What were our favorite moments of JTP in 2021? What are some other 90s toy jingles playing in Bansky’s house? And will Brandon make it back from both the past and somewhere in Middle America? All that and more on the Afterparty!
Sponsors
- Startripper, which you should listen to right now in your podcast app or at startripperhq.com!
- Skillshare, your home for creative learning online. Go to skillshare.com/jointheparty for a free trial of Premium Membership!
- Betterhelp online therapy. Go to betterhelp.com/jointheparty for 10% off your first month.
Find Us Online
- website: jointhepartypod.com
- patreon: patreon.com/jointhepartypod
- twitter: twitter.com/jointhepartypod
- facebook: facebook.com/jointhepartypod
- instagram: instagram.com/jointhepartypod
- tumblr: jointhepartypod.tumblr.com
- merch & music: jointhepartypod.com/merch
Cast & Crew
- Dungeon Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Milo Lane), Co-Producer, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Aggie O’Hare), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Co-Host (Val Vesuvio), Co-Producer: Julia Schifini
- Multitude: multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is a D&D actual play podcast with tangible worlds, genre-pushing storytelling, and collaborators who make each other laugh each week. We welcome everyone to the table, from longtime players to folks who’ve never touched a roleplaying game before. Begin with Campaign 2 (The Join Campaign) for a modern, sci-fi superhero game, or marathon all of Campaign 1 (The Party Campaign) for a high fantasy story. And once a month we release the Afterparty, where we answer your questions about the show and how we play the game. New episodes three Tuesdays a month.
Transcript
[Eric hums indistinctly]
Eric: The years and I don't know how the song goes.
[Eric hums indistinctly]
Eric: Auld lang zine. I know it's syne. I said zine.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: And because that was the thing I got the most wrong about that whole rendition.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: It's the end of the year . You're listening to this in 2022 in the future, but for now we're in the past.
Julia: Oh.
Eric: Whoa.
Amanda: Spooky.
Eric: Unfortunately, we left Brandon in the past. He's stuck on some of the time streams. He's probably hanging out with the time shark right now, so he can't be here for this after party.
Amanda: Yeah, no, he's-- he's stranded in an undisclosed city in Middle America as the flights are canceled. Thanks, airline.
Julia: Thanks, airline.
Amanda: See if we take your sponsorship dollars.
Julia: Get that Brandon refund money, bitches.
Eric: Oh, yeah, we were this close to getting sponsored by Richard Branson. And this is what scuffled the whole deal.
Amanda: Yeah. Well, hey, hi, hello, everybody. Welcome to the year. Welcome to the after party. There's so much to talk about, not just episode 45 and 46 of Join the Party, aka Join Hands II and III, but present party. Hurray!
Eric: And all of the Join the Party we did in 2021.
Julia: Yeah!
Amanda: Quite true. There was a lot. Can you remind us, Eric, what arcs happened in 2021?
Eric: Yes, so the first episode that came out in 2021 was on January 5th, was the after party for Join the Channel I and II, the first episode came out January 12, which was Join the Channel III, that-- Bone's Body, that's where we started.
Julia: Wow.
Amanda: Damn.
Eric: And we did all of Join the Channel. Then we did Join the Loop, which was right during spring that started April 6, and was May 1st over and over and over again. As we went into July, we did Join the Paper.
Amanda: Right.
Eric: Then, Join the Committee started in late July. That took a while because a lot of shit happened.
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: Heisting.
Eric: And then Join Hands started November 30th.
Amanda: Whoa.
Eric: We also did Present Party with Connor Franta. We hung out with Three Black Halflings, which was very fun. We did SLAM number three with Brennan Lee Mulligan again.
Amanda: That was fun.
Eric: The third time Brandon has been on the show. Wow, we've done a whole-- a whole lot.
Julia: Damn.
Amanda: And what better way to look back over our year than to begin with this question from C Mitchell from Insta who says, "What was your favorite moment from Join the Party this year? Either from the episodes or something that was cut." And something that came to mind for me was definitely the return of Bone's body. That was the moment for me where the campaign started, you know, kind of the heating up and I was like, "Oh shit. You mean there are consequences for things we choose not to pursue? What?"
Julia: What?
Amanda: No.
Eric: Oh, that's right, when he showed up at the warehouse.
Amanda: Exactly.
Eric: When you all decided not to make this a YouTube-centric campaign.
[Amanda hums in agreement]
Eric: Yes, that was fun. I also want to say something. I think Brandon and I have said this on Party Planning before, but we've gotten to a point where we don't cut out a lot of stuff. Unless it's the stuff that's before and after. Or we're, like, fucking around with each other as someone's trying to decide what to do. Like, I think the majority of our bloopers come before we record now which is also very fun. That's something that friends at the table has been doing for a very long time that, like, before they actually start recording they just, like, talk for 15 minutes. I feel like we're doing a lot of that as well. So, like, a lot of stuff hasn't been cut as much as I know. I wish there was a secret Director's Cut of Join the Party that exists but it just doesn't exist.
Julia: The fuck cut. Deep cut.
Eric: Julia, the actual podcast is the fuck cut.
Julia: Yes. No, I know that now.
Eric: We've moved it over. We've transposed the other one. It's like the-- it's like if the Snyder cut was actually the one released and people were like, "Please edit this."
Julia: Please make it less time.
Eric: I wish it was less time. I wish you would went over it one more time and cut it down.
Julia: Do you want a woman to look at this for you, Zack Snyder?
Eric: No. Why would he want that? No!
Amanda: Julia, what is one of your favorite moments from Join the Party this year?
Julia: Oh, man. I feel like kind of just the introduction of Aunt Min has really put Val in a lot of uncomfortable positions, which I personally love.
Eric: I'm glad that you like that your main character is kind of like a walking talking Pashmina.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: And I'm glad that you enjoy that so much.
Julia: No, like, the-- the whole situation with just Aunt Min in the restaurant the first time, the whole introduction.
[Eric hums in agreement]
Amanda: Oh yeah.
Julia: The situation with Salimoni and the Il Polpo restaurant, that was very intense and delightful for me. And also --
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: -- the stress of the kind of threatening my mother with Aunt Min was also a very fun time in retrospect, even if it was stressful in the moment.
Eric: For sure. That whole episode was wonderful because that was when you were trying to get home as fast as possible. Milo was fighting the vape-- the vape villain.
[Julia hums in agreement]
Amanda: It sure was.
Eric: And you were also-- and then Aggie was running away from getting exploded the entire time.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I was very happy with that one. I also want to say that, like, the first episode that came out in 2021 was episode 21.
Amanda: Wow.
Eric: And we're talking about episodes 45 and 46 right now.
Julia: Wow.
Eric: So, we have truly moved this far. It's funny you said that and I'm like, oh, that's right. Aunt Min grew so much over these-- over these episodes, and became, like, in the way that characters do in comics, become more threatening and less threatening, depending on what happens and allying those things, which I thought was wonderful. I'm gonna go with my two personal favorites were Join the Paper in the first episode of Join the Loop.
Amanda: Yeah, I mean, I feel like that's kind of a gimmick, because introducing a time loop to your players, you know, it's kind of beyond exciting. And I mean, the moment where you said it restarts and it's May 1st. Like, whenever we finish an episode while on recording and then you sort of say a final line or you decide that, like, that's what that's what's going to end. You kind of go like, [hums]. Like, we kind of sing the music a little bit.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: And so when you did that the three of us were like, "Fuck you! No!"
Julia: Yeah.
[Amanda screams]
Julia: I think my favorite part of that specifically was me yelling at you, "You lied to me." because you told me that a time loop arc would be too much work.
Amanda: Yep.
Eric: I did lie. I explicitly lied to you.
Julia: It was great.
Eric: I forgot that I did that. It was so funny.
Julia: That was the best lie you've ever told me.
[Eric laughs]
Eric: Yeah, that was really good. I do like, all I like is being yelled at, I think my moment in general and I think, like, accom-- we're gonna talk about accomplishments later. But I think my-- that accomplishment in this moment is the, "Eric, what the fucks."
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: That-- I've now found the thing that I want.
Amanda: It has crystalized. It has become a gem. A pearl.
Eric: I think it's cliffhangers – is the thing that I like doing the most more than anything else. So, I think that sort of– those moments are really– fuel me. I also want to say that, like, Join the Paper was a real weird thing I wanted to try, and very happy with all of the characters of the three of you made. And as it fit in with their and our first of many and continuing to be many doing in- world one shots. It was just, like, I kind of took a chance on it and you all-- you all responded well. And like, being able to tie that into other things that was going on to make Tegan kind of the main character here, the creation of the greatest character of all time Rose Gold.
Amanda: Yup.
[Julia cheers]
Eric: And now we all have a petition. It's on change.org. It's Julia is only allowed to-- to play bullies.
Amanda: To play bullies?
Julia: And I've already planned out my first non-bully character.
Eric: No, damn it.
Julia: I have to stop playing just rich spoiled brats. I'm sorry.
Eric: You haven't played any for an extended period of time. Like, all of them have been after Val. And now --
Eric: Yeah.
Eric: -- we need. You did three in three straight one shots but now we need you to do it in, like, a main campaign thing.
Julia: Yeah, I feel like Moxie isn't a spoiled brat. She's just rich.
Amanda: She is rich and she knows what she wants which is really, I think the Julia RPing zone that I have come to really enjoy.
Julia: Knows what I want.
Amanda: That's one of the highlights of 2021 for me, yeah, is-- is Julia role playing and making us just, like, laugh, gasp, cry. Forget to participate because I feel like I'm watching a movie. You know, all that kind of stuff.
Julia: Thank you.
Eric: I like that. Yeah.
Amanda: Well, Eric, you touched on already a question from A Cool Girl on Insta, "What was your favorite ERIC, what the fuck moment of the year?" And Abby Salman wanted to add on Insta too, "Can we appreciate the amount of suspense we got this year? Time loop, did you fuck my dad? LOL, I remember this year started with Bone's body. Look how far we've come."
Eric: I very appreciate that. I wasn't trying to what the fuck myself. Be like, "Eric, WHAT THE FUCK?"
Amanda: I know.
Eric: But I feel pretty okay with that. I'm very happy with that and just and the juice that I need that it keeps me going. Some people can challenge other people to fight in Denny's parking lots, I more want you to send me cans of, "Eric, WHAT THE FUCK?" juice that I can drink at any time for my little sippy cup.
Amanda: I mean, of course another question here where I wasn't sure at first what my answer would be, but now I know. From Spaceman Named Caps on Insta, "If you guys could go back and change one roll or outcome in Campaign II, what would it be?" And you know, it didn't even come to mind for me to change the roll where I got immersed in the time water because I so enjoyed the experience. He gave me more confidence as a role player and it was so fun to taste a little taste of that what-the-fuck juice of surprising Brandon and Julia. It was a delicious reveal, and I'm proud of Eric and me for kind of working out how that was going to happen and just, like, the look on your and Brandon's faces was absolutely thrilling. I was like, "This is how people feel when they do, like, skydiving?" Like, this feels amazing.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: But yeah, I loved that and I loved being a part of that WTF moment but, you know, I-- as much as I loved the Aggie that we had before and Preserver Aggie, I don't think I would change it. I really like playing Multitool.
Eric: It's very funny. I think that these two Aggies are very different. Like, in the beginning Aggie was a lot more sedate and a lot more, like, "Hey guys, can you stop doing that? I'm gonna come over."
Julia: Just extremely responsible.
Eric: Yeah. Like, she's gonna-- she's gonna show up, be responsible, and he's gonna go fix your problem for you. And then, Multitool is, like, instead of having to put out the fire, like, what if I teach you proper fire safety and you never do that? It's very interesting to me seeing where the campaign has gone, because we have more of a preventative player instead of a reactive player, which I think is very interesting.
[Julia hums in agreement]
Amanda: Is this mirroring my personal growth at all? Who can say?
Julia: Who can say?
Eric: Who knows? Who knows?
Julia: So, for me, I find it difficult to remember which rolls kind of happened for me that changed the course of Val and, like, their whole thing. Because when I kind of like, think about the past of the game, I'm like, these are things that happened.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Not that they were determined by dice rolls, they were just determined by choices.
[Amanda hums in agreement]
Julia: I don't think there's a choice that I would have made differently. I, like, I'm trying to, like, in my head be like, "Oh, well, you forgot to do this, or you should have done that." But and I'm sure there are some, like, I was keeping a document early on of, like, things as like, things to follow up about or things that you --
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: -- probably should have done differently. But this time around, I-- I just can't think of anything that I would have changed because everything's led us here.
Eric: Yeah, I think especially for you, you've had a lot of good luck on very important rolls. So it's like, I don't even want to say the other way. Because like, honestly, it's the opposite, right? It's like, you've rolled Nat 20s and rolled very high on a lot of shit. Like, you rolled a Nat 20 on the sky tram very recently. Grabbing the sky tram like your Captain America.
Julia: Oh yeah.
Eric: You rolled incredibly well during the Il Polpo thing.
[Julia hums in agreement]
Eric: Remember, like, someone shot an Ice Beam off and you rolled very high on that to get in front of that.
Amanda: And saving that kid in the fight that was meant to be for Multitool.
Eric: Yes, in the-- in the trolley problem fight with Emily Slaughter.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: You rolled middling and Emily Slaughter took partial credit for it, but the fact that you did it instead of-- instead of somebody with stretchy powers was very, very impressive.
Julia: Thank you. I do remember, I feel like my worst roll, in terms of decision making, I guess, was I failed the painting charisma check.
[Eric hums in agreement]
Amanda: That's true.
Julia: Which really gave me a lot to think about in terms of what Val would do in a situation where they are asked to intercede on behalf of the mob.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: You, very much stressed to me in that moment, "Hey, this is not mind control. Val doesn't have to do anything," so I made a decision in my head. Like, what needs to be asked to Val in order for them to turn.
Eric: Right.
Julia: And that never happened, but it very well could have.
Eric: Yeah, I don't think that Aunt Min could have just said something to straight up Val, that would have convinced Val.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: But I do think-- I think that was well enough. Here's the thing, Aunt Min doesn't care about what other people feel or think.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: So, I think you said that it was, like, if you're-- you're doing it to, like, protect others and we can --
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: -- protect people and Aunt Min doesn't give a shit about that.
Julia: Yeah, if Aunt Min though; had manipulated Val, then Val would have been very interestingly, probably part of the mob now.
Eric: No.
Amanda: Do you know what I just realized? I would like to change every time that Brandon did not hit his Wild Magic Surge to a hit.
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: Because every time it happens, I am fucking delighted. I love it. I love the mechanic. I love when it helps us. I love when it hurts us. Every time he's rolling, I'm praying that it hits a 1.
Julia: Amanda and I are complete opposites on that because --
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: -- every time Brandon rolls I'm like, "Please God, please."
[Amandfa laughs]
Julia: Just let Brandon do the --
Amanda: Just the once.
Julia: -- magic that he wanted to do. Let's not --
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: -- throw in any weird shit.
Amanda: Yeah, and every time he uses a new spell, I'm just like, okay, chucks notes over the shoulder. Like, it's very exciting. I really enjoy it.
Julia: It's wild. Buckwild.
Eric: Dungeons and Dragons is really or fifth edition, you could tell that, like, the people who put it together love magic.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: And they're like, I love playing glass cannons. I love playing wizards who have 5 HP and could destroy an entire army. Like, you can definitely tell in the way that the game is structured, points toward that. I think we all love martial classes though.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: So, I which is very funny for us to see. Like, the power of magic is very, very powerful. But I think that's also a superhero thing. Like, you know, when Doctor Strange shows up, you're like, "Ah, fuck, my brain is gonna get scrambled." Like, Dr. Fate is here and he's going to ruin your shit. No matter how super strong you are, you just can't do anything about that.
Amanda: If you're wondering how Eric and I react when we're watching old Marvel movies, you can tell when Dr. Strange comes on screen because we're both like.
[Amanda groans]
Amanda: Fast forward.
Julia: Damn it, man.
Eric: Just leave reality the way it is. Please.
Julia: Please stop doing it. Stop making it all as your paintings.
Amanda: Jake Rafi 14 would like to know, "Eric, how do you think your DM style has evolved in the last year? I know you mentioned cliffhangers and trying in-canon one-shots and sort of pushing yourself with form, but what else comes to mind, bud?"
Eric: I feel like I'm trying to acquire new skills at all times. It's very funny, I do look at this, like, some people look at basketball, or sports, where it's like, I'm going to try to learn how to do a new thing. And I'm going to do that with my professional job as sports. And I'm trying to apply that to my DM-ing as much as possible. I think I've really tried to push myself in terms of describing characters, and places, so all the new powered folk could have been very, like, I've been very intentional about -- this is what they look like, this is how you can relate to them, this is what they wear. I think a really good way to latch on to that as fashion. And then, the Join the Committee was my massive, massive push on this to describe the place where you had the party in the first place, that was very important to me. So now, I've also been trying to do; is something that I've learned from other games is, like, trying to set up larger set pieces. And then, like, letting it go, as I've described a lot in Join the Committee, and then I've done in Join Hands, as you know, we get into what is the Office of Technology Assessment look like. Figuring out what all of that looks like, and I can kind of let that go for, like, three, four or five sessions has been very good in terms of, like, what Julia said. You do a thing, and then something else happens. And then someone else happens. Like, everything about role playing games is cause and effect, so it's like, once you have everything set up, me as the Dungeon Master, I can put my hands in the air. And more so than anything else, I think I, me as the DM, want different things than the NPCs that I've played Dez in the time loop. And I think in a lot of the villains after going after what they actually want, as opposed to what you guys want or what I want. I've kind of, like, really let them go and trying to have them follow their own intentions have been very important to me.
Julia: I will say the next episode, and it's not really a spoiler because I'm not going to give any details. But you open the next episode with a description of a place that made us go "What, what, what?"
[Amanda and Eric laughs]
Julia: And it was great. It was-- it was an awesome moment.
Eric: Thank you, I very much appreciate that. I also really liked bringing new game mechanics into this game, so creating, Bro, You Had to Be There might have been, like, the peak of my DM-ing, which --
Amanda: So fun.
Eric: -- is, like, creating a storytelling game within our storytelling game to talk about something that you cannot access with the game of Dungeons and Dragons I think might be the pinnacle of me figuring my whole shit out as a DM.
Julia: You also use the flashback mechanic, I think, this year was the thing that we did.
Eric: Oh yes, right. Yes,.
Amanda: Yeah, we did.
Eric: That was fun. And I really liked the time shark. Like, really disguising the waters of time as something that's not that big of a deal.
Amanda: Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble.
Eric: And like, hey, let's make a strength check. It's fine.
Julia: Don't worry about it.
Eric: Like, if you get splashed it's not a big deal. Whatever.
Amanda: Grumble.
Eric: I'm sorry that I had only two hands out. Amanda got the worst of it, but also, like, remember Thornhill is a ca-- is a candy company.
[Julia groans]
[Amanda and Eric laughs]
Julia: You know what, that's the one roll, not my personal roll, but the one roll that I would change is Brandon changing my beautiful coffee shop into --
Amanda: I know.
Julia: -- saltwater taffy.
Amanda: Bring back Thornhill. We miss them.
Eric: What-- what I think is funny is that, like, we Thornhill was such, like, a stand in for Starbucks for me. Like, it is, and I've been thinking a lot about Starbucks in the world that is 2021, right? Okay, I'm gonna go on Starbucks tangent for a second.
Julia: Go.
Eric: One, fuck the company. I'm so happy there's a union. First of all, the-- the unionized Starbucks is incredible. I'm just gonna start with that.
Amanda: Pride of New York state.
Julia: Unions!
Amanda: Pride of New York. Unions!
Eric: But I think that Starbucks might be the only company that's actually done, like, the food thing that does app well, because of the new rise on TikTok of getting very specific drinks, so you know, like, I'm going to tell them to do two pumps of this and thing and swap one in and out. You don't have to try to communicate that to your barista.
Amanda: Yeah, it's a nightmare if you're a cashier, and somebody has, like, a five minute long order, but you can put it in the app.
Eric: Well, they don't know how to interpre-- they don't know how to interpret the thing you're saying, which isn't my jargon at work. Now, they're actually using the app so they can put in what they want. And they're like, "Oh, I know exactly what this is." And they get. And also, Starbucks lets you just kind of slang that shit and put it up out there. Obviously, then it sits and then people get mad and blah, blah, blah. And it's not-- I'm not saying it's perfect. But I think it's very interesting how Starbucks has adapted to the digital age, and I think they've done that the best. And that's kind of where I thought Thornhill was going as, like, what is a coffee capital C company, but now that doesn't exist anymore. And now we're back to, like, it's almost-- it’s now Portland-esque Stumptown stuff. And Stumptown now of course, is a brand and sells bottled coffee and everything but like, there's no coffee chain now. It's just like a bunch of individual coffees, which is the whole basis of coffee party that the live show we did.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: So, I just-- there's a lot of push and pull and every-- any choice anyone does is, like, yeah, that's how it is now. I'm fine with that. It's very funny. It's like a very famous candy store in this city.
Julia: I'm just bitter about it. I'm so bitter about it.
Eric: Hey, Juices still air. I know Juice just got torn down, but we've had like a-- like a city wide juice company. You can deal with that instead.
Amanda: They really paved juice and put up a parking lot, am I right?
Eric: I also want to give a really quick shout out because we didn't get a chance to talk about it before, but the CEO of Moon Juice. Do you guys know what that is?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: That sells, like, moon dust and, like, all that.
Amanda: Oh yeah.
Julia: Beauty dust.
Amanda: I listen to Maintenance Phase. Oh, yeah.
Eric: Yeah, I learned it from maintenance phase as well. The CEO's name is Amanda Chantal Bacon, which is where I got the name of the CEO for --
Amanda: Oh, that's very good .
Eric: -- Juice. I didn't get a chance to touch on that.
Amanda: That's fair.
Julia: If I recall, you said that name I was like, "Hey, when Val dies, that's my new character."
Eric: I changed it little bit. I think I kept Bacon but I just-- I thought it was very funny. Just this woman's name of a real, like, goop ass company.
[Julia hums in agreement]
Amanda: Oh, incredible.
Eric: I just wanted to share.
Amanda: Now, Lena Takane on Insta would like to know, "What have you learned about role playing as characters this year? I am really interested in roleplay." And similarly, Annabelle Fajardo on Insta, "Did it ever feel like your character had a turning point where they became something different than you intended? And if so, when? How do you feel about it?" For me, there's the obvious answer, I would say. But also, I think that the first or the second loop, I guess, or the first repeating of the time loop, when I call my parents and kind of, like, had a confrontation with them. That's not something I planned, but it's something that felt really right for the character. And I think that's the, you know, direction that Aggie Preserver was going in. And so, when I had the sort of, like, soft reset into Multitool; that felt like a variable I really wanted to kind of push on. And for me, the, you know, seeing-- because normally when I design a character from scratch, like, okay, well what, you know, what kind of class do I want to play? Like, what role do I want to have in combat? Like, what powers should think your fun? And let's build a character based on that, but for the first time with Multitool, I got to say, "All right, like, I think I know who this person was." But like, what if her childhood was really different? Like, what this fundamental change of what her power is led to some pretty different ways that her life shook out. And that felt very exciting to me, like a sort of, like, a writer discovering a character, you know? Or like, following the-- the thread of where the story wanted to go, as opposed to me saying like, "What's the most kind of comfortable character for me to get to the, like, role in combat that I want to have?"
Julia: That makes sense. Yeah.
Amanda: So listen. Listen to where the story wants to go. That's my advice.
Julia: Yeah. I think for Val, in terms of turning point, it wasn't really a turning point. But I think I started the campaign with a certain image of who Val was. And then, during Join the Channel, when I had to kind of make that decision about, like, what would cause Val to turn over to the mob side, it kind of crystallized this idea that Val is all about community. And that wasn't something I really initially thought was going to be such a pillar of their character. But now it really does inform a lot of the decisions I make. So, like, the big siblings, little siblings, big supers, little supers program that Val is now a part of, or wants to start is very much based off of this idea of, like, Val really cares about community.
Amanda: Totally.
Eric: For sure.
Julia: That does inform a lot of my decision making now as Val.
Eric: I mean, a lot of that shook out when you became, like, the Daredevil of Little Italy.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: In that way as well, which I think is interesting. And then it became, that's why you didn't take your mask off because it's like, "Well, I need to be a community pillar. I'm not a person."
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Which I think is important and interesting. Like, you have to be an icon. Just like, you and All Might are the same.
Julia: Yes. 100%. Also, I do want to clarify something. Another huge reason that Val hasn't taken their mask off, is because Val has ties to Organized Crime and wants people to cross them.
[Eric laughs]
Julia: So, if they're like, --
Amanda: That's true.
Julia: -- hey, that's the child of a very famous mobster. I don't think Val would have as much support and be able to support their community when people are like, "Hey, that fucking sucks."
Amanda: Just be wholesome like Milo.
Julia: Yeah, exactly.
Eric: No, it's still funny. I forgot about that. That's so funny.
Amanda: That's really good.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I will say to you that I'm curious, your thoughts on this, Eric around all of the NPCs and big bads and people around Laketown City that you roleplay but for me, one of the things is kind of, like, relaxing into knowing that there's no wrong decision for the story or there's no, you know, decision that will throw your plans off track. I think you've done a really good job kind of reassuring all of us and creating an environment where we feel free to follow where the story goes, aka unmasking unplanned in the middle of a press conference episode. And I will say Milo unmasking as well was, like, my, I think, the second or third most shocking moment of-- of the campaign so far. But that has been really exciting for me, and when we meet characters with their own agendas. Like, I'm not kind of taking everybody into, you know, good guy and villain or, you know, good for me, bad for me, in my head. It's like this is a person with their own agenda. Like, can we work them, or will they not work with us? And that makes it really exciting. I feel like I'm not trying to sniff out, like, is this a bad guy or good guy? I'm trying to say, like, who's this person? How might we relate to them? And that makes everything feel so, like, true and real and filled with possibility.
Eric: Yeah, I think that's something I've been pushing on. The Knight of Mirrors has always been like that, as existing in this anti-hero I-don't-want-to-work-with-anyone space. But I think, like, the Sommelier has really called a lot of stuff in your question. There is a roll somewhere in Join the Committee, where I think it was Val looking around at what's going on at this party. And when Val saw the Sommelier there, who Val had only seen trying to rob a college.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: I was like, Yeah, this person has other jobs. They're a freelancer. Like, they're very flexible in terms of their values, as long as they're getting paid. And I think we learned that even more so with nay, Tough Stuff now Hard Body and the Sommelier working together. There's very much this line of, like, well, you know, superheroes have jobs. What is good? What is bad? Who is on this particular line?
Julia: Eric, I have a question about this year and it. When did you decide to ruin Val's life by including Shannon Red Wine in more things?
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: All the times that you did something I didn't expect. I'm like, you know, what would be very funny right now? It's if Shannon Red Wine was the fault. Yeah, you did stuff where Shannon Red Wine would show up more because I hadn't planned for it. And I thought it would make sense because you had gotten yourself into– into trouble. Or you would put yourself forward than, like, I think Shannon would meet you in a way where she didn't even know that was happening. I feel like the two characters are very, like, they are magnetized. Right being on different poles. And I feel, like, as Val took steps forward, Shannon took steps forward as well. Shannon, for a very long time was just your bully who had powers as well, and then she became something else. She became an influencer and for your Tough Stuff, when the whole thing with the time loop happened.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: That really changed her, which I thought was really interesting. I also want to give a real shaking my fist towards Amanda for telling me she's going to do one thing. And then, during the game, does a totally different thing.
Amanda: With Danny?
Julia: Who? Me?
Eric: Yeah, like, the stuff that happened to the most recent episode with Danny. You did not tell me that was happening. And then you're like, "Oh, I'm gonna do this." I'm like, "That's a great idea." I'm gonna come up with all this shit on the fly. I did not have any of this bank-sy shit planned. I need to tell you something. I was mad about something on the internet. Like, there was something going on in tabletop RPG Twitter or the world. And I was just like, "Oh, I could do this better," and then I just fucking went off on the bank-sy stuff. So, like, literally all of that was unplanned because Amanda did not tell me but I think you're making bolder choices.
Julia: Yeah, Amanda goes, "I'm gonna steal Brian Roper's credentials." And then ten minutes later, "Hey, actually, fuck that. Let's go see Danny."
Eric: Yes, that's 100% what happened and I'm very happy with the strong choices you're making. You keep me on your toes. You keep bringing your parents in and you don't tell me. So, like, your mom has so much depth to her now. I've done so many of those things off the cuff.
Amanda: Listen, I am not, you know, I'm-- you're not asking me to apologize. And I'm gonna instead say like, "Thank you for always coming through and, like, making all three of us comfortable with the fact that we can follow a lead, go with an idea, you know, push the story and the character into-- into new and unexpected directions because, you know, we have the confidence that it's not going to break you or the game. " And in fact, it'll probably lead to stuff that all of us, you know, like, that's-- that's where the magic happens. That's where things, you know, come up that none of us could have planned on our own.
Eric: Yeah, I agree. And of course, the our patron saint of doing things I'm not-- I'm not prepared for, Brandon.
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: Not here, but --
Julia: He can't defend himself.
Eric: -- I mean, like, I've really been forged in fire with that. So, like, anything y'all do it. Like, truly. As long as it works in the story, I'm ready for anything you can throw at me.
Julia: Can we all, while Brandon's not here, reminisce about our favorite Brandon what the fuck moment?
Eric: Oh god.
Amanda: Oh definitely.
Eric: From this year. Let me look at the-- let me look at the episode.
Julia: I mean, like, unmasking obviously is one of them right after --
Amanda: It's huge, yeah.
Julia: -- Aggie, but also being like, "Hey, my dad is in charge."
Amanda: Yes.
Julia: He's gonna run for mayor now.
Eric: It's so funny.
Amanda: Asking if you fucked my dad. I mean, --
Eric: That was great.
Amanda: -- come on.
Eric: I love that.
Julia: It's a great one.
Amanda: Legendary stuff.
Julia: Truly.
Amanda: Talking back to Anubis. I mean, --
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: -- damn.
Julia: Little sassy.
Eric: And Anubis doesn't care. Anubis is also his cat so-- so he doesn't, like, that, I was like, oh Anubis and tuna are the same. It's totally fine.
Amanda: I mean, going into death to confront Anubis was pretty unexpected. Julia and I did not know that was gonna happen.
Julia: I will say also, Brandon just letting John Paul go during --
Amanda: Oh my god.
Julia: -- time loop and we were just, like, very mad --
Amanda: Excuse me?
Julia: -- about that. It's the moment we're like, "What the fuck?"
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: I know. John Paul is such a dirtbag.
Amanda: He was so fun.
Eric: John Paul, he might have disappeared-- might have disappeared. I think maybe one of my biggest accomplishments is leaving stuff on the table which I haven't done before. I've tried really hard to incorporate everything. Like, there's a bunch of stuff in the time loop that just never got touched and, like, I'm okay with that.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: I think the thing that really-- Brandon making choices that he didn't tell me ahead of time, but was to my benefit was when he snuck off to the OTA for the first time --
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: -- in Join the Loop. And of course, that is truly the basis of what we're doing in this arc.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Teasing what the OTA could look like and then going back there, and knowing that there's more shit happening.
Amanda: Speaking of Brandon, I think that I've gotten our two-way radio that we carry at all times.
Eric: That goes to the time-- that goes to other echelons of time?
Amanda: Yes, and also Middle America.
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: I've gotten a channel-- I've got a channel open so let's-- let's see. Is Brandon available? Brandon, which--Brandon, come in. Come in, Brandon. Please-- please tell us your reflections on the year. And anything you want to rebut or add to here with us on the radio, which is-- is true and not fictional. Okay, go, over.
[Radio static buzzes]
Brandon: Oh, you guys crack me up. Ha ha ha. Oh, my favorite moment from JTP this year, man. There's just so many of them. I think one that you guys didn't touch on that I loved was Mr. Pinstripe with the duck pond. I'm just really proud of that moment. I think, I-- some of my better-- my better d&d-ing, I solve the problem without violence. And that's what we can all hope for in life, you know? I love role playing Flatliners in my d&d game, that was super fun. And I think my favorite moment was when I let an adult man make his own decision about leaving a house in which he did not have to stay in because it's not a prison, and I'm not his prison guard. And I gave him the option to stay or not stay. And we still had plenty of time to solve the problem afterwards. That was probably my favorite moment was when I made-- when I made that decision. If I could go back and change one roll or outcome. I don't know that I-- Okay, here's the real-- here's the real thing. I don't remember anything about anything. I even looked at notes. I don't know what I rolled, what I didn't roll. It's all bad, so I don't. Can I change all of my rolls to good? I don't know if that counts. What have you learned about role playing as characters this year? And did it ever feel like your character had a turning point in which they became something different than you intended? And if so, when and how do you feel about it? It's a great question. My turning point for Milo would be the episode where we had to do, like, the car and the power lines, and the tram and everything. For Milo not really being able to do anything, and really just messing that up after being so confident at unmasking. It sort of messed with his psyche. And I'm-- and I think, you know, trying to live two lives, both masked and unmasked, is wearing on him a little bit. And he's frustrated that he's not, you know, perfect. He's not a perfect superhero. He's not a perfect person, either. It's frustrating for him. What if anyone can relate to that out there? And I think I couldn't really say if there's one thing that I really learned as a role player, but I think continually I am learning how to better work within a team, and with your DM, and how to, yeah, let my character make their own decisions and not just be my own decisions as a player. Like, let the character make the decisions they would make in the moment, which I think is a difficult thing to do. And I think I'm hopefully getting better and better at it, but it's also really rewarding. So, you should-- you should do that in your home games. Oh, what's that? Oh, my flight. My flight got canceled again. Okay, cool. Um, I'm gonna go sleep in an airport for the next 46 hours. And I hope ah, I hope you have fun without me, guys. Oh, maybe I'll make it back one day. Bye.
[Radio static buzzes]
Amanda: Oh, so illuminating. I'm so glad we got to hear from him.
Eric: And now because we're on the radio. Get it? It's an actual radio and a radio is a podcast thing. Now, for some commercials.
Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, let me-- let me run back to the kitchen. I'll see if I can stock up on some supplies.
[Midroll music pings]
Amanda: Hey, it's Amanda. Now, this is our first episode of the New Year. And so, you might expect me to talk all about goals and things that you are trying to do in the year or not do, but instead, I just want to make a suggestion, which is to try my favorite thing, which is a multiple liquid breakfast, which is where you have a breakfast but also you have multiple liquids with it. This might be iced coffee, hot tea, and water. It might be two kinds of juice, and your caffeinated beverage of choice. It might be an alcoholic beverage at a brunch. And also coffee and also water. It makes me feel so decadent. And I don't know, it's just-- there's something about it that feels really celebratory. It feels really brunch-y and I think the idea of treating yourself to a really fancy breakfast even if it's three kinds of mason jars in front of you as you're eating your eggs and your toast at home. It's really worth it, and so are you. So, welcome to the midroll. It's grapefruit juice. Thank you so much first and foremost to our patrons: Ben, Caitlin, Yasiri, Courtney, Mother of Beasts, Cally, Kyle, Miranda, Mihai, Elena, Fishlolz, welcome back Fishlolz, notagoldfish, Eva and Camille are our newest patrons. And we want to thank all of you so, so much for supporting Join the Party. If you want to be part of the nicest and kindest and most likely to eat dice community on the internet, then you can join the Patreon at patreon.com/jointhepartypod. You will get discord access, party planning episodes, playlists, early episodes, and a whole lot more. And it's a perfect time to join because change is on the horizon. And we're gonna need every single person possible to bring it into reality. More to come soon. But first, join us at patreon.com/jointhepartypod. It's also a great time to check out the other shows that are part of the Multitude Collective. I think you would really like Head Heart Gut. This is our exclusive members only podcast for people that are a part of the Multicrew. You can be a part of the engine that keeps Multitude going. If you wish you had more Multitude shows to catch up on or ways to hear us hosts talk about subjects besides the ones that we talk about each week, or just talk to each other more, you can hear us do that at our weekly podcast, Head Heart Gut. Every month we take an iconic set of three items from pop culture or the world we live in, and pit them against each other. We have a definitive survey of greatness, we have a judge come in to decidedly decide what is the best fruit, the best movie sequel, the best thing to do at a theme park and so much more, with going on three years of arguments to uncover. So, go to multicrew.club to join for as little as five bucks a month and get access to Head Heart Gut plus so much more. That's multicrew.club. We are sponsored this week by Startripper. This is the travelogue of former file-clerk Feston Pyxis as he searches for the zowiest experiences the galaxy has to offer. In the same tradition of classic sci-fi, anime, and Saturday morning cartoons, you can dive into the action with Feston and his onboard assistant Proxy, as they zoom through an intergalactic death race, battle a mega beetle live on a popular cooking show, navigate their way back from the eerie dunes of the package dimension, chase interdimensional cryptids and more. And by the way, check out that cryptid episode because Julia is there. Julia is there. It has great sound design, killer music, and a can-do spirit that make the show an instant mood lifter. Season 2 now is almost complete for you to marathon in its entirety, so listen in your podcast app of choice or go to startripperhq.com. This episode is sponsored by Skillshare. This is one of our oldest sponsors, and we are so happy to welcome them back in 2022, because they are a great place to learn new skills, deepen existing passions, and get lost in creativity. There are so many fascinating classes on Skillshare on topics like, animation, storytelling, science fiction, and fantasy, crafts, and hobbies, and so much more. Whether you are diving deep into a new hobby, learning professional skills, or leveling up your RPG campaign planning, you have to check it out. I even made a course on Skillshare. It's called Podcast Marketing: How to Grow Your Audience with a Marketing Plan, Social Media, and Metadata Tips. So, get my class and watch so many more on Skillshare. Go to skillshare.com/jointheparty, where you can get a free-trial of premium membership. That's skillshare.com/jointheparty. Finally, this podcast is also sponsored by BetterHelp online therapy. We talked about Betterhelp a lot on the show. And this month, we are discussing some of the stigmas around mental health. For example, some people think that you need to wait until stuff is kind of unbearable to go to therapy. That is what kept me from going for a long time because I thought well, if I'm, you know, getting good grades, if I am buying groceries, if I am showing up to work then surely, you know, it's not bad enough. My pain is not real enough to need outside help, but that isn't true. Therapy is a tool that you can use before things get worse and it can help you avoid those lows. Trust me, you deserve to feel better and therapy can be such a useful tool to help you get there. BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone, and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don't have to see anybody on camera if you don't want to. And no more waiting rooms. It's much more affordable than in-person therapy, and you can be matched with a therapist in under 48 hours. Give it a try and see why over 2 million people, myself included, have used BetterHelp Online Therapy. Once more, this podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and Join the Party listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/jointheparty. That's B E T T E R H E L P.com/jointheparty. And now, let's get back to the after party.
[Midroll music pings]
Amanda: Well, now that we've checked in with Brandon, stranded, coming home soon. And we've gotten our-- our refreshed bowls of trail mix and little tiny New Year's appetizers. I mean, little--.
[Eric and Julia hums indistinctly]
Eric: No, I'm keeping the ball up. It's not ready yet.
Amanda: Oh, alright. Well, we have to make sure that we finish this episode before the ball drops off the court.
Eric: I'm holding it --
Amanda: Okay, alright, alright, alright.
Eric: -- on my shoulders.
Amanda: Let's get into some questions about the last few episodes of Join the Party, starting with episode 45, that's Join Hands II. Moston Bopper would like to know if Hank created Clippy. Is Clippy Milo's brother?
Eric: So, here's my headcanon on this, is that Dr. Morrow created Clippy, Dr. Morrow has shared a lot of tech with Hank, Clippy works at the Stewart's but no actual people work at the Stewart's. So, Clippy runs it and but-- but, like, there's no employees to route around in different, like, in the inventory. So, Clippy is the only person who works at Stewart's and that's why it was an OTA safe house.
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: And with Hank's dad cave/safe house, which was put together by Dr. Morrow, so no, but yikes.
Julia: To clarify, not all Stewart's, just that one particular Stewart's. Aggie’s own Stewart's.
Eric: Yeah, like it was a decommissioned Stewart's or like it's not on the-- the-- the giant Stewart's map. That's just, like, the one but it's, like, the one there.
Amanda: It's like missing the apostrophe. It's off brand Stewart's.
[Eric snorts a laughs]
Julia: Clippy feels like when you are dating someone and you steal a bunch of their clothes and then you break up, but you don't want to get rid of that really comfortable sweater so you keep that forever. That's what happened with Clippy.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: Yeah, but it's with tech.
Julia: Yes.
Amanda: They get a holographic person.
[Julia hums in agreement]
Amanda: Yeah, I feel like Milo would roll with the punches in that one. I don't think he'd interrogate it too much. He just kind of like, I don't know, Clippy.
Julia: It's Clippy.
Amanda: This one is from I heart band nerds seven on Insta. Not a question, but I loved hearing how proud Eric is of Amanda in this episode, heart eyes. I love getting to hear how Amanda has grown in this game over the last few years. Eric, how dare you sneak a couple of them to the after party questions. No. Take it out.
Eric: No.
Amanda: Julia, cut it. Take it-- Take it back.
Julia: No, I won't do it. You deserve it.
Eric: I refuse.
Amanda: Fuck.
Eric: Compliments at Amanda's growth before and after the midroll.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Fuck, fuck. Let's move on. Episode 46. This is from AFarLit10 was JH3 secretly a merch teaser episode because we did get some great options. Vulcani's trans rights, Diaphragm serial pins, a copy anamorph, Room with a backpack et al. And Mila also emailed with some excellent merch ideas, including a sweatshirt that says, "Art is good." And one that says, "Eric, what the fuck?"
Eric: I did not know we-- this was, like, you know, creating an entire cartoon just to justify a new, like, toy line coming out in the 80s. Did not know that's what we were doing, but it's very funny how I want to turn, like, so many things from this episode into action figures.
Amanda: I think that's great. And Sarah Barra is always making excellent eye emojis on Twitter anytime somebody requests, comics and whatnot. And just, man, Sarah's art is one of the highlights of 2021 for me.
Eric: Oh, absolutely.
Amanda: It's just-- it's also good. Every time there's a new Sarah Barra art, I show my husband. I'm like, "Jake, look. Look." And I'm like --
Julia: It me!
Amanda: -- let me explain what an Italian emergency is to you first, though. Hold on.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: Was he like, "Yeah, I understand."
Eric: Yeah, that's what it is.
Julia: He knows, he's-- he went, "Italian emergency."
[Amanda and Eric laughs]
Eric: That's when you have to watch Goodfellas real-- Like, right now. Or you're gonna be very upset.
Julia: Correct.
Eric: I also want to say, someone tweeted at us and was like-- like, is there a comic book coming out of Campaign II at any time. And I responded with eye emojis. Just because I'm like, "That's a great idea." And then everyone was, like, eye emojis. I'm like, Well, are we gonna have to do this now? Like, it's a good idea.
Julia: I like it.
Amanda: We may or may not have some long requested, let's say upgrades coming to Join the Party soon. Both the show and perhaps a physical thing you can take home, so after that perhaps.
Eric: There's a whole-- there's a whole thing about what's happening next --
Amanda: Okay, okay.
Eric: -- which we talked about, since we teased it coming up in the end of 2021, the midroll that we did, so we'll talk about that at the end.
Amanda: Don't worry, we'll get there, but I did just want to clarify. Again, Eric I'm sorry I made you make up a Banksy warehouse in New Jersey. It felt great to me.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: Mountain Biker 226 wants to know what other 90s toy jingles are on the playlist at Banksys.
Eric: Here's the thing, and which is why I like doing this medium. I forget a lot of stuff that I did. Did I already say crossfire?
Julia: Yeah, that was the one you chose.
Eric: That was the one. See, it's --
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: -- that one's the one that's stuck in my head.
Julia: Can I suggest Baby Bottle Pop.
Amanda: Baby Bottle Pop. Lick the pop, dip, and shake it. And lick it again.
Julia: Yes, exactly.
Eric: Probably for skip it. Probably if someone could make --
Amanda: Bop it.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Oh, bop it for sure.
Julia: Twist it.
Eric: If someone could make a theme song for Putt --
Amanda: Pull it.
Eric: -- For Putt-Putt goes to the moon. Like, just take all the humongous entertainment stuff.
[Garbled talking]
Julia: Flashback there.
Amanda: Julia was --
Julia: To Putt-Putt the fucking car.
Amanda: Anyone else play a lot of Go Fish and Slide the Socks? I did that a lot.
Eric: Yes. I watched a speedrun of Putt-Putt goes to the zoo, and it was incredible.
Julia: Send that to me immediately.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, I'll find that video. Like, there is a pretty thriving Putt-Putt speedrunning community, so I will pull that together. I'll put it at the episode description.
Amanda: That's amazing.
Eric: So yeah, I came up with this, I didn't write down the ones that already existed. So, like, if any of those were different than the ones I already said those.
Amanda: Whatever is nostalgic to your childhood, that's on the playlist.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: I do appreciate that we are nostalgic for 90s stuff after being inundated with people being nostalgic for 80s stuff.
Amanda: Oh my god. Yeah.
Eric: Like, no, you need to care about the shit I care about now.
Amanda: I don't know about JanSports and fucking what's his face movies. I don't know.
Julia: Okay, who's what's his face?
Eric: No, no, don't. We're not interrogating it.
Julia: I want to!
Eric: Whatever you think it is.
Amanda: The Breakfast Club guy.
Eric: Oh, geez. Yeah. John Hughes.
Julia: Oh, okay. Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: I don't care about that.
Eric: John Hughes is very, although I love The Breakfast Club. And I've probably seen it, like, 15 times. John Hughes is very much of what's his face?
Julia: Yeah, that's fair.
Eric: He just hangs out in Chicago suburbs. That's it.
Julia: I used to say.
Eric: That's his whole thing.
Amanda: Instead, we are kids of the 90s who get to be nostalgic about the 90s while collaborating with other new media stars like Connor Franta, so let's talk about present party.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: As always, thank you to HeroForge. Every year I email them and I'm like, "Hero Forge, would you like to do more one-shots?" And they're like, "Yeah, go for it." So, HeroForge, thank you again for sponsoring one-shots. We did Slam III earlier this year. And Present party was our holiday one-shot.
Eric: I forgot to share the images of the HeroForge figurines I made for everybody.
Amanda: That's okay.
Eric: So I will do it when this episode comes out. I'll share them.
Julia: Yeah
Eric: I'll share them then.
Amanda: IWantPaige asked how the collab happened. Basically, someone who helps Connor with PR around his book is someone we know from Greenpoint here, the neighborhood where our studio is, and we have worked together a little bit in the past. So, she was like, "Hey, Connor, who also loves d&d, enjoying this whole universe of stuff. And so, we thought what a nice guest to have on at the end of the year."
Julia: Yeah, yeah. And he was great. It was a delight.
Eric: It was very fun. Usually, when we have to come up with these one shots I'm like, "What is something we haven't done yet?" I'm like, "Let's just do some teens. Let's just do teen, so"
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I-- again, I'm very happy with everyone just going along with the random idea that I have. And then that being the basis of the one-shot.
Amanda: Tell us all about the origins of presentation. I heard some Hanukkah in there. There were a couple passover elements in there, there was some general Solstice stuff. Tell me about it.
Eric: Yeah. Hey, this is gonna surprise you. But even when people create winter holidays in creative areas, sometimes they just make Christmas. The one that I always say is that Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, the cartoon that was based off of Toy Story that literally had Christmas in it, and Santa Claus was in space.
Julia: It's truly insane.
Eric: So, I'm like, what a strong choice. And then a lot of times there's, like, winter holidays, but it's really just Christmas reskinned. Choose whatever you'd like when you-- when you're thinking about that. So, I wanted to do something like that, that was more based in just other winter holiday traditions. I really love giving presents away. Present gift giving is my favorite thing about the winter holiday. And I do like the idea of there being, like, a community aspect. Usually that is signified with lights, both with Christmas lights, and Hanukkah candles, and Kwanzaa candles, but I wanted to kind of do something else just about that. So, I pulled some Solstice stuff in there, a lot of the folklore, and mythology and, like, religious stories of, like, parts of nature being real. I really, really love the idea of the wind being a real thing. And that being kind of, like, we've talked all about ice monsters in Laketown City and Campaign II, so that was something I wanted to touch on. And then of course, like, the idea of eating fried foods on Hanukkah is always very important to me. So, I wanted to mash all that together to do, like, a winter holiday that wasn't just Columbus in so many ways.
Amanda: I loved it. And AFarLit10 would like to know was Fritz Mondale named after our favorite hockey star, a family member, or another famous Frederick.
Eric: I can tell you, I did it with Brandon. Brandon and I were making this character together and I sent him a list of vice presidential candidates that didn't become vice presidents.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: We just looked through them. We're like, "That guy's racist. We're not doing that. He supported segregation. We're not doing that." And then we decided on Walter Mondale as the inspiration of the character. And Fritz, I think, was one of his nicknames, so that's why we went with that.
Julia: Incredible.
Amanda: Oh, my God, you guys.
Eric: It's so funny. The basis-- what I really loved about that one-shot is that something I was pushing on a lot. Is that, like, your character's personality doesn't have to do anything with your powers.
[Julia hums in agreement]
Eric: That was very important. Although, obviously, being a rich-- a rich cleric of faith, Megan being a spoiled, spoiled girl obviously. And then being the-- the-- the bully nerd? Mwah, the best character ever on Join the Party.
Amanda: Thank you.
Eric: The bully nerd, and I love that subclass so much. But I think, like, the fact that Fritz was just, like, a fucking weasel and also had lighting powers was, like, very My Hero Academia to me and I very much appreciated that.
Amanda: Yeah, because you're, you know, you have a power and you're a person. And so, those things can be in conflict, they can be in synchronicity, or they can just be, you know, wildly kind of divergent and I think all of those overlaps have real kind of dramatic potential.
Eric: Yeah. And you can also tell that I have watched Breakfast Club that many times because, of course, Mr. Minotaur you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
[Amanda and Julia laughs]
Eric: That's the whole base-- the whole basis of that.
Julia: Ooh.
Amanda: Well, I think the audience agrees because Jazzy Oh, on Insta says more one-shots, please. And Late Salman wants to know, are we going to get more present party/one-shots with the same characters? I know I would love the chance to do more sort of paper, Join the Paper style stuff.
Eric: Yeah, I'm never sure if we want to return to these characters because I always think it's fun that you get there, like, you can do whatever you want for a little bit of time. But I do like doing the in-story one-shots and that will definitely be a feature of Join the Party coming in 2022 and beyond.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Well, what a great time to address something that we definitely wanted to get to. This is from Metal Springs. Are there already ideas in the works for Campaign III? And Blake Brinkley 31 says, "Y'all recently started talking about the end game for the season, so what plans or spoilers can you give us about the official January spin off that is definitely coming?"
[Eric snorts a laugh]
Eric: I thought that was very funny. I could not-- I could not include it.
[Julia laughs]
Eric: Yeah, what do we want to say here? I guess there's a lot coming in 2022. We have big plans on– for the podcast in general. For the story, we've talked about the end game coming soon. We have ideas for what's going to happen after this, so just keep your eyes peeled. We've been planning on this for months. And just, like, know, you're in good hands and come along for the ride, I guess, is the best thing to say. But January-- but this coming month, we have-- we're doing some very important stuff.
Amanda: We've been getting your texts, guys. We've been getting your letters. We've been getting your phone bank calls, we've been hearing your whispers on the wind, we've been hearing your prayers, and we have been seeing the change.org petitions and just know that your-- your voices are being heard. And you know, the big Tuesday is standing up against all the things that you're asking for.
Eric: Super Tuesday.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: Big Super Tuesday is standing up strong, but we-- we're going to be open minded here. So, just-- just wait on that just more to come.
Eric: Think you can start campaigns that aren't just about tabletop RPGs, hmm? You can start a campaign of many different types of things.
Amanda: Oh, that's true.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: Hmm. Julia, you want-- do you want to do a tease?
Julia: No.
Eric: No, you want?
Julia: No, you guys did a good job.
Amanda: Okay.
Julia: I have my character for the next season ready. Is that a tease?
Eric: No, that's good.
Amanda: No, I like that.
Eric: That's fine. Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah, I have some real-- we're working out some other childhood shit of mine in the next campaign. I can't wait.
Julia: Yeah! Aren't we all?
Amanda: Let's uh, let's close out with just some fun kind of game character podcasting. You know, us ask people questions. This one is from Falalala LalalaLyle in discord. How do Vulcani and Hitomi walk about Laketown city without looking like an adorable couple? Do y'all have, like, an impenetrable, like, three foot barrier between you?
Julia: No, but I do want to say something that got cut was during the, like, interview with the kids with the-- the college students. At one point, Hitomi asked a question. And in character I just kind of responded, "Yeah, babe?"
[Eric laughs]
Julia: And Eric looked at me and he goes, "Do you actually say that?" I'm like, "No."
Amanda: Ah, shit. You're right. It's very cute.
Eric: I like to think that there is a triangle between Val, Vulcani, and Hitomi.
Julia: Oh yes. Someone called it out.
Eric: And that Hitomi is dating-- yeah, Hitomi is dating both of them at the same time. And that's become a girl scandal.
Amanda: I'm into it. Oh My Moose is on Discord says, "Very important question, does Val use their warming powers to toast pop tarts for Hitomi in the mornings or in my mind, keep her coffee warm at all times?"
Julia: Coffee warm at all times. That's something we already discussed in the past couple of episodes was Val reheated all of the hot chocolates that --
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Julia: -- Aggie bought. I don't think that Val is very good at toasting things. I think that there is a level of either warmth or fire and there's not a lot of in-between. So --
Eric: True.
Julia: -- the first couple of times that they tried it just was charcoal.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: In my head, there's also, like, a thing that there's no way that Val's mom let them eat a frozen dinner until they were, like, 13.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Like, Val's mom is like, "No way, we're not ordering. Like, the only time we're ordering from a restaurant is when it's my incredibly close friend. I'm cooking everything. I don't care whether this is what I'm doing." So I love the idea that, like, maybe Val doesn't know how to properly toast a Pop Tart.
Julia: Yeah, no, I think that's true. I think Val probably microwaved them until they were, like, a full adult.
Amanda: Fair.
Eric: Yeah. Is it oh, it needs to be warmed all the way through? And then like, it's way too crispy.
Amanda: On the other hand, for s'mores that sounds pretty ideal.
[Julia hums in agreement]
Eric: That's true.
Amanda: Lila would like to know, “How is Tegan handling Aggie's parents being in town? Have they met yet?” I think Aggie is probably throwing herself on top of that bomb every chance she gets and not letting it happen.
[Amanda laughs nervously]
Eric: In the, like, cartoon version of Campaign II, there's, like, a whole episode where Tegan is trying to meet Aggie's family and Aggie uses every single facet of her stretchy powers --
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Eric: -- to make sure that doesn't happen.
Amanda: Blocking of view, you know? Yeah, like-- like smooshing Tegan out of the way, you know, shoving Quinn up to stick to the ceiling. Yeah. All kinds of stuff.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Sure, logically.
Eric: Absolutely.
Amanda: Ralph says, "We know Val doesn't know what podcasts are, but what podcast do other members of the LT3 or LTC people generally listen to?" I like the idea of a really cute kind of like calling show of, like, some kind of, you know, community, like, radio or place where like, you know, how people do, like, Instagram takeovers of their city's Instagram account?
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: I like that idea of just kind of like interviewing your neighbors or talking about your job or, you know, just kind of, like, a community calling type show. I think that'd be a really cute podcast.
Julia: I bet Mona Adeal has a great podcast.
Amanda: That's true.
Eric: Oh, for sure. She's on Chapo bunch. I think that there are a lot of mountain lobsters sports podcasts.
Julia: Oh, yeah.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Definitely, like, local-- both local ones and, like, once from, like, Gatsby Nation for sure. Where like, you know, maybe there's a-- there's, like, a whole like, Toronto buffalo mountain lobsters, like, contingency.
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Eric: On, like, whole area of just-- just being able to cover that as, like-- as like, because of the rivalry between all the teams there.
Amanda: They call it that Niagra triangle.
Eric: Nice. I like it. I think Milo listens to all the science podcasts Brandon listens to.
[Amanda and Julia snickers]
Amanda: I like that.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Sarah Barra says, Does Danny need more hugs from all his siblings? Probably.
Julia: I feel like all your siblings probably need more hugs.
Amanda: Yeah, yeah.
Eric: How about in terms of my rolls, my rolls have happened, which Danny-- Danny being unable to keep his shit together in front of his siblings?
Amanda: Mhmm. That's true.
Julia: Especially in restaurants.
Eric: Yeah, especially in public, just tears.
Amanda: And this one I really love is from Duran on Discord, listening to the latest episode of Campaign II number 45. I can't help but wonder if there's an alternate timeline where our heroes at the beginning of the story go to Hank and the OTA instead of Dr. Morrow. If they did that, how do you think the story would have turned out? Fascinating, I can imagine a lot more kind of, like, missions for reasons that no one will share with us because Dr. Morrow definitely, you know, put the LT3 to use for the city ultimately, even if, you know, there was a lot that she, you know, could do or did do or didn't do that might have helped her job. And she, you know, kept a lot of information from us. I think ultimately, your heart was in the right place versus. I don't know, government agency has priorities and goals that might not necessarily line up with ours.
Julia: Well, I remember when we were first kind of making the decision of what kind of campaign we wanted. Eric, you gave us the choice of being, like, "Do you guys want to be a costumed superhero team? Or do you want to be basically, like, a secret police force? And I think the secret police force would have been more aligned with the, like, Hank and OTA, right?
Eric: Yeah, it would have been more of like an X Files thing.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Or I have, as I've been saying, I've played a lot of control lately, is that like, it would have been more of like a, you know, it would have been, like, not like paranatural-- paranormal thing. But like, you would have been, like, the meta human StrikeForce on behalf of the shadowy organization, which would have been a different story.
Amanda: And here are just some fun ones. Alex Back -to-back on instant wants to know if we have a heist bingo card, not specifically, but we should. That'd be really fun.
Julia: I think you have a mental one in your mind.
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Eric: We've hit a lot of cliches already, which I really-- which I'm really appreciative of.
Julia: No one's been snacking the entire time, though. That's the problem.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: We already have that. That's Sour Anthony.
Julia: Oh yeah.
Amanda: That's true. That's true.
Eric: I've tried as much to put leverage lines into this. At one point, I think Hank said, "Let's go steal ourselves or something," which was very important for me to say.
Amanda: They made me clap and squeal.
[Julia laughs]
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Tree Man 975 asks, "What is everyone's preferred kind of soup is?" Not our characters, just us, which I thought was so charming.
Eric: I love this question, because I have a group chat with two of my best friends. And whenever we get soup, we send it to each other and we say "Soup chats." So, this is Soup Chats on the podcast.
Amanda: Soup chats!
Eric: Teddy, Nora, we did it. We made it. Soup Chats has made it into the podcast.
Julia: I'm going to tell you guys a deep personal truth about me.
Amanda: Okay.
Julia: And it's that my ultimate comfort food is progresso, macaroni and bean soup.
Eric: Oh yeah.
Julia: I will buy those cans in bulk. And if I'm ever feeling sad, or if it's a bad day outside, that is the food that I eat because it is low effort. I just pour it into a thing and I heat it up and then I eat it. And it-- I've just been having it since I was, like, 5-years-old. It's the greatest thing ever in my mind.
Amanda: Julia, you forget, I spent all the time at your house growing up --
Julia: So you know.
Amanda: -- I know about your beam pantry. I know about your beaten closet. You have a bean soup shelf right in your pantry.
Julia: I do. I do.
Amanda: Just bean soup.
Julia: I was more telling, like, the listeners. I know you know that truth about me, the deep personal truth, Amanda.
Amanda: I just had that, like, like, full body, you know, like, the ghost of my body was kicked out of me like Dr. Strange showed up and transported back to your-- Yeah, your house growing up and saw-- and saw the bean soup shelf.
Eric: Are you saying bean-- macaroni and beans?
Julia: Yes.
Eric: Because you refuse to call it minestrone? Or is it just called mac and beans?
Julia: No. Okay, so progresso labels it as macaroni and bean soup,.
Eric: Okay.
Julia: But the correct name for it is Pasta e fagioli.
Eric: Oh, Pasta e fagioli. Yep.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: The reason why I asked is that I have a deep affinity for that soup as well, because we used to go to this, like, Italian restaurant in a strip mall called a Tuscan Oven.
Julia: Oh, yeah.
Eric: And every time we would get-- I would love it so much, because they would put a piece of focaccia in the Pasta e fagioli.
Amanda: Oh yeah.
Eric: Which is why I loved it. And also, every single time my mom went in there, she would send the soup back because it wasn't hot enough. And now, I think about all the waiters that spit in her soup.
Julia: Oh, that's terrible. Oh my goodness.
Eric: Every single time. Every single time. This got to the point where she walked in and they said, "Oh, Mrs. Silver, we'll get that hot-- that soup ready for you."
Julia: Get that hot soup for you.
Eric: We'll start heating up the soup. And I'm like, "Oh my god." So, at hat point --
Julia: It'll be ready in 20 minutes, ma'am.
Eric: So, that's why I was wondering about that, so that's very important.
Julia: Thank you.
Amanda: Eric and I make a lot of stews at home. Like, beef stews, like, chicken thigh stew. I make a lot of vegetarian chili and I really love butternut squash soup. But also, we never made this before, but I really like-- like a big potato style soup. Like-- like a potato soup with like, it's like bacon and, like, stuffing it. I really find very hardy and warm.
Eric: Sure. I never got the chance to eat it because I also love clam chowder. I spent a lot of time in Boston but my parents went to college in Boston. So, anytime we could go to a Legal Seafood was very important to them. Or like any or the fish chowder, just like, you know, white broth, big chunks of whatever type of seafood or fish that they had.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I distinctly remember that. And, you know, I never have it now because it's really difficult to make.
Amanda: It's a real restaurant dish. Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, but we make a ton of stews, which I love.
Julia: I will also say in the town that Amanda and I grew up in, there was a restaurant called Super Fry.
Eric: Ah, yeah.
Julia: It was, like, all fried foods, but also they would always have, like, at least 12 different soups on the menu and they were always really good no matter what you got. So, I --
Amanda: Yes, they were.
Julia: -- also just have an affinity for soup because of that restaurant.
Amanda: Oh, me as well.
Eric: I want to give a shout out to Hale and Hearty. Again, like again.
Amanda: Good soup, dude.
Eric: I know-- I know it's a company and all companies are bad and, like, the whole going out to lunch business in New York City has cratered obviously over the last few years. But I distinctly remember when I was at the office job that I met Brandon at, one of my greatest, like, only joys I had was to go to Hale and Hearty, like, a few blocks away, get, like, whatever fucking weird ass soup creation they got. And it would be, like, a reasonably priced and I could just feast on it and then take a photo and send it to my friends. So, shout out to Hale and Hearty.
Julia: Fuck yeah, bro.
Amanda: Tomato soup. Such good soups.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Blue Spectre would like to know, "For the players, Luke's Okapi polymorph hit me in the Disney Animal Kingdom feels because I'm visiting there next month. What is your favorite ride at Disneyland/World?" Julia's eyes have never been wider.
Julia: I've gone feral.
Eric: I will give also Brandon a chance to respond --
Amanda: Yes, yes.
Eric: -- as well.
Amanda: Yes. Oh, let me try the radio. Brandon. Brandon. Brandon, come in. Brandon, do you have a favorite ride at Disney?
[Radio static buzzes]
[Brandon laughs]
Brandon: You guys. It's just again, You crack me up every time. Do I have a favorite Disney ride? Do I ever? Oh, man, the only correct answer to this and I'm glad I'm going first because I want everyone to know that whatever is said after my answer, just please disregard and know that everyone else's answer is wrong. The only correct answer to this is Epcot's Living with the Land. Now, if you've never ridden this, this is a ride in which you get into a boat. And you go along a river in the behind-the-scenes of Epcot. And they grow food, and you get to look at the food, and they talk to you about environmentalism. And it's wonderful and it's the perfect thing. Now, if you are wanting to go expert level with Living with the Land, you can do the behind the keys tour, or whatever it's called, where you go behind-the-scenes of-- of Living with the land. And you can see the real, real magic where they do all the science and grow all the things and do all the bugs and do all that kind of stuff. It's very cool. And bonus, if you're sleepy, you can also just take a nap on the ride. It's-- it's nice. Other acceptable answers, and if they don't choose any of these again, they're wrong. Second best route to Disneyworld is going to every cart in Disney getting a Mickey Bar. You are never allowed. It's a fun game I play with myself which is, every time I see a Mickey Bar, I always have to buy it and eat it. I'm never allowed to not have it. See how long you can last on that one. It's fun. Tower of Terror is another good one. The Buzz Lightyear shooty ride, that's very fun. There's a trick to that one, Google that and you'll always get the top score. I think those are all the good rides. Jungle Cruise sometimes if you get a good person at the helm. Alright, now, let's hear what these other losers have to say about their bad uninformed Disney opinions.
[Radio static buzzes]
Amanda: Oh, phew. I'm so glad the connection held.
Julia: Oh god, this is like having to pick children. Why would you do this to me? Someone else go in the meantime.
Amanda: I remember going to Animal Kingdom when I was a kid, and I found it very magical. And going on just the ride is just, like a, you know, like a fake Safari. It was very fun. but I also hate conflict. And so, going on rides like that makes me very happy, but I would say drinking around the world. And the Epcot Showcase is my favorite ride at Disney, because we got to do it all together before the pandemic.
Julia: That was very fun and very good. I am a sucker for the Jungle Cruise because I think it's wonderful and I just like people making jokes at me all the time. And, like, the improv aspect, if you've listened to Head Heart Gut --
Eric: Yes.
Julia: -- I have said that my favorite type of ride at any theme park is a spiel ride, which is basically where they are, like, doing a little bit of acting and also, you're going through a ride. I will say, when we were in Disneyworld recently, Smuggler's Run was a lot of fun. It's basically you are piloting the Millennium Falcon. And you get to, like, hit buttons, and it actually reacts to the things that you do, so you get, like, different endings and whatnot. And --
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: -- I rode that about six times in a row. So, that was fun.
Eric: I respect that. My favorite ride at Disney are the roller coasters at Six Flags.
Julia: You're awful.
Eric: I know. If you like more of what the-- what's happening here, go listen to Head Heart Gut.
Amanda: Become a member of the Multicrew and then you have our weekly high-- high sort of intensity, low stakes debate show; Head Heart Gut.
Eric: Yeah, we had an argument over what was the best thing to do at a theme park and --
Amanda: No one let me say sit on the bench, so I wasn't in that one.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: But it's still really good.
Eric: That would have been so funny.
Julia: I will say it is the three of us. It's Eric, myself, and Brandon, so if you want to hear us just, like, go feral for theme parks, that's the way to go.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: I'm slightly worried when people record Head Heart Gut because afterwards there is, like, a 50-50 chance somebody will be like, "Fuck!"
[Everybody laughs]
Amanda: Delia Sally wants to know on Instagram, "How do you decide who to invite onto the show when? I've loved every single guest episode, and I'm really curious."
Julia: Aw.
Eric: Thank you. This one came to us out of the blue. And we're like, why not? Connor does have 8 million Instagram followers. Why not?
Amanda: Seems fun. Gay, like, d&d. I'm into it. It
Eric: It seems great but, you know, it is hard to find space in what we do, because, like, just inserting a guest is difficult. And like, unlike the people who used to work at College Humor, we don't have, like, an infinite supply of people who did improv for 10 years around.
[Julia laughs]
Eric: So, it is a lot of, like, trying to reach out to people who are like us and able to do it. We got lucky, you know, Brandon's usually promoting Dimension 20, which is why he came on a bunch of times. And that's why we got Rick Perry as well. Three Black Halflings, those guys are always around to be down. But it's, like, it's hard. You gotta schedule a lot of time for all this to fit together.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: And we've been able to figure out, like, being do we have enough time to put a one-shot in a bad-- in a bad Tuesday has been really the thing to figure out.
Amanda: But we find it really fun as well. And we are, you know, we listen to your feedback. So, when people say, like, "We loved Join the Paper. We love in universe one shots," that's really useful for us to know.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah, for sure.
Amanda: And then I think our last question, as we wrap up, this comes from Michelle Spurgeon. And the Question Surgeon herself wants to know, what is your proudest moment or accomplishment of 2021? I think having a job; making shit online is pretty cool. And I'm proud of myself for helping other people do that as my job. And I'm proud of all of us, and all of you for, you know, getting it done. It's harder and harder every year as the world and economy consolidates and favors those in power and in institutions. And being able to, you know, come to work and make decisions about what's right for us and our audience is pretty incredible.
Eric: Yeah, I would agree with that one. Also, getting engaged, That was fun.
Amanda: We got engaged this year. That was really fun. How do you feel about that?
Eric: It's-- it's good. The food at our wedding is gonna be tight.
Amanda: You want to marry?
[Eric snorts a laugh]
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Yea? You heard it here first, guys.
Eric: Yeah. Um, yes. I do want to marry. But yeah, no, I'm gonna agree with having the job and being able to do creative stuff. And also, this podcast has been very fun and being able to make, like, all the stuff that we've been able to sell is game mechanics and stuff like that. No. capes.
Amanda: You accidentally make a little game press?
Eric: I think I accidentally made a game press.
Amanda: That was fun this year.
Eric: That was very fun. So, I really enjoyed that and the cool Cryptic Compendium and all the stuff that, you know, it all kind of comes together but every time that someone says "Eric, what the fuck?" my heart grows-- grows three sizes. And I need that to stay in because I need a giant heart to pump all this blood in my body.
[Amanda laughs]
Julia: I think I'm proudest of my character creation this year, I suppose. I think we got a lot of really interesting opportunities to create fun little characters for one offs and stuff like that. And that is one of my favorite things to do in d&d. And so, the fact that I got such great feedback, both from the three of you guys, and also from the listeners, makes me very proud.
Eric: It's adorable.
Amanda: That's amazing. And I think for all of us too, like, when we started talking about what happened at the end of Campaign II, there was a moment where all of us were like, "Well, you know, obviously, I want to keep doing more and keep making this show, you know, for a long, long time with the three of you." And that --
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: -- that for me, was also really exciting. Like, knowing that, you know, going into campaign two, a lot was changing, and we were trying a lot of new stuff. And to know that, you know, the show is, at least for me, the most fun it's ever been to me. I'm the most excited to play I've ever been. And, you know, the most motivated to, like, do new cool, interesting stuff. And trust too that, like, you all are listening and excited to hear what's next. And, you know, being surprised and delighted by my collaborators every day and striving to do the same for you all, like, that, I think is pretty huge. Particularly working with your friends in, you know, going on year four of this podcast. It's not an easy thing.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah. I think knowing that the world of Laketown city is still something we want to come back to and being able to end the story where it's going to end of the LT3, that has been really nice. The end game feels so much less scary, because I know we can come back to Laketown city. It feels very real, and I'm very happy with it and there's still other stories to tell. But I think the LT3 story is kind of as a, like, 20 somethings coming together, figuring their shit out. And then where do you end up on the other side of that has kind of, like, is getting somewhere. The Gutenberg arc, the Gutenberg story is finding its ending point which I'm very happy with. But, like, the world is still there. Like, I don't think-- we're not, like, burning a bridge. I feel like the Campaign I. I don't know of anything else I want to say about Campaign I. Like, the concentric states Alonzo and Greg and everyone there, I feel like they're good. Like, that story-- that book. That book is closed. Yeah, but they're still, like, things we can do with on LTC even if we move on.
Amanda: Well, guys, here as we coast into a brand new year, one thing is definitely going to be the same. And it's that we're ending in spoil-y corner.
Eric: Yay!
[Julia snickers]
Amanda: Sometimes the answer to your question is "Who can say?" So let's get going. Here is from AFarLit10. "I know they parted ways with the good doctor, but if any of the heroes checked in on Dez over the last few months, how is he? Is he still on the intermittent fasting kick?" Who can say? We don't know.
Julia: Who can say?
Eric: That moment when you guys kept trying to give Dez food.
Julia: So good!
[Amanda laughs]
Amanda: A real highlight. Rakiri wants to know, "How are Dr. "ex-mayor" Morrow and January keeping up? Are they taking time to rest? Are they still cool with the LT3? What's going on with them?
Eric: Who can say?
Julia: Who can say
Amanda: Who can say? Qez, "Will Papa Lane and Dr. Morrow ever interact with each other? Will it be painfully awkward? Their relationship and the discomfort everyone experiences whenever it's mentioned is incredible."
Julia: I hope so and who can say?
Eric: I can only imagine because there's nothing the three of you like more is making me have a conversation with myself.
Julia: It's the best!
Amanda: We really do. Stuff Kay, "You mentioned Doove and Boosters, does that mean okay could in theory meet Tuna? If so, how would the interaction go down?"
Eric: It's a great question.
Amanda: Who can say?
Julia: Who can say?
Amanda: Roasted program wants to know what would happen if Pizza interacted with Sushi? Well, listen, until timelines cross, which we know canonically in comics, they never do. Who can say?
[Eric and Julia laughs]
Eric: It's true.
Amanda: Comic’s nerds, is that-- is that about right? Did I get that one? Yeah?
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah, it's great. That was great. That's perfect.
Eric: That's true. Listen, an entire multi kajillion dollar franchise is literally hinged on that idea so...
Amanda: Eva the Bug, "Will the characters learn about Preserver?" Who can say?
Julia: Who can say.
Amanda: Ben Hoover, "Is Emily Slaughter stealing the idea from the LT3 in building a superhero school?" I fucking hope not Ben.
Julia: Oh no.
Amanda: Who can say? And Mila via email, "Someone might have asked this but don't we remember that Danny made a painting of Preserver and Multitool? When are we going to talk about this? Is that way the arc is called Join Hands? Is it because we teamed up with Hank instead? Also, I want to suggest MiLoum as a friend's name for Milo, Lou, and Room.
Eric: MiLoom is good. And who can say?
Julia: Who can say?
Amanda: Who can say, Mila? Surely none of us are forgetting that very important moment.
Eric: That's true.
Julia: Yeah, we never forget important plot points ever.
Amanda: No, we don't forget items anymore but we sure as fuck forget plot points.
Eric: That's fine. Fine by me. It makes my what the fucks hit harder when you guys forget the plot points.
Amanda: Well, guys, I don't know what this year will bring, but I do know that more Tuesdays than not, you'll see Join the Party here in your podcast feed.
Eric: Can I put the ball down? It's pretty heavy.
Amanda: Yeah, yeah.
Julia: Oh yes, throw that down.
Eric: Oh, Happy New Year.
[Eric and Julia hums indistinctly]
Amanda: Anderson Cooper put down the champagne!
Eric: Andy Cohen, what are you doing with that great axe? Auld lang syne. Is that copyrighted? Is that okay? Is it, like, --
Julia: Yeah, it's fine. It's fine. It's in the public domain.
Eric: Oh, it's public domain. Now, Disney didn't, like, re-update.
Julia: No, public domain, baby!
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: Julia, can you just, like, just put in some, like, little there's nice little, like, confetti/fireworks sound effects.
Julia: Sure.
Eric: Yeah, make a sound of confetti.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah. Just sound design confetti for me?
[Fireworks SFX starts]
Amanda: Okay, alright. Yeah. Alright, good. Well, thank you all so much. Brandon, welcome home in the future back from the middle of the country. And everybody, we will see you next time.
Julia: Later.
Eric: Bye.
Amanda: May your rolls trend ever upward.
[JTP Outro Theme Music Begins]
Transcribed by: John Matthew M. Sarong