#alpha (coe)

[keryaes]

[ariapmdeol]

🍇

[crunchyorb]

for the ask game-- shinarei? :0 and ruiharu!

shinarei:

listen i think it's the funniest thing ever if reiji dates shinano because this means he's never gonna move out of his dad's house this means shinano's going to move /in/. i also love his ability to weaponize the shinano infodumping to annoy everyone in the vicinity i like that they're actually friends. 2 dog. shinano is part of your family now haruki atou even if you find him a lil annoying

ruiharu:

i love them because they're married and they love each other and are together and live together i think(?) but i also love them for being kind of an absolutely no sex appeal couple. like i recognize and adore everyone writing 200 page haruki atou bdsm fics but in the end all i can think of it as is an act of wishful thinking. 2 people who love to do their taxes

[neopuppy]

Neopup please coe Back I’ll die if I read another bad Alpha!Jeno smut😭

[fleecedragon]

I don’t think this one is long enough to post on dreamwidth, but I found it interesting enough to translate, so it’s going here under a cut.

This is a snippet from the ‘flags and roots’ section of the book that came with the artbook. It contains spoilers for the coe plot & some dlc spoilers, so take caution. 

The question is ‘Why do some characters come off so differently in the flashbacks in CoE versus when we see them in the dlc?”

A disgression.

When you look at the characters in flashbacks seen in CoE versus their appearances in the DLC records, don’t they give you a completely different impression?

Remember, Atou’s only getting that information from Hatsutori, and Alpha, who’s partly inherited Hatsutori’s will. 

The visions seen in Vision Shift are also Hatsutori’s vision & Hatsutori’s memories.

In other words, there’s a very high likelihood that information that would get in the way of Hatsutori achieving his goals has not been shown. (Although there’s also a possibility he’s hiding that information unconsciously.)

That said, Hatsutori didn’t save Haruki Isoi out of purely altruistic motives in the first place; Haruki Isoi was there, conveniently, so Hatsutori saved him so he could use him as part of his plan. That’s all.

But to Hatsutori, all of that was ‘an equal salvation’ and ‘God’s love’, wasn’t it?

In the end...Although Atou might not have understood all of the situation, he did understand that he was being used. 

So that’s why he decided to use Hatsutori himself, in the end. 

[shiteating]

shinarei is really really really good i think.

cell of empireo routes EDCB and S+, dlc spoilers (fyi, stuff from a part of the dlc that isn't translated yet, nothing super major though)

just an informal post from me. gets a little embarrassing too. gushing about things is a little painful when you are full of love.

but basically, like, i think there exists to be an argument (hypothetical? idk i don't hang out with any fans) that shinarei could fall into pair the spares territory... which is certainly untrue. i just do not think that it has no basis. it's not particularly deep or anything but i do think it is a fits like a glove situ. anyway, at least i'm not the one pairing up family members. (charged statement? tbh not really, my opinion would not change regardless of whether or not an alternative exists... i just do not fw step-whatever ships and i view them as incest. it is my own preference.)

on the relationship between shinano and atou in coe

since the game kind of flip flops on when the rakusou park rabies case happened (though the second half of the game seems to consistently date it around march 2015 so i'll begrudgingly consider that despite it being a very small timeframe), i think that regardless of how long shinano was under atou's care, it is an important relationship in the long run with respects to this post. while shinano was heavily influenced by origin beta seeking origin alpha out it IS a huge point for shinano that one cannot seperate their old and current and future selves so easily so, even as an existence that straddled the line between origin beta and shinano, i think shinano->atou is a highly valid interpretation. i think tina's instinct "to protect", pochi's instinct "to seek out the origin" and shinano's instinct of "atou-san, atou-san" getting all muddled up created some kind of insane peak yandere. i think the main point here is that for most of the game— reiji had gone off so is missing for a good chunk of the game, shinano is present until chapter 5 then disappears, so the two essentially have no real knowledge of each other. atou tells shinano about reiji in the past tense. he tells reiji about shinano being missing in action but there isn't really the gravity in the current situation to elaborate (ironically because origin beta is still running around). also i think it's really funny that atou immediately discounts that shinano could be beta when ibuki brings it up... anyway this is all preamble really.

starting off on the wrong, no, perhaps the worst foot (paw?) possible

so reiji goes yeah imma kidnap you, atou haruki, and be done with it. honestly, who knows how the plot could have gone if shinano had not appeared in this moment... really, whether it was beta pulling him towards alpha or shinano just happened to come across them at the worst moment, it's still an amazing fucking scene. like, one may wring their hands over whether or not this is yandere, but people have called other characters yandere over literal nothing. SO WHATEVER. my post my interpretation. honestly, it's really fucking good. the way shinano is laser focused on atou, atou-san come here, atou-san, atou-san while reiji is on the other side making quips in lieu of atou who is on shock, it's a tense scene that i can't criticize at all really. SHINANO MY GOAT!!!! literally my favorite line in the entire game btw:

at this point shinano and reiji could not be more diametrically opposed in terms of goal, reiji's being to retrieve atou for sanemitsu and shinano's being an open ended one of "protecting", and who knows how that could even end when at least half of the instinct is coming from what is essentially stem cell rabies and chronic dog brain. it doesn't help they lack context on said stances... in S, this is the end of their adversarial relationship, but if you miss enough flags you basically guarantee that reiji is getting killed by shinano. i think this is actually a really important aspect of shinarei. because..... i really like all the cannibalism fanart... shinano is cute so if he wants to take a chunk out of reiji he is free to do so. i don't have to argue about how cannibalism is inherently homoerotic. IT'S NOT JUST ME! if you see any artists on twitter who dabble in this shit they have definitely drawn it at least once. really, it's becoming rare to have an excuse to draw something like this without going full AU, so fukao... thank you. shinarei is mostly a diabetes ship, but the fact that there is also this macabre side to it is part of the appeal imo. also fulfills the game's "earn your happy ending" element. it's so good~~~~

shinano and reiji are impossibly dorky "but somehow it doesn't cross into otaku cringe" -known shinano fan who excuses anything he says (not me lol why would you think this)

at the time of the dlc, in summer of 2018— its "shinano-shi"!!

how INCREDIBLY dorky!!! i almost didn't pick up on it. you first see it when sanemitsu picks up a note from reiji about atou and shinano visiting— for some reason i assumed it was the formal usage, which was pretty dumb of me to be honest, i genuinely questioned why it'd be like that after three years before i realized it wasn't a stuffy "-shi" but more like how otakus address each other with the nuance of "comrade". to be honest, i've seen the examples of otaku using "-dono" way more often so i didn't realize right away. it's cute not only because it follows the thoroughline of "since S+, shinano and reiji have continued to get along" but also because i feel like this kind of otaku slang has LONG fallen out of favor, it is a stereotype among stereotypes, but reiji is not a normal person at all and i would not be surprised if he just heard it somewhere and picked it up on a whim. i mean, when your dad writes in occult magazines he is probably bumping elbows with some very strange people.

there's not much to discuss in terms of reiji engaging with shinano's hobbies and actively getting into ditasword, but it is cute, cute cute cute. sickeningly cute. how cute can it get?!?!!! this cute:

tying up loose ends

on the age difference

there's like, a good 4, 5 year age difference?

i guess one thing there would be hand wringing over is the age difference— usually depending on the context, how things shake out is based on your own interpretation... though i think between adults it's kinda "who cares" for me. at any rate, it's not like they're breaching into a relationship right off the bat, imo there is a strong preference for onesided reiji->shinano on my end and there's a good three years until the dlc/interlude/com deadline. just straight up having a massive crush but not being sure of what it means. i like how sanemitsu said that it's nice that reiji made a friend his age after so long, atou is like "he's not though", but they shrug it off and go "well shinano's childish anyway". though i think there is a certain coolness factor in shinano that reiji sees that the others don't see!!!! do you understand!!!! also how is it any different from the classic "crushing on an older girl"!!!!! anyway, shinano's happy to have someone he can talk to about his hobbies aside from akane. anyway 25 vs 29 is a pretty nice diff actually. its kinda who cares.

on the contrast

for all intents on purposes despite being a private detective and getting wrapped up with empyrean, of all of rakuen, i think shinano has the strongest image of a civilian. perhaps even among the entire cast in coe. reiji... is very much not a civilian!!! he lives with mercs and does insane paranormal investigations as a lifestyle!!! there is nothing civilian or normal about that...!!! i think the gap in daily life is very good, and despite everything shinano's suspension of disbelief is probably top tier. he will fit in right away if reiji introduced him to LDL. theodore on suicide watch

shinano deserves to be happy

this series has too many widows and widowers. ENOUGH!!!

element of long distance dating

shinano moves back to tokyo after coe is over (as opposed to him treking to nagoya to seek atou out) and reiji is living in italy. i'm sure reiji is probably going to japan a lot anyway but likeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!like!!!!!!!!

atou hates it

^olympic gold medalist in homophobia won by a gay man who has been emotionally married to the same guy since middle school, more at 8.

no but really, he really can't with the otaku stuff, now his coworker has turned his step brother into an otaku or made it more apparent, not to mention all the potential PDA, i have to pray for him a bit. well at least he has less to worry about in the "if shinano stands next to me in public for more than 1 second what if people think i'm gay" <-it's ok when rui does it though.

sanemitsu would love it however!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! theodore would probably hate it...though... i think he would wish death on any couple so

addressing potential bias

for reference other pairs i like: ninayou, atourui (reverse is fine.), i respect kanoato but don't engage, hajiyuki, [REDACTED] <-spoilers that dont even exist yet, dont ask me anything about it

strong dislike for shipping reiji with family.

[ask-joe-caine]

“Kitten.. why did u leave daddy at school today?…..” **Turns into alpha baddie emo era kawaii Baka grr emo monkeys Uwu demon throws kitten across the room** “HOW DARE YOU LEAVE DADDY KITTEN WITTEN POOKIE BEAR CUPCAKE MUFFIN WITH SUGER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CAKE MIX WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH VANILLA WHIP KAWAII UWU" DONT DISOBEY ME AGAIN KITTEN” *clams down.* “Oh no... WHAT DID I DO..” *turns back into kawaii alpha Uwu kawaii Baka* “KITTEN!!” *flys like a cute fairy Uwu* “NO PLEASE!! PLEASE BE OK!.. KITTEN DADDYS HERE... W-W-W-W-W-W-WHAT DID I DO...” “cutely turns alpha Uwu demon mode” *flys to hospital* “PLEASE BE OKAY KITTEN...” *waits outside of her hospital room* “please be okay kitten...”

[Joe pushes Coe in front of himself]

You're dealing with this, not me.

[mindrole]

i know alpha and beta subliminated after coe (especially alpha) and that haruki and shinano are normal now but like the gag of alpha coming out in a moment of stress is never not funny. conversely shinano getting the beta eyes when hes mad is fucking hilarious also

[thepixelblender]

20, 21, 22 for coe!

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

I mean, I was relatively bored all the way until the end of ch5 originally HAH but I wouldn't blame it on the game in retrospect, so ehh... Ch6 has low points? Ch7 has the section about planning the attack on the chappel... and most of interlude wasn't really my thing either. I wouldn't call any part of this game outright boring past long walking sections though

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

Chapter 4 LOL

Okay no, chapter 4 is fine, it's a good introduction to EHRI, I just find it pretty slow at times and it's a bit taxxing with the amount of scattered exposition through notes you end up going through as you try to Not Die from various cell critters. That, and Kanou's dialogue in that chapter is just Not Enjoyable to me ! in general ! leave Atou alone ! (note : Kanou / Atou interactions in some sections like the Yusuke related things and pretty much anywhere beyond ch4 are fine and good to me, it's just the whole. Hahaha ! You're stuck in this hellish place with no one to rely on but meee~! ♡♡♡ bullshit is. I do not enjoy it)

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

Gee, I don’t know. I'm pretty basic I'd say shsh, but ? I guess most people aren't quite as taken with the whole Atou-Alpha-Hajime-Seodore parallels and implied dynamics as I am ? Alpha especially. They're so... man-or-monster, what is will, what makes a person (or a grape...)

[seven-oomen]

Hi, Ben!  I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well today, and that people are being assholes.  Hopefully they’ll get bored and go away.

Wow, am I glad I didn’t cave to the urge to watch the finale despite being WAY behind.  That sounds so incredibly beyond ridiculous.  Like, what the actual fuck?  I’m used to show writers shitting on fans, but damn.  It definitely feels like one of those “should I laugh or should I cry?” moments.  I just.  Wow…

For your list of shows; I never actually watched How I Met Your Mother, but I do recall the outcry at its ending.  From what I can tell it pulled the same sort of “let’s discard literal YEARS of character development for traditional heteronormative crap” type thing that SPN did. 

And whether you consider the ending of Torchwood to be Season 2, the Children of Earth miniseries, or the Miracle Day miniseries, pretty much all of them had horrifying finales.  Fun fact: when questioned about all the fan uproar and outcry over the ending of COE, showrunner Russell Davies said “[…]a few hysterical women?  Let them go watch Supernatural instead.”, or something very similar.

On a brighter note, I loved the new chapter, and may have…rambled on a bit about that…  Also, I would now like to double down on my suggestion of them singing that to Peter at the wedding, because OMG, just imagine his face.  I just.  My heart…  Also, I’m still laughing about the sloth image.  I don’t know why it amuses me so much, but it really does.  And if you need a pick-me-up, may I suggest revisiting the alpha-shift Peter doesn’t understand/care that he isn’t a lapdog visual.  Because those two images are the main ones helping me look forward to the long shift ahead of me.  XD 

Speaking of I need to leave soon, so I just want to say that I hope your day improves, and you start feeling better.  (Oh, also, awesome cabinet!  And as someone who also has a lot of similar pieces, I empathise with trying to assemble that crap by yourself.  XD )  Take care!  *Hugs!*

Oh thank god you can still talk to me, B. I was a little worried since I had to turn anon off for a few hours (I’ll turn it back on tonight before bed) and make a post to hopefully make people stop messaging me about Hannibal.

Honestly, most people were really polite and trying to give me bookworks of why I am wrong (but they were polite about it) but a few- yeah, I’m an adult and I’m not doing this. 

So hopefully people will have forgotten about it in a few hours. It’s also been reblogged so I can’t delete it anymore either. 

I don’t think it was that controversial what I said and was merely an opinion but they are persistent and very defensive it seems.

Combined with everything I’ve been through in the last few days and well, my thoughts are very, very dark.

And I’m very, very happy to see your message. It’s honestly a light today and thank you, thank you, thank you, for your absolutely amazing review. It makes me smile non stop and it makes me so happy. And I know I can’t say anything but a few comments made me go: YES!!! DING DING WINNER! (When you guessed something right) which means I’m doing something right for you to guess that. But also just yes on the thought of massive wolf Peter Hale acting like a giant lap dog.

Also in the upcoming chapter, Melissa talks about her previous relationships with Scott. Melissa & Claudia?????

Wolf shenanigans!

Wolf Ben being absolutely adorable and getting all the cuddles from the non wolves because PUPPY!!!! 

Massive wolf turned lapdop Peter.

Peter & Malia bonding again.

Jackson has wolf jealousy.

Scott transforms for the first time and gets into an awkward situation. 

Derek being way too tired and grumpy for all this bullshit.

Cuteness to balance out the darkness of the last few chapters.

And yeah this sentence?

I'm pretty sure the phrase "pin them down like an overly affectionate sloth" and it's accompanying mental image will be living rent-free in my head for the next week at least

That made my entire week <3

I was giggling so much when I wrote that scene and so hyped up and I’m so glad you liked it too!

As for the SPN thing, HOLY SHIT! Like I didn’t see it, I read about it, saw all the memes and have now seen a few clips. But WTF??

Yeah my SPN/Destiel heart is just broken. So much potential for a finale, 15x19 would have been a good one. But then...

jfc.

I was never much into How I met your mother, but I do vaguely recall what happened and yeah that one was pretty bad too. Also star wars should go on that list I feel like, especially with EP9.

I have good hopes for The Mandalorian though, so far so good.

[ariapmdeol]

if i had a nickel for every blonde protagonist who's heavily associated with plants and kind of has another version of himself, both of whom are derived from the same 'original' AND have identity crises, id have two nickels

[yuusaris]

Doc Dump - G.R.E.E.K.

This could have been finished, but Jack'[s characterization is super off here, ands the amount of fixing it would take didn't feel worth it. I still like Rhys here, being conniving but also faltering under any pressure put on his scheming. But he's able to bounce back a little bit. There's stuff that's okay but, ultimately, nothing really worth finishing myself.

ANY of my dump ideas/paragraphs are welcome for ANYone to use or riff from, by the way, none of this is stuff I'll be personally visiting again.

Desr mr ahnbsom,

Ive got thflu. Very sick. Can’t ,malke ot. Om, sprruy. PLz be nice if i coe int tomorroq m,e hjanmsdspke

Best Regards,

Rhys Strongfork

ΑΚΨ Operations

Class of XXXX

Considering his daughter just got back from the Alpha Kappa Psi party thirty minutes ago - when Jack plopped her drunk ass into her bed - he doubts this.

Maybe that’s harsh. He believes this kid is sick, sure, but he doubts it’s the flu. It is, after all, September.

Jack looks over the sender’s name - Rhys Strongfork, one of his Algorithms and Programming students - before punching out a reply.

Rhys,

We both know your frat had a monster banger tonight and we both know if you’re sick, it’s not the flu. But if you bring me a dose of whatever the fuck you took tonight, I’ll consider not dropping your grade a letter. But only if it doesn’t kill me. Come to class.

-Jack

The next day starts, Jack trudges into his office as per usual, and at the top of his inbox is another email from Rhys.

Mr. Lawrence,

Thank you for responding to my email from last night. Please see the attached image of my diagnosis as well as a record of my hospital discharge. I will be attending class this afternoon.

I look forward to seeing you.

Best Regards,

Rhys Strongfork

ΑΚΨ Operations

Class of 2023

As said, attached is a photo of the kid in the hospital, an IV plugged into his arm and making dumbass finger guns while he’s at it. Jack was at least kind of right about the drugs - kids eyes are more glazed than the donuts Jack had for breakfast. There’s also a picture of the doctor's note with Rhys’ name, time of admission and discharge, and the word ‘influenza’.

Well, shit, Jack muses as he sips his coffee in his office. He kicks his chair away from his desk and peeks out his open office door to his neighbors open office door. “Hey, Al,” Jack calls to Hammerlock, “you get any ‘sick notes’ from any A-K-Psi?”

“Oh, just the usual,” he says, not looking up from his papers, “Food poisonings, actual poisonings, car troubles, spontaneously dying relatives - that Richter boy in my anthrozoology course actually told me he’d gotten-”

“The flu?”

“Worse,” Hammerlock turns to look at Jack, quirking an eyebrow (the one with the real eye under it, not the glass one), “Simiae Encephalomyelitis.” He laughs to himself because Jack doesn’t get it. “I’ll give him this, his research paper is going to be wonderfully thorough.”

Jack pulls back to his desk again, looking at the email one more time - it looks legitimate enough, and the kid even said he’d be in today. No harm, no foul, right?

Rhys,

Judging by your picture and the absolute wreck that was your first email, I’m rescinding my request for sharesies. See you this afternoon.

-Jack

---

For a kid who’d just spent the night in a hospital for the sniffles, Rhys Strongfork is chipper today.

Jack’s supervising the computer lab as his students work on their algorithms - he’s booked the lab for three hours, double the class time, so his students have the time to get their independent projects done without any ‘there isn’t enough tiiiime’ bullshit. But every once in a while, his head comes up from his own work to find Rhys fishing for his gaze. Kid gives him a more-than-friendly smile, then returns to work. He even winked at Jack. More than once.

It’s not unusual. He’s not the only student who looks. Jack doesn’t make a habit of palling around with 20-somethings, but gossip about his hair, smile, eyes, jawline, shoulders, back, and the less appropriate… well, it gets around. Between him and the western civ teacher, it is he, Jack Lawrence, who earned the name Handsome Jack.

It’s the boldness, specifically from Rhys, that’s new. It’s not unwelcome - the kid’s got good taste. And he’s been awake for less than 12 hours, so there might still be some wiggle-room for behavioral judgement at the moment. It’s definitely affecting how much work he’s doing, if he’s spending most of his class time smiling at Jack.

Jack’s phone goes off when the three hour mark hits. He waves a hand towards the door. “If anyone still needs more in-class time, you’re S.O.L until next week,” he says above the squeaking chairs, zippers, and log-out chimes. “Unless you go book a timeslot now before it’s the end of the semester and you’re screwed.”

“It’s not even October,” he hears one of his students grumble.

“Cry more, children,” he sings without looking up from his own monitor, ignoring the following groans.

I hand them this class on a silver platter and they still whine about it, Jack thinks, rolling his eyes. He told them all of this on the first day of classes. Gave them the whole rundown, even held their hands through the syllabus he’d sent out. And a third of these ingrates left when the official class period ended.

He wraps up his class notes, logs out… and when he looks up, sees Rhys. Only Rhys, the rest of the class has cleared out, and he’s taking his sweet time packing up.

“Back on your feet, pumpkin?” Jack asks, watching his student lazily slip his things into his satchel.

“Ehhh, off and on,” Rhys shrugs, still with the smug little smirk on his face. Jack doesn’t like it.

“Seemed pretty bad for the sniffles.”

“I have a delicate immune system,” Rhys simpers, looking again as Jack grabs his stuff. He grins wider. “And a secret.” He zips the satchel, as if timed.

“...Well, good for you,” Jack says, taking the last swig of coffee from his thermos as he opens the door for himself. “I’ll see you next week.”

“W-wha,” Rhys stammers, startled, “wait, you-”

“Listen, cupcake,” Jack stops and looks at him, “you said it was a secret, and I don’t care.”

“B-But-!”

“Buh-buh-But nothing. Whatever gossip you’ve got, keep it to yourself.”

“I’ve got your email, is what I’ve got!” Rhys stands up, apparently having found his spine.

“Annnnnd so what? Should that mean something?” Jack asks, still holding the door open.

“It means I have the email where you asked me, your student, to bring you drugs,” Rhys folds his arms, staring Jack down.

Jack stares back. “...’Kay’,” he says, then closes the door. Putting one hand against it, he says, “You got the email where I joked about you bringing me drugs.”

“Is that so?” Rhys asks with an over-practiced lilt to his voice. He should never join drama.

“I wonder how the administration feels about that ‘joke’," Rhys says, with finger quotes.

Jack scoffs. “Really? You think you’d have a chance with the Dean? Against me? Aurelia’s got bigger issues than me making jokey-jokes about weed, kiddo.”

Rhys saunters smugly to Jack’s desk. “My dad’s an alumnus. And a donor.” He hops up to sit on it.

"Ohhh, is he? Good for you, better than your admission scores, I bet."

Rhys gives a fake sigh. “I was gonna make this so easy - quid pro quo, we would’ve been done in five minutes, yanno? I even brought some ex for you, just cuz I’m nice!” Rhys runs a hand through his hair. “But now, we're doing this the hard way. Your screw up is gunna cost you extra now - price tag number one is that I pass your class with a perfect A."

Jack looks Rhys over before barking out a laugh. Rhys’ posture stiffens, as if forcing himself to keep it up, as Jack sucks in a breath that he desperately needs.

“I could be asking for a lot worse, you know-” Rhys tries, cut off by a loud laugh from Jack.

“What are you, a fuckin’ mob boss?” Jack asks as he wipes a tear away. “You were already passing, you little idiot!” He shakes his head, an arm resting on his forehead as he chuckles, “If you did well on your independant project, you were gonna get an A!”

“I-I know that!" Rhys scowls - his struggle for control is deliciously funny. "But I wanna skip! Whether I'm out with the flu or stoned until next tuesday! And you’ll drop half a letter if someone comes in late! So, I want security."

“Oh, wow,” Jack shakes his head with a barbed smile. "You’re fucking yourself hard for next semster by skipping my lectures, but whatever gets you that easy A, huh kiddo? Noted. Anything else, champ?"

“I'm glad you asked!” Rhys says, quickly jumping past everything else Jack said. “ Because. I. Want... a dick pic.”

Jack’s train of thought screeches to a stop as the statement smacks him across the face like a… like… well.

Jack says, slowly, “I… what?” and the smile that spread across Rhys’ face pisses him off. He pulls his surprise in check and narrows his eyes. “I don’t think I heard you right, cupcake.”

“No, you did." Rhys says, sounding more secure in his bullshit. "I want a picture of your dick. And make it a nice one. Everything in frame. Maybe a filter...”

"You know that's way worse for my job than the drugs, right?” Jack crossed his arms with a smile. Rhys shuffles in his spot. “And that this is extortion? What, I give you a dick pic and soon, you’re using that as an excuse to get me to do all sortsa shit, right? I know how this scam works.”

“It’s not a scam,” Rhys says, bristling. “It’s,” he trails off, as if searching for something, and answer he hadn’t thought of, perhaps. “It is what it is - I want your dick. In a picture. Specifically.” Rhys’ confidence deflates as he looks away. Jack doesn’t, eyeing Rhys’s sudden shift back, the forced pout under reddening cheeks.

"You know what?” Jack says, “I think Jack here is starting to get the picture."

His student stiffens in response. "I won’t show anyone else," Rhys assures. "Everything in this room stays between us."

“Oh, that’s not the only thing you want ‘just between us’.” Jack walks closer and leans a hand on his desk, beside Rhys. “That's what this is really about, isn't it? You want my attention."

“Call...” Rhys stops short, swallowing at their closeness, and picks back up. “Call it what it is - self-indulgent.”

“That’s cute.” Jack leans in, breath tickling Rhys’ cheek. “Pathetic. And desperate. But cute.” And judging by the hitch in his breath, Jack’s on the money. “Ooh, that sounded unprofessional.”

Rhys fidgets again, and that, to Jack, is genuinely cute.

"So what makes you think I’m snapping hot-shots for a greedy little fanboy in over his head?”

"Your dick," Rhys says softly, with a glance down.

Jack pauses at that, and at the soft realization. He follows Rhys’ eyes downwards. He’s gotten too close, pressed up against the kids leg. He can’t even play it off as anything else.

They're both interrupted by a knock on the door.

“...I imagine it’ll be even better in the picture, Mr. Lawrence, I’ll email you my number,” Rhys says quickly, jumping down and letting himself out.

---

The first day was crucial for Jack’s classes.

The unwarranted slander against him comes from morons who can’t handle adulthood. There’s nothing in his class that can’t be done by someone smacking two brain cells together. Whoever actually read his syllabus and did their online work - or emailed him about any issues - were the students that stayed past two weeks. His students pass. His good students excel.

And Rhys, now that Jack takes a really good look through his gradebooks, is a fantastic student.

He’d got the number, of course, in the email detailing “in case another emergency situation arises and I have no access to my email,” the little shit.

Jack takes his time looking at the number. Clicks it with his thumb, about to save as a contact, decides against it, clicks it again. A pattern in three parts, in intervals.

Aurelia wouldn’t care about any old brat with an email. But she would sell Jack down the river for a donation the size of a corn chip, let alone the money bags this guy's father is having forklifted into the school’s bank account. Jack looked it up once he was home and Rhys wasn’t lying about Daddy Dearest being a very generous alum. A former salutatorian with deep pockets. Jack’s not tenured (yet), so tanking that kind of donation would come with consequences.

He could beat the kid to the punch and call the aforementioned father about ‘your sons illegal behavior’ -- but at a certain financial threshold, it was always a toss up on how those conversations could go.

He’s not going to send Rhys anything, of course. No pictures, anyway. But Jack does, eventually, punch the number in and hits the ‘Call’ button. Kid picked up on the first ring, now that’s thirsty.

“That took you a while,” Rhys says. “Or, longer than I thought, anyway.”

Jack cuts to the chase. “If this email thing doesn’t work out for you, what’s stopping you from using my nudes as backup?”

Rhys’ sighs, his response is calm. “I already told you that I wouldn't share your pics with anyone. Are we good now?"

“Nah-ah. Because I don't believe you for a second, kiddo.”

"I don't want to share Handsome Jack's dick."

Jack feels a twitch. He shifts on his bed, bites his cheek when he feels friction where it counts.

“You’ve been thinkin’ about what happened earlier, huh?” Jack asks. He hears Rhys’ cough on the other end. “s’w’hat I thought.”

“Have-” Rhys clears his throat again, and starts again, less squeaky, “have you?”

“Been thinking lots, cupcake. I’ve been thinking about how hard you’re gunna cry your pretty little eyes out when the Dean laughs you out of her office and I fail your ass. Just tank your GPA - you’d get booted from your precious business frat. The school’d rip whatever scholarships you got out of your hands, and I imagine Daddy won’t be so happy to hear about it, either. Hell, I should fail you in front of the class, give everyone a nice long speech about biting the hand that feeds you.”

“Whatever works for you, I guess.” Rhys says. “You know, when people said you get off on being a dick, I thought it was a hyperbole.”

“And you’re very concerned with what gets me off, aren’t you?” Jack sneers. “Got anything else?” The other end is silent, save for the electric hum of the phone. “That’s what I thought. You’ve got shit, Strongfork. You’re playing Russian Roulette with your college career for a few days off and a grocery store sample of Handsome Jack.”

Rhys sure isn’t saying much anymore, for someone so confident at the start of this call.

“....Yep.” Rhys pops the p, awkwardly. Jack grins, hearing his taunts sink in. “Iiiii sure am.”

“You sure are,” Jack nods, “so do yourself a favor, pumpkin, and drop this whole shtick. And maybe, maybe, if you beg real nice, I’ll consider giving you… eeehhh, how’s a C+ sound, huh? It’ll keep you in your frat, but you’ll need to re-take the class. That works for me, does that work for you? I think it works.”

Rhys’s silence is broken when he says, slowly, “if I’ve got shit, then why are you trying to convince me to drop it?” The turnabout throws Jack off, and before he can reply, Rhys cuts him off with a quick and heated, “send the picture, Jack."

And then the fucking kid hangs up on him.

Jacks’ grip tightens on the phone as his pants tighten on his dick. He is way too into being blackmailed - no, by Rhys being into Jack enough to blackmail him. The actual blackmailing was funny. Tearing into his student’s ego with his teeth was fun. Having said student crumble just by asking Jack to move those teeth somewhere else…

Stop that, Jack thinks, do not humor him. Humor yourself, but not him.

And at this rate, Jack might really need to humor himself.

---

Jack bangs on the mahogany door. He doesn’t bother listening to her answer (“Busy!”), just opens the door and heads into The Dean’s office and finds her at her desk. With magazines.

“I said I was busy, darling,” Aurelia says, not looking up.

“You’re looking at curtains.” Jack pauses, leaning in to see the price. “Thaaat, apparently, Daddy Strongfork is paying for.”

“One of them is going into my summer office and one of them is for my winter office and I can’t decide which I like for which.” Aurelia rests her chin in laced, gloved fingers. “Ugh, I’ll just get multiples and whatever I don’t need or like I’ll… give to an orphanage, or something.” Her brow furrows. She finally looks at Jack. “Orphans like curtains, don’t they?”

“I’m being blackmailed by a student.”

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

Jack lifts his dick (lightly, he’s too receptive to the attention as he hasn’t even taken the picture yet) and takes, in his opinion, a generous photo - he makes sure to get the good side this time. He sends it, with a voila~ attached, and what follows is a long pause.

Jack’s worried, for a second. He is sending dick pics - ranging from flacid to half-chode - to his student, who is already blackmailing him about a drug joke.

(Admittedly, he got a little harder thinking about that.)

He’s halfway wondering if he just got caught by a cop or something when he gets a text.

> This deal won’t work if you’re downloading from websites.

Jack blinks. That wasn’t exactly the response he expected.

>> That’s one way to react to perfection ;)

>> Packing this, I’ve got no reason to look for the inferior.

Rhys doesn’t reply. Jack’s wondering if he’s gunna need to take care of this in a shower, when he finally responds.

> I’m gunna need more than that. I wanna be sure these are real.

> I’ve still got the stuff I was gunna give you. I can bring it with me, if you want it.

Oh.

> Time and place, I can be wherever, whenever.

Oh.

Play it cool, Jack.

Jack calls. He can practically hear the nerves on the end of the line.

“Mr. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me,” Jack sneers.

“Aren’t I?” Rhys replies with a familiar cadence. Kid knows his movies.

“We had an agreement. Picture and a pass, no drugs, end of story.”

“Consider this a bonus.”

“Running a charity all of a sudden, Rhysie?” Point to Jack. The deal was done, and the kid tried to wrangle more out of him than promised. “Someone’s starting to balk, huh? Got real quiet, kitten.”

“I needed a minute,” Rhys huffs, hotter than a calm person would. Jack presses the phone closer to his ear to hear Rhys slowly add, “I liked that. A lot. The nickname, I mean.” At some point, Jack realizes, Rhys keyed in to what was happening on Jacks end. Had to be, if he’s gunna be this forward about that. “Can you… say it again?”

And at this point, Jack keys into what’s happening on Rhys’ end.

“Bad taste to jerk it in the middle of blackmailing someone, kiddo.”

“Worse taste to mock someone for doing the same thing you are.”

“You wanna play with the big dogs, kitten, you gotta brace yourself for the bite.”

Rhys breathes - slowly, as if to calm himself. “You bite?”

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

“But, no charities here. Just some good old-fashioned prostitution. But with drugs instead of money. Kinda need the money more - for food. And my frat dues. And. Adderall.”

“Do you even have a ‘script, or is this cuz all the cool kids are doing it?”

“Someone didn’t pull a double-major when he was in college,” Rhys says.

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

If Jack gets kicked for this, he can bring this little drug mule down with him.

Plus, it’s not like I’m paying extra, Jack thinks, Technically, he’s paying me to let him blow me. Kid’s got good taste in what he wants.

(And what he wants is Jack and Jack, goddamnit, is always ready to be wanted)

“You’re Greek life - Alpha Kappa Psi, right?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “I’ll meet you outside the quad.”

Nail, meet coffin.

[batgovernor]

Potcake Poet's Choice: Terese Coe, 'The Bumbly' (after Edward Lear)

Potcake Poet’s Choice: Terese Coe, ‘The Bumbly’ (after Edward Lear)

He ran the State in a daze, he did, In a daze he ran the State: In spite of howls and obnoxious jeers And those who said it would end in tears In a daze he ran the State! And when the daze became a rout That turned the country inside out The Bumbly cried, I’m much too big! I’m Alpha male, I’m never-fail, the biggest gig and vig! In a daze I’ll run the State! So vast and vain, so vast and vain Is…

[dearsleyart]

research of Links from initial bibliography

1. BOOK - 2001. Friendship. New York, NY: Morrow.thesebooks from the MILK collective are some of my favourite photography books. i remember looking at them as a child and being transfixed by the photos and how they caaptured a moment of someones life and their story. I think that way of telling someones story through one moment in time and no words is really special. i also love how honest and imperfect some of the pictures are - they feel spontaneous and truthful. the way their book 'love' portrays youth is also quite special, i think it captures those feelings of connection and raw love in its most innocent form, when nothing bad has happeend yet and you can enjoy the sweetness of a kiss in a caravan or the joy of an ugly laugh.

1. PODCAST - Bbc.co.uk. 2021. BBC Radio 4 - Forest 404. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06tqsg3> [Accessed 9 March 2021].I listened t this audio work over a few days as i was working on an illustration and was completely entranced by its narrative. I liked how it wasn't quite an audio book or an audio play, but wasn't just music either. I think the mix of narrative with soundscaping was fantastic and intersperced with interviews of current topics in relevance to the climate and nature was what made it so interesting and fresh. I really liked the balance between noise and story and fact. I think i would like to pull some of this balance into my own work

2. GRAPHIC NOVEL - Coe, J., 2014. Art schooled. London: Nobrow Press.this graphic novel is a brilliant interpretation of what its like to be in art school and i think takes a brilliantly funny approach to representing the different characters and archetypes you meet and the stories they have to tell. I like the style of illustration and limited colour palette and think it captures the feelings of inadequacy or lack of certainty that many young people in their first year feel. I love the cynicism and taking the micky of the 'fine art' world, but also the honesty and fondness within the ups and downs of the story

3. ONLINE ARTICLE - GAY TIMES. 2021. School is out. Many young people are not - the impact of lockdown on LGBTQ youth. [online] Available at: <https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/life/school-is-out-many-young-people-are-not-the-impact-of-lockdown-on-lgbtq-youth/> [Accessed 9 March 2021].'For so many closeted young people – including some Just Like Us  volunteer ambassadors – moving out of home for college, university or  work is an opportunity to come out and build a support network. Meeting  other LGBTQ young people and moving away from home has been a  life-changing experience for many of us, who kept our identities hidden  from our families for many years.'I think this highlights the importance ofconnection and friendhsip and the toll this had on young peoples mental health and wellbeing from a social perspective - how hard has it been to reintegrate into social groups? how has it felt to leave old friendhsip groups and start new ones whilst in a pandemic. has uni been hard? have you changed? have you had to reintroduce yourself to old friends as a new person?   5. BOOK - Hall, J., Birkin, S., Li, H. and Hans, J., 2020. The art of drag. London.This book is brilliant for information about drag, but its also a super playful way of illustrating. i like the bold colours the artists use and the graphic style. i would liek to be influenced by the varying styles of illustration and the styles of drag to help bring that pop of illustration to any future zines i do.

6. FILM - IMDb. 2021. Moxie (2021) - IMDb. [online] Available at: <https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6432466/> [Accessed 9 March 2021].This perfectly encapsulates the spirit of zines and in a kind of american high school grl power way brings really important issues to the frefront and uses zines as a form of rebellion to unite people and fight the system - which is what teenagerhood is about!?

8. ONLINE ARTICLE Si.edu. 2021. Museum Conservation Institute Time Capsules. [online] Available at: <https://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/timecaps.html> [Accessed 9 March 2021].'Electronics are a problem. If you include video or audio  tapes or compact   disks, the equipment to play them back may not be  available when the time   capsule is opened. Furthermore, the tapes or  disks may have deteriorated.   Include instructions on any intended  playback equipment. For computer tapes, add   a written copy of the  software, and identify the computer type.Polyvinyl acetate (PVAC) or PVC, including plastic  food wrap, will   deteriorate even in a sealed capsule and release  acetic acid and hydrochloric   acid, respectively, as they age.In   general, properly processed, fiber-based,  black-and-white photographic prints,   preferably treated with gold,  selenium or poly-sulfide toner, keep best.   Photographic films coated  on a polyester base rather than an acetate base are   more stable. Color  prints and slides can fade even when kept in the   dark.Newsprint is acidic and deteriorates easily. A local  museum or library   should have names of paper conservators. The  alternative is to make photocopies   on archival quality paper  (high-alpha cellulose) with an alkaline reserve of pH   7.5-8.0.Objects   made of rubber should not be placed in time capsules since rubber deteriorates   over time, releasing sulfur.All   wood, especially oak, gives off acid vapors  and must be sealed away from   electronic equipment or metal articles,  especially those made of lead, or   lead-containing alloys, in the time  capsule.Textiles   should be clean and insect free. Characteristics of fibers that might be used in   a time capsule:-   Cotton: Acts as a humidity buffer if temperature changes.       - Polyester:   Stable.       - Silk: May deteriorate in oxygen atmosphere.       - Wool and Hair:   Contain sulfur; may outgas and corrode metal.' Thinking of teh actual physical needs of encapsulating time - how a lot of our modern day materials such as mobiles and ipods, flash drives etc. we use to keep memories and moments of time are all inconvenient materials to physically use in a time capsule. would there be something timeless that can replicate memorialised digital things in a formal way. someting more organic or anatomical like preserving things in a formeldahyde tomb or wrapping digital things in a silk time capsule?

9. ONLINE ARTICLE - Sleek-mag.com. 2021. The Photographers Documenting Youth Movements through the Ages. [online] Available at: <https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/youth-movement-photography/> [Accessed 9 March 2021].'Society's obsession with teen culture is a fairly recent development. In  fact, the transitional stage between childhood and adulthood was once  almost non-existent and the adolescent stage of life was skipped due to  societal obligations like war, work and family. In the aftermath of two  World Wars and the Great Depression, however, came a huge generational  gap between parents and their children, who no longer aspired to settle  down just yet. A revolution ensued, and young people across the world  began to do their own thing, bringing about new fashions, music and  opinions.' Have we missed an important year of our lives, a key trasitional year from teenager to adulthood? has this had an effect on us as a group of young people?

10. PODCAST - Spotify. 2021. DUET. [online] Available at: <https://open.spotify.com/show/1B3T1suTjHitjFHZWqXBxm> [Accessed 9 March 2021].I loved listening to this podcast where 2 people share a few songs they like and the stories connected to them. i like hearing the memories connected to teh songs and what they evoke when played. they can be super personal and intimate or be a shared song and expereince. there are definitely songs that are indicative to certain period of my life or certain stages of lockdown which i associate tracks with so I think as part of my interview questions i'd like to ask them what tracks they associate with this period of time.

Kordic, E. M.   (2016, September 11). Youth culture expressed through iconic art pieces.   Retrieved from Widewalls:   https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/youth-culture-art-photographers 'Specifically dominated by musical tastes, slang fashion and questionable hairstyles, youth culture is distinguished by the unique experience of social reality  and can be perceived as an artifact of growing up. Each generation  brings its own little rebellions, trying to construct their own identity  and what sets them apart.' 'artifacts of youth' - what artifacts of youth would i have? it would be interesting to see what artifacts my peers wuld have - maybe i could recreate them or memorialise them somehow

Unknown. (n.d.). Grown   up in Britain: celebrating 100 years of youth culture. Retrieved from the   museum of youth culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/museum-of-youth-culture'The early Disco underground parties were not a far cry from the New York  Ballroom circuit at the time where black and Latino queer and  transgender folks also found a safe space to be themselves and a  community to thrive in. Both scenes were an escapist haven of  inclusivity for those who were rejected and marginalised by mainstream  society; they were places where LGBTQ folks could truly celebrate their  identities and their sexuality.'https://artsandculture.google.com/story/EgUREYLZH7U13g I think its important to look at the history of these spaces and the comfrt and freedome they have broght to so many years of queer youth, but in lockdown we haven't had those spaces and has there been a setback for individuals self expression without these spaces?

[ask-joe-caine]

h-heya kitten whiskers.. wanna play game with your daddy-kins..? uh oh.. K-KITTEN!!! GET AWAY!!! M-MASTER'S ALPHA SIDE.. ITS COMING OUT!!! GRAAAAAAHHGGHG!!!! 🐺🐺🐺⛓️⛓️⛓️💔💔💔 *growls as my alpha side finally comes out, and i go feral* O-OH NO KITTEN!!! IM SO SOREY I WENT ALPHA MODE ON YOU!!! P-P-P-PLEASE FORGIVE DADDY!!!!! 😭😭⛓️⛓️🐺🐺💔💔

[Coe takes a step back]

[zippdementia]

Part 86: Alignment May Vary: Back to the Future

This post begins Chapter 10, which used to be called Tears and Torments, but which I’ve renamed “The Coming of the Three.” It marks the last chapter of our game and focuses on the prophecy of the three. For a reminder, the prophecy was created by a Surveyor who foresaw that Primus’ great mission to bring stability and order to the world would end in Chaos and sorrow. He passed down a prophecy of how this would come to pass and how it could be countered. The prophecy is as follows:

Three shall be the kings who sit the single throne And Order's rule by Chaos shall be overthrown The Universe will end by their divine hands Chaos will devour every woman, child, and man

Each shall be seen by a singular sign Each shall be born of a different line. The devil's blood runs in the first of the three They bear the eye that can seek but cannot see The second will by heaven be blessed But wings of black will mar their pureness The third contains the dragon's flame What was dead will rise to live again Three to rule, Three to lead, Three to destroy and make the universe bleed. Removing one will not lead to the fall To end the curse you must destroy them all Four things must gather to alter fate's course The Sword, The Shield, The Stone, The Source Then upon the throne the three must be Before they can meet their destiny In the time these things come to pass The future will be decided by the ones from the past

As this is the last chapter and there is a lot of call backs and wrap ups, I’m going to focus more on the big picture narrative and less on individual mechanics. I’ll try to put in reminders, too, of who everyone important is as I coe to them. One day I will finish the Encyclopedia but until then, I’ll do everything “in-post.”

Through the Woods to Grandmother’s Fortress

There was something wrong about this place, but what was most disturbing was that the wrongness hadn’t been there a moment ago. The very earth was becoming infected beneath him, with him as witness to its corruption. The wrongness wasn’t an attribute of this land, it was a living malice, moving through the land and turning it against all living creatures. Imoaza tensed and stood quickly, spinning around to face the horrors that were emerging on all sides of her, from the sudden mist that had settled upon everything. She held up her hand to summon Blackrazor to her and then stopped, noticing that where she had pressed it into the earth fresh blood had stained it. The very ground was bleeding... that was her first thought. But then she gasped as hands erupted from under the earth, seeking, grasping for any flesh they could find.

~ Imoaza facing the Blighted horrors of the Wytchwood

The first part of this chapter is about introducing the players to the end game set up. This means introducing them to the key NPCs and situation. But I don’t want to be blunt about it. It’s more engaging if it’s not just one big exposition but rather an experience of what’s at stake.

So we start with them not sure if they’ve made it back to Faerun. They wake up in the woods being stared at by a Forest Giant. Daymos isn’t with them, and Ruze has undergone a change: no longer a fox faced man, he becomes an elvish looking female with black hair. She does not explain the transformation or the choice of her new form, but it reveals something about her nature: she is a Changeling, a mysterious race of dopplegangers that is rare on Faerun, but which does have clans spread around the world. A rather large one existed in Brindol, and as a matter of fact, that’s where Ruze is from. 

The Giant is soon joined by a lean female Half Orc. The two are allied, their names are Grimoire and Sierra. Sierra tells the characters that they have been waiting for them and that their coming was foretold by Carrick, who found his way to these woods after he awoke in the Destroyed Temple of the Yuan Ti. Now they are to take them to the Lady of the Wood. Also, they are in for a shock: 80 years or more have passed since they left Faerun.

Cliff Notes: Carrick was the character originally controlled by Ruze’s player. He had a really in depth plot tied to the backstory of the game, as the players discovered that Carrick had long ago been possessed by the soul of the last Surveyor. The Surveyors are creations of Primus who helped usher in the age of Humanity on Faerun and who are indirectly responsible for many of the major events of the campaign, like the powers of the Jade Statue, the downfall of the Yuan Ti society, the arrival of the Mind Flayer who creates the Red Hand, and the Prophecy.

The players accompany Sierra on a short side quest, first, as she scouts out Skull Gorge, where it is said that the Enemy was recently spotted. Who is the enemy? They are told that only the Lady of the Wood truly knows, but that it is said to be the revived form of some old dead warlord, a Dragonborn who tried to conquer the world long ago.

Cliff Notes: All of this is referencing back to the PCs adventures with the Red Hand campaign. Skull Gorge Bridge was blown up by Nysyries in a very memorable moment decades earlier. The Dragonlord is Nazragul, whom the party served for a while when they were turned evil. The fact that he is mentioned to be returned is dark tidings indeed, as his power was shown to be pretty intense even from beyond the grave. How did he return, though? It should be noted that none of these PCs actually know of Nazragul or met him. The last PC who would have worked for his cause would have been Aldric.

While out scouting by the bridge, the party encounters a strange plant creature pouring some sort of necrotic energy into the land. The land becomes infected and the party is set upon by awakened trees and blights and Grimoire, whose connection to the forest causes him to be infected as well. The PCs win the battle but Hecate disappears during it. The PCs track her to a spot where they discover many prints that Imoaza recognizes as belonging to other Yuan Ti. Before they can investigate further, they are attacked by a Death Knight. He surprises Imoaza but when she draws Black Razor Alpha he retreats, and the party, taking advantage of the sudden reprieve and wondering who this mysterious helmed knight is, follows Sierra to Vraath Keep. They are about to meet the Lady of the Wood.

Cliff Notes: Vraath Keep was last seen 80 years ago, during the Red hand campaign. Xaviee, companion of General Twyin... renamed Lorin by us later... became its ruler and restored it to glory. But he died some time ago and who runs it now?

The Keep is revealed to have been expanded upon greatly in the past decades and has become a refuge for creatures of all manner, from humans and elves to giants and fey and even changelings. Really, it is a last bastion, a final hope of resistance to the forces that are growing in the Elsir Vale and swiftly taking it over. The major cities of the nation have fallen, Brindol most recently, and now Vraath Keep is all that remains, the only place housing an army left to fight back against Nazragul and his swarms of undead. Around the entire keep is a magical shield, meant to keep out all invaders and their magics.

And the Lady of the Wood? None other than an aging Karina, one of the original companions for the entire campaign and a major player in the Tomb of Haggemoth adventure. She retired from adventuring after Haggemoth and set  about creating an adventuring school in the former Desert of Thud, believing that she would one day need an army of adventurers to combat Abenthy, who turned to a dark path when last she saw him.

The PCs meet with Karina and it is a solemn meeting as she fills them in on the history they have missed. She knows much of their story from Carrick (who is currently out on a mission of his own) and she knows of the prophecy. Discussing the prophecy becomes the focus of most of a session for us, while the players read over the lines and try to make sense of it with Karina. She also reveals that Nazragul has arisen after taking over the body and mind of a former disciple of hers: Jade, whom she last saw nearly 80 years ago, when she left to travel to the Elsir Vale because she sensed Nazragul’s power and sought to defeat him. With her went Verrick, Karina’s lover, and Lee, their pet slime. Abenthy she hasn’t seen in years either, and his presence seems to have disappeared from the world of Torril, or is otherwise blocked to her scrying. She believes some ill befell him, but she cannot be sure. She says that the Yuan Ti have joined with Nazragul in a religious Jihad, for they believe the end times are coming at last and the Night Serpent will finally swallow all light.

At hearing the news about Jade, Daymos suddenly appears, still in his Quasit form. He reveals that he has been invisibly following the party since they left Esheballa’s realm and now rails against Karina for not keeping his sister, Jade, safe. He then uses his prodigious abilities to phase through her protective shields around Vraath Keep, claiming he will find a way to save Jade. 

There are some really amazing roleplaying moments while at Vraath Keep, as I ask each player what their character does in between their meetings with Karina. Each choice is a really interesting look at the character’s psyche. Here’s the brief of each one.

For Imoaza, the Weave has started to become visible to her. She can see it shaping the magic of the world around her, the way it coalesces around Karina and is tightly knit in her magical energy shield surrounding Vraath Keep. She spends her time examining her surroundings with this new found sight, but it drifts in and out and ultimately she is left without access to it, only a feeling like she has had an incredibly important thought, but cannot retrieve it now. She talks with Black Razor alpha, too, and gains a further understanding of her bond to the sword. He considers her his “mother,” a word that has uncomfortable past associations for Imoaza. And finally, I ask her what she seeks out for food, as it has been, in Faerun years, a very very long time (decades) since any of our companions have actually eaten food. They did not eat in the Chaos world (and good thing, too). Imoaza, true to a character beat that was established back on the air planet, seeks out sweets to salve her addiction to sugar, and gorges herself on fruits and baked goods made by some of the best bakers from Brindol, now refuging in Vraath Keep. 

Cliff Notes: The Weave is the magical energy that powers magic in Dungeons & Dragons. It’s never been fully explained in canonical text in order to leave its inner workings more mysterious and up to GMs to develop. The idea of seeing the Weave came to me in a moment of improvisation as I tried to find ways to picture the level of magical power that Imoaza has reached after spending time in the Chaos plane.

For Ruz, she seeks out the company of other Changelings, looking to see if she has any family left in this world. She finds a tribe of Changelings, but she does not know any of them. Too many years have passed since last she set foot on Faerun. Ruz also is given a set of magical robes by Karina, which Karina’s used to wear on her own adventures. They have a lot of powers and incorporate her old Mariner’s Armor from back when she was level 3, so many real time years ago. Ruz also donates a huge amount of wealth, her spoils from Esheballa’s realm, to the war effort, which does not go unnoticed, though does not effect the current session. My favorite thing about her downtime, however, is her description of Ruz’s reaction to normal food. Ruz was in the Abyss far longer than the others and did partake of its food out of neccessity. But food on the chaos realm is hardly sustenance. It is soul energy and it is poisoned, like a drug that worms its way inside your heart. It almost drove Ruz to insanity and suicide, but she survived, her hope restored by the companions when she found them wandering Esheballa’s dark beach. Now, the player describes in beautiful detail how Ruz reacts to real food: real vegetables and meat. She asks for a simple meal, that of beef stew, the more generic and normal, the better, for it is “normal” that she has lacked and sought all of these years.

For Milosh, he does not eat. He is no longer a biological creature and hasn’t been since the Surveyor built him so many aeons ago. But something has changed in him: he now is beginning to remember who he was before he was a machine. His manner changes, no longer naive and friendly. He is now dour and quiet. His characteristic “ah!” with finger upraised has been replaced with a cool intellect and assessment of each situation he finds himself in. And he has recently gone through several shocks: first Carrick is dead, then he finds out he is still alive and on Faerun, and now Milosh is no longer certain of his mission. He goes to the keep’s forge, which Dwarven refugees have expanded into a mighty operation in the basement. Here, Milosh requests armor be made to help cover up his disfigurement (gotten at the fiery breath of the dragon on the Githyanki asteroid) and then he falls into a deep slumber. While he slumbers, he is visited by a beardless dwarf: Haggemoth. Haggemoth tells him that he had tried to forge a better future for the world but he failed when Aldric died and Blackrazor escaped into the void to work terror and mischief in unseen ways. Now he says that Milosh is the one who can change the future and forge a better path and that if he needs a new purpose, then this should be it.

What Does the Prophecy Mean?

In a long meeting with Karina, the PCs discuss the prophecy and its meaning. Here is what they come up with...

Three shall be the kings who sit the single throne And Order's rule by Chaos shall be overthrown The Universe will end by their divine hands Chaos will devour every woman, child, and man

This section seems to be fairly obvious. It is a warning and a reference to Primus’ war against Chaos, a history that was given to them in full by the last remaining Surveyor they found on the air planet. The three kings are the catalysts for a great and terrible destruction.

Each shall be seen by a singular sign Each shall be born of a different line.

The devil's blood runs in the first of the three They bear the eye that can seek but cannot see The second will by heaven be blessed But wings of black will mar their pureness The third contains the dragon's flame What was dead will rise to live again

The three are identified. The first has devil’s blood and the eye that can seek but cannot see. Karina acknowledges this must be her, as a Tiefling (Devil’s Blood) and known by the moniker “Seeker of Callax,” and indicates the gem that is fit into her empty eye socket.

The second, Karina suspects is the Assimir Abenthy, a companion she once sought a great treasure with before he “turned his will to darker ways.” She says that Abenthy was whom she feared was leading the undead army before she discovered it was the possessed Jade.

Which brings her to the third... she believes the third is Nazragul himself, the one possessing Jade. He is Dragonborn and was dead, but has risen again.

Three to rule, Three to lead, Three to destroy and make the universe bleed. Removing one will not lead to the fall To end the curse you must destroy them all

This part Karina is contemplative about. She does not know what it means to “destroy them all.” She admits she has contemplated suicide in order to remove her from the possibility of being used to end the world, but as the PCs point out, “removing one will not lead to the fall.” They all wonder if perhaps the three have to be destroyed at one time or if there is a riddle hidden in this line.

Four things must gather to alter fate's course The Sword, The Shield, The Stone, The Source Then upon the throne the three must be Before they can meet their destiny

This is where most of the discussion takes place. What are the four things that must be gathered? Karina says that Carrick has been out in the world searching for the answers to this riddle. The Sword they think is probably Blackrazor, as it is the most powerful blade they have ever encountered.

The Shield... Imoaza wonders aloud if it could refer to a person, like “Jon Snow, the Shield of the North.” But if it does refer to a person, they have no idea who that person is.

The Stone Karina says that Carrick figured out and believes is one of the crystals that the Surveyor used to power his creations, like a certain Jade statue from days gone by. He’s searching for a piece of one of the Crystals now.

The Source is another stumper... none of them have any idea what it might mean. Milosh wonders if it is the source of the prophecy, or maybe the source of the troubles. Ruz wonders if it is a place, like a river’s mouth or a source of heat or power. Imoaza wonders if it is the Rod of Storms... a different kind of source of power.

In the time these things come to pass The future will be decided by the ones from the past

This one seems pretty obvious to the PCs. The ones from the past are themselves. They are the ones destined to determine the future.

In any case, the PCs stay up late into the evening with Karina before retiring to get some much needed sleep. But they are awoken early by a summons... Karina has dreamed of Dragons, and one in particular to whom she long ago traded the Rod of Storms when it was briefly in her possession. She was told that when the time was right, she would be given something in return and in her dream she had been told that time is now. And so she has a mission for the players.

Next time, the heroes tackle their final dungeon crawl of the campaign (not the final dungeon, mind you...) in a scenario lifted directly from Tyranny of Dragons, The Sea of Moving Ice.