3Below the newest addition to del Toro’s Trollhunters universe solving some lingering questions from the original series while opening up even more questions. 3Below was spliced between episodes of Trollhunters Season 3 providing a more complete view of the events that went down in Arcadia Oaks. The main question I have left unanswered from the series is what makes Arcadia Oaks so special. I know for plot convenience, having all the characters in the universe makes for easier storytelling, but does it also have an in-universe explanation? Through examining both series, Trollhunters and 3Below, I believe the answer relates back to the center of Trollmarket, the Heartstone.

The history of trolls in Arcadia Oaks, as described by Trollhunters Season 1 Episode 4 “Gnome Your Enemy,” dates back to the Mayflower making their way to America and wandered until finding a Heartstone in California. In 3Below the audience was familiarized with the activity of alien lifeforms in the town and an established military base, Area 49-B, to boot. This base was likely the result of the crashed alien spacecraft in the region and built to house this newfound technology. How far this base dates back hasn’t been officially stated but considering Stuart, an alien side character, escaped 20 years ago it at least has to be the 1990’s. “Mother,” the ship of the exiled Royals Aja and Krel, crash-lands into the town in the first episode of 3Below “Terra Incognita Part One” adding to Arcadia’s run-ins with aliens. With all this paranormal activity it is hard to chalk this all down as coincidence there has to be an explanation.

Trollhunters incorporates a large amount of pseudogeology with different minerals having abilities and being integral in some parts of the plot. With this in mind, it would be no surprise if the reason for all of this paranormal activity could be tracked down to the integral part of the troll society the Heartstone. We’ve seen that the Heartstone had the ability to heal and create life, but it likely has other properties that crashed multiple alien ships as we’ve seen in the series. To figure out the other properties it would be important to identify what type of mineral it is. The Heartstone seems to take inspiration from multiple minerals rather than being one mineral itself. By appearance, it resembles fluorite with impurities changing the color to a rose color. It also appears to be based on the alleged healing properties selenite. The part that may lead to the explanation of crashing alien spaceships is if it were also highly magnetic. Magnetism could attract the alien metal in a radius around the Heartstone forcing it to crash within Arcadia Oaks. Minerals that crash down in meteoroids often have magnetic properties such as Kamacite which could explain why Heartstones are so rare in the first place. Now that Morgana destroyed the Heartstone, at the end of the Trollhunters series, if this is the reason for the scarcity of these stones it will tie closer into the extraterrestrial aspects of the shared universe.

The main argument against this theory would be it not disturbing other technology. Today’s electronics can withstand a stronger degree of magnetism which is likely the reason it does not disturb smartphones. The craft would have to be on a trajectory near to Earth as seen in 3Below but would likely be dragged into the region by the Heartstone. However, the bounty hunters in the series had no problem parking their ship which could be due to landing further away from the epicenter. Could this be the answer as to why Toby’s braces seem to be doing an inadequate job of fixing his teeth?

Let us know your thoughts below. Did you enjoy the new addition to the universe?

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