#Survivalist fiction

[bookishlyvintage]

The Light Pirate, Lily Brooks - Dalton

check out my thoughts here

[joncronshawauthor]

The Ten Best Zombie Novels: From Undying Classics to Fresh Flesh

Zombies have been shambling, lumbering, and occasionally sprinting through the horror and post-apocalyptic genres for decades. While zombie movies often get the spotlight, zombie novels offer a deeper dive into the apocalyptic world where the undead are more than just target practice. Here’s a list of the top ten zombie novels that will satiate your hunger for more cerebral (pun intended)…

[mollrat101]

Hot take but while I definitely think Yellowjackets is great at depicting trauma, I also really hope that’s not ultimately what the show is about. 

Trauma seems to be the buzzword of the decade to the point that I’m kind of tired of hearing about it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to talk about because it’s better than not talking about, but I just don’t want that to be the ultimate message for this show. 

I want something more subversive and darker. It is a horror show, after all! It’s partially why I hope there is something supernatural going on. Because that it means, no it’s not just about psychology. Or rather it blends the psychological and mythological. 

I tend to think the show shines when it leans into the more mythological. When it throws away realism and leans into being a dark fairytale. 

My hope for the ultimate message of the show is that, while the wilderness was a difficult time for all the girls, in the present they also miss it. It was the closest any of them had touched something divine. The way all the survivors found out how much more powerful they could be. Many of them had thought they would be forever limited and victims in civilization, but they discovered they were all actually apex predators. They had purpose. They had their shared understanding of the world. They were a part of a group with a clear collective purpose. 

In the present day, they’re all shoved back into society’s boxes that stifle them and make them feel isolated. Housewife, drug addict, perfect leader, the mentally ill person, the weird girl, etc. In the wilderness, they were free. They weren’t safe, but they were free. And they fell into other archetypes that were more folklore and therefore more important seeming than the other boxes they had been shoved into. Instead, they were a queen, a witch, a executioner, a knight, etc. More ecstatic ways of being than the high school tropes. 

So the darkness that’s haunting them in the present, I like to think it’s not a malevolent spirit in the wilderness that’s trying to destroy them. 

It’s calling them home and it will keep haunting them, until they answer the call.

At some point probably towards the end, the adult characters are going to go back into the woods. It has to come full circle. They have to face, once and for all, what’s been calling them and decide how to answer. 

The perfect ending, to me, would be for them to choose to return to the wilderness. For them to accept, perhaps in a morbidly perverse way, they are monsters who wish to shed their skin and go back to where they don’t have to pretend anymore. To accept themselves as the social, aggressive creatures they are.  

To turn their backs, once and for all, on their domestic responsibilities, their socially prescribed boxes, their alienation and purposelessness and reality itself (like the Maenads) and live in the fantasy forever. 

[ash-isnt-writing]

man this looks like it belongs on a shirt (ALTERNATIVES AND TRANSPARENTS BELOW THE CUT)

man i love logo design

[primsycoldbottles]

i wish i could let u guys borrow my irl books... ahh ahhhhh

[vamptastic]

leonard hall of fame fucked up ya novel moments:

-the book bunker in which a kid living in a doomsday bunker realizes at the end of the novel that the entire disaster was fabricated by his abusive father. also the father was making his wife have children with the intent of eating them in the future

-that series that starts out as a survivalist novel and then halfway through you realize theres Fucking Aliens and also the hunk who rescued the main character is an alien

-that one book where a girl survives a plane crash and towards the end of the novel realizes the fellow survivor shed been with was a hallucination brought on by her infected septum piercing and hed died shortly after the initial plane crash

-book about a weight loss drug being demo'd on a cruise ship for advertising that quickly turns the entire ship insane and makes them start killing each other to drink each others blood

-zombie series me and all my friends read in middle school where the main character and his brother are people who hunt down people's zombified family members to let them die in peace

-this one novel where a schoolbus crashes into a superstore right as a massive disaster wave hits and the kids are all locked inside of the barricade and decide to just stay and shelter there. think this was also the one where the disaster was an extremely infectious airborne virus that caused people to do one of three things, one of which was go crazy murder mode which created some very scary moments

-entirety of the unwind and uglies series

[chicagocowboy]

Flames of fate spark lesson in humanity

Jill left her pickup in a dense thicket behind Boone Cragg’s farmhouse, a sentinel of peeling paint and warped wood in the North Dakota night. The locked back door only demanded a gentle nudge to allow entry. Jill stepped inside, then pushed the door shut, re-engaging the lock. She navigated through the shadowed home, her senses heightened; a cloying chemical scent led her to the basement…

[modgod200]

What if Earth’s biomes are considered stupidly diverse by galactic standards?

You often see in science fiction planets having one biome with little to no temperature variation (forest worlds, snow worlds, desert worlds, ect.), so from their perspective Earth is a chaotic clusterfuck of wildly different worlds all stitched together into one planet. You can’t even go 100 miles on the planet without shifting between like 3 different biomes. The desert aliens could live in the Mojave Desert, but would freeze to death the moment they went north, and the ice planet aliens would feel right at home in Siberia, but anything below upper Europe and they die of heat exhaustion. The fact that humans can not only survive these extremes, but thrive in them blows their minds. We would be considered the galaxy’s expert survivalists, able to drop onto any planet with an atmosphere we can breath and dominate it like it was our cradle world. This would also terrify them to no end, because these durable, hyper-intelligent, apex pack predators could invade any one of their worlds if they wanted to. Everyone is super relieved that we pack bond with anything, and try their absolute hardest to elicit that instinct in us.

[thestarshavefallenbook]

The book for this blog is down below!

[atryoshka]

Frenchie and Izzy getting together would be genius and tbh I can't unsee it now

Love that Izzy and Frenchie actually have a lot in common on a deeper level that wasn't really apparent to me until s2 when we see how they deal with trauma in equal but opposite ways. We have Frenchie with his little box that allows him to straight up ignore the dark shit he's been through like it doesn't exist, happily eat some blood cake, and thinking that his death being given a clear deadline is a comfort. Then we have Izzy trying to stone face his way through having his body parts severed, just business as usual bc that's the pirate life and it won't change even though he's visibly holding back tears, and then accusing the crew of being too cowardly to kill him, actively inviting death bc he doesn't get why any of it even matters so keeping him alive is pointless.

What's interesting is that given the right circumstances, they could easily trade places, with Izzy being more lighthearted and Frenchie falling apart at the seams.

We've already seen signs of this with Izzy being much more chilled out after the crew made him the new unicorn, finding something in this terrible life that make him see them, and himself, in a more positive light. Like yeah, life is still filled with unimaginable horror, but now has a custom gold painted unicorn leg to trudge through it with, which is absolutely absurd but now he can't help but smile. So he decided his life is so unserious right now and you know what? A shark took his leg, end of story, here's a little wooden shark I made today just for fun lol. Frenchie on the other hand is still pretty relaxed despite everything that's happened so far, but I have a feeling that he was probably very similar to izzy in the past before he joined the crew of The Revenge. His past is pretty mysterious even with the little tidbits we get like him being in the service for bit. It doesn't sound like he was doing it for too long so the other things in his life that he doesn't talk about remain unknown, probably even to himself. The box exists so he can pretend any trauma he experiences doesn't even exist, unlike a fiction which still somewhat acknowledges that there was something that happened to him in a way he could accept. The truth is, he actually never moved on bc all the parts of his life that he's ignoring are still lurking inside him waiting to break out at anytime. I think when something accidentally triggers a memory he suppressed, we'll see a different side to him. Less chill, more shrewd survivalist, like when he and the others reunited with the revenge crew after being stranded at sea. He bounced back pretty fast after they got past the pinnata and cake standoff but it was interesting to see how ready he was to be violent and how untrusting he was of everyone's intentions in that context. He'd usually be much more chill and willing to fast talk his way out of a situation, even when he knows someone has bad intentions. (There's also probably something with religious trauma he's hiding but that's a whole other can of worms I won't get into. All I'll say is that combined with his very strong beliefs of the supernatural and grudging flippant way he does the cross symbol on himself when others do it, when they boarded the cursed ship, he was that only one to not step in the satanic circle before anyone even questioned what the strange lines even were. Did he immediately recognize it and consciously avoid it or was it gut reaction? Idk, but he sure as hell didn't speak up about it and just wearily watched the other step into it and draw their own conclusions. ) But getting back on track Honestly, their dynamic would be really interesting to explore in the show bc they could understand and care about each other in ways that would probably surprise them if given the opportunity to spend more time together on screen. tl;dr: All this to say that I fell down the rabbit hole after realizing that they are basically this meme, which has a lot of potential for so many hilarious and accidentally heartbreaking moments

[stonenumberone]

I found this magnificent treasure while re-organizing the hot mess I call ‘library’.

I left this fandom a loooong time ago but I’m currently rewatching and going down memory lane. The hyper fixation is definitely back.

The early days of this fandom, wow, we were not chill. Kripke and the rest of the writers weren’t either tbh.

-

Table of contents (authors + working links)

Safekeeping - olivia j. h. [Archived but still works]

The Boy Who Fell - flipmontigirl [fragment interview with the author]*

All Things Bright and Beautiful - angstslashhope, hopeful-fiction, hope [AO3]

Any Which Way You Can - traveller [AO3]

Devil's In The Details - fatale [Archived but still works]

Down to the End 'verse - esorlehcar [AO3]

Fundamental Image 'verse - rei_c [AO3]

Winds And Viewless Ways - nym, nymeria, reikah

In The Flesh (A Vernacular Of Scars) - mikhale [Archived but still works]

Lying In Ruins - mikhale [Archived but works]

Immutable Law - eight_horizon, gekizetsu [AO3]

Lost In The Sea Of Sky - HallshellVenus [AO3]

Katakiuchi (If Not Victory) - mona1347 & poisontaster [AO3] [AO3]

On The Crest Of The Sun - pixel_0 [LJ]

Remembering Slow - veronamay [AO3]**

Highway Survivalists' Roadmap - drvsilla, drvology [AO3]

To Everyone Who Thinks Sam Looks Like a Puppy: You Have No Fucking Idea, by Dean Winchester - moonythestrals  [Archived but still works]

Samson Went Back To Bed - endora-taylor [LJ]

The Vagaries of Disbelief - sevenfists [AO3]

Soul Searching - meghan-mrks, brynwulf [WEB]

Present Tense - moveablehistory [LJ]

*author seems not confident enough about this story. 

**veronamay has lots of fics on ao3, but not this one. I'll send her a message and report back.

[wulfebound]

WULFEBOUND is an interactive fiction novel about what you had to do to survive nine years of captivity, and what you will have to do in order to live with the consequences of your newfound freedom.

You have survived by hiding your true nature. Ever since you were young, you recognized the grim truth: if people knew what you truly were, none of them would protect you. No one could truly love a creature such as you. You have your parents and your twin siblings, and you always figured that was enough.

And until you met the wulfe pack that claims the land at the edge of town, you believed it. No one had ever listened to you the way Ansel Lavaud-Mazet and their inner circle did, and you had finally let yourself trust them all. You had let yourself grow comfortable, and you had been utterly blindsided when the huntsmen came for you.

No one came for you when you called for them. No one rescued you in the years that followed when you were twisted and bound beyond recognition. No one stopped you when you tore your captors to shreds with your teeth and claws until the floor was soaked red with their blood.

Now, you will return home. This time, you will not make the same mistakes.

This time, you will be the starving wulfe in a meek sheep’s clothing.

[PLAY THE DEMO]

|| THE OUTCAST || PC

You were raised to be a survivalist; keep quiet, keep hidden, and stay away from the wulfe territory that borders the small town you were raised in. You had few enemies and even fewer friends. At least, until you met them...

|| THE WULFEBLOOD || RO

Anselme Lavaud-Mazet, known simply as Ansel, is the prodigal youngest child and Alpha of the Ridgeline. Raised as the former stern Alpha’s heir, you hardly recognize him anymore. At least, not on the surface...

|| THE LUNEBLOOD || RO

Esme Lavaud-Mazet is the elder twin and designated Lune of the Ridgeline, harboring ties to ancestral magic that makes your mouth dry up at the thought. Unlike her brother, she hasn’t changed much. She is still worried about you, somehow, even after all this time...

|| THE HUNTSPEAKER || PO

Adela Liberman, who insists on being called Addie, is the young protégé to Esme who seems to be in awe of your very existence. She says she has heard many stories of you. Whether they are exacerbated or not remains to be seen...

|| THE WULFEHAND || RO

Parisa Pahlevan is the Wulfehand to Ansel’s command and his oldest friend. She is just as stubborn and withdrawn as you remember her to be, and her distrust in you is painfully familiar.

|| THE WULFEHEART || RO

Samson Lyness, who you have called Sam since you were children, is the Wulfeheart to Ansel’s council. You met him first, and you find that you missed his calm presence. He is a steady mind in an age of turbulence... or is that what he wants you to think?

Play as your family’s beloved Kit, the eldest child of an outcast among shapeshifter society. Where the wulfekind lurks, your kind lingers for scraps. Where they hunt, you flee to survive another day.

Face the aftermath of your captivity and settle back into a routine... or let the fury devour you in its greedy jaws, and embrace the monster they always made you out to be.

Navigate the politics and tribulations of the Ridgeline: either bind yourself to the fate of the wulfe, or tear down the hierarchy that failed to accept you in the first place.

[100hearteyes]

I need everyone to watch Class of '07 on Prime ASAP so it gets renewed.

All-women cast, an absurdist take on the apocalypse, an analysis of the best and worst parts of being a woman, the female friendships that ended abruptly or faded away and you're suddenly faced with, being confronted with all the high school shit that fucked you up with years of trauma piled on top, hilarious one second and gut-punching the next, has the most bonkers plot ever and gets absolutely batshit crazy but also manages to deftly tackle serious issues (episodes 3 to 6 are brilliant), spoofs all kinds of survivalist reality shows and even apocalypse fiction, my favorite pseudo villain of all time (I LOVE YOU SASKIA), an amazingly talented cast, and last but not least a lesbian and potential for more queerness.

Just... Please watch it.

[skellymom]

"Vagabonds"

Ongoing OC x Hunter/Bad Batch Fanfic Series

Introduction: "Chaos On Coruscant"

And Chapter 1: "Weight of the Galaxy" (posted 8/14/2023/reuploaded 1/2/24)

ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ 18+ ᴅɴɪ.

(Credit: Cool moving star dividers by @4ngelic-wh1spers )

BACKGROUND: The following story takes place in the Bad Batch Star Wars Universe, and I tried to keep within the timeline of Season 1-2 before the Batch Left Ord Mantell for Mount Tantiss.  The OC characters of my invention are Maadienne “Mad Momma” Dax and her genderfluid Teen named Love.  Mad is an older single mom.   

Mad and Love also are coded as belonging to something similar to the American Nomad population in the US.  Think Nomadland, off-griders, bikers, Slab City transients, hobos, tramps, hippies, punks, carnies, faire circuit vendors, survivalists, societal dropouts, etc. And they intersect with other nomadic groups coded as similar to the Roma (Romani), Travelers/Tinkers (Irish), Romanichal (British/UK). All of these people in this story universe refer to themselves as “The Star People”.

WARNINGS: Shades of neurodivergence, mention of deep sorrow/depression/hurt/lost love/relationship breakups/estranged parents/heavy mental baggage/ugly crying.  There are hints of the beginning stages of fascism and xenophobia.  Some mention of erections, arousal, sexual/sensual feelings, flirting.  Lots of swearing (Star Wars swears mixed with Earth swears).  Fictional prejudicial slurs.  Poverty, class struggle, slavery, war, child abduction, politics, very amorphous mention of genocide, animal cruelty living conditions (brief), animal death (postmortem) and both of these are redeemed. 

Original art of my OC: Maadiene "Mad Momma" Dax. Sorry the quality isn't great. My phone camera lens is cracked. But, you get the idea on what she looks like. Maybe at some point I will do more character sketches of LOVE, Tiggy, etc.

FYI-We WILL get to Hunter! But first I need to introduce my OC’s!!!

Introduction: "Chaos On Coruscant"

The outer streets of Coruscant started to show their seediness and poverty the longer Mad and Love walked away from the bustling city center.  They had just picked up a considerable payment of credits after dropping off two young orphans to a well-heeled couple living within the upscale high rises of the capital.  They had the help of clearances, chain codes and disguises.  Both wearing a bland headscarf veil and shift dress over their clothes and skin tattoos.  Mad’s face was uncovered and Love’s full coverage.  To anyone who passed on the street, they were two household nannies taking care of their rich owners’ children. 

The orphans, Edda and Oddo, were refugees from a distant Outer Rim planet that the Empire had newly “colonized” for resources.  The people of that planet fought and lost control of their sovereignty. Many lives were lost in the battle.  So many refugees and newly orphaned children were begging to flee the planet to avoid becoming slaves of the Empire.  Mad and Love saw an opportunity to take whomever they could away from that situation and bring them here to a better life.  They hated the Empire.  Before that The Republic.  Before that…whatever governing forces that had killed, enslaved, or pushed their people out among the stars.  Homeless Nomaadi that nobody wanted.  Dirty marked “Caitiff” scum.  Now the Empire was doing this to other “outsiders” all over the galaxy.  

When Mad and Love dropped off the children, the stipulation was it had to be at the back servant’s entrance.  The couple wouldn’t let it be any other way.  Even though Mads contacts were secure, and this job was very low on the risk scale, there was no room for compromise.  The couple didn’t come out expressly and say anything prejudicial about Nomaadi delivering the children.  But it was heavily implied through the thin veneer of niceness as they opened the door to welcome the children.  Mad and Love were instructed to wait at the threshold, to hug Edda and Oddo and say a hurried goodbye.  The siblings protested tearfully, but gave in. Mad caught a fleeting look at the large opulent apartment, meeting the eyes of the servant at attention on the other side of the room.  The husband, giving them a brusque “thank you” while handing over the bag of credits, shut the door in their faces.  Standing in the servant’s hallway, Mad and Love looked at each other in sad silence.  The siblings had travelled with them on the Beldame several weeks before.  Bonded with them.  The children didn’t care who Mad and Love were.  They were so grateful to be safe and have someone in their life that cared. 

The credits helped smooth the sting…a little.  The encounter was so jarring and surreal, but par for the course.  Mad and Love couldn’t eat or survive without steady revenue coming in. The couple who paid for the lives of these children paid handsomely.  To them it was just a drop in the bucket, easing their guilty conscience.  Taking in homeless orphans as their own children…while not using any of their privilege to stand against the Empire seemed like a glaring example of blind privilege.  Love was neutral on the subject, looking at the glass as half full.  The children have good homes now.  Mad saw the glass as leaky with a huge crack in it.  The damned thing didn’t work well and was fundamentally broken.  

Their ship, the Dread Beldame, was parked on the outskirts of the capital city to keep a low profile.  That meant a lot of walking, but it kept the Coruscant Police off their backs.  Getting the hell off the planet relatively undetected was the goal now.   

The narrow streets led to a small public square complete with an open-air second-rate vendor market.  Tourists visiting the Capital, locals, and Neuvo riche citizens of the city center visited these spots due to lower prices on goods.  The awful smell of the exotic meat vendor wafted up into Mad and Love’s noses.  The smell of a hundred naturally and genetically designed animals housed together in a small space. 

Mad ignored the smell and kept a brisk pace.  However, was surprised by a familiar voice and warm Nomaadi greeting.  

“Auntie?” 

Mad Stopping in her tracks and looked past the front counter into the shadows towards the back of the stall.  A familiar face slowly stepped out.  Mad thought she was looking at a ghost.   

Nephew Sil, covered in dirt and slaughter offal, underweight and wearing a slave collar sadly smiled at her.  She hadn’t seen him since he was a boy, when he was abducted from his family.  Now Sil was a teen. The Nomaadi chest tattoo a clear identifier.  Her experience was that many Nomaadi children were stolen.  The authorities didn’t care to help the families to find them, so they were easy pickings by slavers and traffickers. 

Love, totally unaware of Sil, followed the scent and was shocked by the scene at the meat vendor’s chopping block.  A small live puppy was held aloft shrieking and scruffed by the butcher who was barking at any possible patrons in the crowd. 

 “Loth Wolf-Vornskr hybrid!  Tender delicacy.  Butchered fresh right here.  Last one goes to the highest bidder!!!”   

In his other hand was a very large meat cleaver. 

Love was mortified to witness this.  As their eyes looked past the puppy, cages upon cages of trapped animals came into view.  Small wire cages stacked up high holding dirty tortured souls stuffed into small spaces.  And beyond that, a bigger reinforced pen holding a large bellowing beast hiding in the shadows.  The smell of animal shit, fear, blood, death, and pain hit Love in the gut and assaulted their senses.  Patrons rushed forward with their money to bid on the last small life in the butcher’s hand.  Love was knocked aside and bounced from one patron to the other before being shoved down onto the hard pavement.  The obscene display of crude materialistic greed while being trampled was too much for Love.  And concern for the pup brought anger out of them, vibrating the very air within the space. 

Mad called out to Sil, “Come with us!”   

“I can’t” and winced as he touched the shock collar.  It was electronically locked, live and would not allow him to leave the market stand.  Sil was the meat butcher’s property and locked in, just like all the animals stuffed in the cages around them.   

Mad unbuttoned the top of her blouse to reach for the credits stowed in the security pocket of her binder.  The high neck fell open to reveal her own circular Nomaadi chest tattoo.  She could attempt to buy Sil back from the Butcher and help locate his parents.  The job’s payment would allow this luxury and still have enough for them to live on until the next job. Before Mad could pull out any credits, she could feel every hair on her body stand on end.  Sil could feel it too.  Mad knew exactly where it was coming from. 

“LOVE!  NOOO!!!” 

Mad suddenly turned to see Love levitating 10 ft above Coruscant street.  The patrons facing the butcher never saw what was coming, but he had a front row view.  The butcher froze and his eyes went wide. Mad could feel the raw emotion and power pulse from Love’s body.  They were gonna blow, and Mad couldn’t do a damned thing about it.  

The puppy and the animals in the surrounding cages fell silent.   

All.  At.  Once. 

What happened next to Mads recollection was in slow motion.  A silent Force scream emanated from Love’s mouth.  It shorted out EVERYTHING within that city block.  All the technology, transportation, everything…and the locks on all the cages within the meat stall.  Everything was at a standstill for 5 seconds.  Love still levitating above the street, the butcher standing in the same position, the vendors at a standstill.   

Then things sped up.   

And… THE SHIT HIT THE FAN!  

The animals, sensing freedom, burst from their cages in a frenzied wild blur.  Screams could be heard from patrons slowly realizing what was happening as animals escaped beneath their feet, swooped near their faces, leaped on or past them.  Love still levitating as people and animals ran pell-mell through the square.  Nobody cared to notice a skinny veil-shrouded teenager floating above them.  The butcher let loose a litany of curse words and pointed the meat cleaver in Love’s direction…while still holding onto the puppy.   

Love reached out with the Force and snatched the puppy from the Butcher’s grasp.  He turned 3 shades of red and chucked the meat cleaver at Love.  They cradled the puppy and force deflected the cleaver.  It fell ineffectually against the pavement below.  Love was still levitating at 10ft and giving a calm intense death stare to the Butcher.  He foamed at the mouth in a rage, stooped down and yanked a laser rifle out from under the counter, swinging it around to aim right between Love’s eyes.   

Love, unfazed, didn’t move from his aim.  Mad almost shit her pants in fear.  It was all too much.  They were going to get caught, and Love’s luck was going to run out.  Today was the day she would see her offspring’s brains all over the streets of Coruscant. 

The Butcher pulled the trigger…which did absolutely nothing as Love’s scream had shorted out his weapon.  He was thwarted once again from dispatching this teenage menace, and absolutely lost his composure, chucking the weapon at Love. 

They calmly Force pushed the weapon aside, keeping the death stare.  Having nothing left to assault Love with, the Butcher leapt onto the counter and launched himself up towards them… 

…and was immediately taken out by the large animal held captive in the shadows of the meat vendor’s stall.  There was an explosion of metal, wood, and small animals…that hadn’t escaped from the first rush to freedom.  The Behemoth ran past Love and caused total mayhem to the remaining people in the square.  More blood curdling screams mixed with angry animal cries. 

Love calmly turned on a dime and floated airily away from the scene, pulling off the veil and gracefully dropping it to the ground below.  Their Nomaadi tattoo in full rebellious glory to all of Coruscant.  Love’s facial expression calm as ever, still cradling the puppy. 

It was a total sight to behold.  Mad was beside herself watching Love float away from the scene.  And then yanked almost off her feet as Nephew Sil ran past and grabbed her hand.  He ripped the now inactive slave collar from his neck and threw it aside.  Behind them a cab and several speeder bikes fell from the sky and exploded on the pavement, they had shorted out as well.     

“We gotta go, go, go!  Run Auntie Mad!!!  Where’s the ship???”  Running high on adrenaline he dragged Mad out of the square into the narrow streets for cover.  They tripped over scurrying marmots.  And, Mad had to pull a small, flighted escapee from her hair as they tried to catch up to Love. 

“Love, come down outtya head!  Or we are gonna lose ours!!!”  Sil let go of Mad and ran ahead.  He took a huge running leap and yanked on Love’s leg, pulling them out of levitation mode.  It was like he was trying to catch a balloon.  Love landed on two feet with a proud smile.  

They signed “Hello” warmly and presented the puppy proudly.  

“You CRAZY!”  Syl shook his head “Causing big trouble.” 

They were interrupted by a bedraggled Spice Head grabbing both teens by the back of their shirts.  “Catiff scum!  You should be worth some credits!!!” 

Mad had enough of everything that had gone to total shit today.  Anger welling up, she would have shot him on the spot had her blaster not shorted out.  Instead, she ran full tilt into the assailant, knocking him to the ground.  From there, proceeded to grab handfuls of hair and repeatedly pound his head into the pavement accentuating each screaming curse:   

“KEEP.  YOUR.  HANDS.  OFF.  MY.  KIDS.  YOU.  KRIFFING.  BANTHA.  FUCKER!!! 

He started bleeding, lost consciousness, and stopped moving.  He was still breathing, though.  That was a plus.  Mad’s view cleared and could feel Sil and Love pulling her off the man.   

“Mommommom!”  Loves voice echoing inside Mad’s head. 

“Auntie, stop!  Please get up!!!”  Sil’s voice outside her head. 

Looking up, more Spice Heads were watching the scene unfold, shrinking back into the shadows.  Fear on their faces.  

“See this?  Keep your hands off us and your mouths shut!  We were never here!!!”      

Mad gathered herself, stood up and firmly barked, “Get your asses in gear, the Dame’s this way!”  Sil and Love, clearly shaken, followed behind. 

She gave murderous glances to the onlookers, who cowered as Mad, Sil, and Love passed.  One threw the Eye of Protection sign, showing the fear Outsiders had of The Bad Fate believed (wrongly) spread by the Nomaadi.  Mad sometimes wished she could really curse these people to silence so her family could escape safely.  Every excursion was dangerous to her people.  Snitches were a constant hazard. 

From there, they ran several blocks to the outer port where the ship sat waiting.  

The Beldame with its mismatched junky exterior looked so welcoming.  The sensors picked up Mad and Love’s proximity and opened the gangplank.  All three ran in and found their seats.  The Dame automatically closed its gangplank and Mad got them out of there quickly.  Two local precinct police speeders appeared in hot pursuit firing handheld blasters at the ship.  The speeders could only follow so far before falling behind…but not before shorting out the Dame’s antiquated deflector shield.   

While the Dame exited Coruscant’s planetary atmosphere, Mad brought up the coordinates for Ord Mantell, scrambled their jump signature, and punched the ship into hyperspace. 

You could cut the silence inside the ship with a vibroknife.  Both teens unsure if Mad was still…MAD. 

Both were seated behind her.  The light of stars coursing past casting shadows down Mads back.  It was an uncomfortable 15 minutes before she swung the chair around and met Love with an intensely serious stare.  Only Love heard Mad’s voice in their head. 

 “Dank Ferrick, Love…what the hell was that back there!” 

Sil sat watching a silently animated display of physical movements while both Love and Mad argued back and forth inside their heads at each other.  It was like watching manic mime comedy.  He knew they both could communicate like this.  Just never seen an argument between the two since he disappeared years ago.  He could only guess what the row was about. 

“I couldn’t help it.  Everything about that place was so horrible.  All those animals living and dying like that.  The people trampling me.  And… I miss Edda and Oddo.  I’m sad we let them go.” 

“We needed the money.  We were broke, Love.  Can’t keep everyone we ferry across the galaxy.  What you did in the town square…it was over the top.  You blew our cover.  Our contacts that we worked so hard for won’t help us now.  We will NEVER be able to go back to Coruscant again!” 

“Good, that place is fucking POODOO!!!” 

“But we had allies there, Love.  Without allies we can’t do any business there.  We just lost a good steady income.  The Outer Rim only pays us enough to scrape by.  And now we might have eyes actively looking for us!  You don’t really understand how dangerous everything is now for us…YOU…especially since the Jedi were murdered, do you???” 

Silence.  Surprised face. 

“DO YOU???  We already have shit rain down on us normally.  Things are getting worse out there with the new Empire.” 

Silence.  Angry face. 

“And what the hell was that…thing you did?  It shorted everything out!  That’s new, Love.  You need to control whatever the hell that is.  What did you do?” 

Silence.  Offended face.  

Mad sighed.  “I’m sorry I upset you.  I’m sorry I yelled.  It scared me.  The thought of losing you scares me.  I love you”. 

Silence.  Neutral face. 

“Ok…” Exasperated sigh.  “I… We’ll talk later. “ 

More silence.  Still neutral faced, Love starts to levitate and zone out.  Swaddles the puppy tighter. 

Mad knows she overreacted again.  The rebellious Love was something she wasn’t prepared for.  No idea on how to control these powerful urges.  A Jedi might be able to help if there were any left.  But then, the Jedi were problematic and antiquated.  Had they not been, Love would have been a Padawan long ago…and probably deceased now.  With a heavy, tired sigh Mad turns finally to address Sil. 

“I missed you so much Nephew.  I’m sorry for the drama.” 

Sil immediately got up and hugged Mad.  She grabbed him in embrace and squeezed hard.   

“It’s been so long.  Your parents will be happy to know you’re safe.” 

Sil was quiet.  Then Mad heard soft sobbing and felt his body shake.  She kept quiet and just held on until he wanted to be let go.  Love, dropping their angst, floated over and placed a hand onto his back and slowly rubbed in circles. 

He eventually let go and stood up.  Both Mad and Love spoke at the same time: Mad verbally and Love signing in Basic, “In your own time.  I’ll be here.  I love you.”   

Sil wiped his eyes.  “I’m hungry, Auntie”.  He was so thin.  Clearly, he was underfed while gone.  Probably starved to be kept in line, in addition to the shocks he received.  An outline of rough scar tissue from the slave collar worn into his neck stood out.  It was a very sobering thing for both Love and Mad to consider. 

“Let’s see what we can rustle up, huh?”  Mad got up and made a beeline for the ‘Dame’s tiny galley kitchen. 

“I missed you too Couz.” Love signed.  “Can you hold Tiggy for me while I help mom?” 

Sil nodded and took the puppy from Love.  “Hello, Tigglet” he whispered while settling into the pilot’s chair to watch the stars and Purrgils float past. 

Thanks for your patience. Hunter makes his entrance in this next chapter!

Chapter 1-"Weight of the Galaxy"

Back at Ord Mantell, Mad knocked back the Spotchka to steady her nerves.  While leaning on the bar of Cid’s Parlor with head in hand, she contemplated the huge clusterfuck that transpired on Coruscant. 

They were so kriffing lucky!  Especially finding Sil like that and getting him freed.  Being able to keep all the credits from their last job without having to haggle for his freedom.  The animals and exploding vehicles provided diversion.  The Butcher was being scraped off the concrete, so he wasn’t talking.  The Spice Heads might present a problem…if anyone cared to listen to a bunch of Tweakers. The only reason they were pursued and lacked a shield was due to the Coruscant Police suspecting those running away from the scene and fleeing the planet were to blame for the crime of…property damage.   

The authorities and media didn’t give a Womp Rats ass about the dead butcher, his sketchy meat market front, or the slaves he ran through it.  They feigned some concern about the injured citizens of the downed vehicles and those maimed by the market escapees.  The News Holos were calling the incident “eco terrorism” by a small band of indigents who set the animals free.  Fortunately, a well-known Enviro Group stepped up and claimed responsibility, inspiring its many supporters to clog the streets around the Capitol building in open protest.  The Butchers Trade Org, Pro Meat Groups and rando hooligans looking to profit and cause havoc clashed against them.  This brought out the Coruscant Guard to try to bring order to the chaos.  The upper crust of Coruscant railed against the inconvenience to their day and clutched their pearls.  Total mayhem and a convenient smokescreen. 

This kind of luck is what Nomaadi Maami Dall would call “A Gift from The Force”.   

“But make NO mistake, the Force is Fickle.  It won’t last for long.  Get out of yer own head, or it will be your end!”  Could hear her Elder preach the message like she was sitting right next to Mad at the bar.  She sorely missed Maami Dall…and Paapi Dall, Brothers, Sisters, Aunties, Uncles, Couzins, Friends of The Nomaadi Star People.  The whole Community.  It had been so long since they could all safely come together for Reunion.  Fond memories of feasts, Hand Fastings, Parting Ceremonies, musicians in drum circles around large bonfires, people singing and dancing all night, helping to repair transports during the day and restore supplies for travel, children playing, community coming together to share news, information, trade, settling disputes, healing family rifts, making love, birthing babies, and just safely relaxing from the nomadic lifestyle for a while.  

Oh Maker…the nostalgia HURT.  Being transient was The Way.  Everyone had a different journey.  Paths diverging, converging constantly.  Nomaadi were encouraged to leave, live their own truth, and be independent.  Plus, their survival depended on it.  Too many of them in the same place for a long period of time made the community sitting ducks.  This is why they would occasionally meet for Reunion by word of mouth and never permanently settled anywhere. 

Mads’ thoughts shifted back to their luck…this time.  How long before it ran out?  Love started as a quiet introspective child.  Their use of the Force started early.  It always manifested itself as gentle, non-threatening, defensive and never offensive.   

Mad also deeply regretted the show of temper.  She really hoped to not permanently injure or kill the Spice Head.  He was stupidly dangerous and a victim of a fucked-up system that kept so many down on Coruscant.  Hell, the universe.  All the people on the bottom fighting for the scraps that the powerful occasionally threw at them.  She sighed…when was it ever going to kriffing change?    

Mad’s only plan for tonight was ordering several more drinks to help forget the rising worry in her mind: After the wholesale slaughter of the Jedi and those showing Force abilities, how was she going to keep her powerful and now rebellious child safe? 

At the other end of the bar slumped Hunter, attempting to drink himself into oblivion.  He was at the start of his journey tonight several drinks in.    

His brothers and sister were back at the Marauder.  Tech and Echo had mechanical Maintenace to do.  Wrecker planned to take Omega for Mantell Mix and browse the Traders Market.  Hunter didn’t feel any of it, except guilty for turning Omega down when she begged him to come along.  He couldn’t get the vision of Crosshair out of his head, standing alone on the platform of Kamino as they left the planet.  Oh, and he felt guilty for that too.  Sad as well, and some frustration that his brother wasn’t touched by the plea of brotherhood offered by most of The Batch.  He very briefly considered having Wrecker drag Cross back inside the ship, refusing to leave without him, or stunning the sniper to do so.  It would have not changed Crosshairs mind in the long run.  Stubborn brainwashed sibling.  Hunter still loved him. 

All the while the remains of his home…no, his family’s home lay in the Kaminoan sea smoldering.  The remains of which The Batch narrowly escaped from.  Almost resigned to a watery grave. What happened to all the future unborn and young clones he had seen at the facility the day the Empire took power?  Were they safe?  Even alive?  All The Regs brainwashed by the chip.  All the Jedi murdered by them.  Did Caleb Dume ever make it to safety?  If so, was he scarred for life after seeing his master gunned down on Kaller, then having the Clones turn on him too?  It was all too much.  He felt small and overwhelmingly powerless.  Like absolute miserable shit. The only thing he could do was drown his emotions in whatever Cid’s bar was serving. 

Sometime later, after draining his drink, Hunter’s senses tingled.  Sitting up and rubbing his face, he caught a scent.  His nose found the source down the opposite end of the bar. She looked and smelled intriguing, and was staring intently into an empty glass.   

“Hey”, Hunter addressed Cid and nodded down the bar, “Who’s she?” 

The Trandoshan rolled her eyes, “Why?  Ya looking for a world of hurt, Bandana?  “Cause that’s all you’re gonna get with that one.” 

“No seriously, what’s her name?” 

“She comes here to drink alone.  The last idiot who didn’t respect her space left a permanent stain on my carpeting.  That Momma has zero patience for Bantha shit” 

“Momma???” 

“Yeah, she’s got a kid.  The dad split.  Just the two of them now.  And she’s protective of her kiddo.  They’re ‘Nomaadi”, so they tend to keep to themselves.” 

“Nomaadi?” 

Cid sighed and rolled her eyes again gesturing wildly, “Nomaadi!  Travs!  They wander the galaxy with no known homeworld.  Come on, Bandana, you never heard of ‘em?  Met ‘em???  Her people are scattered all over the place.  You must have had to move them along while you were working for the Republic?  The Republic considered Nomaadi trash, so they got pushed out.  And they just keep on moving around the galaxy.  This new Empire absolutely hates them.” 

Hunter let that sink in while staring down the bar.  Cid contemplated these two sad saps sitting at either end.  

“She reminds me of someone I know.  Got the weight of the whole galaxy on her shoulders.”  Hunter’s gaze immediately snapped up to meet Cid’s eyes.  She held his gaze for a long, uncomfortable moment hands on hips. 

“Her name is Mad.” Cid finally answered as she turned and walked away. 

Mad.  Was her name Mad for angry or crazy? He couldn’t tell, but he wanted to find out.  She was a welcome distraction from the things he wanted to stop thinking about tonight. 

Mad’s inner stream of consciousness was abruptly interrupted by Cid. “Find any amazing revelations in the bottom of that glass? You’re here to drink, not meditate.”  

Immediately she looked up to meet the bright green eyes of the Trandoshan. Cid’s first language usually was heavy sardonic sarcasm tinged with menace, but Mad saw a bit more in her demeanor. A tiny bit of empathy shining through…before the sarcasm blocked it out again.  

“Dark and Broody at the end of the bar wants to buy ya a drink if you’re interested.”  

Cid pointed towards a very handsome man with a red bandanna and face tattoo staring up the bar at them. He raised his hand in a brief two finger wave and cheesy half smile. An attempt of levity with some drunken smolder.  

Heavy sigh and groan from Mad. “No creepers, Cid.  Remember last time?” 

Cid leaned in against the bar. Her voice finding some softness, “He’s ok. Done some jobs for me. Got a kid of his own, no partner. Kinda lonely. You both look like you need a drink and time out of your own heads. Whaddya say?”  

Another sigh from Mad.  What did Mad really have to do tonight? The next job wasn’t until tomorrow afternoon.  And Love was back at the Beldame with Sil fiddling with the shield generator.  The puppy was probably tearing up and crapping all over the ship.  Maker, what was she gonna come back to?  Mad didn’t want to deal with any of it tonight.  Luckly, Sil seemed somewhat responsible enough, and Love rarely if ever left the Beldame without Mad at their side.  Both teens had dragged Mad down the gangplank in the direction of the bar. “Go have a drink!” they chimed in unison “We got this!” as they ran into the ship.  Oblivious young'uns, dear Maker, now she had two…three with the four-legged pot roast they just “adopted.” 

“Fuck it. You’re right. Can’t turn down free Spotchka.”  

Cid winked and turned away to grab a glass. Mad straightened up, looked down the bar, and gave her best devil may care smirk.  She then gracefully signed “thank you” in Basic Sign Language to Dark and Broody.  

Cid plunked down the Spotchka.  Mad tipped it back with abandon, enjoying the feel of the drink on her tongue. The pleasant burn. The warmth of it down the hatch…  

“HELLO.”  

Mad choked and spit the drink right onto Cid.  

“Smooth move, Bandana”, disgusted and slightly pissed Cid retreats to wipe herself down. Dark and Broody had suddenly and stealthily materialized in the seat next to Mad.  

The pleasant burn is now a fire in Mad’s nose and throat. Spotchka ran down her chin and onto the bar. “Are you trying to Kriffing kill me!” in between coughs. Anger rising. What the fuck, this guy! Dark and Broody looks embarrassed and concerned.  She briefly considers punching him in the face.  

“Sorry…I should have given you more warning” he replies while offering several napkins. Mad grabbed some from his hand holding them to her mouth.  

Cough subsiding, nose still burning, Mad takes in the visage of Hunter: Head of amazing thick black hair, trim body, muscular, deep brown eyes that she could get lost in… She shakes her head and his smokey, sexy voice slides into her ears, “You ok? Anything I can do?”  

Mad’s expression was ambiguous while trying to calm down.  She sits staring intensely at Hunter.  He noticed the depth of her eyes: flecks of yellow mingled with green.  While her surface demeanor gave little away, Hunter’s senses pick up anger, confusion…and a slight glimmer of attraction.  She looked like she might attack and eat him alive.   The prospect seemed exciting.   His eyes dropped and scrutinized her chest tattoo for the first time. 

“My eyes are up here, Stud” she growls.  He notices her noticing him looking at her chest and immediately becomes embarrassed.  His expression shows it, as his eyes widen and immediately shoot back up to her face.  “Just looking at your tattoo.  Honest” he raises both hands in surrender. 

“You always this smooth with the ladies?” 

“Little off my game tonight.  Can I try again?”  Hunter gives Mad a sly smile. 

Cid sidles back up to the bar, “Drinking only, no maiming…and NO sex in the bathroom.  If ya wanna do that, then leave my bar!”  Hands on her hips, looks across the room and suddenly shouts, “SHUT UP, YOU TWO, and mind yer own business!” 

Bolo and Ketch stop laughing and solemnly return to their game of Djarik. 

“Mad, I need Dark and Broody here in working condition for my next job.  So go easy on him.  He’s harmless.  Bandana, quit being such a laser brain.  You guys are stinkin’ up the joint with your buffoonery” she nods to Hunter, then Mad “and your angst.” 

Both Hunter and Mad, taken aback by Cid’s scolding, soften and relax.   

“Cid’s right.  I really am harmless…and a laser brain.  My name is Hunter.”   

He extends his hand to shake.  Mad continues to stare into Hunter’s deep brown eyes for several beats before extending her own and taking his hand.  As her fingers slide into his grasp, there is an intense warm wave that passes between them both that ends in a tingle.  Hunter and Mad’s body hair stands on end as the tingle runs up one arm, crosses their hearts and runs down the other arm.   

Hunter, trying to maintain his cool, gives a lopsided attempt at a smoldery smile while still holding Mads gaze.  Mad was never prepared for this sensory experience and immediately inhaled while her pupils dilate, and her face slightly flushes.  Hunter can hear her heart skip a beat, then pick up to a frenetic pace.  He smells perspiration as it begins to form upon her skin.  He also smells a faint hint of arousal.   

“Mad…”  She’s thrown off by what just happened and quickly pulls away.  She’s used to whatever crawls into the bar trying to daftly impress, threaten, cajole, talk down to, manhandle, or manipulate her.  He’s self-depreciating, disarming, and a bit goofy…while smoking hot.  She’s confused and warming up to this Hunter guy. But the walls are still up.  The urge to bust him in the chops has left her mind. 

“Wooo.  That was…intense!”  Mad’s feral demeanor fell away to shit eating grin and head tilt.  She fans herself with her hand.  That sensation was amazing!  What the hell did HE do?    

Hunter chuckled.  “Uh, yeeaaah…” Casually crosses his legs to hide a semi erection.  That sensation was amazing!  What the hell did SHE do? 

“That happen often?” 

“Nope.  You’re the first.”   

“Shush…flattery will get you everywhere” Mad leaned in closer to Hunter, still not breaking intense eye contact.  She was falling into the pool of those warm brown eyes.  Basking in them.  Hoping not to drown. 

“I can only hope,” he counters.  His heart flutters first, then he feels a second flutter between his crossed legs.  Physically he feels amazing.  Mentally, he feels like an idiot.  

Cid, leaning against the back of the bar, rolls her eyes.  “Can I get you love birds to move the party to The Oasis?  I can’t handle the melodrama.  Give ya a bottle of free Spotchka to get lost.” 

“The Oasis?”  Hunter said suddenly.  He was very confused.  To the best of his knowledge, Cid never mentioned it. 

“It’s a secret little hideaway.  She doesn’t let just anyone use it.”  Mad winked at Cid then gave Hunter a conspiratorial grin. 

Cid wrinkled her nose and shot Hunter a nasty look, “I never let your Batch in on it…except for Tiny.  Your ship smells like poodoo.  If you trash my Oasis, you’ll owe me FOREVER!”  She followed this up by pointing her long bony Trandoshan claw at him.   

Yep, that did it: Totally killed Hunters erection. 

Cid plunked down a full bottle on the bar.  Mad grabbed it as she got up from her bar stool.  “Care to join me for Spotchka under the stars…Hunky?”   

Two loud and very offended scoffs from across the room, “How come we don’t’ get free bottles?” 

“SHUT IT!” from Cid “Or you both are gonna get a bottle each…upside your heads!!!” 

Hunter could only answer with a smile and nod, grateful he could now get to his feet without embarrassment from a certain bodily function.  He followed Mad to Cid’s office and through a hidden doorway.  

“Don’t trash my Oasis!  I MEAN IT!!!”  came Cid’s shrill threat from the other room.   

Mad grabbed Hunters hand and led him through several dark winding stairways, many doorways, purposeful twists and turns that confused the sense of direction. The last door opened to a rooftop area… 

PLEASE like, comment, and/or REBLOG!

To read Chapter 2

https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/728315714878980096/background-hunter-and-mad-bond-make-love-and?source=share

[chicagocowboy]

Meth dealer sells misery to lot lizards

Jill’s pickup idled low in the neon-drenched truck stop as she watched Boone Cragg slice meth deals in the murky light. Cragg weaved among hookers working the lot, their eyes glazed with desperation and surrender, thanks to his poison. Jill squinted, watching the dirty dance of cash and crystal, each play another black mark on Cragg’s damned soul. A desperate blond woman didn’t have enough…