The best laid plans of mice and superheroes often go awry, especially when you’re in a time loop and the guy controlling the time loop is onto you and then sets up a bomb at a bridge. Vulcani heats up. Kilonova resets. Preserver spikes.
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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 (Aggie O’Hare), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Co-Host (Val Vesuvio), Co-Producer, Editor: Julia Schifini
- 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...
[Theme music plays in the background]
Eric: The LT3 are determined to figure out what's going on with the guy in the black trench coat, but since it we're still time looping, that doesn't mean we can't resolve some emotional family issues, like Val trying to reach out to their big mobster dad who's pulled back on the crime as he's taking care of his kids with his second wife. The theme is Hurt Feelings from parents. Kilonova and Preserver head down to the gallery to commune with the projector, but it is swarming with cops and Emily Slaughter. At the same time, Val finds Dr. Morrow at the protest, which is unlike the other loops not being diverted into Smoke Break Park Preserver then tries to call out the man in the black trench coat on Twitter a.k.a. LVL Up, but is pilloried by his boss. She then ropes and Carmen who figures out his real name, John Paul Schultz. With that, Preserver grabs his address and the LT3 break into his apartment. As it turns out, John Paul's girlfriend just dumped him and he's dealing with it. To send a message, Vulcani burns down his apartment and John Paul, in front of his burning apartment resets the loop. But before the three can act in the morning, someone has called a bomb threat in on the bridge. You know, they say fight fire with explosives. Let's get the party started!
[Theme music fades in]
Eric: In the morning of Loop 11, all three of you wake up to kick John Paul Schulz's ass and his modded N64 now that you know where he lives and you burn down his apartment one time.
Julia: Just one time!
[Eric laughs]
Eric: Just once.
Amanda: It didn't even stick!
Brandon: Just a little fire! Little fire.
Amanda: [Voice getting higher pitched] C'MOOOOON!
Julia: You know?
Eric: You weren't even hurt. Just walk it off, walk off the fire.
Julia: Rub a little dirt, walk it off.
Amanda: Now you get the cool story that your apartment was burned down once, and it didn't even happen!
Eric: Not the worst thing that happened to you during this loop you got broken up with!
Julia: And your girlfriend left wasn't even broken up with. She moved out.
Amanda: Great rebound story. Okay? You're sitting in a bar, you say to somebody, my apartment just burned down. All I have is the clothes on my back. You're going to get a rebound that night. I'm just telling you.
Julia: Hopefully they take you back to your - their apartment. Not yours!
Amanda: Exactly. Exactly.
[Eric and Brandon laughing]
Eric: As you were ready to go kick his ass. The public radio, the local news, Dr. Morrow and everyone else has started texting you, asking if you are all okay and if you've heard what happened, especially your friends from out of town who are like anytime they hear anything about Lake Town City, they text you regardless of where you live. Actually, in Lake Town City that there is a bomb threat has been called in for the Rosalind Park Bridge, which goes from Salita over Lake Champlain to Vermont. Right now, emergency services have been sent out. Maybe some other superheroes are on their way. But this is the first thing you're hearing of this probably at like nine fifteen, nine twenty as y'all are getting ready to get out of there. Milo, you get a text from your dad being like, hey, are you okay? Don't go near the bridge. I don't know why you'd be going to Vermont right now. I know how much like you like Ben and Jerry's. For Val - Hitomi, she turns over in bed and shows you like a link be like,
Eric (as Hitomi): Oh, my God, this is this is wild!
Eric: And Aggie. You get a text from Tegan Murphy. Does Preserver have like a phone as well?
Amanda: Good question. I think Preserver only has Twitter and Aggie has that app on her regular cell phone.
Eric: Okay, I think that Tegan has texted Aggie and DM'd Preserver being like,
Eric (as Tegan): Oh my God, are you okay? Are you going over to deal with this?
Amanda: How does the language differ between those two messages?
Eric: Sure,
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Great question. Tegan text Aggie and says does like three exclamation points and says
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric (as Tegan): Are you okay? Are you near there? What's up?
Eric: And then Tegan DMs Preserver and says
Eric (as Tegan): Are you heading over there now? I'm going to be there in a few minutes I have to report on this.
Brandon: That's a weird way to ask a person out on a date.
Amanda: Yeah I think Aggie-
Eric: I love long walks on the beach, bomb threats, and salsa dancing.
Amanda: I think Aggie will text back.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh no I'm good. I'm on shift. How about you?
Amanda: And then Preserver will... Will she leave it on read. Yes she will.
Eric: Okay,
Julia: Brutal.
Eric: You if you leave it on red I think like five, ten minutes after that Tegan like.
Eric (as Tegan): Alright, I'm sure you're already there, maybe I'll see you there. I'll be all over the turquoise Tegan lol. Don't get hurt. Or keep me from getting hurt, lol?
Amanda: HUH. As soon as I see that, I'm just going to start a quick call with you guys and be like,
Amanda (as Aggie): Hey, I think this is obviously a distraction, but someone has to deal with this. I think we should split up.
Julia (as Val): Yeah,
Eric: Dr. Morrow hacks into your phone call and says - I'm just kidding.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: But the Dr. Morrow has called all of you already and told you like,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Hey, I know the museum of this is more important. You need to do this first, don't usurp that.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah. I mean I'm already - I got pants on. I'm on my way. I'm going.
Julia (as Val): I guess I probably would be good at bridge infrastructure but also someone needs to go get this motherfucker if this, if this bridge thing is just like a teen boy who didn't study for his test, so he calls the high school to call in a bomb threat like level of distraction. I don't want this guy getting away with whatever he wants to do.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah, you guys go for it. I'm going to take care of John Paul and just look look out for Tegan, okay? In the jacket. Okay, good bye.
Julia (as Val): Oooo. Bye!
Amanda: Aggie ends the call. Furiously.
Eric: I also say oooo!
Brandon: Milo is like,
Brandon (as Milo): Wait, why. What? Why'd you you say ooo? Val?
[Eric laughs]
Eric: I recently learned Apple and Zach Rose were dating.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Wonderful. So Kilonova and Vulcani are going to go to the bridge and Preserver is going to go to where? Where are you going to go?
Amanda: I'm going to speed to the museum and try to get to the projector first.
Eric: Hell yeah okay, let's do that first. I think that you all, you all break. We have the panels of all of you doing your various like, you know, with the speed lines going behind you. At this point, I feel like Vulcani just runs wherever they go.
Julia: Yeah, that feels right.
Eric: It's just faster.
Julia (as Val): It's just faster. The sky tram is excellent, but it's just faster to run. Sometimes it's like when you're sitting in a taxi and you want to like trains go by and you're like, yeah, I could have gotten there faster if I just fucking walked.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: I feel like your vibrations thing is like you've moved from just being like hard to hit with your high AC as being a barbarian. And now you're just like, yeah, I'd rather sprint there. I can just sprint for -sprint for half an hour when it's really go in.
Julia: There's just like the streaks of flame, like when Back to the Future, the DeLoreon takes off.
Brandon: And Milo's panel, he's definitely running there towards the sky tram and he's dragging Tuna along by his tail.
Eric: I like that in my head. Both of you are like flipping through people and vehicles and buildings.
Brandon: Totally.
Eric: It's only faster for you because you can go in an exact straight line.
Brandon: Yep.
Amanda: Like Tuna swishes their tail and then you can just go incorporeal briefly.
Eric: I love that. Yeah. And Aggie you're turning it over to the museum.
Amanda: I think went ahead head over in costume as Preserver. I imagine I probably just have a truck stashed nearby that I use for official purposes like in a garage or something. Regardless, I am going to head over there and safely at a stoplight, going to DM Tegan back as Preserver and say
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm responding to another threat. I told Kilonova and Vulcani to look out for you. Please stay safe.
Eric: Cool. Yeah.
Eric (as Tegan): I'll try. I don't know if I can do that without you. Oh. What are you doing. Where. Wait where are you going?
Brandon: Haha and lol, huh?
Julia: Maybe on her end. I like this Preserver playing hard to get personally.
Amanda: Uh
Amanda (as Preserver): Actually have you ever heard of someone called John Paul Shultz?
Eric (as Tegan): Uhhh, no I mean I can look it up on LexisNexis or something, but I haven't no.
Amanda (as Preserver): That would be great. This this veers into the super territory. So I am counting on your discretion. Trust me, if anything comes of it, you'll be the first to hear.
Eric (as Tegan): Sure, I'll look it up when I'm in front of a computer if I don't get blown up by a bomb, haha!
Amanda (as Preserver): This might be a better thing for you to work on than, you know, an active crime scene. I'm just saying.
Eric: Asterisks, reporter voice asterisks.
Eric (as Tegan): *Reporter Voice* You can't tell me what to report on.
Amanda: I leave that on read.
[Eveyrone laughs]
Eric: Damn.
Brandon: This is the weirdest form flirting I've ever heard of.
Eric: Yeah. Let's do this first. So I think that you're heading over and it's like 10:30 and you see the loop, the thing that happened in your previous loops. You're there early during the VIP showing around.
Amanda: Nice. I'm just going to try to talk to you as fast as I can. Just be like, hey, I'm super need to check something out, you understand, and just try to like, intimidate my way through.
Eric: No, I think that you have the fastforward you can use a similar thing, especially the guy with the man button who's at the front is like, "oh yeah, absolutely. Either is a bomb threat, are you not there is this more important?
Amanda (as Aggie): Delegation, delegation, delegation, didn't you read that?
Amanda: And I continue walking.
Eric: Okay!
Brandon: And you hear the word delegation go off into the distance.
Eric: Yeah. As you walk away you hear
Eric (as Receptionist): Hey when - when Kilonova goes invisible is he all invisible?
[Everyone laughing]
Amanda: I shake my head.
Eric: Yeah you are now you're now in there. So now this is the same setup. People are still going in and out, setting things up by Baron Zorn. All six foot five of him and his big hat are showing around influencers and he's not really he's still not really giving you any mind. I think that you look around looking for John Paul in the black trenchcoat. He's not there.
Amanda: I am beelining for the projector.
Eric: Alright. Yeah, you're at the projector. It is. It's currently going. It's like bright and it's on and you look at the carriage and there are some slides in there.
Amanda: So that means it has been used, right? Correct.
Amanda (as Aggie): Where can I go from here to cut this guy off at the pass?
Eric: Wonderful. Yeah, I think that you see the projector, like, spins up and you see a few slides go through the arch and then slowly there's a slight you see a bunch of images of John Paul first, like there's like a photo and then another photo and then it starts to spin up to be an actual video. And you see him in like a shitty 2001 Toyota Camry driving on a street away from Salita, getting on Highway one and then getting off on the exit that is coming towards the industry district in Companyton towards the museum. So he is coming towards you. And if you wanted to cut them off, the easiest thing would be to stay put.
Amanda: Yeah, I'm going to pat the projector like a cat and then run back out. And assuming I know what street he would take from the highway to the museum, I'm just going to stand in the middle of that street with my arms crossed.
Brandon: Hell yes.
Eric: Hell yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I think the projector purrs as it spins down and the light goes off and you step out and you're standing in the middle of the street. Okay, let's head to our other superheroes over here dealing with the bomb threat. I think that you all you all hustle over to Salita to the Rosalind Franklin Bridge, by the way, Rosalind Franklin Bridge, named after the woman who worked with Watson and Crick on DNA but was ignored for her work because she was a woman and then wasn't allowed to be added to the the Nobel Prizes. They won because she was already dead and the Nobel Prize doesn't give it to dead people.
Amanda: That's just a policy. You can change policies. Policies are people's decision.
Julia: So that was a Dr. Morrow name, huh?
Eric: Yeah. Dr. Morrow decided that a bridge is way, way more useful than a statue. So Dr. Morrow decided to name the bridge that once there was enough people and Lake Town City to get to Burlington and other parts of Vermont, they built the bridge and she named it after her.
Julia: She's fucking right.
Brandon: So as soon as we arrive, Milo is going to meet up with Val and sort of assess the situation. Do we need to, like, roll any perception or investigation or anything to see what's happening?
Eric: Oh, when you guys show up, there are tons of people there, whether we're talking about ambulances, police cars, I don't know, infrastructure, people who are there to immediately fix it. If something goes down, there is local news vans with the people doing talking about it to the camera for breaking news. You see that there is a little radio van for WLTC that is also reporting as well. You will see that are a bunch of also people who you recognize there alongside of the massive kind of throngs of citizens who want to see what's happening and all of the cars that are evacuating the Rosalind Franklin Bridge, both on the Burlington side and the side. You also see a few people you recognize, including Emily Slaughter, who is directing Flyboy and the Moose version of Taxonomy to keep people back and kind of enforcing the perimeter around the bridge as that's happening. You also hear SCRRRR. As the Knight of Mirrors Akira slides nearby.
Brandon: First things first, though,
Julia: We flip off Sour Anthony.
Brandon (as Milo): YO! Knight of Mirrors come over here, hang out with us.
Julia (as Val): Hey friend.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Oh hey guys. This is the first time I'm ever picked for anything, including volleyball or stuff. So this is actually pretty, pretty big deal.
Brandon (as Milo): Hey, I bet you were great at volleyball.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Uhh... No.
Julia (as Val): Fair enough.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): And that's all I'll say about that.
Eric: They like little like the I don't want to say like bunny hop, but they like you like little scoots of their little motorcycle over to you and you see that like the Knight of Mirrors also is able to balance on their motorcycle. They don't put a kickstand down, they don't put a foot down to lean. Maybe as they see those tires are pretty chunky because it's like a Tron bike and not like any other sort of motorcycle. You can tell. I'm really I know so many things about motorcycles.
Amanda: It's like self balancing. That's really cool.
Eric: They're just kind of leaning over their handlebars just
Julia: Casually.
Eric: Casually listen, you know,
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): They're like bomb threat, right? Wow, I remember my first day as a superhero.
Julia (as Val): Was it also a bomb threat?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): No, it's just like, you know, these people are really just trying to make a name for themselves, throw in a bomb threat, I hope that there isn't one.
Julia: Hmm.
Brandon (as Milo): Alright. First thing's first y'all, crowd control.
Brandon: So I'm going to cast shape water, and I'm going to pull up a giant version of Milo out of the river and have them say,
Brandon (as Large Water Milo): Don't worry citizens! Um. The LT3 are here! Please move away from the area so the emergency workers can get their jobs done!
Amanda: Incredible.
Eric: Incredible. No, I love that. That's very funny. So shape water is a five foot by five foot cube. So do you want it to be a full Milo? You want it to be a square Milo head? What are you looking for?
Amanda: Wizard of Oz head. Wizard of Oz head!
Brandon: Yes, it's like a Wizard of Oz head, but the like five foot. So it's like a giant face of mine.
Eric: No, that's great. There are some boats that are in Lake Champlain. It's it is May 1st. It's a nice day out. People are taking a spring summer Friday. And I think you see that there still are a decent amount of people there. But like there are also some swimmers in there. So it is there is like a bunch of people in there and they're like,
Eric (as People in Water): We're trying! We don't want to be here either!
Brandon (as Large Water Milo): Have no fear!
Brandon: And Milo is going to again cast again Shape Water, which is a cantrip, by the way, to sort of just change the flow of the direction of the water. So it pushes everyone away from the bridge on the other side.
Eric : Cool. Yeah, I think that will definitely help. I think the waves come up and they start to push some of the sailboats in the rowboats to try to get them a little bit more to safety. That sounds great.
Brandon: Then I'm going to turn to my companions and say,
Brandon (as Milo): Alright, step two, let's find this bomb and I'm going to cast detect magic, which is a spell. So I'll roll my spell surge.
Amanda: Hey, what are you up to bud?
Brandon: Uh, yeah, 9. It's 9.
Julia: Healthy 9. Solid 9.
Amanda: Generous pinch of 9.
Eric: Nice.
Brandon: So if I do see it, I also learn at School of Magic, whatever that means to you.
Eric: Cool, cool, cool. Sounds good.
Brandon: If it's fake, I would like to know that.
Eric: Yeah. What's the range on it?
Brandon: 30 feet.
Eric: 30 feet. Do you roll on detect magic?
Brandon: No it just happens. But it's 30 feet in front of me and it is an action but it can also penetrate most barriers. But it's blocked by one foot of stone, one inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead or three feet of wood or dirt.
Eric: Sounds good if you guys would like to try to figure out where it is Brandon. I'll give you arcana roll for that. And Julia if you want to do a perception check.
Julia: Cool. Can I similarly use the unknown glasses to try to give myself advantage on it?
Eric: Oh hell yes. So you can look into it. Yeah, that's sounds tight as shit.
[Dice rolling]
Julia: I rolled a 15 with advantage.
Eric: Cool
[Brandon laughs]
Brandon: Well I rolled a 7 for arcana.
Eric: Nice. And then roll for the spirit surge.
Brandon: Yes I got that. It was a 19 so I'm up to 10.
Julia: Oh my god. I'm like anxious about when you're going to roll this.
Brandon: You're anxious?!
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Okay, between your two things this is a little too far away for you Brandon. I think that paired with this 15 perception using your on your UNglasses, you do a scan of all of the boats and all the skiffs and stuff that are in the Lake Champlain right now. And you see that none of them that are close to you have any sort of trace of magic or tech or otherwise. However, you notice that there are three boats that are dangerously close to one of the major support beams that hold up the bridge. So I would say I will whittle it down to one of those three boats. There's one on the left, one in the middle and one on the right.
Julia: I would like to cast jump on myself.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: And I would like to jump down to where those boats are and just kind of try to get. Between myself and the support and push them away.
Eric: Okay, I don't think you have enough strength to push the boat to push the boats away.
Julia: That's fine. I'll get I'll get down there. And I believe casting jump is an action. Can I use my bonus action to go into a rage, please?
Eric: Hell yeah dog!
Julia: Cool. I just want to be safe.
Eric: So, yeah. What is it look like when you can't jump on yourself? Are you using your fire magic?
Julia: I kind of picture it like almost rocket boots, like, you know, in My Hero Academia where Bakugou is just like shooting flames out of his hands?
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: That happens. But out of my Doc Martens.
Eric: Hell yeah dog. Yeah. I love how you immediately just like charged down the embankment, like flames coming out of your feet, like just blasting down there. You still have the unglasses on, but you can use the second charge as well.
Julia: Yes. I want to locate which boat it is.
Eric: This is it. It's in the rightmost boat. You also see the the side this is called the RSS. Reset your life now.
Julia: Oh fuck you. Fuck this dude.
Eric: Sorry, I just called it the RSS because I'm a goddamn podcaster.
Julia: I like that. Keep it.
Eric: Whoever owns the boat made podcast money and got podcast rich and they called it the RSS. Reset your life. You hop onto this like this like sailboat that someone has bought for themselves to live out there post podcast life and nestled underneath, like the first aid kit is something blinking and beeping and whizzing. And it says that it has a there's a countdown timer with thirty seconds left.
Amanda: Oh boy.
Julia: Cool. I'm going to grab it and I have advantage on my strength throws right now, so I would like to throw it and then shoot it with magic missile so it explodes in the air away from people.
Amanda: A real Tony Stark maneuver.
Eric: Hell yeah. Okay, let's see if you can throw it first. This thing is heavy. It is like chocked full of tech. It's like someone stacked just like like explosives on explosives, on explosives in no sort of actual pattern or slotting it together. It's just like a package of explosions with a timer on it with lots of glowing lights. Also, it's all atomic purple, you know, like on the Gameboy. It has like an atomic purple shells so you can see all the guts inside. This is going to is going to be really do or die here and the DC for this for picking it up and getting it any sort of distance is going to be 20.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: This thing is heavy as hell. It's also secure. Do the boat.
Julia: Gotcha. Okay, yeah. So I am adding a +4 to this.
Amanda: Do you want to eat a mushroom?
Julia: Oh shit. I do have the mushroom don't I? I'm going to use that. Thank you.
Amanda: Oh Val. Okay, let me narrate the scene. I'm the omniscient third party narrator, ready?
Eric: Amanda kicked me in the face and took my dice.
Julia: I like it into it.
Eric: She's keeping me at arm's length while I'm trying to fight.
Brandon: Oh God. It's elementary school over again.
Amanda: Val lands on the deck of this shiny sailboat that clearly has not seen an actual day in an actual sea in a long time. Stares at the bomb after flipping open the hatch plants their feet and plants their fists on their hips, then gives it a little one second, you know, holding up a finger and brings a sliver of mushroom out of their breast pocket, chews it and then gets down to business.
Julia: Hell yeah.
Eric: In my head, like all of you have this shared test tube. So it's like a package of M&M minis. You just like shake one little much in your mouth. And yeah, I think that once again, you feel like it's spicy, like it comes up from your feet is the same experience that you had and you're like, hell, yeah, I'm eating this scorpion pepper, let's fucking go and you're juiced up. I live with this is helping your class because it's strength which is your thing. So I'm going to lower the DC by five. This is DC 15.
Julia: Okay, I have plus 5. So I need 11 or higher.
Eric: 11 or higher. You need 11 or higher.
[Dice rolls]
Julia: Alright, the first one was a 16 +4, dirty 20. I'm going to roll one more time because maybe I'd do something cool on a nat 20 who knows?
Eric: Maybe you crit, maybe you crit.
Julia: Got a 2.
[Everyone laughs]
Julia: Hell yeah advantage.
Eric: What is this look like to you? You are you're filled with energy. I think that from the shore, as the Knight of Mirrors is about to do a wheelie and jump over the side and speed to help you. And you just see like Val starts to glow purple and you're going fucking super sayan. And I think it's just like you have the goddamn aura around you. It's spicy, it's loud, and all you're fucking doing is picking up this atomic bomb and throwing it.
Julia: I think Val cradles the bomb in one hand and then turns and throws it like a discus thrower, you know, in the Olympics. And then as it like, flies into the air, away from everyone, away from all the people, just like finger guns, boom, boom, boom, magic missel.
Eric: I love that.
Julia: I do have to roll for the magic missile, though.
Eric: Roll the damage for me.
Julia: Okay, I'm basically doing three d4 and it's +3 force damage.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: So 4, 2, 4. So that is 8 +3. 13 damage.
Eric: Jesus Christ. Oh my God. Yeah. My HP for that thing was 12. Fuck.
Julia: Are you kidding me?
Eric: No I am not kidding you. I'm like there's no way this would explode. No way. Unless Julia rolls incredibly there's no way it would happen. But yeah you toss it in the air like it's a goddamn discus and shoot it out of the air like it's a clay pigeon or something like your skeet shooting. Boom, boom, boom. One blast of fire to blast to fire, three blasts, a fire. And it goes and it just blows everything backwards.
Julia: Val blows across their fingers.
Amanda: May I suggest that that moment is captured by Carmen standing onshore with, like, purple glitter coming down from the sky in the form of debris and purple aura around Vulcani. And it's their profile pic everywhere?
Eric: Absolutely. Abso-fucking-lutely. Carmen's like
Eric (as Carmen): Tight.
Eric: With a camera.
Julia: Takes a sip of coffee.
Eric: Yeah. Takes a sip of coffee. I think that, yeah, you it's true firework that happened in the middle of the day and everyone on shore and everyone in the water just stands up and claps,
Amanda: Yay, our approval rating!
Julia: This has to be the final loop. So I won't do anything cooler than this!
Brandon: Milo is going to cast create water to sort of I can make a 30 foot cube of rain so I can extinguish any flames that happened to come. But, you know, if it happens to also be raining over Flyboy, I wouldn't stop you.
Eric: Yeah. Flyboy's try to say grab some people in the water and he's just getting soaked like a singular cloud is following him around as he's flying around.
Brandon: Shit, I should've done that. That was a spell. And I did roll a 4.
Eric: AHHH! Incredible! In fucking credible.
Amanda: Oh, Brandon.
Julia: How - I was so anxious this entire time. And then I was like, I fucked with Flyboy. Now weird magic's gonna happen.
Brandon: I know this is what I get for trying to be an asshole, you know.
Eric: Yeah. Rolled a d10 into for me my man.
[Dice rolls]
Eric: Huh? Okay.
Julia: I don't like that. Normally, it's a delighted cackle.
[Amanda laughs]
Brandon: I know.
Eric: So you conjure the rain cloud and its following flyboy aroud, but then like the rain cloud stops and gets sucked back into your ghost arm and then your ghost arm then starts to envelop your chest and then your legs and then the rest of your body. And it's like covers all of this to become just like one full ghostly being. And you float up into the sky for a second and then it all just kind of goes floop! And sucks back up and man, you feel God damn, you feel great. And I'm giving you your fifth level spells like that.
[Players cheering]
Eric: Yeah. You regain all your spells, slots. And I think that everyone is just like, "oh, another things happening!" And then everyone's looking over at you and Julia I want you to roll a d8 for me.
Julia: I don't like that one bit.
[Dice rolls]
Julia: I rolled a 1?
Eric: Oh my God. Okay.
Julia: I don't like that one bit.
Eric: So Vulcani you're looking over and you see Milo float to the air like a ghost and you're like, oh hell yeah. That's so cool. That's so cool that Milo can do that. I feel. Oh, man, I feel tired and you stumble forward and you feel the splash of the wall of water around you as you fall into the lake.
Amanda: Why?!
Eric: Drugs are bad, dog!
[Transition note]
Amanda: Hey, it's Amanda I have been rediscovering in my adulthood some of the styles that I felt really self-conscious in as a kid, like turtlenecks, it turns out, can be really nice to wear leggings. Totally. Pants and overalls are so nice, they are breezy and easy to wear. This pair I just got has like a hammer loop thing on the side. So next time I'm hanging up pictures, I'll just walk around with my hammer for a while and feel really cool.
Oh, that's wonderful. Welcome to the Midroll. There's seven pockets. Welcome to several beautiful people who joined our Patreon: Sarah, Gaynor, Kyle, Jay, Greg, Tabitha, Allie, Erin, Janek, Matthew, Fabian, Machine, Bryce, and Jaybaybay, who sent a very kind message, thank you.We’re so grateful to everyone who makes it a priority each month to support creators. We could not keep making the show without your support, so thank you thank you. If you want to be part of our patreon family, we are always looking for more people to come in! You get our discord, NPC stories, and ALL THE STUFF THAT’S BEEN THERE FOR FOUR YEARS OF PATREON. So if you’re able, please do join us for as little as $5 at patreon.com/jointhepartypod.
Did you hear that we have new merch?! Because we have two kinds of new merch that I think you are really going to want to check out. One, we have a brand new world book for Lake Town City. Whether you want to play your tabletop game within the world of campaign two at home or you want to read some brand new worldbuilding. Eric written the definitive guide to Lake Town City for any and all RPG systems. There is art in there that you can't find anywhere else for both the neighborhoods and a bunch of NPCs, those that you love and those that are new. It's 60 pages long and there is so much to read and to love. And secondly, special announcement. The Chad Dice are back! We ordered fully twice as many of our square green friends as we did last time. So this is your moment to bring Chad home, order a bunch to give out as gifts, order one to play with and one to just look at in the plastic package like it's, you know, a special edition Barbie from the 90s go to join the party pod . Com / merch and pick it all up. Also, that chat sticker that came on the on the previous ones when it was like stuck to the envelope to close it and people cut it out and extend it open and put it on a magnet. Amazing. Now it's a real sticker you can buy. So that's there too Join the party pod . com / merch.
We’re sponsored by our old friends. WorldAnvil. This is a powerful world building platform and specialized wiki for all world builders and also a campaign manager for all of us with lots of notes to keep track of as a player or a GM, it's perfect for writers, gangmasters and players to track their worldbuilding and characters and also play your game. GMs can build their lur maps, stack blocks and timelines, plan sessions and share whatever they want to during sessions. Players can also manage characters, make notes, roll dice, track your journeys and equipment, chat with the party and show off your character's subscription. Start at three dollars a month and there's also a free version to try it out. Head over to worldanvil.com and use code jointheparty for 10% off all 6 and 12 month memberships.
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And finally, we are sponsored by Hello Fresh Hello Fresh offers 25 plus recipes to choose from each week from vegetarian meals to Kraft burgers and extra special gourmet options. If you fancy, there's something for everyone to enjoy with all recipes designed and tested by professional chefs and nutritional experts to ensure both deliciousness and simplicity. Hello Fresh has also been named Newsweek's most trusted meal kit company of 2021, with over four million households served. One of those is mine and I recently enjoyed sesame soy beef bowls, which teach you how to make a really classic combination of the rice, the protein, quick pickled veggies and a sauce. And not only can you eat that meal, you can also learn how to make the dish going forward and remix it endlessly. Go to HelloFresh dot com slash jointheparty12 and use code jointheparty12 for 12 free meals, including free shipping! Once again HelloFresh dot com slash jointheparty12 and use code jointheparty12 for 12 free meals, including free shipping!
And now, back to the show!
[Transition note]
[Highway traffic noise]
Eric: We're going to cut back to we're going to come back to -
Amanda: Nooooo!
Julia: It's cool, I'll drown. I'll see you all later.
Eric: We're going to - come back you'll be fine!
Julia: Time to work up a new character!
Eric: Preserver you're standing on the exit of a highway and there are some people trying to drive - driver around you and you like it like people are honking their horns at you like "What are you doing sitting in the street?!"
Amanda: I just point and like, send them on a detour.
Eric: Yeah. Like I guess it's closed. And then you see, like this shitty 2001 Toyota Camry drives up to you and pulls over and stops. And you see that John Paul Schultz is reaching into his car and pulling on his his new black duster, his new black overcoat with the tags on it with the N64 strapped to his body like a Baby Bjorn situation.
Julia: On his back or his front. I need to know.
Eric: On his front. Yeah. You see that like he's just wearing like a black long sleeved shirt and black pants, even though it's hot. And then when he pulls his duster over, that's like, oh, this you're just a guy wearing all black and you see him and he's like,
Eric (as John): What I need - is this road really closed?
Amanda: I kind of crook my finger and be like
Amanda (as Aggie): With me over here.
Amanda: And point like to the parking lot on the side of the road.
Eric (as John): No, why would I do that? You're going to beat me up and take my shit.
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm not going to beat you up. I will stay away from you if you want. I want to talk to you for a second.
Eric: You see him cover his hand over the reset button on the N64.
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen, I know you can do that any time we've been through this 11 times, I realized that I just want to talk to you. You have all the power. If you want to get out at any point, you can always do that. I'm not going to be close enough to you, I promise.
Eric (as John): You're right. I do have all the power. Yes, okay. Which like the parking lot of the McDonald's? Or where do you -
Amanda (as Aggie): Pull your car over safely, we just stand ten feet apart. Okay?
Eric (as John): Okay. I'm going to go get fries first.
Amanda (as Aggie): No you are not.
Eric (as John: I thought you said I have the power with me.
Amanda: I did say that.
Eric: Yeah. I think he gets in his car and he pulls over to like a nearby parking lot of a Circuit City which still exists in my world. Dr. Morrow saved it. He pulls over and he gets out of the car. He stays like twenty feet away from you.
Eric (as John): Yeah. Why don't you just stay just stay over there. He'll get any closer. I know you're fast and stuff. So, like, put your hat down, put your hat where I can see it. Take off your hat.
Amanda (as Aggie): Sure I will take off my hat.
Eric (as John): Good.
Amanda: I sort of pat my hair. I'm like,
Amanda (as Aggie): Is my hat hair too bad?
Eric (as John): No, no, you have superpowers. You don't get hat hair.
Amanda (as Aggie): And you have you have supertech. Tell me, man, what what do you want?
Eric (as John): What do I want?
Amanda (as Aggie): You clearly need something or else you wouldn't be going through all this trouble. What what do you need?
Eric (as John): Well, you know, you were in my apartment. I don't have to tell you, I want the thing everybody wants all power, money and stuff.
Amanda (as Aggie): I saw you were going through it. Is that what's happening here?
Eric (as John): So? Yeah, are we all like we're all just kind of going through it, just dealing a surviving day to day.
Amanda (as Aggie): It seems to me like some decisions had been made before nine a.m. today that would be hard to undo if you can't go further back, right?
Eric (as John): Like like what what do you mean?
Amanda (as Aggie): I mean, okay, how about how about I say some stuff and then you stop me if it's wrong. Alright?
Eric (as John): How about you say some stuff and you say some shit? I'm going to reset this whole thing and we never had this conversation.
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen, either my friends and I can continue chasing you all over Lake Town City on May 1st. Nice idea with the bomb, by the way. That was a fun distraction. But you notice I'm still here and we're still talking. So either we play this out again and again and again. None of us get the older and we enjoy this lovely spring day for the rest of our lives. Or you tell me and I can help you get what you need.
[Loud car passes]
[Beat of silence]
Eric (as John): Okay, I haven't gotten this far before, this is new.
Eric: Make a persuasion check.
Amanda: I'm trying to use emissary of peace to counsel peace here for the charisma check.
Eric: What happens when you use that?
Amanda: I get advantage on charisma checks to defuse violent emotions or counsel peace.
Eric: Yeah,
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: I got a 6 and a 9, but I'm going to use another lucky point and try again.
Eric: Alright.
Julia: Good choice.
Amanda: 17 +1 for 18.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: So what I'm specifically trying to get him to tell me the truth of what he wants and to listen to me when I suggest something.
Eric: Okay, what does it look like when you use emissary of peace?
Amanda: I would just say, like an aura of orange.
Julia: Yeah. I just imagine kind of like gentle sparkles between you and the person you're trying to defuse the situation with.
Eric (as John): Oh, you're doing that thing to me where you try to get me to calm down, but I won't because I'm bad! Shit.
Amanda (as Aggie): Who who told you that?
Eric (as John): I saw. I saw it. I know!
Amanda (as Aggie): [Calmly] Where?
Eric (as John): You did it. You've done this before. It's all the same!
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen, listen, listen. Again, you can reset this at any time. Don't don't rush away from this. I can help you, my friends. We have power. We know things we we can get you. We're clearly not maybe as good as you, but close. Wouldn't it be good to have that in your corner instead of against you?
Eric (as John): Okay, how about if you want to help me, why don't you start a fight at Smoke Break Park? That's what I need you to do. That's what's next on my list. You can either get out of the way and let me do it or you can do it. But if you want to help, that's what I have. Unless, like, you know, tons of stuff. Unless you can get me like a million dollars right now, a million dollars or start a fight at Smoke Break Park. Those are your two choices.
Amanda: I'm going to surge forward and punch the N64.
Brandon: Oh, no. [laughs]
Eric: You want to you want to punch the actual N64?
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: Okay,
Julia: Break it.
Brandon: You just blow on the game, the cartridges you don't have to punch it.
Amanda: Get really dusty.
Eric: Okay, first let's do a dexterity contest to see if you can bridge the space between the two. I will say you are very fast and you are also doing something that has not happened before, so he can't help you. So I'm going to give myself +0 to this because he's kind of just like a regular dude.
Amanda: Okay.
[Dice rolling]
Julia: I believe in you Aggie.
Amanda: 14 +3. 17.
Eric: Well I rolled a 5.
Julia: Fuck yeah!
Eric: You close that gap man. Yeah. Make an attack. Hey I looked up. How powerful. N64s are.
Amanda: I got a nat 20 to hit.
Julia: Oh my God.
Brandon: Fucking. Sick.
Julia: OH MY GOD!
Eric: Roll your next attack if you want to keep just punching it. Yeah.
[Dice rolls]
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: And the next one is a 15 +3. 18.
Eric: 18. Yeah that hits.
Amanda: I am going to use the combo gloves. You've conveniently of America and I can use two ki points to push the target ten feet in any direction if I land two his which I just have. So my plan here is I want to punch the N6 up, I want to shove him backward and then I want to spike it into the ground like a volleyball.
Brandon: Fuck yes.
Eric: You're trying to separate the N64 from the Baby Bjorn?
Amanda: I don't want to hurt the dude, otherwise I'll just try to do too, like sideways punches and like smush it.
Eric: No, no, no less of your target is the end. Sixty four and you're punching it up out of the Baby Bjorn.
Amanda: Yes.
Julia: Yeah you are.
Amanda: I don't want to hurt this guy. I don't embarrass him.
Eric: Hell yeah! Roll damage.
Julia: I just want to psychically hurt him.
Amanda: Okay, 7 +3 for 10 and then 6 +3 for 9. 19.
Eric: You remember you crit on the first one you roll an extra die.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: 22.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: Listen if a bomb's AC was 12 liiiike.
Eric: I want to say that in the end sixty four has more HP than a bomb. I just want to point that out. People have accidentally like thrown it out of moving cars and it still works. People have left them out and snows over winter and then let it dry and then it works again.
Julia: But has a superhero punched it twice and then out of a baby bjorn. I don't make them like they used to.
Brandon: Bombs are meant to break. So that is fair.
Eric: Bombs are made - the bombs are also meant to explode. Holy shit. Incredible. Oh yeah. Yeah. So you, you close the distance and you catch him by surprise. And I think he covers his face automatically because he thinks you're going to beat him up, but then you just whack, you collide. You, you use all of your superpowered fists into the air N64 just a wallop. Right hook. Another one for the combo with the combo glove c-c-c-combo. Uppercut the N64 flies out of the Baby Bjorn, ten feet in the air. And it's like, do you want to go out to spike it?
Amanda: If I'm allowed to for flavor.
Eric: For flavor to go up and spike it. Yes. It's like. Yeah. Like volume. All you go up and spike, it is just like you see every single ripple of muscle going to you, slapping this thing down so you combo it in the air and then spike it down on the ground. And it hits once, twice, like the sound of plastic crunching against pavement in the Circuit City parking lot. And it's skitters across the pavement.
[Public crowd noises, seagulls chirping]
Eric: Let's go back to Val. Val roll a constitution saving throw for me.
[Dice rolls]
Julia: 15 +6. 21.
Eric: Hell yeah, make a perception check for me, Brando.
Julia: Perceive me Brandon!
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: 12.
Julia: The only time I've ever asked anyone to perceive me.
Eric: 12. Kilonova you do this ghostly spectacle that people like clapping like. Oh it's a pairing to the fireworks. That's cool. That's nice. I like that. And I think that yeah you look around and you see that, that Vulcani hasn't come back. Milo is going to make the assumption that Val is some are still in the water. So he's going to cast his level five spell conjure elemental and he's going to bring a water elemental in to life to rescue Val from the ocean.
Julia: Wow. Thanks.
Eric: What does it look like when ghosts mess with make an elemental?
Amanda: [Chanting ] Mountain lobster, mountain lobster!
Brandon: I think for the water elemental in particular, because it's in its element, it's hard to sort of perceive its shape right now. But I do think like it's sort of like how you imagine a planet is formed like all this, like dust and speckles and stuff like an accretion disk forms into a ball. So like, it's sort of like all this, like water droplets form into one creature thing. And then, yeah, it's just an elemental, sort of shapeless, but hopefully carries Val body out of the ocean or Val's alive body out of the ocean.
Eric: Absolutely. I think with the 12, you're not the first person to notice that at Vulcani hasn't returned from the explosion. I think that you that wise you're doing this and you look around, you hear VRRRR! As the Knight of Mirrors is speeding directly towards the water. I think you also see Emily say
Eric (as Emily): Rescue plan Alpha Aqua go!
Eric: And that's where Flyboy grabs Taxonomy as he like for a second you see him look like in a in a Upcountry Keepers branded sweatshirt and sweatpants with like a simple domino mask with like little cat ears on just for like a second as Flyboy like grabs Taxonomy around the middle and then who turns into a swordfish as big as they're flying towards the river. At the same time that you'll see the Knight of Mirrors also speeding towards the river and like then starts skipping on the water on their motorbike. So it's like the elemental and Flyboy holding swordfish and the Knight of Mirrors on a motorcycle with the sun in the water shining on their armor and Val you see, you're just like floating in the water and you're falling a little bit because you're pretty heavy wearing your your leather jacket and everything and your gauntlets. And you're like, huh? Fwoom fwoom fwoom! And then as the motorcycle like hits the water, the swordfish hits the water. And then just like this fucking planet is coming towards you made out of water.
Julia: And Val's like fully panicking, like, what the fuck?
Amanda: Can we have a contest for Val dignity to see which not Sour Anthony saves them?
Eric: Yeah, we're all going to do dexterity checks Milo. You can use your wisdom. Do you - Amanda do you want to do the Knight of Mirrors?
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: Okay.
[Dice rolling]
Brandon: I rolled on my spiritual surge by the way. I got 18 so we're good there.
Eric: Nice.
Amanda: KOM got a 7, I'm afraid to report.
Julia: Awww.
Brandon: I'm going use my Fantasma ducts and replace my dex saving throw with wisdom.
[Julia laughing]
Eric: Incredible. Well, I'm going to look at the speed of a swordfish.
Brandon: I got a 3 +9 for 12.
Eric: Oh damn.
Julia: Okay, I'm just going to I would rather drown. I'll punch this swordfish before I let it save me.
Eric: The swordfish gets to you first. And it's it has like a man's face and you're just like BOOF!
[Everyone laughs]
Julia: Val's just like
Julia (as Val): I thought it was a shark so I punched in the face!
Eric (as Taxonomy): What would you do that?!
Eric: So I think that like as you punch the swordfish, the water elemental, this like this spinning orb of pulls you up and you can hop on the Knight of Mirrors skipping motorcycle.
Julia: Alright tight, thanks. I punched a shark!
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): What? There was a shark in there?
Julia (as Val): There was a shark in there with the person's face and I punched it.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Man those must have been some good drugs you've got on you.
Julia (as Val): Pretty solid drugs.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Fuck yeah dude.
Eric: Yeah, and as you're skipping along the water, we see Kilonova controlling the water elemental and we see the Knight of Mirrors with Vulcani on the back of their motorcycle and Flyboy reaching into the water, trying to pull the swordfish of me out of there after you clocked him, and then cuts back
[Highway traffic]
Eric: Dramatically to the moment of of Aggie spiking the N64 of the modded N64. You spike it and it skips once and then twice again. And that like sound of I have this very specific sound of like dropping a Gameboy on pavement and it just skips. And then for the audience, for all of us, I guess if this N64 was plugged into a TV, you'd be trying to set the time and then it just kind of blinks and then goes 12, 12, 12, 12. And then splits in half and then everything goes white.
[Ambient sounds abruptly stop]
Eric: And Aggie, you wake up and it's the middle of the night. You're in your bed and you hear like some skittering and a garbage can being pushed over.
Amanda: Fuckin racoons!
[Julia and Brandon laughing]
Amanda: I will look at my phone. What date?
Eric: You look at you look at the phone and it 12am May 1st.
Amanda: Fuck!
Julia: Are we out of the loop now? We're out of the loop, aren't we? Goddamn it.
Brandon: Sorry, what was the date in the loop?
Julia: It was May 1st, the first time, but I think you and I, because we weren't there near it. And since the time restarted, Aggie is the only one in the loop. That's my guess. I don't know. I can't confirm that.
Eric: Aggie, 12 a.m. Sushi goes RAAH! And then falls off your bed and you're in your bed. In your house.
Amanda: I'm going to drive to the museum, break in and ask the projector what's happening.
Julia: Yeah, I love Aggie doing crime.
Eric: What is Aggie's like middle of the night outfit.
Amanda: I think she has like a Carhartt t shirt and like L.L. Bean plaid pajama pants. I think Aggie does take the time though to change it to Preserver costume to do this. And she's just going to bring her like a ring of keys from maintenance stuff and try to see if any of those fit. But otherwise we'll just like go to the roof and drop in through a hatch or something.
Eric: Cool!
Brandon: Ring of keys would have been a really good weapon for Aggie to have.
Eric: I know. I'm surprised you don't have array of keys.
Amanda: Well, I'll think about it.
Eric: You make a note being like a skeleton ring of keys Dez?
Amanda: I haven't actually given like flavor to my darts yet, which is a monk weapon. So I could just like pull keys off my ring and throw them.
Eric: Yeah. Oh that's great.
Julia: That's intense. I like it.
Eric: Yeah. I think is you're getting the stuff together. Maybe you running out to your car, it's like 12:10 and you get a phone call from Marisol. As you might remember, Marisol is the kind of like safe rides person who who usually works in College Park but also does some stuff downtown to give like safe rides back to college students from Monroe University in SUNY LTC to help you up.
Amanda: I freeze kind of like mid changing
Amanda (as Aggie): Marisol, what's up?
Eric (as Marisol): Hey. Yeah, Aggie what's going on?
Julia: You just wanted to do this voice again, didn't you?
Brandon: I love Marisol so much.
Eric (as Marisol): This makes sense for the plot reasons, Julia!
[Everyone laughs]
Eric (as Marisol): Hey. Yeah. I saw what it was looking for, for, for you or for Preserver if you knew where to find her? You know it was different. This isn't like the masked, the masked friend from before. He seems really actually you know, I have him on the other line should I do a three way call?
Amanda (as Aggie): You can just you can just do that and then drop off. Thank you.
Eric (as Marisol): Okay, I'll do that, no problem. Hold on, did it work?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yep, yeah.
Eric (as Marisol): Oh, no, it's not worth it. You hold up!
Eric: Marisol is like booping and boping on her phone for a little while, then you hear like someone a woman yelling in the background, being like
Eric (as Woman): John Paul, I swear to God, waking me up again in the middle of the night?! What is this?! funko pops?! Some shit like that?!
Eric: And then you hear a door close and now the woman is still yelling in the back and Maricel says
Eric (as Marisol): It worked! Okay, I'll see you later!
Eric: She hangs up.
Amanda (as Aggie): That's no way to win your woman back, John Paul.
Eric (as John): What the what the fuck? What the fuck did you do?
Amanda (as Aggie): What did you do? Do you have the device with you?
Eric (as John): No!
Amanda (as Aggie): Neither do I.
Eric (as John): Well, I don't I had it, it's not working anymore.
Amanda (as Aggie): Does that mean it'll stick this time?
Eric (as John): I don't I don't know.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, this is what we're going to do. You are going to meet me at the top of Highway one. You'll bring me the N64, we will put an end to this. Tonight.
Eric (as John): You have one chance, you're going to figure this out or then I'm going to do my thing and it's going to stick this time.
Amanda (as Aggie): We're going to figure this out together, as long as you give me your word, you are going to do a real effort to make sure we don't get trapped in this fucking loop.
Eric (as John): I will do. Yeah, I. Yeah, I will do it. I'll do it right now.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay talk on highway one.
Eric (as Woman): John Paul, get the fuck out of here!!
Eric (as John): Okay. I got to I have to go.
Julia: I feel kind of bad for him now. I want him to stay broken up with this girl.
Brandon: I know.
Julia: She sucks. He also sucks but she sucks too.
Amanda: I'm going to get in my car, start driving to Little Italy. I'm going to call Vulcani. I'm going to call Kilonova. I'm going to call Dr. Morrow. And I'm going to call Dez and tell everybody to meet Dr. Morrow house in thirty minutes.
Eric: Okay, who do you call first?
Amanda: I call Vulcani because I'm going to go pick them up, then I'll do Kilonova and then we'll drive together to Dr. Morrow's house.
Eric: Okay, Vulcani. So Julia, Val's phone goes off
Julia (as Val): Nnnnh?
Eric: [Singing] Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.
Julia: No more of this.
Amanda (as Aggie): Val, it's Aggie. I don't have time to explain. I need you ready. In two minutes I'll be outside and we have to go get Kilonova to Dr. Morrow's house.
Eric: Val, you do the thing we're like, you don't know where you are for like two seconds and then it all comes flooding back to you and you remember the blinking 12:00 and the whites and you're still still in the loop.
Amanda: Okay, phew!
Julia (as Val): Aw Aggie I did such cool shit in the last loop. God damn it.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, I'm so glad you remember. I can't wait to hear about it. I'll be there two minutes.
Julia (as Val): Alright.
Julia: I tell Hitomi - that I have I leave a note because I don't want to wake her up, just like there was oven trouble again. I'll be back shortly.
[Everyone laughs]
Amanda: I call Milo too, same deal.
Eric: Yeah. [Singing] Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo-
Brandon: Milo is under 30. His phone just vibrates, Eric.
Eric: Aggie calls again and now it's loud. Yeah. Aggie has pushed through your D&D.
Brandon (as Milo): Hello.
Amanda (as Aggie): Hey it's Aggie. I think you remember what happened last. Leupp my bad. I'm picking you up in five minutes. [Brandon snores] MILO!
Brandon (as Milo): WHAT?! Sorry! Five minutes, got it, check you're uh-
Amanda (as Aggie): Five minutes! TUNA! Tuna!
Eric (as Tuna): On it!
Eric: And Tuna just like jumps on Milo's face.
Amanda (as Aggie): Thank you!
Eric (as Tuna): No problem. It was also weird.
Amanda: Has Tuna been in the loop this whole time?
Eric: It's a good question. Who can say?
Amanda: So I'm going to I'm going to pick these guys up and then kind of idle on the highway like the top of Highway one near the exit that goes Dr. Morrow's house to pick up John Paul.
Eric: Yeah, I think that this is like late night driving. There's just like the only lights that are around are the street lights as you're pulling up on Highway one and when you see his terrible 2001 Camry and then you take a look at it and you see like the muffler is about to fall out.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: I roll down my window.
Amanda (as Aggie): Follow me. Don't wimp out when we park. I am fixing that muffler. It is honestly a hazard.
Eric (as John): I don't I don't like really care right now. I just got broken up with. So like, can we just like move it along.
Amanda (as Aggie): I genuinely feel bad for you. Follow me.
Eric (as John): This sucks.
Eric: And as he drives follow you.
Amanda: When I call January did they pick up?
Eric: Oh yeah.
Eric (as January): January's phone! January speaking!
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Hey I'm sorry to call so late. I'm coming with the team and someone who has been fucking with a time loop but needs our help because I think we may have reset it badly.
Eric (as January): Oh alright.
Amanda (as Aggie): Can we get Dr. Morrow and Dez ready in ten?
Eric (as January): I'm going to try the best.
Amanda (as Aggie): I will get you a gift card to Rumplestiltskin's Yarns I am sorry.
Eric (as January): Oh hell yeah, that's how you turn yarn into gold baybeee!
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Great.
Julia: Cute!
Brandon: And listener, you too can go to join the party pod . com / merch to get January's phone greeting to your phone.
[Eric laughs]
Eric (as January): Oh hell yeah baybeee!
Brandon: I'd love to have my voicemail greeting to be [mimicking January] "January's phone, January speaking. Just kidding! Gotcha!"
Eric: "Leave a message at the beep baybeeee!"
Amanda: I see nothing wrong with this.
Eric: Absotively.
Amanda: Is there like a carport nearer to the lab or is it all the front like is there like a back road that goes like toward the back entrance where the training dome of doom of doom zone dome is?
Eric: Yes,
Brandon: training dome of Doom is very good.
Eric: Turning Dome of Doom zone is incredible. I like that. That's what it's now named. Yeah. There's probably a dirt road that leads to the back as well as one of the front.
Amanda: Yeah. I just want to park as directly as possible and also in a way that makes it harder for John Paul to run, if that's what he's going to do.
Eric: Sounds good.
Amanda: Yeah. So a park down there trundle out and in the car. I'll say to my teammates, just like a quick recap of what happened,
Amanda (as Aggie): I wasn't able to just take it. I tried really hard to break it. Maybe I should have crossed my mind. So here we are. But listen, I. I think the guy is misdirected and is doing shitty things to other people because he's broken hearted, which is not okay. But I think something we can work with. So I'm hoping that he'll let us look at the device together. Remember that Dez thing, some kind of, you know, involvement with some kind of this stuff. So, yeah, that's all I know.
Julia (as Val): I took drugs and exploded a bomb. Just that's what I did.
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm sorry that didn't stick. I was trying hard.
Julia (as Val): I think Carmen took a really cool picture of it, too, which is the most disappointing part.
Eric: I will say you guys have this like shared inventory of this thing. So I think they're like as you check it out, it's now two thirds full.
Julia: Okay, so my use of it stuck, right?
Brandon: I spend the rest of the car right in the back seat with Val trying to apologize for not having my ability under control and putting Val in danger.
Julia (as Val): That's okay. It happpens.
Brandon: Yeah, well, that was easy, huh?
Julia (as Val): Listen, you have weird shit going on. I get it. Yeah. Whatever you at least it wasn't like a fucking panther attacked me or something.
Brandon (as Milo): It won't ever happen again. I will never put you in danger again.
Julia (as Val): Wow. That's real nice.
Eric: Milo has such a high bar for weird shit. Now it's like if you don't let yourself get attacked by a panther then like Milo you're fine.
Brandon: Milo is not sure whether or not it was his weird ability or the mushroom that made Val Iike pass out. So he's just covering his bases.
Julia: Who can say?
Brandon: And I'm not sure either!
Eric: Who can say really? So you guys are in your costume. You see John Paul walk out and like he's not again, you two are seeing what's Preserver saw a guy wearing all black without even his cool toy. He's just a guy. And John Paul is like.
Eric (as John): Hey, Kilonova, Vulcani, what's up?
Julia (as Val): Hmm.
Amanda (as Aggie): Hello again.
Eric (as John): Hello.
Amanda (as Aggie): Can can we just, for truce purposes, give the device to our friend January, he'll hold it. He's very reliable. Also, you will see I don't think he'd be able to destroy it with a punch like I try to do so. Should be safe.
Brandon (as Milo): Preserver. We are not sure about that.
Amanda: I hold up a finger.
Amanda (as Aggie): I know.
Eric (as John): Listen, man, I don't think that. I don't think there's going to be a problem with that.
Eric: And he holds up like a used grocery bag, like a plastic grocery bag, and you look inside and like N64 is split in half, it's fully into pieces. And you can see that they're all like the bits and the guts of this technology thing. But this thing is fully broken.
Julia (as Val): Dang Preserver a good job.
Amanda (as Aggie): Well, not good enough. I thought. Let's let's see, let's see what Dr. Morrow and Dez have to say.
Eric: Yeah. You guys had an January hops forward wearing a little nightcap.
[Amanda and Brandon gasps]
Julia (as Val): Oh you look so cute. Like a little scrooge.
Eric (as January): I don't usually sleep like this. I thought you would enjoy it.
Julia (as Val): You are a delight.
Eric (as January): Thanks. I take naps throughout the day so I don't have a regular sleep schedule. So this is really all artifice.
Julia (as Val): I was looking up rabbits. You're crepuscular right? Like you're most active around Twilight.
Eric (as January): What did you call me? What do you call my mom!?
Eric: I'm kidding!
[Everyone laughs]
Eric (as January): I don't know that word so I'm gonna take it as disrespect!
Julia (as Val): I literally defined it in the next word that I said.
Eric (as January): Yeah but I was going to finish my jokes.
Julia (as Val): It was adorable.
Eric (as January): Okay, also, I'm stalling. I'm also stalling. Hold on.
Eric: And then you hear, "ohhhh ahhhhhh" as Dr. Morrow in like an oversize SUNY LTC sweatshirt, sweatpants and January slippers is moaning and leaning on Dez as Dez in like Dez looks pretty much the same, except that Dez is wearing like a white t shirt like instead of like maybe a sweater or whatever or his jacket that he usually uses he's not wearing his jacket and Dr. Morrow is leaning on Dez being like Milo.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): NNNNNHHHHHHAAAAHHHH.
Amanda (as Aggie): Very sorry to get us all out of our beds, this is John Paul, John Paul, this is Dr. Mary Cassandra Morrow.
Eric (as John): Can you if we're all doing superhero names. Can you use mine?
Julia (as Val): You do not have a superhero name. You are not a superhero.
Eric (as John): I do have one. It's level up. And I think that we should respect that for all doing secret identity.
Brandon (as Milo): I thought that was just your Twitch stream or name.
Eric (as John): It's all the same. It was a ruse. And I rused you.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay. In spirit of partnership, we are all sitting down together. We do not have to so level up. This is Dr. Morrow Cassandra Morrow. This is Dez and we are here today, everybody
Amanda: I like gestured at the big tables. We all sit down. I take the grocery bag from John Paul and put in middle of the table and like open it up.
Amanda (as Aggie): So we've been trapped in a time loop for the last 12 days. And in our experience and during one of them Dez, I came to you and asked you for help or for a device. And I was I was not telling you the full story. So, like, listen, that Dez was great. You can be proud of your own conduct that didn't that didn't didn't happen anyway. And it seems like you guys might have some experience in devices like this because Dr. Morrow that projector you made, you know, back in the day? Yeah, it it's prophetic. And it's at this museum where an extremely well-dressed billionaire is trying to make it an art piece, and that's dangerous. So anyway, I punched it. Here it is. It reset from 9:00 a.m. to midnight and I don't want to do this again.
Brandon (as Milo): Seconded!
Julia (as Val): Thirded.
Eric: I think January is like hopping around, trying to, like, get coffee and bring everyone stuff. I think that as soon as you alluded to what Dez told you, he stiffens. And bite his tongue and Dr. Morrow is, as you said, that Dr. Morrow Quinn from sleepy to immediately interested in the N64 to everything you said, being like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): In previous loops. Did I tell you that I was right about this? Did I tell any of you that I -
Julia (as Val): I can confirm that you were right about this. I am sorry, Dr. Morrow. You were right about time.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): WOO! Hot dog. Absolutely! HOOO!
Julia (as Val): Sorry I didn't make that promise to another version of you. I should have followed through on that.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): As long as you remember. That's totally fine. I knew it. I knew time worked. It's just like Groundhog Day. I totally knew it. It's Groundhog Day. It's right. It's Russian doll. It's Palm Springs. It's yeah Adventure Zone!
Julia (as Val): You were very specific about it being Palm Springs Ryan.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It was - so it's not the Adventure Zone: Balance: the Eleventh Hour.
Julia (as Val): No.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Okay, good just to check.
Eric (as Dez): And Dez says.
Eric (as Dez): Uhhhh what? What was that what? What did I just want to be really - what did you. What did you say that I said that.... What?
Amanda (as Aggie): I without telling you the full situation, because I didn't know how long we would be there or how dangerous it was, I asked if you guys had any experience with time travel and you told me you tried. It didn't work, and -
Eric (as Dez): And I said, no, really?
Amanda (as Aggie): You said no extremely forcefully. Yeah. And I got the sense there was something there. But I want to come because I don't want this to happen again
Brandon (as Milo): Seconded
Julia (as Val): Thirded.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): This is tight. Oh, wow, yeah! Oh, yeah!
Eric: January says,
Eric (as January): I also don't want this to have to seems complicated.
Julia (as Val): It's a little complicated.
Eric (as January): Definitely complicated.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh yeah. And also level up here. Where did you get this? Why are you doing this? Your girlfriend broke up with you. That's sad. That's not a reason to entrap us in a time loop.
Eric (as John): I wasn't obviously I wasn't planning for me to entrap all of you in the time loop, I was just kind of doing my own thing and that's what happened, so. That's just kind of my thing that I was doing, and I don't have to tell you what I was doing.
Amanda (as Aggie): Where did you get this?
Eric (as John): You know, dark web?
Brandon (as Milo): Do you think eBay is the dark web?
Eric (as John): No, I got it from the actual dark web too, that you're too much of a n00b not to know. It's the actual dark web. Fucking eBay user.
Brandon (as Milo): Alright. Let's let's get to an auction and see who is the real noob here.
Eric (as John): Let's go. Okay, go and
Julia (as Val): Calm down!
Eric (as John): Listen, I got bots you don't even know about. It is like I half milliseconds of milliseconds. I fucking got it. Dark web man. No, not eBay. No fucking normy. Wow. I didn't know Kilonova was a goddamn normy. Wow. I could've figured that out from the other loops all this time when you-
Julia (as Val): Alright. Level up chill yourself aight?
Eric (as John): Hey, well, listen, I can just tell you listen, I got to tell you about all the all the ridiculous stuff that you all did and the other loops that you don't remember. Would you like to be burdened with that? Remember, I also I have the power to tell you things, mistakes you don't even remember. It's like reverse, reverse Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, where I put bad things in your brain I got broken up with today. Can we look a third degree? Can we can we pull off we off of me right now.
Julia (as Val): You're the only one pulling on yourself that I had clearly. So clearly, we didn't make too bad a mistake because you're still stuck in this goddamn loop.
Amanda (as Aggie): Any information about who you bought this from?
Eric (as John): Yeah. Dark Web.
Julia (as Val): More specific.
Amanda (as Aggie): Origin. Nothing in the photos? Where did it ship from. Anything? Dr. Morrow have you seen a device like this before. How does this, how does this compare to the tech that you worked on?
Eric: Dr. Morrow looks at it looks inside and whistles and she's like.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): You done you done broke this up real good, wow. We never got that. We definitely never got this far. This is a highly this some developed stuff, then I stopped working on time time things when the projector didn't work, but you said the projector did work.
Amanda (as Aggie): It didn't work until the loop started. And then you could ask it a question once a day and it would tell you the truth of what should happen, what was going to happen. It was very strange.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): What's going to happen or what should happen,
Amanda (as Aggie): Like I asked it, how to cut this guy off at the pass and it showed me where he was driving, so I was able to intercept him.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh, did you ask you the best way to find him?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh, okay. The optimization engine. Alright. Okay!
Amanda (as Aggie): Now, Dr. Morrow, I respect you so much as a professional. Doesn't that sound like a Doc Oct superweapon to you?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): But but I'm using it so it's fine.
Julia (as Val): Okay, yeah. But sometimes you do things that are questionable.
Brandon (as Milo): Can we all back off of Dr. Morrow here c'mon!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Name one. In any of my biographies!
Brandon (as Milo): There are zero.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): There are zero times!
Julia (as Val): As we've established. I've only read the graphic novel.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): And I was awesome in that!
Julia (as Val): You grew like 400 feet tall or so!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): And that almost happened. I was only 100 feet tall.
Brandon (as Milo): Hey Level Up?
Eric (as John): Yeah?
Brandon (as Milo): Do you remember the name or the bitcoin name or whatever of the person that sold you this thing.
Julia (as Val): Don't say dark web again.
Brandon (as Milo): Was it referencing some kind of printing press or something like that?
Eric (as John): Yeah, well,
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, cool.
Eric (as John): Are you guys are going to you're not going to be mad at me, right?
Brandon (as Milo): We're already mad at you bro.
Julia (as Val): How could we possibly be mad at you?
Amanda (as Aggie): We've diffused a bomb on that bridge and crossed it.
Julia (as Val): No, we did defuse it. We just blew it up.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, that's great. I'm sorry. That sounds so cinematic. I really tried.
Julia (as Val): It's okay. It's okay. I know you tried.
Eric (as John): Yeah. So. You know, I have this whole thing I was going to do. So. Amber is really into cars, and
Julia (as Val): Of course her name is Amber.
Eric (as John): I thought that I know she sucks, I know she she fucking sucks, but like, I love her. So she's really into cars. And there is this auction that was happening tonight of vintage cars. And that I could won one, it was like two hundred fifty two hundred seventy thousand dollars, like a super charged one of the, you know, the I don't even know the name of it, you know, in the DeLorean when it opens up on the sides. And I'm like, oh, what if I did that? And then I was looking on. Stock reddit and I learned about shorting stocks. Oh, boy. And if you know, like you can say that a stock's going to go down, you can get a lot of money from it if you do it. Like what happened with GameStop. Remember a few years ago?
Amanda: Aggie's head is just in her hands.
Eric (as John): So-
Brandon (as Milo): I don't remember. Can you explain to me?
Julia (as Val): Can you use Dungeons and Dragons to explain it to us?
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: So Amanda steps in and explains it for five minutes and comes out.
Amanda: Eric get out of the narrator's chair!
Eric (as John): So basically, you can just pretend if you goes down and I heard there was going to be that. That protest for Thornhill and Thornhill had been expanding along their stock price was doing really well. So I thought that if something bad happened and then the stock went down, I could use that figure, that money out, figure out the exact time to sell it, use all that money by the car when Amber back.
Julia (as Val): That's a very convoluted plan to win back a woman who seems like she doesn't really like you.
Eric (as John): And it was super going to work. It was, you know, sometimes the best plans or complicated plans because that's how complicated they are, they have to work.
Amanda (as Aggie): But listen, man, the grandest gesture of all is communication. Like, we can just talk this out.
Eric (as John): No, I tried that. It didn't work.
Julia (as Val): Also, the grandest gesture of all is respecting people's wishes. And if she doesn't want to be with you, you kind of have to just accept that.
Amanda (as Aggie): That's it Val. That's it.
Brandon (as Milo): Also the second grand gesture is just working on yourself so you can be an independent person entering into a relationship in which two independent people decide to join their lives together because they decide to, not because of a car, you know,
Julia (as Val): Or like obligation.
Eric: Hank Lane sits up in the middle of the night and he's like,
Eric (as Hank): I'm so proud of Milo. What did he just do?
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Yeah, level up says,
Eric (as John): So I been talking to this guy who would help me out and execute this plan. He thought it was super sick. And manipulating the stock market is like everyone does that, including the big like the big companies that do that. They already have that. So he told me you could help. And yeah, he said he was this like rich guy he was in. And he owns a bunch of like companies and media companies. I looked at him and I mean, like those guys exist, definitely. So.
Amanda (as Aggie): What was his name?
Eric (as John): Well, I mean, I don't have his real name. It was dark web. He uses his handle.
Julia (as Val): What was his dark web handle?
Eric (as John): It was xxGutenbergx
Julia (as Val): oh, my God, he couldn't even get the real fucking name. It's terrible.
Brandon (as Milo): Did he gave you the money for the Twitter bots too?
Eric (as John): Yeah.
Julia (as Val): The ten thousand dollars.
Eric (as John): Yeah.
Julia (as Val): Yeah.
Eric (as John): Well I think the Twitter board is more expensive but I don't, I didn't ask, but, like, he was being really nice and he gave me the stuff. He gave me that N64 he sent it to my house and he said he would set up a distraction and he was really really nice to me. And he already knew about time loops and stuff, so.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, good.
Julia (as Val): Oh, that's great. Dr. Morrow?
Eric (as John): He didn't tell me, but he didn't even say what would happen if it ever got broke. Oops.
Julia (as Val): Hey. Hey Dr. Morrow. Why would someone like Gutenberg maybe know about time loops.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh, because he thought I didn't do it well, obviously, because we're one of my rivals wanted to get a hand up on me, because if you didn't think I wouldn't do it, then he would want to try to dunk on me and rub it in my face.
Brandon (as Milo): Dr. Morrow. Was he ever maybe an intern or an assistant? I did.
Julia (as Val): Did you have assistants and interns when you were doing the time stuff previously?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Probably. Maybe. I don't know!
Julia (as Val): These things, January do you have records of these things?
Eric (as January): We checked in under their name is Gutenberg. We don't know who he is.
Julia (as Val): Of course it is not actually Gutenberg. I love you, tiny little rabbit. But that's silly.
Amanda (as Aggie): Dez. It seems like you might know some things. Can you share them with us? I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important.
Eric (as Dez): A fine. After this, let's just get some sleep and we'll do all of this in the morning, I have to tell you, though, and don't freak out, please. [Blows raspberry] We're going to have to call my dad.
[Theme music]