56. Join Us III

In the aftermath of the mountain lobster kaiju fight, all we can do is answer questions and pick up the pieces. Are Aggie, Val, or Milo made out of pixels? Are you?


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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: Julia Schifini

- Multitude: multitude.productions


About Us

Join the Party is a D&D actual play podcast with tangible worlds, genre-pushing storytelling, and collaborators who make each other laugh each week. We welcome everyone to the table, from longtime players to folks who’ve never touched a roleplaying game before. Begin with Campaign 2 (The Join Campaign) for a modern, sci-fi superhero game, or marathon all of Campaign 1 (The Party Campaign) for a high fantasy story. And once a month we release the Afterparty, where we answer your questions about the show and how we play the game. New episodes every Tuesday.

Transcript

AMANDA:  Last time on Join the Party.

ERIC:   Dr. Morrow rode into LTC with revenge on her mind. Ready to destroy the city she created with the power of a kaiju-sized mountain lobster. Luckily the LT3 and many of the super powered folk in the city. And the newly-formed power people for hire company, put together by Gutenberg, Supr, (no e) were here to save the day. They acted with a series of decisive and bold moves, like trapping the mountain lobster in the underpass of Highway One and hitting it right in the tum with a steak and eggs. So the LT3 stop the mountain lobster, save the real Dr. Morrow, who was up there with a simulacrum of Dr. Morrow, who was created by Triplicate, who's controlling the real mountain lobster with the fake Dr. Morrow. And turn the real mountain lobster back to Lake Champlain so it could live out its giant and lovely existence. However, Triplicate escaped at the last second. Dr. Morrow has a lot to say. And we're still not sure who is a pixel person. A lot still to uncover. So let's get the party started.

[Join the Party theme music plays]

ERIC:   I like to think that there's an alternate cover, I think of this comic book episode. Where it has everyone's, like hot dog order. Like all the different hot dogs are kind of like laid out on a plate that ha- and then it has like the little ticket that has everyone's order on it and written on there. So it was like all three of yours, Dr. Morrow’s. And also like Emily slaughters is like three hot dogs wrapped up in a lettuce wrap or something. Triple meat no bun.

BRANDON:  Man, I like it. I would go, Chicago dog, I think.

ERIC:   I do like the idea of Milo ordering a Chicago dog, not in Chicago. So this is like a only 20 or to 25% chance that they could do it like they have, it's like I don't know if I have just a pickle spear, I can look.

[Brandon laughs]

JULIA:  As we've established, Val is basically Sonic the Hedgehog. So I think it's a chili cheese dog.

[Amanda and Brandon laughs]

JULIA:  But they also, like sauteed onions on top, like caramelized onions.

AMANDA:  Yum!

BRANDON:  Let's get shit.

AMANDA:  I think, Aggie goes just ketchup.

BRANDON:  Classic.

AMANDA:  Classic.

JULIA:  Ohhh.

[Brandon laughs]

JULIA:  Oh, Aggie. Everyone looks at Aggie is like.

JULIA (as Val): Oh, Aggie.

[Eric laughs]

AMANDA (as Aggie): What?

ERIC:   Aggie is simple pleasures.

AMANDA:  I stretch my hand so you can't see me eating.

[Brandon and Julia laughs]

ERIC:  Incredible. Dr. Morrow has a very specific order in that she gets ketchup, mustard and mayo. But it's under the hot dog.

JULIA:  Hmm.

ERIC:   Like you do it on the bun. And then you put the hot dog on top of it.

AMANDA:  That's how you got to do it anyway.

BRANDON:  Yeah, that's just smart topping.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

BRANDON:  Toppings are bottomings, everyone knows this.

AMANDA:  Like when you put together a taco you should put the shredded lettuce down and then the ground meat so it doesn't soak through a hard shell taco and make it break.

BRANDON:  Uh-hmm.

JULIA:  But why are you eating your tacos so slow that the meat is going to soak through the shell? That's my question.

AMANDA:  Because I'm 7 and my mom's gonna yell at me that you’re having bad manners.

[Eric and Julia laughs]

ERIC:   I just want to point out that Brandon said toppings are bottomings.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   And I have seen that setting on Grindr, and you're right.

BRANDON:  If you've never put your toppings on, more specifically, a burger on the bottom instead of the top. Do it tomorrow. And thank me for the structural stability of your hamburger.

ERIC:   So like the toppings are like the veggies and the and the other stuff are on top but the condiments are on the bottom like--

BRANDON:  No no, no.

ERIC:   --bottom bun--

BRANDON:  Everything that's on the bottom underneath the bun--

ERIC:   Oh, so--

AMANDA:  Patty goes last?

ERIC:   --it's like bun, patty, everything else?

BRANDON:  Uh-hmm.

ERIC:   Ooh, okay. 

BRANDON: They stay better in the sandwich. 

ERIC: That makes sense to me. I feel like this, this becomes--

AMANDA:  It's like the weight compresses it instead of like sliding off the top?

BRANDON:  Yeah, has to do with like the friction factor, basically.

ERIC:   The gravitational pull, gravity pulling on your, on your condiments.

JULIA:  Now. I'm not a scientist. But here's Dr. Moiya McTier explains to me why that works.

[Everyone laughs]

ERIC:  It's just Moiya going.

ERIC (as Dr. Moiya): What the fuck are you talking about?

JULIA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   I was stuck on this. And I like the idea of Dr. Morrow also just be like.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): You need to eat the hot dog like this to get the most taste factor out of it.

ERIC:   And it's just like folding it like a piece of pizza and then shoving it full into your mouth.

[Brandon laughs] 

ERIC:   It's like there's a 20% chance you will choke but it's worth it for the taste sensation.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow):   I didn't study this for three months for me not to do it for the rest of my life.

AMANDA:  Aggie stretches her shoulders out and become the Sheet Aggie, Multisheet. In order to prevent any cameras from watching Dr. Mayor Morrow eat this hot dog.

ERIC:   But now we have to see Dr. Morrow in silhouette do that, which feels worse, a little bit.

JULIA:  Are you implying that Aggie is see through when she goes into sheet mode?

ERIC:   No! I think that there's, there is a certain amount of- oh you think it like totally opaque?

AMANDA:  Yeah!

ERIC:   You mean like a sheet? Like a, like a regular sheet, you can like you-

AMANDA:  No, like, like Elastigirl.

JULIA:  Yeah, no, the idea that she--

AMANDA:  She’s solid.

JULIA:  --becomes somewhat see through is horrifying.

AMANDA:  That's horrible!

[Eric and Brandon laughs] 

AMANDA:  I'm still dressed my, my suit stretches with me.

ERIC:  I understand. I guess I just imagine when you said sheet, I immediately thought that you have the abilities of a sheet and you could do shadow puppets.

AMANDA:  I hate that.

[Amanda laughs]

JULIA:  I super hate that.

AMANDA:  Love, love the creativity, hate the image.

ERIC:   If you get a bright enough light behind Aggie as she’s a sheet--

AMANDA:  I mean, like in order see through your hand I guess and put it up to the light.

JULIA:  Yeah. But then, I don't want to see Aggie’s organs and then also--

AMANDA:  No.

JULIA:  --the silhouette of Dr. Morrow.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   They never talked about how stretched out Mr. Fantastic's organs are. Which I feel is something that they could have explored in Fantastic Four when they were making those bad movies.

JULIA:  I also just realized that Aggie can never choke because you can just stretch your like--

[Brandon laughs]

JULIA:  --esophagus as wide as you need to make sure that you're not choking.

AMANDA:  Yeah, that's pretty horrifying.

JULIA:  That's cool.

ERIC:  We cut to Aggie and, and O'Hare family reunions, and you're just like, housing like 30 pies at the same time?

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:  You’re like, “I won again!” Yeah, well, now that we did that really fun. See, that was definitely relevant. Do you guys want to talk about what's, what's happening here? What do you would like to do? Because I think that, although everyone's enjoying their hot dog order, from the only not destroyed hot dog vendor on this side of Laketown city right now. There's still tons of rubble everywhere. Remember, the mountain lobster kaiju destroyed almost all of the neighborhood of Solita, including the Lakeside Park, and the Palette/Gaga, the arts high school that we love so dearly. And also like the entire chunk of Highway One that you kind of use as your battlezone is totally destroyed as well. And then like all the other buildings around that people were evacuated from, saved from by the various powered people that were running around. I think there is not as much of a presence as it was before. But I think that there are employees of Supr, both like just regular people and their superpowered, I guess co workers is what you would say, wearing their black super hats. They are like cleaning up the rubble, now that kind of the monster is gone. They're definitely letting ambulances and fire trucks in to deal with that emergency services. And they're trying to facilitate some of that. You know, sometimes like, it's just one person carrying a boulder and like moving in 10 feet out of the road. The bull man with the super hat on is kind of carrying some people out of the way. So that's kind of like what all, what all the other folks are doing. Your friends are kind of collected around, but there are like, all of the superheroes in the city came out for this fight. And now they're trying to, you know, do their part, even if they're not helpful. You know, like, you have a free, you're trying to do a DIY project and you have a friend who does not know, a hammer from a foot. They're just kind of like standing there holding a hammer and they're like, ah, if you need me, I'll do whatever. So I mean, there are a lot of people--

BRANDON:  Just imagine you with a severed foot just hitting the nail--

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC:  Can I, can I use this? You like--

AMANDA:  No.

ERIC:   --you're kicking--

AMANDA:  No.

ERIC:   --you're kicking, try to kick a nail in, like the guy who- Bramble Strike is like.

ERIC (as Bramble Strike): If you need me, I'll help! I can do it!

ERIC:   So there are a lot of people standing around in the scene as you are kind of reconvening with Dr. Morrow and eating hot dogs. Dez and January are not here yet. As you might have noticed.

JULIA (as Val):  Taking their sweet time.

AMANDA:  Can I find the channel seven camera person?

ERIC:   Oh, you mean channel seven and a half local LTC news, the only news for people who live above Buffalo and think Buffalo is not that great?

AMANDA:  Uh-hmm.

ERIC:   Yeah, yeah, they're definitely around.

AMANDA:  Yeah, I want to walk over and just kind of like, summon them and be like.

AMANDA (as Multitool): All right, ready, ready to go? Ready to roll?

ERIC (as camera person): Oh, yeah. Where are we going? What are we doing?

AMANDA (as Multitool): You're sa- you're rolling the camera, we're staying here. Do you even roll anymore, it's fire up the hard disk, I don't know.

ERIC (as camera person): I'm, I, it just be here by myself.

AMANDA (as Multitool): Okay.

ERIC (as camera person): It's tough. I, you know, we talked about this before, but I don't even have a cameraman.

AMANDA (as Multitool): Okay, so let's just I have a statement. Will you--

ERIC (as camera person): Budget cuts.

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA (as Multitool): That's, uhm. I'm very sorry about that. Actually I have something to say about that. Will you? Will you let me do a statement?

ERIC (as camera person): Yeah, just one second. 

ERIC: Wonderful. I roll the 12, he gingerly takes the glasses off of the camera. The Hank Bans off the camera and gives it back to you. Like I might have scratched the lense. I hope that's not a bad, that's so bad. There was just a lot happening.

AMANDA (as Multitool): I appreciate your service. You've got the footage out there?

ERIC (as camera person): Oh, yeah, definitely.

AMANDA (as Multitool): Might get a promotion, right?

ERIC (as camera person): I don't know. There's not a lot of upward mobility. I was doing this until I could move to Sun Valley.

BRANDON (as camera person in Sun Valley): My boss got laid off too.

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA (as Multitool): Okay, can we--

ERIC (as camera person): Well, let's all for local news right now, especially when it's just for LTC, Buffalo does not want our news.

[Eric laughs]

AMANDA (as Multitool): I’m sensing a rivalry here, okay.

ERIC:   There was, did you know there was always a rivalry between Laketown city and Buffalo?

AMANDA:  No.

ERIC:   That was just always in my head. I'm glad that we're talking about this in Episode 56.

JULIA:  It's the hockey teams, right? It's the Sabres against the Mountain Lobsters.

ERIC:   Oh, 100%

JULIA:  Huge rivalry.

AMANDA:  That's on me!

ERIC:   There's a lot of throwing of seafood onto the ice on home games in both arenas.

AMANDA:  Uh-hmm.

BRANDON:  Wings versus Crayfish. But once they become harmony, we'll have Buffalo Crayfish.

[Julia gasps]

BRANDON:  Which sounds delicious.

JULIA:  It does sound delicious--

ERIC:   Wow!

AMANDA:  I'm imagining like a buffalo sauce on like a, like a deep fried mountain lobster?

JULIA:  Yeah.

AMANDA:  I want that.

JULIA:  Or like--

ERIC:   Yeah.

JULIA:  --you know how you like you dip typically stuff in like butter and stuff dipping in buffalo. My mouth is--

ERIC:   Ooooh.

JULIA:  --literally watering because of the sauce--

[Amanda laughs]

JULIA:  --dipping that in buffalo sauce.

BRANDON:  Yeah, sounds good.

AMANDA:  Buffalo sauce is just butter and hot sauce--

JULIA:  I know, it's so good.

BRANDON:  Yeah!

AMANDA:  I don't know.

ERIC (as Joe): Come on down to Joe's Buffalo- Mountain Lobster Crab Shack. We have buffalo mountain lobster. The only way mountain lobster eaten could give floppier is if red sauce was all over your face.

[Eric and Julia chuckles]

AMANDA:  Buffalo mountain lobster pizza.

ERIC:   Oh actually sounds really good.

AMANDA:  Like buffalo chicken.

BRANDON (as Joe):  Gets sloppy with Monty.

[Eric and Amanda laughs]

ERIC:   I imagine there's a local commercial where Monty is eating or eating a buffalo mountain lobster like little poppers.

JULIA:  No cannibalism!

ERIC (as Monty): It's so good. I've ignored the ethical side of it.

AMANDA:  But I do think that kind of crowd sourced footage of giant Monty is going to factor into local commercials for decades to come of like.

AMANDA (as giant Monty): Get rowdy at, you know, ahh Boots and Boobs, the local saloon.

JULIA:  What?!

BRANDON:  What?!

ERIC:   Boots and Boobs?

AMANDA:  I don't know.

JULIA:  You create, you've created a nightmare.

[Julia, Amanda, and Brandon laughs]

ERIC:   That must be the local strip club that is--

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   --known for their kitchen, right?

[Brandon laughs]

JULIA:  Yeah.

AMANDA:  These are beer in glass boots.

ERIC:   And glass boobs. Oh Val's mom, fucking--

JULIA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   --start selling. There you go.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

JULIA:  She needs to learn how to blow glass first.

ERIC:  I love the idea of there being ceramic glasses in the strip clubs. [hilarious laugh]

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA:  It's really, this $10 deposit to, to order one now.

ERIC:   That's a Mug Club at Boots and Boobs.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   As you get your own ceramic boob cup.

AMANDA:  Listen, I, take my money. I’d sign up.

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA:  Can I make a public statement about how much I hate Gutenberg?

[Brandon and Eric laugh]

JULIA:  Please?

ERIC:   Ahh, yes, sure. Let me just set up the shot. I also want to say maybe Carmen has kind of pulled this stuff together for you and is texting you or is pulling this together and document telling you in a different time. There-- it is pretty mixed right now about what exactly happened with the kaiju. Even though it went out on seven and a half news. I think people were like, oh, so Dr. Morrow, that wasn't Dr. Morrow, someone made a simulacrum of her. And a lot of people who have misspelled simulacrum when they were tweeting it.

JULIA:  Uh-hmm.

ERIC:   I think they realized that wasn't Dr. Morrow, but there isn't like an answer right now available to people on the internet of like, who actually did this. So it's a lot of just like, so that wasn't Dr. Morrow. What does that mean? A lot of people were still convinced that it was Dr. Morrow, even though they saw that this person was like polygon from the neck down. Other people are convinced that Dr. Morrow created the Dr. Morrow of herself. So she wouldn't die. Because all of the superheroes who were there. And I think they're also just some like startup stans, who were just like.

ERIC (as Startup Stans): Wow, Beta Supr is incredible. I can't even wait until the actual product is released.

ERIC:   I think also there's a lot of people are like.

ERIC (as the people): Wait, so who was the kaiju?

ERIC:   I think that a lot of people want to hope that it's Monty. But there tru- is not any proof that like Monty was experimented on, made 100 times the size. It could have just been like a fabricated on brand monster that was created. Again, also, no one knows where it came from. So there's a lot of stuff throwing around. There's a strong contingent blaming Al Gore as well.

JULIA:  Oh, no.

AMANDA:  Yeah, of course.

ERIC:   Yeah.

BRANDON:  Are you saying that they, they're not sure that Monty exists? Or they're saying they're not sure that the Monty that they saw was a engineered Monty or the actual Monty?

ERIC:   Good question. I think it's like, if you're gonna look at a pie chart, there's still like 20% of people who are like.

ERIC (as the 20%): Monty doesn't exist. This was a fabrication to play on our idea that there is a giant mountain lobster out there.

ERIC:   So that's 20%. Out of the remaining 80%, I think it's pretty split, that it's like. Oh, someone took our Monty, our local cryptid and turned it into a Kaiju. That's bad! Hate that! And then the other 40% is like, confused, is more confused and scared, and like worried about the entire thing. And it's more like ideating of who could have done this at large. It's real like even though you released a lot of evidence, and I think that you did that to dispel some things. People haven't been able to pin down who did this. So it's still pretty much a madhouse in terms of social media and the way and like some man on the street interviews that seven and a half has been able to do in the wake of the, of the attack.

BRANDON:  In my head, because they have no camera people, they're just like, filming it all selfie style with an iPhone 13.

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:   Oh, for sure. There's a lot of, there's a lot of like the best iPhone you can get and a selfie stick happening.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC (as camera person): All right. All right. We're rollin', Go ahead.

AMANDA (as Multitool): Hey, this is Multitool, local member of the Laketown City 3.

ERIC (as Tegan): Woah! Multitool!

ERIC:   And you look back and Tegan is, Tegan is running up.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC:   And it's trying to get in the shot. And is just like trying to linger the backpack.

ERIC (as Tegan): Oh, yeah, that's Multitool, oh my god. 

AMANDA (as Multitool): I am very grateful at the emergency services, the help of my fellow Supers and all of the civilians who responsibly made sure that the human impact of this event was low.

ERIC:   All the firefighters and EMT workers go.

ERIC (as firefighters and EMT workers): Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!

ERIC:   As they're like carrying people on stretchers, and like try- and like moving debris out of the way.

JULIA:  You see Jake nod appreciatively in the background.

[Eric laughs]

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   Jake, Jake refuses to get out of the back of a shot.

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:   He is like, he is just a blip in the back, but he definitely will not move like he's definitely in the line. In the line of sight--

AMANDA:  He's like turning on a fire hydrant as he maintains eye contact with the camera.

ERIC:  100%

AMANDA (as Multitool): There is obviously a lot of rebuilding to be done. And I gesture at the rubble of Solita behind me. And I want to be really clear about who is responsible for this because somebody is trying to dupe us, the residents of Laketown city. You'll see folks in hats and in uniforms trying to get their way into your social media and onto the news. Because John Press, aka Gutenberg, who runs this company, Supr and was a terrible intern back in the 70s. Decided to--

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA (as Multitool): --co opt two Laketown City legends. To create a public spectacle, make damage to the city so he could come in and take your money and convince you that his company is worthwhile and heroic. And I don't know about you, but I don't need outside heroes coming in to help me. I think we can do that perfectly well ourselves.

ERIC: (as firefighters and EMT workers): Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!

AMANDA (as Multitool): So my colleagues and I and everyone in Laketown City, powered and not, civilian and Super. We're going to try our best to make sure nobody uses us, and our Monty and our Dr. Morrow for their own personal gain. That's not very upcountry if you ask me.

ERIC:   Hell yes. I love that. And then Biz says.

ERIC (as Biz): All right, cut! Can you just send me some copy about who John Press is so that I could put it in kind of like a side like a graphic on the side while you're doing that?

AMANDA (as Multitool): Yeah, totally.

ERIC (as Biz): Okay, great. Thank you. I don't, I, I, I'm, that's my worst, my worst skill is doing the copy.

ERIC: Incredible. Wonderful. Yeah, no, I you don't have to roll for that. I think that you got what you needed. I think that's gonna that's definitely going to be delivered. I think Biz packs up and he has to pack up his own truck and then drive the truck away. Like he has seven and a half painted on the side, like an illicit kart racer.

ERIC (as Ben): Yeah, I'll bring it up. Bring it back to the news editing and this will run on the on the evening news. No problem.

AMANDA (as Multitool): Thank you.

JULIA:  For flavor, Val was acting as a ring light by casting light on their gauntlets and holding it up so that Aggie is lit--

AMANDA:  Yeahhh!

[Eric and Amanda laughs]

JULIA:  --very beautifully.

ERIC:   Incredible. I love that.

AMANDA:  I also just want to text John Paul. And also sidebar Tegan briefly and be like.

AMANDA (as Multitool): Anything you can dig up about Supr if they have filings, if they raise capital. I know you've been working on this, Tegan.

AMANDA:  And then we'll be like.

AMANDA (as Multitool): John Paul, I just like, I don't know, ask like TrueCrime Reddit or something. But we're taking him down and we're taking him down soon.

ERIC:   Are you gonna text back that says:

ERIC (as John Paul): I'll check the dark web. Fine.

[Eric laughs]

ERIC (as John Paul): I’m more--That's what anti heroes do.

AMANDA:  Yeah, but--

ERIC: This is the first time we've seen Tegan in a while. And I think Tegan immediately rushes you as soon as the cameras off and be like.

ERIC (as Tegan): Oh, wow, I can't believe that my superpower girlfriend is the news. I hope this isn't the conflict of interest for me. Doo doo, don't worry. No one cares about that in journalism now doo doo doo.

AMANDA (as Multitool):  You're a freelancer who would you conflict with?

ERIC (as Tegan): No one! My hearts.

ERIC:   And Tegan throws their patented turquoise leather jacket and arms around you and gives you a kiss.

AMANDA (as Multitool):  You just like when we do the steak and eggs, don't you?

ERIC (as Tegan):   I'm telling you. It's newsworthy, whenever someone throws someone else dramatically.

AMANDA (as Multitool): Thank you.

[Brandon laughs]

JULIA:  Uhmm.

BRANDON:  I would like to text Dez and January and just say like.

BRANDON (as Milo): Hey, can you guys bring the big cleanup guns, metaphorically don't bring guns. 

BRANDON: And just like try to get them to bring some big old rubble movers, you know?

ERIC:   Yeah.

ERIC (as January): Yeah sure, we'll go, we'll go into clean up mode. We were stationed--We were downtown just in case, the kaiju kinda made it all the way there. So we're gonna, we're gonna be there. Did you find, did you find Dr. Morrow? Did you see her?

BRANDON (as Milo): We did yeah. She's been asking about you.

ERIC (as January): Okay, well we're out there. rabbit emoji, fast emoji, rabbit emoji.

[Brandon chuckles]

AMANDA:  Send back a hot dog, send back a hot dog.

BRANDON:  Milo sends back a hot dog and a heart.

AMANDA:  Yeah! So weird!

ERIC:   Incredible, yeah! So all these people are in front of you if there's anyone you want to, you want to talk to and kind of like figure this stuff out. Tegan is here, I think Hitomi stayed away. Hitomi’s not here. A bunch of your various friends are here as well.

JULIA:  I would like to go up to Sour Anthony and punch him in the stomach.

AMANDA:  Yeah!

ERIC:   Hey! Sure, make an attack roll with advantage. Because Sour Anthony wasn't paying attention. He, you can see Sour Anthony is like floating like five feet up. And he's kind of just directing some firefighters. And was like.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Yeah you should go that way. Make sure to clear all that out. 

JULIA:  Cool. It's a 28.

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:   Oh, yeah, I I-- that hits.

JULIA:  Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm. I like, I don't like necessarily want to do damage, but I want to see if I can destroy the pixel part of it.

ERIC:   Sure. Yeah.

JULIA:  Also, like, if it's the fucking snacks, can they be dislodged from wherever he's keeping them?

ERIC:  Great. Okay, let me roll, let me roll on that and see what I can do for you. Okay, yeah, he's floating and not paying attention. And just- you just sock him. Like I just imagine you could like a big brother going up to a little brother just like punching them in the kidney.

JULIA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   Very much like that. Yeah, you punch him out of the air. Remember, he's floating like five feet up. And he-- so it's like he tumbles over like he's zero, you know, he's floated. He's like zero G. He tumbles ass over teakettle in the air. And he's bag- yeah, his bag of snacks skitters to the ground. And he immediately drops and falls on his face, and then immediately reaches out and grabs the snacks.

JULIA:  Can I try to beat him to the snacks?

ERIC:   Yeah, that's fine. I rolled a 19.

JULIA:  I only rolled the 14.

ERIC:   Yeah. So he grabs--

AMANDA:  Saying to help action somehow by trying to like insult him or like stretch out my hand to like wave in his face to be like, "No, no, no, you can't"?

ERIC:   Sure!

JULIA:  I gotta roll an 18 or higher to kind of meet him so I can try. I rolled another 19.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   Yay!

JULIA:  Oh my God!

ERIC:   So what, what is that in total?

JULIA:  That's, it's only a dirty 20. But--

ERIC:   Okay, no, I rolled a 17 on the dice. I got a 19.

JULIA:  Okay.

ERIC:   You win!

JULIA:  Great!

ERIC:   Yeah, I think that he, he thinks that he has it because you pretty much fell right on top of the snacks. But you're able to grab it out of his hands. Just like yoink get out of his hands.

JULIA:  Great. And I, I look at it and then I look at him and I'm like.

JULIA (as Val): So how long have you been getting superhero snacks or whatever from Gutenberg?

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): What are you talking about?

JULIA (as Val): You got a tummy, you got a tummy full of pixels. And I know something's fucking up. 

AMANDA (singing): I gotta tummy, gotta tummy full of pixels--

[Eric laughs]

ERIC and AMANDA (singing): ohhh woah ho!

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): I would really appreciate that as superhero colleagues you don’t talk about my tummy publicly. 

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): That's just like I would ask for you not to comment on my tummy while round all the people that's just a thing for me.

JULIA (as Val): I'm sorry. I'm not gonna listen to a person who is currently working with the biggest supervillain in Laketown city.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): I don't work over those. What are you--

JULIA (as Val): Oh where did you get these from, buddy boy? Huh?

ERIC (as Sour Anthony):  I make it at home, it was my home snacks.

JULIA (as Val): Out of what?

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Things I buy the health foods store.

JULIA (as Val): Oh, so there's Vitamin M in this bad boy, huh?

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Ummm…

JULIA (as Val): Yeah. Okay.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): I'll ever buy it before it was Vitamin M, this is a from the earth supplement that is local. That I use as a strength supplement. Give me my snacks back!!

BRANDON:  So Sour Anthony doesn't even have powers, huh?

AMANDA:  Yeah.

BRANDON:  That Anthony is just--

AMANDA:  Yeah.

BRANDON:  --jucing..

AMANDA:  Yeah.

BRANDON:  Classic Sour Anthony.

AMANDA:  Classic.

BRANDON:  Does he went in high school, too. 

ERIC: He was, he was juicing? 

BRANDON: No. He was, he was just like, you know, he's a he just pretend to be something he's not you know, like he was pretending to be a craft beer aficionado and he never had a sour beer in his life.

ERIC:   You just said in high school and I'm like, was there a brew, a Home Brewers Club? And, in high school, that's very, that is very, very progressive, regardless--

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC:   --of where you went to school.

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA:  There should be. It’d be a fun way to learn chemistry.

ERIC:   Who would be? It's funny.

JULIA:  I think Val is like.

JULIA (as Val): You’re a phony, and everyone's gonna know about it.

ERIC:   All right. [stutters] He like floats up to you, like gets real close.

[Eric laughs]

JULIA:  Nope. Nope. Val put that one hand is like.

JULIA (as Val): Nope.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Hey, I don't know what you need to expose me right now. I think it's best for everyone if we have more good guys right now the bad guys. I'll tell you whatever you want. I'll tell you the truth. I'll tell you everything, it's fine. My name’s not even Anthony, it's Toni with an "i".

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

JULIA (as Val): It's that short for like Antoinette or something? Like--

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): No! No, it just my, I was born To- on my birth certificate--

JULIA (as Val): Okay. Yeah.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): --it says, Toni, T-o-n-i.

JULIA (as Val): It's an interesting choice by your parents, but who am I to judge?

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): I was, I'm a shi- father it should be Anthony. It's, see? I'm telling you a secrets already. I haven’t told anyone that my name is Toni with an "i".

JULIA (as Val): People are going to know.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Can we like, figure out here what you want from me? That you can just not tell anyone that I have--

JULIA (as Val): Sour Anthony, I want you to disappear from the public eye. Flyboy’s no more, okay? Flyboy is going to disappear, he’s going to go into early retirement. And I'm never going to have to see your fucking face again.

BRANDON:  Fly away boy.

AMANDA:  Nice.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): All right. Hey, hey. I don’t think-- is there anything else? Maybe you can just punch me real hard right in the face if you want that?

JULIA (as Val): No, no. That won't satisfy me anymore, Sour Anthony, it just won't. I'm have eno- I've had enough of your shit and I'm not going to take it anymore.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Alright, fuck you!

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

JULIA (as Val): Hey! Fuck you!

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Fuck you! All right. Give me sn- give me my snacks.

JULIA (as Val): No, no, you can go make some more if you want.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Okay, fine, watch me.

ERIC:   Sour Anthony, fly-- dejectedly hovers over, and head down, hovers over to Emily Slaughter. And he's, he's says.

ERIC (as Sour Anthony): Eh, uhm, Emily, can I just talk to you for a second?

BRANDON:  He like hands over his members only jacket that says Upcountry Keepers on it.

ERIC:   Emily like, they go over, kinda a little farther away. And you see like Sour Anthony stil floating. And he's like talking low. And then Emily says.

ERIC (as Emily): So there's just no one on my team now?! That is, it’s just me?! What?! Why?!

AMANDA:  I picture her like disabling the cloud storage of his email account and stuff like that.

[Julia and Eric laughing]

ERIC:   It's just, she's taking out her phone and typing something into it as he's describing this to you.

AMANDA:  She's just furiously canceling software subscriptions.

[Eric laughs]

AMANDA:  Like turn off his cell service.

ERIC:   It's like. [laughs]

ERIC (as Emily): I am- I am no longer paying for your texting plan. You need to pay that yourself. Give me the credit card. I am canceling your email. Fine! You're fired! You're fired! That's fine, fine!

JULIA:  Val just puts the snack pack in their jacket pocket and whistles as they walk away.

[Amanda laughs]

BRANDON:  I feel like we may have just made a supervillain?

AMANDA:  Yeah, I feel like 10% bad but like we can take him if he becomes one.

JULIA:  He was always a dick. I don't feel bad at all.

[Brandon chuckles]

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   Emily is like furiously typing on her keyboa- on her phone now. Being like.

ERIC (as Emily): One of them was pixelated and now another one is fired. And the other one wanted to like hang out with, hang out with like a super partner and have like a duo thing. I can't find anyone. I don't know why. What is, is it something wrong about me? What, what's what is--

BRANDON:  10 feet away you hear Milo with that mouthful of hot dog, just go.

BRANDON (as Milo): Emily, are you okay?

[Eric laughs]

ERIC (as Emily): No!

JULIA (as Val): Emily, we're always looking for interns if you'd like to apply?

[Brandon giggles]

AMANDA:  Love it.

ERIC (as Emily): You know what? That's fine. I, you know what, I just, I'm never alone. So I can take care, we can take care of this ourselves. It's all right, fine! That's cool.

AMANDA (as Aggie): What do you mean you're never alone?

ERIC (as Emily): I have my ingenious ideas with me. And, it's fine.

BRANDON (as Milo):  Are you talking about your sword?

ERIC (as Emily): Yes, me and my sword it's just us against everyone else.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Are we going to talk about the fact that you definitely had a Gutenberg plant with your team? Like did you know that? Or were you just duped because both versions make me have even less confidence in you which I did not think was possible.

ERIC (as Emily): How do I know that one of you three and everyone else around here are pixelated too?

AMANDA (as Aggie): Here, try it. 

AMANDA:  And I extend my arm holding the sunglasses and hold them up to her face but don't let go.

ERIC (as Emily): I don't, I don't want to wear your weird sunglasses.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Just look, look through it.

ERIC (as Emily): No!

AMANDA (as Aggie): Yeah!

ERIC (as Emily): I did, no.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Yes.

ERIC (as Emily): No!

AMANDA (as Aggie): Okay, is there a reason you don't want to see who's pixel and who's not? Are you afraid more people close to you are Gutenberg inserts?

ERIC (as Emily): Yes! Obviously!

AMANDA (as Aggie):  What?

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC (as Emily): Have all do we- have all of you have already just like looked at all of your family members and your loved ones and made sure they weren't pixelated?

AMANDA (as Aggie): Yes! It was terrifying.

ERIC (as Emily): You've already, you've already taken care of all that?

AMANDA (as Aggie): It was terrifying. I really hoped Ryan was, he is not.

ERIC:   Make a deception roll, you a 100% did not.

JULIA:  I'm gonna give you a help act and be like.

JULIA (as Val): Oh, yeah, like we all did. We kind of like had a little family gathering where we invited everyone to Dr. Morrow's house and then looked at everyone.

AMANDA:  Do I get fame on this?

ERIC:   No, because Emily knows you, he knows you as a friend not--

AMANDA:  Okay.

ERIC:   --as a famous person.

AMANDA:  11. But with advantage. Yeah. 11

BRANDON:  Ghosts is just spook pixels.

ERIC:   What did you, what did you roll on the dice?

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

JULIA:  What?

ERIC:   Wait, Brandon what did you say?

BRANDON:  Huh?

ERIC:   Okay, great. Wonderful. What did you roll on the dice?

AMANDA:  10 + 1.

ERIC:   10 + 1. Yeah, I roll the 4 of the dice.

[Amanda laughs]

AMANDA:  Yey!

JULIA:  Oh, fuck you, Emily!

ERIC:   Oh, God. So even with, even with Brandon's incredibly ridiculous insight, I don't think I would have been able to do it. Yeah, I think Emily's like.

ERIC (as Emily): And you're all fine with it? It was, it was okay?

AMANDA (as Aggie): It was terrifying. I really hoped Ryan was, but he wasn't so you know, disappointing. But yeah, just look at us, go ahead.

ERIC:   Everyone around us are starting to look, look over at her and be like.

ERIC (as Emily): All right, fine, fine, fine. I'll do it. Fine. Fine. We can perception check.

BRANDON (as Milo): Everyone's strike a pose.

(all laugh)

ERIC:  You, you definitely I think they heard all of you strike a pose. Emily, like really tentatively, like, walks up to the sunglasses, like holds them on her face. Like one of those periscopes you see, like at a pier. And like, tentatively holds it up to her face and says.

ERIC (as Emily): Okay, you're not all pixelated. That's fine.

BRANDON (as Milo): Look at your sword. Just make sure it's not pixels.

ERIC (as Emily): It's not.

BRANDON (as Milo): Your best friend in the world.

ERIC (as Emily): It's not.

ERIC:  Emily looks around and be like.

ERIC (as Emily): Wow. There are a lot of, there are a lot of people who are pixelated.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Believe us now, that Gutenberg is a problem and needs to be dealt with?

ERIC (as Emily): I always thought that Gutenberg was a problem.

AMANDA (as Aggie): You weren’t clear about that!

ERIC (as Emily): Oh, yeah! All those, like really honest, truthful talks that we definitely had that we would have had an opportunity for us to, like, be honest with each other about things. Also, the number of times I tried to get coffee with you, and you didn't? You could’ve, we could have talked about it then. And we didn't!

[Brandon laughs]

JULIA (as Val): Yeah, Aggie, that's kind of rude that you never got coffee with Emily.

I would like to have coffee with you. 

ERIC (as Emily):I--

BRANDON (as Milo): Not you! Not you. You, Aggie. I want coffee.

AMANDA (as Aggie): I brought you hot chocolate at Stewarts, it got spilled twice.

BRANDON (as Milo): That's fair, that's fair.

AMANDA (as Aggie): No, you were too busy trying to make sure the public profile of your Super team exceeded the one of our Super team. But there is a bigger enemy than public opinion for us to fight right now.

[Brandon and Julia laughs]

ERIC (as Emily): I thought we were just doing the, I thought we were just doing the invisible hand of capitalism thing. But the invisible hand is kind of like a superpower. So it was applied to superhero power teams. And then that's how it works.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Emily.

AMANDA:  I stretch out my other hand and put it on top of her head.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Capitalism is the biggest villain of all.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC (as Emily):   I don't know if that's true. That doesn't seem right. Not all. I've done extensive research. I don't I don't know if that’s true. 

AMANDA (as Aggie):  Well, regardless, we got to be Gutenberg and make him use his money to rebuild Solita.

ERIC:   Uhm.

BRANDON (as Milo):  We got a spot in the team if you want to revoke all other past affiliations and apologize.

AMANDA (as Aggie):  That's true.

ERIC:   Brandon, how much do you mean that?

BRANDON:  I mean it. But it would be the LT3 and like, you know, the whistle and J birds, you know, or whatever.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   All right. I'm gonna make an inside check from Emily to see whether or not they're whether or not that's true. Nope, I rolled a 3 on the dice. She's like.

ERIC (as Emily): I don't like you all being mean to be like this. That is not rude.

BRANDON (as Milo): I'm not being mean.

JULIA (as Val): I was being mean before but now I'm not being mean.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Yeah, you did the difficult thing and look through the glasses. So--

ERIC (as Emily): Fine.

AMANDA (as Aggie): We can be cool.

ERIC (as Emily): And I guess you all weren't going to tell me that you weren't going to tell me that Hard Body was pixelated too. That's just something I need to figure out on my own.

JULIA (as Val):  I'm sorry. What?!

AMANDA:  I whip the glasses back.

BRANDON:  More like Soft Body?

ERIC:   More like Software Body?

AMANDA:  Ohhh.

[Brandon laughs]

BRANDON:  There it is.

JULIA:  Val, you just see Val take off be like.

JULIA (as Val): I can finally destroy Shannon Redwine.

[all laughs]

[midroll sfx pings]

ERIC:   Hey, it's Eric. Today, I went to my favorite smoked salmon place. Acme Fish, incredible delicious. And they have like a thing where you can go and pick up wholesale priced blocks there. And I wore my Acme sweatshirt and I brought my Acme bag and I showed it to them. And the staff there, were so hyped to see it. So if you have a chance to go to a place and you have merch from that place. Whether it's a live show for a podcast or a brewery, try to bring the merch there. The people are really going to get a kick out of it. Welcome to the mid roll. I also got pastrami lox, which was delicious. And you should all try if you have an opportunity. First and foremost, thank you to all of our newest patrons welcome. Hokuto, Nicole, R. Dreher, Nikki, Michelle, Peppermint, and Adela. You may have heard that we hit our goal of 600 patrons. That means our friend of the immensely talented, Sara Barra is hard at work on the giants comic book cover of all the PCs and NPCs of campaigns two, I've seen the sketches, it's gonna be hot! This means that there's going to be a free digital download for all patrons, and every single one of you are going to be able to purchase it as a physical poster on our merch store. To get all the updates, you better sign up as a patron, we are a little below 600 now, I just the way the term goes. So we're still trying to hit 600. And then we're trying to figure out what we're gonna do with 700. So you better join up to hit those goals. Thank you to everyone who's joined and if you're on the fence or you're thinking about it, it is the perfect time to join up. patreon.com/jointhepartypod, that is patreon.com/jointhepartypod. As a reminder, there are just four weeks left of campaign two. Next week we're doing an after party for this episode and the previous two, the mountain lobster fight. And then after this, our last two story episodes of the campaign and a final after party at the end of the comic book. So get your questions in now about the campaign so far and what went down during the kaiju fight. Then afterwards, after campaign two, well, it's summertime, baby. Join the Party is here to stay. We are still turning out the good at party stuff you like. It's time to try something new and camp during the party is going to be here for you. I think you're really going to love the other shows here on Multitude. It is a great day to check out another Multitude show. This week, I want to recommend The Newest Olympian, is Percy Jackson, the YA series we should have been reading all along, hmm, hmm? Maybe not the other one with the magic, maybe this one, instead of with the Greek gods? Join Mike Schubert, first time PJL reader on his quest to find out in The Newest Olympian. Every week, Mike chats with a longtime Percy Jackson fan to cover a portion of the series. They recap the plot, they dive into the mythology, and they have fun with the good writing. And you can read along with the podcast like a digital book club. New episodes of Newest Olympian come out every Monday. Search for The Newest Olympian or Multitude in your podcast app. And you can find it from there. Or go to thenewestolympian.com to start listening. We are sponsored this week by Hero Forge. Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop minis with dozens of fantasy species and 1000s of parts to choose from. And they're always putting up new parts every single week. They're easy to use design tool, lets you build your perfect mini online using a fully 3D in depth character creator right in your web browser. I swear, I could spend hours just making little minis in their creator. These custom minis come in a variety of materials including color printed options, so you don't have to paint them. And they have downloadable model files for users to 3D print their unique designs at home. Shout out to our non evil 3D printer gang, you know, not Gutenbergs. I know you're gonna love them. So design your unique miniature and get it printed in full color with Hero Forge's custom color minis. Visit heroforge.com to start designing your custom mini today and check back often. New content is added every single week. We are also sponsored by Backblaze. Backblaze provides unlimited backup for Mac and PC. That's your movies. That's your music. That's your photos. That's your videos. That's your project, all that data. Backblaze has nearly two exabytes! I don't even know how big that is! It feels big of storage under management and counting. Oh, here we go. That's almost 2 billion gigabytes. So an exabyte is a billion gigabytes. That's wild! Oh my God. It runs in the background of your computer, keeping your files safe without you needing to do anything. And if you ever need to, you can download individual files or restore your entire device from anywhere in the world via web access. Or you can restore by mail with a flash key or hard drive that is sent right to your door. Sometimes in electronic world you need something physical and Backblaze knows that. Start a 15-day free trial with no credit card required at backblaze.com/jtp. That gives you plenty of time to upload and download some files. Seriously, back yourself up and easiest way to do it is with Backblaze, check it out, backblaze.com/jtp. And now back to the show.

[midroll sfx pings]

AMANDA:  Yeah, where is she? If Emily can see it, she must be here.

ERIC:   Yeah, she's helping with some of the people working for Supr. Like--

AMANDA: Of course she is, that's her programming.

ERIC:   Like there's a building, I think that there's like a five story apartment building that is really dangerously almost falling over. And I think that Hard Body is kind of like at the bottom being like,

ERIC (as Hard Body): No, it's fine. If it falls over on me. I'm, it's all right. It's okay.

JULIA:  Oh, am I gonna do something very stupid for the sake of character?

AMANDA:  Yes, yes.

BRANDON:  Absolutely.

AMANDA:  Yes, yes.

BRANDON:  I'm just letting you do your thing here.

JULIA:  I'm fully just going to spear Shannon Redwine.

AMANDA:  Yeah!

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

JULIA:  Like full body layout, tackle her.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   Incredible. Make an attack roll for me.

JULIA:  Well, actually, before I do that.

ERIC:   Yeah.

JULIA:  I need to confirm that Emily Slaughter is not trying to just fuck me.

ERIC:   Sure.

JULIA:  So I have one more use of the day of my unknown glasses. Is Shannon Redwine actually pixelated?

ERIC:   Hell yes. Shannon Red Wine is actually pixelated.

JULIA:  Okay, great.

ERIC:   I think you also you maybe you go on Face-- you're like, wait, wait a second. You like go on Facebook. And you realize that Shannon Redwine has changed her last name to Shannon Whitewine. Because she got, she got married and she changed her last name on Facebook.

JULIA:  Did she like, move out of town or something?

ERIC:   Yeah, she lives in Tucson.

JULIA:  Oh my God. Okay, destroying this person.

BRANDON:  What a true match made in heavens. She met someone's last name Whitewine.

[Brandon chuckles]

JULIA:  I rolled a 2 on my first attack. I'm rolling again for my second attack. Fuck this!

[Julia and Eric laughs]

ERIC:   She ro- She married Rob White.

[Eric chuckles]

ERIC:   And then she, and just changed the color.

JULIA:  Oh my God. I roll a fucking natural 1, on my second attack.

[Eric chuckles]

BRANDON:  All right. Well, we can--

JULIA:  What the fuck?!

BRANDON:  --give you the help action.

AMANDA:  Yeah, we can help. We can help.

BRANDON:  I--

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

ERIC:   No way. Julia ran out ahead. We have this, this needs to stand as--

AMANDA:  Ohhh.

ERIC:   --as it is.

JULIA:  Fuck, you dice!

ERIC:   So what, what did you roll?

JULIA:  A 2 and then a natural 1.

ERIC:   A 2 and then a natural 1. All right.

JULIA:  Like her, her AC isn't 13, right?

ERIC:   For notoriously hard-bodied person? No, no, no. Okay, here's what happens.

JULIA:  I like, lay out but I think she's already hardened in keeping up the building and I don't anticipate that. And so when I ram into her I just kind of bounce off.

ERIC:   Julia roll damage for me.

JULIA:  Okay, so it's 6 damage plus 12. So that's 18 damage.

ERIC:   Oh my God.

AMANDA:  This game really makes me hate it when Eric laughs.

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:   Holy shit. All right, Julia. Here's what happens. You are so pissed and simultaneously enraged and delighted that you get to punch your high school bully in the face. That you bounce off of her the first time. And then the second time, as you rear back to do it again, Shannon grabs your arm and like swings you around and throws you into the building that it's falling over. I roll 2D10 for the HP of the building. And I rolled a 9 into 10. This building has one point of damage.

AMANDA:  Ohohoho.

ERIC:   If someone sneezes inside, this five storey building is absolutely coming down.

ERIC (as Shannon): Um, excuse me, I'm in the middle of something right now. If you have something to deal with, can we do this later? I'm trying to fi- I'm trying to fix, fix this city, please.

JULIA:  Val just goes.

JULIA (as Val): You made of pixels!

JULIA:  And attacks again.

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

ERIC:   Sure attack again.

AMANDA:  Aggie’s gonna rush over to help raise the building.

JULIA:  Fucking nat 20 dice.

ERIC:   Yeah!

AMANDA:  Ohhhhh!

JULIA:  Dice. Dice. Urghh!!! Beautiful!

ERIC:   Ahh, hell yes. Do your damage.

JULIA:  Great. So I'm rolling.

AMANDA:  Yeah, yeah.

JULIA:  4D6 for the first attack, plus 9, so--

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:  Yeah, dude. Yeah, dude.

JULIA:  13, 17 + 9, that's 26 damage on the first attack.

ERIC:   Uh-hmm.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

JULIA:  And then on the second attack, 11 + 9 for 20. So 46 points of damage.

AMANDA:  Damn.

BRANDON:  You see Milo, like they do a quick cut panel to Milo and you just see a piece of hot dog. Like his mouth--

[Amanda laughs]

BRANDON:  --wide open and a piece of hot dog fall out of his mouth in astonishment.

[Amanda laughs]

AMANDA:  I raced over to help brace the building. But my head is twisted around like an owl watching this excellent adventure.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC:   Sure. Make a, make a strength check.

AMANDA:  15, 14 + 1.

ERIC:   Okay. You did 46 points of damage?

JULIA:  That's for sure what I did. Uh-hmm.

[Brandon chuckles]

JULIA:  Pixels, pixels, pixels, pixels.

[Eric laughs mischievously]

ERIC:   Incredible. All right. Here's what happens. Aggie with a 15 you are able to, to brace the building, as the building is not falling over. And while Val is just in a full fucking not not rage, but a full vengeance path. You see that while Val is in the rubble, Hard Body set down her phone, and like it has a little kickstand on it pointing towards her. And she says.


ERIC (as Hard Body): No! Superheroes shouldn't be fighting each other! We have bigger problems!

JULIA:  Fuckin'.

ERIC:   But with a 46, I roll in 19- so I roll a 19 to be able to put the phone on the ground, right? Val as you swing-- you, with all the fiery power you have inside of you, vibra- you don't know if you're vibrating from from excitement or from your power, you fucking bring yourself slamming down on your former bully turned incredibly fucking annoying superhero colleague. You do so much damage that you like, you feel yourself like, pushing through like cracking the incredibly hard defenses of Hard Body. Like a comet slamming into the prehistoric world you are going layer by a hard layer through Hard- through Hard Body here. And I think you reach the core the human squishy core underneath all of that armor. And Shannon Redwine pops into pixels because I rolled a natural 1 and--

BRANDON: Ha!

ERIC:   --what she was capturing going live was you destroying another one of Gutenberg, what Gutenbergs--

AMANDA:  Yeah!

BRANDON:  Yeah!

ERIC:   --creations.

JULIA:  Incredible. Val is going to turn, look at the phone, get down real low and be like.

JULIA (as Val): That's just one more pixel creation that Gutenberg has put out there to confuse you, the masses. And we're gonna fucking take him down!

BRANDON:  And then you smashed the phone.

JULIA:  And then I just knock it over so it's facing down. 

BRANDON: It just goes--

[phone ticks]

ERIC:   Incredible. Yeah, it's a pretty godly-made kickstand. You got it for like $6 on Amazon. Man, ahhh, I love the gritty reboot of Sonic the Hedgehog. Fucking nice!

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

JULIA:  Oh and then I go help, Aggie, you hold up this fucking building.

ERIC:   Yeah, yeah yeah. I think you're able to, you're able to brace it and--

JULIA:  Jake's coming over, he has like a full like building column jack thing.

ERIC:   Yeah, like a van- yeah, once, once Aggie is able to hold it all up. The people with the trucks show up and are able to brace it.

BRANDON:  The gritty reboot of Sonic is just all teeth.

[Eric laughs]

ERIC:   Val just, I like the idea of Val has the one like tooth plate.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC:  That you know people draw in comics sometimes, it's like you're, it just one big tooth together.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC:   That's how you eat the pie. That's what makes you eat the pasta easier.

[all laughs]

ERIC:   I think while this fuck you're all resolving this, I think you hear, kathump, kathump, kathump, kathump! Getting louder and louder as louder. As the BUNI mech piloted--

AMANDA:  Yeah!

ERIC:   --by January, holding Dez delicately in their, in their arms. Just hops--

AMANDA:  No sidesaddle for this?

JULIA:  I was gonna say we know there's a sidesaddle, Dez just like being held?

[Julia laughs]

ERIC:  Yeah dude. Dez is a big dude. You think he wouldn't take the opportunity to be fireman carried if he had the opportunity?

AMANDA:  He deserves it. 

ERIC:  Kathump, kathump, kathump. And just like one, one big hop and lands right in front of Dr. Morrow. And the bunny mech opens up

[bunny mech hatch opens]

ERIC:   And January hops out throwing their arms around Dr. Morrow as Dez--

AMANDA:  Ohhh.

ERIC:   --also gets in there. The three person hug that only only roommates, long time roommates can do to each other.

AMANDA:  Ohh.

ERIC:   And January is just like burrowing deeper and deeper deeper into this hug. And Dr. Morrow says.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Ahh, I was gonna be fine. I went out for snacks. And then I got sidetracked, but it's it's fine, it's always fine. Dr. Morrow always comes back.

JULIA (as Val): Oh God, we know that's not true though. Urgh!

AMANDA (as Aggie): All three of us make eye contact. Urgh!

JULIA (as Val): Urgh!

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:   You all make him say checks where you realize Dr. Morrow can't promise that. But I, I hope that all of you make tact rolls not to say that out loud.

AMANDA:  Oh no. Just, just foreboding eye contact for people who have seen the ultimate timeline.

ERIC:   Oh, yes. So Dr. Morrow says.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I'll tell you where, I'll tell everyone where I was. It's, it's honestly I think it's quite, I've yet I've learned with this most recent of my brushes with death that maybe I should be more honest about the things that happened to me and I want to share all that with all of you. So everyo- can all of you, Vulcani, and ahh, and Milo, and Aggie. You can come over here. I got things to say.

BRANDON (as Milo): I walk over.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Yeah. I give Vulcani a high five.

JULIA (as Val): Good job.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Good job to you. That's so satisfying.

JULIA (as Val): I killed a representation of my high school bully.

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

AMANDA (as Aggie): Hell yeah dude. 

JULIA (as Val): It was very cathartic.

AMANDA (as Aggie):  Love that!

ERIC:   Incredible. Emily, it was Emily Slaughter just fucking be like.

ERIC (as Emily): How, how did I miss all this? What is, what is happened? What's--

AMANDA (as Aggie): Come on Emily, come on over.

ERIC (as Emily): Should I? You do, I should? I mean if this is like, if this is like a friend's only thing. If this is like a Laketown city 3 only thing I don't have to be involved. I know when I'm not wanted. I was kick--

JULIA (as Val): Are you, are you gonna betray us and like the things that we say to Gutenberg?

ERIC (as Emily): I was not gonna betray you! I wasn't!

JULIA (as Val): Okay!

ERIC (as Emily): I was never gonna do that!

JULIA (as Val): My, my point being is like, unless you plan on doing that, come on, join the circle.

BRANDON (as Milo): Yeah, you're officially almost an LT3 and friends, baby.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Hey, hey, Emily.

ERIC (as Emily): Yes?

AMANDA (as Aggie): I know nobody probably ever told you this. But I'm going to say to you, what I said to my sister Erin once upon a time, okay?

ERIC (as Emily): Okay.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Life is a group project. And everyone hates the people who try to do all the work for the group project on their own, okay?

[all chuckles]

AMANDA (as Aggie): So come on in. You're gonna get a B, it's going to be fine. Smell a marker, ahh probably don't do that. Get your binder. Come take some notes, okay? Life’s a group project.

BRANDON: (as Milo): You're gonna get a Bee. I'm still making bee puns.

AMANDA:  (as Aggie): Cute.

ERIC: Great!

[Eric laughs]

ERIC (as Emily): But if I don't do all the work for the group project, how's it going to get done?

AMANDA (as Aggie): You're gonna do a little less. And product will be a little worse. But you're gonna have a lot more fun, okay?

BRANDON:  Amanda, I disagree with everything that you just said.

[Brandon laughs]

JULIA:  I think that Amanda is giving advice to, past Amanda there.

ERIC: To Amanda. 

[Eric laughs]

AMANDA:  Yeah, that's, that’s what Dungeons and Dragons is, Julia. 

JULIA:  Yeah.

[Eric laughs]

JULIA:  It's an apology to your past self. Yep.

ERIC:   Yeah. Where do you, where do you want to have this, this confab with Dr. Morrow?

AMANDA:  Can we like sit at the waterfront and like watch for signs of Monty's frolicking in the in the lake.

JULIA:  Yeah, we like stick our toes in.

AMANDA:  Yeah.

ERIC:   I love that. Yeah, it's it's incredibly wavy now in the Lake Champlain. Because there's some massive lobster, just diving and and bobbing through.

JULIA:  Val goes to Dr. Morrow.

JULIA (as Val): Do you know how he got so big?

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I do. That is part of that. It's part of the things that I wanted to explain here that I think might be important to what needs to happen. So I did go out for snacks, I was really hank-- I was thinking about what it would be like if you--

BRANDON:  Were you about to say hankering?

[Brandon chuckles]

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): If you're not, I'm sorry that you're not ready to hear that I'm in love with your father. But I think that if you need to--

JULIA (as Val): Val goes, wait, what?

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): --take some time.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Take some time for that. I'm, I'm ready, I have only-- I have nothing but time. For the thing that's most important. We’ll be a family.

JULIA (as Val): Oh, God.

BRANDON (as Milo): Just don't call it a hankering when you want to smooch.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I will now!

ERIC:  And she pulls out a notebook and writes it down.

JULIA (as Val):  No, Milo, that's called an Italian emergency.

[Eric and Brandon laughs]

AMANDA (as Aggie):  It's not called the forest fire. If I talk about forest fires, there is a forest fire.

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

AMANDA (as Aggie): Okay? I just want to make that very clear. Babe, do you get that?

ERIC (as Tegan): Yeah, I got it.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Okay.

ERIC: Yeah, Tegan is keeping a respectful distance and be like.

ERIC (as Tegan): I don't know, I don't want to report on this. I, I, keep me in the dark. It's fine.

[Brandon chuckles]

ERIC:   Dr. Morrow says.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I did go out for snacks. I wanted to, I wanted sweet and salty together and we only had salty in the house. So I went out for snacks. And then I was kidnapped. Science-napped. And I had to… well, hmm. I can't tell you what exactly I was working on because I, I truly don't remember. But it was Gutenberg involved. And I can tell you exactly where I was. I remember, (sigh) where was it? Was it the good Stewart’s or the bad Stewart’s or--

JULIA (as Val): It was a Stewart’s though?

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): One of the Stewart’s? No, no, no, no, we wait oh no, no. I remember, I remember! Okay. Okay. Uhm, so there I was, I, hmm. Okay, let me start over, let me start, let me start over. I was captured by Gutenberg to work on a special project that he said only I would be able to do. And then he kind of, and then days go by and I'm in the darkness and you let me out on top of mountain lava, out on top of our massive crustacean friends. I do remember where I was though. Because I remember, I was being carried through the air by all of his, you know, dragon-winged drones, with the bad, with a, with a flat or four polygons.

JULIA (as Val): Uh-hmm.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): And I remember thinking, oh, I recognize-- I haven't seen this view since 1985. When before I went and saw Back to the Future and discovered diaphorum, I went on a hike. And I was able to look down on Laketon for the first time.

JULIA (as Val):  So he's up in the mountains.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow):  No, no, no, no! And then and then I was down and then, and then I don't remember anything else. But he's like to need, he's in Laketon.

JULIA (as Val):  Okay.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow):  He has to be. Uh unfor- I can't remember, unfor- I can't tell you anything else. I I don't remember anything else. I wish, I wish that I did. I did this whole build up being able to tell you everything. And that's all I remember. I--

BRANDON (as Milo): No. That's super helpful. It's it's a good, we know where to go now.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): You could do it. You you've all spent, you've all spent time there. You'll be able to figure it out. Right?

JULIA (as Val): I mean, yeah. Aggie, if anyone's gonna figure it out, it's gonna be Aggie, right?

ERIC: Dr. Morrow reaches out and touches Aggie on the face delicately, like.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Aggie, you're so smart. I can always trust you. You're so smart, and reliable. And you always know what to do. And I, no, no one, no one notices that. And I think people should, because sometimes you need someone to remember the details while you're able to go do other things. And I, I just wanted to say that I appreciate that about you. And I should have said that.

ERIC: And then she reaches out with another hand and puts the hand on Milo's face. It says.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Milo, you are so powerful, and vain and scary into of, into of them, in a way that it's almost dangerous. But I know that that's kind of the whole thing that you have to do is sometimes you have more power than everyone else. And it's hard to control. But you are, you are creative and smart. And you care about the people who are close to you. And I recognize that and someone should have told you that if no one's ever told you.

BRANDON (as Milo): Tha- thanks! Are you dying?

ERIC: Emily while Dr. Morrow is like doing the compliment circle? Emily's like.

ERIC (as Emily): I, I really, I don't, this feels intimate. I'm--

AMANDA (as Aggie): Emily, go stand with Tegan, okay?

ERIC (as Emily): That's fine! I'm gonna.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Okay.

ERIC (as Emily): I'm gonna, I I'll walk a walk over here. Hey, journalist Tegan Murphy. Have you seen the latest viral News?

[Brandon laughs mischievously]

AMANDA:  I make eye contact with Tegan and mouth sorry, babe.

ERIC:   Tegan says, mouths back

ERIC (as Tegan): Why?

[Amanda laughs]

ERIC:   And then, and then Dr. Morrow, puts another, takes the hands off of Aggie’s face and puts it on Val's  face and says.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Val, I have never seen someone care about their hometown, and their neighborhood and the community of people around them more than you. And that's appreciative. I also like your values that you did not reveal yourself. I think that's bold and brave. And I appreciate you and you're also very strong. And that's cool. I think that's very cool that you're strong.

BRANDON (as Milo): It is pretty cool. That's cool.

AMANDA (as Aggie): It's cool.

JULIA (as Val): I have to agree it is pretty cool that I’m very strong.

[Amanda chuckles]

JULIA (as Val): So I, I love this compliment circle that's happening here, Dr. Morrow, we missed you and we appreciate you.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): And January and Dez--

JULIA (as Val): Hold on, hold on.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): --I'll be lost without you.

JULIA (as Val): The Monty, the Monty how’d it get so big?

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I would be lost, I don't know what I would do without you two. And you take care of me. And I don't say it enough because I'm so drafted my own things. And January, you're so soft, and Dez you are you're soft to me and soft on the inside. And I think that you, you don't have to just be here to take care of me. I should be able to take care of myself, but I really appreciate it.

BRANDON:  This is really sweet.

AMANDA:  It's touching.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): And I just appreciate all of you.

BRANDON (as Milo): We appreciate you.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): And I'm in love with Hank Lane.

BRANDON (as Milo): God damn it.

AMANDA (as Aggie): God. We know, we know.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I always have been.

AMANDA (as Aggie): We know, we know. We know.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): And I just want to tell all of you because you're my, you're the closest people I have in the world. Everyone knows me but only you really know me, you know?

AMANDA (as Aggie): We'd like the person that we know. You don't have to be science Mayor all the time. You can just be Cassandra.

BRANDON (as Milo): You can just be science.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Just I just-- science.

JULIA:  Also Val leans forward and takes her face in their hands and it's like.

JULIA (as Val): And do- I, I love and appreciate you. Don't ever make a bet that you can survive a black hole or make a black hole something with black holes. Don't fucking do that.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): That is so specific.

[Brandon laughs]

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): That I feel like you know something and I won't.

JULIA (as Val): You know what--

AMANDA (as Aggie): Weird.

JULIA (as Val): --just listen to me, please.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Is this the, is this the sixth sight?

JULIA (as Val): Yeah.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): It is this your sixth sense?--

JULIA (as Val): I inherited it from my aunt, and I'm telling you black holes, stay away.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I believe you, I definitely believe you.

BRANDON (as Milo): Can I and Hank eventually move into the mansion?

JULIA (as Val): Oh, now you're okay with it, huh?

[Amanda chuckles]

BRANDON (as Milo): Well if there’s a mansion involved.

ERIC:   By day, this is my last turn in Annie.

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA (as Aggie): Does that mean you and January going to be like stepbrothers or something?

BRANDON:  Yeah!

JULIA:  You're gonna recreate the movie, Stepbrothers.

BRANDON (as Milo):  January, I call top bunk!

ERIC (as January): What is, I am so overwhelmed by things right now. 

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Oh, no, no. Okay. Okay. Yeah. So the the, that's, that is Monty. I know for a fact that's Monty.

AMANDA (as Aggie): Yeah. I knew it in my heart.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): And there is something going on with the project from the People's River that's involved with that.

JULIA (as Val): Okay.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I ca- (sigh) everything I'm seeing is just like, static from an from a CRT TV. Like when your bunny, like the bunny ears don't work.

BRANDON: Uh-hmm.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): It's all, it's all I'm seeing right now, unfortunately. But I know that People's River is involved. I know Gutenberg is involved. And I know the three of you are going to be able to figure it out.

AMANDA (as Aggie): We do too.

BRANDON (as Milo): Yeah.

JULIA (as Val): Hell yeah, dog.

BRANDON (as Milo): Everyone put your hands in. LT3 and the smokey bandits on three.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): I don't, I'm not ready to be you. I'm, this--

BRANDON (as Milo): One.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): --like if this was pre-mature--

BRANDON (as Milo): Two.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): --I don't, I don't want--

BRANDON (as Milo): Three!

ALL:  LT3!!!

JULIA (as Val): I'm not saying the other shit.

[Brandon laughs]

AMANDA (as Aggie):  LT!

BRANDON (as Milo): Thank you.

AMANDA (as Aggie):  We?

BRANDON (as Milo): Oh, wait, wait. Put your hands back in, put your hands back in. Good shit. L-T- 3!!! That's what I should have done.

AMANDA (as Aggie):  I would have figured this out years ago.

BRANDON (as Milo):  What do you guys think about LT3 and the shellfish? Is that good?

JULIA (as Val) :  I don't think we need an additional name. We can, we could just do like LT3+.

AMANDA (as Aggie):  Yeah.

BRANDON (:  Val, I like that, like Disney+ yeah.

ERIC (as Dr. Morrow): Like it's a streaming, like it's a streaming service.

JULIA:  We're streaming platform now. Yeah!

[Join the Party theme music plays]


Transcriptionist: Vernon Bryann Casil

Editor: Krizia Marrie Casil