Final notes AKA The Great Finale!
As I hate it when something I read gets dropped off on a cliffhanger, here I am sharing what I had planned for "Son of the Black" before the Trollhunters movie came and killed my inspiration for the fandom. I am happy all you who have read this story liked it, thanks for waiting.
The whole thing with Angor Rot was planned to be more personal, since Angor sold his soul in exchange for power to protect his people from Gunmar. In my story he has a personal grudge against Jim/Jatar, so he is much more cooperative and willing to help the changelings even without direct orders from the ring. He is also more cruel in that regard, wanting to make the 'Spawn of Gunmar' suffer as much as possible because he can't get to the big bad Gunmar himself. He either mocks Jatar or calls him his father's spawn, something Jim wants to not have a part of.
Another thing I planned here was for the Janus order to be more involved than in cannon. With Strickler on the run, there'd be no one to act as a bridge between the main cast and the secret changeling organization. With Otto as the new leader, things will get more serious, since Otto can change into anyone at a hat's drop, he cares not about human identities and even uses that fact actively by replacing the principal, then for a short moment Strickler to try and bait Jim, he also uses his position as (fake) principal to get some of his people in the school without much suspicion. He also has no qualms of taking people hostage, nor does he care about their lives. In this story I was planning to unleash what the Janus order could have been- a real threat comparable to Gunmar and Morgana but in a more devious and sneaky way.
Also, the fact that Jim/Jatar doesn't fall for the fake Strickler bait led Otto to the conclusion that there was someone on the inside giving information to the Trollhunters. He immediately suspects the people that have worked with Strickler – mainly Nomura and NotEnrique. This puts them in a tough spot, but since NotEnrique did help them a few times he gets extra protection in the form of charms Jim created around Claire's house. Nomura is not so lucky, since she antagonized them in the museum and had no one to lean on. Eventually Otto would have decided to just put one of his loyal followers in the museum instead of wasting resources on keeping an eye on a loose card like Nomura. She escapes with her life and is desperate when she remembers NotEnrique telling her a few things about the Trollhunters before he cut contact with her. So, she decides to try her luck, even if the odds are stacked against her. Somehow, she manages to get a safe space… but as something as a captive, put under watch. She begrudgingly accepts, since it is better than being dead.
I planned Draal visiting Nomura and talking things out eventually. She had really been interested in him, she hadn't been lying but because he tested her with a gaggletack, everything was ruined. I planned to eventually have things settle down, for them to start letting her be and do things, not to mention the spark between her and Draal was ignited again. Well, the thing to really convince the Trollhunters let Nomura be part of the group, if only a side-member, is an assassination attempt on her by an undercover changeling where she almost dies. The assassin poofs themselves into dust to not be captured and interrogated.
They still use the Fetch to send Chompsky to investigate, nothing new there. The new thing is that Gunmar has an additional personal message for Jatar.
Along with the Fetch, in the last chapter Claire also stuffed some papers and books in her backpack. In one journal was how the Janus order was sent to search for the Triumbic stones. In is this information that spurs Blinky to also dig up information about them but it would take him time.
Another two or more attempts were made by Angor to kill Jim but he failed, one of them actually did include kidnapping the real Barbara. That frustrated the Assassin, so it also frustrated the Trollhunters. They discover Otto (as the principal) had the ring that can control Angor and decide to steal it, but how if the changeling is never away from it and always on guard/in public? Blinky suggests getting the Chrono-thingy to use its powers to stop time and steal the ring without notice, Claire is also in because getting one of the Triumbic stones is leading her closer to her brother. Having a way to actually fight Gunmar is a huge plus to her cause.
Things go a bit different there, yes, Blinky and Toby still het trapper in Gato's stomach, but this time Blinky knows about the Chrono-thing and when it starts to erupt, he uses it (once to test if it works and once to get Toby out safely) to save himself and the easily-burnable human with him. That again leaves Jim with one try.
This time, when the ring is broken, Angor goes even more crazy than in canon. He actually captures an unsuspecting Trollmarket citizen and steals their Horngazel, then disposes of the body. He gets in and starts rampaging, the trolls there are scared, panicking and trying to hide from the mad assassin. Team Trollhunters comes to try and stop him, but he has Creeper's sun poison blades, so it is dangerous to go near. Here I planned the reveal for Trollmarket to happen – Angor will be shouting and mocking Jim/Jatar, so it is impossible to not reveal his true identity. Eventually, Angor will force Jim to revert to his true form for all present to see as the two powerful trolls fight their way through Trollmarked, slashing and throwing magic at each other. Jatar, with the help of his friends, manages to get the crazed Angor away from the populated areas and into the Forge, but that is a mistake. A sudden vision staggers Angor as the close proximity to the heartstone, amulet and bridge causes Morgana to be able to send commands to him directly. Angor would then use the fact he had the souls of dead Trollhunters still within him to take the amulet and under Morgana's order to unleash Gunmar. Jim would have then decided to sacrifice himself, he manages to wrench out the amulet out of Angor's control and stab the assassin with one of his blades, turning Angor into brittle stone, but the rush attack caused Jim to fall into the closing portal. Leaving him stranded there, the amulet without a user and his friends in a tough spot. Aarrrgh, worried, looks down at the small nick he received while fighting the crazy assassin. It is then that he is poisoned.
Now the stakes are even higher than in canon – not only is Jim in danger, but without his armor, all of Trollmarket is now aware of who he is and a lot of them are scared and would rather have him gone than have someone with Gunmar's blood run free, Toby and Claire now have to be sneaky about their attempt to rescue Jim, since the only thing stopping some trolls from grinding the bridge into dust is Vendel.
The kids, with the help of Blinky, Aarrrgh, Draal, Nomura, NotEnrique and Barbara have to work fast to find the stones, recover the bridge and get it to somehow open without a Trollhunter. Claire and Toby actually managed to snag not only the amulet but also the Shadow staff and Angor's magical eye from Trollmarket and sneak out before the mob gathered. Not the unofficial Trollhunters HQ is in Barbara's basement. Barbara gives Jim cover by saying he is sick, also tells Claire's parents she comes to help him study while in reality they are trying to get the Triumbic stones.
They manage to get the stone form the Quagawumps with only minor changeling assassin interference and Toby gets new allies for the team. The eyestone is a bit mor difficult to get because Strickler already had it, but they manage to decipher his notes and find where he hid it. Meanwhile, the unrest in Trollmarket has diminished a bit thanks to Vendel's and Draal's efforts but then Ursuna arrives and the keg is yet again about to explode thanks to her machinations.
Jim is having a hard time, even while using his magic, it is hard to escape the almost unending waves of dangers and the zombie army of his father. On the plus side he does manage to get in contact with the others through the Fetch and keep them updated, he also manages to get baby Enrique through the portal a while before he gets captured and eventually brought before his father.
I hoped to make Gunmar into something more than the pure evil troll overlord. He does care for his family in this fic, to some extend. Just how in canon he was angry for the death of Bular, even though he could have dismissed it as a missed opportunity. He really did care for Jatar. He had been worried when neither of his children was found in the Darklands, then he learned that Bular was outside and that Jatar was gone, presumed dead. He had been worried, he grieved for a short moment before he became angry for the apparent death of his child, he eventually accepted the loss. Then he was shocked, betrayed that the child he thought to have lost was not only alive and the Trollhunter but also killed his other child. The emotions had warred inside him for a full day before he settled on the familiar feeling of anger and betrayal. He let it simmer in his chest until it turned into poison. He could have given Jatar chance to talk, just how if Bular had stopped for a bit and listened to his brother, he would not have been dead. Now Gunmar has decided that instead of thinking and actually seeing his son, he'd send his zombie minions and try to break Jatar's spirit. He let his anger lead him again instead of his mind. (I hoped to get something similar to how Luke and Vader had to fight and was inevitable, when the two are standing in the opposite sides of a long conflict and it is inevitable.)
With Ursuna now in Trollmarket and pulling the strings, it would be even harder to get to the bridge, even with the 3 stones and amulet in their hands. With the use of fear, plus using Aarrrgh's worsening condition as excuse to stay longer, Ursuna manages to convince the Tribunal to dispose of the bridge, despite Vendel's attempts to convince them that it is not needed. They decide to throw the pieces in the depths, but just like in canon Claire has unlocked some of the abilities of the shadow staff and manages to portal them. They get stuck a bit, delayed, almost run out of air and get crushed by pressure but manage to assemble the bridge in the woods. Now they only need to find a way to open it and get to Jim. Aarrrgh's not feeling good at this point and might be gone soon, but Nomura informs them that someone from the Order might have a cure.
Otto's evil machinations would rear their head up again and he'd use the opportunity to make the kids take Vendel's staff but to also shake the trust of the Trollmarket citizens even more, with Ursuna stoking the flames of doubt, some trolls start suspecting the kids and the others might be spies or brainwashed, or evil (there are other theories too).
It would be hard to get the ingredients for the potion without much help, but they somehow manage it. Aarrrgh takes the cure but at first it seems to have failed, that it was too late or Otto tricked them, they are devastated. On the brink of death, Aarrrgh has a vision as Kanjigar's spirit visits him and instructs him what to do. Basically the same Kajiaarrrgh thing but in the forest, then they hurry to the bridge.
Jim is pretty tired by then, having to fight for many days on end with little to no food or rest, his magic is almost drained and Gunmar has not even spared him a second glance outside of the gladiatorial fights. What he doesn't know is that his father is always watching him carefully from the eyes of his zombie minions. The warlord sometimes contemplates, yet still refuses to actually talk directly to his son or try to LISTEN to what he has to say. He refuses to acknowledge the change Jatar has gone through.
Claire, Toby, Nomura and Aarrrgh are the ones to go through the bridge, Blinky goes back to Trollmarket to keep an eye on things and cause a distraction if necessary. I am still unsure if it would have happened if I had continued the story, but Blinky may have pulled a stunt like how in the show he threatened a changeling with the magical equivalent of a grenade. Well, not as extreme but enough to make some trolls do a double-take, like 'Wow, didn't know he had it in him?' and 'Oh, Gorgus! This troll is MAD! He's gonna kill us all!'.
Things get dicey when Gunmar decides to finally face his son… but IN COMBAT! He decides not to use the Decimaar blade as a type of mercy, he says to Dictatious and the others, but actually the thought of robbing his only living child of their free will/soul, even if he feels betrayed by them, makes him feel like he bit into something vile like a pumpkin or a well-done steak. They fight, Jim is weakened and Gunmar, with his many centuries of experience and power starts to overwhelm the young troll.
Claire, Toby, Nomura and Aarrrgh face a few monster worms on the way to the arena but manage to get there to see Gunmar kicking Jim in the gut, making the young troll fall ant tumble a few meters, then the warlord raising his blade as if he is about to do a finishing move. Claire is quick, she ties the two Triumbic stones in a handkerchief she has and throws them at Jim, he catches them and rolls away from his father, tearing the cloth with his teeth and quickly shoving the stones in their places. He is delighted to find he now has a get of daggers – something he IS an expert in using. Gunmar is distracted, not expecting to see humans in the Darklands but also to be disarmed by a well-aimed dagger throw. Jim takes the chance and runs out of there like the devil is chasing him (kinda is in that situation). Gunmar quickly recovers and orders for his servants to go after them, he also runs towards the open gate. After that, things go pretty much how in canon, Draal comes to help, they escape, bridge closes, but in meantime Gunmar and a few others also managed to slip out, I may have added some banter between Nomura and Draal.
Then Ursuna steps in, the commotion attracted attention and eventually the bridge pieces are back in Trollmarket, under lock and guard by the Krubera and Jim is captured and tried in front of the Tribunal. Pretty much same farce of a trial with the exception that now he is tried for opening the bridge, being the son of Gunmar and potentially trying to free his father (baseless statements but the evil queen uses it). He is tossed into the pit but not before a whole vision of the previous Trollhunters. Most are not happy both with what's happening, who Jatar/Jim is and what he did. He argues with them, gets to see what life could have been if he never met Barbara and left town (surprise, it was not good!) and all his doubts are cleared, he knows what he must do, so even if all the trolls are against him, he'd fight anyone to protect his friends and family!
Vendel gets assassinated by Ursuna and the kids see it but she puts the blame on them and they are chased down. Draal and Nomura join them in their escape and they move in Barbara's basement for now, later Jim surprises them along with Blinky and Aarrrgh. He had managed to defeat the thing in the pit, sneaked out using some magic after finally resting for a bit and then helped the two trolls to also sneak out with some important books from the library while hiding the others in a secret tunnel that jim sealed with magic. Things are really rough but at least they are back together and Jim didn't die.
The kids spend a few weeks trying to stop both Gunmar's forces (those that did manage to slip out), the Janus order and a few stray monsters like the Gruesome. I felt that this part dragged a bit but that's why I would have time skipped to the juicy bits where, under Ursuna's tyrannical iron fist, the trolls of Trollmarket don't feel safe. She shuts any opposition without mercy, crushes any protests and makes example of those that refuse to obey, slowly but VERY surely they realize that thing might not have been what they were told and that maybe Jim was actually good Trollhunter. He did help them more that Ursuna, so slowly they start to pull their heads up from the ground and their prejudice against anything related to Gunmar. Surprisingly, Bagdwella and Glug are the two that organize the rebellion and are most passionate about it. Glug as a barman learns a lot of stuff from drunken rants and loose lips, so she had an idea what's going on and that Ursuna has some evil plans, Bagdwella is nosey, loves snooping and looking into things that are not her business, plus she is a merchant whose whole business is getting ruined by the tight regime, so of course she snoops and learns things from rumors, things she doesn't like. Eventually, the rebellion manages to make a contact with Jim and the others by using specially-trained gnome agents (courtesy of the game-master troll Nukk, an oc, that had a game salon where there were gnomes to play darts and other games with, he's also mad his salon got closed). They start planning how to chase the evil queen out of there but all comes down when she actually opens the gates wide-open in front of everyone and invites Gunmar in. That's when even those with little doubt understood what her game was from the beginning. They send a racer gnome to deliver the message and the little caffeinated guy manages to deliver the request for help before collapsing from adrenaline shock. Claire, now with more practice under her belt manages to teleport the group in Trollmarket. They find most of the place in ruins, the trolls having barricaded themselves in one of the smaller caves they used for rebellion meetings, hiding for now. They try to go to a close-by escape tunned but it has collapsed OR was blocked by Ursuna's minions. They are cornered but Claire forces a big portal to open to the sewers and transport everyone. It is then that Blinky sees his brother by the warlord's side – BETRAYAL! Claire collapses and you know what happens next.
Otto and the changelings still want Morgana free, Gunmar also desires more power and to bring the Eternal night. Otto also suggested Morgana can bring Bular back to make the warlord more cooperative. After this, I hadn't ironed out the details quite but since I am not as creative as some, I planned to follow some canon events into finding Merlin and his staff. Yes, in this Draal almost gets cut by the Decimaar but because in here he and Nomura have smoothed things out between them and are closer, she had actually followed him and managed to kick him out of the way so the cursed blade only cut the tip of a horn instead of stone flesh, hence the magic didn't activate. Draal is angry but when Nomura says run, they run.
The gang does find the old wizard, he is shocked that Jim is a troll because his visions told him of Jim Lake (human name) and he saw a human boy picking the amulet. Technicality but I like it when someone messes with the old man a bit. The changelings help steal the Staff of Avalon and go to free Morgana.
Again, since I don't know how things would have developed, the part after this is quite unclear. I've had to rewrite scenes because the characters I created didn't agree with that, also Angor was kind of underwhelming after Morgana revived him, so in my story I planned for her to actually keep her 'promise' to Gunmar and not only give him the power but also does revive Bular, well he is missing a few small chunks and an arm because these parts were washed away/lost in the storm and the changelings couldn't retrieve him but hey, he gets a magic clow-up, literally there are now magic lives and stuff across his body and filling up the holes, also Morgana can now plant ideas in Bular's head and in a way control him.
For the last 'arc' of this fiction I planned this whole "Mission Impossible"-like thing where the main cast furiously prepares for the final face-off and since the ground had started shaking, it was only a matter of time before things got messy. Aarrrgh now is more confident and after facing Ursula- I mean Ursuna and the other Krubera decide to leave her sink to her death, also sick of her tyranny, he leads them to Arcadia along with Blinky leading the Quagawumps. Merlin makes armor for team Trollhunter, Nomura and Draal included by using Jim's vespa and Barbara's car. They are not happy but accept the sacrifices. Barbara has also prepared some evacuation plans with the other parents that are in the known, having a mayor and a chief police officer on your side really helps you in life!
The trolls of Trollmarket are even more ready to fight in this, since they HAD been preparing for a rebellion against Ursuna before Gunmar came in. A few nearby tribes also came once they heard what might happen while others hid. Although Gato and the other elders of the Tribunal (I forgot the names) were not happy, they also gave some volunteers from their tribes to help. It wasn't willing, mind you, they were content in staying to the side and seeing how things play out. But, after Jim and the others decided they needed more help after Claire almost got possessed, Bular returned, Morgana was freed and Gunmar absorbed all the power from the Heartstone, they called the tribunal and requested assistance. The elders weren't happy but after Jim/Jatar essentially called them the troll equivalent of 'scared chickens' and Blinky roasting their butts with the truth and giving them cold, hard facts how this is also their fault, they relented and sent some volunteers to another nearby settlement's gyre and then they walked to reach Arcadia. I firmly believe there are more troll settlements on that side of the coast, we see merchants and so many types of trolls after all.
I envisioned the final battle to be some epic clash between the two armies. Everybody will be kicking ass, well Merlin will try but at some point Morgana will kick his. The citizens evacuate safely, some Do choose to help and throw stud at the zombie trolls for distraction before running away. Douxie and Archie also fight but they focus more on protecting the citizens and the shelter than actively jumping to fight Gunmar and Morgana. Draal and Nomura can finally settle their scores with the magically powered-up Bular – Draal to avenge his father and Nomura for how he treated her as trash all these years. That way they also clear a way for Jim, Toby and Claire to approach Gunmar (Jim is in his troll form from the start, this is serious! And he has to go all out). Merlin is managing to hold Morgana locked in battle for now, so the 3 friends go straight through the Gumm-Gumms towards Big bad.
Draal and Nomura have this really tough and challenging battle against Bular. He was already strong but with Morgana's magic coursing through him, he is even more formidable, tougher, faster stronger, but the magic, as the two learn has amplified everything (like the serum in Captain America), so it makes Bular more emotionally unstable, easier to distract and anger. They use that as an advantage after Nomura points it out, they help each other, finally trusting 100% in the other and manage to tire him enough and anger the troll enough for him to charge straight into their trap and Bular gets charred by electricity from the power lines and then Nomura sees a food truck and decided to use the gas bottle to blow him up for good measure. Draal and Nomura exchange passionate glanced and a shoulder bump before going into the fray with battle roars and breaking zombie trolls left and right.
A funny tidbit I imagined was Barbara, Claire's parents and officer Scott trying to evacuate everyone when they see something that makes them stop and do a double-take. What is that? They see Nana aka Toby's super old grandma and Dictatious (also her cats, she always has to keep her babies safe) riding on some monstrosity of a vehicle made from scrap metal, some motorized wheelchairs and a old motorcycle as an engine to ride around the streets and pelter the trolls with whatever they have from rubble and scrap to pieces of furniture cat litter, old produce and burned stuff. Nana, with her vision is a real daredevil kamikaze driver and Dictatious, the one responsible for the catapult made from underwear and other home items on the back is literally shooting blind at anything that moves or resembles a troll, even vaguely. "Eat our dust!" I imagine him shouting as he totally missed his firs shots and hits a pile of rubble before correcting the aim and finally hits a troll while Nana is driving and laughing, remembering her younger, wilder days and crashing into more things than what she avoids, providing ammunition for Dictatious to grab. The younger adults decide to take a cautionary step, or more like a yard, back to not be peltered by gravel/bricks or run over by a kamikaze grandma.
Toby and Claire help Jim fight Gunmar, now even more powerful, but it is necessary for the plot because I gave jim not only troll body but also magic, if it was like in canon, it would have been boring (I noticed that in the fight with Bular I wrote much earlier). I planned for Gunmar to then call more of his army to his aid and that forces Toby and Claire to go and actually hold the zombie trolls so they don't get in Jim's way, since he really has the only weapon that can seriously hurt Gunmar, their attacks earlier could barely scuff his stone body. More trolls come hold the Gumm-Gumms back. That leaves Jim alone with his father. I am still undecided if I would have included a few short flashbacks scenes during the fight as the two clashed blades. As they knew the only way to get out of the fight is for one of them to fall. Both father and son may have had short memories of the past before Killahead. How Gunmar watched Jatar call him Baba for the first time, how Jim got his first weapon as a gift for hunting his first animal, how Gunmar started teaching Jatar to use a sword and fight with it, how Jim would listen to his father telling him and his brother stories of his conquests, then coming to the same thought for the first time since they saw each other again – 'How did it all come/lead to this?'. The two clash their weapons again – a greatsword against a pair of daggers. It seems that Gunmar is about to win as he pushes Jim towards the edge of the building they had ended on top of.
Then, Morgana decides she took her sweet time with Merlin and decides it is time to end it. "Come to ME!" she commands and some of the magic she had put in Gunmar flares, trying to compel him to serve her. The warlord is stubborn, but the second of distraction is enough for Jim to push the Decimaar to the side, summon Eclipse in his free hand and stab Gunmar in the chest, the light flares and starts turning Gunmar into dead stone from the inside-out. Jim has braced himself, now holding the sword with two hands, shaking with the power it radiates. Gunmar's face changes from his usual anger to something different, something more serene. As he met his end, at the hands of his own child, he didn't feel betrayal, he felt a bit proud to be able to see the little thing, the runt that could have easily died soon after hatching all those centuries ago grow into this warrior that was good enough to best him, the one they hailed as invincible. Jim looks up and sees his father's face.
"Why?! Why aren't you angry?! Why aren't you cursing me or trying to claw my face off?" – Jim shouts as the dead stone spreads even more. Gunmar raises his brow as he could no longer move his arms. "Why… Why didn't you use the blade's power, it would have been so easy-" – Jatar chokes on his words. "Never planned to, from the beginning." – strangely, Gunmar's mind is clearer than it has been in a long time. "I could never bring myself to use it against you, nor your brother, no matter what. The thought made me feel sick." – Gunmar admits his weakness for the first time. Jim is shocked, he wants to say something but he's lost for words. "The runt finally grew into a fine warrior…I am proud of you, son." – Gunmar says finally and perishes.
(I really wanted to give Gunmar more character development in this fic, give him more scenes here and there as a flashback, a story, a perspective, to generally show what character I thought Gunmar could have been instead of the big, bad evil troll that only wants to rule and eat humans. I wanted for him to be his own person, well troll, with complex emotions hidden under his vicious exterior and serious anger issues. Alas, I couldn't but I hope I conveyed this well enough in this short scene.)
Merlin is down and Morgana is gloating, making fun of the man and threatening both the team Trollhunter members, citizens of Arcadia, she even threatens to next go to Douxie and finish him off for how he humiliated her long ago. Claire sees that, so using the power of the shadow staff she brings herself, Toby and Jim to aid Merlin. They fight, nothing too different happens from canon here, they manage to defeat her and the spell ends, there would still be clouds in the sky but they are no longer ominous black. They have won, it is finally over. Jim stands on the bridge, victorious, with his friends by his side, in his real form for all to see. He raises his blade in the air and gives a victorious shout, all the trolls follow him, shouting in victory, soon the humans join and cheer too, the two worlds finally met and united against a common foe and won! Even after heading back home, after stopping Nana's reckless driving of course, Jim can't still believe this all happened. He could have not imagined his life could turn out to be like this. Back where he was a whelp, he thought he was destined to live his life alone, hiding from the world that hated him for his father's actions, wanted him to pay for the blood he carried, but then he met new people, his mother, his friends, his family… Yes, there was a lot of hardship, danger and sadness along the way but he would not change a thing in what he has right now.
Later, the trolls and citizens of Arcadia celebrate the victory in their own way but there's a feast for sure and drinking. NotEnrique and Glug opened their new joint bar, Nomura and Draal snuck off to 'facemash' as the big guy said, Blinky and Aarrrgh celebrated with the members of team Trollhunters that were still there and a half-drunk Blinky trying to mage Jim also drink copious amount of glug and also get him to agree to finally get some markings carved, Aarrrgh tries to make sure Blinky doesn't go out of control or somehow pull out another extremely rare and dangerous exploding rock from his overalls. The humans keep a bit to the side for safety, drunk trolls could be more dangerous sometimes. The Nuñes family officially is introduced to NotEnrique. Merlin is nursing some bruises, Douxie is nagging him how if he called for help some wizards may have also joined the fight. The next afternoon, when the sun is setting, the trolls had gathered their things and are ready to go and look for a new Heartstone to settle around. Jim is going with them to help and hey, since things happened different, it is almost summer break, so Toby also volunteers to go with them, eventually Claire also decides to join her friends, deciding she had more than enough extra credit to miss a few days and after clearing it with her parents. (I decided to not make it Jim/Claire because here Jim is troll, still quite young for serious relationships and still would be even 50 years later, plus as a born troll he has different beauty standards and things he's attracted to, like a petit troll lady with strong arms good for throwing stuff and a set or two of horns). Before leaving, Barbara gives her adoptive son a good luck kiss and whishes him safe journey. Jim and the others take their travel bags and leave, waving at their parents and promising to come back home soon.
I planned it to finish with a teary-eyed Barbara pulling out a picture from her shirt pocket and looking at it, the picture is one they all took earlier and had it developed in the photo studio that also miraculously wasn't destroyed (Jim has one in his bag too). It features them – Jim, Barbara, Toby, Claire, Blinky, Aarrrgh, Draal, Nomura, Chompsky, NotEnrique, Nana, a grumpy Dictatious and the rest of the Nuñes family. Some just looking at the camera, some doing goofy faces/posed and one grump, but it was a precious memory and she decides to frame it later and put it in her room.
I planned to not make any continuations or connecting this story to 3 Below or Wizards, despite the Douxie reference. Just accept it happened and that's it.
Phew! Now that was long and a good send off if I say so myself! Anyway, thank you all again for reading and all the wonderful comments 😄! I really hoped to be able to write this as a full story but, well, it happens. I wish you good luck and I hope to see you again in some of my other works. Bye-bye! 😉