If this page suddenly goes silent one day, know that my brother Samer didnāt make it. I will never forget those who saw him suffering from severe bombing injuries, lacking his vital medications, yet chose silence and kept scrolling.
I feel completely shattered and deeply ashamed begging strangers for help every single day. This endless nightmare has stripped us of everything, forcing me to sacrifice even my own dignity just to keep my brother and my family alive.
āI want nothing from this world except to see Samer healthy and free of pain, and to save my family from this slow death. Please donate so we can afford his essential psychiatric and medical treatments before itās too late.
Thank you, Maryam Ather, for the first donation! š¤ I swear these donations are our only way out. Please keep supporting us to save my brother Samer.
Friends, thank you so much for the massive support and these 15 recent donations!
āWhile this high engagement gives us hope, we deeply wish to see more donations matching this incredible reach. Our lives and Samer's survival depend entirely on your financial help. Please keep this momentum going.
Thank you so much for the 12 additional donations! My family consists of 12 people. We have already lost my father and my brother to this war, and we cannot afford to lose Samer.
36 kind souls proved my family of 12 are humans, not just numbers. But 36 drops cannot fill an ocean of urgent medical bills. Samerās life depends on the next hand that reaches out. Please don't just scroll past. Help us keep his heart beating.
Kidney failure is slowly stealing her breath and destroying her fragile body, while autism creates even more barriers in her movement, daily life, and suffering.
Farah is fighting battles no child should ever face.
Her tiny body is exhausted, her future is hanging by a thread, and we are desperately begging for help before it is too late.
Please do not ignore her pain.
Your donation could help save her life, ease her suffering, and give her a chance to survivešš.
It is noticeable that we did not receive donations despite the urgent need. I complain twice as a frightened mother to you, my generous sympathiser.
Every second matters. Every share matters. Every donation matters.
Help Farah now before cardiac arrest steals her away. š
ā ļøVetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #451 )ā ļø
Note: if you would prefer to pay via paypal, you can do so here.
ā ļøCan you imagine losing your little girl just because her medicine is no longer available?
Kidney failure is mercilessly destroying her fragile body, and every passing minute brings her closer to deathā¦ šShe does not need sympathy ā she urgently needs immediate donations to save her life before it is too late.šš»š
Guys, we are still trapped in a reality that keeps getting worse in Gaza.
Nothing here feels normal anymore.
Finding food, clean water, medicine, or even a small sense of safety has become a daily struggle.
We are living in very harsh conditions, surrounded by insects, rats, and disease, with no proper way to protect ourselves from any of it.
And while all of this is happening, my father is still fighting his illness every day.
He urgently needs treatment and medication, but providing them has become incredibly difficult for us.
I spend my days trying to keep my family going and trying to reach people for help, because we truly cannot survive this alone anymore.
Please let your humanity stand with us.
Please donate and share. šš
Dear Esteemed Donors,
My name is Ahmad, and I am a 16-year-old from northern Gazaā¦ Ahmad family needs your support for Support Ahmadās Fami
š Fundraiser vetted (#167 by el-shab-hussein & nabulsi), But we created a new GoFundMe page because GoFundMe suspended the beneficiaryās account on the platform, which put us in a very difficult situation.
š My main account @ahmadwaleed55 was suspended, so I will be using this account to continue sharing my familyās campaign and updates.
My children are suffocating from the dust inside a tent that cannot protect us from the storm, and their crying breaks my heart while I stand helpless.
Please do not leave us aloneā¦ Donate 200ā¬ for my children to help us stay alive. ššš
My brother has suffered a serious wrist fracture (distal radius fracture) and urgently needs surgery to avoid complications and regain full use of his hand š
Total cost: $1200, divided as follows:
ā¢ Medical tests : $100
ā¢ Surgery (including plate & screws): $600
ā¢ Hospital & anesthesia fees: $200
ā¢ Medications & wrist support: $100
ā¢ Physical therapy sessions: $200
Current Progress: $23,148 / 24,171
In the heart of Gaza City, amidst the turmoil of conflict and resilience, Tawfik'sā¦ Tawfik Wal needs your support for Support Tawfik Dream o
We are doing everything we can, but we truly need your support š
Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a real difference ā¤ļø
Vetted by @90-ghost link @dlxxv-vetted-donations link @postanagramgenerator link
Just nine months, yet she has not lived a single happy day since she was born in Gaza.
And despite everythingā¦ she smiles.
She smiles even though I cannot breastfeed her because of anemia and malnutrition caused by the famine and the war in Gaza.
She smiles even though our home has been completely destroyed, and my husband Ahmed and I are living with her in a tent on the street in Gaza, under the scorching sun.
We have lost everythingā¦ even our dreams.
But Maria has not given up.
She smiles even though she cannot find infant formula because we cannot afford it in Gaza.
She smiles even though she needs diapers and clothes, and we are unable to provide them.
She smiles even though she sleeps every night on the sand, not in a warm bed like other children around the world.
She smilesā¦ because she is holding on to life in Gaza.
I appeal to youā¦ please pause for just one moment from your daily life and look at Maria.
Doesnāt she deserve to live like other children in the world?
What has she done to deserve all this pain and destruction in Gaza?
We are not asking for muchā¦ just a chance at life.
Your sharing could truly make a difference.
Please donāt scroll past in silence.
Help us, even if only by sharing this message.
Our lives have been completely destroyed in Gazaā¦
Look at us, and be a reason to save an innocent child.
ā Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is (#425)ā
My name is Ahmed Al-Nabeeh. I am 33 years old, a husband and a father tā¦ Amanda Marsh needs your support for Help Ahmad, Enas, and Their Bab
He survived death under the rubble, should we let him die now because he lacks his medicine? š„ŗ
My entire family was injured, but my brother Samer is in the most critical condition.
I am not asking for much; this small donation is literally the "line between life and death" for Samer.
Please, be the voice he has lost... donate to save him, or share this post to reach those who can help. š GoFundMe
Vetted! #75 on @gazavetters , #171 on PaliLiberation
I pleaded and begged for help repeatedly, but I received only silence. My child is growing weaker every day due to anemia and malnutrition. If my child is taken from meā¦ will you remember that I was pleading here to save him?
My child is currently suffering from a severe cough and cannot sleep due to extreme fatigue. I am very worried about his condition and am urgently searching for a treatment to relieve him. Please help me now, as his condition is causing me great pain and I hope he will get better as soon as possible.
I'm writing this with tears in my eyes. I can't bear this situation anymore. My brother suffers from bipolar disorder and his condition is extremely critical; he has anemia and malnutrition.
Every moment that passes feels terrifying for us. Watching my brother struggle like this is beyond painful, and I feel helpless standing by without the means to get him the treatment he urgently needs.
Stop handing Palpatine's accomplishments to other people!
Iām a Palpatine fan. Not because I think heās "misunderstood" or because the Jedi deserved what happened, but because he is unapologetically, deliberately evilāand he is terrifyingly good at it.
Iām tired of people attributing his wins to everyone except him. Itās time we stop nerfing Darth Sidious just to vilify the Jedi.
The "Anakin Fell Because of the Jedi"
Letās be clear: The Jedi didnāt push Anakin away. Palpatine pulled him.
He didn't just wait for the Jedi to mess up; he identified a traumatized kid and spent fourteen years grooming him. He inserted himself as the only "affirming" authority figure in Anakinās life, slowly warping his worldview until he reached a breaking point. Then, Palpatine stepped in and offered him exactly what he wanted to hear.
If the Jedi had somehow magically done everything perfectly to counteract a Sith Master's influence, would Anakin have stayed in the Light? Yeah, probably. But that doesnāt change the fact that Palpatine did it. Just because the Jedi didn't manage to counter everything perfectlyāwhen they didn't even know they had an opponent until the final hourādoesn't mean they deserve the credit for Palpatine's hard work. Stop crediting the Jedi for Anakinās fall; thatās Palpatineās masterpiece.
The Propaganda Machine
People act like the Jedi just stumbled into being hated through "arrogance." No. Palpatine made them hated.
He orchestrated a galactic war where he controlled both sides, then maneuvered the Jedi into military roles that fundamentally broke their image as neutral peacekeepers. He allowed the public to get used to seeing them as armed generals rather than spiritual guardians. That wasn't an accidental optics shift; it was a masterpiece PR assassination.
The "If They Just Didn't Fight" Fallacy
I hear this all the time: "If the Jedi hadn't fought in the Clone Wars, they wouldn't have died! Clearly, the Jedi fell because they had lost their way as peacekeepers." ā¦do you seriously think Palpatine wouldn't have found a way to turn that situation to his advantage?
If the Jedi had refused to fight, Palpatine wouldn't have just packed up and gone home. He would have weaponized their neutrality. Imagine the Holonet headlines: "Jedi Elitists Refuse to Defend Republic Against Former Member Count Dooku." He would have branded them as cowards, conspirators, or traitors who abandoned the galaxy in its darkest hour. The Clone Wars would have still happened, except the Jedi would be hunted by both the Separists and the Republic. The Purge would still have happened anyway; only the "why"(and "how") would have changed.
'He won because everyone played exactly like his script-'
Things didn't go 100% to palpatine's plans in the prequels, he just was really good at adapting
Naboo: The Trade Federation fumbled the occupation. Palpatine didn't panic; he still used it to seize the Chancellorship.
Maul: His apprentice got cut in half. Palpatine just traded up for Dooku to fuel the Separatist movement.
Mustafar: Anakin was supposed to be the perfect specimen, not a mutilated man in a life-support suit. Palpatine simply recalibrated and turned the "broken" remains into Vader.
Conclusion:
Palpatine is a competent, ruthless tyrant who doesn't deserve to have his greatest accomplishments credited to the Jedi's "incompetence." Give that man some respect
Iāve been thinking a lot about terms Iāve only seen in fanon for Jedi, such as ālineage-siblingā or āgrand-padawanā, and I have no problem with the terms in themselves and have also used them in my fics, but I often wonder what that would actually mean to a Jedi. If specific familial references would actually hold that much weight. We know the Jedi consider each other family, but itās based on community and shared devotion more than anything else, and thatās definitely special and beautiful. I just think some have a tendency to project a very nuclear structure onto independent lineages and I donāt think thatās a realistic lens through which to view Jedi culture, since most of them donāt know (or even want) life outside the temple. Like, I donāt think a lot of Jedi would have to dignify their masters by comparing them to a parent, because they are pretty far removed from the concept of one or two parents, and already value and love their master as a teacher and mentor, and that is the part thatās meaningful for them. Iām not trying to gotcha anyone with this, itās just something I think about when writing Jedi family. I think sometimes we undersell how community based they are.
Star Wars Visions - Journey to the Dark Head Thoughts and Analysis
"I'm sorry. This was a waste of time. You were right. No matter what we do, it won't end. There's no way to stop this war. And even if we did, it doesn't matter. Another would just arise." Ara (ģė¼)
"Nothing is fixed. Light and dark will always coexist. And if nothing is set in stone, that means there will always be hope. We are always caught in the tide of uncertainty, but the next wave carries as much hope as it does despair. Ara, I actually needed this mission. And I think you did too." Toul (ķ ģø)
Journey to the Dark Head is really special to me. Seeing my culture represented in Star Wars warms my heart. As a Korean-American, it's special to see Korean voice actors as the main dub and talent in Star Wars (another reason why I'm so excited and hyped to see the Acolyte!). Alongside Ninth Jedi, I hope this short gets its own show (the team in Studio Mir's Radio Talk even mentions how they have many ideas for the universe of Journey to the Dark Head!). This is my dedicated piece for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (I know this is very late but a lot was going on preventing me from completing this earlier).
The focus setting of the short is the world of Dolgarak, a world home to two giant statues known as the Statues of prophecy, during the Old Republic Era (a reminder that Visions is non-Canon but it seems like it took place during this Era). The Hanbok-inspired outfits in the opening are amazing. We see a group of kids from a community of Force Oracles, beings who read prophecies when the stones of the temple experienced rainfall, stepping into the temple. Ara sees a prophecy as the rain drops on the rocks: Three figures in a duel. An Interpreter is there to record the prophecies into the record...a practice that Ara questions after seeing a prophecy said to take place in the future. She wants to deliver their information to the Jedi at which the Interpretator points out that they're not Jedi. Star Wars has delved into how visions can often be misleading despite having truth in them. Something which the Interpreter seems to be aware of than Ara at the moment. The theme of war as a cycle and how they come and go. The community keeps records of conflicts and prophecies so they can be read...and hopefully from my interpretation of the goal to prevent the cycle from repeating by learning about them. However, the idealist Ara just can't believe that their life is just a part of a never-ending cycle. Then she wonders...could the war end by cutting off the Dark Head?
(Fun Fact: my blog's banner is taken from the Hangul-inspired language shown in this short!)
"There is much you don't understand. War and conflict are constants. They are both built on the sands of time, which will continue to ebb and flow for all eternity. And their record remains on these stones. We read and keep their record." Interpreter
As the short transitions to the modern day, we see a hopeful pilot, Ara, and a disillusioned Jedi, Toul. Ara still believes that by cutting off the Dark Head, the war will finally turn against the Sith as she appeals to two members of the Jedi Council. One Jedi Master senses that approving the mission is the right course of action despite another Master's low opinion of this theory. With Toul being sent to go with Ara, the Master senses how it's destiny for him.
We see Toul trying to mediate as he remembers the day his Master was killed. Bichan (ė¹ģ°¬), the Sith Lord with a Korean mask-influenced helmet and a Lightsaber with a chain, seeks to turn Toul into his apprentice after seeing the rage in him. Bichan left behind a "parting" gift in the form of a scar. Interestingly, visually Bichan shares similar facial similarities with Ara. The creators and team behind the show confirmed that he and Ara are the same species native to Dolgarak. The markings are based on the Haechi.
Toul when awoken displays a dark view of the point of mediating when the Sith will come for them anyway to kill them. The fear has taken hold of him as he doesn't have much to hope for. When the two finally meet...to say their respect for each other is low would be an understatement. Ara doesn't view Toul as what she imagines a Jedi to be (calling him a "kid" even though they're very likely around the same age but Ara is actually slightly taller than him) and even states how he should at least pretend to be one. Vice versa, Toul believes Ara's idea to be a foolish endeavor. As the two make a quick pit stop at an Asteroid City's Black Market, Ara buys supplies for their mission (I love how the team said they were able to keep the Goolbi-looking bombs in despite the runtime)...however as Toul spots a group passing by, he spots Bichan who muses something familiar nearby.
Once they reach Dolgarak, they're attacked by Bichan who is after the Statues of prophecy as well. As the two struggle to both survive in a tense high-speed sequence, Bichan taunts Toul about the Jedi sending Toul alone to be confronted by him. The teamwork and trust Ara and Toul display to each other despite their troubles with one another shows what they truly think of each other underneath. The action in this sequence is Studio Mir at their best: the exaggerated movements in the Lightsaber duel, the launching of the bombs, and the frantic pace of the camera. All the while, Bichan speaks to how futile their attempts to stop the Sith are with the Statues revealing the interconnecting nature between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force.
A major theme in this short is the cycle of Star Wars. We all know the usual story: Jedi vs Sith. A cycle between the two brings chaos and death across the galaxy. It's a seemingly never-ending conflict as the representation between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force clash. Ara's drive is the belief that destroying the Dark Head would finally end this seemingly eternal cycle. However, just as she's finally about to bring an end, both heads illuminate both light and dark. The Light and Dark Sides of the Force, for better or worse, are forever interconnected. With this realization, she sees Bichan incapacitating Toul with his chain...and realizing she's the third figure in the vision. Not wasting a moment after realizing this, she redirects her bombs to Bichan who uses the Force to send them into the air...which Ara activates them to clear the skies. All the while, Toul realizes why the Master sent him there as his mental Light Side self smiles at his Dark Side self. He realizes there is nothing to be scared and he has to find peace to overcome the darkness inside him. With the light from the bombs blinding Bichan, Toul uses this chance to kill Bichan. I think as Toul fell from the Statues, he made peace himself with a possible death...until Ara calls out and in a beautifully animated sequence saves him as the two parachuted down.
For a while, after they landed safely back at the seemingly abandoned temple, Ara gives into despair and cynicism much like the viewpoints of Kreia and Baylan Skƶll about the pointlessness of trying to stop the darkness. However, Toul makes a beautiful point against such despair and cynicism, showcasing his redeveloped idealism and hope. Even if the cycle is seemingly destined to carry on forever, the future is uncertain, and there is always a chance to challenge destiny. Even if the cycle continues again, there will be even more beings with the spark of hope to carry that on. As Snoke once said in The Last Jedi,
"Darkness rises, and light to meet it." Snoke
Toul points out how they both needed this mission to finally see that and Ara has a spark of genuine hope come back as she decides to continue the fight with Toul...with a little banter about Ara's crashed ship with whose fault it was. One can imagine how far their friendship will go in their fights against the Sith.
A story about two beings trying to find hope in a seemingly never-ending conflict. It's fascinating to explore the side where it's acknowledged how the cycle of Star Wars can wear down on people. Yet we see why they should never stop fighting for what's right and good despite the possibility of the cycle restarting again.
As this short ends, I get so much happiness seeing a story ripe with potential for more. I really wish we get to see a show following Ara and Toul. Even the creators stated that they had a lot of ideas that could be used in a show based on the short. Ideas such as diving more into the pasts and histories of Ara, Toul, Dolgarak, and even Bichan. Give us that 13-episode series Lucasfilm! Otherwise, this was the best short for me in Visions S2.
Note: The score in this short by Lee Byung Hoon was great! Korean traditional instruments were used in the score which made this short stand out among the other Vision scores.
"You know, we make a pretty good team." Ara
"Let's get back to continue this fight. But we're gonna need a new ship, since you kind of crashed our last one, pilot." Taul
"Uh, what? Are you serious? Well, I wasn't the one who crashed the speeder. That's on you, Jedi. So, I'd say we're even." Ara
"Are you kidding? Crashing a ship is so much worse." Taul
"Oh, for what it's worth, you've definitely destroyed any illusions I had about the mighty Jedi." Ara
They shouldāve let tony gilroy have the 5 seasons of Andor he originally wanted so we could have stupid filler and had an episode dedicated to how Saw Gerrera and his crew obtained psychic sentient octopus Bor Gullet
