#lost bounty hunter arc

[sinisterexaggerator]

Stars Above! | Cad Bane

Chapter 14

Explicit: Semi-slow burn, gratuitous smut /pwp, canon-typical violence, mildly dubious consent, angst, Tatooine Slave Culture.

This chapter: Flashbacks / nightmares, whump, mild-medical procedure involving a needle/dispenser and sedatives.

Word count: 5.3k+

Notes: It only took me TWO YEARS TO UPDATE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. I promise that I will try to update more regularly from now on.

[ Ao3 ] - [ Masterpost ]

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“Supposin’ us bein’ partners don’ mean nothin’,” Bane flippantly offered. Though feeling despondent, he masked it well. The two men were a lot alike in that respect; Bane hardly knew what went on inside the Mando’s over-complicated mind.

“You’ve learned everything there is to know, Cad. And what you don’t know, you don’t want to learn, even if given the opportunity.”

“What’s dhat even mean,” the Duros asked bitingly, throwing down the butt of his cigarra on the cold, hard ground. The two began to make their way, Jango sighing under the beskar helmet that hid his face, Bane trudging along behind, albeit slowly; he was freezing.

Vandor was an icy planet, located in the Sloo Sector of the Mid Rim, currently home to a target that had made his home in Fort Ypso, a snowy village that lay sequestered in the foothills of the Iridium mountains, only crossable by bridge. The wooden planks groaned under their feet as the pair of hunters ventured onward, Slave I left beyond its borders so as not to attract attention and give the game away.

“It means you are stubborn,” Fett returned, his voice carrying over the blistering wind. “Perhaps it is time for you to branch out on your own; be your own man. I am beginning to think I cramp your style.”

The Duros sneered, offended in more ways than one, fangs chattering even though he wore specialized gear meant to curtail the cold from leeching through to his very bones. “Says de man who don’ know when te turn down a job; if Ah had nips, dhey’d already be frozen off.”

“You didn’t have to come with me,” Jango informed him, his joke lost on the dour man. He wasn’t in the mood for Bane’s attitude, much less his complaints.

“As fer style, Ah got plenty,  naht countin’ dhis ridiculous ‘fit ye’ made me wear.”

Bane frowned despite himself, feeling each minor movement of his facial muscles; they were stiff from the frigid temperature, the younger man desiring to find a place of warmth. At least his body glove was able to retain some heat, otherwise he was sure to succumb to this positively ridiculous weather within mere minutes, seconds.

“Fine; maybe Ah should leave ye te it dhen; wait in de ship, if yer so keen on gettin’ rid of me.”

Then, his sour expression deepened, Bane’s footfalls ceasing as he came to a full stop. “It’s ‘cause Ah don’ agree with ye, ain’t it.”

“It’s not your life, nor your decision,” the Mandalorian shot back without delay, unable to hide his bitterness. “I know what I want, even if you don’t.”

Bane braced himself, realizing this was about to become more personal than he had bargained for, Fett having never bothered to explain his motives. All Bane knew was he had won some contest, proving he was the best bounty hunter in all the galaxy—a title he assumed might one day rightfully be his.

Fett had trained him, after all. More than that; he had become his friend, his confidant. Bane might go so far as to think he even loved the man, though never voicing those sentiments out loud; he buried them, like everything else he felt.

Perhaps it was fear that kept him quiet. Fear, or maybe anxiety. They both lived in the same place—inside his chest. The chest that currently housed a heart beating furiously behind a wall of ribs, even as Bane reached out to touched Fett’s shoulder.

What he couldn’t understand was why he needed a million of himself; Jango would be tasked to train an army for an unknown benefactor, an army of clones.

The idea sent shivers down Bane’s scales. He understood there were credits to be made, and lots of them. But even so, this was a line Bane himself would never cross—playing God by ignoring ethics, by ignoring quandaries he thought might only come about in science labs. Not in the field; not in the relatively short life of a bounty hunter.

“Ah know what Ah want,” he muttered softly, “de one of ye.”

The Mando whisked around, batting his companion’s hand away. He could not see his face, but Fett’s annoyance easily radiated out beyond his suit of armor. He thought Bane would never understand his hatred for the Jedi; the duty he had assigned himself that consumed half his personality. “Come off it.”

Bane hesitated. The sky began to darken; he thought he had been to this place before.

“You’re a fool,”Fett’s voice, a low baritone, seeped into Bane’s ears, in turn causing the Duros to tremble. It was not out of the coldness of the weather, but the coldness of his words, that Bane’s body involuntarily shuddered, wide, red eyes blinking away flecks of snowflakes as they floated toward the ground; they were gossamer, each one intricate by its own design.

“But Fett-”

“Shut up,” the Mando cut him off. Something wasn’t right. Bane gazed around himself, even as Fett continued. “You really think I care about what you think?”

Bane stared at him, a wounded look taking over his already glum face. Even so, he thought to follow-up, wondering if he had said these words before. “Just dhat-”

Flames were birthed from blankets of white snow, shooting up as pillars of an all-consuming heat, Bane taking a step back as he watched the fire cast a shadow on Jango’s beskar helmet. Those little flecks, those tiny snowflakes, were now tendrils of hot ash, the icy ground nearby the bridge they stood on a carpet of dirt and soot.

“Ja-Jango?” Bane stuttered out; the man approached, deliberate, even as his voice rose in his anger.

“You are nothing to me, Cad. You are nothing.”

The fire blazed more luminous than a main-sequence star; the heavens were black as pitch and no sun shone; Bane heard another sound, this one the creak of weakening ropes as the Duros realized the bridge they stood upon was near to collapse. It was old, rickety, and the only way into town.

“You are not my friend, and you will never be my family,” Fett assured, his vehemence laced with mockery. The Mando laughed, dry, and borderline sadistic; it was out of character for him. Bane grimaced.

“Fett, we gotta go back!” Bane ignored his hurtful remarks, noticing the bridge was starting to sink and give beneath their weight and the onslaught of the flames. The youth would peer over the side, eyes set to broaden as he realized the mountain valley was now nothing but a pit of hellfire.

“You are weak; pathetic; worthless-”

“-stop it!”

“-just a frightened little boy.”

“Enough!” the Duros shouted; he could hear the panic in his voice. He cursed himself, wanting to be brave; wanting to prove to Fett that everything he said was erroneous, inaccurate – but he was right; Bane was frightened.

Suddenly, Bane had nothing below his feet, just a gaping hole and a river of bright flames. Fett was hovering; he had activated the thrusters of his jetpack; Bane aimed to do the same, pressing a button on his wrist gauntlet, except his boots wouldn’t fire; they sputtered and died out.

He kept on falling.

“Jango!” He heard his voice crack, Bane reaching out and up toward the Mando. The man only laughed that wry, cruel laugh, even as Bane fell to what he knew would be his death.

With hands grasping, arms flailing, and legs kicking erratically, Bane yelled one last time as his body was engulfed, swallowed by the void.

“Ah’m sorry!”

---

“Oh, no!” Todo 360 articulated. “I was afraid this might happen!” the droid verbalized in a mild state of panic. He began zooming around the room, peeking into cabinets and pulling out various tools, utensils, and medical implements. It appeared to Zulara that he might be looking for something in particular, so hurried were his movements in his haste.

“Can I help?” she asked quietly, though eager, not sure what was even wrong or what it was she would be looking for. The girl had been seated on the floor, tinkering with one of Bane’s fancy vambraces; it was sparking.

The girl glanced to the bacta pod where Cad Bane slumbered, but something was amiss; his eyelids twitched. She stood, then approached with caution, peering down into the coffin-like contrivance – that’s when she noticed.

The Duros trembled, the muscles of his face distorting into what looked like fear, then pain. His head shifted back and forth from side to side, though not awake. Zulara’s heart ached for the man.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked, turning to stare at the frantic Todo. He was too busy in his search to hear her, muttering his many grievances and even a few expletives.

“Todo?” she asked again, the concern apparent in her voice. She stepped forward toward the little droid, tapping him gently on his tiny shoulder.

Todo whirled on her, having forgotten momentarily that she was even aboard the ship, Zulara noting she had startled him by the widening of his citrine eyes.

“Do not do that!” he proclaimed, immediately taking back up the search. Zulara’s lower lip quivered as she turned on her heel, refacing the injured man; he at least seemed calmer now, which Zulara pointed out.

“He’s stopped moving,” she whispered.

Todo zipped on by, a cool rush of air tickling her arm. He observed his master through the glass, a pane of two-inch thick transparisteel.

The droid sighed a human sigh, then rounded on his thrusters. He stared up at the girl, finally managing to find the time to give her a halfhearted story of some kind.

“When in the bacta pod, Bane’s subconscious is left totally unguarded! He is vulnerable to whatever it is his mind can conjure up, and I will have you know these things are not pleasant.”

“He had a nightmare,” Zulara stated, though the end of her phrase had a questioning lilt to it.

Todo nodded in assent, then added: “He has a lot of those, I am afraid.” He wondered if he should be telling all Bane’s secrets. Was this a secret? Nightmares were common among organics. He was unsure.

Zulara frowned at him, then looked down at her boots. She often had nightmares herself, a reoccurring one; the one where she was stripped from her mother’s arms by her drunken father; the one where she was ushered off like chattel into a life of slavery.

Her gaze returned to Todo once she had repressed that bit of sordid memory. “Will he be all right?” she questioned anxiously.

“You are humorous, human. Mister Bane has endured much worse. But I must find this pneumatic dispenser! It holds a sedative we may need; it is only a precaution.”

“You are going to sedate him?” Zulara asked, perplexed.

“Well, it is better than what Bane would do!” Todo scolded, continuing his rummaging. “I, for one, do not wish to suppress my memories, but in all likelihood Bane will hurt himself in this state, and he is already wounded.”

Zulara seemed confused. “What do you mean?”

Todo was becoming irritated. If this woman was not present, he could work in peace! Just who did Boba think he was, leaving her with him! Granted, she seemed to care about his master, but she was still a nuisance! Perhaps the droid was now beginning to understand why Bane called him that on limitless occasions - and when he meant well.

He started to have a change of heart, though his metal shell was empty besides his circuitry; his own thought process set him straight. Todo simply sighed again, though trying to be patient. “Mister Bane seems to think that libations will solve his problems. Why, ever since Boba Fett shot him in the head, he has never been the same!”

Zulara’s frown remained fixated, though deepening. She had heard this mentioned once before as they had dragged Bane inside his ship. Why would the man that had helped to rescue him want him dead instead? It made no sense. She thought to ask, but wondered if the droid would answer her.

Todo seemed two things: high-strung and untrusting, though Zulara’s interest was not self-serving, she was only curious. It was hard not to want to learn all she could about the Duros, his history, and those things that made him tick.

“What happened?” she finally managed, fingers trailing a path down the outside of the convex, transparent glass. “Boba would not tell me how he knew Bane,” she added, studying the curves and angles of the hunter’s face despite the mask he wore that fed him oxygen.

“Because then Boba would be admitting to attempted murder!” the incensed droid piped up, rounding on her. He was flustered by the question, and even more so aggravated by the answer he was about to give. Young Fett was a traitor and a deserter in his opinion; a fly-by-night, disreputable scoundrel to say the very least!

“When one commits to a job, or when one is given a home and specialized training - for free might I add – with only the expectancy of loyalty, and then for that person to defect, to try Mister Bane’s patience after all he did for him!”

Todo scoffed, turning back around. He opened up a lower cabinet, somehow sticking his large head inside, so his words were muffled. “To question his authority is one thing, but to shoot him?!” Todo’s voice was elevated, despite being dampened within the cupboard he was scouring. “Simply because you do not agree with his methods!?”

Zulara watched Todo’s metal chassis shift back and forth as his upper half continued with its plundering, tossing things haphazardly behind him. The girl would lift one leg, dodging something sharp that vibrated—a sonic scalpel? What did Cad Bane need that for?

Zulara bent down to pick it up; she switched it off. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about the head plate Bane always sported. “So, then Boba betrayed him? He shot him at point-blank range?”

Her thoughts drifted to the man whose comlink was in her pocket. The youthful face, the curly hair, the deep brown eyes – so soft and rich – she could not imagine him to be a killer, yet he was another bounty hunter. A bounty hunter like the Duros she had feelings for, the one who left her, the one who desired her dead for the sand she had thrown into his stark garnet eyes.

“Well, no,” Todo admitted. He had been there, after all, observing it all unfold. “There was a duel. It was a tie-” the little droid emerged to swivel toward her once again, “-but Boba cheated! A Mandalorian’s helmet is made of beskar! And while Boba is no Mandalorian, his -er- father was.”

Todo 360 made an irritated harumph. “A solitary clone should have been grateful to have Mister Bane mentor him! I know I  would be. Of course, he did owe Jango many favors, or so Mister Bane has said…”

His voice trailed off; Zulara realized something. It was no matter that this droid was comprised of ones and zeros, or its many servos. Something clicked inside her brain—Todo had no bolt, no way in which he was restrained. He loved his master, and to some extent, Cad Bane must love him.

She could only imagine this Fett harbored some kind of guilt, as well he should. If she ever saw him, if he ever commed her…yet it was not her business.

Zulara refocused her attention, “a pneumatic dispenser, no?” Her inquiry was soft, calming. Todo perceptibly unwound, as the organic’s voice was somehow soothing.

He was not used to women hanging around; he had only known those that Bane kept on retainer for one reason or another, namely Aurra Sing; she had not one gentle bone in her whole body. In fact, he might blame her for the way young Boba had turned out. While Mister Bane had a hand in it, it was not until he had been abandoned and thrown in prison thanks to the Palliduvan that his master had offered Fett his guidance.

“Yes,” the exhausted droid replied, returning to his work. He kept one eye on her, but he was thankful for the girl’s assistance, however wary. One could never be too careful.

---

“Boba?” Bane had heard the name, floating out in empty space, inside his mind, or spoken by a God. It lingered, the two syllables leeching their way into his cerebral cortex, even as pure darkness surrounded him, enveloping his cold flesh like a thickset, heavy blanket of unease.

His stomach lurched; he felt like throwing up. Instead, he sat upright and was faced with a nearly obscene brightness. Someone had unveiled the stars, but one shown more luminous than all the others; the one that warmed the desert planet he was now stationed on.

“Bane!”

The Duros’ eyes rolled to his left, spying within his hand a bottle of dark liquor, Bane ascertaining this might be the reason for his sickness; the empty feeling that tarried in his guts. But still, nothing was making sense.

Bane dropped the bottle, glancing up. Some distance away was a teenaged Boba Fett.

How many times would the kid shout his name in anger? How many times would he have to remember his father’s face when looking into his? That armor, that helmet – all a cruel reminder.

“You should have been there.”  That’s what the boy had said that fateful day.

Bane stood, gazing out. He was supposed to say something, words that had been repeated time and time again. The outcome would never be any different, he suspected, but the hunter was caught in a web of his own delusions. Maybe this time he could make it right; maybe this time Bane would not lose his self-respect or his dignity to a fourteen-year-old brat.

“Ah wouldn’ be so-” Bane’s voice dropped; he said the rest quietly and to himself, “-hasty now, boy…”

No. This wasn’t at all accurate. This had happened once before. Bane studied his surroundings, noting the placement of the buildings, a fire that burned in the distance, wisps of dark-colored smoke emanating in tight curls.

Fire.

There was a fire.

He had fallen.

Boba turned his head; Bane followed his lead, spying C-21 Highsinger and his faithful droid companion. Held prisoner in their grasp was a white-haired old man. The child - Fett’s offspring - demanded that he be released along with all the other hostages.

What hostages.

“Let them go, Bane.”

What had he done? He could not remember, the Duros craning his hat and head to stare down at both of his blue hands.

“This isn’t their fight anymore.”

Bane knit his brow in thought, his gaze returning to the boy. He took a new approach, or at least he thought. He was unsure, second-guessing, caught in a place that resembled reality, yet Bane was positive none of this was real.

“Yer daddy ain’t here, boy. Ah knowit. But ye gonna go ‘head an’ bite de hand dhat feeds?”

Bane took two steps forward, somehow knowing what came next. He had always wondered if there was some other way than this, something he could have done to change Fett’s mind. But in the end, he had it out for him; it was a part of history that could never be rewritten. Boba had got it in his head that Cad Bane was his enemy, and the sole executioner of the people here, as if he was the only one who was unscrupulous among those present.

“Yer gonna wind up poor, or dead, out on yer own – dhis galaxy is harsh. Ye think Jango was perfect? Ye think he wouldn’ do whateva’ it takes te get de job done?”

“Shut up! I am not my father!” Boba scolded beneath his helmet; Bane ground his teeth as he glared at him, his expression full of venom. Always such an impudent, brazen child.  He hated Jango then – all of them – and his clone army; his poor decision.

“No more innocent people are going to die, or be locked up, or live in fear,” Fett reiterated, brandishing a finger. It was ironic, all this talk, when Boba Fett was supposed to be a bounty hunter.

“Did ye ferget what profession ye’s in? We’re hunters, Boba. Unless ye ain’t one. Maybe yer just soft.”

A poor choice of words, considering the circumstances. Bane was sure he had only made things worse. He did not have the time to contemplate anything beyond that, for Bossk and Embo had arrived.

At least they were fairly trustworthy, the Kyuzo only second to Bane himself. Bossk knew how to take directions, even though he had connections, strong ones, to the Guild. Bane had thought, incorrectly, that they might back him up and take his side, but the blood that ran through Boba’s veins was a testament to his skill and to his mounting leadership, despite his age and stature.

Bane smiled a crooked smile. “Looks like yer lil’ insurrection has failed.”

Boba looked behind himself and to the others; Bane’s smile faltered. He glanced around as the thin shroud separating this world from the next shimmered and disjoined. He saw stars; realspace; a depthless abyss of nothing, like a curtain had been pulled back to reveal the stage, and he was the main character.

“I say we give the kid his shot,” he heard the Trandoshan rasp.

Bane dug his boots into the sandy earth. There was a suction pulling him, like a vacuum, toward a gaping hole that now stretched so wide the entire town was gone. The only thing that remained were the other hunters; Bossk and Embo had stood down, and Boba was rounding on him.

Bane realized they did not seem to be affected; it was like none of this was happening. He knew what he was supposed to say, as if only reciting his own name.

“So, dhat’s it – just ye and me dhen, Boba Fett.”

“I guess it is,”the boy would reply.

Their eyes met, or at least he thought they did. That damned bucket was in the way, Bane mentally cursing its utility – it’s why he hated them – it was a place to hide.

And kark the others; their loyalty was forfeit, Bane reminded of a most important lesson: he was alone, and he always had been. Always would be, save his droid for company.

A sharp wind picked up, yet Bane’s hat did not fly off—not yet. He fought with all his might against an invisible adversary, even as his fingers danced above one LL-30 BlasTech pistol. If he could only be a fraction faster, if he could only put this disgruntled adolescent in his rightful place, his anger, his heartache, his headaches—they all might vanish.

His quick draw was the cause of his notoriety. To be outdone - to lose to a snot-nosed kid - it would be an embarrassment, though highly understated. The only thing he had left to him was his reputation, and Fett was out to steal it from him, albeit fair and square. He couldn’t – wouldn’t – let that happen.

Bane pulled his weapon; he squeezed the trigger. Simultaneously, another shot was fired. Superheated plasma - imbued with an explosive quality - transferred kinetic and thermal force to the armor plating that lined his signature bolero.

It was not enough to stay the bolt; he felt a searing pain on the left side of his head, radiating across his brow and the upper part of his domed skull. He fell back flat, staring up at a now starless, barren sky. He was out of breath, and he thought this is where he ought to die.

Bane would close his eyes, legs stretched out and arms taut at his sides. He had no idea the outcome; that it had been a tie; that Boba Fett had saved himself from his demise by wearing that accursed beskar, yet the young hunter’s aim had not betrayed him.

“Mister Bane!” he would hear his droid call aloud in a worried tone. He had repeated it three times now, though the Duros found he could not move. The only thing he could perceive in this state was a scathing ache; an excruciating, endless throbbing, right where the bolt made contact with his hat and ricocheted.

The plasma had been so hot, so volatile, it had dissolved his scales clean off and scorched him to the bone—the durasteel panel had dented inward before his hat rebounded off his head and fluttered to the ground, molten metal boring easily through flesh and osseous tissue, slowed only partially.

Tears welled behind shut eyelids, as in that moment, he wished the boy had killed him.

---

Zulara, hours later, had traversed Mos Eisley’s streets. She had been looking for something, something good to eat. While she was not hungry, she imagined Bane would be the moment he awoke. The girl had not strayed far in her search for the right ingredients.

She aimed to concoct a Twi’lek dish, though she would modify it. Her palette did not enjoy the fungi that accompanied the rycrit meat. She would add carrots and potatoes, along with various other root vegetables, to cook a hearty stew, a thing to keep Bane’s strength up and paid for with her own meager credits.

Todo had confirmed there was nothing much edible aboard Bane’s ship; she had found out shortly that its name was the Justifier; curious, though she would not mention it. Once they had found the lost dispenser, Zulara made it her new objective to prepare a home-cooked meal for the healing Duros. Perhaps he would be appreciative and would not mind that she was here, doing her best to look out for him.

To think, she could still be napping in Ohnaka’s arms if Fett had not sounded the alarm. It was something more complicated than a mere regret; she did not feel that way. In fact, it pleased her. It had scratched an itch Cad Bane had left behind. Still, she had been hurt, a stupid thing, as the youth had asked how long she had known this man; her answer proved unsatisfactory, even to herself.

Why? Why care? As if his attempt to free her was not enough, though Bane had made her feel things she had never felt before. Maybe Zulara has naïve, a woman with no sense, but what sense could she have considering her circumstances? Some might call it a learning curve, though that did not mean she was not harboring intelligence.  In this case, she was thinking with her heart and not her head, but she could not help it; all she cared for was Bane’s good health.

Zulara absentmindedly stirred a pot; it was something she had located in a cabinet by the conservator. It barely appeared used; she wondered if Bane ever liked to cook, or if his starship had come equipped with those things he needed, whether utilized or not.

Once the rycrit stew was at a simmer, she lowered its heat setting and placed a lid on top of it. With this accomplished, she thought to find Todo and pose another question: where was there a workroom, a space with tools? She had it in her mind to fix Bane’s gauntlet, wanting to feel useful.

Now, just where had that droid gone off to?

---

Glowing embers of crimson red bothered to open up again as Cad’s body began to move of its own volition.

No – it was the wind, that suction. It had gained momentum; it was stronger, rolling him like a tumbleweed toward the open maw of nothing!

The hat went first, vanishing beyond the veil. Bane grimaced as he dug his fingers into the pliant earth. There was no stopping it, head pounding as his legs thrashed violently. He was like a fish out of water, surrounded by only grit and sand. Death, once more, seemed imminent.

The Duros panicked.

---

Zulara heard a crash, like something falling. She rushed back to where Bane rested, Todo’s mental state in a disarray as he had dropped something. Her eyes traveled toward the pod; Bane was seizing. The girl would gasp as she ran for the tank at lightspeed.

It wasn’t that the droid was clumsy, he had simply moved too quickly. Seeing his master at the mercy of his nightmares had drawn out all his worry; it must have been preprogrammed, but by who was an unsolved mystery—unless it was Vertseth Automata. Surely, Bane would have preferred a model with more strengths than weaknesses, but he had his purpose. Currently, it was to act as nurse, though he was not one; he had been built for techo-service.

By the time Todo arrived, Zulara had already pried open the bacta pod. Bane was coughing, sputtering, even while unconscious. The girl tried lifting him, cupping his upper back as he broached the surface; the sticky gel still held him, her face strained with the effort, though Zulara kept him aloft, fighting the weakness of her arms—Bane was too heavy for her alone.

“Todo, do something!” she pleaded, though she needn’t ask. The droid had readied the dispenser that housed the sedative mid-dash.

“I am sorry, Bane, but this will only hurt a moment!” he said in warning, still somehow afraid of incurring his master’s wrath, no matter that he was incapacitated. He aligned the needle and pressed with all his might; the medicine was injected directly into the site; it would disperse and travel throughout his bloodstream, suppressing his dark memories to the best of its ability.

Todo sighed, dropping his hand and arm. He let the empty dispenser fall onto the floor. Bane had noticeably relaxed; his breathing evened out. Zulara finally felt convinced enough to lie him back down within the healing gel.

“Is-is that it? Will he settle now?” the girl asked fretfully, adjusting Bane’s breathing mask for him; it had become somewhat crooked.

“I do believe so, yes,” Todo stated, though his confidence was shaken. He backed up a foot to let her work, watching how Zulara tended to his master carefully.

It was then Todo wobbled on his axis, believing himself to be tuckered out. For a droid to feel this way was like when organics suffered from lack of sleep. He could not remember the last time he had plugged in, knowing that his power supply was finally dwindling. “I do not feel so good,” he reluctantly admitted.

“What?” Zulara appeared alarmed, turning now upon the droid. He placed his feet down on the ground - too much time spent hovering was another drain on his internal generator – knowing he had only a few minutes left.

“It is not..hi..ng…to worry a..bo..ut,” Todo’s speech came out garbled and slowed down, “I am in need of a re..ch..ar..ge…There is a sta..tion…do..wn the ha.ll.”

Bane’s companion’s eyes flickered, like two glowing yellow fireflies, flashing her at intervals. What would she do without him? What if Bane woke up again? She ran to his aid as he began a make his way, albeit awkwardly.

“You can’t leave me! What if the tank malfunctions, or what if Bane has another nightmare!” Zulara begged of him.

“Bane will most likely be remain un..con..scious for se..veral hours n..ow,” he tried to reassure, his tiny, robotic hands trailing the wall to his right side; his eyesight was no longer reliable, and he had to feel for it: the door that would lead him to his charging bay where he would gladly sit and wait to be replenished. “Do not wor..ry, he is safe. You can always ca..ll… Bo…ba.” He could not believe he was saying this.

“Are you sure? But I don’t want to call him!” Zulara argued, watching as Todo ambulated toward another room. It was the place with all their tools, the one she had been searching for. Todo had nearly made it to his recharge station when he stopped dead.

“Todo?” Zulara whimpered.

There was no response; he had lost all power.

[sexwithanimemen]

I know I said I would mainly be doing anime but I just had a thought:

You know at the end of SWTCW S3 in the Padawan Lost arc when Sugi, Seripas and the Wookie chief (and there may have been another bounty hunter) all come in Sugi's ship to rescue Chewbacca and the padawans? Well I just remembered that one person who was originally part of Sugi's group wasn't present at that little fight. Yes, I'm referring to Embo. I was think last night that wouldn't it be so cool if Embo was with them. How cool would it have been if he just jumped in and rekt the shit out of those Trandoshan hunters? The creators should've put him in the episode.

[justthoughts1310]

If you have not watched Netflix's live action ATLA yet, let me stop you right now. It is not good and it's score on rotten tomatoes is honestly too high.

However, it's far better than the 2010 Live Action movie.

I'm on episode 6 now, and as I watch, I've been trying to find the words that best describe the series.

I've struggled, but the first thing I've noticed is how all of the actors seem to walk their parts and miss the meaning and motivations of their characters all together. The only one who comes close to embodying their character is Iroh, and the only one who looks like they came from straight out of the avatar universe is the Bounty Hunter.

However, now that I'm in episode 6, I've found the word.

The series is Rushed. It's rushed. It feels that they are trying to pack as much avatar lore into the storyline as possible and they don't care what storylines or arcs they have to mangle in order to do it. It's like a really badly written fanficition or a bad spark notes recap of the OG show. I feel comfortable saying that because I've read the Kiyoshi novels (which are like fanfics) and they are EXCELLENT.

You notice this when the show starts. Aang can fly unassisted. Let me repeat. He can fly unassisted. Only two Airbenders in all of Avatar history can fly unassisted, and one hasn't even been born yet during the time Aang was trying to stop the 100 year war. This boy can fly, but we're 6 episodes in and he has not water bent once. If he hadn't turned into Kiyoshi, I wouldn't believe that he's actually the avatar.

As to not provide any spoilers, they've taken multiple storylines and mashed them together. For example, the spirt of wisdom that we meet in the library in the arc where Appa goes missing. Yeah, we meet the guy in the forest with the Panda Bear Forest spirit and then we meet Kah shortly after. As if that's not all terrible, then we are introduced to the Mother of Faces.

The mother of freaking faces! If you don't know who she is, she is not in the show. She is introduced in the graphic novel trilogy "The Search" when Zuko and Azula try to find their long lost mother.

It is my feeling that if you want to revisit a beloved show that you should work to make it better. Deepen it. Add color to it and help the audience better understand the characters insights. Take your time with it.

Netflix tries to do a little of this by providing some additional backstories, but it does this by running rough shot through literally everything else.

It even changes the characters relational dynamics with one another. For example you know how even though Sokka is the oldest, Katara very much has adopted the place of their mother? Yeah... throw that notion right out the window. Now, instead of Katara being the practical one who keeps everything on track, she's painted as the rash kid who needs to grow up and Sokka is the father figure.

Now, Zuko is kind of the beloved child even though he's been banished and Azula is seen as a nuisance to her father. Like what??????

It's actually ironic that the show removes Sokka's misogynistic nature because the show is kind of misogynistic in and of itself.

It's 6 episodes in and has already stripped three female characters of their core tenants.

1. Azula is a prodigy. She's the pride of the fire nation. Not anymore.

2. Katara is a motherly figure who is the mother of the group. She cares for everybody and keeps them on track. Not anymore.

3. Suki is a fierce and independent warrior who is not impressed by Sokka's misogyny. Now, she's a creepy woman who follows him around the entire time he's on the island until he asks to be trained by her.

When we heard that the OG creators and Netflix went different ways because of creative differences, we should have known right then and there that the live action was going to be trash.

Also, I'm going to put it out there. Considering the fact that this should be a block buster series, Netflix did not spend anywhere enough money on it, because the graphics are so cheesy and Appa looks terrible.

[nchlsdmn]

Full Plot of the Cancelled Boba Fett/Cad Bane arc from Star Wars The Clone Wars: Season 6

Episode 1

Boba now lives with the Bounty Hunters who sort of act as his parents. The Bounty Hunters are stationed on Tatooine in a complex that resembles Obi-Wan's hut from Episode IV – but much bigger and with various dorm rooms and chambers that are each closed off and separated by doors. It also has prison cells below.

From there, they take jobs. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they all live there permanently, but they are stationed on Tatooine because they take most of their jobs there. Boba has dreams of the death of his father. Even Ventress's chambers are shown but they are empty.

Cad Bane receives a job where he has to rescue a kid from Tusken Raiders. He decides to bring Boba along. Boba wonders why he picked him since there are so many Bounty Hunters that are way more experienced than him, but Bane insists that he has picked Boba because it’s about time Boba started learning how to take care of himself, since he was sticking around with the Bounty Hunters crew, and it’s dangerous without skills.

They ask for information on where the kid was last seen, and then take a ship and go to the remote parts of Tatooine where the sand people live. Cad Bane takes Embo, Highsinger and Bossk along with him, but Embo and Bossk will stay with the ship while Highsinger acts as a scout from faraway, whereas Cad Bane and Boba proceed on Dewbacks. Cad Bane tells HighSinger to leave them, and the other Bounty Hunters abandon Cad Bane because Boba and Bane haven’t returned, and they start to think that either Bane has double-crossed them, or they have been captured, so they see no profit in staying exposed.

Cad Bane and Boba proceed on foot because Bane wants to appear defenseless in order to lure the Tusken Raiders to them. Bane knows those lands, so he knows which tribe of Tuskens took the kid, since they’re the only tribe that lives in those lands. He only takes Todo-360 along with him and Boba follows. They follow the tracks of the Tusken and it gets dark. They set up a camp illuminated by a battery and Bane drinks booze. (Cue 1st unfinished scene clip) Bane senses that they’re about to be ambushed and asks Boba to let himself be captured so that Bane can then put a tracking device on him and find out where the Tusken Raider’s camp is located. A struggle ensues.

He plants a tracking device on Boba and manages to find their camp. The Tuskens won’t reveal where the target is so Bane starts slaughtering the village until they tell him where the kid is. He doesn’t destroy their huts, but shoots all of those who get out of their tents armed and intending to attack him, so there are quite a bit of causalities until the Tuskens realize what he’s there for. He then holds the Tusken kids at gunpoint bargaining with the Tusken leaders, who grant him an audience. Boba is immediately alarmed and steps in front of Bane trying to prevent him from shooting the kids. Bane says that he never intended to kill them, but that in order to be persuasive you need to be able to bargain with everything. Somehow this doesn’t convince Boba who starts questioning Bane’s morality. The target is then revealed to be in another camp not too far from that one, so Bane and Boba proceed on foot. Bane has lost his hat during this struggle. The target is then revealed playing with the Tusken kids, displaying how the Tusken Raiders were only holding the child hostage for ransom, but weren’t mistreating her.

The child is very lively and talkative, and tells Bane and Boba where she lives in order to take her back. Turns out she lives on the far side of Mos Eisley, so on their way back the Tuskens, who had only given up the target out of fear – come back to try to take back their prize. Bane burns them with his flamethrower, and throws explosives at them, scaring them off. The Tuskens had kidnapped the farmer’s kid because the farmer had established his farm on their land and wouldn’t pay the Tusken Raiders the ransom they asked for. The kid is returned safely to the father, who was also Bane’s employer. The farmer pays up and Bane says he doesn’t work for free, urging the wealthy farmer to pay up. Boba is satisfied and relieved at the thought of having done an act of good, but Bane only treats it like another job – and tells Boba that in order to be an effective Bounty Hunter, he has to be able to see profit in everything and not allow himself to be personally invested in the jobs that he takes. Boba disagrees since he thinks that while also making profit, you can help people as well.

The first episode ends with Bane telling Boba that he knew his father and that he respected Jango as his equal; and that there was always a competition between them for who was the best Bounty Hunter, but that he could never find out because the Jedi killed him. He then says that in order to be like his father Boba needs to put his emotions aside and be ready for everything.

Episode 2:

A small time skip is implied between episode 1 and episode 2 but nothing too major. Boba who still had his Season 4 design in the first episode (apart from the fact that in Season 4 he was bald whereas in the first episode of the Bounty Hunters arc Boba would instead have had a flat top like most clones when they cut their hair short) – he would now be sporting longer hair instead. Bane gives Boba some credits and tells him that they will travel to Kessel because Bane has some ex-employers there for whom he did a favor some time ago, and he’s going to Kessel to demand the last bit of the payment that they owed him. Cad Bane then meets with a Toong who gives him his new ship, the Justifier. The Toong comes along with them because the repairs weren’t ready yet, and Bane was impatient.

Boba and Bane thus travel to Kessel. The ones who owed Bane money are miners who worked on Kessel, and Cad Bane had helped them get rid of their previous manager who was abusing them, but they couldn’t pay Bane the entire sum immediately; so Bane would make periodic trips to Kessel so that the miners could keep giving him a piece of the payment that they owed him every time he visited them. Bane had grown impatient and asked for the rest of the payment this very moment. Cad Bane would have been shown to be cold-blooded, while the miners were shown as ignorant, unintentionally funny (they had big mustaches and hairs covering their faces) but at the same time – they were also overworked and fatigued, but Bane didn’t seem to care. A miner tries to pull a gun on Bane but Bane shoots him through the chest without even looking at him, then with a smile he says that they needed some motivation, and orders Todo 360 and Boba to capture the leader of the miners.

The Toong, named Lancek Trevoras, falls behind hiding behind some canisters, and stays with the ship. Bane takes the leader of the miners into his ship and holds him hostage until they reached an agreement that the miners would dig diamonds for him – and give him a percentage of what they were digging for the company. Todo handles the torturing. Bane thinks that the leader will either take some of the miners away as insurance, so that the company is forced to pay him in order to get the miners back, or the miners will stop lying to him and give Bane the money they owe him.

Boba feels bad and asks if this is really necessary, and Bane tells him “step aside boy, you’re too soft and won’t make it far into the world if you give up at the first sight of tears”. The trip ends with Bane taking all the money that the miners had and him releasing their leader back into the mining facility – with them subsequently cursing him as he flies away with his ship. Boba is the one who uncuffs him and seems sad. Boba gets angry during the voyage back and Bane and Boba have their first argument. Boba says that the miners didn’t have the money and that the violence against them was unnecessary, and Bane tells him that if he prefers, he can go back to that stinky hut they had on Tatooine and live the rest of his life in misery if he wanted to.

Boba then locks himself up in the other part of the ship, and Bane tells Todo to leave him alone to blow off some smoke. Bane then threatens the Toong as well telling him that if the repairs weren’t ready soon, he would have a few things to “explain” to him too. During the voyage home, Boba exits his chambers and go back to the ship’s cockpit, telling Bane that he’d made up his mind and that he wants to be like his father; so he will start taking Cad Bane’s advice from that point on.

Boba tells him that he needs to get his father’s ship back and his father’s armor, otherwise he’ll never be able to be like his father. Boba has a momentary change of heart where in order to show Bane that he’s tough – he thinks that by obtaining his father’s armor and ship he will be extra motivated into becoming a bounty hunter and act like Cad Bane does. Bane tells him that Florrum isn’t exactly on the way, but that if they do a pit stop on Tatooine first to refuel, they might be able to make it to Florrum. End of Episode 2.

Episode 3:

Cad Bane tells Boba that they first needed to get some extra security because Bane wasn’t exactly fond of the pirates, and doesn't trust Hondo. Bane asks for a repurposed droid which he was to buy from a very specific droid’s shop at Tatooin. That specific droid shop was only a charade, and was actually a base from which most of the crime on Tatooine operated (basically criminals went there to load up), and the owner of the shop already knew of the job beforehand and had the droid ready.

The droid was named Ruckle, and Bane verbally mistreated the shop’s owner who charged Bane for more than what he expected. Cad Bane leaves the shop with Ruckle without paying the extra required by the store’s owner, and Boba apologizes, and goes back to the owner, giving him some extra credits for the trouble. Bane takes Latts Razzi, Dengar, Sugi and Embo along with him. Sugi and Dengar had already had business with the pirates in the past; while Embo and Latts were just insurance.

The crew then flies to Florrum. Bane trades the droid for the Slave I, because the droid had a double purpose (apart from just being an assassin spider droid) -- which was being able to reveal the locations of the most precious cargo routes of the crime syndicates in the galaxy. The pirates were ecstatic about putting their hands on it, since they were barbarians who attacked cargo ships and stole all the time. Bane tells Hondo to give up the goods because he was really losing a lot by giving up some viable information for a ship. Hondo also delivers payment in credits. When Hondo asks Bane why he would be willing to trade such viable information, Bane replies jokingly: “anything for the kid,” referring to Boba.

When Hondo takes them to Slave I, it's revealed that Hondo repaired the wreckage from when Aurra Sing crashed it in Season 2, and Slave I was in flying condition again. It's also been revealed that Boba’s armor was not Jango’s armor from Episode II (which had been lost in the battle), but that Jango had an original armor from a long time ago, and Boba would find that one in the ship itself.

Aurra Sing was on Florrum as well. When Aurra and Boba Fett are reunited, Boba hugs her and Aurra tells him that she never intended to abandon him, and only did so because she knew the Jedi wouldn’t kill him, and that she would have eventually come to rescue him (even if this wasn’t true because Boba had to escape on his own). But this is Aurra’s way of rehabilitating her image in the eyes of Boba since at the end of the day – she cared for the boy.

Hondo then tells Boba and the crew that a very precious cargo transported by the Hutts was on a planet called “Serolonis”. Bane says to Boba that if he wants to make a name for himself – this was the job to do it since it was a big deal. The shipment was diamonds from the most precious mining planets like Oba Diah, Kessel, and Serolonis (which was known for its moister vaporators in order to keep the air clean). The planet "Serolonis" was a reference to "Sergio Leone", which was a homage to western movies and cinema as a whole.

The other secondary cargo of the Hutt’s carrier was also spice for the drug cartels. The ship was very big and the Bounty Hunters infiltrate it from different points, while Aurra Sing and Highsinger chase the ship aboard the Slave I. Cad Bane had traded ships on Florrum because his Justifier wasn’t equipped adequately for the job, whereas Slave I was basically a flying piece of artillery, although Bane’s ship had missiles and they didn’t want to blow up the cargo. The little Bounty hunter from Season 2, named Seripas, would also have been taken along for the job.

Boba is killing enemies left and right with Jango’s pistols, and also doing some cool acrobatics. At this point, he doesn't have a jet-pack yet. Cad Bane disregards the civilians around him – whereas the other Bounty Hunters like Latts Razzi and Sugi were more concerned with their surroundings. Sugi prevents Bane from executing some bystanders in order to cause a crash and stop the ship. Bane is angry and kicks her back, but the plan of Bane fails.

After the cargo is captured, thanks to Slave I, and the Hutt killed – the bounty hunters get into an argument on how to split the bounty. Cad Bane, of course, wants the largest cut because he orchestrated the hit job, and the other bounty hunters pull guns on each other in much of a Western manner, to then end it off with a laugh off between them – similar to the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where Barbossa, Jack, Will and Elisabeth all point guns at each other.

Sugi leaves angered, telling Bane that their approach had almost gotten them and all the civilians killed, and Bane threatens her telling her that she will not have a long life if she crosses him again. Sugi takes the payment and leaves. Latts Razzi follows, and Dengar and Embo just dissipate. The ones who remain with Bane are Highsinger, Bossk, Aurra Sing and Boba. Bane also threatens Seripas, telling him that he was slow and useless because of his size.

Boba would then start contemplating an insurrection against Bane because he sees that a lot of the Bounty Hunters think like him and not everyone agrees with Bane. Some Bounty Hunters like Seripas and Latts Razzi are afraid of Bane. Aurra Sing asks Boba if he’s coming to join them at a cantina and Boba tells her no, to which Aurra scoffs him and tells him “fine, whatever you want”. Boba goes back to talk to Sugi, who reveals that she’d only gotten into the bounty hunting business out of necessity, and that she’d lost a family member due to an accident, so she knows what it means to lose innocent lives. Latts Razzi also revealed to have some sort of morality, because despite being more disregarding of rules, she’s against killing innocents during her bounties. Boba would tell the both of them that it’s time someone started standing up to Bane. Episode ends.

Episode 4:

Boba starts doing jobs for Cad Bane. Bane tells him to go around asking for money from civilians whom Bane had been doing favors for – and Boba had basically turned into his tax collector. A minor time skip is implied again; but nothing too major. Cad Bane has established himself on Serolonis as a pasha living in richness, and keeping the local population subjected by asking them for tributes in exchange for protection. As Bane had basically set up his own syndicate on Serolonis, other Bounty Hunters would have been shown to have joined and would have made an appearance; such as Twazzi from the Season 4 episode "The Box" and Robonino as background characters. Boba would go around using his cut of the money to cover debts in case some civilians couldn’t pay Bane, but the ones that Bane discovered get imprisoned, and ask for ransom to release them, if not – they would remain his hostages.

Bane has Boba followed by Todo and a returning Bounty Hunter who was Cato Parasitti (in the third episode Cato Parasitti was also briefly shown to have been the one who procured the clearance codes for the Hutt’s carrier ship). Bane had ordered them to spy on Boba because there was "something off about that boy". He starts suspecting that Boba’s doing stuff behind his back so he asks Cato to investigate. In the meantime Boba gets in contact with Sugi, Latts Razzi and Seripas and would promise them a cut of Bane’s bounty if they managed to capture Bane alive and hold him hostage. They would have him exiled to Jabba’s palace and Nal Hutta, where he would be trialed for having sabotaged a Hutt’s carrier ship and killed a relative of the Hutts himself, so he would have been found guilty for crimes against the entire Hutt family. This was Boba’s plan to get rid of Bane in a peaceful manner without having to kill him.

Latts Razzi joins in and Sugi does too, whereas Seripas is a little bit of a coward so it takes more time for him to be convinced. Aurra Sing then spots Boba hiding in a street corner and becomes suspicious of him. She then sees the other two bounty hunters (Sugi and Latts) exiting the same alley and goes to inform Bane. Bane tells her that the boy needed to be taught a lesson but that for now they’d just be observing his moves to see where this goes. Boba then takes a ship with the excuse of going on an assignment from Bane, and Boba travels to Kessel trying to rally the miners to his cause. The miners are scared and don’t trust him at first, and they don’t want anything to do with it. Boba then manages to at least get a promise out of them that in case it would ever come to a direct confrontation, he could have their support – but for now he would just leave them be. The leader of the miners then takes Boba alone and tells him that he can count on him even if the others are too scared by their experience with Bane and don’t want anything to do with it. Boba would then sneakily travel to Florrum on one of his voyages and Todo would hide in the ship’s cockpit spying on Boba.

Boba would ask Hondo for support, and Hondo would tell him that this is their business and he wants nothing to do with it. He would then walk with Boba and have a conversation about how he knew Boba’s father and that he had great respect for him – and that Cad Bane’s methods are not honorable and are not the way Jango would have wanted things to go down (or at least that Jango understood that later in his life). He then gives Boba a jetpack and gives his allies heavy weapons and lets him leave, so this is in a way – Hondo’s way of supporting Boba without getting involved. When Boba leaves the pirates ask Hondo what they should do with the boy and Hondo tells them that if the boy dies then there’s nothing to them; but should he succeed – they will be ready to do a "cleanup" and scramble up all the richness that Bane had with him.

At this point, Boba completes the paint job on his armor making it green because he wants to be similar to his father but different – and show a different way to do bounty hunting. Boba is still a little shaken by the fact that Jango could have possibly worked with Cad Bane in the past, so he understands that his father wasn’t perfect and that regardless of what Hondo tells him – he’ll never learn the full truth because everyone around him seems to be telling him a distorted version of the past to try to manipulate him to one side or the other. So he decides to make up his own path.

Dengar, Bossk, and Embo ambush Boba upon his return to Serolonis, and hold him at gun point asking him what he’s been up to. When Boba asks them if they are doing Cad Bane’s bidding, they answer that they do their own bidding and that they were fairly neutral in the whole thing and were basically in favor of whomever wins. Since Cad Bane was now the one with the money and the resources – they follow him. Bossk and Dengar then decide to let Boba pass when Boba tells them what this is all about, and momentarily pretend to have joined him because Bossk says: "it’s always good to have more money" if the insurrection against Bane is successful. All of a sudden, Boba’s crew is ambushed, and Aurra Sing has taken sniping positions whereas Robonino started rigging up charges all the way to Bane’s central quarters, while Boba was busy with Bossk, Embo and Dengar. It would have been revealed that Bane had the natives build him some bipedal droids that were also small tanks packed with fire-arms; basically sentient sentries. They could be ridden but could also be programmed to act as sentient turrets by themselves. Twazzi is shown riding one of those.

Cato Parasitti had thus far shapeshifted into several civilians while Boba was doing his business behind Bane’s back – and she’d reported everything she knew to Bane, and Bane had very well realized what Boba was trying to do. The leader of the miners would have travelled to Serolonis at this point – telling Boba that he’s finally made up his mind and is ready for the battle Boba had promised him, and Boba gets him to do some sabotaging work on Bane’s equipment to try to stop Bane’s syndicate from exploiting the natives. When Bane learns of this, he takes the leader of the miners hostage; then calls for Boba, and has Robonino set up the mines all around his base so that when Boba comes with his new crew, they’ll be blown up (this was the buildup to the scene where Boba and his crew are ambushed).

This ensues in a big struggle as stated – where Sugi is killed off, Twazzi is blown up by a grenade, Latts Razzi engages in a hand to hand duel with Cato Parasitti where Cato is then shot accidentally by one of the turrets because Latts Razzi had used her as shield. Seripas decides to intervene at the last minute saving Boba from a shot on his back – and he would have thus been revealed to also have made up his mind and come back; while Bossk, Dengar and Embo defend themselves when momentarily acting as if they’re on Boba’s side.

As the struggle is done, Boba is furious and rushes to Bane’s quarters, only to find it rigged with explosives and he manages to get away just in the nick of time. He then spots Robonino on top of a rooftop who’s trying to run quickly to Bane to inform him that his attempt at blowing Boba up has failed, but Boba shoots him killing him. (The deaths of Twazzi, Robonino and Cato Parasitti are not emphasized and are only treated like "offscreen" clone deaths not to make the episode too dark. The only deaths that are emphasized are Sugi’s death for just a moment, but then mostly Aurra’s and Cad Bane’s deaths).

Bane then decides to show up seeing as to how Robonino was not responding anymore, and when Bane shows up, Dengar, Bossk, and Embo turn their guns on Boba and tell him that the boss was back and Boba had lost his insurrection; seeing as to how there were many casualties. Bane will reveal that he has taken the leader of the miners, Stim, hostage as well as Boba’s new friend – Seripas while they were distracted; calling him the "coward who’d risked his skin saving you". He then says that if he wanted to see them alive he would come to the square Bane would indicate to him and come quietly. Boba is furious for the death of his Bounty Hunter friends and the ones captured so he acts harshly but is subdued by Bossk and Embo, who hold him by the arms while Bane aims at Boba telling him: "well if you want to get it over with so quickly and don’t really care about your friends; fine by me, you can die like your father".

At that moment Aurra, who had taken a sniping position and was holding both Boba and Latts Razzi at gun point (Latts Razzi being disarmed and with her hands up) has a moment of doubt and immediately starts running down the roofs trying to stop Bane from killing Boba. Aurra steps in front of him telling Bane that harming Boba wasn’t part of their agreement and Bane would have said that the agreement has changed (as a nod to Vader’s Empire Strikes Back line: "I’m altering the deal"). Aurra starts to struggle with Bane, in the meantime, that gives Boba the chance to kick both Bossk and Embo and free himself from their grip, but a shot fired by Cad Bane almost hits Boba and Aurra Sing throws herself towards Boba getting shot in the back instead. Bane then has a thousand yard stare and says: "this is what happens when you try to play hero. More innocent people will die unless you lay down your gun and come quietly". Bane seems a little distraught by the death of Aurra so he leaves the scene taunting Boba telling him: "if you have the guts come find me, Fett!" and tells him he’ll be waiting in a square.

(Cue Standoff Clip) Cad Bane in the meantime is waiting and Boba shows up pissed. Cad Bane tells him not to be so hasty and that there was enough killing for the day – so he’s willing to let the hostages go if he surrenders. Highsinger is revealed to be holding both Seripas (out of the armor) and the miner’s leader, Stim. Bossk and Embo join the scene while Dengar is holding Latts Razzi (away from the scene). Bossk and Embo show some respect for the kid and allow him to take his shot. Boba and Bane have their show off (Boba’s jet pack was damaged during the struggle so he removed it) and Boba was now defenseless, out of grenades, almost out of shots etc. Boba and Cad Bane exchange shots, but Boba got a good shot at Bane’s head and kills him.

Episode ends with Boba bandaged on his head (having been rescued from the scene by Bossk, Embo and Highsinger) while recovering – and telling the bounty hunters that he wants to create his own crew, and bounty hunting syndicate with the money they had taken from Bane (even though a lot of it had been destroyed during the struggle, but there was still a bit left).

Boba Fett thus leads his father's legacy, and becomes the man he always was meant to be.

[maigo-san]

What are your zolu hcs?

this is inspired by a scene from the anime during Luffy's flashback post Marineford. It's the way Luffy doesn't cross Zoro's boundaries. At first, Luffy sees a lot of himself in Zoro and that's why he finds that Zoro can take the way he treated him (i.e. the manhandling, flinging around, teasing him relentlessly) and he was right to some degree, Zoro seems to tolerate pain despite not made out of gum so he does sometimes still yanked Zoro when he ran in the wrong direction and stuff like that. Zoro also does the same thing as him, pinching him, bonking foreheads, using his full power to fight Luffy, scolding or teasing Luffy back. But Luffy realizes that Zoro is an immovable force when it comes to things like sleeping or training and he stops bothering him. Sometimes he still asks Zoro to play with him as a way to share his excitement but he doesn't disturb him or poke him or steal his stuff anymore and just tap on Zoro's shoulder or his weight. Luffy doesn't even need to say anything because Zoro already knows what he wants and he also knows that his "clingy" captain likes to do this just for the sake of seeking Zoro. Sorry, it's such a small gesture but I will die on this hill because Luffy cares for Zoro as much as Zoro does for him

they call each other aibous/partners LOL either in the final saga or post-canon or when they get together. Had this idea after a Sabaody arc rewatch and saw RayRoger call each other that. Also why I find a lot of parallels between ZL and KidKiller. I find it even more fitting than right-hand man or vice-captain (but he could be all of them)

Zoro has a weird way with PDA. He doesn't do that much because he gets embarrassed by it. But he can't keep himself away from Luffy's personal space. Probably because Luffy does the same. He likes to sniff him discreetly; swing his leg on top of Luffy, acting like he was just nonchalantly chugging his beer; randomly pin Luffy down with his whole weight and falling asleep on top of him while Luffy looks so confused at first; press a palm on the back of Luffy's neck and pulling him to press their foreheads together while staring intensely into Luffy's eyes; neither of them saying anything until Nami told them to get a room; Zoro likes to bite Luffy, on his shoulder blades or his cheeks, due to cuteness aggression. He is actually the one who started it before Luffy developed a habit of biting him.

In modern AU, I really like to HC kindergarten/daycare/preschool teacher Luffy. His jobs can be pretty diverse, ranging from errand boy, to sex worker, to sumo wrestler, to boxer or MMA, to child care, to delivery service, pet sitter, warehouse operator, oil rig worker, beetle expert/scientist, and (a moot suggested) animal whisperer. Did he get a degree? maybe. Did it take him multiple tries to get a degree? could be. Did Sabo or Nami hook him up with a fake certificate? also possible. He might not even need them, this and that offered him after he helped them or something. While Zoro for me is usually pretty straightforward. A kendo athlete or teacher, anything by Luffy's side, bounty hunter or a hitman, or he gets paid to do the math equations in his classmates' assignments. At one point he was offered a data analysis or statistics job where he didn't last for a week because he got bored, had a bad attitude, and was often late due to getting lost

I have so many zl hcs I have not made any fanwork of, but these are the ones I thought abt at the top of my head so I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.

Bonus mature one to make this five hcs in total

Luffy bottoms, Zoro tops. Sometimes, Zoro is more of a side or touch-me-not, so they would use toys, hands, or tongues. Luffy looooves Zoro's mouth, almost more than getting dicked down. They either have quickies almost every day or they can go months without having sex so they don't have it planned out and they don't really experiment. One or both of them will just ask the other if they're horny or not, if they want to let off steam or not and just go at it. Zoro finds more pleasure in Luffy's reactions and looks than his own while in return, Luffy lets him in his most vulnerable state and gives him all his unbridled attention. Oftentimes, Zoro does it because he misses Luffy.

[freesia-writes]

TBB S3 Insights [and interview spoilers]

I listened to this episode of Coffee With Kenobi and it featured Michelle, Jen, and Brad answering some questions about The Bad Batch as a whole and season 3 in particular. There are lots of neat things about it, but I wanted to share all the little details that stood out to me about what we might see in season 3.

So... spoilers beneath the cut!

Omega is alone, or apart from her brothers, for a lot of the season.

Omega hangs out with Ventress (I'm stoked about this).

Why does Michelle Ang say it was surprising and shocking that it had to end after 3 seasons? 

They workshopped different ways to end it, and Omega was initially set up with "a large future and expectation", then they went in a different direction that was more bittersweet?!

They talk about DBB voicing a character called “Batcher”… the dog creature? Or what?

Jennifer C: the loss of tech is referred to throughout season 3 as the characters learn how to deal with that hole in their lives.

(side notes from S2) The ice vulture in The Outpost was also voiced by DBB, haha, and they were super intentional with how close the vulture was to the ground throughout that episode.

How the squad embraces or doesn’t embrace Crosshair initially is very true to their characters.

Water dripping from the faucet in Omega’s cell is very intentional to create a sense of time, monotony, etc.

Crosshair feels used and abandoned, and Omega’s optimism is a stark contrast, and we see them learning from each other in new ways.

Regarding Fennec Shand - bounty hunters were a particular part of the storyline; Jen wanted to see her with Hunter and Wrecker.

They asked about favorite characters. Jen’s favorite is Hunter. He carries a lot of weight trying to keep the family together; she’s on board with the decisions he’s making.

Jen calls them Omega's brothers while Brad talks more about the dad batch. He says Hunter’s a classic dad but the dad side of Crosshair is interesting!

Tech was the squad navigator; kept them moving and clear on what they need to do. So now they’re kind of fractured and lost. They deal with the emotional fallout throughout the season.

How does it feel to end the show when it’s going so swimmingly? Bittersweet, proud, on our terms, landed the plane when they knew it was the last season. It was everything Jen wanted it to be.

Apparently there's been talk about Omega’s high M count? All they could say… is nothing. But a lot went into it every single time you hear those words.

Finally, Michelle shared that the entire story arc for Omega, and for her as an actor, all is summed up and finished nicely "in about two lines" at the end. TWO LINES?! dang.

[thefrogdalorian]

You Are Eternal

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Word Count: 1423 Rating: Teen Summary: When devastating news that High Magistrate Karga has become one with the Force reaches Din in his cabin on Nevarro, he reflects on the complicated nature of their relationship. Din pays his own tribute to the man who witnessed firsthand his shift from bounty hunter to father. Content Warnings: Major character death. Grief, mourning... I wrote this to try and cope a little with the awful news and it's just.... really sad. Author's Note: I just had to get this out of me tonight. It was my way of coping I guess. I hope Greef lives on somehow in the show, I really do. But I think he was Din's first real friend and their arcs are so similar, it's so sad to think he won't be there anymore. Thank you for reading. RIP Carl, Mando will never be the same without you 💔

Din Djarin was, unfortunately, all-too accustomed to loss. The feeling of grief was not alien to him. Ever since that terrible day on Aq Vetina, when he had lost everything and everyone that he had ever loved, the fear of losing others seemed to loom large over his life, a constant uneasiness that had long clouded his interactions with others. That was, until he had been sent to Arvala-7 and encountered The Child, who he would eventually adopt as his own. It was a chain of events that would not have been possible were it not for the very man whose loss had struck him harder than any blow he had sustained in the profession that had once united them.

Despite how many times Din had undergone the mourning process throughout his life, he found that the news of one of his oldest acquaintances’ passing had hit him particularly hard. The rapping at the door, well after the sun had set on another bright and sunny Nevarrian day, took Din by surprise. But nothing could have prepared him for the message that had promptly been relayed to him. News that had been delivered by a copper-plated droid, of all things. 

When he opened the door to his cabin on Nevaro, the last thing Din expected to hear was news that the High Magistrate had become one with the Force.

In those first few horrible moments after hearing such devastating news, Din found that the sensation resembled a punch to the area just underneath the shiny beskar plate that protected most of his chest and abdomen. Although Din was an extremely skilled fighter, he had occasionally been delivered such agonising blows in that incredibly vulnerable place. Now, Din was reminded of such agony as he processed the news.

Din’s relationship to Greef Karga had undoubtedly been complicated and at times, volatile. A former adversary, to an acquaintance, to possibly something even more… like a friend. Din Djarin did not typically have friends. But as he sat there in his cabin, processing the news after dismissing the droid and removing his helmet, he began to wonder whether, perhaps, he had had one… without even truly realising it.

A friend that had passed to the afterlife, before Din had the opportunity to comprehend how much Greef had truly meant to him.

Of course, there had been Paz. But Din was bound to Paz by Creed, as a fellow Mandalorian. There were no inherent bonds such as that with Greef. Instead, the former leader of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild on Nevarro had become increasingly close to Din. Greef had gradually become a trustworthy presence in an often cruel and treacherous galaxy.

Perhaps it was the shared trauma of the siege in the cantina, when Din and Greef had barely escaped with their lives, which had been the catalyst for their increasing closeness. Until then, Din had wondered whether he could fully trust the older man. After that, though, there was no doubt. Greef Karga was, at the very least, an ally.

All Din knew with any degree of certainty was that as soon as the Razor Crest needed repairs, when Din and Frog Lady had barely escaped with their lives on the frozen planet of Maldo Kreis, it was the coordinates for Nevarro that he had punched in. After being rendered an apostate for removing his helmet and violating the Creed, it was once again Nevarro that Din had journeyed to in order to secure a droid for his expedition to the Mines of Mandalore. On that very visit, when Grogu had been in danger thanks to the rogue IG unit, Din had not hesitated to thrust his son into the arms of Greef Karga, knowing that he would protect the little boy.

Back then, Din could never have foreseen himself settling on Nevarro. He had been so consumed with his quest for redemption that he had promptly rejected Greef’s offer for a tract of land by the lava flats. Yet after retaking Mandalore and adopting Grogu, the land had suddenly become an extremely attractive proposal. The little parcel of land had become the perfect place for Clan Mudhorn to rest between jobs for the New Republic. Din was eternally grateful for Greef’s offer. 

It was true that Greef had done much for Din during the time that they had known each other, but it was equally true that when Nevarro had been under threat from the pirates headed by Gorian Shard, Din had not hesitated to raise a band of Mandalorians to follow him. There were few people in the galaxy that Din would have gone to such lengths for, but Greef Karga was undoubtedly one of them. 

Not to mention the repurposed IG unit that Greef had given to Din, for Grogu to operate, despite Din's reservations. Although it had initially annoyed Din (and the stall holders of Nevarro) as it had given Grogu a way to verbalise his insolence and feed his insatiable appetite, it had been an invaluable aid during the retaking of Mandalore. An aid that would not have been there were it not for Greef. Both Din and Greef owed an enormous debt to each other.

The realisation of what a key figure Greef had been in Din Djarin’s recent history almost sent him tumbling to his knees. That Greef was the man who had perhaps witnessed more closely than any other the shift in Din from a lonely, selfish, bounty hunter with a strict adherence to the Creed, to a man who would do anything to ensure the safety of The Child, even if it meant violating the Way. That Greef was gone.

For a second, Din wanted to run from the cabin, screaming and sobbing, pleading that this could not possibly be true. That Greef would never realise how much he truly meant to Din. But he quickly came to his senses and soon sought solace elsewhere.

Din crept down the hall towards his son’s room, ensuring that in spite of his emotional state, he was as quiet as possible so Grogu was not awakened. He just wanted to be close to him, to feel his presence nearby, a comforting closeness to the special little boy who had changed everything for him. Din was relieved that Grogu was sleeping soundly, his shallow, even breaths continued even as his distraught father stood in the doorway. 

Din feared how much the news would devastate the little boy who was currently sleeping soundly in his crib. Despite how much Din ached to hold him close as comfort for himself, he didn’t have the heart to wake Grogu. Although Din supposed, given the way that Grogu seemed to understand the galaxy around him, that perhaps somehow his son had already sensed the enormous loss of such a monumental presence. A loss that would surely leave a void incapable of being filled in all of their lives. Every sunset on Nevarro, a sight that had once left Din awestruck with its beauty and the vibrance of its colours, would surely seem a little darker from now on.

Din turned his back and left Grogu's room then, fearing that if he stood there for much longer, the tears that had begun to silently creep down his cheeks would develop into a more audible indication of his grief that would wake Grogu. Plus, Din had remembered a certain cupboard in the kitchen, the contents of which would provide a fitting tribute to the High Magistrate.

He had hoped that one day, he might invite Greef to the cabin for the advised smaller gathering to share this luxurious libation with him. Perhaps even face-to-face, without his helmet, such was the increasing number of ways that Din had discovered there were to walk; ways to be Mandalorian.

That would never happen now, Din realised with a pang of sadness as he stepped out onto the porch and into the moonless Nevarrian night. He placed two glasses onto the table by the bench and slowly poured the amber liquid. 

Then Din sat back on the bench, and raised a glass of the Coruscant wine to the stars, in a toast to his old friend. He spoke the sacred words of the ancient language of their people, a daily remembrance that he would now carry out for the man who, despite everything, had become his friend.  

“Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum. Greef Karga.”

(I’m still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.)

[assiraphales]

I recently finished the loguetown anime arc and bc there was a bunch of differences from the manga & details that stood out from me

-things happen a lot faster in the manga, but the anime had a lot of side quests, so to sideline luffy (keeping him from the big moment on the executioners platform) they were like ; lol ummmm. he’s going to be lost for like five episodes straight & take a nap in the street

-nami stepping in between usopp n daddy the parent because she's on the constant look out for her crew, and though she may not be the strongest fighter, it won't stop her from trying to protect them

-everyone freaking out and being terrified of RORONOA ZORO DEMON PIRATE HUNTER and he's just yelling with a broom in his mouth bc he's on house keeping duty "stop calling me that!!!"

-I felt soooooooo bad for usopp because daddy the parent realized what was important to him (his daughter) and changed his entire career (from marine that traveled to bounty hunter who stayed local) while yasopp basically said he'd never have a part in his son's life

-daddy the parent noticing immediately that the back of usopp's head was in the photo. official member of his fan club which includes kaya, the usopp pirates, and usopp

-nami and usopp absolutely fangirling over sanji at the cooking competition was so cute (it was also nice to see sanji so outright & genuinely passionate)

-luffy n zoro on a lunch date where neither of them have money and BUGGY ends up covering their bill

-luffy having his literal head on the chopping block and six blocks over zoro going "I have a bad feeling......." babygirl has a 'luffy is in danger' six sense confirmed

-interesting that they switched luffy from laughing before he dies to just smiling

-smoker trying to stop luffy then and there bc he knows if he doesn't the straw hat pirates are going to be a PROBLEM!!!! but also being lowkey obsessed w him

-the citizens of loguetown absolutely living for the drama bc under smoker's rule they've never been safer but its never been more boring

[echoing-locations]

IT IS DONE!!!! NIMONA STARWARS AU!!!!!!!!!

Ok so the story of this au! (or at least what I’ve been able to think up)

Time line: the clone wars doesn’t start until Ballister and Ambrosius are about to become Jedi knights

Ballister and Ambrosius where both trained by the great Jedi master Gloreth (yea she had 2 padawans! So what!!)

At some point Gloreth and the boys are on a mission, Ambrosius is currently separated from his Master and Ballister, and Gloreth and Ballister get jumped by separatists 

When Ambrosius finally is able to find them, he see’s his master dead on the ground and Ballister holding both his own and her lightsaber with a rage in eyes

Ballister was arrested by republic authorities for suspicion of murdering his Master

(Cue that Ahsoka arc)

Ballister try’s to reason with the authorities and tell them who actually killed her, but to no avail

The Jedi council is no help either. They hold their own trial for him, he tried to reason with the council as well.

“Please Masters! Im begging you to believe me! I would never kill my master” “Ambrosius would say different.” “What..?” “When he found you, he sensed hatred. Anger” “please if you’d let me explain!” “We’ve hear enough. You Ballister boldheart, are no longer apart of this order.”

Ambrosius begrudgingly told the council that he saw the hate in ballisters eyes that day

The day before Ballister was supposed to be put on trial before the senate, he was able to escape and get off coruscant

Ambrosius was made a Jedi knight and a few days after bal escaped the clone wars stared

Note: Ballister and Ambrosius were not in a relationship cuz Jedi aren’t supposed to have attachments but they do have HUGE crushes on each other

~a few years later~ (maybe like 2 years)

Ballister has become a bounty hunter and has his own ship, bal doesn’t use his lightsaber but he has it unconstructed on his belt (like kanan)

I don’t really have a idea on how Nimona and Ballister met but it was probably on a job. It’s a good thing ballister has a extra room on his ship!!

Nimona did the foundling thing but the opposite way, child adopting the parent

Ok that’s all I got for now! Also I got no clue on how ballister lost his arm.

And as always I’m always open to suggestions!! I love hearing other people’s ideas!

[angeart]

hhau mimic arc rambles part III bonus: the eclipse

(~2,8 k words) // other parts & au masterpost here

Every couple of years, there’s a total eclipse in this world. The moon is big, obscuring the sun in a horrible totality, entrapping it for what feels like too long. This is a big event, but not because people are eager to spectate the sky and bask in its weirdness. No, it has much worse connotations.

Because the eclipsed moon affects many of the hybrids. Especially the animal ones.

Hunters look forward to the eclipse because it promises a lot of loud, distressed, instinct-driven hybrids scattering about without many defences. They prepare traps specifically for this occasion and organise big hunting parties, eager for the upcoming bloodbath and bounty.

The eclipse happens mid-winter while Scar and Grian are on the server.

And it’s awful.

[cws violence, murder (no known characters), panic, mind-altering states and a loss of self control, haywire instincts, non-consensual manhandling, horrory vibes]

They don’t really know what is happening at first. Hermitcraft is a safe server which has many things coded differently, and because eclipses hurt many hybrids, they never happen there. So Scar and Grian have never experienced anything like this, and the yank it has on Grian’s state in particular is startingly sharp and terrifyingly confusing.

Scar himself is alright, because—and the two of them don’t know this at the time—vexes are immune to the eclipse. 

Actually, that’s not quite accurate. The eclipse helps heighten their magic.

They thrive.

Grian does anything but thrive.

His instincts go absolutely batshit haywire. He starts getting disoriented and incredibly uneasy, anxiety holding him in a choke hold, and all rationality and caution leave him, replaced by pure fear. 

He starts making inadvertent chirping sounds, panicked, and no matter what Scar says or does, Grian can’t seem to stop.

It’s so dark outside. And Grian’s chirping isn’t the only one that sounds through the forest.

In a world where they thought avians might be all nearly hunted to extinction, there are now suddenly, in this darkness, piercing faraway chirps. Just as panicked and lost-sounding as Grian’s own.

But those are not the only sounds the looming forest has to offer.

There’s also hollering and cheers. Whistles and barks. Twigs snapping under careless boots. Hunter parties following every single hybrid noise right to its source only to slice it shut. Shrill, chilling screams before some hybrid inevitably plunges into absolute, horrifying silence.

Scar’s desperately trying to get Grian to shush. He pleads him to stop, to be quiet. Tries to calm him down.

But it’s all futile. Grian has no control over himself. He can’t make it stop; it’s a wholly new kind of fear, overpowering and unfamiliar, yanking at his instincts. (It feels, a little bit, like a huge moon crashing down while the ground underneath him shakes and disintegrates.) (It feels like locking eyes with someone and not being sure if he’ll ever get to see them again.) (It feels like apocalypse. Like the end.) (His mind screams at him and he can’t help but scream along with it.)

Scar wonders if he should put a hand over Grian’s mouth. He doesn’t know what to do, but the hunters are out there, in large numbers, tireless and eager, and Grian’s voice is now the beacon luring them over, pinging with their exact location.

Grian is slowly backing away, hunched, feathers puffed. His wings are semi-curled around him, no longer tucked under the cloak, even though they’re out in the open. 

He doesn’t seem like he’d do well with being touched.

But Scar needs him to be quiet. For Grian’s sake too.

Before Scar can do anything, though, Grian’s earwings flit wildly and he whips his head to the side, honing in on some noise.

It’s a distressed chirp, one that sounds closer than any of the other ones. 

It’s an avian in distress calling for help.

Grian thought there aren’t any avians but him, and now there is one, still alive, so very close, desperate for aid, and— Grian’s mind blanks. There’s only one single thing to do here. He isn’t thinking. His heart beats wildly in overdrive. His body moves.

Blindly, Grian bolts in the direction of the sound. 

And it’s up to Scar to scramble and run after him. 

It’s more than that. More than just following Grian. Because there is so much at stake, and he needs to stop him and quiet him and— And he might have to exert force, and—

Oh. He is basically hunting Grian down here.

He is the hunter following in the steps of a terrified avian.

And Grian, in his dazed and fragmented perception of the world, feels just like prey. There is so much happening for him right now: it’s dark and all he can see is Scar’s piercing vex eyes when he glances over his shoulder; he’s lost in panicky instincts, trying to reach another avian in distress, hurtling blindly towards potential danger; and he does feel hunted.

On top of that, he can’t stop the stream of bird noises. He can’t pull his wings under his cloak either. He’s stumbling and tripping and scaping himself all over, but he feels like he needs to keep running.

He no longer knows if he’s even heading the right way. The chirping he was following fell dead silent. His head is just screaming at him. Hot white panic and a cacophony of unstoppable, overpowering instincts.

Scar has to stop him before he gets himself killed.

As awful as it is, Scar doesn’t care about that other potential avian (it could be a trap) nearly as much as he cares about Grian. His priorities here are clear, desperation thick and loud in his lungs, pressing at his ribs. There’s no time for bargaining or for steeling himself. 

He needs to act.

Scar grabs Grian and tackles him to the ground.

He’s pinning him down, sort of straddling him, hands on Grian’s mouth, hopelessly trying to muffle the noises. He feels absolutely vile, but he doesn’t know what else to do. His breaths come in little sharp huffs of blue magic, shiny through the darkness as he expels a ton of emotional energy just to keep himself from panicking and crying.

He finds that it’s not as easy to hold Grian down when he doesn’t want to be pinned down. But also it is. It is easy, far too easy—harrowingly so. Grian’s so light. (It frightens Scar to even touch the thought of how simple this would be for the hunters too.) 

He’s terrified of hurting Grian accidentally. He’s very capable of it; Grian’s made of brittle hollow bones after all, and Scar’s grip is a bit too strong, but he doesn’t have a choice here. Grian won’t stop thrashing, fighting to be freed. (But Scar knows that letting go would almost surely result in Grian’s death.)

And where Grian’s attention is kind of selective, not processing things at all, Scar’s attention is sharp—sharpened by panic—keenly attuned to their surroundings. He hears all the various noises come and go. Not necessarily chirps; other hybrids, too. Them falling silent. The hunters yelling. And the screams. God. The awful screams.

They’re all too far away for now, thankfully, but if Grian won’t stop, they’re bound to come this way. After all, if Scar can hear them, surely they can hear Grian too—?

Scar feels nauseous and horribly helpless. The hunters cheer and laugh as the hybrid noises go dead silent, one by one— only the hounds left barking and howling in their wake.

Scar knows that, even though it’s awful, they can’t help any of those hybrids. But he’s going to do everything in his power so that at least the two of them can survive this.

Despite all his (pointless) efforts, the hunters catch up to them anyway.

As they approach, Scar is struggling to quiet Grian down, and Grian isn’t thinking straight enough to properly fight. It’s the worst possible situation. 

There’s no point in quieting Grian down anymore when the hunters are right here though, and so Scar moves on the defensive, ready to give it all to keep Grian alive. The fight is ugly, drenched in frightening desperation; Scar is numb to the pain even when something tears. Grian’s chirps get worse. Warmth drips down Scar’s face.

But then a different sort of howling breaks through Scar’s mounting panic, and—

A group of wild vexes rushes in. Not to save Scar and Grian in particular; it’s just a lucky timing.

Because as it turns out, just the way hunters set off to hunt down hybrids during the eclipse, the vexes—who are more powerful at this time, magic thrumming strongly in their veins—set off to hunt down the hunters. So nicely accumulated for them. So loud. So easy to find. 

The vexes and the humans clash, and in the swell of the chaos, Scar manages to drag Grian away. 

He wants to keep going, increase the distance between them and everyone else as much as possible, but all too soon the forest opens up into fields, and no way he’s pulling a dazed Grian out there where they can’t hide. So instead he swerves, anchoring them against a rock formation—an array of boulders and a jagged cliff wall. 

He presses Grian into a small dent there, covering him with his own body (imprisoning him there, in a way). Hiding Grian’s wings, muffling his chirps, whispering frantic things that are meant to be soothing. The sky is still dark, and Grian’s still chirping, although it’s quieter now; it’s clear he’s exhausting himself, but he’s still making noises. Still unable to stop, despite the terror and the fatigue.

They get found again.

But it’s not the human hunters that find them this time. It’s the vex group, sneaking up on them, all their sharp edges drenched in blood, glowing with magic.

Scar turns his back to Grian, still pressing against him, tucking him against the rocks, hiding him as much as possible. He’s ready to lash out. He’s ready to fight with these vexes, even if he’s outnumbered. (He’s got no species loyalty here, after all.) 

In a curious tone, one of the vexes says: “That avian is going to get you killed.”

The words register to Grian through the haze. He’s still absolutely lost amidst this all, barely understanding the world around him, struggling to process anything. But there’s something about the words avian and get you killed, and the thought of Scar, that makes it through the fog.

It only serves to make him more distressed. He breathes in sharp, shallow breaths, and his chirping grows louder again, high pitched. But it’s not just the chirps this time. Some of the sounds he makes are choked, merging into something more like himself—the sound of helpless sobs.

Scar is shielding Grian with his back, but that means he’s turning his back on Grian’s cries and all of his misery. He cannot comfort him. He has no words that would make Grian not afraid right now.

The vex suggest leaving Grian or—worse—using him as a bait.

Scar’s staring them down, growling lowly, one eye squinted as blood runs down his face. “How about you leave.”

The vex don’t budge. They think they’re after a good thing here, after all. Surely, Scar also wants these hunters dead?

What they’re suggesting isn’t to sacrifice Grian as a bait—they don’t actually want to outright hurt or endanger him, even if it maybe doesn’t translate well through their stance and words. They’re not malicious in that way. What they’re suggesting is simply pragmatic in their minds. (I mean, they wouldn’t grieve if the avian happened to die there, but it wasn’t their goal to let it happen.) 

“We’re hunting the humans,” they note, as if that should’ve been enough to sway Scar. “We could use the avian—”

“No.”

One of the vex, white hair braided and smile sharp, peeks past Scar, trying to glimpse the feathers. The violet shade reflected in the glow of their magic tells him everything he needs to know, sating his curiosity, and he whistles, impressed. Amazed that an avian like this has lasted so long.

Scar lunges at him for getting too close.

He gets laughed at in return. What’s he gonna do, all alone? Not even channelling his magic to heal his own wound. It’s just funny to them. Cute. “What’re you going to do?” they tease, a bit too cheerily for the situation at hand. It rings threatening. “You’re outnumbered, pal.”

Scar doesn’t back down. “I’d take at least one of you down with me.” It’s a big statement. Covering up all of his nauseating fear and unending tension. Because he’ll do it. He’ll fight if he has to, and it will be ugly, and he might fail—he might die—but he’ll for sure give it everything he has.

And he can tell there’s camaraderie between this group of vexes. That they don’t really want any of them seriously hurt. 

They, as vexes, know the best how dangerous a feral, cornered vex with something to protect can be.

There’s a sliver of respect this earns Scar, unbeknownst to him. The will to stand up to them even when he’s outnumbered like this. To not give in to the pressure and instead fight for his values. For what he cares for.

The white haired vex—seemingly a leader of the group of sorts—reiterates, tone a bit lower, that the avian is going to get Scar killed. That he’d be better off without him. (Essentially voicing the deep rooted fear Grian already has.)

He also extends an invitation, almost in the same breath, impressed by Scar standing up to them. But it’s only Scar who is invited, and it’s blatant—the condition laid down is drop the avian or let’s use him as a bait and hunt together. 

With sharp ire and a swell of protectiveness, Scar counters that he’d be better off without them, actually.

There’s a snort and a mocking, “Aight, let’s see how long you can last.”

The relief Scar feels when they relent and leave is immense, leaving him weak in his knees.

He thinks they’re foolish, risking themselves like that. In his mind, they’re the definition of the violent vex, that dark reputation that seems to now stick to Scar and follow him too by the virtue of being the same kind of hybrid. He doesn’t want anything to do with that. 

And of course, he’d never leave Grian.

Grian is his last connection to home. He loves him, even if it never feels like it’s enough.

Excruciatingly slowly, sun eventually peeks back out. But even then, it takes Grian a very long time to untangle himself from these dazed, nonsensical instincts. It’s such a heavy, sticky veil and he’s left disoriented and confused for the longest time. Through his exhaustion, he feels weak and dizzy and out of it.

Scar is also exhausted, but they’re nowhere near safe yet. Still pressed against the rocks. Every nerve ending is flared up, Scar’s senses alert to the point of flinching at the subtlest sound, hypervigilant. But as Grian slumps and quiets down, Scar’s firm grip on him follows. 

Slowly, so slowly, Scar’s hold on Grian becomes comforting instead of restricting and terrifying.

He can tell that it left bruises.

Scar hates everything about it, but— They’re alive.

The sun is back, Grian is quiet, and they’re alive.

But they still need to find safety. And Grian’s so frazzled, still processing what even happened. The blurred memories of chirps and howls and screams swirl through his mind. He feels lightheaded, and like his skull is stuffed full, unable to think clearly. He doesn’t quite understand any of it, and his body feels locked in place. 

Grian wants to stay sitting here until everything starts making sense, but they don’t have that kind of time. They can’t stay. They need to move. They need to properly hide. 

Scar feels awful, but he needs to push through. He needs to force Grian to move.

The snow is splattered with blood. The forest is dead silent, scattered bodies left behind all across it. The area is riddled with traps, some activated and others still hidden, waiting to be triggered. 

The sun is shining.

The silence is eerie.

The scent of blood is thick and fresh and nothing feels safe.

--

Later, when Grian’s more coherent, he says, “They were right.” In an incredibly quiet, fragile, unsteady voice—but laced with determination—he tells Scar: “You should’ve taken their deal.”

Scar immediately tries to dismiss it. Preferably to not engage with this conversation at all. “Not interested.”

Grian registers the shut down of the discussion, but that doesn’t make it any less loud inside of his mind (and heart). He simply goes quiet and withdraws. Lips pursed, lightly frowning, staring somewhere away.

They don’t talk about it again.

Late at night, when Grian can’t sleep because he’s too high strung, he thinks of how it’d feel like, to be used by those vexes as a bait.

He dreams about it.

He dreams of faraway chirps and laughter and hounds finding him.

He has so many nightmares after this.

-------

BONUS screenshot for shits n giggles:

[sinisterexaggerator]

WIP excerpt: Stars Above (THIS IS A "FLASHBACK" / Dream scenario.)

Aka me describing why Bane has a metal plate now, the cause clear in the lost bounty hunter arc from Clone Wars -- I finally finished that part from yesterday! And at NIGHT. After WORK. GASP.

Stay tuned ( or not), and I MAY edit this again before posting the whole chapter. I'm crazy, I edit and write as I go. xD

---

His quick draw was the cause of his notoriety. To be outdone - to lose to a snot-nosed kid - it would be an embarrassment, though highly understated. The only thing he had left to him was his reputation, and Fett was out to steal it from him, albeit fair and square. He couldn’t – wouldn’t – let that happen.

Bane pulled his weapon; he squeezed the trigger. Simultaneously, another shot was fired. Superheated plasma - imbued with an explosive quality - transferred kinetic and thermal force to the armor plating that lined his signature bolero.

It was not enough to stay the bolt; he felt a searing pain on the left side of his head, radiating across his brow and the upper part of his domed skull. He fell back flat, staring up at a now starless, barren sky. He was out of breath, and he thought this is where he ought to die.

Bane would close his eyes, legs stretched out and arms taut at his sides. He had no idea the outcome; that it had been a tie; that Boba Fett had saved himself from his demise by wearing his daddy’s beskar, yet the young hunter’s aim had not betrayed him.

“Mister Bane!” he would hear his droid call aloud in a worried tone. He had repeated it three times now, though the Duros found he could not move. The only thing he could perceive in this state was a scathing ache; an excruciating, endless throbbing, right where the bolt made contact with his hat and ricocheted.

The plasma had been so hot, so volatile, it had dissolved his scales clean off and scorched him to the bone — the durasteel panel had dented inward before his hat rebounded off his head and fluttered to the ground, molten metal boring easily through flesh and osseous tissue, slowed only partially.

Tears welled behind shut eyelids, as in that moment he wished the boy had killed him.

[blacklegsanjiii]

I love making Sanji have good siblings so I introduce you: Zosan!Siblings ✨

Yeah, in this, things are basically the same in Sanji's backstory (and Golden, a little bit). But after he runs away, Sanji finds Mihawk, who adopts him before the rock even happens. Some months later, when both father and son are buying things, they find a also 8 years old Zoro who wants to fight Mihawk and has 3 swords.

The boy keeps following them all afternoon, until it's time to Sanji and Dracule go back at Kuraigana. Zoro still is saying he wants to fight "The Best Swordman", but the man says he is too young. So, even if he don't totally want to, he asks Mihawk to train him, then they will know when Zoro is ready.

Mihawk thinks a little and, yes, having a kid to play with Sanji is good. But where are this brat parents? Zoro says he don't have any. So fuck it, he can see what will happen.

Zoro goes at Kuraigana with them, finally noticing the blonde boy the same age as him who the man presents as his son, Sanji. They get along surprisingly quickly, starting to see each other as brothers.

Mihawk also starts to see Zoro as his son, and Zoro see Mihawk as his father. They stay this way for two years, until one day, when they're returning to Kuraigana and a storm starts to happen. Sanji fells from the boat, much to his father and brother panic.

Then he stops at the rock. And stays there for 3 months. Until he sees his father boat and yells, yells so loud that he almost can't talk later, seeing his dad and brother coming at the rock, to save him and Zeff.

After this, Zoro is glued at his "baby" bro all the time, afraid to lose him like he lost Kuina before.

Some months after, with Baraties opening, Sanji talk with Mihawk about working there, maybe? So he can be teached how to be a chef? His father think that isn't a bad idea at all.

So he starts to work at the restaurant. Him and Zoro creating their "bickering sibling relatonship" more and more. Zoro starts to be a Bounty Hunter some years later.

Then cannon happens. Until the Baratie arc where Zoro already knows the place (because it's "Uncle Zeff" restaurant) and, well, Mihawk and Zoro's fight still happen but not this bad.

Zoro and Sanji don't openly say they are siblings because, 1) there's no need 2) the dumbasses think everyone already knows. The only person who actually knows is Robin.

Alabasta arc is a funny thing because there are Luffy's big brother who is a little to much interested in Sanji? What the fuck?! Ace flirts with his "little brother" Sanji all the damn time. Ace notices Zoro glares but think he is jealous.

He catches Ace and Sanji kissing and, fuck it, if this "Second Commander from the Whitebeard Pirates" think he can simply date, flirt or whatever with Zoro's baby brother then he's wrong. He goes to talk with Ace, gave him a shovel talk and knows if the man is serious about te blonde, because he can tell Sanji is. Thats when Ace discovers the green haired guy is actually Sanji's brother.

Then the crew is separated, and just Zoro shows up and, hell, he just lost his brother again. Mihawk also is nervous and the only thing that they can do is wait the 2 years. Zoro also is relieved that Ace survived because he would never be able to forgive himself if his brother had gone through a heartbreak and he wasn't there to console him.

The timeskip ends and they meet each other at Sabaody, both 21 now. Ace joins the crew and is actually and openly dating Sanji now. The only two persons that know they're brothers are Ace and Robin, Ace also thinks everyone else knows.

WCI happens and Ace go with the Sanji rescue team, Zoro wants to go too but he need to lead the crew at Wano since he is the first mate. He asks them to bring the curly browns back, hoping his brother is okay.

Luffy marries Ace and Sanji when they're going away from Whole Cake, and Sanji just thinks about his brother and father reactions upon the news.

After the fight in Wano, Zoro finally hears about acesan being husbands now. Great, fucking great. Everyone else just finds about Zoro and Sanji being siblings at Wano when Zoro says something like "You better treat my brother the right way, Portgas".

At Karai Barai, Mihawk finds out his blonde son is fucking married with Portgas D. Ace, fucking great. He also gives a shovel talk at Ace.

AMAZING! HILARIOUS! WOW! The fact Zoro snuck off with three real swords including Wado from Koshiro[he actually just got lost with three real swords] is fucking hilarious to me. Amazing.

So Mihawk finds Sanji and takes him in, maybe he raided the Orbit and took the brat with him a few months after Sanji's escape from Germa and has just latched onto the kid the way the kid latched onto him. Sanji is still small, the size of a five year old when Mihawk first takes him in. Then a few months later as he and Sanji are in the East Blue for something or other they find this random kid following them and demanding to fight them when they're getting supplies to make the trip back to Kuriagana after spending a few days island hopping there. He keeps demanding to fight Mihawk who keeps telling him he's too young and not trained enough to even attempt to fight him. Sanji is sticking so close to Mihawk in fear because he knows logically it's not Yonji but there's just something in his brain about green and fighting that terrifies him. Eventually the kid changes his tune and asks to be trained by him instead and Mihawk looks the boy over and sees the determination and asks for his name, the kid gives it easily and his name is Zoro and he's carrying not only his dream but his dead friends dream. So Mihawk agrees to take him with a nod from Sanji so they head to Kuriagana with another child, a playmate and an equal hopefully for the boys. Zoro asks who the blond kid following him around is and Mihawk introduces Sanji as his son. When Zoro asks why he has a baby with him Mihawk says due to some incidents Sanji is small for his age but he is in fact eight years old. Sanji frowns at the boy as they find out Zoro is also an orphan as they pack up and set sail for their island on the Grand Line. They get to know each other on the way there and find out Zoro is a few months older than Sanji and was being raised in a dojo.

Zoro and Sanji get along well, thankfully. Zoro does seem to have issues with navigating around the island and the castle but Sanji seems to find him no problem. Mihawk can find him by his observation haki relatively easily but doesn't necessarily need to with Sanji around. Sanji will guide the green haired boy back from wherever he got himself lost this time. Mihawk smiles gently at his boys as time goes on, they are good fits for each other, Zoro naturally protective and Sanji caring, of course Mihawk trains them individually and together, he reads to them and educates them. They live relatively happily and peacefully until a freak storm on the way back to Kuriagana tosses Sanji overboard and they can't get him. Zoro is screaming into the crashing rain and thunder as Mihawk holds him back from jumping in after his brother because he can't lose both of them. He can't. Mihawk holds his eldest who is sobbing as he sails them through the storm and back to Kuriagana where he continues to hold the boy as they grieve. Meanwhile Sanji is on a rock, he doesn't know who the geezer is, doesn't know how he got there. He's terrified and crying because he's going to die here. He knows it. The geezer explains how he scooped him up and then the boat he was on crashed and how they got there, that they share the same dream of the finding the All Blue. Sanji wants to go home to his dad and brother, wants to be curled up in the study with them sleeping like they do sometimes. He wants his mom too.

Then, months later, after all the food is gone, the geezer's - Zeff, his name is Zeff - leg is gone, he sees a small boat, so familiar that he thinks he's hallucinating as he sits with Zeff and creeps to the edge and starts screaming for help, loud and scratchy and hoarse. Then he sees it is his dad and brother, the green hair and hat unmistakable as they approach yelling his name. Zeff is staring at their rescuers in disbelief as Sanji is too dehydrated and exhausted to cry as they sail to the nearest port to get them checked over. Zoro and Mihawk have a hard time not touching Sanji because they thought he was dead and instead he was starving on a rock and a man gave up his leg for him. Mihawk rewards Zeff handsomely and assures him once his apparent restaurant is open they will come eat there. Sanji is so much smaller again as they travel back, both he and Zoro tied with rope to make sure they won't fall out again and if they do they will be far easier to fish out. Mihawk carries a sleeping Sanji with one arm and holds Zoro's hand with the other when they arrive back to Kuriagana as Zoro vows to become stronger again to protect his little brother. Mihawk smiles gently to him and says that's a good reason to be strong.

They make good on Mihawk's deal and eat at Baratie quite a bit, the staff knows Zeff has a particular soft spot for the kids with the swordsman and it always weirds out the new staff, being their waiter is almost a rite of passage. Between the bickering of the kids and the World's greatest swordsman chiding them and the literal owner will let the blond one in the kitchen to help cook and prep and learn while the swordsman and the green haired one go out and practice katas. Their bickering only increases after the blond moves in some years later to work full time. Mihawk and Zeff will chuckle over their fights until something gets broken, the adults have also noticed while Zoro is protective, Sanji is the one tasked more often than not to go find the moss when he's gotten lost somewhere. Mihawk has absolutely used a child leash on Zoro, not because he's a runner he'd just take a wrong turn and then Mihawk and Sanji would have to follow his haki to find him. Zoro is incredibly incensed that Sanji's observation haki is better than his until Mihawk explains privately that it's from before he had adopted Sanji and didn't know much of Sanji's time before taking him in and it's best to just leave it because Zoro has conqueror's haki which Sanji doesn't so Zoro decides fair is fair with that.

Of course, when Zoro is in Shells Town in the yard and everything he eats the rice ball and joins Luffy's crew as the first member. He follows Luffy as they collect crew members until they land at Baratie and eat and if the three other members of the crew are noticing the animosity between the waiter and the swordsman they don't say anything. Then Zoro fights Mihawk and still almost dies. After Arlong Park and they're headed to Logue Town Sanji sits by Zoro and smokes a cigarette, both of them giving each other shit eating grins.

"I can't believe Dad let you live."

"Get fucked." Zoro laughs at him and so is Sanji because yeah, this tracks for them. They sail and pick up Vivi and them and then Sanji berates Zoro for the dumbassery that is trying to chop his legs off and Zoro knows it hit a nerve with his brother. Zoro feels the same way after finding out Sanji broke his fucking back on Drum Island. Then in Alabasta when they meet Ace who is all over his brother? Zoro is thoroughly unamused by the whole situation. Mostly because a White Beard Commander? Who is Luffy's older brother? Really? His manners are better than most of the crews though, including Zoro's so he can see it. Whether or not Mihawk will approve is a whole different story because Mihawk, much like Zoro, doesn't show a lot of interest in people. In anyway. Mihawk has his kids and that seemed to be more than enough for the guy. Still, Zoro approaches Ace because Sanji's bleeding heart is on his sleeve and gives him a shovel talk and Ace is staring Zoro. Confusion turning to slightly horrified humor as he promises to take care of Sanji because Luffy is his baby brother and he gets it. They look so sappy and Zoro gives him so much shit for it and says he's going to tell their dad. Sanji looks mortified at the prospect of Zoro telling Mihawk he's dating anyone just at how he would phrase it alone.

Canon continues until Zoro shows up on Kuraigana, half dead and Perona and Mihawk hunched over over him. Mihawk sends Perona for medical supplies as Zoro mumbles about Luffy and Ace and getting back to Sabaody to which Mihawk says he's no shape to travel. Zoro is insisting about saving Ace 'cause he's Luffy's brother and he loves Sanji so much and Sanji loves him back. Then he passes out before Mihawk can ask any questions.

When he comes to Perona hands him a mini snail and says Mihawk wanted him to call him or something and gives him the number. Perona leaves and Zoro calls his dad - who is on his way to the execution - and explains Ace is his captain's brother and Sanji and Ace might be in love. They're certainty super close. Mihawk listens carefully to his elder son and hangs up as he approaches Marineford in preparation for the coming war.

Mihawk is tense because he doesn't know where his younger son is again and has to find out. He's also actively debating in his head the merits of a frozen bounty at this point because his children do not live at home, or they didn't. One is back and he has Moria's first mate. He sees Ace on the platform and then there's the Impel Down escapees, including a couple of his colleagues. He does his part, enough to keep his bounty frozen as he leaves, staying close enough to watch the events and sees the brothers live as they leave the war. They're alive for now so Mihawk leaves with that information.

When he returns to Kuraigana Perona won't stop complaining about how 'not cute' Zoro is and how he keeps asking for his dad. Mihawk says he'll take care of it and finds Zoro doped up on what has to be the strongest medicine Perona managed to make, Zoro is basically mummified in his bed. Mihawk knows Zoro doesn't lie but he does sometimes keep secrets so he sits in the chair next to the bed as Zoro's drug hazy eyes lock onto his father and says he wasn't strong enough again. Mihawk nods and says they'll work on it. Zoro asks about Luffy and Ace and Mihawk says they were alive when he left and Zoro nods at that. When Mihawk asks what happened to the crew Zoro says Kuma sent him away when they were running on Sabaody and he was one of the first to go. He failed all his duties as first mate to protect. Mihawk tells him to rest and they'll train soon, when he leaves Perona just asks when he had a kid and Mihawk answers he has two and he got them a few months apart eleven years ago, the other one isn't there. Perona is frowning at him as Mihawk heads to his office and shuts the door. Mihawk sheds tears for the second time over the blond kid he kidnapped from a cruise liner, he does not blame Zoro or the crew. He doesn't blame Kuma either, the government however? Perhaps he'll go back to his former moniker.

Mihawk trains Zoro as Perona watches them. She and Zoro bond over there time there and eventually asks who the brother is. Zoro answers the cook with the twirly brows and blond hair and she shrugs because she didn't see him. She does watch Mihawk beat him over and over again. They drink and talk as they're both heavily devoted first mates to their captains and the faith they have in them is unrivaled. Zoro grins at Mihawk at some point and says they should take Perona to Baratie and Mihawk asks back if he wants to deal with Zeff while Sanji is missing because he personally doesn't. Perona asks if the food is that good and they assure her it is, but Zeff would absolutely dote on her the way they don't and Perona calls them not cute. Again.

Sabaody with the crew coming together and Ace is there smiling at the cook who is smiling back and he's helping with the groceries and everything and he has patience. He's sweet words and soft touches which the blond finally seemingly indulged in. Zoro finds him after they set sail and says he should really stop disappearing on him and a fight ensues. Of course. Everything is canon except Ace is there. They also take the captain's quarters, and the first time Ace sees Sanji set himself on fire and then he and Zoro see him sky walk they just stare. Ace buries his face in his hat and sounds like he's praying and Zoro curses in the dialect Sanji used to accidentally talk in sometimes. He only remembers the curse words though.

They go through the motions and see Jinbei and meet Law and fight Doflamingo, it's all canon. When the crews meet up on Zou and they find out Sanji is missing and Zoro just has that sinking feeling again of failing and losing and Sanji again. He doesn't know how he's supposed to handle it as he listens to the name Vinsmoke and thinks of how his dad commented on them moving into the East Blue from the North Blue. Sanji's accent now faded as Ace hides his face under his hat as Nami and Brook tell them everything. Before the rescue team sets off Ace promises to bring Sanji back to them and Zoro tells him he's holding him to it, otherwise it won't just be him he has to deal with. Ace nods and leaves for Tottoland and Nami keeps assuring him they'll get Sanji back, he didn't want to leave willingly.

When they find Sanji, after a few fights and a long walk around the islands Ace keeps yelling at Sanji to stop and Luffy keeps yelling at him to stay out of it. Even after Luffy passes out from the fight and Nami slaps the cook who walks away from them like nothing is wrong, Ace knows he doesn't want to be there and Luffy yelling about starving and sits and refuses to move. Ace is half tempted to haul him up and leave to chase after the carriage but he doesn't. He listens to his captain and the navigator is telling them they should go but Luffy is refusing. He'll keep refusing and they all know it so they sit and wait with him. When Sanji does come back, with a bento for the starving captain and confesses he wants to leave but can't and tries to leave the crew again, this time Ace puts his foot down and says Zoro will kill him if he doesn't bring his little brother back so they're leaving. Together. Sanji and Nami are staring at Ace as Luffy is laughing because yeah, Zoro would be really upset if they didn't bring his little brother back and Sanji is rubbing face and agreeing because it would be a terrible thing if the crew fell apart because he didn't come back. Not to mention what their dad would do. So they go through with the plan and make the escape and Sanji gets shot and Ace fusses. Ace also hurls a fire ball at Judge and tells him to fuck off because he should know when to shut the fuck up. Luffy asks why Ace did that when he was listing all of Sanji's good quailtes and everyone yells at Luffy that's not what he was doing. Before they reach Wano they're married and send a certificate off after the Vinsmoke poster comes out to make sure it's only the one.

Zoro of course doesn't see these posters but Mihawk does and he's staring at the two that came out three days, if that, apart of his younger son. And his apparent husband. Perona asks him if he's going to be fine without her and he says he will and when she asks what's going on he responds with his youngest son just married Portgas D. Ace and took his name. Which is fine, he just wasn't asked for a blessing despite the help he gave at Marineford, they're pirates after all. It's not like permission is needed and chances are he got it from Zoro if he did ask. Perona is staring at him owlishly as she decides she's not going to investigate further and wishes him luck with the shovel talk when he gets to give it to the Pirate Prince and leaves to go find her captain. Zoro on the other hand finds out when he finds Luffy and he's telling him about the escape and how big of a dick Judge is and how he didn't like Sanji's other brothers. He did marry Ace and Sanji on the way there though and that was fun! So they'll get to throw a huge feast for that once their business is done there because they also need to welcome Jinbei to the crew. Zoro is asking Luffy to slow down and asks why he married them because this means his dad going to be even angrier and Luffy shrugs and said it's to make sure Sanji can't leave again to get married or something. Zoro is going to break Ace's legs for not asking.

After all is said and done in Wano, Marco meeting the Strawhat crew officially and gives his blessing for the marriage and Yamato is congratulating his friend on his marriage and the feasts are long and the parties longer. Sanji and Zoro are sitting together again because of the death pact and talking and Sanji says their dad is going to be so pissed about all of what he's done. Zoro shrugs and says that he can deal and if he's upset about it he can be upset at both of them because it wasn't just one of theirs fault. It was both of them. Zoro asks about why he asked him to kill him and Sanji explains his birth family and his brothers and how the suit was changing him, the modifications he thought he lacked were coming out and he doesn't want to turn into an emotionless machine like them. Zoro nods, doesn't say he won't because that won't calm his brother down, just acknowledges it and moves on and says he does need to have a word with his husband and Sanji groans and asks if it can wait, their wedding was spur of the moment and Luffy's idea, not theirs! Zoro says he doesn't care and to bring his husband to him and the glare he gets from Sanji as he leaves is hilarious. Zoro's simple threat to Ace makes Ace laugh again and nod, even if Sanji is fuming. When they leave they see the new bounties and everyone finds out Zoro and Sanji are brothers and Sanji is officially married and it wasn't a joke.

When they're teaming up with the Cross Guild and arriving to Karia Bari, Ace notices Sanji seems nervous and he doesn't get it until Sanji pulls him aside before they make landfall and says they need to talk because he and Zoro are probably going to be in trouble and by extension that means Ace is in trouble. Ace is confused until he hears that Dracule Mihawk is their dad and was the one to raise them and that shuts Ace's brain down. He is staring at his husband in confusion, not hurt because he gets it, but like how did they hide it? How was it not more obvious? Sanji points out they were adopted and he worked on the Baratie for years so it's not like it was well known, or known at all really. Ace just leans on his husband says he doesn't want to die in a whiny tone and Sanji rubs his back and says they'll avoid it if they can. When they meet the Cross Guild and the meetings are done with Mihawk gives Sanji and Zoro a look that demands a conversation, they start following and Mihawk asks Ace for a word as well and Ace looks like he did on the Marineford scaffold.

"Marriage?" Mihawk asks the three of them.

"Luffy did it." The three of them answer.

"Right, was a blessing given?" Mihawk asks pinching the bridge of his nose.

"By Luffy." Sanji answers as he rubs his neck.

"I apologize for not asking properly. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing after we escaped Tottoland." Ace apologizes. Mihawk lets out a long and even breath before locking eyes with Ace.

"Right, well. Seeing as your married to my son who has a penchant for being kidnapped and going missing, if you hurt him or fail to find him or anything; I will make sure your death is long and painful and will not show an ounce of mercy towards you. I have the moniker 'Marine Hunter' for a reason." Mihawk says tells the dark haired boy who nods quickly and swallows the lump in his throat.

"Please stop threatening my husband. He did risk his life for me." Sanji tells the swordsman.

"Oh we are set for a long talk, just the two of us." Mihawk says to him which makes Sanji sigh again.

[oneread]

Random hcs for kuina and zoro in a kuina lives au

- platonic x10000

-have begrudgingly pretended to be a couple for plans but they exclusively pretend to be a toxic couple on their way to divorce

-equally chaotic. She is NOT the voice of reason, there is no voice of reason. God is dead and they killed him for a klondike bar

-they become bounty hunters together pre-straw hats. They decide to run away as Kuina faces more and more pressure to be a ‘proper’ woman and stop training. They do end up lost/at loose ends and start taking bounties

-Demons of the East Blue “Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro” and “The Unshakeable Swordsman Kuina” bc she has a spectacular RBF

-They trade the three swords they have between them back and forth. Zoro aquires a fourth and starts perfecting three sword style. Eventually Kuina gives him Wado permanently because she wants to prove she can do things her way, including with swords that have no history

-mid to late puberty zoro makes a point to compare chest sizes and claims he’ll become the greatest swordsman WITH boobs bc he’s not a coward

-share clothes. In fact there is no his clothes and her clothes there’s just a pile on the floor or a bundle in the bottom of their backpacks that they grab from and sniff test each time they change

-this works bc he’s a smidge wider and she’s a bit taller. Around the post timeskip era she shoots up one last time and grows into her Tall Ass Wano Lady heritage. He of course gets bigger like in canon

-nap sitting up back to back often

-they also share a bed pretty often, a habit from their broke bounty hunter days, when they would do so to save money. Again it’s totally platonic but it infuriates Sanji to no end, which only makes them do it more

-kuina sort of bops in and out of the plot as they go while on her own training arc journey

-she’s def with them in wano, the bloodline connections alone would be hilarious

-kuina, standing between Kiku and Yamato: it feels like the universe is trying to tell me something I swear but I can’t figure out what it is goddammit but I can feel it in my bones (🏳️‍⚧️)

-armament heavy arm work zoro v armament heavy core work kuina (fueling her power from the whole body, since she doubts her upper body strength, also keeps her arms quick and her base steady). I just think it would be interesting to see them apply the same skills in a different was

-kuina has a great sense of direction and a stunning dyslexia/discalcula combo. Duo minmaxed for street smarts but they make up for each other so it’s fine

-Zoro still hates fighting Tashigi, because he sees her hesitance as an insult to female swordfighters and thinks she’s giving kuina a bad reputation. Literally no one else thinks they look similar, since Kuina stopped having a baby face like a decade ago

[notgonnaedit]

Healer's Heart

Common Ground

Summary: When Order 66 ushers in a new era, Althea and the Batch must find their place

Pairing: Bad Batch x Teen!OFC (clones being good brothers/dads)

Chapter summary: A Separatist senator hires Cid to help him. The Batch, however (mainly Echo and Althea), don't like the Separatists

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, nothing really happens, Echo and Althea mother/daughter hate bonding (If I miss a tag LMK)

Master List

Senator Singh twisted his hands nervously as he stood up to address his people. He knew the Empire would punish him if he spoke out, but he couldn't stay silent. He owed it to his people to tell them the truth.

                       •°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"How's the Mantell Mix, kid?" Wrecker asked the girl on his shoulder. The Batch was making their way back to Cid's parlor. Hunter's wound had healed and Omega was back with them, so the worry cloud over their heads and given them a break.

Omega nodded, her mouth full of the treat. "Mm-hmm." She took a few pieces and dropped them in Wrecker's mouth. "Better than ever."

"Yeah, it is." Laughed the demo man.

"So when's the next mission?" The blonde asked as she gave a handful of Mix to Althea.

Tech turned back as they walked. "With two bounty hunters after you, it's be wise to keep a low profile."

Hunter stopped, signaling that they had arrived. "Tech's right." He took Omega's arm and helped her down. "There's too much heat on us right now."

"Ha! That never stopped us before." Remarked Wrecker.

Hunter turned to him, lowering his voice. "The kid's been through enough. She needs a break." First the inhibitor chip incident, Crosshair attacking, and escaping two bounty hunters was enough to exhaust most adults. But Omega was still smiling and full of joy, almost like nothing had happened at all.

She stood by Echo, Tech, and Althea. The older girl was trying to get Echo to eat Mantell Mix. The ARC took a handful, sniffing it warily.

"She seems fine to me." Wrecker said as he looked at Omega.

Hunter knew that Omega looked fine, be she needed time to recover. After Althea had found her brother dead, she didn't talk, let alone eat, for almost a week. Even when she began to get back to normal, she still needed time. Hunter knew that they were different people, but Omega needed a break. They all did.

As they walked into the parlor, they found the familiar Trandoshan with a datapad in her clawed hand, her chin in the other.

"I've got a mission for you boys." She said as they sat down on the bar stools. "A simple extraction on Raxus."

"Raxus?" Tech asked. "That is the former center of the Separatist government. It has since become an Imperial outpost–"

"I'm no interested in a history lesson, Goggles." Cid snapped.

Althea folded her arms, a dark glare transforming her usually calm eyes into an amber storm.

"You're being hired to locate and free Senator Avi Singh from his confinement." Cid continued. "My client will meet you at the given coordinates to brief you. Details are on this–" She held a small data chip in her hand. "–Now get going."

She tossed the chip to Hunter, who caught it. He held it in his fist tightly. "Help a Separatist? Not gonna happen."

It wasn't a secret that all clones detested the Separatists, and not just because they were the enemy. The droid army had killed thousands of them. Echo had seen countless of his brothers dead. At first, it shook him. He wasn't just seeing a dead soldier, he was seeing someone who looked just like him. He saw his own face, cold and devoid of any life.

Over the course of the war, before he was captured by the Techno Union, Echo had lost so many brothers. Cutup, Droidbait, Hevy, 99, and many more. But the one that stuck with him the most was Fives. His brother, practically his twin some would say, had to watch the ARC die, had to go through all that time without him.

When Echo was recovering, Rex had informed him that Fives was killed on Coruscant after attempting to kill the Chancellor. Echo had been devastated, but after the clones betrayed the Jedi, he became enraged. Fives was right, and because of his death, hundreds across the galaxy were suffering at the hands of the Empire.

But Cid didn't know any of that and if she did she certainly wouldn't care. "Your debt's still not paid, remember?" She asked Hunter. "A job's a job."

Hunter stood and walked away, lowering his voice as to not gain his squad's attention. "I am not bringing Omega to a planet swarming with Imperials." He didn't want to bring Althea either, but he knew she could handle herself. Omega had just had a close call. He didn't want to risk losing her.

"So leave her here with me." Cid suggested. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "I don't exactly trust you either."

"Good. You shouldn't." Cid snapped back. "But if keeping the kid safe means more money in my pocket, it's in my best interest to do so, isn't it?"

The Sergeant couldn't argue with her logic. "If anything happens to her..."

Cid rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Bandana. Just get outta here, will you?" She turned away, but then halted and looked back again. "And would you tell Bright Eyes to stop with the dirty looks? Kids these days, got no respect." She walked away, muttering to herself grouchily.

Hunter turned to Omega. The girl had slid off her seat and was slipping her new comm into the pouch on her bow strap. She looked up at him, a ready smile on her face. "Ready when you are, Sergeant." She said with a salute.

Hunter kneeled down. "Not this time, Omega. You're staying with Cid."

The girl's expression fell. "But th-the mission. I'm part of the squad too."

Hunter's hand rested on her shoulder. "Then following orders shouldn't be a problem. Got it, soldier." He gave her shoulder a squeeze and flashing a playful smile.

Omega didn't reciprocate, rolling her eyes and groaning. "Yes, sir."

Hunter nodded, standing and putting his helmet on. Althea walked by and ruffled Omega's hair, giving her a quick smile and shrug as if to say, "Can't argue when it comes to this. Trust me, I've tried."

                       •°•°•°•°•°•°•

Althea sat in the crash seats prepping her medical supplies. A dispute frown had stuck itself onto her face since she learned about the mission. Helping a Separatist. The words sounded foreign in her mind. 

It was the Separatists that destroyed her life. They were the ones that killed her family.

A small tap on her shoulder brought Althea's attention to Echo. He stood by her, his expression similar to hers. "How're you handling it?"

The medic huffed as she closed her bag and stood. "Oh, I'm just chipper." She snarked. 

Echo looked like he was biting back a laugh at her words. "Yeah, but we'll make it. Somehow."

Together they walked into the cockpit, Hunter and Wrecker behind them. Echo sat in the co-pilot's seat as usual, Althea leaning on the chair behind him. Hunter sat behind them, and Wrecker behind Tech.

"We've never been to Raxus before." Wrecker said.

Tech brought them out of hyperspace, revealing the new planet. "The coordinates from Cid have us landing just outside the capital city of Raxulon, the home of their Senate."

"I can't believe we're helping a Separatist senator." Echo griped.

"Ditto." Althea murmured.

"So you have said." Tech told them pointedly. "Repeatedly."

"I always thought we'd make it to Raxus someday." Hunter thought out loud. "But not like this."

As they entered the atmosphere, two V-wing fighters came on either side of them. "Unidentified transport, this is restricted airspace." Came a reg's voice. "Transmit your clearance codes."

Hunter stood, walking over to Althea and handing Tech the chip. "Input the codes from Cid's client."

Tech did as he said and a rapid beeping filled the tense air.

Althea shifted uneasily. "Hunter," She turned to the Sergeant behind her. "The client is a Separatist. How do we know this isn't a trap?"

The beeping stopped. "You're cleared for entry. Proceed." The fighters flew away, leaving them to land.

"Now are you convinced?" Tech asked.

"No." The ARC and medic synced, folding their arms grumpily.

                      •°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Raxus was a painfully beautiful planet. A planet that housed Separatists didn't deserve to be gorgeous. Tall trees with orange and gold leaved covered the soft grass outside the capital. 

Hunter took point as they exited the Marauder, his and everyone's blaster at the ready.

"I am simply stating that the codes did, in fact, work." Tech said to Althea and Echo. "The client being a Separatist is not relevant."

"It is to us." Echo snapped.

"Forget politics." Hunter ordered. "We're here to do a job."

"I am very pleased to hear you say that." A modulated voice said. A protocol droid walked out from behind a tree, her arms in the standard locked position.

"Who are you?" Asked Althea.

"I am your client."

Wrecker stood up straight, baffled. "We're working for a droid?" As if their day couldn't get any weirder.

The droid nodded. "That is correct. My master, Senator Singh, was arrested for speaking out against the unjust occupation–"

"We don't care." Althea said, squeezing her blaster.

"Just take us to where the senator's being held." Hunter ordered.

The droid nodded. "Right to it. I like you."

The droid, GS-8, led them around the city just outside a manor. They hid behind a purple bush as a walker tank made it's way through the streets.

"We have reached our destination." GS-8 said.

Tech pulled down his visor. "There are six exterior guards and multiple heat signatures inside. Four in the subterranean level."

Echo turned and slammed the droid against the wall. "Why do I get the feeling you're setting us up?"

"It is against my programming to send my allies into danger."

Wrecker came closer. "We ain't allies, tin bin."

"And we don't have a programming to stop us." Althea added as she gripped her blaster.

"Enough." Said Hunter. "We need to take out the compound's surveillance system. Move in."

They slunk around the manor, Hunter using his combat skills. They came to a corner where two guards stood on the other side. Hunter turned to GS-8. "Time to make yourself useful."

"I do not possess a military skill set for a tactical advantage." She argued.

"We're counting on it." The Sergeant shoved her into the view of the guards.

"You!" One shouted. "This is a restricted area!"

"To whom are you addressing?" She asked. "This is my master's residence. I suggest you leave before–" They came at her. "Oh, dear."

GS-8 ran back around the corner. When the guards chased after her, they were met with Wrecker's fists.

They snuck around more, finally reaching the main courtyard. Tech worked his magic at a terminal. "I am tapped into their security system." He said.

Hunter turned to Wrecker, Althea, and Echo. "You three, clear the upper levels. Tech, we'll take the main floor and below. Droid, you're sticking with me."

As they made their way through the halls, Althea, Wrecker, and Echo made quick work of any guard in the hall. The medic scoffed as she passed a tapestry on the wall. "All this wealth and they chose to destroy. It's disgraceful."

Echo looked at the tapestry, and Althea could practically hear his grimace. "If they had used this money to actually help others, there wouldn't have been a war in the first place."

Wrecker shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah...but where would that leave us?" He had their attention, and he continued. "I mean, if, if the war never happened, we wouldn't be here. A-and I know the Seppies have done bad things–" He glanced at Althea. "–But then we never would've met you, Thea."

The medic felt extremely guilty all of a sudden. She never knew Wrecker felt that way. She pulled down her mask so he could see her face. "You're right, Wrecker." She said. "The Seppies have done some pretty horrible things, but I guess some good came out of it." She flashed him a soft smile.

The demo man pushed up his helmet, revealing a grin. "Aw, Thea." He moved toward her, holstering his blaster in his pack.

"Wrecker, no–!" The girl couldn't get out her protest in time. The demo man scooped her up in a spine crushing hug.

She couldn't help but smile, though. The Separatists may have killed her family, but they also gave her a new one.

                       •°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Tech, how much longer!?" Althea growled as she blasted at regs (using stun of course).

"I need more time!"

"You always say that."

Commandeering a walker was not something any of them planned to do, but then again, when did they plan anything? 

Echo and Althea defended Tech and the senator as he repaired the walker. It was struck with heavy artillery and the axle was damaged. Hunter and Wrecker.

Finally, Tech finished the repairs just as Hunter and Wrecker came over from blowing up the other walker.

"Turn down that alleyway." Senator Singh instructed from beside Tech.

The mechanic eyed him warily as he piloted. "We'll be trapped in a choke point."

"You're going to have to trust me." Singh said.

With a glance at Hunter, Tech did as he said. They came to a dead end, and the Senator asked for them to park right next to the wall. He opened the door, revealing a blocked passage. "If you don't mind, please blast a hole in the wall right here."

Wrecker grabbed an explosive. "That I can do." He placed the bomb and closed the door. A small rumble shook the walker. The door opened to reveal a subterranean passage. With a way to escape clear, the Bad Batch, Singh, and GS-8 made a run for it.

                     •°•°•°•°•°•°•

They were halfway up the ramp when Singh stopped. "What am I doing?" He asked himself. He turned around to look back at his city. "I cannot abandon my people. I must help them."

"You will, Senator," GS-8 assured him. "But not if you are in Imperial custody."

"She's right." Althea said suddenly.

Echo nodded and turned to Singh. "Live to fight another day."

The senator nodded, his eyes no longer conflicted as they left. 

                           •°•°•°•°•

An abnormally large crowd was in Cid's parlor. In the center was Omega at the Dejarik table, Cid's hands on her shoulders.

Hunter couldn't help be feel exasperated. "Of course."

They watched as Omega ended the game, winning what must have been the umpteenth one. The crowd cheered for her, but not for long as Cid shooed them out. "Alright, shows over. No more bets."

Wrecker picked up Omega, holding her with one arm. "Kid, where'd you learn to do that?"

"She's a natural." Cid said with a smile. "I've never seen anything like it."

Hunter looked at he girl. "I told you to keep a low profile. This is the opposite."

"Ease up, Bandana." Cid said with a shove. "Omega made enough money to pay off the debt you boys owe me, so try showing a little gratitude to my friend." Her expression softened as she patted Omega's arm. "You did good." She moved past her to see Singh. "Senator, glad you made it. Let's talk payment."

Wrecker set Omega down as everyone went to join the discussion of money. He shoulder checked Hunter, giving him a look. The Sergeant stared at him, then Althea caught his attention. She jerked her head at Omega and mouthed apologize before joining the rest of the team.

"You really paid off our debt?" Hunter asked.

"I wanted to be useful," Omega shrugged. "Even if I couldn't go on the mission."

"Hmm." Hunter never would have expected this from her. She really was trying, maybe he had been a little harsh. "How about we put those strategy skills to the test?" 

He walked past her to the Dejarik table. "One match. If you win, then no more sitting out on missions."

Omega grinned, taking the seat across from him as he activated the board. Hunter looked at her from across the holo. "You ready for this?"

Omega smirked. "Are you?"

Hunter couldn't help but smile. He knew Omega would win, even if he tried his hardest. She payed off their debt while they were gone, something even they couldn't do. If she could be trusted with that, then she could go on missions.

She was a part of their squad.

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[mdhwrites]

The issue with Owl House is that it’s cliche in the most boring way. A show can be filled with overused tropes yet still be entertaining yet the Owl House just…isn’t.

This is why I can’t rewatch the show because it’s just not exciting enough to do so.

So I'm mostly going to focus on the rewatch value of the show here rather than the trope elements, I feel like I covered that only a couple blogs ago. For why it's a bad rewatch though: I've said before that TOH is REALLY good at introducing elements and TERRIBLE at follow through. Amity was presented with a lot of great potential in just two episodes because of how clear it was that her current relationship with success was toxic but that you also didn't necessarily want to see her fail in her goals. Then she becomes just a love interest who entirely forgets her goals and has pretty much everything we had introduced in the first two episodes she appeared in swept under the tacky rug named Odalia. Literally two of the first 5 episodes... Wasted. Almost entirely pointless because you could jump in at Lost in Language and her character reads WAY more consistent... But less compelling. She wants to be good at school but it isn't consuming her mind, even at that point despite Luz not really having discussed that part of her at all. She's much closer to a normal, driven girl rather than one demented by the need to succeed. That is frankly just less interesting, at least without ANY explanation as to why besides 'girl crush'. It's akin to how by Escaping Expulsion, she's let her grades slip and only seems to care because her parents are saying she's not allowed to have friends because of it. Or, more importantly, Luz.

That's the thing: Most of the character arcs and elements in TOH don't build on one another. Instead, you start with this really well built house that could use a few additions but it's quite serviceable as is... And then each episode takes a sledgehammer to it. Even the world counts for this. An interesting dystopia fueled by greed where being normal is prioritized over being good? Where everyone is looking for a dime and would threaten to kill you for their own gain because they know they'll get away with it so long as they do it in a normal manner? That's FASCINATING. And that is explicitly the Isles we get for about three episodes.

But then with Covention, it shrinks. Suddenly people are just a little suspicious of Eda but you start realizing that she does run a market stall in the middle of town. That without posters, people practically don't care about her bounty. Cheating is seen as unacceptable rather than what should be the norm with the lack of morals on the Isles. All while it hasn't actually examined the world it implied early on besides honestly a pretty normal con artist and the fact the school was willing to kill an intruder.

Just think about any element really. The EC/Lilith? Presented as really cool and something that could genuinely be a philosophical debate against Eda. Then their second episode is Once Upon a Swap, where they end with their leader as a dog and can't control a witch who has pretty much no control over her magic. So interesting. -_- Hunter is FAMOUS for this. The Golden Guard is an entirely different personality from Hunter himself and implies a LOT of fascinating things about him... And then they're all immediately dropped by Hunting Palisman, even small details like him being a prodigy respected in the EC. Willow is an unexpected one as her first real return is Hooty's Moving Hassle which bungled her power issues so badly, it took Sport in a Storm for the majority of the fandom to realize they were resolved in the sixth episode.

It's also why the show keeps having to add elements rather than having anything to actually expand on. Eda gets pretty much her entire character finished up by the end of S1. She could still teach Luz about potions and genuinely examine the struggle she has with the difference between little magic and no magic but... Instead she gets glyphs and a super form rather than proper character development. Then she gets a love interest that is what she focuses on for a couple episodes of the season. They even have to escalate the curse, despite it being toned down being part of the S1 climax, just because they have so little to actually do with her at this point. They've accelerated her character so quickly past all the things she supposedly cared about that they have to grasp at straws for what can be pulled back. It's why Willow and Amity take effectively an entire season to follow up on the end of Understanding Willow because at that point, they're desperate for Amity to be able to do ANYTHING that isn't just Luz. It's why she suddenly gives a shit about her father out of NOWHERE. It's why Gus has to have the same problem rehashed three times but tackled at with his only two character traits and then sudden anxiety issues that technically aren't out of character but still feel like they came out of nowhere. Because if the show isn't adding something to a character, it only has so much room to go, at least from how the writers seemed to have thought.

It's actually part of why Luz is so incredibly stagnant in S1. Her character is actually really basic and the show itself has NO INTEREST in multiple elements of it. She can be described in the first episode as a bullied girl who is an outcast from normal people with a desire to live out a fantasy instead and has a good heart. Now that first half, the bullied girl who is an outcast, is jettisoned for the sake of making Luz's transition into the Isles easier/selling the idea of the Isles as a place she/the viewer want to be in easier. She never has social anxiety or the like, or even struggles to make friends and connections, because that would get in the way of seemingly what the writers actually care about like their romance plots and her wish fulfilment. So if you don't have those elements then all you have is her desire to live out a fantasy and that she has a good heart.

And for like half the show, that pretty much doesn't change at all. It's why a lot of the episodes with her effectively come down to her making a mistake because she wants to live out an Azura book, implicitly (Teenage Abomination) or explicitly (Covention), but then her good heart makes her set things right. And that is fine for your MC. It actually worked to keep her unobtrusive from the other characters as they worked through their arcs and lessons. MCs like this work well in general honestly. I've referenced Danny Phantom and Randy Cunningham as characters who fit this archtype, who also are pretty basic as both are teenage boys who would like to be popular but also have good hearts that will cause them to do the right thing even if it humiliates them, and those shows are great! There are issues with the style, and Luz has PLENTY OF THEM, but they work for a base.

But part of her stagnancy and issues with the trope is that she never seems to learn anything. That's because of TOH's problem of only tearing a character apart... Until it replaces. Lilith isn't Lilith anymore. She's now the cool aunt. Eda was practically never criminal or anarchist. She's just Momma Eda. The Golden Guard never existed, there's only the sad but mad boy. Etc. Etc.

The old character and their history do not exist and the new one... Is usually summed up really easily. Usually just with the statement of "A generally nice person." But having excised all of that old potential also means they can't do a lot with these characters without seeming to go back on their character development. This is why we get Hunter as a new Amity so someone can do her angst a second time since they decided to race past it all. It's why we get romance added more heavily because there are still tropes they can do with that genre and even love interests they can add. Why nothing gets explored because the show was so impatient to get to the big moments it wanted, even before the shortening since that mostly didn't affect the first half of the series so stuff like Amity's rushed development was not something forced on them, that it lost out on the chance to do the actually interesting ideas they pitched in the first place. Remember how Luz and Eda were pitched at the beginning as student/mentor? Theoretically, as the two main characters? And how after Adventure in the Elements, they have two plots together where they speak for more than like a minute with each other. Stranger Tides and Titan Where Art Thou, the latter of which actually rehashes a concept from literally a season ago (Grom) because they just forgot about Luz wanting Eda's approval until then.

All of this, all of this rambling, makes it so that while I am a firm proponent for the journey meaning more than the destination... It's hard to want to go back on that journey. To constantly be like "This is the best this character will ever be," through the first half of the show, if that, and then have only a couple character climaxes to look forward to. Worse yet is that even these introductory episodes HINGE on payoffs down the line, like Understanding Willow. That potential was part of what made them good when honestly a lot of them are kind of boring without the novelty of the potential story they're setting up. Knowing there's no payoff just makes the setup INFURIATING.

It also makes it really easy to understand why so many praised it so much harder early on. It comes out of the gate swinging but its punches have no follow through so when S1 was done and everything was introduced, the potential for the show was laid bare, we got HUNDREDS of animatics. We got thousands of comics. The fandom has NEVER thrived harder.

But by even the hiatus in S2... There's a reason why a LOT of people jumped onto Clarvee like ravenous hounds. A reason why a lot of people jumped onto Huntlow when it started being teased. Kept jumping to new elements being added because the old ones were left to rot, if they weren't actively sabotaged.

And the finale for a lot of people so actively contradicted one of those early statements, one of those early novelties people pointed to for why an okay episode was better than it was, that it really feels like it fractured the fandom. A lot of people saw Luz become a chosen one, literally empowered by God with no consequences and little work, and one of those things that people praised from episode 2... Shattered.

And suddenly they realized that strong house they thought they'd lived in the entire series had so many holes in it from the sledgehammers that it all simply fell as if it were always a house of cards.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[princess-of-the-corner]

since I can't find the original post

what's your miraculous atla au?

Yeah a couple of the early posts got kinda lost! But anyway! ml atla au my beloved!

So it's ML in the world of ATLA and it kinda... goes on its' own story arcs? It's not a 1-1 on either plot more just the characters in the environment and things playing out.

Marinette and Adrien share the Avatar role using my Split Avatar AU concept. I used this a few times in other places but short summary: One person has the Elements, one has the Spirit Nonsense. Both have to work together to use their powers and do their job. Sometimes literally as the Avatar State requires synchronization.

Anyway! Marinette has the Bending ability, starting with Waterbending and is from the Northern Water Tribe. Adrien is a non-Bender but has Spirit abilities, and is from the Fire Nation.

Various plots include:

General 'Marinette travels the world to learn the Elements. Gathers the Miracuclass as the new Team Avatar'. Nino and Kim are childhood friends that join her.

Emilie is in some Spirit-induced Coma. Gabriel initially reaches out to Avatar Mari to see if she can help, but she's just learned she is the Avatar and even if they weren't Split her abilities are so new to her. Gabriel starts looking into other routes.

Adrien meets Mari and feels some connection so runs away from home to join Team Avatar. Chloé and Sabrina come with him. Oh also Chloé is princess of the Fire Nation because I fucking can.

Kagami ends up joining because she was originally a bounty hunter sent to bring Adrien and co back home, but she fell for Marinette's charms and taking Adrien back would make her sad. Also she took her mom's dragon, Tatsu for this trip.

Mari and Adrien realize they have some fucky bond and end up needing to research, which leads them to a library(no not that one) where they meet Alya who is down to do research on the Avatar!

The gang runs into Lila who is a conartist, tricking people into thinking she's the Avatar by using her Bending to give an illusion that she's bending multiple elements. While Mari calls her out on this, she recognizes that Lila is a talented as hell Airbender and drags her onto the team. (Lila is getting power of friendshipped whether she likes it or not). Also Lila has a lemur named Bandito!

Alix is a Kyoshi Warrior. I think that speaks for itself!

Brainwash Underground Fight Club!!! this is my favorite side story! Basically Bob Roth had some connections that got him these kinda. Mind control mask things. And he was kidnapping kids with talented bending to compete in an undergroud fight club. Among the victims are Juleka, Rose, Mylene and Ivan. Juleka in particular is a powerful as hell Earthbender who became Champion of the fight ring. Team Avatar gets involved because they meet Luka who was trying to find where Juleka and Rose disappeared to.

They track down where Bob got those masks and they find Max who uh. Well he didn't /intend/ for his invention to be used that way! What he was trying to do was make a way for Spirits to be communicated with on this Realm without needing to have ones own spiritual nonsense. And a prototype was a mask to channel them but was scrapped due to, ya know, possession.

I think there were some other plots but that's it for now