court jester (professional)

And Episode 31

Even when the majority of the group distrusts Wick

Even with the multiple other people he could’ve thought about

He chose Wick,

despite how Wick had everything to gain by selling them out and everything to Lose by staying faithful to them

He knew that Wick wouldn’t betray them

The Light

I think I'll colour it eventually <3

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Spoilers up to e28

We can tell youth that they are basically “rapists waiting to happen” (anti-rape initiative), or we can tell them that we know they would intervene if they saw harm happening to someone and we want to help empower them to do that (bystander intervention). The kids jump in with both feet for the latter! It was amazing to see children (and young boys in particular) excited to do this work and engage their creativity with it. Also, studies show that not only do they go on to intervene, but they also do not go on to sexually assault people themselves. Bystander intervention also takes the onus off the person being targeted to deter rape and empowers the collective to do something about it. It answers the question in the room when giggling boys are carrying an unconscious young woman up the stairs at a house party, and people are not sure how to respond and are waiting for “someone” to say or do something.

me: no live organism can continue to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality

Here's the sillies from the last episode.

I do not have time right now or possibly ever to gather all the light/shadow imagery in the campaign, but that really is, well, the deep beeing heart of this world and this story. Sallow is from Harrow, but she's the one to help the Soldiers and who opposes using the Wraith Tree. Halovar and Tachonis are flame and shadow and both are equally corrosive, and now, without any mediation between the two, one tries to take over with only light and the other only darkness. Sylandri had a realm of sunshine and light and Azgra one of ash and darkness and both were oppressive, and it was the one full of light that was more of a lie.

But also, Thjazi's nickname was Shadow. The surname of the druid who performed the farramh on Azgra was Shadow. Julien's shadow has both hurt and helped him. Many of the player characters have powers associated with light - not just Wick, but also Thimble and Teor; but Occtis's literal darker abilities, and other more metaphorically dark ones like Tyranny's, are just as important, and these characters can work together. You cannot have only one or the other - as both Halovar and Tachonis seem to strive for, and as Azgra and Sylandri did. You need the candle or the torch to see, but it also brings shadow. That is the risk and that is the balance.

Episode 4x30 is an incredible demonstration of this, specifically with Teor's death scene:

Brennan: And here in the dark, that light may extinguish, and as it does, all hope of answering those questions vanishes into shadow along with it.

Travis: ...and here in the dark where so much has been obscured, Teor looks over and he sees his brother and he reaches his paw out for his, and notices that it's not as dark as I remember it being. It's actually quite bright.