#i just have a lot of thoughts about krel

[trollhunters-eldritch-princess]

i think that it's really important how krel faces the majority of human racism during 3Below. he's visibly a latino and has darker skin than aja. krel also has the same quirks as her. but it's her quirks that are seen as cool and his that are seen as weird.

he's also a math genius, and it's constantly called into question how he is doing so well, with the racist man is season one claiming that he cheated solely because 'everyone knows people like him aren't good at math'. even the bounty hunter weaponizes this in the next episode.

there wasn't really a point to this post, but i think that it's really important that in a kid's show, the latino boy is shown to be accused of cheating simply because he doesn't 'look' smart, and the show explicitly calls this attitude out as wrong and does not give it any excuses. and the latino boy is given shades and dimensions to his character and allowed sympathy and rage for his losses. you know, the way all people should be allowed.

[delightful-chaos-collection]

Things that would have been interesting to see in 3Below

● Krel and Aja confronted their parents and how they were kinda terrible rulers.

● How when Morondo took over there were people cheering for him which means that the people were not all that happy with the king and queen. i mean in the first 10 minutes we see the way king Fialkov talk to loth saborian and how he sounds so dismissive, so rude.

● Zadra realized that the king and queen were not doing the best job and while they did do a lot of good they were also not doing the best job and while she still is loyal to them she is not blind anymore to their flaws and the governing body must be held to a higher standard.

● Morondo not being the one who hired the Zerons. resulting in a complicated relationship with the king and queen and Varvatos

● The conflict between Krel and his dad and how King Fialkov never took an interest in his son's interests and always dismissed them. How Krel felt unloved by his dad and how he just wanted his fathers love, respect, and acceptance and that's why he was so adamant about becoming the king in waiting thinking it was the only way that he could get those things from his dad. how Fialkov clearly favored Aja over him. How his dad realizes how he made his son feel and genuinely apologises and tells him and he loves him and starts taking an interest in his son's intrests and how Krel no longer wants to be the king and wants to stay on Earth

● The conflict between Queen Coranda and Aja and how they left Voltar to destruction, how she kept so many secrets from her. How little Aja actually knows about her mother. How Aja is realising that Akiridion is not perfect and has so many flaws and problems especially politically. How she now wants to be queen to better the lives of Akiridion and try and being to make those mistakes and problems right. How her mother was trying to protect her daughter and thought it was the best way to do so. How they reconcile and start to build a real relationship

● Varvatos feels conflicted about his feelings for Nancy. it's said his family died but never stated who they were, I like to think that he had two kids and a partner. How he feels like he is betraying and tarnishing the memory of his deceased partner. how he realizes that falling in love and and seeking someone to confide in and to have comfort in does not diminish the love he has for your first partner.

● Steve realizing how much of an ass he was to Eli and other people and feeling really bad and trying to start making amends and be a better person.

[thewildsophia]

3Below//Krel Tarron x Depressed!Reader

A/N: Re-watching 3Below has reignited my love for Krel. There also aren't any Krel x depression out there so fuck it ima do it myself. For these headcanons, I imagine the reader to have Major Depressive Disorder as opposed to any other kind of depression bc that's what I have. Enjoy!

TW: S//H, S//I, Adult Language

Another warning will be placed before sections containing the above.

Words: 2485

"Read More Link” placed due to length.

Krel Tarron x S/O w/Major Depressive Disorder

At first, Krel would not understand. That is, he wouldn’t pick up on the fact that you have depression. 

His knowledge of human sociology and behaviors is very limited when he and his sister first land on Earth. However, even after he’s spent months here he still struggles to understand and pick up on social cues. 

So even though you exhibit very obvious signs of depression — i.e. lack of energy/appetite, excessive sleeping, and loss of enjoyment in activities — Krel doesn’t suspect anything inherently wrong with you. He thinks that your personality is just different from your other human counterparts. 

And to be fair, for as long as he’s known you, you’ve always acted this way (because you were depressed-). 

You would definitely have to tell him you’re depressed because otherwise, he would never figure it out. You ended up telling him during a period of lucidity where you didn’t feel too bad and were conscious of his lack of understanding of your behavior. 

As you tell him, Krel stares at you intently, committing everything you're telling him to memory. 

Now he really doesn’t understand. 

This whole time he thought you just have a different temperament from the other humans at your school, but in reality, you were suffering from a serious illness that he had no idea you had.

Tbh, Krel’s not ok for a few days after you tell him. For a brief moment, he’s angry that you didn’t tell him sooner, but he quickly understands why and his anger dissolves into sadness. He feels so terrible about not picking up on the fact that you’re constantly in pain and that he’s done nothing to help you. 

Krel spends the next few days after you told him researching all about depression and other similar mental illnesses. He’s honestly a little fascinated by how many illnesses there are lmao. It’s just that on Akaridia-5, there aren’t illnesses like that, so he’s happy to learn something new (even if it’s not under more favorable conditions). 

Krel has a lot of questions about your flavor of depression for when you’re mentally ready to answer such questions. 

Tbh, he’s a little insensitive with some of his questions, but that’s just because he doesn’t know any better. Correct him (politely) and he’ll make sure to be nicer with his questions. 

Not much changes dynamic-wise; Krel’s still your loving boyfriend, the same way that you’re still his loving significant other. 

He does make it a habit to compliment you every time he sees you. Whether it be a compliment about your looks, your school work, or even something as small as “I’m happy to see you today,” he really tries to boost your confidence in hopes that you feel better about yourself. 

He also tries to be around you more often, both to make sure you’re ok and to show you that he’s there for you. 

Krel becomes better at predicting when you’re about to enter a depressive episode. Having been around you for so long and now knowing what the warning signs are, he’s very good at guessing when you’re entering certain episodes (sometimes even before you know. Scary, huh?)

When you enter depressive episodes, Krel does everything he can to make sure he’s there for you, both physically and mentally. He will hold you close to him with all four of his arms while he listens carefully to what is troubling you. 

Krel still doesn’t quite understand the emotions involved in depression. Like many other people, he believed that it was just constant sadness, but the more he read and spoke with you about the matter, the more complex it all became. Sadness, despair, emptiness, fear, anger, jealousy, all emotions that he’s never really felt in full. Not to mention other even more nuanced emotions such as paranoia and shame that he’s actually never felt at all. 

Krel is also very good at helping you through mood swings. He’s come to understand that all humans fluctuate between many different emotions, sometimes in a short period of time. He knows when you want him close to you and knows when you want space. 

If you are someone who is very mature with how you explain how you’re feeling, -- like telling someone you’re mad at them, why you’re mad, and that you want space to cool off/talk with them about it -- Krel has an easier time responding to you. He’s much less likely to misinterpret your feelings and what you want. 

Krel actually learned how to vocalize his own emotions from you whenever he’s distressed or upset which definitely opened you two up for a much more healthy form of communication.

He just struggles with emotions in general, but he makes the effort to understand for you :)

TW: S//H, S//I

If Krel ever gets even a hint that you’re hurting yourself, his mental walls would fall and he’d collapse in on himself.

If there is someone who is threatening or hurting you, he, his sister, and Varvatos can easily get rid of them. If you are sick, he can help treat you until you are better. Even if you do something as small as scraping your knee, he can be there to put a bandage over it.

But yourself? He can’t protect you from yourself. He doesn’t know what to do and that scares him so much.

After what happened with his parents, he is very grateful for the lives of those he loves as he understands just how easily they can be taken away from him. He is afraid that one day you will be gone and all that will remain is him.

Krel would have found out about your self-harm either on his own or someone tipping him off about it. You just didn’t have it in you to tell him yourself. 

Krel then begins to really try and learn human medicine. He would spend hours reading medical articles, watching first-aid videos, and taking copious notes about everything he learns, even if it grosses him out a bit (organic organisms were never really something he was interested in before).

He tries to come up with other things you can do when you feel like hurting yourself; Drawing/coloring, writing, reading, playing games, anything that will distract you. He’s always sending you ideas especially when he’s not with you and knows how you’re feeling. 

And to both of your credits, your self-harm does lessen in both severity and quantity. But unfortunately, it doesn’t always help since old habits die hard.

Krel is there in an instant to help you when you relapse assuming you tell him you need help. Even if you decide not to tell him immediately and care for yourself that day/night, Krel almost always finds out sometime after and worries over you about it. 

His hours spent learning first aid pay off when goes to treat your wounds; Cuts, burns, bruises, bites, you’re convinced that Krel can treat any minor injury. And you’re grateful for that. 

Krel is thorough about disinfecting any open wounds with hydrogen peroxide or Neosporin over burns and is incredibly gentle when wrapping them in gauze. He likes to check on them every few days as well to make sure they’re healing correctly.

He holds you close to him afterward -- all four arms wrapped around you and face pressed into your neck/shoulder -- and begs you not to leave him. At first, you’re confused thinking he meant, like, break up with him. It isn’t until you give it more thought that you realize that he doesn’t want to leave him through death.

If you ever express feelings of guilt -- whether verbal or through body language -- Krel quickly dismisses them from your mind by telling you how he wants to help you and how much he loves you. That he wouldn’t bother doing all of this if he didn’t see anything of substance in you.

If you ever express a desire to die, -- whether through suicide or some freak accident -- Krel will look cool on the outside but on the inside, he will be panicking. As hard as he may try, Krel could never understand why you want to die. 

Even if you explain it to Krel -- Everyone and everything that troubles you and the awful guilt you constantly feel by just being alive -- he believes that there is always a reasonable and achievable solution to your problems. It’s not that he’s trying to downplay your problems or your emotions, he’s just naturally more of a rational thinker even under stress.

But even though he doesn’t understand the emotions themselves, he does understand that human emotions can elicit other undesirable responses and thoughts.

Krel will constantly tell you how much he loves you and that he doesn’t know what he’d do with himself if you were dead. 

He does what he can to push those thoughts from your head.

As written earlier, Krel likes to spend time with you in person. Not just because he loves you sm but also because it makes it easier to keep an eye on you and intervene when necessary.

Def says something along the lines of, “I’m happy you’re alive.” And the first time he said that you cried so hard he thought he insulted you lmao. You had to explain to him that you weren’t insulted but relieved and overjoyed. 

Krel is not the most emotionally intelligent person out there, but he tries to be and is willing to understand them for you.

When you had shown up at school with a busted lip, bloody and bruised knuckles, and a dull gash on your cheek, Krel freaked the fuck out. The moment he spotted you walking to your locker from his own locker he was all over you. 

“What happened?” Krel cried while gently taking your face into one of his hands while the other went to grab your hand.

“It’s nothing,” You mutter, pulling your face out of his grasp and taking a step back. Krel scoffed, looking almost offended while saying,

“Nothing? Nothing did that to you?”

“I just-” You start, raising your hands up in defense before dropping them at your sides, “I got in a fight with Steve. It was over something stupid. We’ve known each other for most of our lives; I just worry about him.” You cross your arms to hold onto yourself and look anywhere Krel isn’t. Krel moved his head so that it was in your line of vision, forcing you to meet his eyes. 

“I take it you don’t want to talk about it?” He asked. You nod ‘yes,’ and Krel frowns.

“I won’t push you then, but I really want to get you treated,” He says, taking a step closer to you. You stay where you are and allow him to hold your hands.

“Later, I’ll be fine for now,” You say while bringing up one of his hands to kiss the top of it, “You can have Aja or even Mother patch me up after school.”

Krel looks at your knuckle hesitantly before agreeing, trusting that you truly would be fine until after the school day.

The moment the last bell rang he made a beeline to find you and ran you to his house as quickly as possible. The two of you were the only ones home when you got there, so Krel wasted no time in having one of the blanks retrieve a first aid kit. Once given to him, Krel attempts to treat your injuries but fails pretty miserably. 

You end up showing him how to clean and wrap different kinds of cuts and bruises. It’s when you’re in the middle of cleaning your knuckles in the sink that Krel says something that makes your stomach drop.

“Mother, can you scan Y/N for any more injuries, please?”

“Wha-Mother! You don’t have to do that!” You shout panicked and covered your arms in a vain attempt to conceal your other injuries. 

“Numerous other injuries found upon Y/N in the upper arm, forearm, and thigh regions. Approximately 27 cuts to the epidermis and 3, 1st-degree burns found.”

“What!?” Krel turned around so fast to face you, you swear you saw his electric blue hair whip from the air, “Where?! I demand you show me!”

“No!” You cry back panicked, hands gripping the side of the sink behind you. Krel scowls and grows before shouting, 

“Mother, show me a hologram of where the injuries are on Y/N!” 

“My King-in-waiting, It would seem that I have breached a highly sensitive topic on behalf of Y/N. I believe it best that they discuss it with you themself.” Mother responds. Krel sighs, his upper right hand running through his hair.

“Y/N,” He starts, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m really worried.” He carefully walks over to you but leaves a foot of space between the two of you.

“Will you please show me where you’re hurt?” He asks quietly. Your eyes begin to burn with tears and your mouth opens to explain yourself before shutting quickly with a ‘clank’ of your teeth. Unable to speak, you place your hands into his lower ones, palms up, and nod your head. Gently, Krel’s other hands push your long sleeves higher up your arms, and he’s baffled at the numerous cuts he sees littering your arms. There were many different colors, thicknesses, lengths, and stages of healing -- some were a day old while others were weeks old. He ran his thumb over one of the older ones.

“Wha…” Krel stutters, eyes dancing over your arms, “What are these? What-Who did this?” His eyes flicker up to yours. 

Your jaw twitches -- wanting to speak but unable to -- and you pull one of your hands away from his to point to yourself. Krel’s eyebrows furrow.

“I-I don’t understand,” He whispers, his own eyes beginning to water, “I want to understand.” 

“I did this,” You mumble out, pulling your other hand away from his, “I am…ashamed.” Tears begin to fall and you scrub gently at your eyes to dry them.

“You-You did this?” Krel asks, confused and stunned, “You willingly hurt yourself? Why?”

You heave out a few breaths trying to figure out how to relay your emotions to him. While difficult to say, you manage to squeeze out three words.

“I hate-” You stammer, “I hate myself.” 

And Krel is immediately embracing you.

“I love you,” He says, cupping your face in his upper hands and staring into your eyes with his other two around your waist, “I love you so much. Please don’t ever say you hate yourself.”

Gently, he kisses your forehead, your cheek, and then your lips.

The two of you are left a sobbing mess of tender skin and emotion in the kitchen for Varvatos and Aja to find later when they arrive home.

[albentelisa]

Hello ☺️

I know you've done general Jim, jlaire, and troll dad Blinky headcanons, but do you have any specific to the new timeline and even beyond? I love all of your ask posts btw, such fantastic Au's and our hc generally almost always align!

Hi!

Thanks for your kind words ❤ ❤ ❤

My oldest headcanon about the new timeline exists since July, 21, 2021 (when I wrote this oneshot https://archiveofourown.org/works/32729335 ). This one is that Jim keeps the new amulet and Excalibur in the new timeline.

My other headcanons about the new timeline and beyond were build through the two and half years (a lot of stuff keeps expanding, to be honest).

So here's my really long post about the happy ending for everyone.

Jim has managed to make everything right in this timeline, even with some stuff he didn't predict (like Enrique was still kidnapped - it just happened on a different date).

Everyone in the new timelines has these odd hunches about things they experienced in the first timeline. Like Claire having some odd attraction to Jim, Blinky being fatherly to Jim, and Barbara getting random thoughts that Strickler might be inhuman. Toby has it the worst as he can't help but think that everything is not his adventure and that Jim would be a better hero.

Because of hunches both Claire and Barbara find out the truth way earlier.

However, Toby is the first who realize that Jim somehow knows about all the incoming events. Jim has no choice but to confess about the time travel. He keeps the details from everyone though, especially those that might cause complications.

Jim brings Douxie into the team before the final encounter with Bular. Claire requests Douxie to become her magic teacher once she joins and he agrees.

Aja, Krel, and Varvatos join once they arrive on Earth.

Draal lives. Vendel is injured but also survives.

Angor gets his soul back this time. He isn't happy with Strickler but decides to let it go per Jim's request.

Toby spares Bular (much to Jim's shock). Bular starts to live in Toby's house, trying to reconsider his ways. Initially, Draal watches his actions and they eventually become friends.

Morgana fails to possess Claire. She possesses Angor instead.

Strickler manages to convince some changelings to switch sides, so more changelings survive.

Jim doesn't allow Merlin to transform anyone into a half-troll. He shows Merlin Excalibur (leaving the latter speechless), so Merlin begrudgingly agrees to try Jim's plan first.

After Gunmar's death, Bular inherits Decimaar and uses it to liberate all the trolls his father controlled.

Jim and Claire talk Morgana into trying to give co-existence a second chance. She isn't convinced fully but agrees to wait.

The residents of the Trollmarket never go to New Jersey, which means that Aja and Krel have more people to help them.

Jim is deadset on never letting anyone be hit with an onyx shard. He ends up taking the hit for Claire - only to discover that it has no effect on him (as Excalibur cannot harm his owner and Jim is technically another owner because of the time paradox).

Merlin isn't happy to learn that the Green Knight is actually King Arthur. The same goes for Morgana, but she blames Merlin for her brother ending that way.

Merlin finally realizes that he has been too stubborn all the time, refusing to see other options. He uses all his magic to seal Bellroc and Skrael and entrusts Douxie with leading the new king of Camelot.

AND NOW TO BEYOND

Jim is technically the King of Camelot now, which makes him rather uncomfortable at first. However, with Douxie's encouragement, he realizes that more than an authority figure, he's King of knights, a noble protector of both humanity and magical beings, and the first among equals.

Claire continues with her magical studies, fully determined to prove that shadowmancy isn't always evil and can bring much good to this world. She consults a lot with Morgana, even though she still considers Douxie her teacher.

Toby is still this timeline's Trollhunter but lately, he mostly deals with small errands from Bagdwella and other trolls. He doesn't mind as it feels a lot like vacation after everything the team has gone through.

Blinky succeeds Vendel as the leader of Trollmarket. He thinks about bringing some reform to the Tribunal and some obsolete traditions, thinking that trolls should start a new page in their history.

Aaarrrgghh always helps Blinky in his endeavors, but he protects peace in Arcadia. He's much like a local celebrity and kids love him.

Mary and Darci start a blog about various magical creatures, trying to show humans that the supernatural isn't that harmful. Mary also tries to date a troll at some point. It doesn't work, but only because of personality differences, not because their species are too different.

Barbara returns to drawing. Strickler uses some of his connections to promote her art a bit. Surprisingly, Barbara's art becomes really popular.

After some consideration, Strickler opens the school where different creatures, aliens, and humans can exchange their culture. He takes over as a principal and also teaches human history. Blinky comes over for troll history lessons, and when Claire is older she starts to teach Human World Literature there.

Eli is still the Earth ambassador at Akiridion-5, he's rather popular there. Eli is also the one who proposes the start of technological exchange with the Earth. Due to his efforts, Earth's technical progress is busted tremendously.

Steve the head of New Camelot Knights. However, eventually, once he is sure that everything is peaceful on Earth, he moves to Akiridion-5 to support Aja and help Eli. Even though Steve is officially married to Aja, he isn't that accepted at Akiridion-5 as it is technically breaking traditions. This time Aja informs him about all the nuances of akiridion reproduction. They still have kids, but only once both ready and consented to that.

Aja has a lot of stuff to solve, dealing with all the consequences of her parents' rule. She brings in lots of reforms and eventually limits her own authority, taking over the role of the main Akiridion-5 protector, while leaving everything else to those more fitting for it.

Krel moves to Earth, becoming Akiridion-5 ambassador and trying to popularize interstellar travels and exchange. He also has a side career as DJ Kleb.

Varvatos retires and starts living with Nana. Toby calls him granpa, which he doesn't like.

Douxie and Zoe go on the world tour with ADP once the world destruction is prevented. Claire, Mary, and Darci join them as Mama Skull.

Douxie opens his own cafe together with Jim. While they both are co-owners, Douxie enjoys taking over as a waiter occasionally, while Jim often cooks. It's the place where every creature is welcome, and well the Guardians often use it as their gathering spot.

Nomura becomes the leader of changelings who wish to return to troll society. Draal helps her a lot to fight for acceptance and against prejudices. They claim each other as mates, which causes an uproar in some circles. Even though both claim to be disastrous parents, they are great once they have their own kids.

Vendel retires, fully enjoying his rest. He comes to give blinky advice occasionally, but he's mostly a grumpy grandpa for everyone at the Trollmarket.

Dictatious takes over the troll library, adding some stuff he learns.

Angor goes on a travel (for an atonement, as he claims). He's seen all over the world, fighting against slavery and injustice at night. Soon enough he becomes a kind of city legend, and a lot of criminals are scared of him.

Bular goes to the Darklands, fully intending to reform the Gumm-Gumm tribe and get rid of the stigma they have.

Barbara and Strickler have their planned wedding and adopt some of the changelings' familiars, including Strickler's and Nomura.

Ironically, despite Jim and Claire being sure of each other feelings, Toby and Darci have their wedding first. It's the final push that makes Claire propose to Jim.

Enrique grows up to be a party monster, much because of NotEnrique's influence. They both tend to start parties which only Jim can stop.

Zelda (Nomura's familiar) is a huge fan of classical music, so they both can chat about it for hours. No one else is able to follow.

Wallie (Strickler's familiar), however, finds history boring. He's more of an IT and Math kid and is extremely talented. Strickler tells him the truth about their connection, and Wallie goes to live with Jim for some time to sort out his feelings. He forgives Strickler after some time though.

The world keeps changing as humans and supernatural beings learn to co-exist. Trolls take over dangerous mining, trading some difficult-to-get minerals. Humans also realize that trolls can eat some waste, which creates new ways to save nature. Nari feels that it's the world she, Bellroc, and Skrael wished to have before giving up and hopes that one day the rest of the Arcane Order will be unsealed and admit they were wrong.

[kittyflufi123]

Thoughts on Krel x douxie? Krel is one of my favorites but a lot of people find the ship problematic because Douxie is like, over 900. On the other hand a lot of people question how slowly Akaridions age, so fifteen Akiridion years (keltons) could possibly equate to some centuries in earth years.

This theory is also supported by Aja and Krels parents being literally hundreds of years old and never aging because Akaridion biology reasons??

I dunno I just wanted to bother you

Hellou!! Thank you for the ask!!

Sorry it took so long to respond... school problems ;-; but!!! I'm here and I'll tell you one thing: I ship Krel and Douxie more than Zoe and Douxie, that's due to an artist too... but because I think they're super cute together >v<

about ages... even though Douxie is 900 years old... he's still a teenager, he just ages slowly, it's like you're semi-mortal, you can die but not from old age. about the krel age.. and the same thing, there is a different galaxy or planet, where the years or decades must pass slower than ours, or faster too qwq

So he is also a teenager, in my opinion, the only difference is the age that his planet or galaxy gives him,I don't see a problem in shipping them... it's just an observation and my opinion.

I hope I cleared your doubt hahah! It's been fun answering your asks hihi, if you have any more questions... feel free to ask.

[the-gateway-to-madness]

Akiridion Courtship

I've seen a bunch of takes on this, so given what little we know of Akiridion culture, what I've seen in the fandom, and what ideas I've picked up from other shows, I'm going to slap together some of my own thoughts.

Starting a Romance on Akiridion:

I think there would be some manner of tradition regarding this. Akiridions being as long-lived as they are, I think the basic, more commonly accepted idea would be that Akiridion relationships are started with eternity in mind, with shorter, more passionate relationships being more of a product of active rebellion than a common thing like they are on Earth. Akiridions are built to last, and I think their love and marriages would be too.

So, how would Akiridions begin a relationship, is the obvious question?

They're a culture with a very particular concept of honor, as we can see from Varvatos and from the way other warriors behave. They're also an immensely creative people, as we know from Krel and how advanced their technology is. The little shrine to the Royals we see in one of the episodes has its own sort of artistic beauty.

And so, I think hand-crafted or self-designed gifts would be a way to begin an Akiridion courtship. I also think secret courtship wouldn't be considered shameful on Akiridion like it sometimes is on Earth, especially for royals; I think it'd be considered a perfectly reasonable act of protecting personal privacy.

Anyway, I think that a series of three gifts, from the person initiating the courtship to their romantic interest, is customary. The first is to express interest (called a "muryt"), the second to express intent of building a solid relationship (called a "dibir"), and the third to ask the romantic interest to accept them (called a "kveca"). The romantic interest is free to reject any of the gifts, whereupon the gifter is expected to back off. This has a certain influence over the dynamic of the more traditional aspects of the relationship moving forward.

Process of Courtship:

In an effort to build a lasting relationship, Akiridion dates, I think, would be more practical than not. I think they'd be focused on cooking and creating things together, learning about each other and learning new things together. They'd be to facilitate interpersonal connection and to figure out what the couple has in common. Of course, these are the focus, but romantic gestures are welcome and encouraged, too.

Akiridion Dancing:

I don't think Akiridions dance to music. I think they have very precise, fluid dance forms that facilitate closeness and conversation. Circular steps and a lot of mirroring movements and hand touches.

Breakups:

There's a couple ways for Akiridions to break up. One is for the receiver of the courtship initiation gifts to return the kveca. One is for the gifts-receiver's House to compensate the gifter's House in some way. One can also just break it off verbally, but it's considered more impolite.

Preparing for Marriage:

This one is a modified version of a Minbari tradition from Babylon 5. If an Akiridion couple decides to consider marriage, the gift-receiver and gifter spend three nights together, wherein the latter sleeps, and the former watches. The belief is that, at some point during those three nights, the gifter's "true face" or true self is revealed to the gift-receiver while they sleep. If the gift-receiver likes what they see, they get married. If they don't like it, they get to decide the future of the relationship.

Proposal and Marriage:

For the proposal, the initial gift-receiver creates three gifts to give to the initial gifter, symbolizing promising themself to them like the initial gifter did at the start of the relationship.

The marriage is an occasion that's taken seriously to a degree, but treated with lightheartness. Mostly it just finalizes if one member of the couple or other is going to choose to join the other's House, or if they'll choose to create a new House together.

Variation for Royals or Nobles:

Not that different, really. Nobles or commoners marrying royals become part of the royal House. Commoners marrying nobles join that noble's House. If royals marry each other, as in the case of Aja and Krel's parents, a new House is formed.

Here's a compilation of all the posts I've done analyzing Akiridions:

[beannary]

I need to see that TOA fanfic wip right now please <3<3<3

Ok here you go! I put it under the cut so this post isn’t super long

Eli paces back and forth in his room, mind racing as he begins to connect the dots. It just doesn’t make any sense, but also it makes the most amount of sense given all of his observations. And considering all the other strange and mysterious things that have been happening in Arcadia, it really isn’t even that outlandish of a theory.

But no, Eli is not going to be jumping to conclusions. He’s a scientist, or at least an aspiring scientist. He has his observations, he just needs to make a hypothesis and conduct an experiment. That���s the only way he can know for sure if he’s on the right track.

He stops pacing and stares intently at the list he has tacked up on his cork board.

Pale skin? Check. Never goes out in the sunlight? Check.

And ok maybe those are the only two definitive characteristics the subject displays but in combination with all the other weird behaviors he exhibits, this is the only logical conclusion that Eli can come up with. Douxie, the teen who works at Benoit’s and at GDT Books has to be a vampire, and Eli is going to be the one to prove it.

First things first, Eli has to present his theory to other people. Obviously he can’t do this all by himself. No scientist can do an entire experiment all by themself, it has to be peer reviewed to be legit. Duh.

Now Steve is…well he’s not the most scientifically minded, so Eli knows he can’t only rely on his Creep Slaying partner. He’ll need to get Krel in on this, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to include Toby too. He’s going to need all the help he can get if he wants to conduct experiments on a potential vampire without his cover being blown.

He presents his observations before the council on one sunny Friday afternoon during their lunch hour. Eli has never been more thankful for the school’s open campus, which gives them just enough privacy, as they sit at one of the gross plastic tables that are littered around campus, without looking as if they are outright avoiding people.

Steve frowns, deep in thought as Eli finishes presenting his observations. “That makes so much sense! No one that hot could be human.”

“That’s what I was thinking!” Eli nods excitedly. “Well ok, that’s some of what I was thinking. That and all the other things I mentioned.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you two are talking about,” Krel deadpans. “In fact, I have not a single clue what you have been talking about for the past twenty minutes. What is this vamped ire you speak of?”

“Vampires are a type of monster from human mythology,” Eli explains as he pulls out his phone and opens up google. “They’re undead creatures that feed on human blood and have like a whole lot of other powers and stuff!”

Eli hands Krel his phone, with the wikipedia page for vampires pulled up. “Anyways,” Eli says, turning to Steve and Toby, leaving Krel to do his research. “We need to figure out a way to prove that Douxie is a vampire, or to prove he isn’t a vampire.”

“Oh! Maybe he sparkles in the sun!” Toby suggests.

“Oh my god just like in Twilight,” Steve says excitedly.

Eli frowns. “Wouldn’t we have noticed him sparkling? That was the whole thing in Twilight, I think. They lived in Washington specifically to stay out of the sun.”

“Yeah but that same logic applies to regular vampires too,” Toby points out. “I think you’re onto something with the vampire thing though. I mean the changelings had a way to go out in the sun without hurting themselves. Who knows what vampires might have to protect themselves. Plus, hiding in plain sight is the best way to go unnoticed. No one would ever think to look for a vampire in SoCal.”

“I didn’t even think of that,” Eli says as he digs in his backpack for his theories notebook. He pulls it out and clicks his pen a few times before jotting down some notes. “If we are operating on that logic then getting him into the sun won’t help us at all.”

“Couldn’t we just ask him?” Steve says. “That’s sort of like what Bella did.”

“I think I am still confused,” Krel says as he hands Eli his phone back. “Who is this Bella person and why do you keep on speaking of a time of night?”

Toby gasps in mock offense. “Krel, have you not seen the most culturally important human film, Twilight?”

“No? I have not been on this mudball for a full earth year. When would I have had the time to partake in the going to the movies?”

“Oh Krel, my man,” Toby drapes his arm across Krel’s shoulders. “We are going to have a movie night where we introduce you to the majesty that is the Twilight series.”

Krel eyes Toby warily. “...right.”

“We need to focus guys!” Eli snaps his fingers in front of Toby’s face to get him to pay attention. “We can totally watch Twilight after we figure out if Douxie is a vampire or not, and to do that we need to figure out a plan!”

“Uh isn’t the plan obvious though?” Steve says. “All we have to do is get some blood.”

“Yeah but don’t we need something more structured? What if something goes wrong?”

“I don’t think so,” Toby says. “I mean we all have blood with us all the time.” Krel coughs and pointedly looks at Toby. “Right, almost all of us have blood with us all the time. All we have to do is bleed and then we’ll know for sure.”

“But how do we bleed at the bookstore without it looking weird?”

“Does it have to be at the bookstore?” Toby asks. “If we go to Benoit’s and Douxie is our server, all we have to do is cut ourself on a knife and we can see his reaction.”

“And if it goes badly then we have these bad boys to protect us,” Steve says as he flexes his arms.

Eli sighs in disappointment. “I guess this plan works.”

“Aw what’s wrong E-man?” Steve asks.

“I just thought this plan would be, I don’t know more involved or something. Just showing up and bleeding all over the place isn’t very scientific,,” Eli shrugs.

“Yeah but it is the most surefire way to see if he is a vampire,” Toby points out.

#

They arrive at Benoit’s approximately half an hour after school lets out. The restaurant is blissfully empty, exactly as Eli was hoping.

“Oh wait,” Eli says just before the group enters the restaurant. He sets his backpack down on the ground and unzips it. “We should each have one of these on us before we go in, just in case things get hairy.” He takes out a stake and hands one to each of the party members.

“A piece of wood?” Krel asks as he takes the stake and turns it over in his hand.

“Wow,” Toby breathes out. “How did you get these?”

Eli smiles and pushes up his glasses. “A Creep Slayer is always prepared for all circumstances.”

“I am not even going to ask why you have given me this,” Krel says as he pockets the stake.

“Alright team! Let’s go catch us a vampire!” Steve shouts before rushing into the restaurant.

Immediately things go awry.

“No, unfortunately we are not able to accommodate outdoor seating at this time,” the hostess smiles politely at the group of teens. “I can, however, place you in Douxie’s section as you requested if you are still intending on dining with us?”

Eli frowns, but nods in confirmation. The hostess smiles and gathers up a few menus before leading them to their table.

“Any reason why he can’t serve us outdoors?” Toby asks.

“Well other than the fact that Douxie’s section is indoors today, he also hates working outdoors,” the hostess explains as they take their seats. “Says he burns too easily or whatever,” she shrugs and sets down the menus. “Douxie will be over in just a moment to get you started with drinks,” she says before hurrying back to her position.

As soon as the hostess is gone Eli whips out his notebook and excitedly jots down some notes.

[fallenrocket]

A Few Thoughts on Big Neurodivergent Energy Stories: Tone Edition

Continuing my series on commonalities within Big Neurodivergent Energy stories. Many of these are qualities that wouldn’t necessarily scream “neurodivergence!!!” at first glance, but I see them popping up again and again. While not every BNE story shares every trait, and having them doesn’t automatically mean the story is inherently neurodivergent, I find that there’s too much overlap for these similarities to just be a coincidence.

I’ve already looked at style, now let’s talk about tone. When it comes to tone, the overarching theme is, to quote Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “The situation’s a lot more nuanced than that!” Rather than boxing themselves into just one thing, BNE stories tend to employ multiple often-contradictory tones, playing at both ends of opposing extremes.

Sharpness and Sweetness

It’s not uncommon for BNE stories to include a mix of characters who are deeply cynical and/or curmudgeonly and characters who are sunshiny and optimistic. On stories like Ted Lasso and Kipo and the Wonderbeasts, the sweet, positive protagonist wins the hearts of the spikier, more distrustful folks around them. As their influence is felt through the show, the overall balance of the tone shifts more heavily toward sweetness, but it never fully loses that sharpness either—even as characters like Roy and Wolf start to let their guard down more, they keep a bit of their bite. We see this sweet/sharp mix all over: J.D. and Cox on Scrubs, Leslie and Ron on Parks and Recreation, Aziraphale and Crowley on Good Omens. On Pushing Daisies, we have Ned, Chuck, and Vivian on the gentler side while Emerson, Olive, and Lily are more hard-edged. These dynamics aren’t absolute, though—again, they shift over time as the characters influence each other. The sweeter characters still have low or tough moments, and the sharper characters still have moments that show off their softer side.

Comedy and Drama

By and large, it’s rare to find a story that’s pure comedy or pure drama. Most everything is going to give you a mix of both—dramas have funny banter, and comedies have serious/heartfelt moments. Think of it like a vanilla ice cream cone with chocolate sprinkles, or vice versa. But rather than sprinkling a bit of comedy into a drama or vice versa, I find that BNE stories often include a more potent mix of the two, like a chocolate-and-vanilla swirl cone. It almost feels like the word “dramedy” was invented for stories like this! Scrubs regularly shifts from silly fantasies and slapstick to death and self-doubt. Loneliness and trauma are recurring themes on Pushing Daisies, alongside goofy murder scenarios and sticky-sweet romance. In Nimona, we get the madcap humor of Nimona’s impression of Ballister or her little-demon-boy antics, but the entire third act is just constant emotional devastation. I know I definitely didn’t go into DuckTales expecting any pathos! From Our Flag Means Death to Doctor Who to A Series of Unfortunate Events, “It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry” is a regular occurrence.

Heavy and Uplifting

BNE stories can get into some really serious topics. Ed’s suicidal ideation on Our Flag Means Death, Nate’s toxic downward spiral on Ted Lasso, the unrelenting sexism Elizabeth faces in Lessons in Chemistry. On Maya and the Three, Maya’s funny warrior brothers are all killed by the big bad in the second episode. On 3Below, Aja and Krel are refugees who had to flee their planet during a violent coup, and their parents are barely clinging to life. The characters on Scrubs have to face death all the time. Yet by and large, the tone of these stories is ultimately one of hope. Things can get really bleak and painful, and the characters don’t always get the victories you hope to see for them, but something prevails. It might be a found family coming through for each other, a beautiful moment of sacrifice for the right reasons, or even just moments of joy persevering against all odds. Despair gets its claws in, but it doesn’t win.

[callisthoe06]

Intro (so y'all know who I am lolz)

Hi! You can call me "Cal" (not my real name but I find it cute so why not? lol), I'm a 19y/o bisexual (I love men EVEN MORE though) writer and a bit of an artist from the Philippines (it's hot as hell here) I'm mostly an NSFW writer and artist (Twitter, Instagram, and Ao3 are the same as my Tumblr username but pls no harassment if my works offend your moral minds) I'm pretty friendly, especially if we're into the same fandom and as long as you don't write and draw shit of my favorite characters getting hurt, we'll get along fine as long as you can deal with my unhingedness (also me very horny) I'm pretty short IRL and I'm a pretty optimistic person (even though I'm trying to burn the last remaining bits of my optimism cuz of how traumatized I am right now). Just casually trying to hang on to that little sliver of hope and happiness inside me before I let my intrusive thoughts take over again. Fandoms I love: 1.) Tales of Arcadia 2.) Godzilla 3.) Gamera 4.) My Little Pony 5.) HTTYD 6.) My Little Pony 7.) Jurassic World 8.) Murder Drones My favorite character from each fandom: 1.) Douxie Casperan 2.) Mothra 3.) Iris 4.) Dirk Thistleweed 5.) Hiccup Haddock 6.) Dirk Thistleweed 7.) Kenji Kon 8.) N STUFF I LOVE: I love Douxie Casperan, Krel Tarron, Mothra films, Kaiju films, collecting Kaiju figures until I run out of money, Douxie being an Alpha Dom Top, Tales of Arcadia, HTTYD, Hazbin Hotel, Voltron, MLP, crop tops, butterflies, moths, dinosaurs, sunny skies, sunsets, BDSM, pop and R&B music, visualizing about crazy animatics in my head while listening to music, drawing...gay stuff (18+), and writing hardcore, unhinged kinky smut. Favorite Mothra film: Rebirth of Mothra Favorite Godzilla film: Godzilla vs. Biollante Favorite Animated series: Wizards: Tales of Arcadia Favorite Animated Film: HTTYD 2 Favorite Song: Rain on Me, Crayons, and Next to You Favorite Musical Artist/s: Ariana Grande, CupcakKe, Lady Gaga Favorite Kaiju: Mothra Favorite Color: I seem to side myself with blue as much as possible (though, I love Teal, Violet, Purple, and Vermillion as well) Favorite food: Pancakes, waffles, and BBQ fries lol STUFF I HATE: (If you wanna interact with me, PLS under any circumstances DO NOT talk about this shit especially the one italicized, bold, and in red text) Whump fics, angst fics, karens, homophobes, racism, drama, Zoe Ashildr, Colonel Kubritz, King Arthur, Fanfics where Douxie is a submissive bottom, being abused, or hurt (seriously though, WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!), floods, mud, cheese, the color pink, the words "pterodactyl, brontosaurus, paradox, and gaslight", boring lectures, most of humanity, the military, unethical human experimentation, the government, politics, people who complain a lot, alcohol, darkness, Antis, the happy birthday song (because it offends me), interruptions, soldiers, most straight canon ships, cheese, haircuts, uninvited guests... ~ (have this cute lil' pic of me from last year with my Battra figure, hehe~)

Currently, I'm trying to write a crapsaccharine story about my OCs. Simply titled "Callisto", it's about a young demigod prince who must join forces with his friends to help control Earth's population and save their home from the multiple magical forces that threaten it. (so far I've barely progressed but I've got a few ideas that just need to be executed properly). Lastly, my birthday is on July 29

[sergeantsporks]

Writing Request: When the Hexsquad goes through the door to the Human Realm instead of going to Gravesfield, Connecticut they end up in Arcadia Oaks, California.

Happy Birthday to the 3 people who will understand this. Obv. this takes place in the best timeline, where That Movie didn't occur and Bellroc and Skrael were defeated in some other way.

“Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy… Claire! Claire Nunez, my greatest student, who very much only makes portals when she means to…”

Claire eyed Douxie. “What?”

“Yoooooouuuuuuuuuuuuu didn’t happen to bring them here, did you?”

Claire peered around her mentor and at the group of roughed up teens behind him. “…What?! Douxie, what did you do?!”

“Nothing! I didn’t do anything! I just found them! Wandering around, asking where they were! They were talking about a portal, so I figured… well, you’re our resident portal expert, aren’t you?”

“You sound kind of like my uncle,” one of them piped up, eyeing Douxie. Claire took another glance at him, then almost wished she hadn’t. Those eyes were creepy.

Douxie grinned at him. “Well, hey, mayyyybe… we’re related! Eh?”

“You don’t want to be part of our family,” he responded flatly.

“Oh. Okay.”

“It’s the accent,” the girl in the letterman piped up softly, “You don’t actually…”

Douxie smacked his forehead. “Oh! Right, introductions. Everyone, this is Claire Nunez, our magic portal person. Claire, this is Luz, Amity, Willow, Hunter aaaaaand Gus.” He pointed to each of them in turn.

“Portal person?” Luz echoed, “But—you’re human, right?”

“As far as I’m aware.” Claire studied the other kids more closely. Luz looked pretty human herself. Most of them did, besides the pointy ears. She could see Amity and Hunter being something else, and she tilted her head at Douxie. “So, are they changelings, or…?”

Hunter flinched at that, but Douxie shook his head. “They’re… sort of from another dimension? I know that’s not exaaaaactly your cup of tea, but I was hoping maybe you could use their emotional connection to make a portal?”

“I—does it even work that way, Douxie? I’m usually using my emotions as an anchor, not someone else’s. What if it goes wrong? If they’re from another dimension, how is their magic going to mix with ours? I’m assuming they’re magic, right? What if—”

Luz stepped forward. “Douxie said you were his student, right? He’s your mentor?”

“Yeah.” Claire socked him gently on the arm. “Best teacher on the planet. Taught me all the magic I know.”

Luz’s eyes welled up. “And if Douxie were caught somewhere with the most dangerous being on the planet, who could tear apart and reacreate worlds without a second thought, you’d do anything in your power to get to him, to save him, wouldn’t you?”

Bellroc. Skrael. “Of course I would.”

Luz took her hands. “I have a teacher, and a kid who is like a younger brother to me that are on the Boiling Isles right now,” she said in a choked voice, “They’re probably alone, and my teacher doesn’t know if I’m okay, and I don’t know if she’s okay, and the last I saw her she wasn’t, and I have no idea what is going on. I will take any risk to get back to the two of them right now.”

“You have a little brother trapped there?” Claire whispered. She kept ahold of one of Luz’s hands, detangling the other. “I can try. Think of home. Feel for it. All that fear for your mentor, for your brother, keep it. Hold onto it.”

Claire held her hand out. Come on. Come on, she has a little brother.

But nothing happened. Claire dropped Luz’s hand with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I… I’m pretty sure the shadow portals are a this-dimension only sort of thing. Have you asked Krel for help, yet?”

“No, I didn’t, great plan, Claire! Alright, you lot, come on. There’s someone else I’d like you to meet.”

Xxx

Krel Tarron spun around in a chair, fingers tapping against his knee incessantly. “Another dimension, huh? Don’t suppose you know what kind of tech was used to build the portal?”

Luz shook her head. “It was mostly ingredients from the other world. The original builder of the portal, Phillip Wittebane—” the name tasted sour in her mouth name, and she practically spit it out. “—had outside help, but… I don’t know how he got it to work.”

Douxie startled behind her. “Phillip Wittebane? Is he still kicking?!

“You knew him?” Luz yelped.

“That little twat tried to get me hung for witchcraft! I mean, he was right, I am a magician, but yeesh, you try to show a kid a neat trick and suddenly the whole town’s chasing you down.”

“Yeah, he… didn’t change when he got older.”

Douxie shook his head. “Geeze… as bad as Matthew Hopkins, and only a tyke. I hate to think what he’s like now.”

“Hello?” Krel asked, waving his hand, “Can we get back to the problem at hand? We’re trying to cross dimensions? Thank you. Between the—the frogs in LA and this, it seems like there’s been an awful lot of dimension hopping happening recently. A thinning in a barrier somehow? Whatever the case, now is probably the ideal time for figuring out how to do it consistently. You had a portal, yes? It was powered by a source from the other realm? We have power sources here, as well. I don’t know how well your magic will blend with my tech, but there haven’t been too many issues with our magic and tech so far, if the two are ANYTHING alike, this shouldn’t take long. Someone who can do magic, stick around. The rest of you can… I don’t know, just try not to get in my way.”

Amity raised a hand, and Luz wandered outside with a sigh, plopping down at the edge of the pool and dangling her feet in. The door opened and closed, and Douxie lowered himself next to her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she mumbled. She laughed joylessly. “You know, a few months ago? I would have been ecstatic to find out this place existed. Chosen ones? Magic amulets? Brave witches, beautiful magic creatures, adventure? I would have wanted to stay here forever.” Luz crossed her arms, resting them on her knees. “Now I would give anything to be in a place that’s the complete opposite of this.”

“Well, it’s not all pretty flowers here,” Douxie chuckled, “It has it’s fair share of—well—disgusting—but… it’s home. Like I’m sure the Isles are to you.” He skimmed the water with his feet. “I… had a mentor, too. And I was separated from him, he went into an enchanted sleep, and there was nothing I could do to wake him up. I just had to wait. But he did wake up. And we did find each other again.”

“How long did that take?”

“Oh, nine hundred years, give or take a few.”

“What?!”

“I’m sure it won’t be that long for you!” he said hastily, “All I meant to say, is… you’ll see her again. I’m sure of it.”

“Hm.”

“Well,” Krel’s voice said from behind them, nearly startling Luz into the pool, “I don’t think it’ll take so long as nine hundred years, but I can say with absolute certainty that your magic is nothing like his magic, and it’s going to take a while to figure out.” He wiped abomination goop off of his face. “Luckily, I have plenty to work with, and luckily, I’m probably the smartest person on the planet, so! You’re in good hands. Four of them.”

Douxie stood up, offering Luz a hand. “Do you have somewhere to stay?”

“I… well… I could go home, with my mom, but… it’s sort of across the country.”

“Right, then. Let’s exchange numbers, and Claire will have you over to your mum’s in a jiffy. If Krel makes any progress, you’ll be the first to know.” Douxie bumped her shoulder. “Don’t you worry, Luz Noceda. We’re going to get you and your friends right back. Ah—how worried should we be about that world-tearing-apart creature?”

Luz winced. “Just… don’t keep any portals you make open for too long.”

“Right. That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”

“Thank you, Douxie.”

“Any time, Lady Luz. Just give us a ring.”

[talesofarcadia78]

Douxie moving in with the reader? Is this ok to request?

Yeah, definitely!

Sorry, my editor took a bit more time than I expected.

Hope you like it!

Beyond Any Doubt || One Shot

Bills, bills, bills.

Bills everywhere.

Douxie was on his laptop, frantically typing away how much money he owed people and how much he needed to pay for all his bills.

Douxie wasn't the type to ask for money from others, but it was an emergency. Now, everyone that he owed money too were chasing after him. And as for the bills, he couldn't pay all of them. Even though he had two jobs, it wasn't enough.

Tipping in Arcadia wasn't the best.

He tried to request the companies more time, but they all refused. If he didn't pay his bills on time, then his internet, water, electricity would all be disconnected. He couldn't afford that.

Many people tried to help him, saying that they'll give him money to pay everything and they won't ask for it back, but he denied any help. You, his girlfriend, even tried to help out but, as stubborn as he was, he just said no.

You were currently at the grocery store, buying some fruit for Douxie. As you were checking out, you noticed the Guardians of Arcadia were all goofing around outside. You smiled. They were finally having some fun after all the Arcane Order business.

Jim had pulled out Excalibur and is still the Trollhunter, Claire had gotten a lot stronger with her powers by the help of Douxie, we were able to save Toby, Archie magically appeared out of nowhere, claiming that he and his Dad had found a way out, Krel had gotten some headphones to listen to his music, since not everyone liked him blasting it out, Aja and Steve were happy with all 7 kids of theirs and Eli loved looking after them.

You walked out of the store and went over to the gang.

"Hey, gang!" you called out.

"Hi, Y/n!" they all called back.

"What are you guys doing?" you asked.

"We're all going to get ice cream," Toby replied.

"Wanna come?" Claire asked.

"Sorry guys, I can't. I need to drop these groceries off at Douxie’s. He hasn't been eating at all, lately," you shook your head.

"Do you need any help?" Jim inquired.

"Nah. I'll manage. You guys enjoy your ice cream!" you waved.

You were about to ring the doorbell, when you remembered that you had an extra key to his house. You pulled it out and opened the door.

You were greeted by silence.

Weird.

Whenever you were at Douxie's place, you were usually greeted by loud music but, today was a different story.

"Douxie!" you called, placing the groceries on the kitchen counter.

You saw the bedroom door fling open, revealing a sleep deprived Douxie.

"Hey, love. What 'ya doing here?" Douxie asked, walking towards you.

"If you haven't noticed yourself, you haven't been taking care of yourself, so I came to check up on you and give you some food," you explained.

"I've been taking care of myself!" Douxie protested.

"Really?!" you crossed your arms. "Says the wizard who currently is obviously sleep deprived and probably hasn't eaten in god-knows-how-many days."

"Well, I've been busy," Douxie said.

"I know, I know. But you have to take care of yourself as well," you said.

"I just… I need to pay these bills and give people money. I just don't have time,' he sighed.

"Well, leave financial problems to the side for just half an hour," you instructed. "And eat."

"Fine," Douxie grumbled.

You unpacked the groceries and placed them all in the fridge. You tossed a banana to Douxie.

"Eat," you ordered.

He gobbled down the fruit in just a few seconds.

"Wow. I didn't realise I was so hungry," Douxie admitted.

"Okay. Now, eat this," you said, handing him a sandwich.

"You're going to just feed me food for half an hour?" Douxie asked, his mouth filled with bread.

"Of course not! After you eat that sandwich, I’m gonna make you go to sleep," you said.

"But-" Douxie started but you cut him off.

"No 'buts' or 'ifs'. You will be going to sleep, that's my order," you lightly scolded.

After Douxie finished his sandwich you pushed him to his room. You confiscated his phone and laptop and put them outside.

"Now, you, Mr. Casperan, are going to sleep," you stated, heading out of his room just before he grabbed you wrist a spun you around to face him.

He leaned down and whispered into your ear, "Not until you kiss me."

He pulled back, waiting for you. You rolled your eyes and kissed him on his cheek.

"Now can you go to sleep?" you questioned.

"I meant- You know what…" Douxie leaned down and smashed his lips onto yours.

You were taken by surprise but you quickly melted into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck and started to play with his hair, while he snaked his arms around your waist, pulling you close. Soon after, the two of you pulled away, keeping your foreheads touching.

"Now can you go to sleep?" you repeated.

Douxie didn't reply, he just started to walk forward, making you walk back. Your back suddenly hit a wall.

Your breath hitched as Douxie leaned in for another kiss.

Douxie found your hands behind his neck and pinned them on either side of you, interlocking your warm ones with his cold ones. Archie came strolling into the bedroom, but he quickly spun around when he saw the two of you making out. Giving the two of you privacy, he walked back outside.

Sooner then Douxie wanted, you pulled away for air.

"Now, you're going to bed," you said, pushing him away.

Douxie opened his mouth to speak but you placed a finger to his lips.

"No more excuses," you said, "Sleep."

You pushed him onto his bed and tucked him in and walked out of his room, closing the door behind you.

You plopped onto the couch and opened up Douxie's laptop. As soon as you opened it, you saw a bunch of numbers on the screen.

That's a lot of money.

"Hello, Miss Y/n," a voice spoke.

You jumped and looked towards the source. You realised it was just Archie and leaned back into the couch, while Archie flew to you and sat himself down in your lap.

"Hey, Arch. How's it going?" you asked.

"Good. I, uh… wanted to greet you earlier but you were um… preoccupied with Douxie," Archie hesitated.

You blushed and looked away, "Uh… we were just… umm… yeah."

"Anyways, about Douxie," Archie started, "I'm worried for him. I doubt he has the money to pay for everything. I've been trying to help him out by reaching out to a couple wizard friends of his, but there's only so much that I can do. Y/n, can you please help him out?"

"Of course I will, Arch. I just need to figure out how," you replied.

Archie nodded his head and sat there in silence, while you were thinking ways to help poor Douxie out. You started to absent-mindedly stroke Archie’s fur, earning a purr from him. After a couple of minutes, your eyes began to droop and you stopped stroking Archie. Soon, you fell into a deep slumber. The familiar noticed this and looked up to you, before he realised you were asleep. He carefully removed your hand off of him and he flew to get a throw blanket for you. When he returned, he heard very quiet snores from you. Archie laid the blanket on top of you and let you rest.

Half an hour later

Douxie was up and refreshed, while you were still peacefully asleep on the couch. Douxie opened up the door to see Archie playing with a ball of red yarn on a window sill. Archie noticed Douxie and stopped playing with the yarn. Douxie was about to ask where Y/n was but Archie held a finger up to his mouth and then pointed towards the couch. He walked over to the couch and saw that you were sleeping.

He smiled. You looked cute when you were asleep. Douxie quietly sat himself down next to you, planted a kiss on your temple and started to get back to his financial problem.

After 10 mins

You started to stir awake from your nap. As you opened your eyes, you felt a light tickling sensation in your hair. You saw Douxie was sitting next to you, staring at his laptop while absently ruffling your hair.

"Douxie," you whispered, instantly getting his attention.

"Hey there, love. Had a nice nap?" Douxie asked.

You only nodded your head. You tried to look what Douxie was doing on his laptop but you couldn't clearly read what was on the screen since you could only see half of it. Douxie opened up his arm and you snuggled into him. You once again saw numbers.

"Handling bills?" you guessed.

"Yeah," Douxie replied.

Suddenly, you got an idea.

"Hey, Doux," you called.

"Yes, love?" Douxie asked.

"You know how you don't have enough money to pay for the bills. What if you moved into my place instead and put this place up on the market?" you suggested (idk how housing works, just go along with it), "You wouldn't have to pay for the bills, so less money to give."

He thought about it for a minute.

"Mordrax's miracles! That's a great idea!" Douxie cheered.

"Great! We can start moving your stuff tomorrow," you said.

You looked once again at the laptop screen to check the time, 4:15 p.m.

"Do you want some tea?" Douxie asked, closing the laptop.

"Sure," you nodded.

After drinking the tea that Douxie made, the two of you decided to go out for a walk.

You and Douxie were walking down the path, hand in hand, when you spotted Toby, Claire and Jim. The trio also noticed you and Douxie, and ran up to you.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Claire giggled.

"Hey guys! What're you up to?" Douxie inquired.

"Just hanging around," Jim shrugged.

"Wait, weren't you guys with the rest of the gang?" you questioned.

"Yeah, we were but, they had other things to do. Steve, Aja and Eli had to take care of the kids. Then Krel had to adjust one of his inventions," Toby answered, "They left just before we got ice cream!"

"Yeah, T.P. here is just whining about how we couldn't get ice cream," Claire chuckled.

"I am not!"

"Well, why don't the five of us go right now?" you recommended.

"Yes! 'Mission: Get Ice Cream' is back in action!" Toby cheered, fist pumping the air.

You all made your way to an ice cream truck that was on the other side of town.

Jim and Claire were currently arguing over what ice cream flavour to get, since they wanted to share. Toby was happily enjoying his Nougat Nummy flavoured ice cream, while you and Douxie waited for Jim and Claire to decide. It was currently between chocolate and strawberry. The ice cream scooper decided to step in and suggest a whole different flavour to them. Thank the stars, they agreed. You and Douxie finally got to order. Douxie didn't minded what flavour you got, so you ordered vanilla, the classic.

Toby had already finished his ice cream, Jim and Claire were feeding each other, and you and Douxie were basically doing the same thing as the other two lovebirds.

"Sorry to interrupt your guys' little romantic session, but we should probably start heading back," Toby stated.

"Right," Jim nodded giving the last bite to Claire before he threw the little bowl away.

"Yeah, we should too," Douxie nodded, as you threw away your rubbish.

You all waved goodbye as the trio walked towards the neighbourhood, while you and Douxie made your way to your apartment.

"So, do you think Archie's gonna scratch my couch?" you asked, pointing to your newly bought furniture.

"Depends on how he's feeling," Douxie shrugged.

"Right, cause I don't want a scratched couch in just a few days. I bought that. I'll get something for him to scratch on," you concluded.

After you two had a discussion about tomorrow, Douxie headed back to his place.

Next morning, you had woken up bright and early to move Douxie's stuff to your place.

Right now you were cleaning around the apartment while your wizard was packing.

"Y/n! I'm done packing!" Douxie called.

"Bring your stuff out here!" you shouted.

Douxie came from his bedroom with a suitcase, laptop bag and a gig bag.

"You don't have much stuff," you commented.

"Nope. What are we going to do with the furniture and other stuff?" Douxie inquired.

"Well, we could put it up for sale if you don't want it. Or you can keep it," you replied.

"Nah, I don't need it. We can just put up for sale," Douxie said.

"Right. Now, let's get your stuff over to my place," you said, making a portal and gestured Douxie to go through.

He obeyed and went through the portal as you followed behind.

You were now in your living room where Archie was scratching the scratch post you bought for him.

"Hey, Arch!" you greeted.

"Hello, Miss Y/n," Archie nodded.

"Well, hello to you too Arch," Douxie grumbled as he placed down his belongings.

"Hello, Douxie," Archie added and went back to clawing the post.

You lead Douxie to your room and helped him unpack.

After unpacking his things, you started to make lunch.

You were trying to get oil from the top shelf but you couldn't quite reach it. You were going to ask Douxie, when you felt a pair of arms wrap around you, bringing you back into a chest.

"Douxie, my love, I was just going to ask if you could help me get that bottle of oil down from the top," you chuckled.

"I have a better idea," he said.

You turned around to face him, to see a grin on his face. He grabbed your hand and took you out of your apartment.

You were taken all the way to Sam's.

"Douxie, you know I could've just made lunch, right?" you said.

"I know but, a date is better," Douxie grinned.

As soon as you and Douxie took a seat, a waiter came up to you two and asked for your order. Since the whole idea of coming to Sam's was Douxie's, he ordered. Not long after, the waiter came back with two burgers and two soft drinks. You thanked the waiter before digging into the food.

After lunch, the two of you hiked your way up to the Bluff.

"How… much… longer… till… we get… there?" you panted.

You seriously needed to get out more cause you were exhausted.

"Just a few more-" Douxie started but you cut him off.

"Please don't say 'minutes'!" you begged.

"I was going to say 'metres'," Douxie finished.

"Thank the stars!" you gasped and ran the rest of the way.

You came to halt as you saw the beautiful sunset in front of you.

Definitely worth hiking for.

"So, you happy you came up here?" Douxie asked.

"Beyond any doubt," you breathed.

You tore your gaze from the scene to Douxie.

"So, you happy that you moved into my place? you smirked.

"Beyond any doubt," Douxie repeated your words, stepping forward and bringing you closer to him.

You stared up into his soft, hazel eyes, while he stared into your childlike, e/c eyes. You both leaned in and closed the gap between each other.

Now that Douxie had moved into your place, he didn't have to worry about money that much.

And you? You had company as did Douxie and Archie. A win, win.

Word count: 2, 625

[witchy-jadda]

rott spoilers ahead

so i’ve given myself some time to think about everything and try to process it all and here are some of my thoughts on trollhunters: rise of the titans...

- straight off the bat, i loved the intro. opening with blinky telling the story of what happened up until this point was incredible. i would have loved if they had circled back to this though (i saw someone else say it should have been him telling the story to jim and claire’s kids and i loved that idea!)

- i also liked that they didn’t waste time at the start, instead they just jumped right into the action which was fun.

- honestly, i thought jim’s plotline throughout the movie where he basically thought he was useless without the amulet was just really not fun to watch. i understand why it was there and it played into the climax but i really did not find it one bit necessary seeing as i felt that we have grown beyond that. i felt it was overused. we’ve been there before and jim is aware that he’s the trollhunter, amulet or not.

- douxie being so soft with nari was genuinely one of the most heartwarming parts of the movie. i feel that we were really robbed of so much potential with douxie in this movie though. we didn’t see nearly enough of him. it seemed that the writers were picking and choosing when to remember how powerful he is. switching with nari and connecting to her are two examples of when they actually used his power, but aside from that they just disregarded it a lot.

- and speaking of forgetting how powerful people are... i’m genuinely so hurt and let down over what they did to claire. do they not realise how powerful she is? did they just forget about her character arc? it sure felt like it. she got to use her powers a few times (connecting to nari, portalling the titan, etc) but mostly it felt like she was saying she was spent and therefore unable to do anything. she is so strong and so powerful, and that’s just so empowering - especially for young girls. and then it kinda felt to me that rott was reducing her to basically nothing more than jim’s love interest.

- okay another quick note, it kinda felt to me that krel’s potential was also pretty wasted? he barely did anything and i just think he deserved more too.

- ew okay i don’t even want to think about it but i know i can’t discuss rott without talking about the mpreg thing. seriously, what the fuck was that? at first, i thought it was going to be a joke. i thought aja and krel were gonna wind steve up and see how far they could go with making him think he was pregnant just for a little bit of comic relief. but then he was actually pregnant. and so i laughed, because even though it was dumb it was kind of funny. weird and unexpected, but kind of funny. but by the time the movie was over it just didn’t sit right with me. looking past the fact that it was just more of them making steve’s character into a joke, i couldn’t see the logic in giving so much time to that subplot when other characters (claire, douxie) and other relationships (claire and douxie’s friendship) were sidelined. maybe if he had gotten a whole season the mpreg thing could have been included as comic relief or whatever, but with such limited time i really don’t see the point of wasting so much time on something so pointless. 

- speaking of steve, i need to talk about creepslayerz... they really deserved more :( like i get that eli literally helped steve through child birth and then named one after him which was lowkey adorable but i loved their friendship so much and i was really hoping to see more of them. i was kind of hoping they’d get to do more as well. look i gave up on hopes of a romance long ago (even though i still really wished it would happen) but i hoped that at least we’d see some more of their friendship.

* by this point my brain has decided to forget absolutely every point i wanted to make... cue the brain fog (we don’t like her) and allow me to take a moment to read back and try to find my point again *

- i don’t think i can stress enough how much i loved the visuals in this movie. holy fucking shit it was just phenomenal. like wow. the art was absolutely fantastic and i’m really hoping for another the art of... book because i love the art of trollhunters and i feel that they could do with updating it to include the newer stuff. but yep, the animation quality was incredible and i don’t have a bad thing to say about it because just wow.

- speaking of art... a moment of appreciation for character designs. just wow wow wow. we love to see such intricately designed villains. we love to see growth in our other much loved characters. and the locations too? fantastic. beautiful. amazing. loved it.

- another moment of appreciation for jim. the hair. the scars. the injuries. the winter jacket. the fact that he looked a little older.... loved it. loved it, loved it, loved it. i cannot wait to spend hours pouring over reference pictures to draw them all.

- and claire... her armor being weathered and worn. her eyes!! her hair looked great as always. i just love her...

- nari nari nari... my goodness, her magic is so beautiful. i wish we got to see more.

- also, the jlaire moments were very cute. their kisses? so soft. they literally love each other so much. i adore them.

- what happened to the babies from the darklands btw? is not enrique just chilling in the lake’s house with a ton of babies? 

- barbara deserved better. i would have liked to see her and strickler happy.

- on that note, why the actual fuck did they think a few explosives would win against magic?? literal ancient magic and these dumbasses were like huh i guess we should blow it up. i’m sorry, what?? y’all are stupid.

* currently trying to think of every possible point that isn’t to do with the ending because i really don’t want to think about that yet *

- the whole thing with archie and charlemagne felt super unnecessary. like usually characters sacrifice themselves and it’s like sad and you can see the reasoning and stuff. but they literally could have gotten out. i really did not vibe with that. it felt like they just did that to leave douxie with no one.

- that trollmarket was beautiful though.

- speaking of trollmarket... they really restored the heartstone just like that? are you joking? i was not impressed at all. the heartstone was dead and gone, could not be destroyed. did they just forget that? half the shit in wizards wouldn’t have happened if the heartstone could have been restored. very pissed off by that. it was dead, that was it.

- okay back to jim... love that he pulled the sword from the stone. it was cute that it was a group effort, kinda would have preferred if it was just him but that’s just a me thing. and maybe me and my daylight tattoo are biased here, but excalibur is not half as pretty as daylight.

- not gonna lie, jim yelling come on trollhunters! kinda got me. i was very emotional watching this.

- i think the most in character jim moment of the whole movie was when he dropped excalibur, he didn’t have his armor, he was all alone and he decided to make a fist and fight the wizard/god with literally no weapon or means of defence. i don’t think y’all understand how much i love this dumb self sacrificing selfless boy. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, he is literally one of my most favourite characters of all time. i love him with all my heart.

- the armor!! wow wow wow. that was a fucking cool scene. beautiful.

- jim getting stabbed or whatever with that fucking spear thing nearly killed me.

- okay here goes... toby. my sweet toby. jim and toby’s friendship is one of my absolute favourites ever. my goodness. and toby getting in the van and going to save jim was incredible and such a toby thing to do. of course he would think of doing that.

- but like seriously... claire and douxie are so fucking powerful and they were both just like lol i guess we can’t do anything to help jim? i’m sorry what?? don’t tell me that claire wouldn’t go full on black and purple eyes and get herself up their to him. i just... i’m so bothered by the fact that they were sidelined y’all :|

- also, do not seriously try to tell me that aaarrrgghh!!! would let toby go on his own. he would have went with him. he would have followed him.

- literally as jim was falling the first thing that went through my mind was oh aaarrrgghh!!! is gonna run up and catch him.

- and while we’re on the topic of aaarrrgghh!!! why tf did they have such a build up that something was going to happen to either him or blinky for literally no reason? wtf

- aaarrrgghh!!! would not have let toby go alone!!! if he had been there, he would have protected toby, he would have saved him and none of that mess of an ending would have happened.

* ugh here’s the bit i was dreading... the ending *

- first off, i am choosing to ignore it.

- time stone? really? we’re... we’re gonna do this? literally one of the most original things i have ever watched is now - at the literal last possible minute - rip off another movie?? really?? whyyyy???

- i literally cannot express how much i hated it. it was so fucking unnecessary.

- he didn’t need to go back that far!!!

- i’m actually trying to block this out but i suppose i have to at least touch on it. jim would never ever put that burden on to toby. he just wouldn’t. before even looking at all of the other issues with toby getting the amulet, i need to say that. it just wouldn’t happen. he struggled so much with being the trollhunter, he wouldn’t put that on toby. 

- also toby literally never wanted to be the trollhunter?? he never wanted the amulet? he wanted to be a duke and have his war hammer and go on adventures with his best friend and his wingman and eat mexican food.

- okay so um i guess they all just forgot about unbecoming? cool cool cool.

- seriously though, was it not established many times that jim literally had to be trollhunter? and if he wasn’t it would be draal and everything would go to shit? did they just forget about that??

- having jim just decide to give toby the amulet literally takes away from the entire meaning behind jim getting the amulet and becoming the trollhunter. the amulet chose jim. merlin chose him. out of all of the creatures in the world, it had to be jim. he can’t just give that to toby!!

- and as much as i love toby, he would not last a day as trollhunter.

- and that’s not even beginning to mention all that jim erased by not becoming trollhunter. no father son relationship between him and blinky. they didn’t stop steve from picking on eli so no steve redemption and no creepslayerz. is he just going to allow enrique to be taken? toby will not have the same incentive to go into the darklands to save him if that’s the case. strickler will not show any sort of sentiment towards toby either. and then the big one...

- IS THAT FUCKER REALLY GOING TO ALLOW CLAIRE TO NOT GET HER POWERS??? WHAT???

- if jim isn’t trollhunter and the whole thing with enrique doesn’t happen then claire will never get her shadowstaff. let’s be real, strickler probably wouldn’t even need angor rot with toby as trollhunter. somehow i can’t see him making it that far...

- if claire doesn’t have her shadow staff then the whole thing with morgana won’t happen. she won’t destroy the shadow staff and then she will never develop her powers. would jim really rob her of that?

- okay i can’t do anymore, it’s too much for me now...

- i touched on this already in a separate post but i gotta say it again... i did not enjoy the destiny is a gift bit at the end. first of all, jim having toby find the amulet literally takes the meaning of that speech and his destiny away instanty. and second, i just could not stand hearing emile hirsch say the words that belonged to anton yelchin. it was just uncomfortable.

aaand i think i’m done. maybe i’ll have more later but i have a headache now from all of this.

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

What is Jim’s plan here?

Regarding “only Trollhunter will know”:

What if the Ghost Trollhunters also remember the other timeline?

Jim can lean on that for credibility points.

What if Jim loses his memory of the other timeline now that he’s arranged for someone else to pick up the amulet?

A) Jim isn’t expecting that to be an issue, because “I am the Trollhunter, amulet or not,” but just in case ...

B) That’s why he set up his highest-priority plans (aka, the ships he was hoping would set sail, aka, making his mom and alt-timeline girlfriend happy) on that first day, before pointing Toby towards the amulet.

What if Toby gets back his memories of the other timeline?

Jim figures he and Toby have basically the same information on most topics, and that Toby will forgive Jim for trying to save his life even if the method put each of them in different danger.

Regarding Toby: 

Jim’s planning to use his future-knowledge to steer Toby through and around most of the danger, as his best friend and Trusted Advisor. 

(But Seriously, What The Hell, Jim?! 

Being the Trollhunter directly led you into most of the traumatic experiences you’ve had recently, and you’re just turning that over to your best friend? 

There are a lot of ways for Toby to potentially die besides apocalyptic battles, Jim!)

Regarding Claire: 

Since Jim isn’t the Trollhunter, he won’t be missing play rehearsals all the time, and will therefore have more chances to talk to and bond with her. Also, he already knows his lines, which should impress everyone.

Regarding Strickler, and Barbara:

In Unbecoming, Strickler initially attacks Jim when Jim reveals he knows Strickler is a Changeling - but, it takes less than a minute for Strickler to switch sides once he realizes Jim is not hostile-on-principle towards Changelings, and Strickler is then literally willing to die for Jim.

In the post-Titans redo timeline, since Jim seems to be laying the groundwork for getting Strickler and Barbara together early, I’m guessing Strickler will start having second thoughts about releasing Gunmar before Killahead Bridge is fully rebuilt, and at the very least will try to warn the Lakes and/or get them to safety, perhaps under the guise of a “vacation”.

Then Jim will reveal he knows Strickler is a Changeling and why he’s really trying to get the Lakes out of Arcadia Oaks, and Strickler will officially change sides. Barbara will be mad at both of them, but forgive Jim because “It wasn’t my secret to tell, Mom,” and forgive Walter because “centuries of habit are hard to break”.

Regarding Blinky, AAARRRGGHH, Draal, Vendel, and everyone else in Trollmarket: 

Jim is assuming Toby will not keep being Trollhunter a secret from him and therefore Jim will get to meet everyone again. He’ll try to steer the timeline away from Draal getting brainwashed and killed, and away from Vendel getting murdered.

Regarding the Changelings and Familiars in general: 

I don’t think Jim has considered a plan here, beyond maybe “I know where the Triumbric Stones are this time around, so a rescue mission to the Darklands will be less risky.”

Regarding Douxie, Archie, Aja and Krel: 

Again, I don’t think Jim is thinking about them yet. If Angor Rot shows up again Jim might suggest going to Douxie for magical help.

So, did Jim make the right decision? 

In my opinion, no, for meta reasons: because ending a story with time-travel undoing everything is the magic/sci-fi equivalent of “and then they woke up, and it had all been a dream”, which is frustrating. It can make character developments within the past timeline by everyone but the time-traveler seem futile. 

Undoing everything in the hopes of getting it right next time, and expecting that to read as a ‘happy ending’, is a story trope that I feel works better in fanfic than in canon. It appeals to me more if it’s the beginning or middle of a story. 

But I think Jim did at least have a general outline of a plan, not just an impulsive “undo everything and hope for the best” mentality. 

... Wait. A. Flipping. Minute. 

Did Merlin foresee this happening? Was this what that shit the wizard pulled in ‘Unbecoming’ was about?! Impressing upon Jim the importance of thinking through your ‘reset time and start over’ goals?!

Damn it, now I have to respect that bastard just a little bit.

Infinite Loop Theory: 

Jim and Toby are unknowingly perpetually trading the Amulet back and forth between them, each trying to find a way to defeat the Titans without his best friend/surrogate brother dying, finally dying to save him instead, only to have that loop’s Trollhunter become the next loop’s Time Traveler with the same intention. 

[troublesometrollhunters]

Explaining Valentine's To Krel Tarron

~ Humans are weird. Your traditions are weird. Your hoildays. Your culture. It's weird. It's all weird. You are weird.

~ That being said Krel does like you so he's gonna do the stupid hoilday even if he hates the entirety of it. Mother did research for him in secret and proofreading her findings everything seemed fine. Being as this was a foreign planet with a different culture and strange people he supposes it makes sense to you even if it doesn't make sense to him.

~ Akriddion doesn't have anything like this so this Valentines is new to him but he does his best. According to the books he sped read, movies he skimmed, and stories he's heard around school, Valentines is the most anxiety induced hoilday for humans. They have one day to prove their love and worth as a partner and are expected to go above and beyond for them. So Krel decides to do just that.

~ As King in Waiting Krel will someday have an entire planet to rule, this can't be harder than that can it? Aja has a lot to say about the hoilday. She's going on a date with Steve and keeps giving him advice. She suggested carving your names into a tree? He thought no. That wasn't as bad as what Vex suggested though. Varvotos told Krel he should kill a rival human and present the body to you in a romantic display. He politely declined.

~ He has created an algorithm. After compling all the data from his books, movies, and highschool rumors he has a plan.

~ He has picked red roses from the garden with Luci's help, bought tickets to a romantic movie thanks to Mother suggestion, got you a present thanks to Ricky, and has planned a romantic dinner at a restaurant. It all seems over the top and unneeded but if kids at school are talking about it, it must be true!

~ The Day of Valentines he's excited to see you. With everything planned out nothing could go wrong! He has caculated it and nothing could go wrong and the data is always correct and he's not gonna worry about it or dwell on it to much or the day will be ruined!

~ Halfway through the date he's tired. You loved the roses and were excited about the movie and restaurant. He's glad your having fun. But admittedly... He's not. Krel's surprised when you ask if he's enjoying himself. This entire time he thought the day was for you. When you push a bit and he admits no he's not you hum.

~ When you pull at his arm and drag him out of the movies he's surprised! This wasn't the plan. He tries to reason it's fine but you assure him if he's not having fun than you don't want to keep watching. At first he thinks your going to break up with him but... it's the opposite.

~ Stopping at Stuart's Taco truck you buy food for you and him before taking his hand. Blushing he follows you and pauses when you stop. The outlook? Looking at you for answers you plop on a bench and pat it for him to come over. He does.

~ Handing him a burrito he takes it before looking at you.

"I thought..." He's confused as he takes a bite but you just smile shushing him.

"The movie was fun for me but if it wasn't for you I didn't want to stay. I want you to have fun too. This is our date. Not my date." Nodding he continues eating. Apparently data and teenagers could be wrong. Who knew?

~ Sitting under the stars looking at the constellations Krel smiles as he begins pointing them out to you. Leaning on him smiling he smiles back as he tells you stories of his home. You're right. This is a lot more fun.

[nikibogwater]

The Final Becoming--a Tales of Arcadia fanfiction: Chapter One

A gentle king, a warrior queen, a clever prince, and a Master Wizard. Together with their allies, these four heroes must reform the ancient kingdom of Camelot and rise up to face the Arcane Order in a decisive final battle for the fate of everything they hold dear.

An alternate take on the series ending for those for whom Rise of the Titans didn't quite make the cut. Updates every Friday (weather permitting).

Read on Ao3

Or in the post below:

Hello, hello, hello, my sweet readers! Before we begin, I had just a handful of things I wanted to say in regards to this project--I promise I won't take too long!

First, I want to make it clear that this fic is in no way intended to be a slight against the creative team behind Rise of the Titans, or against anyone who liked that film. I still have a great deal of respect for the people who worked on it, and I in no way wish to begrudge others for their enjoyment of it. That being said, a significant portion of the Tales of Arcadia fanbase (myself included) feels like we didn't get the ending we were hoping for. I wrote this fic as a way of giving myself, and hopefully others like me, the satisfying conclusion we felt Rise of the Titans was unable to give us.

Second, I felt like I should let you all know a few things about this story before you sink your teeth into it. While I did pretty much completely disregard the majority of story elements in Rise of the Titans, I still wanted this fic to feel as much like the Tales of Arcadia series as possible, and to be a logical follow-up to Wizards. As such, the primary focus of this story will be on the four main characters of the series: Jim, Aja, Krel, and Douxie. With such an enormous cast of characters, I had to narrow my focus down to these four in order to keep the story from becoming an overly-complicated, incomprehensible mess. Don't worry, the other characters are still here, and play crucial parts in the story, but they're going to be in supporting roles. I did my best to give everyone some time to shine, but even so, there will be a few side characters who have to be relegated to brief cameos in order to keep the pace and flow of the story.

Finally, I want to say thank you to everyone who's been following this project and giving me the support I needed to make this a reality. This is, bar none, the biggest project I've ever taken on, and I couldn't have done it without the enthusiastic support of my Tumblr followers and my friends. Extra special thanks goes to my bestie @poetryinmotion-author for beta reading and being a constant source of encouragement and advice.

Alright, I think that's everything. Now, on with the show! I hope you all enjoy. ✨

*****

New York City wasn’t exactly kind during the month of March. Then again, Douxie thought as he shivered and pulled his hoodie tighter around himself to ward off the chill, New York City hadn’t really been kind to him in any month. Perhaps against his better judgement, he had been hoping the city would prove just as exciting and romantic as popular culture would have him believe; towering skyscrapers that sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, street musicians playing slow jazz at the subway station, the cheerful beeping of yellow taxis picking up bustling tourists. And to be fair, he had seen all of those things at one point or another during the last eight months. But he had also seen a lot of things tourism journalists conveniently left out of their descriptions of the Big Apple, things that took a great deal away from that romantic and exciting image he’d had in his mind when he first moved here.

For starters, the cost of living here made Arcadia Oaks look positively cheap by comparison. The apartment he shared with Archie and Nari was a studio on the top floor of a very tired-looking, red brick building, sandwiched between some slightly newer, but no less worn down complexes on a fissured and narrow street. It was a dimly lit room with cracked, paperless walls and coarse grey carpet. There was a kitchenette equipped with an ancient stove and refrigerator that were miraculously still functioning, and a miniscule bathroom that more than earned the moniker of water closet. And they were lucky they were able to get that much on such short notice. During their first month, he’d taken on three different jobs just to be able to make the first rent payment.

There was also the matter of the city itself. It wasn’t just bustling--it was crowded . He could scarcely walk to work each morning without brushing elbows with at least ten different strangers. That also explained why everyone here seemed to be in a perpetually bad mood. The first time he’d tried taking Nari for a stroll to get some fresh air, she’d accidentally tripped over a lady’s dog and been harshly scolded for it. It was a few weeks before she was ready to venture out into the human world again after that. Douxie later found the same woman waiting for a taxi, and discreetly turned her purse into a toad, reveling in the high-pitched shrieking that shortly followed.

That really was the worst of it, Douxie thought, having to watch Nari wither away in a place like this. He and Archie had always been fairly adaptable, able to make the most out of even the poorest of living conditions. But Nari wasn’t like them. She was born from the earth itself, meant to roam wherever she pleased. She needed the open sky and the grass beneath her feet in the same way that Douxie needed his music. With each passing day, he worried more and more that this prolonged confinement might soon begin to affect her physical health. And yet that was precisely why they had to stay here. The smog in the air, the crowds in the streets, the blare of traffic--it all combined to form an effective cover that he hoped would be enough to keep the Arcane Order from finding her. A place so choked with human noise that even some humans found it unpleasant? They likely wouldn’t even bother to look for her here. And even if they did, finding her in this mess would be another challenge in and of itself.

With a sigh, he shook these gloomy thoughts from his mind, and turned down the street where they lived. The front door of the complex creaked wearily as he let himself in, and he took the broken, uneven stairs two at a time until he made it to the top floor. He fiddled with his keys to keep up appearances as he quietly undid the magical seals placed on their apartment door. It was much warmer inside than it was out in the hall, and he sighed again, this time with contentment, as he slipped off his hoodie and threw it over the back of the broken-down sofa. Shabby and cramped it may be, but this tiny room was his home, and it never failed to welcome him at the end of a long day.

“Ah, Douxie,” Archie greeted him. The Familiar was lounging on the island countertop next to an empty tuna can, but he stood up to bump his head against Douxie’s hand in greeting. “Nari’s up top on the roof. She made you a salad. It’s in the fridge.”

“I never should have picked up that cooking magazine for her,” Douxie grumbled good-naturedly. “What I wouldn’t give for one of those cheap microwavable lasagnas now, after a solid month of nothing but salads.”

“Don’t be an ingrate,” Archie scolded. “You know she works hard on her salads just for you. And you must admit, your complexion and energy levels have been much improved since this dietary change.”

“I know, I know,” Douxie chuckled, opening the fridge and taking out the dish in question. There were little heart-shaped slices of radish carefully arranged on top of the greens--Douxie did not particularly like radishes, but he felt strangely compelled to savor these ones nonetheless. A gust of wind buffeted against the window as he dug his fork into one of them. “...She’ll catch a cold up there,” he muttered, setting aside his dinner and taking up his jacket again. Archie followed him out onto the tiny balcony, where a strategically-placed patio chair made climbing up onto the roof an easy feat. Douxie hauled himself up to find Nari curled up next to a chimney, staring up at the clouded night sky. She was hugging her knees against her chest, trembling from the chill, yet she continued to gaze upward, as though searching for something.

“She’s been out here for a while,” Archie admitted softly. “Longer than usual.” Douxie sighed and crossed the distance between them. He held his hand out to Nari.

“Hey,” he murmured. “Come inside. It’s too cold out here.” She finally tore her gaze away from the clouds above and looked up at him, a troubled look in her eyes. After a moment, she let out a sigh of her own, and took his offered hand, allowing him to help her to her feet. The two made their way back down onto the balcony. “Getting restless again?” Douxie asked once they were back in the warmth of the apartment. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve been to the park....I’m sorry. I’ve been caught up in some stuff with work and I haven’t been--”

“That is not what troubles me,” Nari interrupted, stopping by the countertop to absentmindedly rearrange a few of the radishes on Douxie’s salad. “Or....I should say, that is not what is making me restless tonight.”

“What is it, then?”

“I am not sure,” she replied softly. “I have been growing uneasy these last few days. I fear that the Order is getting too close, though I cannot say why I feel this way.” She folded her legs beneath herself, hovering in midair for a moment before settling on the floor in front of the sofa.

“While I am never one to discount the value of trusting your own instincts,” Archie began, hopping up on the couch and settling down near Nari’s head as Douxie sat on the floor across from her. “I cannot imagine a safer place for you to be. Tracing a magic aura through the chaos of this city would be an astronomical feat, and one that they likely could not accomplish without alerting us to their presence in some way. But there hasn’t been so much as a lick of a magical stirring in this area since we got here, apart from our own, of course.”

“I know, Archie,” Nari sighed. “This is perhaps the safest I have ever been since leaving the Order. But Bellroc and Skrael are cunning, and capable of more than perhaps even I could know. I was only able to evade them for as long as I did by staying on the move. I suppose that could explain my anxiety now. It has been many centuries since I last dwelled in a single place for longer than a few moons. But still....I just cannot shake the feeling that we are in grave danger here.”

“...Alright,” Douxie said after a pause. “If you truly feel it’s not safe here, just say the word, and we’ll be out of here by this time tomorrow..”

“No,” Nari returned vehemently. “I-I am frightened by what may await us if we stay but...” She released another sorrowful sigh. “...I am so weary of running. Yet I know that the consequences of being caught are too horrible to even consider remaining still.”

An ember of fury sparked deep within Douxie’s chest. None of this should be happening. Nari should not feel as though her only place of sanctuary was this drafty, moth-eaten studio at the top of a rickety old building. And she certainly shouldn’t feel as though that pitiful sanctuary was in danger of being ripped away from her. Not for the first time, Douxie found the injustice of this entire situation staring him in the face, laughing at his inability to provide better for her as her guardian. But he was quick to douse the fire that was trying to flicker to life in his heart. Anger wouldn’t help Nari now--if anything, it would make her feel worse.

“Nari...” he said softly, clasping her shoulder and prompting her to look him in the eye. “Whatever comes, whatever the Order throws at us, I promise, I won’t let them take you. They’ll never win, not while I draw breath.” Rather than looking reassured, the sadness in Nari’s eyes only deepened. She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it, and merely leaned in to embrace him. She clung to him tightly, face hidden in his shoulder, as he and Archie shared a glance over the top of her head. With a sigh, Douxie wrapped his arms around her, bringing a hand up to stroke her hair gently. “It’s going to be alright,” he murmured. “I promise.”

Silence fell between the three of them for a few minutes, broken only by Archie’s purring as he joined them, slipping beneath Douxie’s arm and pressing against Nari’s side consolingly.

“If....If we didn’t have to run anymore Nari,” Douxie began hesitantly. “If you could go anywhere you wanted....Where would you go?”

“Home,” she sighed, pulling back and conjuring a wispy image in her hands. It was a tree, that much Douxie could tell, but it was unlike any tree he had ever seen. It was almost hourglass in shape, with both its branches and roots extending higher and farther than Nari’s little image could contain. In the center of the trunk there was a hollow, carved inside and out with ancient, creeping vines of sigils and runes.

“Yggdrasil?” Archie asked softly, the green light of her spell reflected in his wide, golden eyes.

“Yes,” Nari answered. “The World Tree is the heart of the Eternal Forest, and it is the place of my birth. Much of my power lies dormant within it. Bellroc and Skrael sealed the Forest after I abandoned the Order. I have not seen my home in more than a thousand years.” The image flickered and faded away. Nari closed her fingers and dropped her hands to her lap. “Now more than ever, I long to return there. I want to share it with the two of you.” She reached out and stroked Archie’s head, looking up to meet Douxie’s gaze.

“We’ll find a way,” he said resolutely. “Someday, Nari, we’ll break that seal, and then you can show us everything. I promise.”

“You are making an awful lot of promises this evening, Douxie,” Nari giggled. She pulled Archie in close and leaned into Douxie once more. “...Thank you.”

Douxie held his tiny family in his arms, the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders as heavily as ever. Yet sitting here, with Nari tucked under his chin and Archie purring against his ribs, he felt more certain than ever that he could bear it.

*****

The sky above Arcadia Oaks was a wonderful shade of crystal blue, the kind that looks so clear and bright, Jim could almost imagine reaching out and touching it, feeling its silky smoothness beneath the palm of his hand. The sun shone down on the world with a gentle, welcoming warmth, causing the neatly-trimmed and freshly-watered lawns to glitter like the surface of a still pond. Jim let out a contented sigh, reveling in the heat of the sunlight on his skin, the cool dampness of the grass beneath him, and above all, the sense of peaceful, lazy stillness that lay over everything.

Claire and Toby were lying next to him, one on either side. Claire’s hand was in his, their fingers loosely threaded together. Toby was blinking drowsily as he stared up at the clouds, hands folded over his stomach and thumbs twiddling idly. Jim couldn’t remember how they established this little ritual, but almost every day, the three of them would end up out here like this at some point, just resting and listening as time passed. If you had asked him two years ago how he liked to spend his afternoons, something like this would have been the furthest thing from his mind. Now though, after everything that had happened, there was nowhere else he would rather be.

Claire shifted next to him, squeezing his hand briefly before sitting up and stretching her arms above her head. She leaned back, propped upright on one arm, and looked down at Jim and Toby.

“...So, what now?” she sighed.

“What? You getting bored?” Jim replied.

“I heard they finally got the theater fixed up after that giant alien dude stepped on it. Gun-Robot 7 is supposed to be awesome,” Toby suggested, still staring up at the sky.

“No, I meant...What are we going to do next? We’re not kids anymore. High-school’s over. We’re all graduates now.”

“Somehow...” Jim muttered. He could only imagine the strings that had to be pulled and the rules that had to be broken in order for Principle Uhl to let him and Toby pass.

“...So what do we do now?” she continued. “Like, with our lives. We’re not exactly the Trollhunters anymore. Douxie says there’s been no sign of the Arcane Order since he blasted them out of the sky last summer. I guess....we should probably start thinking about what we want to do now that everything’s settled.”

“...I guess we should,” Jim murmured.

“...Honestly, I never thought we’d make it this far,” Toby marveled. “The past two years have just been so crazy-town banana-pants, I sort of thought it was going to be like that forever.”

“Things could still get crazy again, Tobes,” Jim reminded him. “The Arcane Order is still out there. We may have to fight them again someday. But....I guess Claire’s right. Maybe it’s time to think about what’s next.”

“What, like college or something?” Toby asked.

“Or something,” Jim replied. “I think for now....I just want to live again. Do what we’re doing right now. Feel the sun. Take care of my mom. Maybe try to get back some of what I missed these past three years.” Claire’s face fell in sympathy, and she took his hand again, giving it another squeeze. He sighed, sending her a wan smile, and continued. “What about you guys? What do you want to do, Tobes?”

“Nana wants me to go to some fancy school in Europe--apparently my parents went there when they were my age. But I think just living sounds good for now. I just wanna be with you guys. Just like it used to be. For a little while longer, anyways.”

“...Okay. For now, I guess we just keep living,” Claire agreed, laying back down and resting her head against Jim’s shoulder. There were a few more moments of blissful silence.

“Jim!” Barbara called from inside the house. “We’re back with Chinese food! Can you come set the table for lunch?”

“...Well, I guess that’s part of living too,” Jim chuckled, kissing Claire on the forehead before sitting up and stretching. The other two joined him. “Arguably my favorite part,” he added, as a warm, spicy aroma greeted them in the kitchen.

There was a contentment resting on Jim’s home that he hadn’t felt since before his father left. Barbara’s smile was lively as she dished up fried rice and chicken, laughing as Toby shared some amusing anecdote about getting the wrong order from his favorite taco place. The diamond and emerald ring on her left hand sparkled under the dining room lights, and Jim felt a happy twinge in his heart every time it caught his eye. Strickler sat next to him in the living room, the two of them eating from fold-out trays, as there wasn’t enough room at the table for all of them.

“Have you heard from that wizarding friend of yours recently?” the Changeling asked, finally looking up from his book.

“Nope. Douxie’s the kind of guy who’s not so good at keeping in touch,” Jim answered. “But I figure no news is good news.”

“Indeed,” Strickler hummed. There was a pause. “...How are the nightmares?”

“...Getting better,” Jim said softly. “There’s still times when I have to remind myself that the sun won’t hurt me anymore, but....I think I’m finally on the mend.”

“Hm. Very good,” Strickler replied shortly, and although his tone was nothing but professional, Jim could feel that he meant it. “By the way....There is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“This better not be one of your pop quizzes,” Jim deadpanned, taking a bite of his food. Strickler waited until he had been chewing for a while before speaking again.

“I would like to ask you to be my best man.”

Jim choked, and Strickler waited with amused patience as the boy frantically chugged some water before looking up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“S-seriously?” he squeaked.

“Yes. Your mother and I have finally decided on a date--April nineteenth next spring. We’re not going to do anything extravagant, but we were thinking about putting together a small party of friends and family. I....don’t exactly have much of either of those, but seeing as you were always my favorite student, and now that you are going to be my step-son, I thought--” He was cut short by Jim snickering, and then laughing out loud. “...Something amusing, Young Atlas?”

“I-I just....If you had told me three years ago that you’d be marrying my mom--and that you’d want me to be your best man--I would’ve had an aneurysm!”

“I suppose this was a rather unexpected unfolding of events,” Strickler conceded with a chuckle of his own.

“You tried to kill me in that very dining room.” Jim was smiling broadly as he gestured to the room in question.

“And you snuck into my car to threaten me with the Sword of Daylight,” Strickler returned, also smiling. Jim laughed again,

“I’d be honored to be your best man, Mr. Strickler,” he affirmed. His grin softened as he looked over at his mother. “...On one condition.”

“And that is?” Jim looked back at Strickler, the mirth in his eyes now replaced with sincerity.

“You have to take care of her. No matter what happens, even if it means you have put her safety above mine--above everything else . I need you to swear that you won’t abandon her, that you’ll protect her.”

“...You have my word, Jim,” Strickler vowed.

Jim’s smile returned, brighter than ever. He couldn’t find the words to express the feeling of joy and rightness that was welling up in his chest, so he simply settled for giving the Changeling a short nod. Strickler understood. He reached over and clasped Jim’s shoulder, then quietly went back to his book and his lunch. Jim cut a piece of chicken in half absentmindedly, his attention back on his mother, laughing and smiling with Toby and Claire.

For the first time in almost three years, everything was finally alright.

*****

There was something energizing about being alone in Camelot Castle, Krel thought, listening to the rhythmic beat of his footsteps echoing off of the high ceilings. The ancient citadel housed a solemn stillness within its walls, a sacred silence, broken only by the gentle hum of magic paired with Akiridion tech. The weight of nearly ten centuries worth of history lay within Camelot, and now it was his to command.

He ran a hand across a lofty pillar as he paced unhurriedly down one of the many hallways. Once little more than a crumbling pile of stone, it was now restored to its former glory--and even improved, in his opinion. Putting Camelot back together had been an enormous undertaking, and one that he still wasn’t sure why he decided to take on. But Krel Tarron knew better than to question his creative muse. Something had sparked to life in him when he first saw this place lying in ruins where it had fallen just outside of Arcadia. He hadn’t understood the purpose of it, but gladly fanned that spark into a flame nonetheless, and immediately set to work on reconstructing the ancient citadel. Collaborating with Douxie to create the time trap had opened up an entirely new avenue of research on the applications of magic within Akiridion tech, and restoring Camelot had been the perfect way to pursue that research.

He breathed a contented sigh as he entered the roundtable room, fondly looking around at his creation. Sunlight streamed into the center of the room, specks of dust floating in and out of the rays lazily. Akiridion circuitry snaked up the walls, intertwined with the ancient glyphs and sigils used in magic, as the energy conductors in the alcoves hummed gently. The newly refurbished roundtable beeped in a welcoming way as he activated the controls and brought up the holographic displays for the castle’s systems. Everything was running smoothly, as expected. He activated the launch procedure, beaming with pride as the landing gear retracted and the massive ship took to the heavens with little more than a soft whirring sound.

A few more swipes across the holograph, a few dials turned, and then the rush of exhilaration in his core as Camelot exploded to life. The fast-paced beat echoed in every hallway, as the musical whine of a synthesizer filled the once-silent castle. Krel took a moment to relish in the sound, feeling his core pulse in time with the bass. Silence was all well and good, but it was music that got the work done. Already, he could feel his mind clearing, avenues of discovery opening before him as he pulled up a holograph for the ship’s schematics. He tapped his foot in time to the beat as he mentally sorted through the information at lightning speed, searching for his next great project.

“There you are...” he muttered with a grin as the puzzle pieces slotted into place in his brain. An opening for improvement, right there between the lines of Akiridion script that detailed the ship’s core functions. He pulled up a blank display and began feverishly typing, his mind held aloft by the music as his fingers danced over the keyboard. This was Krel Tarron in his element, seeing potential where others would miss it, and harnessing that potential to take his creations to ever newer heights.

As such, the sudden interruption of his work by the shrill beeping of his communicator came as both a shock and an annoyance. He groaned and forced himself to tap the communications display. Douxie was calling him. Of course. With a sigh, he turned down his music and accepted the call.

“Better make this quick,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “I’ve just discovered a way to re-route the magical energies charging this place into the cannons. With a little more Akiridion tech, I can have this stone ship battle-ready and better than ever.”

“That’s great Krel,” Douxie replied wearily. “Listen, have your scanners picked up on any strange magical wavelengths in the past few days?”

“Ai, ai, ai, Douxie, you asked me this two days ago, and again two days before that. The scanners have detected nothing out of the ordinary. I would have called you if they did. Those Arcane Order skelteks are off hiding somewhere, probably licking their wounds and regretting ever crossing the likes of us. Assuming they even survived your fancy magic trick in the first place.”

“Nari says she can still feel them,” Douxie insisted. “They’re still out there, and she’s afraid they’re close to finding our location again. You need to keep constant vigilance on the planetary aura, make sure nothing unusual slips our notice.”

“Ugh, fine, yes, captain, I will double up on the magic scanning. Are you happy?”

“Very. Thank you, Krel,” Douxie said sincerely.

“You know, when all of this is over, you are going to owe me a kleb-ton of favors,” Krel grumbled good-naturedly, pulling up the displays for the castle’s scanning system and activating it.

“I’ll repay you someday, I promise,” Douxie chuckled. “Now, how’s the other project going?”

“Slower than I would have liked--your handwriting is not the easiest to decipher, but I think I have finally made some sense of your blueprints. But you know I cannot finish it without your magic.”

“If the time comes, I will rejoin you and cast the necessary spells. But I’m hoping it won’t ever come to that. As long as we can keep Nari away from the Order, we won’t need the new amulet, or Excalibur.”

“...So you intend to spend the rest of your life running?” Krel asked, suddenly serious.

“It’s....It’s all we can do right now,” Douxie sighed. “I can’t guarantee that I would survive another fight with the Order, and without the Amulet of Daylight, our Trollhunter is at a severe disadvantage. We don’t have the firepower for a confrontation with them, and even if we did, I would just as soon avoid one anyways. Jim was in no fit shape to fight the last time I saw him, and I don’t want to risk any of you until it becomes clear that we have no other choice. Even if it means I spend the rest of my life running with Nari, I have to choose the path that is safest for her--and for all of you. That is my duty as a Master Wizard.”

“You are sounding more and more like that old wizard.”

“Nah, Merlin never cared half as much about you guys as I do,” Douxie returned bluntly. “...but he entrusted me with Nari’s safety, and with the safety of the whole world. I won’t let him down, no matter what.”

“I see.” There was a pause. Krel absentmindedly tapped a finger on the roundtable. “My sister and I, we were in a similar situation not so long ago, as I’m sure you are aware,” he began. “We had to flee our home, hide away on this mud ball and try to keep our injured parents safe. But in the end, General Morando found us. We were forced to fight him. And we lost our parents forever because of that.”

“...Krel...I...”

“Sorry,” Krel interrupted, shaking his head as though to clear it of such gloomy reminiscing. “Didn’t mean to make this worse or anything. My sister says I can be....what is the word for it? Castor? Calcium?”

“Er....you mean callous? ” Douxie offered .

“Yes, that is it! Apparently I can ‘stress people out,’ whatever that is supposed to mean. But I want you to know that I understand your fears. I will do what I can to help you, and our other friends. Even if your nagging gets on my nerves sometimes.” Douxie barked out a laugh.

“Thanks, Krel. And....I’m sorry about what happened to your parents.”

“...It is in the past now,” Krel replied gruffly. “And even if I could travel back to it as you did, I do not think it would be wise to meddle with this timeline any more than you already have. Now, we must keep moving forward.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose wearily as his communicator began insistently beeping once again. “...speaking of which. Aja is calling me now, Douxie. I must take this.”

“Right. Thanks again, Krel. Keep me posted.”

“As if you give me any choice,” Krel chuckled, closing the link with Douxie and answering Aja’s call. “Aja, what can I do for you?”

“Little Brother!” Aja’s voice shouted over a loud whirring sound. “Where is the manual override switch for the cooling system in the barracks?!”

*****

Queen Aja flopped down over her desk, burying her face in her arms with a groan. Her hover-seat bounced beneath the force of her weight for a moment, as though it too was struggling to hold up the burdens she carried.

“I don’t remember so many things going wrong when Mama and Papa were ruling,” she mumbled.

“General Morando’s takeover shook up a lot of things here,” Eli said, setting a cup of Akiridion tea at her elbow. “I’m sure it will all start settling down soon.”

“I just feel like I should know how to handle all of this,” she sighed, lifting her head up from her arms. “But half the time I am guessing, and the other half, I am asking my brother or Varvatos for help.”

“I’m sure your parents had people helping them too,” Eli consoled her.

“I cannot remember. I never paid enough attention to those things. I spent my whole life running from my duty here. And I....I never thought I would have to do this without Mama and Papa.” She sighed again and took an unladylike swig from her drink. “I thought I was finally ready to be Queen, Eli. But somehow I feel as though I know even less than I did before.”

Eli regarded her sympathetically for a moment, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. He seemed about to say something, but was interrupted by Zadra bursting into the room, looking every bit as frazzled as Aja felt.

“Apologies for the abrupt entrance, my queen,” she began, placing her hand over her heart in a hasty salute. “but there is another insurgence rising in the south quadrant of the capital. It is merely a protest for now, but I am concerned they will turn to violence if we do not intervene. What would you like us to do?”

Never a moment’s rest, Aja thought glumly, before answering aloud. “I will address the protesters myself.” She wearily rose from her seat. “They think me a coward for dismantling Morando’s army. I will not prove them right by hiding here in the palace while those who are loyal to House Tarron fight my battles for me.”

“Very well,” Zadra said with a curt nod. “We will take my ship. Vex is already there awaiting orders.”

“Good. I am sure I will need his help...” Aja murmured. She picked up her serrator from the desk and began to leave.

“Aja?” Eli put in. She turned to face him. “I think you know more than you give yourself credit for.”

*****

“House Tarron is not fit to rule!”

“The Omens are our only hope!”

“Pacifism is cowardice!”

Aja’s head rang with the sounds of dozens of protesting voices as she emerged from Zadra’s ship. A small crowd of Akiridions were gathered in the plaza, some of them holding up holographic images of the damage done by Morando’s takeover. Aja felt a knot form in her throat, and she faltered. A heavy, familiar hand landed on her shoulder.

“You are safe, my Queen,” Vex reassured her. “This protest is a peaceful one, though it is still most blasphemous.”

“The people have the right to speak and criticize their rulers,” Aja reminded him. “...And it is not my safety for which I am concerned.” She took in the sight of the exhausted faces of her people, the expression of sadness and desperation that weighed down their countenances. These were people who had suffered because House Tarron could do nothing to protect them from Morando’s forces. Much as she wished she could feel indignant, Aja understood their anger all too well.

“People of Akiridion V!” she called, stepping into their midst. “I hear your protests, and I understand your frustration. But--”

“My sister was killed because House Tarron did nothing to stop Morando’s coup!” one of the protesters shouted, cutting her off.

“My parents did everything they could!” Aja shot back hotly. She felt Zadra’s hand on her shoulder now, squeezing gently as though in warning. The young queen did her best to school her emotions. “...We had no way of foreseeing Morando’s attack. We had no way of preparing our defenses against him.”

“And you would have us remain defenseless now!” another protestor accused. “The Taylon Phalanx was destroyed! We have no protection from invasion! You would have us sacrifice our lives for the ideology of cowards!”

“You dare speak ill of your former king and queen?!” Vex roared.

“Peace, Varvatos!” Aja barked. “If we lash out now, we will only make things worse,” she added in a lower voice. She addressed the people once more. “Morando’s Omens contain technology the likes of which we have never seen. We can harness and repurpose that technology for peaceful means. The Omens can be reprogrammed to serve as medical bots, builders, pilots--they could elevate life on Akiridion V to greater heights than we have ever known before. But if I were to have them reprogrammed to serve Akiridion V’s military, I would be painting a target on our backs. How could we expect to form any true alliances when the rest of the galaxy can see that we wield such deadly power? How long before another planet tries to take that power from us? Bonds formed in fear will inevitably break. To use the Omens as an army now would be to resign ourselves to an inevitable war, while also denying ourselves the opportunity to improve life here on Akiridion V. My parents....I believe that true peace can only be achieved through friendship and compromise. Rest assured that I will do everything in my power to restore the Akiridion army, but I will not be a ruler who controls others with fear. I will not be like General Morando.”

“She cares more for outsiders than for her own people,” a voice in the crowd grumbled, and there was an uproar of agreement.

“Perhaps the people of the mud planet have bribed her!” another suggested.

“Where is Prince Krel? He was supposed to rule us alongside you, yet he chose to stay among the humans instead of taking up his birthright!”

“House Tarron has abandoned us!”

“Enough!” Zadra bellowed, stepping forward. “Your queen has spoken. It is her right as ruler to use the Omens as she sees fit, as it is also Prince Krel’s right to postpone his kingship. You will all disband immediately and return to your homes. We have no time for this chaos and unrest--not while there is still so much that needs to be rebuilt. Now go!” She punctuated her demand by slamming the end of her serrator against the ground.

Aja turned to leave, her cape swishing behind her, feeling anger and frustration churning in her core. She wanted nothing more than to return to the palace and unleash her fury on a few unsuspecting training Blanks. But before she could board Zadra’s ship, she was stopped by a gentle tug on her cape. She looked down to see a young Akiridion gazing up at her.

“...My mama says you’re right,” she said in a small voice, as though she was afraid of inciting a response from the dispersing crowd. “Akiridion V should be a peaceful planet. My papa was killed by the Omens. Mama says she doesn’t want anyone else to know what that feels like.” Aja felt the fury in her chest begin to cool.

“...Thank you, little one,” she replied softly. “Please tell your mama that I will remember her loyalty to House Tarron, should there ever come a time when she needs our aid. And--” She looked around. Vex and Zadra were still distracted with shooing the protestors away. The queen knelt and whispered in a low voice, “Come by the palace with your mama sometime and we’ll sneak into my brother’s old room. His collection of holo-games is still there, and they’re much more fun with three players.” The little girl’s eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically, before darting away.

Aja stood back up, a small smile on her face. Despite all of her doubts, her confusion, her struggle to maintain order on her planet, there was one thing she knew for certain. Her foremost duty was to provide for her people--to ease the struggles of Akiridions just like that little girl and her mother. It was to that end that she had chosen to repurpose the Omens. Akiridion V’s army was no longer what it once was, but it would hold for now, as long as she maintained peace within the planetary alliances. She couldn’t blind herself to the suffering of her people in order to safeguard against a threat that may never come to pass. Though there was still some uncertainty lingering in her mind regarding just about everything else in her queenship, this was the one choice she had made that she knew, without a doubt, was the right one.

Perhaps Eli was right after all.

Thanks for reading! ✨

(Link to Chapter Two)

[the-gateway-to-madness]

never give me a reason to info dump-

*cough* okay SO let's start at the very beginning with the family lore. She's from a house of Akiridion nobility called House Okhrana; rare members of the family had an ability called Summoning, allowing them to create small tools or art pieces (for tools think knives, grappling hooks, small drills, measuring tapes, etc.) on the undersides of their wrists. It can't be anything too large, they can't Summon for very long, and they cannot Summon different tools on each wrist- it's strictly one tool at a time. They can also make the tool/art piece more solid and detach it from their wrist, but it takes a lot of energy. House Okhrana discouraged recreational/artistic use of Summoning, as they thought it was a distraction from their oath.

You may have noticed I referred to House Okhrana in the past tense so let's talk INEVITABLE OC TRAUMA!

House Okhrana were sworn by blood and trained, cradle to grave, to protect House Tarron; each member has a specific assigned member of the royal family, as well. Cara's is Krel, and as such, her family allowed her to befriend him as a kid. They were very close from about ages 3-6. By Cara's generation, the oath had become so strict that Okhranas were put through resilience and combat training starting extremely young (Varvatos was Cara's first teacher), and expected to die for House Tarron without question. As such, Cara is disconcertingly unbothered by the concept of dying to protect House Tarron, which is something she works on in any given story I write for her. Additionally, Krel releasing her from House Okhrana's oath to House Tarron is a major point in her arc.

At that point, when she was 6, a group of monsters called the Talons of the Void (I'll put a reference below) began demanding information from House Okhrana, since they were so trusted by the Royals. Specifically, they wanted Gaylen's Core as a way to leap to other dimensions- their reasoning for this remains unknown. House Okhrana values the security of House Tarron above their own lives at any and all costs, and as such, the entire House opted to fight instead.

Knowing the Talons would massacre them, Cara's mother, Madera (a close friend of Queen Coranda), hid Cara on Earth- specifically in Arcadia, near Gaylen's Core, in the hopes that someday someone would return for the Core and find Cara as well. All she left Cara was two serrators (just in case), a transduction band (which she wears on her upper left arm but I always forget to draw), and a digital library of Akiridion literature.

With that, House Okhrana disappeared from Akiridion, going off together to fight the Talons; and Cara was left marooned in Arcadia.

This is by no means the end of her lore. Not long after landing, she was found in the woods by a young woman named Irene Hall, who brought her home to her family. Said family consists of a sorcerer father (Jordan), a siren mother (Sofia), Irene (who's about 900, same as Douxie. Couple years younger, as I recall; she's my lifelong best friend's oc), and a brother two and a half years younger than Cara, named Aiden.

The Halls adopted Cara, and have been a massive source of healing for her.

Not long after (within a couple months), she was briefly transported several centuries in the past by Merlin to help lift a curse placed on past-Irene; in the process, Cara lost any potential she may have had to do magic (which would have been either luxmancy or pyromancy). She has no memories of this incident.

By the time of 3Below, Cara's been away from Akiridion about nine years; I generally write at a point where she and Krel are 18 or 19, which makes it more like 12 or 13 years since she's been home. The deep-rooted devotion to House Tarron and sense of honor that House Okhrana instilled in her have slowly turned to shame over the years- Cara sees herself as failing her oath by failing to find a way to return to Akiridion and protect the royals.

She sees herself as even more of a failure when Krel shows up on Earth and she begins developing romantic inclinations towards him, which is strictly forbidden by her oath.

As for her physical design, Cara's hair has a lot of meaning to it. First and foremost, Okhranas are supposed to keep their hair very short for combat; over time, as she realized how messed up some of their requirements were, Cara grew out her hair as a quiet way of pushing those traditions away. Second, when she's a little kid her hair is brushed straight back, or parted in the middle; as she gets older her part shifts to the left (the right, for someone looking at her head-on), symbolizing the distance that has grown between her and the very symmetrical style of Akiridion. Also, Cara is one of those Summoners I mentioned at the very beginning; as such, her hair is in strands like humans' hair instead of chunks like a normal Akiridion's, and her surface/skin? i don't think akiridions have skin- and hair are more green than normal. This is because green light takes less energy to produce, passively saving energy for their Summoning ability.

To end on a wholesome note- Cara is a little younger than Krel. It's the Akiridion equivalent of maybe a four-month gap, but he teases her about it constantly. She only pretends to care, because if she didn't act bothered he'd stop doing it and she thinks it's cute and funny when he teases.

ALRIGHT LIFE STORY (UP TO THE TOA ERA) COMPLETE here's resources:

The Oath: "By the light of my core and the right of my birth, I am bound to the protection and upholding of the righteous and rightful rulers of Akiridion-5, to set aside personal attachments for the sake of the throne, and to give myself entirely, in life, in sickness, in injury, and in death, to my Royals. I will live, walk, and breathe as a sacrifice upon the altar of the Royals' future.  Let my bones be broken, my coreslick spilled, and my core splintered for the sake of their call; let my body, my mind, and my soul be torn from me in service to the upholding of Akiridion. Such is my vow and such shall I be."

2. Cara's parents, Madera and Korin:

3. The main Talons of the Void:

4. Cara refs:

okay i need to get ready for class now wheeeee

@slightartist

gIRLS NIGHT GIRLS NIGHT cara's bag is full of aluminum foil for them to eat

also now i remember why I don't do steady lineart. or colored lineart. because i forget to deal with basic bodily needs for hours on end-

ANYWAY. GIRLS NIGHT GIRLS NIGHT