#huttball

SWTORtober Day 17: Some time off

(Baron Deathmark voice) LETS PLAY HUTTBALL

@swtortober

Commissions info - Prints* - Merch*

After KOTET and all the drama with Zakuul calms down and its generally accepted that Arcann is Emperor again and Fiika’s Empress and all that jazz

Zakuul comes to it’s outlander Empress with a question of “how do we join the galaxy without invading it; we don’t want to be hated this time around”

Fiika is like “HUTTBALL. Everyone loves huttball. Haven’t had a tournament since the galaxy was at war for five years.” This might’ve been uttered sassily as she’s about to be leaving on her belated honeymoon with Arcann. Accounts differ.

And so Zakuul puts together a huttball team while still not completely sure what Huttball is or the rules (all they know is that Mr. Baron Deathmark says no feet? So hands must be okay. And the Force. Obviously. Or the Baron would’ve said no Force either).

And when Indo Zal is ready to present Zakuul’s Imperial Huttball Team, he fails to mention the mascot. The Empress Fiika’s pet, Spook.

@kunoichi-ume and I discovered tonight that Noara and Fynta were both Rotworm fans. Naturally, the boys had to root for the Frogdogs. They both looked so grumpy in the group shot that this drabble just kind of happened.

Fynta plopped another round on the table and grinned at her sour company. “Stop moping, you two. It’s embarrassing.”

“That last call was rigged,” Jorgan groused. “The whole damn game was.” He snatched two bottles of beer and slid one to Torian.

Fynta flashed a grin at Noara as she settled into the booth next to her surly Cathar. “I think they’re just mad because our team won.” She used the bottom of her Rotworm jersey to twist off the cap before taking a deep pull. Smacking her lips, Fynta nudged her husband with her shoulder. “And, of course, the game is rigged. Cheating is literally in the rule book. Just so happens that the Rotworms have deeper pockets than the Frogdogs.”

With effort, Fynta managed to school her features into a somber expression. “My condolences, boys.”

No sooner had Fynta lifted her bottle in salute, than Noara lost control of her drink and spewed it across the table in a fit of laughter. A deep rumble vibrated next to Fynta as she wiped beer from her eyes and face. “Looks like your luck might be running out,” Aric whispered in Fynta’s ear. She could hear the amusement in his voice. Damn Cathar.

“Laugh it up, riduur,” Fynta responded, waving away Noara’s apology before the girl could stop giggling long enough to offer it. “You lost the bet. Know what that means?”

Aric blanched. “I thought you were kidding.”

Fynta shook her head as Torian leaned forward. “This sounds interesting. What did you lose?” He was a Frogdog fan too, one of the things the younger Mandalorian and Jorgan had found to bond over once Torian became a permanent fixture in Noara’s life. The horror on his face when he discovered that Fynta had corrupted his innocent, Jedi girlfriend with the colors of the Rotworms would live in Fynta’s memory forever.

“Yeah,” Noara added, finally regaining control of herself and offering Fynta a napkin.

Fynta’s grin widened even as Aric shook his head. “He has to wear purple and black at the next game. In public, where people can see.”

“Osik'la,” Torian spat and leaned back in the both as if being too close to Aric might taint him.

“It’s not happening,” the Cathar snarled, baring his teeth in a fearsome display that might have cowed anyone except his wife.

Fynta knew how much he despised the Rotworms. Aric claimed that their fans were worse than the Hutt slime that owned the team, and were insufferable after every game. She never told him that the only reason she chose that team was to needle him during game day back when they were nothing more than squad mates. After a while, Fynta had grown to enjoy the game and her chance, favorite team. Naturally, when Noara joined the group, Fynta immediately pulled the young Jedi to her side. It was just a bonus that Torian was as adamant in his hatred for them as Aric.

Continued from Part 27.

The costume description for Grozz's High Republic Champion reads:

"Grozz would have made a great Jedi; he's extremely self-disciplined and honorable. The only problem would have been his love of gonkrock." -Zaina

Gonkrock is a musical genre introduced in Star Wars Hunters, and the type of music played by fellow Hunter, Rieve, in her band Corellia's Not Dead. Its name comes from the sound being amplified through GNK "Gonk" power droids.

The weapon wrap for this costume is the High Republic Branch. These are a pair of sturdy branches (maybe wroshyr branches from Kashyyyk?) decorated with the symbol of the Jedi Order.

The weapon description reads:

"Good thing Balada didn't give that furbag a lightsaber - imagine him barreling down on you swinging one of those!? He'd be TOO powerful." -Sentinel

The next Legendary costume for Grozz is Prematch Parader. This sees Grozz wearing a hooded jacket similar to what you might see a boxer wearing before his match. Aurebesh along the jacket's edge reads: HUNTERS OF THE OUTER RIM and CHAMPION.

On his back, it features his name in Aurebesh above a circular design.

The weapon wrap for this costume, Prematch Clubs, are large paddle-like clubs with turquoise embellishments. The symbol from the back of Grozz's jacket is also in the center.

The Ferrix Fighter is a reference to the Grapplers of Ferrix, the workers who dismantle starships in the first season of Andor. He wears the same helmet and overalls as Cassian Andor's friend Brasso. The game files refer to this costume as "Skilled Scrapper".

The description for this costume contains a quote from Diago, noting the reverence they have for the freedom fighters seen in the finale of the first season of Andor.

"Grozz told me about the scrap workers on Ferrix - their fight against the empire is a story close to his heart." -Diago

The weapon wrap for this costume, Ferrix Clubs, resemble the hammers wielded by the Time Grappler, who rang in the new day by smashing his hammers on an anvil atop a belltower on Rix Road. The hammers have the Aurebesh letter F, "Forn", for Ferrix stamped on them.

The quote from Zaina in the Ferrix Clubs' description directly references the Rix Road Riot in Andor:

"It doesn't take much to rise against oppressors - a simple worker's hammer will do. Or a thrown stone." -Zaina

Next up we have the Kessel Savior costume. In this costume, Grozz suits up as a Pyke sentinel, seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story, wearing the lead-lined work smock beneath a visored helmet. the game files name this costume "Kessel Liberator".

Around his neck, he wears the caretaker's code keys carried by the director of the Pyke Syndicate's operations on Kessel, Quay Tolsite.

Zaina's quote in the costume description references the primary export of Kessel: spice.

"Grozz's disguise might fool spice smugglers, but I'd recognize him an Arena-length away. I'd never tell him though - I do have a heart!" -Zaina

The weapon wrap for this costume, Saving Clubs, have a similar color and the same symbol as the arms on B8G-H0R from Solo, but the shape of the shoulders is greatly expanded. Aurebesh on the one club reads FREE.

The weapon wrap description references the Kessel Run:

"Wonder if Grozz ever made the Kessel Run. And how long it would've took him," -Imara Vex

First mentioned by Han Solo in A New Hope, we first got to see Han's Kessel Run play out on-screen in Solo.

The next Legendary costume for Grozz is Life Day Wookiee. This references the red robe worn by Chewbacca for the Wookiee holiday, Life Day, in 1978's infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, although Grozz's costume has a bit more embellishment.

The back of the robe features a large intricate tree design, better seen in the texture file.

The weapon wrap, Life Day Clubs, are very organic looking, with wooden tangles around some kind of green structure (maybe an egg?) along with sword hilts.

The next Legendary costume is Wookiee's Revenge. Grozz wears discarded remains of an Arakyd Industries Viper probe droid as armor, with the droid's large photoreceptors visible on his shoulders.

The weapon wrap, Vengeful Clubs, features more Viper probe droid parts fashioned into dangerous looking axe/clubs. The probe droid's many grasper arms can be seen at the bottom of each club.

The next costume for Grozz is Kashyyyk Champion. I'm not sure if this is a direct reference to anything, or just an embellished suit of Wookiee armor. The texture on his chest armor resembles the green material in the Life Day Clubs.

Zaina reveals in the costume description how highly regarded Grozz is on Kashyyyk:

"Grozz took me to visit his hometown and it's practically a shrine to him; there's even a museum there for his career as a pro-Huttballer." -Zaina

The Champion's Clubs are two large golden spiked balls, held in the palm of droid hands, with a ring of Aurebesh around them which reads HUNTERS, which Grozz wields like maces.

Next is another hooded robe for Grozz, the Pre-Match Robe. A palette swap of the Prematch Parader costume, it also has Aurebesh along its edge reading HUNTERS OF THE OUTER RIM and CHAMPION.

The weapon wrap, Pre-Match Clubs, is a palette swap of the very similarly named Prematch Clubs (without the hyphen), in green and purple accents.

The final costume for Grozz is Ferocious Fighter, which is a golden palette swap with the Ferrix Fighter costume.

And the last weapon wrap is Ferocious Hammers, a golden palette swap with the Ferrix Clubs. The game files refer to this set as "Ranked Recolor".

And that's all for Grozz! Next we will take a look at the Ugnaught Dizzy and his destroyer droid who compete as the Hunter team Slingshot!