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The owner-manager, Bryan Blin (Strength 14, Dexterity 11, Stamina 15, Will 15, IQ 16, and Charisma 14—Geek 6 / Barista 3 / Dad 4 / Entrepreneur 3), paid a premium for the location, just a half-block up a side street from one of the main drags in Pearson’s University District. Café Xombi was the city’s premier coffee shop/comic store/gamer hangout, and in a geek town like Pearson, that actually meant something.
In truth, Ree wasn’t anyone’s dream. She was a near-broke frustrated screenwriter who would rather just talk with a guy for an hour about the ideological condemnation of super heroes evident in Alan Moore’s comic work during the mid-to-late ’80s—without them going straight to imagining her naked.
Ree asked, “You want to start bake prep or should I?” Charlie reached down to a coffee mug and drew out two d20s. Ree nodded and took one. Roll-offs solved nearly all trivial arguments at Café Xombi, per Bryan’s lead. Ree cupped the die in both hands, blew on it, and shook, warming up its inherent mojo. Charlie shook his d20 in one hand near his head, then threw. Ree rolled as well, and the dice kissed on the counter, Charlie’s nearly rolling off the far side. His read 13. Ree’s: 18. Charlie sighed, then knelt to fiddle with the music station, an iPod permanently plugged in to their PA. Bryan
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The real winners are the ones who corner me to talk about their RPG characters for hours, don’t let me get a word in so as to actually participate in the conversation, and then leave without buying anything.
the gods of pizza as incarnated in the basil pesto, tomato, Italian sausage, mozzarella, and feta pie.
“And what about this Doubt thing? Sandra and Darren don’t even remember stepping out into the alley.” “The doing of some jackass a while back, during a massive throwdown in Europe during the Enlightenment. It was a virulent meme, spreading with humanism and rationality and all that rhetoric. The Technomancers wanted to be the alpha and omega of magic, so they tried a massive retcon, wanted to write the creatures out of existence.” Eastwood swiped one hand through the air. “Sadly, like any good meme gone viral, it took on a life of its own. Instead of eliminating the beasts entirely, the Doubt
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“They can be used in rituals, too. It’s slower, but you get more bang for your book.”
The hormonal soup of adolescence was vicious, viscous crap, and even skimming it through someone else’s perspective was enough to give Ree flashbacks to being the skinny nerdy girl with the big glasses and no friends except a circle of a half-dozen geeky boys.
As Ree walked down the empty street pondering what pie to make, she was, as a result of such pleasant thoughts, left woefully unprepared to make a Perception Check and thus avoid surprise.
She kept running. She ran until her side threatened to secede and start its own sovereign abdominal nation.
And she didn’t have any bite marks, which was a relief in case the world was so insane that getting bitten by a guy in a wolfman suit could spread Lycanthrubbery.
“I hated that movie so much, I got my ninety-one minutes back.”
Now follow me, and don’t talk unless I’m talking.”
“You’re going all the way down the rabbit hole, chica. It’s time to get over the shock and start following the Eat Me and Drink Me labels.”
“Understand that you are an ally at best, an amusement in practice, and cannon fodder at worst.
I can’t tell if I was actually threatened or if I was just To the Pain–ed.
Caffeine was a mistress cruel enough to shame the most aggressive dominatrix in Amsterdam.
“A localized breed of post-living psychophage.”
The several-times-a-year trips to LAX had been daunting when she started, but she’d gotten used to the routine, the airline psychopomps, gate agents, security, flight attendants, and pilots all protecting her, assuring her. But this, this was insane.
at least I got to show Chasing Amy in section. That was a riot.” “Actual riot?” “Close. I’ve got three students who should probably drop the class but seem like they’ve decided to dig in and start arguments instead. One guy asked how a lesbian could fall for a guy, and then one of my lesbians started tearing into the movie, talking about how it was crap because bisexuality was a lie, and then this bi guy jumped in to rage against her . . .”
She hadn’t even thought of rock climbing since middle school, when she was invited to a “leadership” program. She’d since realized it was a “get the shy kids some confidence” program, with team-building exercises and ropes courses.
Dear Legba and the League of Liminal Holiday Gods, Please give me a mutant healing factor and rad claws, minus the pain and the wonky haircut. I will accept a cigar-chomping habit in return. Love, Ree
To all of my teachers, who helped me discover and interrogate the world until it yielded its awesomeness.
He holds a B.A. in creative mythology and East Asian studies from Indiana University and an M.A. in folklore studies from the University of Oregon.