Sanza Salazar Saga

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The Sanza Salazar Saga is a series of Teen Titans fanfics, originated by Ry Senkari but later continued by a friend of the creator of the original trilogy nicknamed oneortheother, is a series of Teen Titans Alternate Universe Fics in which the identity of the thief who stole Robin's Red X suit prior to the events of the third season "X" turns out to be a Jump City teenager named Sanza Salazar. Because the original fanfic of the saga was written prior to the airing of season five, it basically ignores that entire season and branches off from the end of season four, though events from season five are explored and retold in some chapters.

The saga explores the duality of Sanza's ordinary high-school life with his criminal escapades as Red X as he comes into contact and conflict with numerous heroes and villains throughout the saga.

The Life And Times Of Red X is the first story. It features the reveal (to the reader, at least) of Sanza's identity in the first few chapters and the reveal to the Titans later on. It introduces the reader's to Sanza's mother and sister, who provided his initial reason for stealing the suit, and allow the villain Slade to get his foot in the door to persuade Red X/Sanza to become his apprentice. Thus, this story revolves around Red X's struggles to avoid Slade's advances, protect his family, and remain true to himself as his loyalties wax and wane between Slade, the Titans, and himself.

Maiden Of Stone is essentially a Fix Fic which revisits the circumstances behind Terra's revival. Terra is freed from her petrified condition by the scientific machinations of a group of scheming corporate executives who seek to cause natural disasters in order to make billions of dollars on the subsequent destruction of Jump City. Red X is pulled into the conflict after attempting to steal from these gentlemen but eventually becomes personally involved after the villains threaten his loved ones and after he begins to see the freed Terra as a kindred spirit.

A Tale Of Two Apprentices concludes the trilogy. Slade makes another appearance, and Red X and Terra are both in his sights, hence the "two apprentices" part of the title. In addition, the Brotherhood of Evil makes an appearance and threatens Jump City. The first half of the fanfic is basically a retelling of the fifth season of the series, with the action revolving around Jump City instead of taking the Titans around the world. The second half of the fic gets much more personal and closes nearly all of the loose ends and story threads established throughout the trilogy.

The original trilogy inspired a fan to write a story which takes place several months afterward, Shades of Gray, in which Red X is framed for murder and a mysterious stranger makes an appearance in the city. It is still ongoing.

Tropes used in Sanza Salazar Saga include:

• Abnormal Ammo
  • Depleted Phlebotinum Shells: Rev's guns and Red X's projectiles.
• Age-Appropriate Angst: For Sanza and Maddie. Actually, we have sympathy for most of the 'Teen' cast anyway.
• Alternate Universe Fic: Branching off from the end of season four.
  • Fix Fic: Maiden of Stone is basically a fic that has Terra revived under different circumstances than the original so that she doesn't have the opportunity to say I Just Want to Be Normal.
• Always Save the Girl: Parodied during the Sadistic Choice.
• And Your Little Dog, Too: Happens with Maddy quite a bit even when they aren't specifically trying to target Sanza.
• Anti-Hero: Red X.
• Anti-Villain: Rev, well if he wasn't a Designated Hero for fighting evil and what not.
• Asshole Victim: Most of the victims.
• Applied Phlebotinum: Almost an overdose. The 'miracle polymer Xynothium' is a great example.
• Author Appeal: the original trilogy was written by an unrepentant Damsel in Distress fan and it clearly shows.
  • Damsel in Distress: Speaking of which, almost every female in the whole Saga gets this treatment at least once.
  • Fetish Fuel
• Back-to-Back Badasses: Red X and Rev.
• Badass Family: The Salazars. Even Sanza's mother Maria can sometimes hold her own against the Villain Of The Day.
• Badass Normal: Sanza, Rev in Shades of Gray. Sedaris is an evil example.
• Battle Couple Red X and Terra.
• Because I'm Good At It: One of the reasons Sanza continues to put on the Red X suit and remain a thief even after working with the Titans so much.
• Berserker Tears: In similar fashion to the original series, there are numerous occasions in which Berserker Tears are shed during particularly emotionally charged fights. Any time Red X/Sanza battles Slade, for example.
• Big Bad: Slade, Frederick Dullahan, Sedaris
• Bittersweet Ending: The Life And Times Of Red X
• Black Knight: Red X and Rev.
• Bluffing the Murderer: In this case, bluffing the thief, as Raven bluffs/intimidates Red X into giving up some crucial information.
• Bluff the Impostor: Terra bluffs the imposter Red X.
• Cat Fight: Jinx vs. Terra in Maiden of Stone, Madame Rouge vs. Terra in A Tale Of Two Apprentices.
• Clothes Make the Superman: lampshaded by Rev's comments on the powerlessness of humans.
• Cower Power
• Chaotic Good: Sanza.
• Christianity Is Catholic: averted, Sanza and his family are Catholic but there are numerous Protestant characters, most notably Sanza's friend Steve and one of the bad guys from Maiden of Stone.
• Combat Pragmatist: Red X, Rev.
• Comes Great Responsibility: Played straight, subverted and averted.
• Cool Mask
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Many of the villains of Maiden of Stone are these.
• Creepy Cool Crosses: Rev wears one. And the Crazy Prepared Rev's cross doubles as some kind of mini stun-baton. Don't ask how.
• Cyborg
  • Electronic Eyes
• Darkest Hour: Chapter 13 of Maiden of Stone and Chapter 21 of A Tale of Two Apprentices
• Dark Shepherd: Rev, very much
• Death by Origin Story: Miguel Salazar.
• Designated Victim: Maddy
• Destructive Saviour: Almost every boss battle will involve a ton of property damage.
• Doom Magnet: Sanza.
• Double Consciousness: A played down version of this is Sanza's 'inner thief'. He is a unrepentant Kleptomaniac after all.
• Dirty Coward
• Double Agent: Sanza.
• Don't Fear the Reaper: Rev makes the claim during a particularly bloodtastic battle.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
• The Dragon: Sedaris, Slade in the first part of A Tale of Two Apprentices
  • Dragon-in-Chief
• Dramatic Thunder: Robin and Red X's first one-on-one battle is the most memorable instance)
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Sanza/Red X, especially in the first fic.
• Due to the Dead: Miguel Salazar.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Oh, you heroes most certainly must earn that happy ending...
• Evil Eye: Rev
• Evil Genius: Sedaris
• Evil Is Stylish
  • Evil Is Cool
• Evilly Affable: Sedaris.
• Eye Scream: during the fight with Dr. Ruell when Sanza hookshots him in the eye
• Five-Bad Band: In Maiden of Stone... Frederick Dullahan (The Big Bad), Alex Sedaris (The Dragon, later the Big Bad), Dr. Ruell and later Nicholas Jarvin (The Evil Genius), Michael Barrington (The Brute), Lonnie Jarvin (The Dark Chick)
• Foil: Red X and Robin
• Foreshadowing: A lot, if you actually pay attention.
• Fragile Speedster: Rev, in a sense. It is stated he doesn't really have any stamina for a prolonged fight, opting for Hit and Run Tactics and using his weapons to beat his foes.
• Friendly Enemy: Red X and Rev.
• Gang-Bangers: NOT in the way you perverts are thinking.
• Gentleman Thief
  • Phantom Thief
• Green Rocks: Just what can't a case of Applied Xynothium/Phlebotinum do? Anything from explosives to bands to lasers to wings. Yes, you read that right.
• Grudging Thank You: Almost every occasion in which the Titans save X or vice versa.
• Guns Akimbo: Rev.
• A Handful for an Eye: Red X employs this tactic at the start of the trilogy, before he gets a reactor that allows him to power his suit indefinitely
• Hard Work Hardly Works: Even after Sanza trains with the True Master, Slade still wrecks him
• Heroic Sacrifice: Averted. Sanza turns down a Taking You with Me moment against criminal mastermind Slade. Because? Well because he ain't no hero.
• High School
• High School Dance
• Hippie Teacher: Ms. Perlitz.
• Honor Before Reason: Sanza passes up the chance to kill Slade at the end of the first fic leading to a Bittersweet Ending, though he would've had to kill himself as well to do so.
• Hostage Situation: Most notably Maddy and Maria in "The Life And Times of Red X" and Terra and Raven in "Maiden of Stone".
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: Embodies Rev's mindset.
• Humans Are White: There's almost more Tamaranians than the Token Minority.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Red X and Robin both have moments, especially during a certain someone's death.)
• I Have Your Wife: sometimes mother and sister.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: despite the fifth season not being Canon to this fic, its characterizations are, and thus Terra's "Things Change" angst carries over into her personality in the second and third fics of the trilogy.
• I Work Alone: Red X at least at the start of each fic.
• If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Several times.
• Inferred Survival: Nicholas and Lonnie Jarvin.
• In the Blood: Ass-kickery is genetic in the Salazar bloodline.
• In Harm's Way: Sanza wouldn't have it any other way.
• It's Personal: Anyone who messes with Sanza's family.
  • This Is Unforgivable!
• Jerkass Facade: Red X.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: This embodies young Sanza Salazar, at least for the early sections of series as he later becomes more of a Nice Guy.
• Karmic Death: Slade.
• Killed Off for Real: numerous characters from the original series, most notably The Brain, The True Master, and Slade
• Let's Get Dangerous: Steve and Cleo get this kind of moment in A Tale Of Two Apprentices.
• Like Father, Like Son: Sanza and his deceased father both have a lot of personality traits in common.
• Lovable Coward: Overlaps with below. Sanza.
• Lovable Rogue: Overlaps with above. Sanza.
• Love Dodecahedron: Raven, Beast Boy, Terra, Sanza, Starfire, Robin.
• Love Is in the Air: Romance is a big part of the trilogy.
• Love Redeems
• MacGuffin: The Crisis Crystal, at least in the first few chapters of Maiden of Stone, before it is used to de-petrify Terra.
• Mad Scientist: Dr. Ruell.
• Meaningful Name: Reverend in Shades of Gray is quite religious.
• Morality Chain: Sanza can lose it whenever his loved ones are threatened.
• Morality Pet: Sanza's mother Maria and younger sister Maddy.
• More Than Meets the Eye: There is much more to young teenager Sanza Salazar than meets the eyes... Same for the Corrupt Corporative Exectutive villains of the second fic, most of them look rather harmless, especially the Sinister Minister. Rev also looks relatively tame without his Cool Mask.
• Mission from God: Rev believes this.
• Mr. Exposition: Father Abuela.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Sanza and Terra are subjected to this in chapter 21 of A Tale Of Two Apprentices.
• Not Himself: Terra catches onto Madame Rouge impersonating Red X.
• Not So Different: Rev spews this during his Hannibal Lecture.
• Oblivious Younger Sibling: Maddy.
• One-Man Army
• Omniscient Council of Vagueness: The villains of Maiden of Stone, at least in the beginning.
• Omniglot: Rev.
• One-Winged Angel: Dr. Ruell.
• Order Versus Chaos: Titans vs. Sedaris.
• Out-Gambitted
• The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Averted by Ordinary High School Student Sanza, but played straight by a few other people such as Maria Salazar who despite having a job, we never see her at work.
• Playing with Fire: Sorel.
• Powered Armor: Played straight with Red X and Rev. Though perhaps you could make the case it is less 'armor' and more like equipable utility devices.
• Properly Paranoid: Rev, very much. He's even shown to be mostly correct)
• Rape as Drama: Cleo in Maiden of Stone. Unlike many fanfics in which this is glossed over, the act has a profound impact on its victim's psyche and drives Sanza to a Darkest Hour moment, with ripple effects that permeate the rest of the trilogy.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Sanza, Rev.
• Rescue Romance: Played straight and subverted.
• Religious Bruiser: Sanza technically.
• Sadistic Choice: Maiden of Stone chapter 18.
• Save the Villain: Red X tries to save Sorel, but he is unable and Sorel dies a Karmic Death. Also Robin tries to save Red X during one of their battles but Hilarity Ensues after a Jerkass moment from Red X.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Red X and Terra
• Science Is Bad: Most of the scientists in the trilogy are either evil or unscrupulous or both.
• Secret Identity: Plays a big part in Sanza's story, obviously.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Red X's thoughts after a failed robbery.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Averted by the Teen Titans in the MOS when they fail to catch the Corrupt Corporate Executive. Played straight by Rev, though his opinion on what is 'right' is debatable...
• She's Not My Girlfriend: Robin toward Starfire in the first fic, Sanza toward Terra in the second and the start of the third.
• Sinister Minister: One of the council of villains in Maiden of Stone
• Shout-Out: Plenty, a few examples are Pulp Fiction, Dodgeball:

"If you can dodge a starbolt, you can dodge a ball" "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!"

• Skewed Priorities: "ll kill that kid myself, what is he doing? Trying to get us killed? Or worse, arrested?" From Shades of Gray, chapter seven.
• Social Darwinist: Sedaris.
• Something They Would Never Say
• Spirited Competitor
• Stern Teacher: Mr. Backlund.
• Stun Guns: Ironically enough, used by the Career Killer Rev.
• Superhero Trophy Shelf: Sorel sends Sanza on a quest to fetch items from the Titans in The Life and Times of Red X in order to test his worthiness as an apprentice for Slade.
  • Collector of the Strange
• Swiss Army Weapon: Red X's Xynothium weapons sure count.
• Sympathy for the Devil: The Titans don't consider Red X a 'real' villain, at least compared to Slade anyway. No sympathy for him...
• Taking You with Me: Sorel... it doesn't work
• Tears of Fear
• There Is No Try: Sanza's training with the True Master, which also involves...
  • Don't Think, Feel
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty
  • I Let You Win
  • Stealth Mentor: The True Master's ninja friends' role.
  • The Spartan Way
  • The Only Way They Will Learn
  • Tough Love
  • Training from Hell
  • Your Eyes Can Deceive You
• These Hands Have Killed: Red X's reaction to Sorel's death.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: People can be Killed Off for Real but the heroes generally avoiding doing that. Ironically, this trope is mainly subverted by the religious Rev.
• Token Evil Teammate: Rev, well a Well-Intentioned Extremist.
• Traitor Shot: Especially in the first fic it's clear that Red X/Sanza should not be trusted.
• Trigger Happy: Rev, very much. Lampshaded.
• Throwing Down the Gauntlet
• Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty: It is hard to catch Red X not fighting dirty...
• The Unfettered: Red X on the "heroic" side, Sedaris on the villainous.
• Vigilante Man: Needless to say
• Violence Really Is the Answer: Deconstructed when Robin accidentally kills Slade in a The Killer Becomes the Killed moment by kicking him over a ledge when he was lunging at him, later he wonders if he did the right thing. But he decides that Violence Is the Only Option.
  • Also in Shades of Gray, Rev is a proud preacher of how Murder Is the Best Solution and Violence Is the Only Option.
• Warrior Therapist: Rev gets the most of these moments, but Sanza gets a few. Overlaps with below.
• Warrior Poet: Overlaps with above.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Red X gets a few of these moments, obviously.
• White-Haired Pretty Boy: Sorel counts, at least on the white-haired aspect.
• Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: Subverted with the Xynothium. Played straight with Rev.
• With Due Respect: Sorel and Sanza's interactions.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Dr. Ruell, Sedaris toward the end.
• Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Played straight, subverted, and averted.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Rev just wants the world to be a better place, the heroes might agree more with his cause if his tactic wasn't Murder Is the Best Solution.
• X Marks the Hero: Parodied with Red X.
• X-Ray Vision: Subverted with Rev who has general all-purpose awesome vision that grants him Improbable Aiming Skills and the ability to 'see through people' by reading their body language.
• Visionary Villain (Averted by each and every one of the Big Bads,
• You Fail Logic Forever: Chemistry The nigh-unlimited uses of the 'miracle polymer Xynothium' which defy logic and knowledge of molecular bases surely counts, then again it is powered by Phlebotinum.
• You Fail Geology Forever: The climax of Maiden Of Stone. Earthquakes do not work that way...
• You Killed My Father
  • Prepare to Die
• Young Gun: He even has Chekhov's Gun.