#East and then West? hmmmm yes

[prosebushpatch]

Alright, so, yesterday, I recorded every single POV in each chapter in The Lunar Chronicles like a normal person and that's what this blog post is about. So if you want to want the overview of me going pepe silvia over the fact that one of the love interests has less POV chapters than two side characters, boy have I got a post for you!

[grooviestsadpapaya]

Like I love the gerudo but that is very low on the list of outfits you should be wearing in the desert, especially since their original purpose was desert Bandits. Genuinely upsetting.

Yes! Like people can say they were “inspired” by Mid-Eastern and African culture all they want, but they weren’t. They were INSPIRED by the West’s idea of those cultures. They were INSPIRED by minstrel shows and caricatures. Same thing goes for stuff like Aladdin that weren’t actually based on the country they were SUPPOSED to take place in, but the very broad umbrella term that is “the Middle East”. Like there are a ton of unique cultures and lifestyles in that area of the world and Nintendo (as well as other big companies like Disney) were like “hmmmm… tan with baggy pant” LIKE… Idk I could rant about this enough to fill an hour long PowerPoint presentation but I’ll do that later lmao. Hope you enjoy my lukewarm take <3

[someoneasgoodasyou]

You uh.... you said there was a sequel for the fae coffee shop thing so uh...... could you uh..... write both of those fics immediately? Or tell me mayhaps the plot of said sequel........ asking for a friend.....

Oh, I will definitely tell you all the plot! I can’t write it immediately because I need to finish the final chapter of hitman!AU book 1, but as soon as I’m done with that I’m jumping on this.SO.

To recap. Chloe has been trapped in the fae realm, Lucifer freed her in a Tam Lin sort of scenario, but now she doesn’t know who he is. OH NO AMNESIA, MY LEAST FAVORITE PLOT.

Ugh I can’t get the link to work up there, so check out the original post here.

Lucifer convinces her she's got the amnesia and to stay with his friend maze or someone until he comes back with a doctor. (He definitely convinces her with something close to the speech on the beach, tailored to this setting, and she’s like hmmmm he clearly knows a lot about me guess I’ll trust this weirdo enough to wait for a doctor even though I am still kinda :\ about everything.) So Lucifer like. Barrels back to the faerie queen’s court and is like WHAT THE FUCK. And the faerie queen is like bud you never specified that she had to remember you once she was free. She doesn't remember anything from her time here, and that includes you :) sorry not sorry. And he's like ajskldasdl;kal;sjkl;asj but he is smart by this point and doesn't attack her and is like ok what do I have to do to get her to remember me, SEETHING but polite And the faerie queen is like hmmmmm and is like :) if she can love the beast in you, then her memories will come back :) and it goes into the first half of East of the Sun, West of the Moon (sort of, also sort of Beauty and the Beast? Whatever, they’re both 425’s so they’re basically both the same (yes I know they’re not, just roll with it, god)). So the queen curses him to have his devil face by day and his human face by night. And should Chloe look upon his human face before she loves him as a monster, she’ll never remember him ever again. It’s all very terrible. Getting through LA back to where he left Chloe with Maze is the worst. So, Lucifer whisks Chloe away to a remote estate he JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE and she sees him and screams and he is. So Hurt. And he tries to tell her the rules of the game, but the queen put a geas on him and he can’t make the words come. And he is Ashamed. So he hides by day and comes to her at night. And when he comes to her at night, in the dark, she asks about the monster in the castle. And he is Sad, but tells her he’s harmless and not to worry about him, she won’t be seeing him again anyway. Because, you see, after she screamed at seeing his true face, he knows that she could never learn to love him. So she’s like :\ why can’t there be light :\ and stuff, and he’s like “Please. No lights. Please.” All quiet and strained, and sh acquiesces grudgingly. And so. At night they talk, and by day Lucifer hides away but does little things for her, like making sure all her fave foods are available, and her favorite books, and he leaves her little gifts and such. And as time goes on, she’s like hmmmmmmmm maybe………..the monster is not so bad………….. But, she is in love with her night visitor. BUT! She is also slowly falling in love with this monster she’s never seen because he’s just. Kind. She starts leaving him little notes, and he sometimes writes back. There may or may not be little doodles on the notes he leaves for her in return. Just sayin’. And so, one day she goes to look for the monster, through the estate. She doesn’t find him so she looks the next day. And the next day. And Lucifer has given up all hope at this point because it’s been so long and there’s no possible way she could ever love a beast would ever love him.

Eventually, though, she finds him, and the first thing she sees is his wing scars. And the scar scene happens and he turns around all *_________*And she is like “perhaps…………you are not so bad after all.” And they start hanging out, but her night visitor still comes, and he tries to tell her that they are the same but, again, geas. So she is highkey torn because on the one hand, she loves her night visitor. On the other hand, she’s pretty sure she also loves this monster. Who isn’t really a monster at all.

And finally, she comes to a decision. She asks one more time, can she please see her night visitor in the light, will she ever be able to, etc. And he’s like :( I’m sorry, darling :( and she can hear the sad frown in his voice, so she’s like ok and doesn’t press.

In the morning, she tells Lucifer she loves him.

And he gets his human face back.

And he’s all shocked but he knows he was second choice. And is Sad.

And Chloe touches his face and is like hey are you my night visitor??????? And he’s like yes, the faeries qu- and then all her memories hit and she has a seizure or whatever because minds aren’t meant to work like that. Dang faerie magic!

And Lucifer is panicked and sits by her bedside and is like saying “I know I was your second choice, but-“ when she wakes up.

And she like, muzzily says, “you’re always my first choice” and then sits up, eyes wide, and is like “MY FRIENDS OH NO THEY MUST BE SO WORRIED”

And he’s like ?????????

And she’s like AT THE COFFEESHOP

And he’s like ?????????? I just freed you from there

And she’s like brush I hated being trapped, not being there. And then she’s like also you weren’t my second choice dummy, and explains how he wasn’t. And then is like OK NOW WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO LA BECAUSE MY FRIENDS.

And they go back to LA and they wind up living in the fae realm forever (where, by happenstance, none of Lucifer’s relatives can get to him, JUST SAYIN’) because ugh who would want the boring normal world when you could have that??? I’ve never fucking understood that in fiction.

And they were happy forever and ever. The End.

CAN’T WAIT TO WRITE THIS IT’S GONNA BE GREAT.

[travelita]

Interview: Travelita Frankie Owens

Travelita: 1. Okay, Frankie, what was the specific incident that got you to this interview?

You invited me to participate.

Travelita: 2. What does traveling mean to you?

Traveling is a means of respite and enjoyment away from the responsibilities of day to day life. To experience new things, new adventures, and different people in different surroundings.

Travelita: 3. Why is that important?

I feel that traveling is important to live a more interesting and well rounded life. You never know what's out there until you GO!

Travelita: 4. Now that I know what it is, now that I know why it's important and relevant, how are you implementing this on your travels? I mean like, is there a process, that you follow when traveling?

Well, I would like to say that I've traveled a lot, but such is unfortunately not the case. I mostly travel in the US to either local areas near home in California, or to the East Coast where I grew up and where my family (sister, cousins, etc.) still live. However, that said, I do like to explore and experience something/someplace new each time I have the opportunity to go back East, as there's so much that's changed over the last 30 years since I moved to the West Coast.

Travelita: 5. What if people took advantage of your tips and steps you are providing? What will happen, how will their travels change?

Since my travel has been fairly limited to vacation time from full time job, I could only say that I do wish I could travel more often. So advice to anyone is to TRAVEL WHENEVER YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY -- IT'S A HUGE, BEAUTIFUL WORLD AWAITING YOU!

Travelita: 6. Now we would like to get just some general information about you and your travels:

- When did you start traveling?

Local travel growing up in Massachusetts (USA), I traveled every summer to Cape Cod -- only an hour and a half drive away, but like another world. It's by the beach, and there's no place better for me to feel at home and be "in my element" -- I always feel safe and relaxed there..... like going home. But every day brought new beauty with every stay.

In High School I took my first plane trip to Paris, France along with my school. My sister, brother, their best friends, as well as one of my best friends also were on the 10 day trip. That was in 1973 and it was AMAZING!! That trip allowed me to realize the vast world of beautiful cultures with such similarities and differences, yet know we are all people wanting to enjoy life.

Travelita: - Do you remember how you felt when you traveled alone for the first time?

Well traveling cross country (across the United States from West to East Coast and return) is vastly different than traveling to another country. I remember traveling to Germany and Salzburg, Austria with a friend, and neither of us spoke language other than English, yet we were able to communicate and feel safe among the locals. I wasn't fearful at all. It was just a beautiful adventure.

Travelita: - How did you, or do you deal with fears?

I'm not necessarily fearful when I travel. I guess my biggest fear is being late for a flight! I like to plan ahead as much as possible to eliminate those kinds of fears. And I act cautiously and carry myself with confidence so anyone who MAY be lurking to do harm is more intimidate by me first!

Travelita: - Is there a place where you have been and you would definitely not recommend it for women on their own and why?

I would definitely not travel to Mexico alone. Nor the Dominican Republic. I've just heard way too many stories of people being kidnapped or disappearing or being robbed and thrown in jail when they are innocent. My former roommate is a beautiful Mexican girl, and the police actually stopped her on the road while driving and stole her two dogs because the simply liked them. There's corruption in government there, and that's a fear for me. And I traveled to Mexico with a group of friends. On the way home, we were stopped at the border, and my closest friend with us loved to see me drink because he thought I was really funny when I drink (fyi -- I don't drink alcohol at all anymore). Anyhow, the border patrol wouldn't let us cross back into the United States until I was able to verbalize "I am a United States citizen." That was very difficult for me after having too many drinks and slurring my words. Finally after much time, they let us drive through. But that was scary. They could have detained me in Tijuana for the night!!

I'd just recommend doing your research before traveling alone to anyplace so you can feel safe and enjoy the culture.

Travelita: - Do you still have this excitement, when you go on a trip?

Yes, I love it!  I'm a planner, so I like to know and have secured my place when I get there. I'm one who feels more comfortable knowing the basic schedule of events before I go. Though I always like to take an adventure once I'm there!

Travelita: - what are your top 5 destinations and why?

Oh goodness, this is a tough question. The world is SO vast that I'm sure there's MANY destinations I'd love to visit, nationally and internationally  that I don't even know about!

Because I'm half Italian, I'd have to say Italy (ALL over the small towns and local places). My maternal grandparents are from Avellino, a small province of Campania region near Naples. I'd love to find extended family there and truly engross myself in my Italian heritage. And of course must experience the Italian cuisine including 'real' pizza and cannoli!

I didn't know my dad's parents, though they were from Canada and Wales -- so I'd love to visit the countryside there as well. Such greenery and beauty I've seen in photos!

For places I've already visited, France, Austria, and Germany were phenomenally rich with history and beauty. I'd love to experience that again! Since I always feel at home on the beach, that's definitely in my top 5 destinations no matter where I go.

Travelita: - The funniest story that happened to you when traveling?

Hmmmm... Let me think. Oh I can share this one!  It was Christmas in Salzburg, Austria. Somehow our reservations for dinner were messed up and we seriously couldn't find anyplace to have a meal -- everyplace was booked or closed. So we ended up having some strange grilled cheese sandwiches where the cheese wasn't even melted. It was sort of sad at the time, but we laughed about it as we were so hungry and ate it anyway.

Travelita: 7. What do you want people to do?

Be free to travel, though do your homework and if you are alone, make sure you take some precautions. I think it's a must to be prepared, and ensure you have an emergency contact "just in case" who knows your itinerary and any details should you need any assistance when you're away.

Travelita: Thank you for the interview!

[rebelquilts512]

The Wizard of Fulcrum

So my high school’s musical this year was The Wizard of Oz and since I was in it, (For those of you who are curious, I was a tree, a munchkin, and a citizen of the Emerald City) I had been surrounded by the story and songs of The Wizard of Oz since we started rehearsals in late August. I decided that since I was seeing so much of The Wizard of Oz, I might as well put it to fan fiction use and make a Rebels AU. I hoped to get this done by the time the show was over (the show ran November 8 to 10) but that didn’t happen. (I had up to the scarecrow scene done by then though)

This is an AU of Rebel Assault where instead of crashing in the Capital City, Hera crashes her X-Wing outside the city in the plains around some rock spires or whatever the weird mountains are called. So Hera isn’t captured by the Empire (the Ghost crew finds her before they do), and a lot of the back-half of season 4 doesn’t happen.

Some scenes are a little iffy. It’s hard to combine Rebels characters with Wizard of Oz characters. That, and I think I’m overdue for a Rebels re-watch.

Now that all that’s been established, this fic has been brought to you by Star Wars Rebels, the Wizard of Oz movie, and the Wizard of Oz stage musical.

There will be a cast list at the end. AKA What Wizard of Oz roles each Rebel character played, or what I intended them to play.

Reblogs, comments, and likes are appreciated.

--------------------

Hera was disappointed, to put it lightly. She had hoped the squadron would have been able to get passed the Empire’s defenses on Lothal and destroy the Tie Defender factory. But alas, the Empire was ready for them and most of her fighters were either destroyed or shot down.

Hera herself had been hit and was now hurtling towards the planet’s surface. She, with a little help from Chopper who was fortunately unharmed, managed to steer their descent away from Capital City and towards the empty plains beyond.

Hera was starting to lose control as they fell towards a cluster of rock spires. Her X-Wing scraped the side of one of them and Hera banged her head on the console. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was......Minister Tua?

***

When Hera came to, the first thing she heard was Chopper cursing and yelling for her to wake up and see what was outside.

It took Hera a few tries to get the hatch open, but when she did she was assaulted with color.

Hera hopped out of her X-Wing and looked around. Chopper used his rocket to get out of the astromech socket.

They appeared to have crashed in some sort of town square. They were standing on a plaza of multicolored bricks arranged in strips that formed a swirl design. There were huge brightly colored plants everywhere and the plaza was surrounded by equally as colorful buildings.

“Chopper, I have a feeling we’re on Lothal anymore,” Hera said, looking at the droid.

Then Hera looked down at herself. The red pilot’s outfit she had worn for the attack had been replaced by a brown leather lace up vest over a cream colored shirt and a midi length orange skirt with matching leggings and brown boots. It was similar enough to her usual pilot outfit that Hera figured it must have been based off of it.

She started to walk around, trying to figure out where she was. Chopper followed close behind.

Then Hera heard music. She turned around and saw a small circle coming towards her. It almost looked like a bubble, but the outside of the circle was white while the inside was black, somewhat obscuring the bubble effect. The circle grew larger as it approached her, until it landed on the ground in front of her taller than she was.

“Definitely not on Lothal anymore,” Hera mumbled.

A woman emerged from the circle as it faded away. She was a tall Togruta with blue eyes, orange skin, and blue and white striped lekku. Her montrals were covered by the hood of the long white cloak she was wearing over her white dress. In her right hand she held a white staff with a ring on top. She seemed familiar, but Hera couldn’t place how, and Chopper wasn’t offering any suggestions.

Hera took a few steps back.

The Togruta stepped toward her and asked, “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”

What?

Hera glanced around her. “Me?” she asked. “I’m not a witch at all. My name is Hera Syndulla, from...Lothal,” She decided to name the planet she had just been on.

“Oh,” the woman replied. “Well is that the witch?” she asked, pointing the tip of her staff at Chopper.

“Chopper?” Hera asked. “Chopper’s my droid. He may be a little mischievous and cranky at times, but he’s no witch,”

“Hmmmm,” the woman hesitated, “Well I have to say I’m confused. The Lonchkins called me because a new witch has just crashed a large metal contraption on Maketh Tua, the Wicked Witch of the East. And there’s the metal contraption,” She gestured to the crumpled mess of Hera’s X-Wing. “And here you are, And that is all that’s left of Maketh Tua,” She used her staff to point to the pair of legs sticking out from under the X-Wing wearing glittering pale blue shoes. “And so what the Lonchkins want to know, is are you a good witch or a bad witch?”

“I already told you,” Hera said. “I’m not a witch at all. Witches have mystical powers and do cruel and crazy things to people,” She based her knowledge on what Ezra, Kanan, and Sabine had told her of their experience with the Nightsisters on Dathomir.

Then there came the sound of high-pitched laughter.

Hera looked around to see where the sound came from.“What was that?” she asked when she couldn’t find anything.

“The Lonchkins,” the woman replied. “They’re laughing because I’m a witch. My name is Ahsoka. I’m the Witch of the North,”

“You are?” Hera asked. “Really? Well, you’re not what I expected a witch to look like,” But appearances can be deceiving, Hera reminded herself.

“People are often surprised by what good witches look like,” Ahsoka told her. Then she made a large sweeping gesture with her arms. “The Lonchkins are happy because you have freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East,”

“Freed them?” Hera asked, “You mean the Lonchkins, or whatever they are, were enslaved by this Maketh Tua, the Wicked Witch of the East?” Hera narrowed her eyes, feeling less sorry for landing on the witch. “What are Lonchkins anyway?” Hera asked as an afterthought.

The high-pitched laughter came again.

“Yes,” Ahsoka answered. “The Lonchkins are the little people that live in this land, called Lonchkinland. And now, you are their national heroine,”

Ahsoka turned and opened her arms. “It’s alright,” she said, probably to the Lonchkins “You may all come out and thank her,”

Then, a bunch of very small people (the tallest didn’t even reach Hera’s chest) emerged from their hiding places in the plants and buildings and moved towards her and Ahsoka. They didn’t all look human. Hera could pick out a few species that she recognized, just in miniature.

Chopper cursed aload and Hera hoped that no one else understood Binary.

Ahsoka lead her to the center of the swirl in the middle of the plaza. All the while encouraging the Lonchkins to come closer. “Come out and meet the one who has freed you from the Wicked Witch of the East. She’s come all the way from Lothal”

“Well I didn’t intend to crash on her,” Hera admitted as the Lonchkins surrounded her, “But from what you’ve told me, I can’t say I regret it all that much,”

The Lonchkins didn’t seem to care much about that as they started celebrating.

Hera was pulled into the mix and lead to a carriage pulled by two small black horses. She was sat down and promptly thanked by some of the Lonchkin citizens.

Hera was just going along with whatever they were all doing at this point.

“Let the news be spread that Maketh Tua is dead!” Ahsoka proclaimed, raising her hands above her head.

The carriage started moving towards one of the larger and more extravagant looking buildings as the Lonchkins continued to celebrate. Chopper, upset at being left behind, turned on his rocket and flew over to her, surprising the Lonchkins even more.

The carriage stopped in front of the door and a Lonchkin wearing a very tall hat and a large pocket watch came out followed by a few others, with less extravagant hats and no pocket watches.

He helped Hera out of the carriage (although Hera didn’t need it) and removed his hat before saying, “As mayor of the Lonchkins City in the county of the land of Fulcrum, I welcome you most regally,”

He was prevented from saying anything further by a little concern of whether the witch was really dead, which was solved when the coroner confirmed her death, that Hera didn’t pay much attention to.

Then the mayor turned to the crowd of Lonchkins and said. “Then, this is a day of independence, for all the Lonchkins and their descendants! Let the joyous news be spread, the Wicked old Witch at last is dead!”

A cheer erupted from the Lonchkins crowd before they went back to celebrating, letting everyone know of the witch’s death.

Hera was welcomed to Lonchkinland by assorted groups of Lonchkins. Then the mayor proclaimed that she would go down in history, which Hera just took in without thinking much about it.

The Lonchkins were still celebrating when there was boom and a cloud of gray and red smoke appeared, sending the Lonchkins screaming and running back to their hiding places.

When the smoke cleared, there was a woman standing there. She was human, with bobbed black hair and wearing a long gray dress and a tall wide brimmed hat. She held a broomstick in one hand. She started walking around menacingly, terrifying the Lonchkins. She stopped by Hera’s downed X-Wing and looked around it. She definitely looked like a witch, but at the same time, she had a familiarity that Hera couldn’t quite figure out.

“I thought you said she was dead,” Hera whispered to Ahsoka.

“That was her sister,” Ahsoka answered. “The Wicked Witch of the East. This is Arihnda Pryce, the Wicked Witch of the West, and she’s worse than the other one was,”

“Who killed my sister?” the Witch of the West asked threateningly. “Who killed the Witch of the East!? Was it you?” she asked Hera.

Hera stood up tall. “I did,” she admitted. “Although it was more of an accident,”

“Well my little Twi’lek,” Arihnda Pryce replied. “I can cause accidents too-!”

“Aren’t you forgetting the Kyber Slippers?” Ahsoka interrupted.

The Witch paused. “The Slippers,” she said with a grin. “Yes!”

“The Slippers,” she said as she walked back to where Maketh Tua’s legs were sticking out from under Hera’s X-Wings. As she reached for the shoes, they disappeared and the legs flattened.

“They’re gone!” the Witch exclaimed. “The Kyber Slippers!”

She turned and stomped back over to Hera, Ahsoka, and Chopper. “What have you done with them?” she threatened. “Give them back to me or I’ll...”

“It’s too late,” Ahsoka interrupted again.

“There they are,” she said, pointing to Hera’s feet with her staff. “And there they’ll stay,”

Hera was surprised to see that her boots had been replaced with the Kyber Slippers.

“Give me back my slippers,” Arihnda Pryce ordered. “I’m the only one who knows how to use them. They’re of no use to you. Give them back to me! GIVE THEM BACK!”

“Keep tight inside of them,” Ahsoka told her. “Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn’t want them so badly,”

“You stay out of this Ahsoka or I’ll fix you as well,” the Witch snarled.

Ahsoka smirked. “You have no power here, and you’d better go before someone crashes something on you too,”

The Witch took a quick searching glance at the sky. “Very well, I’ll bide my time. And as for you my fine lady,” she said as she pointed at Hera. “It’s true I can’t attend to you here and now as I’d like, but just try to stay out of my way. Just try!”

Chopper took this opportunity to zap Arihnda Pryce with his shock prod.

She jumped back and growled at him.

“I’ll get you my pretty,” the Witch snarled at Hera. “AND YOUR LITTLE DROID TOO!”

The Witch stepped away and disappeared into another cloud of gray and red smoke, which then turned into a pillar of fire, and when that disappeared she was gone.

“It’s alright. You can get up. She’s gone,” Ahsoka told the Lonchkins. “It’s alright. You can all get up,”

Then she turned to Hera. “I’m afraid you’ve made rather a bad enemy of the Wicked Witch of the West. The sooner you get out of Fulcrum, the safer you’ll be,”

“Oh, I’d give anything to get out of Fulcrum,” Hera said. “But...what’s the way back to Lothal? I can’t go the way I came,” Hera eyed her crumpled X-Wing.

“No that’s true,” Ahsoka said. Then she thought for a moment. “The only person who might know would be the great Wizard of Fulcrum himself,”

“The Wizard of Fulcrum?” Hera asked. “Can he be trusted?”

“Yes,” Ahsoka answered. “I trust him,”

“He lives in the Crystal City, and that’s a long journey from here. Did you bring your broomstick with you?” Ahsoka asked.

Hera gave her a confused look. “No,” she replied. “No I didn’t,”

“Then you’ll have to walk,” Ahsoka said. “The Lonchkins will see you safely to the border of Lonchkinland. And remember, never let those Kyber Slippers off your feet for a moment, or you’ll be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West,”

“But how do I start for Crystal City?” Hera asked.

“It’s always best to start at the beginning,” Ahsoka replied. “And all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road,” She gestured to how the strip of yellow bricks branched off and lead through the city.

Hera and Chopper moved to stand on what was now known to be the Yellow Brick Road and looked out in the direction they were heading.

Then Hera turned back to Ahsoka. “But what happens if I...” she started to ask.

“Just followed the Yellow Brick Road,” Ahsoka interrupted as she started fading into her white and black circle until she completely disappeared. Then the circle shrank and flew off.

The Lonchkins waved goodbye as it disappeared from sight.

“Well that’s one way to get around,” Hera mumbled.

Then she turned to her droid. “Come on Chopper. Let’s get going,”

They followed the Yellow Brick Road through Lonchkinland. And true to Ahsoka’s word, the Lonchkins stayed with them until they reached a gate that was probably the border of Lonchkinland.

They continued down the Yellow Brick Road as the Lonchkins waved goodbye. Hera spared a wave back at them before heading on her way.

After a while, Hera and Chopper reached an intersection. The Yellow Brick Road branched off into three separate paths.

“Now which way do we go?” Hera asked after looking down each path.

“Uuuuuh...” A voice said behind her. “Well that way is a very nice way,”

Hera turned around and saw a scarecrow hanging on a pole with one arm pointing to the path on her right. Then she looked around. “Who said that?”

Chopper started blabbering and pointed at the scarecrow.

“Chopper it’s just a scarecrow,” Hera scolded. “He can’t talk,”

“Course it’s pleasant down that way too,” the voice said again.

Hera looked up and saw the scarecrow pointing to the path on her left. “Huh, wasn’t he pointing the other way?” she asked Chopper.

Chopper replied that of course the sack of hay had been pointing the other way.

“Of course people do go both ways,” This time Hera saw the scarecrow cross his arms over each other and she was sure he was the one talking.

“You did talk, didn’t you,” Hera said as she approached him.

The scarecrow just stared at her. Then slowly he nodded.

“Are you doing that on purpose?” Hera asked, annoyed. “Or can’t you make up your mind?”

“Well that’s the problem,” the scarecrow replied. “I can’t make up my mind. I don’t have a brain, just straw,” He lifted his hat to show the straw sticking out of his head that looked a little like hair.

“Then how can you talk if you don’t have a brain?” Hera asked.

“I don’t know,” the scarecrow said. “But I guess I need a way to ask my questions somehow. And I’ve been told I ask a lot questions,”

“Alright,” Hera said, unable to come up with a good argument. “Are you okay up there?” she asked as she climbed over the fence and got closer to him.

“Not really,” he admitted. “I’m stuck up here with a pole up my back all day,”

“Can’t you get down?” Hera asked.

“No,” the scarecrow answered, reaching behind his neck. “Cuz’ I’m tied to the pole,”

“Little help?” he asked.

“Oh of course,” Hera said, walking behind the pole.

“Thank you,” the scarecrow said.

Hera started fiddling around to see how to get the the scarecrow down. “Hey Chopper, can you give me a hand with this?”

Chopper came rolling over.

“Have you tried pulling the nail down in the back?” the scarecrow asked. “I don’t know if it will work, but it might,”

Hera found the nail he was talking about and pulled. As soon as she did, the scarecrow slid down the pole and on to the ground.

When he landed, some of his straw flew out. “Oops, there I go again,” the scarecrow said as he started gathering the straw.

“Are you alright?” Hera asked as she came up to him.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to stuff this back in,” The scarecrow said, sticking the straw in his green shirt.

Then he stood up and started to take a step. “It’s good to be free...” he said before he tripped over the fence and landed on the ground.

Hera gasped and rushed over to him.

“Did I scare you?” the scarecrow asked with a grin.

“No, I’d thought you’d hurt yourself,” Hera replied, concerned.

“But I didn’t scare ya?” he asked.

“Of course not, it takes a lot more than someone falling over to really scare me,” Hera said.

“Didn’t think so,” the scarecrow said disappointedly, resting his elbow on his knee and setting his chin on his hand.

Hera finally got a good look at his face. Besides the faded red patch over his nose, he had a brown patch that covered his chin. And his eyes. His eyes were a sparkling teal that stood out against the rest of his face. Hera also noticed a bundle of straw that stuck out the back of his head under his hat that almost looked like a ponytail. His features seemed familiar, but Hera couldn’t remember where she’d seen them before.

A crow flew over and landed on the fence beside them.

“Go on. Get outta here!” the scarecrow said, waving his hand at it. “Shoo!”

The crow poked at him a bit and then flew away.

“See? I can’t even scare a crow,” he said. “I’m a failure, because I haven’t got a brain,”

“Well what would you do with a brain if you had one?” Hera asked, unable to stop herself from getting pulled into this conversation.

“Well if I had a brain, I could find the answer to any question had,” the scarecrow answered, standing up. But he stumbled when he tried to take a step and Hera had to stand up and steady him.

“I’d been able to understand how things happen and why they happen a certain way,” he continued, starting to walk around. “I could even figure out new ways of doing things,” He said as he turned to face her and spread his arms out wide, walking backwards. Then he tripped on a loose brick and fell flat on his butt on the Yellow Brick Road. A few clumps of straw fell out of him when he did.

Hera couldn’t help but chuckle at his antics. She walked over and helped him gather up his straw. “Well there certainly aren’t any scarecrows like you on Lothal,” she commented, which was true.

“Lothal?” the scarecrow asked. “Where’s Lothal?”

“It’s where I was before I ended up in Fulcrum,” Hera answered. “And I don’t know how to get back. That’s why I’m going to Crystal City to see if the Wizard of Fulcrum can help me,”

“Oh, and Chopper too,” she added as the droid came up to her.

“You’re going to see a wizard?” the scarecrow asked. “Do you think if I came with you the Wizard would give me some brains?”

“I don’t know,” Hera answered, realising he was offering to go with her and she found she didn’t mind that prospect. “But even if he didn’t you wouldn’t be any worse off than you are now,”

“That’s true,” the scarecrow admitted.

Then Hera remembered the Wicked Witch of the West.

“Wait, maybe you’d better not. I’ve got a witch mad at me and you might get into trouble,” Hera said.

“Witch?” the scarecrow asked. “I’m not afraid of a witch. I’m not afraid of anything,”

“Except a lighted match,” he added, more quietly to just her, tugging on a bit of straw.

“I don’t blame you for that,” Hera replied.

“But I’d face a whole box of them for a chance at getting some brains,” the scarecrow said. He turned to face her. “Look, I would be any trouble because I don’t eat a thing, and I won’t try to manage things because I can’t think. Won’t you take me with you?” he begged.

Hera found that she couldn’t deny him his request. And it would be nice to have someone other than Chopper for company. Plus, who knows, maybe he’d be helpful in dealing with the Wicked Witch.

“Well of course you can come,” Hera said, standing up.

“Alright!” the scarecrow said as he joined her. “We’re off to see a wizard!” He jumped in the air. He stumbled when he landed and Hera had to catch him before he fell.

“You’re not starting off very well,” Hera said as she helped him stand again.

“Oh I’ll try. Really I will,” the scarecrow said.

“Well, to Fulcrum?” she asked.

“To Fulcrum,” the scarecrow confirmed, offering her his elbow.

“By the way, what’s your name?” he asked.

“It’s Hera,” Hera answered, taking his elbow. “And that’s Chopper,” she pointed to the droid. “What about you?”

“You can just call me Scarecrow,” he replied. “I don’t really have any other name to go by,”

“Okay,” Hera said. “Let’s get going,”

“Yeah, but which way do we go?” Scarecrow asked.

They ended up choosing the path that went straight through the intersection after Chopper pointed out that Ahsoka, the Good Witch, probably would have told them if they needed to turn anywhere.

They continued walking for some time. They talked along the way. Scarecrow told her about how long he’d been trying (and failing) to keep the crows out of that field and all that had happened during that time. Hera told him about what had happened before she ended up in Fulcrum and what she’d been doing since she arrived.

After a while, Hera started to feel hungry.

“You’re hungry?” Scarecrow asked. “But I thought only crows got hungry,”

“All living things need to eat,” Hera said, although she was reminded of how often she skipped meals in order to get more work done.

I don’t need to eat,” Scarecrow said. Then his eyes widened. “Does that mean I’m not alive?”

Hera shook her head. “No, Chopper doesn’t need to eat either and you both are some of the liveliest people I know,”

“Why, thank you,” Scarecrow said. “Just for that, you can eat as much of my hay as you like,” He reached in his shirt to pull out a handful and extended it to her.

Hera giggled. “That’s very sweet of you, but I can’t,”

“Why not? I’ll be fine,” Scarecrow said. “As long as my legs are stuffed enough to walk, it doesn’t matter what shape my top half is in. Besides I’d rather make sure you’re alright,”

“No,” Hera said. “It’s just that I don’t eat hay,”

“Oh,” Scarecrow said, lowering his hand. “Well if you say so,” He stuffed the straw back in his shirt.

Then Hera noticed something in the trees. “Oh look Scarecrow, apples,”

“Apples,” Scarecrow repeated. “What’s apples?”

“In the trees,” Hera answered, pointing.

Scarecrow looked. “You mean those little red birds hanging upside-down by one leg?” He asked.

“No, they’re something you eat,” Hera said as she walked up to the tree. Although some birds can be eaten, she thought.

Hera tried to pick one, but then her hand was suddenly slapped away.

“Ow!” she yelped.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the tree asked accusingly.

“Well we’ve been walking a long way and I was hungry,” Hera said automatically. Then she paused. Something wasn’t right here. “Did you just say something?”

“She was hungry,” the tree mocked to the other trees.

“She was hungry,” another tree repeated.

“How would you like it if someone came up and picked something off of you?” a third tree asked.

The trees had a point, but Hera would be more sympathetic if they weren’t actual talking trees that bore actual fruit that would eventually fall off and would grow back every year. Besides, Hera’s day had been crazy enough already and she didn’t need trees with attitude added on to that right now.

Chopper zapped the first tree, but it had no effect.

“I keep forgetting I’m not on a sensible planet any more,” Hera groaned.

“Come on Hera,” Scarecrow said. “You don’t want any of those apples, yuck,”

What was he doing?

“Are you implying that my apples aren’t what they ought to be?” the first tree asked.

“Oh no, it’s just that she doesn’t like little green worms,” Scarecrow replied.

“Did he just say we had worms?” the first tree asked the others.

“That’s what it sounded like to me,” the second tree said.

“I’ll show ya how to get apples,” Scarecrow whispered to Hera. Then he started leading her away, taking louder to the trees as he walked. “Sure you got worms; worms, caterpillars, probably a whole bunch of woodlice too,”

The trees gasped offendedly. “How dare you! Let him have it girls!”

The trees started throwing apples at them and Scarecrow turned around in time to start catching them. Hera turned around and gathered the apples that had ended up on the ground, with Chopper’s help.

They all had their arms full before the trees stopped throwing apples at them.

“Run, Hera!” Scarecrow yelled.

They ran down the Yellow Brick Road dodging apple projectiles.

Once they were out of range, Scarecrow turned around and performed a rather clumsy bow in the trees’ direction. “Goodbye ladies! Pleasure doing business with you!” he said before continuing to get away from them.

They ended up with more apples than Hera could eat. Fortunately Hera’s skirt had large pockets that held most of the leftover apples and the rest were tossed in the bushes for the wild animals to eat.

The Yellow Brick Road lead them into a dark forest. The bushes were so overgrown they covered parts of the Road, making Scarecrow stumble more than usual, and the trees blocked out the sun almost completely. Hera, Chopper, and Scarecrow stayed close together as unseen creatures made noises all around them.

“Don’t like this forest,” Hera said. “It’s dark and...creepy,”

“I’m not really sure,” Scarecrow commented. “But I think it’ll get darker before it gets lighter,”

“Do you think we’ll meet anything in here?” Hera asked, to both Chopper and Scarecrow.

“We might,” Scarecrow replied. While Chopper said he wouldn’t let anything touch her.

Suddenly the air was filled with a great roar of anguish that made Hera jump and Scarecrow stumble backwards.

“What was that?” Scarecrow asked once he recovered.

“I don’t know” Hera answered, glancing around.

Then there was a despairing cry that activated Hera’s kindhearted desire to help someone in need.

“Sounds like someone’s in trouble. Come on, we need to see if they need any help,” Hera said, gesturing for Chopper and Scarecrow to follow her as she left the Yellow Brick Road and took off in the direction of the cries.

“Are you sure about this?” Scarecrow asked as he trudged after her.

“Yes!” Hera answered, looking back at him.

“Is she always like this?” Scarecrow asked Chopper.

Chopper replied that yes, yes she was. Although Scarecrow couldn’t understand his answer.

Hera went around a tree and gasped at the sight before her. When Scarecrow and Chopper caught up to her, they were equally as shocked.

There were remains of over a dozen huts that looked to have either been burned or crushed.

A sob drew their attention away from the destroyed huts to a hairy purple beast kneeling in a pile of rubble.

“It’s...gone. It’s gone!” the beast sobbed and Hera, Scarecrow, and Chopper approached. “Why?”

“Are you alright?” Hera asked, concerned, as she kneeled down next to him. This close, Hera could see that he had heavily muscled arms, tall pointed ears, and lime green eyes. Again, he seemed familiar, but Hera couldn’t figure out for the life of her where she’d seen him before.

“It’s gone! The Wicked Witch destroyed everything,” the beast cried.

“What’s gone?” Scarecrow asked.

The beast finally looked up at them. “My village,” he answered. “It was my job to protect them and I failed,” He stood up and Hera stood up with him. “I failed. I don’t have any honor or courage,”

“Oh, don’t say that,” Hera comforted. “I’m sure you did everything you could,” She and Scarecrow started to guide him away from the village and toward the Yellow Brick Road. “That doesn’t mean you don’t have any honor or courage,”

“If I had any, I sure as hell don’t anymore,” the beast grumbled.

They were silent for moment, until they reached the Yellow Brick Road.

Then Scarecrow asked, “Hera, Do you think the Wizard could help him too?”

“I don’t see why not,” Hera said.

“Who? What?” the beast asked.

Hera turned to face him. “We’re on our way to Crystal City to see the Wizard of Fulcrum, and were wondering if you’d like to come with us to see if he can help you too,”

“Are you sure you want me to come with you?” the beast asked.

“Of course,” Hera reassured, placing a hand on his arm.

The beast looked at her, then at Scarecrow and Chopper. “Alright, I’ll come with you,”

Hera smiled. “Great,”

“Oh, and I’m Scarecrow, she’s Hera, and that’s Chopper,” Scarecrow said, pointing to each of them in turn. “How ‘bout you?”

“Lasat,” he answered.

“Okay, let’s go,” Hera said.

Lasat and Scarecrow both extended their elbows to her and Hera took them. They walked down the Yellow Brick Road for a few minutes before Lasat suddenly stopped.

“Wait, what if the Wizard won’t help me, or any of us, when we get there?” he asked.

“I’m sure he will,” Hera answered. “I doubt the Good Witch of the North would have had me travel such a long way if she didn’t believe he would help,”

There was a loud cackling laugh from one of the trees. The group turned to see the Wicked Witch standing beside the tree a few feet away from them.

“You call that long?” Arihnda Pryce snarled. “Why, you’ve only just begun,”

Lasat growled. “You,” he accused, approaching her with a fist raised. “You were the one who-”

He was cut off as a wave of the Witch’s hand sent him stumbling back.

“Yes, and it almost served its purpose,” she replied coldly. She took in the entire group. “And now I see your helping the little Twi’lek along, my fine gentlemen,”

Scarecrow slowly moved in front of Hera.

The Witch noticed.

“You stay away from her, scarecrow or I’ll stuff a mattress with you,” Arihnda Pryce threatened. “And as for you, Lasat, I’ll turn you into a throw rug,”

“I’m not afraid of you!” Scarecrow said bravely.

“Well that just proves you don’t have a brain,” she responded. Then she started doing something with her hands. “Here scarecrow, allow me to educate you. Want to play ball!”

The Witch produced a fireball and threw it at their feet.

Scarecrow was the one panicking the most as they all scrambled to get away from the fire, until Chopper put it out with one of his attachments.

“Just remember scarecrow, helping that Twi’lek reach the Crystal City could be you last burning ambition!” Arihnda Pryce finished as she disappeared in another cloud of gray and red smoke.

“I’m still not afraid of her,” Scarecrow said, straightening up after she was gone.

“I’ll see you get safely to the Wizard whether I get a brain or not,” he told Hera. “Stuff a mattress with me, heh!” He waved his hand at where the Witch had been.

“And I’ll see you reach the Wizard, whether I get honor and courage or not,” Lasat added. “Throw rug? Ha! Let ‘er try and make a throw rug outta me!” He glared at the spot the Witch had been standing.

“Thank you,” Hera said. “You’re the best companions anyone could ever want on a journey like this,

“Although I wish I could remember why you both seem so familiar,’ she sighed. “Well I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. We know each other now and that’s all we know right now,”

“That’s right,” Scarecrow replied.

“We do,” Lasat added.

“To Fulcrum?” Scarecrow asked, extending his elbow again.

“To Fulcrum,” Lasat repeated, copying him.

“To Fulcrum,” Hera confirmed, taking their elbows again.

They continued to walking down the Yellow Brick Road and out of the dark forest without any further interruptions. (Unless you count Scarecrow’s stumbling)

They continued down the Yellow Brick Road. Hera and Scarecrow filled Lasat in on their stories and why they were going to Crystal City while he told them about what his life had been like in his village.

Eventually, they came upon a light curve in the Yellow Brick Road. The group would have continued on if a flash of silver hadn’t caught Hera’s eye. When she turned to get a better look, Hera couldn’t believe what she saw.

She lifted her arms to stop Lasat and Scarecrow. “Wait,” she said.

Even Chopper stopped.

“Look,” Hera said, pointing. “ It’s a person made out of metal,”

Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, and Lasat approached the figure. Up close, it looked distinctly female, but it was hard to be completely sure with the helmet they were wearing. It was stuck in a running position, as if they were frozen mid-stride, and they were holding a dagger in each hand. And although their body looked to be completely made of metal, the metal being was also wearing armor that, along with the helmet, was covered in faded streaks of color, like it had been painted at some point but had been left alone since.

As they were looking at it, a muffled noise came from the metal being’s mouth and they all looked up.

“Did you say something?” Hera asked.

The metal being repeated themselves and Hera understood what they said.

“They said oil can,” Hera told the others.

��Oil can what?” Scarecrow asked.

“Oil can,” Hera repeated, looking around.

“Oh,” Hera said when she saw Chopper found it. “Thanks Chopper. Here it is,” She took it from him and faced the metal being again. “Where do you want to be oiled first?” she asked.

The metal being tried to say something else, and this time Scarecrow was the first to understand.

“She said her helmet,” Scarecrow said, taking the oil can from Hera. He oiled the helmet everywhere he could reach on his side, including where the helmet met neck, before Hera took it from him to get the other side.

When they finished, Hera placed both hands on the helmet and tried to move it. “Can I take this off?” she asked.

After receiving a muffled affirmative, Hera tugged the helmet off.

“Th-th-thank you,” the metal girl said. “Now people can actually hear me. My helmet was so rusted I couldn’t get a sound out. Oil my arms please. Oil my elbows,”

With her brown eyes and multicolored metal hair, Hera thought she looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite remember where she’d seen anyone like this girl before, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had.

Hera, Scarecrow, and Lasat passed the oil can around and oiled her arms.

“And my legs too, please,” she added.

They continued to oil her until they were pretty sure they had gotten everywhere. Then Lasat tried to help her move her left arm and nearly got stabbed in the eye for his efforts. Hera tried to help her move her right arm and successfully pushed it down. It fell with a clang.

“Does that hurt you?” Hera asked.

“No,” the metal girl said with relief. “It feels wonderful. I’ve had my arms stuck like that for ages,”

“How did you ever get like this?” Hera asked.

“Well,” the metal girl replied. “When I was flesh and blood like you, I left my family to work for the Wicked Witch of the West. I was one of the people who made weapons for her armies and my family was proud. An accident cost me my body, but fortunately I knew a Beskar worker who gave me a new body just as good as my old one and I could still wear my armor. Then I got a little too carried away in my experimentation and the Witch took advantage of it, so I left. I tried to go back to my family, but they had heard about what my invention had done to our people and rejected me. They chased me out of their territory and I just kept running. Then I started to rain and I rusted solid before I could find shelter. And I’ve been here ever since,”

That was way more information than Hera had expected, or asked for, or what was considered normal any other place she’d been, but alright, at least it was informative.

“Well,” Hera said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You’re alright now,”

The girl’s head turned sharply toward her. Her neck creaked and she grimaced. “My n-” she started, but Scarecrow already had the oil can and oiled her neck.

“Alright?” she asked. “Just bang on my chest if you think I’m alright,”

Hera, Chopper, Lasat, and Scarecrow hesitated. Hera certainly wasn’t expecting the conversation to go in this direction.

“Go ahead, bang on it!” the girl said again.

Finally, Hera hit the girls chest. There was a revertabrating bang.

“Wow, what an echo,” Scarecrow observed.

“It’s empty,” the metal girl sighed. “The Beskar worker didn’t give me a heart,”

“No heart!” Scarecrow, Hera, and Lasat all blurted out at the same time, although Hera wasn’t entirely sure why she did.

“Of course I don’t have a heart!” the beskar girl wailed. “How could anyone who did what I did ever have a heart!” She started to cry. Then her face started to stiffen unnaturally.

“I think you’re rusting again,” Hera said, drying the girl’s eyes with the handkerchief she just happened to have in her pocket. Then she took the oil can from Scarecrow and oiled her face again.

Lasat and Scarecrow started whispering. Then Lasat said. “We’re going to Crystal City. Why don’t you come with us to ask the Wizard of Fulcrum for a heart,”

He looked at Hera to see if she was okay with it. Hera didn’t have a problem with the girl coming along so she gave him an encouraging smile and a nod.

“Do you really think he would?” the beskar girl asked.

“At this point,” Hera answered. “I’d be surprised if the Wizard refuses to see any of us, with the size of our group,”

“Alright, I’ll go with you,” the beskar girl said after a moment,

“Great,” Lasat said with a grin. “I’m Lasat, she’s Hera, he’s Scarecrow, and that’s Chopper,”

“Call me Beskargirl,” she replied.

“Alright,” Hera said. “Let’s get going,”

The quartet linked arms and continued down the Yellow Brick Road.

***

Far away in her castle, the Wicked Witch of the West was watching them through her crystal ball.

“Aha!” she laughed. “So you won’t take a warning. All the worse for you. I’ll take care of you now instead of later,” Arihnda Pryce walked over to a nearby table and started mixing something. “When I have those Kyber Slippers, my power will be the greatest in Fulcrum!” She picked up what she’d been mixing and walked back over to her crystal ball. “And now my beauties. Something with poison in it I think, with poison in it, but attractive to the eye, and soothing to the smell,” She laughed and started sprinkling her mixture over her crystal ball. “Poppies!” she chanted. “Poppies! Poppies will put them to sleep,”

“Now they’ll sleep,”

***

Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Lasat, and Beskargirl followed the Yellow Brick Road through some more trees and came upon an enormous poppy field.

“There’s Crystal City!” Hera guessed, pointing to the tall sparkling city on the other side of the poppy field. Strangely, the Yellow Brick Road curved around the poppy field instead of cutting straight through. “We’re almost there. If only the Yellow Brick Road didn’t curve so much,”

“Well we could just run across the poppy field,” Scarecrow suggested.

“Yeah, that’ll be shorter,” Lasat agreed. “Let’s go!”

Hera couldn’t see why they couldn’t just cut across the poppy field. “Sure, come on Chopper. It’ll be faster this way,”

They all started running across the poppy field. It wasn’t long before Hera and Lasat started lagging behind.

“Come on! Come on!” Scarecrow called.

“Hurry! Hurry!” Beskargirl shouted.

Chopper was a bit concerned with Hera’s pace but continued moving.

Scarecrow and Beskargirl reached a small hill.

“Oh, look!” Scarecrow shouted, when he reached the top of the hill, pointing towards the city. “Oh. Look, you can see it here. Crystal City!”

Hera was the last one up the hill, and she was breathing heavily. Lasat was too.

“What’s happening?” Hera panted. “Something’s wrong. I can’t run anymore. I’m so tired,”

Hera didn’t understand why she suddenly felt so tired.

Scarecrow reached for her hand and Chopper put a manipulator on her back.

“Here, give us your hands and we’ll pull you along,” Scarecrow offered, taking her hand.

Hera felt like she needed to lay down. “No,” she said. “I need to rest for just a minute,” Hera lowered herself to the ground and laid down among the poppies.

“But you can’t rest now, we’re almost there,” Scarecrow protested.

Chopper prodded at her arm, but she had already fallen asleep.

“Ooooh,” Beskargirl groaned and sobbed at the same time.

“Hey, don’t do that. You’ll rust yourself again,” Scarecrow told her.

Then Lasat yawned. “Come to think of it,” he yawned again. “A couple of winks wouldn’t be so bad,”

He started to lay down but Scarecrow and Beskargirl stopped him.

“Don’t you start it too,” Scarecrow scolded, setting him back up.

“Maybe we could try and carry Hera,” Beskargirl suggested.

“I don’t think I could, but we could try,” Scarecrow replied.

They let go of Lasat to go over to Hera, and as soon as they let go, he toppled over and fell asleep.

“Oh, look at him,” Beskargirl groaned. “This is terrible,”

“Come here, Beskargirl. Help me,” Scarecrow said, reaching for Hera.

Both of them, and Chopper, tried to move her, but she wouldn’t budge.

“Oh, this is terrible,” Scarecrow said. “Can’t move her an inch,” He looked around. “This has to be a spell,”

“The Wicked Witch,” Beskargirl gasped. “What do we do?”

She looked around. “Help!” She screamed. “Help!”

“It’s no use yelling at a time like this!” Scarecrow shouted. “Nobody will hear you!”

He looked at Hera’s face again. Chopper was still beside her and was pointing her gently with his manipulator, but she wouldn’t wake up. She looked so peaceful.

“Heeelp!” Scarecrow suddenly yelled. “Heeelp! Heeelp!”

The Good Witch’s white lined circle appeared, although Scarecrow and Beskargirl couldn’t see it. She looked through it and saw their predicament.

“I hear you Scarecrow,” Ahsoka said. “And although I cannot undo the magic of the Wicked Witch, perhaps a little magic of my own will help,” She waved her staff and snow started to fall over the poppy field. Then she disappeared.

“It’s snowing!” Scarecrow exclaimed.

“No it isn’t,” Beskargirl replied doubtfully.

“Yes it is,” Scarecrow insisted as the snow got more visible. “Maybe it’ll help,”

“Oh, it couldn’t help,” Beskargirl said, already stiffening, as the snow covered the sleeping curse and Hera started to wake up.

“It does help,” Scarecrow said, kneeling beside Hera. “Hera, you’re waking up!”

“Oh,” Hera yawned as she sat up.

Lasat yawned loudly and sat up. “Unusual weather we’re having,” He commented as snow covered his head.

Then they all noticed Beskargirl. She was frozen in place as she was covered in snow.

“Look, she’s rusted again,” Hera said. “Give me the oil can, quick!”

Hera, Chopper, and Scarecrow got up and started searching for it.

“Where is it?” Scarecrow asked.

Lasat noticed there was something under his bottom and reached for it.

“I just realised something,” Lasat said.

“What?” Hera asked.

“I was sitting on it,” He replied as he got it out and handed it to her.

Scarecrow and Lasat helped Hera oil Beskargirl so she could move again.

***

Back at her castle, the Wicked Witch of the West saw that Hera was awake through her crystal ball. She was not pleased.

“Curses! Curses!” Arihnda Pryce fumed. “Someone always helps that Twi’lek! Shoes or no shoes I’m still brave enough to conquer her! And woe to those who try to stop me!”

***

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Hera said once Beskargirl could move again. “Look! Crystal City is closer than ever,”

The group linked arms and walked through the rest of the poppies and back onto the Yellow Brick Road. They were almost to Crystal City.

***

The Wicked Witch snarled. “That’s it! I’m going to Crystal City myself!” She got on her broomstick and flew off towards the Crystal City.

***

Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat reached the gates of Crystal City. They were shut, but there was a rope with a tassel on the end of it hanging from the doorframe. Hera pulled on it and a bell rang.

A small round door opened just above their heads and a man stuck his head out.

“Who rang that bell?” the guard asked. He looked old, had a bald head, fluffy white beard, and brown eyes. Just like almost everyone else Hera had met in this land, he bore a sort of familiarity Hera couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“We did!” Hera, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat said at the same time.

“Can’t you read?” the guard asked.

“Read what?” Scarecrow asked.

“The notice!” the guard answered.

“What notice?” Hera and Scarecrow both asked.

“It’s on the door,” the guard replied. “As plain as the nose on my face,” He looked around as if he looking to point it out to them. “It’s...aahhh, oh,” he said when even he couldn’t find it. “Just a minute,”

He disappeared behind the door and reappeared with a sign that he hung on a hook next to him. Then he shut his little door.

Hera, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat gathered around the sign and read it aloud.

“Bell out of order, please knock,”

Hera knocked and the guard opened his little door again.

“Well, that’s more like it,” the guard said. “Now, state your business,”

“We want to see the Wizard!” Hera, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat all declared.

The guard shook his head. “The Wizard? But nobody can see the Great Fulcrum. No one’s ever seen the Great Fulcrum! Even I’ve never seen him,”

“Well, then how do you know there is one?” Hera asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t appreciate being made to come all this way for nothing.

The guard clearly wasn’t expecting that question. “Because he...ah... because...because...” the guard fumbled. “Well if there wasn’t a wizard, then why would you be here? Now go on, you’re wasting my time,” He moved to disappear behind the door again.

“But I’ve got to see the Wizard,” Hera said. “The Good Witch of the North sent me,”

The guard’s eyes flared in recognition. “Ahsoka?” he asked, then his eyes narrowed. “Prove it,”

“She’s wearing the Kyber Slippers she gave her,” Scarecrow said pointing to Hera’s feet. Hera stuck out her toes so they were more visible.

The guard bent over for a better look. When he saw the shoes he smiled. “So she is. Well bust my buttons! Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” He asked. “That’s a horse of a different color! Come on in!”

The guard disappeared again, but it wasn’t a full second before the gates opened and Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat got their first look at Crystal City. There were people everywhere, just walking about their business.

A carriage pulled by a white horse rode up to them. “Cabbie! Cabbie!” the driver shouted. He looked almost exactly like the guard; the exception being he was cleanly shaven and wore a near permanent grin. This meant he also bore the same confusing familiarity as the guard. “Just what you’re looking for! We’ll take you anyplace in the city you want!”

“Would you take us to see the Wizard?” Hera asked.

“The Wizard?” the driver repeated. “The Wizard? Well...I... Yes, of course! But first I’ll take you to a little place where you can tidy up a bit,”

“Oh, thank you so much,” Hera said as Scarecrow helped her into the carriage, after which he and the others followed her in. “Although that really isn’t necessary as we need-” Hera cut herself off as she got another look at the horse pulling the carriage, for it had turned purple. “What kind of a horse is that? I’ve never seen a horse like that before,”

The driver laughed. “And I doubt you will again! There’s only one of him! He’s the horse of a different color you’ve heard about!”

“Oh,” Hera said as everyone took their seats.

The driver drove them through Crystal City as the horse continued change from purple to red to yellow and other colors, fascinating Beskargirl.

As promised, the driver did take them to a place where he insisted they get cleaned up.

Scarecrow got fresh new straw, Beskargirl was polished and got her dents fixed, Hera’s dress was cleaned and her nails were polished, and Lasat’s fur was washed and trimmed. Even Chopper was wiped down.

Just as they were all walking out, everyone looked up at the sky and the townspeople screamed. The Wicked Witch was flying above them, with a cloud of smoke trailing behind her, and she was writing with it.

“The Witch!” Hera exclaimed. “She followed us here!”

“Surrender Hera,” Beskargirl read aloud.

“Hera? Who’s Hera?” One of the townspeople asked.

“The Wizard will explain it!” Another one suggested.

“To the Wizard!” A third announced.

“To the Wizard!” the crowd repeated as it started to move.

“We’d better hurry if we’re gonna see the Wizard,” Scarecrow said. Then Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat took off.

They didn’t manage to beat the crowd to the Wizard’s door. A guard was standing at the top of the steps trying to calm them down. He had amber eyes, strawberry-blond hair, neatly kept mutton chops, and wore a stoic expression. He was also yet another person Hera thought looked familiar but couldn’t remember why.

“Here! Here!” the guard shoutd. “Everything is alright! Everything is alright! The great and powerful Fulcrum has matters well in hand!”

“I hope,” Hera heard the guard say under his breath.

“So you can all go home,” the guard continued to the crowd. “There’s nothing to worry about. Go on! Get out of here. Go on home now,”

Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat pushed their way up to the door as the crowd started leaving and approached the guard.

“Excuse me,” Hera said. “We want to see the Wizard right away. All of us,”

“Orders are no one can see the great Fulcrum,” the guard replied. “Not nobody, not nohow,”

“Please, it’s very important,” Hera insisted.

“Not nobody, not nohow!” the guard repeated.

“But she’s Hera,” Scarecrow piped up.

“The Witch’s Hera?” the guard asked. He thought for a moment. “Well that makes a difference. Just wait here and I’ll announce you at once,” He turned around and walked through the door.

“Did you hear that?” Scarecrow asked. “He’ll announce us at once! We’ll get what we want in no time!”

Chopper beeped out a long string of binary and waved his arms around.

Hera smiled. “Yeah Chopper, I hope we’ll get back in time to get back in the fight,”

“Yeah, things’ll work out for everyone,” Lasat added with a hopeful grin.

“Wait Hera,” Scarecrow said, placing a hand on her arm. “What do you mean ‘get back in the fight’? Is there something wrong in Lothal? What are you fighting there?”

Hera sighed. “Yes, you see-”

She was cut off when the door was flung open and the guard stepped out.

“The Wizard says go away,” he announced before turning around and going back inside, shutting the door behind him.

“Go away?” They all repeated.

“Looks like we came a long way for nothing,” Scarecrow said solemnly.

“Oh,” Hera sighed, sitting down on the steps, the others kneeled down and surrounded her. “I thought I was getting back to the Rebellion,”

“Don’t worry, Hera,” Beskargirl comforted. “We’ll get you to the Wizard,”

“We certainly will,” Scarecrow declared.

Behind them, the guard had opened a small window in the door and was watching them.

“The Empire has such a strong grip on Lothal and so many other planets,” Hera continued, crestfallen. “We were trying to destroy their Tie Defender Factory so the Rebellion would have a better chance of succeeding, but I don’t think we made it. Now I’m stuck here and I don’t know what’s happening on Lothal right now,”

The guard’s face softened. He was suddenly concerned about this Lothal and what the Empire was doing to it. “You needn't worry anymore,” the guard said, making everyone turn to look at him. “I’ll get you in to see the Wizard somehow. Come along now,” He disappeared behind the door again.

Then it opened and Hera, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, Lasat, and Chopper all walked through. There was a long corridor. They all walked down it until they reached a set of doors, which they all stopped in front of.

“Here we go,” Scarecrow said as they all steeled themselves.

“Come forward!” a large booming voice commanded as the doors opened.

“Karabast,” Lasat said.

They all linked arms and walked into the room. There were trays of smoke framing what looked like an organ. They erupted into fire as an face appeared on the organ.

“I am Fulcrum!” the face announced with the same booming voice from before. “The Great and Powerful!” Pillars of smoke and fire rose as he said those words. “Who are you?”

Hera stepped forward. “I’m Hera Syndulla,” she answered. “We’ve come to ask you-”

“Silence!” the Wizard interrupted.

Hera took a step back.

“The Great and Powerful Fulcrum knows why you have come,” he continued. “Step forward Beskargirl,”

Beskargirl had no choice but to do as he said.

“You dare come to me for a heart, do you?” the Wizard asked. “You clinking, clanking, clattering mass of malformed metal!”

Well Hera thought that was unnecessary.

“Y-yes sir... yes your honor,” Beskargirl stuttered. “You see, a while back we were walking down the-”

“Quiet!” the Wizard interrupted, sending Beskargirl scurying back the the rest of the group.

“And you, Scarecrow!” the Wizard continued. Scarecrow stumbled forward. “Have the effrontery to ask for a brain. You billowing bale of bovine fodder!”

Again, Hera thought that was a little to much.

Scarecrow had ended up on his knees. “Y-yes your honor... I mean your excellency...” He fumbled. “I mean your Wizardry...”

“Enough!” the Wizard shouted. “And you, Lasat!” Lasat stepped forward and looked up at the Wizard’s face. “Well?!?”

Lasat stood frozen, unable to get any words out.

Hera had just about enough of this. She pushed past Lasat to face the Wizard herself. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” Hera scolded. “Scaring us all when we came to you for help!”

“Silence, Twi’lek!” the Wizard ordered. “The magnificent Fulcrum as ever intention of granting your requests!”

Well he sure had a funny way of showing it.

Even Lasat perked up at the Wizard’s announcement.

“But first you must prove yourselves worthy, by performing a small task,” the Wizard continued.

Now what?

“Bring me the broomstick of the Witch of the West!” the Wizard declared.

That?

“But we’ll have to kill her to get it,” Beskargirl said.

“Bring me here broomstick, and I’ll grant your requests,” the Wizard repeated. “Now go!”

“But what if she kills us first?” Lasat asked.

“I said go!” the Wizard ordered.

“Alright, we’re going!” Scarecrow hollered as they all rushed out of the room.

Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat received directions to the Witch’s castle from one of the guards and started on their way.

They reached the Haunted Forest some time later. Beskargirl had her daggers out and Hera, Scarecrow, and Lasat had all they could find in Crystal City that they thought could be of use.

There was a sign that read:

Haunted Forest

Witches Castle

1 Mile

It pointed in the direction they were headed.

Below it, another sign read:

I’d turn

Back if I

Were you!

They all took a deep breath and continued on. Lasat started growling as they walked.

Strange noises started coming from the trees. They looked and saw owls and vultures with glowing red eyes, and there was an unrecognizable howling noise that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

“I have a feeling there are spooks around here,” Scarecrow said.

“That’s ridiculous,” Beskargirl replied. “Spooks. That’s silly,”

“Don’t you believe in spooks?” Lasat asked.

“No, why-” Beskargirl started to answer before she started flying upwards, much to everyone’s shock. She crashed down a few yards in front of them.

Hera, Chopper, and Scarecrow rushed over to her. Lasat had froze in the spot they’d all been standing before.

“Are you alright?” Scarecrow asked as they helped her up.

“Oh yeah,” Lasat said. “I believe in spooks alright,”

***

The Wicked Witch was watching them through her crystal ball.

“You’ll believe in more than that before I’m finished with you!” Arihnda Pryce cackled.

She turned to her best warrior. He had gray skin and eyes, sharp teeth, arms that were longer than his legs, and spikes that ran down the center of his very tall forehead.

“Rukh, take some soldiers to the haunted forest and bring me that Twi’lek and her droid!” she ordered. “Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive! They’ll be no trouble for you I’m sure,”

Rukh turned to leave but the Witch stopped him.

“Take special care of those Kyber Slippers. I want them most of all!” She added. “Now go! Go!”

Rukh left to gather some troops and set off to intercept Hera and the others.

***

Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat had gotten back on track and heading towards the Witch’s castle. They stopped when they saw Rukh and the Witch’s white and black clad soldiers coming towards them.

Then quite honestly, they all panicked. There were way more soldiers than they were prepared for. They all took off in different directions. Chopper stayed with Hera, but everyone else was by themselves.

Rukh went after Hera while the soldiers chased Scarecrow, Lasat, and Beskargirl.

Hera tried to lose Rukh, and then tried to fight him, with Chopper’s help, but it was all in vain. Rukh grabbed her and headed back to the castle, with a disabled Chopper under one arm.

Scarecrow, Lasat, and Beskargirl did their best to fight off their attackers, but they all failed.

Once Rukh signaled that he had Hera, the soldiers retreated back to the castle.

“Uh, help! Help!” Scarecrow shouted when they were gone. He’d been, quite literally, ripped apart and his straw was everywhere.

“What happened to you?” Beskargirl asked as she and Lasat approached him.

“They tore my legs of and they threw them over there! Then they ripped my chest out and they threw it over there!” He said, pointing in all directions. “And-”

“Well, you’re all over the place,” Beskargirl interrupted.

“They sure knocked the stuffings outta ya, didn’t they?” Lasat commented, with a bit of humor.

Scarecrow didn’t appreciate the sentiment. “Don’t just stand there talking!” he barked. “Put me together. We’ve got to find Hera!”

Beskargirl and Lasat gathered up the loose straw and put Scarecrow back together.

“I bet that was the Witch’s men,” Beskargirl guessed. “Which means Hera’s probably at the Witch’s castle,”

“Good thing we were heading there anyway,” Lasat responded.

By that point, they had Scarecrow standing and were gathering the last pieces of him.

“Are you ready?” Scarecrow asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Lasat answered. “Here’s your hat,” He handed it to Scarecrow.

“Thanks,” Scarecrow said, taking it from him. He secured the hat on his head. “Let’s go get Hera,”

***

Hera and Chopper had been taken to the Witch’s castle.

“What an interesting little droid,” Arihnda Pryce commented as she flicked Chopper’s antenna, much to his annoyance. Then she had Rukh grab him and carry him under one arm, as she turned to Hera and approached her. “And you, my dear. What an unexpected pleasure. It’s so kind of you to visit me in my loneliness,”

Hera tried to get Chopper away from Rukh but he growled when she approached. She turned back to the Witch and asked. “What are you going to do with my droid? Give him back to me!” she demanded, wishing she had her blaster.

“All in good time, my little Twi’lek,” the Witch replied. “All in good time,”

Hera was getting angry now. “Give me back my droid,” Hera threatened.

“Certainly,” Arihnda Pryce assured. “When you give me those slippers,”

Hera looked down at her feet where the Witch had pointed. “But the Good Witch of the North told me not to,” she protested.

“Very well,” the Witch growled. She marched over to Rukh. “Throw that droid off the mountain and let him get crushed!” she ordered.

“No!” Hera screamed. This Witch may be wicked, and who knows what she’d do to Fulcrum once she had the Kyber Slippers, but with her own galaxy in such turmoil, Hera had bigger problems to worry about, and she couldn’t lose her oldest friend over a pair of shoes. Besides, surely both Ahsoka and the Wizard would have enough power to stop the Wicked Witch. “You can have your old slippers but give Chopper back to me!”

“That’s a good little Twi’lek,” Arihnda Pryce praised. “I knew you’d see reason,”

The Witch knelt down to grab the Kyber Slippers. When her fingers were an inch from the shoes, lightning shot out of the tips and shocked her hand.

“Aahhh!” the Witch screamed as she recoiled.

“Sorry, I didn’t know that would happen,” Hera apologized. “Do I still get Chopper back?”

“No!” the Witch yelled. “Fool as I am, I should have remembered! Those slippers will never come off, as long as you’re alive,” she snarled.

Well that’s gonna be a problem Hera thought.

“But that’s not what’s worry me,” the Witch continued. “It’s how to do it. These things must be done delicately, or you hurt the spell,”

Chopper used this opportunity to zap Rukh hard enough to drop him and made a run for it.

“Go Chopper! Go!” Hera shouted.

“Catch him you fool!” Arihnda Pryce ordered.

Rukh chased Chopper through the castle.

“Go Chopper! Find the others!” Hera shouted as the Witch’s soldiers joined the chase before Chopper blasted off the drawbridge and disappeared.

“He got away,” Hera breathed a sigh of relief. There was still hope yet.

“Which is more than you will!” the Witch snarled. “You’ve been more trouble than you’re worth one way or another! But it’ll soon be over now!” She walked over to a table and picked up an hourglass. “You see that?” She asked, before she flipped the hourglass so sand was pouring into the bottom. “That’s how much longer you’ve got to be alive, and it isn’t long my pretty. It isn’t long! I can’t wait forever to get those shoes!”

Part of her wondered why the Witch didn’t get it over with now, but Hera supposed the Witch had preparations to make so she didn’t mess up the spell. Another part of her was thankful that she had some time left, if not so that Chopper would have more time to get the others and find a way to help her.

The Witch shoved the hourglass into the hands of one of the guards by the door. “Take her to the dungeon!” she ordered at him and his companion. “And make sure she knows how much time she has left!”

Hera tried to fight the guards, but they easily overpowered her. They hauled her out of the room and down the stairs to the deepest bowels of the castle where the dungeon was. Then they tossed her in the closest cell.

Hera landed on her hands and knees on the dirty stone floor.

The guards shut and locked the door behind her and placed the hourglass where she could easily see it, but wouldn’t be able to reach it.

Hera had just started to get up when she heard a noise coming from the dark corners of her cell.

“Hello? Is someone there?” Hera asked, standing up and taking a step forward.

There wasn’t any reply other than the sound of someone hiding.

“It’s alright. I’m not gonna hurt you,” Hera reassured as she approached where she thought the noises were coming from.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark by the time Hera reached what she thought the noises were coming from.

What she saw surprised her. It was dirty, shaggy haired teenager who looked like he hadn’t eaten in a long time.

“Please don’t hurt me. The Witch has done enough,” the boy whimpered.

Hera placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. The boy stiffened at the contact.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Hera said gently. “The Witch doesn’t like me either. Can you come into the light please?”

The boy nodded and followed her out of the shadows.

Hera gasped when she saw him in better light. He was human, with shaggy blue-black hair and bright blue eyes that poked at Hera’s memory but didn’t spark anything definite. His clothes were dirty and ill-fitting, and he was indeed as thin as Hera suspected.

Hera suddenly remembered the leftover apples that were still in her pockets. She took one out and offered it to the boy. “Are you hungry?” she asked.

The boy hesitantly took the apple from her and retreated a few steps back. He glanced at her nervously before digging into the apple.

He ate down to the core faster than Hera anticipated. He looked at her expectantly and took a step forward.

Hera smiled. “Don’t worry. I have more,”

She produced two more apples from her pockets and gave them to the boy.

The boy ate his fill of apples while Hera looked at the hourglass and how much sand was already at the bottom.

“What’s your name?” Hera asked, turning back to the boy. “I’m Hera,”

“The Witch and her guards just call me Lothrat,” the boy admitted. “I don’t think I’ve been called anything else,”

“How long have you been in here?” Hera asked.

“As long as I can remember,” Lothrat answered. “Since I was seven,”

“I’m sorry,” Hera said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“What are you doing in here?” Lothrat asked. “The Witch is more of a kill or torture to death type. I’m pretty sure she’s forgotten all about me,”

“The Witch wants my shoes,” Hera replied as she stuck her feet out to show him the Kyber Slippers. Lothrat’s eyes widened when he saw them. Hera pointed to the hourglass. “The only way she can get them is if she can kill me without ruining the magic, so she given me ‘til that hourglass is empty to live while she gets things ready,”

“Wow,” Lothrat commented. “That sucks,”

Hera snorted. “Yeah, my only hope is that my friends can find a way to help get me out of here,”

“Good luck with that,” Lothrat said sullenly.

***

Meanwhile, Chopper had made it down the mountain and found Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat, who had just started on their walk through the woods again.

“Look there’s Chopper!” Beskargirl pointed out. “Where’d he come from?”

Chopper came up to them, tugged on Scarecrow’s arm, and started beeping frantically.

“Hey!” Scarecrow realised. “He can show us exactly where Hera is! Come on!”

Chopper took off in the direction of the castle and they all ran after him.

Eventually they had to climb the mountain. Chopper simply used his rocket to go from ledge to ledge. The others had a harder time. Beskargirl’s metal body made it difficult for her to grib the rocks properly, so she relied on Lasat to help her over the more difficult patches.

“I hope my strength holds out,” Lasat grunted.

“Me too,” Beskargirl added.

It wasn’t long until they reached the Witch’s castle and hid behind some boulders nearby.

“Is that it?” Lasat asked, pointing at the castle.

“That’s the castle of the Wicked Witch,” Beskargirl confirmed.

“Hera’s in that awful place?” Scarecrow asked.

“Oh, I hate to think of her in there,” Beskargirl sniffed. “We’ve got to get her out,”

“Don’t cry now,” Scarecrow said gently. “We haven’t got the oil can with us and you’ve been squeaking enough as it is,”

“Who’s them? Who’s them?” Lasat asked, pointing at the Witch’s soldiers guarding the front entrance.

“I’ve got a plan how get in there,” Scarecrow said, glancing at the guards.

“He’s got a plan,” Lasat repeated to Beskargirl.

“And you’re gonna lead us,” Scarecrow continued.

“Me?” Lasat asked.

“Yes you,” Scarecrow answered.

“I...I gotta get us in there?” Lasat asked.

“That’s right,” Beskargirl confirmed.

Lasat took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll go in there for Hera. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch. Gods or no gods. I’ll tear ‘im apart! I may not come out alive, but I’m going in there,” He got more ferocious as he said each word. “There’s only one thing I want you guys to do,”

“What’s that?” Scarecrow and Beskargirl asked.

“Talk me out of it,” Lasat’s voice fell and his eyes were wide.

Scarecrow and Beskargirl shook their heads.

“Ooooohhh,” Lasat groaned.

***

The pile of sand at the bottom of the hourglass continued to grow.

***

Lasat, Scarecrow, and Beskargirl got closer to the castle.

They didn’t notice the three guards coming up behind them until the guard tackled them behind the rocks. Chopper joined in the ensuing fight.

By the end, all three guards were knocked out and Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat put on their armor. Or tried to. The armor clearly wasn’t made for a lasat, so Lasat couldn’t get it to fit right. It wasn’t perfect on Beskargirl or Scarecrow either. They watched the rest of the guards march into a line that looked to be going into the castle.

“Come on,” Scarecrow whispered. “I’ve got another idea,”

Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat crept up to the gate and situated themselves at the end of the line. Chopper sneaked up behind them as they made their way into the castle.

Once they were all inside, Scarecrow stuck his arm out and pulled them into an alcove as the soldiers went on to wherever they were going.

“Where do we go now?” Beskargirl asked.

“Yeah,” Lasat agreed.

Chopped did a quick scan for Hera. When he beeped and waved at the others and took of in the direction of the dungeon.

“There!” Scarecrow pointed.

They followed Chopper down the stairs and to the dungeon.

“Hera, are you in there?” Scarecrow called, taking off his helmet. The others did the same. “It’s us!”

Hera heard them and ran to the door of her cell. “Yes, it’s me!” she called. “I’m locked in!”

Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat came up to her cell door.

“We’ve gotta get her out,” Lasat said. “Open the door,”

“Hurry!” Hera said urgently, glancing at the hourglass. “We don’t have much time left!”

Scarecrow, Beskargirl, and Lasat shed their disguises and tried to open the door. They used one of Beskargirl’s daggers on the lock and the door swung open.

Hera rushed out. “Chopper!” she exclaimed, kneeling and running a hand across his dome. “I knew you could do it,”

“Hurry! We’ve got no time to lose!” Scarecrow urged, trying to get them to go.

“Wait,” Hera said, going back into her cell.

She took Lothrat’s hand. “Come with us,” she offered. “You can be free,”

“All I ever wanted was a home,” Lothrat admitted.

“The Wizard of Fulcrum could help,” Scarecrow suggested. “And if not, you can just stay with us,”

“Okay,” Lothrat finally said. Then he followed Hera out of the cell.

“Now we got to go,” Hera said.

They all rushed up the stairs and to the main gate.

The doors slammed shut before the could get through.

The Witch laughed and they all turned around and saw her standing at the top of the stairs to her room. The empty hourglass somehow in her left hand.

“Going so soon?” Arihnda Pryce sneered. “I wouldn’t hear of it. Why, my little party’s just beginning,”

“We’re trapped,” Lasat said as the Witch’s soldiers surrounded them.

The soldiers pointed their weapons at them but didn’t attack, yet.

“That’s right,” the Witch cackled. “Don’t hurt them right away. We’ll let them think about it a little further,”

Scarecrow looked up and noticed that the candle-lit chandelier above them was supported by a rope. He followed the rope with his eyes until he saw where it connected to the wall, which happened to be right beside him.

“Mind if I borrow this?” Scarecrow asked, taking one of Beskargirl’s daggers.

He cut the rope and the large chandelier fell right on top of the soldiers.

“Seize them! Seize them!” the Witch screamed as Hera, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, Lasat, Lothrat, and Chopper ran down a nearby corridor. “Stop them, you fools! Stop them!”

“Seize them! Seize them!” the Witch continued to scream, coming down the stairs to lead her men after them.

Hera, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, Lasat, Lothrat, and Chopper had hidden behind a wide pillar. They waited until the Witch and her men had past before they started up the stairs.

It wasn’t long before the Witch caught on and turned around.

“There they go! Now we have them!” Arihnda Pryce exclaimed when she saw them on the stairs.

“Half of you go this way! Half of you go that way!” the Witch ordered, planning on cornering them. “Hurry! Hurry!”

Hera, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, Lasat, Lothrat, and Chopper ran out to one of the walkways connecting the towers.

The tower they got to was just an empty room without a viable way out of the castle.

“Where do we go now?” Lasat asked.

Scarecrow noticed the walkway to the next tower looked clear. “This way. Come on!” he urged, motioning them to follow him.

They’d made it halfway across the walkway when the Witch’s soldiers started coming out of the tower they were heading towards.

“Back! Back!” Scarecrow shouted as they all turned and went back to the tower they were in before.

Soon soldiers were on both walkways and it wasn’t long before they were cornered.

The Witch laughed as she entered. “Well! Ring around the rosie. A pocket full of spears. Thought you’d be pretty foxy didn’t ya! Well!”

“The last to go will see the first four go before her,” Arihnda Pryce threatened, snarling gleefully and menacingly.

Now Hera was scared. She didn’t want to see the Witch kill her friends in front of her.

“And your scrappy little droid too!” the Witch added.

That was even worse.

Then the Witch stuck the brush of her broom into the torch hanging on the wall nearby. It easily spread the fire to her broom.

Scarecrow’s eyes widened in fear as she brought the broom closer to them.

“How about a little fire, scarecrow!” the Witch cackled.

She jabbed the broom at him and suddenly his arm was on fire.

Scarecrow started screaming. “Help! I’m burning! I’m burning!”

Hera screamed too.

Chopper was stuck behind Lasat, so Hera grabbed the bucket of water she found on the ledge behind her and threw it over the fire.

Enough water got on Scarecrow’s arm to put the fire out, but Hera overshot her mark a little bit and the rest of the water landed on the Witch.

“Aaahhhhh!” Arihnda Pryce screamed. “You cursed brat! Look what you’ve done!”

The water fused into her skin, which started to run down her face.

“I’m melting! Melting!” the Witch screamed as she indeed started to melt and collapse onto the floor. “Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have thought a Twi’lek like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness! OOOhhhh!”

It wasn’t long before there was nothing left of the Wicked Witch than a pile of her clothes.

What just happened? Hera wondered as she stared at where the Witch was terrorizing them a minute before.

“She’s dead,” one of the soldiers said after a moment. “You killed her,”

“Well I didn’t mean to kill her,” Hera said. “I didn’t know that would. It’s just...” She pointed to Scarecrow. “He was on fire...”

“Hail to Hera! The Wicked Witch is dead!” the soldier announced.

“Hail! Hail to Hera! The Wicked Witch is dead!” all of the soldiers repeated, kneeling before her.

“The broom,” Hera murmured.

“May we have her broom?” Hera asked the main soldier.

“Take it,” the soldier answered, handing it to her.

“Thank you,” Hera said. She turned back to Scarecrow, Beskargirl, Lasat, Lothrat, and Chopper. “Now we can go back to the Wizard and tell him the Wicked Witch is dead!”

Hera, Chopper, Scarecrow, Beskargirl, Lasat, and Lothrat went back to Crystal City and were immediately brought to see the Wizard. Although there was a brief argument with the guard on whether Lothrat could be let in or not that was soon resolved.

“Can I believe my eyes?!?” the Wizard questioned when they came back to see him. “Why have you come back?”

Scarecrow, who had been holding the broom, handed it to Hera, who stepped forward.

“We’ve done what you told us. We brought you the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West,” Hera answered. “We uh... melted her,”

The Wizard chuckled. “Ah, you liquidated her, eh? Very resourceful,”

“Yes sir,” Hera replied. “So we’d like you to keep your promise to us,”

“Not so fast! Not so fast!” the Wizard shouted. “I’ll have to give the matter a little thought! Go away and come back tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow!” Hera protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You’ve had plenty of time already!” Beskargirl added, stepping up beside Hera.

“Yeah,” Lasat agreed as he and Scarecrow joined them. Lothrat hesitated before he came up behind Scarecrow.

“Do not arouse the wrath of the Great and Powerful Fulcrum!” the Wizard yelled. “I said come back tomorrow!”

Chopper picked up something on his scanners and decided to investigate. He rolled around a wall and disappeared behind a curtain.

“If you were really great and powerful you’d keep your promises!” Hera accused.

“Do you presume to criticize the Great and Powerful Fulcrum?” the Wizard retaliated. “You ungrateful creatures!”

Chopper pulled back the curtain to reveal a man standing in front of a bunch of mechanical contraptions.

“Think yourselves lucky that I’m giving you audience tomorrow!” the man spoke into a microphone and took the voice of the Wizard. “Instead of twenty years from now!”

The man turned around and noticed that they were all staring at him. “The Great Fulcrum has spoken!”

He frantically pulled the curtain around him.

“Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain!” the Wizard ordered. “The Great Fulcrum has spoken!”

Hera walked up and pulled the curtain back again. The man revealed had a straight white beard, mustache, and hair and blue eyes.

“Who are you?” Hera asked.

“Well...” the man answered. He turned back to the microphone. “I am the Great and Powerful...” He turned away from the microphone and back to them. “Wizard of Fulcrum,”

“You are?” Hera questioned. “I don’t believe you,”

“I’m afraid it’s true,” the man/Wizard admitted. “There’s no other wizard but me,”

“You fraud!” Scarecrow accused, clearly upset.

“Yeah,” Beskargirl and Lasat agreed. Even Lothrat nodded his head disapprovingly.

The Wizard nodded. “Yes, you’re exactly right. I’m a fraud,”

“You’re nothing but a liar,” Hera concluded. “The kind who’s a cruel man,”

“No,” the Wizard shook his head. “I am a good man. I’m just a... bad wizard,”

“What about the heart you promised Beskargirl?” Scarecrow asked, his voice rising. “And the honor and courage you promised Lasat?”

“And Scarecrow’s brain?” Lasat and Beskargirl asked together.

It’s not like they’d forgotten about Lothrat. It’s just that he wasn’t here for when the Wizard made his promise so technically the Wizard didn’t know what he wanted yet, and they figured right now wasn’t the best time to bring it up anyway.

“Well,” the Wizard replied. “I’ve figured out that having a brain doesn’t mean that someone is a good thinker,” He turned around and started rummaging through a box. “What makes a good thinker is being able to understand and apply information to anything,”

Finding what he was looking for, the Wizard stood and handed Scarecrow a gold and crystal blue cube. “This holocron possesses great knowledge, but only someone who yearns for it can access it,”

Scarecrow examined the holocron. All of the corners turned and a blue light illuminated Scarecrow’s face and traveled up his arms.

“The force acted on an object is equal to its mass times the acceleration,” Scarecrow suddenly said. His face lit up. “Hey! I’ve got a brain!” He turn to the Wizard. “I can’t thank you enough,”

“You’re welcome,” the Wizard said. Then he turned to Lasat. “As for you, now for what I know of Lasats, they have a strict code, particularly in the Honor Guard,” The Wizard walked over to a closet as he continued to talk. “You believe to have broken it, and that is why you do not believe you have honor or courage. I heard what the Witch was doing to Lasat villages and I can honestly say that the mere fact that you survived shows that you possess the traits you believe to be missing,” The Wizard took something out of the closet and handed it to Lasat. “Maybe this will convince you,”

Lasat stared at what the Wizard handed him. It looked like a weapon of some sort.

“A borifle,” Lasat whispered.

The Wizard smiled. “I thought you’d recognize it. You are worthy of it,”

Lasat continued to stare at his borifle. Then he smiled and tightened his grip on the weapon.

“Thanks,” Lasat replied. “I don’t know what to say,”

The Wizard turned to Beskargirl. “And as for you young lady. You want a heart,”

“Yes sir,” Beskargirl answered.

The Wizard looked her up and down and noticed her colors, some faded more than others.

“I think I have just the thing for you,” He said after a moment. He rummaged around a bit and produced a small, red, heart-shaped metal object. He handed it to her. “Hear you are,”

Beskargirl ran her fingers over the object until she found a hinge. She opened the case and gasped at what she saw inside. It was a case full of paints and brushes. Almost automatically, she picked up a brush and started painting her armor, helmet, and hair. It wasn’t long before she was covered in bright colors.

Beskargirl sighed. “I can’t believe I have a heart again,”

The Wizard’s eyes landed on Lothrat, who straightened up under his gaze. “I don’t believe we met before. Who are you?”

“I’m Lothrat,” the boy admitted. “I just want a home,”

The Wizard stroked his beard. “I’m afraid that I can’t help you with that, son,” He replied.

Lothrat deflated. Then Scarecrow wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t worry. You’ve got us,” he reassured.

Lasat, Beskargirl, and Scarecrow all gathered around Lothrat next to Hera and Chopper.

“Hey!” Scarecrow exclaimed after a moment, turning back to the Wizard. “What about Hera?”

“Yes! How about Hera?” Beskargirl agreed.

“Yeah, Hera next,” Lasat added.

The Wizard stroked his chin again. “Yes Hera-”

He was interrupted by a loud siren and the whole room shook.

“What’s happening?” Lothrat asked panickedly.

There was a clatter from behind them.

“Hera look out!” Scarecrow shouted right before something collided with her head.

The next thing Hera knew she was laying on her back surrounded by blurry faces.

***

“Hera? Hera, can you hear me?” voices asked.

Finally Hera managed to open her eyes. She was surrounded by Kanan, Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb. They were all leaning over her in concern.

Hera reached her and down until her fingers brushed the top of Chopper’s dome. It was then that Hera realised she was in a medical bed.

“Hera, it’s us,” Kanan said, placing a hand on her arm.

Hera looked up at him and smiled, as everything started coming together. “I know,”

“You crashed pretty hard,” Zeb commented. “And we’re lucky we found you before the Empire did,”

“I’m fine. I think,” Hera said, trying to sit up. She touched a hand to her forehead. “Although I think I just had a really weird dream. Chopper and I were in a very strange place and all of you were there,”

“What happened?” Ezra asked.

Hera looked at all of them before saying the first thing that popped into her head. “ Well, Governor Pryce tried to set you on fire,” She told Kanan, pointing at him.

“Well I’d like to see her try,” Sabine said with smirk. “Especially now,”

“Why? What happened?” Hera asked.

“One of the Rebel fighters the Empire shot down landed in the fuel depot and it exploded, taking all the fuel with it,” Sabine explained. “All Imperial factories on Lothal are down,”

“So the mission wasn’t a total failure,” Ezra reassured.

Hera smiled. “Well I’m glad I’m back. And I know that I love you all,” She grabbed Kanan’s arm and pulled him towards her. “Especially you,” she said before she kissed him.

“Now I know I’m home,” Hera said after she broke the kiss.

Cast:

A very confused Hera Syndulla as Dorothy Gale

Chopper as Toto

Kanan Jarrus as The Scarecrow

Zeb Orrelios as The Cowardly Lion

Sabine Wren as a genderbent Tinman

Ahsoka Tano as Glinda the Good Witch

Maketh Tua as the Wicked Witch of the East

Arihnda Pryce as the Wicked Witch of the West

Rex as the guard to the gates of the Emerald City

Gregor as the carriage driver/owner of the Horse of a Different Color

Alexsandr Kallus as the guard to the Wizard’s chamber

Ryder Azadi as the Wizard of Oz

[peonymoss]

Mansfield Park: Volume II Chapters 1-5

(or chapters 19-23, or, The Party’s Over)

II-1

Further proof that this play was a bad idea: when the news comes that Sir Thomas is in the house, the first reaction of his children — all of them — is not “Hurrah! Father’s home at last!” but “Oh ——— .” Dryly amusing to see Tom and Edmund finally united — a look and a few words is all it takes — and poor Rushworth left behind, glad that Sir Thomas is back, but not quite part of the family yet. And Maria walking off without even answering his question — unnecessarily rude.

Yates thinking that the rehearsal will pick up again after tea — even “having never been with those who thought much of parental claims, or family confidence” —  does he not understand that Sir Thomas has been away for almost two years,and that welcoming him back is going to take precedence over a rehearsal? Dude. Seriously.

Fanny seeing a new side of Sir Thomas — and seeing that she really does matter to him: “my little Fanny.”  We never hear anything about the Bertram side of the family. Is he an only child?

This whole scene in the drawing room is hilarious. Mrs. Norris INTERRUPTING Sir Thomas, in the middle of his telling them about his journey, to tell him he wants some soup; Sir Thomas discovering the theater — and his room (his full-sized version of Fanny’s East room) — and stepping out on the stage opposite Yates. Rushworth bursting out about Henry Crawford’s height (poor fellow, he knows something’s wrong but he doesn’t have the intellect to understand his unease or put it into words). Yates utterly failing to catch the hint from anywhere and yammering on about the play. And poor Rushworth — holding on to Sir Thomas’s good opinion by saying scarcely anything, but only “a little longer.”

Behind the cut for length:

II-2

At least Edmund 1. comes to his father to 2. fess up 3. first thing in the morning 4. without trying to minimize his own lapses in judgment or 5. completely pin the blame on everything else while 6. making clear that Fanny was consistent.

Poor Sir Thomas, trying to “forget how much he had been forgotten himself.” (He has something in common with Fanny; she knows what it’s like to feel forgotten.)  He’s “more willing to believe they felt their error than to run the risk of investigation”. Hmmmm. He’s an active, diligent man, but in this area of life he’s willing to let himself avoid seeking out the truth. And though he tries very hard to keep her to the point, Mrs. Norris manages to evade him in the end.

II-3

Interesting conversation between Edmund and Fanny. Edmund mentions how very quiet the evenings are now; Fanny says she’s not bored, she likes listening to Sir Thomas talking about the West Indies, “but then I am unlike other people I dare say.” Edmund offers her a compliment in a teasing way and then tells her how much Sir Thomas is pleased with her. But those compliments about Fanny’s countenance and complexion and figure — how much of those are from Sir Thomas, and how many are from Edmund? 

...And then he starts talking about Mary’s opinion of Fanny, and how observant Mary is (though he’s not wrong). Fanny changes the subject, and we get some funny stuff from Edmund about Rushworth:

“[Sir Thomas] must like [Rushworth] less after to-morrow's visit, for we shall be five hours in his company. I should dread the stupidity of the day, if there were not a much greater evil to follow--the impression it must leave on Sir Thomas. He cannot much longer deceive himself. I am sorry for them all, and would give something that Rushworth and Maria had never met.”

(And this is the match Mrs. Norris takes such pride in!)

“Sir Thomas was satisfied; too glad to be satisfied, perhaps, to urge the matter quite so far as his judgment might have dictated to others.” Once again, in this area of his life he’s all too willing to take the easy way, to let himself believe everything’s all right when it isn’t.

Interesting that Maria has “pledged herself anew to Sotherton”: to the property, not to Rushworth himself. “In all the important preparations of the mind she was complete: being prepared for matrimony by an hatred of home, restraint, and tranquillity; by the misery of disappointed affection, and contempt of the man she was to marry.” Oooof.

“Two bridesmaids”: was Fanny one of them? Aunt Norris “tries to cry”: nobody’s overcome with joy at this wedding.

II.4

So Fanny’s growing up into a pretty young woman, and now she’s the only young woman at Mansfield. (And Mrs. Norris is still sending her, instead of a servant, on errands.)

"by the easiest self-deceit”: Mrs. Grant, too.

What an interesting sort-of friendship springs up between Mary and Fanny. Why does Fanny keep going? It’s not just the demands of Good Manners; where does her “fascination” come from? Is it just being around someone with whom she has something in common, but who’s so different from anyone else she’s known?

It’s unfortunate that when Fanny goes off on her more poetic, thoughtful flights, Mary doesn’t even attempt to follow along or even pay attention.

Mary, meanwhile, has been spoiled for the idea of marrying solely for money: “... nothing worse than a tete-a-tete with the person one feels most agreeable in the world.” She still wants money and influence, though, so she wants even more than she did before.

“... to the credit of the lover's understanding, be it stated, that [Edmund] did not by any means consider Fanny as the only, or even as the greater gainer by such a friendship.” Edmund thinks of himself as Mary’s lover at this point <SPOILER> but it’s a nice touch that the text itself doesn’t specify that.</SPOILER>

“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of. It certainly may secure all the myrtle and turkey part of it.” The “myrtle and turkey” part doesn’t get quoted as often, but I think it makes the first sentence even funnier.

Edmund, Mary’s not kidding about the money and the distinction. How many times does she have to say it? Self-deceit indeed.

II.5

Lady Bertram is so benignly self-absorbed. “Why should Mrs.Grant ask Fanny?” Edmund knows how to manage her, though.

Poor Fanny. This should be such a happy occasion for her — she’s growing up, she’s being invited to dine out — and there’s no mother or sister to be glad for her and enjoy the preparations with her, no cousins to do it in their place, and no aunts who will do it in their place. But there is an aunt who’s downright angry that Fanny should have a happy occasion coming up.

Sir Thomas puts Mrs. Norris in her place! Take that!

Edmund starts off praising Fanny and noticing her dress “I like those glossy spots” but alas for Fanny’s feelings - “Has not Miss Crawford a gown something the same?”

Oh, wait — Henry shows up? Great. Stupid troublemaker.

So much for “being the lowest and last” — Fanny’s the female guest of honor.

(And even though Edmund’s being friendly with Henry, Fanny’s not even thinking about Edmund’s judgment. She’s confident in her dislike and distrust of Henry. She’s seen what she’s seen, and she knows that Edmund is fallible.)

Edmund’s matter of business with Dr. Grant — ordination, perhaps?

Henry’s “...significant smile, which made Fanny quite hate him...”

<SPOILER> “I think my friend Julia knows better than to entertain her father with Mr. Yates.” OH yes.</SPOILER>

“In my opinion....” Bravo, Fanny! 

“Dr. Grant is giving Bertram instructions about the living he is to step into so soon.” Henry assumes that they are talking about money, not the spiritual work of pastoring the flock, and regrettably he’s probably correct. He also is assuming that Edmund will hire a vicar and live at Mansfield. Like Mary, he assumes that the life of a clergyman is a life of ease.

Mary’s anger at Edmund and at herself, and her resolution to no longer let him influence her feelings, reminds me of Mary’s anger at Henry. At least Mary’s not dragging someone else into her anger by marrying someone she doesn’t love just out of spite.

So some themes: Fanny’s coming into her own. And Sir Thomas... well, this is twice now that we see him accept easy answers to questions instead of searching after painful, difficult, but truthful answers.

Edmund goes 5 chapters without seriously letting anyone down. And he may be constantly comparing her to Mary, but he’s noticing Fanny too.

And so are the Crawfords. Both of them.

[myneighborhood-thelake]

Henry Coe Park Adventure Race Training - January 1999

Another Epic Fun Adventure - today I feel great about the experience, but at the time there was no way in [ahem] that I would use the word "fun" when describing this event.....   I tried to cut as much as possible from this report, but since I mainly use these as a way to evaluate my performance I like to remember as much detail as possible.  Also I have not proofread this, so be kind to me for any serious grammatical or content problems.  I just want to get it done.

Henry Coe State Park - just outside of Morgan Hill, California, and by just outside I mean 10 miles up a winding, one lane, unkept road.

Start time - midnight - which should give us newbies a slight intro into racing with sleep deprivation.

Run/Hike - about 10 miles (we made it 12 miles) with two checkpoints.

Mountain Bike - about 24 miles (we made it 25+ miles) with two checkpoints.

Event Organizer - Rich B. - who will be both feted for putting together an event of this magnitude - just because he wanted to put it together and who will also be burned in effigy - for putting together an event of this magnitude - just because he wanted to put it together - but more on that later.

Our Team - Craig Benson (founder of the BAAR list), Paul Allman and Ron Renwick  -  Team What the Heck It's Friday at Midnight and We Have Nothing Better To Do With Our Lives  (OK, OK, we do not really have a team name).

We caravanned down to the park which is about a little over a one hour drive from our houses.  We are just getting started in Adventure Racing, so we were still found it more than a little amusing that we were leaving our warm homes in order to do a workout at midnight.

"Are we really doing this?" "Uhhh, I guess that we are." "Does this make any sense?" "Actually it scares me to say that yes, this makes a lot of sense.  We need to practice night navigation." "Ok, let's do it."

Arriving at the Coe Park Headquarters (HQ) was pretty amazing.  We had expected maybe 5 or 10 people to show, but here it was pitch dark on a Friday night and there were 20 people ready to go!  There was a mixture of experience represented - from our team are just getting started in AR to  two Raid Galiouses and Eco-Challenge veterans whom we promptly named "the Raid guy" and "the Eco guy."  Everyone was very friendly and seemed to be glad to be out on such a frigid night.

At midnight Rich handed out the park maps and course instructions.  We were to plot the checkpoints using UTM coordinates.  Our team was very happy that this was a 'training' exercise because we had no idea what a "UTM coordinate" was or how it was used.  This would be our first stumbling block.  Actually it only took us about a minute to figure out how to plot the coordinates, but at first glance we were a little confused.

As we plotted Rich was nice enough to clue us in on the location of the Checkpoints i.e. - "it's right at the trail intersection" or "it's at the top of the hill you can't miss it."  Let me tell you Checkpoint Two was unmistakable.  There was an option to use a park trail map as opposed to the normal topographic map, but we chose to stick to the topo version.  It made for great training on using a map, compass and altimeter.  The course was basically two "Out and Backs."  One out-and-back on the hike and one on the run.

******************     THE HIKE  *******************

We left Coe HQ at about 12:20 am and started a moderate paced walk up a hill with 3 other teams.  Two other teams had already started their hikes.  As we crested the first hill the lead team in our pack set off at a run and soon left us behind.  We picked up the pace and cruised to the bottom of the hill.  CP 1 was at the two mile mark, but a minor navigation error cost us about 15 minutes and a couple hundred extra yards.  We were the fourth team into the checkpoint.  We had quickly learned that navigation is a crucial factor in AR.

Off to CP 2.  Our course kept us directly on a fairly wide fireroad.  I shut off my headlamp and we cruised along with the light of Paul's headlamp and the moon.  We tried to keep hydrated and fueled as we moved steadily.  At a trail intersection we debated.  Was this the turn marked on our map?  We veered right as it looked on our map (maybe).  After about 1/2 mile we came to an intersection that was not on our map.  Hmmmmmm.  After proceeding forward and checking out the trail we chose to turn around and head back to the road.  We were a little confused.  Which way is the right way?  We chose to proceed along the fire road and we felt that the terrain on the topo map matched our surroundings.  At least as best as we could tell with only headlamps to light our way.  Sooner than we expected we hit Deer Horn Springs (?) and we realized that we were both: on the right path and much farther along than we had expected.  This enlightened us on a couple of points: 1 - try to keep track of distance covered (maybe by pacing), 2 - we need to develop confidence in our navigation skills.  The turn that we made along the wrong trail was caused by our lack of skill.

We did notice that we were descending, but we were so happy to be on the right path that we did not notice how rapidly we were descending.  Soon we heard the creek cutting through the bottom of the canyon.  As we approached the stream the temperature dropped remarkably.  It is amazing how in the distance of a few hundred yards the climate can change considerably.  We crossed the stream and looked at the trail going up, up, up and up some more.  Per Craig's altimeter we were at about 1300 feet (if I remember correctly), and we had to get to 3000 feet in about two miles of hiking.  This would be a grind.  We started out and just kept moving forward.  with the light of the moon we could see the hills and vallies surrounding us.  Even at 2:00 am it was a beautiful place to be.

About 2/3 of the way up we saw headlamps approaching us on the way down.  Soon a caravan of about 10 people shot by us.  We met  the other two teams on the way up.  It was a little disheartening to know that we had lost ground due to our navigation error.  It was even more disheartening when we met Raid-guy and Eco-guy on their way down.  They were holding a conversation like it was a simple walk in the park.  Hmmmm, maybe there is something to John Howard's philosopy of "start slow and taper."

We made it to the top of Mt. Sizer, gathered our token (a nickel with "Team #2" written on it), and we headed back down.  The downhill was far tougher for me than the uphill.  My knees have suffered from too much abuse over the years and my patella tendons were screaming as we made our way down the steep slope.  I had to stop occasionally and massage my knees to loosen them up.  I am not sure what to do, but I need to work on improving my knees if I want to continue on this sport.

Pretty soon we could hear the creek again and it was a very welcome sound - the hill would be over.  After we crossed the creek my feelings immediately changed.  I no longer wanted to hear the rushing water.  I wanted the silence that meant we were far away from the creek and on our way back to HQ.  A good warning sign for me is annoyance.  If I get annoyed during a workout is usually means that I need to eat, so I started pushing down another Harvest Bar.  It was a good choice as I started feeling better immediately.

Amazingly we actually saw some headlamps above us on the trail.  We were catching up to another team.  We picked up our pace in order to put one team between us and last place.  We kept hiking along and soon saw even more headlamps.  Unbelievable!  Could we actually catch two teams?  The answer was yes, but Craig wisely suggested that we slow down a bit and maintain some energy.  We slowly crept up on those in front of us while we ate, drank and kept walking.  We walked with the other team for a while.  It turns out that they had missed the first checkpoint.

Them:     "was CP 1 right next to the outhouse?" Us:  "ummm, it was next to the red cabin, is that what you mean?" Them:     "no, it was one of the fiberglass porta-potties." Us:  "I think that you were in the wrong spot." Them:     "Hey guys, we were not even close to the CP."

Since it was an out-and-back course we hiked right by CP 1 on the way in.  We directed them to the checkpoint and continued heading back to camp.  The last downhill section into the HQ was really painful for me, but it was soon over.

The Hike:  about 12 miles, a little over 4 hours , the incredible pace of 20 minutes per mile !!!!!

***************************     THE TRANSITION  ***********************

Since we are new to this adventure racing game we were totally unorganized for the transition.  We all changed clothes, and digging through gear bags at 4:30 am can be time consuming.  Craig and Paul dissected the mountain bike course while refueling.  I changed clothing, but could not bring myself to eat very much.  I really need to work on refueling.  After a small rest we grouped up to head out on the bikes.  According to Rich the Raid and Eco-guys took only about 3 minutes to head back out on the bikes.  We took at least 35 minutes.

The two teams that had come in behind us on the hike were now regrouping to head out on the bike.  A couple of guys could not continue, so the teams were adjusted.  Paul, Craig and I stayed together, and we were about to set out on the first night mountain bike ride that any of us had ridden.

********************    THE MOUNTAIN BIKE   ********************

The first part in 'heading out' is finding the right trail.  We grouped up at the park entrance and started speculating as to where to go.  It was still dark so we could not clearly make out where the trailheads were.  In addition the two teams that had come off of the hike behind

"I think it's up there." "But we need to go South-West not North-East" "Maybe it's over here" "No, maybe it's over there."

At this point I got a little snippy and said something like "let's just look at the da#$ map!" which was a good idea as a quick look at the map clearly showed the trail head.  The entire pack set off.

The first hundred yards was uphill, but a gradual downhill soon followed.  Since there were about 9 of us in the pack Craig, Paul and I soon were dispersed throughout the paceline.  At the first trail junction, Paul and Craig's map skills really played out.  The team in front stopped to check their map and BOOM! Paul veered left and we blasted by the other team.

At this point I need to clarify something about equipment.  While most people have some type of suspension on their mountain bikes, Paul and I were the only two present who have decade old - rigid frame mountain bikes.  To be honest, both of our bikes were not even "Top of the Line" quality when we purchased them, so we are riding rigid frame bikes with low level components.

Back on the trail, the other team caught and passed us - at least until the next trail junction.  Once again, they stopped to consult their map as Paul cut left and kept moving.  Very soon it was Paul, me, and Craig with the other teams somewhere behind us.  With the limited light provided by our headlamps we did not realize exactly how steep of a trail we were descending.  On our return trip we would be pushing our bikes up this hill - very slowly - as it was at least a 12% grade.

As the temperature was sitting close to 24 degrees, we had to stop often in order to warm our hands.  Craig could barely feel his brake levers which can be very unsettling on such a steep hill - actually it strikes terror in your heart!

Even with our frequent stops we were clearly ahead of the pack.  I was more than a little surprised that the two guys with antique mountain bikes were opening a gap on the better equipped pack behind us.  There is probably a good explanation for us being faster that relates to someone in the other teams being injured or not having adequate lighting, but it sure made me feel good to open a gap no matter what the reason was.  We soon reached and crossed through a nice flat section aptly named Poverty Flats.  The clue for CP 3 mentioned "after you pass through Poverty Flats."  Little did we know that meant that we had to get out of Poverty Flats and then some before we reached CP 3.

Leaving Poverty Flats was a harbinger of the rest of the ride.  The hill started out smoothly and ramped up.  We were soon in our smallest gears and the hill kept going up.  We had to get off of our bikes and push.  This would not be the last time that we would be pushing our bikes today.  At the top of the hill we mounted up and rode forward.  Of course there would never be a "flat" section.  This was an up and down course.  My front derailleur was not working properly, so I was not able to shift out of my little chain ring.  This was fine for the uphill sections, but it prevented me from picking up much speed on the downhill segments.

We had been riding for over an hour and we had still not made it the 5.4 miles to CP 3.  I think that our average speed was about 3 miles per hour...  At this point Craig's altimeter watch proved it's usefulness.  Per Paul's reckoning if we were not at CP 3 yet then we should be at about 1600 +/- feet of elevation.  Per Craig's super watch we were at 1670 feet - which meant that we had even further to go to get to CP 3.  We kept riding until we hit the trail intersection with the "new trail marker" and easily found CP 3.

As you can imagine at this point the path away from CP 3 was almost straight downhill.  This was a dicey decent that ended in a creek crossing.  We had moved quickly away from the checkpoint to keep our lights from being used as a beacon to the following teams.  Our strategy was sound, but did not come to much as it was very difficult to find the continuation of the trail after we had crossed the creek.  We fanned out to find our path which took us several minutes.  As soon as we were back on track the following team came to the creek crossing - which meant that they could use our headlamps as a guide for finding the trail.  After a short push uphill we mounted our bike for a very steep decent.

All three of us had brake problems on the way down the decent.  I had to bail off of my bike twice before I lost total control.  I can only assume that wafter rolling our bikes through the creek some water had frozen on our rims while we looked for the trail.  After a few minutes of the downhill (and the bail-offs) my brakes finally started holding.  We crossed another creek at the foot of the downhill and started moving upward once again.  Soon we were walking our bikes again.

This was a very low point for us.  Our average speed was incredibly low, and we had another very large hill directly in front of us.  I wondered about the usefulness of this training.  Craig mentioned something about eviscerating Rich (the event organizer).  Paul and I rapidly agreed with Craig post-event plans - heck I just got a new Spyderco knife for Christmas and I needed to find a use for it.  In all honesty we were really hurting, and it showed in our black moods.  No matter how dark our mood we kept moving forward either by pushing or riding.  Rich had said that the mountain bike portion should take 3 1/2 hours total.  We were nearing the 2 1/2 hour mark and we were still a few miles away from the turnaround at CP 4 (Kelly Lake).  We kept moving forward.  After about another 45 minutes we met Raid-guy and Eco-guy who were heading back.  We were on about a 3% uphill, so we were moving steadily but slowly.  They were on the corresponding downhill and it looked like they were flying.  At least they were exceeding the 3 1/2 hour projected time too ;-).

Some time later we also met the second place team.  Again we were on an uphill and they were on a downhill - next time I want to meet somebody when I have gravity on my side!!!

I was feeling very sleepy, and then we made our biggest navigation error.  At a T-intersection the trail to the right was marked "Kelly Lake 2.0 miles."  Paul took the right and charged forward.  I did not remember discussing this trail intersection, but I had not studied the map.  After about 1.7 miles Craig checked his odometer, and realized that we should be at the checkpoint by now.  I was falling asleep on my handlebars, so I suggested that Craig and Paul go ahead to the checkpoint while I took a nap.  As he rolled away Craig yelled, "eat something before you got to sleep."  I sucked down a Gu just to get some calories inside me.  Some time later I woke up to the sound of Craig and Paul approaching.  They had not found the checkpoint.  The rested while I woke up, and we turned around to head back to HQ.  When we came to the T-intersection we found our mistake.

On the right side of the trail was a marker "Kelly Lake 2.0 miles - to the right," and on the left side of the trail was another marker that we had missed "Kelley Lake 1.7 miles - straight ahead."  We did not pay attention and we had paid.  Craig and I were ready to head home, but Paul wanted that darn checkpoint.  Somehow we convinced Paul that we had done enough, and decided to skip CP 4.  As we were resting at the T-intersection I finally got hungry again, and I wolfed down the stack of Fig Newtons that I had been carrying since midnight.  Wow, they tasted great.  A couple of mountain bikers that I had met in Santa Cruz came by and asked us about the trail.  We talked for a bit, but at first they did not believe that we had actually started our workout at midnight on the previous night.  It is a good feeling to look at someone who is riding well and know that you have been on the trail since before they even went to bed.

The sun was up now and the ride back was incredible.  The hills and vallies provide for some incredible views, and our rest stops were very scenic.  The ride back was basically uneventful and we kept to the time schedule that we had projected when we had turned around.  The Paul ran out of water.  I offered him a drink from my camelback, but it was empty too.  Craig was also out of water.  I had not brought any water purification supplies, so the last hour was without water.

Crossing Poverty Flats was no problem, but the big downhill that we enjoyed on the way out was now a big uphill obstacle.  It was tough enough to push our bikes, but it was even harder to have no fluids to drink.  Oh well, this is the home stretch.  Finally we were about 1 1/2 miles from HQ and we met Rich.  All three of us were surprised that Rich was still around.  We were also glad to know that he had chosen to stay until everyone was back in.  Rich offered to push our bikes and I gladly accepted.  Rich's first comment was priceless "man, your bike is heavy!"  Tell me about it - I have been fighting that thing for over seven hours now.

We made it back to HQ.  We did not eviscerate Rich.  We actually thanked Rich for going through all the trouble of organizing the event.  I am sure that it took a lot of work to plot the CP's, pre-run the course, create the clues, and then wait for all of us to return.  We really appreciated Rich's effort although we were emphatic about wanting to actually RIDE our mountiain bikes at the next event.  Not so much pushing next time please.

Total time on the Bike Leg:  about 8 hours which equates to a 3.125 mph average!!!

Paul, Craig and I changed and packed our gear.  The drive home was pretty hard because we had all been awake for over 24 hours now.  I drove pretty well until the last mile before our exit where it became incredibly difficult to keep my eyes open.  We made it safely home.

Looking at the event from today's perspective I am very happy.  We learned a lot about 'what we need to learn' in a low-key noncompetitive environment, and best of all it was free!!!!

Thanks for putting this together Rich.

[r0rorowurboat]

All of them!

200: My crush’s name is: n/a lmao199: I was born in: naples, fl198: I am really: gay?? idk197: My cellphone company is: t mobile196: My eye color is: green/blue/gray/idk man195: My shoe size is: 7 1/2 8 sometimes194: My ring size is: um i think that was 7 too but i dont remember193: My height is: 5′4″192: I am allergic to:pineapples and penicillin191: My 1st car was: a v old red saturn190: My 1st job was: a waitress189: Last book you read: um i think it was uhhhhhh shit uhhhh god fuck it was the warrior cats book but!!! it was bc i was stuck at my sister house with nothing but bibles or that series to read188: My bed is: an air mattress atm187: My pet: is perfect and i love her her name is luna and shes a little black cat who loves cuddles and kisses186: My best friend:is wonderful and i love him185: My favorite shampoo is: uhm. error i hardly ever use shampoo bc i have v dry curly hair and it makes it horrible184: Xbox or ps3: pc boi183: Piggy banks are: cure182: In my pockets: they dont make pockets in womens fashion wtf are you on. but uh. usually my phone, wallet, and keys181: On my calendar: i.. dont.. have one. 180: Marriage is: alright i guess. tax benefits179: Spongebob can: do that annoying laugh 178: My mom: tries v hard177: The last three songs I bought were? *squints* i think... it was keshas new album?176: Last YouTube video watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQuR8LVKhUE175: How many cousins do you have? 2174: Do you have any siblings? yes i have 3 older sisters173: Are your parents divorced? yeup172: Are you taller than your mom? nope171: Do you play an instrument? not anymore but i used to play clarinet170: What did you do yesterday? uhm spent the day at home as usual[ I Believe In ]169: Love at first sight: nah man168: Luck: to an extent i guess?167: Fate: i dont think so. 166: Yourself: sometimes165: Aliens: yes164: Heaven: nah163: Hell: nah162: God: nah161: Horoscopes: yes160: Soul mates: nah159: Ghosts: hmmm probably158: Gay Marriage: yes!157: War: no156: Orbs: orbs?? what are those?? like in ghost hunter shows? bc if so then no155: Magic: hm. what type? i think theres stuff we dont know about but idk if id call it magic. I think certain things have more power than we give credit. idk its hard to explain.[ This or That ]154: Hugs or Kisses: hugs153: Drunk or High: drunk152: Phone or Online: online151: Red heads or Black haired: redheadsredheadsredheads150: Blondes or Brunettes: hmmmm blondes i guess?149: Hot or cold: cold148: Summer or winter: winter147: Autumn or Spring: autumn146: Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate145: Night or Day: night144: Oranges or Apples: hmmm oranges143: Curly or Straight hair: curly 142: McDonalds or Burger King: mcdonalds141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: milk chocolate140: Mac or PC: pc139: Flip flops or high heals: usually sneakers tbh but uhhh i own more heels then flip flops138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: hm i mean i guess sweet and poor? im already poor so137: Coke or Pepsi: i dont drink soda, water. or coffee136: Hillary or Obama: obama135: Burried or cremated: cremated134: Singing or Dancing: singing133: Coach or Chanel: um. walmart? 132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: who or who?131: Small town or Big city: hm idk. probably city? 130: Wal-Mart or Target: target129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: neither pls128: Manicure or Pedicure: hmmm manicure probs.127: East Coast or West Coast: i live on the east coast but idk west coast is home to a lot of friends so hmmmm126: Your Birthday or Christmas: its like a week apart there isnt much difference125: Chocolate or Flowers: chocolate124: Disney or Six Flags: disney123: Yankees or Red Sox: i dont sports[ Here’s What I Think About ]122: War: icky121: George Bush: memes?120: Gay Marriage: im gay119: The presidential election: my vote didnt matter!118: Abortion: its your body your choice117: MySpace: never had one116: Reality TV: i mean, its fake? entertaining tho115: Parents: eh. 114: Back stabbers: icky113: Ebay: cheap stuff112: Facebook: only for family tbh111: Work: pays the bills110: My Neighbors: dont know them109: Gas Prices: expensive108: Designer Clothes: overpriced107: College: wish i could afford it!106: Sports: nah105: My family: haha104: The future: haha[ Last time I ]103: Hugged someone: my grandma a few days ago102: Last time you ate: pizza a few hours ago101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: moving day seeing my extended family again100: Cried in front of someone: the other night with my mom or uhhh in call with kina today actually99: Went to a movie theater: wow uh pretty long time ago i dont actually remember98: Took a vacation: haha idk man97: Swam in a pool: wow uh idk96: Changed a diaper: hm last time i was with the twins. not sure how long its been. maybe 2 or 3 months?95: Got my nails done: when did my sister get married? years ago idk94: Went to a wedding: ^^93: Broke a bone: never have92: Got a peircing: about a year ago91: Broke the law: heh uh 90: Texted: a few hours ago[ MISC ]89: Who makes you laugh the most: probably kina or riley rn88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: my mom tbh. the kids. wyatt. 87: The last movie I saw: the orphan86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: hm idk getting a job i guess85: The thing im not looking forward to: getting a job lmao84: People call me: by my name. but i have nicknames now!! Ray, rachi, babe, ray baby... its very nice and makes me feel warm and fuzzy and loved83: The most difficult thing to do is: hmmm clean? be honest about things that are bothering me? idk82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: never81: My zodiac sign is: capricorn sun aquarius moon80: The first person i talked to today was: the gc i think?79: First time you had a crush: i was v young and they had freckles and red hair and i died78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: um i try not to hide things in general! but someone who will call me out recently is raiken and archie lmao77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: riley lmao tho i beat her to it 

76: Right now I am talking to: riley75: What are you going to do when you grow up: i am grown up technically. uh. hopefully be an animator74: I have/will get a job: as a cashier probably73: Tomorrow: i have a job interview and then im gonna get coffee72: Today: was a long day71: Next Summer: hmmm idk70: Next Weekend: IDK GOD69: I have these pets: a cat!! who i love!!! and already gushed about but shes laying on my lap and purring rn and its so soothing68: The worst sound in the world: scratching against those uhhhh holographic things???? god i hate it67: The person that makes me cry the most is: hmnn my dad haha66: People that make you happy: my friends!!! Kina, Ali, Archie, Riley, Leo, Raiken, Mimi...... all of them good pals the squad my faves i love them65: Last time I cried: today rip64: My friends are: GOOD AND AMAZING I LOVE THEM63: My computer is: big! and i like it62: My School: none61: My Car: ded from the hurricane rip me60: I lose all respect for people who: are shitty? idk. 59: The movie I cried at was: hmmmm idk movies dont usually make me cry58: Your hair color is: uhm it was really dark blue but as the color has faded it kind of looks black/brown now57: TV shows you watch: a lot of them56: Favorite web site: uh i guess tumblr55: Your dream vacation: not being here!! probably just going around visiting everyone and hanging out having a good time54: The worst pain I was ever in was: tearing a ligament in my knee it hurt a lot53: How do you like your steak cooked: medium 52: My room is: messy51: My favorite celebrity is: ummm idk50: Where would you like to be: home tbh49: Do you want children: idk48: Ever been in love: ye47: Who’s your best friend: hhhhhhhhhhhh raiken46: More guy friends or girl friends: girls and nb babes45: One thing that makes you feel great is: just hanging out with people tbh44: One person that you wish you could see right now: i guess that would be my mom haha43: Do you have a 5 year plan: i did once. idk what happened to it haha i guess things never really go according to plan and it just hurts more to make one. just set goals, not plans.42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: i did once but i dont think i have the same values as i did when i made that41: Have you pre-named your children: i used to but idk if i want kids anymore40: Last person I got mad at: ummmm hmm 39: I would like to move to: hmm somewhere with 4 seasons not just summer and less hot summer38: I wish I was a professional: artist[ My Favorites ]37: Candy: kit-kats36: Vehicle: um idk small ones i guess35: President: obama? idk34: State visited: ooohhh michigan33: Cellphone provider: ive only ever had the one so idk32: Athlete: uh31: Actor: uh30: Actress: uh29: Singer: hmmmmmmmm rn i would have to say Bea Miller but check back with me in a week28: Band: The Silent Comedy27: Clothing store: hmmmm cotton on has really comfy clothes26: Grocery store: target or publix25: TV show: rn? bnha24: Movie: hhhhhh um idk uhhhhh moulin rouge i guess? it used to be my fav but idk anymore23: Website: tumblr22: Animal: elephants21: Theme park: epcot20: Holiday: halloween19: Sport to watch: none18: Sport to play: none17: Magazine: none16: Book: hmmmmm A Monster Calls15: Day of the week: none14: Beach: hh13: Concert attended: never been12: Thing to cook: uh i guess eggs11: Food: sushi10: Restaurant: its a really good sushi place with bubble tea and thai donuts that i dont remember the name of9: Radio station: hhh idk8: Yankee candle scent: idk7: Perfume: i dont really like perfume it gives me headaches6: Flower: ooooh gardenia5: Color: blue/green teal4: Talk show host: john oliver3: Comedian: hh2: Dog breed: hmmm husky? also labradors and uhhh all dogs tbh ohhh pitbulls and rottweilers i love dogs good yes1: Did you answer all these truthfully? ye mostly

[johnnyrebuniverse]

Let’s Get Personal Challenge

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?

Jealousy(Robert DeLong) Genesis(Armors) Tennis Court(Lorde) Fool’s Game(This Century) Drive(Glades) Thorns(Luna Shadows)

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

I would meet my Grandmother. I never truly got to know her because she was in a hospital bed and could never speak to me. So I would meet her.

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

“A hero among commoners, Bacon nonetheless was an aristocrat who simmered over his lack of access to the governor’s inner circle.” (A Patriot’s History of the United States.)

4: What do you think about most?

I think about all the ways I can say hello and goodbye the next time I see her...

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

“Yeah tbh…”

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Depends on how depressed I am. (No judging.)

7: What’s your strangest talent?

I can describe interpersonal struggles to a person’s life by merely looking into their eyes for at least 15-17 seconds.

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

Girls make better sweaters; Boys make rocks out of feathers.

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Yes actually. I was touched.

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Just now. I always end up doing it when I listen to music.

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

Hmmmm, I’m terrified of holding someone's last words forever in my mind. Does that count?

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

Never. Q-Tips, are totally natural objects.

13: What’s your religion?

I am a follower of The lord Jesus Christ. :)(Christian)  Religion is relative and subjective.

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Running or working.

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Yes. Just yes.

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Gaah. Probably This Century.

17: What was the last lie you told?

That I was okay when they asked me how I felt about being stalked by my ex.

18: Do you believe in karma?

I believe in justice.

19: What does your URL mean?

It’s from the Civil War era, a common jock made by Union to Confederates soldiers.

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

What kind of weakness? Okay okay...fine. W-1: Giving too many second chances, loving too hard. S-1: Singing to bring people together, people, and running fast. W-2: When she runs her fingers through my hair(imma be honest) S-2: When she smiles at me and says I’m strong enough for both of us. :)

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

Oooooo! Emma Stone or Lorde(Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor.) :) #EmmaStoneandLordeisbae

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

Nope.

23: How do you vent your anger?

Guitar and singing or running...for a long time. It gives me time to think of how dumb I am.

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

Hmmm, I have a collection of loose leaf sketches I’ve made over the years.

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Talking on the phone.

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

I’m happier with him that who he was, but still striving for better.

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

Sound I hate: Crying(breaks the heart) Sound I love: Laughter or piano bar jazz.

28: What’s your biggest “what if”?

What if… I became all the things I swore to never be. Would I be loved?

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I believe in certain spirits and the Holy Ghost. I like the idea of ghosts and aliens though.

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

Right: Nothing Left: Corkboard.

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

Book paper, wood and coffee.

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

Downtown Ohio.

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

East.

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Lorde. (Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor)

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

To love, live, and strive for good things and give glory to God no matter how hard life becomes.

36: Define Art.

The expression of beautiful things through poetry, music, lyrics, painting, drawing and dancing.

37: Do you believe in luck?

No… mostly because i’ve never had any. lol

38: What’s the weather like right now?

Night. Hot. Florida… hot.

39: What time is it?

9:31 pm.

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

Not legally. Lol And yes.

41: What was the last book you read?

“Strategies for Academic Success.”

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Yeeessss.

43: Do you have any nicknames?

I have a few. :)

44: What was the last film you saw?

Despicable Me. (I got bored...very very bored.)

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Broken heart. Lol (no but really) Dent in my forehead(still there) from a bike wreck.

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Yup. it was kinda terrifying.

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

Yes...Her… Journalism. Lorde. Making people smile(it counts)

48: What’s your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual.

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

Yup, it wasn’t fun...at all.

50: Do you believe in magic?

Not unless chocolate cake counts.

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

No actually. I just have a lot of sadness for them.

52: What is your astrological sign?

Gemini/Virgo (I have two cause I’m special lol)

53: Do you save money or spend it?

Yes.

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?

Mountain Dew.

55: Love or lust?

Yes.

56: In a relationship?

In heart, mind and spirit.. Waiting in body.

57: How many relationships have you had?

Two “relationships.” but no real ones.

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Heck no.

59: Where were you yesterday?

School.

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Yes... There is something pink on my wrist.

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

Always.

62: What’s your favourite animal?

Wolf, fox, hawk and J-raff’s. lol

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

What? None that i am aware of. Ask other people. lol

64: Where is your best friend?

I have few in many places.

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

@haileyisradsauce @champasaurus @toonimated @snarkies @kuvshinov-ilya

66: What is your heritage?

40 acres of land and a beautiful sky to share with someone special one day.

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

Writing.

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?

Bound for hell.

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

What?

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

Not sure. I know me and I know my bad sides.

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Save the dang dog and show up with it to work, turning in my things and collecting my last pay check.

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

Probably only a few people. B. Hold her for all of them. C. Death is afraid of what comes after it. I am not.

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Love is trust.

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Jealousy by Robert DeLong

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

HA! I don’t own a cell phone, ask my friends… h-hang on, let me e-mail’em real quick for you.

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Trust. And little reminders of how valued they are in your life.

77: How can I win your heart?

Pick the pieces up after it breaks. Or hold me… heck, touch my chin, with your index finger, run your fingers through my hair and whisper all kinds of stuff(if we’re being honest).

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

Yes.

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

For her. Yes. But for me it’s driving me nuts cause i wanna just freaking love her out loud.

80: What size shoes do you wear?

10 ½ (That whole “foot size” thing isn’t true by the way *cough* living testimony.)

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

“Overrated and Underpaid.”

82: What is your favourite word?

“Lackadaisical” (Lazy)

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

Two hands holding a chipped heart over a cardboard box filled with newspaper. Huh…?

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

“You right” and “I got you”

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

“Holy Ghost” by BORNS. (<3)

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

Whichever creates a more beautiful illustration of my thoughts.

87: What is your current desktop picture?

My working  E.P. Album cover.

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

My mind.

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

“Why do you love me?” Because I’d be terrified if i didn’t tell or show you enough. Having to tell or show how truly i love you would break my heart for you and me. Every kiss would be held by a tear.

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Stare...drool…. Fall back asleep and hope it was a dream.

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Shape shifting.

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

July 19th 2017 11 p.m.

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

None. They’ve made who I am.

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Are we legit sleeping? Or “sleeping”? If we’re actually sleeping then I’m throwing a lock-in with Andrew Garfield. lol

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Well, I’m gonna go to her house and take her to Europe.

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

Not that I know of.

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

When i was like seven or so. Best pair of black corduroy overalls i ever had...ruined.

98: Ever been on a plane?

Nope.

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

“Testing...testing?”

[disableddisaster]

Do all of them ! Blease !!! I Stan u so hard I need the insider deets!!!!!

now THATS what i like to hear :))

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?

asfgsfdg im only listening to after laughter rn

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

@gaysun but thats happening so idk. come to alberta tristan

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

theres not a single book in this room and im not leaving to go look for one

4: What do you think about most?

sfgafdgasfg idk myself, probably

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

”he drank ur orange juice the fuck” - you

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

just my underwear

7: What’s your strangest talent?

im gay

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

girls are good boys are bad (noah fence i love u)

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

yes actually :’)

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

man idk

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

FUCKIGN black BEETLES

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

i dont think so? kleenex?

13: What’s your religion?

man idk !!!!

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

walking to work or looking for dogs

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

in front im a vain bxtch

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

patd.............................................

17: What was the last lie you told?

i know i lied to my mom the other day but i told the truth five minutes later and i dont know what i lied abt

18: Do you believe in karma?

no lol

19: What does your URL mean?

bella swan is a big ass lesbian

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

dude i dont fucking KNOW who am i!!!!!!

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

kristen stewart.. . hayley williams..... shrugs

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

no i dont want any BUGS crawlin around in there.there was an episode of greys anatomy when that happened

23: How do you vent your anger?

i yell to my mom tbh

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

MUGS

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

video chatting is so fun

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

NO LOL

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

sound i hate: paper towels 

sound i love: rain i guess

28: What’s your biggest “what if”?

what IF I fail at life completely wow

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

YES AND YES

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

right, my computer. left, my cup!

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

man idk AIR??????

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

high school

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

CANADIAN west coast

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

hmmmm bad question\

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

AUGHFGKDF not to be dramatic but there isnt one

36: Define Art.

dude i dont know. why is this so fake deep

37: Do you believe in luck?

NO !!!!!

38: What’s the weather like right now?

its dark out  and im inside!!! i dont know!! i think its warm

39: What time is it?

12:25am :O

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

yes! and no

41: What was the last book you read?

eclipse..................sdfghsdghsdfgsfg

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

..............................who does......

43: Do you have any nicknames?

shy!!!!!!!!!!!

44: What was the last film you saw?

dgsfsdfg new moon!!!!!!

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

i dont know!!!!!!!!! i injure myself a lot im clumsy

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

no!!!!!!!!!!! let them be free.

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

twilight, dragon quest 8, paramores new album,.

48: What’s your sexual orientation?

TAKE A WILD FUCKign GUESS

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

YES AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA it was awful

50: Do you believe in magic?

.......................no

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

YES LOL

52: What is your astrological sign?

im a libra :^)

53: Do you save money or spend it?

i cant fuckign save money for shit

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?

a grande coconut cold brew coffee with extra coconut milk :O

55: Love or lust?

what dpes this mean.

56: In a relationship?

no!

57: How many relationships have you had?

3

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

fun fact i have a really really short tongue

59: Where were you yesterday?

went to the bank in the city and the MALL and ate a sandwich

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

no :(:(:(

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

SOCKS ARE GARBAGE

62: What’s your favourite animal?

CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and sheep and giraffes. mostly cats

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

fgkdfgosfkg u think i have a secret weapon???????? bxtch i dont even like me!!!!

64: Where is your best friend?

i texted her and asked her one sec. ok she replied “im in my bed!!!!!”

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

@gaysun @gaysun @hurricance @hurricance @popcornlesbians :)

66: What is your heritage?

idk! im ukrainian and french

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

playing dragon quest and listening to @quidditchlesbian s wild stories

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?

this is so werid asgafdgadsf

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

duh

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

i mean probably. im kind of annoying tho

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

sfgadfgadsf save the dog im not HEARTLESS my job gives me no hours anyways lol

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) probably bc i overshare b) probably just pet my cats c) sort of?

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

TRUST

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

..................someBODY

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

2980

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

trust and communication also i think attraction is important tbh

77: How can I win your heart?

be a cute girl and be nice to me. maybe have a cute animal or smth

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

MMMMMMMMMM ABLEISM

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

gay

80: What size shoes do you wear?

5? 6?

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

”gay bxtch”

82: What is your favourite word?

LESBIAN

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

i wish i was on my phone id add the yellow heart emoji

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

”wow id die for u”

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

earlier i was listening to live in chicago

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

yellow adn PINK

87: What is your current desktop picture?

its a pic of bella swan

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

theoretically like donald trump but probably my abuser :)

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

bxtch u could ask me literally anything and id tell u. literally aything

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

go back to sleep. plot twist im actually just having a sleep paralysis episode

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

the vegetables are mushrooms and ALSO iwanna teleport or fly

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

the other morning i had a really relaxing breakfast at tim hortons i just listened to music and ate my bagel. it was nice

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

JSDFKJSFG u think i can choose? ur FUNNY!! 

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

oh,,.. .my fucign god. tjis is such a loaded question,. HAYLEY WILLIAMS

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

JENNA (or nyc but shes not there rn so probably just wherever she is!)

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

i think my bio dad was in jail once. maybe

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

no ew throwing up is a huge fear of mine

98: Ever been on a plane?

yep i love planes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

“im gay”

THANKS TRISTAN

[we-are-the-sickness]

Do all of the questions, *just do it flex*

GOTDANG IT SPAGHETTI 1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?MMM fuc man. Ok. Inhale by stone sour(still), the hollow by a perfect circle, no leaf clover by metallica, wide awake acoustic by Chris Cornell, beauty school by deftones, and any lamb of god song lmao2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?I know it's happening in 4 month (holy fuc) but I'd say You.3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. Tf u think I'm getting off my BED for a BOOK rN?4: What do you think about most?building my future and the things I'd like to do5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?It's probs from u or gemi hold on "Ravioli ravioli give me da formuoli"UNBELIEVEABLE SAMANATHA6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?I either sleep in my undies w a shirt or no shirt n just undies but usually the earlier7: What’s your strangest talent?I can burp whenever I damn well please8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)Girls...disappoint less than Boys disappoint 9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?Aaaah yes yikes it's been awhile yikes10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?Probably yesterday11: Do you have any strange phobias?FEAR OF HOLES 12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?yes14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?Absorbing the sun coz I need that D15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?Behind usually I have this idea in my head that I want aesthetic shots of myself but I KNO that's never gonna happen16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?*screaming* no17: What was the last lie you told?I ate18: Do you believe in karma?I think so yes19: What does your URL mean?We are the sickness that cleanses the earth clean.20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?My strong will to protect, and my strength would be I usually can analyze situations and how to handle them fairly quickly I guess 21: Who is your celebrity crush?Ben mendelson atm 22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?I don't think so23: How do you vent your anger?I box in the summer time and the rest of the time I make art and listen to music.24: Do you have a collection of anything?CDs and cookbooks lmao25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?Hmmmm idk depends on the day 26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?I'm happier with who I am now than who I was. I want to improve everyday27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?I hate hearing my mom chew it literally makes me wanna die. But I love the sound of laughter especially when I caused it28: What’s your biggest “what if”?What if I won't be able to do any of the things I want to achieve.29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens? Yes n yes my boi30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.Air n air31: Smell the air. What do you smell?Linen 32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?Illinois. (I live here) or my grandmas33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?WEST34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?UNMM wow omg look at my blog fam I mean,,,fk35: To you, what is the meaning of life?To change, and to love.36: Define Art.The expression of ones inner self37: Do you believe in luck?Sometimes lol38: What’s the weather like right now?Cold as fuck But I think the sun is out39: What time is it?12:3240: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?Yes and almost41: What was the last book you read?Anthony Kiedis' book42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?Sometimes43: Do you have any nicknames?God yes. SAV, savvy, savage, baguetti, sun, sunshine, veena, vanny, salamander, mom, etc etc44: What was the last film you saw?A DRESSMAKER IT WAS AMAZING HIGHLY SUGGEST45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?I haven't broken a bone YET but everything else has happen so I can't name what was the worse46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?OUI47: Do you have any obsessions right now?I'm obsessed w cleanliness at the moment48: What’s your sexual orientation?Bisexual 49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?MMM plenty50: Do you believe in magic?Oui51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?I do. But since last summer Ive realized it's better for me and the ones I love to let go.52: What is your astrological sign?Aquarius!53: Do you save money or spend it?Save54: What’s the last thing you purchased?Bananas I think55: Love or lust?Love.56: In a relationship?It's complicated but I love her far beyond the moon and back57: How many relationships have you had?4 I think58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?I USED TO59: Where were you yesterday?in my house60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?Yes yes61: Are you wearing socks right now?Nope62: What’s your favourite animal?,,,wolf63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?Uh idk be kind to them64: Where is your best friend?I have a couple but the ones I talking to rn r in California(u), Tx, and LA 65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.@jeffhannemontana@coreytaylorworld@jaymzcatfield@flowernips@metallica-slipknot66: What is your heritage?Scottish and German and Jewish I didn't know if the Jewish was for sure until my grandmother showed us my great great grandfather that was wild.67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?Pinterest most likely68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?Lucifer Trump69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?Omfg yes70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?I would like to say so71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?Um save the dog obviously wtf72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? Idk if I would tell anyone. I may just because they deserve to know what to dob) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?I would spend it with a couple people and do a few things I wanted to do& I think I'd only be afraid for the ones I love tbh73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.I know what having love w out trust is like and that didn't turn out well 74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?The hollow, definitely 75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?170676: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?Understanding of the past and the present. And constantly trying to be better than we once were.77: How can I win your heart?I mean u already did but I'd say compassion wins my heart a lot of the time78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?Oh god idk it just happens usually music tho79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?Not give a shit abt what other people think and just focus on how I feel and how to make myself better80: What size shoes do you wear?7-881: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?The lyrics to "stop it now (seagulls)"82: What is your favourite word?Meme83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.I thought abt this heart vase I wanted awhile back omg84: What is a saying you say a lot?Be patient 85: What’s the last song you listened to?Some atmospheric acoustic music idk ask Spotify86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?BOi black, purple, red, white, n turquoise, OHHH AND EMERALD87: What is your current desktop picture?it's a vintage star map88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?I have a long list but probably trump89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?If my parents asked me if I'm gayI'd be scared to death90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?Get tf up and take my belongings and leave m y h o u S e91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?Shapeshift92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?When I was little I lived in this house that had skylights and it was across from the lake. My mom had plants in the house and it was warm. I would want to be that age again and play with my dog and feel that warmth again93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?Something that happened when I was young.94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?Like sleep sleep? MMM James would be nice to sleep w he's soft95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? CALI96: Do you have any relatives in jail?yep97: Have you ever thrown up in the car? When I was a wee lass98: Ever been on a plane?Oui oui99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?Learn understanding and learn that love and change is the only way we all can make this world a better place.

[luckygirl-blog1]

Breaking Storm At Midnight

There is a certain…let’s use the word impulsiveness…to what I do as a landscape photographer. One minute I’m typing happily away on my computer, and the next minute a story pops up on my news feed about the Spring flooding in Yosemite Valley. A few short hours later I am in my car at 2 AM after an hour’s worth of sleep heading off to shoot the Alabama Hills for sunrise before heading off to Yosemite to shoot a flooded Merced River.

Somehow I managed to say awake all the way up to the Alabama Hills where Skyfire actually paid off. I shot a fairly nice sunrise before jumping back into the Prius and heading off to Yosemite. Roughly six hours later I pulled into the valley which was completely covered in low clouds. I kept driving as I knew that my first stop had to be Swinging Bridge where the water level was reported to be at epic levels.

Unfortunately, it seems that many, MANY other people had seen the same story and my timing could not have been worse. The line began just as I passed Bridal Veil. It took me 30 minutes to get to Swinging Bridge, and there was no parking at the bridge, no parking at the meadow, no parking at the Chapel, no parking any where near Yosemite Village or Camp 4……

Over an hour later I was still driving and finally found a spot to pull over West of camp 4 as every parking spot in the valley was taken. Eager to see the water level at the river, I set off for Swinging Bridge, which now meant hiking a couple of miles back across the valley.

I wasn’t disappointed. In all my years of shooting Yosemite, I’ve never seen the Merced like this. The water came within inches of hitting the top of Sentinel Bridge and had jumped its banks at the footbridge on the way to the Chapel. The meadow in front of the Chapel was completely swamped. Swinging Bridge was likewise almost engulfed by the river which roared underneath. I eyed the bridge suspiciously and noticed that someone had broken police tape which looked like it had been placed by the rangers. I tried to follow the path on the North side back to my car, but another branch of the Merced River was now flowing across the path. I thought about rolling up my pants and going for it, but I could see myself going down hard on the slippery mud underneath. So it was a long, wet hike back to the car. On the way back I kept shooting the various waterfalls that I had never seen before which were now feeding the Merced and flooding the meadows on the valley floor.

It was getting dark by this time and the rain was coming down harder, so I decided to head off to Oakhurst to grab some food and some wifi while I figured out if I should stick around or go home. After arriving at Jack In The Box, I used the wifi (I have T Mobil which has NO signal in the park) to bounce between several weather apps. The National Weather Service was calling for an 80% chance of rain with no break in the weather until Sunday night. But the satellite showed the storm was falling apart and the low was drifting far lower than what had been forecasted.

Hmmmm.

Having been burned one too many times by the National Weather Service, I decided to trust my gut and to stick it out. At this point, I was VERY toasted and it took me 2 -3 hours to get back into the valley as I had to keep pulling over to grab some sleep. After my last nap, I looked up and saw stars! I picked up my pace, and sure enough, when I got back into the park, the moon was now shining brightly over the valley. I headed immediately back to Swinging Bridge which was now deserted. I was the only photographer shooting the bridge, the only photographer shooting the meadow by the chapel, the only photographer shooting the ponds on the other side, El Capitan Meadow, the Bridal Veil Pullout and ultimately the only photographer when I arrived back at the tunnel. There were a few other cars driving around while I was shooting, so there must have been other photographers out there, but I was alone at each of those locations.

Which brings me to this shot, which was the last of the night. I had just pulled up and managed to get 3 exposures before the clouds began moving in again. A minute after I had started shooting, I was engulfed by fog again and the clouds were still there when I left the following morning at 10 AM.

So…yes, I suppose I am a bit impulsive. But in this case, I’ve never been more thankful. There were waterfalls coming down in every direction in that park. Cascades on Royal Arches, Ribbon, Sentinel, Horsetail, and a few others that I’ve never seen going before. And the reflections! It was like there were suddenly 14 new lakes across the valley floor with stunning reflections in every direction. It was also interesting to see how quickly the water level dropped by midnight. By the following morning, the water levels were at least a foot lower than the highest point on Saturday afternoon. I”l try to get more shots up from my two days of shooting up soon, either here or on my blog.

I headed home exhausted on Sunday morning only to find a 2 hour back up due to an accident on the Grapevine. Being the impulsive person that I am, I decided to spend those two hours exploring rather than sitting in traffic. So I headed East through a town called "Arvin" and finally out to the 58, to the 14, to the 5, to the 210 and finally back home on the 57.

Impulsive: "A wide range of actions that are poorly conceived, prematurely expressed, unduly risky, or inappropriate to the situation." Yeah…that about sums it up.

But what a great weekend!

————–

Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions or need to get in touch with me, please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:

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Posted by WJMcIntosh on 2017-05-09 12:59:55

Tagged: , Yosemite , Yosemite National Park , Moonlight , Tunnel view , Bridal Veil Fall , El Capitan , Nikon D750 , Nikkor 14-24, 2.8

The post Breaking Storm At Midnight appeared first on Good Info.

[preoccupiedpens]

Dream Hunters Chapter 10: Great White Sharks

IT ONLY TOOK A DAY

for buyers to be interested in the sea serpent that Raijin caught. Eight in the morning, buyers already came one by one for different parts of the serpent.

            Some scales from the sea serpent were still intact. Since it can be used for jewelry and medicine, a certain guild of crafters bought the good scales for six hundred lanias. Not a bad bargain.

           Then, a restaurateur came and bought all the meat that could be salvaged from the sea serpent. Luckily, ninety percent of the serpent’s meat was of high grade. Mr. Manta was paid four thousand lanias for the meat.

           The remaining carcass and bones of the sea serpent was bought by blacksmiths to be used as materials for weapon and armor. Mr. Manta received two thousand five hundred lanias for those.

           Bu afternoon, almost all parts of the serpent was sold. Even the innards were sold to be used as bait by other fishermen. One thousand lanias were given to Mr. Manta for those.

           All in all, the whole sea serpent was sold for eight thousand and one hundred lanias. That will be enough to buy a house and lot or a brand new fishing boat still with change.

           Mr. Manta, who sold the sea serpent part by part, immediately phoned Maelstrom Tavern to notify Raijin. As soon as Raijin heard the good news, he straightaway went to Mr. Manta to receive the payment. Daisuke accompanied him since Riku and Jack were still sleeping.

           Riku received sixty precent of the total sales which was around four thousand eight hundred and sixty lanias. Mr. Manta got forty percent cut for managing to sell the whole serpent. It was a nice deal considering that Mr. Manta has always been the buyer guy of Riku. Those will still be deducted by twenty percent tax as per Port Royale’s law, which will leave Raijin around three thousand eight hundred and eighty eight lania. Still a good sum for a single catch.

           “How will you divide your money now?” asked Daisuke.

           “Well, half of it will go straight to the loan sharks. Half of the other half will go to Boris, the remainder will be mine.”

           “That will leave you around nine hundred seventy two lanias. Those loan shark, how much do you owe them?”

           “Five million lanias.”

Daisuke’s eye widened and his jaw dropped as he heard the amount.

“But my parents already paid most of it. The loan sharks told me that the remaining balance is around three hundred thousand lanias.”

           “Woah. That’s still a lot though.”

           “Well, as long as I get to catch a sea serpent, then there will be no problem.”

           And as they walk back to Maelstrom Tavern, they saw three men walking towards them.

           “Ahhh! Raijin my boy! Heard you caught another sea serpent. How do you do it?”

           “Mr. Sera. It’s quite early to see you around this place, isn’t it?”

           “Well, my men and I want some fresh air from time to time. And who is this young elf with you?”

           “Daisuke. Nice to meet you.” Said Daisuke.

           “Likewise. So, anyway Raijin my boy, you’ve got quite a lot there.”

           Daisuke wanted to step in, but Raijin held him. “The earlier the better.” Raijin smiled as he handed Sera some of the money he received.

           “Atta boy! Now c’mon boys. I want to go to the lighthouse.” Sera said as he and his lackeys left.

           As soon as Sera and his men were gone, Daisuke talked to Raijin. “You should have let me punch those bastards.”

           “Don’t try to do anything stupid, Daisuke. The Great White Sharks has been here for a very long time. Sera and his brothers were not even born yet when the Great White Sharks was formed.”

 As soon as they are back in Maelstrom Tavern, Raijin went to Boris to pay him up. Riku and Jack are already up and eating brunch.

           “Good morning, guys. Or afternoon.” Said Riku. “Anyway. where have you two been?”

           Daisuke sat down with them. “I accompanied Raijin to get his payment for the sea serpent.”

           “That was fast. Did he received a good amount?” asked Jack while munching his burger.

           “Reasonable. I guess it’s already a lot considering his job.”

           While the two were eating, Daisuke told them about the conversation he had with Raijin and Boris last night. Riku and Jack both couldn’t believe that they easily got a tip on the possible location of the statue.

           “It sounds too good to be true, but it’s the only lead we have so far.” Said Jack.

           “But going to a country with an active war, isn’t that a problem?” Riku said worryingly.

           “You’re right. For all we know, the country’s borders may be closed." replied Jack.

           “Then we’ll just sneak in.” said Daisuke.

           “It’s not that easy, you now.” Replied Riku.

           “Then let’s just think of something after we get there. It’s still three, four kingdoms away anyway.” Said Daisuke.

 The trio bid farewell to Raijin and Boris as soon as Riku and Jack finished eating. They thanked them for letting them stay and for giving them a few supplies and valuable information for their travels. They went to the town center to plan out their journey.

           “It’s still too early guys. You want to go around first before we leave the town?” Riku asked.

           “Yeah. We haven’t spent a lot of time here as well. I was thinking of going to the western side to check what’s in there.” Said Jack.

           “Isn’t the United Alliance headquarters of Port Royale found there?” said Riku.

           “Really? Then I guess I can check that out as well.”

           “How about you, Daisuke?”

           Daisuke was staring at the lighthouse on the eastern port of Port Royale. “Well, I really wanted to check that lighthouse by the cliff.”

           “OK. I wanted to visit some shops before we leave. We could use some supplies.”

           “Great. Then let’s all meet up by the fountain, front of the post office in two hours?” Jack suggested.

           “Sure.” Said Daisuke.

           “OK then. I’ll see you both later!” Riku left first.

           Daisuke and Jack waved at Riku. “Well, I’m heading this way. See you later, Daisuke.”

 As soon as Riku and Jack went to their respective destination, Daisuke went straight to the lighthouse found at the cliff east of Port Royale. The lighthouse is quite far away, so Daisuke took a while to get there.

           By the time he got there, he did not saw anyone. He was hoping to find Sera and his lackey. Too bad, Daisuke thought.

           Daisuke looked around and saw the name of the lighthouse. “Eurusyneim…”

           “House of the god of east winds, patron of sailors.”

           Daisuke flinched. He turned around and saw a young blonde man. “Oh, umm, am I not supposed to be here?”

           “Hahaha. Anyone is free to visit this old lighthouse.” Said the young man. “It is said that this was built by the second generation of people who settled here in Port Royale. They built this in honor of one of their gods called Eurusyn, and to ensure the safety of sea farers.”

           “Are you the caretaker of this lighthouse?”

           The young man chuckled. “That’s a no as well. Name’s Torai. I’m the captain of U.A. that’s stationed here. I’m just here to enjoy the fresh breeze.”

           “Yeah. Wind’s fresh up here. I’m Daisuke by the way.”

           Torai walked towards Daisuke and noticed that he is an elf. “You’re from Maria Island, correct?”

           “Umm, yeah. I’m with my friends here. Did you happen to see three guys around here?”

           “Hmmmm, not really. You’re the first one I saw here today. Are they your friends?”

           “Oh, no. Just some loan sharks.”

           “People from Great White Sharks, huh. They’re pretty nasty bunch.”

           “Yeah. My friend was even wondering why U.A. isn’t dealing with them.”

           Torai walked towards Daisuke and looked at the horizon and let out a sigh. “As much as we want to deal with them, we’re actually quite preoccupied. We’ve been dealing with constant raids from treasure hunters. And the funny part? We do not even have any treasures here.”

           “How about before? I was told that they’ve been here for a long time.”

           “I wasn’t captain that time yet. And by the time I became a captain here, we’ve already been under constant raids.”

           “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to interrogate you or something. I really just hate those guys.”

           “Hahahaha! It’s okay. Well, I hope you guys enjoy your stay here on Port Royale. We’ve got a lot to offer. Specially the ales.”

           “Hahaha! Yeah, we had a good one last night. At Maelstrom Tavern.”

           “Ooooh. Nothing beats that tavern’s owner in ales. Anyway, it’s nice meeting you, Daisuke. If you and or your friends ever need something, you can find me at the headquarters. It’s just west of Port Royale town proper.”

           “Will do.”

           Torai then jumped. As he jumped, thunder boomed from where he stood and the ground was smoking. Daisuke was surprised that Torai was now a hundred meters above. Then, another thunder boomed as Torai lunged himself towards the headquarters.

 At the Hammerhead Tavern, Hammer and his men are preparing all of their weapon.

           “Sir Hammer, everyone is prepared now. When do we leave?” said a lackey.

           “We leave before sunset. The Fishbone Hunters will arrive when the U.A. least expects it.”

           That moment, the transponder rang.

           “Brother?” said Hammer through the transponder.

           “Gyahahahaha! Brother Hammer! Are your men ready?”

           “Yes, brother. My men are always ready.”

           “Good. We’re seeing Port Royale from the horizon now. Looks like the U.A. stationed there are quite lax today.”

           “Well. There has been no attack from hunters for the past three weeks. We’ve managed to condition them by stopping any hunters that will try to enter Port Royale.”

           “Good. Then all we need is a good distraction. I assume we can rely on you and your men for that.”

           “Of course, brother. We’ll take care of that. Just make sure you and your men will get here.”

           After the call ended, the Great White Sharks continued to check their weapons for the upcoming battle.

 At the market, Riku is looking around for foods and other essentials since they lost most of their stuffs at the sea.

           Food is not a problem, she thought. They could just hunt down a deer or boar, or whatever is available on the way. What they needed are some clothes that they could use.

           While walking around, looking at the clothes, she bumped into a muscular man with a shark tattoo on his shoulder.

           “Hey! Watch where you’re going, elf!” said the muscular man.

           “Oh. I’m sorry. I was looking at the clothes.” Riku sincerely apologized.

           The other two tattooed men went around Riku.

           “Hohoho. She doesn’t look bad though, Sera.” Said the other guy the muscular man is with. He also have a tattoo of shark on his shoulder.

           “Hey! You wanna come with us?” said the other guy.

           “Hmmm, if you come with us, I could consider forgiving you.” Sera offered as the other two laughed.

           Riku has now lost her patience and started to get irritated.

           “I’m sorry, but I have more important things to do than to go with you fish brains.”

           The people around started to get nervous at the scene. Some closed their stores. Others left the area.

           “Hey! Don’t you know who we are? We’re the Great White Sharks!” said the Sera.

           “What’s the point of asking me if you’re going to answer anyway?” said Riku.

           The people who are still around laughed discreetly, But Sera saw them. Even his two lackeys tried to hold their laughter.

           Sera’s face turned red. “You’ve done it now!” He took a runestone and activated it. The runestone turned into an ax. He slashes his ax towards Riku, but Riku simply dodged. Without even using her powers, she simply kicked Sera behind his knee. As he fell on his knee, Riku kicked him on the back of his head. Sera slammed to the ground so hard that the ground cratered

           The people started to run away because of the commotion. Suddenly, someone took her hands. “Hey! What are---“

           “Let’s go! Before more of them arrive!” said Raijin.

           The two of them ran away from the area.

           “Oy! Wasn’t that the Raijin kid?!” said lackey number one.

           “I thought so too. Looks like he knows that elf girl” said lackey number two.

           “Let’s help boss Sera first.”

           “He’ll be in big trouble now.”

[rebeccahpedersen]

Market Over-Supply?

TorontoRealtyBlog

“One, two, three, four, seven, eight.”

That’s what my daughter just said, for no apparent reason, as she sits at the dinner table next to me and eats her noodles.

Yes, I am writing a blog as she eats, but that’s life.  That’s my life.

I remember life before my daughter, and while most people with kids rhetorically ask, “What did we even do before we had kids?” I remember.  Vividly.

For one thing, I would play golf every Sunday.

I mean, why not?

Did my wife care?  Not in the slightest!  We were footloose and fancy-free, not tied down, with the only responsibility in our lives being a dog, and I guess, each other.

After working 7-day weeks for the better part of a decade, I cut back to six days several years ago and decided I would golf every single Sunday, so long as I could find a partner.

Call me a creature of habit, or simply let me admit that I like routine, but every Sunday at 10am, I would pull up in front of the Tim Horton’s on the southeast corner of Jarvis & Dundas, order a “Bagel BELT” and a large regular coffee, and proceed to head north on the 404 for about 45 minutes to one of a couple of golf courses we frequented.

Upon meeting my friend at the driving range, he would always see the Tim Horton’s coffee cup and ask, “Any stories this time?”

For those of you that remember that particular Tim Horton’s location, let’s just say it was a bit………..odd.

Jarvis & Dundas was never a great corner, but the area surrounding Jarvis & Dundas can be a bit sketchy, depending on which way you walk.  And many Sunday mornings, that Tim Horton’s would resemble The Walking Dead, with zombies stumbling around out front, and often inside the Tim’s.

We’ve all seen aggressive pan-handlers in our lives, but how about inside a restaurant?  How about a foaming-at-the-mouth vagrant leaning over you and your breakfast sandwich, asking you for the 9th, 10th, and 11th time if you have money for (apparently) food?

That Tim Horton’s was a scene, man.  Let me tell you.

But it was my Tim Horton’s scene, and the experiences always gave me a story to tell.

There was one neighbourhood resident who was always inside wiping down tables, hoping that people would give him change.  The folks at Tim Horton’s let him do it; I’m not sure why, but perhaps they saw that he was making an effort, and he was polite, and presentable.  After a couple of months, I saw him one weekend wearing a Tim Horton’s t-shirt and hat.  I didn’t think it was my business to inquire, but I wondered if they officially gave him a job, or if they just let him wear the gear, and threw him a few dollars.

Eventually, the inevitable “DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL” sign went up on the west-side of the building, and I remember taking a photo of the sign after a couple of weeks, which I shared on my blog:

At the time, I remarked that the whole “Housing Now” demand was a sign of things to come, and the “Not Just For Rich” was, in itself, a bit rich.  After all, truly “rich” people would not be investing in condos at Dundas & Jarvis.

The building was torn down in either 2015 or 2016, I can’t quite recall.  But I do know that the following summer, I changed my pre-golf routine to frequent the Tim Horton’s at King & River Street instead.

And boy was it ever boooooring!

In any event, if you returned to the intersection of Jarvis & Dundas today, you simply would not recognize it.

There are condos on three of the four corners:

SW: 159 Dundas Street East – Pace Condos – 35 Storeys, 272 Units, Built in 2016.

SE: 181 Dundas Street East – Grid Condos – 47 Storeys, 528 Units, Built in 2018.

NE: 200 Dundas Street East – Dundas Square Gardens – 48 Storeys, 968 Units, Built in 2018.

Not to mention, just south of 159 Dundas Street East is a new 30-Storey student residence called “HOEM,” which was finished in 2017.

Now to be totally honest, and here is where I run the risk of angering people who live and/or own in these buildings, let me say this: there are many areas of Toronto in which I would rather live than Dundas & Jarvis.

I think everybody would agree, except, um, you know – those that live and/or own there.

Now if the area offered a substantial discount from, say, King & Jarvis, then eventually the potential purchase would make sense for the right buyer.

Where prices are going is exactly the underlying topic of today’s blog, and I say “underlying” because it’s actually a by-product of the surface topic, which is the insane amount of inventory currently available at Grid Condos.

Grid Condos was registered as Toronto Standard Condominium Corporation #2694 late in 2018.

Many unit owners had already leased their condos out during “occupancy” (the time between taking the keys, and the condo being registered), but many, as is often the case, did not.

Now that the building is registered, we’re starting to see units hit MLS, and this is where my eyes just about popped out of my head today.

For context, there are 528 units in the building.

Can you guess how many units are up for sale at the moment?

4.

Four units up for sale, out of 528 units in the building.  That’s less than one percent!

Can you guess how many units are up for lease at the moment?

Well, hold on.  I’m not going to give it up that easy.

For context, how many units are up for sale in some of the more sought-after buildings further south?

33 Lombard Street – 1 55 Front Street – 2 230 King Street – 1 168 King Street – 1 39 Sherbourne Street – 2 333 Adelaide Street – 3 112 George Street – 2 138 Princess Street – 1

Okay, fair.

So how many units are up for lease at 181 Dundas Street as of this writing?

151.

That’s not a typo.

One-Hundred-Fifty-One.

Be honest – what are you thinking?  I’m dying to know.

Kind of a lot, wouldn’t you say?

Now my opponents will simply say, “David, you know this is common.  The building was just registered, and that’s when people look to lease or sell.”

Very true, and I’m not denying that.

But, I mean, what if there were…………….say………….forty?  Forty units?  Would that be a lot?  Because I think it would be!

151 units for lease in a 528 unit building.  That’s almost thirty percent.  And while I don’t track this sort of thing and can’t provide context on a relative basis, I think we can all agree that on an absolute basis, 151 units for lease at the same time is just nuts.

Not only that, an even fifty units have already been leased in the building, and that’s only since January 13th!

Do the math – that’s 1.19 units being leased every day!

So what happens now?

Now that there are still 151 people in the building looking for tenants?

Well, now we see the powers of supply and demand work in the opposite way that we’re used to.  Now we see unit-owners under-cut each other on price in a way that we see in bear markets.  Now we see a glimpse of a world that would-be-buyers, market bears, and dreamers of all kinds long to experience in Toronto!

In terms of what is available in the building, I think there are 91 one-bedroom units and 60 two-bedroom units, but because so many owners of “1-bedroom-plus-den” models are trying to pass the den off as a second bedroom, I can’t be sure.

The one-bedroom units range in price from $1,800 per month to $2,400 per month, but of course, these are different layouts.

So let’s pick one particular layout and see just how messed up the pricing is in here.

The floor plans don’t have cool names, so we’ll just have to settle for one called, “GRID560,” which appropriately measures 560 square feet.

There are currently eighteen of this particular model and layout, with the same view, and the lease list prices are as follows:

$1,850 $1,850 $1,950 $1,950 $1,950 $2,000 $2,000 $2,050 $2,050 $2,100 $2,100 $2,200 $2,200 $2,200 $2,250 $2,300 $2,300 $2,400

Now I’m no math major here, folks, but I’d say that the delta between highest and lowest in this case is a little too high!

And not only that, you might need to ready the rubber-room for the folks priced at the higher end of the spectrum, because they’d have to be nuts to think they can get that kind of action.

I honestly can’t tell you how often I come across this kind of lunacy.  Whether it’s a seller over-valuing, or a wishful-thinking buyer hoping that an offer of the “full list price” has a hope in hell against nine competing bids, lunacy is alive and well in real estate.

What goes through the mind of the person priced at $2,400?

“Well, there are two units up for lease at $1,850, and three more under $2,000.  The median seems to just over two-grand, so, I think, hmmmm…….I think…….I think I’m going to ask $2,400.”

You might be wondering, “Is there anything different about this particular unit?” and the answer is “no.”

It’s not furnished, it’s not a penthouse (as though you’d pay $550 more per month to be up a few levels?), and no toilet-seat-warmer, corian counter, or slightly-better engineered hardwood floor can make an $1,850/month unit worth $2,400.

These units are essentially all identical, as they’re all owned by investors who bought off floor plans and didn’t put any thought into “upgrades.”

Now guess how many of this model have been leased thus far?

Two.

And guess how much they were leased for?

$1,850 and $1,875 per month, respectively.

So did those owners just bite the bullet, or is that what this model is actually worth?

Fun question, right?

“A property is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it,” the saying goes.  So in this case, could we argue that even if the two properties that leased were owners “biting the bullet” that it doesn’t matter, and that this is the true value of the property for lease?

What if the next two units lease for $1,825 per month?  Then the next one goes for $1,800?  Where does this end up?

There’s a real prisoner’s dilemma here, or call it unorganized collusion, but if I were the owner of one of these units, I’d look to get a tenant in there asap at $1,850 per month.  I don’t see prices going up any time soon, with 18 of the same model up for lease, and another 70-something 1-bedroom units still competing.

In the end, I’m not surprised by any of this.

These buildings were never going to be targeted by end-users; not based on what was in this location to begin with.

Nobody who frequented that Tim Horton’s restaurant and said, “You know something?  If they ever tear down this place, and the cheque-cashing place next door, and the sketchy convenience store next to it, I’d really, really like to live here.”

This building, and likely those in close proximity, were always going to be targets for “investors,” and I put that in quotations because they are so-called investors, as evidenced by those trying to get $2,200 – $2,400 per month for an $1,850 unit, all while competing against 90-something other listings.

With 151 units currently up for lease, 50 already having been leased, and more being listed every day – all in a 528 unit building, I think it’s safe to say this building was primarily bought out by investors.  There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, as this is the case for many other condos in the downtown core, some of them being great places to live, but I bring this story to your attention because it provides a warning that few will ever choose to notice.

If you were an “investor” in a building where 151 units were up for lease, and your unit was sitting vacant, burning a hole in your pocket every month, you should be scared sh!tless.

Vacancy rates in Toronto are less than 1%, so the market will eventually absorb all of this inventory, but at what price?  And after how long?  How many of these investors worked this into their forecast when they first purchased?  How many can absorb the financial repercussions of settling for $1,850 per month when they thought (or were told/promised by the developer and/or property management company) that they could get $2,300, all after four months of vacancy?

We’re constantly told that real estate is foolproof in Toronto, and that losses are near impossible.  On a long enough time horizon, I would agree.  For an experienced individual, of above-average intelligence, financial literacy, and general business savvy, I would think it’s tough to miss in the long run.

But there are going to be some losers in this project, that’s for sure.

I don’t know how long it will take for the market to absorb 151 more units, after having already taken on 50 in a mere forty-two days, but I would imagine several people are going to take it on the chin here.

Comically, as the rest of the market suffers from drastic under-supply, in virtually every price point, geographic area, and property type, we’re sitting here looking at a building where 30% of the units are up for lease.

Real estate.

She has a fickle heart…

The post Market Over-Supply? appeared first on Toronto Realty Blog.

Originated from https://ift.tt/2E9no8w

[lil-red-panda]

1-99 please

1) Sexuality? Hetero2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? Itd probably be my friend Yvie3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. I dont have any books near me4) What do you think about most? Life probably5) What does your latest text message from someone else say? Here6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on? Some on 7) What's your strangest talent? I dont really have a strange talent thats im aware of at least8) Girls.... (finish the sentence); Boys.... (finish the sentence) Girls are great. Boys are cool too(?)9) Ever had a poem or song written about you? A poem10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?Probably Sunday night at work11) Do you have any strange phobias?Strange no.12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?I mean my septum is pierced 13) What's your religion?I think itd be Agnostic 14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?Walking15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?Behind16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?Oh jeez, my music changes like the seasons its hard to pick17) What was the last lie you told? Uhhhh.. besides the general im okay i tend to avoid lying18) Do you believe in karma?Yes19) What does your URL mean?Its two nicknames I go by, Lil Red and Panda20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?Im way to nice, and im not sure21) Who is your celebrity crush?Aubrey Plaza22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?No23) How do you vent your anger?Cant say I get angry much but Id like my space if.24) Do you have a collection of anything?You can say I have a collection of mtg cards25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?Video chatting26) Are you happy with the person you've become?Not yet but hopefully soon27) What's a sound you hate; sound you love?Nails on a chalkboard, would the snapchat notification count?28) What's your biggest "what if"?What if im misreading the entire situation.29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?Yes and yes 30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.Tiny pillow, same tiny pillow31) Smell the air. What do you smell?Nothing32) What's the worst place you have ever been to?Ware33) Choose East Coast or West Coast?East34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?Theres so many this isnt fair35) To you, what is the meaning of life?To find happiness36) Define Art.Im not sure how37) Do you believe in luck?Yes38) What's the weather like right now?Cold and storm is coming in tomorrow night I think39) What time is it?1:21am40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?Nope :c41) What was the last book you read?I started reading a small collection of Lovecraft but never finished it42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?My dad was a mechanic so i was used to it43) Do you have any nicknames?Yes lol44) What was the last movie you saw?I think Gaurdians 245) What's the worst injury you've ever had?My lip got split about an inch46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?No47) Do you have any obsessions right now?Awk48) What's your sexual orientation?Het49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?Not that i know of.50) Do you believe in magic?In a young girls heart51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?Ehhh not really52) What is your astrological sign?Aquarius sun/Virgo moon53) Do you save money or spend it?Spend it because im horrible54) What's the last thing you purchased?Food?55) Love or lust?Love56) In a relationship?57) How many relationships have you had?258) Can you touch your nose with your tongue?No59) Where were you yesterday?Home60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?Nope61) Are you wearing socks right now?Yup62) What's your favorite animal?Panda63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?I can sometimes make people laugh64) Where is your best friend?On the other side of this floating rock65) Spit or swallow?(;Oh my66) What is your heritage?Irish, English, French and Polish67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?Probably watching Twitch68) What do you think is Satan's last name?I'd say Draghetti or Gaudio69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?😃70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?I think so71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?I save the damn dog72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?Probably not right away, im not sure, and i dont think I would be73) You can only have one of these things; trust or love.Trust74) What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?Last of the Real Ones75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?343476) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?Honestly, loyalty, reassurance lol77) How can I win your heart?Tbh its as easy as being nice to me sometimes 78) Can insanity bring on more creativity?Yes79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?Could I say joininh tumblr?80) What size shoes do you wear?1281) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?Hmmm...hmmmm82) What is your favorite word?Fuck83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.Love84) What is a saying you say a lot?Oh jeez85) What's the last song you listened to?It was an industrial techno-y song my friend had in his car86) Basic question; what's your favorite color/colors?Purple87) What is your current desktop picture?Its a picture of an Eevee and Pancham cuddling88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?I can think of a few..89) What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?If I say people will ask.90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What do you do?Sit the curiously91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?Flight92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?No93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?Meh94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?Bruh.95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?🇨🇰96) Do you have any relatives in jail?Not that i know of97) Have you ever thrown up in the car?No98) Ever been on a plane?No99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?I would like to use this moment to say I love my best friend Yvie. I hope she knows how much she means to me.

[junker-town]

THE TOP WHATEVER: Georgia will destroy you without even reaching the 2nd page in the playbook

Ranking only the college football teams that absolutely must be ranked at this time.

AS ALWAYS, WE BEGIN WITH UNDEFEATED TEAMS THAT ACTUALLY PLAYED FOOTBALL THIS WEEKEND.

1. Georgia.

The best way to show the size of the giant asskicking pile the Georgia Bulldogs amassed in a 42-7 win over Florida: start with one small point. Jake Fromm, Georgia’s redshirt freshman quarterback, threw seven passes, not in one quarter, not in a half, but for the entire length of one regulation football game against a conference opponent and hated rival.

Unless you are Navy or another triple option team, let me tell you what throwing seven times in a 42-7 win means. It means one team beat the other team’s ass so badly, they didn’t even have to get up off the couch to do it. It means Georgia saw Florida getting Georgia’s last beer out of the fridge, and without really waking up, winged the remote control all the way across the house and into Florida’s temple. The remote control came flying back like the hammer of Thor, of course.

Note: This is the only superpower I can see any Georgia fan really wanting that doesn’t involve golf.

This meant that without even looking at the rest of the box score or watching the game, the Bulldogs probably ran the ball at will. (They did, for 292 yards and 4 TDs.)

It meant that at no point did the Georgia defense allow the Gators’ offense to change the pace. (They did not. Florida’s putrid offense flailed so badly that it might have contributed significantly to firing Florida’s head coach.)

I don’t think it’s just because they play in the burnt-out shell of what used to be the SEC East and are the last unvandalized mansion on the block. Georgia is 8-0 because it’s ridiculously disciplined, well-coached, and unlike a thousand other teams in the country, build around its ingredients.

The Bulldogs have two outstanding running backs and a young QB. Guess what they do? They run the ball with those two backs, block well, and don’t ask Fromm to do too much yet. The Georgia defense? Y’all, just watch how they read and react, and see what simple, systematic teaching can do to free up defenders to make plays without getting too deep in their own heads.

They’re smart. That’s a word the entire state of Georgia has a problematic relationship with, but the truth is that this isn’t UGA’s full potential. This is an intelligent, managed team playing clean, brutal football.

P.S. I don’t even think this team is much more talented than a lot of the teams they face yet. The bulk of what Georgia could be is still in the mail, growing in the weight room in the form of incoming recruiting classes and underclassmen. Doubt this, and ask yourself why Florida tossed Jim McElwain on the curb, free to a good home, and why Tennessee is going to rehome Butch Jones any day now. This is good, but there is much more coming, and everyone in the SEC East knows it.

2. Iowa State Wario.

Iowa State has two losses, so by the standards of the Top Whatever, they can’t make the undefeated rankings. But you know who can? IOWA STATE WARIO.

Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images

THEY’RE A-GONNA WIN

So much came together here:

the extremely smart hiring of Matt Campbell from Toledo

an historic upset of TCU in Ames, the second time an undefeated team has tussled with the Clones and come away bloodied

the decision made by this fan to not only dress up as the finest Nintendo character ever for Halloween,

but the EXCELLENT decision to wear that costume to the game and then onto the field in celebration

and the photographer, David Purdy, realizing the greatness of this moment.

3. Miami.

Tighter win than expected in a 24-19 victory over UNC, but remember: Miami is the kind of team where every game sort of comes out to 24-19, no matter the opponent.

The things to be concerned about remain the things to feel good about. The Hurricanes can’t run the ball, so they have to rely on QB Malik Rosier for production. Rosier put up 350 yards and two TDs in a win, so it continues to be a strength.

The Miami defense gave up 27 first downs to North Carolina, continuing a streak of allowing opposing offenses to move the chains on the Canes. On the other hand, the Miami defense forced four turnovers and is riding a serious streak of turnover luck, soooo ...

Here we are, pointing out that Miami seems to be 2017’s Lucky But Also Good Team, and that’s fine. Miami’s 7-0 and winning where it counts: on the scoreboard and in the standings. The Canes are not just good enough to make opposing coaches mad, but make them mad at the otherwise completely inoffensive Mark Richt.

Hmmmm... Guessing Mark Richt and Larry Fedora won't be sharing the holidays together.. #UNC #Miami http://pic.twitter.com/98YEaKvOpM

— Dave Ross (@drosssports) October 28, 2017

P.S. I hope Richt told Larry Fedora to “stay blessed.” That would be 10 times more infuriating than any profanity he could have thrown back at him.

4. Wisconsin.

24-10 over poor, poor Illinois. Warning: The footage below may be too erotic for some readers.

BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN‼️ @MichaelDeiter! #OnWisconsin http://pic.twitter.com/3ceKTVdsv3

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 28, 2017

You: Wisconsin’s schedule is weak, and they’re not overly impressive

Me: 8-0, and an offensive lineman reminded the world what real joy is. Also, no one has to worry about justifying a thing with Wisconsin. They win in the Big Ten Championship Game and they’re in; they lose, and they’re out, via some pretty comfortable justifications regarding that strength of schedule.

Also, why are you bringing up stuff they can’t control, and not appreciating the fine, fat-dude thuggery of this team’s excellence? All Wisconsin wants to do is drop that ass on other teams’ heads for four hours. Let them revel in their plodding greatness before tangling them up with the Ohio States of the world.

5. UCF.

Beat FCS Austin Peay, 73-33. It’s a cupcake game, but thankfully someone still believes in testing to see whether all the numbers work on the scoreboard. UCF is now the only undefeated non-power team after USF lost to Houston. If the Knights win out, they’ll be that team looking to blindside someone in a New Year’s Day bowl.

DID NOT PLAY THIS WEEK BUT IS PROBABLY THE REAL NUMBER ONE. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT I DO NOT RANK TEAMS THAT DID NOT PLAY, ALABAMA FANS WHO WILL EMAIL ANYWAY

Alabama. Probably the best team in the nation, but also definitely on a bye. Nick Saban definitely spent it horsewhipping his staff into watching 70 hours of footage of LSU’s jet sweeps.

ONE-LOSS TEAMS TO CONSIDER FOR PLAYOFF-TYPE THINGS

Notre Dame. Disassembled NC State, 35-14.

This is a safe space. Admit how fun it is to watch Notre Dame lean on teams until they collapse. Talk about how satisfying it can be to watch Josh Adams run the ball. Okay, don’t talk about that one too much, because Irish fans will flood your mentions about how you’re not respecting Adams enough, even though you’re talking about how good he is? (I don’t know, the Yankees are out of baseball’s postseason, and Duke basketball has started yet, and they’re bored or something.)

It’s not aerial circus pretty. But beauty takes a lot of forms, reader, and it’s important to appreciate them all.

Blocking is fun too .. http://pic.twitter.com/QOy9j4rRWa

— Chase Claypool (@ChaseClaypool) October 30, 2017

That’s mean and admirable, but the real story is the Irish defense. They held NC State to a piddling 50 yards on the ground and harassed talented Wolfpack QB Ryan Finley into irrelevance for much of the game.

For those just remembering that they are Notre Dame fans: Talk about the underrated defense, and hold off on buying that Warriors jersey for a few weeks, and you’ll continue to pass as a Real Human Sports Fan for a bit longer.

Oklahoma. Beat Texas Tech, 49-27. Hopes Iowa State beats everyone for the rest of the regular season, frankly, and doesn’t care who knows it.

Ohio State. Handed Penn State its first loss in a 39-38 thriller. J.T. Barrett went 13-for-13 in the fourth quarter for 170 yards and three TDs and was evidently the best passer in the history of college football for a while. I can’t say for sure that Barrett in that game wasn’t the greatest quarterback to ever play football, and neither can you.

Clemson. 24-10 over Georgia Tech. Hey, QB Kelly Bryant seems to be moving just fine, and that’s nothing but good news for the Tigers’ prospects as they get back into the ACC and Playoff race.

Oklahoma State. Winners, 50-39, over West Virginia, and with Bedlam coming up this week, have a lot in their control re: further ambitions.

Washington. Ran the ball a whopping 58 times against UCLA in a 44-23 win because ... because they could? Yes, because they could. See all comments about Georgia above for what that means about a team in a non-triple option context.

Virginia Tech. If they want to startle some people after a workmanlike, 24-3 win over Duke, beating an undefeated Miami and taking control of the ACC Coastal this coming week would be the way to do that.

TEAMS THAT LOST THEIR FIRST GAME THIS WEEK. PUT IT ON THE TRAILER, TAKE IT TO THE GARAGE, AND COME BACK NEXT WEEK

TCU. A 14-7 loss to Iowa State in Ames is a way more respectable way to fall off the wagon than it used to be, TCU. Take some consolation in that, and the rest of your schedule, which should keep you in contention for all kinds of things.

USF. Don’t watch how USF lost this game 28-24 to Houston. Just know that the Bulls gave up a fourth-and-24 pass for a first down on the final drive, then watched Houston QB D’Eriq King run 20 yards untouched for the winning TD. BAD. IT WAS VERY BAD FOR EVERYONE BUT HOUSTON TO WATCH. LIKE A CAR CRASH YOU SAW COMING BUT COULD NOT SCREAM TO WARN ANYONE ABOUT.

Penn State. Not their fault they lost 39-38; played best college football quarterback ever of the week.