

No.

Morando was not stronger than Morgana. He couldn’t let himself believe that. They were all going to live, and no one was going to sacrifice their life for the good of everyone else, even if they were on the very same bridge where Angor and Claire died.

And Toby had legitimate hope when Zadra and various ships from Akiridion-V came through the wormhole.

Except they weren’t enough. Morando grew red wing-like appendages and created a massive explosion of red light.

“Morando is too powerful,” Krel said.

As the Tarron siblings hugged each other for what shouldn’t be the last time, Toby tried to think of another way to kill Morando.

“Go back to town,” Aja said. “Make sure everyone’s safe! And… I’m sorry, Toby. There’s a reason why I didn’t promise.”

“On it!” Steve said. “Please don’t get stepped on!”

“You too, my Palchuk!” Toby couldn’t tell if it was cruel or not for Aja not to say goodbye.

There had to be a third option.

“What are you waiting for, give me a ride!” Steve shouted. Toby fired up his warhammer.

Morando was at least as strong as Morgana. Maybe he was stronger. Two people would die. Someone’s hand would get cut off by a –

There was another way.

Toby set Steve down and began to fly off in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going, buttsnack?” Steve shouted.

“To save your girlfriend’s life!” Toby began searching through his phone to find the number for Akiridion-V. They could try to open a portal from within Morando’s body, and hopefully Akiridion anatomy was such that it would kill him.

It was probably a good idea that Toby had used his warhammer instead of the Shadow Staff. Too gruesome.

He was on the second ring when he watched Aja and Krel fire the canon.

He felt relief, and then guilt.

It was over.

Toby didn’t know what to say. Aja, Krel, and everyone else from Akiridion-V were leaving. So were the Foo-Foos and Eli.

“Do you have to leave?” It was selfish. Of course they had to leave. Toby closed his eyes and tried to drown out Deep-illusion-Claire’s words. They weren’t leaving because of him; Aja and Krel had to go and rule an entire planet.

“Thanks for keeping that promise about me not going to your funeral”? Too selfish. It put the focus too much on him.

“Being an orphan isn’t so bad, just look how I turned out”? Too insensitive, considering that he could barely remember his parents.

“Sorry about your parents, but I’m glad they’re dead instead of you”? That wouldn’t stop the guilt.

Except, Krel was staying.

Toby would figure out something comforting to say, eventually.

The world was going to end. Again. And this time, Toby’s new allies were a talking, bipedal cat and a pair of teenagers who were currently going through their emo phase. Said emo teens were about a year older than Toby, and supposedly they were wizards, but honestly? Aja and Krel seemed more competent than these two.

At the very least, Aja and Krel were better at lying. The minute after the cat had called them out on “experimenting unsupervised”, Zoe had started rambling about college apps, which had segwayed into summer homework, which somehow turned into how she and Douxie could make non-exploding potions without Archie’s supervision.

It was a little creepy, just how exasperated the cat looked.

Douxie stared at Toby quizzically before interrupting his friend’s rambling. “Your friend – the possessed one. Is she okay?”

A cold sort of rage crept into Toby’s bones, and with it, came the desire to scream at Douxie for having noticed that Claire wasn’t okay, and not having really done anything. Storm out of the apartment, telling Steve to tell Toby anything important, but refuse to work with the wizards.

But Claire made her decision. There was nothing that Toby could’ve done to change that, much less a guy who went to their rival school.

So instead of yelling, Toby took a breath, and said coldly, “Let’s just say that Claire’s at peace now.”

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Reaction to ‘Wizards’

There were some elements of Wizards that I was quite pleased with and others I found disappointing.

Here are some notes I took while watching it: 

“I was busy,” says the guy who was ASLEEP.

Cuckoo clock in bookstore looks like Bular’s head.

Green Knight can teleport, confirming potential parallel character to Angor Rot and Tronos Madu, both yellow-eyed assassins with teleportation and tragic backstories (later confirmed, yes, there are parallels between this character and those two besides the visual one)

Jim always tips at the cafe; yup, that sounds like Jim 

Gunmar saving Jim: irony. Is Jim going to go to the Gumm-Gumm camp now? 

Confirmation that portrait was Arthur and Guinevere and she is “gone”, presumably by magic or killed by a troll - is she dead or did she just leave? (Later confirmed, dead)

Morgana’s name is carved on the tree under Arthur’s and Guinevere’s - was she in love with Guinevere too? 

Is that Nari with Morgana and Guinevere? (Later confirmed, yes)

Stone doll Callista finds looks like Angor’s totems - same village? He said it was “Gunmar’s war” that destroyed it, and she says it was a human attack, but Angor might’ve seen it as a retaliatory attack by the humans which Gunmar’s actions had provoked?

Arthur being the one to cut off Morgana’s hand makes Merlin SLIGHTLY less of an asshole for using it in the Amulet, but a lot of this still could’ve been avoided if Merlin had been willing to shut up and listen. 

Oh, except it wasn’t Arthur who cut off Morgana’s hand the first time anyway? 

Episode 3 ends without Steve getting knocked on his back, so that scene must’ve been his sparring match with Lancelot in Episode 2 instead of keeping it an Episode 3 tradition (like how Zuko and Iroh hug in Episode 18 of each season of Avatar the Last Airbender)

Why would Douxie be grossed out at the idea of swimming naked? Swimsuits have only been around for, what, 80 years? Presumably it was a specific lack of desire to see Steve naked.

Neat take on the Lady of the Lake. 

AAARRRGGHH used to have a triple set of horns - what happened to the other two? Receded, amputated, knocked off? Also, Gunmar says AAARRRGGHH is ‘holding back’ when they spar and has yet to win against him - if AAARRRGGHH was doing that on purpose, this supports my theory that he was debating how safe it was to stay on Gunmar’s side for some time before deserting. 

Morgana possessed? 

Angor Rot saved Morgana/recovers her body and gives a funerary-sounding blessing, showing he was sympathetic to humans before losing his soul  

Oh, and Nari gave her the new hand 

Wait, so who steals Angor’s soul in this timeline? 

Called it on that servant guy being a Changeling - he appears in the background of, like, every scene that episode where they’re talking about Morgana using unexpected strategies to sneak into Camelot. 

Wait, except his human form is an adult - so is he a polymorph? Or Familiars can be taken as adults but babies are easier to contain and have less ‘established personality’ to match after replacing them? Or has Morgana already been creating Changelings? AAARRRGGHH calls Jim “impure” when they meet in Dwoza, suggesting Gumm-Gumms already know what Changelings are, except Morgana wasn’t working with them yet

Is Callista going to be Deya? (Later confirmed, yes)

Show seems to be matching up with old theories about Deya being the first Trollhunter, confirming that the show, comics, and novels are all separate continuities (since comics and novels show pre-Deya Trollhunters). 

Gumm-Gumm berserkers - mind-controlled or grit-shaka’d (talisman of “no fear”), to throw themselves into sunlight like that?

Steve seems ready to refer to any half-decent older man as his dad, like when he refers to Merlin as ‘Wizard-Dad’. Maybe it’s because I was watching Brooklyn 99 recently but I’m reminded of Jake Peralta.

Big Jim’s crystal neck protrusions look like Strickler’s knife collar back when I thought that was part of his body. Glowy lines look like Gunmar; tie-in to Gunmar born of a “corrupted Heartstone” since Jim is “corrupted” now?

Aw, Krel called Ricky his dad. 

How did AAARRRGGHH fit through the HexTech door to the backroom?

“Cat and mouse” line cuts to a shot of Archie obviously imitating Nari (confirmed a few minutes later)

Toby has obviously seen Ghostbusters. “When someone asks you if you are a god, you say YES!”

Decoration in bookshop looks like Angor’s head.

Was that lightshow of Nari searching the world for Jim’s soul just a visual metaphor for her powers or did literally everyone on Earth see that?

“There’s a force neither of us can escape - gravity!” says the woman who can fly.

Morgana’s occasional echo-y voice in Trollhunters matches Bellroc and Skael - possession/magical-influence related?

So did Merlin have that book on him or did his body turn into the book?

Are all dragons fluffy and/or shapeshifters in this universe? 

Might’ve been smarter to keep Merlin’s staff intact and destroy the Grimoire so the Arcane Order never knows where to find the Genesis Seals, just saying.

If Morgana didn’t become “the Eldritch Queen” until, like, IMMEDIATELY before Angor approached her (therefore days earlier at most in the unaltered timeline), how had he heard of her to seek her aid? Was he actually reaching out to the Arcane Order? At least this explains why he didn’t go to the Trollhunter for help - there was no Trollhunter to approach yet.

Big Jim ‘dies’ in the same pose as AAARRRGGHH in Trollhunters Season 1 and Draal in Unbecoming, both false death scenes, for five-second foreshadowing Jim was alive. 

Mixed feelings about him being human again - like I’ve said, I didn’t think the Troll Jim subplot was well-executed but I also felt like, now that it’s been established, the show needs to stick with it. Since everything’s over I’m going to headcanon Jim having shapeshifting powers now and being able to switch between human and troll at will, he just didn’t think to try to do so on-camera.

Also, I feel like Jim’s relationship with Claire is once again completely overshadowing his relationship with Toby, instead of them being different kinds of relationships with equal weight. 

Barbara is going to be pretty shocked when her human son shows up again. She and Strickler don’t appear at all in this series, even in cameo. 

Maybe Jim’s not a troll anymore because, with Merlin and Morgana both dead, their magic is “broken” and that’s what was holding his transformation in place? Merlin’s through the potion, Morgana’s through the Changeling femur, both through the Amulet.

Is Jim still going back to New Jersey? Blinky’s got to, unless the trolls there have elected a new leader or they’re bringing the New Jersey Heartstone back to Arcadia.

Series ending scene also would work as the final scene of a movie, setting up a sequel hook even though it’s supposed to be over now. 

Seems like wizards are long-lived and age really slowly? Possibly a “will not die but can be killed” situation, like vampires, or unicorns (at least in The Last Unicorn)��

Additional thoughts after finishing the show and thinking for a while: 

I don’t get how Morgana could end up with such a reputation among trolls - enough to have superstitions about her, seen when Dictatious objects to Usurna saying her name - when they only interacted with her for like a few days at most. I guess she made a pretty strong impression on Gunmar, who passed that on to everyone else? Or maybe she cultivated that reputation over time via the Changelings?

Speaking of the Changelings, does this mean that, while Morgana designed the process to create them, she doesn’t make each individual one? Otherwise she would’ve had to pre-make a bunch in the time between getting her new hand and being trapped in the Heartstone. Although, if she can steal Angor’s soul remotely (with the idea she was already trapped in the Heartstone when that happened), she can probably also make Changelings remotely. 

I’m kind of sorry the Changelings got invented so quickly; I figured there would be some trial-and-error to that process.

How I think the Original Timeline went: 

Morgana would’ve turned to the Arcane Order seeking magic allies, later in the day that gets changed when the time-travelers arrive. Possibly she seeks out Nari, specifically, remembering her from childhood. 

Merlin then sees Morgana as the Future Threat and he or one of the knights (not Arthur) cut off her hand in the resulting fight. 

Merlin makes the Amulet. It chooses Callista, who is still in Camelot’s dungeon at the time, and she agrees to fight Gunmar in exchange for her freedom. 

She fully intending to go back on the deal and run for it, but then something-something-something and she learns her original name and saves the world anyway. Probably she’s the one who took down and imprisoned AAARRRGGHH in Dwoza, which inspired the other trolls there to follow her. 

Morgana finds out about the Trollhunter shortly before Angor arrives to ask her for magic, which is why she orders him to hunt the Trollhunters down.

Arthur thinks Merlin killed Morgana and wants to avenge her, leading him to the Arcane Order for the original not-time-loop-prompted attack.  

Show did a good job establishing and developing Douxie’s relationship with Merlin

Also, how did that bookshop end up a center of Merlin’s power? He’s only been in the modern world for a few months. Did he set a shop up off-camera while the trolls were travelling to New Jersey and the Akiridions were discovering Earth? 

How did Ricky Blank lose his head, anyway? Can Hex Tech fix him? Krel says magic and Akiridion tech combine harmoniously. 

[undignifiend]

Ok, I was re-re-re-watching the intro of the first episode of Trollhunters, trying to look up/verify some detail for the next chapter of this fanfic I’m writing, and I never noticed before - !

Bular isn’t even using his swords while fighting Kanjigar. This dude’s crazy. He’s literally throwing his bare hands against a seasoned warrior wielding Daylight - which might as well be the most dangerous sword of all time as far as trolls are concerned, and wielded by one of the most competent Trollhunters of all time. I can’t even comprehend this dude, he brawls like a breakdancing ninja, and that’s before he bothers to draw his swords - even against Kanjigar wielding Daylight!

Like if they wanted to make it clear that Bular is a formidable opponent, they did a great job, because holy crap! More under the thing because this got kinda long:

It’s got me thinking, how did he learn to fight like that? Cause now that I think of it, he and his dad have very different styles. Gunmar keeps it classic; he charges and runs people over like the tank he is, rams people with his horns, and blows people up by throwing them at walls - violence incarnate. Bular on the other hand is deceptively agile and kind of disturbingly playful by comparison. Like he pulls all these deadly peek-a-boo stunts, striking from unexpected directions and vanishing to do it again and again. And he’s hard to sneak up on, too, he’s got amazing reflexes, just turning and catching Jim mid-attack on his 6 during the Battle of Two Bridges. 

And he’s sneaky in other ways, like when he gave Jim an escape from the sewers. If he wanted to kill him right there, he could’ve just hit Jim with his other sword instead of pulling the first one free and giving Jim a scary boost up to the street and then chuckling ominously afterward. Seriously - he tells Strickler “I resent your weak, devious ways” but he’s pretty devious, himself, and it’s hella fun to watch. A part of me likes to think he learned from the changelings he worked with, since he had no other allied trolls around for centuries, and maybe some of their ways grew on him over time, whether he likes to acknowledge it or not.

But regarding the first episode, what was with all the “Yield! No, you yield!” stuff he and Kanjigar threw at each other? I’m probably missing something obvious, but I thought Rule Number 2 was supposed to be a big deal in trollish combat? If you’re fighting to the death, you’re probably not gonna waste valuable breath telling your opponent to just roll over. “Yield” only has power as long as it means “Quit fighting and I’ll stop beating you up!” So it implies to me that, if both combatants actually meant it, neither was truly looking to kill the other that morning. (And perhaps even Bular’s “It’s either me or the sun. Either way, you’re doomed” could be interpreted as a “You’re out of options, just yield and give me the Amulet already.” /draw swords for extra threat.)?

I guess I could see Bular just using “Yield” as a way to get Kanjigar’s guard down. But it would be a really cheap shot, and it already seems established that this is a troll who thinks it’s fun to fight with his swords actually behind his back - he’ll leave himself at a disadvantage for fun or as an intimidation tactic. Like it gives me the impression that if he has to draw swords against someone, they must have impressed or frustrated him. I guess all the ambush tactics could be considered cheap shots? But taking advantage of blind-spots is a classic Rule Number 3 move, and therefore within the bounds for honorable combat (and vanishing like that when you’re a giant stone guy has got to be tricky). Besides, Kanjigar’s objection to yielding seemed to have more to do with principle (“A Trollhunter never yields!”) than distrust. (“I’m not falling for that!”)

On that note, yielding (especially if that involves giving up the Amulet) really would be worse than death for Kanjigar the Courageous. (No Trollhunter before had ever lost the Amulet, I think Blinky says later?) If Bular had understood that, he might not have bothered telling Kanjigar to yield. He seemed genuinely surprised by Kanjigar’s sacrifice (and resourceful way of keeping the Amulet out of Bular’s hands for a day longer), like he was convinced that there was a real chance that Kanjigar would still surrender (or at least continue trying to fight despite his serious injuries).

Or maybe the idea of yielding was a practical choice given the sunrise making their arena substantially riskier for both of them? Kind of a “Ok the glowing hate-orb has arisen gg we’ll continue this after sundown,” deal, except neither wanted to be the first to back off, so they just played ultra-deadly-chicken instead?

[miirabel]

I keep seeing people tagging my edits with various versions of “I don’t care for 3below but […]”, “I can’t be bothered watching this , still […]”, “just want Trollhunters back”, “I don’t care for these characters” etc. and I just wanted to say a few things about that, mostly get it out of my system.

 It’s obviously more than fine to have preferences, to be more interested in one thing over the other, to maybe lose that interest along the way, to get it back at some point and you know, all that very human deal when it comes to entertainment. Heck, I’m the first one to admit not any other animated show quite caught my attention and sparked up my inspiration like TROLLHUNTERS did in the last few years! The plot is captivating, the characters and the narratives are well written, the main hero is an absolute gem and makes it very easy to love him and relate to him. Jim is still my number one character of the franchise. 

But to those of you that are more in doubt than anything, I vividly suggest you to give 3BELOW a chance. Sure, it’s different but that’s a good thing! Can you imagine having another set of characters trying to copy-paste everything we already saw and loved in the first installment of the saga? It wouldn’t cut it. What we have instead are some clever parallels and some more obvious common ground given the fact that we are still in Arcadia, the world building is still the same, these stories are happening at the same time. It’s not easy to manage something like that but this still doesn’t deter the show from giving away the impression everything is unravelling very naturally and we can still perceive how unique each story is. 

More importantly, the take 3BELOW has on modern (very real) issues makes it even more interesting and lets it resonate in ways you wouldn’t imagine, especially if you come from a place of privilege for whatever reason and aren’t used to see these situations every day. There’s intention behind everything, first of all the choice of the trio human forms: “three forms that humans tend to ignore: a girl, a Latino, and a senior citizen”. So even if the struggles the characters are to confront can seem “blander” than whatever came down in TROLLHUNTERS, they surely make up for it tackling themes like racism, immigration, government corruption and even dropping some LGBT big hints. 

Besides, all of this only adds to the characters’ personal issues. Aja and Krel are still teenagers and just like Jim and Toby and Claire they must face crucial responsibilities and make tough decisions. This still creates good tension that keeps the viewer captivated. Sure, it’s still a kids show but there are multiple reading keys. We get representation, a well built siblings’ relationship, a support cast that works, interactions with a meaning, characters arcs, evolution, great plot points, excellent voice acting and a cohesive storytelling. Because when the troll gang comes back full force in WIZARDS, you will want to know what everyone has been up too, I promise. 

You had 3 seasons (basically four considering the first one has 20+ episodes!) to fall in love with the characters you know and adore. Maybe you can give this alien madhouse a chance to show you what they’ve got.

[hayleysstark]

Queenie here! YOU. WATCH. TROLLHUNTERS??!! OH MY GOD I! LOVE!! THAT!!! SHOW!!!! My sis and I are obsessed! We've binged all 3 seasons plus the follow up series, 3Below. I hope to buy the art book when it's released this summer. What do you like about the show? It must be thrilling to have TWO Jims in your roster of "sass master brunette boys who have a heart of gold but who will also definitely THROW HANDS"

Yes!!! I’m not finished quite yet, still somewhere in the middle of S3, I think I just hit episode ten, but I haven’t actually seen it yet, it’s just where I left off!! Merlin’s bein a shady bitch oof he’s,,,,,,,, up to something. bUT i have a legit weakness for any and all adaptations/interpretations of the character of Merlin ((i really don’t know why I decided to stan an old-ass man from 12th century Wales but there we are)) so i don’t dislike Merlin here by any means. he’s just pretty manipulative of Jim so far and im like oh fuck off man this kid is 16 give him a break u know??

@etheriumart actually got on me to watch it a while back, and I really,,,, didn’t like S1 at all, I sat through probably the first ten episodes and it just didn’t catch my interest at all. It felt more like a high school sitcom with fantasy elements than anything, and it really turned me off, so I said I wasn’t going to finish it, but I felt bad ’cause I felt like maybe I just didn’t give it enough of a chance, and Mason’s my friend and I want to explore what interests them just as much as any of my other friends, so I went back to it several months later and binged the remaining episodes of S1 and all of S2 in a BLITZ lmao and then I fucked off and never caught up on S3 so I’m doing it now that it’s on my mind!!

Oof is 3Below any good?? I’m thinking about giving it a shot once I’ve finished out the main series, but I’m not sure yet! Aliens really aren’t my area so I’m,,,, hesitant lmao

Oh, I didn’t know there’d be an art book!! Thanks for letting me know!! That’s super cool, I’ll have to snap it up when I can! ((pls stop me I have,,,,,,,,,, sO many art books at this point lmao))

“sass master brunette boys who have a heart of gold but who will also definitely THROW HANDS” LMAO I KNOW WHAT MY NEXT TATTOO IS GOING TO SAY FOR SURE. listen,,,,,,,, listen,,,,,,, im WEAK for snarky boys who overflow with kindness and compassion but also hostility and aggression lmao I AM,,,,,, A BASIC BITCH,,,,,, DONT JUDGE,,,,,, U DONT KNOW MY LIFE,,,,

 I really love all the imagination that went into this series, to be honest. The designs for the trolls + various other creatures are all so unique and diverse, I think my favorites are Queen Usurna and Nomura’s changeling form!! The little details, like Usurna’s bio-luminescent markings and sharp head quills, or the sleek colors and catlike shapes of Nomura, are just so enchanting, I absolutely can’t stop looking when one of them is on-screen!! Argh is Shaped Like a Friend. Gunmar and Morgana are pretty bomb-ass in their design, too, and I really appreciate the similarities and the subtle distinctions between Blinky and Dictatious. 

AND DRAAL’S DESIGN IS,,,,,,,,,,,,,, SO SOFT????? I WEEP,,,,,, ((my last brain cell tells me he has sharp stone spikes all along his back but I remember nothing but Soft Friend. 10/10 would hug.))

And I like that the series is pretty obviously geared toward kiddos, but it’s not afraid to get serious, it’s not afraid to let the stakes get super high. Like. my jaw pretty much hit the floor at the end of S1, and stayed there throughout all of S2. A cute, forgettable comedic show about an average high school boy gaining magic powers and juggling his responsibilities as a student, a son, and the sole protector of a secret world got so REAL, like I lost my goddamn MIND.

Argh was DYING. And then Argh DIED. And they TALKED ABOUT IT. They let it be a THING. They let everybody deal with their grief in different ways, on-screen, right there for everyone to see. 

Jim went into the Darklands on his OWN, and they didn’t let him off easy there, either. They go to pretty extreme lengths to display the psychological repercussions of solitude, imprisonment, constant fear, loss of control, repeated traumatic experiences, like they really DO. Could have gone deeper, I know, it really only JUST scratches the surface of PTSD, but the fact that a children’s show did that honestly left me speechless. It’s a big step. 

Fingers crossed good ol’ Dreamworks makes more shows like that!

Could definitely live without the toilet humor, but hey, again, it’s a show geared toward kiddos. I think it’s safe to say I’m not the target audience here.

Anyways. Thanks so much for letting me scream abt Trollhunters!!! Feel free to keep talking about it, I’m always down!! :3 

[prepare4trouble]

Trollhunters fanfic - Dinner Date

This is set after the 3rd season, and so contains spoilers for season 3 and the conclusion of the series.  It’s my first fic in this fandom and is unbeta’d.  

Dinner date

Half the fun of cooking — actually more than half the fun — was in eating the finished product.  Jim had always enjoyed carefully combining ingredients to get the desired flavor, blending in tastes and textures that would complement the meal while adding something special to it.  And when he was done, he would be able to serve up two or more plates, sit down with his mom — or Toby, or whoever else might be there — and get to enjoy not just his food, but their reaction to it.

He wasn’t going to lie, he was going to miss that.

But he could still have some of it.  He could still cook, and he could still serve up a plate to Claire, and watch her enjoy it — if she did enjoy it, of course.  That part remained to be seen.

Cooking just wasn’t the same anymore.  He had first noticed it at home, not long before the battle, back when he had been trying to hold onto some semblance of normality in the wake of the change he had gone through.  The food hadn’t smelled like food, it hadn’t made his mouth water, he hadn’t been able to look forward to sitting down and eating.  He had gone through the motions, but even before he had tried to taste what he had made and found it inedible, there had been something missing.  It had been like trying to paint without being able to see the colors.

The same had been true today.  It wasn’t as though he had expected anything different, but the realization was still difficult, it drove home that this was forever, one more aspect of his life that was never going to be the same.

“Okay, I think we’re done…” Jim said.  He carefully lifted the finished omelet from the pan and onto the slightly warmed plate.  It looked fine.  An slightly uneven surface, browned to perfection on each ridge, yellow as sunshine everywhere else.  Where the two edges met, the filling peeked out just the right amount, showing just a hint of the carefully selected collection of ingredients within.

He had chosen fairly something simple for his first try, though he hadn’t been able to resist adding in a twist or two, but most importantly, it was something that he wouldn’t normally have tasted as he cooked.  Some foods, he would add ingredients a little at a time, tasting as he went to make sure he got the amounts right.  That… wasn’t going to work anymore.  If he wanted to cook anything a little more adventurous than this, he was going to have to get used to working from a recipe.  Well, that or learn how to trust someone else to do the taste test for him.

“Now, I’m not sure what this will be like…” he said warningly.

“I’m sure it’ll taste as good as it smells,” Claire told him.  “And it smells pretty great.”

Jim inhaled deeply through his nose, taking in the scent.  It was familiar, but unappetizing.  Not unpleasant, but it just didn’t smell like food.  He sighed as he reached for a sprig of parsley, shredded it with fingers that sometimes still felt too large and awkward for more delicate tasks, and sprinkled it on top of the omelet with a flourish.

He picked up the plate, and turned to present it to Claire.  “I’ll have to take your word for that,” he said.

Something clouded her expression, not pity, not exactly, but some close relative of it.  “Jim…” she began.

“Buen apetito!” he interrupted quickly — Toby was right, he did reach for Spanish when he was nervous — and put the plate down in front of her, slamming it just a little bit too hard on the table.  The sound echoed around still almost empty kitchen of the new place.  He winced.  “Uh… sorry.  I still don’t know my own strength sometimes.”

“I know; it’s okay,” she assured him.  “I’m sure you’ll get used to it eventually.”

She was right.  Honestly, he almost was used to it already.  Parts of it, he could no longer imagine being without.  The strength, the speed, the resilience.  The missing finger on each hand still felt strange, but he had stopped jumping when he caught a glimpse of his own reflection out of the corner of his eye… Mostly.  What he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to was the loss of the little things.  No longer being able to walk down the street — the street of a human town anyway — with his hand in Claire’s.  Not being able to walk down a street at all, for that matter.  Never being able to feel the sunlight on his skin again.  Not being able to sit down and enjoy a meal he had cooked with somebody he cared about.

“I know I will,” he said.  “Now eat up already, before it goes cold.”

Claire cut off a corner of the omelet with her fork, speared it and raised it to her lips.  She paused, and frowned.  “You’re not going to stare at me like that the whole time, are you?”

Jim blinked.  Was he staring?  Yeah actually, he was.  He realized now that he was kind of hovering next to her, waiting to see what she thought of the food, waiting to make sure that when she began to cut into the omelet that it looked the way it should on the inside too.  He didn’t remember being this nervous to serve somebody food since… actually, he didn’t ever remember being this nervous.

He backed off a couple of steps, sat himself on a chair at the opposite side of the table, and tried not to watch her.  He glanced down at his hands on the table, then over to his side, where the hot pan still lay on the top of the stove.

“Sorry.  Just don’t expect too much from that omelet, okay?” she said.  “It’s been a while since I cooked anything, I might be a bit out of practice.  I mean, it’s not like it’s the most complicated thing to make — that’s why I chose it — but, I mean, it doesn’t even smell like food to me anymore.  So just… don’t be disappointed it it’s bad, okay?”

Claire shook her head from one side to the other and sighed.  “It’s going to be great.”  She took her first bite.  Jim tried not to watch too intently.

“Well?” he asked.

Claire chewed, then swallowed.  She paused thoughtfully.

“Just… be honest, okay?  Too much salt?  Not enough?  You hate the filling!  I knew I should have gone for something more simple.”

“Jim, stop,” Claire said.

He stopped.  Whatever it was, she would tell him and maybe he would even be able to fix it.  If not, he would be able to fix it next time.

“You can put ketchup on it if that helps,” he added.  “I won’t be offended, I promise.”

“It’s good,” she said.

He frowned, confused.  “It’s…”

“It’s delicious,” she told him.  “I mean, don’t get me wrong, a side of guacamole would make it like ten times better, but I’d challenge you to name any food that wouldn’t be improved by guac.  You’re still an amazing chef, Jim.”

Troll food, Jim thought.  It wouldn’t improve that at all.  He smiled self consciously.  “You’re not just saying that?”

Claire shook her head.  “I’m not just saying that,” she assured him.  She took another bite of omelet, and another, and another, then looked up.  “You’re not eating?”

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.  “You know I can’t…”

“I know you can’t eat this,” she agreed.  “So eat something you can.”

Jim shook his head.  “Nah, I’m fine.  I’m not hungry.  I actually don’t have to eat as often anymore.  Anyway, Blinky invited me over for supper later tonight.  late late, I mean.  You’ll be asleep by then.”  He was hungry, as it happened.  All the cooking and the thinking about food probably, but he could wait.  He had to wait, he wasn’t ready for Claire to see that.

It was strange, actually, but once he had gotten over his instinct not to eat the things his body needed now, once he had gotten his head around that fact that it was food, he had begun to actually enjoy it.  Like almost everything in his life now, it was different, but that didn’t mean it was bad.

“Maybe next time,” Claire said.  “We can’t have dinner together if you won’t eat in front of me.  I can handle it.  Honestly, its a little insulting that you think I can’t.”

“It’s not that,” Jim assured her, then hesitated.  It wasn’t that, but there was something so… inhuman about that aspect of his life now.  It wasn’t like he thought she would be disgusted, more that it would widen the divide between them.”

“You’re worrying about nothing,” Claire told him.

He smiled.  “Oh yeah?  How do you know?  You don’t even know what I’m thinking about.”

She shrugged.  “Doesn’t matter, I’m right.”  She finished the last piece of omelet, put down her fork and reached for Jim’s hand.  “Trust me.”

Jim took a deep breath, he looked down at her small hand on top of his larger, blue one.  Maybe she was right.  She had seen him turn into a troll and stuck with him.  If the fangs and the horns hadn’t torn them apart, a dinner date wasn’t going to do it.  “Maybe you’re right,” he said.  “Next time.”

And maybe he really would.

[haikujitsu]

Trollhunters, Holy Crap: An Essay

I was looking for something to kill time on Netflix and finally got around to watching it and holy crap. I'm going to try to ramble about it with no major spoilers (I'll stick to things revealed in the first 2-3 episodes) so that I can get y'all onboard because my friends this show needs more love. Seriously guys, this is the best fantasy serial I've seen since Avatar.

While it follows a lot of common monster o' the week and secret teen hero tropes, it pulls the rug out from under you at the best/worst possible moments. Real-life consequences intrude, schemes backfire, characters do the unexpected. You can never be totally certain things will go according to plan, and that's really exciting.

Why it’s Great

Swords and sorcery action! Get the obvious one out of the way, hehe. It's got flashy high-stakes, high-energy battles with swords and glowy lights and the protagonist and/or his friends being 2 seconds away from death against creatures wayy more skilled at killing than they are. 

You know how kid shows dance around talking about death and dying even when the protagonists are literal ninjas with swords or w/e? This... is not that show. 

...yeah that's episode 2.

Also it's really funny? Not every joke hits home, but there's some really hilarious moments--even better when they're woven into the mortal peril.

Toby is a gift. He might be a typical jokester best friend sidekick, but he's got some great lines and manages to walk the line between goofy and relatable.

Jim Lake, the protagonist, is such a good kid. He shows almost none of the toxic masculinity that is typical for this kind of protagonist. He's never self-conscious about fear of death, or shedding tears or apologizing. He lives alone with his mom, and he does all the cooking and at least some of the housework and is openly happy to take care of her. 

Also he learns Spanish above and beyond class requirements just because he knows his crush is bilingual and that's frickin' adorable okay?

Speaking of the Lake family, Jim's mom. Oh man, Jim's mom. I love her. I love the ongoing gag with her awful cooking skills, I love how she's horribly overworked but still manages to demonstrate how caring she is, I love her lack of a weirdness filter and how she calls out Jim when he lies about where he's been. She's the parent all of our teen superheroes should have had.

It's hard to really talk about the trolls without getting into spoiler territory, but I just love them. 

Their weird, magical, honor-driven society is a great juxtaposition against the more mundane high school life, and I love how simultaneously silly and creepy they can be. Arrrgh's character arc especially is super engaging, and wayy more nuanced than you'd expect of the tank character.

Then there are the villains. So many awesome baddies. This show is dripping with antagonists eager to kill/maim/use the protagonist, and that's part of what I love about it. The odds start out so absurdly stacked against them. 

We have the typical fantasy terrifying but distant Big Bad, the scary Brute Bad, and the scheming Lesser Bads (including the deliciously complex Strickler), all of whom vastly outrank the protagonist in power, then the Monster o' the Week, then the technical allies who may fight to the death over ideological differences... and that's ignoring the school antagonists, like the bully character and the teachers who (le gasp) don't like it when their students flake. It's just a giant swamp of hazards and I love that.

Everyone has an arc in some shape or form. Something I'm weak to in TV series is the minor/just-for-laughs character growing in the second season (can anyone say McGuckit?). Trollhunters does not disappoint in this respect. We get to see not only the secondary characters (sidekicks, minor villains, Jim's mom) given more depth, agency and personality, but even some of their classmates that were barely touched on in the first season. 

Also the overall character development is slow and has nuance. I love that, because so often it's simplified for children: once a Lesson is learned, it's learned. In this show there's always this back and forth, like Jim's relationship with Claire, Arrrgh's change in ideology, Strickler's priorities, and I think that culminated in what happened at the end of S1. It always feels real and true to the situation, but there's not a clean progression and that's perfect.

So yeah this barely scratches the surface but I’d better stop rambling. That’s my unasked-for pitch for Trollhunters, go watch it, it’s awesome thank you very much! 

[iitsqii]

6/10/18

IAL #34 Why U should watch TROLLHUNTERS!!

HI hello guys. I hope you guys are having a wonderful Sunday So I changed my posting ot sunday because it feels like a better posting schedule. Also I am planning to post some or a few chapters of my own stories on to this blog. Hoping to hear your guys opinions on my stories I have 3 main ones and I would love to hear the criticism of yours. SO yea look out for that (finger guns)

Now onto the topic of this week TROLLHUNTERS. Now this amazing show had just ended and I recommend anyone who loves fantasy with trolls and trollhunters and amazing worldbuilding. I highly recommend this show

DISCLAIMER: I AM GOING TO BE SPOILING THE WHOLE SHOW FROM HERE ON OUT SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT SPOILERS PLEASE WAIT FOR MY NEXT POST NEXT SUNDAY OR DM ME A TOPIC THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED. I’M OPEN TO ALL TOPICS

WOW AMAZING BEAUTIFUL- this was my exact reaction in finishing the final season of Trollhunters. Because the 13 eps season put me on a emotional roller coaster ride and I legit cried 3 times while watching this season Mind you I don’t cry that easy guys but man did this show know how to play with your heartstrings. Now lets back it up and talk about the first season and compare it to the last season.

I’m gonna say this to any first season of a kids show is always personally what I have seen from Dreamworks and other cartoons are always the “ basic things we need to know seasons” .This is the season where you meet the characters. You learn the world and premise and about the main character and then something happens that wither is gonna be touched on in the season or touched on the season after or the season after that.

Like for instance from S1 Jim Lake to S3 we watched how he gained more cool armor within his armor because his character was growing and developing through all the hard stakes ad obstacles that he had to go to.

And fam on top of that the upgrades we got from Jim’s armour was a foreshadow of a thing we were gonna see in season 3 and I’m gonna tell you what it iis. JIM BECOMING A TROLL. YES YES that happened. A;so credit to the true person in the trollhunters fandom who saw that and pointed that out personally for me I just thought he had the horns for aesthetics so yeah. Jim we have seen as grown to take the position as troll hunter he understands that fighting Gunmar is the most important ttroll to defeat.

Toby or tobias Jim best friend is also a well-rounded amazing best friend because he is so supportive of jim even when he didn’t know he was the trollhunter. Everyone needs a toby in their life seriously. And in S3 I’m glad they showed how important he is also needed in the main group

Claire OH MY GOSH CLAIRE. I Love her to bits. If you compared my first reaction to her when we first met her season I was thinking “great she is gonna be a damsel in distress” or she is only gonna be there as Jim's love interest. Yeah that didn’t happen of her being a damsel in distress but a badass girl who can take care of herself and her and jim end up together. We also see how super powerful she is in S3 vs Morgana. My literal reaction was ‘HELL YEAH CLAIRE KICK HER BUTT”

So yeah I am super satisfied with how this showed ended. Again if you livee fantasy as much as I do. Pls give this show a watch

My question to you guys these week is are there any cartoons are shows that you love that I should watch? What’s your favorite cartoons?

Pls like reblog and I hope you guys have a wonderful Sunday.

PAPA T OUT!

Oh and one announcement I’m going to be posting one chapter out of my superhero story. Criticism is super welcome. I will be posting it in this blog.

Okay I love you guys and I hope you have a great morning night and afternoon. Bye guys love <3 YOU

[quietpagan]

Trollhunters Season 2

y’all i gotta talk to somebody about this

-Dictatious.

-Dictatious, Dictatious, Dictatious....

- Gunmar fast AF

    - also really old?? Like tired-old-man old. Dicktits seems to be quietly running the place.

   - Gunmar’s actually really pretty in design. All the chips and cracks he has glow neon blue and it’s sparkly

- The only thing sadder than Barbara worrying about her missing son is Barbara not knowing that Jim is gone

- Dictatious motherfucking Galadrigal

Look at that smug bastard. This is the face I make like 60% of the time. Look at him, he’s having so much fun being evil.

- Kanjigar possessed  AAARRRGGHH. Just like, possessed him. It’s creepy seeing AAARRRGGHH standing fully upright with ramrod-straight posture. Also highlights how huge he actually is.

   - finally he actually hugged his goddamn son

    - Kanjigar is SHADY AS FUCK. Like, was all that vague warning really necessary? I didn’t like the guy before and I like him even less now. He’s a fantastic character, but he’s a horrible father, a terrible mentor, and in real life I’d probably try to Rule # 3 him at least once.

- Jimbo and Nomura making fun of Strickler is the best thing ever

   - Nomura’s character arc deepening and she’s actually pretty cool

- Blinky’s heartbreak at Dickbutt’s betrayal is wrenching to watch. This is when I realized exactly how beautiful the animation is this season. The facial expressions, the minute movements, the body language, was glorious.

- BLINKY IS HARDCORE AS FUCK and anybody who says otherwise can fight me

- Dictatious looks like a middle-aged man having his first Goth Experience but DAMN is he a smart mofo

- “How do we get down?!” *AAARRRGGHH straight up jumps off the cliff* *Blinky considers it and...* “Nope.”

- Gunmar’s like “Would you rather die??” and A! and A!’s just like been there, done that, bought the t-shirt

- y’all are mean to the giant carnivorous troll snakes, they’re just trying to do their best

- Toby you had one job

- DRAAL YOU HAVE ONE JOB!

- So Dromura is official

- Jim hugging Barbara for the first time and I realize that this kid is only 16, he is literally a child

- YALL KILLED THE CAT. WHAT THE FUCK DOES DEL TORO HAVE AGAINST THE POOR GODDAMN CATS

-  Jim why are you using a bucket there’s literally a fire extinguisher in the library

   - On that note I’m glad Blinky is able to drop Dictatious like a hot potato. He’s beaten bloody by his brother, whom he idolized, who he mourned for, and he knows that Dictatious is going to kill him. He burns his library, the most precious thing he has, in order to burn Dictatious’s memory, and he does so with no regret or indecision.

- Jim finally getting flak for being an angsty teenager and running off to the Darklands alone and abandoning everybody, good.

- your ppl ain’t been helpless, Jimjam, they’re kicking ass without you

- AAARRRGGHH literally pulling a Hulk vs Loki with a goblin

- Why is everybody afraid of fukin goblins? They literally do nothing harmful. I’ve seen more destruction from feral goddamn cats.

- I literally yelled ‘oh shit’, “Oh Shit’, ‘OH SHIT!’ when we saw Ducktales, Gunmar, and the Gumm-Gumms outside of the portal

- all y’all are useless, this is 2017 bitches, technology is baffling

- Not-Enrique. I’m glad he wasn’t pushed to the side now that they have real-Enrique back.

- Chompsky’s relationship with the action figure just became official and everyone is uncomfortable.

- anime-eyes!Jim is the scariest thing ever

- Gunmar got some serious biceps. Like even my asexy ass is like woah bro

y’all think he got followers because he makes evil, badass plans? No. It’s dat bod.

- Sir Isaac Gluten and his brother, Dwight D Eisenflour. All of you are horrible parents.

- “Who could be so careless to lose an arm!” Draal being like IT WASN’T ME!

- the closest thing Jim had to a dad was Walter Motherfucking Strickler? I’m sorry, have you seen this troll who Strickler himself said was Jim’s father-figure:

- nothing taking any shit from you, Trollhunters. You’re not exchanging Snape-ler for Blinky just because he’s the fandom’s wet-dream. 

- trolls play d&d

- Coach is Steve’s stepdad like WUT

- Elijah Leslie Pepperjack. I know Leslie is unisex but traditionally it’s feminine in the US. It’s actually suggested that Eli is a trans boy. Eli’s such a dork that having an embarrassing middle name wouldn’t hurt him much unless he wants it a secret for a far more personal reason. “Grow a pair”, Steve said. Literally.

- I ship it.

- Gunmar tore Draal’s fucking arm off! - DRAAL NOOO!

- Draal goes commando and does not got da booty

- Jim crying in every episode, like, truly, real men wield swords and have a healthy cry at least thrice at week.

- In the ‘Jim aint the trollhunter’ episode Blinky is like ‘Begone, human, or I will have my former Gumm-Gumm friend who still has trauma from his flesh-eating days eat you!’ and seriously Blinky that was really insensitive

- Vendel is Blinky’s only brother?? Not AAARRRGGHH, the troll he spends every minute of every day with? The season didn’t actually have a lot of Troll Dads ship material but I’m counting that.

- Umbrella scene was really sweet

- Claire being a Boss Ass Bitch like a proper fucking lady

   - and she’s not alone

   - my favorite song of the show was in that scene!

   - DARK CLAIRe

   - oh boy, the fandom’s boy-toy is back. Everyone give a warm welcome-back to Angry Rock.

- DarkChangeling!Jim was terrifying and I Fully Support Him

   - deeply disappointed that we didn’t see what the heck that was or how Jim beat it

- This season was so much more brutal than the first, and better-written as well, though I loved the first.

[tobikakeru]

Trollhunters 💙

I just watched the ending of Trollhunters and, although I thought it would make me sad, I can only feel grateful and satisfied.

(long story under the cut)

I first watched Trollhunters at work, back in September 2016. Yes, I watched it before it first went on streaming, and it was at work because I actually kind of worked on the Spanish translation of the show, or rather somehow participated on it :) I had just started working at a subtitling company, and one of my colleagues asked me if I’d like to “proofwatch” a few episodes of this show by Guillermo del Toro to give their subtitles a final check. Well... now that I think about it I might have worked on a trailer before that, yes, that was my actual first peek at it. Anyway, I thought it looked interesting, and it was work that needed to be done in any case (you wouldn’t believe the sort of stuff I ended up having to watch there xD), so I said yes. If I remember correctly, I started watching on episode 20, so I had to figure out how the trollhunter Jim Lake Jr. and his friends had gotten up to the point where they had to defeat this Angor Rot guy. There were some things I didn’t quite get, but what I did get was really hooked up on this AMAZING show.

And the rest, as they say, is history. I devoured the entire season once it was on Netflix and enjoyed even more, if possible, those episodes I’d already watched. You know, for me, that’s the proof that something’s really good. No matter how many times you watch it, and under what circumstances, if you always enjoy it, that means it’s a masterpiece.

I became the official “proofwatcher” of Trollhunters at my office. My colleagues would directly forward me the episodes once they were ready without even asking. Quick digression here: the Spanish subtitles were made by a terrific translator who did an awesome job, really. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I almost had nothing to do but sit back and watch. It’s so so great that this person took charge of the show, because they managed to keep the tone and essence of the original and, as a fan and a subtitle translator myself, I honestly admire and appreciate their job. It was brilliant, perfect.

So, I also “proofwatched” through seasons 2 and 3 before they went on streaming. I got so excited every time I was told a new episode was coming and, to tell you the truth, it saved many of my days. Sometimes I couldn’t even hold a little scream, laugh or jump off my seat. It was SO much fun, really. There were only two problems: 1) obviously, I couldn’t release any information or talk about the plot to anybody before anything was released (sorry, guys) and 2) the episodes would often come out of order, so basically everything was spoiled for me. Yup. I saw Jim going back to Arcadia in season 2 before watching how he actually managed to go back, and I saw them meet Merlin before knowing how they got to his tomb in season 3. Hence what I said two paragraphs above about a show being good no matter what ;) I liked it as much (well, even more) when I later rewatched everything in order.

This went on until I recently left the company to be a translator on my own. I had only watched up to episode 11 in season 3 before it went on Netflix. Silly me, I thought it would go on for at least one more season before they fought Gunmar and co., and I’d just have to wait like the rest of mortals to watch it. But, to my dismay, I found out that the last two episodes I hadn’t watched yet were the actual last episodes of the show. I was bummed, believe me. This wonderful show was a part of what got me here, a part that I loved very much, and now it was going to be over. No more new episodes to wait for. I know about the spinoffs, and I’m so looking forward to watching them, but I know it won’t be exactly the same.

But, at the same time, I feel really happy and grateful for having been a part of this. This past year and a half (almost two years!) following the adventures of Jim, Toby, Claire, Blinky, AAARRRGGHH!!! and the rest of fantastic characters has been a blast. I know I will be rewatching Trollhunters over and over many times and enjoying it as much as the first time. I think everybody who worked on it has made a remarkable job and created a fantastic epic story filled with great moments and emotions, both human and troll-wise. Thank you so much for everything!

(I can’t wait to see what Aja and Krel are up to!)