Stories RPG Crossover: Gigacity Guardians 6 The Flipside

Summary

Stories Podcast: A Bedtime Show for Kids of All Ages
Episode: Stories RPG Crossover: Gigacity Guardians 6 The Flipside
Release Date: February 20, 2025
Host/Author: Starglow Media / Wondery

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Introduction

In this engaging and imaginative crossover episode of Stories RPG, the Giga City Guardians—comprised of Scriv (Animus), Ape Canaveral, and Jillian Jayes (Firefly)—navigate a series of challenges and revelations in their quest to defend Giga City. This episode delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the Tusk Corporation, the enigmatic Gigacity Gold, and the alliance with the Brick refugees. The narrative seamlessly blends role-playing elements with compelling character development, making it a captivating listen for both children and their families.

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Plot Recap

The episode picks up on Saturday morning, following the intense events of the previous Friday night, where Animus and Ape infiltrated the Tusk Corporation's Lighthouse. Their mission led to the escape of a squad of bricks into the sewers amidst the chaos of the Megapede attack. Animus has not returned, and the team grapples with the unanswered questions about Gigacity Gold's true intentions and the mysterious activities beneath the city.

At [02:04], Michael, the host, sets the scene, highlighting the Guardians' exhaustion and the looming threats from Tusk Corporation. He outlines the critical points:

• Animus's Disappearance: "Animus has not returned."
• Gigacity Gold's Involvement: "What exactly is going on with the bricks? And why is Gigacity Gold after them?"
• Rivalry with Ellipsis: "There's also the rivalry now between Firefly and really the whole team and Ellipsis, who's really got Firefly's goat."

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Character Development and Team Dynamics

Jillian Jayes (Firefly)
Jillian expresses a strong desire to expose Gigacity Gold's malpractices and to repair relationships with the bricks. At [09:00], she states:

"I want them to be exposed. I want everyone to see them for the farce, the fallacy that they are."

Her determination is driven by her commitment to guard Giga City and support its people, highlighting her role as a compassionate and ethical leader. Additionally, Jillian seeks to address her own skin condition caused by an injection, indicating a personal stake in uncovering the truth behind Tusk Corporation's actions.

Ape Canaveral
Ape is focused on proving Gigacity Gold's involvement in the Megapede attack and is determined to rescue Animus. At [08:33], he emphasizes:

"I want to know, and I want everybody else to know, too."

His "Leave no one behind" mentality underscores his dedication and loyalty to his teammates. Ape also grapples with the technical challenges of locating Animus, showcasing his resourcefulness and problem-solving skills.

Scriv (Animus)
Scriv reveals a shifting driver in her mission—from solely undoing Tusk's wrongs to forming alliances with the Brick refugees and protecting the newfound community in Flipside. At [61:35], she reflects:

"Animus is starting to feel very protective of this, of the people that she's seeing in Flipside, and of Microbial and whatever this amazing place is."

This evolution signifies her growth and expanding perspective on what it means to be a Guardian.

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Key Events and Story Progression

Dream Sequence and Awakening (00:13 - 00:46)
The episode opens with Jillian experiencing a vivid and eerie dream set in her school, symbolizing her inner turmoil and fears about her role as Firefly. The dream culminates in her awakening at the Lighthouse with visible signs of her skin condition, signaling the physical and emotional toll of their recent encounters.

Planning and Team Strategy (00:46 - 01:35)
Following the awakening, the Guardians engage in a strategic planning montage to address their immediate concerns:

• Researching Gigacity Gold: Jillian aims to compile information to expose the corporation's true nature.
• Establishing Communication with the Bricks: Efforts are made to bridge the gap between the Guardians and the Brick refugees.
• Analyzing the Injection: Investigations into Jillian's condition involve blood and skin samples to understand the nature of the injection from Tusk Corporation.

Encounter with Ellipsis (01:35 - 02:10)
Ellipsis, the antagonist, makes a confrontational phone call to Jillian, threatening to tarnish the Guardians' reputation unless they subdue him. Notable moments include:

• Ellipsis accusing the team of lacking a visionary plan and manipulating them into complying with his demands.
• Jillian's resolute response asserting their commitment to being on the "right side of history," showcasing her leadership and resilience.

Ellipsis: "You'll be on the right side of history." [44:42]
Jillian: "Don't misread that as consent. But like, we trust that we're gonna be on the right side of history because that's like a heavy thing to like throw at a person." [46:05]

Discovery of Flipside (02:10 - 03:04)
Simultaneously, Scriv (Animus) finds herself guided into the sewers by a friendly fungus named Microbial, leading her to the subterranean world of Flipside. Here, she meets Electric and learns about the healing chambers and the complex society beneath Giga City. This exploration introduces new allies and deepens the mystery surrounding Tusk Corporation's experiments.

Microbial: "We owe you... I will attempt to pay it in kind." [29:25]
Electric: "This is Flipside." [32:13]

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Themes and Decisions

The episode delves into several central themes:

1. Trust and Leadership: Jillian's struggle with trust, especially in the face of Ellipsis's manipulation, highlights the importance of steadfast leadership and team unity.

2. Good vs. Evil: The clear delineation between the Guardians and the antagonistic forces of Tusk Corporation and Gigacity Gold emphasizes the classic battle between good and evil.

3. Environmentalism and Alliances: Scriv's evolving mission to protect Flipside and ally with the Brick refugees underscores a theme of environmental stewardship and the importance of alliances.

4. Identity and Purpose: Jillian's grappling with her superhero identity amidst personal challenges reflects the journey of self-discovery and purpose.

The Guardians face critical decisions on how to proceed:

• Exposing Gigacity Gold: Balancing the need for public knowledge with the risks of retaliation.
• Rescuing Animus: Prioritizing the safe return of a teammate while managing ongoing threats.
• Forming Alliances: Deciding whether to trust the Brick refugees and integrate them into their mission.

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Concluding Moments

As the episode draws to a close, the Guardians solidify their plan of action:

• Jillian commits to scientific analysis of her condition and researching Gigacity Gold.
• Ape focuses on locating Animus and ensuring "no one is left behind."
• Scriv continues her journey in Flipside, uncovering more about the underground world and its inhabitants.

The Guardians face an imminent deadline set by Ellipsis: a summit on Monday noon, intensifying the urgency of their mission. The episode ends with a cliffhanger, as Animus encounters a mysterious figure in Flipside, leaving listeners eager for the next installment.

Jillian: "We have until Monday. We have to." [49:42]
Changeling Microbial: "First, we should take these wanderers to a place where they can be healed." [28:14]

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Notable Quotes

• Ape Canaveral:
  "I want to prove that Gigacity Gold is behind the Megapede attack and that it's all their fault." [08:40]

• Jillian Jayes:
  "Don't misread that as consent. But like, we trust that we're gonna be on the right side of history because that's like a heavy thing to like throw at a person." [46:05]

• Michael (Host):
  "One of my themes is the question of how do you know if you're doing the right thing?" [10:15]

• Electric:
  "We owe you... I will attempt to pay it in kind." [29:25]

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Conclusion

Stories RPG Crossover: Gigacity Guardians 6 The Flipside masterfully weaves a tale of heroism, mystery, and ethical dilemmas. Through dynamic character interactions and a richly developed narrative, the episode captivates its audience, encouraging listeners to ponder the complexities of right versus wrong and the importance of trust and leadership. As the Guardians prepare for the upcoming summit and deeper discoveries in Flipside, listeners are left eagerly anticipating the next chapter in their adventure.

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Join the Adventure:
Interested listeners can participate in the parallel plotline by accessing additional resources and character sheets at patreon.com/storiesrpg and storiesrpg.com.

Transcript

[Michael]

Hello.

[Amanda Weldon]

Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is a crossover episode from Stories rpg, our Play at Home, Listen and Learn game that helps people of all ages tell amazing stories together. Tune in for a regular episode of Stories Podcast later this week. We have Stories Podcast merch, [e-mail] shop. We're also on Cameo for all of your personalized video message needs. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram oriespodcast. If you send us a drawing of your favorite scene or character, we'll share it on our feed. Now, here's a word from our sponsors. This episode of Stories Podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms. With Squarespace payments onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates and contracts, simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto generated sitemap, and more so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to launch squarespace.com dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Thanks. Enjoy the episode.

[Michael]

Hello and welcome back to Stories rpg, the podcast where we tell stories better together. And we do that by playing a game. If you'd like to play along at home, check us [e-mail] storiesrpg. You can also find everything, all the episodes and free downloadable character sheets@stories RPG.com and with me, as always, are the Giga City Guardians. Scriv, why don't you start us off with Animus? Tell us who you are.

[Scriv]

Hello, hello, hello, I am Scriv the Bard playing Animus tonight on Giga City Guardians. Disgruntled office worker turned superhero and there's a lot of crazy stuff going on. We found some interesting things in that Tusk Core Lab and I really want to get to the bottom of it. I think I'm still in the sewer.

[Michael]

You are. You are. You're holding the hand of a fungus.

[Scriv]

With my new best friend. The best fungus among us.

[Michael]

Yes, exactly. He's a fun guy, all right. And on that note, a fun guy note. Ape, why don't you say hi to all the lovely people? Oh.

[Ape Canaveral]

I am Ape Canaveral, formerly known as Peel Armstrong. I am the chimpanzee. Aviator jacket and glasses. I am invulnerable. I was going to go to space, but, you know, the experimental rocket exploded, and now I am impervious to harm. King of the urban jungle. Big fan of Fireflies. Just kind of here with the Giga City Guardians. Doing my best. Just like any good fighter pilot would.

[Michael]

Doing my best? What happened to, I'm the greatest there is? I. I feel like you just took yourself a tag down, man.

[Ape Canaveral]

My best is the best. I don't know what to say.

[Michael]

There you go. That's. That's perfect. And finally, last but most definitely not least, the leader of the Gigacity Guardians, the incredible, brilliant Firefly, Amanda Weldon.

[Amanda Weldon]

Hello, I'm Amanda. I'm the host of Stories Podcast normally, and then also today. I am Jillian Jayes, who is the leader of the Giga City Guardians and also a high school student.

[Michael]

Champions of the city, defenders of the peace, heroes of justice, the Giga City Guardians.

[Amanda Weldon]

Come on.

[Michael]

So I wanted to start out today with just summarizing a little bit of a timeline and having a moment to give y'all a chance as authors to talk about where you want the story to go. Now, because you've got a real nice setup, there's a whole lot going on. There are a lot of mysteries to explore, but this is going to be an episode, and, you know, really a couple of episodes that will really be about what you do next, what you, as characters and authors, decide you want to have happen in the story. So you're going to have a lot of control over how things develop. There's a lot going on, and what you choose and how you choose to move is going to make a huge difference in how things turn out. But don't worry, no pressure. It's about making a good story. So I want to set the scene a little here. It was Friday when Jillian and Specs ditched school to head to the Lighthouse, Animus got brought in by Ape, and you faced the Megapede menace. It was that evening, Friday night, after the Tusk Tower, big media frenzy, that Animus and Ape got into some shady trouble. By heading over to Tusk Corporation. And Animus busted out this strange brick from the bottom of Tusk Tower. And Ape and Firefly ended up letting a squad of bricks escape into the sewers with a large number of the victims of the Megapede attack. It is now Saturday morning and the bleary Eyed Guardians, who have had no rest and and nothing but action for 24 hours, are watching on TV as Tusk is once again issuing threats and and proclamations about this Bric attack. And that's where we left you last time. Animus has not returned. You also encountered Gigacity Gold, who showed up at the Megapede encounter and also was playing against the Brick team who seemed to either be kidnapping or rescuing these unconscious people from Tusk Towers. And that's still a big question mark. What exactly is going on with the bricks? And why is Giga City Gold after them? And there's also the rivalry now between Firefly and really the whole team and Ellipsis, who's really got Firefly's goat.

[Ape Canaveral]

Ellipsis is the hacker.

[Michael]

Yeah. Dot, dot, dot is all you see on the screen once he's after you.

[Scriv]

With that snarky British voice.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, I hate him. I really don't like him.

[Michael]

Most people find me charming, gross. So there are a number of things going on. You've got a question of. How are you going to deal with Gigacity Gold? What is Tusk really up to? What's happening under the sewers? Before we get started, I wanted to ask each of you, I like to talk about threads, themes and dreams. Threads. Themes and dreams are just a way to think about how you'd like to develop the story as an author. So threads are those loose plot ends that you'd like to tie up. Themes are feels that you want to lean into. So some kind of emotional tone that you would really like to see happen. And then there's dreams, something you'd really like to have happen in the plot. I really want to see this character have this happen or that happen. So I wanted to talk with you about those things before we jump back into the action.

[Ape Canaveral]

I can start. I have some thoughts first. My thread is it was sort of. We had suspicions and we haven't really come back to it, but I still think that Gigacity Gold was behind the Megapede attack. They seemed too on the ball, too prepared, and it just all seemed a little conveniently timed. I think we all felt that way. Right.

[Michael]

So you want to know for sure is what you're saying Yeah, I want to.

[Amanda Weldon]

I want to.

[Ape Canaveral]

Well, I want to know, and I want everybody else to know, too.

[Michael]

So you. This is a dream, too? You're saying I want to prove that Gigacity Gold is behind the Megapede attack and that it's all their fault?

[Ape Canaveral]

Yes, exactly.

[Michael]

And I want them. You want them outed? You want them publicly shamed?

[Ape Canaveral]

Yes, if they deserve it.

[Michael]

Wow, Amanda, that was a very firm yes. Do you care to expand that? Like, come on, you gotta give me something there.

[Amanda Weldon]

All right, well, publicly shamed, I think, is not. Maybe. Maybe I wouldn't use that phrasing. I want them to be exposed. I want everyone to see them for the farce, the fallacy that they are. It's a lie. I mean, that's the whole thing. They're selling something to the public that isn't true. And I want to be sure that everyone is, like, on the same page, that we know who the real good guys are and who are the ones that are just, like, selling you something, that are just showing you some specific sparkly something.

[Michael]

Who are the real good guys? That's a good question there. I like how there's the presumption that it's you.

[Amanda Weldon]

I mean, I think I know my intentions as the character, and I think. And I think I know the intentions of the Giga City Guardians. And I do think that what we want is to be, you know, we want to guard Giga City. Like, we want to support the people of Giga City. So I would characterize that as being good. I think that we've made mistakes in the past or that Firefly has made mistakes in the past. Which leads me to one of my, I think, dreams in the story is that I would want to. I want to repair things with the bricks. I want to figure out what's going on with them. And I think that there's a way that they've. That I have harmed them specifically in the past. And I want to make sure that we're. I want to do right by them.

[Michael]

I will. As an author, I'll jump in and say, you're really speaking to one of my themes. So one of my themes is the question of how do you know if you're doing the right thing? So one of the things I've been enjoying as one of the authors at the table is giving you all those moments where you have to make some hard decisions. You have a lot of power and a lot of agency and a lot of responsibility. What do you do when. Right, Scriv. Do you Want to jump in here? Do you have any threads or themes or dreams that haven't even covered so many. Let's go.

[Scriv]

And I think it would take up an entire podcast to really dive into this. Let's go. Gigacity Book Club. Okay. So objectively removing myself from Animus. So many things that I have questions about, and so many things I want to learn more about. So I'll choose one of the threads. Whatever sort of genetic manipulation is going on with Firefly and Werebear, we haven't figured that out yet. That's some scary stuff right there.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes.

[Scriv]

I. I really, really want to learn more about these Brick refugees who are fleeing and who are helping people.

[Michael]

We don't know if they're helping. We just know they're taking or they.

[Scriv]

Seem to be helping people in their own way. There are a lot of different perspectives going on. You have the Giga City Guardian perspectives. You have the perspective of the bricks. You have the perspective of the Tusk Corps evil. And I think we can all agree that there's some shady stuff there.

[Michael]

I love. I love that you're labeling. That makes me happy.

[Scriv]

It's because I feel very strongly about this, Michael. I would love to see a Brick uprising to take down Tusk. I want to see us ally with them in some way. And part of me is also wondering if Ellipsis is not just a crony, but if that individual has a larger role somehow. I don't know. Maybe the Tusk CEO is just a figurehead. You know, who knows? Who knows? But now, as Animus, I knew there was some shady stuff going on. That's why I left. And I feel justified in leaving. And we're taking them down. I hope.

[Michael]

You didn't even ask one of the questions I thought you might get to, which is, gee whiz, I wonder how I got my powers. It's sort of strange. I was working at Tusk Corporation, and then one day I woke up and had all these weird abilities.

[Scriv]

There's a reason why I didn't ask that. I don't think I'm ready to know yet, and I think that'll come out. But animus is a little bit of behind the scenes for animus's mental state, holding it together as best as she can because there are things that she has found out that she's been able to do that she never thought would be possible. And she is compartmentalizing that right now.

[Michael]

I like where everybody is. I am excited. Thank you for letting me know. What will help me channel the story in ways you want to see it happen. It's always good to stop and sort of check in and see where everybody. Where everybody is and where they'd like to go. And so it sounds like y'all are thinking things that I am thinking, too. And I'm excited to find out how things resolve. So if you don't mind, I would like to begin with a dream sequence. Can we do that?

[Ape Canaveral]

Let me check the rule book. Yes.

[Michael]

Yes. Okay. Survey says yes. And, Jillian, I would like you to begin in a dream sequence. You have fallen asleep on the couch. You won't know this. We're just going to open with your dream sequence. It's been exhausting being you, and, you know, you still got some megapede injuries that, you know, have not fully healed. Yeah. So I'm going to say I'm going to ask you, where does your dream sequence find you? Where are you?

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay. I am in a building that I know is my school, but it isn't actually my school. You know that thing that happens in.

[Michael]

Dreams where you're, like, somewhere every dream?

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. So it doesn't look like my school, but I know it's my school.

[Michael]

Okay. What are you looking for? You're looking for something. What is it you're trying to find? Who is it you're trying to find?

[Amanda Weldon]

I'm looking to find my way out. I am lost in the building, and I can't find any of my. Anybody. Like, I can't find the people, and I can't figure out how to get out. And I just keep taking turns and kind of winding around. And then there's a lot of aquariums. This is a real dream that I've had.

[Michael]

Oh, wow.

[Amanda Weldon]

Great. That's perfect.

[Michael]

As a storyteller, that's an amazing thing to bring in to. Do it, do it, do it.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, there's just. There's a lot of aquariums. So the light is, like, weird. You know those big ones with, like, the big ones that are, like, part of a wall sometimes, and then. And I can't find my way out. I know I can hear that there are people, but I can't see them. I don't know where they are. Like, they're all gathered in some other part of the building, and I can't find them, and I can't figure out how to get out or get to where the other people are. And the light is weird because there are all these aquariums.

[Michael]

I will add that as you walk by the equator, there's this enormous thing that Moves far off in the dark water.

[Amanda Weldon]

I hate that. That's bad.

[Michael]

And it stirs the dark water in a way that, like, you kind of turn your head and you look. And when you look straight, there's nothing there.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yep, that's that. I hate that so much.

[Michael]

You stare into the aquarium and you feel like it's looking back at you. The darkness is. And then when you look away and you walk a little bit, you know, the light will flicker in this way that suggests huge movement in the aquariums outside.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. Okay. It's scary.

[Michael]

I hope. Remember, you can X card anything. Are you okay with this?

[Amanda Weldon]

No, no, it's fine.

[Michael]

You're always cool to be like, I don't like this for any reason. We'll get rid of it.

[Amanda Weldon]

No, it fits. It fits with the dream and the overall sort of, like, eerie. And there's like a. I don't know, this kind of dream. I feel like there's, like, an urgency, but there's also no urgency. Like, I can't figure out if I'm rushing or something. It's just like a weird. Like, you're lost.

[Michael]

You feel like you have to get out because, you know, you're supposed to be in your suit. You know, there's something happening out there, and you need to be firefly, but you can't find the way out, and you don't have your suit, and you're looking for somebody to help you. Do you want to try one of those dreamlike things, like open a couple doors? Do you want to call somebody on your phone and have a weird experience that way? How do you want us to bend the weirdness here?

[Amanda Weldon]

I think I should open doors because I can hear that there are people around.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Amanda Weldon]

So I think I should open doors and see if I can find somebody who can.

[Michael]

Okay. You open a door and you see your mom.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay.

[Michael]

She's seated behind the principal's desk, but when she looks at you, she looks at you, and it's like she doesn't know you for a moment. And she says, yes.

[Amanda Weldon]

And then I say, like, mom, I need your help. I need to be Firefly. Can you help me?

[Michael]

She says, oh, honey, you don't need to be Firefly. You just need to leave. But it's okay. Come here. And she stands up and walks out from behind the desk, and she holds out her arms.

[Amanda Weldon]

Is she really my mom?

[Michael]

You feel in that moment that she switched. Suddenly she feels like your mom.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay, well, then I would like to hug her, but I would also like for her to Help me leave then. I think. I say, if you think I should go, then we should go. Can you help me find the way out?

[Michael]

She walks over and gives you a hug. And when she folds you into her arms, you feel very warm and safe and suddenly realize it's okay. And just at that moment, you realize the back wall, it's another aquarium. And the lights on, and there's that movement behind you. And you turn your head to look, and she says, no, no, honey, it's okay. And when you pull back around and look at her, it's not your mom. It's the Scarlet King. No, she says, I told you. You're just like me. See? And she holds up your hand. And her hand, she's wearing her bio armor that looks like a carapace. And when she holds your hand up, your hand begins to grow plates of armor on the back of it and turn a reddish color. And she says, you've been strong enough all along. And you.

[Scriv]

Ew.

[Amanda Weldon]

What is that? What is that? Wait, what does this mean? Am I gonna do. I start. I start growing a carapace? Like, I start. It's happening to me.

[Michael]

You stagger backwards, and you're looking at your hands, and there's armor forming on your arms. And the movement behind you becomes more frenzied. And suddenly the glass bursts in and something massive and red enters the room with you. And you wake up screaming.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay, I don't like it. It's scary. Okay. And then where do I wake up? I fell asleep on the couch. Is that what you said? Am I in the lighthouse? Am I.

[Michael]

Okay, you come to on the couch of the lighthouse. You go and you, like, sit bolt upright. You're still in the clothes from last night. And you immediately look at your hands, and you look normal. And then you flip one of them over and you, like, start scratching a little bit. And you look, there's a little pinkish patch of flesh on the back of your hand.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay. I'm very concerned, and I need. I think, at this time, the very first thing that I want to do, other than, like, have a glass of water, brush my teeth, and pee. And everything that you do when you wake up is I really would like. We have to find out what I got injected with, what we got injected with. Because it's. This is what it's making me think of. I'm worried.

[Michael]

So there's. Everybody else is still here. So the Guardians have kind of come to camp out. Any of the Guardians who you would like can be here. We can include them in this scene so far, mostly this has been Werebear, Riptide, Ape, and then, of course, when she was here. Animus, Specs. And your mom is here, and it's sort of full alert at the Lighthouse. When you wake up, Specs is like, you okay? And he says, I let you sleep. I figured you needed it.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, thank you. I did need to sleep. I think that the. The people who can help me the most, I think, are probably Specs, and then maybe my. My mom, because she's a nurse or doctor. She. Doctor.

[Michael]

She's a doctor. And she's in the. The tech room and running scans on all the stuff.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay.

[Michael]

Everybody else is here. Werebear is like. It's. Are you okay? Like, you. I mean, I tried to catch some Z's, but I couldn't, but you look like you were out of it. There's definitely a feeling of worry. You can tell everybody's worried about you. Even though you're a teenage kid, everyone on this team looks up to you. You've done things none of them have had the confidence to do. You've always been the one to lead, and you've sort of stepped into that role and lived up to it. And you think this is probably the first time they've seen you like this, this defeated. Nobody's really sure what happened. Nobody's really sure what to do about it. Animus isn't back. And Animus never even was fully on the team. You lost somebody before they were even fully trained, and these people just escaped into the sewers. All those missing people, they're now on your head. You never finished with Gigacity Gold. Nobody really sure what's going on. There's this feeling of. Of just the weight of it all in the air around all of you.

[Ape Canaveral]

Ape, Canaveral, he's. He was dead asleep. And his. He has a hammock. It's pretty cool. He strung. Strung it up, takes off his sleeping sunglasses, puts on his daytime sunglasses. Hold on. And he says, we get a. We got to go get the new guy, right? Specs, can. Can you fire up a tracker or some kind of pinger or radar? Whatever you got in there. You got something that can track her earpiece, right?

[Michael]

Specs goes, I've been trying. There's no signal. They're completely gone. Those drones that went with her, they're gone, too.

[Ape Canaveral]

Abe reaches over him while he's talking and just goes, enhanced. Enhanced, and starts just ramming on his keyboard. It's probably not helpful, but it is.

[Michael]

Very clear that they have Sort of disappeared from signal range. They're gone. And that happened when they hit the sewers, when you went with the little. With your new friend, your fun guy friend. That was when they. They disappeared the drones, by the way, as you walked down. And I'll tell you this, Animus, since this is what you would have experienced, they started to drop one by one into the sewer. They all stopped hovering and dropped into the water around you as you went deeper in. So do we want to move the scene from that moment of waking up and defeat and then Ape asking to jump in with Animus, or do you all want to stay with the Giga City Guardians for a second while they figure out their next step?

[Ape Canaveral]

I think we need to address Firefly's poisoning or venom or whatever it is.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, I agree. But. But I also. I'm hearing that my team feels defeated right now and overwhelmed because there's a lot going on and we don't really have a plan. And this is unprecedented situations. And so I also. I do really feel like it's important to figure out what happened and what I was injected with. But I also want to make sure that my team feels secure and like, they trust. Even though I don't really feel very confident, I want them to know that I. And that we're going to be okay. And we have a. We're going to make a plan. We don't have a plan, but we're going to make one. So I also. I feel like maybe we need to address the team and make sure everyone is okay.

[Scriv]

Agreed. A little bit more time in the tower.

[Michael]

What do you want to do? Specs, by the way, when you wake up after he says, you know, he's sort of gone over. And you know Specs well enough. When he gets really nervous, he starts to do stuff. So he's trying again to locate the communicator, and your mom comes over and puts her hand on his shoulder and gives it a squeeze and says, why don't you take a nap, sweetheart?

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Michael]

And he's like, no, we got stuff to do. And she just. She just gives him a little. She, like, she brings him in, and she kind of tussles his hair a little. And she says, go take a rest. And she says, and you, Gillian, don't get up off that sofa. You've got a lot of people here who love you. And we'll work it out. We can talk to you while you sit. I know you're not happy about what's going on, but I need you to rest. Werebear kind of plumps down onto the couch next to you, and he gives you, like, a big sideways hug. He's in humanoid form, but he's still pretty shaggy. He's. He's a little stinky, but he's real warm and fuzzy, and it's a very genuine hug. And he goes, it's okay. We're here. We got your back. And then he kind of pulls away a little and scratches. And he goes, uh. He's like, is this happening to you? And he lifts up an arm. There's a reddish patch on his arm.

[Scriv]

Oh.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, no. Okay. All right. We kind of. All right, so we have a bunch of people. Everyone is. I think that maybe here's what I would really do in this situation, as I would make a list of all the things that need to get accomplished, and then we would delegate those tasks out. That is. That is what I feel compelled to do in this moment.

[Michael]

Oh, man.

[Amanda Weldon]

So that everyone feels useful. I don't know if we actually need to do that.

[Ape Canaveral]

I think that's a cut to Scriv moment. I don't think the audience needs to.

[Amanda Weldon]

See all of this montage.

[Scriv]

I don't know. I love the staff meeting montage approach. Let's do this.

[Amanda Weldon]

Power slides, a dry erase board. You know, like, we just need to delegate and figure out who's gonna work on what.

[Michael]

Okay. I'm gonna say that what happens is you lean into that hug, and you're, like, feeling better for a hot second. And then you, like. He goes, is this. Hey, is this happening to you? And he looks at his arm, and you immediately, like, okay. And, like, your mom catches your eye, and it's just like, oh, no. And then we'll go into, like, to, like, the montage of planning. Think for a second. And so Dan and Amanda, you can kind of table talk about what you want to do. And, Scriv, if you have any ideas to throw them in, don't hesitate. And if you want to write up some stuff that you'd like to try and some ideas you'd like to pull, I can give you some hints. There's a lot more resources at your disposal than you've even probably thought about. There's so many things you could do. Why don't you start writing up some of the things you'd like to do to try to figure things out while I start bringing Scriv into flip side. Scriv, you're asking yourself, where am I? As this little dude leads you by the hand, deeper and deeper into into this sewer or what is it really? You feel like you're, you know, you can feel that there's like an opening up and there's a lot of space. And the ground slowly rises and you find yourself on something squishy. And when you get to a certain part, there's a. There's a faint glow at the end of like far off in the distance. And you walk towards it, it's kind of a pinkish glow. And as you get closer, you can see it's a. It's a snail. It's a snail on the wall, but it's phosphorescent and it's glowing. And as you get closer, it brightens. And you can see that you are in what looks like. It looks like a cavern. There's a spongy kind of moss under your feet. And there are a few more of the snails who brighten up. And the little guy looks at you and he says, welcome. You are the first outsider who has come without invitation in some time. There are those who I must introduce you to. But this is flipside.

[Scriv]

I'm gonna take a minute and process and just look around at where I am now that there's actually light.

[Michael]

So you can see tendrils on the walls that look like roots, okay, but they're reddish. You can see these snails crawling. And there's a doorway, there's an arch and the ground underneath your feet. This is the strangest part. It does feel like you're on natural springy moss, but it's sort of purplish red in the light that's coming from these creatures. He looks up and he says, you probably have many questions. I do not wish to hold back information, but there are those who I must ask permission of first.

[Scriv]

I have so many questions, I think it's hard for me to really know where to begin.

[Michael]

He says, how about a name? I am called Microbial. He reaches out a little stubby three fingered hand.

[Scriv]

Nice to meet you, Microbial. I am Animus.

[Michael]

He. He nods and he says, we owe you. I owe you, you a great debt. I will attempt to pay it in kind. And he kind of does a little bow.

[Scriv]

I don't think that's necessary, he says.

[Michael]

Perhaps not for you, but for me. He turns and he starts to walk down the corridor. And he kind of shepherds some of the figures. He's easily half their size. He's probably about 3 foot 4 or 5. He sort of, kind of like moves them forward and he says, it would be of assistance if you could Help me. They lack their bearings, of course.

[Scriv]

Of course. And I'll assist and try to herd people in. I guess we're going towards that archway the whole way. I'm still kind of astounded at the moss under my feet and like the bioluminescence and everything.

[Michael]

The weirdest part is it feels natural.

[Scriv]

Yeah, I'm kind of like bouncing a little bit when I step. Like. This is strange.

[Michael]

Have you ever been on a peat bog before?

[Scriv]

Yes.

[Michael]

Yeah, it's like a peat bog. Yeah.

[Scriv]

Okay.

[Michael]

Like maybe there's water under there. Deep.

[Scriv]

What does it smell like?

[Michael]

Really rich and earthy, but in like the best way. Yeah, like, like green things and growing things, not rotting things, but like, like life. Weirdly, you feel like you're in a forest almost. You look at the wall and there are roots and these tendrils growing all throughout. But there are some bricks underneath. So you're pretty sure that at some point this was part of the city's sewer. So there's some sort of man made architecture underneath. But there's clearly been a lot, a lot going on down here.

[Scriv]

Are we under one of the city parks or something?

[Ape Canaveral]

How.

[Scriv]

How is it like this?

[Michael]

He kind of looks up a little and there's a smile. He looks sort of proud for a moment. He says, there is much wonder to be seen here. I confess I enjoy introducing outsiders. Please come. First, we should take these wanderers to a place where they can be healed. The cavern. The tunnel goes forward and then there's a huge gate in front of you. And it looks like. It looks like one of those old, like a giant almost bank vault with like a turnable wheel. Okay. And when he gets close, he puts a hand up on it. And then he knocks. And he knocks in a particular pattern. He knocks and then stops.

[Scriv]

I'm gonna try to memorize that knock.

[Michael]

There's a quick series of knocks from the other side and then he knocks back. He sees you out of the corner of his eye and he says it is a language, not a code. You might find it difficult to follow.

[Scriv]

I'll try to hide my embarrassment at being found out.

[Michael]

The wheel squeaks and it rolls aside and immediately he is being bear hugged by a massive, strangely like elongated figure who is glistens in the. In the faint luminescence, bare upper body, wearing basically a pair of Speedos. And this figure says, we were so worried we hadn't heard anything from you. I was helped by this one. And he gestures to you and immediately this figure draws back. You realize they have Very small eyes, kind of embedded in an elongated face and a very wide mouth. Their skin is kind of a dark red, and if anything, they look sort of like some sort of underwater creature. It sort of like looks a little startled and raises its hands.

[Scriv]

And then imagine like a salamander kind of.

[Michael]

It's. You got to ask the name. And he says. He puts a hand out and he says, this is Animus. You should introduce yourself. And the figure puts hands down and then says, if you helped our friend, then you are friend to me as well. I'm called Electric and does a little bow.

[Scriv]

I'll seeing that they didn't really extend a hand and not wanting to cross any boundaries because Animus is a little bit socially awkward, in case that hadn't been obvious in the past. So I'm just going to also give a little bow and say, thank you for having me. I think you have helped me find a safe haven just as much as I may have helped you.

[Michael]

Eelectric kind of looks sideways at Microbial and says, are these the ones from above? And Microbial nods. And Electric says, well, I'll take them to the healing chambers. You best take our new guest to meet Sister Rose. And he nods and he says, I shall. And then Electric gives him another hug. Like, almost out of nowhere, just like, explodes and like, lifts him up off the ground. Eelectric is really tall and gangly and kind of like does like almost a cuddle and says, you had a so worried, you little get. And he. He says, I'm very happy to be home. And kind of leans into it.

[Scriv]

Oh, this is lovely and wholesome. I like it there.

[Michael]

There's. There's a lot to learn about Flipside. Flipside's an interesting place to be. There's a lot of questions to be answered there.

[Scriv]

So many.

[Michael]

Um, yeah. So we could cut to you getting to meet Sister Rose, or we could dodge back to the lighthouse for a moment and see what everybody else is up to.

[Scriv]

Let's see how the planning montage went.

[Ape Canaveral]

Yeah, we cut from that hug to Ape eating, like, a huge piece of mushroom pizza.

[Michael]

Oh, God.

[Ape Canaveral]

Like classic cartoon style, extra cheese. Like, dripping the cheese onto the keyboard that Ann J's is working on.

[Scriv]

You know, Animus isn't going to be able to eat mushrooms after this.

[Michael]

Riptide is walking through the door and he's like, yo, the really good Japanese place was open. I got Inagi bowls. No, I had. I had to do it. Once he had the mushroom pizza, I had to go there. Okay, there's been so many weird diagrams drawn, so many lists, but in the end, you've come down to a targeted list of actions you want to take. And that list consists of.

[Amanda Weldon]

I think one of the things I would want to do is I feel like now I'm interested in, like, Giga City Gold and, like, where's the. The. What's the media coverage look like from that? And, like, kind of like. So I just kind of want to comb the intern and kind of, like, compile as much research about Gigacity Gold as we can, is one of the things I also wanted to think about how to establish communication with the bricks. I mean, I think that that also goes to Animus and, like, figuring out how to. How to connect with animus again. But I think that they're figuring out how to sort of, like, make amends and build an alliance there. And then as far as identifying the, like, poison or whatever that I was injected with, I thought that we could take some skin samples, perhaps where the gross, weird skin is growing, and then also blood samp, and look at those things under a microscope. And then also investigate the wound site more and see if there was a. I'm wondering if some. Was it a capsule or was there something. Something injected or kind of what that looks like?

[Ape Canaveral]

Yeah, And I just want to clarify. So I'm imagining we were kind of in contact with Scriv until she went underground with Animus, I should say. So we know that she was on a rescue mission, and she was helping people escape into the Undercity, basically. So we can. We can kind of safely assume that she's going the same place our other. That Kentucky, the Centaur man, is. Which is in the sewers under the city. So maybe we can sort of infer she's not in immediate danger, but we also don't really know what the situation is. That correct? Is that kind of what we think, Amanda?

[Amanda Weldon]

I mean, I think that we should be concerned. I think that we can trust that she. I mean, we don't really know Animus very well either. So I think we want to make sure that, you know, she did this, like, brave thing, but we also want to be. I don't think that we know that she's safe. I think that there could be all kinds of things that are happening. So I think we should be worrying about. About re establishing communication.

[Ape Canaveral]

Yeah. Ape especially came up with all the test pilots, a lot of old fighter pilots, a lot of, you know, NASA guys who are Air Force, Marines, Navy, you know, and he has very much a Leave no one behind mentality. So that's sort of his top of list. There is to get animus out.

[Michael]

And I imagine there might be a little bit maybe not guilt, because I don't know if Ape can feel shame enough to have guilt, but a little bit of, like, I suggested we do this.

[Ape Canaveral]

None of that 0% that I left.

[Michael]

Her to go to the Towers on her own. He's like, no, no, she made her choices and now we're going to go get her. Yeah, I got.

[Ape Canaveral]

It's. Yeah, I trusted her. I think she's doing a great job.

[Michael]

You signed up for the job.

[Ape Canaveral]

Yeah, yeah.

[Michael]

You signed up for the job, and she did the job, and you did the job, and now you're going to keep doing the job.

[Ape Canaveral]

Just as much that I'm worried she's doing awesome stuff without us. Like, I'm in this tower and she's probably down there doing all kinds of awesome stuff.

[Scriv]

I'm rocking this interview. Let's be honest. This trial period is just set.

[Michael]

Best intern ever.

[Ape Canaveral]

I'm watching, like, Riptide play Nintendo and I'm like, come on.

[Michael]

Actually, actually, this is what's interesting. Riptide has busted out. You guys have whatever, the console game of choice, and he's booted up Fantasy Hunt. And he's actually loading up Specs profile because Specs is actually ranked in Fantasy Hunt. He. He goes a little hard and. And he sort of. He says, hey, dude, Specs, brah. You got, like, messages. Check it. And he clicks. There's one male at the top, and it has three dots.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, no, Read it out loud. What does it say?

[Michael]

So Riptide loads it up and he goes, okay, hold on. Oh, dude, this guy's ranked number one in Fantasy Hunt, dude. You, like, know a celebrity. I. I think. I think it's got to be your mom who's like, you're all celebrities. And Riptide's like, yeah, but, like, he's number one on the boards. Like, there's this moment of, like, you doofus. So he looks at it and he goes, okay, okay. Oh, like, wait, hold on. Let me read. Dude, it's like a cell phone number. Bro wants you to call him. It says, call B46. I have plans later. Winky emoji. He used, like, numbers and stuff.

[Ape Canaveral]

You guys all see it apes on the phone. B4. 6.

[Michael]

There's nothing. There's nothing.

[Ape Canaveral]

Nobody's answering.

[Michael]

So you can see the cell phone number up at the top. It's just the numbers. There's no dashes and when it says call B4, it's a B plus a 4, and later is L8R. And then a winky emoji.

[Amanda Weldon]

What's the winky emoji about? Wait, this has three dots connected to it. So I think. I thought it was Ellipsis, but this isn't. Is this the person that.

[Michael]

Oh, yeah, it is. And, in fact, that's exactly who sent it. Ellipsis number one on the leaderboards on Fantasy Hunt. And how does he know that Specs is somebody to contact?

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, no, no.

[Michael]

And then he's like, wait, but if he said to me, does that mean he. Wait, do you think he knows who we are? And he looks at Gillian in this like, oh, no way.

[Amanda Weldon]

I've assumed, I guess, that Ellipsis probably knows who we are, because it seems like Ellipsis has eyes everywhere and can maybe hack into our stuff.

[Ape Canaveral]

All right, let's call the number. Let's. What are we waiting for?

[Michael]

Riptide goes, yeah, dude. Like, whoa. But, like, can you put him on speaker? I totally want to listen. He pushes his mop of, like, unruly blonde hair out of his eye. He's, like, looking really excited. Werebear nods, and he goes, are you kidding? I kind of want to yell at that creep. Yeah, well, let's call your mom holds her hands up and is like, all right, everybody just simmer down. If we're gonna do this, you've gotta promise that only one of you talks. She looks at Gillian and she goes, should it be you or Specs?

[Amanda Weldon]

I think it should be Specs. Here's what it is, is that Ellipsis does a lot of one liners, and he looks for you to have a one liner back, and I don't. And I think Specs is better at that.

[Michael]

But then I'm gonna have to be talking to myself. That's. That's the worst I'm gonna. All right, so total honesty here. One of the great things about playing games with other people is everyone brings a different feeling to the table. Everyone has their own way of reacting and thinking how their character would react and talk. One thing I love, Amanda, about how you bring Jillian to life is you have the same energy as Jillian in the stories. It's that need to, like, you don't want to let things get out of control, and you have that, like, ugh, I get so frustrated, and I think that's perfect. That's exactly Jillian. Js. She wasn't good with one liners. She wasn't quippy. Or clever. She was often struggling and really worried about putting it together. Right. There's a kind of honesty there in your performances, Jillian, that I love, and I feel like it gives so much to our story.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay, I will talk on the phone. Thank you.

[Michael]

I want to remind everyone it's a story. This is what's interesting about role playing games. It starts to feel real when you're in a story game. But, yes, I totally understand, and I think this is perfect. And I think it's a great moment for Jillian, especially because you have this bond with this guy. Right. You established your line last time. You hate this dude.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. I can't stand it.

[Michael]

Okay, okay. So she looks at you and, like, Specs looks at you, and he's like, I don't want to get on the phone with that guy. I don't know what I'd say. Werebear kind of like, gives you a pat on the back. He goes, you got this, boss.

[Amanda Weldon]

All right, I'm ready. We can call.

[Michael]

Okay. Everybody kind of, like, leans over the cell phone. Like, you're all kind of looking down at it. I imagine you could put it. You know, Specs is like, I'll patch it through. I'll try to trace it, but I know he's gonna have all sorts of things in place. He's like, all right, here goes. And he hits the button, and you hear. And he goes, you're up early. I thought you would have taken more of a rest.

[Amanda Weldon]

No, we're ready to go, and you said to call before 6, so I thought I would call, you know, now.

[Michael]

He says, that's lovely. I do appreciate it. Lets me deal with the rest of my day, honestly. Look, Jillian.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, okay.

[Michael]

I appreciate being on a first name. Don't mean to be rude. I know I haven't offered mine. I'll make this simple. I need you. We need you to not get in the way. Now, there's a lot of different ways we could do that. We've been taking some of those different approaches with you already. I don't want to have to spend too much more energy on you, and I don't want to cause you too much more trouble. So here's the deal. I'll give you something for your little skin condition, and you make sure that you and your friends are on the right side of history.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay? What is okay? What do you think is the right side of history? What are you trying to say right now? Can you. Can you elaborate when you say that?

[Michael]

He says, now, come on, we've done this before, honestly, can I ask you the same question? I mean, look, it's the lack of vision that boggles me. Do you have a long term plan or are you just cruising around in billions of dollars of military hardware punching random people with powers and emotional issues? That's the sort of thing angry old men think is cool. If you're serious, and I mean, it seems like you are, you've got to start thinking bigger. I'm not going to tell you our plan, but suffice it to say, we've actually thought things out. We're being professional about this, and if you're not prepared to be, that's fine. Just step aside.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay. That was so incredibly condescending. Yeah, he's really awful and it makes me very mad. Yeah, I feel competent. Here's the thing is, if I'm not just going to, like, listen and do the things that you say because I don't know who you are and I don't trust you and you're doing a lot of mind game stuff right now, and I'm just, you know, we hear you, we know what you're doing and we're not interested. So we're gonna keep. You keep on keeping on. I trust that, like, we're gonna be on the right side of history because that's like a heavy thing to like throw at a person. Thanks, Ellipsis.

[Michael]

But like, so he says. All right. I do hope you understand history is what everyone writes after the fact.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, sure. Okay.

[Michael]

Your name and identity are really what's on the table.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay, so you're making a threat now about besmirching, you know, the Firefly name and all of that that comes with it. I, I, I get out your secret identity. Sure. That's whatever. I mean, that's not me giving you permission. Like, don't misread that as consent. But like, I, you know, he says.

[Michael]

Look, look, it's okay. I understand. You've got a lot to think about. I don't mean to put any extra pressure on you. It's been rough 24 hours for all of us. I'll tell you what. I'll give you till, let's say, Monday. That's when the summit is planned. So Monday, let's say high noon. You know, part of me wants to say something dramatic like, you don't get to do this sort of thing that often, do you? Makes me want to say you have till sundown, but nah, Monday noon. After all, you've got some class and you want to get some rest and then click what's the summit?

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, the summit. That's. You just drop that in there the.

[Michael]

Minute you say that. What's the summit? That. You've been watching tv and Riptide's been watching more than everyone else because he's the only one who really did get some sleep last night. So he's like, oh, the bro. That's that thing that Tusk said. He's going to have a summit with the mayor and the chief of police. And they. They're talking about, like, dude, martial law. Because it's like a brick invasion. I don't know. It sounded like a whole bunch of stuff.

[Amanda Weldon]

This just. This sounds like the opposite of the right side of history. Like, if we're talking about martial law because of, like, invading others and needing to. Like, this just feels very. This does not feel like something that is a positive thing that will go down well in history. I don't like that Ellipsis said that. That seems very. That's very manipulative. Just a lot of the things he said were very manipulative. Good job.

[Scriv]

They're sure that they're gonna win because we all know that history is written by the winners.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. Yes.

[Michael]

But thank you, by the way, for appreciating my performance by reacting emotionally. This is one of the interesting things about the teller.

[Amanda Weldon]

When.

[Michael]

Sometimes when you're teller, you have to do and say things that people are like, oh, God, I hate that person. And you're like. You have to remember, like, thank you. That means I was communicating that character well. Like, that was my goal there.

[Scriv]

Cool. Michael, we love you. We hate ellipsis.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Great. If you hate ellipsis, that's great. I, yeah, definitely did not want him to be standable. Wonderful.

[Ape Canaveral]

Well, now at least we know his first name.

[Michael]

Okay, Specs looks up. Wait, you know his first name?

[Ape Canaveral]

He said it's Marshall. He's going to put us under Marshall's law. We can't let. We. I for one, won't let that happen.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, come on.

[Michael]

Were Bear's like, who even is this Marshall guy? I'll punch him in the. And like, there's like a bunch of like.

[Ape Canaveral]

Yeah, there's some dopey and explains a martialize.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So. So your mom is looking at you, Jillian, and Specs is looking kind of at the both of you. And. And he's like, this means we. I never get to be adorable ever. And then he looks at you, and then he looks at your mom, and your mom goes, I didn't want to tell you No, I want you to be able to choose your own path. But, Gillian, this is a very final decision. And then Werebear cuts in, and he goes, we got till Monday. We'll figure it out.

[Amanda Weldon]

Thank you, Werebear. Yeah, we have until Monday. We have to.

[Michael]

He goes, my name's Sam. He kind of like. He gives you, like, a big, like, we're all in this together look.

[Amanda Weldon]

That's nice. I like Werebear.

[Scriv]

So Werebear's name is Sam.

[Amanda Weldon]

Werebear's name is Sam.

[Scriv]

Animus may have already known that.

[Michael]

Yeah. No, you know everything about him. Yeah.

[Scriv]

At some point, I need to talk to him.

[Michael]

Okay. If you guys ask, Werebear will be the one to tell you how Animus is doing. If you ask him, he'll be like.

[Scriv]

I was wondering about.

[Amanda Weldon]

Can we do that?

[Scriv]

The link went both ways.

[Michael]

Yeah, go ahead. If you, like, somebody might be like, oh, no, but what about Animus? And he'll. He'll have a reaction to that.

[Ape Canaveral]

We get to go get Animus in these bricks and get the other side of the story. I think Firefly.

[Michael]

Yeah, he's nodding and he goes, yeah, well, I mean, I reckon she's fine, though.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay.

[Ape Canaveral]

Why do you think that?

[Michael]

He goes, well, I don't know if you could rightly say. I think it. I kind of just, like, she's all right. She kind of. I don't know. She seems like she's having a good time.

[Ape Canaveral]

Oh, she's doing cool stuff without us down there.

[Amanda Weldon]

Where? And where is she? Can we find her?

[Michael]

He goes, I don't know. But, I mean, I guess I could think about it. He kind of thinks about it for a second, and then he kind of looks down. I think she's somewhere underground. Whoa. This is creepy. I got all kinds of weird feels.

[Scriv]

I don't think there has been an in character moment where it has actually been revealed what happened during that link. I think we all know out of character, but I don't think Animus ever had the time to tell anyone what that. Like, what that was.

[Michael]

Sam doesn't necessarily know, but he's got feels. He's got feels, and his feels feel real. Like they're the kind of feels. He's a bear, you know? He knows from instinct, and he knows from, like, you know, this is a good thing. This is a bad thing. I trust this. I don't trust this. He feels like you're okay, and he's pretty sure he's right. He also feels like you're underground, and he's pretty sure he's right.

[Ape Canaveral]

All right, I got a test I want to do. I take wherever by the shoulders. I say, you can feel. You feel how close she is here. You can just feel. Just yes or no, right? You feel it?

[Michael]

Well, I mean, she feels all right.

[Ape Canaveral]

You can't tell, like, how far away. You can just tell down.

[Michael]

He's like, well, I don't know. Like, I mean, she's still in the city, I think.

[Ape Canaveral]

All right, I gotta take him by the shoulders and walk him across the big. The. The big lighthouse open door.

[Michael]

And I said, you can't take him by the shoulders. You can push him by the waist. There's a height differential here.

[Scriv]

Pull on his knee.

[Ape Canaveral]

Yeah. And I say, warmer or colder?

[Michael]

I think I'd have to go a little further. I'm kind of close to where I used to be. He looks across the room. It's like five feet away.

[Ape Canaveral]

Perfect. All right, suspicions confirmed. You're coming with us. Let's go.

[Michael]

He goes, you weren't getting rid of me, Ape.

[Scriv]

Somewhere underground, Animus sneezes.

[Michael]

Yes, that's perfect. For anyone who doesn't know the sneeze is the. Like, somebody's talking about you. There's this old. It's a trope. It's a trope.

[Amanda Weldon]

Achoo.

[Scriv]

Got some scars in my nose or something. That's weird. Sorry. Excuse me.

[Amanda Weldon]

Sorry. Okay, so Werebear, for whatever reason, has a good connection with Animus. So I guess we're gonna. Ellipsis is giving us part of the story, but it's only what he wants us to know. And we know that there's more to the story, and the bricks have find Animus, and let's follow Werebear so that we can get there so we can put it all together and figure out what we need to do next.

[Michael]

Okay. Werebear looks kind of like. He kind of straightens up, and he goes, yeah, I'll lead you to Animus. And then he goes. I think. Then he looks a little, like, uncertain. And then he's like, actually, yeah, let's go. And he goes. And he gets in the. He gets in the elevator. He's staying human. And he says, I reckon this is a suits off kind of situation. I don't think we want to be on the streets right now in full gear.

[Amanda Weldon]

Agreed.

[Michael]

Ape, you want to get in the backpack? There's this big climbing backpack, like it's been rigged so you can jump in there in case you need to go.

[Scriv]

You know, like a baby carrier.

[Michael]

Quiet. Yeah, exactly. Like a baby carrier.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes, that's exactly right.

[Scriv]

Can I have a little bananas on it?

[Michael]

It's definitely got a banana motif.

[Ape Canaveral]

Yeah. And on the stitching it just says baby Bjorn to be wild.

[Amanda Weldon]

That's so good.

[Scriv]

I need to see this illustrated.

[Michael]

Are you jumping in the Bjorn to be wild?

[Ape Canaveral]

Oh, we're jumping in and we're hitting the road.

[Michael]

All right. So back in Flipside, Animus is being led through a series of these peat lined tunnels with little dangling, you know, roots and what look like vines. There's this bustling community down here. You walk past entire areas where there look like there are huge gardens with these giant bubbling yeasts. There's an area which looks like it's all water. And there's some people who are sort of standing on skiffs and doing something with nets. You brush past lots of things. Everywhere he goes, microbial is greeted. I shouldn't say, everywhere he goes, he's a fungus. Which means there's no determinant gender on a fungus. They don't have one. So everywhere they go, they're greeted really warmly. Everyone seems to really respect microbial and be really excited that they're back. Eventually you're led deeper and into this, this weird kind of like dome like room. And he walks up, there's no door. There's just some hanging vines over an entryway. And he looks back and he says, don't be alarmed. It's a little surprising the first time. And then he ducks through and says, sister, I've brought a visitor. And you hear a voice, please come in. The voice is very resonant. It feels like it kind of, you know, you kind of feel it in your spine.

[Scriv]

Without saying anything, I walk in.

[Michael]

There is. This entire area looks like a beautiful but strange garden. There are all sorts of plants growing from the ground, none of them immediately recognizable, many of them flowering. And there is a raised dais with what looks like a desk. And at the chair there's a figure seated. And above her head there is a massive plant that has a huge bud facing downwards and roots going all across the ceiling. She looks up and reaches up and the hood opens. And you realize it's not a hood at all. It's the outside of a blossom. And it opens and there's, nestled in the middle of this head that looks like a flower is a face. And the weirdest part, it's very lush and red like a rose, a little pink at the center. It reminds you of Gillian.

[Amanda Weldon]

Ew. I don't like, seems. This is weird. Feels like, secret family. It feels like a secret family. I don't know. And it's a flower. How am I related to a flower?

[Michael]

I don't know.

[Amanda Weldon]

It's weird. Well, a lovely flower, sure. And also, it sounds like this is at least, like, a nice, secret relative, whereas the Scarlet King was a bummer to find out that I was related to. So maybe this one's better.

[Michael]

Hey, guess what? You're related, too. Oh, no. The last person you want to find out's in the family.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Okay, real quick, everyone. First off, thank you so much for letting me continue the thrill ride. I had so much fun with this today. I want to check in, make sure everybody's okay with the direction we're going, and also ask if there's any lines you felt you wanted to grab that, you know meant something to you from today's episode.

[Ape Canaveral]

I love the direction. I'm not gonna take a line this time. Nothing. Let's save it for next time. I think when we get into the.

[Amanda Weldon]

Action here, maybe it's already covered in my I can't stand ellipsis Bond line. But I'm also thinking about, like, I don't. I'm wondering if there's something there for Quirk, because as soon as he said the thing about, like, just. Just join up, just, like, you know, let us do the thing, like, my immediate instinct is just like, no, absolutely not. And I wonder if there's, like, a little bit of an oppositional streak for J. That. I wonder if that could be encompassed in a line somewhere.

[Ape Canaveral]

Maybe something about a leader, not a follower.

[Amanda Weldon]

Okay. I kind of. I like that.

[Michael]

Or maybe, like, I don't. Because I don't think it's about leading, not following. I think it's more about, like, trust.

[Amanda Weldon]

It's a. I'm just not a joiner. Like, I'm more than that.

[Michael]

Like. Like, you hate people telling you, like, this is, like, being as a kid told to sit down and shut up. The adults are talking.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Like, that's what he treated you like. He treated you like a little kid.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes.

[Michael]

Yeah. And. And that's totally. Like, that's a deep cut. Like.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Definitely went after something that's central to your pride there.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. So it's. It's. Yeah. Because it's not just opposition for the sake of opposition, I guess.

[Michael]

A peeve.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Michael]

I can't stand being talked down to.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, it's.

[Scriv]

Yeah, that's a good one.

[Michael]

Or don't treat me like I'm a. Don't treat me like I'm I'm a kid or something. Like, you know, talk down to me at your own risk. I don't know. I don't know how to. How to frame it. What do y'all think?

[Amanda Weldon]

I think talk down to me at your own risk is good. I think that that encompasses the sort of, like. Because we're gonna. We're gonna ruin him. I don't know what we're gonna do yet, but we're gonna. We're gonna win.

[Scriv]

It's more than just not liking that he treated you that way.

[Amanda Weldon]

I feel.

[Scriv]

Pay for it.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. And I feel inspired by this. That's just how it is. Like, we're gonna. Yeah. This is. There's no laziness involved. Like, we're doing this.

[Michael]

Oh. Revenge is not very heroic. I appreciate that. I've created a character who's so compellingly awful.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes. It's really. And I think maybe you also found things that, like, also speak to me as a person. So it's like, I feel really like, yeah, in. Into this.

[Michael]

I'm glad you're into it. That's. Thank you. Well, and so this is one of the tricks. And this is also one of the troubles that you deal with as a. When you. When you work with story games together, you have to sort of play to themes that really hook you. Right. And if you're a good storyteller, you try to set up things that will happen that will get the players interested, things that will make the players care, because that always makes the story more intense. Right. Any good story is animated by those wonderful moments where you're like, oh, heck, no, or yes, finally. So I really appreciate that. And, yeah, I'm trying also to be careful to always give y'all the option to say, this is a little too much. You've really hooked my emotions, and I need to step back. Which you should please feel free to always do.

[Scriv]

Yeah. So I think that my drive might be evolving the drive and the dream. And I think it'll take another episode to really figure that out. But for this whole time, Animus has been driven by wanting to undo the wrongs that Tusk committed. But now meeting Microbial, seeing Flipside, and definitely playing to Animus's passion for, like, environmentalism. I know we talked about that during a session. Zero. A little bit, but that hasn't really come out in the game too much. Animus is starting to feel very protective of this, of the people that she's seeing in Flipside, and of Microbial and whatever this amazing place is. So I think I need to see what Sister Rose has to say before this is final, but I think the drive is going to be changing a bit.

[Michael]

All right, that sounds like a perfect place for us to end this episode. Thank you all so much, everyone at home. If you're interested in playing a parallel plotline, there's more to Gigacity Always than meets the eye. Pick up a [e-mail] storiesrpg you can also find [e-mail] and there are even some character sheets up for Werebear, Firefly, and a couple of the characters who you haven't met yet from the first chapter of the game, Gigacity Ghosts. So check that all [e-mail] storiesrpg and thank you so much for joining us. We'll see you next time on Gigacity Guardians.