We’ve sang, we’ve danced, we went to a bunny museum, and we found out who, indeed, was that Animorphs. But all good things must come to an end. And in this case, the good thing is Zeta. Well, unless donations get real, real wild. So let’s just assume that this is the last Zeta. And here’s what happened.

ZETA BEGINS!!!

Moon’s Haunted.

We learned a little about Beej and Heather’s wedding

The final entry in the Kindness War, prior to the Omega cease fire:

If Loading Ready Run did a heist, would they do it like this, or like this?

Zeta is still working on being Drift Compatible, but we’re getting there. …On the last shift.

Beej and Mike set up a little surprise…

And that’s all they wrote.

Zeta is a weird and wonderful shift. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Have a wonderful rest of the run, throw up a ‘Z’ (left hand over right!), and hang out with us for the rest of Omega!!!!!

During the final Night Watch of 2021, we all – together, chat and crew and everyone who’s come along for any part of this wild ride – we ALL reached the amazing milestone of $8 MILLION raised over the lifetime of Desert Bus for Hope!

Opening Credits

Special thanks to dostrow_ whose $20,000 winning bid on the pair of Mass Effect guns got our evening off to a high octane start, and heronblademaster who donated $4,626 to cross the final threshold to this incredible milestone.

Thanks to everyone’s combined efforts and support, we have achieved what some thought impossible. Yes, that’s right. The Q judged us ferior.

The crew of the USS Tucson very much enjoyed getting visits from special guests, like Ensign Matt from the runabout Duck Creek.

Admittedly, we got a little frightened when Matt threatened to arrest us for illegal weapons sales. Us? The crew of the USS Tucson? Why, we are perfect angels who would never engage in illegal weapons sales!

And we DEFINITELY wouldn’t do it again tomorrow.

…Moving on. We also got a power Serge via the Telepresence Robot. Serge was an expert at piloting the robot.

Plus, Ensign Ben FINALLY found his way back to the USS Tucson today, which meant that Ben and Serge were able to reunite!

All in all, a truly heartwarming night! We were in such a good mood that we didn’t even blow up Zeta today. After a full week of destructive loops, we realized that together, we could make this the best timeline!

If you want to commemorate the antics of the USS Tucson and its crew, you can buy the USS Tucson playmat or poster! Proceeds go to Child’s Play.

In Idol Manager, you take on the role of a manager at a small, but growing, talent agency, where it’s your job to cultivate and train the newest generation of pop stars. But to make it in the hyper-competitive talent business, you’ll need to deal with crises, manage relationships, and grow your fanbase. Hire and train staff to support your agency, and discover substories that have serious effects on the success of your franchise.

This prize lot features a digital copy of the game Idol Manager, as well as a signed CD of music from Idol Manager! The CD has been signed by Kamen Joshi, a long-standing female idol group featured in the game.

Sign up for or log in to your Donor Account, then donate $5.55 (or multiples thereof) for a chance to win this prize. We’ll run this giveaway until 1:45am PST.

Keep it secret, keep it safe – whatever “it” is for you, you can be sure it will be well guarded in this Dwarven Coffer.

Crafted from bonded stone and set with intricately-detailed Khuzdul wards on cold-cast bronze plates, this might coffer is fit for the safekeeping of your most precious treasures. The interior space measures 9cm deep x 17cm wide x 7cm tall to let you store SO many shinies.

Donate $6.51 or multiples thereof before 11:00pm PT for a chance to win this literal treasure box! Plus, you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win a Desert Bus T-shirt from Night Watch tonight at 11:45pm PT!

We’re coming down to the wire and this is your last chance to snag a (physical) item from the silent auctions at Desert Bus for Hope. Let’s take a look at this dragon’s hoard of precious gems!

Fairytale Dragon

Read any good books lately? This dragon has. He’s made up of 24,000+ stitches, which is probably just half as many books as he owns, and comes on an 8×10″ cloth ready for framing. Just make sure you handle with care: he really hates getting dog-eared.

Current Bid: $4,321.98

Shift Banner Gem Bottles

Which shift is your favorite? Aw, we can’t pick – they’re all gems! Specifically these gems which come in cute little glass bottles (one for each shift) that you can display or even wear as jewelry:

Dawnguard – Citrine, red agate, howlite and goldstone
Alpha Flight – Red coral, howlite and garnet
Night Watch – Blue goldstone, moonstone, neon apatite and turquoise
Zeta – Iolite, moonstone and amethyst

Current Bid: $1,111.10

This board game is guaranteed to get your motor running, unless you’re really, really bad at playing it because that’s literally the whole game. Steampunk Rally Fusion lets you build and boost your very own racing machine!

This deluxe edition not only gives you everything you need to play the game: it also gives you everything you need to impress your friends at game night. It has a booster pack with additional racers and machine parts along with a collection of accessories such as metal cogs that are, trust us, very gratifying to hold. Roxley decided that wasn’t enough, so they also threw in a pack of Iron Spades playing cards and a comfy purple jersey with their logo. Your race car deserves spoilers and so do you.

Donate $6.51 or multiples thereof before 8:45pm PT for a chance to win this deluxe set. Plus! Everyone who participates in ANY of our Night Watch giveaways tonight will also be automatically entered for a chance to win the 2021 Desert Bus T-shirt. Two for one! Go get it!

We’d like to take a moment to thank one of our organizational sponsors, Loading Ready Run!

The Venn Diagram of Loading Ready Run and Desert Bus for Hope is very nearly a circle, so if you enjoy the hijinks we’ve gotten up to this week, you should check out Loading Ready Run! It’s a comic variety show with lots of gaming content for you to enjoy – and usually it doesn’t feature the world’s most boring video game, but it does feature plenty of gags and good people. Check it out and make sure to say hi to all the familiar faces!