#i like the collector a lot i think hes silly !! your honor hes just a little guy.

[hnrye]

WATCHED THE NEW TOH EP !!!!!!!

[who-talks-first]

Okay I'm having trouble finding everyone's posts from Friday. But I just watched chapter 9 and I have some thoughts.

Opening the episode with Din saying he doesn't gamble then ending it with him making a massive gamble was interesting. Although I genuinely don't think he ever does anything he doesn't believe he can do.

The fights in this episode are amazing. Just stunning:

The fight at the arena. The Child ducking when he sees the Birds activate. "I'm not." Really. Din, stop being so goddamn fucking hot, I'm trying to watch the damn show! The whole dangling the gangster part. "You won't die by my hand." (one of the best parts of the character Din Djarin is he is both viciously ruthless and honorable to a fault. I love it!)

The fighting at the end. Both men flying in sync to kill the beast. The Raiders and townsfolk grudgingly working together. But it would have worked better just leaving the loaded bantha in the valley, luring the best out, and detonating it. Fewer civilian deaths but what do I know, I wasn't raised in the fighting corps. And god at the end when Din soars out of the monster's mouth! I that was how the episode would end as soon as I saw the explosives. But still so fucking cool! Is there a name for that trope? I call it the Hercules.

Can we talk for a second about how Din looks in this ep? The strides, the poses and posture. He exudes so much bde that it physically hurts me. Clearly a lot of that is Mandalorian in nature, if those images of Boba Fett from the comics tell us anything (Fett sitting spread in his ship and Din doing it on the wagon at Sorgan have p much the same energy). Just looking fine as hell through the whole thing, even covered in deadly dragon stomach acid.

And can we talk about how much he says this episode? He explains the Tuskens' behavior, translates, plans, barters, smooches doggies, etc. He talks a lot. And I think that's interesting. Din has this reputation as being awkward in social situations and quiet. And like, it's one thing feeling shy around the beautiful widow who's hitting on you. But he says what he means clearly and more or less concisely, including some one-liners and sarcasm. I think he could be described as "laconic" (my character does describe him as such in the thing I'm writing), which means they use as few words as possible to get their point across. Din has no hesitation in speaking, he just prefers to only speak when he has something to say, if that makes sense.

So happy to see Aunt Peli! And Din being like "eh let them work" That's what we call growth.

The casting. I nearly lost my shit when Timothy Olyphant was under the helmet, looking like a whole ass meal. Like that is the most flattering haircut and beard combo I've ever seen on him. Don't @me but he could get it. And poor typecast Leguizamo. Still great tho. He was fun little asshole.

I love when this show doubles down on the western themes:

Vanth's name, accent, role, and general appearance all line up with a small town wild west sheriff. Just showing up and saving the town, so they're like, you're the Lone Ranger now! Olyphant has played western roles before, including voicing The Spirit of the West (an avatar of the legends and ideals of the wild west modeled on Clint Eastwood's western characters) in the animated film Rango (a lot of the Mandalorian's aesthetic comes from Eastwood's movies).

The Mandalorian theme but softly strummed on a Spanish (nylon string) guitar is very evocative of a border town.

The tuskens represent an Indian tribe. The abandoned mining town. The mysterious stranger who comes to town and saves it. Vanth and Din nearly have a quickdraw shootout! The child is hiding in a spittoon for chrissakes!

It really echoes the 7 Samurai theme of chapter 4. I know it's an overlapping, repeating theme in western film. I guess I was surprised to see it again so quickly.

I don't know how I feel about Din speaking Tusken. Signing was one thing. But I just giggled uncomfortably the whole time feeling it was kinda silly (and I had assumed the reason he signed was because humans couldn't speak Tusken). Was that our big hero, heartthrob, and favorite actor Mr. Pascal sitting in the studio making those noises? Rrrhehh rheh rrhehh! I dunno I'm just. Reeling.

Isn't interesting that Din would annihilate the entire populace of Jawas without batting an eye, but he would do almost anything to protect the Sand People? I know there's something to that, about marginalized/eugenicized groups versus like colonialism and whatever vulture like construct you would attribute to the Jawas. But I'm not smart enough to articulate it.

Okay, so the obvious: Boba Fett. Really shocked to see his armor on someone else. I'd already seen the casting of Morrison, so I wasn't like, "is he dead?" and I knew right away this hick didn't take it off him. I wonder if the Jawas stunned him and removed it. Either way, there's going to be hell to pay. I can't wait to see Din and Boba interact; I wonder how they'll respond to each other. And even though Fett should be in his early 40s (I think) he really looks like hell. I mean, I know he's seen some shit. But I wonder what's been up with him in the last decade or so.

Some stuff I thought I noticed, but I need y'all to help me confirm:

Was that Anakin's podracer engine?

Was that C-3PO graffitied on the wall in the dirty city?

Were we supposed to recognize R5?

There's a couple others but I forgot em. I gotta watch it again.

Some questions:

What was the spherical thing the Tusken Raiders recovered from the beast's remains? The scene mirrored the Jawas and the mudhorn's TSUGA! Tsuga tsuga! Tsuuuga! But that didn't look like an egg. If I didn't know better I would swear it was a pearl. (which almost makes sense if you take into account that this guy eats dirt for a living and could have an organ or extra stomach in there like those gross hard balls they used to pull out of ox bellies) Or was it mentioned earlier and I didn't catch it? There was a lot going on.

What are the sand doggies? They're so cute! And that totally establishes our mans as a dog person. Writers, start your fics!

I'm a bit confused about the town's history. How have the people survived for so long with the beast there? Was it the Krayt dragon that wiped it literally off the map? How does the slaving mining guild fit in there?

It really looks in chapter 4 that those krill are native (it's not explicitly stated tho). If no one even knows where Sorgan is and it doesn't have a big export economy, how do these people in the middle of buttfuck nowhere have spotchka?

On that note, how did that city gangster hear about Fett/Vanth? I mean, I dig that he's a collector of beskar'gam, but like, that's still way out there.

The jingling spurs sound in chapter 5 is deliberately obvious when that mysterious figure comes upon Fennec Shand. Can we assume that's Cobb Vanth there? Because clearly, Fett has been without his armor for a while. If it was Vanth, what did he do with her? I don't believe for a second that she's dead. He's not a bounty hunter and he wouldn't have any idea she was valuable since the Guild had abandoned Tatooine. Barter for help/transportation /goods/labor /etc? Also, if it was Vanth, did he witness the whole thing? If so, he knows who Din is. Maybe knows Toro. I dunno. Lots of thoughts. Did he just stumble upon her while traveling back to his village? I forgot the name already lol Mos Pelegrino?

Okay it's nearly 4 am. I genuinely can't remember if I had anything else to say. Please continue to tag your spoilers cuz I will again not get to view the episode until after y'all do next week. But until then, please come yell at me about our favorite show and space boyfriend. I like crazy theories too.

Love y'all. 😘😘😘

[melodiesofblueroses]

Star Boy (Yoosung x Reader) Pt.2

★ ━ 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩: 3.2k

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4

Bonus: Alternate ending

        It was a rather cloudy night on this particular evening, and Yoosung was engaging in entertaining himself by reading human literature. He had apparently picked up some “shoujo manga,” whatever that was. The young star boy hated to admit it, but amongst the cliche and cheesy romance tropes within these illustrated books, Yoosung found some joy when reading them. Whether it was the sickeningly sweet romance that drove wild fantasies or his imaginations running amok, Yoosung knew for certain that he desperately sought out a relationship. Maybe it stemmed from the many years of lonely nights he had spent putting up stars in the night sky, wondering whether his whole life would be just the same tiring action. It was quite sad in a sense, being so desperate to seek out a relationship. He just wanted any form of affection really. It was embarrassing and brought a bit of shame upon the blonde. Another thing that did embarrass the star boy was the fact that he thought of (MC) whenever the idea of a romantic relationship crossed his mind. Gosh, why couldn’t he get her off of his mind? Was he that into her? Maybe hormones? He was a celestial body for goodness sake, what hormones could he possibly have? Ugh, he had been reading too many human books, hadn’t he?

        There she sat though, in the same spot as always, atop the bright white of the moon. His heart beat a bit faster, remembering the other night where she had told him her name. (MC). Ah, such a sweet name. It flowed easily and was quite comfortable to say. 

        “(MC),” he whispered to himself, a small smile present after. Oh how much he longed to talk to her again. God, snap out of it Yoosung! She’s only talked to you once, and you get butterflies in your stomach from such a tiny interaction! Besides, she probably doesn’t think of you that way! You’re such a tiny celestial being in the grand scheme of things, easily replaceable and unnoticed by everyone. All the other beings talk about the sun, the galaxies, and the planets, the most beloved of them all. A lone star boy doesn’t make a big difference for they just dot the skies in order to allow the other celestial bodies to shine as bright as these stars. 

        Yet, (MC)’s words from that night stuck to him. Did he really have an important role? Did the humans down below really enjoy his work? Do they really kiss and share intimate moments with one another under these stars? For a few moments in his entire career, Yoosung felt important. He felt needed in these vast skies. Why, Yoosung was the one that created the backdrop of the sky, even if it allowed the other beings to shine even brighter. Yoosung was needed in this universe! That (MC) sure had a way with words, making Yoosung feel proud of his job. 

        “Yoosung, is that you?” It was that sickly sweet voice again. To others, it might’ve been a bit too much. Maybe it was quite a bit squeaky, or maybe it was just a tinge too irritating, but that voice was a melody to Yoosung’s ears. Why, it’s (MC) of course, the one Yoosung didn’t want to admit that he had fallen for. 

        “(MC)!” He called out in excitement. “Why aren’t you atop of the moon? You know you can’t abandon your position, or else you’ll get shunned by society!” How adorable of Yoosung to look after (MC). “I’ve finished my duty for tonight, but you are just getting started. The night is still young, and the moon needs its maiden to watch over it.” The last part was a bit embarrassing for inexperienced little Yoosung to say, but it was quite worth it as he saw the cutest little blush on (MC).

        “Don’t worry, I just set out on a little walk. Besides, my job is to care for and look after the moon. The moon will keep on shining brightly even without me.” Her eyes glistened when she spoke about her job, which she was quite proud of; to have the honor of guarding the moon at night, when all of its beauty was cast onto the land below, it was quite a respectable position. Yoosung could only dream of that respect for star boys went unnoticed in the society of the celestial beings. “But, thank you for caring. I admit, not many have really looked my way, instead dismissing my job as too easy and unworthy of being a celestial being.”

        “But that’s far from the truth!” Yoosung proclaimed a bit too loudly. “The moon is so important to both the Earth and humans. Why, don’t you control the waves of the four oceans? You also create spectacular eclipses for the humans down below. How could anyone think of saying that your job isn’t important!”

        “Ah, Yoosung,” she giggled. “Thank you so much for your words. They really do mean a lot to me. As I said before, no one really cares for me.” Yoosung blushed a bit from her words. He didn’t really think that he did all that much, but if (MC) was happy, then so was he. “But, since I’ve stumbled onto you here,” she continued, “why don’t you come with me to the moon and continue chatting there?”

                                                               ~

        It was the first time Yoosung had step foot onto the moon, and honestly, it was nothing like what he had expected. From what he had picked up, the moon was a rather rocky and dull surface. Everything was rather monotonous and filled with craters. It wasn’t the ideal place to be. But, God, all those excerpts were completely off. The moon was one of the most spectacular things Yoosung had seen. Of course, the physical descriptions he had heard were correct, but the experience was something else entirely. 

        The stars surrounding the moon shone with such brilliance and almost acted like a spotlight that it put the moon in. The moon was visible from every surface on the Earth, even behind the clouds that tried to cover up the moon. The light prevailed, and it brought a whole new perspective to Yoosung. God, it was his stars that gave a spotlight to the moon. It was his stars that allowed the moon to shine in all its glory. Yes, his stars may have been the backdrops, but it created a gorgeous scenery that perfectly paired with the moon. 

        Atop the moon, where (MC) usually sat to gaze down below, was a dainty table, decorated with bits of stardust that Yoosung suspected was gifted to (MC) by another being. On the white table sat two cups of tea. (MC) had invited him for some tea! What a dream come true this was for him. He would have the honor to chat the night away with his crush while drinking a beverage the humans so highly valued. 

        “How long have you been a star boy?” (MC) started off the conversation, eyes fixated on the figure that lay before her. This was a first for Yoosung. Someone was truly interested in his work, captivated by his presence. Of course, their last encounter wasn’t taken into account. Yoosung had cried in front of this darling, and he tried to forget that. The first time they had actually spoken was when Yoosung was having a bit of a crisis. Perfect. However, second impressions can just be as important as the first, right? 

        “Twenty or so years, I’m quite new at this as you can tell.” Yoosung tried his hardest to avoid her gazing eyes. He could get lost in them, and quite frankly, it was a bit intimidating. Were people really like this when they listened intently to one another? 

        “Really? I couldn’t tell since your work is impeccable. The orientation of these stars and the way they dot the skies; I’ve seen many star boys, but no one comes close to this level. Your depictions of the constellations and the timing of them are also perfect. I can tell you’ve studied up quite a bit on these stars.” God, why did she have to compliment him like that? Did she like to see Yoosung as a blushing mess? Maybe it was to boost his confidence since she knew he wasn’t as proud of his job as he could be. 

        “T-Thank you,” he replied. This was already off to a cringy start. Wonderful. Was this story going in the direction of a cliché romance story where every interaction led to blushing messes? Well, hopefully, the author knows what she’s doing. “What about you? How long have you been a moon girl?”

        “Hmm, well, it’s been around a decade or so I believe. I’m still quite new you see. I’ve been a stardust collector for most of my time out in these vast skies.” She paused to take a sip of her tea. “I’ve always been in such a low-class position, just trailing behind those of importance. It was what I was best at, I believe. I never really uttered a word and just followed those beings that made ‘shooting stars’ and meteors, gathering the stardust that was left behind.” (MC) then made a sweeping motion to the table they were seated at. “This is where I got these starbits and stardust. I couldn’t bear to throw such beauties away, so I always collected and stored them somewhere in my room where I spent the sunny days in. I believed that such beauty would be a shame to be discarded.

        “Thus, I was mocked a lot of the time, by subordinates and those who I thought cared for me. ‘What a silly girl to collect such trash and debris’ they all said, sneering and looking down with such shame and disgust.”

        “But aren’t the starbits and stardust the ones that help decorate the night sky?” Yoosung interrupted, quite taken aback at her story. “If they weren’t so beautiful, then what would their purpose in the night sky be? Didn’t the universe put them there in order to decorate the empty sky? How could they say such a thing?”

        (MC) giggled at his innocence. It was a nice change of pace, always being supported no matter what your opinions on certain topics were. Yoosung was a ball of light in her world full of ridicule. “For a moment, I fell for their lies and deception. I truly thought that I was a naive and stupid little girl who didn’t know a thing about the night sky. After all, I was just a lowly servant to those who created masterpieces in the night sky, such as star showers and meteors. I couldn’t begin to understand the true nature of the night sky.

        “That was until I met Hyun. Oh! I don’t think you know him.” Yoosung thought that name sounded familiar, then remembered it was that fellow who was a bit too praising of his own looks. And he had the nerve to call Yoosung naive! Yoosung scrunched up his face a bit at the remembrance of such a fellow, and (MC) caught on to that. 

        “I see you’ve met Hyun. Yes, he can be a bit overbearing at times, but he was the only one that truly believed in me at the time. I remember when I was assigned to pick up the stardust and bits he left in his path. In our first meeting, he flirted with me. God, how tasteless he could be.” She stopped to giggle at the thought. “But he was always kind to me and treated me as if I was his equal. He never once looked down at me. 

        “One night, I decided to confide in him, reveal to him all of these negative thoughts that were swarming me. He was quite the listener, which took me by surprise. But he gave me such good advice, and bit by bit, he began to help me build my confidence. ‘Don’t listen to those who put you down,’ he once said. ‘You love to collect the stardust, and that’s beyond adorable. If you enjoy it, then why care what anyone else thinks? You live your life the way you want to.’”

        “Besides that, there was this one quote that stuck with me ever since, and I always look back on it. ‘What other people think only lasts a second...but how you consider yourself lasts forever.’”

        Yoosung was quite taken aback by (MC)’s past. He always thought that everyone loved such a sweet angel like her. And that jerk Hyun helped build her confidence? That was certainly uncalled for, at least in Yoosung’s eyes. He didn’t really know Hyun all too well, but his first impression was something else. To be fair, Yoosung’s first impression to (MC) was him crying about how humans didn’t appreciate his work (which is quite alright. Our dear Yoosung just doesn’t know how to be too confident just yet). He wasn’t really one to say anything. 

        “So it was Hyun that helped you out? I always thought that you were so confident and proud of your job! You were so helpful to me last time, and I truly do appreciate you! I can’t believe that there were people who tried to belittle you. That’s so awful!” Yoosung pouted after his little rant. He couldn’t really think of anyone in his life who tried to belittle him. Sure Yoosung wasn’t confident in his work, but no one tried to bring him down. Everyone around him was so supportive of him getting a job as a star boy. He couldn’t imagine a situation such as that of (MC). “But, how did you end up as a moon girl if you started out collecting stardust?” 

        “Apparently, Jihyun, the sun of our solar system, really liked my dedication to my job and basically promoted me to moon girl. Of course, all that hate and negativity came back, and I almost faltered once again, but Hyun was with me this time. He always supported me and basically applauded me for getting a promotion. To be honest, as corny as it sounds, I don’t know where I would be without him. He was one of the first people to ever support me, and I’m so happy to know a guy like him.”

                                                             ~

        The nightly moon chats became a routine for our star boy and moon girl. Every night, once Yoosung finished his duties as quickly as possible, he would make his way over to the moon, chatting the rest of the night away with (MC). Yoosung would like to think that the two of them grew closer due to this ordeal, often sharing intimate secrets and childhood stories. It was quite peculiar, two strangers bonding over similar experiences. Maybe it was due to the fact that (MC) had first seen Yoosung in quite a vulnerable state. Maybe (MC) just felt comfortable around Yoosung. Whatever it was, Yoosung was pleased to finally have someone by his side. The passing nights were continually growing lonelier, and (MC) was an escape from his duties and the society in which they were apart. 

        One night, when the sun was just over the horizon, about to give the spotlight over to the sun in order for it to shine, Yoosung came up with an idea. It was directly after one of his nightly chats with (MC), one where Yoosung finally realized his true feelings. He loved (MC). Now, he always knew that he had a crush on her, ever since he first saw her elegant form, but that was different. He thought that it was just a tiny crush, a fleeting feeling. Perhaps he was just a bit too lonely and started imagining what a relationship would be like. 

        But after endless nights of talking to her, Yoosung realized what his feelings meant. He realized why his heartbeat just a bit faster whenever she was around, what those butterflies in his stomach were, and why he could imagine a future with her. Yoosung truly loved and cared for (MC). She was his escape from reality, from his duties as a star boy, from his frustrations and struggles. (MC) was always there for Yoosung, ready to listen to any vents and give advice. What an angel she truly was. And now, Yoosung wants to do the same for her. He wants to be there for her, similar to how Hyun was always there for (MC). You could say that it was a tinge of jealousy, but Yoosung would rather believe that it was because he truly loved (MC) and wanted her to live a comfortable life. 

        Therefore, he came up with an idea. Yoosung would give (MC) a gift, maybe confess his love for her in the process. Whatever it was, Yoosung wanted to get across to her that he cared for her and would always be there for her. But the problem was, what would a good gift be? He knew that it had to signify his intentions, but he couldn’t quite think of anything. Mm, maybe a piece of a meteor? Nah, what if that reminded her of her past job. Stardust? She already had plenty. Ugh, this was quite difficult. 

He spent the entirety of the next night thinking of a suitable gift for (MC), sitting atop a fluffy cloud that floated throughout the sky. Yoosung had a good idea of what (MC) enjoyed. Maybe he could find a way to harvest some dried flowers from the humans down below. The problem with that, however, is that it was forbidden to go near the human surface. Everything known about humans had been recorded by the ancestors of the celestial beings, those daring enough to go and blend within human society, thus providing many forms of human literature that any celestial being may choose to read. And Yoosung didn’t know of any rebels that could sneak into the human world. Well, that idea was crossed out.

        Maybe he could gift her a book from his shoujo manga collection. But did she like shoujo manga? Ugh, another idea crossed off. He should’ve asked her beforehand. Mm, what else would (MC) possibly like. Maybe he could draw her something. After all, don’t handmade gifts signify that one cares for an individual. The only problem with that is Yoosung wasn’t much of an artist, and he didn’t really know anyone that would willingly draw him a portrait or something. 

        After dwelling on many ideas, Yoosung came up with the perfect gift. Yes, this gift would get across his message to (MC), plus, it would also signify that Yoosung would always be by her side. It was perfect. Now, he just had to start on it. Alright, his plan had gone into action. Yoosung was feeling a bit jittery. Would she even like this gift? Well, he hoped so because that was the only thing he could think of right now. 

        However, there was a bigger problem dwelling on the surface that Yoosung had completely forgotten about. Yoosung had neglected his duties that night, instead using his time to think of a gift for (MC). That cloudy night, Yoosung had forgotten to put up the stars in the sky.

[warsofasoiaf]

What is your favorite redemption or reformation arc in fictional literature, film, or TV? Would any characters from ASOIAF make your top 5 list? I think mine is probably Derrick Vineyard in American History X. I liked how he tried to share his beliefs with his brother, girlfriend, and former friends so that they would have the opportunity to change as well. I think too often redemption arcs rely on the reformed person having to kill their family to be fully "redeemed" and it's kind of silly.

That’s hard to pick, there are plenty of good ones. For a video game, honestly I loved Arthur Morgan’s arc, when you play him with high honor and really go out of your way to do all the sidequests.

I’m going to put in a cut just in case of spoilers

What really cements Arthur as a great redemption arc for me is that you actually spend time in the gang being the bad guy, even when playing a guy with high honor you’re still stealing and murdering from a heck of a lot of people. And in the end, it’s what gets you killed, when you beat Thomas Downes and end up getting afflicted with consumption purely by luck (and plot of course, it’s not like any of the other blood you come into contact with extensively during the game infects you), in some small way it’s the violence of the action that gets Arthur killed. Once you learn that, a lot of the final act becomes a lot more somber, Arthur goes through a lot of the motions trying to do what he can, and he gets plenty of great reactions. The Widow Charlotte is grateful when Arthur helps her be a stronger, more sure person, teaching the skills of combat and hunting to her but moving away from the van der Linde’s toxic family where the skills being taught come with induction into the criminality, the violence, and all of the things that make the group not good people. 

Edith Downes though, hates you and always will hate you, even when you help out her son in the mines. She’s been forced into prostitution, she very clearly has syphilis from it, and hates Arthur for what he did acting as a debt collector. The problem of all the wickedness that the character did still being a real thing that actually happened isn’t glossed over, Edith hates him and has every right to do so; Arthur’s change of heart didn’t stop her from being forced into prostitution. And in the end, Arthur doesn’t end up getting revenge on Mycah (Dutch obviously cannot because of Red Dead), the reward for high honor is not being executed like a rabid dog only.

So you endeavor to do what you can, and that simply has to be what it is. Noah Caldwell-Gervais did a pretty phenomenal job with his analysis on Red Dead here if you’ve got some hours to kill.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[shewhowantsmouseears]

The Son Of Scheherazade, 14

Notes: As always, big thanks to my amazing editors Drucilla and BlueShifted!

Originally I planned to have the priest and the enemies of this chapter played by Mickey-world villains, but, after being unable to think of them, decided to have some fun with short-lived hits Wander Over Yonder and The 7D. Hope I got them right, or as right as they would be in the roles they need to play.

This chapter's ridiculous plot was thought of years in advance because I am so easily influenced by gag-romance tropes in manga and I have a silly sense of humor. "Madeline" Mouse is the name of Mickey's cousin in a comic from long ago.

When I was younger I was told my name means Honeybee in Greek, or something. IDK if that's true, but there you have it.

Summary: In order to get the first piece of the map, Mickey and his friends must enter a contest... but not win? Can they survive Daisy's tricks, or will a darker force steal more than just a victory?

It took several days to reach the borders of Rumansy, and their arrival was a great relief to everyone. No matter how hard Mickey and the others begged and pleaded to Daisy for further information about the task before them, she refused to speak of it “too early”, because what fun would that be? On this particular day, full of bright sunshine and hot winds, Mickey was standing in the crow's nest, the area littered with maps and pens. Ever since Daisy had revealed the truth behind his parents' kidnapping, he had devoted all of his free time to studying every inch of every map the ship had. If they couldn't find the fourth piece of the mysterious map they were searching for, they had an entire world to look through but not enough time to do so. Often he stayed up late at night to study, trying to memorize layouts of towns and deciding which maps filled in the holes the others were missing.

During those nights, Minnie would stay in her lamp, hearing nothing but the gentle scratching of pen against paper. It was soothing and frustrating at the same time – she couldn't help him at all. Or rather the only way she could help him, her wishes, he refused to use.. It made her question her place on the ship, since everyone had their own roles. Mickey had done so much for her and for everyone he met, and no doubt he would continue to put the needs of others before his own. The night before they arrived at the city's edge, Minnie heard a quiet “thunk” outside of her lamp, and poofed out to see what it was.

Mickey had been bent over his work table, studying long into the night until exhaustion finally took over, and he passed out. His head lay on the table, snoring loudly and drooling slightly. Pluto, who had been sleeping around his master's chair, jerked his head up at the noise, and whined to see what had happened. Minnie sighed, and began to tug the blanket from his bed. She knew if she tried to move him to the bed, he would wake up and insist on resuming his work. As she draped the blanket over his shoulders, she silently made a vow – she would find a way to help him in Rumansy, no matter what it took or what indignities she suffered. She would be useful in one form or another, to him and to the others. She would help him sleep peacefully again.

Now in the day's light, she had those same thoughts as she stood on deck, gazing up at the crow's nest where Mickey was standing. Minnie would not let him work alone and suffer for her sake. It was her turn to work for his freedom and happiness. Though he was very high up, she could make out his features, and watched him as if he was the most fascinating subject the world had ever created. What kind of life did he have to make him this way? So kind and caring and smart and clever and handsome and -

“If you start singing a mushy song, I am gunna hurl.”

Minnie felt she jumped a foot up in the air when she heard Daisy's mocking voice behind her. “Why can't you ever do anything normally?!” To her growing mortification, the rest of the crew was with Daisy, wall of them now looking in different directions, whistling, pretending they hadn't noticed Minnie's lovesick staring.

Daisy waved the question away. “It's time to start planning for the next part of the quest. But I'm going to need his help, and yours, and Donald's!”

“Me?” Donald asked, confused but happy to participate.

Minnie wanted to be happy about this, but given Daisy's nature, she was wary about what this would entail. Mickey, for his part, noticed the crowd below and began to climb down as fast as he could. “I can see the city!” he called out as he raced downwards. “Daisy, will you finally tell us how to get the first part of the map? Where is it in Rumansy?”

Once Mickey was on solid ground, Daisy flipped her hair and twirled her pipe, ready to go into another storytelling spiel. Her snake rested comfortably on her head, hissing out a hello. “The city of Rumansy began as a small town without anything to really notice about it. As a result, they were poor as dirt and lacked any tourists. But one day, a runaway couple entered the city, begging for help. They were from warring tribes, yet they were desperately in love and refused to part. The town was touched by their passion and allowed them to stay. The story became so famous that the town suddenly became known as a romantic destination for honeymooners!”

“I've got a bad feeling about this,” Horace groaned.

“In honor of this couple, the elders of Rumansy decided they would make their city the most romantic in all the land! And the best way to do it was to hold a contest every year to choose the most romantic couple in all the land! The prizes change each time, and people come from across the globe to prove they are the best couple to have ever...coupled! And one of those prizes is a piece of the map! They have no idea about its real origins. They just figure it's a collector's item.” She then held her pipe like a conductor's baton, getting into the final segments of the plan. “But we have to be precise! That prize only goes to the Runner-Up! Third place is a thousand gold pieces, second place is a paid vacation to the land of your choice, and first place is to star in a romance novel written by famed author Honeybee!”

Goofy raised his hand. “Who?”

“Eh, some hack author. Her editors do all the work, honestly. Bless them.”

Mickey was getting Horace's bad intuition. “Wait a minute...can't we just ask them for the piece of the map? You're not actually saying we have to enter this ridiculous contest?”

“They take this contest very seriously!” Daisy wagged a finger. “They won't hand it over just because you say 'pretty please'. No, the only way to get it is to enter and win! That's why you, Minnie, Donald and I are going to sign up and pretend to be couples.”

“What?” said Donald.

“What?” said Minnie.

“WHAT?!” said Mickey.

“Told you,” Horace added.

Clarabelle pushed her husband aside to get up front. “Now hold on a minute! Doesn't it make much more sense for me and Horace to enter? We're actually married!”

“Noooooooo, you and the others should stay behind in case we need help. Besides, the way you two argue so much, I doubt they'd even know you were a real couple in the first place.” But anyone looking at Daisy's face could see she was lying through her teeth. No doubt the real answer was, “This is much funnier.”

“Well, I guess we do kind of argue a lot,” Horace began to agree.

“Horace! We do NOT argue a lot!” Clarabelle disagreed very loudly.

“Yes we do, woman, why won't you listen to me?!”

“I'M TELLING YOU WE NEVER ARGUE!”

“Daisy!” Mickey barked, interrupting Clarabelle and Horace, already losing his patience. “This is nuts! We're not going to lie to these people and pretend to be something we're not! There has to be another way to get the map!”

Minnie crossed her arms, sticking her nose up. “I concur with my Master, I won't do it.”

Donald nervously tugged at his collar. “I gotta say, if we're pirates, why don't we just steal the thing?”

Daisy evenly looked at her three pawns, seeing all the resistance, and then dramatically exhaled, pressing the back of her head to her forehead and turning away. “I see how it is...Well, if that's how you really feel about it, I guess it can't be helped. What was I thinking? I mean, I can see how dreadfully uncomfortable it would be for you guys to be together...Having to cuddle and coo, whisper sweet nothings, exchange long, passionate, really deep kisses...”

If one person could be played like a fiddle, Daisy played the trio like an orchestra.

“HANG ON,” Mickey interjected loudly and abruptly, his cheeks burning as he thought about the possibility of cuddling Minnie in his arms like a loving husband, “I mean, if it's for the sake of my parents, we should pull out the stops, r-right?”

“I AGREE,” Minnie added on just as loudly, blushing as she thought about the idea of having tender words whispered into Mickey's ear, “That is, if it's what my Master wishes, I have to go along with it, d-don't I?”

“I WANNA DO IT,” Donald finished, determined not to faint this time if Daisy kissed him again and again and again and again. “All for one and one for all! AHAHAHA!”

The rest of the crew stared at Daisy in awe at how easily she wrapped the others around her figure – well, not so much awe as it was fear. Yikes.

“Aw, I'm so glad we're all in agreement!” Daisy chirped, clasping her hands together. “Once we lay anchor, I'll go on ahead and sign us up while you three pack! The contest takes about three days, so make sure to get everything you need! Remember, we have to be good, but not too good.”

“You are a devil woman,” Clarabelle muttered under her breath.

“Gotta go pack!” Mickey repeated, practically skipping with glee at this plan which was to absolutely to save his parents and had nothing to do with the fact that he could hold Minnie's hands and not feel guilty about it. Minnie flounced after him, pleased that she could be of use to the crew and not that she could be in Mickey's arms without any repercussions. Donald, still lost in kissing thoughts, had to be dragged away by Panchito and Jose since he couldn't find the strength in his feet.

Goofy glanced down at Daisy, scratching his noggin under his bandanna. “Daisy...you're not planning something this time, are you? We really do need that piece of the map.”

Daisy put one hand over her heart and raised the other. “I give you my word, I plan for the four of us to pretend to be two couples. Nothing more, nothing less. Why, if we didn't win the map, I'd stop having fun.”

“That is exactly the opposite of reassuring,” Horace rolled his eyes. “We'll stick around town and learn what we can about this contest...but you gotta keep an eye on them! Keep Donald's powers under check, and don't let anyone find out what Minnie really is and who Mickey really is! The less headaches we get, the better!”

Daisy just smiled, working her pipe into her ponytail. “Fiddle-de-dee, such faith you have in me.”

Horace, Clarabelle, and Goofy had no choice but to go along with whatever Daisy was cooking, laying the anchor down so she could climb off and sign the foursome up. Clarabelle insisted with her husband they should still try to enter to watch over the young ones, but of course Horace argued against this, and they continued fighting over it well long after the chosen ones had left. Goofy, at least, tried to be optimistic about the whole thing. On its surface, the plan was relatively simple – given the way Mickey and Minnie felt about each other, “pretending” to be a couple would be amazingly easy. So how could Daisy possibly use that as a trick for her own entertainment?

~*~

An hour later, Mickey, Minnie, and Donald walked into the city of Rumansy with their heads held high and songs in their hearts. Their excitement was diminished a smidgen when they realized how overboard the city went with its theme – the buildings were heart shaped, guitars were being played at every corner, and the streets had carvings of very sappy poetry. Everyone wore shades of reds and pinks, with men carrying bouquets and women spraying perfume from the windows.

“Everyone here needs to seriously take it down a notch,” Donald stated when the trio had to wait to cross a street due to several couples tango-ing at once.

“Daisy wasn't kidding about the romance deal,” Mickey mused, scratching his cheek. Here was an entire city that was just as embarrassing as his parents. “I mean, I don't really know much about it myself...”

“Same here,” Donald admitted. “Shoot, what with the way Uncle...” he winced, still in the habit of calling the cruel old man his relative, “...Flintheart raised me, I never thought any woman would want me. So I never bothered learning how to get a girl. But maybe if we just act natural, we should be okay?”

“Donald is right,” Minnie said, walking closer to Mickey than normal. “We can't think too hard about this, or it'll be obvious we're faking. We should just do... whatever...feels right.” She met Mickey's eyes, and the two held the gaze for a second before shyly breaking away.

“I don't think you two have much to worry about.” Donald held back a snicker. For him, he wasn't sure what his feelings about Daisy were – the woman could be graceful and intelligent one moment, devious and underhanded the next. But he was in this to help his friend – more importantly, he was in this to get another amazing kiss. Homina homina homina.

The trio found Daisy on the steps of a church so massive it could rival many a royal palace. It was covered in white lace, but instead of hideous gargoyles it was adorned with smooching couples and winged cherubs, the stained glass windows depicting previous winners of the contest. On the steps of the church, Daisy was talking to a short man who was covered in orange hair from head to foot – although he did it keep it smooth and trim. He was nodding along to whatever Daisy was saying, occasionally wiping a tear from his eye and adjusting the long green hat on his head. It was an easy guess that this man worked for the contest.

Mickey stopped, feeling his heart racing. He swallowed, and made himself look at Minnie. “B-Before we do this, I... um... well... I don't want to do... anything you're not... you know... comfortable with...” He began to fidget, the pack on his shoulders shifting back and forth – Donald had packed light, with Minnie not packing anything, as her magic kept her clothes springtime fresh, but Mickey wanted to continue his studies, so his pack was bursting with maps. “That is... you can always tell me to stop, or... The map is important, but, you, you're important too, and I want you to, to, to remember what I said about... being unable to tell what's real, and what you're doing because of what you are...”

With each stammer and stutter, Mickey accidentally wormed his way further into Minnie's heart. She smiled without realizing it, playing with the rings on her fingers. “I know, I remember. But, perhaps... I might be more... comfortable... with some things than you might realize...”

“There he is!” Daisy suddenly called out, jarring their attention. “My beloved husband, my one and only! I can't believe we were apart for so long!” Donald's face flushed, and he could feel Mickey lightly nudging his chest with an elbow. Daisy began to run down the stairs, arms out. “My sweetie, my darling, my...”

But instead of jumping into Donald's open arms, she latched onto Mickey. “Myyy Mortimer~!”

Donald froze where he was, arms still out, trying to comprehend what just happened. Minnie's jaw dropped, her body shaking like a thousand rattle-snake tails. Mickey slowly, rigidly, dug his fingers into Daisy's shoulders and pulled her off. “What... Did... You... Do?”

“I signed us up, hubby-wubby-boo~!” Daisy bopped Mickey on the nose, enjoying each dose of horror she got from her so-called friends. “I told Father Wander here all about us! And when he heard our story, he knew we would be surefire winners!”

“Of course I know it!” The orange-colored man felt ready to sob all over again. “To think that a pair of forbidden couples would show up at our door... It's like destiny!” It was a good thing he began to pantomime the story himself, so he could miss the murderous glares being bestowed upon Daisy, and the delighted raspberry she blew back. “You, Mortimer, were arranged to be married but on the day of the wedding, you fell for the bride's sister, Donna! And not only that, but your servants, Madeline and Gladstone, also fell for each other! How amazing is that?”

Donald wasn't sure which he found more offensive – being called a servant or being given such a stupid name. That's when the actual point of the story hit him, and he shakily pointed to Minnie. “So... me and her...?” He liked Minnie, yes, but as a sister! Minnie was equally distraught, but could not summon words, only gaping in dread as Daisy continued to snuggle up to Mickey.

Father Wander clapped. “You guys are all shoe-ins, and as our last entrants, we can finally begin the opening ceremony! Come on in!” He threw open the doors, revealing that within loud operatic music was being played, and headed inside.

Mickey spoke hotly through gritted teeth. “Daisy...Did you plan this from the start?”

“I said we'd be couples, I never said who'd be with who.” Daisy waggled her eyebrows, never losing the appearance of a venomous snake. “Why... is there someone you guys would rather be with?” She looked at them all, grinning.

Minnie made a choked noise in her throat, but that was all the answer Daisy would get. Mickey and Minnie were still way too emotionally compromised to actually admit what they felt, especially in front of the object of their desire, and Donald could feel his mortification rising at the thought of saying out loud, “Yes, I wanted you to kiss me again!” As such, no one said a word. “That's what I thought.” Daisy giggled, walking up the stairs with Mickey. “Cheer up, Mortimer! We're all happily in love!”

Mickey could feel his head throbbing. “And why, out of all names-”

“Oh, relax, the guy's still on the run from all those magical thefts, he's not going in public anytime soon. No way we'll get get any kind of mix-up.” It was difficult to tell if she knew this for a fact, given her All Seeing Eyes, or she was making an excuse for poking a hornet's nest. “Smiles, everyone!”

The only way Mickey could manage something close to a smile was imagining tying Daisy up and leaving her in the city while the crew made a getaway. As a result his smile was more demonic than charming. “I love you so much,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “I don't think I've ever loved someone as much as I love you right now.” It was obvious what actual emotion Mickey was emphasizing.

With a sad exhale, Donald offered his hand to Minnie, unable to look at her for the moment due to embarrassment, which she did not find offensive. She weakly held his hand and followed their friends into the chapel, trying to put on struggling happy faces.

The interior of the entrance was filled to the brim with couples of all kinds. Some couldn't keep their hands off of each other, others were bickering loudly, and it occurred to Mickey then that perhaps some others would also be faking their romance. A thousand coins or a paid vacation were tempting prizes, after all. The inside of the church contained more silly statues of smooching and banners full of hearts. Father Wander's servants were prancing about, offering flower necklaces and singing poetry about each of the contestants. Mickey was finding it more difficult to keep on his smile, his anger still throbbing, and now growing into frustration. He had sworn to Minnie that he'd put his affections for her on hold until she was free, and he was going to keep his word. It had been the right thing to do, but also incredibly difficult – he wanted to treat her like a lover should be treated, to give life to the words in his head, to make her happy for every sad say she'd ever experienced. But now being in this place was like a belittling reminder of the lines he swore he wouldn't cross, no matter how much he wanted to.

Yet as he looked around at all the kissy faces and hearing silly pet names – this seemed almost to be more a mockery of romance than an actual celebration. As if these people knew what people in love were supposed to “look like”, but never bothered to try anything else. Mickey's parents were mushy, yes, but they didn't spend every waking moment babbling about each other. Sometimes their love could be felt with a simple smile when their spouse was having a bad day, or asking the chef to prepare their favorite food when one of them was ill.

Mickey's mind began to reel, somewhat cooling his anger without getting rid of it entirely – did he really know anything about love? He was certain about his feelings towards Minnie, but he'd been proven wrong about his instincts before. What a fine time to have doubts! Maybe if he hadn't been so busy daydreaming before he came to the chapel, he could've asked an actual expert on the subject, like Goofy or Horace. But in the end, did any of it matter?

Father Wander began clapping his hands, which stopped his servants so he could be heard. “Welcome, one and all, to the Annual Rumansy Romance Contest! It is such an honor to be here among so many loving people! Now that our last minute contestants have been signed up, we can finally get things rolling!” he then gestured to the foursome at the door, applauding wildly. “Give 'em a hand, everyone! Two pairs of forbidden lovers for the price of one! Aren't they just adorable?”

Daisy squeezed Mickey tightly, giggling like a shy schoolgirl. “Aw, honey, aren't they saying the nicest things about us?”

Mickey awkwardly patted Daisy on the head, trying to keep the real goal in mind. “Uh, yeah. Thanks.” He swallowed, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He could feel his insides trying to physically force down his anger, and ignore his worries, although both were proving to be difficult. Donald and Minnie were wearing a matching pair of nervous smiles, awkwardly waving. “I, uh... well! It's nice to meet all of you, sorta.” There was no reason to bad sport to his fellow contestants. Maybe some of them had been duped as well. “I hope we can all get along, and may the best couple win.”

“AND THAT WILL BE US!”

One of the small, wooden pews was knocked over, allowing the shouting enemies to use it as a makeshift pedestal for their greatness. A pair of humans stood side by side, copying each other's pose of a hand to their face. “There is simply no couple who love each other more than I, Hildy Gloom, and my fantastic husband, Grimwold Gloom, love each other!” She cackled and flipped her short, purple and pink hair around. The long-frilled dress around her neck and legs made her seem taller than she really was, like a violet lizard standing on its haunches.

“So the rest of you would be better off giving up and leaving here and now!” Her husband's laugh was no less devilish, though his contained a few extra honks, given his very large nose. His bright blue hair was nearly blinding, save for the white streak like a lightning bolt. He also dressed a bit more conservatively choosing a simple trench-coat with a pattern of stars in the corner. “We not only deserve first place, but second, third, and runner-up! You might as well save us all some time and hand them over now!”

The various couples uneasily looked at each other, unsure if they wanted to fight against a pair that was so downright rude. Father Wander held up his hands, chuckling nervously. “Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves...There's three days to prove who's the best, starting now! We have two assigned chambers, one for the men, and one for the women, so if you could all just-”

“Why should I have to share my room with a bunch of losers?” Hildy marched forward, leaning over Father Wander and making him back up. “I'll have all of these pathetic wanna-bes dropped out before you can say 'boo'! So hand over those prizes! I want them, I want them, I want them!”

Daisy whispered behind her hand, “See, there are people more annoying than I am.” This did not reassure Mickey about anything.

The murmur didn't go unnoticed, as Grimwold stomped his foot down. “You got something to say to us?” He then advanced toward Mickey and Daisy, sneering down at them. “You two think you could be more in love than we are? Get lost! The only ones winning are me and my Hildy-honey!”

Mickey's temper was reaching its limits for the day, fighting off the lid he'd so carefully placed on it minutes ago. “Look, we don't want any trouble. We all deserve a fair shot at winning the prizes, and it's not fair for you to push Father Wander around! We're not going anywhere, and you can't make us!”

“Who says I can't, pipsqueak?” Grim grabbed Mickey by the collar – Mickey felt a strange little pinch. “Do you even know who we are?”

“You literally just told us,” Daisy said under her breath, making no movement to help Mickey. But she didn't have to – a sudden, hard bolt of lightning struck the outside of the chapel, causing everyone to jump. After all, it'd been clear and sunny, so where did the lightning come from? Mickey glanced behind him, and saw Donald give a sheepish smile. He hadn't meant to summon it, but seeing his friend needlessly bullied had set him off. Minnie squeezed his hand in gratitude.

Grateful for the distraction, Father Wander tried to pick things up again. “As I was saying...we have rooms for men and women, so you can unpack and get yourselves psyched for the first part of the contest! Anyone who fails any part of the contest will kindly be asked to leave.” The “kindly” part was up to debate, seeing how his servants were holding up chains behind his back. If Mickey had to guess, the losers would be dragged away in them, which seemed extremely excessive. “We'll continue eliminating couples until we have our winners on day three! On that day, we have a super secret and super amazing way to tell who is the best couple in the whole wide world! Hurray for love!” He applauded, and this time everyone joined in, save for the sneering Glooms.

The frolicking servants began to lead the men and women away into separate, long red hallways. With the intense drama now over, Mickey put a hand to his chest, taking deep breaths. Now he could calm down, and get rid of that vicious temper. In, out, in, out, there was no reason to lose his cool. They would just play the game and try their best. As each pair began to be separated, Mickey shook Donald's hand. “Thanks for the save, pal.”

“You got it, Mickey,” he whispered, happy to have helped. “We're all in this together, all four of us. And don't you worry, Minnie and I have got this covered. We'll help you and each other.”

Minnie bowed her head respectfully. “I'll be in your hands, Donald, so I know I will be all right.”

“But right now, she's in my hands!” Daisy yanked Minnie away by the wrist, happy to ruin the tender moment. “See you boys later! You better prepare the sappiest lines you can imagine! I want to see maple syrup pouring out of your mouths!” With a harpy-like little laugh, she flounced away with a very reluctant Minnie.

“I'm afraid to say it can't get worse.” Mickey shook his head, following Donald to the men's chambers. He wondered what the first stage of the contest was, and how hard it would be to pass it. But until then, he could always study his maps.

The last couple to be separated were the Glooms, who had now taken to a corner and were watching their enemies disperse. Before they parted, Hildy held out her hand to her husband, smirking. “Did you get it, Grimmy-goo?”

“Easy as pie, Hildy-hoo.” He slipped it into her hand – a single black hair taken from Mickey's fur. “If what the Phantom Prince told us is right, this is our ticket to easy street. Work your magic. Literally.”

“Can do, babe.” She slid the hair into her neckline, hiding it underneath her clothes. “I'll need a day to perfect it, but before this contest is over, we'll know if he's the one we've been looking for. Then not only will we win, but we'll obtain ultimate power!”

“You are so pretty when you're evil.”

“You say the nicest things, sweetie!”

They exchanged a happy kiss before leaving their separate ways, determined to win in every sense of the word. No one suspected that this sappy yet bothersome pair was there for far more than coins and prizes. The Phantom Prince hadn't stopped with Pete in his search for suitable pawns. They wouldn't be the last obstacles in Mickey's way, but they were going to show him that there were things he could never hide no matter how hard he tried.

Grimwold stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked on with the rest of the men, his eyes staying on Mickey's back. He hadn't exactly been given all the details of the big plot at hand, but felt he didn't need them. What he had was enough. He was going to get his hands on the Son Of Scheherazade.

Or, as others called him, those who felt his mother was no hero and that his father was a monster... The Child Born Of Blood.

[facesofopioids-blog]

This post can be shared! Sunday Spotlight Story By: Teresa Torba Stepp "Loved with an Open Heart" My son, Chris lost his battle with opioid addiction on Friday, September 1st 2017. My husband and I received word by voicemail on our way home from celebrating the refinance of our home. I remember the words like a lightning bolt running through my veins. I immediately threw my phone and my husband pulled over in a panic asking me what was wrong. Those words grounded me in the moment haunting me with a life-long legacy I’ll never be able to escape because when it comes to the loss of your child there are no do overs. Chris was an amazing young man, vibrant, outgoing, socially gifted and chock full of life. He had a great sense of humor, contagious laugh and the right amount of sarcasm. He once said… “Mom, you’re just the right amount of stupid” and I giggled knowing he meant he liked my silly and playful nature. I’m still mystified that he managed to survive all 26 of his years without every breaking a bone. My father always said Chris would have made an excellent stunt man with all of his physical energy if he decided to put it to good use. He was a hellion and rebel since birth never following anyone’s rules, but his own. By age 2, I knew I had my hands full. The day he was born my mother, an avid astrologer, came into my hospital room and told me to put my seatbelt on as it’s going to be one hell of a ride… and she wasn’t joking! Everyone has their gift to the world and Chris’s was most certainly his charismatic personality. He was truly a people person. Since early childhood he was always a collector of friends. I couldn’t go anywhere without him bringing someone new home. He’d pop into the house and say ‘this is my new friend Mom’… words I remember hearing often. By middle school I knew keeping Chris in school was going to be a challenge… he just wasn’t interested in learning anything ‘by the book’. I’d drop him off at the front door and he would go right out the back. I spent a good bit of time sitting across from teachers and principals. I first learned he was smoking pot at the age of 13, but found it difficult to manage his behavior since his father and I had joint custody. Chris knew well how to manipulate the situation to his advantage. I don’t remember exactly when I found out he was using heroin, but I believe he was about 19. His father pulled him out of school when he was only 16 because we couldn’t keep focused or in school. Chris started working at his dad’s steel erection company grooming him to become an ironworker and welder which he was well suited for. Chris’s fearless nature was designed for heights and he enjoyed mounting the beams a top the skyscrapers… although his true passion was the drums. Chris’s spent many long hours in his garage whaling on skins with his sticks and making videos playing music with his friends. By his early twenties his heroin habit was in complete control and he was stealing to survive and experiencing bouts of homelessness. He had even pawned his beloved drum kit. I remember Chris spending his 21st birthday locked up for stealing his Dad’s ATM card. He eventually wound up with enough small incarcerations behind him to land an 18 month consecutive stint which was when his attitude began to change. Getting closer to his mid-twenties now, he was getting sick and tired of the vicious cycle and hitting rock bottom. Chris went to jail dirty and came out clean by choice. One of the few pictures I have of Chris and I together is right after he got out of jail in 2014 only to wind up back in a short time later. When he was released for the last time in April of 2015 he seemed changed, humbled and finally on the right path. I was skeptical for the longest time, but after 6 months without incident we finally started letting our guard down. Chris held a fulltime job building boat trailers and even managed to get his high school sweetheart back. His life had completely turned around in less than a year’s time. I was so proud of my son and relieved for the first time in very a long time. When I learned I was going to be a grandmother, I was over the moon! Life was normal or so I thought. We were way past the danger zone with Chris was racking up enough months of clean time to equal years now. We were making plans for him and his new family for the future. This only proved to show how naïve I was when it comes to the rate of relapse. I thought his addiction was behind us. Little did I know at the time that I would be schooled in the worst way possible. We now trusted Chris and didn’t even notice that he had started using again because he was an expert at disguising his lies. A lot of what we learned we learned after the fact. Perhaps we should have seen the writing on the wall, but years were years and he had a daughter and job now, so in our eyes he had everything to live for. I still have the photograph of my drink from the restaurant the night he died as I can’t help thinking that he was dying as I was celebrating. When I heard his girlfriend crying … I knew it was real. I immediately went into a ‘take charge’ mode. Where’s the baby, where are you? Where’s Chris now…. as he laid lifeless on the floor of his bedroom being examined by cops. There was nothing anyone could do. His battle was over… Chris zero – heroin 1000. So what now? We just keep putting one foot in front of the other. As an artist, I’ve taken my pain and turned it into something meaningful so my son did not have die in vain. The Open Hearts Project for Opioid Awareness is raising funds in Chris’s name to help others struggling with addiction and homelessness. On the one-year anniversary of his death, we plan to present the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore, Maryland with a check from the proceeds of our project to help his brothers at HUM that still struggle. Chris is missed every minute of every day. His daughter, Jacey will grow up hearing about our memories never getting to make any of her own. She turns 1 later this month. We’ve tried to honor Chris’s memory as best we can. He was such a character that there wasn’t a soul that didn’t like him. He is always talked about in the highest regard even as a struggling addict he changed lives for the better. As a mom I was so proud hear the many stories from people Chris helped during his period in recovery. When I joined this group there were people that reached out to me saying they knew Chris and adored him. While his time may have been short… he had a punch. He made an impact in the lives of others and that’s all that matters to me. Lost, but never forgotten… beloved son, father, brother and friend forever… Christopher Alan Weimer 12/12/90-09-01-17. Teresa Stepp

[the-tzimisce]

Stupidest hats in Bloodborne: a definitive inventory

#1: Gold Ardeo. Beyond being merely stupid, this hat is an insult to the concept of the Executioners, who are in all other ways immensely badass and super aesthetic (if, you know, awful, like most or all Bloodborne characters). Their robes are super pretty in their details while also giving that church military vibe, and then when it comes to headgear suddenly it’s traffic cone/die-cast Klansman territory. If that weren’t enough, there literally is no way to see in this hat, which is a theme we find frequently in Bloodborne, but not in connection with the Executioners, who as physical military types really ought to want to see what they’re doing. But honestly, my grudge against this headwear is personal. I really kind of want to cosplay blood&guts Alfred, much more of an experience than just doing the original version, but to do that I would have to make and wear this hat. And that is something that I just cannot contemplate, no matter what other sartorial atrocities I might have to my name.

#2: Master’s Iron Helm. Look, it’s no surprise the League isn’t operating on a super high budget. They’re a bunch of randos who seem to mostly live in the not-so-Forbidden-as-they-claim-but-still-technically-Forbidden Woods, and their obsession with improving humanity seems to run directly orthogonal to everyone else’s obsession with improving humanity, rendering them understandably unpopular. Besides, there’s not a lot of funding left to go around in Yharnam after the secret laboratories and the corpse collectors are accounted for. But. This is a bucket. It is a straight-up bucket, and one in poor enough condition that a Cathedral Ward janitor’s office would have just thrown it out and billed Amelia for a new one. Valtr, my buddy, please: in a world where your enemies bypass armor and rip your head straight off, consider the PR and spend your last few shining coins on a snazzy cap.

#3: Mensis Cage. I’ll tell you, here at the School of Mensis, we hate to come in third. But sometimes you have to come in third in silly hats...to come in first in human evolution. Look, as stupid as the cage looks - which assuredly is extremely stupid - at least you can see out of it, which among this selection is a luxury indeed. And it does tie in pretty well with the whole lunatics strap themselves to chairs to await their horrific death in a ritual the real meaning of which no one understands #aesthetic. And who knows? Once we’ve all ascended, maybe the inferior masses of humanity that remain behind will take on the cage as their newest fashion trend, in hopes of joining us in such rarefied heights of glory. But still...think of all that funding I mentioned earlier. Sure, it’s well spent on decorating Yahar’gul with statues of Amygdala and paying the salaries of a small army of kidnappers, but surely among all that just a little could have been spared on giving the antenna to the gods a bit more streamlined a design. Because quite honestly, it gets a little hard to focus on abandoning your mortal self in search of a higher communion when you’re mostly just trying not to bash your head on a doorway.

Honorable mention: Blindfold Cap. In contrast to every other item on this list, the blindfold cap is honestly pretty cool looking. In conjunction with the heavily embroidered Choir set, it speaks to effort spent more on style than on true pursuit of higher learning - excuse me, I mean to a well-developed sense of aesthetics to complement a concerted academic focus. But people, it is a blindfold. We’re not stupid. We know you haven’t managed to develop eyes. And even if you had, those are eyes on the inside we’re talking about. They’re not going to do any good for profane matters like tripping over your fancy-dress hems. But if you want to keep going on about Master Willem and his contribution to the human project, by all means, be our guests. Just remember that he’s not the one who has to see where he’s going.

[thebibliomancer]

Dark Crystal Age of Resistance ep 9 liveblog

“The Crystal Calls”

Could you construct a crystal call, like a duck lure? Is it something that the Skeksis know in the cockles of their heart or do they just recognize the tone? Could you create a Skeksis lure? I need to know, for science reasons.

Just a stream of thoughts.

Ok so the episode starts off on a good note. Deet is alive. Somehow she and Rian escaped the doom caves. She’s surrounded by family. Clearly everything is going to be good forever.

Rian carried her to safety. It had to happen off-screen because it’d probably look silly in puppets.

Maudra “Fine she says. Fine perhaps she is. But also………………….. Changed.”

And then she starts smashing her walking stick. It was the Dual Glaive all along.

I guess the plot device was the friends we made all along.

“Be careful with this. Its older than I am. And twice as sharp! Hee hee hee” I like you, Maudra.

Dual Glaive looks pretty alright.

Uh oh, Brea gonna get drained. She’s an important character. Surely some contrivance will save her?

Gourmet: “What if the Hunter dies?”

Ornamentalist, who has been apparently been waiting for this forever: “Then I shall accept the somber task of honoring SkekMal’s treasures with a proper display!”

Gourmet: “Ugh, those trophies?”

Ornamentalist: “Anything can be made beautiful!”

Oh, they’re going to call the rest of the Skeksis to the castle! SkekSa and SkekNa I think are new to me and they’re useful in a fight. That’s two whole new pieces of information!

-google- Ohhhh SkekSa is the pirate Skeksis!

And I completely forgot SkekNa is the Slave-master. Although I imagine he has a different role at this point when the slavery was kinda buried under a couple layers of feudalism or whatever.

Huh. Hadn’t even noticed him missing.

SkekUng is the future Garthim-Master. Wonder what he’s called now.

And what of SkekLi? No, seriousli, what of SkekLi?

-google- The Skeksis Satirist? Why isn’t he here already??

Probably got kicked out for making fun of the others too much, huh?

I bet. Because Chamberlain points out that more Skeksis about means more squabbling.

And then the Skeksis immediately turn on him saying that SkekMal’s injuries are his fault. Because Nobody Likes SkekSil.

But, I guess, at least he’s not that fuckin Satirist.

Nice of the Emperor to wait for this conversation to be over before getting to the draining which let Aughra show up.

Also, hi Aughra!

Just kind of strolling in like you own the place, which isn’t technically far off.

The Skeksis tells the sewed-mouth Gruenak to seize her but she has a good retort for that.

“Touch me and Thra will swallow you where you stand” -bap-

Very good.

Aughra says she’s here to pay her respects. Like its a eulogy roast.

“SkekMal was always the most beautiful of you shriveled lot.”

You make the audience feel better about the impending death by making them angry at you. Makes a lot of sense.

She also makes them mad by saying the Hunter is going to die. Unless she helps.

“Gelfling essence cannot restore the Hunter. What you need is essence of Thra itself? And who is Thra, HM?”

Aughra is offering her essence to free the Gelfling locked in the castle.

The Skeksis are like ‘uh can’t we just strap you down and take it?’

Aughra is like ‘nuh uh I have to give it willingly, the crystal won’t take it from me’

And she’s rubbing existentialism in their faces. Everything from Thra returns to Thra when it dies but the Skeksis are not of Thra. What happens to them? The Skeksis tried to find out but couldn’t. Its the same thing that the Chamberlain had a rant about to Rian. The Skeksis are terrified of death because they don’t know what will happen to them. They’ll happily live a vampiric hollow shambling existence just to cling to life.

Vaguely reminded of the Ssi’Ruuk from Star Wars Legends who were also reptile-y and also stole life force and also were afraid of what would happen if they died away from home and uh…. ….. Did Star Wars ripoff the Skeksis and make them dinosaurs? With spaceships?

Huuuuuuuuh.

Slightly less blatant than when Warcraft ripped them off.

Aughra: “Maybe nothing is all that waits for you.”

So she’s emotionally blackmailing them. Sentence one of their own to oblivion or free the Gelflings and let the Hunter drink Aughra.

She also gives them like five seconds to consider it and then is like “WELP I TRIED” and goes to walk off to make them make a decision.

So the Emperor agrees. He tries to get in her face and intimidating about it but I mean, she won this confrontation. 

Brea: “Mother Aughra, please don’t do this! We’re not worth it!”

Aughra: “Of course you are”

Aww.

Annnnd the Emperor tells the General to make sure that he gets the Gelflings dead before they can leave. Because: spite.

Its the purest motivator. 

OH NOW THE SPIDERS RELEASE THE GELFLING

I wonder if thats how events stacked up or what.

Aughra: ‘hey brea you have more plot to do get lost’

Oh and no thats not how events stacked up. The truce Rian and Deet made with the Ascendency happened before Tavra!Spider strapped her sisters down. But she had to make it believable because sudden spider revolution wouldn’t help.

So now Tavra is a willing? host of the spider and they’re working together.

“HERE COMES THE GENERAL” Thats not even the right movie you’re quoting!

The General tells the other Skeksis what has happened in the chamber of life and then tells the Collector that they have a job to do.

SkekLach: “Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?”

Hah, mood. 

But the General says it’ll be fun.

SkekLach: “Oh, I doubt that =( ” hah

Chamberlain hearing whats going on: -chamberlain noise-

Oh, Tavra is stuck with spider because they’ve been merged so long that they can’t disentangle their minds. But she’s pretty chill about it. “We want the same things. JUSTICE.”

I’m here for Spider-Tavra.

And then the General and Collector show up surrounding the escaping Gelflings.

Collector, waving around a knife: “You were right, this will be fun!”

Less mood.

Brea complains that Aughra made a deal and General does the Vader “I have altered the deal” but Spider-Tavra blocks him and tells him a thing or two about altering deals.

Like how the arathim’s deal with the Skeksis was for the Caves of Grot and dangit the Skeksis forgot to mention that it was simply infested with the Darkening.

Spider-Tavra: “A poison fly… IS NO GIFT AT ALL!”

And then she stabs him.

Peter Parker would not approve. But I do.

Collector: “The Gelfling must pay!”

Spider-Tavra: “ARATHIM ARISE!”

Arathim Spitter: ‘hiiiiii’ -does a dilophosaurus-

Collector: “AHHHHHH ITS IN MY EYES”

This has been a bad ambush for the Skeksis. They should really invest in some sort of mindless troops that they can have wade into danger for them. Something scary and nigh unstoppable. Like a fleacrab that makes terrifying noises.

Spider-Tavra stays behind while the other Gelflings flee and Brea and Seladon decide not to leave her behind because Sister Solidarity, Finally!

The General is shocked to find that getting stabbed makes you bleed. Guess he was a backline kind of general.

And when Spider-Tavra shows up to finish the job, the General begs for his life.

Spider-Tavra: “We have waited long enough. This is for the Arathim… FOR THE ALL-MAUDRA!”

CHAMBERLAIN WITH THE SAVE! “Leave friend….. Alone!”

General: ‘ugh this fucking guy’

In fairness, he’s expecting Chamberlain saved him just to finish him off himself.

Chamberlain: “Skeksis squabble but are not enemy. Gelfling are enemies.”

And look he saved General some essence to heal him. The last of the remaining essence! How kind of SkekSil!

Oh and its the real stuff! I was expecting it to be the sugar water again. General’s wound actually glows and heals up.

General: “I have misjudged you, Chamberlain!”

Chamberlain: “Hmmmm am used to it”

Wow I was really expecting him to betray the General and was just giving him a hope spot before he did it.

But he hurries him off on some plan that the General will supposedly like. Luckily in time that Brea and Seladon can arrive and whisk off Spider-Tavra.

Meanwhile at the circle of the suns, the Heretic and the Wanderer are watching the Archer slowly die and philosophizing.

Wanderer: “Both halves. Are not long for Thra.”

Heretic, in his inside voice: “I wonder… in the next place… will we be joined once again?”

Wanderer: “Or rent further……………………. Asunder.”

And back to the castle where the Scientist is strapping Aughra into the draining machine.

You know, there was a bit of the movie novelization relevant to this. Where the Scientist mused about how much essence he could get from her. Or at least her eye since the rest of her was sulking in a cage without much energy and her eye kept glaring at him.

Aughra: “Are you proud? To build a machine that will be the death of Aughra?”

Scientist: “Not as proud as Mother Aughra throwing her life away in a desperate bid for redemption”

Wow Scientist, finally someone you can try to dunk on.

Aughra tries to pull the ‘we were friends once’ card and the Scientist may have gone for it if the Emperor was not hovering right over his shoulder.

Scientist: “Another world. Another time.”

Alas.

Emperor: “Now we shall see how powerful Aughra truly is!”

Aughra: “Oo! Well, spinning chairs now? Isn’t this fancy?”

Pffft.

I wonder if the Scientist refined the designs over the years or whether he stopped bothering when they ran out of Gelflings. The chairs in the movie aren’t nearly so fancy and are without additional things like things that jam into your skull.

Annnnd Aughra is generating no essence. 

Scientist: “I am stupefied, Emperor. She withers away but does not drain.”

Emperor: “Cheat! I gave you your Gelflings, now where is my essence?”

Aughra: “You... are doomed. You and all of your kind. Parasites. Thieves. In the end… you are nothing… but… dust.”

Emperor: “I… will… never… be… dust!”

And then he kicks the Crystal up to eleven because surely he knows how to operate- oh its working.

Essence is coming out of her and going into SkekMal. And he’s responding. I guess the Emperor does know how to operate stuff.

Annnnnnd Aughra exploded. This is really going to fuck up the movie events.

I thought she was safe!

And the Hunter is spasming and screaming so Scientist shuts the machine down.

Annnnnnd the Hunter is dead. Welp.

The Emperor is taking it well. (That’s a lie. He’s having a panic attack. And smashing stuff.)

I guess kicking the machine up to eleven was a mistake. Or maybe trusting Aughra was a mistake? Mistakes were made. But the Emperor didn’t negotiate in good faith anyway.

OH HI KYLAN! I missed you my dude.

He was off trying to rally the Spritons but they told him to fuck off. Maudra Mira is a big Skeksis fan.

For shame. People named Mira should be cool.

Seladon, maybe finally getting it: “Maudra Fara, the gelfling have always been strongest when they’ve stood together. Not apart.”

Maudra Argot: “I know you must take the Dual Glaive, but it made a fine cane! Oh, I’ll miss that cane”

OH SHIT RIGHT the dual glaive is still going on. I keep forgetting that’s a plot point whenever they stop focusing on it. Maybe because it came out of nowhere in the last third of the show and feels like an afterthought.

Even finding it, as hilarious as I found that, was kind of like ‘oh the plot device? Yup it was here all along, you only had to ask.’

Oh right, Dual Glaive. Two parts. They have to find the other half. Maudra Argot left it in Stone-in-the-Wood during the Arathim War.

The battle was lost until a soldier named Ordon took up the Dual Gl- WAIT THAT’S RIAN’S DAD

Its a little late to try to build up the Dual Glaive AND Rian’s dad! Especially as some legendary hero who had a legendary magical sword! And who split it in two so that it would have to be reassembled to use again!

Why did he do that??

Maudra Argot dreamfasts with Rian to show him his dad’s retroactive cool backstory.

And then, since they need to get to Stone-in-the-Wood fast, she trills to call a landstrider.

I approve, verily. I love these funky guys.

Deet: “You can call them?”

Maudra Argot: “I still remember a trick or two from my trine overground.”

And then Rian helps Deet onto the Landstrider. And it lingers on that moment. I reeeeally feel as if something is building between them.

Oh, hey, Stone-in-the-Wood is where the Brea/Tavra/Seladon plot is. The plots are joining back up!

Seladon: “It should have been me! … Aughra told me I was making a terrible mistake but I wouldn’t listen. This is my terrible price to pay, not hers. I’m so sorry for everything.”

Oh so she did finally get it. That’s good.

Spider-Tavra: “I wish you could see each other as I do…. You’re so… beautiful” -dies-

=(

She was too beautiful for this Thra.

Tavra-Spider: ‘welp time to mosey’ -mosies-

Good plot paralleling. Brea and Seladon dealing with their sister’s death and having the rite to return her to Thra at the same time that the Emperor is dealing with the death of the Hunter.

Ritual-Master: “But there is no rite, no ceremony. No Skeksis has died in a thousand trine. Not since… the beginning.”

And then the General comes in and reports that the Arathim have double-crossed the double-crossing Skeksis and sided with the Gelfling.

Collector: “Its a good thing I was there!” -accomplished zero things-

Emperor: “MORE GRAVE NEWS?”

General: “Not all is lost! The Chamberlain has a plan”

Emperor: “I thought you had enough of the Chamberlain’s plans”

General: ‘but he my bff now’

And then the Chamberlain comes in dragging something. And mister i think declaring open war was a mistake Chamberlain now decides that total war wipe out the gelfling no peace while they live is the best option. Oh how the turns have tabled.

He also blames the Gelfling for being too entitled.

Chamberlain: “Loyalty cannot be bought. Has to be built.” So he proposes that they make unstoppable loyal soldiers. Instead of relying on people with wants and needs.

The Scientist thinks he can probably do it but can’t build something out of nothing. So Chamberlain slides in the giant dead arathim he’s been dragging in, just to be extra. “Here is your something.”

So the Garthim (or GIANT ARATHIM) are Frankenstein spiders. Yes. The Scientist is going to weld a couple spider corpses together to make a fleacrabthing.

Not sure how I feel about it being Chamberlain’s plan. 

Chamberlain planned it, General endorsed it, Scientist actually did it, and SkekUng ends up in charge of it?

Of course, I was always unclear how someone uhhhh more brute than brain like Ung was supposed to have been responsible for them to begin with.

I guess Chamberlain is a good idea person and just says things around people who can actually accomplish his pie in the sky. Provided the other Skeksis are listening and not making blah blah blah motions everytime he talks.

Thra is lucky that half of the time, the other Skeksis tune out SkekSil.

And by coming up with a good idea that someone else will accomplish, Chamberlain has earned his place back at the court.

And now? The body?

Emperor: “The Hunter will not be buried. Or burned like some common carcass. The Hunter will be clad in our finest armor and placed in our throne room so that SkekMal might rule by our side… FOREVER!!!”

God. That’s morbid. The other Skeksis seem to be into it. But I’m glad that Skeksis start crumbling when they die later on because that would have gotten macabre fast. A court of the dead.

All your dead friends hanging around and staring. 

Does this mean Scientist has to learn taxidermy now in addition to frankensteining? Doesn’t he have enough to do? Is there any other Skeksis who actually-

Oh. They’re getting together as a group to prep the corpse.

That’s. Something.

Just slapping makeup on Hunter’s dead face.

Ornamentalist: “Life is my paint! Death is my canvas!”

Okay, yes, I should have figured that Ornamentalist would be all over this.

So. They prop up the Hunter. And he looks lifelike. In that he’s a puppet and I don’t think I could tell the difference between him living and dead?

And the Skeksis seem thrilled at having a corpse hanging up forever if it means they don’t have to think about death. And to be honest, they never really talked to the Hunter anyway.

Their relationship is essentially unchanged.

Back to Deet and Rian.

Wow, its funny that the Gelfling like to ride on landstriders. They’re so tall and the Gelflings are so short. Its like using a giraffe as a standard mount.

Oh and geez, I forgot that Rian didn’t know what happened to Stone-in-the-Wood. He doesn’t dwell on it long but I can tell on his puppet emotions how shook he is.

I also forgot about the Crucible! That thing full of swords. Yes, that would be a good place to hide a sword.

BUT HOW WILL HE KNOW WHICH ONE IS THE ½ Dual Glaive?? Maybe he should play flutes at it.

Rian: “Once a battle is done, the warriors of Stone-in-the-Wood place their weapons in the forge in the hope that we’ll never need them again.”

I find that a good philosophy for the Warrior Gelfling Tribe to have.

Geez, that’s just so much sword. And its on fire.

Although Rian can see the other half of the Dual Glaive just peeking in. And he can open it up and reach inside with no problem. That was easy! But we’re on episode 9 so it can’t be too complicated.

The halves glaive sing to each other and Rian and Deet join them together and SUDDENLY ALL FIRE EVERYWHERE TURNS BLUE AND NON BURNY

I know because a Gelfling sticks her hand in the fire and wonderously states “it doesn’t burn!”

You dingus!

Wow this sword really is magic. Its making a lot of sky light pillars, like this is a marvel movie.

The Scroll-Keeper: ‘fffffffffffffffffffffffffffff’ “They’re uniting against us!”

The Crystal apparently has something to add in so it chimes and all the Skeksis run off to the Crystal CHAMBERRRR

HEY the dead Hunter corpse just twitched. Maybe the Skeksis are just really bad at checking life signs…

So apparently the blue fire is fire skype.

JUST LIKE IN THE BENEATH THE DARK CRYSTAL

I guess not only Firelings can do fire skype.

Apparently the Dual Glaive lets the wielder talk to every Skeksis all at once. Good way to finally get around to uniting the clans against the Skeksis.

Whoops, the Crystal is picking up the signal.

I get why that would happen. Especially if the Dual Glaive was meant to unite Thra.

Rian: ‘hey the skeksis suck lets do a revolution’

Collector: ‘OH NO HE HAS THE DUAL GLAIVE A THING I’VE DEFINITELY KNOWN ABOUT ALL ALONG!’

So the Crystal picking up the message is kind of bad. Because Rian just told the Gelflings where to meet up for the rebellion.

The Emperor can apparently hijack the fire skype? The security on this blue fire is bad. What is it, Fire Zoom?

Emperor: “Silence! Your pathetic rebellion can only end in ruin!”

Rian: “Then why do you tremble?”

Emperor: “Disrespectful peon! Your lives are but a speck waiting to be swept away! Be assured any Gelfling that stands with you in battle will join you in the grave.”

Rian: “Bring your weapons. Bring your Skeksis. And meet your destiny!”

And apparently stabbing the Crucible with the Dual Glaive is how you turn off the chat.

The Other Skeksis: ‘ugh that fuckin Heretic giving away legendary weapons’

Emperor: “COWARDS! Let the chattel have their toy! Let them think they stand a chance against us! But hear me, Lords of the Crystal, Regents of Thra, all-powerful Skeksis. At dawn, we descend on their pitiful village. We will crush their nascent rebellion before it takes root, grind these defiant Gelfings to dust. Destroy the Dual Glaive and feast upon their essence!”

Pretty good motivational speech, the Emperor. I can see why you’re the Emperor, the Emperor.

I’m sure the Scientist will be fine having to do a rush order on a bunch of frankenstein spiders, a process he’s never done before and still has to figure out. I’m sure they’ll be ready by tomorrow.

Aw Deet and Rian having another moment.

Deet: “Do you think all Gelfling heard you?”

Rian: “Yes. But will they come?”

-Deet puts her hand on Rian’s-

Aww.

Hope this ends better than the transition between Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker.