When will NoN get home from the war?

First thing’s first: things I’m keeping from the original show

Most of the characters from the original NoN are here, with slightly tweaked designs in some cases, and play similar roles to what they had before; I’ll get into some of them later.

Hunter/Modern Nomad is still mute, and I don’t ever want him to “regain/gain” a voice ((except maybe for a joke episode where everyone but him is mute because of magic shenanigans and he sounds like the most soft spoken country boy you ever did hear)). In-universe it’s part of the reason his magic is so “weak” according to those in the know of how magic works, although they’re kind of wrong with this assumption. Hunter can indeed not perform verbal spells, limiting him to just physical ones, but by extension this has made a lot of his excess magic energy build up without a proper release, leading to a number of situations where he loses control and accidentally does more than he intended to (think that one scene in the Undertaker episode, but with a lot less control).

The story still primarily takes place in a desert, but there are a lot of flashback scenes from throughout the timeline, showing what many locations looked like prior to El Rey sucking all the magic out of the land.

Magic = Nature. This wasn’t outright confirmed I don’t think, but I love the implication that the loss of magic from the world has resulted in the wasteland we see in modern day Nowhere. By extension, magic users tend to- usually unintentionally- cause plants to blossom around them if they stay somewhere for too long, hence why they were all hunted down so efficiently. Unfortunately for the magic users, this fact about magic has almost been entirely forgotten- mostly thanks to El Rey not wanting his people to realize he was the one destroying the world with his hunger- so magic users have been blamed for the land dying out, encouraging anyone on the fence about hunting them down to join the cause in an effort to restore balance to the earth.

Melinda exists in this universe, but with a very different role/origin; when Annabeth ran away with Skout, she wasn’t aware that she was pregnant, giving birth to Melinda just a few months after breaking things off with Benjamin. She tries to give her daughters a more “normal” life, but it’s clear that Melinda has magic in her and is showing it early like Hunter did, leading Annabeth to try and hide her powers. It’s after Skout leaves to join the Dandy Lions and explore Nowhere that shit goes down at home, an argument between Annabeth and Melinda leading the latter to run away. She’s missing for a good while, eventually appearing later on as a newly crowned governor under El Rey, her magic teacher/surrogate father. He’s still very much a villain, but it becomes apparent that he truly does care about Melinda and wants to teach her to be a powerful wizard, even without knowing that Benjamin is her biological father. She eventually escapes his control, and while she doesn’t join the twins + Toth directly, she shows up every so often to help out while on her own adventure through Nowhere.

The other major thing I’m keeping is the Skout’s Honor ship being canon (lbh we all know it was what RT was building up to, they weren’t really subtle about it lol), only I want the series to actually start with them already dating each other, their relationship being put to the test through the various conflicts and events throughout the series, ending with them getting back together after a period of separation and getting married either as the series finale or sometime after they join up again. They’re lesbians, Harold.

Okay, now shit I’m adding in:

My OCs Benjamin (the original Nomad) and Annabeth (Skout, Hunter, and Melinda’s ma) are very prominent in this story, with pretty much everything involving Benjamin being in past tense since he died a few years before Hunter was found by Skout and the Dandy Lions. ((On that note, I low-key wanna write a one-shot fic that has Annabeth taking Hunter instead of Skout, leading them to be raised by the opposite parent. I’m sorry, I just love AUs and it’s going to be the death of me))

Benjamin and by extension Hunter aren’t really human in the same way Y’Dala are. I don’t know if it would ever be fully explained, but my idea for them is that the “lore” of their kind (at least as far people within Nowhere believe) is that they’re what happens to children who are given to the fae as payment for their help, at which point they’re “corrupted” with fae blood and magic so they can be used as warriors. There are very few confirmed cases of them even existing, and as far as anyone knows, none of them have ever reproduced, hence why Ben’s kinda shocked when Annabeth gets pregnant with the twins. ((I’m basing a lot of their appearance and inherit abilities on Endermen because I’m unoriginal and obsessed with Minecraft))

On that note, there’s a lot more discussion of other races and species throughout Nowhere (I did not forget that throwaway line in the flashback episode regarding elves, it fucking haunts me, why TF are there elves in this universe!?!?); the major one talked about is obviously the Y’Dala, a race known for their proficiency with magic, as well as being considered the “original” race within Nowhere. Due to El Rey being a Y’Dala, they aren’t outright being hunted down and genocided like they were in generations past, but many outsiders still fear them because of their association to the mad king.

On yet another continuing note, El Rey is still the king of all of Nowhere, but pretty much anyone with any sense is at the very least wary of him in the modern day. It’s not a secret that he sustains himself on the magic of others anymore, but since he can pretty much “grant wishes” he has a lot of extremely zealous followers that keep him in power and provide him with more magic users to consume.

Hunter isn’t the only magic user that’s left; granted, he doesn’t know any others and doesn’t meet another active user for a long time (at least not any that are good guys/very skilled with it), but eventually a few major players in the world- namely the governors and their most loyal followers- get introduced into the story and use magic.

For the longest time, Hunter only ever uses Animation/Critter magic (considered to be a very childish spell by most wizards, but also one that’s a stepping stone into learning Dark Magic), but eventually through story stuff and learning alongside Skout and Toth (more on them later) he picks up a few more skills, namely a lot of plant growth-related spells that he uses to try and restore sections of Nowhere. He still mostly relies on his Critters, though.

I honestly think the OG show/story was building up to this, so I won’t 100% claim it as an original idea, but eventually Skout learns how to use magic, a lot of hers being the verbal spells that Hunter can’t pull off. Her magic is depicted as being a lot more wild and reckless due to a lack of proper training in her childhood, but over time she gets it under control and proves to have just as much potential as Hunter and Melinda do.

Throughout the story (especially after Skout leaves her to join Hunter on his journey) Toth is trying to figure out how to use magic like she’s “supposed to” as a Y’Dala, but because she wasn’t born with “the gift” she isn’t able to use it without some kind of instrument to channel it through. As a result, she mirrors El Rey for awhile by obtaining an artifact that allows her to use Dark Magic. She spends a good chunk of time being a villain because of her artifact as it eats away at her and makes her partially dependent on it, leading her to eventually break/remove it and regain her freewill. In the aftermath she’s left with numerous scars from the magic’s influence on her body, as well as a better understanding of how far off the deep end El Rey has gone.

El Rey is very much a “puppet master” ((I fucking wrote puppy master the first time wtf lol 💀)) type villain throughout the story, similar to Aku from Samurai Jack in that he keeps hiring bounty hunters to go after Hunter and later anyone who’s traveling with or being helped by him. This all gets amped up when, during the season 1 finale, he uses one of his crows to oversee the big battle and as a result gets a better look at Hunter and believes he’s Benjamin. Cut to the final scene of that season, where he calls a meeting with his governors and gives them new orders; he wants the Nomad brought in alive, by any means necessary. Cue Hunter being utterly worn out at the opening of season 2 from being chased way more intensely. (For context, season 1 implies that no one, not even El Rey, knows who the Nomad of Nowhere is, only knowing that he’s supposedly the last magic user in all of Nowhere, so the search for him is intense from citizens, but not so much El Rey until he gets an actual look at the kid)

Other than Hunter getting used to being hunted by damn near everyone in Nowhere, I want season 1 to almost entirely focus on Hunter with several flashbacks to Benjamin, showing how different the son and father are to each other when it comes to handling certain situations; for example, Hunter is very trusting of strangers whereas Benjamin’s been known to kill them on-sight. We still have Skout and Toth getting involved a lot, but the main focus is Hunter and his struggle to contend with the world outside the briar he grew up in. Season 1 concludes with him overcoming much of his fear and protecting the people of the Oasis, unintentionally sparking a revolution not only in the small settlement, but in tiny bursts across the country after people hear about a young wizard that’s vowed to protect innocents.

Season 2 is a lot more Skout and Toth focused, the two of them left conflicted after witnessing the nomad’s near-sacrifice in the name of protecting others. Toth is convinced it’s a ploy to garner sympathy, still under the belief that Hunter is the original nomad and therefore must be evil or at least a serious threat, whereas Skout has been paying more attention/keeping a more open mind, allowing her to see that Hunter isn’t a bad person at all, and on that note, she doesn’t think he’s the original nomad after gathering enough evidence. Their bickering directly leads to them losing the nomad numerous times, until Toth gets angry enough that she orders Skout to go back to the Oasis since she’s getting underfoot. Dejected, Skout begins heading back as ordered, but is stopped by a group of bandits that try to kidnap and ransom her off for money. Hunter intervenes at the cost of his well-being, getting shot in the scuffle and left barely conscious, leading Skout to take him back to a closer and safer hiding spot; her Mom’s house. Cue the Big Reveal of Hunter and Skout being twins (and Hunter’s name finally being used).

Tiny joke note; Hunter has been convinced this whole time that Skout knew his name since she calls him “Hun” a lot and he didn’t know it was a term of endearment.

The season 2 finale has Hunter and Skout being tracked down by the bandits from earlier to their mother’s house, and with no one in town willing to stand up and fight, Hunter and Skout do what they can to hold their ground, but Hunter’s Critters and Skout’s piss poor aim with a gun makes it so they lose very quickly. As the bandits beat tf out of them and the leader makes a grab for Annabeth, saying some derogatory comment about how she’d make for a pretty wife, Skout’s magic is triggered, and she blacks out as her body releases an inferno to fight off the bandits. The next morning, Annabeth warns Skout that she has “the gift” in her, just like her little sister (cue Hunter getting hyped because now he has two sisters!), and whether she realizes it or not, other magic users out there have sensed it, and will be coming after her so they can sell her off to El Rey. Skout decides to continue traveling with Hunter, bringing her mother along until she can find a safe place for her to stay since she’s been found out as having magic kids and has a little bit of magic herself (I want this to lead to Annabeth taking shelter in the same Y’Dala tribe Toth is from, her and Toth’s mother becoming friends while their daughters are off saving Nowhere).

Speaking of which, early into Skout’s visit with her mom, Annabeth confesses that Melinda has run away, and she genuinely has no idea where she is and is scared af for her well-being. Skout promises her mom she’ll find out where she went, leading the twins to have a few goals for the start of season 3; find Melinda, find a safe place to hide Ma, and figure out how to deal with their bounties as well as El Rey.

Sometime after the twins join up, I want Hunter to be captured/kidnapped by El Rey. He gets shipped to the capital, and rather than eat him like he’s done so many others, El Rey reveals that he was close with Benjamin, and as a result he wants to take care of Hunter in his stead (pretty major note; a big theme throughout the story is how much people infantilize Hunter, both for his muteness and naivety. It doesn’t help that he’s been raising himself since he was twelve, leading a lot of people to see him as a little kid, much to his growing resentment. This has him eventually losing his shit on El Rey over it, triggering his escape from him). During this period, Hunter meets Melinda, and after getting caught up on who they are to each other, they become close friends and help one another throughout their apprenticeships under El Rey. This is also when El Rey learns that Melinda is Ben’s daughter, further endearing her to him.

Those are pretty much all my big plans ATM, with certain plot lines taking shape throughout it like Toth’s artifact possession/villain arc, El Rey discovering that Skout and Melinda are also Benjamin’s children, Melinda going through her villain arc, and all kinds of other shenanigans. Overall I want this story to be a bit more serious than the original Nomad of Nowhere was, but it still has its silly/fun moments. Like, this is the vibe in my head:

Hunter: *Getting betrayed every other day by strangers, but he’s optimistic and has his silly little Critters for company. He also has good enough luck that he gets out of everything without too much damage, save for quite a lot of trauma*

Skout & Toth: *Witnessing the cruelty of Don Paragon toward his people while grappling with their place in his militia as well as seeing how pointless their mission is in the grand scheme of things*

Cue season 2, where it switches into something like this:

Hunter: *Realizing throughout his journey that the man who raised him was not a good person and did irreparable damage to the world around him, leaving his son to make amends for crimes he wasn’t even alive for*

Skout & Toth: *Arguing a bit more, but they’re also doing a lot more couple stuff to try and make up for it and as a result have a lot of cute moments together*

Slipping away from the actual story plot for a minute (kind of), I’m keeping the “enemies to lovers to enemies again” thing that Benjamin and El Rey have going on from GFD and Lonely King; I just love that for their dynamic and tbh we need more unabashedly fruity villains in media again. Yes, El Rey has the makings of a more modern day villain with clearer cut motivation and a lot of tragicness to him… but I also want him to have a big gay crush on Ben and be flirty with him and a few other men (NOT Hunter, though; he sees him as the kid he never got to raise with Benny). Love loses

Okay, another quick note regarding romantic relationships; ultimately I think Hunter doesn’t officially date or get with anyone of note, but I like the idea of him having little crushes/flings throughout the story, many of them unfortunately turning out to be plots by bounty hunters to try and capture or kill him. However, I also like the idea of one of them genuinely falling for Hunter and either joining him and Skout on their journey, or at least helping them from the sidelines. If his sister can have a hot girlfriend/wife, Hunter can damn well have a hot boyfriend!

I didn’t actually mean to make all the main characters (other than Annabeth, who I headcanon as pretty hetero) be gay/queer in some way, but here we are. Don Paragon and Red Manuel can be the straight rep 😂

Episode Ideas

On the version of this document on my Google Docs is my attempt to write out episode 1 in a script-like format, this version being similar to my fic “Grounds for Divorce”’s opening, ie it shows Benjamin’s escape from/falling out with El Rey ((It is… very flirty, because I am boo boo the fool and can’t resist writing these two as absurdly inappropriate with each other even when they’re about to try and kill each other. Like I said before, love loses

I want an episode that’s very close plot-wise to the Undertaker episode because that’s hands down my favorite episode and I think it’s the best one in the series (other than maybe Melinda’s episode), but I’ll try to make this take on it a bit different. I want it to end similarly to the original, except Hunter can’t call the Critters off before they mortally wound his kidnappers, only one of them- the Undertaker- barely escaping in time to avoid being hurt. He goes on to watch Hunter from the dunes as he tries and fails to save the lives of the men he injured, sobbing mutely and utterly devastated. The Undertaker watches on with a smirk, though it’s left ambiguous for the time being what’s on his mind during all of this.

…That’s it, literally just two fucking episodes (mostly) planned out, and one of them is just a redo of the Undertaker episode 💀 fml I have no idea wtf I’m doing.

Main Character Profiles

Name: Hunter of Nowhere Age: 19 Pronouns: He/They Height: 4”11 Eye Color(s): White Hair Color(s): Black Sexual/Romantic Identity: Homosexual/romantic Powers/Advantages: Fluent in sign language, can read and write in Common & Y’Dalan, high potential for magic, master of Animation-based magic, vast knowledge of dark magic, high empathy, skilled gardener, inherently lucky, race-based abilities (distress cry + others), low metabolism/high tolerance for dehydration & starvation, etc. Weaknesses/Disadvantages: Mute, very low pain tolerance, severe separation anxiety, severe phobia of death & illness, socially inexperienced, severely sheltered childhood, PTSD from domestic and verbal abuse, child-like perspective on life/very naive, very lonely which leads him to get attached easily, extremely trusting of strangers, etc. Personality: Even without being mute, Hunter is a very quiet person, a childhood spent sheltered and isolated from the world leaving him unsure of what to say or do when interacting with other sentient beings, but one thing is certain; he loves experiencing new things, and seeks to explore every corner of the wasteland once he’s freed from the briar. Very anxious in general, but he warms up quickly to anyone who’s nice to him, which unfortunately means he gets taken advantage of almost daily. Even so, that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to trust just about everyone he meets! Secretly harbors a lot of resentment for how lonely his childhood was as well as how so many people infantilize him.

Name: Skout Driller of Nowhere Age: 19 Pronouns: She/Her Height: 5”1 Eye Color(s): Green Hair Color(s): Red Romantic/Sexual Identity: Homosexual/romantic Powers/Advantages: High potential for magic, fluent in Common (& later Y’Dalan + sign language), high pain tolerance, skilled survivalist, skilled handyman, very high intelligence, good social skills, high empathy, (later) can cast verbal spells, etc. Weaknesses/Disadvantages: PTSD from domestic abuse, fairly sheltered childhood, falls in love easily, overprotective of her mother & little sister (& later Hunter), hates being alone/isolated, struggles to not let her feelings dictate her actions, inexperienced with using magic, etc. Personality: To most strangers, she appears ditzy and all over the place, but those that know her understand that if Skout is one thing, it’s too smart for her own good. She loves getting the opportunity to learn new things, and will read just about any book she can get her hands on, leaving her to act almost like an encyclopedia for the Dandy Lions and later Hunter. Kind-hearted by nature, there’s nothing Skout wouldn’t do for the people she loves, and while she knows she’s been taken advantage of because of her kindness many times before, she’ll still help just about anyone who asks for it. Fiercely protective of her family and partner.

Name: Toth of the Western Y’Dala Tribe Age: 22 Pronouns: She/Her Height: 6”4 Eye Color(s): Yellow Hair Color(s): Black Romantic/Sexual Identity: Homosexual/romantic Powers/Advantages: Fluent in Common & Y’Dalan, knows some sign language, peak physical condition, skilled hand-to-hand fighter, skilled at using melee weapons, skilled horse rider, good at leading a group, knows a lot about magic, etc. Weaknesses/Disadvantages: Low sympathy, one-track mind when her people are involved, short temper, doesn’t forgive easily, often judged/feared because of her race, etc. Personality: Growing up in one of the last traditional Y’Dalan tribes, Toth has a very strong sense of responsibility toward her people, determined to provide them with resources through her job as Don Paragon’s mercenary. Admittedly, she struggles deeply with her place in her tribe and the world at large, wanting both to continue her people’s traditions and be free to live however she wants to. No matter what though, Toth is loyal and courageous, not allowing anything to get in her way, even after she’s been proven to be wrong. As a result it’s next to impossible for her to get rid of a grudge or change course, but she’ll do it if it means being with and/or protecting those she loves (*cough* Skout *cough*). 

Name: Benjamin of Nowhere Age: 180+ Pronouns: He/Him Height: 5”0 Eye Color(s): White Hair Color(s): Black Romantic/Sexual Identity: Biromantic/sexual Powers/Advantages: One of the best magic users in history, Master of dark magic, skilled survivalist, high pain tolerance, fluent in the following: (Fae, Common, Y’Dalan, and sign language), inherently lucky, race-based abilities (distress cry + others), low metabolism/high tolerance for dehydration & starvation, etc. Weaknesses/Disadvantages: Rather arrogant, very paranoid, thinks very lowly of non-magic folk (with a few exceptions), insecure about his heritage as well as his upbringing, social outcast, next to no verbal filter, set in his ways, possessive of those he loves, etc. Personality: As stubborn as a mule and with all the manners of one, Benjamin has never known when to shut his mouth, often leading him to say the wrong thing at the worst time. Despite this, he’s actually rather sweet to those he loves, but beware, that fondness can change to resentment in a heartbeat if he feels he’s been slighted in some way. His paranoia is easily his greatest weakness, over fifty years spent running from his past changing him from cautious but optimistic, to vicious and nihilistic, preferring to strike first and ask questions later. Perhaps his only saving grace in the end is his love for his son, having more hope in him than he has for anyone else in Nowhere.

Name: Annabeth Driller Age: 41 Pronouns: She/Her Height: 5”2 Eye Color(s): Green Hair Color(s): Red Romantic/Sexual Identity: Heteromantic/sexual Powers/Advantages: Mild potential for magic, fluent in Common, knows some sign language, skilled carpenter, skilled survivalist, skilled farmer/gardener, highly intelligent, etc. Weaknesses/Disadvantages: Untrustworthy of men in general, paranoid, severe PTSD from physical & verbal abuse, struggles to connect with new people, overprotective of all her children, thinks very lowly of outsiders/strangers, etc. Personality: Having grown up as one of the oldest children in a family of twenty-two, Annabeth learned how to care and provide for others at a very early age, taking it upon herself to make sure those she cares about are kept safe. Despite her maternal nature, she’s a very stubborn and paranoid person, especially after her failed relationship with Benjamin, the threat of him coming back to take her by force a constant worry through most of her time raising her daughters. She may be wary of the unknown and everything that comes with it, but she’s willing to admit if she was wrong or not by the end of every conflict she finds herself in.

Name: Melinda Driller of Nowhere Age: 15 Pronouns: She/Her Height: 5”2 Eye Color(s): Green Hair Color(s): Red Romantic/Sexual Identity: Homoromantic/Asexual Powers/Advantages: High potential for magic, fluent in Common & Y’Dalan, very good at thinking on her feet, skilled survivalist, high charisma, above average intelligence, quick learner, etc. Weaknesses/Disadvantages: Very sheltered childhood, mother & older sister are very overprotective of her, somewhat naive, arrogant, desperate to prove herself, untrustworthy of anyone with authority over her (with a few exceptions), etc. Personality: You’d think that not having Benjamin as a direct influence would make her a lot less like him, but to the dismay of her mother, Melinda is the most like her father of all his children, her potency for magic just as high as well as her self-assuredness (though Mama calls it arrogance). She’s a realist above all else, unwilling to stand for any kind of injustice, even if the odds are stacked completely against her. Easily the most independent of her siblings, and eager to prove she can take care of herself. Secretly longs for just one day without any drama or hellfire.

Name: Adrian of the Northern Y’Dala Tribe/El Rey Age: 300+ Pronouns: He/Him Height: 6”3 Eye Color(s): Red/Yellow Hair Color(s): Black Romantic/Sexual Identity: Homoromantic/Homosexual Powers/Advantages: Greatest magic user in all of Nowhere, king of Nowhere with power over all major settlements, high charisma, high intelligence, strong leadership skills, skilled at using most weapons, peak physical condition/eternally youthful, etc. Weaknesses/Disadvantages: Has almost completely lost his freewill in favor of the will of his crown/is dependent on his crown, struggles to not let his feelings dictate his actions (especially regarding Benjamin & his kids), very lonely which leads him to get attached easily, somewhat arrogant, distrustful even of his closest allies, delusional to some degree, etc. Personality: So much of the man once known as Adrian has been lost or at least repressed by the crown he wears, something he’s been pretending isn’t the case in an effort to not lose his mind entirely. When the crown isn’t as One of the best magic users in “active”, El Rey is a very confident and calm monarch, with a strong desire to see his kingdom restored to its former glory as well as make amends for his follies. When the crown is more in control, El Rey is brutal and blunt, with next to no patience for failure, even if it’s minor, leading him to make very short-sighted and cruel decisions.