sonicranger1

[sonicranger1]

I think we as a society should bring back brotps. I think we should be weirder about characters being friends the same way people are weird about ships. Make those two characters who interacted once or twice besties. Make it difficult for them to get rid of each other even if they want to. Go nuts

[sonicranger1]

Twirls my hair and kicks my feet I see my propaganda post is taking effect

[sonicranger1]

I'm in a rambling mood so I’m gonna talk in more detail about Blinky X Kanjigar (Kansas) and why i think it’s neat so PLEASE HEAR ME OUT-

Okay so this entire thing started because of The Secret History of Trollkind, one of the tie-in comics for ToA, and while yes i know there’s controversy around the legitimacy of the tie-in books that is a separate discussion that I’ve already had (tldr: they are actually aligned with canon pretty well, Wizards just retconned a lot, didn’t watch the source material and people blindly nod along with it)

Anyways this all started with a certain panel near the end of the comic, this one specifically.

This panel is actually such a good demonstration of their dynamic as a whole now that I’m thinking about it.

With Blinky praising Kanjigars skills and showing his admiration for him (something I will get into more later and throughout) while showing concern for his well-being.

To Kanjigar putting an odd emphasis on specifically not failing and protecting Blinky before clarifying the rest of Trollkind as well.

to finally the hand placements going on in this panel, How Blinky is reaching out to Kanjigar as the latter doesn’t make a move back, Blinkys hands being opened while Kanjigars are closed off in fists.

Their dynamic in the comic (and overall) is just so fascinating to me, especially with how it shows just how much Blinky values Kanjigar, because you know his destiny speech? That iconic one said in the second episode of Trollhunters? That has lines ripped straight from things Kanjigar said during their journey across America to what would be Heartstone Trollmarket.

And unlike the similar moments in Wizards or ROTT it’s done so well and given such a good narrative reason. it’s to show just how much Kanjigar has helped change Blinkys world view, how he’s given him courage to not be as cowardly, to fight alongside Kanjigar and the others (Draal and Arrrgh) Like guys this spider of a troll admires this guy so much it hurts, especially with the rest of the info we’re given on their dynamic.

They’re described as Best Friends, Kanjigar was a Scholar before becoming Trollhunter, Blinky had to watch as Kanjigar died unable to do anything to stop it and one of his first reactions is to blame himself and say he could’ve done more to prevent it.

Which is where I get to ramble about the elephant in the room around these guys being so Doomed by the Narrative-core.

Okay quick context but the prologue in the first tie-in novel establishes how The Amulet tells the Trollhunter when they’re going to die right before it happens, so Kanjigar knows he’s going to die a day before it goes down, which gives us lines like

“-With his remaining time, the Trollhunter knew that he must say good-bye to those who were closest to him.”

”Kanjigar sat down beside the pair at the large reading table covered with open volumes and research scrolls and sighed, "For that, I apologize, my friends. I have been distracted of late. The burdens of the Trollhunter weigh heavily on my mind. But now. . . now I'm finally remembering what is most important to me."”

And a chapter or two later

“Blinky cried out at the top of his lungs to try to distract Bular. But the bridge was too far away. And so the two Trolls watched in horror as the Trollhunter plunged off the bridge and smashed against the canal floor into thousands of shards of rock.”

“"Why?" Blinky uttered in a hoarse whisper. "Why would Kanjigar not accept our assistance when we offered it earlier? Perhaps if I'd been more forceful in my-" "No," grumbled AAARRRGGHH!!!. "Kanjigar wanted it this way." "But... why?" Blinky had to ask again.”“

The slow progression of Kanjigar distancing himself more and more from those he cares about is something that i don’t see talked about much outside of Draal, people seem to not bring up how Kanjigar did it for all his loved ones, not JUST Draal.

(And even if it’s something that’s only really delved into in the books I think it’s still something that’d be a given? like why would he only do it with Draal but not others yknow?)

He used to bring Blinky and Arrrgh with him on patrols, Blinky has several memorabilia from their past adventures together, they were best friends I can’t emphasis this enough and watching as Kanjigar distanced himself from all of them makes me think about how differently him and Blinky go about protecting the other and their other loved ones overall.

Blinky doing so through being there, being present and willing to give advice or a helping hand ect.

which you can say is attributed to how both Dictatious’/Unkars deaths happened when he wasn’t there or present at the right time and later the same would happen to Kanjigar. I point back to my earlier reference of Blinky wondering why Kanjigar didn’t let him and Arrrgh join and help him with the added detail that Blinky was the one to initiate the request to accompany Kanjigar on his patrol.

”Kanjigar closed his eyes, exhaled, and stood up. "The sun has set above," said Kanjigar. "I had best begin my patrol." Blinky began, "Then let me gather my supplies so that AAARRRGGHH!!! and I might join -"”

And whenever Blinky does “fail” at protecting/helping a loved one, he puts the blame on himself, acting like he didn’t do enough or should’ve tried harder.

There’s also something to be said on how he doesn’t let himself truly feel many negative emotions and how there’s an argument to be made that he pushes down feelings like sadness, grief ect.

Like what was his reaction after Dictatious’ betrayal? Angrily burning his books, hell after his initial shock of seeing Dictatious alive and now sided with Gunmar Blinky quickly turned to anger.

When he thought Jim died at the end of season 3 of Trollhunters? Bro let a single tear fall from his eye and that’s it girl I know this is affecting you more than that.

Kanjigar and Vendels deaths? After the initial heartbreak bro just never addresses it after (which is totally not because of lack of episodes and poor writing no guys this has a deeper meaning I swear).

Moving on though with Kanjigar, he goes about protecting his loved ones by distancing himself from them, emotionally and physically (about the opposite of Blinky) and while yes you could say that’s just because of the pressure being Trollhunter has put on him, and I definitely do think that’s part of it, he’s always kinda been like that even before becoming Trollhunter?

He was worried/didn’t want Draal to pursue the path of the warrior, as he knew just how dangerous and deadly something like that is and while he had valid reasonings to be wary of such a career path, it resulted in him being dismissive and not engaging with Draal.

“But there was Draal the Deadly training in the pit, sparring with automated blades, dodging blasts of flame that shot from the floor. Off to the side, Jim saw another Kanjigar-this one also very much alive-paying more attention to the scroll in his hands than to Draal's practice.”

“"Father, did you see? I cleared the trials in less time than it took this morning—a new record! Are you not proud?" Jim watched the living Kanjigar pull himself away from his scroll long enough to say, "I'd be prouder if you'd put even half as much effort into your studies."“

It all just boils down to Kanjigar having good intentions but going about them in the wrong ways that ends up hurting his loved ones more than not.

Anyways back on track to what this post is supposed to be about and why I brought this up, I should mention now that while I love Kansas and think they should hold hands and frolick in the fields and be happy together, it just wouldn’t happen “canonically” aka what I think would realistically happen which is neither of them ever confessing to the other for several reasons.

One being wow! Kanjigar is- was- a married man! Draal needs to exist!!

And by the time Kanjigar does get divorced and separates from Ballustra that’s close to the time Deya dies and he becomes Trollhunter.

I do not think a recent divorce combined with becoming Trollhunter makes a good headspace combo to log back onto Grindr personally speaking.

These same reasons are why i think Blinky would also hold back on confessing anything because outside of him being a pansy loser- i doubt he’d try and confess to a guy who recently got divorced and with Kanjigar newly becoming Trollhunter which is already stressful enough, the last thing im sure he’d need is a friend of his walking up to him like “🌹🫦hey~” who he may possibly not even feel the same for, atleast from Blinkys pov.

and even after Trollmarket is established and time has passed, by then Kanjigar has probably dived further down into the mindset of “as the Trollhunter i have to distance myself from all of you” and being with Blinky would be the exact opposite of that.

And it’s hard to even think about trying to confess to someone who’s actively avoiding you and can’t even look you fully in the eyes.

Then of course the amulet starts ticking down to Kanjigars death, showing there isn’t anymore time to go back and truly reconcile or realize maybe this isn’t the best way to go about protecting the ones he values most, that maybe all he’s been doing is hurting them further.

So yeah neither of these guys are holding hands, all you are getting is yearning glances and the briefest of touches.

unless of course we bend “canon” which im not doing in this post so moving on-

Now that my foundations are layed i will finally bring up stuff from the actual series so do not fret, i have more to say about these guys outside of the tie-in book material, it’s just that the tie-in books give good background material.

At this point I think? I’ve established how Blinky praises Kanjigar but man dude, literally everytime Kanjigar is brought up in the series Blinky has something positive to say about him/praise him for.

One example being: ”Kanjigar was perhaps the most alert and able of all the Trollhunters.”

“But not the best, I'm betting.”

”Oh, the very best. Many songs and sagas have been written about him.”

Yet flash forward to Gnome Your Enemy and For The Glory Of Merlin and he says “-and our great Trollhunter, Deya the Deliverer-“

“Deya the Deliverer was the mightiest Trollhunter that ever lived.”

Blinky, my wonderful little Bi disaster, i need you to pick a lane. 💖

from KanjiAAARRRGGHH (which that episode I’ll get into more in a second) you have this “Kanjigar, why don't you simply talk with Vendel and the Tribunal? Surely, one of Trollmarket's greatest champions could persuade-“

KanjiAAARRRGGHH also showing Blinkys likely memorized all of Kanjigars moves is like the gayest thing you could ever do with someone who’s your “friend” can I be blunt about that ?

“Kanjigars creeping spider! A signature move.” Like gurl..

This next thing I talk about is definitely going into theory/delusion territory but isn’t that any fanon ship?

Okay so this

Blinkys reaction to Claire holding Jim’s hand in E14 I always found odd tonely, because they play such somber music over the scene once we land on Blinkys reaction and the way he looks at them? Like while yes I’m sure it’s him realizing “oh shit this kid is definitely gonna go into the Darklands for this girl” what if i inserted some delusion into this and said it’s also because he’s reminded of Kanjigar.

Like oh Trollhunter that would go to any lengths to protect and help his loved ones even if that comes at the cost of his well being.

And also from Claire’s side, even if Blinky has faith in Jim’s abilities I doubt Trollhunters are known to normally live long, atleast by Troll standards, so the fact Jim is a human child? there’s always a high possibility he could die at any moment, and leave Claire inadvertently heart broken.

And hmmm who else cared deeply for a Trollhunter who suffered an untimely death, one where he, himself had to watch without being able to help because he didn’t get there in time?

I’m just saying i think Blinky is reminded of himself and Kanjigar briefly in that scene that is all.

Honorable mention to this line because what did he mean by this I can't be the only one who thinks this has more meaning than just the current conversation happening, he’s just so strange dude.

And now finally.. KanjiAAARRRGGHH, oh KanjiAAARRRGGHH my magnum opus, my Roman Empire, one of my favorite episodes, the things I have to say about you..

The Flare, The Flare Kanjigar gives Blinky, an insignificant thing to anyone that isn’t an over analyzer/thinker but if this post hasn’t shown already, I am one of those so just wait and give me a second to explain the significance.

This Flare was grabbed from Blinkys library, which means Blinky likely bought it himself, that’s already his Flare yet when Kanjigar gives it to him later this sixed eyed freak holds it like it’s the most precious thing in the world and looks at it so longingly you’d think he wants to marry it.

quick derail to have you look at how he reaches for Kanjigar and his receding touch on two occasions with only a minute or two inbetween scenes, it’s relevant.

the last scene above, I want you to see just how- pathetic and sad- for lack of a better word, Blinky looks at Kanjigar turning away/The Flare he was given before Toby tries to reassure him with saying atleast Kanjigar will be accompanying them into the Darklands and how a smile spreads on Blinkys face before Kanjigar butts in saying “sorry nah I can’t 🚬”

Can you see how much this man craves Kanjigars presence back? like he misses him so much and clings to whatever he can that’s left of him or was gifted to him by Kanjigar like The Flare.

It doesn’t matter that he likely originally got The Flare himself, it’s the fact Kanjigar gave it to him, entrusted him with it and how this is likely one of the last times he’ll be able to interact with Kanjigar now that he’s dead and it’s under the circumstances where they can’t properly talk or get closer because they’re on such a time crunch to save Jim.

It’s like there’s always something stopping them from maybe finally getting their feelings out there.

for closing commentary I’ll say that I guess the reason i find this ship (and their dynamic in general) so fascinating to think about is the major miscommunication problem or moreso the lack of it in general, the fact that as long as Kanjigar is Trollhunter the chances of them working out or even happening in the first place is so low if not impossible since Kanjigar ultimately HAS to die or we don’t get the story we get, even if we’re doing something Post-ROTT. they’re always deemed to fail in one way or another, and I personally find that so fun narratively and I think that’s one of the main reasons I'm drawn to this ship alongside everything I’ve listed above and more.

If you read this far I'm genuinely impressed youd take the time and highly appreciate it! (I put far to much effort into this)

And if I somehow convinced you about this ship to any degree that'd also be a plus as these guys are my current fixation at this point please ask me about them I could ramble more im being so honest as there are things I didn’t bring up in here as I thought they were too minor or unnecessary to the overall point (also tumblr image limit)

[sonicranger1]

there's a p common attitude in fandom spaces (fandom in general, not a specific one) that's like "why care about canon, or the characters being ooc? we're here to play with the dolls any way we like" and as much as i obviously am a person who thinks about canon a lot in theory i'm into that. in practice though when popular fanon takes things in a wildly different direction from canon so often it's in the service of taking something that was originally canonically weird and interesting and making it blander. it's flattening a complex character into a broad archetype i've seen a million times before, it's taking two characters with a complicated canonical relationship and writing them in a way where you could find-and-replace the names with any other popular migratory slash fandom pairing and the fic would make as much if not more sense. if you're going to break away from canon at least do something interesting? don't make it less weird? i feel like i'm watching someone take a really beautiful expensive cut of wagyu steak and grind it into hamburger to cook it well done and cover it in ketchup

[sonicranger1]

hi fellow trollhunters people!! i recently made a troll jim acrylic keychain and im selling it on etsy!!

all details are on the listing <33

[sonicranger1]

NEVER FORGET WHAT THEY TOOK FROM US !!!!!

Kanjigar with fur my beloved 🛐🛐🛐 Kanjigar with fur save me 🛐🛐🛐 save me Kanjigar with fur 🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐

[sonicranger1]

My favorite Bi4Bi oldass trolls 💥💥💥

[Original meme under the cut]

[sonicranger1]

Camelot Cove Discord Server

Hi hello I’m back on my ToA bullshit-

I made a server!

Anyone over thirteen can join! A few friends are already there, and we love discussing what could’ve been done better, what we love about the trilogy (there is no movie in Ba Sing Se), etc. Hot takes abound fr.

[sonicranger1]

I think it would be incredibly emotionally fulfilling to hit someone in the back of the head really hard with a shovel

[sonicranger1]

people saying that the live action how to train your dragon is good actually because it's basically just a shot for shot remake of the original... then why the fuck would I watch it when I can just watch the (more visually stunning, not a blatant cash grab) original

[sonicranger1]

Ooooo guys you should totally join oooooooooo you wanna join the server so bad 🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥

Camelot Cove Discord Server

Hi hello I’m back on my ToA bullshit-

I made a server!

Anyone over thirteen can join! A few friends are already there, and we love discussing what could’ve been done better, what we love about the trilogy (there is no movie in Ba Sing Se), etc. Hot takes abound fr.

[sonicranger1]

GUYS LOOOK !!!!!!

I shall provide you all with one of the first looks into my upcoming fic

Here we have designs for Jim in both human and Half Troll forms and Toby

Some background for this AU

It started as me wanting to redo my Jersey and Wizards fics

I never initially intended to go as far back as changing Trollhunters, only changing Wizards and RotT and including Jersey

But over time I began making some lore changes and realized that many scenes from the original ended up getting altered, and without proper content, many of my changes to Wizards would fall apart

So as such I went back and only planned to do the minor changes necessary while keeping most of Trollhunter’s largely the same

But the with more editing and tweaking, this fic eventually become a full AU rewrite starting from Trollhunters

So now— some changes made

Trollhunter now begins in Jim and Toby’s freshman year. And the amulet of daylight make Jim become a half troll

[sonicranger1]

YESYESYYES AGREED OMG FELLOW RIVER TROLL LOVER YAYAYAY

Dude dude dude Gogun the Gentle was a river troll and he’s so awesome, he was such a fun little guy who loved dancing and had pet cats and called himself the graceful before becoming Trollhunter

AND ALSO TRADNARA, TRADNARA MY QUEEN!!!! + random river troll that I find is very pretty-ily drawn in this panel of The Felled

River trolls are so unrated 💔 they’re my favorite type of trolls! I wish more people would talk about them 😔 DARE I SAY BEST TYPE OF TROLLS IN TROLLHUNTERS?!?!?

[sonicranger1]

What if I said Kanjigar and Blinky what then

t.he character s

[sonicranger1]

Shaking everyone right now, you all will see my vision for these two

[Click image for better quality] [oooh you should so ask me about them]

[sonicranger1]

If you've seen my couple analysis posts from the past couple weeks you might have noticed that I have recently revisited this fandom after several years of not interacting. Back in 2021 before I eventually fell off the train I had crafted a rough idea for an AU about a completely unconventional and rarely mentioned character to be the wielder of the amulet. All the while reconstructing the TOA timeline as a partial fix it.

Well, since I've jumped back onto the train car in the past month or so, I decided to revisit that AU and refresh it... a lot. To the point that I have the first half of season 1 of Trollhunters entirely planned and the main ideas for the rest of Trollhunters and 3Below outlined in my head.

Anyway, if anyone actually bothered to read this far, then they would be wondering who I decided to be the lucky Trollhunter, so I'll just get to it.

Mary Wang. Mary Wang is the Trollhunter.

My intention with this AU is to deal with multiple things at once that I personally desire to address:

Firstly, focusing on the actual underutilized and underrated characters. Mary Wang, Darci Scott, and Shannon Longhannon are all characters that sit as unused beyond a couple small things with minimal plot significance, I would like to change that. Consider it a role reversal of sorts, with Mary, Darci, and Shannon replacing Jim, Toby, and Claire. Though I do not intend on downright ignoring our original Trollhunter trio either.

Shining spotlights on characters who I believe deserve more attention. This is technically code for me fleshing out the TOA villains more, properly building up to both redemptions and deaths. Not just the villains of course, several other characters whom have been reduced down to a few components by the overarching fanon I would like to fully address and break down into their complexities as well.

Giving 3Below more attention. The one thing I've noticed that is lacking when some AUs are crafted is downplaying the affect of 3Below. I consider this downplaying an attribute of TOA's sudden switch up from the fantasy of Trollhunters to the sci-fi of 3Below. I intend on making the transition more seamless and give both the Trollhunters and 3Below plots time to shine.

Worldbuilding galore. If there is one thing I love, it's worldbuilding. A lot of my desires for this AU stem from my desires to flesh out the world of TOA. I'm fixing the timeline, incorporating the books, using underused artifacts, and playing around with the magic system of TOA.

Fixing Wizards and ROTT. I don't care what people say, Wizards is not as well written as you like to think, and it was in fact the testing grounds for ROTT. I intend on keeping the timeline stable and properly fleshing out the Arcane Order and the subsequent final battle. Without unneeded time travel that ignores the character development of everyone (that goes for both Wizards and ROTT).

If you have paid attention to the TOA tag you may have noticed that @azure-za-raid made some lovely art of my redesigns a couple weeks back for my AU which I really appreciate!

This AU is technically still in the planning phase, and will be for the next while. Though I have begun to plan how exactly I will write and publish this eventually. My idea is to break it down into parts based on the current antagonist, and completely write that arc before publishing on ao3. Kind of like how Trollhunters S1 is broken down between Bular and Angor.

If there are any questions, feel free to send me an ask about it, I'm always happy to talk about things!

[sonicranger1]

Tmnt 2007 oh you were so peak