Let’s have a big meeting and get everyone on the same page. Aggie starts to patrol. Val wants hot hands. Milo picks his least favorite bar.
Housekeeping
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Cast & Crew
- Dungeon Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Milo Lane), Co-Producer, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Val Vesuvio), Co-Producer, Editor: Julia Schifini
- Co-Host (Aggie O’Hare), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Multitude: multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is a collaborative storytelling and roleplaying podcast, powered by the rules of Dungeons and Dragons. That means a group of friends create a story together, chapter by chapter, that takes us beyond the tabletop to parts unknown. In the first campaign, we explored fantasy adventure, intrigue, magic, and drama. In the newest story, we tackle science, superpowers, a better future, and the responsibility to help others.
Every month, we sit down for the Afterparty, where we break down our game and answer your questions about how to play D&D and other roleplaying games at home. We also have segments at the beginning of each campaign to teach people how to play the game themselves. It’s a party, and you’re invited! Find out more at jointhepartypod.com.
Transcript
Amanda: Last time on Join the Party…
Eric: It's December and LTC where the snow and presence are bountiful, and the normalcy and temperature is zero. Vulcani the Preserver and Kilonova have scrapped with baddies all through the fall but they need some refining on their skills... Since you know they blew up a football field and that was kind of bad. Dr. Morrow calls a meeting the next day to regroup and train. In their normal lives Milo and his friends give nerdy gifts to each other, including a life-size stormtrooper figure from his best friend Lucas. Val met and flirted with Hiomi who has incredible fashion and chew taste and was cajoled by a second cousin of theirs to go see Aunt Min. The aunt on their mob's father's side who may or may not got the sight. Aggie brought her youngest sister the famous actress Quinn to a home goods store where Quinn dodged some overzealous fans with her ability to climb up walls. I didn't know she had that, that's wild! Uh let's all turn to our quarter three reports, and look at the projections for how rad this episode is gonna be. Let's get the party started!
[Theme music]
Eric: So Dr. Morrow has called a meeting and theoretically a training session the next day she says wear something you can move in, and you won't get hot. What do you all wear as you go over to Dr. Morrow's? I guess let's call this like it's a noon meeting, so you can all go over whenever you like.
Brandon: It's a noon meeting so I show up at 3 P.M.
[Julia laughs]
Eric: That would be bad, that would be pretty bad.
Amanda: I think I arrive at 11 55 A.M. wearing some old hiking cargo pants with like bike shorts underneath, because I don't know if she means that I should wear something that I won't get hot in, or like we are not going to get hot so dress warm, so I have layers.
[Eric laughing]
Amanda: And a tank top with then a sweatshirt with cut off sleeves on top.
Eric: It's extremely good I wish I was the kind of person to wear a sweatshirt with cut off sleeves, and I'm glad Aggie is.
Amanda: It's like
Amanda (as Aggie): What? You got to keep the core warm I don't wanna buy one of those patagonia vests.
Eric (as Aggie): Yeah the vests don't really do anything, it's just markup, and like I can just do this at home.
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen on the trail if you find yourself away, keep the core warm! That's what they tell you.
[Brandon laughing]
Eric (as Aggie): You can lose 50% of your extremities and honestly it's fine.
Amanda: Yeah absolutely.
Brandon: That's on Aggies like Myspace page from ‘98.
[Everyone laughing]
Eric: Aggie has one of those survivalist handbooks you know they were like really popular in Urban Outfitters a few years ago that it's like “500 Ways to Survive Danger!” and it had like Ikea drawings and all that Aggie has like the original one before all the hipsters found it.
Brandon: All the illustrations are of Aggie it's weird a bunch of post-its correcting what's wrong, and she keeps it in her office at the museum in case kids try to yell at her about like drinking tree sap or some shit.
[Brandon and Julia laughing]
Brandon: Milo shows up at like 12:13, and he's wearing g's and a t-shirt because he doesn't like to wear shorts in public.
[Eric laughing]
Julia: Smart, smart.
Brandon: So he shows up but he asked if there's a place where he could change, and he just wears like basketball shorts that he wore to gym class in high school because he hasn't played basketball or worked out since
[Julia laughing]
Brandon: And an old commemorative like 25th anniversary Star Wars shirt.
Eric: Oh I love that. I like the idea that these are like and one branded shorts that you got at like TJ Maxx in like 2011.
Brandon: Yup! They're like a little too long and a little too short.
Eric: [Laughing] They're long in the leg but somehow it rides up on you still.
[Brandon laughing]
Julia: So uncomfortable.
Amanda: I was going to say short on the leg long in the crotch which is not going to make it into the episode.
Eric: Isn't that a Janelle Monae song?
Amanda: It should be!
Julia: Val's wearing the same thing they always do. Why is this a question? They also show up at like 12:13 same time as Milo be like
Julia (as Val): Oh hey.
Brandon (as Milo): Hey what up?
Amanda: Aggie's been waiting in excruciating quiet with January.
[Everyone laughs]
Brandon: Milo does show up with a large carrot juice that he got from the juice bar in the hipster area to gift to January.
Eric: Oh nice! What's the name of that juice bar?
Brandon: It is um... let's see let's just call them Juicems
[Eric laughing]
Julia: Uuuhhh
Brandon: Or Squeezums?
Julia: No worse.
Amanda: Oh no, no no.
Eric: I like the idea that it might just be called the Juice Bar but people call it Juicems and Squeezums.
Brandon: Yeah Juicems and Squeezums that's what I was late for, there we go.
Eric: [Laughing] Juicems and Squeezums a Christmas classic.
Julia: Ew.
Eric: Alright at this point January is waiting for all of you at the door and leads you down to the third floor where the meeting room is. The designated meeting room this one has like mid 2010 startup energy like lots of glass everywhere, but it's just one room so you can look into it and it's like a really bespoke and reclaimed wood table, and like those really like extra ergonomic chairs before standing was the new thing, it was like no I just need the right chair for my body. Everything is see-through except for the chairs, and the table like the even the white board is see-through. So yeah January leads you downstairs and Val and Milo you see Aggie just like sitting quietly at the table.
Amanda: I'm reading the newspaper, it's a physical newspaper like you know a person.
Eric: Mickie circled three particular instances on the Aggie Blotter for you.
[Amanda laughs]
Julia: Just trying to help.
Amanda (as Aggie): Mickie I'm paying you for the paper not for your annotated version of the paper.
Eric (as Mickie): It's all— honestly I could charge you for it that's what media companies are doing, I could paywall this but I'm giving it to you for free.
Amanda (as Aggie): You know Mickie I think you'd be really good at that, I really appreciate your perspective and you're a true heart of this town.
Eric (as Mickie): Listen if who's going to be able to take care of the bagels if I don't though, so I can't just go off and start a media company and then sell that media company, and then go to bermuda and live out the rest of my days paddle boarding, and doing that stand up paddle boarding which has a different name but I don't have experience paddle boarding so I don't know the name of the paddle board.
[Brandon laughing]
Amanda: Aggie places a solemn hand on her shoulder and then walks out.
[Everyone laughing]
Eric: Back in the present, January says
Eric (as January): Uh so it sounds like a lot of you had the right instincts because Dr. Morrow still needs another 10 minutes, so just hang out.
Julia (as Val): See!
Brandon (as Milo): Uh January I got— I got this for you it's a it's a large carrot juice with ginger and um one of those lids with no straw because I know you don't like straws.
Eric (as January): You know honestly I do keep my own metal straws here so thank you I'm glad that you noticed.
Brandon (as Milo): You're welcome, I know you care about the environment a lot.
Eirc (as January): I do also now you have, I assume that there is also the joy of seeing me hold a 32 ounce plastic cup of orange liquid, so I guess you could just enjoy that.
Julia (as Val): It is pretty enjoyable.
Brandon (as Milo): Nooo, that wasn’t my intention.
Eric (as January): No I know I look adorable, although it's fine.
Julia (as Val): It is very cute.
Eric (as January): I don't know listen, becoming an awakened animal has made me very self-aware so don’t like— again let's just not be weird let's just keep it all out in the open.
[Eric laughs]
Brandon (as Milo): Can I take a photo and use it as my cell phone background January? Is that— is that cool?
Eric (as January): Oh hell yeah!
Julia: That's not being weird.
Eric: January hops into a chair, and like holds on to the juice like with both his top paws and his bottom paws.
Amanda: Aww.
Eric: And he's drinking from it, he’s drinking from his metal straw as well so it's very adorable.
Brandon: Milo takes a photo and it is his background for life.
Eric (as January): Listen if you just download Lightroom you can really boost the contrast, and it really brings out my fur.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh I love it yeah, I'll do that right now!
Amanda: Aggie places on the table a tiny deep purple knit bow tie.
Eric (as January): Oh than—oh my god thank you, I assume—sorry I shouldn't assume this is for me.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah it’s for you— you don't need to make it weird or anything but I knit.
Eric (as January): No that was cool I actually don't have any knit like this color usually the ones that you can buy that are you for like very fancy cape cod children, so the colors are just in black or white so this is a happy color is really helpful!
Amanda (as Aggie): Or like forest green, like the only knit tie you can possibly own is forest green come.
Eric (as January): Oh yeah exactly like I'm not a Kennedy living on Hiatus Point, like I'm a real adult b—rabbit who needs not childish clothes.
Julia (as Val): You almost said bunny but you're like “no no that's too derivative”
Eric (as January): No I'm an adult rabbit!
Eric: Wonderful.
Julia: Val just goes
Julia (as Val): Are we doing gifts now? Like the holiday gift thing?
Eric: Yeah a Val what do you have?
Julia: Val just like pulls out of their leather jacket like uh one is an envelope, and the other is like a small box, it's not like ring size it's like if you were getting a piece of jewelry that was like a larger piece like a necklace or something like that, and hands the envelope to Aggie first.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh I um I'm still working on—
Julia (as Val): It is okay you don't have to give me a gift right now, it is alright you also just don't have to give me a gift in general, it's okay.
Amanda (as Aggie): Uh that's— that's very thoughtful should I open it now or— I never—
Julia (as Val): Yeah you can open it now it's okay okay.Amanda: I open it
Julia: It is a gift card to a place that does goat yoga.
Amanda: Aggie’s eyes fill with tears.
Brandon: Now what is that exactly? Is that goats doing yoga? Is that doing yoga alongside goats?
Julia: It is doing yoga alongside goats, and because goats like to be in high places when you do certain poses, they just jump on you.
Amanda (as Aggie): [Overcome with happiness] I get to be the highest place.
Amanda: She just says through tears.
[Eric laughs]
Julia (as Val): I'm glad you like it
Amanda (as Aggie): Thank you so much.
Julia (as Val): I'm very happy.
Julia: And then hands the small box to Milo.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh I um I see what happened is—I— I ordered yours—
Julia (as Val): Again you do not have to give me gifts it is okay!
Brandon (as Milo): No no, I got you one, I got you a really great one I ordered it and it was uh it turns out it was back ordered, so it's taking a while to get here. But I did get you a good really great gift.
Julia (as Val): Okay
Brandon: And I open the package.
Julia: Inside is a cast of the George Clooney Batman suit nipple.
Eric: YES.
Julia: And Val goes
Julia (as Val): Well see— okay my mom knows the guy who made the suit for this movie and it seemed like you would be like super into that, so she had the guy give her a copy of the cast.
[Brandon laughing]
Julia: And for out of character I wrote these down on May 28th at 3:04 in the morning.
[Eric laughing]
Amanda: You are incredible and the best gift giver both in and out of character I have ever met.
Julia: [Laughing] Thank you.
Brandon: Writing down “George Clooney's nipple”
Julia: Which I did—I wrote that before episode 9 where you said you put on the George Clooney batman mask which is hilarious to me.
Amanda: Incredible.
Brandon: So that was just serendipity?
Julia: Yeah just serendipity, there it is.
Eric: More like seren-nippity.
[Julia groans]
Brandon: Oh nice, nice, nailed it.
Eric: Nice, nice, nice.
Brandon: Milo's like
Brandon (as Milo): Oh my god now I can wear my mask and have one Batman nipple this is great thank you so much.
Julia (as Val): Figured you could probably build it out if you really want to, but also I don't want to encourage you to make a full Batman costume.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh no I would never do that of course not, why would I ever do that—Dr. Morrow are you here? Do you have time?
Amanda (as Aggie): Thank you Val.
Brandon (as Milo): Thank you Val.
Eric: At this point Dez amble's over you can see Dez walking from like the other side of the house too, just from all the fact that everything is see-through, and holds the door open for Dr. Morrow who's wearing exactly the same thing as you saw her last. White lab coat pushed up, but this time her hair is a little bit less askew and maybe it's up.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh great alright well I'm glad that we'll get this meeting started, thank you all for waiting for me, this is just something you probably need to get used to, so when I say 12 do show up at 12 but also I will be here at 12:25.
Julia (as Val): Alright so we will show up at 12:25.
Brandon (as Milo): You could just assume that I'm always there at 12.
Julia (as Val): You got here you got here same time as me my dude.
Brandon (as Milo): [Whispering] Shhh, this is our out.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Like I said, everyone should be there at least 12:05 and then I'll show up at 12:20.
Brandon (as Milo): Exactly we always are!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Okay, alright let's get uh this started, so let's yeah let's all take a seat.
Eric: Dr. Morrow pulls up a chair, Dez goes to like the back of the room and pulls the chair over to the corner and takes out like a very big uh yellow notepad and like a chewed on pencil.
Brandon (as Milo): Hey Dez! I didn't say hi yet, hey Dez!
Eric (as Dez): Oh hey hey what's going on guys? What's up? Uh Val.
Julia (as Val): Yeah?
Eric (as Dez): Hey what's up.
Julia (as Val): Hey what's up?
Eric (as Dez): Hey. Alright okay well let's let's pull some trees, alright let's get—let's get working.
Eric: Alright so the way this is working, I did send you all an agenda for this meeting this is Delta Stratagem Meeting #5. So let's assume that you've had four more of these meetings before over the last few months. January is going to lead the meeting, January has a MacBook Pro, that they're working— that they're working from now—
Brandon: Eric important question, did Dr. Morrow retrofit the MacBook Pro where instead of an apple on the front cover, it's a carrot?
Eric: Honestly though you could just buy that shit on Etsy man.
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: Valid.
Eric (as January): Alright uh, good morning it's really uh it's nice to see all of you. I know we've had a lot of progress over the last few months, and uh I'm really excited to be able to talk about all this stuff. So good morning let's just whip around the table, and we'll talk about something uh interesting or funny that happened to you this morning. I look really cute holding a carrot juice and uh well it already has 150 likes on my Instagram so pretty sick.
Julia: January has his own Instagram oh my god!
Eric: Oh yeah 100%
Brandon (as Milo): Did you like the ginger this time? I tried or what do you prefer like the spice from last time?
Eric (as January): Oh no yeah ginger is good listen with the carrot juice because you know when something gets juiced it's just like kind of sweet because you need the ginger to balance it out. So the carrot ginger is best so this is good.
Brandon (as Milo): Perfect love it.
Eric (as January): That's true, I'm glad that you've moved from getting me beet juice, to carrot juice, and then carrot orange juice which is trash ,and now it's just carrot juice so thank you Milo. Okay so let's just go around the room oh Milo, what do you got? What happened to you this morning, anything fun?
Brandon (as Milo): Uh well I got up, and you know I got dressed, and stuff and I went on the— I took the sky tram here and um, you know there's this like—like really weird person on on the skytram that was just like you know like a hanging out, and like like Tuna and I were like “what?” you know? It was weird.
[Beat of silence]
Julia (as Val): What?
Eric (as January): Great, nice. Great—
Brandon (as Milo): Okay but people on the skytram—
Eric (as January): Let's keep getting as an introductory thing just choose one thing let's just keep whipping around alright Val!
[Brandon laughs]
Julia (as Val): Uh I I walked some dogs this morning, um and a couple of them got into a tussle,
[Brandon gasps]
Julia (as Val): But then they made up and it was very sweet.
Brandon: Oh good, thank god.
Eric: That's good.
Eric (as January): Uh Aggie, what happened to you?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah my cat Sushi is not allowed in the bed, but uh this morning when I went to the bathroom and came back uh she had tucked herself into the bed and it was too cute so I did not stop her it's more of a confession—
Brandon (as Milo): But do you— do you have a photo? That was adorable.
Amanda (as Aggie): I do.
Brandon (as Milo): [Under his breath] Aw yes.
Amanda: And I shared the photo.
Amanda (as Aggie): Is this the kind of thing people put on Instagram?
Julia (as Val): Yes, yes!
Brandon (as Milo): I think yeah I think so yeah.
Amanda (as Aggie): I might have to make one to follow January, if that's okay with you, I don't know what the protocol is, I have to ask permission. But I would like that very much.
Eric (as January): No you don't, you can just do it no that sounds great.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay.
Julia (as Val): You could probably just make an Instagram for your cat, that would be extremely cute as well.
Brandon (as Milo): If you did an Instagram where it was just your cat in bed like tucked in every time, that would do very well.
Amanda (as Aggie): She does not need more excuses to think she is the head of our household.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric (as January): Now just suggestion—
Julia (as Val): Are just concerned that fame would go to her head?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yes, extremely.
Eric (as January): Say sushirolled is a— could work?
Julia (as Val): Hah!
Brandon (as Milo): Oh that’s good. Yeah!
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh on the other hand it is a plan, I'm gonna have to think about this one.
Eric (as Dez): Um this morning they gave me a doughnut with my coffee that I wasn't expecting, and that was pretty cool.
Julia (as Val): What kind of doughnut Dez?
Eric (as Dez): Oh yeah it was like cream filled.
[Brandon ooo’s]
Julia (as Val): Oh fucking tight!
Eric (as Dez): It was tight.
Brandon (as Milo): Nice nice.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I discovered the relationship between electrons! It was a new one, didn't know![Amanda laughing]
Brandon (as Milo): Whoa! That’s uh—
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah! Pretty— just wanted I—I guess I can't really get into it, but I hope— I hope your enthusiasm is still good.
Amanda (as Aggie): They don't just like ping around in there against each other?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): You know you'd think they were like ping-pong balls, but really they're more like uh koosh balls you know that Rosie O'Donnell on her talk show would throw around they kind of land with a soft thud, and not just like ping off it's it's uh I'm calling it the “koosh theorem”
Brandon (as Milo): I don't think I've ever done a single productive thing before like 3:00 P.M. that's very impressive.
Julia (as Val): You have a job. Like a regular job.
Brandon (as Milo): Have you seen me at my job, Val?
Julia (as Val): No because why would I go to a science museum?
[Everyone laughs]
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Milo I can help you with this, I'm very much a morning person, I would love to help you!
Brandon (as Milo): Do you have like a limitless pill or something that I could have?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Have is such a strange word—
[Everyone laughs]
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Let's—let's move on! Okay uh January what do we have first on the docket?
Eric (as January): Okay so the first thing uh I had was under recent Donnie Brooks uh just list scraps general uh fights that you have all came into. I think it's worth kind of reviewing and figuring out how you did and if there's any follow-up here. So Dr. Morrow why don’t you take it away?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Uh yeah so let's do some follow-up here uh we have the Sommelier which has happened recently, how did all that go for you three?
Julia (as Val): Pretty good though I think we need like to give money to SUNY Lake Town City because Aggie did kind of blow up their football stadium.
Amanda (as Aggie): It um… it was a necessary casualty, I mean it— if we'd gotten there five minutes later there would have exploded a building, people would have been killed it was a little too close for comfort in my opinion.
Julia (as Val): Oh I'm not doubting the the choice that was made there, I'm just saying like we did do kind of structural damage to the campus, and I think that maybe the town could help them out a little bit.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh no totally, it's more this is kind of further down the agenda but I— that one was a little close for me, and um I I'm wondering if there's any kind of uh— I don't want to get ahead of myself. Sorry January I just— I'll—we'll—I'll talk about it later.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Well I to that point I did hear from the the chancellor of the SUNY system and they were not happy that their football stadium had a big old hole in it, and they did ask for funds to repair it ,which is fine and I said but they you know it was a little heated the football players all did kind of a sit-in in the cafeteria to protest that. So they yeah— they weren't they ever weren't happy.
Brandon (as Milo): How do we know they weren't just like eating lunch? Like what's the difference between a sit-in, and like lunch?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Well they said “what do we want? A full field. When do we want it? Now.” And they weren't eating lunch, I think that was the way to tell the difference.
Brandon (as Milo): That sounds right.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah uh but I listen I'm glad it was taken care of it seems that uh Val you got some punches in you know villains will put you in that type of situation and it's just you know it's difficult, it's difficult. I understand but I think that from the outside people do see it like this and it is something that we need to start keeping in mind. But well I guess we'll talk about that a little bit later, um next we have the Emperor uh—
Eric: January speaks up and says
Eric (as January): I have notes from you uh Val said “hey fuck this guy” and then Val also said “remember when Milo reanimated a bunch of Thanksgiving turkeys to fight this guy?”
Julia (as Val): Yeah that sucked!
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah that was really good I liked that one a lot, I had a lot of fun.
Julia (as Val): That sucked so bad I still have dreams about that, and they're not pleasant.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: Brandon can you please roll a stealth check and I'll give you +3 to see how well the secret government covered up this entire situation.
Brandon: Well I did roll a 5 +3 is an 8.
Eric: Wonderful okay.
Amanda: Oh boy.
Julia: That’s phenomenal!
Eric: So yeah Dr. Morrow says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yo Milo it's funny that you said that was great, because you know what wasn't great, is the deep government conspiracy that the turkey people are now coming to attack Lake Town City that is all over reddit, and some state representatives are now looking into. It's actually not super great.
Brandon (as Milo): I mean look, was I supposed to like not animate the turkeys when I had the chance to?
Julia (as Val): Yeah.
Amanda (as Aggie): YES.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Y E S!
Brandon (as Milo): Okay note taken, note taken.
Amanda (as Aggie): We'll have to open like a zoo of animals Milo created at this point, if it goes any further.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh that sounds fun!
Julia (as Val): No it is not.
Amanda (as Aggie): No it's not.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): No it's not! Milo you seem to have the wrong impression of what the right thing to do here is. Being cool a good superhero is good, creating more fodder for conspiracy theorists is bad!
Julia (as Val): Bad! Very bad!
Brandon (as Milo): Okay writing it down.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Please write it down! Luckily the office of technology assessment is working on it, and we're—and we're pushing down on it but this wasn't so— disappeared as we thought it was, um we'll we'll look into that um the Emperor is still of course at large. We've checked all of the uh of the colleges and universities in the northeast that has an Asian studies department which is mostly populated by white people, we're still not on his tail we'll find him soon enough. Uh Crime Jam seems to be taken care of, I think that they're off uh former Vice President Al Gore is still happy with this and said very nice things about you Aggie, so that's still that seems to be okay.
[Amanda gasps]
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I just have the man with the tablet Val punched at the ice rink, I do not remember his name but he is firmly in jail so that's fine, good job.
Julia (as Val): It was like Professor Magnetism or something like that?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Something like that.
Julia (as Val): Like it sounds really nerdy.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah he's just he's booked, so that's taken care of um the last two are or I do have some updates on the Nephews seem to be dispersed, ever since their supply lines have been kind of cut off. What we we did understand and after having Ma in talking to Ma and before her uh mech suit shut down, and blocking all of us out we were able to figure out, and confirm the existence of some sort of group called the People's River it seems like they were the ones supplying technology to the Nephews. So all of those things you know with the fins, and the chrome, that was from the People's River. We don't know much more than that you know because she did shut down and she's kind of in a walk-in freezer of her own demise. But hopefully maybe she'll she'll open back up, and we're getting her the medical attention so she doesn't need to just be in the frozen mech. So keep an ear out about the people's river if you hear anything about that or some— I don't know they seem to be like really scary hippies, so keep an eye out for that like a hippie holding a laser gun just look out for that.
Amanda (as Aggie): All hippies are scary.
Julia (as Val): Well as the boomers always say there's nothing scarier than a hippie.
[Brandon and Eric laughing]
Eric: Nothing is scarier than someone with flowers in their hair, and a laser gun in their hand.
Amanda: Truly.
Julia: Mhm. It's really the dichotomy of it.
Eric: It’s the—[laughing]
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): The last thing here I have is Gutenberg again I still have a question mark here, so again just keep your eyes out. I still have the box they’re still the box is still creating the bombs and exploding into pixels. I've tried to analyze them they seem to be 18 and 16 bit pixels it's very strange it's something it's like if you take a Super Nintendo and you put it in the real in real life it's very strange. I guess what I'm worried about is Gutenberg and we still don't know anything about him, or other than the fact that he hates me and all the stuff that I do. Is um you know he he seemed to be watching me, were you— do— have you felt like you're being watched or anything like that?
Amanda (as Aggie): I uh I did. I don't know if this is really relevant but I— um my sister is really famous, I mean several of them are. But my sister Quinn is like an actor, and we were in the House Warehouse the other day getting her a dishwasher, how she buys in a condo with no appliances we'll talk about another time. But—
Eric (as Dez): Was it the uh the House Warehouse in the hipster one, or was the one like in the suburbs out at Weston? Because the Westin one is choice.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh definitely the Westin.
Eric (as Dez): Yeah, you gotta do the Westin one.
Amanda (as Aggie): Um and I—I did— I did feel that, I felt that um that I was being watched, and it it was uh I don't like feelings. This was a real one um
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): And there ended up being a bunch of people who recognized Quinn, I don't know how they got there if someone called them, or if they were really threatening us. But separately there was definitely some kind of surveillance that I was under someone following me in some capacity. I shook them eventually but I didn't expect that and I will next time.
[Collective hmmms]
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Interesting.
Brandon (as Milo): I don't like that.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah. Is Quinn— uh you know maybe you should— why don't you bring Quinn by in our uh, when we have our next meeting? I think that might be for the best we can ask her see if there's anything that she sees, she might be able to distinguish bad people from good people if she is a celebrity. It's kind of like innate in her. Can she uh—can she do anything?
Amanda (as Aggie): Uh yeah she gets herself in uh
Amanda: And then Aggie has like a dumb smile on her face.
Amanda (as Aggie): Sticky situations. Um sorry that's not really helpful for you. Yes she has sort of goo powers, and can stick to walls.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh so she can shoot goo out of her face or chest?
Brandon (as Milo): Goo? What?!
Amanda (as Aggie): Uh no it's it's um palms it's sort of a Spider-Man situation um but less um less uh stringy. It's more like a nest and less of a web? She can explain it better.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Okay—
Brandon (as Milo): Your sibling is Spider-man?!
Julia (as Val): That's pretty cool.
Amanda (as Aggie): No no she is just an actor.
Brandon (as Milo): [Sadly] Oh okay.
Amanda (as Aggie): So I mean maybe she'll play Spider-Man at some point. They're doing lots of you know uh outside of traditional gender castings which I think is uh great, but um yeah no not not yet.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh okay um she sounds interesting, maybe we can see if she's more of a climber, and less of a flubber and go from there. I also want you to know I find Flubber to be offensive to scientists, just the thing I wanted to share.
[Brandon laughing]
Julia (as Val): That's important.
Amanda (as Aggie): But um she she's filming soon but all she's still in town right now for the holidays, so I'll um I'll see if she's available.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Great great.
Julia (as Val): Are we just gonna be like “hey come to the mayor's house uh for our superhero squad meeting!” Just to clarify what pretense I am going to have to come into that meeting with.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh no sure, I um I think she'd be pretty flattered if Mayor Dr. Morrow wanted to meet her, and also she just really likes houses, and being places she shouldn't be so I think that being able to—
[Brandon laughing]
Julia (as Val): I understand that feeling.
Amanda (as Aggie): Visit this house would be reason enough.
Julia (as Val): Alright.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Good good! Okay—
Amanda (as Aggie): It's worth, sorry I don't—I don't know if I've said this before, but I mean all of my siblings to one extent or another can you know, they're one of us. So when that article came out a while ago, that's why I was so freaked out um because it's not wrong.
Brandon (as Milo): I mean how many siblings do you have?
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm oldest of seven.
Brandon (as Milo): Seven?!
Julia (as Val): That’s so many!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): What are— what are their names?
Brandon (as Milo): Do we know any of them?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah well there's Aggie, Danny, Cassie, Regan, Ryan, Kelly, and Quinn. Danny is a painter, Cassie is a she's like very famous on the Instagram that's why I haven't really been on it yet, I don't want to see any of her goings on, she lives mostly in Berlin, sometimes in Canada it's complicated. Regan she's a musician, Regan O’Hare—
Brandon (as Milo): Oh yeah!
Amanda (as Aggie): Um and and Ryan—
Brandon (as Milo): I have heard of Regan!
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah and um she had a collab with Kacey Musgraves recently. It was really good.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah!
Amanda (as Aggie): And Ryan is a swimmer, and a snowboarder um you probably— he has some kind of endorsement deal with with G-Fuel the the sports drink—
Julia (as Val): Oh like the Gatorade, I got you.
Eric (as Dez): Yeah yeah, he really shreds
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh on the waves or the slopes?
Eric (as Dez): Oh, both.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah he agrees. Kelly is a model, she's on those—the conditioner at the CVS, um and but she has other kinds of modeling but that's why those people know her mostly. And then yeah uh Quinn, um she just did a stint on Broadway but mostly the the movies and such. And uh yeah all them have powers that none of them are subtle about.
Eric: I feel like when Quinn was on RuPaul's Drag Race it's like “Quinn O'Hare you really hopped into my life!” And then she's like “Oh Ru, you can show me the carrot or the stick!” And then everyone laughed, and everyone laughed.
Julia: Jesus.
Eric (as January): Actually that does take us really nicely into our next section, kind of building off of everything we just said. Let's talk about public opinion, again a part of this whole superhero thing is we do need to think about how other people see us, when we're in our costumes, so I guess the first thing let's start with the Average Bear follow up. Aggie did you—have you followed talked to Tegan I guess if you have there been any sort of uh follow-up from that? Did you have you seen anything change?
Amanda (as Aggie): Um yeah, they've asked me for comment on a bunch of articles about Lake Town City none of which were about powers. But I just did not read them, I mean I read them a lot but I didn't I didn't respond, so uh no.
Julia (as Val): Did you have like a thing for this person or am I misremembering another person with a teal jacket?
Amanda (as Aggie): Should we talk about Hatomi, Val?
Julia (as Val): We can!
Amanda (as Aggie): Or are we bringing all this up right now? Yeah how are things going I really hope you guys succeed.
Julia (as Val): Really, really good we— she showed me a lot of anime, I like the Naruto.
[Eric laughs]
Eric: [Mimicking Val] I think I'm kind of a Sasuke when you think about it.
Julia: I don't know if I'm a Sasuke okay?
Brandon: Milo squeals a little bit in happiness for both of you.
Julia (as Val): Thank you.
Eric: Also Aggie you and a few of your different siblings have gotten contacted about different outlets that have tried to run with this superhero story. You know kind of like in November and in early December, there was kind of a there was now interest especially in your particular family Ryan has taken all of the interviews and said equally dumb quotes every single time, but Quinn Quinn has kind of locked everyone down, and Danny painted like a canvas that was all black except for like a little white paint that just says “no” with a period. And sends a photo of that to just every every reporter—
Brandon: That’s very good.
Julia: Can I have a print of that?
Eric: So that's been published like a bunch of times.
Amanda: Yeah it's it's hanging in my bathroom, I can get a high-res copy for you.
Eric: So it's it has been consistent, I think people are are kind of looking in to the O'Hares as we've talked about about how your parents continue to travel on holiday, they sent like an email to everybody was like “hey we're going to India we're going to be on an Ashram, no service for four weeks sorry.” So they're just like not able to be contacted at all.
Amanda: Yeah no classic, it hurts deep inside even though I'm 30. Mhm.
[Everyone laughing]
Julia: Oh boy.
Eric: Dr. Morrow pipes up and says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I didn't try to reach out to the Lake Town City offices of Average Bear to kind of do some supporting research; they did not care about me. But Aggie if you do want to go in there and do like a video of something, maybe we can try to work it out and finesse it maybe if you want to go in as a superhero, we could we could figure that out, but we we will need to give them like— every action has an opposite and equal reaction do you know what I'm saying?
Amanda (as Aggie): So why would I put more actions into stoking the fire of people's interest? I am fine with them knowing about the Preserver but they cannot know anything about my family.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): No that's why I meant you can do it either as Aggie or as the Preserver that's what I'm saying.
Amanda (as Aggie): What would the upside be?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): They stop talking about the O'Hares and started talking about the Preserver, and Vulcani, and Kilonova. I understand— I'm not telling you you have to do this, I'm saying it's an option for us to consider if we want them to stop looking into the O'Hares.
Amanda (as Aggie): [Sighs] I mean if I were to reach out to Tegan and say that they could write whatever they wanted about the Preserver, as long as they never mentioned the O'Hares again, would that help? Would that hurt? I have no idea.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): well it you can do it directly with Tegan if you're able to make that lie stick, and be like “oh my friend the Preserver” if you'd be able to get that to work. I'm just saying you can do it with somebody else in Average Bear there are a lot of different options, I just want you to think about it.
Julia (as Val): Yeah I was gonna suggest if you want to go with the Average Bear article, you don't have to do it either me or Milo could just be superheroes you know? We already are, I don't know if you want Milo doing it actually.
Brandon (as Milo): Hey!
[Beat of pause]
Brandon (as Milo): That's fair. Would we like leak them some like photos or like grainy footage of like stuff that's like exclusive to them? Maybe that changed the story that way?
Amanda (as Aggie): I think it would be a good idea for them to write about us as a unit, and I mean they're really good writer, I just yeah I was reading all of their other columns— okay um I—
Brandon (as Milo): Cute!
Amanda (as Aggie): I think that I should just be honest.
Julia (as Val): About what though?
Amanda (as Aggie): I know it's I know it's high risk, but if I were to say who I am then they wouldn't— they're gonna find out you know and if I just say it, and they're a journalist and and true about their ethics, then they can't reveal me right?
Julia (as Val): No, no sorry they they do write for a website, I this is not the New York Times.
Amanda (as Aggie): But if they are the beat reporter for our group, then why would they go back on their word?
Brandon (as Milo): You're also putting them at a risk if anyone who wants to get to us, might go through them you know?
Eric (as Dez): I think what you're trying to do is seems like the right thing to do for you, but there's a reason why we you put on the mask like you just lean into that. Also uh don't— yeah don't do that. You don't have to you don't have to throw yourself in front of that truck, it's just not worth it.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay I will take romantic advice from you Dez, I will.
[Transition note]
Amanda: Now I know Eric goes hard for heirloom tomato season, but to me the beginning of September is all about fall flowers. It sounds extremely minor, but when I see mums planted in flower boxes, and kind of autumnal and orange and yellow and red flowers and leaves decorations start to go up in my neighborhood, I know that it is peak Amanda weather. You get to wear sweaters, you get to wear leggings, you get to put on high boots and feel like you're about to jump on a horse any minute. It is a fantastic time of year and I will take any excuse I can to be a little bit more excited about my day. This is the midroll, it's time to break out your scarves!
Thank you so much to the newest members of our Patreon family: Emily, Tom, Jamie, Kameron, Mae, Mckenzie, Gijs, and Addy. You make it possible for this to be our jobs, and in thanks for your support, we have some very special bonus stuff planned for our Patrons over the next few weeks. I can’t tell you more right now, but trust me it is going to be fabulous! If you’re able to chip in, we want you to be a part of our community too! Today is a great day to join us for as little as $5 a month at patreon.com/jointhepartypod. You will get the aforementioned surprise bonus content, you will get access to our thriving JTP Discord chat forum, you will get bonus content from not just campaign 2, but also all of campaign 1! And so much more, at patreon.com/jointhepartypod
Speaking of our community, Multitude is so excited to welcome a new member show to our collective! EXOLORE by the fabulous astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier explores fictional worlds by building them with a panel of expert guests, interviewing professional worldbuilders, or reviewing the merits of worlds that have already been built. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is. If you have ever wondered what life would be like on a planet different from our own, or how writers create your favorite fictional worlds, EXOLORE is the show for you. Search for Multitude in your podcast player or go to e-x-o-lore pod dot com to subscribe! Plus, Season 2 of our nonprofit mystery-solving game show Meddling Adults launches this week, so there is even more Multitude content to enjoy. Search Multitude in your podcast player to subscribe to Exolore, Meddling Adults, and all of the other great shows we have to offer!
We are sponsored this week by Hero Forge. Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures. with dozens of fantasy races, and thousands of parts to choose from. Just this week they added fur options, and high heels, and more scientist accessories! Dr. Morrow would be so proud that you now have a selection of beakers to hold! We love our minis and we know you’ll love yours as well. So visit HeroForge.com to start designing your custom miniature today, and check back often: new content is added every week. That’s heroforge.com.
Finally, we are also sponsored by HelloFresh. This meal kit is a flexible way to save time and money, while eating a variety of great food and reducing food waste. They have vegetarian and family-friendly options, are super flexible so you can add extra lunch meals or even skip a week, and feature 22+ recipes each week that are all ready in 30 minutes or less. I love how their pre-portioned ingredients cut down on dishes, so I’m not weighing or measuring stuff when I just want to eat. Recently I made a salmon dish with a glaze so good I kept the recipe card on my fridge to repeat in the future. Go to HelloFresh.com/jointheparty80 and use code jointheparty80 to get a total of $80 off your first month, including free shipping on your first box. Additional restrictions apply, please visit HelloFresh.com for more details. One more time, that’s HelloFresh.com/jointheparty80 and use code jointheparty80 to get a total of $80 off your first month, including free shipping on your first box.
And now, back to the show!
[Transition note]
[Faint crackling of wood in a fireplace]
Eric: I wanted to kind of fill in the fame component here that we talked about a little while ago, and I want to kind of fill in some stuff that maybe that happened over the last few months uh to see how you're all doing here. We did talk about the fame modifier a little bit but I did actually lay this out and I think that the same modifier is going to be plus or minus depending on how you were doing during your general entanglements, and how much people like you because of the things that have happened during this campaign. I think it's kind of running, I'll keep track of it and uh there will be modifiers for your performance roles that you'll do because it's how other people see you as a superhero.
Brandon: Cool, love it.
Eric: I also have a bunch of questions here so this is a little bit powered by the apocalypse, like there are failures, there are mixed successes, there are successes, and great successes here. I'll have a bunch of questions here, and you can kind of tell me what situation happened here. So right now your fame modifier Aggie has a 0 because uh both of your your entanglement with Crime Jam was kind of a push, and so was the scrap with the football people were kind of a push. Val has +1 because of how handily you crushed the guy with the tablet, and you were the one doing the most damage during the Sommelier fight, and Milo because of the stealth role of the government, and they didn't do that well covering it up I did give you -1.
Brandon: Yeah that makes sense.
Eric: Yeah uh so let's go around the table as January says
Eric (as January): Okay but let's do a quick audit about I guess how Lake Town City is seeing all of you.
Eric: So does anyone want to go first?
Brandon: Uh let's just get the bad news out of the way first I guess.
[Julia and Amanda laugh]
Eric: Okay so Brandon I want you to make a performance roll, and then -1.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: 3 -1 for 2.
[Eric makes disgusted noises]
Julia: Geeze, bud.
Amanda: Oh buddy.
Eric: Okay so I have a few different prompts that I want you to follow through on, that could have happened over the last month or so. It either is related to something that did happen on mic already, or not.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: So the questions I have for you are what did you ruin for the public that was actually for the greater good? What fight did you back away from even though it was the right move? What neighborhood did you piss off? Why and how? What powerful person did you annoy? Why and how? Or just generally what did you mess up?
Brandon: And do I answer all of them or just one?
Eric: No just pick one.
Brandon: So what neighborhood did I piss off and why and how? I think Milo would probably would have pissed off Thornhill because he's a die-hard company town man, and so you know he probably would have made some offhand comment to like a news reporter, or like maybe he said it like a jape to Aggie or Val while they were on the scene and a nurse reporter caught it on camera, or on audio or something.
Eric: I love the idea that this was like after something you were cleaning up, maybe you were just like stopping some bank robbers or something and there's like a reporter ran up to you and was like uh
Eric (as reporter): Applejack Simmons 7 ½ News! Kilonova, you've done so much good here in the city, what is your favorite place where it is your favorite place to be uh in Lake Town? In Lake Town City?
Brandon (as Milo as Kilonova): Um [clearing throat and deepens voice] Uh I really like [clears throat] I really like Astros a lot like they— uh they they got a really good drink special, um but like you know like the good Astros. Not like not like the one in Thornhill like the real Astros you know?
Julia: Hoooooo. Burn.
Eric: Amazing, I love that yeah. And then immediately there's like a flurry of like “which Astros is best?” Is like the meme in the city for a week, and there's like rankings and stuff, and the Thornhill Astros it was like “listen if a villain came into Astros and blew up all of our drinks, and bowling balls, we still don't want Kilonova coming here and saving us”
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: Damn.
Eric: There must be a black hole in his heart, got him!
Julia: Ooohh, snapped.
Eric: Amazing so January then says
Eric (as January): Uh Milo we do need you to apologize to the Thornhill Astros. We know you love Astros but each one is independently owned it's kind of like a franchise situation, so like they we can't just like talk to Astros corporate, you do need to go there and figure it out.
Brandon (as Milo): [Groans for a few seconds] Fine.
[Julia laughs]
Eric (as January): Thank you Milo we really need you to do this please.
Brandon (as Milo): Do I do like a photo off with like a bowling ball like drinking a bowling ball? Like a thumbs up or like—
Eric (as January): Yeah listen these are the things you do anyway, just do it at the hipster one.
Julia (as Val): And you know, in costume. Don't just go by yourself because that's not gonna do anything.
Amanda (as Aggie): True.
Julia: Yeah—
Eric (as January): And tip really well!
Julia (as Val): At least 30%
Amanda (as Aggie): Like 50%
Brandon (as Milo): Can I borrow some cash then?
Eric (as January): Yes you could take it, you could take it from the apology jar.
[Everyone laughs]
Brandon (as Milo): Thank you, thank you.
Eric: Alright who wants to go next?
Julia: I'll go!
Eric: Okay so Julia you have a +1 and then do your performance.
Julia: Is it +1 to what my modifier for my performance is already?
Eric: Yes this is your fame modifier.
Julia: Okay so it would be +3!
Brandon: Um importantly I forgot to take into account my performance modifier as well, So I did get a 1 and not a 2.
Julia: Oh boy!
Eric: Beautiful wonderful!
[Dice rolling]
Julia: Okay uh it's a 13 +3.
Eric: Hell yeah 16 that is a success!
Julia: Boom boom!
Eric: So I have some questions for you Val.
Julia: What's up?
Eric: What did you do to succeed at universal appeal? What did you fix that everyone was annoyed that wasn't fixed? Who did you defeat either literally or metaphorically, or on the internet, that made a splash on the internet? To which established hero or celebrity are people comparing you to favorably? Or which internet influencer captured a sick move of yours and is a fervent fan?
Julia: So I'm gonna go with which internet influencer captured your sick move and is now a big fan, and I think it's not even like someone super important, but it's like a really popular tumblr page, and so now there's a bunch of like spin-off tumblrs about like f-yeah-Vulcani and Vulcani-fan-page and stuff like that. There's a lot of grainy grainy gifts of me just like fighting bad guys.
Amanda: I think cassie has probably done a Vulcani tattoo by now on somebody.
Julia: Oh hell yeah let me see it!
Eric: I like that I love that tumblr is reviving in Lake Town City just for Val now.
Julia: Yeah, for sure!
Eric: What was the big tumblr or big influencer it can be over all like who is that person that really kicked it off?
Julia: Oh I want to say it's like it's a tumblr user which is ironic because Val had never heard of them before this, but it's a goldensknight is their tumblr username, and they run a bunch of like vigilante heroes across the United States tumblr, that like has a very niche following.
Eric:I like that, I also think that if it's a tumblr it also got like aggregated on twitter and Instagram and reddit, so now it's like you're everywhere just from this one post.
Julia: Cause that's how the internet works.
Eric: I love that lots of people are bringing back the leather jacket, and push-up sleeves it's all happening. Alright Aggie let's see it so you have just a 0 and then plus your performance.
Amanda: Which is also 0.
[Dice rolling]
Amanda: 5.
Julia: Oh boy gang, ooh boy gang.
Brandon: Oh no.
Eric: Alright so you're gonna have that you have the same fails, what did you ruin for the public that was actually for the greater good? What fight did you back away from even though it was the right move? What neighborhood did you piss off? Why and how? What powerful person did you annoy? Why and how? And just generally what did you mess up? You can make up something new, or this can be related to Crime Jam or the Sommelier thing.
Amanda: Okay so I definitely annoyed a powerful person, and I think that the fathers of one of the like starters on the football team whose stadium was blown up is also a like city council person, and has been a voice for dissent about vigilantism in the city council.
Eric: Oh I like that you want to name this person?
Amanda: Julia can I delegate you to name this person?
Julia: Rich Burdock.
Amanda: [Laughing] How are you so good at this Julia?
Julia: I don’t know, that one just popped into my head, I'm like that feels right.
Eric: The starting quarterback is Rick Burdock but he's Richard Burdock Jr. but everyone just calls him Rick.
Amanda: And Councilman Burdock is like “when you get your heisman, it's going to say Richard Burdock Jr. I don't care what you say”
Eric: I love that yeah Councilman Burdock is definitely coming down hard on it. It does seem like the other coming down hard on you particularly and this group and the Knight of Mirrors I do think that there is a kind of like right way to act sort of thing that's happening without country uh avengers it's very just like
Eric (as Councilman Burdock): If people could just act like Emily Slaughter and connect with everything that's already happening in Lake Town City, we wouldn't have this vigilante problem! It would be a powered superhero force which is better, and more attuned to what we already understand in this city!
[Everyone groans]
Brandon: Um at one point during one of the city council meetings Milo shows up in ghost form and just boo’s this guy from the back.
Eric (as Councilman Burdock): Can someone please close the window? The window is open and people are booing me, this is a court of order and I do not— I do not appreciate people booing me in my place of occupations!
Eric: So now let's go back to the the meeting January says
Eric (as January): Yeah Milo, Aggie, I don't know how you managed to get people mad at you, but I guess we just need to take some steps to get people less mad at you, especially a city council person is not the person to have on your side. Especially if they see you Aggie out of costume nearly every single meeting.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah it's really awkward for me, we used to at least be able to like pass each other a stapler or a piece of paper, and now I can't barely do that without sweating so much I dropped the pen okay?
[Brandon laughs]
Eric (as January): Well maybe if we get them on their side, if we get some some better press, I don't know, what Val's doing! Eat more pizza, swear I—I'm not really sure just follow Val's lead.
Julia (as Val): I would like everyone just one second to take a pause in the meeting, and give me your best “fuck word”
[Brandon laughs]
Julia (as Val): Let's all try it, because clearly it's working for me!
[Beat of silence]
Amanda (as Aggie): Piss.
[Eric laughing]
Julia (as Val): Okay Milo?
Brandon (as Milo): Uh j-j-jerk face?
Julia (as Val): Nope try again!
Eric (as January): FUCK!
Julia (as Val): Thank you January, see January knows how to do it. If the adorable rabbit can do it, you can do it.
Brandon (as Milo): I'll work on it.
Julia (as Val): We’ll work on it, I just need you to show me you're trying!
Brandon (as Milo): Okay.
Eric: Dez says
Eric (as Dez): Motherfuck.
Julia (as Val): Veautiful Dez.
Eric (as Dez): Thank you.
Amanda (as Aggie): That’s a good one.
Eric: Dr. Morrow says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Let's stop swearing, like we can move on. I don't think the swearing is what people like about Val. I think it might be more of you just mean it will be confident in what we do, and also stay rational. Let's not do things that could create more of a problem, let's just keep keep moving forward, and let's all be nice—
Brandon (as Milo): [Gasps] I have an idea!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Sure, yes Milo?
Brandon (as Milo): Could we get the council person to come to Val's pizza restaurant, and then somehow show them eating a pizza with a knife and fork, and just smear campaign.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I will 100% work on that, more people eat with a knife and fork in Lake Town City than I can abide by.
Julia (as Val): Yes, it’s unacceptable.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): But let's focus on us first before setting up other people okay?
Brandon (as Milo): Okay.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, so I mean next time I am trying to get rid of a live bomb in a densely populated campus, what do you suggest that I do? Can we for example make a— I don't know neutralizing box that I could dump it in?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah no that's a great idea, I will— we'll do it we're still working on this. like I haven't— I haven't had time— Dez and I haven't had time to put all this stuff together necessarily, so this is this will be a good time to do it yes neutralizing box we'll I'll get on that. I guess Aggie do you have choices about where to throw the bomb?
Amanda (as Aggie): It was either that or a forest where I had very poor visibility, and I know students go to kiss and other things.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It's no it's a tough— it's a tough choice, it's listen I'm not saying that anyone what anyone's doing is wrong except for Milo, don't have turkeys run around that that was actually—
Brandon (as Milo): Oh come on!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): No, no I think we've established that was a bad choice. But it's more about how other people see you. We'll get some initiatives going, we'll get you some better buzz but just something to consider to make people to make people like you. Because god damn Emily's, go to the next one! Goddamn Emily Slaughter is sweeping up all the goodwill that I thought that we would all be able to do and I hate it!
Brandon (as Milo): I'll fight em. Do you want to fight em? Let’s fight em.
Amanda (as Aggie): We hate her too.
Julia (as Val): Superhero fight, hell yes I'm here!
Brandon (as Milo): Yes!
Eric (as January): No I do not think superhero fight. Again we're just giving people more fodder to say bad things about everybody, that would be bad!
Amanda (as Aggie): I feel kind of bad about what do they say? Ghosting her, so maybe I could have coffee with her or something, or Milo do you have any nerd shit that she wants to buy on ebay?
Brandon (as MIlp): Uh what did she buy— she bought the science key last time, so let me, I'll look at her history, and Dr. Morrow you might have some like interesting you know benign artifacts that we could oh yeah you know bibe her with.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah I have a whole closet of benign weapons we could use that I sound great!
Julia (as Val): Well that seems contradictory benign weapons.
[Everyone laughing]
Eric: That's why they go in the closet!
[Everyone laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Uh yeah I think that'll be a good idea and I can take this one guys, I know I haven't been pulling my weight in terms of the public opinion, and I wish we did not have to but I know that we do um so Dr. Morrow or or Dez if you have anything lying around that you think would be um is significant to Lake Town City history, I think that's why Emily was getting key. Hopefully otherwise big weapon issues probably that are going on that we don't know about.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Uh don’t I'll look into that um and then you know, hey if you talk to the night if you see the Knight of Mirrors can you just like ask them what what's going on? Cannot get a beat—
Brandon (as Milo): I've done that so many times, I'll fight that person too.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): No, again no superhero flights is not what we need. Maybe like—
Brandon (as Milo): What about a drag race? Embarrass them.
Amanda (as Aggie): Or a closed-door meeting? I mean would it make sense for us to all get together and just talk about what we're doing?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): That could work kind of like a get all all powered people into a room, if you think that they trust you to do it I mean. A lot of you— it sounds like Emily already tried that with the whole warehouse thing, and you three were wary of me to start with. So getting all the powered people into a room might be a little difficult.
Amanda (as Aggie): I don't know if that specifically is a good idea now that I think about it let me let me try talking to Emily and then I'll report back and we'll see if we need to do something else. The Knight of Mirrors I mean it doesn't seem like a bad person, just sort of shows up and does their own thing, and like how did they get a motorcycle that cool? That's what I want to know.
Julia (as Val): It's a very cool motorcycle.
Brandon (as Milo): It's a fine motorcycle.
Julia (as Val): It's pretty cool, Milo you're a nerd, you should like that Tron shit.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric (as Dez): I can say on good authority, it's pretty dope, it's pretty cool.
Julia (as Val): Yeah see, even Dez agrees with me, and Dez knows exactly what's up with cool science shit!
Brandon (as Milo): Alright fine! It's cool, it's cool, it’s cool, it's fine!
Eric (as Dez): You can really separate the rider and and the ride, don't think that they're the same.
Amanda: [Laughing] More Dez, please!
Eric: Dr. Morrow says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): January, we don't need a name, we're skipping this one!
Julia (as Val): Yep, no we don't want to be named.
Brandon (as Milo): There was a good note on there, I think though?
Julia (as Val): Nope there was not I think there's a good note.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): The Unthwartable Three.
Julia (as Val): What is that?
Brandon (as Milo): What a good name!
Julia (as Val): No! Terrible!
Amanda (as Aggie): That is very hard to say.
Julia (as Val): You have to imagine a five-year-old trying to say it, and no five-year-old is going to be able to say unthwartable.
Brandon (as Milo): [In a childish voice] The Untwordable Twee!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): [Childish voice] The Unfwodable Fwee!
Brandon (as Milo): See that's adorable!
Julia (as Val): No, it’s terrible.
Amanda (as Aggie): That's cute but say that again Dr. Morrow, please.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): But I'm unfwodable! [Regular voice] No I don't like it, it's not—it's too much in the mouth of a babe I think. Preserver we've already we said yes on Preserver, unthwartable might be a little bit too much.
Brandon (as Milo): Fine.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): But we're never gonna have a team name, so it's fine! Great let's move on.
Julia (as Val): It's great!
Amanda (as Aggie): I mean if we're thinking about PR though, I think January has a point.
Eric (as January): Thank you! We just need something easy that everyone can refer to all of you about. We'll kick it around, just eventually you might need to sit down and just have like a massive brainstorm okay?
Julia (as Val): Okay.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah.
Brandon (as Milo): That sounds fun, let's do it! I'll bring the donuts, you bring the coffee let's go!
Eric (as January): Alright great! Well I'll put it on the calendar.
Eric (as Dez): Is it— can I do my thing?
Julia (as Val): Yes Dez time! The best part of these meetings!
Eric: So Dez stands up, and pulls like readers out of his pocket, and puts them on, and is holding up the yellow pad.
Amanda (as Aggie): Dez, man you really pull that off. Just gotta say!
Eric (as Dez): Thanks I can uh, my superpower is being pretty fly. Uh so—
Julia (as Val): Yeah it is!
Brandon (as Milo): That's true, hell yeah!
Eric (as Dez): Oh thanks thanks everybody. Um so you know I've been looking over your reports, and everything and I haven't had the chance to really build something that you have asked me for. So I think that we're finally getting the point where I understand do you— are there things that you think you need out in the field that can maybe help your persona? Or your brand? But also just like functionally, what are things that you think might need, that I can get for you?
Julia (as Val): Well okay, so I'm named after a volcano, so what I'm thinking would make me look more awesome and also be on brand is like being able to punch so hard it flames up, and I can do fire things like like Falcon punch you know? Super Smash Brothers?
Eric (as Dez): Yeah from Super Smash Brothers, got it yeah Falcon Punch, okay.
Eric: And he writes down falcon punch, Val falcon punch.
Brandon (as Milo): Uh like if— if we could make something whether it's just like a visual effect, or whatever. But like either like two like infinitely black items, like circle me, and circle me until they collide, and then I disappear that be a cool effect. Or do the same thing to an enemy but, that would be like a weapon you know?
Eric (as Dez): Oh okay.
Brandon (as Milo): Because my name is Kilonova, that's what it's like two black hole— two neutron stars colliding, and should be like a really cool like PR move?
Eric (as Dez): Do you think that— do does all the power need to come from the the things, or do you think that you can like get some ghost stuff to like keep that going? And use that.
Brandon (as Milo): I think you could probably get some ghost juice.
Eric (as Dez): Okay. Cool, cool, cool.
Amanda (as Aggie): [Groans] Oh please no.
Julia (as Val): Ugh I hate that phrase.
Brandon (as Milo): Some ghost ectoplasm?
Julia (as Val): Uhh better?
Eric (as Dez): Cooler, ecto cooler.
Amanda (as Aggie): Energy, we know what you're talking about.
Eric (as Dez): Okay if we can get it ghost powered, I might be able to think of something yeah.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah.
Amanda (as Aggie): And um I like Val, the brand acknowledgement I'm trying not to get a rash when I think of that word anymore, um I would like to be able to assist not from the middle of the fight. And I think that in terms of preserving, maybe a sort of paralyzing effect, maybe something to help neutralize whether it's an electrical device, or a person and to freeze them for a little bit I feel would help reduce the damage that the enemies can do, while giving us a chance to get them into custody.
Eric: At that point when you say “neutralize” Dez looks up at Dr. Morrow, and Dr. Morrow gives like a small nod, and Dez says
Eric (as Dez): Yeah you know, I think we do have something that can help you with that. Yeah I like that.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay cool.
Eric (as Dez): Cool, also just like about the gum, and the buster, and the contacts, those you— I have a bunch of those, and I can give them back to you once you use them. So like feel free to do it, they do break down because they're kind of like prototypes, but I have a few of them and as long as you give me some time to rummage around in the back. I'll be able to grab them for you.
Julia (as Val): Oh hell yeah!
Brandon (as Milo): Perfect.
Eric (as Dez): Cool alright that's all I have, thank you.
Brandon (as Milo): Thanks, Dez!
Eric (as Dez): Dez time is over.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh come on, can we go back?
Eric (as Dez): We'll have more Dez time you listen once you uh, once we can go to all of the Astros again. I think that we'll be able to— we can move Dez time to a few different places.
Brandon (as Milo): Alright, I get it, I—I fucked up with the turkeys, I fucked up with the Astros, alright let's move on.
Eric (as Dez): Well like if you fix it, it's not about— Milo it's not about fucking up, it's about acknowledging our mistakes, and making them better, and then— or sometimes people then see you in a better light afterwards.
Brandon (as Milo): You're right, you know it does— you're really wise thanks. Oh and I found my fuck word!
Julia (as Val): There we go! Proud of you!
Eric: That's the secret word! January then says
Eric (as January): Alright so I guess that's the end of the meeting. Does anyone have anything they want to add here at the end I saw proton pack, Doug Navarro's working on it, phasers again also working on it—
Brandon (as Milo): Specifically anti— an anti-proton pack, like I don't want to get sucked up into a vacuum if that would be if possible. That would be a great thank you.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah that's the real problem, here's the thing the Ghostbusters stuff is real, but that would ruin Milo, so I was modifying that.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Ghostbusters actually uh based on a true story.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh!
Julia (as Val): Were you part of that? Hold on, were you part of that!?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Well like in the all-female one, I was kind of the inspiration for Kate McKinnon there.
Julia (as Val): That makes sense.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh yeah! I see it.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I thought it was pretty cool, she's much funnier than I am. I can't pull off a lot of those jokes.
Brandon (as Milo): Noooooo.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It's fine, it's fine. Anyway so—
Eric (as January): Aggie you did have a note here about patrols, do you think that can you expand on that?
Amanda (as Aggie): Um yeah, it's more like I feel like we have arrived after damage was done a lot of the time, and I hesitate to bring this up a little bit because I don't want to live in a you know surveillance state. But is there a way that we could improve our intelligence, or do some kind of patrol, or have a tip line if that wouldn't just be really chaotic. I would just— I'd like to get a jump on these guys from time to time, instead of arriving after they've already managed to you know destroy a bursar's office, and almost blow up the campus.
Brandon (as Milo): Smart.
Julia (as Val): Maybe we could have like a hashtag on Twitter.
Eric: Yeah we can definitely talk about this, I think Eric the DM here. I think that's a really good idea. I didn't ever give you more—
Brandon: Okay, Eric!
Amanda: Oh hi!
Eric: Oh hey what's up?
Amanda: It's been a really good episode!
Eric: Oh thank you!
Brandon: It’s been really fun so far!
Eric: I think this would give you all a really good opportunity to change your fame, if you are more aware and being able to get the jump on stuff. Because you know if you're only responding to like listening over police waves for example, like what the Knight of Mirrors is doing you do show up late in that kind of Batman sort of way. So if you do want to be on patrol, you will have more opportunities to save people, and then people might look at you differently. So we can get that going in between the next arc, you can set that up during downtime, and then see if that will improve your fame score. So I think that's a good idea.
Julia: Yeah. cool!
Brandon: Cool I like that idea.
Eric: Yeah okay cool Dr. Morrow stands up and says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Okay so we’re at the last one it’s training it's the reason why I called you all here let's go I'll go out to the back alright!
Eric: So Dr. Morrow throws open the glass door, and leads you out through her house to her backyard. Which as you might have seen before, looked like it was kind of all forest, and there's like a little worn path where she's kind of walked through, and she's cleared out into the forest and there's like a big rock over to one side, and she's like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Hey not a lot of people know this, but that's my thinking rock.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh yeah I know, I have one too! You just sit there and you think, and talk to the rock, and you know it's a moment of solace in a chaotic world.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah! And that's where I work out like all those big math problems that no one's really solved ever before. I got my nobel prize sitting on that rock
[Brandon laughs]
Julia (as Val): You guys just like sit down places and think?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Val do you not sit down and think?
Julia (as Val): I mean like, I think while I do things.
[Eric and Brandon laughing]
Amanda (as Aggie): Sometimes it's nice not to do things, you know?
Julia (as Val): I don't know what that's like.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): A great superhero team is about the diversity in it truly, we all come from different places.
Eric: So she leads you out into the forest, and there's just this little tool shed out there that's kind of the standing outbuilding seems pretty small no bigger than like a New York City apartment, you know?
Brandon: So it's 4x4.
Eric: Exactly, it's pretty small. So she opens the door and ushers you all inside.
Amanda: I will step gingerly over the threshold.
Eric: Amanda make a dexterity check, no I'm just— just kidding. I'm just kidding.
Amanda: You bastard.
Eric: Dr. Morrow turns on the lights and it's just these halogen lights from the ceiling, and you're standing in a pretty small room. But this does seem like a viewing station, because you're looking out onto two stories of just green screen through a double-sided mirror.
Amanda: What?!
Eric: And it's like this is like the press box, and you're looking down just on this massive sort of like green screened area. You know like in in the movies when they have the green screen, but there's like green screen on the floor and all of the walls to make sure that like everything is green screen. It's like this is a two-story, like basketball court sized green screen.
Amanda: Aggie exits and looks around the corner of the building to like square those two things.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): As a british man once took from me back in 1967—
Julia (as Val): Oh my god.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It’s larger on the inside.
[Julia laughing]
Brandon (as Milo): You. Know. Doctor. Who?! Doctor Who was real?!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Who? Welcome to the fun room, where we have fun, and we train. I wanted there to be a positive association here.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh boy.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah it seems not suspicious at all when you call it the “fun room”
Julia (as Val): Mhm.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Okay do we want another name? I thought fun was fun.
Brandon (as Milo): No it's good, let's let's keep going.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Do you not find honing your skills to a sharp point to use in dangerous situations not fun? I find that fun.
Julia (as Val): Oh no that is actually my definition of fun.
Amanda (as Aggie): Actually it's pretty fun, I like getting good at things.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): You see exactly, I thought it was fun!
Brandon (as Milo): I play video games.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It seems similar but it's like you're in the video game ooooh!
Julia (as Val): It’s a VR experience!
Eric: So you see there's like a control panel inside of the double-sided window, she's like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Well I built this thing kind of in my spare time because I felt like there were— you needed more opportunities, I guess as we were talking about to solve problems in the what kind of looks to other people in the best way possible. I know that we're not as organized as Emily Slaughter is, and we're not as cool and mysterious as the Knight of Mirrors is but I think that we can all kind of work together, and I want to use my brain power to help you out here. So uh we could take a— I would love it if you you three took a a run at the fun room, it's our inaugural voyage, and we can kind of start to train.
Amanda (as Aggie): Can we call the gym, maybe?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): The fun gym! The gym zone!
Julia (as Val): I like the gym zone actually, I'm kind of about that.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh lordy.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I like the gym zone it makes it sound like it's one of those like soft obstacle courses you did when you were four.
Julia (as Val): Yeah like the little gym, or whatever the fuck that were the kids go.
Amanda (as Aggie): Why don’t they have one for adults? I would go there every day!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I can program— I can make sure to program a ball pit into whatever we're doing no problem.
[Brandon ooo’s]
Julia (as Val): Thank you.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Okay let me just uh
Eric: She goes over to a computer that's inset in there, and types something in really quickly and says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Alright I'll make sure to put in the ball pit.
Eric: So I think you run the inaugural voyage, I think we should give this a shot!
Brandon (as Milo): Let's do it!
Julia (as Val): Let's do it!
Eric: Wouldn't that be fun?
Amanda: Alright.
Eric: Uh so there's a door over to the right side of this room, and then you see there's a rope ladder that leads you down into like the green screened area.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh it's underground! I should have known that. Do you have permits for this many underground dwellings? They're very close to each other.
Julia (as Val): She's the mayor, she can make permits for whatever she wants.
Amanda (as Aggie): True okay yep.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Thank you Val.
Amanda: And Aggie jumps down.
Brandon: Milo looks a little bit disappointed that it's not a Doctor Who thing.
[Eric laughs]
Eric: Dr. Morrow says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Alright, so I don't want you to do this alone, and don't worry I'll be able to talk to you.
Eric: So she closes the door and she turns out like a microphone like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): [Through the speakers] Son't worry I can give you clues here just in case you need anything, and I'll be sure to monitor all of this stuff. But I did want you to have kind of someone else to help you here!
Eric: So she hits a few buttons and it goes click and you hear like a whirring sound and in front of you just like kind of in in the green screen area, is a regular looking guy in front of you who has very shaggy hair, is wearing basketball shorts, and like a descrip script t-shirt, that says “go team” it's like—I don't know if any of you have played a sports game, but there's kind of just like a nondescript like team uniform you have.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah I envisioned Robin Williams and Mork and Mindy. Like really like chunky hair, and just kind of a goober looking guy, but also like a lil looks a little bit out of place. This person waves to you and says
Eric (as Regular Guy): Hi, I'm Clippy, it sounds like you're trying to solve some puzzles in the fun zone.
Julia: Oh jesus.
Eric (as Clippy): Would you like help with that?
Eric: And Dr. Morrow comes over the microphone says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Alright well Clippy can help you if you get into any— just tell Clippy what to do, and they they don't have any kind of like directives of their own so if you tell Clippy what to do, they can help you out with it.
Julia (as Val): They're not real right? This is not a real person?
Eric (as Clippy): No, I'm Clippy! I'm just your assistant!
Julia (as Val): Okay.
Brandon (as Milo): Hey Clippy what up?
Eric (as Clippy): Not much! Happy to do stuff.
Brandon (as Milo): Great.
Eric: Dr. Morrow says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Alright are you ready for your first situation?
Julia (as Val): Let's do it!
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah! Let's go!
Eric: So you hear some typing, and then like slamming of a big button, and the green screen starts to change
[Upbeat 8-bit music fades in]
Eric: It's being rendered into rock, and it's starting to get really hot. You didn't know how that the green screen would be able to do temperature too, but of course Dr. Morrow is able to render it. The ground under you is cragged and cracked and there seems to be rivletts of some red and orange liquid, but it's hot and you realize this is lava, and as you look around and the sky gets gray, you are on the side of a volcano. You also see to your left there is a small ball pit
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: That is now just like in like a child's above ground pool like rubber pool, there's now like one to the side of the volcano. And uh Dr. Morrow comes over the microphone and says
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Alright go!
Eric: And right in front of you in the rock the lava seems to be making shapes and letters into the floor and the lava spells out: find the three colored orbs and the floor is lava! Seriously it's lava.
[Upbeat 8-bit music stops]
[Theme music]