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sergeantsporks · 3 years

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Moving On

General Audiences

Gen, with some background Staja and Jlaire

Everyone seems to be moving on after the battle against Bellroc. Douxie seems to be the only one who can’t

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32747662

Or read under the cut

Jim had the chance to fix it all—to go back in time and keep everything from happening.

And he chose not to.

He said they had to soldier on. To carry the burden, respect the dead. He’d destroyed the time stone.

Douxie knew, in his heart of hearts, that he was right. That time travel would only bring more heartache—he knew that from experience. He knew that meddling with time was a bad idea. He knew that knowing the future was a responsibility, he knew that you couldn’t just “fix” everything. Jim was doing the right thing.

But JIM hadn’t lost everything.

Jim still had his girlfriend.

Jim still had his mother.

Jim still had Blinky, and AAARRRGH!!!.

Jim had lost Strickler, yes. And he’d lost his best friend. He hadn’t made it out unscathed, Douxie knew that. He knew he had no right to be angry at Jim for his choice, his RIGHT choice.

That didn’t make it any better.

That didn’t stop the raging, sick feeling in Douxie’s stomach as he thought about a future without Archie. Without Nari—even though he’d only been with the demigod a year or so, she was FAMILY. He’d put off his feelings for the fight—he’d moved on fast because he’d had to move on fast—but those feelings were catching up to him.

Claire was comforting Jim. Douxie stumbled away from the scene.

It wasn’t fair.

Krel and Aja hadn’t lost anyone—in fact, they’d gained about 7 someones. Good for them—at least they’d gotten out of this unscathed.

Jim and Claire had lost their friend. Jim had lost Strickler. But they still had others, their families.

Douxie had lost everything.

He still had Claire, of course, and Jim, and Steve.

But he’d never been their top priority—Jim and Claire had each other, and Steve had Aja, and Eli. And that had been FINE, he didn’t NEED to be everyone’s top priority. He’d had Archie and Nari, and he’d made them HIS top priority. And he’d been theirs.

But now?

Now, he’d lost them.

Nobody seemed to notice him go. They were mourning Toby. Of course they were mourning Toby, of course they SHOULD mourn Toby. It wasn’t fair to put his feelings over theirs—this wound was fresh. Of course they should have time to grieve. That was only fair.

Fair, fair, fair, fair.

Nothing was fair.

When he was far enough that he wouldn’t disrupt their mourning, Douxie finally gave out. He collapsed to his knees with a scream, a burst of magic breaking anything nearby that the titan hadn’t already destroyed. He pounded one fist into the ground, his vision blurring with tears and blue magic.

Nari.

Archie.

And he’d lost others, too, some time ago, but the new grief brought up old loss.

Merlin.

Morgana.

His parents, who he’d never known.

It’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair!

Douxie punched the ground again. His knuckles slammed into broken glass and stone, but he didn’t care. He screamed out a sob, pressing his arms to his stomach, bent over double. Magic was emotion—and his was out of control. Blasts of energy were pulsing out of him in random bursts, clearing the area of rubble.

The magic and screaming faded to ugly, heaving, sobs.

No one had noticed.

No one had come to see where he’d gone.

Nobody noticed that he was hurting, too. That his whole life had been torn to shreds in the last 18 hours, and there was no fixing it.

Well, there had been a chance to fix it. But even that chance was gone, now.

Douxie would have given it all up—his staff, Merlin’s approval, everything—to see Archie and Nari again.

But he didn’t have that option.

The funeral passed in a blur. When his friends asked what happened to his hand, Douxie shrugged and said it must have happened in the fight. Everyone cried when they talked about Toby. About Strickler. Even Nomura got a few tears. Everyone cried for Archie and Nari.

Everyone but Douxie.

He didn’t think he could.

They asked if he wanted to say a few words for them, since he’d been the closest to them.

He couldn’t do that, either.

That would mean accepting that they were gone.

Archie wasn’t even dead. He just had to find him, he just had to—

“Douxie?” Claire took his bandaged hand. “You know we’re here, right? You don’t have to do this alone.”

Right. But he was alone. Archie had been there for him before—Archie had been his confidante, Archie had been the one he’d brought his feelings to. Archie.

Douxie clutched Claire’s hand so tight the tips of her fingers turned white. “You can—Archie’s not dead, you can find him. We can portal in, we can—”

“Douxie—Douxie, we can’t. The den is protected against my magic. Remember?”

He turned desperately to Krel. “The wormhole—they wouldn’t know to protect against that, you can open up a wormhole into it, then, right?!”

But Krel was shaking his head, too, “Not without coordinates—which we don’t have. I can’t lock in on feelings like Claire can.

If Nari had been here, her empathy magic would have been able to find coordinates.

But Nari wasn’t here.

And neither was Archie.

Jim wandered over, wiping his eyes. “Douxie. I’m sorry. I know you lost people, too.”

That didn’t even begin to cover it, but Douxie nodded and said thank you, and left.

The world went on.

Everyone else seemed to be moving on.

They had a memorial service every anniversary.

Jim, Barbara, and Claire brought flowers to the graveyard every weekend. Douxie planted some live ones on the empty grave that marked Nari’s date of death and let them grow wild.

It was what she would have wanted.

Everyone else seemed to keep going.

They went to work.

They finished school.

The learned to laugh again.

Everyone but Douxie.

Douxie scoured Merlin’s grimoire for clues that could bring Nari back—bring back Nari, bring back Archie with a wormhole. Easy. But there were none.

So he raided what was left of the bookstore. He read and read and read until he was sick of words, until his eyes were strained and he couldn’t see far away anymore.

But there wasn’t anything in the bookstore, either.

He moved on to the Camelot libraries.

He forgot to eat most days. Even on the days Jim showed up and cooked for him, Claire would clear away untouched plates.

And who needed sleep anyway?

Years passed. Years. He’d made it halfway through the Camelot library.

Except he couldn’t summon the energy to climb the library ladder anymore. He brought books down from the top shelves with magic, and discovered it was easier. So he stayed at his table, magic cycling books through.

He had to tie his hair back in ponytails and braids to keep it out of his face. The blue color had faded out of it, leaving it its natural black.

He missed Jim and Claire’s wedding, despite the fact that it took place a few doors away.

He missed Steve and Aja’s children growing up.

But he’d waited 900 years for Merlin. Surely he could work at least that long on getting Archie and Nari back.

Some days, he broke down and threw books across the room, angry at himself, at the Order, at Archie and Nari.

Other days, he’d stare at the wall for hours at a time, his magic waiting to clear away books he wasn’t reading.

Some days, he ran through the empty halls of Camelot, sure he’d seen Archie’s tail whipping around a corner. Sure he’d seen a flash of green.

He never really had.

On those days, he couldn’t make it back to the library. He’d collapse in the hallway, trying to summon enough energy to get up and keep going.

It was on one of those days that a shadow portal opened underneath him, dumping him neatly on a couch. Claire was waiting, her arms crossed. When had she gotten so mature and beautiful? And when had Jim, who was standing next to her, gotten so tall?

“Enough,” Claire snapped.

Jim put a hand on her shoulder. “What Claire is trying to say,” he said gently, “Is we’re worried about you. We have been for a while.”

“We were giving you time,” Blinky said quietly, “Time passes differently for wizards and trolls than for humans. We thought if we gave you a few years, tried to support you, you’d move on. Like the rest of us have—even AAARRRGH!!! But you cannot go on like this.”

Looking at the troll made a revelation drop on Douxie’s head. “I’ve been looking in the wrong place! Blinky, I need all of your books, I need to find out how to get into a troll market without the bridge, there is a way, I just—”

“NO!” Claire yelled, “No more research! No more books! Stop! Just… stop.” Her voice broke. “Douxie, you’re not okay. You’ve wasted away, and you can hardly walk. You don’t sleep. You don’t eat. You just read, and read, and read, and for WHAT?! Archie and Nari wouldn’t want you to waste your life like this!”

“I’m fine!” he protested.

Claire swiveled a makeup mirror towards him. “Look at yourself! Do you look fine?!”

Douxie stared at the reflection. It was a stranger. Claire and Jim had gotten older, had changed.

He’d stayed the same age.

But he’d changed, too.

His face was pale, gaunt, cheeks sunken in. The shadows under his eyes had always been prominent, but now they were so dark Claire could probably use them to make portals. His hair had gotten long, and dull.

And his eyes.

They were desperate. Tired. Strained.

And so, so sad.

Claire sat down next to him, taking his hands. “Archie and Nari are gone, Douxie,” she said, her voice cracking again, “Toby’s gone, Strickler’s gone, Nomura’s gone—we get it. It hurts. But they’re dead, and they’re not coming back. It doesn’t matter how much you destroy your health. It doesn’t matter how many nights you stay up, how many meals you skip, how many books you read. They aren’t coming back. You can’t keep going on like this. You said you hoped Archie would be happy. Don’t you think he’d want you to do the same?”

And Douxie finally broke down crying.

He hadn’t cried like this since the day it had all gone wrong. Since he’d first realized that he was alone.

He sobbed into Claire’s shoulder, ugly, heaving sobs that made his chest hurt. He cried all of the tears he couldn’t cry at the funerals. He cried all of the tears he’d held in on frustrating nights when he’d nearly given up. He cried until he didn’t have any tears left.

And Claire let him. She hugged him tightly—she’d gotten older. His student had become an adult. And he’d missed it. He’d missed so much.

“What—what do I do now?” he hiccupped, “They’re gone—and if I can’t get them back, what do I do?”

Jim put a hand on his shoulder. “The same thing we all did, the same thing we should have helped you do at the beginning, instead of letting you go this far alone, the same thing we’re going to help you do now. Shoulder the burden. Heal. And move on.”

#as promised i can Make It Worse #toa #tales of arcadia #rott #rott spoilers #the rise of the titans #writing #toa fanfiction #my writing #hisirdoux casperan #claire nunez #jim lake jr

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talesofargante · 3 years

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The Guardian of Trollhunters Episode 1: Part 2 - The New Student

Pairing: Jim Lake Jr. x Liz Walker (OFC)

Episode Summary: A new day dawns in Arcadia with the arrival of a new student in Arcadia Oaks High, one who seems familiar to Jim. Unbeknownst to both of them, their destinies are intertwined as the fate of Arcadia rests on their shoulders.

Words: 2.5k

Warning: none (if I miss any warnings please lmk)

Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Original Art: Alina Balgimbaeva

Jim Lake Jr. POV

Rumors were going around lately of a new student transferring to Arcadia Oaks High. Toby was making guesses left and right of who it could be while Jim just listened and laughed at his crazy ideas. They sat in their seats joking around with each other when Mr. Strickler cleared his throat to get all our attention. "Ahem. Good morning, class. We have a new student here today. She just transferred from New Jersey and will be joining us for the rest of term. Miss Walker, you may come in."

The whole class turned their heads toward the door as a girl with long golden brown hair and turquoise eyes entered through the doorway. Everything around Jim paused as he stared at the new student. He could not believe his eyes. It should be impossible but he recognizes those eyes anywhere. The same ones of his childhood friend. Lizzie. Could this be just a coincidence?

Others around him whispered to each other their gazes fastened on the girl in the front.

"She's so pretty!"

"I want to be her friend!"

"I want to date her!"

"Ah, my heart!"

Standing in front of us all with a charming smile on her face, she spoke. "Hello everyone. My name is Elizabeth Walker. But you can call me Liz. I just moved here from Hoboken, New Jersey and I look forward to getting to know you all."

No way. Elizabeth. Liz. Lizzie. That is too much of a coincidence! A million thoughts cross through his mind as he tries to rationalize everything. Then, that happened. As she turned her head, her turquoise eyes met with his blue ones and Jim froze in his seat, unable to tear his eyes away from hers. He felt everything around him go dark leaving just him and her. Then, Jim sees her as a little girl with light brown hair braided on each side of her head and big turquoise eyes glistening. She smiled, calling out his name. "Jimmy!"

Suddenly, he hears a loud whisper call to him. "Jim. Jimbo! Hey, snap out of it!"

Jim shook himself awake from his reveries and noticed his friend looking at him, as others around him were busy typing on their laptops. Including the new girl - Lizzie- he meant Liz - who took a seat behind Toby.

"Were you daydreaming or something?"

"No. No, I'm not." Jim quickly denies and looks over at his friend's laptop screen, wondering what he had missed. "What are you doing?"

"Research." Toby replies as he continues typing.

"Hey, look up 'talking amulet'," Jim suggested. He felt eyes on him from the side and he turns to look, but sees Liz typing away. He can already feel his cheeks warming, just by her presence close by.

Apparently, Toby was way ahead of him, pointing at the result of his search. "I already did that. All I got was toys. One of them was a plushie."

Suddenly, Strickler's voice called to him. "Jim, would you agree?"

Snapping in attention, Jim looks up to his teacher. "Sir?"

"With Herodotus' opinion on tactics of war, as I've described." Strickler clarifies, pulling out his favorite pen. Sweat dropping, Jim tries to stall looking at Toby, who turns away and whistles. "Oh, uh...Absolutely."

"Excellent. Which tactics, specifically?" Strickler questions. Feeling the pressure, Jim tries to think of an answer. "The, uh...winning ones?"

The class laughed at his response as the school bell rang, signaling the end of class. Getting up from his seat and putting his books in his bag, he glances at Liz who was already heading out the door.

"Jim, may I have a word?"

Jim turns to Strickler, but ends up dropping his school cross bag on the floor, the contents spilling out. Both teacher and student bend down to sort it out as Strickler continues. "Jim, you're distracted. You fell asleep between the invasion of Attica and the Peace of Nicias, and your attention wandered for the rest of class."

Jim apologizes. "Sorry. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." And the night before that and so on. The dreams he's been having is slowly taking a toll on him.

"I know it's just you and your mother and you want to help her."

Jim sighs, frowning. "She's just really tired, Mr. Strickler. She's been working double shifts at the clinic."

Bringing out a post-it note and pen, Stricker began writing before handing out the slip to Jim. "I believe I'm overdue for a conversation with her. Have her call me, please."

Taking the note, Jim felt unsure. "Uh..."

Before he could continue, Strickler interjected. "And feel free to drop by my office if you ever need to talk."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Jim nodded, putting away the note. They both stood up as Strickler handed off another textbook to Jim, offering a piece of advice. "Oh, and, Jim, if you fancy Miss Walker, I submit that talking to her will be much more effective than staring at."

Jim walks away blushing.

***

In physical education, Jim cheers for his best friend as Toby struggles to climb higher on the rope. "Come on, Tobes. You've got this."

"So close!" Toby grunts from literally at the end of his rope, before dropping down on the mat with his leg tied on the rope. Coach Lawrence looks down at Toby before bringing out his clipboard, checking it off. "What is that on my rope? Every student here should be able to climb this rope and ring that bell."

Suddenly, Jim hears gasps from other students nearby. "Oh my gosh, she's fast!"

Turning to look, he saw Liz climbing the rope with professional ease until she reached the top, ringing the bell. To the amazement of others, she broke the class record of fastest rope climbing. Coach Lawrence beams proudly. "Now that's what I'm talking about! And on the first day, too. Great job, Walker!"

Saluting from above, Liz slides her way down the rope and lands on the mat without breaking a sweat at all. Jim suddenly realizes that his mouth was open and quickly closes it. Before he could introduce himself to Liz, Coach Lawrence calls for her. "Walker! See if you can help Domzalski over here."

Jim sighs, missing his chance. However, he glanced at the bleachers seeing Claire with her friends. He takes a deep breath in and out. Guess he might as well try speaking with his crush at least.

Liz Walker POV

First day of school wasn't as bad as Liz thought after finishing her last class for the day. Students came around, introducing themselves and getting to know her. Though she was not too fond of one guy in particular - Steve, was it? - coming at her and standing too close for comfort, asking if she wanted to go out. She rolls her eyes at the thought. Thankfully, she turned him down without difficulty. Plus, she was able to help out a fellow classmate - Toby, his name was - though he wasn't very adamant in trying to climb the rope again.

However, to her notice, the blue-boy - James Lake, she meant - acted weird in class, staring at her as if he recognized her. Seeing him closer rather than from a distance, he does seem familiar to her but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Anyways, all that matters is getting back the amulet before something happens.

Suddenly, Liz feels her phone vibrating in her pocket, alarming her that her shift was coming up soon. She quickly grabbed her books from her designated locker, placed them in her brown crossbody bag and pulled out her helmet before heading out of campus. She goes to her KTM Duke 200 motorbike parked by the other bicycles on the parking rack. Ignoring the jaw-dropping stares and whispers of other students, she unchains her bike and gets on. She should just skateboard to school from now on, she decided. Her ride is grabbing too much attention. Douxie did tell her not to draw too much attention and she's doing the complete opposite.

Liz starts the engine and drives down the street and turns a few corners into the bustling town square where all the shops were located. She parallel parks on the street, chaining her bike on the meter and steps into Benoit's French Bistro and greeted Douxie before heading to the back to change into her uniform: a white sleeveless collared shirt with a black ribbon tied around the collar and a black apron tied over a black pleated skirt.

Like Douxie, Liz works part-time to earn cash and help pay her rent with Douxie for their shared apartment unit. She should've been living with her parents like the other kids her age, but she was actually an orphan. With no memories of her early childhood, she was told that her parents died in a car accident, where she was found in the wreckage by Kanjigar, who raised and homeschooled her in Heartstone Trollmarket. At the age of 13, it was decided that she would move in with Douxie to live her life with the rest of her kind. However, for the past two years, they were living in Hoboken, New Jersey to investigate a Heartstone there, seeing if it was habitable for trolls. It was for an assignment tasked by Vendel, himself. So that's why she is living with a boy. Parents would be shook at the thought of it.

During her shift, she prepared their famous espresso and called out the name written on the cup. "Barbara!"

A woman with orange-brown hair and blue eyes behind black-framed glasses came over. Taking the cup, the woman looked up at Liz to thank her but froze, staring at her with wide eyes. Liz tilted her head in confusion, seeing the woman had that same look on her face like James Lake in class. In fact, the two shared similarities with one another. She thought to herself, wondering if they're related. "Is there anything else I could get you, ma'am?"

The blue-eyed woman blinked and shook her head slightly. She smiled. "Oh, it's alright. Thank you."

Liz was about to turn back, but then the woman spoke up again. "Wait!"

The teenage girl turned back, confused. The woman stammered, "Oh. Sorry. Um. It's just...you look like someone I knew before."

Liz offered a smile. "Oh, I see. Not to worry, ma'am."

"Ah, sorry. How rude of me. I'm Barbara Lake." Barbara held out a hand to her and Liz shook her hand. Lake. So they are related to each other.

"I'm Elizabeth Walker. But most people just call me Liz." Barbara's eyes widened even more but Liz didn't question as she introduced herself. "I just moved here from New Jersey a couple days ago."

Liz notices Barbara's shoulders fell slightly, but she ignored it as the woman replies. "I-I see. How do you like Arcadia Oaks so far?"

"It's nice. Today was actually my first day at Arcadia Oaks High."

"My son goes there. I believe that he mentioned that there was going to be a new student attending."

"James Lake?"

"Junior." Barbara corrected. "But he prefers the name Jim instead of James. Jim Lake Jr."

"Ah, yes, I had him for few of my classes, but we didn't get the chance to be acquainted yet."

"You should come over tomorrow night and have dinner with us. Jim's a great cook and I'm sure he will be delighted to give you a tour of Arcadia Oaks once you get to know each other," Barbara insists.

Liz chuckled. "That sounds great, Ms. Lake. I look forward to it."

"Please, call me Barbara." Liz smiled at that. Barbara gave Liz her address and directions to her house as well as her phone number in case she got lost on the way there. In exchange, Liz gave Barbara her number and waved goodbye as the woman left the restaurant with her coffee.

Jim Lake Jr. POV

Toby and Jim were riding their bikes home when they saw Jim's mother's blue car approaching. Both the bikes and car slowed to a stop next to each other. Rolling down her window, Barbara greeted them. "Hey, boys."

"Hey, Mom." Jim greeted back.

"Looking sharp, Dr. Lake." Toby complimented as he struggled with his bike to stop.

Glancing at Toby, Barbara replied, "Thank you, Toby. So are you."

"Oh! Does it show?" Toby looks over himself.

Jim turned to his mother. "You're going to be out all night?"

Barbara sighs. "Dr. Gilberg is out with bursiti and Dr. Lenz has a wedding out of town this weekend."

"Okay, well don't forget to bring your-" Jim was about to remind his mother, but Barbara interrupted, grabbing a brown bag and showing it to him, "Dinner. Thank you."

"Right. And try to find an oven to reheat it in instead of nuking. It takes all of the flavor and nutrients away." Jim looked down at the post-it note that had Strickler's name and number on it, silently debating whether to give it to her or not, but in the end, decided not to as he placed it in his jacket pocket.

"Jim, there must be a million things you'd rather be doing than looking after me." Barbara says as she puts back the brown bag beside her. Jim shrugs. "Can't think of one."

Barbara glances at her son, watching him to see how he would react to what she is about to share. "Well, I did. I invited your new classmate, Liz, for dinner tomorrow at our place. You should give her a tour around Arcadia Oaks."

Jim's jaw dropped. "What! When did you guys meet? Is she really coming for dinner tomorrow? Did you tell her about me?"

"Slow down there, kiddo." Barbara chuckled, satisfied with her son's reaction. "I'll tell you all about it when I finish work tomorrow. Why don't you plan tomorrow night's dinner? Got to make a good first impression." Barbara winked. Jim started to blush and stutter. "Y-yeah. S-sure. Count on it."

"Great! Love you, honey." She rolled up her window and drove off.

"Bye, Mom." Jim watched her leave as he thought about what could possibly be going through his mother's mind when she first saw Lizzie - he meant Liz. Did Liz remind his mother of his childhood friend he lost years ago?

Hello fellow readers!

I just watched the movie finale of Tales of Arcadia, Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans. Watching the movie till the end has left me with mixed feelings. Though, I love everything about it, the ending scene just didn't do it justice for the whole entire franchise. Because of that, I made it my mission to change the final ending. For the good of all!

Cool fact: I waited until I saw the movie finale before I officially published my first chapter of this fanfiction and I'm glad I did.

Again, if you are interested in reading more, click on the links provided below!

This fanfiction story will be posted on Wattpad, Archive of Our Own, and Tumblr. However, Wattpad will serve as the original site for this story, so the latest updates will be there.

While reading, feel free to leave a comment [keep it negative-free, would you? thanks :)] or critique. I appreciate the feedback. And along the way, if you like the journey so far, leave a star, a kudos, or/and heart to vote! If you have any questions, feel free to ask as well and I’ll do my best to answer without giving any spoilers ;)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Happy reading!

- Miss_Nightingale

Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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lifblogs · 4 years

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☕️ Tales of Arcadia

Uh... love it! Literally one of the best TV show series EVER. I love basically everyone. I love Jim, Barbara, Claire, Toby, Blinky, AAARRRGGHH!!!, Draal, Not-Enrique, Vendel, Bular, Strickler, Otto, Gunmar, Angor Rot, the freakin’ dentist, Mary Wang, Darci Scott, Eli Pepperjack, Steve Palchuk, Aja Tarron, Krel Tarron, Varvatos Ves, Tronos, Morando, Zadra... JUST. FEEL. THE. LOVE.

I love the bold coloring that really brings everything to life and makes it awe-inspiring. I’ll admit, a lot of the TV shows I like have some bland coloring as their kind of aesthetic, but these shows work with color, and REALLY know how to.

I love the music and I wish they sold it, especially the Trollhunters credits music, the 3Below credits music, the Trollhunters season 3 music, and the 3Below season 2 music. I WANT TO INHALE IT.

And like, I love that Jim is indifferent about his dad who left when he was little. I think it represents an under-represented demographic. Most characters whose dad’s walk out on them are shown with lingering angst. I didn’t entirely feel seen, ‘cause you know, bio father left. By high school I was certainly completely indifferent to him and his existence and even the former part he played in my life. I really relate to Jim with that, and I like that we see a character who is perhaps better at living in the moment than in the past.

I also love all the multi-racial stuff!! High quality. (Mary Wang’s my favorite, and I also think Darci Scott is mixed race)

Omg, the fact that they gave a fat character a girlfriend because she thinks he’s cute, and he’s got a sweet personality is the best. Toby’s got more game than Jimbo.

I love that Claire Nuñez’s family is a Spanish speaking household. I think some people can feel represented by that, and it makes me think of our dear friend Martina who lives in a Polish speaking household.

Uh... yo, that scene that was symbolically a suicide? I will cry till the end of days.

I want a Luug.

“buttsnack”

“snackbutt”

Give me that quality Jim and Barbara content. It’s so there. Love a boy who loves his mom.

Jim’s nose isn’t perfect and that’s why it’s perfect.

Krel and Aja are beautiful in alien form AND human form. I love Krel’s human form and how he gets accepted and has friends despite the racism his form subjects him to.

Krel’s accent.

Aja’s accent.

Akiridion-5 is so pretty.

AAARRRGGHH!!! is such a complex and wonderful character, and I love how his friends value him despite his past trauma, brain-washing, and forced lack of education. I love how he’s shown as emotional and has a lot of thoughts going on in his head.

Can I live in Trollmarket?

Aja needs to braid my hair for me.

I want to geek out about physics with Krel SOOOOOO BADLY.

The last five episodes of 3Below is some of the best television I’ve ever seen. Same with the last four episodes of Trollhunters.

The end of Trollhunters always makes me cry.

I miss Anton Yelchin.

#ask #evilwriter37 #Tales of Arcadia #long post

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earth-ambassador-jim · 5 years

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Signs of Character

Here you go @xdeusxmachinax !

(For the sake of this piece Angor Rot survived the Eternal Night and traveled with the trolls to New Jersey.)

~~~~

Claire wished she had a flip phone so she could harshly snap it closed; as it was she had to settle for aggressively shoving the cellphone into her bag.

It wasn’t that she had very high expectations (she had learned early on to set them low) but she had thought that they would make the effort to make just one night… even just the first act… Was that too much to ask?

Jim had borrowed Strickler’s glamor mask and come to every single night. The only reason he wasn’t here now was an inescapable Trollhunting call. He had still dropped by to bring her flowers before leaving. (She was going to need more vases.) Toby had showed up yesterday and cheered so loudly at the end of the performance that several people had glared at him. Blinky had made it to opening night and watched from the rafters and then had shown up a second time with Aaarrrgghh to watch from behind a curtain backstage. Even the ever busy Dr. Lake had made an appearance.

Claire sighed and peered through the curtain. It was closing night. They had almost a full house and none of her friends could make it. She hadn’t been too bothered by that because her parents had promised to come… but then they had bailed on her… again.

She tried not to read too much into it. Her Mom’s job kept her busy, her Dad as well. They had Enrique to take care of. On top of all of that they were helping Barbara find homes for the Familiars. Of course they didn’t have time to make some stupid play…

Claire’s fingers curled into the curtains, clenching until her knuckles turned white. She grit her teeth and swiped at her eyes. This was nothing. She was used to it. She was stronger than this. It was just a play, after all. Not some big, life-changing event. She drew in a deep breath and started to let go of the curtain.

Movement drew her gaze to the back of the darkened auditorium. As she watched a tall African man began to work his way through the back row, glaring in annoyance until he found a seat next to the fire exit. He was dressed in a loose, but appealing, patterned brown robe with dark trousers that looked rather out of place among the standard styles of New Jersey. His long greying hair was done up in tight braids and pulled back into a low pony tail and, most arrestingly of all, he only had one eye. It was an unusual golden-brown.

Claire frowned as she searched his face. He felt familiar.

She jolted when he made eye-contact with her. They stared at each other for a moment, across the distance of the stage and audience, before the corner of his lips curved upward into a smirk. He held out his hand, palm upward and fingers clawed. Claire’s brows drew together in puzzlement. Purple magic, a shade darker than hers, sparked between his fingers and his eye glowed yellow for a second.

No. Way.

“It’s time Claire.” One of her crewmates tugged at her shoulder.

She released the curtain and scrambled into position, her mind still churning. There was no way that was Angor Rot and yet… She’d recognize that magic anywhere. Also that eye.

What was he doing here? And how did he look human?

Claire made it through the first part of the play without incident… but only barely. The moment the curtain went down and intermission was announced, she was scrambling off the stage in search of the mysterious visitor.

He wasn’t in his seat, or anywhere in the audience for that matter. Claire let out a groan of frustration but quickly pasted on a smile as various theater-goers approached to talk or ask for photos.

Finally, just as the intermission was nearing its end, she slipped out of the crowd and into the hallway. Disappointment gnawed at her insides. Had she just imagined him? Had she been that desperate for affirmation?

A very familiar chuckle brought her back to the present. Claire dodged to the side, pulling her own dagger out of her skirts to deflect the blow. She pushed the weapon away and jumped backward, putting distance between herself and her assailant so she could get a look at them.

“Very good.” Claire froze at the voice. “You appeared distracted so I chose to test your awareness. You are learning well.”

The man from the audience stepped out of the nook he had been hiding in and faced her. To the casual onlooker he seemed loose and relaxed but Claire knew better.

“W-what?” She sputtered. “How?... Why?”

Angor Rot smirked and indicated with a hand at his body.

“This is just an illusion… I believe we went over those?”

“Yes,” Claire said, relaxing just slightly now she was sure he was done testing her. “But why haven’t you… If you could do this then….”

“Why didn’t I use it before?”

Claire nodded.

Angor sheathed his knife and folded his arms behind his back.

“As convincing as this is, an illusion is just an illusion. It would not have protected me from sunlight. I could not have used it in conjunction with the shadow staff either. The magic drain would have been too much given both spells are shadow magic.”

Claire nodded, mentally jotting the information down. They had discussed energy drain and its relationship to types of a magic a few weeks ago.

“Besides, this does not have quite the intimidation factor of my true form.”

“You still haven’t said why you’re here.” Claire crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “I assume you didn’t just show up to attack me in a dark hallway.”

“Five minutes until the end of intermission,” A voice announced over the PA system. “Please return to your seats.”

Claire didn’t move, watching Angor Rot intently. He returned her stare, eye half lidded before letting out a quiet grunt and looking away.

“This is important to you, isn’t it?”

Claire blinked.

“Yes but…”

“You are my student,” Angor continued. “You have put as great an effort into this as any hunter ever did pursuing their prey; it is only natural that I should come to observe your triumph.”

Claire froze, eyes wide, her words failing her.

“Besides this… Play… has been no trial to watch. The story is… strange… but you and your fleshbag companions are worthy performers. I anticipate the conclusion.”

Angor strode past Claire back toward the auditorium. On the way by, just for a second, he grasped her shoulder.

“Well done.”

The words were so faint Claire almost thought she had imagined them.

She turned and stared at where he had been for a minute. A smile slowly formed across her face. It remained there as she hurried back toward the stage.

#Trollhunters #Tales of Arcadia #trollhunters fanfiction #Angor Rot #claire nuñez #Angor Rot as Claire's Morally dubious Troll Dad #Angor Rot jumping out from a dark corner to attack his student: Is this bonding?#My Writing #My Posts #Fluff Dabbles #Well this is more of a short story but whatever #Short stories

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grcwingstrcng · 5 years

Text

DIANA STRICKLER - BIO

template taken from here

~BASIC INFO~

Name: Diana Strickler

Nickname(s): Di

Gender: Cis female

Birthday: May 12th (will I ever miss an opportunity to give my muses my birthday? Unlikely)

Age: varies according to Jim’s; She’s 16 years younger. I default to 11, as that is the approximate age of the main fc I use.

Species/What Are They: Half-human, half-changeling.

Sexuality: bisexual (will probably never be really relevant, but ya thought I wouldn’t make my OCs bi?)

~BATTLE INFO~

Experience: Seeing as her brother is the Trollhunter, she’s been taught from a young age to defend herself, but she doesn’t have much experience outside of that.

Powers/Attacks:

1) Can use throwing knives, a skill she learned from her father.

2) In her changeling form, Diana has wings, which she can use to fly.

3) Enhanced strength + healing in changeling form.

Weapons: throwing knives.

Fighting Style: consists of incapacitating the enemy so she can escape.

~RELATIONSHIP INFO~

Friends With: Blinky & co., Jim’s friends.

Neutral With: James Lake Sr.

Enemies With: evil creatures in general.

Family: Barbara Lake (mother), Walter Strickler (father), Jim Lake Jr. (brother)

Crush(es): n/a

Relationship (dating) Status: single

~PERSONALITY~

Diana is curious, the dangerous kind, the one who wants to see and touch pretty much everything she sees. She is also very trusting, especially around people she feels she knows well - friends of those close to her and such -, which is not always the case. You never know who could pose a threat.

The way she sees it, most creatures are capable of changing their evil ways - though even someone as trusting has limits, and she is wary of anyone she perceives make her loved ones uncomfortable. She will give most anyone a second chance, but rarely a third.

Strengths:

Compassionate, clever, resourceful, confident.

Weaknesses:

Gullible, nosy, prone to emotional outbursts.

Likes:

Her family, herself, making friends, learning new things, apples, video-games, the outdoors.

Dislikes:

Being cooped up inside, having to be quiet, mushrooms, being away from her family for too long.

Fears:

Losing her family, failure. Has claustrophobia.

~APPEARANCE~

Eye Color: green.

Clothes: Diana loves dresses with flowy skirts, but always wears shorts underneath, so her movements won’t have to be restricted.

Hair: red, long. usually worn in a braid.

Skin: fair. green in her changeling form.

Other: In her changeling form she has two short black horns and large purple wings, as well as claws.

#(muse bio.)#about (diana)

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novantinuum · 6 years

Photo

g o d it’s normally hard to get sims actually lookin’ like anyone but i actually managed to get a good strickler and jim

(more sims nonsense under the cut)

barbara turned out... okay. there wasn’t any good hair for her.

claire and toby are a mess X’D

because A) as stated before, the sims doesn’t have many good hair options, B) the sims doesn’t have much in the way of altering body shape or height, which sucks, and C) while i was able to find good clothes for all above these kids were MUCH harder to shop for

this was as good i could get for toby

and i sacrificed claire having short hair so i could nab a hairstyle with a highlight (the hair’s a nice badass braid tho, so that’s cool)

no good jackets, so i gave her a funky stripy shirt

also i’m in the process of,,, tryin to make the Lake family residence which is. harder said than done.

#trollhunters #walter strickler #jim lake jr #sims 4 #my post stuff #barbara lake #claire nuñez #toby domzalski #well kinda...? lmaooo

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dreamingofthedeepbluesea · 6 years

Text

Trollhunters: True Lies

Chapter One: Buzz Kill

For the first time in a long while, Strickler felt old. There were more gray strands in his hair and some of his past injuries ached more with each coming winter. Old memories haunted his dreams at night but he still found the courage to move forward. After all, the Changeling had finally found a place where he belonged. He had fought in the war, he had survived Gunmar’s wrath, and somehow, he had found his place in this world. Instead of looking constantly looking over his shoulder, Strickler felt safe and confident in his allies. It certainly had been a positive change in his life.

“Time has sure steadily flown by, hasn’t it, Strickler?” Blinky asked as he offered a drink to the changeling. “Master Jim has grown into a fine young man. Clarie is a lovely lady, by human standards, of course. Tobias is…” He glanced to see the Toby attempting to help Claire hang a congratulations banner, nearly falling off the ladder in the process. Jim quickly steadied his friend and scolded Toby, telling him to be careful. While Tobias had shed a tiny bit of weight and gained some battle skills, there were still that clumsiness factor and love of spicy tacos. “… still Tobias.”

Troll Market was throwing a huge graduation party for Jim. Strickler helped where he could, including saving Jim’s cake from being a complete disaster. Try as she might, his mother had the best of intentions but could not cook. At least Barbara did decently at icing the cake and decorating it with candles. There were banners hanging from every vendor station declaring celebration. Barrels of mead were in every corner as were food stations, both human and troll dishes. There were some soda pop drinks from the surface, a fizzing liquid that made Argh’s nose sting. None of the trolls seemed to enjoy it but a few changelings did. The invitation extended to his friends and family. Supposedly, there was a surprise gift from Blinky. Yet, he would not tell anyone what it was to avoid spoilers for Jim.

“Indeed, it is strange to think that young Atlas is getting ready to leave high school and then go to college.” Strickler recalled writing the letter of recommendation for James. He wanted to stay in Arcadia to be close to his family and friends. His grades were high enough to apply anywhere he wished and acceptance was almost a sure guarantee. Despite a lot of objection, he applied to the local university to study, oddly enough, history. James had developed a love for mythology and legends over the years of being the Trollhunter. With a sigh, the Changeling took the mug from Blinky. “It seems just a few short years ago, we were trying to best each other in the dining room.”

“You still try to best each other in Barbara’s dining room.”

“Barbara asked Jim to take out the trash and he picked me up over his shoulder.”

“I recall that incident, we laughed about it for weeks.” Blinky admitted honestly with a small snicker. “Actually, we’re still laughing about it.”

“Good one.” Argh chuckled as he brought over a tray of used socks, soap bars, and broken vinyl records to share. “Laughed and laughed.”

“Well, I’m glad that you two obtained some amusement at my expense.” Strickler rolled his eyes and shooed away the plate full of distasteful goodies. He did not eat disgusting trash like trolls. Maybe the occasional pencil accidently had an eraser top chewed off the top due to not paying attention. It was part of the occupation, he supposed. “Younglings are so rude nowadays, thinking everything is a joke.”

“You just mad cause Jim taller.” Argh munched on one of the soap bars. “Taller than you.”

“Do they have any real food at this graduation party?” Strickler scowled at the brute, instantly wanting to change the subject. He would never admit it, though it did secretly bother him. Young Atlas had sprout up like a weed, surpassing him in height by a few inches. “Something that isn’t socks or garbage?”

“Yes, there’s lots of human food set out over there next to the fizzing lime liquid that Tobias loves to consume.” Blinky pointed in the direction of the table. “We’re waiting until Jim’s surprise gets here.”

“And exactly what is this surprise?”

“It’s for everyone, not just Jim.”

“You’ve been secretive about this for nearly a whole month.”

“I contacted many old friends to pull this off and I won’t have anyone spoiling it.”

“No surprise if know.” Argh reminded Strickler with a grin. “Excited!”

“And exactly when is this surprise supposed to arrive?” Strickler was beginning to think Blinky ordered a box full of cats for Jim. “Gift wrapped, I presume?”

“Stop pestering Blinky, Walter.” Barbara walked up behind the changeling, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Placing a kiss on his cheek, Doctor Lake knew her husband hated not having all the facts. She guessed that was part of being a history teacher. “You’ll find out soon enough what it is.”

“And what if it is a stripper inside of a cake?” Strickler asked his wife. “What will you do then?”

“What’s a stripper?” Argh swallowed another sock.

“If I remember correctly, it’s a human male or female who takes off their clothing for money usually while dancing around a pole.” Blinky quoted the statement from memory, earning a look from Barbara. He could not understand why Jim’s mother seemed a bit irked from his words. It was only the truth he spoke! “… that’s what it said in that human dicks-ton-airy.”

“That’s not the surprise, is it?” Barbara questioned in an accusatory tone.

“No!” Blinky replied very quickly, all four hands raised up in defense. “Most certainly not!”

“Hey, book brain!” NotEnrique jumped onto the bar, knocking over Blinky’s beverage. “You better go get things ready! The special package has arrived!”

“You could have announced that without jumping up on the counter and spilling my drink.” Blinky grumbled as he used a cloth to wipe up the mess. “But then again, that’s what you do, you create messes.”

Since Blinky and Argh had their attention on NotEnrique, Barbara took this as her chance to steal Strickler away from the party. Between work at the hospital and helping Blinky set up the party, she barely had time for her husband this week. Sometimes, a woman required quality time with her lover. Standing on her tip toes, she whispered into his ear.

“No one is in Blinky’s library.” Barbara murmured in a suggestive tone. “What do you say we do some research on the reproductive system?”

Perking up at the offer of pleasure, Walter smirked from ear to ear.

“I believe the Kama Sutra has some excellent references to offer.”

Blinky gathered everyone in the middle of Troll Market. He decided to leave Walter and Barbara to their odd human mating customs. If he interrupted them, it would surely cause unwanted embarrassment on both ends. He only hoped his table would survive all that rocking. So, he returned his focus to the gathering. After expressing how proud he was of Jim, he then explained he called in a favor from an old friend. When Blinky pulled back the curtains for Jim’s grand surprise, it was a gift he never anticipated. There was stereo equipment hooked up to a DJ system. It was the latest, top of the line products to produce music. At first, Jim and his friends exchanged confused glances. All three of them enjoyed music, but Jim never expressed interest in becoming a DJ.

“Yoohoo, little ones, up here.”

Everyone looked upward to the source of the voice. On top of the tallest stereo, there sat the esteemed guest of honor with her legs crossed. Multiple braids dangled from her curly locks and she had a smile that lit up the cavern. Waving at the graduates, she could not help but giggle at their shocked faces. She was a tall woman dressed in flashy clothing and wore expensive designer boots. From her overall reaction, she had seen trolls before and was not alarmed. The lady seemed quite comfortable in Troll Market.

“That’s… that’s…” Tobias stammered, his brain unable to process proper wording. “That’s…”

“The Siren!!!” Clarie squealed at the top of her lungs in absolute glee, causing some other trolls to wince. Even a few of the gnomes groaned their displeasure at the noise. Humans could be so loud and annoying. “Jim, you seriously like have the best mentor ever!!!”

“I know!”

“How in the name of the Heartstone was he able to pull this off?!” Tobias grabbed Jim by the shoulders and shook him. “That’s Loralei Abrielle! Her entire tour is sold out! There’s like no way to get tickets or backstage passes! How did he get her to come here?! Or allowed inside of Troll Market for that matter?!”

“I guess Blinky has connections we didn’t know about.”

“Forget that, we get a private concert!”

“From only the most famous, greatest, totally awesome techno, raving, music star in the whole country!!!” Tobias had to take a breath at the end of his excited rambling. “And she’s here! I can ask for an autograph!”

“Maybe she’ll sign my tour shirt!” Claire exclaimed as she pulled out several sharpie pens from her back pocket. Lately, the girl had developed a habit of collecting all the colors of sharpies like it was a hobby. Bright neon shades and pastels were her favorites. She doodled on every notebook page and blank surface she could find. Strickler had scolded her for drawing a rather crude drawing of him breathing fire on her desk. The rest of the class found it hilarious. “And I can get a selfie!”

“Think she’ll do a group photo?” Jim held up his phone and turned on the camera. “How do you set the timer on this thing again?”

“Don’t you think you should enjoy the music first?” Loralei asked them with a chuckle. “I came all the way from Malibu Beach to play for you.”

“Can I go back to Malibu Beach with you?”

Jim nudged Toby in the ribs for that statement.

“Heh, I appreciate your enthusiasm.” Loralei shook her head lightly with an amused grin. “But I think you’re a little too young for me.”

“She’s talking to me.” Toby nearly swooned and presented his most charming smile. “And you can’t be too much older than me, you’re what? Twenty-three, twenty-four? I can handle an older woman.”

“You have a girlfriend.” Claire reminded Toby with a cross of her arms. “Remember? Her name is Darci? Ringing a bell there?”

“Tobs, seriously, not cool.” Jim ran a hand down the front of his face.

“I’m actually a few thousand years old.” Loralei held up her fingers and counted in silence. “I forget my exact age, little one. After you live for so long, it becomes rather pointless to try to keep track of the years.”

Toby choked on his drink.

“Wh-What?!”

Scooting off the edge of the stereo, Loralei landed on her feet. The trolls would not allow any random human inside of their home. She supposed it was acceptable for these three kids to know the real her. With a blue flash, she transformed into her true appearance. The widely adored musician was a changeling. The musician had turquoise skin with dark blue streaks here and there. Black claws adorned her hands and feet, even blacker curved horns, standing proudly from her head. Strangely, Loralei’s eyes in this form had black sclera and glowing turquoise slit. It reminded Jim all too much of Gunmar, a slight chill going down his spine. Who exactly was this changeling? He could not look too suspicious. Questions could come later, seeing she posed no threat.

Toby’s jaw dropped, Jim stood there stunned, and Claire poked both boys in the chest with a triumphant yell.

“I told you, I told you and you two didn’t listen!” Claire held out her hand. “Pay up, I win the bet.”

“You predicted that she was a magical creature, you didn’t specifically say a changeling!” Toby protested with a pout. Jim swore there was no way a changeling could be that popular and hide among humans. Evidently, even a changeling could be a celebrity. “For all I know, you could have been calling her a unicorn!”

“Magical creatures include changelings, I win, you lose.”

“Urgh, fine.”

“That means you buy dinner at somewhere other than Tito’s Tacos.”

“But Tito’s Tacos is so tasty!”

“You can live off tacos, but Jim and I can’t.”

“Darci likes Tito’s Tacos.”

“Darci likes you, she tolerates your love of tacos.”

“Okay, let’s just come to a compromise and go to Amor’s and get pizza.” Jim interjected in the argument. “Then the girls will be happy.”

“And garlic bread.”

“Seriously, Tobs? That stuff reeks on you for weeks.”

“If I’m paying, I’m getting the garlic bread.”

“Girls like it if you shower them with delicious food, little one.” Loralei loved the banter between friends. “If you buy her food, she will feel obligated to eat it and not feel guilty about it later.”

“Really?”

“Why do you think the females wanted the best hunter as a mate?”

“Because… they got more food?”

“Exactly.”

“What do you know?” Toby shrugged. “Learn something new every day.”

“Now, little ones… what song would you like me to play first for you?”

“It’s Jim’s party, so he should pick first. Though, if I guess right, he’s going to pick ‘Take Off to the Stars’ cause that’s his favorite song.” Claire informed Loralei with a delighted clap of her hands. She was doing her best to remain casual in front of her idol, but it was hard. How could someone be so torn between wanting to scream from joy or embrace someone as tightly as possible and never let go? “Then me, the Toby, then uh… I don’t suppose your mom likes her music?”

“Mom likes Elvis, Sinatra, Darin, and Manilow.” Jim told his girlfriend. “She’s not too big on this type of music.”

“Only one question left, Jim.” Loralei put on the headphones and flipped on the power. “Original or remix?”

“I think we have officially disgraced Blinky’s library.”

“And sock pantry.”

“Don’t forget the potion closet.”

“Hrm, well, what should we disgrace next?” Barbara purred as she ran a single finger down Walter’s chest. Maybe menopause was making her more so feisty. It seemed lately that she could not keep her hands off her husband. The last time she acted like this was when she was pregnant with Jim. It was probably just the cascade of hormones. “I would like to nominate… the corner of bean bag cushions.”

Strickler gave a mock gasp.

“Scandalous.”

“You’re the one who suggested Blinky’s beloved desk.”

“Hrm, the book brain had it coming when he called me an old timer.” Strickler huffed as he pulled Barbara closer, nuzzling her hair. The scent of lavender and coconut oil lingered from her shampoo. Her hairstyle was out of place now from all the wild movement. He ran his fingers through her reddish locks and she tended to pull on his horns during love making. Such a sharp tug always aroused him. However, Strickler’s favorite thing that Barbara did was a simple act of when she traced his markings after the deed. He had gotten used to the affectionate gesture and a purr rumbled lowly in his chest. Now, the changeling craved her tender touches. Strickler expected harsh words and striking blows. Cruelty was all he ever received from Gunmar or Bular. His wife, his sweet wife, helped him heal in ways he never expected. “Saying I was getting paler and grayer with age.”

“You are an old timer.”

“Hey!”

“I’m teasing, honey.” Barbara laughed at his sulking. “You can still keep up with me and I’m almost in my forties.”

“And your Krav Maga, your horrible cooking, and your insatiable appetite in bed, my love.” Walter nipped at her ear as he rubbed his left horn. “I must say, I thought you were going to pull out one of my horns this time.”

“Sorry.” Barbara apologized sheepishly with flustered cheeks. “I didn’t mean to pull so hard, I just… well…”

“Trying to urge me on, are you, temptress?” Walter ran his teeth down her throat with a playful growl. “Faster?” His hand slid up her side, inching closer to her breasts. “Harder?” He pinched her nipples, earning a jolt from Barbara. “Deeper?”

“Walter!” Barbara squirmed in his grasp, laughing. “What are you doing?!”

“I am expertly obtaining my answer.” Watler buried his face in the nook of her throat. “Will my lady tell me or will we have to find the answer after round two?”

“Fine!” Barbara scoffed as she poked his nose. If the two of them had a second bout of intercourse, they would both miss Jim’s surprise. She knew that her son liked to focus more on his friends and love interest since he was older. Still, she would like to at least see him open his graduation cards and cut the cake. That was more of a birthday tradition, not really a graduating one, but she would always treasure, especially seeing such a smile on his face. “Yes, I was horny because we haven’t had sex in over a week, happy now?”

“Yes.”

Music started playing from above in the market. The beats echoed down to the library as did the cheers of the participants. Both Walter and Barbara perked up at the noise. It seemed the party had started without them. Blinky revealed the surprise without their presence, so Walter expected that the nerd smelled the two of them mating. Or maybe it was Draal, he had a bad habit of showing up out of the blue. Nomura was not kind enough to keep her mouth shut, she would have said something to embarrass him. Then again, he had not seen Draal or Nomura. Maybe the two of them were patrolling the tunnels for wanted Gumm-Gumms. Someone detected their act of mating and decided not to interrupt them. Of course, he would keep this little detail from Barbara to spare her any mortification. Trolls and Changelings had sensitive noses, so it was not surprising to him that someone would find out eventually about their sexual activities in various areas of Blinky’s home.

“Damn, we missed it.”

“Language, Lady Lake.”

“I’ll fucking swear if I want to swear, thank you very much.”

“Spirited, aren’t you?”

Barbara shoved at his shoulder, before arriving at a conclusion.

“We missed the surprise, so while they’re enjoying the music, we could go for round two before presents and cake.”

“Depends on how hard you pull on my horns.”

“Oh, shut it.”

“Best. Party. Ever!” Toby was sweating profusely from all the dancing. Having the time of his life really turned out to be an excellent workout. Burning calories during a graduation party was the best way to stay in shape. He started to chug down a bottle of water to rehydrate. “You know, if her songs were on that game called ‘Dance Just to Dance’, I could totally nail all those arrows and be king of groovy.”

“You do have the moves, Tobs.” Jim spun Claire around and then dipped her. “Darci has really rubbed off on you.”

“Darci took ballet, tap, and even ball room dancing.” Toby sighed dreamily, thinking of his perfect girl. “And she can twerk like—”

“T.P.! Seriously don’t need to know that.” Claire stopped her friend before he went into a ramble about Darci’s perfect backside. She already heard Toby go on and on about Darci’s bubble butt and did not care to hear it again. Puffing a strand of hair out of her face, Claire then signaled that she needed a break from dancing to Jim. “Let’s go and get some food, yeah? I’m starving and that barbeque looks amazing.”

“Hey, Miss Abrielle?” Jim asked the musician, gesturing to the table of cooked food. “You want to join us for some grub?”

“Call me Loralei. I’d be honored to feast with the legendary Trollhunter.” Loralei left a personalized playlist running on the computer. Claire had taken the initiative of uploading a playlist of all Jim’s favorite songs to a flash drive and had it in her backpack. Dialing the volume to low so people could converse, the artist walked up to young graduates. “When Blinky contacted me, and told me who you were, I figured the least I could do was play my music for you.”

“Hey, being the Trollhunter is a privilege.” Jim was modest about his position. Since maturing, he had less bravado and was becoming more of a humble man. There were a few times when overcoming a new challenge that the streak of invincibility returned. “It’s given more than it’s taken. I’ve made a lot of new friends, seen new worlds, learned magic, how to fight, and I kept evil at bay. The adventure is still continuing.”

“Life is an adventure and yours will be fruitful.” Loralei agreed as Jim offered her a drink an empty plate so she could select what she wanted. “It is nice to be back in Troll Market after being gone for so long. There’s many familiar faces.” She looked at her surroundings, taking in the beauty of the glowing stones and listening to the chatter. “I would like to greet your mother as well. Is she here?”

“Yeah, she’s… let’s see.” Jim peered through the crowd. The trolls blocked most of his view. He finally spotted his mother preparing the candles on the cake. Pointing across the way, the Trollhunter gestured to his mom. “Oh! There she is! Her name is Barbara. She’s right beside of Strickler. See the dude dressed in the suit?”

“… Strickler?” Loralei set down her plate and drink rather hard on the table. Her voice sounded urgent. She wanted clarification. “As in Walter Strickler?”

“Yeah, changeling, greenish avocado color, throws knives around like they’re going out of style?” Toby filled his plate to the top with barbeque chicken, baked beans, slaw, and a sizable piece of cornbread. His love of food still lingered and he still ate like it was his last meal. Wriggling his fingers, he gazed at the plate full of chocolate browns as it were gold. “Talks like he’s from last century? That’s him all right.”

“Excuse me, little ones, I’ll be right back after I kill him.”

Dumbfounded, Jim, Claire, and Toby watched Loralei tromp in Strickler’s direction. Toby was chewing a mouthful of food and froze. Jim was holding up a potato chip to his mouth and stopped halfway. Claire was quite certain her idol could not be capable of murder until now. The look in Loralei’s eyes said it all. However, she did notice that Jim was not chasing after the music star. No one moved until Claire spoke.

“Guys?”

“Yeah, Claire?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but, didn’t she just say she was going to kill Strickler?”

“Oh, you heard it too? Thought I accidently got cornbread in my ear or something.”

“Don’t you think you better stop her?”

“You think I’d be able to catch a break at my own graduation party.”

“Just go diffuse the situation before it starts.”

“Too late.” Toby noticed Loralei right in front of Strickler. “She’s got him.”

“You!!!”

The chatter instantly died and all eyes were on the musician. Loralei’s voice was so full of hatred, it gave Jim pause. Something told the Trollhunter that Strickler’s past was coming back to get him. Before Strickler could even react, she grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall. Argh pulled Barbara out of the way, not wanting her caught up in the scuffle. The stone crackled from her brute force and Strickler yelled from the crushing blow. It dazed him so badly, his vision blurred for a moment. He was not prepared for a fight. As soon as he could see clearly, Strickler gasped at the face in front of him.

“What are you doing?!” Barbara shrieked, trying to wriggle out of Argh’s grasp.

“Murderer!!!” Loralei spat in his face, her eyes seething in rage. She pushed Strickler even further into the rock, causing the cracks to spread. He grimaced and grasped her wrists, trying to push her off him. “I should have killed you right after Gunmar ripped out your wings, you coward! They’re all dead because of you!!!”

“Loralei, let him go!”

Jim grabbed her shoulder and was immediately shoved backward by the angry changeling. He fell over a table, knocking the contents to the floor and bonking his head on the wall. Claire rushed over to Jim to make sure he was all right. The changeling did not even glance over her shoulder at him. Her sole focus was on Strickler. A piercing growl rumbled forth from her. With teeth bared, Loralei was expecting a fight. She wanted to fight, she had that need for bloodlust. More importantly, his mother cared for his exasperating teacher so much, she married him. He did not have an excuse for letting him die so easily. Tolerating Strickler was easier said than done. First, he moved into the house, then he started the cooking competition to see who was the better chef, and finally, Strickler then asked his mother to marry him.

“Stay out of this, Trollhunter.” Loralei snapped at Jim. “This is between me and this foul fiend.”

“You let go of my husband before I rip off those horns of yours!” Barbara shouted as she tried to get free. “Put me down!”

“Husband?” Loralei sneered at Walter. “You? That’s laughable.”

“That’s what I initially thought at first, but he’s been good to my mom!” Jim protested, wanting to avoid a duel his favorite musician. “Mostly good, if you minus that Angor Rot incident that shall not be named but… more so annoying.”

“James Lake Junior!” Barbara started to scold him but Blinky entered the conversation.

“Loralei! Whatever are you doing?!” Blinky exclaimed with two hands motioning to her hand on Stricker’s throat and the others on his face under his eyes. “This is a party, not a battlefield!”

“Blinkous, why is this murderer here?” Loralei still held Strickler against the wall, never breaking eye contact. “Does he really have you all fooled? You know he worked for Gunmar! He should be killed!”

“He helped us defeat Gunmar!” Claire came to Strickler’s defense. “He used to be evil, but he righted his wrongs!”

“Not all of his wrongs.” Loralei squeezed tighter around Strickler’s neck, causing him to choke.

“Just let him go and we’ll talk in a civilized fashion. We’re all adults here, right?” Toby even tried to present his two cents. “So, let’s just sit down, have a nice cup of joe, and discuss this.”

“Lo… r… lei!” Strickler managed to say between gasps for air. His lungs were burning, screaming for air. Flashing green, he managed to kick Loralei back, causing her to stumble. He coughed, the oxygen rushing to his lungs. Pulling the knives from his collar, Strickler felt uneasy. “I… I didn’t know Gunmar was going to slaughter them! I didn’t even know you were still alive!”

“Lies!” Loralei hissed as she sharpened her claws on the stone ground. “You saved your sorry ass and left us all for dead!”

Lunging at him, Loralei aimed for his throat. The entire market scurried out of harm’s way, wanting nothing to do with the fight. Dodging her sharp talons, Strickler ducked and then rolled to the side. With a grunt, he hurled one knife after the next at her, seven total. Each blade was for a specific weak point. One for each knee, one for each shoulder, one for each wrist and one for her stomach. Loralei flipped in midair, twisting and turning flexibly so she caught each dagger between her fingers. Strickler’s confident expression instantly fell, knowing that his advantage of having a weapon just ended.

“Forget who taught you?” Loralei scoffed, twirling a single blade around a finger. Wisdom usually came with age, but it seemed Strickler was senile. Maybe he thought he was seeing a ghost. Perhaps she should remind him she was here, alive and well. “You stupid boy!”

One by one, she started slinging the blades back at him. Strickler managed to block the first three by grabbing a nearby tray. The knives dug into the wood. The fourth grazed his thigh and the fifth dug into his shoulder. His shoulders were his weak points. Strickler grimaced loudly and tried to pull it out from his stone skin. The remaining two blades, Loralei held in each hand. The green changeling swiped at her. Avoiding his claws, she slammed one dagger into his arm, causing Strickler to yell. Twisting his arm behind his back, Loralei had the final blade at his throat. He froze in place, not daring to move a muscle.

“Loralei, I swear I—”

“All I want to hear from your mouth is a scream!”

Before the final blow was dealt, Draal appeared and snatched Loralei from behind. His arms held her tightly so she could not get loose. She screeched in fury, kicking her legs wildly, spouting curses. Nomura helped Strickler to his feet. Reaching to pull out both knives, the pottery fanatic earned a strident objection from Strickler to leave it alone. His wife was a doctor and she could attend to the wounds.

“Should I put her in the cell?” Draal asked and Loralei aimed carefully, throwing her leg back to hit the troll in his weak point. Instantly dropping to his knees, he held in-between his legs. He exhaled forcefully. “That was… a dirty move.”

“No fight.” Argh told Loralei firmly, keeping her from her objective. “Talk.”

“Strickler, Loralei… I think there is indeed a tidbit of explaining to do.” Blinky looked at the pair, crossing both pair of arms. “You have made quite a spectacle of Master Jim’s festivities.”

“See? Like I said, sit down, have a cup of joe, civilized conversation.” Toby repeated his same phase from earlier. “If they would have listened to me, this wouldn’t have resulted in a fight. I know things, you know.”

~~~

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Chapter 2: Coming soon!

#walter strickler #stricklake #barbara lake #james lake junior #toby domzalski #claire nuñez #notenrique #argh #blinky #nomura #draal #changeling #trolls #troll market #graduation party #older characters #fanfiction #trollhunters #for the glory of fandom

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