Blinky Galadrigal

"Master Jim, destiny is a gift. Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor, and to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero. After everything we've been through...are you ready?"

- Blinky to Jim

Blinkous Galadrigal, better known as Blinky, is one of the main stars in the Tales of Arcadia franchise. He is the new leader of Heartstone Trollmarket's residents after the death of Vendel and Gunmar's takeover.

Official Description
"Grandiose in speech and with never-ending enthusiasm, Blinky is the chief Troll advisor to Jim and his friends. He views himself as a mastermind and diligent trainer, though the rest of Trollkind considers him as a crackpot for embracing Jim as the first ever human Trollhunter. Blinky sees potential in Jim even when almost no one else does, and he will do anything to help him succeed."

Backstory
Blinky previously trained a Trollhunter named Unkar the Unfortunate. However, Unkar died on his first night out, torn limb from limb. Also, several times in the past, Blinky has made conspiracy theories and tried to explain them to the Vendel and the other Trolls, sometimes causing a wide panic. Due to the several times, his superstitions had no evidence and no result, many Trolls in Trollmarket, including Vendel, see him as unreliable and slightly paranoid.

Blinky had a brother named "Dictatious Maximus Galadrigal" who dabbled together with him in spells and hexes. During the Battle of Killahead Bridge, their people fought against Gumms-Gumms. The Trollhunter, Deya the Deliver used the Amulet of Daylight on the bridge to banish all the Gumm-Gumms back to the Darklands where they belong. Unbeknowest to Blinky, Dictatious became part of the Gumm-Gumms and faked his death while following them into the Darklands. Believing his brother to be dead, Blinky was devastated at the thought of never seeing his brother again. Deya then ordered the trolls to dismantle the bridge so nobody would try to escape from their exile. The pieces were then scattered across the four corners of the globe so nobody would be able to find them.

Traveling to the New World
Centuries later, a deal called "The Pact" was made between the trolls and the humans, which allowed both of their kinds to live together in harmony. However, since the trolls had spent their whole lives fighting the Gumm-Gumms, they longed for battles and felt that the truce made them look weak and that humans looked down upon them. The trolls also limited their diets to cats and used articles of clothing. Deciding to move to a new location, Vendel sensed a new Heartstone in a place called, "The New World." They boarded a ship called, "The Mayflower" that was heading towards the New World, bringing along some gnomes for grooming and occasional nourishment. As soon as they snuck onboard, Bular arrived and attacked Deya right before sunrise. As soon as the sun rose, Deya fell into the ocean and was turned to stone by the dreaded sunlight, sinking her down to the river.

During the ride to the New World, the Amulet came onto the ship to choose the new Trollhunter. At first, Blinky thought he was going to be the Trollhunter, but it turned out to be none other than his friend, Kanjigar. On the journey, the trolls grew desperate with hunger and started eating stuff contained in the barrels and the cats boarding it.

Months later, Blinky saw Kanjigar and his son, Draal talking about Kanjigar's new job as the Trollhunter. Since he trained Unkar the Unfortunate, Blinky offered to be Kanjigar's new trainer. Suddenly, Kanjigar saw Plymouth Rock, confirming that they had finally reached the New World. The trolls snuck off of the ship and headed off to a place called "New Jersey." Over the years, they traveled through the land with help from various human cultures. They even got aided by Lewis and Clark at one point. Unfortunately, the trolls started growing weak from being away from a Hearthstone for so long. Oftentimes, they had to sleep in caves between their travels, which caused delays and frustration.

One night on a Native American tribal camp, some mountain trolls invaded and Kanjigar was sent to take care of the problem. After Kanjigar defeated them, Blinky tried to offer advice, but Kanjigar didn't want to hear it. Ultimately, Kanjigar decided to abandon the settlement because of the humans overthrowing the camp. Just then, some trolls found AAARRGGHH!!! behind a geyser and brought him to Kanjigar. AAARRGGHH!!! revealed that he had been following them to the New World since he missed the boat, but made a few wrong turns along the way. Blinky suggested executing AAARRGGHH!!! because he worked for Gunmar and might be a spy. AAARRGGHH!!! then showed the trolls the remains of Deya. At first, the other trolls thought AAARRGGHH!!! destroyed Deya, but Kanjigar convinced them otherwise when he reminded them about AAARRGGHH!!!'s kind act towards him. Vendel allowed AAARRGGHH!!! into their tribe, much to Blinky's dismay. Blinky tried to tell Kanjigar that it was a bad idea to let AARRGGHH!!! into the group, but Kanjigar assured him that change is a part of life and that AAARRGGHH!!!'s good deeds taught him that lesson.

The trolls headed to the Rocky Mountains, where they got caught in a dangerous avalanche caused by the guardian, Craggen, who won't let them pass. Kanjigar tried to reason, but Craggen and his brothers wouldn't listen, so they challenged the trolls to a duel for the next day. During the meeting, everyone wanted to give up and leave the mountains, but Kanjigar gave them a speech about destiny and not to give up on their brotherhood.

The very next day, Kanjigar, Draal, and AAARRGGHH!!! arrive back to Craggen and his brothers to battle them. Despite their strength and abilities, the mountain trolls managed to outsmart them.

Back at camp, Blinky starts thinking about what Kanjigar said earlier, and realized what Kanjigar's speech meant and decided to go help them fight the mountain trolls, which persuaded the others to join along. Just when AAARRGGHH!!! was about to be crushed by one of Craggen's brothers, Blinky jumped in with his fire sword and rescued him, now truly believing AAARRGGHH!!! to be reformed. The trolls all worked together to battle Craggen and his brothers, which resulted in an upper advantage, and the loss of a few soldiers. Ultimately, Kanjigar managed to defeat Craggen by "kicking him in the gronk nuts." Thus, a legendary Trollhunter was born, and there was much rejoicing that night. AAARRRGGHH!!! also renounced his violent ways and became a pacifist during the celebration.

Arriving at Arcadia
Months later, the trolls had arrived in California and finally found their new home. As they went underground and built their new kingdom, the young Heartstone helped the trolls regain their energy and power. They were inspired by Deya's stoned body to use the states/remains of the past hunters as a tribute to their great history, and Blinky was made as Kanjigar's new trainer. Since then, Blinky and AAARRGGHH!! helped Kanjigar protect Trollmarket from danger and threats to expose their world to the mortals.

One day, Gunmar's son, Bular invaded Arcadia and was set out destroy Kanjigar. When Kanjigar went out on night patrol, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! stayed in the library to wait for him to return home. When Kanjigar didn't come back, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! became deeply worried and set out when the sun started to rise. They went under the bridge where Kanjigar was battling Bular and found Kanjigar's remains turned to stone, leaving the two deeply devastated and stunned in silence. They went back into the drain pipe to keep out of the sunlight. When Blinky started to feel sorry for himself, the two saw Jim and Toby riding on their bikes and were shocked to find that the amulet chose Jim as the new Trollhunter.

They went back to the library to read the Trollmarket recap book to make sure there were previous human Trollhunters, but to their shock, it turns out that Jim really is the first human Trollhunter. When Draal arrived, Blinky informed him of Kanjigar's demise. However, Draal figured that he was the next Trollhunter, due to being Kanjigar's son. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! did not have the heart to tell him he wasn't. Blinky realizes he needs to talk to Jim alone about the danger he is in.

The First Human Trollhunter
Blinky arrives in Jim's house with AAARRRGGHH!!! Jim is attracted by the noises they're making and investigates. After switching off the light, and revealing themselves in the light of a fire, Blinky informs Jim that the significance of his possession of the Amulet of Daylight means that he is now a Trollhunter. After Jim is knocked out, they disappear. The very next night, Blinky and AAARRGGHH!!! decide to rethink how they are going to convince Jim to accept his new destiny since apparently, Jim's chances of defeating Bular are quite slim. They decide to retrace the steps of Kanjigar for more information on Bular and go into the woods to investigate. They come across an old factory in the woods with a painting depicting humans bowing to Gunmar in the Darklands and suspect that there might be some Changelings lurking in Arcadia.

The next night, as Jim tells Toby about the Amulet, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! burst into the house to convince Jim once again. The two trolls tell Toby and Jim more about the history of the amulet, including the dangers and eventual deaths. Toby talks Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! into delaying Jim's training for a day. Before departing, Blinky gives Jim a motivational speech about destiny, which Jim later uses in his audition for Romeo.

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! encounter Jim and Toby once more as they flee from Bular, bringing the boys into Heartstone Trollmarket for the first time. They approach two trolls, Vendel, and Draal, both of whom are shocked to see that the new Trollhunter is a human being, and the other trolls are quite uncomfortable with it, as well.

When Draal challenges Jim to a battle for the amulet, Jim becomes fearful for his life and decides to get rid of the amulet, but it just keeps coming back. This means that Jim has no choice, but to live up to his new fate.

Jim's First Mission
Blinky begins training Jim for his battle with Draal for the honor of being Trollmarket's new protector and teaching him the history of the magical world and how they all came to be. Unfortunately, Jim's inability to focus (due to his new double life) causes him to slack off on his studying. Blinky hands him a book of recapitulation to help him study the basics.

Suddenly, Jim is informed of a rouge gnome that's been going around stealing many items from the village. When the gnome steals the amulet and takes it to his hole, Jim tries to get it back. Since he can't fit into the hole, Blinky decides to use his shrinking machine to help him. Jim is shrunken down to the size of an action figure and is sent into the hole to locate the gnome and the amulet. Using some items he found in the hole, he is able to track down the gnome, who is playing with some gnome skeleton. Jim removes the gnome's hat off, which is shown to actually be some sort of drill noggin. After a brief chase, Jim manages to summon the armor and defeat the gnome. Jim comes out wearing the gnome's hat and the gnome's hands are tied up. Blinky then tells Jim to finish the gnome off as part of his Trollhunting job. Blinky tells Jim to sleep and he should be back to his normal size by tomorrow morning.

Discovering the Bridge
When Jim and Toby find out that goblins have been lurking in town, they call Blinky and AAARRRGGGHHH!!! to help them go undercover. They arrive on Eli's block and see that thousands of goblins are devouring the delivery truck like ravenous dogs. Blinky advises Jim not to be afraid, in contrast to Blinky's earlier statement that, "fear keeps [Jim] alive" since goblins can literally smell fear. Unfortunately, Blinky causes the goblins to hear them and they start chasing after the gang. They manage to take refuge in Toby's house, which causes Jim to start stressing out and inadvertently reciting several important rules of Trollhunting.

The next night, Jim and Toby go to the goblins and their mistress, Nomura for further investigation. They see that there is a troll bridge being built in the museum and decide to tell Blinky, AAARRRGGGHHH!!!, and Vendel about it. Sadly, the bridge is not around and Vendel believes that Blinky is running them on a wild goose chase. However, Blinky decides to help Jim find proof of the Killahead Bridge.

The next day, Blinky and AAARRGGGHH!!! take Jim and Toby to RotGut's store to find a Gaggletack, an ancient artifact that can reveal the true nature of a Changeling, and looks just like a common horseshoe. Blinky explains that Changelings are swapped with their human counterparts at birth and it could be anyone possible.

That night, Blinky and AAARRRGGGHHH!!! go with Toby to his dentist appointment, where it is revealed that Toby's orthodontist is in fact, a Changeling. Jim manages to defeat the dentist and complete the rule of "finishing the job", but they also lose their only piece of evidence. Blinky assures Jim that they'll keep looking for proof and they leave Toby to clean up the dentists' office.

The very next day at the training session, Jim tells Blinky that he might have seen a human baby get swapped the other day. Blinky informs Jim about how Changeling babies are swapped with their human counterparts at birth, who are then sent to the Darklands to be taken care of and don't age a day. Jim realizes that if they find the Changeling baby, they could get more evidence of the bridge. Blinky decides to have AAARRRGGHHH!!! move in with Toby for protection (in the same vein that Draal has moved in with Jim).

That night, Blinky, AAARRRGGHHH!!!, and Toby receive a call from Jim that Claire's brother might be a Changeling, so they go to RotGut's to get another Gaggletack after they lost the last one. They arrive at the Nunez residence and find that Claire's brother has been replaced by changeling named "NotEnrique." They chase the changeling around the house but cause a mess in the process. They manage to capture NotEnrique and manage to torture him into revealing that Bular has an accomplice who happens to be close to Jim. Before the changeling can reveal, Claire's folks arrive and the trolls escape in the nick of time. Unfortunately, that leaves both Jim and Toby in trouble with Claire and her parents.

Jim's Birthday
When Jim's birthday comes, Blinky decides to do something for him. He goes to Toby, who tells him all about birthday parties, so Blinky and the other trolls decide to throw Jim a birthday party. During the training session, Blinky gives Jim some tips on how to defend himself against an enemy when his armor and sword are not available to help him.

While Jim and Toby go out to celebrate Jim's birthday, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! head to Claire's house and manage to capture NotEnrique by bribing him with dirty Argyle socks. They bring NotEnrique to Trollmarket to Vendel, which makes the lead troll finally believe Blinky, but Vendel still has his doubts about the Trollhunter. Jim shows up and tells Blinky about the Stalkling that just attacked him. Blinky informs Jim that the Stalkling will keep hunting Jim until it does away with him, and he will not attack him if he's with somebody else.

During the day, Blinky goes to the abandoned factory and recovers some old pieces of a Vespa for him and Jim to build together. That night, Jim goes back to back to Trollmarket after defeating the Stalkling, and Blinky shows Jim the scooter, which truly brightens Jim's day.

The Grit-Shaka
When Jim is given a necklace called the "Grit Shaka" by Draal to help boost his confidence, he begins acting cocky and arrogant to everyone. He even decides to fight Angor himself, despite not being prepared. When Jim becomes fearful again, Blinky and Toby manage to help Jim get out of sewer.

Cameo
Blinky makes a brief cameo appearance in Merlin's Tomb as Jim redirects water with his sword.

Physical Appearance
Blinky is a greenish-blue Troll with four arms, blue hair, and a set of short horns on the back of his head. He has three eyes on either side of his long orange nose, and patterns on his chin, arms, and chest. He wears brown shorts with suspenders and satchels.

When Blinky was temporarily turned into a human, he had brown hair, an equally large nose, and was still the same shape. He also wore a leather jacket, jeans, and a light blue buttoned sweater.

Personality
Blinky is a scholarly troll, well versed in troll lore, history, and magic, and can be quite eccentric. He strives to be a good mentor and friend and has a keen interest in learning something new. He has a warm and strong regard to those he cares for and does all he can to aid them, and this is especially so when he became a mentor to Jim Lake Jr., the first human to ever wear the mantle and responsibility of the Trollhunter.

He can come off occasionally as pompous due to his intellectual mindset, and can sometimes make absent-minded mistakes, but always means well.

Otherwise, Blinky is wiser than he seems, able to inspire Jim not only to embrace his new role as the Trollhunter but to use that same inspiration to land the part of Romeo in his school play. He is evidently more open-minded than most trolls as he believed that Jim (a human) could (and did) become a worthy Trollhunter, despite the many twists and turns their journey together took.

Troll Physiology
Unlike most of the trolls, Blinky himself states that he is not as strong or aggressive as many trolls, nor possesses the abilities necessary to fight in direct combat. However, he is shown durable enough to shrug off Morgana's magical surprise wave and fast enough to outrun a horde of goblins.

Intelligence
While his closest companion, AAARRRGGHH!!!, relies on brute strength, Blinky's greatest strength lies within his high knowledge and intelligence, as well as his quick-thinking. He shares this trait with his brother, Dictatious, but he is clearly wiser and has a higher morality than he does.

He is one of the smartest trolls in Trollmarket, even owning his own library, which is filled with books he organized with Dictatious. He is more knowledgeable about history, teaching Jim and his friends the purposes and rules about the troll world. His knowledge and quick-wit even rivals Jim's and his own brother's, using it to quickly free himself and blind Dictatious during his time in the Darklands.

Even though he's smart in the troll world, he's not very bright about the human world and is clearly not caught up with its history, even when he was temporarily turned into a human.

Leadership
After the death of Vendel, Blinky has been given the role as the new leader of Trollmarket. He's shown to be a strong speaker like a natural leader, yet he does often struggle to calm down clashing trolls at times.

Pianist
Blinky is shown once to be a skilled piano player, as he was able to play perfect ragtime music on Strickler's piano.

Flare Crystal
Before entering the Darklands, Kanjigar gives Blinky a flare crystal as its "blinding light will save his life". Although he briefly lost it, he reclaims it when he was held captive by Dictatious. Blinky uses the crystal to permanently blind Dictatious and free himself. After which, he throws the crystal aside and leaves it behind.

Dwärkstones
Despite lacking in strength and combat abilities, Blinky uses explosive Dwärkstones as his weapons. When shaken, they glow green until they explode. During the Eternal Night war, he uses these stones against Morgana to knock her out of the air, even hitting her with great aim.

Horngazel
Blinky uses a Horngazel to enter and exit Trollmarket, as well as any other hidden chambers within the market, like the Gyre Station. He also uses it to lock up entrance ways and used it to magically tighten the shackles holding down Claire (who was possessed by Morgana).

Vendel's Staff
After Vendel's death, Blinky now occasionally carries around his staff, showing his status as the new leader of Heartstone Trollmarket.

Jim Lake Jr.
Blinky is Jim's advisor as the Trollhunter and a surrogate father figure to him. It was Blinky who encouraged him to become the brand new Trollhunter and protect the world from evil. He gives Jim advice on how to defeat his opponents and the basics of wielding his sword. Over time, mentor and student grow closer with growing understanding and respect of each other, and it culminates into what can only be a bond like that of father and son, which Blinky confirms by calling Jim a son.

Toby Domzalski
As Jim's best friend, Toby has many questions about Trolls, and Blinky is happy to answer them.

AAARRRGGHH!!!
Blinky and AAARRRGGGHH!!! are close friends. They are rarely seen apart. When AAARRRGGHH!!! was turned to stone, Blinky was deeply devastated and kept his remains in the library, until AAARRRGGGHHH!!! was revived by a magical concoction. At first, Blinky thought AAARRRGGHH!!! was faking his redemption, but over time, grew to truly trust him.

Vendel
As Vendel's assistant, Blinky is loyal to him and is always trying to please him. However, Vendel believed Blinky to be somewhat of a menace, due to Blinky's history. Blinky was devastated when he learns of Vendel's assassination from the doings of the evil Queen Usurna.

Claire Nuñez
Claire and Blinky get along well, partly due to Claire reading the books on troll lore and history. They share a good friendship and mutual respect in each other that both are willing to defend the other from danger.

Dictatious Galadrigal
Dictatious is Blinky's twin brother. The two had dabbled in magic spells together, but then Dictatious pledged his loyalty to Gunmar, and then he faked his own death in order to prevent Blinky from knowing. In "Party Monsters", Blinky explains that his library is all that he has left of his brother. Of course, Blinky once admitted that he and his brother never really agreed on anything.

However, when Blinky reunited with his brother in Part Two, he shocked to see that Dictatious faked his death and turned to the dark side. He tries to convince himself that he was merely under Gunmar's control, but later comes in terms that Dictatious has willingly joined Gunmar's cause. While being tortured, Blinky used a flare on his brother, permanently blinding him. Blinky lost all faith in his brother and burned the books in the library.

In Part Three, when Dictatious sees the error of his ways and tries to warn Blinky of Morgana and Gunmar’s plan, Blinky is understandably doubtful of his brother. However, when the goblins attack the house, Blinky realizes that Dictatious has gone back to the side of good and the two sort of rebuild their brotherhood, Blinky states that he still doesn't trust him completely.

Trivia

 * In the books, Blinky has about eight eyes instead of six, and has many tentacles instead of four arms. He is also blinded from studying books almost non-stop.