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starryalpacasstuff · 3 months

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Indian BL? FROM 2017????

There's an Indian BL from 2017 that I just watched. And I have incoherent thoughts

Before I continue, massive thanks to my bestie @anixknowsnothin for telling me about this show and proofreading the post for me. You don't even watch bl so I have no idea how you found this, but I'm incredibly grateful nonetheless

Here's the link to where I watched the show from, there's a glitch in the first episode subs where the subs seem to be from another show entirely, but it's only for the first ep and about 50% of the dialogue is in English anyways, so it shouldn't be hard to follow.(My ask box is also always open if there's a specific dialogue/scene in Hindi that you want the translation of)

Edit: The link seems to be region locked, so to watch it you can use a vpn and set your region to India, otherwise the episodes are available on youtube, albeit without subs

Note:- this post is going to have a few mild spoilers throughout, but I'll flag major spoilers in red

It's no secret that India is fairly behind when it comes to queer love shows if we compare it to other Asian countries. While it has a handful of great queer shows and movies, it's still quite a small quantity. Additionally, before this, I'd never watched an Indian show that felt like I was watching a bl (if you have recs, please send them my way!!). I'm not going to get into the technicalities of what feels like a bl and doesn't, because honestly, I'm not completely sure myself. For now, I'm just going based off of vibes and feelings, and this show felt like a bl through and through.

Titled 'Romil and Jugal' after its main characters, the story is a modern, desi, bl remake of the classic story...

Romeo and Juliet

Well, Bad Buddy was the first Thai bl I ever watched, so Romil and Jugal being the first Indian BL I watched just feels right, no?

I didn't actually know that the story was based off of Romeo and Juliet till the second episode, because I didn't bother looking for a synopsis, and jumped right in. However, it's links to Romeo and Juliet quickly became apparent, around the same time I started to see similarities between this show and Bad Buddy. I also did not know that this show came out in 2017 before I googled it, having already watched the entire thing, which was a pretty huge shock, because this BL is progressive by 2024 India standards.

Alright, enough of my rambling. Here's a synopsis of the show in case you haven't heard of it. (I couldn't find an official one, so I did my best to write a spoiler free synopsis)

Ramya happens to start talking to a slightly older woman at an airport, who believes that there is no romance in the younger generation. To prove her wrong, Ramya decides to tell the older woman her brother's love story. The story from the past is shown to us as Ramya narrates it to the woman in the present. Jugal is a closeted 19-year-old who lives with his parents. One day, a family moves into the house next door, and Jugal immediately falls for the son, Romil. The two of them attend the same college, and eventually become friends. The two of them eventually get together, but have to face the challenges of a homophobic society and having parents that hate each other.

I was a little skeptical of the show going in, but the show surpassed all of my expectations in the best way possible. It's no masterpiece, and it has its flaws, but it was far better than what I expected. It had both comical elements and darker themes, and it did not shy away from exploring the darker themes at all. Oh, and it has a few musical numbers. What did you expect? This is India after all.

The show is 10 episodes long, with 20 minutes per episode, and so it does unfortunately fall into some of the pitfalls that shorter shows tend to fall into, namely underdeveloped relationships and rushed endings. I did end up feeling a little bit like it didn't make sense for the pair to sacrifice and suffer as much as they did because they hadn't known each other for very long, and I felt like they should have been given more time to fall in love with each other. But it also could be argued that the show stays true to the play, and Romil and Jugal are dumb teenagers who make mistakes and stick with each other through them. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it.

One thing that I loved the show for was that it showed us that the relationship is not all sunshine and rainbows. They argue, they break up, they get back together, and they do argue even after that. But every time, they eventually work through the issue and reconcile. The show even depicts Romil dealing with internalized homophobia and struggling to reconcile with the fact that he will never be who his family wants him to be. Although I do wish they'd have had more time to explore this, I'd say it was decently depicted and handled. The show really delves into how children are forced to uphold their family's wishes and are constantly put under pressure to make them proud. Although it clearly affects both of them, it's more obvious with Romil, who is expected by his family to date and marry the daughter of his father's boss, whom they think he is dating. There's a metaphor along this theme too, where Romil pretends to like the mango shake that his mom has been making for him since he was a kid, even though he hates it, and when he tries to tell her, he has to act like it was a joke to spare her feelings. The show also goes into the communal mindset of basing your actions off "what will people think?", and you can see how a lot of the characters' actions throughout the show are haunted by this question. Some of Romil and Jugal's earlier disagreements are due to this very mindset.

The show also very candidly depicts the extreme homophobia of society in India. Romil and Jugal had to constantly hide who they were, always having to keep up a mask and I felt that reach somewhere deep inside me. When the pair come out, the show really shows how ugly homophobia can be in India. Their parents immediately disown them. They're mocked in college and wrongfully suspended for a fight that was provoked by other students. Very, very few people stand with them, and the pair very quickly realize that now that they are out, they simply cannot live in the city anymore. So with the help of Jugal's best friend and her mother, they flee to Mumbai, where they get jobs and live as paying guests with a friend of the aforementioned mother. But, even in Mumbai, the masks stay up. They have to act like cousins, for fear of being persecuted. The series depicted the worst-case scenario that so many of us live in fear of, so watching it was something of a cathartic experience for me.

Another thing that the show did quite well is showing how different people and their mindsets can be. Jugal's best friend, Ahalya, and her mom are very supportive, and they help the pair out quite a bit. Ahalya's mother provided a safe house for the pair and helped them find a fresh start. Meanwhile, Romil and Jugal's parents are incredibly homophobic. There was a scene that really stuck with me, (mild spoiler ahead, skip to the last sentence of the paragraph) where Ahalya's mother came across Jugal's mother, who prided herself on being educated and well-read, searching up how to cure homosexuality. Ahalya's mother then tells her off for calling herself educated yet believing that homosexuality is an illness. It is so important to me that the show depicted both the violent homophobia that permeates Indian society and the surprising, warm acceptance that one can find.

One final thing that I loved about this show so, so much is just how authentically Indian it feels. Asian cultures share a lot in common, but they also have their differences, so seeing a show where I can imagine encountering the characters in real life is really amazing. Rather than something big, it was little things sprinkled throughout the story that warmed my heart. The story felt like something I could hear the local aunties gossiping about. The way it depicts queerness in India hits incredibly close to home.

One thing I've learned watching Asian bls is that the ending of a show can make it or break it, but with this one, I'm stuck. The best way I can describe the ending is absolutely insane and incredibly Bollywood.

I believe this show was supposed to get a second season because the last two minutes of the show leave us with a massive cliffhanger. Now, it's been 7 years, so a second season is unlikely, so I'm simply pretending that the last two minutes of the show never happened. But the ending has so much more to it than just this (Major spoilers for the ending up ahead. I mean it when I say major, this is like going into Bad Buddy knowing that they're going to trick their parents in the end).

About halfway through the show, I remembered what play it was based upon and realized that there was a very real possibility that Romil and Jugal would die. The first half of the last episode leads up to this, telling us that they died when reconciling after an argument in the middle of the road when they were hit by a truck. We get a super emotional scene (yes, I cried) where the two families somewhat reconcile in their grief as they go to the police station to identify the bodies. Except... they're not dead, which is revealed when Romil's father hugs Romil's (not) dead body. They reveal that they planned this to show their family that they still loved their sons. I did say it was like PatPran tricking their parents in the end, didn't I? So the families reunite, Romil and Jugal get jobs in New Zealand and get married, and return to India for a wedding celebration (yes, I cried. again). The ending does feel slightly rushed, but if I'm being honest, it wasn't as terrible as it could have been. Believing that your child is dead for a bit is a somewhat justifiable reason for a sudden change of heart. There's a part where Romil and Jugal tell their parents that if they choose acceptance, they can reconcile, but if they choose to remain prejudiced, Romil and Jugal can simply get back on the stretchers, because they'll be as good as dead to their families anyways and it is *chef's kiss*.

All in all, the show was surprisingly heartfelt and poignant. It had me laughing, kicking my feet and even crying. There's a lot more about this show that I could talk about, but I'm going to stop here for now, and I'll try to write more on it later. This show really does deserve more recognition than it has, and I'm almost mad at myself for not knowing about it before. Am I being really biased when talking about this show? Absolutely. But I do think that this show is a worthwhile watch, and I'd really like to see what other people on here think of the show, especially because I'm aware that I am biased towards this show.

I'm tagging a few people who I know might be interested/have some thoughts about the show because this is a show that I really want to hear other people's opinions on and have conversations about, so I hope you guys don't mind!

@waitmyturtles @lurkingshan @bengiyo @neuroticbookworm

#good lord this post is almost 2k words #i think this is the longest post i have ever written #and there's more thoughts rattling around in my brain about this show #did i convince you to watch the show?#please say yes #i need people to talk to about this show #bl recs #indian bl #indian bl recs #romil and jugal #romil & jugal #bad buddy #i mean it's related #how does everything i write about somehow find it's way to that goddam show #but seriously romil and jugal was surprisingly very good #i did not expect it at all #but i have never been so glad to be proven wrong

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lookinghalfacorpse · 24 days

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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

I was tagged by @chrysalizzm

hello i am not late to this. absolutely not. i would never.

in no particular order:

in the wild all lessons last (46,965 words). while this list isn't in order, i do recommend reading this first since many of my other fics are just a variation of this plotline. c!doomsdaytrio, post-prison healing arc for dream featuring a plotline specifically crafted to appeal to dream's sense of logic and convince him to stay in the arctic. techno assigns a dog named em to dream's side to watch him 24/7. major caretaker c!philza vibes. semi-realistic medical analysis.

the trees deny themselves nothing (24,236 words). this is one of them that's a remake of itwall. same timeline, but cdream lost a leg in prison and made a shitty wooden prosthetic for himself. in an attempt to improve his quality of life, c!philza elects the help of c!sam, local redstone expert. same cozy itwall vibes but with the addition of fucked up awesamdream dynamics.

immortal (series of drabbles). legitimately one of my favorite things i've ever written. a look at c!philza's various skills and the people in his past who he learned them from. as part of an ask game, i also wrote short drabbles expanding on each of the minor characters.

pandora's vault prisoner symptoms (11,556 words). it's just so ME, you know? a series of drabbles, each of them expounding on a "symptom" that techno and dream would realistically feel after spending months in the torture box. all take place while techno is in the prison. lots of sappy rivals moments, mutual care for each other as they go through the Horrors together.

parallels and repeats (series of drabbles). a messy collection of drabbles illustrating a keystone headcanon of mine for c!doomsdaytrio: phil is 10k is years old, techno is 500 years old, dream is never over 25. the tag also includes works from other people inspired by that headcanon. this comic by @justcallme-ange comes to mind, and this fic by @somanywips.

tagging @maybe0rdinary and anyone else who wants to join in, including the two i tagged above lol. i'm so late that i'm not sure who's done it already .....

#tag game #fic rec

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idontknowreallywhy · 10 months

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Hi Thunderfam!

Hey, so I know this will have been done MANY times before but for us newbies it would be fun to know how everyone got here!

So… I was a super fan of TOS in the 90s, tried and failed to build a Blue Peter Tracy island, pored through every annual and comic I could get my hands on. Saw small section of 2004 film and could not, so when heard there was another reboot I avoided it because I didn’t trust them not to ruin my childhood love.

Got into Nevermoor late last year, discovered tumblr, overlapped with @womble1 on Nevermoor things and followed a rabbit hole into a womble TAG fanfic which made me think… oh, maybe I should give that newfangled series a little look.

Sat down with 8 year old and said “there’s this thing that’s a remake of something I used to like, let’s see if it’s any good”. We were both hooked the moment Thunderbird 2 appeared out of the clouds - we’ve just finished our second run through all 3 seasons - and I realised there is a LOT of Thunderfam content to catch up on on here too which has kept me pretty busy :) at some point I’m planning to revisit TOS.

How did other people end up here?

#thunderbirds fandom #thunderbirds #thunderbirds are go #thunderfam

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duhragonball · 8 months

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The Future of Dragon Ball

I was going to play Mega Man X5 tonight, but it's acting kind of buggy and I'm not in a mood to try to troubleshoot my copy of Legacy Collection 2, so I'll write about Dragon Ball instead. Specifically, what happens next?

Let me make this clear up front: I don't actually know the answer to this. I'm not an "insider" claiming to have "leaked" information. All I want to do is discuss the possibilities, and the culture of speculation that seems to persist in the fandom.

I tend to call this "modern" era of the Dragon Ball franchise a "renaissance", because very little official material came out between 1998 and 2012, and then after Battle of Gods ushered in this new wave of Dragon Ball movies, TV episodes, web series, and comics. I've been covering this all year in the #2023dbapocryphaliveblog, in case you're new to this blog, and while much of it hasn't been very good, there were a lot of bright spots. Battle of Gods, Broly, and Super Hero were classics, the Tournament of Power basically saved and otherwise lackluster Dragon Ball Super anime, and the Granolah Saga in the DBS manga is a fun read with a great cliffhanger.

However, things have slowed down a lot this year. The Granolah Saga ended and the manga began a long, long adaptation of the Super Hero film. There was some hype about a new Tenkaichi Budokai video game, but there's been no word on when it'll come out what we can expect to see. I get the sense that the fans are champing at the bit for some big announcement, like a new movie or anime series, but it hasn't happened.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but back in my day you just had to wait and see, and accept the possibility that you may never get what you were hoping for. The vibe I get from DBTwitter is that people think they can somehow manifest a new animation through sheer force of will. News will spread of some Toei panel and fans will cling to the hope that there must be some big Dragon Ball announcement, and it must be nothing less than a teaser trailer for Xenoverse 3, a DBZ remake, and release dates for the next five movies. Then the panel will come and go, and it just ends up being a fluff PR thing where a spokesperson says "Dragon Ball is very fun and Goku is cool." and that's it. And all the fans get upset until the next panel, where they put their clown makeup on all over again.

"No, this can't be happening. Dragon Ball 2uper is real..."

When I was still new to the fandom, I always wondered how Dragon Ball AF could be such a potent fantasy for so long. But now I've lived through the Dragon Ball Super era, and seen fans chasing similar dreams. People have been waiting for Xenoverse 3 for over six years. They've been expecting "Dragon Ball Super II" ever since Dragon Ball Super I ended five years ago. And I'd say it's a pipe dream, except fans held out hope for Tenkaichi 4 since 2010, and it looks like we're actually going to get that one? You never can tell with this franchise. My kneejerk reaction to Dragon Ball Magic is to dismiss it as fake, but I can't be completely sure.

The weird thing is that 2uper, Magic, and XV3 have been hyped up during a boom period for the franchise. Dragon Ball Super had a 131 episode run, followed by two feature films. It's still going, but people want 2uper to animate the Moro Saga. People want a new web anime, but there's already a web anime. Super Dragon Ball Heroes has been running since 2018 and it's still going. Xenoverse 2 is still releasing DLC packs. I recognize that some of this content isn't what everyone wanted, but it's weird how fans are demanding new projects before the old ones have run their course. At least when AF became a legend, there weren't any official works to compete for its attention.

It occurs to me that maybe this is just part of the fan culture, and every so often fans will collectively agree on some imaginary premise and Goncharov their own series. Maybe that's what AF was then, and what Magic is today. They're not hoaxes, but rather some sort of mutually-agreed-upon daydream. I'm not sure I get it, but it is what it is.

Anyway, my position has always been that Dragon Ball has ended before and can end again, so there's no reason to assume that there will be some new anime or movie or video game to look forward to. I watched Super Hero fully believing that this could be the last one, even though the box office numbers suggest that a sequel is probably inevitable. But nothing is guaranteed. Dragon Ball GT started strong in the ratings, only to get canceled about a year later.

And yet, there seems to be some kind of guarantee, because of this guy:

I think there are a lot of fans who believe that Dragon Ball Super has a lot of loose ends to tidy up, and the series can't end until Goku and Vegeta surpass Jiren, Beerus, Whis, and Orange Piccolo. And maybe this is true, but I'm not so sure. But Black Frieza isn't just a loose end. This seems like a pretty big honkin' deal, and it would be pretty weak if they wrapped things up without some kind of reckoning here. Frieza's the main villain of Dragon Ball Super now, and in his most recent appearance he revealed he can defeat Goku and Vegeta with frightening ease. And yet, he spared them. Why?

So that seems like the obvious direction going into 2024. This is why fans are so burned out on the manga this year, because they know a Black Frieza arc is coming, but they have to wait for Toyotaro to retell Super Hero before we can even find out when it's happening.

My guess is that Toei/Shueisha decides to tease this out even longer. We get to chapter 100 of the manga and it starts some bullshit arc about Goten and Trunks playing superhero park rangers on 17's island. Or... that dumb android from the Moro Saga comes back and they jerk around with that guy for 18 chapters. They'll get to Black Frieza eventually, but I suspect that they're holding off until they can set up a Black Frieza movie. Then the manga can just adapt that movie and everything gets paid off around the same time.

Either way, I'm a little skeptical about it just being Goku and Vegeta training to beat Black Frieza. I keep coming back to how he let them live at the end of the Granolah arc. Ostensibly, he just wanted to frighten them, and make it clear that he no longer sees them as a threat. But maybe there's more to it than that. Maybe Frieza needs them alive for some reason. Like he plans to use them to achieve some goal, or he needs their help to stop some even greater menace that we haven't seen yet.

Maybe that's what Frieza was talking about at the end of the Broly movie when he said he wanted "one other". I kind of thought he meant to use Broly as an ally against Goku and Vegeta, but maybe he's planning a campaign against some other guy, and he sees Broly as a potential resource. And maybe that's why he spared Goku and Vegeta on Planet Cereal. If he kills them, he might not be able to find Broly when the time comes. Or maybe he just needs all three Saiyans, so he has to pull his punches.

Or maybe I'm overthinking this, and it just turns out that Black Frieza ends with a manga arc where Goku turns "Ultra Instinct (Defined) (Remastered)" and wins a paint-by-numbers battle. Or Roshi beats Black Frieza, because that sounds like something Toyotaro would do.

So what would happen after Black Frieza? See, that's where I wonder about the future of the franchise, because so much work has gone into mining past arcs. The first DBS movie was about bringing back Broly, Bardock, and Gogeta. The second movie brought back the Red Ribbon Army, the androids, and Cell. Frieza will almost certainly get another turn, and then what? What's left?

I mean, let's break this down by the major antagonists we've had so far.

Pilaf Saga. The Pilaf gang are still living in Bulma's house, apparently, so that comic relief bit from Battle of Gods shows no signs of ending.

Red Ribbon Army. DBS Super Hero brought them back and opened some interesting doors for future Red Ribbon stories. It's hard to imagine the Army making another comeback since Cell Max destroyed their secret base and all their top leaders were killed. But the Red Pharmaceutical Company still exists and someone must have taken over after Magenta's death.

Tien Shinhan. Tien never left, and while I'd be down for a Tien-centric saga, it seems pretty unlikely after all these years. At best, he gets a prominent role in a story featuring some more important player.

King Piccolo/Piccolo Junior. Piccolo never left either, and now he's got his own movie in Super Hero.

Saiyans Saga. Vegeta never left, and DBS: Broly pretty much covered the idea of "here are some new Saiyans we didn't know about before."

Frieza Saga. Resurrection F, Tournament of Power, DBS: Broly, this upcoming Black Frieza thing, I think this has been covered.

Androids/Cell Saga. 17 and 18 never left, and the idea of more androids and a new Cell was already covered in Super Hero.

Majin Buu. It's been 27 years and no one seems to want to do anything with this guy. Maybe 2025 is the year when Akira Toriyama finally does some big Buu story to justify keeping him around this whole time.

Zamasu. I mean, the dude got erased, so it'd be pretty bullshit to bring him back. Then again, it was pretty bullshit of Toriyama to create this idea in the first place, so I can't rule it out. "Whoops, more Zamasu" might be the storyline that would force me to quit the Dragon Ball fandom for good.

Tournament of Power. I mean, they could do another Tournament of Power for funsies, but it probably wouldn't live up to the spectacle or the novelty of the original. More likely, I could see some adventures featuring prominent characters from the event, like Jiren, Hit, the U6 Saiyans, etc.

Moro. I did not enjoy the Moro arc much at all, so it kind of bums me out when people suggest that Toei should do an anime adaptation of it. To me, that would be just as big a waste of time as the DBS manga doing the Super Hero adaptation that's going on right now, but it would be even worse because Moro kind of sucks. In the same vein, doing stories that follow up on the Moro arc would be difficult because you'd have to refer back to the Moro arc, which only appeared in the manga, which not everyone read. So it's this difficult spot where you'd have to animate the Moro arc first, just to do a new arc about Merus and Jaco or whatever. It's probably not worth it.

Other Z Movies and GT: The success of DBS: Broly sort of opens the door for similar reboots of guys like Cooler, Turles, Janemba, Baby, etc. But honestly, this seems pretty far-fetched to me. Broly was a much, much bigger star than any of those other characters, so what worked for Broly isn't necessarily a road map for a guy like Bojack or Omega Shenron.

Looking over all of this, I kind of wonder what's left to do. Maybe something with Majin Buu, or the big shots from the Tournament of Power, and after that, I think they'll have used up all the viable nostalgia. After that, Dragon Ball will probably have to come up with something brand new, which is kind of a dicey proposition, because they've been hit-or-miss with that. Granolah and Tournament of Power were good, Moro and Zamasu were bad, so when I hear they're doing something all-new, I get kind of nervous.

But in the end, I don't know what will happen, which brings us back around to where I started. We'll just have to see what shakes out.

#dragon ball #idle speculation #black frieza

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petra-creat0r · 5 months

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Annual Update 2024

Alright everyone! New year, new updates for all my stuff!

Starting with ...

AtDFF and AYC

(The new signatures for my main art, AtDFF, and AYC)

As some, and by that I mean most of you have probably noticed, I rebooted AtDFF... again. I technically started a revamp all the way back in 2020 where I was redrawing the older updates to better match the current style and reformat the asks and text for better readability, but that didn't impede on the main updates (well, besides putting more onto mine and the rest of the team's work load.)

The Reboot

This past year though, I made the decision to completely reboot the comic for a few reasons. One was an attempt to renew my motivation, another was wanting to rework some of the lore, yet another was being inspired by @askfallenroyalty to remake the comic and post to ComicFury, but I think the main factor was... I wasn't all that happy with it. I think I kept comparing it to other comics, especially Fallen Royalty, which is my own issue, please don't go blaming anyone else. I knew I could do better, especially after over 5 years working on this, but now looking back, part of me feels that, rebooting it again is, in a way, diminishing those years. Even with the 2020 revamp, prior to it you could go through the updates and really look at how my art has progressed, and though true you can still scroll and find the old updates, it's just... not quite the same. Same can be said for the 2023 reboot.

Does that mean I'm going back on the reboot? No. I already have the next updates planned (I just haven't had a chance to work on them that often) and I really like the new lore of the world that I've come up with. I just think this will be the last time I ever reboot the comic. Whatever happens, happens, and I need to just roll with it. Even if what happens is our little roadtrip getting derailed into a corn field again, lol.

Comic Fury and New Comic?

With that said, what do I have in store for the new reboots of AtDFF and AYC? (yes AYC got rebooted too, I just haven't posted the first update like I did with AtDFF) Well, I mentioned a Comic Fury, which surprise. Both AtDFF and AYC have their own Comic Fury pages now! Don't worry, I still plan on posting to Tumblr as well, but now you can also find them on Comic Fury. Along with another comic I'm planning to do (eventually), Undertale-ish: The Comic. Ever wonder what Ish Frisk's journey through the Underground was like? Want to see what happened in most (not all) of their 800 runs? Want to see this child grapple with their self insecurities, perfectionism, and the responsibility of having full control over time and an entire civilization's lives in the palm of their hand? Want to see Chara as a ghost? Well that's what you'll get with Undertale-ish: The Comic! Coming I don't know since I such at scheduling and time management for these things!

Schedule

Speaking of scheduling! When are any of these comics coming out? Well... I just said I suck with schedules, and I can't promise really... anything when it comes to release but like... I know I for sure would like to release things... regularly? Even with the start of the reboot, I started it in April, and that stuff extended until at least August. Every summer I naively think "Oh! I'm gonna have so much time to work on the comic!" and then I get a summer job. Because I'm nearly 20 and going to college and even if I'm still living under my parent's roof, I can't entirely rely on my dad to pay my tuition. Only for half the year. Then during the school year, I have classes, and I feel burned out by the time I get home, and- It's a whole thing I need to find someway to work around or else nothing gets done and my brain just screams at itself. So, I think scheduling is something I'm gonna figure out throughout January, and try and get a backlog of updates ready throughout February to April or May so maybe we can start posting again in summer. Does that feel like a long wait? Even being near a year from the first update of the AtDFF reboot? Yes. But also I'm trying to over estimate and give myself the time and space I need while still attending college, and I wouldn't just be working on one comic update, but multiple. I'm trying to give myself space and some grace instead of making promises that feel hollow after a while of being unfufilled.

Lack of Motivation and How to Fix

Another thing to address, is my motivation when it comes to these series. I don't think it's accurate to say I've felt completely unmotivated to work on either comic, I mean, I was motivated for some of the beginning of last year to full on overhaul them, but I will say that, these comics have started to feel like a job. It's been something I've felt for a couple years now, where I've been having less fun with the comic as it's begun to feel like actual work. Believe me, I'm super excited for some of the later plot points of both AtDFF and AYC, and I love Undertale-ish and these characters but to get to those points or character moments, it feels like I'm slogging through what comes before it, which isn't good. This is something that sure, rebooting helped for a bit, before I got caught up in school and other stuff, but it's not a permanent solution and I've felt myself slipping back into the comic feeling like a job.

So how might I remedy this? Well, I think the solution might lie in another series I started this year, Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3. Even if DJSSuC3 is more Deltarune focused, I've enjoyed drawing Chicago and my other fankids pretty much daily as, there's not that much pressure on it. Definitely not like there is with AtDFF or AYC. I don't have to line, or even color them since, they're just little doodles. I don't have to worry about missing a day since, I'll just do multiple the next day. They're quick, they're easy, I can just draw whatever idea I have with the characters I want, I'm having fun. Back when Ask the Dreemurr-Font Family was nothing but an ask chat on Amino, that's what I did it for. For fun. I wasn't worried with popularity or being like other creators, I just did silly little character driven roleplays for fun. I think that's been my issue with the comics. They aren't fun anymore. They're work because, I feel it's my job to tell this story rather than just... telling it because I want to. So, I think going forward, I'm gonna try to have more fun with the comics and Ish in general. For you all, that's probably gonna look like more sketches and doodles getting posted and maybe even just sharing small comics based off ideas that pop into my brain or from roleplays that happened in my server. Little things to help me regain the enjoyment I had with these comics and world.

Deltarune: Fool's Fate

I think that's all I've got to say on the Undertale based comics, so how about now we move onto something Deltarune related? As I was doing DJSSuC3, I introduced an idea called Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Aka, Chicago and Co's adventures through the Dark Worlds after Kris denied their destiny. So far, this has just been little doodles, character designs, and a roleplay I've been doing in my discord server. I've been having quite a bit of fun with that RP, we're nearly to the end of what would be the first "chapter" and have been fighting Dorothy, the secret boss of the Attic Dark World and who some of y'all might recall I made a real life doll of when my old computer finally kicked the bucket earlier this month. (I've still yet to make her dress or crown) I think roleplays have always been the thing I find the most enjoyable when it comes to character exploration as, I don't have to spend forever drawing comics and I get to sorta live through the characters. It's something I've been doing for characters from even before I was in this fandom. With the Fool's Fate roleplay too, I've also got to come up with elements that could feasibly be in an actual video game without, you know, actually coding a video game.

I don't know where Fool's Fate will go from here, while it'd be cool to have it be an actual fangame, I don't have that sort of skill. Nor the budget to pay a team. (My team for the comics is really just a bunch of friends I convinced to help me out for free.) Even with a sprite comic, it'd be too much. So, for now, it'll likely just remain a concept and roleplay. But, who knows. Maybe someday I could make it into something. I mean, after watching this year's Underevent I wanted to.

Other stuff

With all the UTDR stuff out of the way, what about some of my other stuff? (Because, surprise, Undertale and Deltarune aren't the ONLY things I do. Just the things I hyperfixate on the most.) Well, I've got my Fakemon region, Azmayca, POW-R, Dragon Riders, and Kinder Eyes which I started last summer. I don't really have any plans for them, asides from bugging people for ideas and doodling whenever I'm in the mood. However I think starting this year, I'm gonna try to post more of the doodles I make. Either ones in my sketchbook since DJSS gave me the confidence to post sketchy silly little doodles like that, or sketch doodles I draw digitally as warm ups. Though who knows. Maybe a hyperfixation swing some time during the summer will cause me to actually try to do something crazy like outline the whole Azmayca region and hypothetical game. Hopefully not something like that though. Making the evolutions of my redesigns of the starters might be nice.

Commissions

Another thing I'd like to finally do next year is update my commissions sheet. It's something I've had in the work for a while now, and was working on along side launching the comic updates. But, like the comics, school and work got in the way so... I sorta forgot about it. Regardless! I'm gonna try to post my updated sheet some time within the next few months, it's mostly just been havin to draw or find recent examples of my work. Hopefully then I'll actually get some more commissions because, um *looks at the whooping $3.94 in my checking account* I could really use the extra money. I might work during the summers and get grade payments from my dad but, that stuff is to pay my tuition and some of my lunches during the semester, and even with lunches, 500 dollars is spread thin through 17, 16 ish weeks. That's like, only $30 a week, which is maybe enough to cover buying lunch at the campus food court like, once or twice from the food court. Maybe three times if I'm lucky and conservative with my spending. Not to mention that $300 of that went to my new laptop, and even if I should be getting $300 from a paycheck I was never paid back when I worked at Arby's 3 summers ago, I still haven't gotten that gift card in the mail so... Yeah. If I was living on my own, I'd be screwed. Which is why commissions and Patreon are like, my only source of income during the school year. (I still need to look into getting an on campus job for this upcoming semester but that's its own whole big can of worms.)

Patreon

Speaking of Patreon, that's another goal I want to set. Actually posting to it again. I had a burst early last year were I was regularly posting to Patreon with early access chapters of The Puppet and the Real Boy (before I retconned that with Fool's Fate) and thanks to my only Patreon ever @kierangecko, I managed to make around $50 bucks which ended up being used to help get blanks for some of my Christmas gifts for people (thank you Gecko. I know I did stop posting after like, May, but that money really came in handy.) So for this next year, I'm gonna try to post to that again. Be it WIPs of the comic, scripts, little doodles I don't post on Tumblr or whatever, I want to make Patreon another source of income. Which involves posting to it at least monthly. And even if I don't, then you guys won't have to worry about anything since I've got it set to not charge for months I don't post anything.

Resolution Review

So, to review some of my... I guess you could call them resolutions, though I'd rather think of them as goals I don't absolutely have to hold myself too but would just like to accomplish, I'd like to...

Have more fun when with AtDFF and AYC through drawing and posting more loose, silly comics and doodles

Try figuring out a posting and work schedule for AtDFF and AYC by then end of January

Hopefully get a back log of updates for both comics ready to release by summer

Start on and release Undertale-ish: The Comic sometime this year

Keep doing Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3 until Chapters 3 and 4 of Deltarune hopefully come out sometime this year.

Possibly design hypothetical secret boss predictions for Chapters 4 and 5 of Deltarune before the next chapters come out.

Keep working on, designing characters for, and coming up with Dark Worlds for Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Perhaps even drawing some tarot cards with the chapter bosses.

Post more about my other projects, even if they're only sketchbook drawings or warm up doodles.

Update my commissions page and hopefully take more commissions to earn some extra money/save up for college or to move out.

Post regularly to my Patreon, also to earn some extra money.

Generally have a better year than 2023 and to find more enjoyment in my art and projects.

Closing

Ho boy! That was... A lot! This has turned out to be one very long post. Hehe. Well, should be over now that I've said all I need too. Also, if I haven't said it already, I'd like to thank all of you for supporting me and my art. Be it my comics, DJSSuC3, my other projects, or anything I've posted this year. It means a lot to me that people even like what I draw and you all mean the world to me. With all of that out of the way, thank you Creative Creators and I hope you have a Happy New Year.

#happy new year #update post #long post #petra's annual update #undertale ish #ask the dreemurr-font family #ask young chara #deltarune: fool's fate #drawing jr. secret squad until chapter 3 #djssuc3 #atdff #ayc #undertale-ish: the comic #azmayca #kinder eyes #pow-r #dragon riders #petra rambles

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twistedtummies2 · 7 months

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Top 15 Mickey Mouse Appearances

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing: that it was all started by a mouse.” Today marks the official 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Company. Having counted down my Top 15 favorites among their animated features, I think the time has come to take a look at the company’s mascot, and arguably their most famous and iconic character creation: Mickey Mouse. The exact origins of Mickey are somewhat shrouded in myth and speculation, but regardless of all the details behind how he was created, why he was created, and just who, specifically, should get the majority of the credit FOR his creation, one thing is certain: Mickey is quite possibly the single most popular cartoon star in the world, alongside or perhaps even surpassing Bugs Bunny. For some, he is a representation of innocence and optimism; for others, he’s more simply a pop culture phenomenon or a spokesperson for merchandise. Whatever you think of him, this little rodent isn’t going away anytime soon, and remains the avatar of Disney itself, partially because he was originally voiced by the company’s chief founder, Walt Disney. I thought it would be fun, on this auspicious day, to look back on Mickey’s history over the years, and list some of my favorites of his more noteworthy appearances. Several of these appeared on a very old list I made on DeviantArt several years ago; that list is severely outdated, however, in several places. So for those of you who might remember it, don’t worry about it: this countdown will be more accurate, expansive, and up to date. I won’t be counting down any of Mickey’s classic theatrical cartoons, I should point out; you won’t be seeing “The Mad Doctor” or “Steamboat Willie” here. This is simply because…well…there are a LOT of Mickey Mouse cartoons, and picking the ones I love most is a mammoth undertaking I don’t want to really attempt at the present. Instead, we’ll be talking about all of Mickey’s other major appearances: video games, movies, TV shows, and maybe - just maybe - we might even cover a comic or two. With that said, let’s waste no time! Slap on your circle-eared headbands, and tell the club to begin the march! These are My Top 15 Mickey Mouse Appearances!

15. Castle of Illusion.

This is one of the most well-known and lauded video game appearances Mickey has had over the years. “Castle of Illusion” was originally made for the SEGA Genesis in 1990; many years later, in 2013, it was remade for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC gaming stations. I never actually played the original one, but I AM more familiar with the remake, and I think it’s a splendid remastering of an old cult classic. “Castle of Illusion” tells the story of Mickey going on a typical fairy-tale-esque adventure, as he tries to save his beloved Minnie from the evil witch, Mizrabel (who is sort of a cross between Maleficent and the Evil Queen). To do this, Mickey must travel through a series of worlds, created from illusion magic within the witch’s castle, facing Mizrabel’s many minions along the way. There’s nothing too complex here, but the game is nevertheless a worthy time for tiny ones, with some colorful visuals, fine music, and easy-to-grasp gameplay. The original game was so popular that it not only spawned this remake, but also three sequels. It was also the inspiration for another famous Mickey Mouse game…but that’s another story.

14. Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

Me placing this classic short adaptation of one of my favorite stories of all time, Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of “A Christmas Carol,” so low in the ranks? “Who are you, and what have you done with the writer?!” some of you may be yelling. Well, no, I assure you I am myself (as far as I’m aware), and I haven’t COMPLETELY lost my marbles. Yet. As much as I love this fabulous cartoon rendition of the Carol story, when it comes to Mickey’s actual presence in the cartoon, his featured name in the title is somewhat misleading. In the cartoon, Ebenezer Scrooge is played - appropriately enough - by Scrooge McDuck, and as anyone who knows the story is aware, he’s honestly the main character. Mickey plays the role of Scrooge’s clerk, Bob Cratchit. Granted, it’s a perfectly fitting role for Mickey, as he fits the part of Cratchit perfectly. His natural sweetness makes an already sympathetic character seem all the more loveable, allowing all the moments of humor, warmth, and even heartbreak powerful, even when he isn’t the most dynamic character in the story. However, because Mickey’s role is comparatively small, when you look at his part here and other appearances on this countdown, I feel it must get lower ranking. Sorry, Mickey’s Christmas Carol; I still love ya.

13. Dream-Along With Mickey.

Now, I’ll be forthright here and now and confess I haven’t seen this stage show live; and considering it was discontinued in 2016, I suppose I never will. But thank God for the Internet! A kid’s show put on at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, in front of the Cinderella Castle, this cute and simple spectacle has Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy all throwing a party, when it is revealed that Donald…(GASP!)…DOES NOT BELIEVE IN DREAMS! (slams fist on the table) THE DEVIL TAKES MANY FORMS!!! Ahem…sorry. Anyway, to try and show Donald the importance of dreams, Mickey and the others each reveal dreams and wishes they’ve always longed for, and they are quickly brought to life…at least in a way. Minnie wishes to be a princess, and lo and behold, classic Disney Princes and Princesses appear and have a little ball. Goofy wishes to go on a pirate adventure, and Peter Pan and Wendy show up, along with a group of friendly pirates to join in the fun. This is where things go wrong, as Captain Hook and Maleficent show up soon after. It’s revealed the villains plan to take over the Cinderella Castle, and turn the Magic Kingdom into “The Place Where Nightmares Come True!” With help from Peter Pan (and the audience), Mickey and his pals are able to defeat the villains, as Hook and Maleficent retreat. Donald is thus shown the values (and dangers) of dreaming. Ultimately, “Dream-Along” was a fairly cute and simple children’s show, by Disney standards, but even as someone who never saw it live, it was fun, and probably one of Mickey’s best stage appearances. To be blunt, any chance for Mickey Mouse to take on the Mistress of All Evil is appreciated.

12. The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse.

I have to confess I resisted the urge to watch this cartoon series for a while. I guess my old man syndrome kicked in, because I wasn’t particularly fond of the brand new art style at first, and worried it would just turn Mickey and his pals into a Cartoon Network Crazy-Show ripoff (for lack of a better way of putting it). But, when I found out the series was actually being rather well-received, and there was even a ride being made based on it, I decided to open up my mind and give the show a chance. (Admittedly, a certain episode involving the Big Bad Wolf may have had something to do with it, too. Ahem.) This cartoon show attempted to both update Mickey and his pals, while also conversely returning them to their roots: slapstick shenanigans of the toony variety. In that effort, I’d say it largely succeeded: this series brought Mickey out of the well-tread comfort zone of the sweet little straight man, and tried to bring him back to a more mischievous, zany, at times downright PSYCHOTIC personality from back in his very earliest shorts. The cartoons are fast-paced, energetic, and absolutely INSANE in every respect; they feel like a cross between something like “Adventure Time” and “Eek the Cat” more than what you’d generally expect from Mickey Mouse. The only reason this doesn’t get higher on the list is simply because it IS very new to me, and while I appreciate how they amped up the hilarity, I’ve always had a sort of iffy relationship with this particular STYLE of visual humor, if that makes sense. Sometimes it REALLY makes me laugh, and other times I literally just cannot keep up with it. Again, just call me an old man or something; I guess I’ll generally prefer straight man Mickey to this lunacy…but for what it’s worth, this lunacy is something I can definitely see myself returning to many times in the future.

11. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas.

This Christmas special was an anthology film featuring several Yuletide tales with the classic characters from the world of Mickey Mouse. Much like with “Christmas Carol,” Mickey gets top billing in the title, but he’s actually only the star in one of the featured stories. Namely, he and Minnie are the headliners for an animated adaptation of the classic story “Gift of the Magi.” In the short, Mickey has a treasured harmonica, while Minnie has a pocket watch she loves dearly. Each wants to get the other a Christmas present related to their most precious items: Minnie wants to buy Mickey a fancy case for the harmonica, and Mickey wants to get Minnie a gold chain for her watch. However, cash is tight for the pair. When their separate plans to get enough dough to afford each of their presents go awry, both mice have to make a choice on what is most precious to them: their most valued heirlooms, or each other. I won’t give away the twist ending, but if you know the story…well…you know, and if you DON’T know, you can probably guess. It’s a sweet, fun little story, and the anthology concludes with all of the characters featured throughout coming together for a musical finale, including Mickey and Minnie, of course. Overall, both this specific segment and the special as a whole are sweet, wholesome, and very fun, especially for kids. There WAS a sequel to this, called “Twice Upon a Christmas,” which I guess shows how successful the first one was…but that sequel happens to be made of moldy cheese, so we won’t talk about it here.

10. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in The Three Musketeers.

Apparently, a lot of people really disliked this little animated adventure when it first came out, and I’m honestly not exactly sure why. Indeed, over time, this direct-to-video and TV musical movie has gained a substantial following, and I guess I’m among those who follow it. Inspired by the classic swashbuckler of “The Three Musketeers” (it can’t really be called an adaptation as the events of this story apparently take place AFTER that story in this universe), the movie features Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as a trio of servants at Queen Minnie’s castle. All three want to someday become famous Musketeers, going on adventures and protecting the kingdom. However, they are stymied by the fact that Donald is a coward, Goofy is…well…Goofy, for lack of a better way of putting it, and Mickey is considered too short for the force. However, the three get their chance thanks the wicked machinations of the treacherous Captain Pete, who assigns them as bodyguards and lets them join the ranks specifically in the belief they’ll be too incompetent to do their job, giving him a perfect chance to enact his evil schemes against the Queen. You can probably guess where things go from there. While not a brilliant picture, it’s not bad either: the animation is solid, the characters are well-used and well-portrayed, and the soundtrack - largely made using melodies from various famous ballets, operettas, and pieces of classical music - is catchy and has its moments of real cleverness. I wouldn’t by any means call it one of the greatest animated pieces of all time, but if you’re in the mood to see some swashbuckling with a slide of slapstick, it’s a fun time.

9. Runaway Brain.

This 1995 half-hour-long short is a parody of various classic horror films. It is widely regarded as possibly one of the scariest (and certainly one of the CRAZIEST) cartoons Mickey has ever appeared in. In this animated freak show, Mickey is tricked by a mad scientist, Dr. Frankenollie (ha ha, I see what you did there, Disney) into taking part in a batty experiment. The result of the experiment is that Mickey’s brain is swapped with that of a monster named Julius (basically Pete as the Frankenstein Monster). Julius ends up becoming smitten with Mickey’s girlfriend, Minnie Mouse. This leads to a darkly comedic story filled with psychotic shenanigans, as Mickey (in Julius’ body) and Julius (in Mickey’s body) constantly vie for Minnie’s affections, with widely comical results. The whole thing feels like a bizarre blend of Popeye, Frankenstein, and King Kong, all rolled into one. Incredibly bizarre and madcap in its nature, it has become something of a cult classic among Disney aficionados, and for good reason. If you ever wanted to see Mickey Mouse turn into a feral beast…first of all, I don’t know WHY you would want that, but second of all, this is the cartoon for you.

8. Wizards of Mickey.

This is the only comic I decided to include on the list, primarily because, to be honest, I’m just not super familiar with Mickey Mouse comics in general. I’ve read a few from various parts of Mickey’s history - everything from the first appearance of the Phantom Blot to an adaptation of Dracula with Mickey as Jonathan Harker and Goofy as Van Helsing (yes, that is a thing, and I ALMOST included it on this list; consider it 16th place). However, I’m by no means an expert on the subject, and I wasn’t sure what should be or should not be counted among those ranks. Maybe when I read more Mickey comics, I can do a separate, specific list of my favorites there. With all that said, of all the Mickey comics I’ve read, I think this series - which has been collected into several TPBs - is probably the best so far. Originally published in Italy (which has a LOT of really great Disney comics), “Wizards of Mickey” is a fantasy-style reimagining of the Mickey Mouse universe, inspired by “The Lord of the Rings.” In it, Mickey is a young wizard-in-training, who teams-up Donald Duck and Goofy - a pair of bungling magicians - to enter a tournament, where he plans to try and get hold of a bunch of magic crystals to help his village. Things take a turn for the worst, however, when Mickey finds out his mentor has been captured by the Phantom Blot: in this universe, a dark wizard who has his own plans for the crystals. Mickey must face the Blot’s minions, known as Team Black Phantom (led by Pete), and win the tournament to save not only his master, and not only his hometown, but the entire world. I really love the way all the different characters are used and depicted in these comics; I’d genuinely love to see them adapted to some other medium, such as a movie, TV show, or even a video game! It’s unlikely to happen, but hope springs eternal; if you’ve never really read many Disney comics, this series is a fun place to start.

7. Fantasmic!

Arguably Disney’s most popular and spectacular stage show, Fantasmic is essentially “Dream-Along” ON STEROIDS. There is basically NO plot to this show…or at least, none till about halfway through. The first half is just fun randomness, as Mickey “dreams” various adventures, love stories, and general happy times, all while dancing and performing magic tricks. However, things go wrong when the Evil Queen gazes into her Magic Mirror, who declares that as long as Mickey has control, “love will always survive,” and the Queen will never again be Fairest in the Land. Enraged, the Queen first transforms herself into The Witch, and then summons various Disney Villains to help her “turn that little Mouse’s dream into a Nightmare Fantasmic!” This results in possibly the biggest climax of any live Disney show, and possibly any live show ANYWHERE, as Mickey is forced to do battle with Maleficent in order to take back his dream and restore order to the Disney universe. Unlike “Dream-Along with Mickey,” I have actually seen this show live at Disneyland (it has been retooled since I saw it, mind you), and I can safely say it has well-earned its stellar reputation. There have actually been a few different versions of the show, including a now-defunct rendition for Tokyo’s DisneySea, and a longer version at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. However, the Disneyland version is generally considered to be the best. It remains one of the most influential live shows of any theme park, and there’s even a kicking metal song (by the band Nightwish) named after it! (pauses) No, that is not a joke, and the song is awesome, LISTEN TO IT. I am highly tempted to put this in the top five…but spectacular as it is, there’s not much in the way of plot and character, so I don’t feel justified putting it that high. Still, if you ever get a chance to see this show in any of its forms – particularly live, so you can get the full impact - you most definitely should.

6. House of Mouse.

In hindsight, this show was actually pretty weird and a tiny bit tricky to explain. Basically, this series was intended as a showcase for the Mickey Mouse Works short series, along with many older Disney cartoons. It ran between 2001 and 2003, with frequent reruns since then. The premise is simple, but also rather odd: basically, Mickey and the gang are in charge of a nightclub where all sorts of Disney characters – sourced practically every movie, various cartoons, and even a couple of rides – just…well…kind of hang out and watch cartoons. Yeah. That was basically it. Every episode had an overarching story of some kind, but the purpose of the series was showcasing the cartoons, often tied around a theme set in the main story of the episode itself. These stories ranged from the typical to the absolutely insane. Many focused on Mickey and Co. having to deal with Mickey’s two featured rivals: Pete, who wanted to shut the place down, and the scheming and conniving Mortimer Mouse. However, some episodes used major Disney film characters in wacky ways. This is especially true of the villains: for example, in one episode, Mickey plays cupid for Hades and Maleficent. In another, Jafar, of all characters, is called on to save the club with his magic, and sings a villainous version of “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.” Even in this show’s weirdest moments, it was a lot of fun. It’s a bit like Roger Rabbit as an animated series; just having all these Disney characters mingle together and interact leads to lots of crazy shenanigans, oddball stories, and snappy side jokes. The cartoons it showcased were often a lot of fun, too, both new and old. It even got two TV special spin-offs: “Mickey’s Magical Christmas,” and a Halloween special called “Mickey’s House of Villains,” both of which I consider guilty pleasures. It’s definitely a highlight in Mickey’s illustrious career on TV.

5. The Prince and the Pauper.

This half-hour short, produced in 1990, is an adaptation of the classic Mark Twain story, and was the first time Mickey had been seen onscreen in roughly a decade, following “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” This cartoon has since been aired on T.V. a few times, and released to video and DVD (though I’m not sure if it has a Blu-Ray release yet). In this adventure, Mickey is cast as not one, but TWO characters. One is the wealthy, spoiled, but frightfully bored Prince, who longs to escape the humdrum life inside his palace and explore his kingdom. The other is the Pauper; a timid young beggar who longs for fame and fortune. When the two accidentally meet up, they decide to swap places for a day, which leads to both cartoonish hijinks and some surprisingly powerful emotional moments, with the Prince and the Pauper each having to learn important lessons, facing probably the most intimidating and villainous version of Pete out there, and even having the Prince’s father die pretty much right before Mickey’s eyes. Yeah, this one gets pretty heavy. It’s big on laughs, but also big on heart. Even though it’s only a half hour long, it has the production values of an out-and-out Disney feature film, and is just as good and as memorable. If you haven’t seen it already, look it up when you get the chance; two Mickeys for the price of one is a deal you don’t come by often.

4. Kingdom Hearts.

Mickey Mouse as a Yoda-like swordmaster and sorcerer. Frankly, when you hear those words, your first reaction is probably something along the lines of “WHAT?!” But, to be honest…just like other entries here, crazy as it is, it’s a lot of fun! Quite frankly, Mickey Mouse in this series is probably one of the coolest freaking characters in the games, as well as one of the most powerful. Referred to as “King Mickey,” he is the ruler of Disney Castle, and a frequent ally of Sora and perhaps especially Riku, whom he has formed a particularly close bond with. While just as optimistic and loveable as ever, this Mickey is actually…well…if you’ll pardon my language, HE’S A BAD@$$. When I say “Yoda-like,” I mean it very literally. Seeing this little mouse go bouncing off the walls with a keyblade is both incredibly funny and really freaking awesome. And while he’s got all the qualities we expect from Mickey, he can be a surprisingly serious and even dangerous character. Just to give you one example, at one point in “Kingdom Hearts II,” it actually seems like Goofy is killed. Yes, you read that correctly; he gets hit in the head with a rock, passes out, and everyone thinks he’s dead. And while I never expected he really was (as Goofy says when he pops up later, “Gawrsh…I get hit in the head all the time!”), the reactions everybody in the scene had were surprisingly powerful…ESPECIALLY Mickey. Why? Because at first of course he’s all sad…but then suddenly his fists clench, he glares to one side, and Mickey Mouse says, deathly serious, in that adorable little voice: “THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS.” I don’t care who you are; when Mickey Mouse says those words, dressed all in black and holding a giant key, you are either going to burst out laughing, mutter “Oh, it’s on now,” or both. I did both. King Mickey has only become more and more prominent in the series as it has gone on, with a few games going into his origins in this universe, and is definitely one of its most popular characters. But then again, when you have Mickey Mouse as a magical, acrobatic swordsman, would you expect anything less?

3. Mickey and the Beanstalk.

Originally featured as part of the package feature “Fun and Fancy Free” (which, as many of you will hopefully know, is one of my personal favorite Disney movies ever made), this short was once planned to be a full-length movie on its own terms. However, budget constraints at the studio due to WWII meant that it was lumped together with another short subject, “Bongo”: the story of a loveable little circus bear who longs to venture in the wild. Since then, however, “Mickey and the Beanstalk” has been viewed and released more than once on its own terms, separate from the rest of the movie it first appeared in. In this adaptation of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” trouble begins when the lunkheaded Willie the Giant (who is less “evil” and more…well…a complete idiot child with a bad, BAD temper) steals a magic harp from a little kingdom in the magical land of Happy Valley. Without the harp, the kingdom begins to fall into ruin. When Mickey ends up coming across some magic beans, he ventures up the beanstalk with Donald and Goofy to confront Willie, take back the harp, and save Happy Valley. Mickey was an experienced giant hunter by this point; he’d appeared in an earlier adaptation of the story of Jack called “Giantland,” and faced a different giant in a different fairy-tale in the classic cartoon “The Brave Little Tailor.” However, of all his exploits facing titans as silly as they are terrifying, it’s this outing that is the most lauded and well-remembered, and for good reason. It’s still one of Mickey’s best appearances and among his most iconic.

2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice. While only about the length of a typical Silly Symphony, and featuring absolutely no dialogue, “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” - first featured in the classic compilation picture, “Fantasia” - remains quite possibly Mickey’s most influential and well-recognized appearance, aside from perhaps “Steamboat Willie.” Based on the timeless fable of the same name (which the music illustrates), the sequence features Mickey as the poor apprentice of the wizard Yen Sid. Bored of doing menial chores around the sorcerer’s tower, he steals his Master’s magic hat and uses it to bring a broom to life. Mickey then has the broom carry water for him, planning to make it do allt he chores. Sadly, things go horribly wrong when the broom - unable to stop its work - begins to flood the sorcerer’s tower. The harder Mickey tries to stop the madness, the more the situation spirals out of control. It’s a cautionary tale with a couple different themes, and many people love to read into the story, as well as the characters: Mickey, of course, has often been seen as synonymous with Walt Disney himself. The character of Yen Sid – whose name, you will note, is “Disney” spelled backwards – was a caricature of the man himself, too. As noted by film historian Brian Sibley, one can see Mickey and Yen Sid’s powers as a parallel to Walt’s own sort of “inner magic;” it’s hard to see the scene of Mickey dreaming of rewriting the cosmos and happily making the ocean dance at his heels, and not think of Walt Disney’s ability to make the possible impossible, and the man’s desire to see his dreams come true. However, the fact Mickey cannot control the magic, no matter how hard he tries, is also noteworthy, especially in hindsight. This is not only due to the fact Fantasia didn’t work out the way Walt planned and hoped, but the controversies that continually crop up about the man’s life, and even the Disney company in general to this day. Taking all that out of the picture, if you just take the cartoon at face value, it’s still charming, sweet, funny, and enchanting; all the things a good Mickey Mouse piece should be. It makes a dazzling centerpiece for one of my all-time favorite Disney films.

1. Epic Mickey.

There are many, MANY reasons why I love Epic Mickey. Practically from the moment this game was announced, I was EXTREMELY interested. A game where your choices helped determine the ending was nothing exactly new, but when that game used a particularly interesting combat/gameplay system, and had a focus on story and characters, with an interest in forgotten Disney lore? Well, for me, personally, that was a HUGE source of interest! An immediate success, the game spawned two sequels – “Epic Mickey 2: Power of Two,” and “Power of Illusion,” a handheld spin-off inspired by the aforementioned “Castle of Illusion.” There were plans to have a third/fourth game to finish things off, but, for whatever reason (I seriously don’t know), the project was canceled. Disappointing as that sad fact is, the games we got were still pretty interesting, ESPECIALLY the first one. The plot is a rather meta story in which a mischievous Mickey accidentally wreaks havoc upon a world created by Yen Sid. The sorcerer has conjured up a sort of pocket universe, where forgotten Disney Dreams go to live and retire in peace. Mickey’s meddling unintentionally creates the terrifying Shadow Blot (a drastic reimagining of the Phantom Blot). The Blot is a ravenous ink monster, who transforms the happy world into a Wasteland. Years later, Mickey – now a cartoon star who has completely forgotten about his little accident, and knows nothing about the fallout – is kidnapped by the Blot and his second-in-command, the treacherous Mad Doctor. They wish to steal Mickey’s heart so they can escape the Wasteland and take over the world beyond. Using Yen Sid’s magic brush, Mickey goes on a quest through the Wasteland (a twisted version of Disneyland) to defeat both the villains and escape. The story is engaging and genuinely touching; the use of so many forgotten, abandoned, and underrated elements of Disney’s past is really fascinating, as well. The music is INCREDIBLE (seriously, this is one of my favorite video game soundtracks out there). As for Mickey? Frankly, I love how this game manages to make Mickey an action hero, without going into Kingdom Hearts territory. Make no mistake, I’m pretty sure Kingdom Hearts inspired parts of this – the concept of “action hero Mickey” certainly seems reminiscent, as does the focus on hearts and how they work – but this one handles Mickey in that role in a way that I would argue is better. KH had to reimagine the character in many ways, this one doesn’t really reimagine him at all; his appearance, his voice, his personality…all of it is classic Mickey Mouse, and whether you make him an impish rogue or a fun-loving hero, you can still root for him and believe him every step of the way. The game’s head creator, Warren Specter, said that a big draw for him on this project was a chance to present Mickey AS Mickey; not as a cute, cuddly squeaker for toddlers, nor as an over-serious action hero, but just as he always has been: the everyman and occasional prankster. And to that end, I think the game succeeds. It earns its title easily and very well, and for that, “Epic Mickey” definitely takes the top spot on this list of My Favorite Mickey Mouse Appearances.

#disney #list #countdown #top 15 #mickey mouse #films #movies #tv #animation #video games #comics #cartoons #disney theme parks #disney 100 #disney 100 special

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brokenmusicboxwolfe · 7 months

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The Nightmare Before Christmas can’t possibly be 30 years old! Nothing like pop culture anniversaries to make you feel old.

It’s funny, but lovely, to see how beloved it has become.

It wasn’t easy you see. When it came out we had to go 50 miles to find a theater, on it’s last legs, actually showing it. The heating was out in the place, but my family were the only ones there so we didn’t have to listen to anyone complaining. It was certainly worth the drive and shivering.

Back then I didn’t even know anyone else that has seen it.

There had been a bit of merchandising, but I only saw the stuff for sale in a store 100 miles away. I hadn’t seen the movie yet, so I didn’t get anything but made a note to go back when we would be back at Christmas. By then they had been clearanced and torn through.

I got a few things (big talking Jack being the prize) but felt irritated. I always loved having action figures/dolls/etc based on my favorite things, and knowing I’d missed what I assumed would be my one chance.

Little did I know that one day Disney would merchandise the hell out of it. At the time it was like they wanted to bury it. It had the Touchstone label so it wouldn’t taint the Disney brand with with it’s “dark ” nature. It was absurd for such a sweet, innocent story, but that’s how they seemed to feel. I could almost imagine executives going “who green lit this??” and everyone pointing at everyone else.

Oddly, the first sign it had a following came from seeing Japanese stuff in a Previews comics catalog. I remember I was out in the shop fiberglassing with Pop and said, “ I know the doll is a lot of money, but if we order it you can give it to me for Christmas..” And Pop saying “Well, if you are going to get him, you need to get her too”

Funny isn’t it. Back when there were so few things I grabbed whatever I could. Once Disney realized how profitable the movie could be and started making a thousand things I got very little. Part of it’s my increasing poverty and no one to give me gifts, but part of it is that the itch has been scratched. I have versions of the characters I like best, and that’s enough….

Well, except that I still would love a properly big and huggable version of the vampire teddy (probably exists, though I can’t afford to look) and that scorched post crash doll (probably doesn’t exist, but dang I love it).

Thirty years ago I thought it would be like most things I adored, a cult following but ignored by the general public…

Then again, thirty years ago outside of a comic convention I’d never encountered people that had even heard of Doctor Who, 99% of Marvel characters, Neil Gaiman, and a ton of other stuff. Obviously you can’t predict these things.

It’s kinda lovely to know that very, very occasionally something you love in obscurity can find a bigger audience one day.

Fingers crossed Nightmare Before Christmas keeps that beloved status and avoids the dreaded backlash. So long as there is no sequels, spin offs, remakes, etc to dilute and disappoint maybe it’s safe.

Well, for a generation or three. After all, once upon a time there was hardly a kid in America that didn’t watch The Wizard of Oz at least once a year, and now I get the feeling lots of kids grow up without ever seeing it all. But a few generations of love is more than most movies get.

Damn, 30 years! It’s already been around for more than a generation! LOL

#my day #rambles #movies #nightmare before christmas #the nightmare before christmas

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patchbadger · 11 months

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Hello it's been 7 years on this website and I come with raccoon paws scratching at your window pane.

TLDR: I'm supporting 3- 6 humans, a mortgage, inflated electric bills, student loans, basic needs, and working as the sole provider and now I cannot afford my medicine that prevents my migraines. If you want cheap art I am here hi just remember I'm colorblind so colors won't be perfect.

I take many medications for my migraine condition. I take a daily preventative, an abortive when I have a migraine, and then I have a monthly preventative that is an injectable. I need all of these to get me down to 6 or 8 migraines a month. If it rains I have more but this is with medication. If I do not have one of these medications I have migraines daily and if I encounter a trigger like not getting enough sleep, the weather changing, smoking, etc I'll get knocked out.

Unfortunately I have brainstem migraines which impacts my speech and ability to move in my environment. I continue to work through my migraines because I have literally no choice. I basically look and sound drunk it's horribly embarrassing.

This impacts my ability to drive too. If it strikes at work I need to uber home because my coworkers won't drive me home and no one else has a license.

If I miss one dose of any of my medications it sets off a migraine conga line qs I like to call it and I begin having migraines every 2- 3days and the longer I am off it the more migraines I steadily have.

It's hell.

My migraine medication is 208$. I am currently the only working adult for a household of three and there will soon be three children here for the summer.

Unfortunately I had serotonin syndrome a few weeks ago as some of you know and that had me out of work for a week and a half. Meaning I lost a week and a half pay check. Which may not seem like much but we live in constant poverty and are food insecure.

Literally every dollar counts in our precarious position.

The electricity company in western New York is super charging its customers so a regular electric bill for a house using less electric than average is 300- 500$ a month. Which is just a little less than our mortgage

We currently owe over a 1,000 in back pay, there isn't any relief for individuals who cannot pay the inflated rates. It's totally crazy but I need my medication. I can call the electric company and beg but I can't beg for my medicine.

My field also experiences a drop in attendence in the summer and due to my health my boss I'd trying to reduce my hours to help my body recover. That's great and all but it doesn't help me get the money I need for my injection.

My student loans are 875$ a month and I'm on the lowest payment plan and the government just sold my loans to a private company so I will be paying additional loans soon.

As you can see I have a lot on my plate but I just need that migraine medicine so I can work through it. I do a lot of passive income through survey junkies but I can't do those activities when I'm migraining.

All the images below are works in progress

Basic pencil and ink illustration

Comic book pages 15- 30 depending on content and number of pages.

if you want a comic badly and feel OK with my abilities we can work on a manageable and low price to make multiple pages happen. So bulk pages will be cheaper.

Comic book featured custom outlets??? Just resin customized outlet covers???

Can do

Painting I mean I'm trying it but if you'd like one hmu man

I tinker around with a lot of stuff

I also like to find old toys/statues and remake them so if youre interested in my raccoon art that stuff is up for new homes that will appreciate their unique beauty and love them for who they are.

Thanks for your attention and happy scrolling!!

#throwingnwhats left of my pride out the window YEEET #art commissions

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third-half · 5 months

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2023 Self Check

Honestly, having an overall middling year where most of my troubles were my brain’s fault was kind of a breath of fresh air. Being out of commission for most of last year with a fucked up knee at least got me thankful every morning I can get up and walk around without a brace or cane. I don’t really agree with the doctors and my Dad that I’m “young” but I’m apparently still young enough I can heal. That said, I’m kind of let down in myself for letting depression and laziness get the best of me like, worse than usual this year. It hit kind of hard when sitting back and going through old archives of content and realizing that:

Sketch-A-Day was 2015 Eishi and Dixie was before that Revolver Knight ran from 2005-2008 or 2009

Meaning I’d basically failed to really deliver on any of the series/game/etc ideas I’d pitched from 2016 onward with the arguable exception of the dungeon crawler card game’s first version. If anyone was curious as to whether I’d touched on some of that stuff in the meantime the status of my Things right now is:

Angel Dust (The Gatty Thing)- Pretty much axed, as much as I love the character, it was kind of turning into edge for edge’s sake. The thing about Gatty Ling is I’ve had the idea of an erratic, destructive but adorable and well meaning character kicking around for ages but she’s kind of just a blank slate beyond those traits and I’ve tried to plunk her into like three completely unrelated settings with different origins. I was also attempting to kind of do a distinct art… sub…style with her stuff closer to a moe VN look, really pump up the cute to make the dark stuff pop, but well, Madoka already exists and the last iteration was basically Madoka with Robots. I probably wouldn’t rule it out forever but I’ve kind of been using some bits and pieces of the setting to flesh out the Plane Girls Thing

Revolver Knight Reload- I got like three pages into drawing a complete remake of my old webcomic, but kind of got cold feet from a combination of things. I didn’t think I was ready to take on another gigantic long form story, though I promise that the new version was *MUCH* more refined. Like Gatty, I wouldn’t say it’s *impossible* I mess with this, but I think I might look into something closer to a light novel with spot illustrations than a full on comic in the interest of like, finishing before I die.

Critical Heaven (The plane girl thing)- Still active, but having a bit of an identity crisis. It began as a ‘skirmish’ tabletop wargame then I got to thinking about it as more of a shmup-inspired duel game. The format of tabletop/print is also kind of iffy because I know people would be more likely to play it digitally and I have like, zip experience putting a substantial game project together. There’s also a more or less complete ‘campaign’ jotted half in my head and half in my notepad (putting it in a game with multiple endings would save me from deciding which ending to give it, hmmm.) But in short, yeah this is still being picked at.

Irrgarten (The Dungeon Card Thing)- I know I lead off with kind of the downer limbo thing but I’ve actually not totally abandoned this, definitely not the setting. Surprise, Radona is from this world! Really, I could probably bring this back pretty easily by revising the original game rules, the biggest issue we ran into play testing was that items didn’t ‘feel’ very valuable- characters were strong enough on their own not to need them. Maybe I can bump this up in priority.

There are probably other story ideas I’ve mentioned over the years and not followed up on, but characters from axed stuff do tend to surface in other projects if I’m attached enough to them. If there are any particular things that you enjoyed my work in or reading about in the past, do let me know. I’ve had a hard time motivating myself, so a nudge wouldn’t be a bad thing about now. Next year, I would really like to put more effort into having a regular “thing” to work on, maybe I’ll bring back some gag comics. Definitely plan to do more drawing in general because drawing one decent thing then going radio silent for two weeks leads to needing to de-rust like, every time. I’m a creature very vulnerable to inertia.

So, no promises here, but my goals going into 2024:

Put some time into practicing more ‘dynamic’ content like simple animation and game design since I have like three game making programs sitting around

Regular art posting, with a focus on improving quality and speed

Minding my health more since it’s easier to be active when there’s less of me to move

Establish a more regular streaming schedule since it helps me trim down my backlog

This kind of turned into more navel gazing than I had planned to be doing, but I thought this was a good time to touch base on some things since I’m back to posting here… well, okay, ‘regularly’ is a stretch, but there are a lot of things I’ve brought up before and not followed up on in a long time. If anyone has still been reading this- thank you, truly. I hope that with a bit more focus and less dwelling on the gnawing darkness in my gut, we can have some fun here again.

Oh, yeah, by the way- also been kicking around a top X games list I may get to posting soon, but may save for New Years Eve.

#meandering #who reads this

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stormkobra-5 · 2 years

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The Heir of Djarin

Episode 8: Rising Phoenix

Summary: Poe and Laylah return to D’Qar with Din, Grogu, BB-8, and the promise of the Mand’alore. Now, things are kind of back to normal, and Laylah earns the final piece of her inheritance. But the First Order is still disturbingly quiet... Until Poe discovers what they’re looking for.

A/N: There are differences between Heir of Djarin and the Poe Dameron comics, such as Poe already has Black Squadron formed at the beginning of Heir of Djarin, whereas the first Poe Dameron comic is supposed to take place at the end of Heir of Djarin.

Warnings: This story is rated 14+ for canon-typical violence, action, and language. The main character is recovering from a traumatic backstory for the sake of the plot, so there is mention of distrust, social anxiety, self-doubt, and emotional damage. Later chapters may involve mature themes for drug usage (spice), excessive alcohol consumption, and clubs that imply adult entertainment (the main characters do not take part). Nothing explicit in any chapters.

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We walk through the gardens-- her gardens, I come to learn-- for the better part of an hour before settling on a bench of white wood, fitted with cushions on the seat and back for her comfort. She tells me stories. Of how her older sister, Duchess Satine Kryze, never approved of her joining a group called the Death Watch on Mandalore to overthrow their pacifist government and remake it into the glorious place it once was. How Satine was killed by Darth Maul out of spite in front of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the very same who partially trained Luke Skywalker and his father before him, who became Darth Vader. She tells me of her friendship with Ahsoka Tano, and her continuance of her struggles to return Mandalore to its old ways. Of the Nite Owls. Of her many exploits trying to free and revive Mandalore. Then she tells me of her quest to locate and retrieve the Darksaber. Of how she hunted Moff Gideon for years before finally locating him-- only to have Din Djarin win the Darksaber. How later on, she was injured in battle, and could no longer fight for her people. “I discovered it the hard way when I got one of my own killed.” A shadow passes over her face that doesn’t seem to fade. “I was unworthy of my armor. I had betrayed the Creed. Without me, any hope for a true Mandalorian leader faded away... I continued in a different way. I sought out Mandalorians to join the Last Blood. A brotherhood of our people across the galaxy that were like me: waiting for the Chosen One to come forward. I passed on my armor to Maz Kanata, who felt it necessary to give it to Din Djarin.” She pats my knee. “And that, dear girl, is where you come in. How did Din find you?” Kriff. I’ve never told anyone but Poe this story. Leia and Maz know only parts of it, like Kylo Ren. I can’t look at her as I speak. “I... I fell from the sky. I was yanked from my time and place, and ended up... here. I was on the planet Din was staying with Grogu-- he found me. Took me in, made me a foundling. Trained me. Named me a Mandalorian and his heir. And then... then he gave me the Slave. He gave me your armor. I can only hope I can honor your legacy, Lady Kryze.” She inspects my pauldrons and vambraces with a smile. “These dents and scratches are new. You’ve put the armor to use... yet, I wonder, why did you keep the old marks when you repainted it? Even the owl?” “You earned these scars, Lady Kryze,” I reply softly, “I wasn’t going to erase them.” “Why?” She challenges. “Because...” I start, then, “Because that’s what the people did where I came from. Erased history. Rewrote it. Ignored those who came before them. It’s one of many things I vowed never to become.” She regards me carefully, narrowing her eyes. “And what else did you vow?” I answer her question immediately but carefully. “Never to be greedy or selfish. To always think of the needs of others and protect the weak and innocent. To uphold honor and dignity. To learn from the lessons set forth by my predecessors.” “And this was before you came here, to this galaxy?” She sounds intrigued. “Yes, Lady Kryze.” She tilts her chin up, something like approval in her eyes. “Then the stories I have heard of you are correct. You have the heart of a Mandalorian.” She thinks for a second. “What will you do when the time comes to revive Mandalore, young Djarin? Will you be ready for it?” I think about that for a second. “One is never ready, Lady Kryze-- but one can always be prepared. I will learn, and I will listen, not only to the words of the people, but to the advice of those I trust. I will learn from the mistakes I make and fix them.” “You strive for an honorable purpose, young Djarin,” Bo-Katan inclines her head, gesturing to a nearby protocol droid. “Summon the Mandalorians.” I half expect them all to jetpack in, but they walk normally, careful of the gardens. Din is with them. Bo-Katan stands before them, and everyone kneels until she orders them to stand. “This child,” Bo-Katan says, “Is the one whom will wield the Darksaber. She is to become the Duchess of Mandalore. You are to heed her commands and her call as if Mandalore is as it once was. We are the Last Blood-- we are all that is left... To you, young Djarin, I present a choice.” I lift my head, stunned speechless. Hell. “You can continue on the fighting path to free Mandalore with the Resistance, or, you can join us, begin to lead us now. Join our covert missions to cripple the First Order and gather supplies for the founding of our new planet.” I look back and forth between Bo-Katan and the Last Blood nervously. My gaze rests on Din, who gives no sign of what he’s thinking. But... I’m not Leia. After this little escapade, I clearly have a lot to learn about leadership. I’m still young and naive. Slowly, I stand, taking a deep breath. “I cannot express in words how grateful I am for your offer, Lady Kryze,” I manage, “I’ve waited a long time to be among my people. But... also, I’m not yet ready to lead you all. I still have very much to learn and see in this galaxy, and the last thing I want is to disappoint you with an ill-suited leader to a very important task. For now, my path is with the Resistance. One day, when the war is over, that will change. And then I’ll be older, and wiser, and can lead you as you deserve.” Bo-Katan nods with approval. Boba Fett inclines his head to me. Din looks on with what I hope is pride. The Mandalorians thrust their right fists into the air. “Vhaene-Besu! Vhaene-Besu! Vhaene-Besu! Hail to the Heiress of Mandalore!” I have to put my helmet on to hide my my flustered, tear-jerked face. “Should you ever need me, you need only call. I will come.” Together, as one, every Mandalorian in the garden, including myself, says, “This is the Way.” “Allow us to escort you back to your ship, princess,” A young woman in sand-colored armor all but asks. “It would be an honor.” I incline my head. “I accept. Thank you.” “I will stay here,” Bo-Katan sinks back into her seat. “The walk is too far for my bad knee. I would only disgrace you.” “I will remain with you,” Boba said. I kneel before Bo-Katan one more time. “My Lady Kryze-- it was the highest honor I can imagine to have met you.” Standing, I start up a different version of the chant they had granted me. One they all follow suit for without question. “Bo-Katan! Bo-Katan! Bo-Katan! Hail to the Duchess of Mandalore!” There are tears in her eyes as she takes my hands in hers. “You honor my legacy, Laylah Vhaene-Besu of Clan Djarin. Farewell.” I turn to Boba Fett, shaking his hand. “It was an honor, sir.” Boba Fett nods in acknowledgement. “The honor is mine, princess. I doubt this is the last time we’ll see one another; I’m sure you’re bound to get in all sorts of other adventures before long.” I can’t help but smile. “I hope that when we meet isn’t limited to only dangerous finales to adventures, Boba Fett. You might get tired of it.” He chuckles. “I doubt it, princess. Good luck.” “Thank you.” Din flanks my left as the Mandalorians take up the rear. My heart is pounding, my head feels light. Hell. Did that really happen? In the hall, we meet Lando Calrissian and Poe. Lando bows his head with a smile. “Lady Djarin. How was it?” “I can think of no higher honor, sir,” I reply, shaking his hand. “Thank you, Calrissian. It’s been an honor to meet you.” “I hope you return to Cloud City someday, my lady,” He says. “I definitely will. It’s beautiful-- and a wonderful place for the Last Blood. You’re very generous for sheltering my people.” He bows at the waist. “It’s my pleasure. Farewell, princess,” Lando smiles, “And good luck.” “Thank you, Calrissan. Farewell.” Once we’re back to the Slave, I see that it’s loaded with crates of medical supplies. Din’s starfighter is stored in the hold of a cargo ship close by, which also holds more medical supplies. I don’t need to check them. Once on the ship, I turn to the Last Blood and incline my head. “Thank you, Mandalorians.” “This is the Way,” They reply, but the male in front says, “Farewell, princess. Good luck.” The ramp closes, and finally, Poe, BB-8 and I are free of prying eyes. I tear off my helmet and turn to him with a huge smile, kind of bouncing up-and-down with excitement. “I met Bo-Katan!” Poe bounces with me. “The Bo-Katan?!” “Yeah!” “Well-- what’d she say?!” Poe demands, but I wave him off and rush past him, squeezing between the medical crates to the cockpit. “I’ll tell you everything while we’re in lightspeed, Poe!” As I’m strapping myself in, I call behind me, “But long story short, I’m officially a duchess!” “That’s awesome, Bez!” There’s a moment of hesitation. “Does... does that mean I’ll eventually end up a duke?” “Maybe,” I laugh, when I power up the ship, “But you’d have to wear your formal uniform all the time. Oh, and grow a beard so you look wise and stuff.” “I am not growing a beard!” Poe calls back, laughing. “Stop asking!” “I wasn’t asking!” “You are implying your question!” I switch the comlink on, shaking my head with amusement. “Ready, Dad? Gizmo?” “Badu.” “Grogu, don’t touch that. Yeah, we’re ready. After you.” He sniffles. Yes, sniffles. As if he’s been crying. “Dad?” I ask in disbelief. “Huh?” “Are you crying?” “NO, I have a COLD.” “One you didn’t have when I got here? That’s fast-moving, Dad. You might need to see a doctor.” “Oh hush up. You gonna fly or what?” I push the Slave into a liftoff, into the coral-rose sky and off into the endless reaches of space and stars.

- - -

Needless to say, there’s a mix of reactions when we get back to D’Qar. Leia, understandably, sternly gives us the what-for, although she listens eagerly when we tell her about Bo-Katan and Boba Fett. The whole base is cheering and whooping as we push out medical supplies from our ships onto the tarmac to be rolled into the medbay. I’m surrounded by medics I’ve trained with and Dia asking me if I’m alright, what happened, how did I get these. Din, of course, drags Poe and I to the medbay, where we’re checked over and our wounds are properly treated with actual equipment. We disappear into our bunks to shower, but Poe’s a little late to meet me by Leia’s door since he takes the time to scrub Beebs clean. We tell Leia everything-- well... maybe not everything, although she gets a twinkle in her eye when we deliberately skip parts we’d like to keep between us. Threepio fusses over Beebs, begging he tell him everything, until Leia tells them to leave the room and talk so that she can actually hear what Poe and I are saying. We are given sanitation duty for a week, barring any necessary reasons for Poe getting in his X-wing and me going straight to the medbay. That night, medics and Black Squadron combine with the presence of Din, Connix, and a few other commanders to hear every detail of the story. Poe and I take turns telling it, embellishing certain parts and leaving others just as they are. Neither of us say anything about the kiss (although he does brag about how he swung us to safety in the temple) but everybody figures it out anyway, since Poe and I had requested to share a bunk earlier, which Leia found amusing for some reason and which prompted a twenty-minute lecture from Din that involved fists and guns and lots of threats that nearly had Poe revoking the idea. The next day, Poe and I essentially “move in together,” into Poe’s slightly-bigger commander bunk with its own little fresher. People ask if that seems a little fast, but then we remind them that this is war, and we’ve shared near-death and battle experiences. You can’t exactly put something off if you want it, because you might not get it. Though honestly? I’ve never slept better than I have curled up to Poe, with BB-8 on his charging station in the corner for the night. Suddenly, I find the closet full of my clothes and his, plus his flight suits, and next to Grogu’s rock that he gave me is a model X-wing Poe’s dad got him when he was a kid. The whole fresher system changes-- we try, really, we do, to make it work so there’s only one of us in there at once, but it just takes too much time. So while I shower, he shaves, then he showers while I get dressed. We’re almost normal, even hurrying out the door with nothing more than a quick kiss and a “Gotta go to work, see you later.” Poe returns to his duties as the leader of Black Squadron a week after our return to D’Qar. I’m back to hardly seeing him, but I hear the thunder of X-wings practicing in the mountains and smile. At least, I always see him at night, even though we’re always finishing up work on our datapads-- except for when he does night drills. Then he comes back for only a few hours of sleep before rushing back to the tarmac. When Poe returns to his duties, my training resumes. I’m upped a level, like I was to supposed to be before we ran off, and Dia can’t get over the fact that I’m technically royalty. All of a sudden everybody wants to be my friend, and it’s actually a little frightening. Sometimes when it gets too much, Din will let me carry Grogu with me-- all attention is on him when he’s with me, and he eats it up like those blue cookies he loves so much. Din, he remains a commander. He sees me in the cafeteria every day when I’m not busy practicing poking around somebody’s insides using a dummy or a holographic simulator, and despite the fact that he pretends he really doesn’t like Poe, he actually admits that he approves of him. “Somewhat,” He specifies when my face lights up, “I don’t like the fact that he takes you on random dangerous adventures.” “It was my idea, Dad!” Sometimes, I find myself missing my family more than ever. My mother, Rochelle, what would she think of me now? What about Thomas, Julia, Tristan, Jade? How are they? Are they doing alright? I wish I could do so much as write them a letter. I know that they’d love Din. Maybe he and Mom could’ve gotten together, if they’d come with me through the portal. I definitely know they’d love Grogu. And Poe? Well, fighter pilots run in the family. They’d approve. Of course, I often wonder about the Force. I leave myself open to it, and am now experiencing the world with a kind of sixth-sense. A spider-sense, y’know? It’s not so bad. I wonder about Ahsoka Tano. I worry about my fellow Mandalorians. I wonder about Kylo Ren, about if we’ll ever cross paths again. I memorialize TN-9824 in a painting. I think about the stormtrooper I seen mopping floors, and the girl scavenging for parts. If my fever-dreams were visions, they proved true enough so far. I wonder what I have to do with them. For now, though, the First Order is quiet, so I let myself be happy while I can.

- - -

A rest day. The first one after our return to D’Qar, three weeks later. Everything is going smoothly and calmly, so I’m surprised when, at breakfast, Din approaches me with Grogu in one arm and a mysterious package in the other. Actually, that’s not even the surprising part. “You’ve got the day off, right?” “This time around, yeah,” I answer, “Why?” I perk up, realizing what’s happening, “Ooh! You got somethin’ planned, Dad?!” “I do. Put on your armor and meet me on the tarmac in half an hour.” With that, he leaves, because that’s not at all confusing. Luckily I was done with breakfast. I haven’t worn my armor since Poe and I’s unsanctioned endeavor. I’ve cleaned it twice, though, so it’s nice and shiny when I bring it out from under the bed and put it all on. I’m out on the tarmac almost on the dot of half an hour, scanning for Din’s hard-to-miss silver beskar-- and Black One, naturally. ’Course, Poe’s not anywhere near here. He was actually ordered on a mission this time, to go grab some intel that might reveal why the First Order seems to be focused elsewhere. None of the members of Black Squadron are on D’Qar at all. They should be back later today, but... “There you are,” Din’s voice from behind makes me jump. He guesses where I was looking since I have my helmet on. “Stop worrying. He’ll be fine.” I nod, though I can’t bring myself not to worry. Worrying is my thing. Din walks past me. “Come on. Follow me.” “Where we headed?” “I can’t tell you.” I skip up to keep pace with him, though it’s hard-- for a guy who’s almost sixty, he’s pretty kriffing fast. “Ooh! A surprise? Interesting... Gizmo! Any clue as to what’s goin’ on?” “Badu,” He babbles, “Du.” “Ah. Gotcha. Totally secret stuff. Nice. That means it’s gonna be good.” I manage not to ask questions. Not when we leave the tarmac for the forest, not when we follow an old, beaten path into the mountains, not when we get so high up that the X-wings and Y-wings practicing zip by on high-speed passes so close they nearly deafen us. “Okay, I give up.” I slump down onto a boulder, trying to catch my breath. After all, my blastershot wound still isn’t completely healed. “Where are we going? What’s in the package? Why are we going on the side of the mountain opposite from which the jets are practicing?” “That’s a record for how long you’ve held in your curiosity,” Din comments with amusement as he turns to face me. “I’m not telling you a thing. Besides, we’re almost there. Come on.” He continues up the path, so with a heavy sigh, I heave myself to my feet and trudge after him. We emerge onto a relatively empty field next to a cliff overlooking the valley. I inch closer to peer over the edge-- it’s a sharp, straight drop-off into oblivion. “Dad, are you trying to get me to help you hide a body?” He hefts the package pointedly. “What body is this small?” I shrug. “Maybe you rolled up a dead jawa. How am I supposed to know? I’m not the murderer.” Din chuckles. “Turn around and face the cliff, kid.” I do, fully trusting him but at the same time the trained part of my brain is freaking out irrationally about him pushing me off the cliff. “You ever heard of the Rising Phoenix?” “Sounds like a Harry Potter movie,” I respond, stiffening when I feel him attach something very heavy to my back. “There you go again, with your weird Earth references...” “They aren’t weird where I come from, pal.” “I bet. So, the Rising Phoenix was a particular kind of training. It’s one of the many things that makes a Mandalorian warrior what they are. I got my very first one when I was first looking after Grogu, but you have the advantage of having one ready and waiting for you.” “Wait-- kriff-- Dad-- are you giving me a jetpack?!” I try to turn to see, but he makes me look ahead. “I’m giving you Bo-Katan’s jetpack. The final piece of your inheritance-- stop trying to see it, hold still. I need to re-sync it to your helmet.” Wait... “My helm-- it works like Iron Man?!” Din pauses. “Uh... sure.” Kriffing hell, I’m gonna be like Iron Man! “Cool! So is it like eye gestures or thinking or what?” “Neither. More of a will. You’ll see.” There’s a final chink, and the jetpack is firmly attached. The dim jetpack symbol in the bottom of my screen blinks away for a second before returning with a full fuel gauge and a brighter color. My heart is pounding with excitement, butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach. I glance over to Din as he comes to stand on my right side, making sure Grogu is very secure in his bag and harness. He gives me a little thumbs-up which I excitedly return. Din turns his head to look at me.“Alright... Ready?” I eagerly nod, trying to copy his casual stance. “Now... Just... will the jetpack to turn on. Do it with me.” Din’s jetpack kicks on, and he hovers a few feet off the ground. I try as hard as I can, but it’s easy, because the only thing going through my head is jetpackjetpackjetpackjetpack. Mine bursts to life with a hiss of fire, lifting me off the ground with him; surprisingly, I feel no heat. For a second, we hover there, my stomach plummeting and I’m giggling madly at the sensation. I’m flying! “Very good. Now do it in reverse.” I do. Terra firma feels so inferior now. “How much fuel is in these things?” I ask curiously, an idea forming in my head. “About twelve hours’ worth-- Laylah, no!” I’m already running. I leap right off the cliff and dive toward the valley below. I’m screaming and laughing at once, because this is the best feeling I’ve ever experienced-- this weightlessness, this freedom, as I fall full-speed toward the earth below and I know that no one can catch me. I know Din comes after me, but I don’t want to be caught. I streamline my body and race for the valley of trees below. No one’s ever gonna catch me again. I faintly hear Din calling my name. I wait-- I wait until the last second, and then I activate my jetpack. Full speed. I shoot up, straight past Din and into the open sky before me, free. I have the movements down-- partially because of the fact that on Earth, I watched Avengers a lot. Iron Man was always my favorite superhero. Learn from the best. I copy his pose and I’m going so fast I can feel the same Gs I do when Poe takes me up in his X-wing with him and flies me around the mountains; otherwise, I’ve never felt them before. There are no Gs to pull in space. I shoot as high up as possible, but it starts to get hard to breathe and far too cold. I drop. I let the jetpack shut off and I free-fall. I’m spinning, but on purpose, and then I activate my jetpack again and shoot off down the valley, ensuring to stay well out of the way of the practicing pilots. Up here, untethered from any solid ground, I feel more at ease than I ever have, even in the Slave. I could fly forever. The empty blue sky calls me to keep going. The ground feels like a burden and space too far away. But the sky is all mine, and nobody can catch me up here. There’s no burden of restoring a cursed planet or finding a new one entirely. There’s no war, no First Order, no Resistance. Nothing and no one else but me, free, and this vast expanse of robin’s egg blue before me. I’m never gonna come down. I know I have to, eventually. But thankfully the opportunity presents itself in the form of none other than Poe Dameron, probably the only thing that can get me down. “Laylah,” Din sing-songs over the comlink, having long since stopped trying to stop me and rather praise me and follow me as closely as he can. “Your boyfriend’s here. Just got the message from Connix. If you were closer to base, you might’ve heard her.” I’ve been planning this all day. “Is he landed? Like actually on the ground?” There’s a pause, then, “He’s just shutting down Black One now. Why?” “Follow me and find out!” I’m a few miles out, but it only takes me a few minutes to speed by Din and Grogu and back toward base. I have to time this perfectly, or it’ll be an embarrassing waste of a badass move. I’m a flying person in a suit of armor-- I have to pull this stunt, out of respect for RDJ and Iron Man. My rangefinder lets me see what my eyes can’t-- that Poe’s just climbing out of his cockpit, parked at the head of Black Squadron’s parked spacecraft. I pitch down, getting to twenty, then ten feet, catching the attention of everybody in the vicinity. I cut the power to the jetpack and drop, landing just like Iron Man. Kriff-- ow-- my kriffing hand-- don’t have kriffing-- beskar gloves-- kriff-- ow-- I stand like it’s no big deal that I slammed my hand full-force into duracrete and probably broke something. My hand is throbbing. But Poe seen it, and he’s smiling, so that’s all that matters. The pain in my hand suddenly seems to fade away. Only to return a second later because I just kriffing broke my hand for aesthetic. Poe beams at me. “Wow, Bez. You got your jetpack!” I do a mock bow, holding my injured hand to my stomach. “Thank you, thank you, you’re a great audience.” Poe snorts with amusement, shaking his head as he hands his helmet and gloves off. But something’s wrong. He doesn’t have his usual cocky smile ready to tell me how the mission went. He doesn’t run up to greet me. He’s worried. Very. I go up to him, trying to conceal the fact that I’ve hurt my hand. “Poe... What’s wrong?” “I’ll tell you later,” He promises, “Right now I need to go debrief with Leia.” Then he rushes off, running his hand through his hair without even pausing to give me a kiss. The whole of Black Squadron follows him, and Poe actually stops Din in his tracks, gesturing inside; Din follows. Now I know it’s bad. But I can’t do anything. I’m not qualified to be in that debrief. I’ll have to hear it from Din and Poe later. For now, I need to get my kriffing arm checked.

- - -

“Dumbass,” Poe scoffs, shaking his head, when he sees the cast and sling on my arm. I’ve fractured most of my knucklebones and sprained my wrist pretty badly. “I was going for the look,” Comes my weak defense. “You’re just lucky you just didn’t break your arm. That would’ve been embarrassing. The move itself was badass, though. I’d try it on soft ground next time, from a lower height.” “Consider it done.” He doesn’t say anything about his mission yet, and I don’t ask. I never do. I wait for him to tell me when he’s ready, especially when he’s worried. So we go about getting ready for bed, but when I sit down and am ready to try figuring out how to get into bed with my damn sling, Poe says, “Finally figured out why they’ve gone quiet.” I scoot forward, giving him my full and complete attention. He runs his mom’s ring up and down the chain around his neck, which he only does when he’s very nervous. Which only makes me nervous. I hug him from behind, balancing on my knees, and he kisses my wrist. “They planning some nefarious deed or another?” “They’re looking for Luke Skywalker,” Poe explains softly. “That crystal on your necklace we thought was a map? They thought it was one, too. They thought it was a map to Luke. Hell, they didn’t even know about Palpatine’s lightsaber until they followed us to the temple.” Luke? The last living Jedi? No wonder they’re looking for him. Kylo Ren probably wants to kick his ass in front of his troops to prove that Sith are superior or whatever. “You think they’ll find him?” Poe shakes his head. “Not even Leia knows where he is, and she’s been looking for him for years. Hopefully the First Order will have the same luck... but now we have leads. Lor San Tekka is an old friend of Leia’s who might know where he is. The problem is finding him.” He flops back onto the bed, heaving a sigh. He thinks for a minute. “...I want you to come with me.”

“Uh?” I say, very intelligently, making him smile a bit.

“I want you to come with me,” He repeats, sitting up to take my hands in his. “You’re a medic now. You’re one kickass pilot. I want you out there watching my back from the Slave. I want you to be a part of Black Squadron: a medic in the field. How’d you feel about that?”

Slowly, I’m smiling. On Earth, I’d wanted to be a doctor in the Air Force some day. This is pretty much the same thing, but in space. I lean forward and give him a kiss. “Duh I’ll join you.”

Poe smiles warmly, pulling me close for a hug. “...Your dad’s not gonna approve.”

“Dad doesn’t approve of anything dangerous,” I retort, “But that doesn’t stop me from doing them anyway.”

“You’ll have to wait till your arm heals, though.” He teases.

I lay down beside him, and there’s a horrible crunch as my cast almost breaks. The comical sound in such a serious moment has Poe covering his face as he laughs when I cry out in a very undignified tone, “AgH kRiFF--” “Bet you’ll never do that again.” He says, pulling me up into a better position on my other side. I give him a kiss. “Never.”

- - -

Eight months go by without anyone really thinking about them. The year shifts from 33 to 34 ABY, and I turn twenty. Grogu and I make it a point to celebrate Din’s fifty-ninth birthday, although he knocks off a couple of the candles on his cake so that it’s fifty-five. On base, things seem calm and even almost normal, but there’s a tense undertone to everything we do. The commanders are always busy in meetings, going off-world to try and secure aid and assist planets, or overseeing missions from a distance. The control rooms are full of people on headsets communicating with our people in the field when they can, supervising scheduled check-ins and unexpected scenarios.

Once my arm heals, I do become a member of Black Squadron. I join them in their search for Lor San Tekka and their run-ins with Agent Terex, who honestly reminds me of those mustached villains in black-and-white movies that overdo their evil laughs.

The First Order is everywhere we go now. Several of our people have been captured-- only a handful have been found or rescued. There’s no word from Bespin, from Lando or Bo-Katan or Boba Fett. There shouldn’t be. With the First Order looming, I’m hoping they’ve decided to go even quieter than before. Hopefully Lando has even fled the planet; with his hand in the Rebellion so many years ago, I’m sure the First Order is looking for him as a “war criminal.”

Then we find Lor San Tekka. His location, at least. Hopefully. A small little desert planet called Jakku.

The whole of Black Squadron waits for Poe by our ships nervously. Despite the fact that I’m a part of them now, I still like to keep to myself, so I lean against the Slave with my arms crossed and my helmet on, trying not to show the fact that my stomach is swirling with anxious butterflies.

I’m sure that, by now, the First Order must have gotten a hold of the information as well. It’ll be a race, one that we might not when. If they find Luke first, who knows what they’ll do.

Somehow, I’m not sure why, but the Republic still isn’t concerned that the First Order is actually a threat. Yet here they are causing chaos and disrupting peace and hunting old Jedi dudes that just want to be left alone. Sounds a lot like an Earth government, to me.

Snap and Karé are off talking by themselves by Snap’s X-wing, looking very serious. Jess and Suralinda try to fix up a droid while a mechanic is working on repairing the faulty engine of Jess’s X-wing. I say nothing. To Black Squadron, I rarely speak. I’m their quiet, calm medic, and I’m determined to stay that way.

Finally, I hear the trademark little bweep of BB-8 as he and Poe approach, though Poe looks sullen at best. The whole of Black Squadron faces him expectantly. “When are we leaving for Jakku?” Karé asks, but I know that look.

“We’re not all going to Jakku, are we, Poe?” I say, and the whole team seems surprised at the Mandalorian’s interjection.

Poe’s gaze lands briefly, regretfully, on me. “No. We’re not. I’m going alone.”

“Why?” Snap demands, “You know that we--”

“It’s not a question of your skills,” Poe interrupts, and scans over all of us as he speaks. “Listen... The First Order is probably already on this. Leia needs the best we have going in there, and we’re it-- but if we all go and none of us make it out... I wish I could take you. Really.” His eyes rest briefly on me. “But we need the best of the best always ready to do what Leia needs done. I’m going to lessen any losses.”

Your loss would be no lesser, I want to snap, angry but understanding.

“You’re all to stay here,” Poe adds, “That’s an order. Bez, I’m talking to you.”

I only incline my head. We both know I’ll disobey that order if necessary.

“When are you leaving?” Jess questions, and Poe sighs.

“Now. I need to get there as soon as possible.” My heart catches in my throat. He’s going where I can’t follow. What’s worse is that the First Order may already be waiting for him. Maybe I’ll break the order as soon as he’s left the tarmac.

“I’m taking a different X-wing,” Poe continues, “Try to keep it less noticeable.” He indicates it with a wave of his arm, and I immediately make my way over as he bids the Black Squadron farewell. My heart is heavy, and I feel a hard core of grief in my chest. I have a very, very bad feeling about this mission. Poe and BB-8 arrive shortly thereafter, and I take my helmet off so our eyes can meet unobstructed; there are words flying unspoken between us. No long goodbyes. We promised that, too. “Say goodbye to Bez, then go ahead and get in,” Poe tells the little droid; he’s not even wearing his flight suit. I kneel down to give BB-8 a hug. “Be careful, buddy.” He beeps and hurries off to get lifted up into the X-wing. Poe and I face each other. When I start to speak, he raises a hand. “Ah. No L-word, remember?” I make a face. “I remember. But.” I reach up and take my amulet over my head to give it to him. He lets me put it on him before giving me his necklace. There’s a stiff lump of emotion in my throat and my eyes are watering, but I force myself not to cry. This time is different. The First Order might already be there, and if they see him... “For good luck. Bring it back to me, Poe.” Poe’s having just as much trouble as I am. His grip on my hands is tight. “I will. You better not lose my mom’s ring.” “I won’t.” We don’t ever do long goodbyes. I want to say it: the L-word. So badly. But I don’t even dare think it, not when both of us believe it to be a jinx. “Good luck, Poe.” “Thanks, Bez. I’m gonna need it.” After a quick kiss he’s turning and climbing up into the X-wing. Then the cockpit closes, and the X-wing powers up. I get back as it vertically takes off, and I stand there until I can’t see it anymore. There’s something in the Force going off like a warning bell, but I’m not sure what it is. I do know, however, that I’m resisting the urge to get in the Slave and go with him. I hear the distinct jangling of Din’s armor and glance over to see him approaching with an air of worry. He puts an arm around my shoulders, and I let the tears fall. “You okay, kid?” “I’ve got a bad feeling about this...” “Don’t worry,” Din says, “He’s the best pilot we’ve got. Why do you think Leia’s sending him? He knows what he’s doing.” We both watch the place he disappeared for a bit before I go back to the medbay. Something’s off, and I need to keep moving so I can ignore it. But ignoring the Force, I’ve discovered, is pretty damn hard.

______________________________________________________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*****************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading! The epilogue and final part of The Heir of Djarin will post next Wednesday night. Anyone who wants to be tagged, just let me know!

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