Alyx Woodward (obsolete) @Alyx@computerfairi.es

tempted to try to decipher the strange text. there's not a lot of it so the usual method of counting up character frequencies might not yield anything. but...eh, it's an exercise, innit

"speak key"

Lomax stammers out "w-what?"

"key accepted" [burst of onomatopoeia]

so maybe the thing was keyed simply to Lomax's voice, or possibly the voice of any speaker. guess we'll be finding out huh? maybe

now I know from experience that such scripts tend to be simply transliterated from some human writing, probably English in this case. and studying the short line of text I can see things like repeated double letters. so I bet there's a simple English statement concealed by the strange letters

then the glowing lozenge (held up almost perfectly in front of a windowpane with a cross pattern, in a manner not symbolic in any way) asks a question

oops, forgot to change the CW AGAIN

ok, page twenty-three

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-23

but THEN the glass lozenge starts glowing very brightly, with a pinkish light, bright enough to illuminate the room. the cat's excited to see it but Lomax is stunned, tears in their eyes

the glass lozenge asks a question and here the comic has resorted to some kind of alien-looking script.

🔴 ooh it's like that scene in that awful "Golden Compass" movie where what's her name gets the alethiometer! hope this comic turns out to be better than that fuckin' movie

I really hope we don't end up having to read any Philip Pullman, Chara, I really don't

well anyway the thing looks ordinary enough and Lomax is sarcastic. "here, have this piece of glass!" they imagine Rodgers saying, "it'll make you better at math!"

but then

BUT THEN

page twenty-two.

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-22

Lomax quite sensibly worries about what's in the box, calling Prof. Rodgers a "creep" (I mean) and, with the cat Ramsay looking on curiously, Lomax opens it

there's a small square, or lozenge really, of what looks like glass, polished with bevelled edges, laid in the box on a bed of velvet

Lomax picks it up and looks at it, baffled

Kel the Purple didn't just come back but claims to have created all the rest of us. pfffft I am exempting myself from that little game, whatever you are, Kel

all right, page twenty-one

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-21

Lomax hesitates and doesn't toss the little box down. a meow from their kitty Ramsay (Ramsay Lewis? no, wait, that's "Ramsey" Lewis. nm) calms the kid and instead of throwing the thing Lomax looks at it again.

there's a phone number on a scrap of paper that reads, "Call me if anything happens." that's...a bit weird coming from a teacher who's known Lomax for like a day, but I guess this is an unusual situation

Chara has the strangest brain farts sometimes

https://twitter.com/ambassadorchara/status/1157168013121974274?s=20

anyone know what's up with the witchcraft.cafe outage

Kel came back :=0

welp. life just got more interesting

and page 20 before I do something else

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-20

Lomax starts to shamble out of bed to the bathroom to wash their face when they trip over something and land flat on their face. "my backpack?" nope, it was that ornate wooden box Prof. Rodgers gave 'em. oh SNAP!

Lomax is furious, crying. they snatch up the box, ready to dash it to the floor I guess

oops forgot to edit the CW properly on the last one. oh well

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-19

Lomax bolts awake. so, a "night terror". after an ordinary nightmare you don't move around, you just wake up. Kara used to have night terrors but it's been ages since their last one

"same dream" says Lomax. hm

turns out Lomax has a kitty! striped orange kitten named "Ramsay". (Gordon Ramsay? William Ramsay, discoverer of the noble gases)

"I feel terrible"

eighteen.

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-18

the bottle is filling slowly with water but conversation continues. the parents (mom is much more clearly seen than dad) says something about "well you know what our jobs are like" and Lomax accepts it

only then in the bottom half of the page does Lomax notice the water. it's submerged them

and now Lomax is drowned

all right, let's move on

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-17

welp, this won't take long. Lomax in his dream / vision sees a pair of figures in shadow whom he takes for his parents. Lomax dreams they're in a glass bottle.

"will you let me out?"

"sorry you'll have to stay in there a little longer Max" says dad (maybe)

okay, interesting that they shorten "Lo + Max" to just "Max"