Title: Fantasy High: Junior Year
GM: Brennan Lee Mulligan
Players: Emily Axford (she/her) as Fig Faeth (she/her). Zac Oyama (he/him) as Gorgug Thistlespring (he/him). Siobhan Thompson (she/her) as Adaine Abernant (she/her). Lou Wilson (he/him) as Fabian Seacaster (he/him). Ally Beardsley (they/them) as Kristen Applebees (she/her). Brian Murphy (he/him) as Riz Gukgak (he/him).
Streaming Service: Dropout
If you missed it, catch our review of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth episodes!
Having survived and aced the Last Stand, the Bad Kids seal the deal on their junior year academically right as everyone else heads into spring break. All joking aside, the players quickly check the phone which they left recording Buddy’s body. A tall figure approached the corpse. The figure casts red light, which Riz’s magical tie confirms is the same energy as Ankarna. They watch as they mutilate Buddy’s body and resurrect him to worship a nameless god of rage.
The group also reads Kipperlilly’s file. Jawbone notes a discomfort with Kipperlilly’s rage against the Bad Kids and Riz specifically. At one point, she laments that she does not have the trauma that Riz has. Her parents are alive and unconnected. They appear to be simply normal individuals. Ivy and Oisin pitched the Rat Grinders’ name. Ruben voted for it because the new name bothered Kipperlilly, and Maryanne voted for it without explanation. Kipperlilly wants to kill Kristen, hating Fig for getting in the way of that.
Though all this supports what we already know, the connection to Jace Stardiamond grows clearer as he accompanied them on their trip to the Mountains of Chaos. Kipperlilly’s language before and after the trip dramatically changes. These mounting suspicions and the connections drawn after consulting with Sklonda reveals that there are further connections between Sandra Lynn and Bobby Dawn.
With corruption in the soil, the Thistlespring Tree may have been turned. Gorgug learns tests were done, and between that and the soil, the oncoming spring hangs over the party. The tree itself is a root warden, a magical and intelligent tree. As a sentinel and hub within the nature of Elmville, its corruption would be highly problematic.
The Rat Grinders have gone off the grid, and Siobhan recognizes this as them going to the mattresses, sending the group into end prep mode. Our Intrepid Heroes help Riz locate the rogue teacher, speaking with her about how Kipperlilly managed to force her to appear to defend her grave.
Consulting with Sandra Lynn, the Bad Kids plan to chase after the Rat Grinders and seek out Ankarna’s origin point in the Mountains of Chaos. When Adaine plans to go with Fig to the cache left by Ayda, Brennan deftly distracts the two with teacher reviews, leading Siobhan to scry on Jace. In doing so, she witnesses a jagged scar and Jace’s eyes flashing red.
Highlights
Lou Wilson swung it out of the park with Fabian’s description of Kristen. He presented the chaos which is clearly visible as a boon, noting that she had so many ideas which came from a grounded understanding, but that the sheer volume left the execution messy. As Kristen is in many ways a dreamer, Riz is a realist, and honestly, it is why the two work so well when working together.
To have Fabian acknowledge both of his friends as well as their strengths, even downplaying his own, reveals a humbleness to Mazey that Fabian generally avoids. In doing so, he places his relationship with her as dynamically opposed to the vanity which colored his romance with Ecaf.
Fabian clears the air with Gertie, further showing his softer side when he suggests tea and tie-dye as ins with Kristen.
Final Score (3 out of 5 Stars)
The group needed time to consolidate their findings, but this episode veered into the filler stock that made the earlier episodes in the series drag. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out. Kipperlilly’s rage could’ve been covered by either the file or the rogue teacher. Both weren’t necessary.
Overlapping coincidences are a hallmark of drama, so it’s not surprising that Fabian’s birthday overlaps with Election Day. The tension added when they learn that polling places can be off-campus was underwhelming.
That being said, while undoubtedly filler, Lou Wilson shined, giving Fabian a chance to show his more vulnerable side and revealing how well he knew his friends. Brennan showed his hand a bit more than normal, but this definitely wasn’t the first time he distracted the players.
Let us know what you think in the comments below or go over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Dimension 20
The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network
The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord.
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