#like I am in no way under the impression it can actually withstand two meant their size fucking on it

[captainsourwolf]

He might be a little drunk.

No, no, he’s definitely a little drunk. The way the room sways a bit as he settles his weight on Rhett’s thighs can attest to that.

“You got a little—“ Rhett reaches up, flicks a tiny paper heart off his chin, and laughs at the way his nose scrunches. “A little teeny heart, just stuck there.”

Link giggles and wiggles his hips, finishes his drink in two more swallows that burn on the way down. He leans far enough to the side to let the glass dangle above the floor, trying for careful, before it slips from his fingers and clatters on its side anyway. Oops.

“Rhett, Rhett, I’m so—“ Link hiccups and giggles again. “So horny.”

And he is, he really is. He’s drunk and he’s horny and they got all dressed up, Rhett looks fucking delectable with those top buttons undone and his thighs practically busting out of his pants, he’s just—he wants to get fucked, on this flimsy table, right now. Doesn’t care they’re surrounded by pinks and reds and other valentine colors, and who knows how much spilled glue and glitter. He’s already hard and pressing against his zipper, all Rhett’s gotta do is take his pants off.

Rhett reads his mind, always does, and slides big hands across Link’s thighs, settling on his hips for a moment. He grins and squeezes and Link huffs. He grabs Rhett around the unbuttoned collar of his shirt and clumsily hauls him halfway up into a sloppy kiss, pulse racing and hands shaking only a bit.

Honestly he could stay like this for a long time. Just sitting there kissing Rhett, both of them tipsy, both of them too giggly. The lighting is just right for making out like sloppy drunk college kids, all reds and blues and pinks, it really sets the mood. But his dick throbs in his pants when Rhett gets a hand between them and cups him and he figures they can do the kissing thing later.

He’s not entirely sure how he manages it, but Link gracefully—or not so gracefully if you ask Rhett—hops down from his perch on Rhett’s lap and gets shaky fingers on the buttons of his shirt. Rhett props himself on his elbows to watch as Link smirks and undoes each button, slowly, until he reaches where it’s tucked into his pants.

As he’s tugging the tail of his shirt out, Rhett grunts a little, gruffs out a short, “Wait.” He doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t do anything but stare at Link with his shirt mostly unbuttoned and his pants straining over his cock and his messy hair and everything. He starts to blush under Rhett’s gaze but then Rhett is grinning and nudging at him with the toe of his shoe.

Link continues, pulling his shirt out of his pants and letting it hang open—he knows how much Rhett likes the look. And to be honest he himself knows how good he looks. Smirking, he unbuttons and unzips his pants, Rhett’s gaze snapping immediately to his fingers smoothly undoing the fastenings. He twitches under Rhett’s stare and moans softly, stilling his hands for a second to catch his breath.

“Link—“ Rhett glares and nudges him again. Link grins, all dopey and tipsy, and finishes undoing his suit pants so he can shove them down and off, his briefs following. When he stands back upright Rhett is hastily trying to undo his own pants, drunk fingers fumbling with the tight fabric.

Grinning still, Link bats his hands away. Rhett whines, but shuts up real quick when Link easily pops the button and drags the zipper down and makes sure his fingertips brush over Rhett’s dick nice and gentle. He sucks in a sharp breath, hips jerking. One big hand wraps around Link’s wrist, Rhett’s breath hissing out slow through his teeth as he glares Link’s way.

“Don’t be a tease,” he grunts. Link shakes his head—he would never—and grasps the waistband of Rhett’s tight pants and briefs. He yanks, enough to get the material past Rhett’s hips and top of his butt, swallowing hard when his cock springs free.

“Look at you,” Link murmurs, and then he’s tipping forward and mouthing at the base of Rhett’s dick. Rhett winds his fingers in Link’s hair, not too tight, and cups the back of his head, moaning when Link licks him from root to tip.

Link wraps his lips around the head briefly, sucking at the wetness already there, before sinking his mouth down around Rhett’s cock. It’s an awkward angle from the side but he manages to thoroughly wet Rhett’s length, not caring when he gets spit on his chin. When he lets his dick slip free, Rhett whines and tightens his fingers in Link’s hair.

“Baby, come on, don’t stop,” Rhett groans. He tries to maneuver Link’s head back to where it was but Link ducks out from under him and steps back with a smirk.

“Lube still in the desk?” Link doesn’t wait for an answer and walks quickly to the desk, doing a little shimmy as he rummages through the draw tucked underneath where they keep odds and ends. When he finds the nearly empty bottle, he winks at Rhett over his shoulder. “Found it!”

He’s aware he probably looks ridiculous with his crisp white shirt unbuttoned and hanging loose under his rumpled jacket, no pants or underwear, dick swaying obscenely as he saunters back over to Rhett; he doesn’t care, though. As long as he gets fucked he can look as ridiculous as he wants.

Link comes to stand next to Rhett again, by his head where he threads fingers in messy golden curls and tips Rhett’s head back to nip at his throat. He’s flushed all the way down his neck and into his unbuttoned shirt collar, skin hot under Link’s mouth and tasting of sweat under his tongue. Rhett laughs, murmuring something about Link being such a sloppy drunk, and pinches his exposed side. Link squirms away and leans back, slots their mouths together in a wet kiss.

“Open it,” he mumbles against Rhett’s lips before kissing him again and dropping the lube on his chest. Rhett grabs it and unscrews the cap. “Slick yourself up for me.”

With a quiet gasp, Rhett does as he’s told. He squirts some of the lube into his hand and, with Link watching, wraps it around his cock to slick himself up, just as Link requested. He groans into Link’s throat.

“Think this table can handle it?” Link asks. He continues watching Rhett’s hand, almost mesmerized with the way his cock looks in the tunnel of his fist, the reds and purples and pinks from the overhead lighting making his skin glow.

“We’ll never find out if you keep running your mouth,” Rhett huffs and he’s grabbing at Link with his free hand, dragging him down into one more kiss before nudging him away.

Link laughs, breathy and high, and finally, finally, hops back up. He effortlessly straddles Rhett’s thighs, batting his hand away and taking Rhett’s length into his own hand. Big hands land on his waist, holding him steady, helping him lift up and line up. In one big breath, Link sinks slowly onto Rhett’s cock, the stretch and the burn eased by the booze in his system and the weight of Rhett’s touch on his body.

“God, you feel so good,” Rhett laugh-groans, head tipped back over the edge of the table. His throat, sweaty and flushed, looks too inviting to pass up. Link bends down, licks off the sweat in the dip of Rhett’s throat, as he adjusts to the thickness stretching him open.

Rhett laughs and squirms and Link loves the way he rumbles deep in his chest, loves the way he can feel it in own chest. Letting out a slow breath, Link pauses, runs his tongue along the veins in Rhett’s neck. His thighs shake being in this position but he’s got hands holding him steady, keeping him grounded for the time being.

“That tickles,” Rhett huffs, fingers digging into Link’s sides in retaliation. He digs a little lower, slips his hands down to Link’s ass, squeezing the meat of him before spreading his cheeks. He has no shame letting his fingertips graze Link’s stretched rim, touching lightly where they meet and feeling how slick and hot he is as Link takes every inch.

The moan Link lets out is guttural and deep, rumbling in his chest as he sits back on his elbows to look at Rhett’s face. With one more roll of his hips he’s stuffed full and aching, mouth popping open on another moan, eyes going hazy and crossed. Goodness it feels good. He always has liked a bit of pain with the pleasure.

Rhett gives him a moment to adjust. Link breathes hard and ragged and finally rises up, one hand on Rhett’s chest to steady himself and the other wrapping around his cock. He leaks onto Rhett’s pristine white shirt when he runs his thumb over the head, whining as Rhett continues to dig his fingers hard into Link’s ass.

“You gonna let me fuck you any time soon or you gonna get yourself off like this?” Rhett asks and punctuates his words with a thrust that takes Link by surprise. He nearly upends himself and off the side of the table, but, laughing, Rhett grasps him around the hips.

It’s always an easy decision to make. He’d rather jizz his brains out on Rhett’s dick than by his own hand any day. In answer, Link buries his hand in Rhett’s shirt and rises up, tight around Rhett’s dick and almost letting him slip free before thrusting back down. It startles a groan out of both of them.

Link has always liked this part. Where Rhett prefers to get him crowded down and pinned, Link likes to get on top and ride. He has no qualms about holding Rhett down sometimes, hands clenched on his chest and thighs clamped around his hips, as he fucks himself on a thick cock. Sometimes he likes to take it slow, grind until he’s seeing stars, let Rhett jerk him off with a snug fist till he cums over Rhett’s knuckles; this time he wants it hard and he wants it fast.

It’s an easy rhythm to start, a delicious build up as the sting and burn is replaced with nothing but sparks of pleasure along his spine. Link moans and rises again and again, rolling and thrusting his hips back down each time. His thighs tremble and shake from exertion, sweat slicking his skin under the lights as his pace increases with each rise and fall.

Gosh he loves it. Loves that stretch every time he sinks back down and the way he can feel every twitch and jerk of Rhett’s shaft; the ache and shake in his limbs when he lifts and almost lets Rhett slip free, hole snug around his cockhead; and he especially loves the sounds Rhett makes. Those little gasps and groans and expletives. Makes him wet and fuzzy with arousal.

Rhett’s grip on his waist tightens and releases, slips a bit every time Link does a little shimmy and grind and presses his ass right against Rhett’s pelvis. His moans and curses only make Link move faster, take him deeper, squeeze around him a little harder. He’s dripping on Rhett’s skin and making a mess of them both.

In no time, Link feels that tell tale warmth and tingle spreading through his belly, his limbs, drawing up his balls. He’s so close he can taste it. Rhett grips his hips to slow him down some, and he does, bringing it down to a hard and lazy grind. He catches his breath for a moment, searching for one of Rhett’s hands. When he manages to catch one he guides it to his cock, wrapping Rhett’s fingers around the base and squeezing.

“Know how hot you look right now?” Rhett grunts out. He strokes Link with a tight fist a few times before rubbing his thumb through the wetness in the slit and spreading it around. Link’s hips buck and twitch, precum drooling out and over Rhett’s fingers. “Fuck, so hot.”

Chuckling, Link grins down at him, vision all hazy and drunk, muscles thrumming with the need to cum. Rhett jerks him off almost lazily, teasing, and Link whines and grinds down harder, rolls his hips faster. He’s almost there, it won’t take much, fuck he needs it so much!

“Come on, Rhett,” he whimpers. Hand on Link’s hip tightening, Rhett speeds up his movements, twisting and squeezing just the way Link likes it.

Finally finally he’s there. Link stiffens and curls in towards Rhett, holding onto his shirt tightly, and cumming over Rhett’s hand and on his own thighs and belly. His breath catches when Rhett thrusts, fucking him through it in little shallow movements and leaving him shaking by the time the last weak spurt dribbles onto Rhett’s shirt.

Link slumps until he’s practically bent in half, forehead coming to rest against Rhett’s. He’s glassy eyed and desperate and whining quietly, dick pulsing as he cums inside of Link hot and fast. Link kisses him and clenches around him, milking him for every last drop and moaning into his mouth when he delivers.

When he’s finished, Rhett taps Link on the hip. Link refuses to move, though, and instead kisses rhett again. He’s achy and sticky with sweat and jizz, pretty sure he’s numb from the waist down, and can feel a few paper hearts sticking to his sweaty skin. Rhett taps him one more time and finally he groans and sits up.

They take their time separating. Rhett has to hold onto Link’s waist to keep him steady so he doesn’t topple over. When he stands on shaky legs, he grabs Rhett’s hands and hauls him into a seated position. He’s gotta few tiny paper hearts clinging to his hair and leftovers from their crafts stuck to his ass; Link laughs loudly as he starts picking them off.

“You gotta another lil heart on your face,” Rhett says and reaches up to swipe the heart away. Link’s eyes crinkle when he smiles.

“What about the rest of me?” Link asks and twists this way and that, showing off his half naked body.

In answer, Rhett reaches out and swats his butt, and comes away with a hand crafted valentine meant for a mythical beast.

It’s splotchy and gross with sweat and other things, ruined beyond repair. They’ll have to make another one.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to them, I guess.”

Rhett just laughs.

[deploybits]

You are lucky some types of torture are legal, i now will have an anxiety attack looking at the sky

So here we are... The Ultima Weapon will almost certainly be housed in the depths of the complex. This is it, my friend! Gaius! Ah, Cid, my boy... You are late. There is something I always meant to tell you, yet the time never seemed right. It concerns your father. ...What of him? In the winter of his years, Midas came to abhor his part in Meteor. He told me that he wanted nothing more than to wash his hands of the whole sordid business. But he did not wash his hands of it. He helmed the project until the day it killed him! Come now, Cid... you must know that he did not have the luxury of choice. By the time he realized his error, it was too late. Meteor had him completely in its thrall. Shortly before his... transformation, mayhap sensing that something was amiss, your father confided to me all the regrets of his life. Most of them concerned you. Early on in your career, he realized that while you had a talent for devising armaments, it would never fulfil you. Long before you knew your own mind, he saw that you would be far happier using your knowledge for peaceful purposes, and the thought touched him. He was a changed man for it, though he could not let it show. You blew holes in this place just so you could say this to me!? What is it you want, Gaius!? I want you at my side, Cid. Take up your father’s mantle, and become the Empire’s lead engineer. It is your destiny. My father had a change of heart - you said so yourself! Besides, I have long known my destiny, and I assure you, it lies not with the Empire! A pity. And what of you, adventurer? Will you not consider making common cause with me? No? And I can expect no better answer than this? So be it. It was your strength that made me proffer my hand in friendship, and it is your strength that makes me proffer now my blade. Save as an ally, you are too dangerous to be let to remain. Run, Cid. Or stay. It makes no matter. You cannot escape the past. Gaius, wait! ...Damn it! Knowing Gaius, he is headed for the Ultima Weapon. If we find him, so too will we find our quarry. With these instruments, we can monitor every nook and cranny in the castrum. I think it’s time we divided our forces. Pray go on and give chase. I’ll track your movements from here and guide you through the complex. We’ll stay in contact via linkpearl. Be careful, all right? Ah, there she is! I trust you recognize our old friend. “Maggie,” was it? They must have shipped her here from Centri. Considering all she’s been through, it’s a wonder she’s still operational. Tough old girl! Now that you’re suitably armed, you can blast open that bulkhead. The external walkway will take you back there. Follow it till you come upon a way down to the lower level. That bulkhead is composed of a special alloy. Extremely tough. Ordinary fire won’t leave a mark, I’m afraid. You’ll need to divert all power to the magitek cannon, as I did so memorably once before. As you may recall, the armor’s core is like to expire from the strain, but there’s no help for it if we want to press on. Now, listen well. Press...<buzzzzzz>...the control...<fizzzzzz>...engage ancillary...then fire away. Don’t mind the warning lights. You’re a natural at this! All right, the way’s clear, but it’s just you and your own two feet now, so be careful. You have been leaving a fine mess in your wake, adventurer. Is someone there!? Garlond, old friend. How it warms the heart to hear your voice again after all these years. ...Nero? Is that you!? You sound well. It would seem this savage land agrees with you. The highest ranking tribunus of the XIVth... It was you all this time? Tell me, Garlond. How long do you intend to keep all the glory for yourself? Uh...what? You’ve lost me. Don’t play the fool with me. Ever since the Academy, I have been condemned to live in your shadow. By all objective measure, I was the more talented of the two of us, yet that fate counted for naught beside your privileged birth. You were admired as the young prodigy simply because your father was the great Midas nan Garlond! When you defected, I felt sure my star would finally rise... But by disappearing, you acquired the status of a legend - your reputed genius gaining credence merely by dint of your absence! Instead of cursing you for a traitor, the people actually came to think of you more fondly! To this day, you are still the young prodigy of magitek! I, meanwhile, have ever been made to feel second-rate - I who have continued to serve our nation faithfully. Whenever I fail to excel - why, it is only to be expected! Yet when I exceed all reasonable expectations, people proclaim that I walk in the footsteps of the great Cid nan bloody Garlond! Nero, I... I don’t know what to say. It matters not a whit what I achieve. Your existence has rendered mine worthless. Even Lord van Baelsar saw fit to offer you a place at his side - and this in spite of your betrayal! Did he extend any such offer to me - the man who has remained loyal to him for all these years? Why, no. He did not. Long have I endured this injustice...but no more. Lord van Baelsar is in the midst of activating the fully powered Ultima Weapon. It is my magnum opus - the creation that will win me the recognition I am due. I will not let anyone interfere. Nero! What are you-!? Ever since I first set foot in this benighted land, I have watched you - ever move you have made, every step you have taken. You have felled eikons, a feat made possible by the Echo, a peculiar power which shields you from their corrupting influence. It is of little wonder that my lord has taken an interest in you. As have I, if truth be told. It is my desire to harness your power for use in the Ultima Weapon. Should I succeed, Lord van Baelsar will surely take notice! Beside this, Garlond’s achievements will be as child’s play! Come, adventurer, and yield to me the secrets of your power! This changes...nothing... Ahahahaha! The Ultima Weapon is activated, and it brims with the power of eikons! Nothing can withstand its might! Are you all right!? What of Nero!? ...Fled!? Damn it! In the instant prior to the blackout, the instruments detected a massive power surge from the deepest chamber. Gaius is certain to be there! We have no time to waste! Word arrived from the Alliance a short while ago. It seems the Order of the Twin Adder has completed its blockade of Castrum Centri. What hands they can spare are hastening this way even as we speak, and likewise for the Maelstrom. All that’s left is to destroy the Ultima Weapon! ...I should warn you: the chamber which houses the target appears to be saturated with aetheric energies. There’s bound to be heavy interference. But even if we lose contact, you must go on. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, all right? Look for the lift’s control panel - it’ll be somewhere nearby. Take the lift down, and you should find yourself in the chamber of the Ultima Weapon. Keep your eyes peeled - Gaius could be waiting for you down there. Oh, and don’t even think about dying. You’re too bloody useful! The interference is getting worse. I don’t think the connection will last much - Tell me...for whom do you fight? Hmph! How very glib. And do you believe in Eorzea? Eorzea’s unity is forged of falsehoods. Its city-states are built on deceit. And its faith is an instrument of deception. It is naught but a cobweb of lies. To believe in Eorzea is to believe in nothing. In Eorzea, the beast tribes often summon gods to fight in their stead - though your comrades only rarely respond in kind. Which is strange, is it not? Are the “Twelve” otherwise engaged? I was given to understand they were your protectors. If you truly believe them your guardians, why do you not repeat the trick that served you so well at Carteneau, and call them down? They will answer - so long as you lavish them with crystals and gorge them on aether. Your gods are no different from those of the beasts - eikons every one. Accept but this, and you will see how Eorzea’s faith is bleeding the land dry. Nor is this unknown to your masters. Which prompts the question: why do they cling to these false deities? What drives even men of learning - even the great Louisoix - to grovel at their feet? The answer? Your masters lack the strength to do otherwise! For the world of man to mean anything, man must own the world. To this end, he hath fought ever to raise himself through conflict - to grow rich through conquest. And when the dust of battle settles, it is ever the strong who dictate the fate of the weak. Knowing this, but a single path is open to the impotent ruler - that of false worship. A path which leads to enervation and death. Only a man of power can rightly steer the course of civilization. And in this land of creeping mendacity, that one truth will prove its salvation. Come, champion of Eorzea, face me! Your defeat shall serve as proof of my readiness to rule! It is only right that I should take your realm. For none among you has the power to stop me! I had not thought to be so hard-pressed. Your strength is...most impressive. Such power befits a ruler! Yet you lack the resolve to put it to proper use. A waste. Allow me, then, hero, to do that which you will not! Bear witness to the true power of the Ultima Weapon! But the Ultima Weapon is all-powerful! Why does my enemy still stand!? Can her strength truly be so great? It is the blessing of Light that confounds you. Lahabrea. Your foe acts under the protection of the Crystal she bears. So, this is what empowers her. Beyond mortal limits. If you are to prevail, the hammer of Darkness must needs be brought to bear upon the shield of Light. And so it shall, for the Ultima Weapon is host to a power of which you are as yet ignorant. Speak plainly, Ascian. The Heart of Sabik. It is the Weapon’s core - an enigma whose surface even the vaunted scholars of ancient Allag failed to scratch. The magic within has lain dormant for eons. Of what magic do you speak? A spell without parallel. Ultima. I sought the life force of the primals for no other reason but to quicken the core. For the true power of the Ultima Weapon lies within its now-beating Heart! Lahabrea... What have you done? No more than was necessary...for my god to be reborn. Damn you, Ascian! The hour is at hand! Behold but a sliver of my god’s power! And from the deepest pit of the seven hells to the very pinnacle of the heavens, the world shall tremble! Unleash Ultima! Ahahahahahaha! Such devastation... This was not my intention... Oh, Hydaelyn...it seems the task of keeping your champion alive has exhausted what strength you had left. Van Baelsar... Your enemy’s shield is broken. The rest I leave to you. We will speak later, Ascian. But first, I must deal with you. The question of who is mightier remains! Come, adventurer! Let us find the answer together! No... No, no, NO! Uh! Heed me... The subjects of a weak ruler must needs look to a higher power for providence... and their dependence comes at a cost to the realm. The misguided elevate the frail... And the frail lead the people astray. Unless a man of power wrests control...the cycle will never be broken. You... You of all people must see the truth in this. You who have the strength to rule... Pathetic. You boasted of unrivaled power. You were entrusted with the ultimate weapon. The ultimate magic! And still you failed. So much for the glory of man. The growing imbalance afflicting the planet must be redressed. If it is permitted to worsen, the very laws of existence - both aetheric and physical - will be warped beyond all recognition. Know you the root of this corruption? Hydaelyn! Like a parasite, she must be burned out if the planet is to recover. And naught but the return of the one true god will ensure her complete excision. Yet to pave the way for the master’s return, a chaotic confluence of untold proportions must needs be brought about. And that will necessitate the presence of the primals. needless to say, both you and your Scion accomplices can not be suffered to interfere in this endeavor. You will not leave this place alive. It is past time your flame was extinguished...“Bringer of Light.” If thou wouldst pierce the shadows...make thee a blade of Light. What!? The Light...it binds them... They are too many!

Aaaaaaaaarrrgh!!!

[sonicringbond]

Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey - Scene 19

As prompts have been pretty slim recently, I held a survey to determine what I would write for this scene. Is was a bit of an interesting outcome, and I hope everyone enjoys the results. So please, enjoy...

     ~I could really use Sonic’s help. He’d rescue me in no time.

     ~I could really use Mighty’s help. I’m sure he’s more than strong enough.

     ~Hm? What’s that? What am I talking about? Hehehe… well you see…~

     “KYA~!”

     Rosy screamed as a stone fist the size of a ten-story building crashed into the stone brick bridge she attempted to run across. The impact brought up massive waves of icy cold water and she was thrown high into the air where she was nearly lost within the flurry of snowflakes. “Stop picking on me!”

     Afforded a fine view of the possessor of the giant fist, Rosy yelled at it and made herself an ample target where she was defenseless in the air. “Eep?”

     What possessed the stone fist of such great size was a golem not unlike the ones Rosy had seen before. It was however the most massive one she had seen to date. Its ten story tall fists were but the end point of its arms that formed an arch like structure that served as most of the construct’s body. Like most golems possessed of a green gem to power it, this one lacked a head of any kind. The gem that powered it however was also massive. Unlike the ones that powered its lesser cousins and could be held between thumb and forefinger, this one was nearly the size of a three-story house itself. Rosy could sparse imagine how many Rings were used in the construct’s construction, no less the amount of vegetation that seemed to give the golems life.

     Even with her speed though she did not have the time to ponder about it as the construct turned to strike her from the air. So massive an object striking her would be disastrous, even though the Rings she carried would absorb any direct physical harm she would endure. And they did, scattering as she was launched through the air like a cannon ball.

     She barely had time to curl into a ball before colliding with a massive structure of stone bricks which she rebounded off and down into a barren courtyard. Recovering her Rings seemed impossible and she was soon traveling as fast as she could on the slick ice. This meant well below her speed of sound maximum, but staying still would be lethal regardless.

     ~So, what happened here? I really don’t know. I’ve been unlucky in finding clues to track down my friends, so I’ve still been following rumors. I need to stop that as it seems to be nothing but trouble for me. But how was I supposed to know that the giant statue out here was a golem. No one said so!

     ~Ah~ What am I saying. I thought it might be. I really did. It was kind of just blind hope that maybe Sonic had heard about it too and thought it was a giant golem. Really, I should have just stuck to believing that it was a curiosity that Mighty would want to see.

     ~It’d be nice if I could at least run away though. It’s freezing and It’s getting harder to find any rings.

     ~Why can’t I run away? Because the golem broke all the ice leading out to this crumbling old ruin!~

     Swimming was not an option for Rosy either. As she neared the edge of the island in the once frozen lake, the water raged up in powerful destructive waves that would have been impossible for her to withstand. The cause of the waves was none other than the unseen force that kept the legless, arch shaped golem in the air as it raced around the island to meet her.

     “Not again!”

     Slipping and sliding to a stop, Rosy attempted to regain her traction to flee the other way. The golem would not afford her the time and again struck the island with tremendous force. With a bit of better luck Rosy managed to jump up before impact and was launched by a chunk of rubble that rose up to meet her.

     “Oof!”

     The debris may have stolen her breath away, but it also provided her a foot hold she could use to escape the golem’s next attack. The golem itself seemed to recognize the situation and instead of swinging its fist again instead gathered light into its core.

     “Oh no!”

     The beams of green light fired from the gems that powered the golems were no laughing matter even from the ones more around Rosy’s size. But one fired from a gem the size of a three-story building would be catastrophic.

     Rosy had no intention of seeing how she would fair against the golem’s next attack and rolled the rock over so she was pointing back toward the ground. A gapping maw the size of the golem’s fist awaited her below and she had no idea what awaited beyond it. Still, she could not risk the golem’s beam weapon and kicked off the rock towards the hole. Curling her body into a tight defensive ball she hoped her typical springiness would allow her to rebound safely from what awaited her below.

     Above Rosy, the golem’s gem finished charging and a bolt of green energy tore through the cloudy sky. It devastated more of the ancient stone brick structure and released a rain of Rings in the wake of the destruction that further stripped the ruin of any identity of its former function. Rosy herself presumed the ruin might have been a town at some point, but if so then she had found her way into its aqueduct tunnels.

     The opening created by the massive golem led Rosy straight into an underground channel of icy water. The temperature of the water near stole her breath away, no less her consciousness and she struggled to swim to the surface.

     “Ugh!” Rosy groaned and gasped for air, pushing her limbs to propel her through the ice water filled veins of the ruin. Between breaths she managed to complain in an off handed way as she hoped the golem lost track of her. “At least I actually can swim in here!”

     ~Really, I had no idea where I was going, and the cold was sapping me of my strength. I really don’t know how Sonic and Tails do it. They just seem to run through icy cold water like they don’t feel it. Is it another use for the Rings I don’t know about? I know they can be used to absorb toxins from the body. Sonic taught me that, but can they also be used to ward off extreme temperatures? Ooh~! I really wish I could find Sonic and ask him.

     ~First, I have to get away from this golem. Ooh~! What an awful turn of luck! I can barely stay conscious. But I’ll freeze if I don’t. I can’t black out now.

     ~And yet I did.

     ~So how am I still telling my story? Well, someone must have rescued me. Or at least that’s what I presumed waking up beside a fire in the depths of the ruin.~

     “Hello?” Rosy cried out as she sat up, the heavy blanket around her fighting against her weakened form. “Is anyone there?”

     She did not want to succumb back to the darkness of an uneasy sleep, but Rosy fell back down anyway as the warmth of the fire was too comforting and the blanket too heavy. She refused to let her eyelids grow heavy though, and with a burst of internal energy forced them to stay open.

     With open eyes Rosy needed something to look at and set about scanning the chamber she occupied. What she found was old beat up cookware and hunting and fishing supplies. “Does someone live here?”

     “For someone half frozen you sure have a lot of questions,” a surprisingly youthful voice criticized Rosy from somewhere behind her. “Though I have a few of my own. You didn’t honestly think that you could stay warm dressed in that little did you? Or maybe you got stuck here like I did because of those blasted Rings!”

     Forcing herself to roll over under the blanket a look of astonishment soon adorned Rosy’s face. “You’re not just young sounding! You’re a kid!”

     “Who are you calling a kid!” a sapient koala in a heavy fur coat and holding an archery bow yelled at Rosy, denying that he obviously was. Rosy herself was technically still a child as well, but the youth was easily younger than her and she felt a need to see him safely from the island and the golem that ravaged it. But first proper introductions were due.

     “Tee-hee! I think we need to start from the beginning,” Rosy again tried to force herself to sit up. It was a vain effort and she puffed up her cheeks in frustration. But only for a moment. She wanted to start with as a good of an impression as she could. “I’m Amy Rose, but I prefer to be called Rosy. I’m from a really faraway place and kind of lost right now, but everyone here seems to see me as a sightseer.”

     “Well you picked a terrible spot for sightseeing,” the young koala sighed, his shoulders slumping as he was faced with the possibility of having to protect Rosy.

     “Well, I’m also looking for my friends,” Rosy tried to defend her actions. “We got separated after we were attacked by some mean old sky pirates and the golem here sounded like something two of them might come check out. Ooh~! I really wish one of them had too. They’d beat that mean old golem in no time!”

     “What! Are your friends golem hunters too! Why would golem hunter’s hang out with a sightseer?”

     “No, no, no,” Rosy tried to correct the young koala, waving her hands under the heavy blanket in emphasis. “All of us are from really faraway lands. I mean really faraway. All your customs here are so weird to me. I feel kind of exotic traveling around.”

     “You just seem kind of stupid to me.”

     “Hey!” Rosy finally found the strength to sit up, fueled by the uncalled-for insult. “You just can’t go around calling people names. Besides, I gave you mine. It’s Rosy! And you still need to tell me yours too!”

     “It’s Patch. But everyone calls me Draw because my archery teacher always yelled it at me during practice.”

     “So nice to meet you Draw!” Rosy chirped cheerfully as she suddenly dashed out of from under the blanket and took Draw’s hands in her own.

     “Gah!” Draw recoiled in surprise at Rosy’s speed. “How did you–!”

     “Oh, you mean my speed. Tee-hee! It’s kind of a long story, but I can run so fast that I can get to you as fast as my words reach your ears. At least when I’m having a good day.”

     “How is that even possible?” Draw asked trying to pull away from Rosy. It was a vain effort, as Rosy was far stronger than she looked and had already decided that Draw was her new friend. Of course, that meant she gladly explained as well.

Scene 19 · CLEARED Hope on Ice, to be continued

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And I’ve yet introduced another character. Comically, unlike Gill I actually have know just how long he’ll be hanging around for. If he comes back after that point will be up to my readers. Though for now him and Rosy just need to deal with a rather troublesome golem. I hope everyone will join them next time as well!

Thank you for reading!

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Special Thanks to Cutegirlmayra Story by @JoshTarwater/SonicFanJ Inspiring Song – Jungle Joyride - Night – By SEGA & Kenichi Tokoi – Sonic - Unleashed Original Soundtrack: Planetary Pieces

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Sonic the Hedgehog and all affiliated characters and logos are the express property and Copyright© of SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS used without permission under Title 17 U.S.C Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 in which allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. “Fair use” is use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be considered copyright infringement. The Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey alternate universe (AU) consumer written work of fiction is a non-profit transformative work primarily for personal use and can and will be taken down without warning or prior notice at the request of the copyright holder(s) should it not be recognized under “fair use”.

*Sonic Ring Bond logo created by DEE Art – twitter.com/daryliscute.

Sonic Ring Bond AU and Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey are the creation of Joshua David Tarwater/ynymbus/sonicfanj/@Joshtarwater and is to be, including all contents herein considered for all legal purposes the property of the Sonic the Hedgehog intellectual property (IP) and copyright owners, SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS. All story contributors via prompt, suggestion, written scene, art, and all and every other contribution acknowledge that all contributed material is forfeit for legal purposes to SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS upon official request from SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS.

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Becoming The Mask Outline

Those who have read the previous outline will have notice the story veered away from it as I started getting new and different ideas or rearranging bits. Based on that precedent, this may not be how the story ultimately turns out either.

But for now, this is the plan. 

Some of the scenes are planned in much more detail than others. It’s under a ‘Keep Reading’ because it is ridiculously long. In the document where I created it, it goes for 76 pages and clocks in at just under 36,500 words. 

Version 2:

Jim goes through his morning routine of feeding his mother and best friend, taking care of the house, and checking on his Familiar. His internal narrative reveals that, although he is a Changeling and working for Gunmar, Jim also wants to find a way to keep Toby and Barbara alive after Gunmar is freed.

On his way to school, the Amulet calls him.

He tries to give the Amulet to Stricklander, but it teleports back to him, revealing Jim as the Trollhunter. He summons the armour for the first time.

Stricklander suggests they can use this to infiltrate Trollmarket. Stricklander promises to keep Bular from killing Jim over this.

Jim doesn’t know enough about troll culture to pass as a ‘normal’ troll, and would need to disappear a lot to keep up his human cover, and doesn’t know if anyone spotted him taking the Amulet, so he and Stricklander agree Jim should let the trolls think Jim is a human.

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH approach Jim that night. Narration confirms that Jim has met Dictatious and notices the resemblance between Dictatious and Blinky. Jim goes with them to Trollmarket, swoons over the Heartstone, and gets Blinky to start teaching him to speak trollish. Jim already knows some trollish but they don’t know that.

Draal finds out someone else was chosen as Trollhunter. AAARRRGGHH and Blinky tell Jim about Kanjigar and how the Amulet choses the new Trollhunter when the last one dies.

Vendel tests Jim with the Soothscryer. The Forge malfunctions shortly afterwards, implying to the audience that the Trollhunter ghosts were trying to summon Jim, but AAARRRGGHH hits the kill switch.

Bular postures at Jim, who is intimidated but physically unharmed.

Jim copies the first three volumes of ‘A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore’ and gives a copy to Stricklander. He tells Stricklander about Trollmarket and speculates on Blinky and AAARRRGGHH’s relationship.

Jim helps gather Kanjigar’s remains. Vendel gives him a closer look at the Heartstone while Blinky and AAARRRGGHH are taking Kanjigar’s remains to Draal. Vendel describes Jim’s reaction to the Heartstone as ‘troll like’. Jim passes this off as the natural human response to brightly coloured, shiny, or glowing things.

Draal and Jim spar. Jim yanks on Draal’s nose ring and Draal nearly crushes him. Jim has something like a flashback to fighting in Gunmar’s Crucible in the Darklands.

Draal is impressed enough by how long a ‘human’ lasted in a spar against him that he decides to help Jim train the next night. Jim tries to let Draal hold the Sword of Daylight, to demonstrate the proper grip, but it vanishes out of Draal’s hand.

Gnome Chompsky appears. Jim can’t bring himself to kill the gnome because gnomes and Changelings are both considered vermin by trolls. Gnome Chompsky escapes while Jim is putting off the kill, and gets into Toby’s house. Toby adopts and names him. Jim wants to intervene in this, but decides not to, to protect his cover. Toby does not know Jim is a Changeling or the Trollhunter.

Jim steals part of the Heartstone. It is implied the Heartstone gave a piece of itself to him on purpose.

Jim gives the Heartstone piece to the Janus Order, giving Stricklander the credit but not trusting him to share the Heartstone if Jim gave it directly to him. Another Changeling reveals that Killahead Bridge is nearly complete.

Stricklander is angry Jim didn’t bring him the Heartstone shard, but forgives him because Jim was trying to help their fellow Changelings.

Jim spends an evening with his mom, worrying that he won’t be able to keep her alive once Gunmar is freed.

Draal falls off the edge of the Forge platform during a spar.

Jim uses the Sword of Daylight, stabbed into the floor, as an anchor while pulling Draal up. He expresses horror and indignation that Draal’s expression, seeing Jim standing over him with the sword, implied Draal thought Jim was going to kill him. Jim promises that, if he ever does try to kill Draal, he will not use the Sword of Daylight – Draal’s father’s sword – to do it.

Jim also yells at Blinky about the use of actual lava in a training ring.

The class goes on a field trip to the museum. Jim sneaks off to talk to Nomura and Stricklander.

A new Changeling is being brought in. Jim wishes he could send Toby to safety. He suggests they swap Enrique Nuñez, officially because Mrs Nuñez is a local politician, unofficially because he’s acquainted with Claire and she gushes about her baby brother and Jim sees this as doing her a favor.

He ‘fidgets’ with pieces of Killahead Bridge while they’re talking. He steals one to take down to Trollmarket, to buy himself more time to convince everyone they should keep Barbara alive.

Jim babysits Not Enrique, whom he addresses as Enrique. Enrique catches Jim up on what’s been going on in the Darklands since Jim was planted on the surface. The house is not trashed.

Claire’s phone battery dies, so she isn’t able to warn Jim her parents are heading back early. Jim and Enrique switch to human form when they hear the door open. Jim tells the Nuñezes that he and Claire were studying together, and took a break to play with Enrique, and that Claire, sneaking in behind them, is in the bathroom.

The next day, Claire thanks Jim for covering for her. She kisses him on the cheek. He is uncomfortable because, despite appearances, he is actually an adult. He reassures himself she might not have meant it flirtatiously.

Blinky is teaching Jim to speak and read trollish. Jim thinks about how different Blinky is from Dictatious, but suspiciously wonders if it’s an act and Blinky might also secretly work for Gunmar.

Jim considers what will probably happen to the trolls he knows once Gunmar comes back. Draal and AAARRRGGHH will go in the army, probably controlled by the Decimaar Blade. Blinky will probably stay a historian/librarian and Bagdwella would still be a shopkeeper. Vendel would be kept alive to run the day-to-day affairs of Trollmarket, so Gunmar won’t have to and to keep the population at ease.

Jim assures himself all of this would be for the best to ensure their survival, even if it means Jim – a Changeling who will probably be kept on the surface to manage to human livestock, since he can withstand sunlight – will probably never see any of his troll friends again, and none of the trolls are likely to be happy about Gunmar taking over.

Jim invites Toby and Nana to dinner, but has to kick them out immediately after the meal because Bular shows up, wanting Jim to go to Trollmarket for him and get him a Heartstone fragment.

Toby is suspicious and tries to follow Jim, but can’t catch up to him before he uses the horngazel. Toby changes his mind about waiting for Jim to come back out after seeing that one troll who always says “Whatever.”

Jim at school is growing increasingly strained, with two other lives to keep secret from his seeming peers. Toby has noticed it most, but Mary, a committed gossip, also notices, and she mentions it to Claire and Darci. They talk to Toby and all agree to team up and investigate.

Toby, Claire, Mary, and Darci follow Jim into Trollmarket and are caught. Jim thinks at first, when he hears about the ‘human intruders’, that someone from the Janus Order followed him.

Jim is forced to reveal one of his secret lives to humans. Toby questions the title of ‘Trollhunter’. Blinky explains the grammatical difference between trollish and English, making the title mean ‘the troll who is the hunter’ rather than ‘the one who hunts trolls’ in the original language.

Bagdwella interrupts to tell them that the Hero’s Forge is going haywire. (One of the lines I am most proud of: “It’s a giant mechanical deathtrap; how can it malfunction? Is it suddenly non-lethal?”) Vendel learns of the human intruders and is not amused.

Jim is summoned by the ghost Trollhunters. They can see what goes on around the Amulet, so they know he’s a Changeling.

They tell him he shouldn’t let the humans help him fight, because it will only endanger them. Kanjigar comments on Jim’s lack of killer instinct. The Ghost Council tells Jim that, if he wants to keep the humans he cares for safe, he will eventually have to kill Bular and Gunmar.

Kanjigar doesn’t say anything about Draal, but Jim lies to Draal afterwards, saying Kanjigar asked Jim to pass on how proud he is of his son.

Jim leaves out the bit where they yelled at him for being a Changeling, but does say the Ghost Council doesn’t want humans involved, and so the kids will have to swear an oath of secrecy before leaving Trollmarket.

The trolls agree to let the humans keep visiting because they have no practical way to stop them.

Blinky suggests the humans all be tested with a gaggletack; Vendel points out there has been no Changeling activity for decades but does not actually countermand the suggestion.

Jim casually picks up the gaggletack with his gauntlets on. This does not transform him because the gaggletack is touching his armour, not touching Jim. The humans pass it around and Draal ends up pocketing it when they’ve all been tested.

Mary asks Jim if Mr Strickler knows about trolls. Jim panics and says Mr Strickler is lenient with him because their history teacher has romantic feelings for Barbara.

In his later report on the incident, Jim suggests Stricklander could flirt with Barbara to shore up the cover story. Thinking it over, Jim decides it would be a good idea, because if Stricklander gets attached to Barbara, Jim will have backup for keeping her alive when Gunmar takes over the world.

Jim supposes that now he needs to find an excuse to spare Mary as well, to honour this debt.

The humans are eager to revisit Trollmarket. Jim laments their lack of subtlety, since they bring this up in the middle of a high school cafeteria when the girls have rarely been seen speaking to either Jim or Toby before and therefore their first time sitting together might tempt eavesdroppers.

Once in Trollmarket, Jim imposes a buddy system for their safety, and the kids start angling for armour and weapons and training.

Draal decides to move into the Lake basement for Barbara’s protection while Jim is out. Jim has been followed once already, into Trollmarket; anyone or anything could follow him home.

Jim agrees, and suggests putting a tunnel in the basement. It’s an escape route and lets Draal to get about during daylight hours, and prevents Draal’s scent from getting established outside the house. Jim worries about Draal and Bular finding each other and fighting to the death.

Jim complains to Stricklander about his head itching. His horns are growing out to adult length.

Toby and Darci poke around Trollmarket, sticking together in respect of Jim’s ‘buddy system’. (They need to spend more time together socially if they’re going to be a ship later.) Blinky shows up and they tell him that Claire and Mary are at rehearsal.

Conversation leads to Toby mentioning Jim’s upcoming birthday. Narrative establishes that trolls live an average of fifteen to sixteen hundred years and Blinky is six hundred-something.

Jim enjoys the ‘special birthday pancakes’ his mom makes every year. He considers Barbara’s cooking the best of both worlds as it is appealing to both his human and troll palates. After breakfast, he checks on Jay-Jay, who is getting cuddled by a goblin.

Jim also reacts more positively to the blender than in canon, although it is ambiguous if he genuinely likes it or is just better at concealing disappointment.

When Toby shows up talking about an ‘emergency’, Jim wonders if Toby is actually Otto Scaarbach trying to sneak into Trollmarket, but goes anyway just in case there really is an emergency. (As a Changeling, he’s suspicious, but as the Trollhunter, he has to go anyway.)

Jim scruffs AAARRRGGHH. This causes a reflexive relaxation that knocks AAARRRGGH to the ground. Blinky is alarmed and fusses over AAARRRGGHH. Jim is terrified, knowing AAARRRGGHH’s pre-pacifism reputation, and particularly worried about Toby getting eaten. Jim hopes the fact AAARRRGGHH is articulate post-scruffing means Jim won’t have to kill him.

Bagdwella reveals the party. Jim is furious and relieved and ends up crying on Toby for a while. Vendel shows up and cancels the party.

Toby expresses guilt over making Jim’s birthday terrible. Mary thinks Jim just got overwhelmed by the idea of a party due to social anxiety. Toby reveals James Lake Senior chose that day, eleven years ago, to abandon his family.

The other kids have all picked out weapons and are starting to train with them. Toby has a hammer, Claire has a spear, Mary has a sword (a dagger to a troll), and Darci has a crossbow.

Claire wishes Jim happy birthday, and kisses him on the cheek a second time. He awkwardly but politely tells her that he’s not interested in her romantically, and so if she does mean that as a flirtatious gesture, to please not do it again. Claire is disappointed but agrees to this.

Jim test-drives a Vespa and has cake with Barbara. The cake was supposed to have a Vespa scooter drawn on the icing but instead has a simple motorless scooter, because Barbara didn’t specify what kind of scooter to draw and didn’t have time to check it at the bakery, which was about to close.

Blinky is teaching the human kids to speak trollish. Jim has to hold back his jealousy at having to share Blinky’s attention.

Jim warns Claire not to practice at home in case Enrique picks up on it. The official reason is ‘in case a Changeling hears a baby speak trollish and decides to swap him for a Changeling to investigate’. The real reason is ‘so Enrique does not find out Claire has access to Trollmarket’.

Jim gets Vendel’s permission to take another, larger piece of Heartstone, officially ‘for Draal’. Jim breaks the stone into multiple pieces, saving one for Draal, stashing the rest in case he needs bribes for other Changelings, and putting a small piece into the Amulet, which lets him summon a knife.

Jim gives Toby one of the Heartstone fragments, suggesting he could make the crystal grow. Toby agrees it’s worth trying to see if it’s possible. Jim thinks, if Toby can grow Heartstones, it could make him valuable enough to be spared after Gunmar’s escape.

After Jim gives Draal the Heartstone piece, he starts reading troll cookbooks. This is officially also ‘for Draal’, so Jim can offer him ‘proper food’ while staying with the Lakes, but also so Jim can make actual troll dishes for the Janus Order.

Nomura shows up at Jim’s house. She suspects Jim of stealing a bridge piece, but is hesitant to openly accuse him and throw him on Bular’s mercy, because that might just get her in trouble for ‘letting’ him steal it.

Draal attacks Nomura, who is still in her human guise at the time. Jim leaps to intervene in the fight, exposing himself to Nomura as the Trollhunter. Draal thinks Jim just doesn’t know Nomura is a Changeling, but Draal is carrying the gaggletack and gets it out to reveal her. Jim gets hit instead, exposing his Changeling identity to Draal.

This all happens fast enough that the reveals occur simultaneously. Draal and Nomura are both shocked and horrified.

Draal attacks Jim. Jim cuts Draal’s arm with a knife laced with Creeper’s Sun.

Barbara gets home. Jim forces Draal into the basement to hide, and cuts his leg with the Creeper’s Sun dagger to keep him from bolting for Trollmarket through the tunnel.

Nomura switches to her human form. Nomura excuses herself to Barbara by saying she was out for an evening stroll and thought somebody was following her (possibly her ex who lives in the area, referencing her past relationship with Draal), so she ran to the first house with lights on and Jim kindly let her inside. Barbara recognizes her from krav maga and offers to drive her home.

Nomura has Barbara drive her to the museum instead, saying she left her car there. They converse idly.

Jim takes the chance on leaving Barbara alone with Nomura – Nomura doesn’t like leaving a body trail – to try and convince Draal not to tell Trollmarket.

Draal insists on telling Blinky, but agrees not to go to Vendel if Blinky can also be persuaded on that score. Jim gives Draal the Creeper’s Sun antidote. They leave the gaggletack and the Creeper’s Sun knife in the basement when they leave for Trollmarket through the tunnel.

Nomura calls Stricklander and questions him on Jim being the Trollhunter. She does not reveal that Jim knows she knows, only claims she saw him with the Amulet and ‘wondering’ if Bular knows he has it. Stricklander reveals the ‘infiltrate Trollmarket’ scheme to keep Nomura quiet.

Jim tells Blinky he’s a Changeling. He does not transform, only making his eyes glow. Blinky takes it badly. Jim also reveals to Blinky that Dictatious is alive and working for Gunmar.

AAARRRGGHH shows up and Jim panics when Blinky immediately outs him as a Changeling, only to be assured by Draal that Blinky telling AAARRRGGHH “doesn’t count” because that was to be expected.

Everyone questions why Jim didn’t just kill Draal to secure the secret. Jim gets annoyed that everyone keeps acting like he should’ve killed Draal.

AAARRRGGHH is easily convinced Jim is still trustworthy, and instrumental in convincing Blinky to keep Jim’s secret.

Jim reveals the Changelings are working to rebuild Killahead Bridge.

Jim’s loyalty is conflicted. AAARRRGGHH can relate to wanting to escape Gunmar’s control while also fearing to leave it, and to not wanting to fight anymore.

AAARRRGGHH manages to get Jim to realize his justifications for why Changelings would still be useful to Gunmar post-conquest are … not consistent with Gunmar’s established strategies, no matter how logical Jim’s reasoning is, and that Jim’s human loved ones are in danger as well if Gunmar escapes.

Jim has a breakdown and officially changes sides.

Jim goes to Stricklander the next morning. He presents himself as having a crisis of faith because of Trollmarket influences and needing reassurance before he does something stupid. It’s a thin excuse but provides deniability.

Stricklander confirms the Eternal Night is a literal plan – Jim had previously assumed it was a metaphor for conquering the surface – and muses on the possibility of bringing Jim over to his side. (Stricklander considers Gunmar’s plans to be short-sighted and has a backup plan for Changelings taking over the world while leaving Gunmar in the Darklands.)

Toby expresses concern for Jim’s stress levels. Jim claims he and Draal had a fight. Toby offers to let Jim sleep over if he wants to avoid Draal for a while.

Mr Strickler meets Barbara, under the pretext of being concerned about Jim’s sleeping habits and tendency to overwork himself. His charm leaves Barbara feeling almost like she’s on a date.

Draal worries over whether trusting Jim was the right decision. He’s in the basement where Jim let him stay for Barbara’s protection at the risk of Jim’s secret, sitting on the blankets Jim gave him so he wouldn’t just be sleeping on the floor, munching on cans Jim set aside for him to eat, and looking at the little Heartstone piece Jim gave him, to emphasize to the audience that Jim probably is a good guy.

Barbara asks Jim if Mr Strickler is single. Jim says he thinks so. He knows, but if he said that then he might have to come up with an excuse for how he knows.

Jim tells Draal he told their human friends that they had a fight, in case Draal is asked about it, so their stories will match up.

Blinky questions whether Jim actually needs to learn trollish. Jim confirms he did know some trollish already, but that he isn’t fluent and really has been learning from Blinky. Blinky indirectly confirms he will continue teaching Jim the language. Jim answers some questions Blinky has about Dictatious.

Toby, Darci, Mary, and Claire hang out in Trollmarket. They talk about the play, Shakespeare-inspired movies, and gnomes. Narration confirms Darci has the school mascot extracurricular already.

Toby mentions Gnome Chompsky, and implies being hurt that Jim didn’t trust him with the secret of being Trollhunter until Toby forced his hand by coming to Trollmarket.

The kids stop by Bagdwella’s shop because she’ll speak in trollish with them. They find Suzy Snooze (the stuffed rabbit) there. (Because Jim did not chase down the goblin kidnapping Enrique, nobody found the bunny in the alley until a troll happened upon it.) Toby buys the plushie back for Claire.

The goblins show up at Jim’s house and lead him to the museum. The Eyestone, supposedly the last piece of Killahead Bridge, has arrived in Arcadia.

Jim intends to lure Bular down to Trollmarket when the Bridge fails to open, hoping to incite a mob of trolls protecting their homes to overwhelm Bular with sheer numbers and finally kill him.

Otto, Nomura, Stricklander, and Bular are all at the museum. Jim silently wonders why so few Changelings are present. Bular attempts to open the Bridge.

Bular threatens Jim when this fails, thinking the Trollhunter sabotaged the ritual somehow. Stricklander suggests that perhaps the Amulet needs the Trollhunter to be the one to activate it. Jim ‘attempts’ to open the bridge, but there is still a piece missing, so it doesn’t work. Bular attacks Jim.

Stricklander, to Jim’s surprise, intervenes to save him from Bular. Jim ends up unconscious during the escape. It is sunrise, so Bular can’t go after them on the surface. Otto chases them but Stricklander loses him in the woods.

Stricklander brings Jim to the entrance of Trollmarket and settles down to wait for Jim to wake up, just inside at the top of the crystal staircase so no one will spot them in the canal. (The horngazel was in Jim’s pocket and Jim has previously explained to Stricklander how it works.)

When Jim wakes up, Stricklander gives him their cover story: Bular finally discovered and attacked the human Trollhunter, whose history teacher happened to drive past the fight and help Jim escape.

Nomura stayed out of the fight, but she goes to the Lake house afterwards and drugs Barbara unconscious. She can protect Barbara for the Trollhunter, putting Jim in her debt, or use Barbara as a hostage against the Trollhunter, winning Bular’s favour. Either way, Nomura wins.

When Draal storms protectively upstairs, Nomura tells Draal what happened, and they ‘kidnap’ Barbara to Trollmarket through the basement tunnel and one of Trollmarket’s other entrances.

Jim and Stricklander get to the library with relative ease, other than one troll throwing a gnome at Stricklander and necessitating that Jim make a big speech about fighting Bular and needing to confer with Blinky.

When they reach library, they interrupt Blinky and AAARRRGGHH making out, or the troll equivalent. AAARRRGGHH recognizes Stricklander, although both Jim and Stricklander try to deny this is the same person.

Draal and Nomura show up. Nomura and Stricklander are startled to see each other in this setting and address each other by name, accidentally confirming AAARRRGGHH was right.

Jim fusses over his unconscious mother, but isn’t too worried once Nomura identifies the sedative, because he also uses that one on Barbara sometimes so he can sneak out without her waking up.

Jim expresses worry about Toby, who has a dentist appointment that day, being used as a hostage against him. The girls should be safe because he hasn’t talked about them with other Changelings other than Stricklander, so nobody should know he’s attached. Stricklander points out Bular wouldn’t want to involve more Changelings and Nomura points out Otto and Gladys hate each other.

Blinky gets the whole story of what’s going on at last. Stricklander muses internally that Jim turning against Gunmar should make him easier to persuade to join Stricklander’s side instead. Jim talks to Blinky, AAARRRGGHH, and Draal about possibly recruiting Stricklander to their side. Nomura is amused.

By now Blinky insists that Vendel has to be informed of what’s going on.

Vendel is on his way to the library, investigating rumours of the Trollhunter bringing another human to Trollmarket. Vendel is alarmed and confused and frustrated to learn there are actually two new humans, and one of the ‘new humans’ is actually a Changeling. Nomura is in her troll form so Vendel hasn’t really noticed her yet.

Jim urges Vendel not to hurt Stricklander. AAARRRGGHH also vouches that Stricklander could be helpful, which Vendel takes more seriously than Jim’s pleas. Vendel still thinks that Jim is a human and that Jim only believes Stricklander is a good person because the Changeling has been undercover as his teacher.

Blinky reveals to Vendel that Jim is a Changeling. Jim feels hurt and betrayed because Blinky previously promised not to tell anyone about that. Vendel questions whether the Amulet might have intended to pick Jim’s Familiar instead. Jim’s reaction indicates his protectiveness of Jay-Jay.

Nomura is revealed as a Changeling to Vendel as well before Blinky brings the conversation back to what to do about Killahead Bridge. AAARRRGGHH suggests stealing the Bridge and keeping it in Trollmarket’s vault. Stricklander suggests he, Draal, and Jim kill Bular, and Nomura volunteers to help.

Jim suggests they try to take care of this before Barbara wakes up, in hopes they can bring her home afterwards and let her think she fell asleep watching television rather than having to tell her about trolls. He leaves a note just in case she does wake up.

Draal and the Changelings leave Trollmarket by a side entrance and search the sewers. They find some goblins. The goblins run and get Bular.

Bular is run over by Draal twice, repeatedly struck with various knives and swords, some of which are laced with Creeper’s Sun, and Rule Number 3’d. The fight ends with Jim conjuring Daylight impaled through Bular and Draal punching Bular into gravel.

Barbara wakes up and begins exploring the library. Blinky comes in. Barbara attacks him. She knocks him to the ground before Jim gets back and defuses the situation.

Jim gives Barbara a rundown of troll history, explaining Gumm-Gumms and Changelings and Trollhunters, leading to the reveal that he is the Trollhunter. She is upset the Amulet would tell a child to fight giant rock monsters. Jim then explains to her that he is actually a Changeling.

Jim reveals his Changeling form to Barbara. The audience finally gets a full description of troll Jim.

They give Barbara some time and space to absorb all this. She pokes around the library a little more once left alone.

Outside, Blinky expresses shock that Jim brought Bular’s severed head to Trollmarket.

Stricklander offers to let Jim move in with him if Barbara kicks Jim out; Jim says it would look less ‘potentially creepy’ if he moved in with Toby than with his teacher. Jim proposes rescuing his Familiar from the Darklands, using a Fetch rather than opening the Bridge, to bribe Barbara’s acceptance. He can use a glamour mask to maintain human appearances.

Sticklander, Jim, and Nomura speculate on when Gunmar will find out Bular is dead, as no Changeling will want to be the one to report it. Sticklander suggests they can use Bular’s death as a rallying point to turn Changelings against Gunmar, because this proves Jim is strong enough to protect them. Nomura teases Stricklander about his ambition. Jim worries about in-fighting in the Janus Order.

Vendel arrives. Like Blinky, he is shocked Jim brought back Bular’s head. Stricklander passes it off as an old human custom used to prove a foe’s defeat. Vendel brings Jim to the troll pub and announces Bular’s death, using Stricklander’s explanation when Jim presents the head.

Jim objects, quietly, to Vendel leaving Stricklander and Nomura and Draal out of the story, pointing out that Deya set a precedent for Trollhunters operating in teams.

Vendel warns that mentioning Stricklander and Nomura’s involvement could expose them as Changelings, and implies mentioning Draal could sully Draal’s reputation because he didn’t stop Jim desecrating the corpse, which is taboo in most troll cultures (although not among Gumm-Gumms).

Claire, home from rehearsal and doing laundry, gives Suzy Snooze to Enrique. Ophelia notes approvingly how ‘mature’ it is of Claire to give the rabbit to her brother ‘after all’. After Ophelia walks away, Claire grumbles about how she didn’t take the rabbit back, it just got lost. Claire also mutters about trolls, which makes Enrique suspicious.

Enrique switches form once alone, as he often does, and realizes that the rabbit still has a lingering scent of trolls under the soapy smell. He wonders when it, or Claire, might have been around trolls.

Otto, working with the goblins, finds Bular’s remains. He notes Jim and Stricklander’s scents, and also Nomura’s and one he doesn’t recognize (Draal), and realizes fearfully that he has no way of knowing how many Changelings Stricklander has already turned against Gunmar.

Barbara and Jim go back to the Lake house – not through the tunnels, Jim hasn’t told Barbara about those yet – and Nomura goes with them to retrieve her car.

Barbara questions the box of tea Nomura takes, noting Jim has the same kind. Jim ends up revealing that he semi-regularly drugs her unconscious to sneak out without her noticing. She is justifiably horrified and outraged. She tells him to get all his ‘troll stuff’ and get out.

Jim goes to the Domzalskis. Barbara worries about exposing Nana and Toby to Jim but justifies it to herself that Jim does seem to have gone out of his way to avoid physically hurting humans. (She doesn’t know Toby knows about trolls.)

Enrique tries to investigate Claire, and gets caught by her in his troll form. She, Darci, and Mary capture him in a cat carrier and call Jim and Toby. Enrique learns Jim is the Trollhunter. Jim tries to pass Enrique off as a lost baby troll. Toby, who Jim has used as an alibi many times, realizes Jim is lying. Jim and Enrique are exposed as Changelings. Claire is furious.

Jim reveals that Blinky, AAARRRGGHH, Draal, Vendel, and Barbara know he’s a Changeling, but that Trollmarket does not, and also mentions Bular is dead. He tries to encourage Claire and Enrique to get along. He also shows the humans the mirror trick used to check on his Familiar, demonstrating with the sword of Daylight.

Jim tells Toby a little bit about Changeling ‘culture’, but refuses to confirm or deny the identities of any other Changelings. Toby is disturbed by the implications of Changelings not being actively taught to speak, and how Jim is surprised none of them tried to murder him for being a Changeling.

Stricklander tells the Janus Order that Bular was killed by the Trollhunter and that Killahead Bridge has been stolen. They are all instructed to immerse themselves in their human lives to avoid drawing the Trollhunter’s attention, just in case the Trollhunter knows Bular wasn’t operating alone.

Otto starts recruiting other Changelings to investigate Bular’s death, trying to sow suspicion that Stricklander wasn’t telling them everything.

An original Changeling characters is introduced: Dr Bernie Sturges, a genderfluid mad scientist who brews poisons for the Janus Order and has been studying how Changelings work. Otto asks Bernie to do an autopsy on Bular’s remains, and Bernie suggests recruiting another Changeling who is introduced later.

A short scene of Barbara’s day confirms that she struggles with preparing meals, since she’s accustomed to Jim taking care of that for her. She is disoriented to not have breakfast on her bedside table until she remembers Jim isn’t there, and she forgets to pack a lunch to bring to work.

Jim spends lunch in Mr Strickler’s office, officially to avoid Claire. Toby shares his suspicion Mr Strickler is a Changeling, so Mary goes to eavesdrop. Claire complains about Not Enrique.

Jim suggests to Stricklander that they plant a Heartstone shard in Otto’s office to make it look like he’s actually secretly been working with them, to undermine his attempts to work against them.

Claire, Mary, Darci and Toby debate what they should do with this new information and whether they should tell anyone in Trollmarket about it. (They know Blinky and AAARRRGGHH know Jim is a Changeling but don’t know that they know Stricklander is one, and aren’t sure who besides Jim knows about Not Enrique.)

Darci and Toby express concern about putting Jim or Original Enrique or themselves in danger if they make the wrong move.

Barbara considers what might happen if she does get her biological son back – how is she supposed to explain a three-month-old appearing out of nowhere? And is she even prepared to raise another child?

A semi-original Changeling character is recruited by Otto and Bernie to help autopsy Bular. Stephan Jorgensen-Warner, inspired in name and appearance by Steve in the original novel but with the first name adjusted to avoid reader confusion, is eager to help.

Stephan works in a crematorium and used to sneak out bodies for Bular to eat, and feels like he has less of a purpose in the Janus Order with Bular dead. However, he points out that despite knowing some morticians as workplace acquaintances, he does not actually know how to perform an autopsy, let alone how to autopsy a pile of rocks.

Jim has been ‘breaking in’ to leave food, trusting Barbara's perpetual exhaustion and how accustomed she is to there being leftovers in the fridge to keep her from questioning it, and putting the food in disposable containers to mimic restaurant takeout so if Barbara does question it she might think she bought it for herself and forgot. Toby discovers this and calls Jim out on messing with Barbara’s head.

Barbara sets up a lunch meeting with Mr Strickler, since she has questions about Changelings which she feels will be easier to ask someone she didn’t know for years before discovering they were a Changeling.

This conversation is a framing device for exposition, backstory, and worldbuilding on how Changelings work in this fic’s universe. (Although some things are left out; for example, Barbara does not learn about Morgana yet.) Some pertinent data:

The selection of Familiars is mostly random, but usually children from wealthy families in regionally socially-dominant demographics are selected. Sometimes a Changeling with a human friend will suggest their friend’s baby be swapped for a Changeling.

Young trolls are turned into Changelings and stashed in the Darklands, and later brought out and bound to a Familiar. A Changeling’s aging process is ‘paused’ when they become a Changeling, and this enchantment is transferred to their Familiar when they are tied together.

Only one Changeling per Familiar, or the bond gets unstable and only one of those Changelings can be human at a time. A Changeling bound to two Familiars will explode due to unstable magical overload, although the Familiars will be fine.

(Polymorphs are a different type of Changelings who do not have Familiars at all, and they are planted on the surface immediately, but Stricklander avoids telling Barbara about them.)

Scars on the Changeling’s body before getting a Familiar are only visible on the troll body – likewise, any scars the Familiar already had will only be seen on the Changeling’s human body – but any scars the Changeling acquires later will carry over to each form.

The Changeling can only transform while their Familiar is in the Darklands and physically unharmed. A goblin stays with the Changeling after planting to cast an illusion spell if the Familiar’s human caregivers come into the room before the Familiar gets through the Fetch. Goblins are good at chaos magic, including illusions.

Sometimes a Familiar’s hair or eye colour will be passed to their Changeling when they are bound together, or the Changeling will grow an extra finger on each hand. (The extra finger can also sprout when the troll whelp initially gets turned into a Changeling, as happened to Jim.)

A Changeling in human form will appear human by every test that has been devised as yet, other than a gaggletack or a test of genetic compatibility, and the latter is because Changelings are sterilized.

(The reproductive organs were low on Morgana’s priority list of ‘things to keep functional’, and Stricklander speculates that their human bodies lack a ‘blueprint’ for a functional reproductive system because their Familiars are sexually immature.)

A Changeling with a Familiar will age at a human rate until the body is fully mature (twenty to thirty years, they aren’t sure when it stops) and after that will age at a troll rate.

Changelings are made immune to sunlight by the process that turns them into Changelings, regardless of whether they have a Familiar yet.

Changelings consider themselves, to varying degrees, to be under the Gumm-Gumms’ protection, in the sense that other trolls might hesitate to attack them for fear of drawing Gumm-Gumm attention and wrath.

Changelings have only been around for seven or eight hundred years. Stricklander was one of the first viable Changelings. Jim was one of the last Changelings made before Morgana vanished, so there haven’t been any new ones for a bit over four hundred years.

This sequence also makes note that Jim was bottle-fed when passing as a human infant.

Jim and Toby go to the museum to admire a mineral display.

Nomura invites Jim to her office and gives him a fake Amulet, which Stricklander made as a ‘lockpick’ to open Killahead in absence of the real Amulet, and then gave to Nomura in hopes she could steal the real Amulet from Kanjigar when she was dating Draal. Jim now has a cover story if another Changeling sees him with the Amulet – that he was holding onto the ‘lockpick’ for safekeeping.

Toby sees Jim coming out of Nomura’s office rather than the bathroom, where Jim claimed he’d been going, and confronts Jim on still lying to him instead of just saying “I can’t tell you”.

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH are concerned because Jim hasn’t been in Trollmarket for a while. Blinky particularly wants Jim to take Bular’s severed head out of the library – AAARRRGGHH won’t let Blinky get rid of it because Gumm-Gumm etiquette says the head is Jim’s battle trophy and anyone else disposing of it is an insult to Jim.

Mary and Claire show up. Mary gives Blinky and AAARRRGGHH a cellphone, with the girls’ and Toby’s phone numbers programmed in so the humans can contact Trollmarket without needing to go through Jim. She also gives them a stylus for using the touch screen if it doesn’t work with troll skin. It does work, but AAARRRGGHH’s fingers are really big so he uses the stylus anyway.

Claire reveals to Blinky and AAARRRGGHH that Jim has told the humans about being a Changeling, and that her younger brother has been replaced by one as well.

Barbara approaches Nomura after krav maga class and invites her to coffee, wanting another perspective on the whole Changeling issue. Nomura reluctantly accepts.

Jim is mildly injured while training in the Hero’s Forge. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH check his injuries. Jim demonstrates how he can summon and dismiss individual pieces of his armour.

Darci, Mary, and Toby complain about Claire telling Blinky and AAARRRGGH that Jim and Enrique were Changelings so quickly. They were planning to lead up to it carefully, to confirm it was true that Jim really had already told Blinky and AAARRRGGHH about being a Changeling, to avoid getting Jim arrested or executed if he hadn’t confessed yet.

Blinky questions Jim about the Enrique Swap. Jim defends why he’d thought it was a good idea at the time. This leads into revealing Jim’s old, now-discarded plan to sell out his human friends as ‘breeding stock’ to keep them alive under Gunmar’s reign. Everyone is horrified.

Nomura advises Barbara to forget about trolls and Changelings and go about her life as if she’d never discovered them.

The Ghost Council decides this is a good time to summon Jim into the Void. Kanjigar is angry Jim lied to Draal about Kanjigar asking Jim to pass on a message to him, and that Jim has been encouraging Draal to be involved in Trollhunting. Deya says that Jim has a point about the merits of fighting with backup.

Deya tells Jim that, according to legend, Merlin found a way to beat Gunmar, though he never told the Trollhunters what it was. She advises Jim to talk to his mentors.

Barbara approaches Nana Domzalski.

AAARRRGGHH claims Gunmar has resistance to any known poisons. Toby and Mary speculate that true sunlight, or a UV lightbulb, could hurt Gunmar even if conventional trollish weaponry cannot.

Blinky brings everyone back to his library and digs up Gunmar’s origins, following what the show said about Gunmar being born from a rotted Heartstone. Jim is inclined to dismiss this as propaganda, but confesses he doesn’t actually know where baby trolls come from.

Blinky looks up the legend of the Triumbric Stones. Darci and Toby comment on the classical quest setup. Blinky speculates that the stones could be in Merlin’s tomb. Mary suggests they ask Mr Strickler about it, since he is obviously a Changeling and would have looked up ways Gunmar could be defeated under the premise of finding ways to protect against these methods.

Jim reluctantly phones Stricklander and asks him to come to Trollmarket. Stricklander reveals he was responsible for destroying all copies of The Final Testament Of Bodus, but that he took the liberty of memorizing the poem about the Triumbric Stones which was enchanted to be revealed when the book burned.

Blinky yells at Stricklander about book burning. The Library of Alexandria is mentioned, to Stricklander’s annoyance, since that wasn’t as big a deal as pop culture would imply because many of the books lost had copies elsewhere, just not centralized.

The poem is recited. Stricklander says that he can get access to Gunmar’s Eye, and speculates the Killstone is in the Quagawumps’ territory. Jim plans to return the Killstone to the Quagawumps once he’s done with it, since it was probably cursed by the Shattered King, and also it presumably has cultural significance to their tribe.

Everyone starts researching mountains, to determine possible locations of the Birthstone. (Stricklander said the Eye was taken from ‘caverns deep’ by Gunmar’s forces, but has not yet directly brought up his suspicions that any attacks on the Krubera Caverns would have to be an inside job.)

Blinky pulls Jim aside and apologizes for implying Jim wasn’t really a troll when Blinky found out Jim was a Changeling. Blinky also tells Jim where baby trolls come from.

This story uses the explanation provided in the novels: that parent trolls each implant a fragment of their own living stone, which have been joined together at the facets, into a ‘birthstone’, in which the young troll incubates for thirty years before hatching.

The explanation is expanded in the fic to say the living stone comes out of the parents’ gronk-nuks, the joined fragments are called a ‘seed crystal’, and that Heartstone is ideal material for birthstones. Jim compares the process to the external fertilization of eggs practiced by some species of fish.

One of the reasons troll birthrates are low is to avoid over-harvesting the Heartstone. Another reason, just now, is because of Gumm-Gumms and Changelings; trolls are still getting used to no longer having to fear that their newborns will be stolen away to be raised as soldiers to fight them, and/or magically turned into something else.

Jim fails to hide his bitter reaction to this. He confirms that Changelings know their birth families wouldn’t want them back even if a Changeling could remember or find out enough to make contact.

Blinky, in a moment of guilt and compassion, swears to help any Changeling who deserts Gunmar find a home and family in Trollmarket. Jim tries to make a joke about adoption rates and alarms Blinky further with the revelation that Changelings are sterilized. (The sterilization has previously been mentioned by Mr Strickler, when explaining Changelings to Barbara.)

Toby and Jim go back to Toby’s house at three in the morning, and find Barbara and Nana together in the kitchen, drinking sherry and baking cookies.

Barbara apologizes to Jim for kicking him out and Jim apologizes to Barbara for drugging her. Barbara implies she wants Jim to move back home, but Jim hesitates to take her up on that, concerned she’ll take it back once she sobers up.

Barbara has told Nana about trolls. It is implied Nana doesn’t quite believe her but hasn’t dismissed the idea either. Jim advises Toby to let Nana keep her impression that trolls are part of a video game the boys have been playing.

Barbara questions Jim’s plans for if Toby gets hurt or killed under troll-related circumstances, asserting Nana’s right to know what happens to her grandson. Jim reveals he’s had a contingency plan since he and Toby were in elementary school. Barbara learns there are other humans who know about trolls and wants names.

Toby suggests they set everything aside to deal with in the morning and hauls Jim upstairs to sleep.

Jim tells Toby about Blinky giving him the talk. Toby jokes about Blinky and AAARRRGGHH being father figures to Jim and Jim comments on seeing Stricklander as a dad. Toby questions this, wondering if, being Changelings, Jim and Stricklander are the same age. The dialogue reasserts that Stricklander is centuries older than Jim. Jim adds that Enrique is roughly Jim’s age.

Bernie has been studying Bular’s remains in the Janus Order’s labs, running the stones through as many non-intrusive tests as possible to avoid degrading specimens with a limited sample size.

Bernie decides to try and get Gunmar’s Eye out of the vault where the Janus Order keeps it, to see if a comparative study between father and son will reveal how blood ties manifest in stone-based organisms. Also, some data on trollish eye structure, to compare once Bernie finds Bular’s eyes. (Bernie doesn’t know Bular was decapitated and the head taken away.)

Stricklander and Bernie meet each other at the vault doors and Stricklander agrees to let Bernie study the Eye for a short period before it is moved to ‘an undisclosed location’.

The vault has several layers of security, including a scanner for which Stricklander has to switch forms so it can read his transformation magic and confirm he isn’t a polymorph impersonating Stricklander.

The Inferna Copula is kept in the same vault. Bernie comments that Angor Rot could potentially be summoned to avenge Bular, since Angor has successfully slain Trollhunters in the past. Stricklander takes the ring to keep Otto from following through with that idea. He begins to consider summoning Angor Rot as a bodyguard for Jim.

Jim moves back home.

Toby, once alone, lets himself get alarmed and disturbed about Jim’s contingency plan to cover up if Toby died for troll-related reasons, and texts the girls about it. They are sympathetic to his panic.

Toby also reveals that Barbara knows some additional human kids know about trolls and wants to know who, to tell their families. Darci suggests they take control of that situation and tell their parents first.

Draal agrees to let Jim keep Bular’s head in the basement. Jim lies to Draal about Kanjigar again, this time saying that Kanjigar is proud of the role Draal played in avenging Kanjigar’s death.

Jim and the humans go to Trollmarket. Claire brings Enrique – not on purpose, but her mother suggested she bring her brother along if she’s going to the park to meet her friends, and Claire couldn’t get out of it without her mother concluding she’d lied about her plans.

Jim insists on briefing Enrique before going down the crystal staircase, so the newer Changeling won’t be caught off-guard and reveal himself. Among other things, Jim forewarns Enrique that AAARRRGGHH will be there and reassures him that AAARRRGGHH is a pacifist now, which confuses the humans because they’ve only ever known AAARRRGGHH as a pacifist.

Claire points out Blinky and AAARRRGGHH already know Not Enrique is a Changeling. Enrique is alarmed and upset. Jim scruffs him to keep him from lunging at Claire and insists it would’ve been better for Enrique’s cover to not know that.

Toby finds it reassured that the Changelings keep secrets from each other, because that makes them seem less like a unified force toying with the foolish humans.

Darci tells Blinky and AAARRRGGHH that the kids want to tell their families about trolls. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH object to the idea.

The humans are allowed to present their reasoning to Vendel, who acknowledges that he cannot stop them, but decrees that if they go through with this, they will be banned from Trollmarket.

Darci, Mary, and Toby argue that Barbara is going to try to expose trolls anyway, but if the trolls will help them explain everything to their parents, it can be made to sound less terrifying.

Jim points out that, if Trollmarket won’t help, the kids might go looking for other evidence and get murdered by some other Changeling, or worse, be captured and interrogated and give the Changelings a lot of information which Trollmarket would rather Gunmar’s forces did not have.

Claire says that Trollmarket is used to them, so other humans being down there wouldn’t be much more of an adjustment. Vendel says Trollmarket figures the human kids are only there temporarily, until the human Trollhunter dies. There is a brief moment of confusion until Jim clarifies that yes, Vendel knows Jim is a Changeling, but no, most trolls do not.

Besides, as children, these humans are less intimidating than adults, which is why they don’t have guards following them around all the time. Trolls aren’t great at guessing human ages but they can tell these ones are young.

Mary starts to make an argument about how cellphone cameras make exposure only a matter of time, but AAARRRGGHH intervenes and physically carries the humans and Changelings away, to let Vendel consider their arguments in peace and for everyone to return to the debate once tempers have cooled.

Over pizza, Jim explains to Barbara that the humans who are involved with trolls are now attempting to persuade the trolls to let the humans tell their families that trolls exist. Barbara agrees to give them thirty days before she starts actively trying to identify these children. She also silently notices that Jim hasn’t called her ‘Mom’ in a while.

Jim informs Stricklander that the teens are trying to reveal the existence of trolls to their families. Jim expresses worry over whether Enrique will be able to remain in the Nuñez home if Claire exposes his identity to her parents.

Stricklander decides to delay telling Jim that Stricklander might be leaving town soon until after Stricklander identifies a suitable Interim Head of the Janus Order.

Jim invites Barbara to come with him to watch the school play. She accepts.

Barbara, wanting to know more about the trollish aspects of Jim’s life, asks about the troll school system. Since Jim doesn’t know much about it, he suggests putting her in contact with Blinky. Barbara suggests that Blinky could come over for dinner sometime.

Claire’s parents confront her about coming home late. She was at dress rehearsal and reminds them about the school play. Enrique tries making happy noises to dispel the tension, which is not effective.

The play is told from Toby’s perspective. He is impressed by Steve’s acting, and laughs at the dirty jokes Shakespeare wrote into dialogue, but is disturbed by Claire’s death scene. Toby has not been involved in fighting or chase scenes in this timeline, and so only has Jim’s word that Trollhunting is dangerous. Seeing Claire pretend to die makes it click in Toby’s mind that he and his friends could be killed.

Toby has a nightmare that Jim approaches him at school and delivers the cover story he’d previously mentioned planning – that Claire ran away to become a rock star – and Toby wakes up half-convinced that Claire has died. He texts her to ask if she’s okay and tries playing Go-Go Sushi to calm himself.

Claire texts back that she’s fine and asks if Not Enrique snuck over to Toby’s house or something. Toby tells her he had a nightmare she’d been hurt. Since she’s had nightmares about what might be happening to Original Enrique in the Darklands, and can’t go to sleep until Not Enrique uses the mirror trick to prove Original Enrique is fine, Claire calls Toby to reassure him.

While Toby was in obvious distress, Chompsky went across the street to get Jim. Jim comes in through Toby’s window, eyes glowing, and frightens him. Jim thought Toby was under attack. When Toby says it was a nightmare, Jim offers to make him food. Jim ends up switching to troll form and carrying Toby downstairs to Nana.

Toby cuddles in bed with his grandmother and several of her cats. Jim exits the scene. Toby tells Nana a little about his nightmare, cutting out the troll context but admitting he and Jim and several other friends are involved in something that has Toby feeling like they are in danger.

After Toby falls asleep, Nana calls his therapist to ask if his next appointment can be rescheduled for a sooner time.

(Toby has a family history of clinical depression, and after Nana found him a good therapist for grief counselling as a child she decided he should keep having regular appointments with the same person, someone he already knew and was used to confiding in, until and unless Toby decided he ought to see someone else or his therapist recommended he see somebody else and provided a referral.)

Toby’s therapist is an original Changeling character, Tiffany Archenn. At the time Nana calls, Stricklander is offering Dr Archenn the job of Interim Head of the Janus Order. He knows she won’t take it, since she prefers low-profile positions, but wants her opinion and suggestions for other candidates who won’t be killed or swayed by Otto.

The simplest solution, killing Otto, would look suspicious. Otto’s fervent loyalty to Gunmar means that Otto’s death at Stricklander’s hand would raise questions about Stricklander’s own loyalty, unless Stricklander can make it look like he killed Otto for being a threat to his position … but polymorphs are rare and it would be out of character for Stricklander to throw such a resource away.

Tiffany suggests the following candidates:

Nomura and Gladys, who are both aggressive and would lead through intimidation. Otto wouldn’t try to turn Gladys to his side because they don’t like each other, and Tiffany correctly suspects that Nomura is already on Stricklander’s side.

Bernie, who is primarily on the side of science.

Jim; Tiffany doesn’t remember his name, but everyone likes a good cook, and he’s new enough on the surface not to seem like a viable threat to anyone’s position.

Jennifer Smith, an original Changeling character, who manages the Janus Order base’s front business Omni-Reach Travel.

After Blinky started teaching more humans to speak trollish, Bagdwella took it upon herself to help with the lessons by teaching them words and phrases they would actually use in conversation.

Bagdwella lets Mary and Darci use the backroom of her shop as a workspace for a writing project, occasionally helping them with translation or spelling. Mary explains that they are writing stories about their families, although she doesn’t tell Bagdwella why.

At home, Claire asks Enrique to check the spelling and grammar of her trollish writing. He reveals he cannot read trollish, although he is starting to learn English and Spanish.

Claire questions the logic of not teaching Changelings to read, especially since, if they’re discovered as a spy by humans, a cipher written in trollish would be harder for a human to decode than a cipher that translates back to a human language.

Enrique speculates that it was done to cut Changelings away from troll culture, since only the highest ranking Changelings (or the recklessly determined ones, like Jim, who don’t tend to live long) can read trollish … or possibly Claire is just more sensible about espionage strategy than Gunmar is.

Darci, Mary and Claire present their project to Blinky. The stories and photos about their families are meant to persuade Vendel that these humans are trustworthy and can be told about trolls. They plan to have Toby and Jim contribute to the book as well.

Blinky doubts this will sway Vendel. Blinky is deeply alarmed when the section on Claire’s family includes a picture of Enrique in troll form at the entrance to Trollmarket. He advises them to take everything about the Changeling out of the book, lest someone else see it and start a panic.

Toby switches from the canon-compliant warhammer he picked out to a smaller one that he can actually lift without magical intervention.

Toby and Jim spar lightly, under AAARRRGGHH’s supervision, until Blink and the girls get to the Forge. Blinky is upset Toby is sparring with a weapon he hasn’t trained with, so Claire takes Toby’s place in the sparring ring. The humans don’t have armour, but they do wear bike helmets, shin pads, and elbow pads.

When Jim hears about the scrapbook project, he agrees to include stories about Barbara. Jim extends Barbara’s invitation for Blinky to come to dinner and expands the invite to include AAARRRGGHH and Vendel as well.

Blinky privately confronts Jim about deliberately losing his sparring match with Claire. It’s not good training for her if Jim simply lets her win. Jim says he did it to help Claire release some of the anger she feels towards Jim for his role in the Enrique Swap.

Barbara decides to vent her frustrations over trolls and Changelings and secrets into painting. While looking for canvas in the basement, she finds Draal and pepper-sprays him.

Jim comes home, hears screaming, and runs downstairs, getting pepper-sprayed as well. He slips up in his dialogue and addresses Barbara as ‘Mom’ for the first time since she found out he was a Changeling. (He’s avoided calling her that to her face to avoid having her tell him not to.)

Once everyone stops screaming, Jim introduces Barbara to Draal and explains why there’s a troll in her basement. Draal and Jim use milk to wash the pepper-spray out of their eyes. Barbara questions why Jim didn’t tell her Draal was living there, which Jim agrees would have been a good idea because then Barbara wouldn’t have read Draal as a threat and attacked him.

Draal and Jim also explain the hole in the basement. Barbara wants it filled in, but settles for insisting they have to put some kind of door over it so random trolls can’t wander into their house by accident after getting turned around in the tunnels.

Barbara sets up an improvised painting studio in the garage rather than the basement.

Barbara and Jim host Blinky and AAARRRGGHH (and Draal) for dinner. Barbara cooks, since Draal confirmed that her cooking tastes good to unaltered trolls as well as to Changelings.

Barbara considers dressing up, but is relieved she didn’t upon noticing Blinky is in pants and suspenders with no shirt, Draal is wearing a kilt with no shirt, and AAARRRGGHH is naked. Blinky admits he didn’t bother asking Vendel to join them because he was positive Vendel would decline.

Coversation wanders through books, Pyrobligst, medicine (Barbara is surprised to learn trolls pack injuries with hot metal; the trolls are shocked to learn humans can get sunburned), and a quick confirmation in dialogue (after the story’s many stating-without-spelling-it-out moments in narrative) that Blinky and AAARRRGGHH are romantically involved with one another.

There is a running theme in Barbara’s thoughts throughout the dinner party about the structure of the different trolls’ hands. AAARRRGGHH’s fingers are each bigger around than her arm. None of the trolls have much definition between their wrist and forearm, other than Jim.

When Jim switches to troll form during the meal she notes his five-fingered hands in contrast to the four-fingers hands of the other trolls present; she hadn’t been sure if this was the case or if she’d been conflating memories of her brief previous sight of his troll form with his human form.

Glug agrees to tell Jim, Toby, Darci, Mary, and Claire about the Shattered King, in exchange for a human song. It’s unclear if she initially means one from each of them or one in total, but she enjoys Toby’s rendition of ‘Boom, Boom, shake the room, say what?’ enough to count this as payment in full.

The saga begins with the king’s birth and how he was discovered to be a sorcerer of great power. He was transgender and able to physically transition on instinct as a child rather than needing the elaborate ritual to recarve his living stone.

Jim and Darci both pay sharp attention to this, Jim because he thought at first Glug meant that the king had been a shapeshifter, Darci because she’s trans and pleased to know that trolls have a concept for this so she won’t have to explain from scratch if outed to her troll friends.

The king grows up, gets apprenticed to a few different troll magicians and outpaces all his teachers in short order, and is one of the first trolls to discover the surface world. (According to the saga he was THE first but this might be poetic licence.)

This also means he discovers the dangers of sunlight. To convince other trolls to join him in this rich hunting ground despite the danger, he casts a spell of perpetual cloud over one section of the swamp to protect any trolls who don’t burrow into the mud fast enough by daybreak. The trolls who join him decide he should be their king, and form the Quagawump tribe.

Troll-human conflict has begun by this point, and Gunmar exists. Because of the cloud spell, the Gumm-Gumms want the Quagawump swamp for a base of operations. The king defends his home with magic. The River and Garden trolls both ally with the Quagawumps for mutual protection.

The power that lets Gunmar forcibly drain lifeforce from the Heartstone (instead of passively absorbing it as most trolls do) also lets him drain lifeforce out of other trolls. During an attack, he tries to drain the Wumpa King’s power but can’t quite get all of it, which is what creates the Killstone.

The Garden and River trolls each blame the other for not guarding the king’s back, which, according to the Quagawumps, is why those tribes hate each other. (The feud between River and Garden trolls comes up a few times in canon spin-off novels and comics.) The cloud spell breaks when the king dies and Gunmar doesn’t know how to cast it, so the Gumm-Gumms stop trying to capture the swamp.

Jim asks if the Quagawumps will let him borrow the Killstone. Glug is unsure but advises that Toby should do the asking since he looks like the Shattered King.

Stephan checks in on Bernie, who has been living in the Janus Order since Bular’s death. Bernie is trying to reassemble Bular and notes that the head seems to be missing. The Changelings start to suspect it was taken as a battle trophy/proof of death.

Bernie goes to the gramophone room to meditate and Stephan finds the Heartstone piece Jim brought the Order months ago. Bernie decides to take a break from studying Bular to study the Heartstone instead.

When breaking into Otto’s office to leave a report, Bernie and Stephan are led to another Heartstone piece by Bernie’s modified Geiger counter. It is implied to the audience that Stricklander planted it there as part of the plan he and Jim discussed a while back to implicate Otto as also being involved in treason.

Jim starts teaching Barbara trollish, to help her feel more connected to that part of his life. And also because she and Blinky want to set up a book swap, which will be easier on her if she has a bit more guidance than just a dictionary.

Vendel is given the scrapbook about the human relatives that the teens are proposing to tell about trolls. He reluctantly agrees to read the book and consider their arguments.

Mr Strickler calls Jim into his office after school and gives him Gunmar’s Eye. Jim is deeply unsettled by it and wonders, since it still looks like living stone, whether Gunmar can still see out of it.

Stricklander tells Jim that he’ll be out of town for a few days, “hopefully acquiring something else of use.” Jim thinks Stricklander has a lead on the Birthstone.

Jim brings Gunmar’s Eye to Vendel, keeping it sealed in a zip-up pencil case until Vendel tells him to open it.

Vendel explains about cleaving stones, and about the near-infinite number of elements. Subtle differences in composition, age, environment, and shaping make it extremely unlikely for two stones to be exactly the same, which is why it’s nearly impossible to predict what properties a cleaved stone will unlock.

Vendel wants Jim to be in troll form while cleaving the Eye. Jim really doesn’t want to do that. What if someone comes in? Vendel points out that, if Jim drops the armour, no troll will have reason to suspect who he is. Trollmarket is well-populated and has many visitors. Reluctantly, Jim transforms.

Vendel is taken aback by how young Jim looks. He understands that Changelings are older than they appear and that their apparent age in troll form matches their age in human form, but he hadn’t realized Jim’s human friends were quite this young. No wonder they want their parents to visit Trollmarket with them.

Jim trains with Gunmar’s Eye in the Amulet, but it doesn’t appear to do anything. Jim worries about his ability to unlock the Triumbric Stones and whether he might have cleaved the Eye improperly.

Toby has an appointment with Dr Archenn. She notes he is obviously reluctant to tell her what’s bothering him, but does not yet have reason to suspect he knows about trolls.

Claire talks about touching up her roots and Enrique learns what hair dye is. He thinks she meant ‘die’, as in, hair changes colour when it’s ‘killed’, and is confused because Ophelia and Javier have each taken him along while visiting the hairdressers and nobody’s hair clippings changed colour on the floor. Claire explains it and is amused.

Claire decides to teach Enrique how to read. He is an outwardly resistant student but secretly appreciates this.

Blinky drives Jim, Toby, Claire, Mary and Darci to Florida. AAARRRGGHH stays behind because he hates the Gyre.

The Quagawumps are, for the most part, eager to avenge the Shattered King, but Blango does not want to give up the symbol of his authority. Jim has to fight him for the Killstone. Blango won’t surrender, so Jim stabs him with Creeper’s Sun and explains the antidote to the Quagawumps if they want him back.

There is a riot between Blango’s supporters and those who consider him ‘The Pretend King’. Blango is shattered and Wumpa, the one who became Queen in the show, takes over.

Jim feels like he’s undergone a Changeling rite of passage by replacing a head of state like that. The humans are shaken from having been in close proximity to all that violence.

Jim cleaves the Killstone and unlocks the shield, which he really likes. He laments, but still fully intends to keep, his promise to return the Killstone once Gunmar is dead. Jim decides to start looking for another stone that can give him a shield.

Jim also decides to start training more in his troll form, covering up the blue flash of his transformation with the blue glow his armour emits when making adjustments such as opening and closing the faceplate. He can cover his horns and ears with his helmet, so as long as no one is staring at his backside while his tail sprouts or recedes, it should be okay.

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH talk it over and approach Jim with an offer to adopt him.

This would not in any way affect Barbara being Jim’s mother, but it would give Jim the legal right to call himself ‘Jim Galadrigal, son of Blinkous and Aarghaumont’ as well as ‘Jim, son of Barbara’. (AAARRRGGHH and Blinky are not married or engaged yet, but that’s not a requirement for adopting a kid together.)

It would also give Blinky and AAARRRGGHH the right to intercede on Jim’s behalf in legal contexts; although Jim is technically old enough to speak for himself, he doesn’t have centuries of experience with Trollmarket’s culture, laws, and customs to back up his arguments.

The adoption would give Jim an official position within troll society besides his job as the Trollhunter.

Jim accepts. Shortly afterwards, he is called into the Void. Araknak the Agile, one of Blinky’s ancestors, wants to welcome Jim into the family.

Deya wishes she had living relatives she could tell to adopt Jim as well, since he reminds her of her younger brother, who died in a plague when they were young. Araknak offers to ‘share’, so Deya declares Jim her nephew.

Jim worries about telling his Changeling allies about the adoption, since they’ve all been disowned by their troll families as far as they know. Jim is unsure how Stricklander, Nomura, or Enrique will feel about to Jim getting a new troll family but assumes they will be jealous.

It does not occur to Jim to worry about how Barbara will feel.

Barbara, when he tells her, wants to be happy for him but mostly feels hurt, like he’s rejecting her as a parent or saying she isn’t enough, and is also upset that he made such a big decision without telling her first – sure, Jim is not required to ask her permission or even her opinion, but he didn’t tell her until it was a done deal, which feels sort of like if he’d gotten married without telling her.

Jim and Barbara end up having a serious heart-to-heart conversation, admitting the fear the other might not see them as familym which has been between them since Jim admitted to being a Changeling, and each confirming they do see the other as family and want to keep the parent-child dynamic that they had before.

Barbara gets the calendar reminder that thirty days are up and starts trying to figure out who Toby and Jim’s other friends who know about trolls might be.

During a reading lesson, Claire decides Not Enrique ought to practice signing his name and they butt heads over whether he should sign ‘Enrique’ or ‘Not Enrique’.

Enrique tells Claire a bit about what his life was like in the Darklands, including the nicknames that Changelings had among themselves. His nickname, translated into English, was ‘Riot’. In goblin, the word has a similar set of meanings as it does in English.

(For readers who don’t get the joke: telling someone “you’re a riot” means “you are hilarious”. It is also used sarcastically to mean “you are no fun” or “you are not as funny as you think you are”.)

Stricklander approaches Angor Rot. He keeps the ring on to prevent Angor from killing him before at least hearing him out. In exchange for Angor’s word to not kill the current Trollhunter or his allies, and to help them defeat Gunmar, Stricklander will return the Inferna Copula and help Angor find a way to restore his soul to his body.

Angor takes the deal, but expresses surprise when Stricklander gives him back the ring. Stricklander explains that, while he believes in opening negotiations from a position of strength, an ally gained through coercion is a betrayal waiting to happen.

The Soothscryer activates, because Angor has freed the souls of the dead Trollhunters he had previously consumed. The ghost Trollhunters don’t actually know what happened and assume Angor finally died.

Jim has no idea who Angor Rot is. The ghost Trollhunters explain that he was a former hero who lost his soul in a quest for power and turned against those he had sworn to protect.

One of the new ghosts realizes Jim is a Changeling and starts to get agitated, so Araknak shunts Jim out of the Void while the rest of the Ghost Council explains the Changeling Trollhunter to the new ghosts.

The humans, along with Jim and Enrique, have a movie night. Jim props up the Amulet on the table so the ghost Trollhunters can watch too. Toby finally figures out why Jim always cries when watching ‘Lilo and Stitch’. Jim and Enrique talk about family.

Jim tells Enrique about being adopted by Blinky and AAARRRGGHH. Enrique has been thinking it over, and decides to try out the name Not Enrique for a while; he’s starting to get used to it since it’s how his sister keeps addressing him.

Blinky finds reference to the treasures kept in Gatto’s Keep and decides they should look there for the Birthstone.

Nomura and Draal come along as muscle in case Jim has to fight for the stone again, and in Nomura’s case because of her experience dealing with ancient artifacts and stuffy collectors.

Because they have to time the mission around Nomura’s work schedule, Toby is the only human available to join them. Jim hesitates to bring him along, especially after the Quagawump Revolution, but a human could notice something a troll or Changeling would miss.

Jim tries bartering for the Birthstone, offering to trade Bular’s head, a white noise machine (trolls love static), and/or one of Jim’s cookbooks (a “scientific study” that’s been “stolen from a Changeling hideout” about foods both humans and trolls can eat).

Nomura answers Gatto’s riddle, and she and Toby end up eaten. Draal is eaten trying to avenge them.

Jim attempts to slay Gatto.

Nomura grabs a number of artifacts that catch her eye, including a Kairosect, and stashes them in the duffle bag she brought along.

Toby texts Jim that they’re alive, and finds the Birthstone.

Draal is exposed to magic potions while ‘upsetting the stomach’, and shields the other two as best he can with his giant arms while they escape. Draal’s right arm is badly burned by the lava and has to be amputated and replaced by a prosthetic after they get back to Trollmarket.

Jim is highly aggressive in the immediate aftermath of escaping Gatto’s Keep. He won’t let any of the trolls near Toby. AAARRRGGHH is waiting for them at the Gyre Station in Trollmarket and Jim swipes at him with Daylight when AAARRRGGHH reaches for Toby.

Nomura figures out what’s going on – fear of being eaten is very common among Changelings, and Jim is panicking over seeing it happen to Toby – and advises they leave Jim and Toby alone to let Jim calm down and assure himself Toby is safe.

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH aren’t so sure that’s the best idea, but Draal needs medical attention, so they take him to Vendel while Nomura stands guard at the station entrance so other trolls won’t wander in.

Toby manages to talk Jim down eventually, so they can walk through Trollmarket to get back to the surface without Jim lighting his eyes up at any troll who looks at the human.

Nomura goes to check on how Draal is doing, though she covers her sentimental motive by saying she came to show him all the stuff he lost his arm for her to steal.

Claire, Darci and Mary are upset they weren’t invited along on the mission, although they change their minds when Toby tells them about being eaten.

Jim estimates, based on which toxins were on the weapons he struck Gatto with and how big the mountain troll is, that Gatto will be dead within twenty years unless someone willing to heal Gatto can identify each of the four poisons Jim used and work out their antidotes.

Gatto ate a human right in front of Jim, and it is part of the Trollhunter’s job to stop trolls from doing things like that, so Jim does not anticipate slaying Gatto to lead to Jim getting anything worse than a slap on the wrist.

Toby is much more shaken at his next appointment with Dr Archenn. Although he still avoids telling her about trolls, he does admit to some of the danger he’s faced recently in general terms, leading her to wonder if he is in the hazing stage of joining a gang.

Dr Archenn is annoyed Stricklander is out of town, since, as one of Toby’s teachers, he might be able to intercede or at least keep an eye on the kid without it looking out of place.

Jim cleaves the Birthstone. He unlocks the glaives and the Eclipse Armour, but still can’t figure out what, if anything, Gunmar’s Eye does on its own.

Draal turns into a human. Jim, Enrique, and Nomura are all deeply amused by this. Jim is excited to show Draal how great human food is. Barbara insists on giving Draal a medical checkup and some inoculations, both to make sure he’s healthy and not going to catch some human disease he never would’ve developed antibodies to as a troll, and to see how deep the transformation goes.

Draal declines to get another prosthetic arm, fitted to his human form, on the grounds he won’t need it once he changes back. He doesn’t say as much out loud, but he feels like getting the prosthetic would be the same as resigning himself to staying in human form long-term.

Stricklander returns to Arcadia with Angor Rot. Everyone is very alarmed. Angor decides to live in the woods, since Trollmarket doesn’t trust him, the Trollhunter’s basement is occupied, Mr Strickler’s apartment does not have space for a long-term guest, and Angor wouldn’t voluntarily stay at the Janus Order even if he had been hunting this Trollhunter (or pretending to).

Barbara and Walter go out for lunch, where he explains where he’s been and why he left town, and she catches him up on what she knows of what he’s missed. Barbara also tries to get him to slip up and tell her which humans know about trolls, which he catches.

Barbara asks Walter to back her up if she does find these children’s parents. Stricklander gently reminds her that his first priority is the wellbeing of his fellow Changelings, which is quite heavily tied to their secrecy. He asks Barbara not to put him in the position of having to choose between betraying the Changelings or discrediting her.

The kids start going to Angor for magic lessons. Claire and Toby both have a natural affinity, Claire for magic as a whole and Toby specifically for mineral-based magic. Mary and Darci both struggle but can manage basic enchantments which are powered by the enchantment’s components rather than fuelled by the caster. Angor will not let any of them so much as touch the Shadow Staff.

Draal and Nomura are spending more time together socially now that he’s temporarily living as a human. He feels like this experience is giving him a better idea of what her life is like, as a Changeling.

He makes the mistake of saying so out loud, and Nomura gets offended because, while he does now have a sense of what it’s like to interact with human society while humans think you’re one of them but you are still a troll on the inside, Draal has no idea what it means to be a Changeling.

They end up having a very serious and emotionally-charged conversation about how Changelings are viewed and treated, and Nomura’s life before they met and in the years since they were together.

It segues into discussing when their relationship fell apart and how each of them felt about it, and how it feels being allies and maybe-friends again.

Nomura expresses her resentment over how quickly Draal’s view of Changelings shifted when he found out Jim was one, compared to when he found out she was one.

Draal points out that Jim changed sides the same night that Draal found out, so Draal had only a few hours knowingly dealing with Jim as an enemy, whereas Nomura refused to change sides when he suggested she do so.

Nomura scornfully points out that she didn’t have a viable option of changing sides the way Jim did. It would have been only Draal speaking for her, and with his desperation to please his father she couldn’t trust him not to turn on her.

And unlike Jim, who has a mentor in Stricklander, Nomura didn’t have highly-placed allies to turn to and plead her case that what she did wasn’t really treason, just an attempt at double-agency that didn’t work out, if changing sides had failed but she somehow escaped Trollmarket alive and went back to the Janus Order, and the other Changelings learned she tried to desert.

The conversation ends on a prickly note with a lot of hurt feelings on both sides.

Draal still feels Nomura didn’t try hard enough to find a way to change sides when they were first together.

Nomura still feels Draal is refusing to understand both the precarious position she was in at the time, and that she’d had no intention of changing sides back then anyway and has only recently recognized Gunmar to be a bad choice as a leader.

The high school announces the Spring Dance. Jim, despite not being on the Honour Roll or in any official extracurricular groups nor even having perfect attendance, is nominated. He confronts Mr Strickler about it, since candidates are nominated by the faculty, and Stricklander says that if Jim is more in the public eye it will be harder for Otto to make Jim disappear.

Jim considers withdrawing his candidacy, due to the other demands on his time. He decides to participate because it seems to mean a lot to Toby, although he tells Toby he’s going through with it because dropping out would draw more attention than putting in minimal effort.

Jim discovers he fears public speaking when the Amulet activates and won’t shut down on the day nominees are presenting their dance themes.

He improvises a mantle out of a school banner to cover up the Amulet itself, so any photos that make it onto social media won’t fall into Changeling hands and lead to a search for a human Trollhunter, and suggests a Renaissance theme based on his plate armour.

Mary, Darci, and Shannon also suggest dance themes, because it makes no sense for only the boys to participate in that part of the contest (which is implied in the show by how none of the girl candidates are standing on the gymnasium floor with the boy candidates during that scene).

Jim and Angor start sparring together. Jim is curious about Angor’s supposed ability to ‘steal’ the Sword of Daylight, wondering if it would be possible to have Daylight and Eclipse active at once, but not curious enough to hold still and be marked by Angor’s sigil.

Jim is concerned that such a link might have unforeseen consequences, like getting tangled with his link to his Familiar so Jim forcibly reverts to troll form if Angor gets hurt, or Jim exploding as he would if he tried to bind himself to a second Familiar, or someone managing to steal the Inferna Copula before Angor gets his soul restored to his body and the mark making it easier for Angor to hunt and kill Jim.

Nomura brings Draal along to krav maga class. Barbara is startled to learn that Draal is the ex Nomura occasionally mentioned to her.

Nomura and Draal are able to have a much more productive conversation after Draal picks up enough of ‘how to fight in a human body’ that they can spar, because they both find emotional conversations easier to handle after physical exertion and enjoy sparring.

Toby tries asking out every girl in school, except for Darci, Claire, and Mary. He jokes that he wouldn’t want to make it awkward on the team if they started fighting over him, but actually he recognizes that rejection would hurt more coming from someone whose opinion of him genuinely matters to him.

Darci considers asking Toby to the dance, since she thinks he’s fun to be around and “reasonably cute”, but decides not to for three reasons.

One, his joke implies he’s not interested in dating someone he already likes as a friend.

Two, Darci is unsure if she has a crush on Toby, or if her feelings are mixed up because she’s not used to being friends with boys.

Three, Toby asking out every girl in school makes Darci suspect he would say ‘yes’ if she asked him, but only because he wants a date, not out of specific interest in her.

Toby, feeling hurt by rejection and blaming his weight and repeated failed diets, asks Angor if there is a magical way to become either thin or buff. Angor says spells affecting shape and metabolism are above Toby’s level of experience and Angor is not experienced in using magic on humans.

Angor does cast one piece of body-altering magic, after Toby leaves. He tries concealing the Inferna Copula under his skin, using one of his pitted scars to hide the new injury, rather than wearing the ring. This makes it harder to steal, but sadly does not restore his soul to him. He doesn’t want to try eating it, because while that might work, anything that destroys the ring could also cost him his soul forever.

Toby goes to RotGut’s. They don’t really understand what he’s asking for because most trolls are inclined to bulk up however they can. After some back-and-forth, Toby asks if there is a magical way to make himself smaller, and they let him use the Fergolator.

(This is all mostly as an excuse to have a chapter titled ‘Tiny Toby’.)

Darci is the first to find Tiny Toby. He confesses his self-consciousness about his appearance. She sympathizes. Toby also ends up confessing to her that he has a crush on the school mascot. Darci blushes but does not reveal that she is the mascot.

Darci takes Tiny Toby to Angor, who says the safest thing to do is let the magic wear off, which should happen within a day or two.

Since Toby is going to mess around with size-changing magic anyway, Angor agrees to teach his students some spells of that nature once Toby is full-size again, starting with how to compress weapons. Most magic is safest when practiced on inanimate objects.

They are all able to carry their weapons with them in disguise now. Mary’s sword still looks like a knife, but Arcadia Oaks High School does permit students to carry knives as long as the blade is shorter than three inches.

Stephan visits Bernie at the Janus Order base again. Bernie has Stephan test a new variation on Glamour Masks – a glove, so it’s harder for the source of the spell to be removed either accidentally or by an enemy, and so it doesn’t intervene with the wearer’s sense of smell.

Stephan tests it by appearing to stay in his human form while touching a gaggletack. When he removes the Glamour Glove, the audience gets a description of Stephan’s troll form.

After vigorous petitioning by those who remember him as a hero, Angor Rot is permitted to enter Trollmarket. He still hesitates to live there, but appreciates being in a proper underground structure again and does decide to stay.

This was a lucky choice on Angor’s part, because his attempt to implant the ring inside his body gets infected, possibly because of magic but possibly just because he performed surgery on himself in unsterile conditions. Vendel extracts the ring, treats the infection, and gives Angor a full medical checkup while he has him there. Angor goes back to just wearing the ring.

Barbara and Walter meet for coffee. Nomura and Draal show up at the same coffee shop. It becomes an awkward unintentional double date.

Claire’s parents find a few pages of trollish writing mixed in with her homework. Claire gets angry and defensive when she finds out her parents went through her stuff, which only convinces them she has something she wants to hide from them.

Rot and Gut have a device that works as an emergency shut-off switch for magical artifacts. It gets damaged in a way that causes it to randomly power up and overload, shutting down other things that should be insulated against its effects.

They bring it to the Trollhunter for advice on what to do with it, followed by a growing crowd of trolls whose things have been shut down by the malfunctioning device as it was carried from RotGut’s to the Forge.

The device shuts off the Amulet of Daylight as Jim is switching to human form, so all these trolls see Jim shapeshift.

Ophelia and Javier call Mary’s and Darci’s parents. Darci and her parents sat next to Toby and Nana at the school play and Darci and Toby clearly knew each other, so Detective Scott speculates the girls are sneaking around with boys. This reminds Claire’s parents of the time they came home and found Jim in their house, saying he and Claire were doing homework together.

Mary’s parents (mother, stepmother, and father) all follow her on social media. Mary has posted innocuous stuff which includes Jim and Toby, since she hangs out with them outside of Trollhunting.

Cross-referencing this with information Councilwoman Nuñez can access via her connections with the schoolboard (since this version of Jim and Toby never broke into the museum and so do not have criminal records for Detective Scott to look up), the parents find Jim and Toby’s full names and contact information for their guardians.

Jim has to escape Trollmarket. AAARRRGGHH helps, creating suspicion among Trollmarket’s citizens that maybe he didn’t really desert Gunmar after all.

Angor uses his teleporting staff to evacuate the actual humans while the trolls are distracted chasing Jim and AAARRRGGHH.

Barbara is very willing to meet with the concerned adults who contact her about their children acting strangely after spending time with hers. Yes, she has time this evening, she can come over right away. She’ll even give Nancy Domzalski a ride.

Unfortunately, Barbara’s strongest evidence of trolls being real, the troll living in her basement, is currently human-shaped, so instead of bringing him to the Nuñez house or inviting them to hers, the best Barbara is able to do is show them some pictures and videos on her phone and encourage them to question their children.

None of the adults, other than Mary’s stepmother Jennifer, believe Barbara. Jennifer is an original Changeling character previously mentioned; the one who runs Omni-Reach Travel and whom Stricklander left in charge when he went to find Angor Rot.

Jennifer tries to defuse the situation when she realizes Barbara is talking about trolls, desperately hoping Barbara doesn’t also know about Changelings.

Jennifer claims that if Mary discovered a magical world, she would have bragged about it on social media, and if later convinced it had to stay secret, her redaction would have been in the form of insisting it had been a filmmaking experiment and not intended to be mistaken for reality, so as not to destroy her online credibility by implying she participated in a hoax.

Jennifer justifies overthinking this with her passion for paranormal romance novels. Nana supports Jennifer’s explanation by sharing her own theory that this is related to video games.

AAARRRGGHH ends up moving into Toby’s house, and finally finds out about Gnome Chompsky. (Bagdwella, Blinky, and AAARRRGGHH all thought Jim had killed the gnome after taking it out of Trollmarket.)

Not Enrique phones Claire to tell her what’s happening and warn her not to come home yet. The kids instead agree amongst themselves that this is as good a time as any to come clean to their parents about trolls and do damage control on anything Barbara said that scared them.

They can’t go to Trollmarket right now, but they can introduce their families to AAARRRGGHH, the sweetest and least-threatening troll they know.

Jennifer attacks AAARRRGGHH, whom she only knows by reputation as a general, a deserter, and a human-eater. Mary manages to get the UV flashlight away from her stepmom, so Jennifer switches to her troll form. She’s about Draal’s size, with shiny dark green skin and bright orange hair.

Jim recognizes Jennifer as an old friend, nicknamed ‘Sneaker’ for how well she blended in with the Darklands’ crystal formations in her youth, and transforms as well, to either talk her down or protect AAARRRGGHH from her depending on whether she will listen to Jim about AAARRRGGHH being a pacifist.

Mary tries scruffing Jennifer, remembering how AAARRRGGHH collapsed when Jim did that. Jennifer tries to attack whatever grabbed her scruff, but realizes it was Mary and stops herself before Mary gets hurt.

(Detective Scott doesn’t carry his gun while off-duty, and after he learns trolls really do have stone for skin he’s glad he didn’t have it on him, because if he’d shot AAARRRGGHH or one of the Changelings, a bullet could have ricocheted and hit one of the humans present instead.)

Once combat has been avoided and Jennifer and Jim switch back to human form, trolls are explained to the human adults again, now that they’re willing to take the explanation seriously.

Jim explains why he and the teens can’t go back to Trollmarket anymore anyway, giving a quick summary of how Changelings work and how they’re viewed and how Jim was recently exposed to the market as one and any humans he brought in will now face the same suspicion.

Jim is very apologetic about not being sneaky enough to prevent the teens from learning about trolls in the first place. The teens are a bit annoyed that this is the part for which Jim feels he ought to be apologizing.

Claire tells her parents about Not Enrique. They are naturally upset. Jim and Jennifer each confess to having nominated Enrique as a possible Familiar, intending this as a favour to the Nuñezes. This is responded to with horror.

Nana Domzalski is neutral leaning towards supportive. Detective and Mrs Scott are alarmed and disturbed, but willing to hear out why their daughter wants to stay involved in the supernatural world despite the dangers. Mr Wang gets Javier’s “this is awesome” response from the show.

Laurel, Mary’s mother, is mostly in shock over learning her wife is not human.

Councilwoman and Mr Nuñez are outraged and horrified and want to get both their children as far away from the supernatural as possible.

Jennifer points out that, if anything happens to the Changeling, there is no need for the Familiar, and therefore if they plan to get the original Enrique back, they will need to make some kind of peace with the other Enrique in the interim.

The Nuñez parents officially meet Not Enrique. It is very tense and awkward. Everyone else decides to leave.

Barbara attempts to offer support, as a fellow parent who has gone through learning her child was replaced by a Changeling, and is harshly shut down because Ophelia and Javier aren’t ready for that conversation yet.

Vendel is trying to calm Trollmarket, a few hours after Jim was publicly revealed as a Changeling. Vendel points out Bular’s death and the capture of Killahead, and Jim’s mission to unite the Triumbric Stones, as evidence the Changeling Trollhunter really is on their side. The rioters settle down, but the citizens are not wholly convinced.

Draal is phoned by Blinky and strongly advised not to come back to Trollmarket until he changes back into a troll. Draal didn’t plan to do so, embarrassed to be seen like this, but that feels different from not being allowed.

Blinky is concerned that the trolls might turn on Draal and use his transformation as evidence that the Changeling Trollhunter is trying to make more trolls into Changelings, reigniting the riots Vendel just finished averting.

Krax, the Changeling spy planted in Trollmarket centuries ago, contacts Usurna to report the Changeling Trollhunter.

He has mixed feelings about doing so. Krax is pretty sure Jim really is still working for Gunmar, and either killed Bular to shore up his cover or as a power play, and Killahead Bridge being in the market means that Gunmar will be in an advantageous position to attack right away.

But ultimately Krax would rather Usurna get this information from him, proving what a valuable agent Krax is, than from some other source, which could cause her to doubt either his skill or his loyalties.

The Touch-the-Truck-a-thon occurs. After Mary forfeits to run to the bathroom, Jim attempts to psyche Steve out by complimenting how brave Steve is, for attempting to destigmatize adult incontinence by publicly confessing to wearing a diaper.

Steve lets go of the truck while trying to punch Jim. Shannon is accidentally knocked over by Steve, and Jim lets go of the truck to help her up, so Eli and Darci win the challenge.

Blinky, as Jim’s mentor and one of his adopted parents, has been trying to convince other trolls that Jim is harmless. Several trolls mock Blinky for not noticing Jim being a Changeling when usually Blinky can spot a conspiracy even when one isn’t there.

Blinky admitting he did find out and chose not to tell anyone is not well-received. Vendel has to intervene to keep Blinky from getting thrown out of Trollmarket as well.

Angor is very surprised no one has turned on him yet, since he explicitly showed up as an ally to this particular Trollhunter. Of course, Angor is also very sneaky and intimidating.

Rather than Toby purchasing an animal without considering its containment and enrichment and dietary needs just because he wants the volcanic slag that houses it, a Helheeti gets loose directly from Mervin the Monster Dealer’s shop and ravages Trollmarket.

Several trolls go to Angor for help. He teleports away and gets Jim, since this kind of thing really is the Trollhunter’s job and Angor is not going to be roped into doing it for him.

The two of them are able to corral the Helheeti and force it back into the volcanic slag. Angor decides to keep it for a pet. He has to go to Vendel for permission, since Helheetis are native to the Darklands and were banned after the bridge was sealed.

Mervin the Monster Dealer insists he thought it was a Luminere and promises to aid the investigation in how this happened. Mervin gets his Lumineres from the Krubera, implying to the audience that Usurna might be behind this. (She actually wasn’t – it was a genuine mixup with old and poorly labelled stock. Helheeti slag dens and Luminere slag dens look very similar.)

Javier goes to Barbara, taking her up on the offer to talk.

Ophelia ends up telling everything to her therapist, Dr Archenn, instead, desperately wanting all of this to be some kind of stress-induced illusion.

Tiffany is furious to learn that at least three Changelings have voluntarily revealed themselves to humans. Tiffany does not reveal that she is a Changeling, nor that she also suggested Enrique Nuñez as a Familiar, thinking the Nuñez parents were ideal candidates for a Changeling’s host family.

(The Nuñezes are affluent, politically well-connected, and rarely present, appearing to want kids more because ‘this is what successful adults do, they find jobs and buy houses and cars and get married and have children’, rather than because ‘I would find it fulfilling to care for another person and raise them to adulthood’. )

Tiffany reports the compromised Changelings to Stricklander. He does not admit that his identity has been compromised to at least some of these humans as well.

As the Trollhunter hasn’t been around Trollmarket of late, except for during that one emergency, Bagdwella has to give the package meant for Sagdwella to the carrier mice trolls rather than sending it through the human post office.

The mice trolls gnaw through the package, and the gravity hex infects Trollmarket.

Bagdwella ends up phoning Mary to ask Jim for help, since Bagdwella doesn’t have Jim’s phone number.

Since they know about it in advance this time, instead of finding out after like they did with the Helheeti, the kids are able to insist on coming with Jim to aid in the crisis. They’ve had magic training and Jim hasn’t had the time to work that into his Trollhunter training yet.

With Angor’s guidance, the kids are able to contain the curse in the warhammer Toby had stopped training with a while ago in favour of one easier to lift.

Angor then uses this as a prop in a lesson on how spells can stack together, by putting the weapon compression spell on the warhammer. Toby reclaims the hammer and starts learning to dual-wield.

Nobody ever learns Bagdwella was responsible for the gravity hex being unleashed.

Otto has been trying to build a power base within the Janus Order to let him overthrow Stricklander. It disappoints but does not shock him that Changelings are unwilling to commit to either side of this power struggle.

Bernie is now positive that Bular’s remains are headless.

A mortician who is a mutual work friend of Barbara’s and Stephan’s tries to set them up together. This comically fails for two reasons.

On Barbara’s side of things, she has a boyfriend; well, sort of. Walt isn’t officially her boyfriend yet, but she calls him that reflexively upon realizing she and Stephan are being introduced as potential dates rather than potential friends.

Meanwhile, on Stephan’s side of the table, he is demiromantic and would have to get to know Barbara a lot better to be able to tell whether he was interested. Blind dating does not work for him.

Barbara tells Walter about reflexively referring to him as her boyfriend when a friend tried to set her up on a date, and asks if he is interested in this being true. The two officially start to date.

Walter brings flowers when he comes to pick Barbara up for a date. Draal, who Jim and Toby were teaching video games in the living room, sees this and is confused by the gesture, so the boys explain.

Draal wonders if Nomura would like flowers, since her human cover is a big part of her life, or if she’d think Draal was implying he saw her as less of a troll by acting out a human courtship ritual.

Draal asks Jim for advice. Jim’s response is to suggest phoning Nomura and asking her how she would feel if Draal gave her flowers. Toby points out that it ruins the surprise of doing something romantic and spontaneous to just ask her, to which Draal and Jim simultaneously point out that Nomura doesn’t like surprises.

Jim makes the phone call. Nomura says her favourite flowers are yellow Gerbera daisies and she will honestly be impressed if Draal knows what a daisy is.

Blinky contacts the kids by group text to say that the mood of Trollmarket has stabilized enough it should be safe to come back.

AAARRRGGHH, who has been putting off this conversation, borrows Toby’s phone to tell Blinky that the kids’ families now know about trolls and will want to visit Trollmarket too.

Blinky gripes about having to explain that to Vendel, and worries how they can convince Trollmarket that Jim isn’t leading some kind of Changeling invasion if he brings down a bunch of new humans.

AAARRRGGHH reveals one of the parents is a Changeling. Blinky facepalms with the three hands not holding the phone.

Jim worries about bringing anyone else along when he isn’t sure how safe Trollmarket is right now, but Toby, Claire, Mary and Darci point out that they all helped with the gravity hex, and it’ll be good to keep Trollmarket accustomed to human visitors if they’re going to bring their parents down there eventually.

Mr Strickler also joins them – the trolls still think he’s a human, since the full story of Bular’s death has still not been made public.

On Jim’s first night back in Trollmarket, Queen Usurna also arrives. Jim asks if she’s there about the Helheeti, and commends her initiative in aiding the investigation of the possibility of a Darklands breech. It must be such a comfort to the Krubera to know their leader will take prompt action on these matters.

Usurna has no idea what Jim is talking about and wonders if he is hinting that he knows she works for Gunmar.

Usurna wants to take AAARRRGGHH back to the Krubera Caverns. She claims he is unsafe with a known Changeling having access to Trollmarket. As a pacifist, AAARRRGGHH cannot protect himself, and it falls to his Queen to do so for him.

Trollmarket’s citizens protests that Jim is definitely not working for Gunmar. It’s both comical and disturbing to Jim, how completely their view of him has shifted now that they’ve calmed down after their initial panic and taken Vendel’s words to heart.

Jim killed Bular and sealed Killahead and risked his life to save them all even after they found out what he was and somehow even brought Angor Rot back to the side of good! (They don’t know about Stricklander recruiting Angor.) The Trollhunter has found the Triumbric Stones and is going to slay Gunmar!

Usurna questions why the Trollhunter has not reassembled the bridge and fought Gunmar already, if this is really true. Jim says it would be safer to stab Gunmar through a Fetch, rather than risking the Gumm-Gumms escaping their imprisonment, and he still hasn’t been able to acquire one.

Actually, Jim is worried because he feels like he’s only unlocked two of the three stones, because Gunmar’s Eye still won’t let him summon anything.

It might just be the lynchpin that converts his armour and sword into Eclipse when combined with the other two stones, but what if there is a missing power he doesn’t have yet, and what he does have isn’t enough to slay Gunmar? But he’s not going to say all that to someone he barely knows.

Usurna says she’ll be staying in Trollmarket for a few nights to observe the Trollhunter and confirm her subject’s safety. Vendel proposes a Pyrobligst match. Everyone disperses and goes about their business.

Vendel and Usurna go to the pub. Jim fails to get close enough to eavesdrop. Jim ends up talking to the other Krubera about the Helheeti mistaken for a Luminere. Vendel and Usurna make their bet to determine whether AAARRRGGHH must return with the Krubera or gets a choice in the matter.

The human teens finally learn AAARRRGGHH’s backstory. Jim is shocked they hadn’t figured it out already, based on how literally every Changeling they’ve seen meet or hear about AAARRRGGHH has initially reacted with fear.

Stricklander shares his theory that, if it is true that only Krubera can survive the pressures of the deep caves where they live, any attacks on them had to have been inside jobs.

Blinky finds himself paying closer attention to how Stricklander and AAARRRGGHH are interacting after mistaking some innocent behaviour on Stricklander’s part for flirtation. Blinky does not think AAARRRGGHH will be wooed away from him, but is suspicious whether Stricklander intends to try.

Jim initially refuses to play Pyrobligst on the grounds that he did enough fighting to the death to entertain an audience back when he lived in the Darklands. He changes his mind when he learns the outcome of the game will determine whether AAARRRGGHH has the option of staying in Trollmarket.

Jim does not learn that participants must begin unarmed – he thought Vendel just took the Amulet because that particular weapon would be an unfair advantage – until right before the game.

Not wanting to give Usurna any excuse to claim that Jim cheated and therefore AAARRRGGHH must go back to the Krubera Caverns, Jim switches to his troll form, on which he keeps most of his weaponry, undergoes a comically long disarming sequence, realizes he doesn’t actually know how many weapons he is carrying and so cannot be sure he’s removed them all, and decides to play naked.

Blinky notices Jim appears to have runes carved into his legs and makes a mental note to question him on these later.

Angor is Jim’s teammate, since AAARRRGGHH is still a pacifist, Draal is still human-shaped, and Blinky doesn’t play. They win, barely.

After returning to the Krubera Caverns, Usurna retires to her private quarters and contacts Gunmar. This is how he learns of Bular’s death and that the amulet picked a Changeling as Trollhunter.

Gunmar had assumed the Trollhunter had captured Killahead Bridge and that Bular hadn’t contacted him since the bridge’s fall out of shame at having it snatched away when they were so close, and that Bular wanted to make some progress towards recovering the bridge – or at least killing this particular Trollhunter – before facing his father again.

Gunmar is suspicious that the Changelings never reported this. A Changeling with command of the Amulet should have come forward in hopes of gaining status and special treatment … unless they were a traitor from the beginning. Figuring out Gunmar plans to get rid of the Changelings once he doesn’t need them, and acting out of self-preservation, counts as treason.

Unfortunately, Gunmar may still need the Janus Order’s help to escape, so he can’t take out his wrath on all the Changelings yet.

Blinky asks Jim about his scarred legs. Jim explains how, when he was learning to read back in the Darklands, there wasn’t much to write with or on, so Jim carved each letter of the trollish alphabet into his own stone skin once he learned it. Ambiguous phrasing leaves Blinky under the impression Dictatious was the one to do this to Jim.

Jim explains to Vendel his concerns about fully unlocking the Triumbric Stones, so Vendel has Jim start training with other stones past Trollhunters have used.

Jim immediately pounces on the stone that lets trolls walk in sunlight without harm. Jim, being a Changeling, doesn’t have to worry about that, but his successor potentially will, and if Kanjigar had been carrying this stone he might not have died. Jim superglues and duct tapes it into the Amulet.

There are six slots built into the Amulet. With the three Triumbric Stones, the Heartstone chip, and now the sunstone (note, sunstone is a good name but also an actual stone’s name, and also would the trolls call it that? Come up with a name for it), Jim has one slot left for trying out new stones.

Jim goes into the Void to get advice from the Ghost Council about which stones to try, and goes for the Aspectus Stone because he likes the idea of always having backup in the form of clones of himself.

The first Jim Clone he summons is a manifestation of his academic curiosity, quickly nicknamed ‘Scholar Jim’, or ‘Schol’ for short. The next one is his resourcefulness, the bit of himself that always keeps an eye out for potentially useful things (and steals them), who is nicknamed ‘Scavenger Jim’ or ‘Scav’.

Jim, when in armour, can summon clones who are also wearing armour, but if the clone dismisses the armour, the cloned copy of the Amulet will vanish and the clone cannot resummon it.

A clone in armour can switch to the Eclipse Armour if Jim or another clone is not already wearing it, but there can be only one Eclipse active at any time.

Any clone can wield either the Sword of Daylight or the Sword of Eclipse, regardless of which armour the clone wears or whether they are in armour at all.

Jim dismissing his armour does not affect whether the clones already summoned will keep or lose their armour.

Jim cannot summon a clone wearing armour if he is not wearing armour himself.

Jim, wearing armour, can summon a clone not wearing armour.

A clone summoned without armour can only summon armour if Jim gives that clone the original Amulet.

A clone will appear as the same species as Jim is at the time of summoning, but can shift like any other Changeling, and Jim changing forms later will not affect clones already summoned.

The clones appear to have continuous memory between summonings and Jim’s memories of the time while that clone was not active.

Jim confirms that night that he reintegrates the clones’ memories into his own while he sleeps, which Maddrux said would happen.

Also, maintaining clones is hungry work. Jim suspects his metabolism is running however many times as fast as there are Jims for it to maintain at any given moment. One Jim Clone means Jim’s metabolism is twice as fast; two Jim Clones makes Jim’s metabolism run three times as fast. He’d best not summon a Jim Army after all, or he’d starve himself in a minute.

(This is not actually true. It just takes energy to summon and dismiss them, which Jim was doing over and over to test the possibilities.)

Jim learns through later testing that a clone will vanish if the clone falls asleep or is knocked out. A clone can exist continuously for as long as that clone remains awake – as a Changeling, Jim can comfortably stay away for about sixty consecutive hours (not quite three days), but after that he starts to get tired like a human would after being awake for more than twenty consecutive hours.

Draal turns back into a troll while at the museum. Nomura just barely hauls him into one of the archive rooms before anyone can see him. It’s where Bular slept when he spent the day at the museum, so it’s mostly empty and has no windows.

Nomura helps Draal out of the shredded remains of his human clothing and it is implied that they have sex. The scene cuts away before anything graphic occurs.

Jim wakes up early in his troll form and can’t shift to his human one. He wonders if it might be inoculation day.

The goblins regularly vaccinate all the Familiars, so the new babies won’t catch some disease still asymptomatically carried by the older babies that modern humans don’t have resistance to anymore, and the old babies won’t catch any diseases brought in by the newer babies that previous generations of humans couldn’t have developed resistance against because it didn’t exist back then.

But there’s usually some forewarning about the day, so the Changeling won’t be caught out in public if their Familiar reacts to the vaccine and this shifting problem happens. Of course, the Janus Order has been on lockdown since Bular’s death, so maybe Jim just missed the notice?

Jim tries spitting on the mirror, but cannot see Jay-Jay. In increasing panic, he spits on various reflective surfaces and tries the selfie camera of his phone (which the spell acknowledges as a mirror), but nothing happens.

In order, he calls Stricklander, Nomura, Not Enrique, and Jennifer, confirming each of them are still able to shift. Jim calls Stricklander again and gives a more detailed explanation of what’s happening.

Stricklander comes over and gives Jim a Glamour Mask.

They conclude Gunmar must finally have learned about Jim’s involvement in Bular’s death and taken vengeance.

Stricklander never reported Gunmar that the new Trollhunter was a Changeling to avoid exactly this outcome (potentially levied against all Changelings) if anything went wrong with the bridge reconstruction; although it was possible Bular would mention it, it was unlikely Bular would bother when he had ‘more important things than the Impures’ to talk to his father about.

Otto is suspected as the leak, because he knows who Jim is and because, as a Polymorph, he doesn’t have a Familiar to worry about.

Stricklander takes a sick day in case he’s next, and calls Nomura to advise her to do the same. Then Stricklander and Jim have to tell Barbara what’s going on and why they think it happened.

Jim demands access to the Fetch. His Familiar is dead and his mother is heartbroken and Jim needs to make Gunmar PAY for this. He has to kill him, has to get the other Familiars out of his reach, has to get the other Changelings out of his reach …

Stricklander fails to calm Jim, and when Jim leaves for the day, Stricklander stays at the Lakes’ house in case Barbara (who has locked herself in her room to cry) needs anything.

Jim decides to go through with Usurna’s ‘suggestion’ of opening Killahead Bridge to fight Gunmar. That way, even if Gunmar survives, he’ll be out of the Darklands and cut off from most of his forces and won’t have access to the Nursery anymore.

Jim skips school, missing the textbook stacking challenge, to go to Trollmarket and start rallying volunteers to form an army. It’s harder than he’d hoped, because despite being a culture in which solving problems with violence is common (functionally, duelling), most trolls don’t have an appetite for sustained warfare.

Not Enrique sneaks into Claire’s backpack and goes to school with her, which she doesn’t realize until she puts the bag in her locker. He’s concerned about Jim after that early morning phone call, and considering how abruptly Jim hung up, Not Enrique wonders if maybe the phone line was compromised and decided to come talk to Jim in person … except Jim isn’t at school.

AAARRRGGHH hears what Jim is up to and drags him to the library to find out why Jim changed his mind so suddenly and radically about strategy. Jim has an emotional breakdown and tells AAARRRGGHH and Blinky what happened.

Walter, in a fit of desperation and with Barbara’s permission, calls in Dr Archenn, so Barbara can talk to someone trained in grief counselling and to whom Barbara will not have to lie.

Tiffany is angry Stricklander broke both their covers but professional enough not to take this out on her new patient. Tiffany is also very concerned about this other Changeling who just lost his Familiar, but not willing to risk her life trying to get into Trollmarket to look for Jim.

Not Enrique decides to phone Jim after all. With permission, Blinky takes the phone and explains on Jim’s behalf. Not Enrique is shaken up enough to decide he wants to get his Familiar out of the Darklands as soon as possible, since the goblins are clearly no longer sufficient protection for the Nursery. Not Enrique breaks into Stricklander’s office and takes the Fetch.

Not Enrique gets a text from Javier, who noticed he wasn’t home and wants to know if he’s okay. (Not Enrique told all the Nuñezes his phone number.) He texts back that he’s fine, just had to run an errand. Javier points out Not Enrique could have just told Javier what he wanted, now that Javier knows he can talk.

Not Enrique doesn’t have an answer for that, but this conversation affirms for him that he’s doing the right thing and might not even lose his home once he’s given Original Enrique back.

Not Enrique calls Jim again. Jim agrees to help with his plan. They decide not to tell anyone, in case they’re too late.

They don’t know what exactly is happening on the other side and for all they know Gunmar’s just decided to forget about escaping and feast on all the Familiars, or Skarlagk’s forces found the Nursery and obviously have no motive to leave the babies alone and the Changelings’ covers intact.

(Skarlagk the Scorned is a character from the novels – her father Orlagk was the Gumm-Gumm Warlord before Gunmar, she wants to kill Gunmar to avenge her father, and she leads a rebellion of Gumm-Gumms who blame Gunmar for getting them trapped in the Darklands.)

Jim leaves Trollmarket, telling Blinky and AAARRRGGHH he’s going home. He and Not Enrique meet up and go to the Janus Order base to get a map of which Darklands locations match up with which surface locations. There are entrances to the base besides the travel agency, so they don’t have to get past anyone to get inside.

Bernie comes to meet Jim and Not Enrique, because the labs now have a monitor hooked up to the security cameras, but easily accepts they are there for classified reasons.

But, since they’re there … while Not Enrique gets the map, Jim is waylaid into helping Bernie brew a few poisons and antidotes and test out the Glamour Glove.

Bernie’s narration reveals that Bernie used to work for Area 49-B, but was discharged for questioning Colonel Kubritz’s motives and the base’s methods, which Bernie considered ‘unscientific’.

Among other things, Bernie finds it very easy to acquire voluntary test subjects if one is willing to put in minimal effort to build a rapport.

For example, Area 49-B could have learned all they wanted to know about Durians from Stuart, without imprisoning him and then losing the opportunity for further testing when he escaped, if only they had offered to help him fix his crashed spaceship and then asked questions and did some non-invasive testing in the name of keeping Stuart healthy while he stayed on Earth.

The results of those tests would be more accurate, too, since baseline readings would be of a subject at rest rather than a subject in distress.

Bernie made a fuss about how, if they’re going to keep Buster in a cage all the time, the enclosure should be at least five times larger and the giant insectoid extraterrestrial should have literally any kind of enrichment in there.

It's also very suspicious to Bernie where the base’s funding is coming from. Who is paying the big bucks for this research, especially since they have such limited data to work from, and they haven’t been adapting the spaceship engines for commercial or military aircraft, and the laser-guns are only being used on the base itself?

Sure, Kubritz says it’s ‘the government’, but which branch? Which politicians authorized this? Who all knows what’s really going on, and who has some information but not the full picture? What are the funders actually hoping to discover or gain?

Has Kubritz gone rogue and been falsifying expense reports, claiming to her superior officers that the base does something else while it actually serves her personal goals?

Or is it all a front, with scientific investigation being used as a thinly-veiled excuse for the imprisonment, torture, and eventual execution of extraterrestrial organisms?

Colonel Kubritz had Bernie reassigned off-base and shuffled through a few positions before being discharged and kept under observation.

Bernie waited a few years for the surveillance team to grow complacent and start slacking off. Once Bernie felt it wouldn’t look like they were just trying to vanish and sneak back into the base, they faked their death.

This is why Bernie has been living in the Janus Order base; they have not yet established a new human identity and don’t want to rush that process when there isn’t urgent need for them on the surface. There are still three other Janus Order operatives in Area 49-B – it always pays to keep an eye on anyone who might be out to vivisect you.

Jim has assisted in the Janus Order’s lab in the past. Bernie needs more data on the Glamour Glove’s user-friendliness than just how well Bernie and Stephan can use it, and wants to test whether the copies work like the prototype.

Jim also learns what happens when a Changeling without a Familiar touches a gaggletack; it stings just like it does when it forces the transformation, and there is the flash of light, but obviously he doesn’t shift.

Jim took off the mask before testing this, and tells Bernie he can’t shift right now because it’s inoculation day and his Familiar must be reacting to it, which throws off Bernie’s test results because Bernie was specifically testing if that would override a gaggletack.

Since Jim is going to be wearing a mask “all day” in any case, Bernie lets Jim take one of the Glamour Gloves for a field test.

Navigating the Darklands by peeking through the Fetch is … tricky. Whatever Deya did to seal the Darklands basically folded the dimension in on itself, which is also why gravity is inconsistent in some places and why the Gumm-Gumms can’t just dig a tunnel out.

The landscape is internally consistent but can look like it jumps around from an outside perspective. Sometimes you peek through the Fetch, go a few paces, peek through again, and the two spots you see would be vast distances apart if you were travelling in the Darklands, or in a different direction relative to one another than the direction you just travelled on the surface.

This folding is one of the reasons Fetches can only be made so large before destabilizing.

There are also multiple places on the surface which each correspond to the same place within the Darklands. Janus Order bases are traditionally built in spots that correspond with Gunmar’s throne room, which, fun fact, means their aboveground locations and front businesses often, though not always, correspond in location with the dungeons.

Jim and Not Enrique use a toilet paper tube, which Not Enrique was carrying for a snack, to check where they are.

The nearest spot that matches the Nursery is in the woods. They can climb a tree to get at the cradles, but don’t trust themselves to be able to safely pull a baby through the Fetch in that position.

They confirm there are no Gumm-Gumms or goblins nearby, and Not Enrique goes through the Fetch.

Jim watches through the tube, both out of nerves and so that there is a marker for Not Enrique to find the Fetch again once he’s got Original Enrique.

It’s hard to find the portals from the Darklands side – goblins can do it by magic, but Gumm-Gumms and Changelings cannot usually notice the Fetch, even if they touch the space where it should be, unless something is coming through it. (Like a door with a mental key? You have to know the door is there in order to open it.)

Not Enrique realizes he can transform while in the Darklands once Original Enrique is back on the surface, and decides to stay there so the goblins won’t realize Enrique is missing and go after the Nuñezes.

He’s also got his phone with him – somehow the Nursery is a WiFi hotspot – so Not Enrique is going to report to Jim if anything else happens, and help coordinate future rescues if other Changelings want to get their Familiars out.

Not Enrique has one of the crystal arrays used in Trollmarket to charge electronics, so he doesn’t have to worry about his phone dying, and as long as he keeps those things on his troll form the goblins won’t know he has them.

The human kids have gone to Trollmarket and realized Jim is not there. Toby calls Jim’s house when Jim doesn’t answer his cellphone, and confirms Jim is not at home either.

To sum up, Stricklander thought Jim had gone to school to try and block out what had happened by immersing himself in the human part of his life while he still can; the teens thought Jim was spending the day in Trollmarket handling some kind of crisis; and Blinky and AAARRRGGHH thought Jim had gone home to seek the comfort of more familiar surroundings.

Clearing this up leads to the teens finding out what happened to Jay-Jay.

Claire throws what can best be described as a tantrum, screaming things to the effect of, so much for Jim’s promise all the Familiars were kept safe, and, what’s going to happen to her brother now? This has clearly been building for a while but she cries herself out surprisingly quickly.

Angor shows up in the library and agrees to teleport them to Jim.

Jim being in human form confuses the kids, since although Stricklander told them about the Glamour Mask, they were expecting to see Jim troll-shaped after hearing he had lost his human form. Jim is holding Original Enrique, whom they think is Not Enrique in human form.

The Fetch has been disassembled to keep the goblins from swarming through if they notice the missing Familiar. Disassembling the Fetch does not permanently break it; it’s more analogous to taking the battery out of a phone.

Claire’s phone blips. She’s got a text from Not Enrique. This confuses her because she thinks Not Enrique is right in front of her and also not holding his phone. The text says he figures they’ve caught up to Jim by now, and not to worry about Not Enrique, because he has Suzy Snooze for company.

Once Jim is brought home, Stricklander demands to know what Jim was thinking.

Jim defends his actions by saying he and Not Enrique had to act quickly and in secrecy in case Stricklander, Nomura, or Jennifer tried to stop them.

Obviously, they weren’t going to pull another Changeling’s Familiar out of the Darklands without clearing it with that Changeling first, but they didn’t have time to have that conversation three times when they weren’t sure how much time they actually had.  

Toby is distracted from this argument by his therapist being in Jim’s house and apparently knowing about trolls.

Dr Archenn, who has decided to make herself known to the Trollhunter, points out that they’ll need to remove the Age Pause on Original Enrique if they plan to reintegrate him into human society, and only the goblins know how to do that.

Stricklander points out that Not Enrique’s cover could be compromised at any time now that Original Enrique isn’t being kept in a contained, controlled environment to ensure he isn’t hurt.

Jim starts crying and yelling because the goblins don’t seem to think of the Familiars as pack members the way Jim had always believed, so it’s not safe to leave the babies in the Darklands after all. What he and Not Enrique did proves the Changelings can pull off a rescue.

Barbara hears Jim and comes downstairs. Jim can’t bring himself to face her. He still has the glamour on. She thinks he’s shifted to human form again, which means Jay-Jay is okay after all. Barbara grabs Jim and hugs him. He starts crying again, thinking she’s trying to comfort him and be comforted herself. When he goes to hug her back, he sees his human-looking hands and realizes what she’s thinking.

Jim has a desperate urge to not tell her and let Barbara keep thinking Jay-Jay is alright.

But, between all the talks he’s had with various people about the importance of honesty, and the knowledge that this lie would fall apart very quickly with all the other people in the know and Jim no longer being able to use the spit-check to show Jay-Jay, and mostly his own desperate need to express his grief, he reveals the truth, and both their hearts break all over again.

Walter explained the Glamour Mask to Barbara earlier, when Jim first left the house, and she remembers when Jim reminds her, but strong emotions overrode the memory; or possibly it didn’t really sink in when Walter told her, since Glamour Masks are a new concept for Barbara and she was distracted by more important and emotionally-charged information.

Claire brings Original Enrique home and tells her parents where Not Enrique is, although she does not tell them about Jay-Jay. Ophelia and Javier have a fight.

Javier wants to get Not Enrique back, and ground him for life, (and is texting him to that effect, to which Not Enrique points out that he can hardly get more underground than he currently is, which Javier replies is not what that means and Not Enrique knows it).

Ophelia wants to get as disconnected from the supernatural world as possible now that they have Original Enrique back.

Ophelia holds a position of leadership in this town, so she has a responsibility to deal with … trolls, now that she knows they exist, but she also has a responsibility to protect her family and she does not have to put up with her children being involved with trolls. Maybe they can find a nice boarding school for Claire to cut off her access to Trollmarket.

Claire lies and says Angor taught her how to teleport, therefore sending her away won’t work.

Draal returns to Trollmarket, gets his prosthetic arm back, and starts training in the Forge. Angor comes in and they spar. Angor tells Draal what happened, which explains to Draal the odd phone call Nomura received from Jim that morning.

Draal vows to join the army Jim is trying to assemble.

Angor thinks they should advise Jim to wait and give himself time to grieve before trying to fight Gunmar, so Jim won’t make sloppy mistakes.

Jim goes back to school the next day. Other students assume he is upset because he missed the final Spring Fling King challenge.

Nancy Domzalski comes over to talk to Barbara. Toby told Nana what happened, and she can relate to having lost a child.

Claire tells her father, but not her mother, about Jay-Jay. Javier also attempts to reach out to Barbara, wanting to return the emotional support she gave him when he was adjusting to the Enrique Swap.

Jim channels his grief into a research binge, summoning four clones: Schol, Scav, his vindictive side (nicknamed Vinnie), and a clone he initially thinks is a manifestation of his guilt but is actually the part of Jim that craves his parents’ attention and approval (eventually nicknamed Kiddo). Jim is trying to figure out why he can’t summon anything with Gunmar’s Eye.

Angor and Vendel, as the two experts on magic, discuss the Triumbric Stones with Jim. Angor, who remembers seeing the Decimaar Blade in action, suggests the Eye might give Jim resistance to Gunmar’s mind control and that’s why Jim can’t summon anything physical with it.

Barbara and Jim each have individual appointments with Dr Archenn.

Barbara has decided to take some time off work, and is considering telling people she’s had a miscarriage, which is the closest analogy to the situation she can think of that won’t expose the supernatural world but still allows her to express her grief.

Jim shows Dr Archenn how the Aspectus Stone works. She is fascinated by how parts of the personality can manifest as separate individuals, although she also suspects Jim is using this as a distraction to avoid talking about what’s upsetting him. She allows it in the name of building rapport with her new patient.

Jim accidentally summons a new clone, who is still in his human form and cannot shift, even when tested with a gaggletack, which Dr Archenn keeps in her office for some reason. Jim thinks this clone is a manifestation of his most human traits and nicknames him Hugh, as in Hugh Man.

(Hugh is actually a manifestation of the Changeling Identity Crisis, Jim’s feeling of being divided between being human and troll. Not all Changelings have that issue – Nomura, for example, identifies exclusively as a troll – but it is pretty common.

If summoned before Jim lost the ability to shift, Hugh would have always appeared in the opposite form of the form Original Jim is currently in and would switch whenever Original Jim did – unlike the other clones, who appear in the form Jim currently wears and can shift freely – but since Jim only has access to his troll form now, Hugh always appears as a human.)

Toby has an appointment with Dr Archenn, too. Since he knows she knows about trolls now, he tells her everything.

That appointment ends up focusing mainly on how Toby tried to use magic to change his body in response to feeling rejected, which ties into a lot of Toby’s issues about feeling inadequate and expecting people to abandon him.

Also, Dr Archenn knows enough about magic to recognize how dangerous shapeshifting can be, and wants to be sure Toby has been taught enough since then to recognize the risk he took.

Toby finds an angel aura quartz in the museum gift shop. He’s more interested in the scientific aspect of geology, but the superstitious part is also interesting, and now that he knows trolls and magic are real, he wonders more about it.

Angel aura quartz is supposed to help people cope with stress, anxiety, and overstimulation, and to help recharge energy. Toby decides to give the stone to Jim in case there is any truth to this idea.

Mary and Darci both update their families on what’s been going on.

Laurel and Jennifer discuss the possibility of bringing Jennifer’s Familiar, Guinevere, to the surface and raising her as another daughter, with Jennifer using a Glamour Mask to keep up her human life. Jennifer is opposed to this idea, not in the name of keeping her ability to shapeshift, but because she is uncomfortable with babies.

Claire, Mary and Darci spend a night at Darci’s house trying to do normal teen things and forget how weird their lives have gotten. It doesn’t really work, since the last time they did this, at Claire’s house, they discovered Not Enrique, so this time Claire and Mary end up talking a lot about their Changeling family members. Darci feels a bit left out of the conversation.

Jim spars against Draal, Angor, and Nomura all at once in the Forge. (Trollmarket has only seen Nomura in her troll form, so the trolls all think she is an unaltered troll.) Jim is trying to get used to fighting alongside his clones.

Jim discovers the Amulet can divide, allowing a clone to re-summon armour while Jim is still wearing it.

Jim rants to his human friends about how he keeps getting distracted when sparring with Draal by how shiny Draal is and the way he moves. Mary puts the pieces together and realizes Jim has a crush.

Jim does not see how that’s possible, since he’s never had a crush before, and this is the least convenient time to develop such feelings. Toby hypothesizes that seeing Draal get turned into a human and back made Jim subconsciously see him as a fellow Changeling, and therefore, like … eligible?

Toby’s other hypothesis, since Toby now knows about the theory Changelings’ emotions change a bit when their brains physically change during shapeshifting, is that Jim being stuck in troll form is stabilizing Jim’s ability to feel attraction to other trolls. Sharing this thought feels like it would be really insensitive to Jim’s grief over Jay-Jay, so Toby keeps his mouth shut about it.

Walter spends a few hours each day and the full weekend at the Lakes’ house trying to be helpful and make things easier for Barbara and Jim. He’s spent hours researching how to help people deal with grief, and being physically there sounds like the most useful and active thing he can do.

Jim ends up absentmindedly clawing apart the angel aura quartz Toby gave him. The activity is soothing, but he feels bad about destroying a gift once he’s done. Since the stone is so small now, Jim swaps it out for the Heartstone piece that gives him knives (since the Birthstone also does that) to see if it will do anything.

It turns out this crystal functions like a portable Soothscryer, letting Jim talk to the Ghost Council from anywhere.

Kanjigar is mad at Jim for having a crush on Draal. Jim protests that, if anything, Jim should be the one mad at Kanjigar, because it’s hardly Jim’s fault that Draal is attractive but if troll genetics work like human ones then it’s at least half Kanjigar’s fault.

A few of the other ghost Trollhunters pop up to comment on how Kanjigar can’t expect to control Draal’s life after cutting himself out of it and then dying.

Barbara talks with Nana and Javier again. Ophelia is also there this time.

Jim, looking over old maps, finds an isolated and disused gyre station which he thinks would be perfect for rebuilding Killahead Bridge and containing the resulting battle.

At Jim’s request, through Vendel, the Tribunal is summoned. Jim wants to clear his plan with them, so he won’t be accused to treason for letting Gunmar out. He also hopes that having the Tribunal backing his plan will make it easier to recruit an army.

Meeting the Tribunal is how Jim learns Gatto is on the Tribunal.

Gatto struggles to maintain his connection, since one of the poisons Jim used on him was a suppressant of magic.

(Like how a tranquilizer makes it hard to move, the poison makes it harder to use magic. It is particularly dangerous to innately magical species such as trolls. A Changeling will usually die in a few days, and an unaltered troll within a week; Gatto takes longer because he’s huge and only got a small dose. It can also be used medicinally, to slow the effects of a curse while seeking a counter-curse.)

Jim refuses to tell Gatto any of the antidotes on account of Gatto eating Toby.

Despite Jim and Gatto’s conflict, the vote still ends up four-to-one in favour of letting Jim rebuild the bridge and lure Gunmar into a trap.

Usurna contacts Gunmar to tell him what the Trollhunter is planning, so he can have his army ready to swarm out of Killahead Bridge the moment the portal is activated, or choose not to leave yet and lure the Trollhunter into a trap in the Darklands instead. Gunmar decides to go with the swarming option.

Spring Fling happens. Jim is dragged along and spends most of it on the bleachers texting Not Enrique. Toby dances with the mole mascot and Darci reveals she’s the one in the costume. Claire and Mary end up kissing during a slow song at the end of the night.

Barbara notes that Walter is spending more time at her house than his apartment lately and suggests he move in. Walter declines, saying it’s too soon in their relationship to consider that. They talk it out and agree not to discuss moving in together (or marriage) until they’ve been together for at least one year.

Tiffany Archenn contacts some original Changeling characters who deserted in the 1700s. She tells them that the latest Trollhunter seems to have a feasible plan to kill Gunmar and might be inclined to take their Familiars out of the Darklands. It could be in their best interests to approach him as potential allies before he goes through with this plan.

Most of them don’t tend to use their human forms anymore, but they appreciate the warning that this might become an issue.

The self-proclaimed Jersey Devils left the Janus Order after discovering and claiming a Heartstone near their base. Most of the Janus Order thinks they were discovered and wiped out by humans, but gutted their own base so the humans couldn’t find any other Changelings.

The Jersey Devils are led by Tiffany’s on-again off-again lover, and Stricklander’s former rival for leadership of the Janus Order, Carla Fontaine. Tiffany and Carla met again by accident in the early 1900s, but Tiffany agreed to keep the fact Carla was still alive a secret. Tiffany learned about the rest of the Jersey Devils fifty years later.

Tiffany tells Carla that the new Trollhunter is also a Changeling, which makes Carla agree to talk to him.

Jim is eager to welcome new potential allies. Carla and Stricklander, who came along to the meeting as backup, posture at each other, since the main reason they aren’t rivals anymore is because she broke off into a new faction and he thought she was dead. Tiffany finds their posturing amusing.

Carla is impressed enough by Jim’s track record, successfully killing Bular and convincing other trolls not to kill him, that she agrees to ask the Jersey Devils to consider an alliance. She won’t order them to fight, but she’ll provide the opportunity for them to volunteer.

Stricklander’s followers, the Janus Order agents on board with the plan to take over the world without Gunmar, are divided in whether they’re willing to actually fight Gunmar or not.

Jim ends up with enough Changelings willing to fight alongside him that he feels obligated to tell Vendel about them and ask for help getting Trollmarket on board with the idea of having more Changelings around than just the Trollhunter. That’s been something Jim wanted to do anyway; it just feels more time-sensitive now.

Bagdwella and Glug both agree, as a favour to Jim, to help sway public opinion in the Changelings’ favour. Krax subtly and unofficially volunteers as well, thinking a more Changeling-friendly marketplace could be to his advantage if Jim wins and Krax somehow gets revealed as a Changeling later.

Stricklander reveals himself as a Changeling to Trollmarket as a test of how well this attitude shift has sunken in. There are some harsh words, but nobody throws a gnome at him this time, so he counts it as a win.

Killahead Bridge is reassembled. The tunnel is rigged to blow, using dwärkstones and a variation on stasis traps that can all be released at once.

The army consists of Jim, Stricklander, Nomura, Jennifer, Carla, Angor, Draal, Blinky (who provided the dwärkstones), eight other Changelings and eight more unaltered trolls, making a total of two dozen fighters before Jim starts summoning clones.

AAARRRGGHH is still a pacifist, Tiffany is not a good melee fighter, Jim would not let the human kids come, and due to tight quarters it was decided not everyone who volunteered to fight should be brought in at once.

Angor is ready to portal in reserves. Those reserves are waiting in the Vault, which is sealed, so that if the Gumm-Gumms get through Angor’s portal they won’t have run of Trollmarket.

Various family and friends of those going to fight are waiting outside of the Vault door for news, including the human kids, and most of their parents and Nana Domzalski (all visiting Trollmarket for the first time, except Barbara who is technically visiting Trollmarket for the second time).

Claire’s parents are not there, because they didn’t want to bring Enrique or leave him with a sitter. Claire is to contact them with updates, even just “no news yet”, every fifteen minutes. Ophelia is preparing statements in case she has to announce to Arcadia that they are going to be under troll attack.

Jim summons Eclipse and a few clones, and puts the Amulet in the bridge. One of the Jim Clones is stationed on top of the bridge to remove the Amulet once Gunmar is through, before Gunmar’s whole army can get loose.

The portal to the Darklands does not open.

Jennifer confesses that she stole a piece of Killahead Bridge a few years ago, when she and Laurel got married, but replaced it with a fake. She wasn’t sure if that would actually keep the portal sealed or if the exact duplicate would let it open anyway, but it seemed worth a shot.

Nomura irritably wonders out loud if they have to re-verify every single stone.

Jennifer has the stone with her, in that pocket dimension Changelings can use to stash things, so they can switch it back right away. The portal works after that.

Gunmar’s troops swarm out. One of them sees the clone on the bridge and climbs up there to fight him, keeping him from pulling out the Amulet.

Gunmar exits the Darklands.

Draal uses his rolling attack to plow through the Gumm-Gumm ranks and uses his prosthetic arm to rip the amulet from the bridge before the full army can get free.

While fighting Gunmar, Jim drops Eclipse, which one of the clones picks up. Another clone has stolen a Parlok spear from a slain Gumm-Gumm, and disarms Gunmar. Jim, thinking the Decimaar Blade will vanish if held by someone else (like Daylight did when Draal tried to wield it), grabs the sword before Gunmar can, and discovers he can wield it.

The half of the Amulet from the bridge zips back to Jim and rejoins the other half, causing Jim to revert to the Daylight armour. Decimaar vanishes from his grasp.

The Eclipse sword is doing only minor damage to Gunmar. Daylight is doing even less. Jim’s knives don’t even seem to be cutting Gunmar, and Jim can feel that they’re making contact.

Someone trips the anchor that releases the stasis traps and activates the dwärkstones, which were supposed to be a last resort. Angor teleports out all his allies who are still alive. He grabs Jim last and doesn’t have time to get the clones.

When a clone dies, Original Jim has all the clone’s memories forcibly reintegrated into his mind at once. It is very unpleasant.

AAARRRGGHHH fusses adorably over Blinky and Jim. Jim ends up crawling onto AAARRRGGHH’s shoulders and taking a nap in his fur. He’s pretty burnt out. Barbara also wants to fuss over Jim, but is occupied providing first aid.

Laurel pounces on Jennifer and they kiss. Various trolls, including a number of Changelings, who explain the gesture, are disturbed by the face-smushing.

Angor decides maybe he should start teaching his human apprentices how to use the Shadow Staff after all, so there’s a backup teleporter if anything happens to Angor.

Everyone is deeply shaken but hopes the explosion will at least buy them time, since any surviving Gumm-Gumms will be too hurt to dig themselves out quickly. The tunnel was already collapsed and sealed off further away from the cavern in which they set up the battle, so Gunmar cannot easily get to the Gyre tunnel network to march on any troll settlements.

The Pale Lady contacts Otto and gives him the information needed to retrieve Gunmar. Otto denounces Stricklander as a traitor, lifts the lockdown on the Janus Order base, and gathers the Changelings still loyal to Gunmar (and a few loyal to Stricklander who have concealed their true loyalties.)

The Changelings dig Gunmar and the surviving Gumm-Gumms out. Dictatious is alive but was blinded in the explosion.

Bernie brings Dictatious into the lab, since, as a scholar, Dictatious should be the best at adapting to modern human tech. Dictatious finds Bernie irritating but silently acknowledges that he needs to find ways to prove to Gunmar he is still useful.

In the days following the battle, Barbara gets practical experience with troll medicine, helping Vendel patch up the injured survivors. The Changelings are more willing to accept medical aid from Barbara than from Vendel, since they’re mostly more accustomed to human medicine despite some of the Jersey Devil Changelings living primarily in troll form.

Jim hasn’t left Trollmarket since the battle. He uses the Aspectus Stone to send a clone to school on his behalf – Schol, the aspect who loves learning for its own sake. Jim wants to stay on hand in case there’s any sign of Gunmar, to go after him right away.

Jim goes to the Ghost Council to see if they can tell whether Gunmar survived the explosion, since some of the clones were still there and in armour. Does that count as seeing what’s around the Amulet? Technically yes, but the clones died in the explosion and therefore automatically vanished, so there were no Amulet copies for the past Trollhunters to watch through afterwards.

Now that Jennifer has been in Trollmarket, and is a known Changeling and also known to be one of Mary’s parents, Mary has to explain her family tree a few times to clarify that, no, Mary is not part-troll somehow as far as she knows.

Jennifer backs up these statements. This is how Trollmarket as a whole learns that Changelings are pretty sure they’ve been sterilized.

Enrique bumps his head crawling under the coffee table, and Not Enrique is caught in troll form by the goblins. Not Enrique has to make a run for it.

The goblins catch Not Enrique and, instead of killing him, drag him back through the Fetch instead, which is in Stricklander’s office again. They need Not Enrique to get them past the Changeling lock; the locks are two-way, so no one can get in or out without a Changeling.

Not Enrique calls home to warn them when the goblins swarm out of the office, leaving him behind. He follows them.

Claire uses a forcefield spell Angor taught her to hold the goblins back. Her parents fight the goblins using improvised weapons. Claire texts her friends for help; Darci has a driver’s licence, so she picks up Mary, Toby and Jim on the way over.

Once the goblins are driven off, Javier insists Not Enrique stay with them. Ophelia points out they wouldn’t have had any kind of advance warning if Not Enrique hadn’t stayed in the Nursery. Javier counters that Not Enrique wouldn’t have gotten caught if he wasn’t in the Nursery.

Not Enrique points out the goblins know which cradles should be occupied, so if he stays, the goblins will be back.

Of course, Claire says, the goblins will probably be back either way, to avenge the ones that got squished tonight … This is the deciding factor in Not Enrique staying with the Nuñezes, as an extra line of defence against the now-inevitable goblins.

Bernie has been teaching Dictatious how to use text-to-voice and voice-to-text computer programs, and has set him up with a laptop and Wikipedia. Once Dictatious is competent with these, Bernie steers him towards the articles on nuclear winter.

Officially, this is a suggestion for a potential way to bring about the Eternal Night. Unofficially, Bernie has realized that the Eternal Night would kill off all the tasty meat-creatures on the surface, and so defeat the purpose of conquering the surface in the first place, but suspects Gunmar would take this better if informed by his Esteemed Counsel rather than by a Changeling.

Unfortunately, Gunmar is not inclined to listen to his Counsel, either, if Dictatious is telling him something that the Dark Underlord does not wish to hear.

Between this incident and Otto’s vying for Dictatious’ position, Dictatious no longer feels safe at Gunmar’s side. Bernie wants to help and doesn’t want to just turn Dictatious loose on the streets of Arcadia, so Bernie calls Stricklander to ask him to set up a meeting with the Trollhunter.

This gives evidence to the Trollhunter team that Gunmar is indeed still alive.

Jim and Stricklander meet Bernie and Dictatious. Blinky and Angor are watching from a nearby roof. Blinky is suspicious of his brother’s motives; Angor is there as backup and to keep Blinky quiet.

Jim is easily swayed into bringing Dictatious back to Trollmarket. He could have useful information about Gunmar’s strategies and plans, things that Gunmar wouldn’t have told the Changelings about.

Vendel has a phone by now, and is on speaker or video-call with Jim, and agrees that Dictatious could be useful. If Trollmarket was willing to accept AAARRRGGHH, centuries ago, then they at least owe Dictatious a fair trial.

Stricklander and Angor decide Dictatious should be teleported to the marketplace, so as not to lead Bernie to the entrance.

Blinky insists Dictatious be held in the Stronghold until they can be sure of his loyalties. This is, everyone agrees, a sensible precaution.

The trial preparations nearly hit a snag when Blinky refuses to speak in his brother’s defence. He feels he doesn’t know Dictatious anymore; the brother he looked up to would never have joined Gunmar. Jim, as Blinky’s adopted son and therefore Dictatious’ nephew, says he will speak in Dictatious’ defence instead.

Jim drops his armour and goes into the Stronghold to talk to Dictatious and let him know what’s happening. Jim assumes Dictatious will recognize the Trollhunter’s voice, and intends this as a secret test of character, to see whether Dictatious will accept a known Changeling as his adopted nephew.

A few things add up to create a miscommunication.

Dictatious has only seen the Trollhunter in armour and has only heard the Trollhunter speak in English. Jim approaches Dictatious without armour and speaking in trollish.

Dictatious has not heard the current Trollhunter’s name. Jim does not introduce himself as the Trollhunter, and his human-sounding name can be explained by Blinky’s lifelong curiosity towards humans.

Blinky is technically old enough to have had a whelp in the time Dictatious was missing and presumed dead. Dictatious cannot see Jim clearly, but if he could, well, Jim only looks about half the age he actually is due to Changeling age distortion. Jim is also a similar colour to Blinky, and introduces himself as Blinky’s son, not Blinky’s adopted son.

Therefore, Dictatious assumes Jim is his biological (or geological, haha) nephew, and does not mentally connect him to the Trollhunter at all. He assumes Jim is talking to him because the whelp is curious. Blinky presumably used to reminisce about Dictatious before learning the truth and renouncing him.

Gatto sends a representative instead of a projection, due to the poisons’ effects getting worse. The representative’s job is to vote against the Trollhunter, whatever Jim says.

Usurna is concerned Dictatious will identify and expose her as a traitor, although she can probably deflect that by saying he’s lying to distract them from his own crimes. She plans to use Jim’s action of bringing a Gumm-Gumm into Trollmarket as proof to the Tribunal that the Changeling never truly left Gunmar’s service, to get Jim executed, once a proper window for this accusation arises.

Vendel and Wumpa both trust Jim and are inclined to vote in his favour.

This means, since the Tribunal has five members, the deciding vote on Dictatious’ fate rests with the one who looks like Nomura. (Bjork, the head of Trollmarket’s trade guilds, according to a mention by Aaron Waltke on tumblr.)

Dictatious is absolutely shocked when, at the start of the trial, Jim presents himself as the Trollhunter. Blinkous is old enough to have a whelp, sure, but not old enough for that whelp to be old enough to have been stolen and warped into a Changeling! Was the Impure Trollhunter felled?

Jim facepalms and finally tells his Uncle Dick that he’s adopted.

This moment hurts Jim’s case, since a large part of it was based on Dictatious’ intelligence. Jim does his best to rally.

First, Jim calls AAARRRGGHH to the stand. AAARRRGGHH confirms that, back when he served Gunmar, he would receive reports from spies; usually Changelings, but not always. Dictatious was not one of those spies. Furthermore, AAARRRGGHH never saw a troll matching Dictatious’ description near Gunmar or with any of the spymasters.

AAARRRGGHH and Angor Rot, as witnesses who have seen the Decimaar Blade’s mind control in action, both assert that Dictatious does not show signs of being mind controlled.

Stricklander confirms his personal history as an active agent in Gunmar’s forces prior to the First Battle of Killahead Bridge, and says Dictatious did not serve Gunmar until after that battle. He also testifies that, while imprisoned in the Darklands, Gunmar issued many orders and plans that did not work; plans that an intelligent advisor would advise against.

Jim then calls some character witnesses – Blinky, some old trolls Dictatious used to be friends with who are still alive, and finally Deya, Kanjigar, and Araknak, using the angel aura quartz to let the ghosts speak to the Tribunal. They all attest that Dictatious did not show signs, before his disappearance, of being a Gumm-Gumm sympathizer. They also each affirm Dictatious’ intelligence.

Jim was planning to have to call the character witnesses first, to open the trial, but wanted to give everyone time to be distracted from how Dictatious didn’t figure out Jim was a Changeling.

Araknak obviously never interacted with Dictatious, having died centuries before his distant descendant hatched, but he kept an eye on his descendants through the Amulet as best he could.

Dictatious was one of Deya’s strategic advisers during the war, which is why he was at the First Battle of Killahead Bridge and part of how he persuaded Gunmar that he could be more useful alive.

Jim posits to the Tribunal that, after being trapped in the Darklands and ‘joining’ Gunmar to avoid being killed or mind controlled, Dictatious in fact worked to sabotage Gunmar’s organization from within for centuries.

Dictatious should therefore be forgiven for any wrongs he had to commit in order to maintain his cover, and welcomed home as a war hero.

Jim also tells the Tribunal about Dictatious teaching Jim to read. Jim is trying to spin this to imply Dictatious was willing to risk his cover through acts of kindness in defiance of Gunmar, since Changelings were not usually taught to speak proper trollish, let alone read it.

Blinky derails this part of Jim’s testimony by objecting to Jim’s defence of Dictatious mutilating him. Jim has no idea what Blinky is talking about. After some back and forth, they clear up Blinky’s misunderstanding; the alphabet carved into Jim’s legs was self-inflicted.

Lots of Changelings give themselves markings like that, Stricklander adds, gesturing to his chest carvings.

Yes, exactly, says Jim, and therefore Dictatious would have had no reason to take notice of that. Dictatious never hurt Jim. Well, except that one time, which was an accident.

Ordered to clarify this statement, Jim describes the time he was perched above and behind Dictatious, reading over his shoulder, lost his balance trying to see the lowest line on the page, and fell on Dictatious, who was startled and threw him into a wall. Reflexes like that are a survival skill in the Darklands. Besides, Jim was fine, he only cracked one rib.

Dictatious suggests that, if the Trollhunter truly wishes to help him, perhaps he should stop trying to help him.

Dictatious is sent back to the Stronghold while the Tribunal discusses their verdict.

Stephan brings some bodies from the crematorium to the Janus Order base for Gunmar to eat. Gunmar is insulted by the taste of formaldehyde; the bodies were preserved for funerals before being sent to be burned. Stephan tries to justify the selection, and offers to get more palatable meat. Gunmar eats Stephan instead.

The Gumm-Gumms ravage the Janus Order.

Bernie manages to evacuate some Changelings to the laboratory and seal it off. The blast doors are designed for troll strength because the labs were also meant to double as a panic room if Bular ever went on a rampage.

Otto, disillusioned by seeing in person how little Gunmar truly values Changeling loyalty, escapes the Janus Order and uses a series of disguises to make his way into Trollmarket.

The humans are out of Trollmarket by this point, except for Barbara and Laurel, but the Changelings who were around during the Third Battle of Killahead Bridge are all still there.

Otto is caught, and Usurna uses him as a prop to accuse the Trollhunter of convolutedly scheming to turn Trollmarket over to Gunmar. Jim keeps opening Trollmarket’s doors to humans, and Changelings, and Gumm-Gumms, and now this newly-discovered type of Changeling who could be anyone and so who knows how many Jim has already snuck in?

The logic doesn’t really hold, especially since Jim was the one to catch and expose Otto, but the existence of polymorphs alarms everyone enough that Jim gets arrested anyway.

Jim is ordered to surrender the Amulet and submit to being sent to the Deep. Rather than fighting the charges and demanding a trial, Jim complies. AAARRRGGHH and Angor are present for this, but Blinky, Barbara, and Stricklander are not.

Angor teleports away as Jim surrenders the Amulet, looking like he can’t bear to watch Jim be executed

AAARRRGGHH tries to convince the Tribunal to let Jim go. The cage is still being lowered, so there’s still time to change their minds.

Usurna breaks the chain so that the cage falls and cannot be pulled up, and smashes the Amulet. She expresses gloating surprise at how easy it was; she’d really thought a magical artifact would be harder to destroy.

Angor actually watched from a hidden spot and teleported to Jim’s cage when it first dropped out of sight, to rescue Jim and berate his foolishness. This is when Jim reveals his actual plan.

Jim surrendered the fake Amulet he’s been carrying, the one that Stricklander made. Jim intended to pick the lock (it looks like a very simple lock and Jim carries lockpicks at all times), jump for the wall (the chasm isn’t that wide), and climb out – but he’ll take Angor’s offer of a portal instead, gladly. They leave a second or two before Usurna snaps the chain.

Vendel and Usurna fight. Usurna stabs Vendel, and the other Tribunal members, with Creeper’s Sun. AAARRRGGHH is injured with it too.

Usurna reveals to AAARRRGGHH that she willingly gave him and other Krubera whelps to Gunmar centuries ago. She plans to revive AAARRRGGHH later and ‘give him the opportunity’ to rejoin Gunmar’s forces.

Usurna traps AAARRRGGHH and the ‘dead’ Tribunal in the room, thinking AAARRRGGHH is now too weak to break out.

Some Krubera, the queen’s guards, were outside the room and heard all of this. They exchange significant looks among themselves behind Usurna’s back but do not act against their queen yet.

Gunmar and Usurna have been in contact since his escape somehow (cellphones from the Changelings?), so they are able to coordinate her getting him into Trollmarket. (Seriously, how did they set that up in canon? It was entirely off-screen.)

The Krubera guards try to attack Gunmar, but are put under mind control.

Angor has brought Jim to Barbara and Blinky, who were in the library. Jim explains his arrest and ‘execution’, and Blinky and Barbara tell him how reckless he was and question why he didn’t push for a trial or at least push to let them know he’d been arrested.

Angor leaves during this to check on Otto, who is imprisoned alongside Dictatious and being carefully watched. Dictatious and Otto are snapping at each other while Stricklander eggs them on.

The other Changelings still in Trollmarket are also held in the Stronghold, and bitter about how they should’ve expected this to be how the trolls show gratitude after the Changelings agreed to help them. Otto reveals what Gunmar did to the Janus Order, which does not surprise any of them – most of them deserted because they were disillusioned with Gunmar’s leadership.

Draal, one of the volunteers to guard the Stronghold, is indignant on the Changelings’ behalf. He and Nomura start up their old quarrel, much less heated now, about how he can’t understand why she wouldn’t desert centuries ago.

Usurna gathers Trollmarket and tells them the Trollhunter attacked the Tribunal and she was the only survivor, thanks to her faithful subject Aarghaumont sacrificing himself to protect his queen from his treasonous adopted son.

Various characters immediately recognize this as a lie. The scene jumps between a few perspectives to show their reactions, their speculation on Usurna’s motives, and what they try to do in the half minute before Gunmar appears.

AAARRRGGHH does not break through the sealed door, but sneaks out through a side passage Usurna didn’t know about. It’s a bit of a tight fit for him, but he makes it, and gets to the library around the time Gunmar’s attack begins.

Some of the Gumm-Gumms go to the Stronghold to finish off the rest of the Changelings. Angor starts using mini-portals to get rid of the locks on the cages, so the Changelings can protect themselves, but the Changelings quickly stop him and reveal they already picked or broke all the locks.

Laurel is also there (Mary is at her father’s place for the night, or maybe it’s his week with her anyway). Since she refuses to leave, Jennifer hastily arms her wife with a full-spectrum flashlight.

It won’t kill an unaltered troll unless you get a sustained shot at their mouth and nose to prevent breathing, but it’s painful and a deterrent against them grabbing her, and it won’t harm the Changelings except by sudden bright light in their eyes.

Angor goes to get the Trollhunter. Angor brings Dictatious, since Dictatious is the only troll still locked up (and also someone the Gumm-Gumms would see as a traitor to be executed), and Nomura, who says she has an idea that can help but needs to get to Draal’s keep.

Jim is trying to get everyone to the Gyre Station. It’s harder than in canon since his human friends aren’t there to divide the work of sneaking around to rescue people, and because there is no improvised Gyre tunnel to the woods, so the trolls are needing to be ferried all the way to other settlements.

Angor opens a portal to the Lakes’ basement. This time of day, their backyard is all in shadow. Angor’s been to the basement, but ‘the woods’ are a more ambiguous location so it’s easier to make the portal to the Lake house. Barbara goes through to direct the trolls to the woods behind the house.

Dictatious is in the basement with Barbara, but unwilling to go outside before sunset since he can’t actually tell where the shadows are.

The Gyre tunnels are cut off. Angor pushes the portal to be larger. The blue lights of his inner minerals, exposed by his scars, begin turning purple. Shadows start creeping up his fingers and out from around his eyes.

Nomura has been keeping the things she stole from Gatto at Draal’s place rather than on the surface. She uses the Kairosect to stop time, and attempts to slay Gunmar. Her swords cannot cut him, and she burns her hands badly trying to take the Decimaar Blade. Nomura uses the rest of the Kairosect’s first time-stop to get back to the Gyre Station.

(Originally Nomura was written going straight to the Gyre Station after grabbing the Kairosect, but it would have been unintelligent, impractical, and out of character for her to not attempt to kill Gunmar herself while she had the opportunity. Her failed attempt establishes that Eclipse really is necessary.)

Nomura pops up a second before they have to seal entrance the Gyre Station to keep the Gumm-Gumms out. Jim is being held back because he still wants to get back out there and help everyone else. Nomura explains the Kairosect to him.

Blinky expresses concern they won’t get out alive. AAARRRGGHH insists they will survive, and asks Blinky to marry him. Blinky is shocked AAARRRGGHH would pick now of all times to propose. Blinky wonders if AAARRRGGHH, despite his words, secretly doesn’t expect them to live long enough for there to be another chance. Blinky tells AAARRRGGHH to ask him again once they’ve lived through this.

Angor’s scars are all purple now. His eyes start to fade from yellow to white.

Jim stops time and uses Angor’s portal to get out of the Gyre Station. The portal feels like swimming through ice-water. He borrows Barbara’s car to get back to Trollmarket quickly.

Jim finds the frozen scene of Trollmarket under siege deeply unsettling. He is also unsettled by how his sense of smell is muffled by the still air while time is stopped.

Gunmar was using the Decimaar Blade to turn Bagdwella into a Gumm-Gumm when Jim stopped time.

Jim stabs Gunmar with the Eclipse Sword. It works this time, although the nature of stopped time means it is unclear if this is actually fatal. Since Jim is in the Eclipse Armour, he is able to steal the Decimaar Blade, which he uses to cut Gunmar’s head off.

Time resumes. Gunmar dies. Because Jim used the Decimaar Blade to kill Gunmar, the sword now recognizes Jim as the Gumm-Gumm Warlord, meaning Jim now controls all the trolls Gunmar was mind-controlling.

Jim is able to immediately stop the rampages, but he has to undo the mind control one troll at a time because he isn’t used to this ability. Jim’s eyes glow blue when he uses Decimaar’s magic. Jim does not notice this, and nobody feels the need to tell him.

Angor’s irises are white now, and the shadowy cracks on his body are starting to creep over the Inferna Copula as well. When Bagdwella calls Blinky to say Jim killed Gunmar, Blinky tries to tell Angor he can drop the portal, but Angor does not seem to hear him.

AAARRRGGHH grabs the Shadow Staff to make Angor drop the portal. AAARRRGGHH’s eyes and carvings light up purple for a moment. He and Angor both collapse once the portal drops and need to rest for a while.

Dictatious and Barbara start to panic when the portal vanishes. Blinky calls Barbara to explain. She snaps that he could’ve come through to tell her in person instead of giving her a heart attack.

Barbara has to go get the trolls who were evacuated to the forest, and tell them it’s safe to go back to Trollmarket. She doesn’t want to leave Dictatious unsupervised in her house, so she gives him a tarp to use as a cloak and takes him along.

The Gumm-Gumms who were not under mind control have one of two responses to Jim – yield or attack – but vary in their motives.

Some yield because the right of conquest means Jim, Slayer of Gunmar, is their new liege, demonstrated by how Jim can wield Decimaar; or because, like AAARRRGGHH, they want to change sides, but unlike AAARRRGGHH, they haven’t seen an opportunity before now; or because they’ve decided to bide their time and see how to turn this new situation to their advantage.

Some attack Jim because they refuse to serve a Changeling, or they want to avenge Gunmar, or they’re trying to get the Decimaar Blade and become the Warlord themselves.

Most of the Gumm-Gumms who came out of the Darklands were mind controlled, though; Gunmar got more paranoid about loyalty over the years, what with AAARRRGGHH deserting, and Skarlagk creating a schism within the Gumm-Gumm ranks and eventually breaking off to form her own band and stealing Gunmar’s soldiers, and Changelings slipping out of Gunmar’s control.

Jim decides he ought to dig up Killahead after he’s taken care of the Gumm-Gumms currently on the surface and go deal with the ones who are still in the Darklands. This will take a while. Hopefully the mind-controlled ones won’t starve in the meantime – they tended to be very still when they didn’t have orders to act on.

Jim takes a moment to briefly reminisce on how the mind-controlled Gumm-Gumms were actually some of the safer Gumm-Gumms for young Changelings to be around, since they wouldn’t attack the Changelings without being ordered to do so.

He’s going to get the Familiar-less Changelings out of the Darklands, too, of course, but that will be pretty easy compared to digging out the bridge, since ‘young’ Changelings can fit through a Fetch.

The ex-Gumm-Gumms released from mind control are returned to their tribes and families, if those survive; they are also welcomed to stay in Trollmarket, if they have nowhere else to go or simply aren’t yet ready to face the trolls they once knew.

The Gumm-Gumms who yielded are imprisoned and going to be put on trial, to decide on a case-by-case basis who actually wants to change sides, who might be swayed to do so, and who needs to be executed.

The Changelings are released and apologized to, except for Otto, who is also awaiting trial still.

For trials to happen, they need the Tribunal back. Luckily, Jim and Angor both know the antidote for Creeper’s Sun. They are able to revive Vendel, Wumpa, Bjork, and Gatto’s representative, and also treat AAARRRGGHH’s wound before he is fully petrified.

The first trial, a very brief one, is Usurna’s. Creeper’s Sun allows its victims to hear everything said around them, so the rest of the Tribunal (and her now-un-brainwashed bodyguards) heard her confess to giving her tribe’s younglings to Gunmar centuries ago.

Usurna is sent back to the Krubera Caverns for formal execution. Jim is mildly surprised that this is not something he, as Trollhunter, is called upon to handle.

Usurna has an heir, Keteven; a distant cousin who, for the past few centuries, has been acting as regent whenever Usurna had to leave Krubera territory for an extended period of time. The Krubera are not certain Keteven can be trusted or if she was secretly working with Usurna, but she is the most qualified candidate to take over their leadership on short notice, so for now, Keteven is named the new queen.

Keteven therefore ends up replacing Usurna on the Tribunal. This is a rough adjustment for her, since although she has been trained to lead the Krubera, she has not been trained in dealing with other tribes. Keteven has never left the deep caves, and therefore never met a non-Krubera troll in person before.

While Keteven and some of the Krubera elders are meeting the surviving Tribunal members, the Changelings go to see what can be salvaged from the Janus Order base.

Jim, the only one not told of the massacre because everyone else forgot he wasn’t there when they found out, has a breakdown at the sight of all the skeletons and shattered remains. Stricklander tries to comfort him while everyone else searches the base.

They realize the laboratory has been sealed off. The controls on that side of the door are ripped apart. One of the Changelings knocks on the door in an old ‘all clear’ pattern they used back in the Darklands. Bernie unseals the laboratory.

The survivors have been in there for a couple of days. They wanted to be sure the Gumm-Gumms had truly abandoned the base before venturing out, but most of the surveillance cameras were broken in the massacre. Since there hasn’t been any sound for a while, they’ve been debating whether to unseal the doors and check things out.

There are some emotional scenes between various Changelings. The Jersey Devils reveal their survival to the Janus Order members who weren’t in Trollmarket and therefore didn’t know already.

Stricklander is basically reinstated as Head of the Janus Order, although it’s a little debatable whether he was deposed in the first place because so many of them were loyal to him anyway.

The Jersey Devils continue to think of themselves as a faction of Changelings separate and distinct from the Janus Order.

The Janus Order starts contacting agents in other countries, who weren’t in Arcadia, to tell them Gunmar denounced the Janus Order and is now dead at the hands of one of their agents. They ease into explaining the ‘Changeling Trollhunter’ part of that until after the shock of Gunmar’s death wears off.

Most of the agents who didn’t come to Arcadia when Otto started trying to gather them were suspicious of how much Gunmar would need them once he was out of the Darklands, so although it is anticipated that some of them will take advantage of this to advance their own rank, it is not anticipated anyone will specifically be trying to avenge Gunmar.

Walter takes Jim home. Barbara, as a doctor, is also in a good position to sympathize with Jim about the lives he couldn’t save. With Gunmar gone, Jim feels able to stay at home on the surface again instead of needing to stay in Trollmarket. (Although Blinky and AAARRRGGHH did set up a room for Jim, so he’s starting to feel more at home down there, too.)

Walter brings Dictatious back to Trollmarket. Their arrival interrupts AAARRRGGHH’s second attempt at proposing to Blinky.

Schol and Toby learn from Barbara what’s been going on. Mary learns from Laurel what’s been going on. Mary and Toby inform Claire and Darci, respectively, and Claire tells Not Enrique. They are all a little mad at Jim for not contacting them. In Jim’s defence, it’s been a busy few days.

Also, Schol should really be reabsorbed into the Amulet. The clone has been active for about four days now and shouldn’t have even gone a full three; he’s exhausted from staying awake to avoid ‘fading out’ without Jim around to confirm a new clone will be summoned. Schol, being a manifestation of Jim’s love of knowledge, is treating this as an experiment in how long he can go without collapsing.

Jim’s human friends talk to him, and Jim has another breakdown, expressing his guilt over what happened to the Janus Order and all the other trolls who got killed before Jim could kill Gunmar. The kids try to comfort him but are obviously in over their heads. Barbara sends them home.

Jim reabsorbs Schol into the Amulet and falls asleep. There are some short scenes of the kids at school, indicating Jim assimilating Schol’s memories.

Not Enrique is distressed over what happened to most of the other Changelings. He and Jim have both seen fellow Changelings being killed by Gumm-Gumms before, but not on such a large scale. Not Enrique doesn’t want to talk to Claire about it – she’s already worried about how Jim is taking it; she doesn’t need to also be worried about Not Enrique – so he ends up talking to Javier and Ophelia.

Angor starts teaching his human apprentices more dangerous spells, including teleportation. Not Enrique also attends the lesson, though he does not cast anything. Angor tells them a bit about what happened during Gunmar’s invasion of Trollmarket, and they tell him about how guilty Jim feels.

Angor takes Jim to Angor’s old village, which is abandoned and in ruins. Angor is trying to show Jim that Angor understands his feelings and the reasoning behind them, but also to show him that Gunmar’s capacity to cause harm was massive and long-lasting and Jim cannot hold himself responsible for it or he’ll drive himself mad.

Bernie starts spending time in Trollmarket, particularly Vendel’s workspace. Vendel does not notice this, because Bernie can be quiet and unobtrusive.

Bernie is very excited to learn that the Glamour Gauntlet is being so exhaustively field-tested, but annoyed Jim threw off the gaggletack experiment by lying about which factors were in play.

Jim has more or less assumed responsibility for ensuring the prisoners are fed. The Gumm-Gumms get to know their new, peculiar ‘Warlord’ when he brings them food.

Jim channels his grief over the loss of so many other Changelings into using the Fetch to find the ones who were never brought out of the Darklands in the first place.

It turns out Skarlagk has recruited them to the faction of Gumm-Gumms rebelling against Gunmar’s rule. Jim, AAARRRGGHH, and everyone else who’s heard of Skarlagk the Scorned had assumed she would never let Changelings join her, but centuries leading a rebellion have taught her the value of sneakiness.

The Gumm-Gumms turned to Skarlagk for a variety of reasons – the main two are resenting Gunmar for getting them stuck in the Darklands, or no longer trusting his leadership and fearing for their minds because he’s been controlling more and more of his forces using the Decimaar Blade lately.

The Changelings were drawn to her side through polite treatment (not just claiming she’ll give them equal status once she takes over the world, but actually demonstrating basic courtesy) and because Skarlagk feeds them, as opposed to Gunmar, who ignored the existence of any Changeling that wasn’t in his way and he wasn’t giving an order to.

Most of the eighteen surviving Familiar-less Changelings immediately take Jim’s offer to come through the Fetch, but one insists on telling Skarlagk where they’re going. Jim has no objection to this. It will probably be his best opening for making first contact with her.

Skarlagk actually recognizes Jim when she sees him, and is pleased he isn’t dead. Her forces hide deep in Nyarlagroth territory, to avoid Gunmar’s troops, and she’d seen Jim a few times (before he had a name) when he was stealing Nyarlagroth eggs to eat.

He always bolted whenever she tried to approach him, so she never managed to recruit him. When he vanished, after being assigned to the surface, she assumed a Nyarlagroth finally caught and ate him.

She is pleased to hear Gunmar is dead, and cautiously optimistic about Jim’s offer to let the Gumm-Gumms out of the Darklands if they swear off eating humans and stop trying to conquer other troll tribes.

In return, Jim can probably avert any large-scale retaliation against the Gumm-Gumms in revenge for past conflicts. Skarlagk questions how Jim thinks he can keep other trolls from initiating attacks against them. Jim reveals he is the Trollhunter.

Skarlagk is displeased to be negotiating with a Trollhunter, but acknowledges that this supports Jim’s claim he was the one to kill Gunmar. She asks what happened to the Decimaar Blade.

Decimaar is magically tied to the Gumm-Gumm ruler. (Well, Ga-Huel ruler. Ga-Huel was their original tribe name. Their enemies called them Gumm-Gumms and they adopted the name over time.) Skarlagk assumes Jim killed Gunmar with Daylight, not Decimaar, and therefore whoever can conjure the sword next (presumably her, especially if she’s first to attempt it) is the next rightful Warlord.

Jim reveals he actually did use Decimaar to kill Gunmar. Skarlagk swears a few times, turns away to beat up the wall, and calms down.

She is disappointed the sword is currently out of her reach, but she can use this as evidence to some of her more traditionalist followers that recruiting the Changelings was in keeping with tradition after all, since only a Ga-Huel can wield Decimaar and this proves the Changelings Morgana gave into Gunmar’s service are Ga-Huels.

Jim elects not to tell Skarlagk about the Triumbric Stones and how Nomura hurt herself trying to hold the sword.

He tells Skarlagk about the trials, which have recently begun and which any troll retrieved from the Darklands will have to go through to assess whether it’s safe to unleash them on the rest of troll society.

Skarlagk tells Jim that the Decimaar Blade has weaker versions of mind-control which can compel someone to be truthful, or at least tell the wielder whether they’re lying, which should be useful if he doesn’t plan to simply compel them to adopt new values.

Jim and Skarlagk arrange to meet again after discussing next steps with their allies.

The new Changelings are brought to Trollmarket. Some of them end up having conflicts with other trolls because, although the Changelings are adults, they look like babies, so the other trolls are not sure how to respond to them yet.

Jim tells the Tribunal about his meeting with Skarlagk.

Some of the Janus Order’s sorcerers, who have been looking over Morgana’s notes for centuries, think they know how to transfer the Age Pause. They cannot get rid of the spell entirely, but they can move it around. The nature of the spell means it has to be placed on a living organism.

Once the spell is successfully transferred, Claire brings her brothers down to Trollmarket so Enrique can start aging again before he gets misdiagnosed with ‘failure to thrive’. While there, Not Enrique reconnects with some old friends from the Darklands.

Jim cautiously begins experimenting with the Decimaar Blade. He discovers he can shrink it down to the size of a knife.

Draal volunteers to let Jim test the low-level mind-control on him. Jim is uneasy about this power, which Angor says is good. That means Jim will be able to restrain the mind-control spell to a low level instead of completely taking over Draal’s mind by accident.

Bernie is still running experiments on Bular’s remains, now comparing them to Gunmar’s remains. Bernie has also managed to get tissue samples from Blinky and Dictatious, although these are hard to work with because living tissue samples do not remain viable for long after being removed from the troll’s body.

Jim finds out about Bernie’s experiments and gives Bular’s head to Bernie, as well as Gunmar’s Eye since Jim no longer needs the Eclipse Armour to wield Decimaar or the Eclipse Sword to fight Gunmar. Jim returns the Killstone to the Quagawumps, as promised.

Jim gives the Birthstone to Toby, since Toby was the one to find it, and Toby has some ideas for more Heartstone experiments since his first one is growing so nicely. Jim does worry about the ‘corrupted Heartstone’ idea, but figures Toby is smart enough to go for help if it looks like a baby troll is growing inside one of his rocks.

Bernie is trying to determine trollish genetic markers, to see if it’s possible to identify which trolls are related to one another. This is mostly out of curiosity but partially so that Changelings can potentially reunite with their birth families, since, in contrast to everything the Changelings have been taught, the unaltered trolls appear willing to be accept them into the community.

Jim spends time in the Void looking at the memories of past Trollhunters. He is hoping to get a better idea of what to watch out for from the Gumm-Gumms, now that he is sort of their leader.

When Vendel and Draal are both in the Hero’s Forge at the same time, the Soothscryer activates. Vendel’s brush with death allows Kanjigar to possess him.

Kanjigar does not reveal that Jim lied about his past ‘messages’ for Draal, only ‘repeats’ how proud he is of his son, and how much he loves and misses him. Draal and Kanjigar finally get a hug. Kanjigar does reveal, however, that he never wants Draal to be the Trollhunter, because he fears for his son’s safety.

Draal officially tells Kanjigar that Draal is romantically involved with Nomura. Kanjigar had figured this out but is still uncomfortable with it. He tries to be accepting, but cannot entirely hide his disapproval. Draal is fine with this – he just wanted his father to know he’s serious about this woman. It’s good practice for when he tells his mother.

Nomura is stunned that Draal wants her to meet his mother. Very few of her past relationships have involved being introduced to her partner’s parents. This is in part because many of her relationships have been with fellow Changelings, who don’t know their parents, but still.

The Tribunal and Krubera elders decide they’ve interviewed Keteven sufficiently to let her assume at least an interim role on the Tribunal. Trials can begin for the prisoners.

Jim uses the Decimaar Blade to link into the defendants’ minds and watch for insincerity. He doesn’t want to use an honesty compulsion, because that could easily slip into subconsciously ordering them to say what he wants to hear, which in turn could slip into Jim literally changing their minds by magic instead of by persuasion.

AAARRRGGHH also attends the trials, as a sort of example to the defendants that it is possible to survive desertion and find a new home, and to translate occasional cultural misunderstandings.

Otto manages to stay alive.

Steve finds a goblin in his garage.

At school, the kids are assigned to take care of flour sacks. Schol suggests to Claire that they name theirs ‘Ceres’, after the Roman harvest goddess whose name is where the word ‘cereal’ comes from. They name the flour baby Petunia Ceres.

Claire is uncomfortable sharing the assignment with Jim, even a clone of him who primarily cares about academics, since the last time she trusted him with a baby he had her brother kidnapped, but she knows he regrets that, and she does have Original Enrique back now.

Toby and Darci have Sir Isaac Gluten, as in canon. Also as in canon, Mary is paired with Logan (with whom she is acquainted from when they were in the play together), and they accidentally ‘kill’ their flour baby Dwight D. Eisen-flour by bathing him.

Toby and Darci take Sir Isaac Gluten to the rock show. They do not bring friends along, deciding to make this a date rather than a group thing.

Steve shows the goblin to Eli after school. Rather than typing Jim’s name, the goblin types Claire’s name, because the goblin is one of the ones trying to re-steal Enrique.

Steve and Eli conclude Claire is an alien planted in the Nuñez home because she can influence human politics through her mother.

The boys are then distracted by worrying that, because the Nuñezes are Hispanic, they obviously can’t tell anyone their ‘Claire is an alien’ theory, because people will assume that they mean it in the racist-against-human-immigrants way rather than the space-alien way … which means it’s obviously up to them to save the world from Claire themselves rather than going to any human authorities for help.

The goblin uses their distraction to escape. Steve and Eli lose the goblin in the woods, but correctly deduce they can catch up or get ahead if they go to Claire’s house.

Schol and Claire are at her house, as are Not Enrique and Original Enrique. Mary is there too. Ophelia and Javier are out for the evening. Officially Claire is supposed to be babysitting, but in practice Not Enrique is doing it.

Goblins enter the scene.

With Steve and Eli watching through the windows like creeps, Schol and Claire and Not Enrique defend Original Enrique and Petunia Ceres from goblins. Schol drops his glamour during the fight.

Schol yells at the goblins in their language to “stay away from the babies”, using the plural form. The goblins pause, confused, because the flour sack is obviously not a baby. Schol explains the assignment.

The goblins recognize him as ‘Blanket Thief’, the Changeling who used to sneak into the Nursery to steal blankets from the extra supplies. They ask him how he’s doing. Not Enrique is translating the conversation for Claire (and, unintentionally, for Eli and Steve) in the background.

Schol gets mad at the goblins about Jay-Jay’s death. The goblins reveal Jay-Jay is not actually dead.

Goblins are good at magic and illusion spells, and very protective of their swarm. Whenever Gunmar wants to eat a Familiar – this was not the first time, but usually the Changeling was already (at least supposedly) dead – the goblins put the Familiar in a cradlestone and cast an illusion on a rock for Gunmar to eat. The magical insulation of the cradlestone was why Jim stopped being able to transform.

After some hard negotiating, the goblins agree not to take Enrique back to the Darklands, but will be leaving one or two goblins to help keep an eye on him. Since Gunmar is dead, it is safe to bring the Familiars out of the cradlestone and put them back in the Nursery.

Negotiation for release of the Familiars back to the surface is put on hold until they can discuss the matter with the other Changelings, and because Enrique is now sort of a test-case for proving to the goblins that the babies can be kept safe outside goblin supervision.

Based on Claire and Mary’s use of magic and interactions with trolls and goblins, Eli and Steve now think the girls are Good Witches, or Sailor Moon-esque magical girls, trying to rescue magically-kidnapped babies. They vow to find out more and help the girls however they can. The boys are still confused about what exactly Jim is.

The goblins also decide to give the kids some lessons on baby care, since Schol said they’ve been assigned to learn that. The kids call Toby and Darci over after the rock show and politely sit through a lecture that Schol and Not Enrique do their best to translate. The goblins’ seriousness is both touching and comical.

Claire’s parents get home and are startled to find goblins in their house again. Ophelia takes offence at the implication she and Javier need to be ‘supervised’, as parents, by goblins’ insistence that a few of them stick around. Schol gets on her bad side by pointing out that, in fairness, Javier and Ophelia did not notice the first time a magical creature snuck into their house and abducted their son.

Schol brings one of the goblins home with him to tell Barbara about Jay-Jay still being alive. She is in shock.

Of course she’s happy her baby is alive, but this also means she is once again in the position of having to make the decision of whether to bring him out of the Darklands and raise another baby, or leave him in another dimension forever.

(Or bring him out of the Darklands and arranging for someone else to adopt him, but this does not occur to her yet.)

Toby is the one to call Jim and tell him about all this. Jim needs to sit down. Among other reactions, Jim feels guilty about doubting the goblins’ protectiveness.

He contacts Carla – the Jersey Devils have mostly gone home to New Jersey – to tell her about this, since she and the Changelings who follow her were written off as dead centuries ago, so some of them might have Familiars in the cradlestone as well.

Jim goes home. He and Barbara have dinner and talk about what’s going on. Jim mentions an idea he had a while ago.

During the period where he’d thought the goblins were untrustworthy after all and he was planning to get all the Familiars out of the Darklands, Jim had been thinking, once his human identity aged up a bit, he could take in and raise some of the Familiars as his kids.

Now that he knows Jay-Jay is alive, Jim is thinking about adopting his Familiar as his son in a few years.

Barbara is open to this idea.

Jim and Barbara each have another appointment with Dr Archenn to discuss how they feel about recent developments.

When the goblins take the Familiars out of the cradlestone, Jim and several of the Jersey Devils abruptly switch back to human form.

Killahead Bridge is dug out and reassembled again. The brainwashed Gumm-Gumms are rescued and the non-brainwashed Ga-Huel are tried on a case-by-case basis.

A careful sweep of the Darklands is done by the Changelings to ensure no Familiar-less Changelings are still stuck in there.

Skarlagk nearly blows her trial. She is immediately struck by how attractive Keteven is and tries to flirt with her. Unfortunately, her flirting comes across as ominous, such as when Skarlagk says Keteven looks like she’s decorated herself in the blood of her fallen enemies. (Troll blood is purple.) AAARRRGGHH, realizing what’s going on, intervenes and smooths things over.

Once released, on probation, Skarlagk goes to AAARRRGGHH. When the Krubera reclaimed him as a tribe member after he deserted the Ga-Huel, (he flinches, thinking she’s picking a fight,) did they teach him their courtship customs?

AAARRRGGHH takes this opportunity to gush about how wonderful Blinky is, and invites Skarlagk to the wedding.

Once Keteven gets over the … intensity … of Skarlagk’s initial approach, she notices Skarlagk is actually very attractive. However, Keteven hesitates to accept Skarlagk’s overtures for two main reasons:

One, Keteven’s hold on the Krubera throne is still tenuous. If she begins a relationship with a Gumm-Gumm, any rival claimants for the throne will say Keteven was obviously just as much a traitor as Usurna, and that the only difference between them is which side they supported during the Gumm-Gumm civil war.

Keteven would not entirely mind abdicating if she could trust her replacement to have the Kruberas’ best interests in mind, but she does not know who would replace her and cannot take that kind of risk with her tribe’s wellbeing.

Two, even if the Krubera did accept Keteven having a relationship with Skarlagk, it could hurt the trust that other troll communities have in the Krubera; trust that is already on shaky ground after Usurna’s actions.

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH are inviting people to their wedding. They discover that several of their friends were under the impression that they were already married and had just not made a big deal about the ceremony.

Barbara and Walter go on a double date with Jennifer and Laurel. This was mostly Barbara’s idea, wanting to get to know another human-Changeling couple better. Jennifer feels very awkward being on a double date with her boss.

Jim, as the Trollhunter, has the power to officiate weddings. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH ask him to officiate theirs. He agrees. The past Trollhunters call him into the Void to give him lessons on wedding officiation.

Now that all the Gumm-Gumm trials are over with, Jim approaches the Tribunal and lobbies to have Gatto removed and replaced. Jim’s candidates are Carla Fontaine of the Jersey Devils, and Skarlagk of the Ga-Huel. Jim is particularly hoping the Tribunal will select Skarlagk.

The Changelings have been managing their own affairs separate from unaltered trolls for centuries; it would be nice to have a spot of the Tribunal occupied by a Changeling leader, but unless somebody else is going to start making more of them, Changelings are only going to be around for another thousand years or so.

The Ga-Huel, on the other hand, are basically a lost tribe being reinstated into mainstream troll society. Having one of them on the Tribunal would make the rest more willing to acknowledge the Tribunal’s authority.

Skarlagk is the de facto leader, since Warlord Jim has other commitments to his time and because she’s the one who has been leading most of them for the past few hundred years, so the Ga-Huel know and respect her.

Gatto has been having to delegate all his Tribunal duties rather than appearing in person, since he’s dying, so the Tribunal has already been considering possible replacements.

Skarlagk is, in fact, a good candidate, and so, like Keteven, she is instated onto the Tribunal on a probationary basis.

Skarlagk is new to the concept of making decisions by voting. She thought the Tribunal operated by consensus, debating issues until all of them agreed on the decision.

AAARRRGGHH and Blinky get married.

Angor Rot decides his pupils have reached the point in their studies where they can learn new spells without his supervision. He leaves Arcadia to find a way to fully restore his soul. The Janus Order and Jersey Devils give him copies of all the information they have on the Pale Lady.

Bernie really wants to study Angor’s ring – a chance to quantify what a soul is! – but respects that Angor is not comfortable with this.

Because Jim does not have to attend trials all the time anymore, he starts going to school in person again rather than sending a clone.

Jim meets Aja and Krel Tarron. Jim does not know what a Daxial Array is, but he half-remembers hearing about it somewhere, and thinks it has to do with exploding the planet. (Spar the Spiteful met an Akiridion once, and Jim saw the memory in the Void.) Therefore, Jim must ‘befriend’ Krel to keep an eye on and possibly thwart him!

Claire, Darci, and Mary form their Papa Skull cover band, Mama Skull, and begin preparing for the Battle of the Bands at the end of the school year.

The Changelings have finished gathering the bodies of those murdered by Gunmar when he turned on the Janus Order, and matching up the skeletons as best they could.

Barbara comforts Jim and Walter after the mass funeral.

Krel’s mind-reading goggles pick up Jim thinking in trollish. Krel and Aja confront Jim, thinking he is a bounty hunter.

Jim is indignant. He is not a bounty hunter, he is a Trollhunter; there are key differences. One of those differences is that Jim does not get paid. He should get paid. He’s going to take that up with Vendel.

Now that Jim knows Krel and Aja are Akiridions, he introduces them to Bernie. Jim does not know that Bernie used to work in Area 49-B, but he does know that Bernie built a lot of the Janus Order’s lab equipment and therefore might know how to fix a spaceship. Jim might be missing a logical step there.

Toby and Darci go on a date playing laser tag. This time they bring their friends along, since that activity is more fun in a large group. Jim invites Krel and Aja along.

Jim persuades Aja and Krel to tell Toby, Darci, Mary and Claire about being Akiridions.

During laser tag, Claire and Mary kiss again, and finally talk about that time they kissed at the school dance. They decide to start dating and see where it goes.

Varvatos Vex meets and befriends Stuart, for a certain value of the word ‘befriend’, when Skeltegs escape the Mothership and end up in Stuart Electronics.

Jim uses his clones to track and surround Porgon before the trickster troll finds the broken-off piece of the Akiridion ship, therefore the time loops do not happen.

Jim’s science fair project is ‘edible batteries’ – potatoes are not the only food that can be used to generate electrical current. He teaches Krel to fist-bump, because Jim thinks they should fist-bump over being the only two who didn’t resort to baking soda volcanoes.

In Toby’s defense, his project is actually about the formation of rocks, and the volcano is more of a prop for the igneous rock subsection. He’s also got a tray of water, gravel, and sand, to demonstrate sedimentary rock. Metamorphic rock is harder to demonstrate on a high schooler’s budget, so that’s just a flow chart.

Toby feels jealous that Jim seems to be getting close to Krel, since Toby is used to being Jim’s closest and sometimes only friend. Toby is annoyed at himself for being jealous, since Jim doesn’t seem bothered about Toby having a girlfriend now, and Jim was always nice about Toby hanging out with Eli back in their first year of high school even though Jim didn’t seem interested in having Eli around.

(Toby now suspects this was because, even then, Eli was keen to investigate the paranormal, and Jim was trying to keep trolls a secret.)

Toby tells Jim and Vendel about the success of his Heartstone-growth experiment. The sample Jim gave him has now doubled in size. The Birthstone is also starting to grow – no sign of corruption yet.

The Jersey Devils let Toby have a piece of their Heartstone to test if he can make it grow as well. It is important that experiments can be replicated!

Bernie and Vendel are both deeply intrigued by Toby’s notes. Vendel finally discovers that Bernie, when staying in Trollmarket, has been living in Vendel’s workspace while somehow avoiding Vendel’s notice.

When the bounty hunter Birdie is pretending to be a schoolboard administrator and demanding the Tarrons produce identification, Stricklander steps in. He’ll provide fake papers to Jim’s friends this time, but signs up Jim, Krel, and Aja for the Janus Order’s next seminar on crafting fake IDs so that they can handle it themselves if it comes up again.

Bernie has examined mineral samples from enough trolls that Bernie can now identify family ties. Several Changelings and unaltered trolls agree to be tested for matches to see if biological families can be reunited.

Jim openly declines to be tested. He’s happy with his found family. Also, he doesn’t want unaltered trolls getting tested simply because they’re hoping to raise their social status by being related to the Trollhunter, and then hurting any actual Changeling relatives by not wanting to claim them.

Bernie has also been comparing Changeling mineral composition to unaltered trolls, (particularly AAARRRGGHH’s compared to other Krubera, since he is noticeably less light-sensitive) to see if it’s possible to identify and replicate the Changelings’ sunlight immunity.

When the campfire is arranged, Jim’s friends ask him whether there is any truth to the legend of the Billycraggle. Jim speculates that it could be based on sightings of Bular or other trolls, but it could also be something the humans made up on their own, like how the Jersey Devils named themselves after a local legend instead of being the source material for it. Or it could be real.

Jim is willing to fight bounty hunters to keep his friends alive, but not willing to vow aid in taking their planet back from Morando. Jim is already stretched thin with all his responsibilities; he doesn’t want to commit to anything interstellar. His priority is Earth.

Vex is introduced to Trollmarket and has a lot of fun fighting in the Forge. He and Draal are fast friends.

Jim goes into the Void to use its ability to ‘play back’ things that happened around the Amulet to try and figure out where he’s heard of a Daxial Array before. He sees Spar’s memory again, and then Kanjigar shows him the memory of meeting Queen Coranda and King Fialkov and hiding Galen’s Core on Earth.

Jim decides not to tell anyone else about this, since revealing a hidden superweapon feels like it could draw trouble and there are enough problems in his life.

Stuart, Aja, Krel, and Vex tell Bernie, who has been helping with Mothership’s repairs, about their recent break-in to Area 49-B. Bernie is upset not to have been in on that plan from the beginning, since Bernie’s information about that base is more up to date than Stuart’s (not that the Akiridions or Stuart could have known that). Bernie also rants about Colonel Kubritz’s unscientific mindset.

Nomura, Barbara, Nana, Jennifer, Laurel, Ophelia, and Darci’s mom use the Gyre to have a “ladies’ weekend” in Rome.

Barbara returns to her job at the hospital.

Aja tries to tell Steve she is an Akridion. He knows she and Krel have been hanging out with Jim and Jim’s friends, and thinks at first that she is confessing she’s a witch. Eli and Krel are both spying on the date. All four of them get captured by the Zerons but escape in a manner basically similar to canon.

The Akridions plan to leave Earth. Jim is sorry to see them go, but thinks this is for the best, to draw Morando’s attention away from the hiding place of Galen’s Core.

The school year ends. Since Krel has friends in this timeline, he actually gets some personal messages in his yearbook.

Zadra arrives on Earth. Jim sympathizes with Vex’s motives when Vex is exposed as a traitor, since Vex’s mistake was trusting the wrong person to be honest and mean well. It feels similar to Jim to his old misplaced trust in Gunmar.

Because there is not a Gumm-Gumm invasion going on at the same time, the Trollhunter team and Creepslayerz attempt to help the Akiridions when the Mothership is hacked.

All that magic training really comes in handy. They are able to disassemble the Omen and contain the pieces in force fields to keep them from reassembling. Lucy and Ricky are similarly restrained, but not dismembered, because the humans are uncomfortable doing that to robots that look human.

The ship is damaged and will probably not be able to fly again, but seeing the portal spell gives Krel the idea of creating a wormhole.

Draal and Nomura leave Trollmarket for a while so he can introduce her to his mother, Ballustra. Ballustra is not up to date on current events, so Draal and Nomura have to keep backtracking in their explanation of how they got together again.

The Nuñezes have a barbecue with the families of their daughter’s friends. They learn Claire and Mary are dating.

Javier sneakily gives Not Enrique the soy dogs to avoid having to barbecue them. Jim and Not Enrique split them. Jim discovers, after eating his half of the package, that he is allergic to soy in troll form. (He’s only ever eaten it in human form.) He has to be teleported to Trollmarket for medical treatment.

Rather than Krel getting unwitting humans to operate parking drones through a video game to stop Morando’s spaceship launch, Jim asks the Ga-Huel to ‘defend their territory’ (Earth). It’s not the kind of battle they’re used to, but a lot of them have been introduced to video games and love them.

Kubritz attempts the fake summer school quarantine. The scene is told from the perspective of one of the Janus Order’s operatives within Area 49-B, who recognizes Mary and is terrified of possibly being killed by Jennifer if anything happens to Mary during this. The Changeling is duly impressed when Mary is the one to scare Kubritz off.

Skarlagk continues her attempts to woo Queen Keteven.

Keteven explains why she thinks a relationship between them would, politically, be a bad move at this time. Could they wait and see how things are going in, say, fifty years? Skarlagk follows most of Keteven’s logic and agrees to back off.

Toby, Krel, and Eli decide to make a movie. Jim is willing to help but insists he will not appear on camera. He also intervenes when they want to film in Trollmarket.

When the asteroid is discovered, Dictatious speculates it will eradicate all life on the planet, not just this region. He’s remembering the articles Bernie had him read about impact winter.

Bernie joins the laser-making team. Kubritz does not recognize Bernie until midway through the escape.

Tronos Madu is not abandoned in Area 49-B after saving the world, because it made no sense for the protagonists to just leave him like that. He is teleported to safety and takes up Bernie’s offer to stay in the Janus Order base for a while. The base is mostly empty.

A troll accuses Bernie of faking the results in identifying troll relatives. This troll’s sister got tested and found a niece whose bio-parent refuses to claim her as family. Bernie is righteously indignant that this troll would imply Bernie would corrupt the data set by falsifying test results. That would be bad science! The Trollhunter is called in to mediate the dispute.

The Tarrons find out Morando is searching for Galen’s Core. Their friends are over when this happens, so Jim reveals he knows where that is, rather than Krel and Aja having to go into their parents’ minds. Jim also expresses the belief it would be safer to leave it hidden, rather than try to use it to stop Morando.

That guy from Area 49-B who defected in canon defects. Kubritz cannot really be protecting Earth if she thinks allying with someone who freely confessed to conquering another planet is a good idea.

Bernie sends evidence, gathered over decades, to various officials regarding what Kubritz has really been up to. Kubritz is arrested under suspicion that she was going to use this alien tech to usurp power and take over the country (or planet) herself. Therefore, she is unable to attack Arcadia Oaks.

Morando tries to attack Trollmarket, since before her arrest, Kubritz speculated whatever ‘energy source’ he is searching for is likely there. Many of the Ga-Huel leap at the chance to fight again. The trolls soundly defeat Morando’s forces.

Tronos Madu is instrumental in fighting off the Omens. He can use his electrical powers to overload and explode them, or drain their power source and shut them down.

Jim swarms Morando with clones and cuts him down to his core. Jim considers killing him then, for attacking Jim’s home, but decides it would be more diplomatic to turn him over to the Akiridions for sentencing.

Coranda and Fialkov come out of their comas. Morando is executed. The Tarrons go home. Aja and Krel intend to persuade their parents to let them return to Earth for the next school year.

Bernie thinks they’ve discovered enough of how Changelings were altered that it’s possible to undo the sterilization. Still no luck on giving trolls widespread sunlight-resistance, though.

Nomura and Draal start discussing the possibility of having a child.

They want to be on the same page about upbringing before they make or adopt a youngling; Draal remembers one of the factors in his parents’ divorce being disagreement on how best to raise him. Nomura suspects Draal is misremembering, since a lot of children blame themselves if their parents divorce, but does not argue with him.

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH decide to have another child. (Another, because they’ve already adopted Jim.) They actually end up having two more, creating a birthstone and adopting one of the young Changelings who has decided to ‘grow up slowly’ rather than insisting on being acknowledged as their chronological age.

Jim finally finds another crystal – a mineral Krel sends him from Akiridion-5 – which lets him summon a shield. He is delighted with this.

This feels like a natural stopping point. The sequel cannot be properly planned until ‘Wizards’ is released, to determine which content from that series will be kept or discarded.

The main plot of the sequel will be a canon crossover.

Jim and Angor Rot try having Jim bring Angor into the Void to see if coming out again will forcibly reinsert Angor’s soul into his body. Morgana (from canon) uses Shadow Magic to interfere in this experiment, pulling Jim, Angor, and Vendel and Draal (who were in the Hero’s Forge as well) into the canon universe.

From there, they have to recruit the aid of canon characters in finding a way back to their home timeline. Jim also has some opinions to express to Merlin regarding Merlin’s treatment of Jay-Jay.

Upon learning Morgana’s hand was infused into the Amulet, Jim will change the incantation to, “By the hand of Morgana, Daylight is mine to command,” which will summon gold and blue armour.

[spaceskam]

Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me

First day of Kyle Valenti Appreciation! I’m excited for the next few days! Posting this one right as it hits Wednesday for me and, as far as tumblr will tell me, I’m the first one. Which is wack. ANYWAY

Day 1- First: First year as a medical intern

ao3

“Many of you won’t make it.”

Kyle snorted to himself as he listened to the Chief Surgeon of Brown Davis Memorial Hospital and looked around at all the brand new interns. Technically, he was an intern too, but he already knew he wasn’t going to have a problem showing them up. He was at the top of his class in med school and he knew it was going to be the same here. He had no issues jumping into everything. He was going to excel if it killed him.

“Most of you will switch to an easier specialty, while the rest of you either leave completely or will be asked to leave. Statistically, maybe three of you will actually become attendings in a hospital‒possibly this hospital. So look around at your competition, prepare for the game you’ll be playing and how you plan to play it. And welcome to your first day as surgeons.”

Cheers echoed through the room. There were fifteen interns and five residents that would be taking three of them each under their wing. Kyle wanted to get the best one so that he could get to the best attending and he could be the best.

As they were being assigned residents, he felt very pleased to know he going to be under Dr. Taussig. He’d read a few articles she’d published (as he had read articles by all the residents) and found hers to be the most impressive. It meant he would also get to be impressive.

Kyle took in the little group he had to compete against the most since they were also under Taussig’s wing. The first one was plain enough to not be a threat. He could easily withstand them any night and could probably outsmart them on any day. He didn’t really have a problem with any of the faces in the room, actually, until he landed on one.

Michael Guerin.

Kyle went through a lot of thoughts at the sight of him. The first being ‘oh, shit, someone I went to high school with’ and immediately followed by ‘what the hell is he doing here?’ which rammed straight into the memory that he did better in high school than him without even trying.

Before Kyle knew it, he arrived in front of the man he hadn’t seen in years.

“What are you doing here, Guerin?” he demanded. Micahel looked up at him and smiled slowly.

“I’m sorry, didn’t realize you owned the place,” he said. He was so smug; he always had been. It’s why Kyle hadn’t liked him in high school, though he was aware he was shitty back then now. It was hard to bully someone who just smiled at you. The only time Kyle remembered him ever caring was when at prom when Kyle had gotten in a fight with Alex.

“You know what I mean,” Kyle nearly hissed. Michael tilted his head back and huffed a breath.

“It’s called student loans, a 32 on the ACT, 2140 on the SAT, and a 4.0 GPA. I also graduated at the top of my class at Stanford.” he answered, “Point is, I earned my place here.”

Kyle huffed, glaring at him. Why of all people did Michael Guerin have to be a threat?

“You scared, Valenti?” he asked, grinning in a way that made Kyle even more pissed off. He didn’t like this. Not one bit.

“You’re the one who should be scared.”

-

“Nice work, Guerin.”

Kyle glared as he heard the fourth ‘nice work, Guerin’ this week from Dr. Graham who happened to be one of the best surgeons in the damn hospital. Hell, the state. And Michael just smiled like he earned it or something.

Which, maybe he did because he was the first intern who was allowed to do an appendectomy by himself and he fucking excelled at it.

“Had fun doing sutures all day, Valenti?” Michael asked as he walked past him, bumping shoulders. Kyle took a deep breath and still gathered himself enough to follow Dr. Taussig into a room in the peds ward.

“Paul Spencer, age 14, has been diagnosed with cholestasis, which is…”

Kyle went to open his mouth, but Michael spoke faster.

“An obstruction of bile flow leading to the liver,” he answered, finishing it with a charming smile. Taussig nodded with that annoying approving smile. Kyle cut in.

“But he is currently not responding to any dietary changes which means he will need a cholecystectomy,” Kyle continued. The kid in the bed’s eyes went wide.

“That just means you’ll need your gallbladder removed, it’s not as scary as it sounds when you put it in big words,” Michael said, smiling at him. The kid nodded but didn’t look any less terrified. Kyle wondered if it was because they were just spewing facts. Nah.

“Alright,” Taussig said, looking between the two of them, “Have we decided on an approach?”

Again, Guerin spoke before he could.

“Well, the scans we took show a lot of adhesions and it would be very risky to try something minimally invasive,” Michael explained, “So it’s more than likely going to have to be open.”

“Dr. Taussig, I was wondering if one of us could operate today?” Kyle said.

“And I already have OR experience,” Michael added.

“Which is exactly why I should be the one who does it,” Kyle capped off. Taussig looked between them and sighed softly before looking down at Paul.

“Who would you like to perform your surgery today? Up to you,” she said. Paul blinked between them a few times before looking back up to her.

“Can you?”

“Of course.”

Michael shoved him out of the way whenever they walked out of the room, glaring.

“You just cost me that surgery,” he accused. Kyle scoffed.

“I didn’t cost you anything! You’re the one who steals everything from me!” Kyle argued. Michael gave him a cocky smile.

“It’s not my fault I’m better than you,” he said simply. Kyle stepped into his space.

“Fuck you, Guerin, you are‒”

“Boys!” Taussig shouted firmly, glaring between them as she pushed them apart, “If you two don’t calm down, then neither of you are going to get to scrub in.”

“I apologize, Dr. Taussig,” Michael said, that charming smile slipping easily onto his face. Kyle was infuriated on a whole new level. Nothing that guy did was real. He faked all his fucking emotions for whatever the situation called for.

That was just something Kyle actually couldn’t compete with.

Taussig nodded as she looked between them. “Valenti, you can scrub in, surgery is scheduled for 13:45 and I want you to prep him. Guerin, go see if they need any help in the pit.”

Instead of being angry that Kyle got the surgery, Guerin just continued to look totally okay with being given shit work. He smiled through it and took his task. Kyle scoffed. There was no way that guy was a good loser‒he wasn’t even a good winner.

“Thank you, Dr. Taussig,” Kyle said to her and then swiftly turned to follow Guerin. No way he was going to the pit.

And he didn’t.

“I thought you were assigned to the pit,” Kyle judged as he followed Michael into the intern locker room. Michael looked at him like he’d lost it. And, yeah, maybe he had.

“Yeah, I am, and I was coming to put my phone in my locker because I don’t trust the people that come in there,” Michael said, looking down at the screen of his phone before putting it in his locker, “Aren’t you supposed to be prepping the kid for surgery?”

“I’m about to, I was wondering why you were blowing off your assignment,” Kyle said, though he suddenly felt a lot less confident about his accusation. Michael just stared at him, nodding slowly.

“Right. I’m not trying to steal your surgery. It’s a gallbladder removal‒that can happen any day. Go have fun,” Michael said.

For a moment, Kyle really thought that possibly he was overreacting. Maybe Michael wasn’t as much of a snake as Kyle had built him up to be in his head. Yeah, he was chosen to do the first intern surgery by himself, but that didn’t mean he was inherently any better or that he was deliberately trying to ruin Kyle’s career. This was a healthy competition, after all. This was supposed to just push him to do better.

So Kyle nodded.

Michael was checking his hair in the mirror whenever Kyle’s phone actually started ringing. He pulled it out and saw that it was his mom and, well, he couldn’t exactly not answer. She would have his ass.

“Mom, I’m at work.”

“That’s great, but you promised me you were going to come to dinner two nights ago and never showed which is a problem because you promised me you were off. So, where were you?” his mom demanded. Kyle squeezed his eyes shut, cursing under his breath. He knew he forgot something when he agreed to scrub in on that angioplasty.

He heard Michael scoff behind him, so he placed his hand over his ear.

“I had an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, Mom, Dr. Burton goes out of his way to keep interns out of his OR and‒”

“I understand that it’s important, but you do know that we haven’t seen you since you started this internship. I miss you, your dad misses you,” she said and Kyle closed his eyes.

“Listen, I promise that I’ll come by soon. It’s just been super hectic around here,” Kyle tried. He just heard that disbelieving hum from his mother.

Which led to him being guilt-tripped for a solid 15 minutes, both in English and Spanish.

“Mama, I‒ Mom, I gotta go. I have a surgery.”

“Oh, you always have a surgery,” He almost laughed at that because absolutely no he did not, “You never have time to even speak to me anymore. I know you’re all fancy and adult now and I’m proud of you, but you do need to find time to talk to your parents. One day we might not be here, you know.”

Kyle sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. “I promise, I will call you when I’m done.”

“You promise?”

“I promise, Mama, I love you.”

“I love you too. But I won’t hesitate to scold you if you blow me off again,” she insisted. Kyle laughed.

“I know, I know, I won’t.”

By the time Kyle got back to Paul Spencer’s room, he wasn’t in there.

He looked around in confusion before catching a nurse’s attention and asking her where the kid went.

“They took him to surgery,” he said and Kyle genuinely felt like he was going to explode. He couldn’t have been gone that long. Not long enough that he missed the damn surgery.

Kyle all but sprinted to the OR floor, bursting into the room that Paul Spencer’s cholecystectomy was scheduled to be in. Both Guerin and Taussig were scrubbing in.

“What are you doing?! This is my surgery!” Kyle argued. Guerin just smiled over at him and Taussig shook her head.

“You didn’t prep the patient and you were late to the surgery,” she said simply, “If you can’t do the basics of prep, how do you expect to get into the actual surgery?”

She went into the OR, leaving the two of them alone. Kyle glared at the asshole. How stupid of him to even think that he wasn’t that bad. This was just low.

“You said you didn’t even want this surgery, that it was a simple gallbladder removal, that it happens all the time,” Kyle hissed. He was seething. This was his fucking surgery.

“Yeah, but on a kid? That rarely happens and you didn’t seem like you wanted to do it, so I stepped in,” Michael answered, still just smiling all proud of himself. Kyle resisted the urge to hit him.

“I was talking to my mother!”

“So? You think running to Mommy is an excuse? Rookie mistake. Keep your phone in your locker and your pager on your belt,” Michael said, flicking water off his hands and onto Kyle.

Oh, he was going to kill him.

-

“Nice job, Valenti.”

Damn right it was a nice job.

Kyle had shown up early and managed to work his way into an aortic valve resection‒something he was given the chance to actually be hands-on with. He never gets that opportunity when Michael is around. But this time he wasn't around and, if Taussig's attitude said anything, he was late.

"Guess what I just did?" Kyle said, hyper and ready to brag his ass off. Guerin had done a lot on his own, but never ever an aortic valve resection. No, that was all Kyle's.

"Don't care," Michael said dully. It was so uncharacteristically blank that it actually caught Kyle off guard. He looked at the guy who was usually at his throat and fighting for a spot, and instead found a guy who seemed to be tying his shoes in slow motion.

"An aortic valve resection," Kyle bragged anyway, though he stared and proudly waited for Michael to be irritated. It didn't come as soon as it should've, so Kyle prodded more. "Which you didn't get to do because you weren't early. Must suck to suck."

Michael didn't even react. It was almost irritating. Actually, it was irritating. What was the point of bragging if there was no payoff?

"Did you not hear me? Aortic valve resection. My hands, not yours," Kyle pressed even more. Again, no payoff. "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't care," Michael sighed again, not even sounding like he cared enough to not care. He just got up and slumped out of the locker room.

What the hell?

Kyle sat there for a moment and tried to piece together why he was actually so unlike himself. For the last six months of their internship, they'd been in constant competition. Michael would steal a surgery and Kyle would be pissed. Kyle would get a fantastic surgery and Michael would be pissed. It was the way the world worked. It wasn't any fun bragging with no one to brag to.

Something was wrong.

-

"What's wrong with Guerin?" Kyle asked Pitch, the other intern under Taussig's wing.

Pitch shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, what changed? He was fine two days ago and now he's, like, weird."

"Why don't you ask him yourself if you're so concerned?"

"I'm not fucking concerned," Kyle snapped. Pitch held his hands up in defense.

"You're watching the dude like a hawk and keep asking people what's wrong with him, sorry that I thought it was because you cared," Pitch said defensively and then pretty quickly exited the situation. Kyle silently mocked him before heading to the locker room to check his phone since he was technically on break.

He didn’t, however, expect to walk in on Michael Guerin hunched over a piece of paper and sniffling.

When he realized someone else was in the room, he very quickly shoved the note in his back pocket and stood up. His eyes were a little bloodshot, but otherwise, he might’ve been able to pass off that he wasn’t crying. You know, if Kyle hadn’t seen him. And all he could do was stare.

“The fuck are you looking at?” Michael asked, pushing past him and going God knows where.

Kyle took a step further into the locker room and again tried to process the weirdness that was Michael Guerin when he noticed that the note he’d been holding had fallen onto the bench. He immediately went to and considered not reading it and just putting it in Michael’s locker. Then he considered not reading it and just giving it back to him. But then he considered reading it and that won over because he was really fucking curious. So he unfolded it.

The first thing he noticed was that it was covered in hearts. All of the margins and the empty spaces were filled in with hearts and scribbled ‘I LOVE YOU’s, making an outline to the actual letter that made Kyle’s heart skip a beat. He recognized that handwriting. Double-checking, though, to make sure, he looked at the bottom of the letter that was so very clearly signed by Alex Manes. It would’ve made him feel a whole lot less shitty if he hadn’t bullied the guy senselessly for four years.

Of course, they would be a thing.

Dear Michael,

I MISS YOU. I’m so glad to hear that your internship is going well and I’m so glad that you like the hospital and I’m so, so, so glad that you’re happy. I’m so excited to come home and see you. God, I can’t even think straight, I just miss you.

Two days ago (11/15 for me) a buddy of mine got the clearance to go home for vacation and I just wanted to scream. I know my job is important and I know they can’t spare me, but it’s been too long. I miss you so much it hurts. I want to smother you in kisses and I want to hear you ramble about surgery and random medical stuff I don’t understand. I’m so excited to hear every story every day! I miss your voice!

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Kyle folded it back up without reading any further. It very quickly went from gooey ’I love you’s to straight-up raunchy love letter material within a few paragraphs and Kyle wasn’t interested in reading about his current enemy’s love life. Or his past friend/enemy’s love life. Fuck.

Kyle wasn’t entirely sure about how the two of them got together, but he did know that Alex had left to join the fucking army or something. Which, they had known he was going to do that since they were children, but the idea that Alex would be actively going into that while maintaining a relationship sounded farfetched. Especially since no one had even known that Michael Guerin was anything but a straight asshole. He didn’t know how that could’ve even come about‒much less became something serious enough to make Guerin cry over.  

He tucked the letter into his back pocket and walked to the cafeteria.

Sure enough, Michael was sitting by himself like he did every day. Only, instead of the typical book open in front of him, he was just staring blankly into his salad. Kyle sat across from him.

“Found this,” he said simply, tossing the note on the table. Michael stared at it for a second and then the realization hit him once he registered all the hearts and quickly snatched it up.

“Valenti, I swear to fuck, if you‒”

“I’m not gonna make fun of you,” Kyle said. It felt weird to be nice to him, but also he wouldn’t want to be repeatedly shit on if he was missing the person he loved who happened to on the other side of the world. “Do you… do you, like, wanna talk about it or something?”

Michael looked borderline offended but mostly disgusted.

“No,” he spat out, scoffing, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I don’t actually want to talk to you about it,” Kyle said back. Guerin nodded, though the irritated look on his face didn’t go away.

“Good,” Michael said. Kyle watched him, watched as he stabbed his fork into his salad. They both took deep breaths. This was weird.

“But,” Kyle said, despite the weirdness because he would want it if the roles were switched, “If you ever do, then‒”

“Okay, Valenti,” Michael said, less snippy than before but still definitive.

Kyle nodded, “Okay.”

As he got up to head back to Dr. Graham, he heard a grumbled ‘thanks’ and it made the weirdness in his system fade.

-

“I killed someone.”

“You didn’t kill them, they just died.”

“Yeah, they died while my hand was in their chest.”

Kyle heard Michael sigh from the other side of the on-call room and then the click of the door being locked. Kyle couldn’t take his eyes off the floor even though he couldn’t really see that. All he could see was his hand right beside a heart and feeling it stop beating. He knew this was apart of being a surgeon and he’d had patients die before, but he didn’t expect it to feel so… real to have someone die like that.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Valenti,” Michael said, sitting beside him, “No one could’ve saved the guy. You did your best.”

“But you didn’t feel it,” Kyle argued, his heart still aching as he replayed the moment over and over in his mind, “I… I should’ve done something.”

“There was nothing to be done,” Michael reassured. Kyle shook his head. “Look, the other day I almost gave a kid insulin. He was allergic to insulin and I almost gave it to him because I didn’t read his chart first. The only thing that stopped me was a nurse telling me before I fucked up. That would be killing someone. What you did was just apart of the gig.”

Kyle took a deep breath and tried to steady his mind. He needed a drink or a fuck or something. He needed to not be able to think about that man anymore. He needed to think of literally anything else. He dropped his head into his hands.

“I need a distraction,” Kyle grumbled, trying to will away the feelings from his chest.

Then Michael’s foot was placed on top of his.

“I’m pretty good at that,” Michael said softly and Kyle found himself just staring at the shoe that was on his. A lot of feelings flooded his mind, crashing into the ones before. They swirled hectically, but most of them ended with a simple ’okay’.

Instead, he said, “Aren’t you playing into some stereotype by hitting on a straight guy?” Michael immediately snatched his foot away.

“I was just trying to he‒”

“I know, sorry,” Kyle sighed, shaking his head, “I’m not, like, against it.” Michael didn’t put his foot back and Kyle silently cursed himself for letting his defensive impulses act. “What I meant to say was I thought you were seeing someone.”

Michael sighed loudly, “I am. But he’s super fucking smart and on a special task force which means I haven’t seen him in a year and I haven’t heard his voice in a year and we are forced to communicate via letter because whatever the hell he’s doing, he can’t even send E-Mails without risking someone tracing him. So we have an agreement that we can fuck whoever we want while we’re separated so long as it’s only once and we’re safe.”

“Seriously?” Kyle asked, turning to face him. Michael was leaning back against the wall.

“Yep,” he said and the pain he felt about their situation was evident on his face, “I’ve never actually taken up the offer, but I know he has. I don’t blame him, though. He doesn’t really get much human interaction wherever he is.”

“When’s he coming back?” Kyle wondered. Michael quirked a smile.

“June.”

Kyle couldn’t even help but flinch at the solid five months he had to go. “Jesus, and you already haven’t seen him in a year?” Michael nodded slowly.

“Yeah, and I’m offering my services to you,” he laughed. Kyle rolled his eyes. “You need a distraction and you look like shit, no one not creepy is gonna approach you in a bar, and I’m 100% clean. But you’re straight so.”

“Yeah, but,” Kyle said, almost cringing at himself. He was straight. He’d never been attracted to a guy before, not any in real life at least and not any like that, but he wasn’t repulsed by it. He was of the firm belief that if it happened, it happened. And, Guerin was right, he was probably the most trustworthy person to take his mind off the fact that he killed someone. God, that sounded bad. “I trust you.”

An annoyingly cocky smile found Michael’s face. “Aw, how romantic.”

“Shut up.”

“Nah, we can do this, just know you can’t catch feelings and that this is a one-time thing,” Michael agreed, cracking his knuckles and then moving to his knees. Kyle annoying got a bit excited. He was always one to try new things. “My baby’s my one ‘n only, so can’t go complicating shit.”

“Yeah, right, I don’t even like you as a person,” Kyle shot back, but he was already spreading his legs a bit to make room for him. Michael smiled up at him.

“Good. ‘Cause I’m still better than you.”

-

“You’re gonna do great, baby.”

Kyle watched with a little smile as Alex pulled Guerin into a kiss. They were preparing for their intern exam that would officially make them residents when/if they passed it. It just happened to fall in the same week that Alex had come home for a bit. Alex didn’t seem too keen on the fact that his boyfriend had become friends with his high school bully, but he seemed open to the fact that he wasn’t all bad.

“You too, Kyle,” Alex offered, leaning his head on Micahel’s shoulder. Kyle gave him a kind smile. He’d been working on trying to prove to Alex that he was better than he was in high school. Alex didn’t seem to hate him with a burning, fiery passion, just a little bit, so it felt like a step in the right direction.

“Thanks,” Kyle said, looking to Michael who was staring at Alex like he was the light of his life.

It seemed weird to think there was a time he assumed Guerin was completely heartless and cruel. Sure, he still was on some level, but he also had a lot of feelings in him. He was just fantastic at balancing them. Kyle was slowly but surely learning to do the same. He’d never admit that, though.

“Ready to get your ass kicked, Valenti?” Michael asked as they started to walk away from Alex. Kyle snorted.

“Yeah, right, like you’re gonna do better than me.”

“Oh, I always do better than you.”

Kyle made a face at him which Michael returned and ended with them both rolling their eyes. The fact of the matter was, while Michael was a good doctor, Kyle was still running on the high from the solo whipple he performed a few days before and he knew he was going to ace the test. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that was he was going to fucking destroy it.

If he really needed Michael to destroy it too so they could keep pushing each other, then no one needed to know.

That’s just how it worked. They were a team.

[seekthemist]

Hi! Number 21 “First one to make a noise loses.” for Pynch, please??

Anonymous said: 54 + Pynch? 🙏

“We have to be quiet.” + “First one to make a noise loses.”

Okay, first of all, BIG KINK, second of all welcome to Mist’s favourite pastime: merging prompts for maximum filth. Messy and E-rated, again, so mostly under the cut.

From this prompt list!

They hadn’t planned to go to Monmouth Manufacturing. The original plan for this afternoon was to drive out of town, on the other side of the mountains. Ronan had promised Adam he absolutely remembered the way to a pond where he had been eight years prior–and the unspoken arrangement was that Ronan would drive like a maniac on mountain tracks, blasting outrageous music, and Adam would not have to think.

The outrageous music was what caused the detour, because Adam was absolutely certain this electronic bagpipes madness rearranged by a Mexican folk band was something that must come from one of Ronan’s dreams, and instead Ronan insisted it was a thing.

“I think the CD was at Monmouth, I can fucking show it to you!”

“Even if you show it to me there would be no way to know the difference from a not-dreamt CD.”

“I’m sure there will be a barcode, a code, some bullshit and then you can make it you little library project to look it up and cross-fucking-name it”

“Cross-reference it.”

“Cross-fuck you.”

That was why they rerouted and entered the empty ground of the factory from an entrance that was never the one they used to drive while in town–more like the playing ground for when Noah and Ronan used to attempt outrageous stunts.

Ronan jingled the keys very pointedly–as if there was a huge argument to be made on his rights of access, now that he was basically back to the Barns, even though a dreamer could dream any key he needed.

It was late in the morning and Monmouth was quiet and dimly lit. The building always tended to look abandoned, when caught without other inhabitants. If not for a bouquet of flowers abandoned close to Gansey’s desk, the old factory would have effortlessly acted as if no one had step foot inside for ages. Instead, Adam knew Gansey had been there just the previous day, but had a terrifying lunch planned with Blue and the Ganseys this weekend.

The revised plan only required a short stop for Ronan to rummage through his own mess and find what was surely going to be the soundtrack of the trip–“real” music or not.

It did not, in any degree, require Adam to take hold of Ronan’s nape and drag him into a kiss. But Ronan had been excitable and foul mouthed the whole morning, and the profile of his shoulders as he reached over for a box on one of the bookshelves had been to alluring to resist.

Adam hadn’t meant to strip him either, but Ronan had started it, wrestling with the zipper of Adam’s hoodie and sucking on his tongue.

It hadn’t been the plan, but tumbling on the floor between the bookshelf and the desk was an excellent use of their time.

Pinning Ronan on the floor always gave Adam the same sensation of tampering with a bomb primed for ignition. He knew for a fact that there was no predicting if Ronan would flip them around–that only added to the thrill, making Adam harder.

The effort of wrestling one of Ronan’s legs out of his jeans was maddening with Ronan jerking him off at the same time. But he must not be the only one on edge, because as soon as Adam conceded some ground–dropping his forehead on Ronan’s shoulder with a choked moan–Ronan stopped toying with the condom and actually put it on Adam.

“Fuck…” Adam exhaled, under his breath, pulling one of Ronan’s legs up against his side to rub where Ronan was slick and open for him. The plan definitely derailed, and Ronan had the audacity of looking up at Adam with an alluring grin, flushed redder than sin. “Yes, you call for swearing, happy?”

“Mmhn,” Ronan hummed, making a grand scene of having to consider the question.

Adam tightened the grip on his knee and thrust the tip inside. “Happy?”

“Ah! Yes, fuck…yeah.”

“Good,” Adam whispered, uncertain of what argument to pull next, if any.

That was the exact moment when a couple of indistinct voices joined the sounds of Adam and Ronan’s bantering and heavy breathing.

He froze, and Ronan did as well, beneath him.

Neither of them heard the main door downstairs opening and closing, but they both knew the pace and tone of the chattering that reached them.

“-can’t believe you forgot the flowers. Is this just because I made you buy them?” What was unmistakably Blue’s voice argued from the open space.

“I always work on the assumption that I am the gift with my mother, Jane,” Gansey obviously came right after.

The plan absolutely, categorically, had not involved having sex with Ronan with Blue and Gansey roaming the place.

He should have pulled out, maybe hide in the closet like the stereotypical clandestine lover caught in the act. Instead Ronan clenched around him on the wave of the realisation dawning and Adam’s vision went a bit black at the edges. He thrust inside Ronan hard, ending up all the way inside. Pressing him down on the floor with one hand over his mouth barely muffled the keening noise that followed.

“Shhh,” Adam hissed, almost furiously, his fingers digging into Ronan’s thigh. Then he dropped his forehead on his own knucles, the hand still over Ronan’s mouth, and exhaled, more quietly. “Hush.”

Ronan’s breath pulsed crazily against Adam’s palm, just as he squirmed reflexively against the cock in his ass. Adam was aware of it, of the beating of Ronan’s heart, of the perfect heat they created together on the cold floor.

Of the many things Adam had to withstand in his life, having to explain to Gansey why he was fucking his sort-of-roommate on the floor of his bedroom–with the door open, in the middle of the day, because Gansey turned around five minutes, basically–was not one he wanted to add to the list.

And yet, pulling out and recomposing themselves felt like an impossible task, with zero possibilities of success–not with how hot Adam was feeling, how glazed Ronan’s eyes were, how turned on they were. Adam could picture it in his mind–the two of them rushing to dress up and getting spotted looking exactly as if they had just been fucking.

“We have to be quiet,” Adam almost mouthed, against Ronan’s temple, pressing a kiss on it just because it was impossible not to.

Underneath him, Ronan shivered, but canted down, almost with no leverage, to fuck himself slowly on Adam’s cock. It was barely a grinding, and yet Adam felt it right in his bones.

In the open space, Gansey and Blue were repacking part of their bags, as the discussion about the flowers brought upon some questions about dress codes. Adam was peripherally aware that she was arguing on it, that Gansey was partially reassuring and partially a bit defensive. Helen name was coming up.

It was difficult to concentrate on anything else but fucking Ronan, though–forbidden, risky, impossibly sexy. Adam wouldn’t have asked for this and yet he couldn’t stop.

“Quiet, mh?” he reinstated, waiting for Ronan to nod around a deep swallow to remove his hand from Ronan’s mouth. His limbs were starting to hurt, so precariously arranged, and being able to reshuffle a bit was a necessity.

The outcome of it was excellent. With a full grasp on both of Ronan’s legs, the next thrust in–quiet, slow–finally brought Adam at a nice, comfortable angle. Even with his back flat on the floor, Ronan met him in a perfect curve, circling his hips like an afterthought–chasing pressure more than reasoning over what they were doing.

“Quiet,” Adam hissed, again, when he saw Ronan biting his lips–and his eyelids fluttered even more at the reiterated order.

“First one to make a noise loses?” Ronan suggested, under his laboured, fragmented breath.

“Loses what?” Adam asked, dropping his head onto Ronan’s chest at the feeling of Ronan’s nails digging along his back among hectic, stolen caresses.

“Dunno, your dignity?”

That sounded very likely, considering the sounds of Gansey and Blue reshuffling stuff around.

In one particular moment–deliriously thrilling–they moved towards the kitchen-bathroom, and the open door of Ronan’s room must be in visual as they passed by it. But no one would think to look inside, past the bed, down on the floor between the desk and the bookshelf…or would they?

Adam fucked Ronan deep, slower than he had ever fucked him before, against the twisting coil in his stomach–where anxiety heightened the excitement, and vice versa.

There was something diffused in Ronan’s expression, his eyes a bit watery and fluttering close from time to time. The curve of his jaw was even more impressive, clean-cut like chiselled marble as he clenched his teeth against the bubbling breath rising from deep within his chest. And yet he had something almost mellow, in the way he arched his spine and rocked them together in a wave of tensing muscles.

Adam bent down to kiss him, in plain disregard of the pseudo-challenge Ronan had indicted. It was all contact, all tongue, desperate and hungry, and hearing the vibration of Ronan moaning as quietly as possible and only in Adam’s mouth drove Adam almost out of his mind.

He heard the door closing like an afterthought. But it had been there, definitely, and Monmouth was silent again, with just the roaring of Adam’s blood in his ears to hear–or feel.

He straightened up, breaking the kiss, and thrust into Ronan hard enough to make him drag a bit across the floor and closer to the wall.

“Ah!”

It was a brief, shameless sound, but Ronan looked up at Adam with a convoluted type of horror–the only type that allowed him to be worried of a sound that could never be mistaken for something else, and at the same time clench deliciously around Adam, his cock twitching on his stomach.

“They’re gone,” Adam said. “They’re gone,” once again, building up in rhythm, and depth, as disbelieving in his own voice as Ronan looked–wide eyed and staring at him.

Ronan cracked a second moan, a bit broken, a bit giggling. Then Adam hoisted his leg higher, with a deep groan in his own right, and at the next thrust Ronan was wailing.

The subtle echo of his voice bumping along the walls of Monmouth Manufacturing was the hottest, most forbidden thing Adam has ever heard. And yet, at one indistinct point, Adam slammed his hand over Ronan’s mouth again, muffling him forcibly–and that was hot, too.

It was all it took for Ronan to snap, coming so hard it was like a seizure. He held onto Adam almost aggressively, inside and out, and it was all too easy to let go in his grip, in an orgasm strong enough to be blinding.

“You lost,” Adam murmured, while he was still trying to catch his breath. His heartbeat was still going so fast that it was difficult to get soft.

“Fucking tragic,” Ronan wheezed, still holding onto Adam for dear life.

“What if I won and I call for another round?”

Ronan lifted his head from Adam’s shoulders and looked at him, suddenly much more interested. “Oh…”

In the face of all the ruined weekend plans, Adam grinned.

[insanely-creative-things]

Big Hero 7: The Series

Failure Mode

(Long Post)

www.fanfiction.net

*In the center of San Fransokyo, there is an Art Museum currently hosting an event in the early evening, cars are lined on the street as many well-dressed people enter the building.*

Fred: San Fransokyo Museum of Art, all is quiet... for now.

*Hiding in a man-hole just outside the museum is Fred in his Kaiju monster suit, while across the street on top of Noodle Burger is Hiro, Honey Lemon, Baymax and Cora.*

Hiro: Fred, why are we staking out at an art party? What could happen-?

Fred: Everything! Museum Galas are like in the top three favorite super villain things to interrupt! Right after big parades and experimental weapon demonstrations!

Honey Lemon: This is so exciting! I can't wait to see the new Shimamoto exhibit!

Baymax: Who or what is a 'Shimamoto'?

Honey Lemon: Lenore Shimamoto, she was an amazing artist and kind of my idol!

Fred: Never heard of her.

Honey Lemon: She painted 'City Rising', the first famous masterpiece they're unveiling tonight.

Fred: Never heard of it.

Honey Lemon: Oh! That's because it was lost for like a hundred years!

Fred: Still never heard of it.

Honey Lemon: ...It captures the city's rebirth after the great catastrophe of 1906. I'm a huge fan!

*The look Hiro is giving Honey Lemon gave her a signal that her phrasing is raising some concerns.*

Honey Lemon: Not of the catastrophe, that was-that was terrible... Of Shimamoto! What about you Cora?

*But when she turned to regard the younger girl, Cora is leaning on her hand dozing off as she stared at the building...that is until a loud sound emitted from the museum. This shakes Cora out of her near asleep daze in a snap.*

Cora: Don't steal my Cranberries!

*The other four stare at Cora's shout as she blushes over what she said, it's quickly forgotten when a guard came bursting through the door.*

Guard: The Gala is under attack by an inhuman freak! Out of my way!

Fred: Inhuman freak wha-?

*The herd of stampeding guests running for their lives closed the man-hole cover, prompting Fred to fall to the sewers below.*

Fred: Oh...there's the floor... Super villain! totally called it...*Collapses again*

Cora: And I think I have a pretty good idea on which Inhuman freak/Super villain both the guard and Fred are referring to. Globby's back.

*Once Fred is recovered from his fall, the five run into the building to face off the intruder.*

Fred: Nice try super villain!

*In front of them is Globby, the chemical human hybrid that Honey Lemon inadvertently transformed, covered in shards of glass from the skylight he broke into.*

Globby: Darn it!

Hiro: You know I don't know if I can call Globby 'Super', maybe Sub-par.

Fred: Well Sub-par villain isn't a thing. So what am I supposed to say?

Globby: *Still picking glass off himself* Oh there should be a warning on that skylight! Glass may shatter!...Time out guys, really appreciate this. You guys are looking sharp by the way...except you there however*pointing to Cora*, are you alright? You look pretty tired there kid. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?

*Cora's eyes widen before she returns to her usual glare.*

Hiro: Sub-par villain.

Cora: What does Globby even want here anyway?

Baymax: Broken glass can be hazardous.

Fred: Fine...we'll wait.

*Once the glass is removed from his body, Globby turns to the team.*

Globby: OK. I'm in on three. One...two... psych!

*Globby immediately uses his elastic arm to grab the Shimamoto painting and run down the nearest hallway to escape. Cora and Hiro climb on Baymax as Honey Lemon and Fred chase after him...but Baymax did not move.*

Hiro: Baymax go!

Baymax: He did not finish counting. Technically it is still 'time out'.

Cora: Ugh Three! Just go Baymax we don't have time for this!

*Baymax flies into the hall to rescue the painting, though Hiro sees that Cora is currently irritable.*

Hiro: Hey, are you feeling alright?

Cora: *Rubs her eyes a little* Yeah I'm fine, just a little tired.

Baymax: Actually-

Cora: Oh look Globby's there!

*Soon they joined Fred and Honey Lemon through the hall.*

Fred: Hey no fair you said time out!

*Globby immediately shoots out pieces of his goop which the team dodged but barely hit on the priceless antiques.*

Honey Lemon: We have to protect the paintings!

Fred: Ha! Fredzilla to the rescue!

*A large ball of goop is fired at the team, but Fred is quick to jump into action. His flame easily burned the goop...but unintentionally melted a water fountain just down the hall.*

Fred: Okay so I did that.

*Globby continues to shoot out more goop balls to which Fred fired back, but Hiro and Cora barely grabbed a painting down another hall from being burned into a crisp.*

Hiro: Fire and paintings, bad combo!

Fred: Right! Good call!

Honey Lemon: Anti-sticky ball ready!

*As Globby is exiting the hall, Honey Lemon pulls out the anti-sticky balls to turn Globby back to Dibs. The anti-sticky balls hit Globby and turn into a yellow foam, but Globby still remains Globby. The only result it had is the chem human hybrid dropping the painting. Honey grabs the painting before it can hit the ground.*

Honey Lemon: *Gasp* I'm holding 'City Rising'!

Fred: *Lands beside her* You talking about the famous painting? I've heard of that!

*Globby slowly slithers away, but Baymax is right behind him.*

Baymax: Do not move, you could be injured from your fall.

*Baymax picks him up.*

Baymax: I will scan you now.

Hiro: Don't worry Baymax, they can take care of him in jail.

Globby: Jail? They don't even make pants that can hold me!

*Globby melts under Baymax's hands and morphs into a ball, bouncing away to the exit.*

Globby: Boing, boing, boing everybody bye-!

*Globby attaches himself to bus just outside the museum, taking him away.*

Fred: Wait, he can turn into a ball? That's new!

*Globby morphs back into himself to taunt the heroes but his head smacks into a traffic light, temporarily dislocating it before it returns to his body.*

Globby: Darn it..

*The next day at the Lucky Cat Cafe, the rest of the gang converse over last night's events. Cora is stuffing her face with the breakfast Cass made and drinking Coffee, sweetened with honey, at a fast rate.*

Baymax: Cora, it is important that you slow down and chew more thoroughly.

*Cora pouted but continues eating but in a slower rate.*

Wasabi: Thank you Baymax. OK Hiro, you mean to tell us that Globby's back?

Gogo: And you let him get away?

Hiro: We saved the painting so let's focus on that!

Fred: The very famous painting, perhaps you've heard of it?

*Just then Cass places a big plate of what appears to be breakfast nachos.*

Cass: Guess what I made? Breakfast Nachos El Diablo!

Fred: Breakfast nachos? The unbalanced part of a balanced breakfast.

*He takes a bite out of the nachos and immediately starts breathing heavily for air to cool his burning taste buds.*

Cass: So what we're you guys doing out so late last night?

Hiro: We um-

Baymax: We were at the museum.

*Cora wipes her face with a napkin as she turns to Cass.*

Cora: Yeah, we saw Shimamoto's painting called the 'City Rising'. Grandmama told me all about it when I was younger, it actually inspired me on what to do with my project.

Hiro: *Turns to his girlfriend confused* Project?

Fred: *Mouth still burning from the nachos* Caliente! Muy Caliente!

Hiro: *Whispers* Smooth.

*While Fred is running to get either water or milk, Baymax's belly lights up to show a clock.*

Baymax: Hiro, this is your reminder that you have a school project due today that is currently 10% finished.

*Cora's eyes widen when she hears the news, worried over Hiro's project being nowhere near complete.*

Cass: What? Shouldn't you have been doing homework last night? Here at home? The work?

Hiro: Aunt Cass don't worry, it's me! I'll improvise.

Wasabi: *Deadpan* You mean scramble?

Gogo: At the last minute?

Hiro: Always worked in high school.

*But Cora's eye brows' burrow as she fidgets her hands over his confident claim. While she never attended high school herself, she has doubts that this will be an easy pass. Eventually they all got to SFIT where the two teens happen to share the same class with Professor Grandville herself.*

Grandville: Alright everyone, settle.

*Grandville activated a few buttons that lights up the chalkboard with a screen.*

Grandville: Good morning, I hope you used your three weeks wisely for this seismic project.

Hiro: Totally wisely.

*Cora spots Karmi, another teen prodigy they met before but never really got along with, present her project onto the table meant to simulate earthquakes.*

Karmi: My prototype uses nickel titanium as a shape memory alloy, which allows it to have increased plasticity under pressure.

Grandville: Very good Karmi, now lets shake it and break it.

*The project Karmi built stood its ground.*

Grandville: Our goal is to withstand an 9.0 or greater on the Richter scale.

*The earthquake scale continues to climb up until Karmi's project finally broke in pieces.*

Grandville: 8.5. Impressive, but Karmi I am confident that you can do better. Let's see version 2.0 next week. Your next Miss Mizichio.

*Cora took a deep sigh as she brought out her project, which by all means looks grey and not impressive looking, aside from the bottom resembling dark rocks. Hiro gives Cora a thumbs up as she takes a deep breath.*

Cora: The Prototype I've built has the adhesive strength of Barnacles that can be often found on rocks, ships, and whales which activate to hold the base. Also, because of the recent news about Shimamoto's painting being found, I want to commemorate the memory of 'City Rising', which is why I also added this.

*The earthquake simulation is turned on as it begins to shake the project which only shook a little. Cora holds her breath as the project begin to shake more. She finally closes her eyes tightly as she waited for the result, whether it'd be a success or a failure.*

Student: Woah that's so cool!

*Cora opens her eyes hesitantly to see that not only has her project survived to the 9.0, but it functioned exactly like she planned. The dull flat surface on top of the prototype transformed into a jade-colored roof with the structure turning from grey to a white pearl surface.*

Grandville: *Very Impressed by the display and the hard work Cora obviously put into it* I have no other words to say...other than you did a truly superb job Miss Mizichio and as for you commemorating this project after Shimamoto's 'City Rising', I'd say you succeeded that as well. You should be very proud.

*Cora's face beamed over the success and praise of her project, that all her trial and error over these last three weeks have not been for naught. She picks up her project and places it back on her desk, her heart still racing over the fact that she-*

Grandville: Your turn Mr. Hamada.

*Cora's happiness shatters in an instant as she remembers that Hiro did his project last minute. Her heart stops in concern over Hiro, but she still gives a somewhat shaky smile to show support for Hiro.*

Hiro: Elastimer Dampers.

Grandville: Is the paint still wet on your model?

*Cora's hands gripped on her skirt as she looks at Hiro with concern.*

Hiro: No... that would imply I threw it together at the last possible minute!

*Grandville however, knew better. But she activated the simulator none the less.*

Grandville: Perhaps your design will save our city from the next 'Great Catastrophe'.

*The model shook for what felt like a few seconds until it begins to break, Hiro tries to place the model back into place but Cora knew that his model building is as good as dead.*

Grandville: Or not.

*The piece completely falls onto Hiro's shirt, to which he immediately smacks his face. Which gives him a red mark, which he notices and nervously laughs. Cora turns her attention to Karmi who has pulled out her phone and is recording it. *

Karmi: And scene.

*Karmi then notices Cora glaring at her with her dagger eyes, but Karmi simply smirked. Cora then wrote on her hand to remind herself on what to do later today. After the rest of the presentations are done, Cora walks beside Hiro, her fist hiding the words 'Exact Revenge on Karmi as soon as possible!'*

*Back at the lab, Honey Lemon is showing Baymax a book documenting Lenore Shimamoto and her famous painting.*

Honey Lemon: Amazing! And we saved it.

Baymax: I do not understand the purpose of art.

Honey Lemon: Well, to create art is to be human, to be alive.

Baymax: *Blinks* I am neither.

Honey Lemon: Oh, I'm sorry.. I mean how can I put this so you'll um.. it could be you know really good for emotional health like art therapy.

Baymax: I am coded to expand my therapeutic capabilities. Perhaps I should increase my understanding of art.

Honey Lemon: Ooh I could teach you! To me, art is about expressing your feelings!

Baymax: Do you mean like this?

*His belly activates his famous pain scale.*

Honey Lemon: Hmm not exactly-

*At that instant, Hiro and Cora enter the lab, the teen girl giving a half-hearted smile while Hiro remained in his paint form.*

Honey Lemon: *Horrified thinking the red paint is blood* Ah! Hiro!

*Honey Lemon rushes to Hiro, thinking he had just been in a terrible accident.*

Honey Lemon: What happened?!

Baymax: Hiro is covered in red paint. Do not be alarmed. This red paint is non-toxic.

Honey Lemon: So I guess your demo wasn't a masterpiece?

Hiro: It's more of a disaster-piece.

Cora: Well Hiro-

Fred: Hey! Check out this funny video I found!

*The video happens to be the same one Karmi recorded earlier.*

Hiro: *Not at all amused* Uh Fred that's me.

Fred: Hey that is you! Maybe you can try to imagine-

*But he stops his voice as he spots Cora's purple orbs become heated flames directed right at him. Fred nervously takes a couple steps back to avoid provoking the young, and at the moment, scary girl.*

Fred: *Somewhat scared* Uhh...you know what, never mind...

Honey Lemon: It's okay Hiro, we learn more from our failures than our successes.

Hiro: Ah! You know what? It's no big deal! I've got a ton of better ideas, I'll just do one of those! The better ones!

*Hiro quickly went towards his lab to plan out his new and better model, but Cora sighs.*

Baymax: Optimism.

*Once the whole gang is grouped up in Hiro's lab, Hiro presented a much better looking model that can be used to counter a hypothetical earthquake.*

Hiro: Check it out! A mag-lev base isolation system.

*The building suspended from the ground.*

Gogo: Yup... that's what I did when I was a freshman.

*This is disheartening news to Hiro, who simply pushes away the table, causing it to fall down. He went back to the drawing board to design another way to protect the model from the earthquake.*

Hiro: And when any fractures appear they're instantly filled by a quick drawing, but flexible foam.

Honey Lemon: *Gasps* That's wonderful Hiro! I'm sure it's super different than when I did the same exact thing!

Cora: *Softly* Oh boy...

*Hiro throws away the other model into the trash as he goes back to the drawing board again, but he finds himself stuck on making sure his model being able to withstand an earthquake and at the same time being an original idea.*

Hiro: These high strength air bags cushion the people inside the building and also prevent floors from pancaking.

*Cora notices that the gang is silent, as if they know someone else that had also done this already.*

Hiro: So just to be clear, no one here has done the airbag thing? Right?

*The gang remain silent as Cora is fidgeting her hands. She is about to speak up until Baymax waddled over.*

Baymax: This approach will be highly effective.

Hiro: *Hopeful* You think so?

Baymax: Yes. This is exactly what your brother, Tadashi did. It was highly effective.

*Hiro groans in frustration as Cora simply face palms. Just then Honey Lemon spots Cora's project sitting off to the side.*

Honey Lemon: Oh my goodness! Cora, is this your project! This is so beautiful!

*The gang turn to Cora's project, impressed over the fact that it's beautifully structured.*

Fred: Wow Cora! This is so sick! Before it was all dull and grey, but now it's all pretty and shiny!

Cora: *Embarrassed at the praising and worried about how Hiro will take it* Guys it's fine-

Wasabi: The structure surely is sticky, whatever it is it defiantly stuck together.

Honey Lemon: It reminds me of 'City Rising'!

*Cora looks at Hiro with an embarrassed and guilty smile as she blushes, hoping it won't discourage him from trying harder to find his own solution. Hiro just face plants into Baymax's belly to which the robot patted his head in comfort.*

Hiro: This is hopeless.

Wasabi: Hey, you can do this little man! Maybe you never had to work this hard for something before.

Hiro: School's never been this hard before!

Wasabi: This place is tough, for everybody. I got lost finding my first class, why aren't the buildings in alphabetical order? Am I the only one who sees the obvious solution?!

Hiro: Wasabi...Is this supposed to be a pep talk?

Wasabi:...Sorry.. The thing is, You got in for being you. Be you Hiro.

Cora: Yeah Babe, you can do it!

Hiro: You know what? You're right! I've got this!

Cora: There's the spirit!

*But when it got time to return to Grandville's class however.*

Hiro: I've got nothing.

*Cora face palms in exasperation. Granville simply writes down on her notes while Hiro groans in exasperation, throwing his notebook away. But he has inadvertently hit another student's project, which causes Hiro to panic. But Cora rushes forward and catches the other student's project, yet in doing so causes her to knock off her own project and land on the floor, breaking it into pieces. The other pieces hit on the other projects, causing them to all break. Cora's face is stricken with a mixture of shock and fear over what happens next, and Hiro is on the same boat. He threw his notebook but because of his careless aim, Cora had to protect the one in her hands but inadvertently broke her own project and others as well.*

Hiro: Oh no...

*Then came a couple of snapshots coming from Karmi and some other students.*

Karmi: Got it!

*After the students pack up the remains of their projects Cora is standing by Hiro's side.*

Hiro: I'm just no good at this...

*Cora places her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.*

Cora: Hiro...

Grandville: Mr. Hamada, I'm the one who gets to tell people they're not good. Don't take my favorite part of the job away.

Hiro: Well go ahead... enjoy.

Grandville: No! I'm not letting you off that easily. You are going to rise to this challenge!

Cora: That's true Hiro, I know you. If anyone can pull this through it's you! Like how you made*Starts to nod off*...microbots...

*But Cora's words slowly turn to muffled words as her eye lids nearly close.*

Hiro: Uh Cora? *nudges her a little* Hey, you doing alright?

Cora: *Snaps back up* I'm fine! Really, I'm alright.

Hiro: But what if I'm really no good at this?

Grandville: Then you fail, after which you try again.

*Just then Karmi butts in with her project.*

Karmi: Professor G, My new prototype is ready to go! But if you want Hiro to say he's not good at-

Cora: *Cranky and aggravated* Karmi do us all a favor and just shut up!

Grandville: *Warning Tone* Cora.

Hiro: *Surprised at his girlfriends outburst* Woah Babe, are you sure you're ok-?

Grandmama: Cora?

*The four people turn to Cora's grandmother, who is looking with concern over Cora.*

Grandmama: Cora, have you eaten at all today?

*At this, Cora just looks down sheepishly and slightly shakes her head no signifying that she hadn't.*

Grandmama: *Sighs in disappointment* Oh Cora... *Reaches into her purse and take out a protein bar* Here.

*The old lady throws the protein bar to Cora to which she catches it with her eyes lit up, but it was thrown between Karmi, which causes her to yelp and drop her project to the ground, breaking it.*

Karmi: Oh no!

Cora: Grandmama what the heck?!

Grandmama: *Sternly* You did not eat your breakfast this morning young lady...again!

Cora: I'm fine Grandmama I'm not mmph-

*She doesn't even finish her sentence as she tears off the wrapper and stuffs the protein bar into her mouth. Confusion is ringing through the other people present.*

Grandmama: It's alright, she'll be fine. This sadly happens every now and then...especially when she hasn't eaten or had a good night's sleep...

*Cora sighs after she finishes the protein bar before she looks at the three, she blushes in embarrassment before helping picking up Karmi's project to put the table.*

Cora: *Somewhat monotone with her head down and her hair hiding her eyes* I apologize for my behavior and accidentally breaking your model Karmi. *Slightly turns to Hiro but not quite meeting his eyes* Hopefully I'll see you later Hiro?

Hiro: *Confused and slightly worried* OK...?

*Cora quickly walks out the classroom in silence with her head still down, leaving more confusion on them but Grandmama simply shakes her head.*

Grandmama: I'll explain later.

*Meawhile, Honey Lemon is with Baymax at the San Fransokyo Museum of Art showing him 'City Rising' as it's being hung back where it belongs.*

Honey Lemon: Ooh this is so exciting Baymax! 'City Rising' is back where it's supposed to be!

Guard: Don't worry! Nobody's getting it on my watch! Not this time!

*Honey gave a positive smile while Baymax merely blinks. Afterwards they walk down a hall to observe more paintings.*

Baymax: Honey Lemon, thank you for teaching me about art.

Honey Lemon: This is gonna be great! Okay, look at this portrait from the golden age what do you see?

Baymax: I see a man who suffers from Rosacea, a lack of exercise, and excessive consumption of red meat.

Honey Lemon: That's not what I-let me put it in another way. To understand art you have to feel it!

Baymax: Oh.

*Baymax turns his attention to a very spiky sculpture to which he is about to touch to 'feel it'. But Honey Lemon is quick to pull Baymax away from the sculpture.*

Honey Lemon: Oh no no no, let's maybe not touch that! Maybe we should try something more abstract... and less pointy.

*The next painting Honey Lemon shows to Baymax is an abstract painting of a man whose limbs are twisted in all directions. There are moments of silence as Baymax blinks at the painting.*

Baymax: This man was in a terrible accident.

Honey Lemon: No Baymax! He's painted that way to make you feel emotions!

Baymax: I am not programmed to feel emotions. Only to monitor emotions in others. You are frustrated.

*Despite her best smile, her eyebrow is twitching.*

Honey Lemon: I'm fine!

Baymax: I detect vocal tones that indicate frustration.

*Just then the two spot Fred heading down the hall where they encountered Globby last week, where the melted water fountain is currently still running like a fountain.*

Modern Shakespeare: Caution: Water Hazard. Such a bold statement about the futility of existence. I would give anything to meet the genius who created this masterpiece!

Fred: Allow me to introduce myself, Fred Frederickson the IV. Master of this piece!

Modern Shakespeare: *Gasp* A pleasure sir! You have moved me!

*The man kissed Fred's hand.*

Fred: Cool!

Baymax: Is this also art?

Fred: Well Duh.

Modern Shakespeare: Well Duh indeed.

Honey Lemon: *Sighs* Maybe that's enough for today. Let's just go.

*But while Honey Lemon drags away Baymax. Up in the air vents, Globby is crawling. He notices that his leg is stretched until it flips forward and hits his head.*

Globby: Ow.

Honey Lemon: *Gasp* Did you hear that?

Baymax: Art must be seen, felt, and heard? Art is complicated.

*Just then out of the air vents came Globby, who has the misfortune to land himself on the spiky sculpture that Baymax nearly touched.

Globby: OW!

Guard: Don't touch! That's all I'm paid to say! Don't touch! Did my job, everybody saw it now outta my way!*And then runs off*

*During all this, Hiro is at his home in the garage currently planning his project. But looking at the blank piece of paper he grows frustrated so he crumples it up and throws it away. Just then Cora, Wasabi, and Gogo come in which the cool woman quickly catches the paper ball and unfolds it.*

Gogo: Did you just crumple up and throw away a blank piece of paper?

Hiro: I was just trying to save some time.

Gogo: OK... This is gonna hurt you more than it's gonna hurt me.

*Gogo raises her hand to slap the sense into Hiro but Wasabi quickly catches her hand.*

Wasabi: What are you doing?

Gogo: Slapping him out of it.

Wasabi: You can't do that!

Gogo: You got a better idea?

Cora: I do.

*The two adults turn to Cora, who is crossing her arms as she walks over to Hiro.*

Hiro: Hey Cora, you...doing any better after earlier?

Cora: At the moment, yes. But I'll be even better after you get out of this funk you're in. Look Hiro, I get how frustrating it is to work on these things and not have anything to work with because you feel so blocked.

Hiro: So what's your point?

Cora: *Rolls her eyes in mild annoyance* So, what my point is-

*Just then Gogo's phone rings so she picks it up and reads it.*

Gogo: Globby's back.

Hiro: *Gets out of his chair* Let's go!

*Hiro runs out to suit up, leaving Cora shaking her head in frustration over failing to comfort her boyfriend.*

Cora: Dang it! *Sigh* Well maybe we can talk about this later.

Wasabi: Uh yeah but.. my car is still at the bottom of the bay?

*The memory of them being chased into the ocean by Callaghan pops in Cora's mind.*

Cora: *Winces at the memory* Oh yeah... oops...

Hiro: So how are we gonna get there?

*After they all suited up, they go and rent a little car to drive to the museum.*

Wasabi: Rick from the self-driving car project said we can use it for an hour.

Hiro: Can't this thing self-drive any faster?

Wasabi: Of course it can, its just programmed not to for safety reasons.

*Gogo, being the famed speed adrenaline junkie she is, looks at Cora who gets the signal. She pulls the wires out of the casing and re-wires them to increase the speed...which it did as it zooms down the street.*

Wasabi: It wasn't me Rick!

*The car zooms past the other cars until they arrive at the museum where Baymax, Honey Lemon, and Fred are waiting outside. The four sprawl out of the small car gasping for air.*

Fred: Tell me you brought our super suits!

*Wasabi opens the trunk to show that they did indeed. He goes to pull out the armor but its currently stuck.*

Wasabi: *Struggling to pull the armor out* It's a little tight!

Hiro: Where's Globby?

Honey Lemon: He's got the Shimamoto, but the museum's on lock down.

Gogo: So he's trapped inside?

Fred: Sub-par villain's gonna sub-par.

Wasabi: Gah! Gotta help me!

*Just then Honey Lemon's helmet hits Fred in the head, knocking him out. Inside the museum however, Globby is struggling to open the steel gates to escape with the painting but is unable to lift it and ends up pulling his arms right off.*

Globby: Ow! Come on!

*He transforms into a ball to break through the gate but is simply bounced into a wall where he is flatten to a pancake until he falls back into the same spiky sculpture from before.*

Globby: Ow! oh..hm nice piece!

*Globby grabs the sculpture to ram into the steel gate.*

Globby: I hope this works!

*But just then Baymax lifts up the gate from the other side alongside Hiro. So in the end Globby is sent running past the team and tumbling into the street.*

Fred: Ouch!

Cora: Sheesh!

Wasabi: Ooh...

Globby: You think?!

*Globby slings his arm and grabs 'City Rising'.*

Honey Lemon: He's going for the painting!

Gogo: Well he's gotta stick-to-itivness.

Cora: But why that painting alone?

*Globby throws his goop balls to which Wasabi slices them into tiny pieces. Honey Lemon brings out a chem ball and aims it at Globby, but he simply dodges it and thus the chem ball freezes Fred.*

Globby: Nope! not this time!

*Once again he morphs into a ball to bounce away.*

Wasabi: Yes this time!

*Wasabi blocks Globby's escape route but is simply rolled over.*

Wasabi: I've got some in my mouth.

Gogo: Just spit him out and lets drop this blob!

*Gogo zooms past Wasabi as Honey Lemon's tosses one of her chem balls to her to catch up with Globby.*

Honey Lemon: Get him!

*Hiro and Cora climb up onto Baymax's back and begin to chase after him*

Hiro: Right behind you Gogo!

Fred: Get on!

Wasabi: Ok.. but just don't jump-TOO HIIIIIGH!

*Fred jumps up into the sky to join the rest of the team. Globby continues to bounce down the street where Gogo is about to take aim. But the appearance of a bus makes Gogo quickly jump up to avoid a collision. The ball misses Globby as he happily bounces away.*

Globby: Hoh it's really happening! My first successful art heist! Who's number one now? I'm-

*Just then he splats right into Baymax in front of him.*

Baymax: That painting does not belong to you.

*Hiro and Cora grab the paining from Globby.*

Hiro and Cora: Thank you!

*Globby falls down to the street splattered until he regains form.*

Globby: Well this isn't fair! Oh why do I even bother?

*Just then Gogo arrives.*

Gogo: Honey! Let's freeze him and seize him!

*Honey Lemon had just arrived using the car Wasabi rented to catch up with the rest of the team. She throws the chem ball but Globby melts into water and escapes through the sewer drain nearby.*

Gogo: Did he just...melt?

Cora: Something tells me this isn't the last we'll see him...

*Later on that day, Globby ends up on land nearby the golden gate bridge.*

Globby: I can turn into water? Woah! What else can I do? Ummm...metal!

*Globby uses his mind to morph his hand into a large piece of metal. It weighs down his hand until he thinks it back to his regular globby self.*

Globby: Yes! What else?!

*Immediately he spent the early evening morphing his body to do whatever he wanted.*

Globby: Ice! Rock! Chocolate! Wood! Brick! Chocolate! Cookie dough! Cotton candy! Chocolate with ice cream and caramel! and whip cream!

*Globby eats his ice cream hand to which he gains an idea.*

Globby: Oh this could be very useful! I'm delicious!

*He then morphs his hand into a hammer to which he breaks the drain he crawled out of.*

Globby: And powerful!

*The next day at the lab, Gogo is testing out her discs with Cora looking over her gloves as Hiro whistles through his way. *

Wasabi: Alright! Someone's in a good mood!

Hiro: Well yeah! We crushed our last mission, we had Globby so scared he wet himself!

Honey Lemon: Not exactly.

*Hiro and the others walk towards Honey Lemon as she is currently using her chemistry experiment.*

Honey Lemon: The volatile chemicals that made Dibs turn into Globby combined with the neurotransmitter.

Gogo: Right?

Honey Lemon: Well, Globby finally learned how his thoughts can control his...mmm...Globbiness?

*This raises concerns for the rest of the team.*

Wasabi: So he can turn into anything? That villain is on his way to being super.

Hiro: I don't care if he's a solid, liquid, or gas! We can take him!

Wasabi: Oh.. I hope not gas!

Cora: Hey, where's Fred?

Gogo: He's at the museum, in case Globby strikes again.

*However Fred is merely guarding the unintentional sculpture he made from the drinking fountain.*

Fred: *Blocking a kid from taking a drink out of the drinking fountain-turned art* Up up up up! Fine art, it moves people. So keep moving.

*Back at the lab*

Hiro: Anyway, it's great to feel like I'm good at something! I really needed that.

*Just then Cora notices that her boyfriend is grabbing some stuff from the lab.*

Cora: Uhh...Hiro, what are you doing?

Gogo: So you're finally ready to step up and crush that quake proofing demo?

Hiro: Totally ready! I just don't have a plan of any sorts so uh..

Wasabi: Well of course you're not just gonna blow it off.

Hiro: I hadn't considered that but...

Wasabi: No no no! Forget I said anything! Stop looking like you're considering it!

*Hiro takes some of the stuff but is blocked by Honey Lemon, and behind him is a slowly irritating Cora.*

Cora: *Slightly growling* Hiro...you better not be doing what I think you're doing...

Honey Lemon: Hiro wait! You can't just quit!

Gogo: Yeah. Do you really want to be known as a genius quitter?

Hiro: No... but at least a genius quitter is probably the best kind of quitter right?

*Cora stands up from her chair as her eyes begin to slowly burn.*

Cora: *Growling more* Don't you dare...

Wasabi: I get it. You think that if you give up, it doesn't count as failing. but actually it's worse.

Baymax: Tadashi failed 83 times before I functioned properly.

Hiro: Well maybe I'm not as smart as Tadashi!

*Hiro storms his way out of the lab leaving the rest of the gang behind.*

Baymax: Perhaps art therapy would be beneficial.

Cora: I'm joining you Baymax.

*Cora walks over and grabs Baymax by his hand, dragging him towards the door.*

Honey Lemon: Umm...You okay Cora?

*Cora turns her head sharply as her purple eyes entered full on flame mode.*

Cora: *Extremely irritated now* No! I am not doing okay! If he doesn't snap out of it, my 'genius quitter' of a boyfriend will become my 'genius corpse' of a boyfriend instead!

*They both leave to follow Hiro to his lab, leaving the other three behind.*

Wasabi: Is it just me or does she seem more irritable than usual lately?

Gogo: It's not just you. Cora's been pretty moody lately and I think half of it has to do with Hiro.

Honey Lemon: And the other half?

Gogo: Can't say for sure, but hopefully getting Hiro out of his funk will help her out with whatever's going on with her...if she doesn't end up killing him first.

*The three than walk over to see what Baymax's painting is.*

Wasabi: *Slightly disturbed* Guh! Should I be worried here?

*The painting is of Wasabi, Hiro, Cora, Gogo, and Honey Lemon. In skeletal form...in vivid detail.*

Honey Lemon: He's painting what he knows?

*Hiro is currently typing away on his computer when he heard the door slam open causing the boy to yelp and turn. There he sees the face of his angry girlfriend and Baymax on her hand.*

Hiro: *Slightly nervous now* Cora! Is uh...is something..wrong?

Cora: *Firm and irritable* You and I need to talk. NOW!

Hiro: *Still slightly nervous* A-about what exactly?

Cora: Look Hiro, we've been dating for almost a year now. Are you seriously thinking of quitting?! Oh no. This 'quitting' is the cowards' way out, and I know you Hiro. YOU are not a coward!

Hiro: *Starting to get irritable as well* Well maybe I am and you just never knew it!

Cora: Oh please Hiro! What kind of a coward would start a superhero team to track down and take down the madman who killed his brother and then go straight into an unstable inner-dimensional portal just to save said-madman's daughter?!

*Hiro eyes widen in shock at what his girlfriend just said to him and than glares hard at her, but Cora glares back just as hard. Neither say a word as they stare hard at each other that you could actually start to see sparks fly between them. Luckily, Baymax speaks up to try and ease the tension.*

Baymax: It is alright to become discouraged.

Hiro: *Having enough, he breaks eye contact with Cora and turns around in his chair* I don't want to talk abou-

*Suddenly Baymax pulls out one of the test videos of Tadashi Hamada, Hiro's brother. Shocking both Hiro and Cora out of their irritation as they watch the video together.*

Tadashi: Tadashi Hamada test number 58, robotics project.

Baymax: Hello, I am Baymax. Your personal healthcare-.

*In the video it seems like his project was finally working until it bursts into flames, which causes Tadashi to panic and quickly put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.*

Tadashi: No! Why? Why do I put myself through this 58 times!? *sighs* Maybe this will never work... maybe I should give up...you're not still recording are you?-

*The video pauses as Hiro looks at Tadashi's frustrated and defeated face, which Cora notices as she looks at the video of Tadashi with sad eyes. *

Hiro: I never saw him like that...

*Cora takes a deep breath before she turns to Hiro.*

Cora: Hiro, you can do this, I know you can. And if Tadashi were here...he'd tell you the exact same thing. *Puts a comforting hand on Hiro's shoulder and gives him a small, comforting smile* Just...look for a new angle, remember?

*Hiro looks at her and gives a half-hearted smile back to her.*

Hiro: I guess...all I can do is..try...right?

*Cora's smile widens a bit as she nods to him. Just then, Wasabi opens the door.*

Wasabi: Fred just called! The museum decided to put the painting into storage.

Hiro: Wise move.

*Just then Gogo comes in.*

Gogo: That means it's in a truck crossing the city.

Hiro: Not so wise move.

Cora: Downright stupid move if you ask me.

*That night, Globby is swinging across the streets chasing after the truck containing Shimamoto's painting. Globby throws his goop balls at the truck and finally manages to causes to skid the truck to a halt, crashing it strainght into a light pole in the process. The driver runs away at Globby's face.*

Globby: Acid!

*He drips one drop of acid to create a hole in the truck and grabs the painting from its casing.*

Globby: Ha! Got it!

*Globby takes a moment to admire the painting before he notices Baymax with Hiro and Cora.*

Hiro: Don't you ever get tired of losing?

*It is also when Globby notices that he's surrounded.*

Globby: No. No I really think today's my day.

Honey Lemon: Aw! I love your positive attitude! Sorry about this!

*Honey Lemon pulls out a chem ball and throws it at Globby, but he uses his elasticity to bounce back the ball and thus splashing Honey Lemon in yellow goo, which causes her chem purse to malfunction. Gogo chases after him but Globby uses his hands to morph into and grow crystals out of the street.*

Globby: Careful! Pavement's a little rough!

*The crystals causes Gogo to fall flat on her face. Then Fred jumps into action.*

Fred: Time for a meltdown!

*Globby uses his arm to form a shield to fend off Fred's flames, he then turns his other hand to block Fred's mouth.*

Globby: Eh shut your fire hole!

*Wasabi comes to Fred's aid as both his fire and jumping abilities had been disabled.*

Wasabi: I got you buddy!

*Globby brings out his own chem balls that immediately encase Fred and Wasabi together. Baymax flies over Globby.*

Hiro: Come on Baymax! It's up to us!

Baymax: We will protect the art that is valuable. For some reason.

*Baymax launches his rocket fist at Globby, but he uses his hand to twist the rocket and land it to the ground, causing an explosion. The goopy debris lands on Baymax's face.*

Baymax: Oh no.

*This causes him to drop Hiro and Cora, but luckily they land into the larger piles of goop safely. They look up to see that Globby transformed into a rock to protect himself. With the explosion over, Globby returns to normal.*

Globby: *Laughs triumphantly* If at first you don't succeed, learn to turn yourself into chocolate.

*Globby morphs his hands into chocolate to which he gives to Cora and Hiro. But that's when Cora brings out the biggest question on her mind ever since this whole thing started.*

Cora: Wait a second! Why do you want that painting so badly? I know it's very famous but you could have easily stolen the other art pieces at the museum! So why just that one painting? What's so special about it that you'd only go after it?

Globby: Ooh look at the time! Would love to chat but my boss isn't the patient type.

Cora: Wait wha-?

Hiro: Huh?

Globby: Enjoy! Catch ya later! Gotta bounce!

*Globby did bounce away into the street, evading the team with his prize. The two unsticky teens rush to help their friends out of the stickiness Globby left behind.*

Honey Lemon: Oh no...that was awful!

Fred: I know! 'Gotta bounce'? I mean it fits but come on! Dig deeper!

Honey Lemon: We've failed! And worse, we failed Lenore Shimamoto!

Fred: I don't know Honey Lemon that kind of makes us sound like losers.

Wasabi: Well we did lose.

*Wasabi and Gogo are currently stuck on the underside of a nearby street bridge.*

Hiro: Ah come on guys! It's not the end of the world! Look at Globby, he failed again and again. But he figured it out... Eventually. It's okay to get discouraged. But you have to pick yourself up and try again... *Looks at Cora when he's says this next part* And look for a new angle.

*Cora smiles and nods proudly at her boyfriend.*

Wasabi: That's a great speech Hiro. But can you get me down? I'm about to pass out.

*Both Hiro and Cora pull Gogo and Wasabi out of their goopy imprisonment as Cora brings up something they learned.*

Cora: By the way guys, when I asked Globby why he wanted that painting so much, he said it was for his boss or something...

Fred: Wait?! Did you say he was stealing it for his boss? Oh man...this is really getting curiouser and curiouser...

*It is the very next day where Hiro is currently working on his demo model with Cora by his side eating her bento. He turns to her and smiles brightly, to which Cora gives a thumbs up back. *

Gogo: Hey how's it going 'genius whose not a quitter'?

Hiro: Honestly not great... but failure worked for Globby. So why not for me?

Wasabi: That's the spirit!

*Just then, Fred comes in with a large check under his arm.*

Fred: Hey Honey Lemon, my art thinging, 'Caution Water Hazard', just sold for a million dollars!

Gogo: Really? I guess art must be in the eye of the beholder.

Baymax: Fred's art evoked many emotions today. It might be more accurate to say art is in the heart of the beholder.

Honey Lemon: Aw you've really learned a lot about art Baymax. That was very poetic.

Baymax: What is poetry?

*Honey Lemon and Gogo look at each other before Cora finishes her food and speaks up.*

Cora: It's okay guys, poetry lessons are next week.

Honey Lemon: What are you gonna do with the money Fred?

Fred: I'm giving the check to the museum. I don't need it and they could use a new fountain. Plus they just lost a priceless painting.

*Just then, Cora's grandmother is standing by the open door.*

Cora: Oh! Hi Grandmama!

Grandmama: Hello Cora...Would it be alright if I borrow Hiro to talk for a moment?

Cora: *Confused* Sure..go ahead?

*Hiro hesitantly walks away to converse with the old woman, wondering what she wanted with him. They finally got outside into the open air where the cherry blossoms are bathed in warm light.*

Grandmama: Do you remember how I came to check on Cora a while ago..you were with the Dean and some other student or whatever...I said I owe you an explanation.

Hiro: About..Cora?

Grandmama: Yes. I already explained this to the Dean a short while ago before I came to you Hiro, and now it's your turn. Did you notice how she's been feeling sleepy lately? Or how the slightest thing would irritate her? Or how she's not been eating much?

Hiro: *Concern* Actually, yeah I have. Is something wrong with Cora? Does it have anything to do with me?

Grandmama: *Sighs*...I'll tell you the full story one day.. but for now..you must know that Cora was born...a little premature...and different from the other children..and that led to having these..effects in her life...But ever since you came into the picture, it seems to have become fewer and fewer, and it just seems to be getting better with all your friends. However, that doesn't mean she doesn't fall into...*Sighs* I suppose the proper term would be..'relapses' from time to time... But as I mentioned before, meeting you, your...brother... and your friends has been helping her greatly. Even though you and her have your disagreements or tiffs from time to time, that's normal from anyone who's in a relationship. If anything it proves that no matter what is going on either between or just one of you, you two always manage to talk it out and work together to make it better. That is the key to any good and functioning relationship Hiro. So to answer your question about whether or not Cora's recent behavior has anything to do with you, I would say it only had half to do with you. the other half was just something she...had to work out on her own. And apparently helping you out with whatever was going on with you seems to have help a good bit. But all-in-all Hiro Whatever you and your friends are doing to help Cora overall, keep up the good work. Now I think it's about time I let you go about back to your business, you have presentation to go to after all.

*Grandmama walks past Hiro, giving a knowing smirk at him before she goes on her way. Hiro raises an eyebrow in confusion and looks back at the old woman for a moment before he runs back inside to finish his project. Time passes by until finally Hiro is ready to present his project to Grandville. He carries his model, peering inside to see Grandville with her notebook and Karmi, who's pulled out her camera ready to see him fail. But Cora quickly gives him a kiss on the cheek as their usual way of saying good luck to each other, to which he smiles brightly.*

*Hiro puts his model on the table. Cora being on his left holding his hand while Karmi is behind him ready to capture what appears to be his next magnum opus. The model puts out two stabilizers as soon as the quake simulation got a little rougher.*

Karmi: What?

Hiro: My building has sensors to measure the seismic forces, then it sends out the exact sonic pulses needed to counteract them.

*The Richter scale simulation quickly goes down in numbers. Cora smiles brightly at Hiro's success.*

Karmi: So your solution is cheating?

Hiro: No! My design was to the shaking by dealing with the problem at its source.

Grandville: Not only will the structure save itself, but it would also save the other buildings around it. This is an excellent solution.

*Cora is quick to pull out her phone and take a picture of Karmi's 'unbelievable* face. Cora and Hiro are walking out of the room once its over to take a walk around the quad to talk.*

Cora: *Smiling evilly* And scene...and revenge achieved.

Hiro: *Looking over at his girlfriend's phone and sees the picture. He than smiles smugly and puts his arm around Cora's shoulders and kisses her cheek.* That's my girl.

*As they walk outside into the quad, they walk in comfortable but still somewhat awkward silence as they both in their own minds try to figure what they were going to say. Hiro then looks over at Cora in a side glance and decides to start.*

Hiro: Um...Cora? There's...something I wanna-

Cora: *Cuts Hiro off as she stops walking, causing Hiro to stop walking to as she stands face-to-face with him and she fidgets with her hands in front of her and looks down almost ashamed-looking and only taking quick glances up at Hiro as she talks* Hiro wait. Before you say anything...there's something I should say first... About what I s-said...b-back at the l-lab...before Baymax s-showed us that video of Tadashi... I just...w-wanted you to know that...I-I was way out of line w-with what I said to you. I w-was just REALLY irritated and annoyed with how you were acting, along with some...other things I was going through. But that's still no excuse for what I said to you... And I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for it.

Hiro: *Surprised at his girlfriend's apology, but quickly got over it as he places his hand on Cora's shoulder.* Cora... *Sighs* It's okay Cora, I've already forgiven you for that. But to be honest with you, there's really nothing to forgive with what you said to me, because...you were right.

Cora: *Surprised at her boyfriend's words as she looks up fully to him.* I...I was?

Hiro: Yeah, you were. I-I do admit that I was just...*Sigh* I just felt humiliated... I mean first my model breaks at the beginning of the stimulation, to which Karmi took a video and posted it online.

*Cora frowns at the memory. She wanted to punch that self-absorbed biotech student for humiliating Hiro like that.*

Hiro: Then when I couldn't think of anything to make up for it, I ended up destroying the other students' projects by accident.

Cora: Technically, it was my project that kinda destroyed the others Hiro.

Hiro: Which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't throw my notebook away so carelessly...not to mention destroying your project in the process too...all of which Karmi took a photo of again...

*The teen couple grumble at the memory. Finally Hiro sighs*

Hiro: I just thought that... If I quit I wouldn't be put through that again... B-but you were right...by quitting, I was just acting like a coward...which, as you clearly pointed out to me back at the lab, I'm not. A coward wouldn't have done all the things you mentioned before, and not to mention that it would have made Karmi's day if I really was one.

Cora: Well I'm glad you didn't and that you understand what I was trying to tell you. But the thing about quitting, is that sometimes it's not always cowards who do it. Grandmama once told me this: There are actually two kinds of quitting. One is the cowards' way out as I mentioned before, where you give up because you couldn't handle it and felt it's not worth it at the cost of your own dignity or life. The other one however, is the one where it could save your's and others' lives if you're smart and do it right, where you realize that what you're doing, what your about to do or even what you think about doing could really get you or others hurt or worse and that you simply have to walk away before that can happen, even if others tell you otherwise. Does that make sense?

Hiro: *Thoughtful look in his face* Yeah, I guess.

*Cora smiles as she rests her head on his shoulder.*

Cora: You are not, nor have you ever been a coward babe. You are and always will be, my brave Hiro.

*But somewhere in the dark and abandoned undergrounds, Globby goes through the desolate building and brings in the painting. He then notices that he got a bit of himself on the priceless painting, to which he tries to clean it up but failed.*

Obake: Well? Did you bring it?

Globby: *Startled* Woah! Oh oh ah! Ah yeah! Here it is!

*Obake grabs the painting from Globby's hands and observes it.*

Obake: *Pleased* You succeeded.

Globby: Sorry about..you know...the globs!

Obake: Hm?

*He notices the pieces of Globby's globs.*

Obake: Fascinating...

*Obake grabs Globby's hand and takes off a piece of the glob using small light blue plasma tweezers.*

Globby: Ow! Rude!

*Obake places the glob into a measuring cup to study at a later date.*

Obake: Hmm.. further study might unlock even more potential..

Globby: Potential huh? I told mom she was wrong about me.

*Obake raises the painting up above his head.*

Obake: Lenore Shimamoto the artist is of no interest to me.

*He smashes the painting, causing pieces of wood to break off as it flies off everywhere.*

Obake: However Lenore Shimamoto the scientist, is of great interest... Like with so many things in life... you have to look below the surface to find real value...

*When Obake broke the painting he pealed off the paper to reveal schematics for what appears to be an ominous looking machine that Shimamoto had crafted 100 of years ago...*

Leave comment, reblog, or like if you enjoyed it! Love you!

[candymayvary]

smth i wrote a little while ago. i wrote professor kim w masculine pronouns bc idk just made it harder when referring to axel and alex in the same sentences lol

i dont have a specific time in mind for when this would take place. just like. assumptions that axel has a good relationship with his professor, and that his professor actually takes care and notice of his work (my impression anyway from axel’s bio). and like..... discussing both student and professional work? idk. professor pov. 

and u kno what @se-serena

“Professor, you asked to see me?”

Looking up from his papers, Alex notices the way that this one particular student hovered in the doorway, and how his assistant was struggling to cover the starry-eyed gaze. With a wave of his hand, Axel walked the rest of the way into the office, door closing behind him with a soft click. Axel seemed to take the hint, settling in one of the chairs with an ease that told far more than he realised. 

“Before we begin, am I speaking to Axel, or you today?”

That seems to catch Axel off-guard, even though it had long since been a regular thing. Normally, when they had these one-on-one sessions, Axel would state at the beginning, set the feel of it, whether professional or personal. But it would be highly unprofessional of Alex Kim to assume one or the other, when he was the one who had called the meeting first.

Perhaps he should consider it a great deal that Axel, singer extraordinaire, considered his opinion so highly. But there was tension growing in those around him, and well, he wouldn’t be in the position he was if he just ignored it. 

“Axel?” his student hinges it on a question, as if he wasn’t too sure either. Alex couldn’t say that was the best decision, that he should’ve crossed that line they had made. A part of him had hoped Axel would understand the need for this to be speaking to the student, not the singer. 

Oh well. Alex could work with it, no matter what. Not like there was much choice here, anyway.

“Alright. Before I begin, do you have any idea why I called you to my office today?” A classic teacher line, to gauge where the student in turn was at. Telltale signs of stress would show, such as nervously looking at every corner of the room, or wringing their hands.

Axel shows none of these, chin in hand, as he relaxed in the chair. Pokerfaced and resolute. Alex had to admit that he was rather proud of where Axel currently sat, as he remembered where he had started. Not just from the tutelage he received from Arlington, as a lot of the work was all Axel’s doing — most of it in his own time.

“Not really, sir.” 

Fair. Alex’s email had been sharp and to the point. Meeting, Wednesday morning, ten thirty, don’t be late. Need to talk about your schoolwork, or so Alex had said. Not wholly untrue. 

“There has been some calls from other teachers regarding your work ethic, Axel. And not just in regards to your music.”

“Then why aren’t they having the meeting with me in person? Leaving you to clean up their dirty work, aren’t they?” A certain level of snide creeps into his voice. Alex lets the comment run its course.

“As much as I would like to discuss your results in other classes, I can’t. I don’t speak for them.”

Axel leans forward then, a little tighter around the eyes. He had only returned to campus a week prior, but from what Alex understood, most classes had been missed (except all of his, of course). “So? What’s this about, sir?”

And with that, Alex clicks on his laptop, watching the screen slowly light up. Whatever attitude Axel was trying to pull, the clear signs of interest were showing, with how he frowned a little when an all too familiar song played. His last assignment, handed in only a day prior. Two weeks late, but reasons withstanding, Alex wasn’t going to linger on that. No, he had spent a good few hours picking the work to pieces, breaking down every lyric, every beat. 

All his official comments and notes were in a file, ready to be sent at any moment. Axel could expect it after this meeting, no doubt. But the song ran it’s course, four minutes of it, before Alex paused the repeat. 

“You didn’t like it?” Axel finally asks, when the silence grew.

With a shrug, Alex motions to it. “I did. Definitely one of your better works in the last few months, Axel,” and then he pauses, wondering how to fully phrase the next part. And he had spent a two hours slaving over how to expect this meeting to go. “Unprofessionally, your work has always stood out in some way. But professionally…”

Trailing off, Alex focuses on the hand he had extended, once animated with commentary. Fingers curl into his palm. “Professionally, the work is lacklustre. And you are aware of how it’s been for a while now, Axel, there’s no denying that.”

For his part, Axel remains silent, a careful expression playing on his face. This could go either way. Alex was prepared for it. 

As he continues, he keeps a careful eye on Axel. “You have been doing the same thing over and over. The initial grab your music had isn’t there anymore. There’s no feeling behind the words.

“Whatever rut you are stuck in, it’s time to stop digging, Axel. Maybe it’s time to consider a different angle than the one you are producing.”

“What are you saying, professor? You can tell me, I’m not a child.”

Alex has to smile at that, as Axel’s tone betrayed him. A shame most of his peers were concerned with voicing critiques in class, as there was some level of reverence played towards Axel. Of course he was aware of it, when marking work later. How other students listed the same problems, and some of them had also suggested good ways to work around it, to break through whatever slump Axel had fallen prey to. But those went unsaid, which was why they sat the way they did now.

“I’m saying, Axel, that you need something new. Something fresh. Not the kind of thing you create just to satisfy an audience. At this point, you’ve given me the same kind of song several times over. And I will admit, your work is always at an incredible standard.” Soften the blow, Alex, come on. “You’ve always gone above and beyond.”

Axel interjects then, as if knowing full well Alex was trying to skirt around the issue with platitudes. “But?” 

“But,” he concedes, and plays the song again. Softer this time. “There’s no passion in this work. It’s lifeless.”

That seems to rile him up a little. “Well, help me. Tell me what to do.”

Alex chuckles, despite himself. “I can’t ‘tell you what to do’, Axel. I can only make suggestions.”

“Then do it. Sir.” Ah, through gritted teeth, Axel was staying polite.

“Go back to where you started. Let your current songs settle. Do something other than music for a while.” With a sigh, Alex stops. “There’s only so much I can suggest to you, Axel. People sing about the moon, without ever stepping foot on it.”

“Are you telling me to sing about the moon?” Axel’s tone bordered on incredulous, maybe a little mocking, and Alex had to stop himself from huffing.

“No, but what I’m telling you to do is challenge yourself. Sing about something you haven’t experienced, instead of what you think you know. Cities, the ocean, love… a particular season, even. There are plenty of topics to make a song about, if you do it well.”

Letting that drop and settle, Alex knew what the reaction would be. Plenty of other students of all ages and abilities tended to short circuit on such a simple suggestion as love. Numerous songs had come through from all kinds of people, a range of themes and feelings. Anything from a song about their pet cat, to what a breakup would be like. Never let it be said that his department was untalented, as even those so sheltered before Arlington managed to convince Alex otherwise. And he took great pride in that, encouraged it, harnessed that talent. Execution, execution, execution. Something he emphasised to greatly.

His first classes started the same. Make me believe in something. Big letters across the board, as it would stay for the next few months. Sing me something I don’t know. Alex stressed it, constantly. Have him relate, have him feel. Have him dream of a set of lyrics that were a jumbled mess of words out of context, but in that moment resonated with him. 

And he pushed it. Whenever assignments were due, songs would pour in, and those who understood what it meant, achieved.

Those who didn’t, sat before him, out of their depth, and showing the signs of it. Of course Alex knew Axel’s potential, how wonderful he was. And perhaps it was a little presumptuous to say that Axel had been one of his favourite students in a long time, because there was a lot of work in the future for the both of them. 

But watching Axel splutter under the suggestion of ‘love’, as if some of his earlier songs didn’t contain those themes, was unexpected. Axel had sung about it, a long time ago, like he knew what he was talking about. 

If he hadn’t turned bright red, Alex almost would’ve thought it was someone else all along. Wisely, Alex chose not to comment on his student’s complexion, and diverted the conversation back. “As I said, Axel, there are a number of topics to choose from, it’s just on you to make them come to life.”

“But,” he started, before clearing his throat. Alex felt the corner of his mouth quirk a little, trying as he was, at the jump in Axel’s voice. “But… people who like my work — like me — don’t want songs about oceans. I can’t do that kind of stuff for them.”

“Then sing for yourself.”

“You say that like it’s easy.” It’s a quiet admission, like Alex had finally managed to break through one layer. To anyone else, that may have been misunderstood, but Alex knew how much it meant, to start to see the student underneath the professional.

“I know it’s not. If it helps, sing for only one person. Sing for two, three, or ten. Not hundreds. Don’t focus your energy into what you think people want to hear, but what they need to hear.”

“Yeah, but who needs to hear about love? Almost every song is about it. Wouldn’t that just make me like everyone else?” From the way Axel raises his eyebrows, Alex can hear him calling him a hypocrite. 

“Perhaps, but it’s all about execution.”

An eye roll, that set off the feeling this discussion was coming to a close. Definitely a shame, despite Alex knowing he got more in that he thought he would. Always a caution as to where particular conversations with Axel went. But this one? This one was positive — perhaps it could even be considered groundbreaking. Despite the heave of a sigh as Axel pushes himself to his feet, Alex could see the cogs begin to spin. Careful calculations were playing out before him, which only made Alex swell with pride.

“Enough for today. Hopefully you have plenty to think about.”

Axel nods, scratching his neck before crossing his arms. Taking a step out of the situation, it seemed. In the background, the song he had submitted for his assignment still played on loop, only ending when Alex finally closed his laptop. “I do have to say that, unfortunately, I can’t accept this for your assignment.”

Holding a hand up, as Axel snapped to attention, Alex gave him the best settling stare he could manage. “You have another week to write and compose a song. Think about what I’ve said, and I want to see it come into play. You’re an amazing musician, Axel. Remember that.”

[chocobutt-trash]

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice

aka A VERY BELATED VALENTINES DRABBLE for the fifth and final winner of the valentines lucky draw! @chocobro-hijinks​, this one’s for you. So terribly sorry it was so delayed, but I hope the fact I got somewhat carried away makes up for it :D

Warnings: not a lot, really. Some language. Strange, I know.

Read on Archive of Our Own:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13910430

Or read below the cut:

The air glistened with the fallout of a thousand golden sparks. Remnant strips of metal and machinery lay about in disarray, and in the cracks and the corners, small fires burned themselves out into smoulders. The fighting had lasted hours, and now the Prince and the Advisor sat at a makeshift campsite, trying to regain their strength before the turmoil started once again. Prince, yes, Ignis thought, but the man beside him was not Ignis’s prince. It was decidedly aggravating, too, when the man was hell-bent on peppering their sparse conversation with little digs.

           ‘Don’t call me “boy” when we’re more or less the same age,’ Ignis said softly.

           ‘I’m six years your senior,’ Ravus replied stiffly.

           Ignis propped his glasses further up on his nose and watched the white-haired man who was — heavens forbid — six years his senior, didn’t he know, crouch on the dry carbon earth and brush dust off his pearl-shaded overcoat.

           ‘Six years means little in an age where the Empire casts its shadow over decades. As well you know.’

           ‘You know nothing of the Empire. And I’ll call you boy if I so wish. Being hand to an incompetent princeling is not enough to impress me.’

           ‘As if I’m trying to.’

           The sparks came to settle. Ravus glowered. Ignis simmered away as quietly as the soup he was stirring.

           He picked up the spices. Ravus was still glowering. Another moment’s consideration, and Ignis threw an extra dash of chilli into the soup. Well, extra was putting it rather lightly. It was an unholy amount of chilli powder. His years of training under a diplomatic school had rendered his stomach like iron and his palate strong enough to withstand even the most pungent of spices — for how could one be a Royal Advisor with any degree of efficacy if one could not handle foreign cuisine with utter aplomb? — and he doubted Ravus had received the same level of training under the fist of the Empire.

           Perhaps an extra hot chilli soup would still the dear Tenebraean prince’s tongue. At least, for a little while.

           He barely spoke at all as he finished up the food preparations, and as he dished out the meal, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the sound of Ravus’s stomach growling uncomfortably.

           ‘So you do have human parts, still,’ Ignis murmured, and his snide joke was not lost on the man, who accepted the soup with his Magitek prosthetic extended.

           ‘Shut up.’

           ‘I mean no disrespect.’

           ‘Of course you don’t.’

           Something about the ridiculousness of their current situation made Ignis start to laugh, and then, to his surprise, Ravus laughed too. They stopped after only a few seconds, both a little embarrassed, a little caught out by their rare moment of weakness.

           Then, the soup. The attack happened with a whimper and not a bang, a slow increase in spice level that hit at full force only after numerous spoonfuls had already been taken. First, a sniff. Then a watering of the eyes. A look of confusion, a twitch of the facial muscles, and then the rapid, ferocious breathing that meant the heat had increased.

           ‘Astrals, what the — what the hell’d you put in this?’ Ravus swallowed far too fast, clapping a hand to his mouth and smacking his lips in distress.

           Ignis merely smiled serenely, swallowing his own mouthful without breaking face. Ravus flustered around for some water, and Ignis let him find it on his own. It was quite entertaining to watch.

           ‘It’s a Leiden speciality,’ he said. ‘Prairie style soup. With no dearth of chilli peppers.’

           Ravus swore.

           ‘It’s… a bit hot for my taste.’

           Ignis did not say learn how to handle it. Like me. He didn’t need to. Everything he wanted to say was spoken in the stare he reserved for the pale man sitting before him, skin now flushed pink with the spice overload.

           Now the moment of weakness returned as they both began to laugh again. Perhaps it was the oddity of the entire situation, getting to them. The whole escapade was ridiculous, and they had been thrust together with little ceremony and little say in the matter.

           It would be a lie to say Ignis wasn’t growing quite fond of the ill-mannered prince. They both found themselves in similar situations, serving different nations with the same level of determination, in order to protect the ones they loved. He was actually finding he had … quite a bit of respect for Ravus.

           Funny, how things worked out.

           And now he felt a little guilty about the soup.

           Ravus stopped sniggering and finished the rest of the water. ‘If you want more, you’ll have to head back to the stockpile yourself,’ he muttered.

           Now Ignis’s smile was softer. ‘If that’s the case, so be it.’

           They settled into something akin to a comfortable silence after that. Ignis took the time to clean his shoes, and Ravus removed his overcoat to rub at his shoulders.

           It was only when Ravus removed the Magitek prosthetic from his shoulder fitting that Ignis realised just how much the battle had affected him. The tendons around the joint were pulled taut as bowstrings, while the muscles seemed all bunched up and solid as rock. It looked painful. It looked uncomfortable, and must be in no small part due to the extra effort of maintaining the prosthetic. If that stayed the way it was, Ravus would be at a disadvantage when the troops returned.

           ‘Perhaps you should allow me to relieve some of that tension. I have been trained in massage, you know.’

           Ravus’s reply was acid sharp. ‘I think not.’

           ‘Come now—’

           ‘Ugh, don’t talk like that, you sound like Ardyn.’

           Ignis doubted he could draw his mouth into any worse of a grimace. But, more telling was the look of distaste Ravus was currently shooting him. It seemed that, between them, there was no love lost for the dear old Chancellor.

           ‘It seems we’ve found something we can both agree on, then.’

           ‘And what is that?’

           ‘That the Imperial Chancellor is a complete and utter prick.’

           No sooner had the curse left his mouth than Ravus choked out a laugh.

           ‘It’s … strange, hearing you swear.’

           ‘I can say more. Did you miss all the times I shouted bloody hell out on the battlefield, there?’

           ‘I think I was a bit too preoccupied with the task at hand,’ Ravus shot back, and the sharpness was back in his voice, but there, below the surface, was still the wry camaraderie. It was … actually quite cute. ‘And yes. Seems we agree.’

           The idea Ignis was getting was partly in response to the growing heat in his groin, and partly in response to the increasing feeling he had that the two of them had a … well, a spark of sorts, going.

           ‘I really do think we should work out that tension, though. I am rather talented.’ Ignis gave him a pointed look, one that indicated without a shadow of a doubt the kind of tension he was thinking of. And it caught Ravus off-guard, that much was clear by the sudden parting of his lips, the innocent look that crossed his face that seemed so out of place there. Then those white-as-snow eyebrows furrowed. It seemed fury was an acceptable fallback when he felt out of control, and that only made Ignis wonder — if he felt out of control, did that mean he was… keen on the idea?

           ‘Is this the sort of thing you engage in with you dear Chosen King, now?’

           A flash of anger crossed Ignis’s face. He was all heated and riled up, yes, but that didn’t mean Ravus could trash talk Noctis like that. ‘Don’t you dare insult the Crown Prince!’

           ‘I shall insult him all I like.’

           ‘You know, you really are insufferable—’

           Ravus silenced him with a sudden kiss. It was rushed enough that their lips were smashed together with an urgency that made Ignis wonder if another Magitek mech wasn’t on its way in the distance. Another second and Ignis would not have been able to look to check, because Ravus’s fervent, angry movements knocked his glasses clean off his face. The frustration, the stress from the fighting, all of it reached a peak and Ignis kissed back just as hard. It was almost enough to make him laugh once again, because it felt a little like a contest. One would push and the other would push back. Ever evenly matched.

           Then the heat in his veins grew too strong and his hands joined in the action, spreading their way over Ravus’s half-undressed upper body, feeling every knot of muscle and sinew and pressing, stroking, as if appraising the man’s strength. As for Ravus, he had his one hand at the side of Ignis’s face, holding him like a prize while his mouth stayed claiming, claiming and possessing every inch of flesh it could find.

           The hardness in Ignis’s pants only increased when Ravus let his hand slip down to Ignis’s throat. A subtle threat, and a tantalising one. Ignis smirked into the next kiss, and dared him to grip harder. Then, hands spread across Ravus shoulder blades, he pulled the taller man in, falling back against the floor.

           Well, Ignis had learned one thing. Ravus could handle the heat after all.

[bookwyrmling]

Birth of the Seishun

So I’ve talked and talked about Space AU and @solosorca and @notapillowfight have written and drawn for it and referred to it as mine, but that just didn’t seem write without doing some writing for it, myself.  SO!  Here is a before-the-beginning piece.

It won’t line up quite exactly with @solosorca‘s because everyone writes a bit differently, BUT it was a scene that I simply had to write. The creation of the Seishun!

“Ah, Commander Ryuzaki, I know the board is happy you are finally ready to present your next project. There were rumblings over how long it was taking despite the large amount of funds provided.”

Sumire pursed her lips and clenched her fists behind her back as she stared at the elevator floor sign, watching the feet fly by as they rose past where artificial gravity was required and up to the counterweight and waiting short-distance vessel.

“Well, Banji, some of us would rather not risk another incident like what happened on the Yamabuki last solar cycle,” she replied with a forced smile for the video drone trained on the three of them, knowing exactly who was watching the live feed and how much she would need to impress them.

“Ahhhh.”

Sumire and Mikiya both turned to the other companion in the elevator—the only one who hadn't groaned when the artificial gravity had turned on and the lightness that had been creeping up on their aging bodies had disappeared.

The elevator slowed to its stop and dinged just as the door slid open to the typical organized chaos of any spaceport.

“Generals, welcome to TES-2. If you will follow me to the bay, your transit awaits,” a young man spoke and saluted the three. Ryuzaki and Mikiya both saluted in return, while Ojii reached into his pocket before holding his fist out.

“Candy,” he said, waving the young man closer with his other hand before dropping the wrapped hardcandy into his hand with a smile.

“Er...thank you, Sir,” the man said as he closed his fingers around the piece before turning and leading the three into the hangar where an ion-propulsion ship meant for the short trip between TES-2 and the lunar orbital spacestation which was their ultimate destination. It was only once the vessel had obtained clearance and taken off, leaving behind the spaceport that served as counterweight to ISEF's second space elevator, that conversation picked up again.

“With as quick a timetable as you have presented to us and the board, I imagine you already have a crew roster more or less decided on?” Mikiya asked with his ever present smile and Sumire could feel the holes he was attempting to poke in her project.

She smirked. “If you had taken the time to peruse the supplement earlier, you might have noticed the roster beginning on page 8. This is a large project and there are still spaces to fill, but I believe the names you recognize in leadership positions will help to give an idea of what I am looking to build,” she spoke carefully, with just enough censure to not be caught unaware while sniping at Mikiya's barbed words.

Sumire watched as both men pulled up the holodocs and scrolled through them to page 8, faces furrowing as they read through a number of familiar names.

“This is....”Mikiya began before pursing his lips. Ojii hummed and nodded his head and Sumire smiled with pride, ready for the questions she knew would come.

“Your choice for captain is an interesting one, General,” Mikiya finally began.

“Tezuka has substantial experience as a combatant and battalion leader,” Sumire explained, “He has also long since passed the tests required for captaincy qualification. He was beginning to learn on his last duty station—“

“You mean under Yamato?” Mikiya cut in, “After what happened there, did he even receive any experience? Do we want him to have? The last thing ISEF needs is another severe military loss. The man surrendered.”

“Yamato was a brilliant captain and made his decision with the lives of the entire ship at the forefront,” Sumire rebutted, “If the original calls for distress when they were ambushed had been appropriately responded to, there might not have been need for surrender.”

“We had to ransom every single one of them!”

“But they are alive and home.”

Sumire eyed Ojii, curious as to his responses. The man rarely spoke and his body grew frailer each year, but his mind was still a steel trap and no one dared mention retirement around him. Ojii smiled at her and that was all Sumire needed to continue.

“Tezuka has been cleared for duty by both a psychologist and medical doctor and is interested in the position. He has taken on extra courses and personal training to prepare and will be participating as first lieutenant in a small reconnaissance trip in the Proxima Centauri system in two months. He'll be back in plenty of time to take leave before taking charge of the Seishun,” Sumire explained. “His military prowess is what helped hold the ambush of the Yume Utsutsu back for as long as it did. He was awarded a medal of honor for his acts and is still held in substantial respect both in ISEF and the world at large. He has received direct commendation from our interstellar allies. It's not every day Rikkai is held at bay. Do you still wish to question his assignment?”

“I believe that is reason enough for the board,” Mikiya merely smiled before continuing down the list. “I see you have enlisted Fuji Syusuke for Communications. I assumes this means you are not planning on deep space missions. Yet you have quite a broad spectrum of scientists. Inui Sadaharu? Your own granddaughter?”

“The Seishun is made for medium to long-range assignments,” Sumire answered, “While it has the capacity for deep space ventures, it is built with staying in mapped quadrants in mind. The threat of the Rikkai empire has become stronger every year and their ambush of the Yume Utsutsu and obliteration of the Kanagawa blockade within the last decade means they are on their way and will be here sooner rather than later. The Seishun is an experiment of mine. If it is successful, I suggest we switch to mass productions of similarly classed vessels who are able to stand up against the Rikkai fleet alone.”

“Alone?!”

Her communicator instantly flew to life with notifications and the video drone zoomed in on her face as the board made its concerns clear. Sumire only smiled, crossed her arms and opened communications with the small craft's pilot. “About how far are we from LOS?” she asked.

“We'll be docking in under an hour,” the pilot replied.

“You should be seeing it come into view in the next fifteen minutes,” the copilot added.

“Thank you, ladies,” Sumire replied before brushing the video drone away and muting her communicator.

“General Ryuzaki, are you truly suggesting one ship as being capable of standing up against the onslaught of the Rikkai Empire?” Mikiya asked and Sumire sighed.

“First,” she pointed out, “The Empire, for the most part, is never at full strength. Fleets are lead by several separate heads as far as intel has been able to suggest. The Seishun is built to, under correct response and leadership, withstand and fight off the onslaught of one fleet. It is meant to survive.”

“We are not ready for war.”

“No, we're not. And the Seishun is not solely a warship. It's mainly a patrol ship. It is not meant to seek the Rikkai to purposefully engage in combat. Not yet,” Sumire continued, “The Seishun is fully equipped with a research lab and will be staffed by a multitude of science officers who have education in a broad spectrum of fields. It means there can be direct and instantaneous action taken by the scientific community on board to deal with biochemical attacks or any unknown substances they meet with. Inui Sadaharu, Chief Science Officer, actually volunteered for the position.” Sumire honestly wasn't sure how he had found out about it, but she would not complain over holding the interest of one of the top ISEF scientists, even if his methods were unusual. “As for my granddaughter's presence on the list, she will be graduating top of her division in five months time and has worked as a research assistant for Inui. Her presence is based on his recommendation.”

“But if they are not actively seeking out Rikkai, what are they doing otherwise?” Mikiya asked, “I do not see the point of this project. The few times they may run into Rikkai notwithstanding—assuming they do make it through successfully—is the project worth the funds being poured into it?”

“The Seishun is meant to patrol in areas more likely to be targeted by Rikkai, so as to catch sightings and hold them off before any incursions make it too far into our space,” Sumire continued to argue, “Which means the likelihood of them meeting a fleet is increased substantially. Outside of patrol and vigilance for distress calls, as well as drills to keep in top form, however, the Seishun, with its fully staffed science division working in cooperation with the ship as a whole, is capable of furthering our understanding of different planets and systems in their patrol areas. Probes tell us the basics, but it takes more than a few samples and data readings every two-hundred years to tell us what we're looking at and how best to make use of it.”

“Hmm hmm hmm,” Ojii hummed in approval with a smile on his face. Sumire knew he would understand. A measurable amount of how she had built and planned this ship was taken from how deep space exploratory groups were cross-trained and had multi-use positions and functionalities. It required very flexible individuals and was not always the easiest to staff, but the groups that succeeded were a boon to ISEF. Ojii's own Rokkaku was proof enough of that. It was a major reason she would be speaking with Ojii further about her proposed roster—but only when Mikiya had left.

Mikiya, on the other hand, had turned back to the holodoc, scrolling through name after name and Sumire wondered if he had finally reached the end of his questions when he slammed the breaks on his perusing, eyes opening wide in delicious shock. “Is this whom I think it is?”

Sumire smiled, knowing the exact name he had stumbled upon. “Indeed,” she confirmed, “Echizen Ryoma is the son of that Echizen Nanjiroh.”

“He can't be old enough,” Mikiya argued, but Sumire could see the interest in his eyes behind the surprise and disbelief.

“He was raised in America and you know they begin combat training early. He passed the exams for ISEF at age 12 and has completed his formal training as of last year,” Sumire stated smugly, “I reached out to his father and obtained confirmation of interest. As soon as everything is approved here today, I will be sending out contracts to everyone on this list.”

Mikiya's tense shoulders seemed to loosen a bit as he leaned back in his seat after closing the holodoc, “So he is just one of the standard pilots, then, not leadership...”

“Well, that is up to the ship's captain,” Sumire argued, “Tezuka knows best what will work with his ship, but Echizen Ryoma is a commissioned ISEF officer and could, indeed, take on a position of command.”

“But a child?”

“For any who have concerns as to Echizen Ryoma's abilities, I highly recommend you look into his personnel file. Even before completing his training, he was probably one of the top fighter pilots ISEF held.” Sumire looked down at her watch to check the time and smirked as she looked back up at her audience—including those watching by screen through the video drone—and asked, “Any further questions?”

When she was met with silence she looked out the front window as the turned the last few degrees to face not only the lunar orbital spacestation, but a large ship making its way from the docking bay.

“Ahhh,” Ojii supplied as he stood and walked over to the window for a closer look. Sumire sent a side-eyed glance at Mikiya to see his eyes wide in surprise as he whiteknuckled the arms of his chair.

“Ladies and gentlemen and those in between and outside,” Sumire introduced with a proud smirk as she faced the front windshield and the gargantuan ship that was now passing directly in front of them, “May I introduce to you the Seishun. It will be marked fully operational upon completion of today's successful test run. After which I will be more than happy to take you all on a tour.”

[dickganseywrites-blog]

this has been a very terrible drabble, apologies to @rxpunzelwrites, @furillowrites, @clarkentwrites, and @wellickwrites for any possible slaughter of characterisation. i tried to keep it to my own characters so truly i am sorry.

not that anyone has to read this mess, i’m just very bored ok.

“Fiver says he won't do it.” Seth's smile was smug as he stared at Caleb, who was currently hoisting himself onto the bannister of the Messina stairwell. “He's just bluffing.”

Katie didn't look so sure, however, and she was currently frowning at her... best friend? Boyfriend? Caleb had no idea what they were, but he didn't think now was the time to find out. He had work to do. Kevin, who was standing beside Seth, the pair of them towering over Katie in all of their unnecessary height, was giving him an encouraging nod. Caleb could practically see the cogs in his brain working away, the tiny devil on his shoulder that looked just like his friend whispering 'do it'. The angel on his shoulder, all broken wings and a scowl on her face, somewhat resembled Lux, who was glaring at him and telling him that he's an idiot, but Caleb ignored her.

“Oh, i'm gonna do it,” Caleb grinned, lifting the remainder of his weight onto the bannister, his feet now angled dangerously on the perfectly rounded wood, the soles of his trainers tipping random, flaky bits of paint over the edge. All he had to do was raise himself to maybe half of his height, steady himself, and sorta surf his way down to the lobby. It couldn't be that hard, and he was only on the first floor so it wasn't like he had very far to go.

Katie, however, was rolling her eyes and shaking her head, and he was pretty sure he'd just heard her call Seth a pillock. He didn't even know what that meant, but he found himself chuckling along and nodding in agreement. Not a wise move on his part, he realised, as his body trembled beneath his own laughter. Stretching his arms out a little to steady himself, he glanced back at Kevin to catch a glimpse of that ever approving stare, before kicking one foot backwards and setting off on his venture.

Sliding down the bannister really wasn't quite as terrible as he'd anticipated, and he wasn't really all that sure what the fuss was about. Roaring with laughter as he travelled a few feet further down, he heard the unmistakable cry of a bloody hell emit from Seth's mouth. If the rush of adrenaline coursing through him wasn't enough, he felt a strange thrill at knowing that he'd just scored Katie an extra fiver, though he doubted the English girl was interested in the money.

His heart pounding with the sheer rush of the situation, pure, unadulterated glee coursing through his veins, he felt as light as air, and the really stupid part of his brain pondered over why he hadn't ever tried this before. It wasn't until he reached the bend in the stairwell that he found the answer to that question, his foot dipping ever so slightly, catching on the edge of the rail, and catapulting him straight off of it. As his body collided with the stairs, tumbling down and hitting each one in the process, he coiled into himself as much as he could, trying hopelessly to lessen the impact. Rolling his way down the steps, he found himself colliding with other people in the process, the occasional what the hell and loud, frustrated grunts meeting his ears as he barrelled his way into unsuspecting people. He heard the unmistakable cry of none other than sweet little Tara McIntyre as she called out in horror, and he could still hear the concern in her tone echoing its way after him. He was sure that, should he actually survive the fall, he'd find some way to apologise to the many residents of Messina that he'd so carelessly plummeted into, but for now he was more concerned with the whole not dying thing.

Somehow, he'd managed to bring his two hands up to wrap them around his head, hopefully protecting his skull from any additional damage (in comparison to whatever damage had already been done to it, if the severe lack in brain cells were anything to go by). He finally came to a very abrupt stop as he reached the final step, his body skidding along the shiny, well polished (thanks, Dixie!) lobby floor. As he laid their, aches and pains shooting through every crevice in his body, the world spinning rapidly around him, he heard the sound of frantic footsteps pounding down the stairs that he'd just came crashing from. He figured they must surely belong to Katie, Seth, and Kevin, though he had no doubt that more of his neighbours were eager to catch a glimpse at whatever buffoon had thought bannister-surfing would be fun.

Groaning to himself he laid as still as he could while he waited for his vision to clear. He was sure the pounding in his head wasn't going to cease any time soon, and that the strange snapping noise he'd heard emitting from his ankle hadn't been a figment of his imagination, but so long as he could see, and he was alive, that was what mattered most of all.

Will – handsome Will, and his shy, and often somewhat timid, disposition – was now leaning over him, a look of terror evident in his eyes. He looked horrified at Caleb's display, and if only the strange ringing in Caleb's ears could just stop he might be able to work out what the doorman was trying to say to him. No such luck, however, and he merely grunted back at him, lifting his hand and offering a very shaky thumbs up. That seemed to be enough for the boy, who scurried away at an alarming pace.

By now a crowd was starting to gather, and after a moment Caleb realised that Katie was now kneeling at his side, pulling his hand into her own and saying... um, something. Kevin, who he could see just over Katie's head, appeared to be laughing, which only made Caleb want to laugh, while Seth was – Oh Jesus, what was Carswell doing? Caleb might have been having a difficult time hearing, but there was no mistaking the way that Seth was frantically snapping his fingers at him, as though that were going to make things better. Yep, well done Carswell. Hearing cured, bones healed, everything's just dandy. It was no wonder Katie was always calling him names.

Slowly but surely, as the minutes passed, Caleb regained the use of his ears, sound piercing through him like a knife. The loud bustle of the lobby now practically only worsening the current pain in his head. He could tell that some people were trying to be polite as he caught snippets of the hushed – though still hurried – whispers of many. Others, however, weren't quite so tactful, and he heard Dan Sledge recounting his version of events to his roommates, and Caleb fought hard to suppress a laugh when he heard the mechanic ask; “Hey, Cull, you think we should get Dalton to try it? Indy can snapgram it. Or instachat. Whatever it's called.”

Katie, who had been keeping a very watchful eye on him, immediately caught onto the fact that he was evidently back with the land of the living, and shot him a disapproving stare, before gently brushing a hand through his hair. Heart of gold, this one, but still tough as nails. It wasn't hard to see why Seth was so smitten with her, even if Seth couldn't fucking admit it himself.

“Will's called an ambulance, it won't be long, alright?” she told him. He wanted to protest and tell her that he was fine, that he'd just walk it off, but the pain searing through his ankle told him otherwise. And, honestly, even without the possibility of a broken or fractured ankle, his entire body felt stiff, and he had been sort of contemplating just laying there for the rest of the night.

Minutes passed, and before he knew it Caleb was once again surrounded, only this time by a whole new set of familiar faces. Ah, yes. Adam, the hot EMT that he'd become all too well acquainted with. Offering up a weak grin, he allowed himself to be lifted up onto a stretcher, and wheeled outside and into the ambulance. With Katie promising that she, Kevin, and Seth would follow suit, it became all too clear that none of his friends had any intentions of actually accompanying him inside the ambulance. Great, whoop-di-fucking-doo. Ah well. Just him, Adam, their driver, and a bunch of machines that beeped a little too loud for his liking.

The drive to the hospital was quick, over much too fast for Caleb's liking, and he was whisked away from Adam. It wasn't all bad, though, as he now found himself in the very capable hands of his favourite med-student; Doctor Shane. Or, Doctor Harvelle, as he was supposed to refer to him. He'd gotten to know practically every doctor, nurse, and anything in between, that worked in Wellington's local hospital, and Shane Harvelle was shamelessly one of his favourite parts. He was cute as fuck, and he had a tendency for calling people honey, which made even Caleb blush. Allowing Shane to guide his gurney through the hospital corridors, he forced himself to withstand the absolute agony that ripped through him now as he angled his head to stare up at the other man.

“So, Shane,” he started, though the efforts alone sent a shock through his system. Shane only glanced at him, a disapproving glare gracing his otherwise pretty face, and Caleb figured that was probably his cue to shut up. No such luck for Doctor Harvelle, of course. “You excited to see your favourite patient back in your loving arms?”

He followed up his question with a laugh, which soon dissolved into a cough, and before he knew it he was spluttering under the pressure, his lungs evidently not feeling too up to it today. Fine, whatever. His question could wait until they relieved a bit of the pressure, or whatever it was they were meant to do.

Finally coming to a stop, Shane hit the safety on the gurney, locking him into place so that he wouldn't roll away. Putting on what Caleb could only assume was his absolute best Doctor voice, adopting an impressive air of professionalism, he called on some of his peers to help. Various people rushed forward, several of them scoffing, or rolling their eyes, when they saw just who their patient for the day was. One of them in particular, however, caught his eye. She was blonde, very pretty, and she had a cute little bow tucked into her dishevelled locks. She was familiar, he was sure of it, but not from the hospital. While Caleb spent a lot of time being carted around Wellington's A&E, he was sure he knew her from somewhere else. It was possible that they had gone to school together, as she looked to be about his own age, but a part of him wondered if maybe he'd seen her at the bar. Maybe she knew Luxie? Luxie had plenty of friends he didn't know, and he figured it was altogether possible that this girl happened to be one of them.

Cringing and wincing as the surrounding doctors tried to gather a catalogue of his various injuries, firing questions at him and trying to get a rough recap of exactly what had unfolded, he was vaguely aware of someone mentioning morphine. That sounded about right, he figured. It only made sense that they'd probably have to put him to sleep, given the abundance of injuries he'd managed to endure, especially if they'd have to operate on his foot – which he had no doubt they would; No more soccer for a while, then.

Letting his head loll to the side, his cheek falling into the pillow beneath his head, his eyes wandered lazily to the blonde. She had a very pretty face, and she looked so focused, her brow furrowed in concentration. His eyes begun to flutter shut, the effects of the morphine already setting in. Just as he was losing himself to unconsciousness, his eyes flitted open and landed on her name tag.

“Sawyer,” he whispered, his lips pulling into a  soft, weak smile. The last words he recalled uttering before the darkness finally took a hold of him were; “Huh, pretty.”

[persuadedproject-blog]

Chapter 13

The road trip’s hopeful beginnings were not an accurate predictor of its end. Although the drive itself was mostly uneventful, the trusty GPS took Anne directly through New York City at five o’clock, causing her to sit still in traffic. For roughly three hours. When she moved forward, it was only by inches. Anne had the company of good music and audiobooks, and she enjoyed looking around the city, craning her neck curiously to see the quilt of colors and cultures on every block. Her tranquil frame of mind could not prevent her from arriving at Hyannis late, long after the sun had set. She was so late that the wrought-iron gate at the bottom of the drive (marked PRIVATE in swirly letters) was locked. Anne tried calling Liz for the pincode, but her calls went directly to voicemail. Texts were no good, either. Not wanting to wake up her father or Mrs. Russell, Anne settled as best she could in the backseat of her car. She had her bedspread in the trunk, and after clearing the seats of laundry bins, it made a fairly adequate bed.

     Tap tap tap. Anne shifted, realizing her neck was almost too stiff to move. Her eyes did not open as she pulled the covers around her. Tap tap tap. They squeezed tighter shut, to keep out the sunshine that was trying to filter in. Rap rap rap!

   “Anne!” a familiar but muffled voice called. “Anne! Get up!” Her eyes opened and focused on a tan, confused Liz, who was motioning for Anne to unlock the car. Stretching painfully, Anne pushed her quilt off, and opened the door, slumping out into the driveway.

    “What happened?” Liz demanded.

    “I got here late and didn’t know the code,” Anne answered, absent-mindedly trying to put her hair in some kind of order. “I couldn’t get you by phone, and I didn’t want to wake anyone up. So I just crashed here.”

    “I’m going off electronics for the hour before I got to bed,” Liz said impatiently. “I posted about it on Instagram, didn’t you see it?”

    “I must’ve missed it.”

    “Well, I am.” After a brief pause, “The neighbors must think you’re homeless. You’d better get inside before anyone else wakes up.”

      Anne drove her car past the hedges and up a little hill to the house. It was exactly what a snug house near Camelot ought to be, with shingles, a wide porch that wrapped around the home, and respectability in spades. As much as Anne was reluctant to join Martha’s Vineyard and all of its cliques, the house was comfortable and appealing to her. The senator seemed surprised to see two daughters walking up the drive, but once he had recovered, he was welcoming to Anne. Both he and Liz were actually happy to see her, for the sake of having someone new to parade around the house, showing off the view and the furniture, and the overall quaint style of living they had adopted. Penny (who, much to the chagrin of Mrs. Russell, showed no signs of moving on) charred breakfast for them while the Elliots caught up. Since the senator and Liz were in a chatty mood, Anne did a lot of listening. Once they found out their social circles were not in wretched misery without their presence, they had little interest in what Anne had to say about the Kellynch House, and no interest at all in Uppercross. Everything was about The Vineyard. They gushed over it - everything had met with or exceeded their expectations. Their house was the best on this end of the island; the view from the second-floor bedrooms was to die for; the seafood was unbeatable. Most importantly, everyone wanted to be their friend. Old friends from D.C. invited them out, they made new acquaintances on the fly, and now they could not keep up with all the invitations that came their way.

    “Just today, Liz has an outing with the Ambassador's wife to China,” By this, the senator meant the US ambassador to China’s wife, not that Liz and this wife were going to China - Liz would never travel on such short notice. “I have golf with Congressman Wyal this afternoon, and we are all invited to a clambake at the Stanley’s for dinner!”

    “Wow,” Anne tried. She was not amazed at it, but she felt the distinct lack of understanding on her father’s part of their entire situation. He felt like the king of society, but their financial situation was akin to that of postponing a heart attack. All of the people depending on him for work were in a holding pattern, treading water. But he was here, holding court. So Anne smiled, and tried to be happy for him and Liz.

    Popularity had not been the only source of happiness for the Elliots; they had Sam Beckett, too. Anne had to hear more about him than the clambake. His crimes against the Elliot name had not only been pardoned, he was now in favor with both the senator and Liz. He had run into them at a party, and immediately started to mend the fence. Apparently he was so friendly, and apologized so quickly (an accomplishment of Herculean standards amongst the male lawyer crowd) for every wrong or misunderstanding that they could not help themselves. He obviously longed to be forgiven and brought back into the fold, and neither Liz nor the senator were entirely merciless. Who can withhold grace when attention and devotion like that are being bestowed upon them? Besides, his wife had died the summer before, leaving him alone in Boston, far away from his family. They were all on good terms with him, just like before. They could find no fault with him.

    “And he explained everything about before,” Penny added, unplugging the smoking toaster.

    “It was all a misunderstanding,” the Senator clarified. “He didn’t mean to just leave Liz. Apparently he thought she was moving on with someone else. Of course, he didn’t want to accuse her of anything untoward, he’s too sensitive for that. So he tried to move himself on, to let Liz be free. One evening, just needing to get things off his chest, he explained the situation to an old childhood sweetheart. It was just a case of one thing leading to another.” According to Sam, she had chased him, not the other way around. And when you think you’ve just been rejected, the only thing you want is to be wanted by someone. Lonely for all of two weeks, you had to understand him acting irrationally. It wasn’t her money, that never could’ve pulled him away - it had all been misunderstanding and dejection. The senator accepted it all, and moved on.

    “He has a friend, Steven Wallis, who has known him since college and works with him at some firm in Boston. He’s confirmed all of it, and said it was the darkest he’s ever seen Sam.” Liz was not quite as all-forgiving as her father.

    “There is something called a cell phone most people use to clear up miscommunications,” she commented. “But we’re friends again. Arm’s length friends. For now.”

      All Anne could do was listen in amazement. Reconciliation, just like that? She knew for sure she was getting an embellished story from her family, but she also could not help but feel there was more to know on Sam’s side as well. For years he had never shown the slightest penitence, and had seemed to be gleefully flipping off the entire Elliot family. Why circle back now, when rekindling the relationship would require humility? He was already wealthy, he was a successful lawyer in his own right, and he had plenty of fancy connections. He didn’t need Senator Walter for anything. Maybe he was hanging around for Liz’s sake? It stood to reason that they had liked each other well enough in the past. Now that monetary concerns and circumstance were out of the way, he could invest in a relationship that he liked. Anne’s nose wrinkled a bit, and not just from the sharp smell of yogurt that was going bad, but still going in the green smoothies. Liz was beautiful, could be driven, and had a dazzling, bubbling persona. But her self. Had Sam ever seen that? Anne was afraid that her sister’s temperament and thoughtfulness would not hold up well under a more thorough investigation. But maybe that was what Liz and Sam wanted - to be partnered with a persona. Masks do not require the difficulties and hard talks, forgiveness and acceptance that a true self requires. Anne could tell Liz was more interested in him than she let on by the looks she and Penny exchanged any time he was mentioned. When Anne said she thought she had run into him in Beaufort, they all said it was possible, since he had been out of town recently. They couldn’t stop to listen to her description, though, because they were busy describing him themselves. Senator Walter was particularly impressed with his looks, and the expensive suits he chose to wear at dinner parties. He did lament,

    “Time has not been kind...the ten years all show on his face. He even has some grey already. Maybe that’s what happens when you stay in law.” He shrugged sadly, then perked back up. “He said I haven’t changed a bit, though. It was weird to accept the compliment when I couldn’t exactly return it. Don’t get me wrong though, he still looks better than most of the guys around here. And the same for his friend, Steven Wallis. I hear his wife is very beautiful, which might make up for a lot of the others on the coast.” The worst part about Vineyard society was the sheer number of plain women. Not that there were no pretty women, but the proportions were grossly out of balance. 

     Whenever the senator went to walk, he always passed thirty or forty plain faces before encountering one striking one. He had sat in a froyo shop one day and actually counted as they passed by eighty-seven ladies that did not meet the senator’s standards had walked by. Eighty-seven in a row. “It was a foggy morning,” he admitted. “So allowances should be made. Most women can’t withstand a lot of fog rolling in. But do you know what? The men here might be even worse!” The horrors! In fact, Senator Walter hypothesized that the lack of beautiful women directly correlated with the ugly men. With no handsome men to inspire them, how could the female population be expected to look remarkable? The senator never walked anywhere with Steven Wallis (a tall, sandy-haired man) without feeling all female eyes drawn to his new friend. Heads turned all the way down the beach to look at him. Modest Senator Walter! But he was not allowed to escape praise and petting. Liz and Penny chorused that some of the attention was certainly directed his way. Since agreeing with the majority is a matter of politeness for a politician, he had to admit this to be true.

    “How is Mary looking?” The senator asked generously. “The last time I saw her, her nose was bright red, and the rest of her was pale.”

    “In general, her health has been really good since I got there. She was able to spend more time outside, which was good for her, I think.” They were interrupted by a cheerful knock on the front door.

    “It’s early in the day for anyone to be visiting!” the senator observed. “What is it, ten?” Seeing Anne’s confusion, he explained, “Island time!” with an ill-advised dance that was supposed to symbolize laid-back, partying island lifestyle.

    “I think that was Sam’s knock!” Penny exclaimed, prompting Liz to gallop to the front door. Penny was right. In walked the same stranger Anne had bumped into on the beach. The only thing different about him was his clothing; he had swapped shorts and a t-shirt for tailored jeans and a crisp button-down.

    “I’m sorry for stopping in so early.” He apologized with the air of someone who is entirely sure they are already forgiven, flashing a dimpled smile at Liz. “I was just driving by, and wanted to make sure nobody got sick from jumping in the water last night. The ocean up here is a lot colder than where you’re from. I even brought cold medicine!” He proffered a plastic drugstore bag, which Liz set on the counter behind her.

     “Sam, I don’t know if you’ve met my youngest daughter, Anne,” the senator pulled Anne gently to the front of the small crowd. There was no reason for him to remember Mary at the moment. Recognizing features he remembered well, Sam’s face lit up. Anne smiled and felt her face turning a little red, holding her hand out.

    “I saw you in Beaufort!” he said. “If I had known who you were, I would have introduced myself. Well, I guess now I get the chance: Hi, I’m Sam Beckett. It’s nice to meet you.”

    “Anne Elliot,” she returned his smile. “I’m glad to actually meet you.” His face looked better when it was animated by a conversation. He was very expressive in words, and his manner was so easy and comfortable, she could only compare interacting with him with one other. They were not at all the same, but equally good.

      After he joined them in the living room, the whole conversation improved. He had both common sense and intelligence, ten minutes proved that. The way he talked, the way he listened, his choices of subject, and knowing where to stop were all the operation of a sensible, discreet mind. As soon as he could, he turned the subject to Beaufort, wanting to swap opinions with Anne, and find out how they had been staying in the same hotel (and apologize again for having not recognized her). She gave him an abbreviated version of what they had been doing in Beaufort.

    “It’s really too bad!” he said. “I spent that whole night alone in my room. I even walked through the lobby for takeout menus and saw your group. You were all laughing and having such a great time that I tried to come up with an excuse to introduce myself. I couldn’t drum one up, so I just ate pizza in my room and watched Seinfeld reruns. Well, serve me right for not asking enough questions. When I was a kid, I was always embarrassed when my mom asked nosy questions in restaurants or hotels, so I resolved to never ever do that. Just goes to show you that the decisions of your youth should be reconsidered as we all get older.” He could not just talk to Anne, and he knew it. There were other demands on his attention, so he re-entered the greater conversation with the others, and could only occasionally return to Anne and Beaufort. Eventually, the accident came up. He wanted to know all the details: the lead up, where she had hit her head, the hospital, and recovery. Anne found it almost unsettling to have someone listening so intently. When he questioned, Liz and Senator Walter jumped in with their own inquiries - but theirs were more out of obligation than genuine interest. The visit lasted for about an hour, then Sam decided it was time to go - he did not want to overstay his welcome.

      Once Sam had left the house, the Elliots scattered. Liz and Penny walked down to the beach to enjoy what was left of the morning sun, Senator Walter went out to meet a new friend at the club, and Anne went to work unloading her car. She had been allotted the guest room in the back corner of the house, first floor. It was small, but it had big windows that looked out on scrubby seaside greenery so she was content with it. Anne dragged in her suitcases, book bags, and the few decorative items she’d brought. When she was little, she had read a book called Betsy and the Emperor in which the heroine claimed she always packed light for quick escapes. Maybe that was why she tried to need less. Anne had just started to put her clothes into the drawers when Mrs. Russell rang the doorbell. Greeting her with a hug, Anne let her in and they caught up over an early lunch, talking a mile a minute. After a while, they ended up with Mrs. Russell seated on Anne’s bed, folding and handing clothes to Anne for putting away.

     Mrs. Russell was a little nervous to see Anne. Word had made its way through the grapevine of the certain someone who had been in Uppercross. All of her worries of finding a more defeated Anne were put to rest the moment she opened the door. Anne was walking taller and looked better than she had in years - at least, that’s what Mrs. Russell thought, and she told Anne so. With a little smile to herself, Anne wondered if it was the effect of having an admirer or two. Even she, her own biggest critic, could see the difference. Her appearance was a reflection of her mind, receiving a second wind. As they unpacked and talked, Anne realized just how big a shift had happened in her head. All the usual talk and D.C. chatter she was used to , the everyday concerns that had filled her mind in the Kellynch House, had taken a backseat in Uppercross. She had even forgotten where they were in the election cycle for a few minutes. When Mrs. Russell referred to their ordinary worries, talking about how happy she was with the cottage, and their prominence in the Vineyard crowd, Anne would have been embarrassed for her to know how much more she thought about Beaufort and Louise Musgrove. She was much more interested in the Harville’s home than the cottage in Hyannis, he mind more occupied by Ben Wick’s friendship than her sister’s irksome and ongoing friendship with Mrs. Clay. She had to force herself to focus on their normal topics, to ask the expected questions and give viable responses.

      Things were awkward until the elephant in the room received a nod. Of course the accident in Beaufort had to be talked about, Louise’s impulsiveness and the results it brought about had to be regretted, and Wentworth’s name had to leave both of their mouth. Anne could not talk about him and look Mrs. Russell straight in the eye until she had the excuse of explaining how he and Louise were on the brink of a serious relationship. After that, his name did not bother her any more. Mrs. Russell listened to this news stoically, and said she wished them the best. Internally, she had a slightly gleeful, bitter pleasure at seeing that the man who five years ago had seemed to understand the value of a girl like Anne Elliot now being charmed by a Louise Musgrove. ‘I hope he marries her,’ she reflected. ‘He will have no one that will understand and grow with his soul. It will die a slow death of half-birthday parties, and matching outfits, and nice but unimportant conversations.’ Her pleasant reverie was broken by Anne’s phone loudly heralding a Facetime call from Mary.

      Anne answered the call to find Mary and Charles finally at home, sitting in their athletic gear on their own worn-out couch in Uppercross. They had stayed (or maybe overstayed?) in Beaufort until that morning, when they drove back up to Virginia. When they left, Louise was walking the halls at rehab, taking things slowly but on a decidedly upward trend. They still were not sure when she could leave, since her head was still very tender and she couldn’t make any sudden movements without getting dizzy. All of the things Anne had packed in Mr. Musgrove’s car before he drove down there had come in handy - blankets, beach towels, candy, a tub of barbecue from Fred’s stand just outside Uppercross; all of it had helped them feel more at home. Mary had born with her hardships, but clearly since they had stayed so long she had found more to enjoy than to suffer. Chuck Hayter had been around more than she liked, but he was going back and forth to his internship, so that helped keep him out of the way.

    “We got to do so many things,” Mary enthused. “To keep our minds off the tense situation.” Both Anne and Mrs. Russell nodded sagely. “We went to the aquarium, and the pier, and back into Beaufort proper several times. Maria kept trying to feed us food full of gluten and corn, but when she heard about my cleanse she was really nice about it. And we toured the old church, and took a ghost tour. Hazel was a little scared to go on that, with all the stories about death after such a close call, but it was all just fun stories. I think me being around to get Hazel out of the house was exactly what she needed.”

    “How is Ben doing?” Anne asked. Instantly Mary’s face clouded over, and Charles laughed.

    “Oh, I’m sure he’s fine,” Mary said peevishly. “It’s just that he’s strange and unpredictable. We asked him to come back with us to Uppercross to talk to some of Charlie’s friends about job openings in the school, and we thought he was going to come stay with us. Then at the last minute, he made up some pathetic excuse about not being qualified. I’m sure he was just afraid of being bored, but I would have thought we were good enough company for a mopey young man like Ben Wick.” Charles was still amused by the whole situation.

    “C’mon Mary, you know what really happened. It’s actually all your fault, Anne,” he turned to face the camera. “He thought if he came to stay with us, he would find you nearby. When he found out you had moved to Hyannis, he bailed immediately.” At the reproachful look Mary shot him, he said, “You know it’s true!” Mary would not admit this, either because she didn’t think Ben was worthy of liking an Elliot, or because she didn’t like to think Anne was a bigger attraction to Uppercross than herself.

    “Well, I’m flattered that’s what you think happened, Charles,” Anne laughed, trying to smooth all the ruffled feathers.

    “It’s not just what I think,” Charles insisted. “You should hear how he talks about you!”

    “Charles, he never talks about Anne!” Mary cut in. “I think I’ve heard him mention her twice.” Addressing herself to the camera, “He never talks about you.”

     “Not all the time,” Charles acknowledged. “But when he does, it’s clear he thinks a lot of you. His head is full of some book you recommended, The Prophet I think? And he has found something in it. Oh, I can’t really remember. But it was something very lofty. I overheard him telling Hazel all about it, and how a steady diet of sad poetry isn’t good for the sould. And then,” his eyebrows arched wickedly. “He sang your praises. ‘Anne is such a sweetheart’,” he mimicked. “‘She has such a sharp mind. She’s an old soul, isn’t she? Just timeless and good.”

    “Charles!” she scolded teasingly. “You’re making me blush!” Of course she didn’t really mind. If flattering things have been said about you by a person you like and respect, you gladly pay the embarrassment toll.

    “Well, even if that is true, I don’t think it speaks well for Ben,” Mary grumped. “Faith Harville died just last summer. Don’t you think so, Mrs. Russell?”

    “I’m reserving judgement until I meet him,” she called over from sorting skirts in the closet.

    “Well, that’s likely to be sooner rather than later,” Charles said. “He has an old college friend in Plymouth, and is talking about visiting. I’m sure if he’s in the area, he’ll be stopping by to visit the incomparable Anne Elliot. Since he likes old things, I told him you were planning to walk the freedom Trail in Boston, and that maybe you could all go together. I thought it might be a good excuse,” he winked mischievously.

    “Any friend of Anne’s is a friend of mine,” Mrs. Russell replied graciously.

    “He’s more my friend, I was around him for four more days than Anne,” Mary said. “Well, a joint friend of yours, then - all the more reason to want to know him better.”

    “You won’t like him,” Mary informed her decidedly. “He’s one of the most boring men who ever lived. He drove Hazel and I around several times without saying a single word. I know you won’t care for him.”

    “There we differ, Mary,” Anne interjected mildly. “I’m pretty sure she would like him. I think she would like that he’s a thinker - and he’s quiet, but not shy.”

    “I agree with you, Anne,” Charles said. “He is just Mrs. Russell’s sort of man. Give him a book, and he’ll read all day.”

    “Yes, exactly!” Mary triumphed. “He just sits there, poring over his book, oblivious to anyone else in the room. Do you think Mrs. Russell would like that?” Mrs. Russell had to laugh, if only to partly alleviate the pressure of the uncomfortable quibble.

    “Since I pride myself on being a steady person, I can’t believe there’s such a divide in how I will react to one man. Mary, you can depend on hearing my opinion as soon as I have one, but I won’t give one before I’ve met the poor man.”

    “You won’t like him, I know it,” Mary repeated. Mrs. Russell changed the subject. Mary told her excitedly about seeing Sam Beckett from a distance.

    “There’s someone my opinion is decided on,” Mrs. Russell said. “I’m glad you didn’t talk to him.” Anne made a mental note to tell Mrs. Russell about her family’s new stance on Sam later. The finality in Mrs. Russell’s voice checked mary’s enthusiasm. She had to save her evaluation of knowing he was a good old Virginia boy for more appreciative ears later. Anne could not risk asking about Wentworth, but she heard about him, thanks to Mary’s verbose tendencies. As Louise got better, so did he. He was almost a different person compared to last Saturday. After Louise was out of imminent danger, he decided to travel back up to D.C. for the next week or two.

      After Anne explained the new situation with Sam Beckett, Mrs. Russell quickly recanted her position. She wanted to meet him very much, to form a new opinion - or maybe keep the old one. But she leaned towards forgiveness and reconciliation. If he really was sorry, and genuinely wanted to be friends again, there was no reason to let another influencer go to waste. The time with Mrs. Russell and a shower made Anne more ready to deal with plunging into the unknown that was a Vineyard dinner party. The title of clambake was meant to make it sound folksy, but no actual picnic required an updo and a working knowledge of which fork to use for salad. Mrs. Russell had taken to it like a fish to water - these were her people, after all. At the party in her floral dress, Anne knew for sure these were not her people - these were the people who walked right past her secretary’s desk. People who didn’t remember that Senator Walter had another daughter, or that she had been the one behind their ‘Get Fast, Get Fit’ campaign. Over the next couple of days, Anne’s discomfort for the elite’s elite cemented. She had a quiet but persistent dislike for the whole game; but she was in Hyannis, like it or not. So she sharpened her pencils, and organized a flowchart for research, and prepared to make the best of it.

I need to figure out Anne’s magic recipe for acquiring two new admirers per week. Even if they’re not the right one or utterly worthless, my vanity would be a little happy.

Chapter 14: http://bit.ly/2vAnktB

[heroesoftherepublic-blog]

The Amazing and Fantastic Promethia!

 The site was not chosen by accident.

The hills over which the city of Veii once sprawled were mined by tunnels, open wounds left by the Roman conquest. Centuries might have passed, and yet the opportunity for scarring was never granted to the city.

Veii was once the richest community of the Etruscan League, perhaps of the entire peninsula. First among equals, maestros of culture and finance. Nobody expected the Gauls to defeat the “civilized people.” Nobody expected the scum that lived in a place called Rome to break free. Even as the city was taken, everyone expected the Romans would just leave their burnt and filthy hideouts and be assimilated by the grandiose Etruscan culture.

Nobody expected the stubborn determination of the Citizens of Romulus, who gutted Veii and butchered it for all that it had good, stone by stone using its carcass to give Rome a second foundation.

No longer the center of the world, why would the affluent and novelty-hungry elites even bother to rebuild Veii? They moved to Rome and beyond, taking away any chance the city would have to be reborn.

Nobody that expects anything chooses Veii; nobody chooses Veii. Only the most desperate of the dejected poor, people that the moment they have a piece of silver to their name depart to more auspicious slums.

It is not to say that nothing grows among sewers neglected for centuries, poisoned wells, ransacked buildings, feral dog packs and clogged aqueducts. One crop finds this soil fertile enough.

Discontentment.

And so, the gathering came to pass. Hooded figures slowly made their way to a large underground chamber, created not by intentional engineering, but by the collapse of two major tunnels. Being this close to Rome made Veii the perfect hideout for those seeking to plant a knife in its vulpine underbelly.

They made a purple multitude, if one was feeling kind or colorblind. If you had to live in Veii you would have to make do with the cheapest dyes, and some probably just soaked their rags in something or someone’s blood. Discussion was well and alive, like barrels of pitch rolled along arguments, looking for a metaphoric spark. All they needed was a good kick and a target.

The bulkiest of the hooded men, with some actual purple pigment dyed in, stood over the gathering. A greasy beard poked out of his mask, refusing to be restrained. He tried to impose some illusion of order by punching the wall, causing dust and dirt to fall on the audience.

“How many times we have been over this? The Temple of Saturn is too hot, it is impossible to rob. Are you too dense to understand my problem with it? It is in the god-crammed Forum.” He shouted left and right, punctuating with additional punches.

“We have to keep trying!” Someone close to the front shouted back; the bearded one grabbed him by the tip of the hood and gave him a good shake.

“It is the third time this month that some idiot tried. Everyone has the same brilliant idea; everyone thinks they will be the one that makes it. The magistrates are distracted, they will never notice me. The Crows and Eagles are a thing of the past, I am stronger, faster and smarter than any Roman. Everyone of worth is up North with the legions, I can allow myself to be careless, foolish and stupid. The sheer arrogance. Is anyone here that much blind? Step ahead, if you want to be used for thunderbolt practice so badly I can make your wish come true!

“B-but Grand Veiente, we cannot free our brothers without money! The Carthaginians no longer want to have anything to do with us ever since that Sicilian fiasco, no matter how much we dye our hoods.” A dissident voice safely in the back uttered, receiving words and nods of agreement from his neighbors. “We can only deal with pirates, and they know exactly how much we need those. They keep raising the prices and show no intention of stopping soon. We need the Treasure that Roman greed begot. We have no other choice.

A long exasperated sigh.

“Put something in that thick head of yours.” The beard clenched his fists one against the other. “Unless you can wield the power of Tinia or withstand a thunderous discharge, you are not prepared even to steal a latrine in the Palatinate. Forget about the city of Rome entirely. I pondered about this for a long time and came up with an alternative.”

The Grand Veiente threw a silver coin towards some of the rebellious murmurs in the back.

“What is this?” One said, picking it up. “Is it meant to mean something to us? Seems like some Roman coin.”

“Wrong!” Shouted the Grand Veiente. “What is important is how non-Roman the coin is! Romans do not make coins, Romans use coins. This one, like all the others, are mined in the South and minted in either Sicilia or one of the Greek colonies. Since it all comes from the outside, all we have to do is intercept the silver while it is in its way to Rome.”

“That has to be even more dangerous than stealing from the Temple of Saturn.” Pointed out one of the women as she adjusted her hood. “Any coin shipment will be heavily guarded and their route and scheduled a well-kept secret. They will not send any auxiliary forces whose loyalty is not absolute, so it would be quite hard for us to infiltrate them or apply coercion.”

This seemed to satisfy the beard.

“Finally, someone here is thinking their plans through. You are correct, under normal circumstances this would be a futile attempt. However, we were able to come upon a secret weapon.” The Grand Veiente signaled towards someone outside the chamber, some poor half-dead miserable, legs and arms bandages that covered the burns but did little about the stinking ointments that were feebly trying to save his life. “This brother of us managed to grasp a boon from the latest fiasco. During the failed assault, they stumbled upon some Vestalis nailing some public announcements and official edicts. Without a Lictor bodyguard, it was easy to taker her as a valuable hostage.”

“Where is the Vestalis?” A rebel inquired. “We do not need to rob anyone, we can demand a prisoner’s exchange!”

“A Triumphant took him away from her before she could be smuggled out of the Temple, and foolishly let our brother escape. You see, he had taken something from the Vestalis.”

The Grand Veiente revealed a signet ring with the sigil of a flame protected by an arc.

“Only the ruling consuls can order the coinage of a new batch of coins, and like any other official document issued by the Senate and the People of Rome, which has to be audited, authenticated and archived by the priestesses at the Temple of Vesta. The gods support ours endeavors, and they have seen that Gaius Atilius Regulus was taken to the Underworld. “Another glimpse of the signet. “With this ring, we can forge a letter from the dead consul, prepared and sent before his untimely death. In it he orders more coins to help with the war effort and establishes very strict instructions of how the delivery should be made and the identities of the escort force. Needless to say, they will be our own brothers.”

“Wow! That is quite impressive!” Another feminine voice interrupted. Everyone turned around, looking for its owner. They found a tiny and plump woman, that somehow had not been noticed until now. Even if she was wearing quite the nice hood and cloak, which happened to be dyed with an intense and expensive pigment. “That could actually have worked! I must confess, here I was, dismissing you all as a bunch of idiots. I should have known better than to underestimate other people.”

“Identify yourself!” Demanded the beard. The woman obeyed, the visage revealed disturbing everyone around her. The leader stepped back, as his gaze painted the gentle wrinkled face of an elderly woman.

“Mother?”

The tender smile turned into a malicious smirk, the intruder throwing the hood towards the Grand Veiente, spinning her cloak in a wide circle, clearing a path. The terrorists seemed in shock, unable to do anything but express their surprise and horror.

“What are you doing here?”

“No, no, it cannot be you…”

“What are you even wearing?”

Each of them seemed to react as if they were seeing someone different but always familiar, giving in to chaos and failing in presenting a unified answer. Laughing at their lack of discipline, the intruder escaped the center of the chamber and revealed herself in all her glory to the Grand Veiente, touching her noise with the index middle fingers as she winked with her left eye.

After the event and comparing their notes, none of the presents would remember the same physical impression of the woman. However, they all could agree on what she was wearing. A white and blue tunic not long enough for all the women perceived, showing quite a lot of leg and leaving the arms revealed as it gently wrapped around her neck. The most curious element was her heavy, bulky scarf, a military focale of vivid dark red.

The paralyzed terrorists finally started reacting, snapping due to the furious commands of their leader.

“It is a trick! It is one of them! TRIUMPHANT! Do not let her escape these tunnels!”

“Come here, boys.” The invader invited. “I will be very displeased if anyone escapes.”

“Get her!”

She did not show any terror, nor did she take any defensive stance or tried to evade the circle of attackers. All she did was lower her arms in a rapid arc, the sheer flow of power levitating her a few millimeters off the ground. The clothing of the closest caught fire, while the exposed skin of another one suffered as if boiling water had been spilled all over it. This caused other terrorists to hesitate. However, they would never have guessed that these were just the obvious collateral effects of her unleashing of power; she did not waste time reacting to their bumbling approach. The woman once again raised her arms and lowered her head, eyes semi-closed and blinking furiously. A fragmented crown of light arched over her head. The very air seemed to dry up, as if all the underground moisture had been sucked out of the tunnels.

The arms once again descended as the woman twirled around herself.

An extremely precise heat wave suddenly flooded the tunnels, triggering the most basic instincts of the terrorists. They ran away, trampling and stumbling over each other. As their strength was sapped away, one by one they gave in to unconsciousness.

Touching the ground, the woman shook her head, disappointed.

“This was quite anti-climatic.” She pouted, grabbing one of the hoods. She pinched it, the dye staining her finders and the fabric ripping apart. “How embarrassing, I had to pick up a fight with such light-weights.”

She shrugged. It was a good test drive for her abilities. All she needed to do was recover what she sought in Veii and this first outing would be a flawless success.

The Grand Veiente had fallen just like the others, the signet forsaken a meter away from him. As the woman lowered to pick it up, she sensed movement behind her. She tried to raise and turn her head as fast as she could, only to find herself facing the bearded leader. A quick and brutal headbutt left her dizzy, but she tightened her grasp around the signet, refusing to let go. All her world was pain and the smell of blood. Her opponent lifted her with only one hand, clenching her chin and pushing her against the wall. She struggled and kicked him, feeble attempts to free herself.

“Really? You must be the weakest Triumphant I ever heard about. You are nothing but cheap parlour tricks.” The Grand Veiente snarled. “This is exactly what I expected from a Roman. I do not even know if you are a woman or not, but wearing that face is not going to save you. What is what you people say? Ah yes. Memento Mori.”

As the man balanced himself to deliver a devastating punch, the woman took a deep bite into the hand holding her, forcing a release. The fist struck the wall, debris and dirt covering both of them. Trying to recover her breath, she tried to gain some distance. The terrorist leader chuckled and grabbed the points of her scarf, pushing with so much strength that her neck almost snapped like a dry branch.

“You used to have to be someone special to play the myths and receive a Triumph. I am surprised that someone would awaken a divine spark and still be so feeble.” The Grand Veiente declared. “It seems a poor receptacle ruins even the best grapes. Your festering city could not ask for a more fitting champion.”

He forced the woman to turn. The only hint of what was going to happen was her eyes rolling. A jet of flames was the answer to the insults, igniting his clothes and burning most of its torso. As the man struggled to avoid system shock, she put off the smoldering tips of her scarf. Finally free, she clenched over the Grand Veiente.

“Go ahead, she-wolf. You have claimed your prize. Leave.”

The Triumphant landed her sandal against the bearded face of the terrorist, pinning its head against the floor. She proceeded to make her position known.

“You know why you are nothing? I need you to understand before I can leave.” She uttered with soft voice, refusing the call of loud fury.

“Because of you. You took everything from us!”

“No, you gave it away. You threw it away, we took it just like any other people would take it. And even if you got it you would throw it away over and over again. And why do I know that? Because you are a little sad creature that believes that avoiding using excessive force is a show of weakness. You see us as tyrants and you do not want to free yourself; you just want to replace us.”

Even as he was struggling for his life, the Grand Veinete laughed.

“Oh, that is just so precious. You think you won.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“This is not your so-called republic, she-wolf. Do you think we need to sniff each other’s butts until we come to a consensus? I do not need or care for the opinion of these fools! I did not sit idle holding the signet. The letter was forged, the men picked and the plan was already set in motion.”

Her eyes narrowed as she applied more pressure with her foot.

“This could all end here.”

“What happened to withholding power?” He groaned.

“From where I stand? I would not need much to finish the job.”

“Go ahead. Show the sheepherders how hungry the wolves are.” The terrorist babbled on, unable to keep his eyes open. “Let them fear losing more sheep, let them unite for some wolf-hunting.”

“I’m just wasting my time...”

The woman turned away and left, trying to make her way out of the tunnels. Of course, it had to be tunnels again; nothing good happens underground.

Almost there. She could already see the light. Such a beautiful day, why did they insist in turning it miserable by hiding beneath the ground?

“You really need to be more aware of your surroundings.” A voice chasing after her pointed out. The Triumphant turned to face another woman, sweating as she leaned on the tunnel walls.

“I recognize you! You were the one actually saying something smart!”

“Forget about that.” The woman dragged herself closer, an inquisitive look in her face “Why do you look like me? That is what I am supposed to look like? I’m not imagining things, right? That is supposed to be me.”

“Pretty clever, don’t you think?” The Triumphant gave a little shake and a wink. “I wanted to be an inspiring.”

The other one was silent on how disturbing the pantomime actually was.

“Right. That. Forget about it, I followed you because I heard what you said.” The Triumphant’s face beamed with an almost childish eagerness, eyes sparkling in anticipation. “This is a way to do things different from the one I am used to; that was not the brutality and oppression I came to expect from your side. When I saw the Grand Veiente grab you, I was marked with the ease with which he did that to you; the fact that you were a Roman did not weigh in my mind. Our cells are filled with people like that. I always knew there was an alternative way to do this, that we are not supposed to escalate the savagery against each other as conflicts arise.

The Triumphant opened her arms as if to hug her, but she stepped back, hands raised.

“Do not get me wrong. I still despise your people; Veii is still a ruin. The Grand Veiente was right when he said we need to join together and put you down. I am not your client or you friend, I am someone that has decided that if we are to stand against Rome we have to offer something besides a replacement tyrant. “She opened her arms wide, as she also exposed her neck. “Perhaps this was not what you sought to inspire. Perhaps you should burn me right now.”

Her own face worn by another turned serious.

“What is your name?”

“Aritimesia.” She replied, defiant.

“You know something is not right in the world and you are trying to change it. I am happy for you, Aritimesia. I wish the best Fortune to you.”

The Triumphant climbed back into the light, a deep feeling of dread twisting in her stomach. She felt as if she was making a terrible mistake.

“Tarentum.”

Turning one last time, back to the woman still shrouded by darkness.

“If he sent the letter to somewhere, it has to the Tarentum mint. You should start there.”

An exchange of nods, both wondering about the future.