[SPEAKER_01]: Hello, everyone, and happy pride.
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to the month of June here on career PG.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're going to be playing two one shots this month.
[SPEAKER_01]: This first one that you'll be hearing today is called this party sucks.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we'll get into what this game is all about in a moment.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'd like to have some introductions first.
[SPEAKER_01]: So my name is Kenzie Tartaglioni.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm the creative director of career PG.
[SPEAKER_01]: You've heard me a lot on this channel.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll pass it along to Emma, if you wouldn't mind introducing yourself.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hi everybody, my name is Emma.
[SPEAKER_02]: I am the founder and creative director of the tabletop tail spinners network where we spin a lot of horror driven tales and uplift more of marginalized voices in the process, particularly in our GM seats.
[SPEAKER_02]: And yeah, that's me, I occasionally get to show up as a player, so super excited to be here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ruiz, right now, I am in a long-term game of city of mist, over on Roller's joint.
[SPEAKER_00]: I play MONSTER Act, a construction union boss who's definitely not mostly based on V from
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a lot, it's normal.
[SPEAKER_01]: This party sucks is a game about being a 20-something who is badly processing a recent breakup.
[SPEAKER_01]: You will play out a piece of their story as they attend a series of three parties while trying and failing not to think about their ex.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a queer and trans game in many senses.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is by a queer and trans author based on an album of music by a queer and trans musician.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you want to play it true to form, your protagonist will be queer and or trans in some way.
[SPEAKER_01]: They may not know that about themselves yet or have complicated feelings about it, but it is a factor in their life.
[SPEAKER_01]: Be tender with your protagonist.
[SPEAKER_01]: They are in pain and you are not seeing them at their best, but they are not an inherently tragic character.
[SPEAKER_01]: Their queerness and transness, especially, are not tragic.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some day, they will feel much better than they do now, in this breakup, and entire phase of life will fade gently into their past.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is not a story of that warm and gentle future, but the potential for such a future is an important thread weaving through the tough and messy time where the protagonist resides.
[SPEAKER_01]: believe in that future for them as you play.
[SPEAKER_01]: And when they stumble, no, that they are moving towards something better.
[SPEAKER_01]: So before we jump into the actual play of this game, we three players here have to describe our protagonist.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll start your first with a hairstyles since it's the first on the list.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think our protagonist should have a wolf cut.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think a lot of
[SPEAKER_01]: dark hair like dark black or dark brown or even like a really dark blue with like a bunch of streaks of lighter colors throughout it.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think just getting the image of this particular character I think music would be a good hobby for them.
[SPEAKER_02]: They're very much like
[SPEAKER_02]: someone who listens to all types of music, depending on where they're at, drifts from genre to genre.
[SPEAKER_02]: So like right now, they're in their sort of like, I don't know how to describe it other than like, a lot of sad songs with like guitar, guitar backing, era for, for the breakup songs.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like do they play music or they just really into like collecting records?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like what is it?
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're more a record collector.
[SPEAKER_02]: They very much all over their apartment or home or wherever we have them situated.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think they display their favorites and then they've got like the shelves upon shelves of them stored elsewhere.
[SPEAKER_01]: Reese, can you pick a job or a collection of jobs or even a reason if they don't have a job right now?
[SPEAKER_00]: part-time job at a music store, not necessarily like a record shop, but they help like sell instruments.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like a small local thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Tune guitars here and there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but mostly they attend community college.
[SPEAKER_01]: Back to me with a favorite item of clothing.
[SPEAKER_01]: For some reason this protagonist in my brain is like from like, we're like in the 90s.
[SPEAKER_01]: just with the vibes that they've been giving off so far.
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't have to be just feel that way, so I like this idea of like a really patch filled, like leather jacket, or maybe more like a jean jacket, with just a bunch of patches on it, and I think it was probably thrifted, and so not all of these patches are theirs, but they have added to it over the years.
[SPEAKER_01]: Probably like a lot of if there's any like political affiliations on it,
[SPEAKER_01]: leaning like democratic socialism in like the vibes of the patches on this jacket.
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of like uh, what are like roses and stuff?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's sort of like yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: The motif of like bread and roses is food not bombs.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what it's stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay Emma, something they miss about their eggs.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love the idea of this being a situation where they miss their exes pet more than they miss their ex.
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think I think their ex had a, I'm just going to go with a courier because that's the first dog breed I thought of, but I think the ex had a little courier that they took care of more than the ex did.
[SPEAKER_02]: And of course, the ex is going to give them their dog in the breakup.
[SPEAKER_02]: unfortunately, that dog that they bonded with is not going to be around anymore and is more what they miss than the X themselves.
[SPEAKER_01]: Who, okay, Rui, something they don't miss about their X.
[SPEAKER_00]: This came into my head when Emma said Corgi, our character's X was a like massive
[SPEAKER_00]: knew all these facts about the royal family and was like nominally left wing, but until anyone said anything bad about Princess Diana, you know, that's sort of very intense vibe, never been isn't British.
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't miss the angle file that their ex was.
[SPEAKER_01]: A habit they tend to show when nervous.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they have a tendency to pick at their nail beds and so they have like almost a...
[SPEAKER_01]: forever like bit of scarring around a couple nails on their hands and so they've mostly broken this habit I do think but whenever things get really touchy they go back to it and they start just kind of picking and I guess we can all decide this one together these last two together the gender I know we've been using the pronouns so we can continue with that or we can be more
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm down for the pronouns.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that works, especially with kind of the aesthetic that we've set up.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think a very non-binary character makes sense.
[SPEAKER_00]: because this whole thing is there on them for such a loop.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're sort of, you know, if you'll describe those in between jobs, they're sort of in between genders or sort of still figuring their stuff out because there's a certain comments that they're x-made.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, oh, oh, oh.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we just need a name, a name for this individual.
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like Raven is a very good non-binary name
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're trying to go for like a, like a core of it, like plumage with the, with the hair already locking it in Raven the game itself talks about setting up a pallet to set your tone, but we already have our lines and veils and we can talk just kind of like openly as we get into like discussing what type of parties we're going to be at more about like the tone of these parties we're going to be.
[SPEAKER_01]: Going into, but I think these are some good questions here as well to talk about is what type of region or community might your protagonist live in and I know we talked about them being a student at a community college.
[SPEAKER_01]: which I do believe fosters a bit of a different sort of ability to create friends then when you go to like a campus university because you're not necessarily all living in the same place.
[SPEAKER_01]: So like are we in a kind of a small town or all of their friends still their friends from high school?
[SPEAKER_01]: Have they been able to make friends at their college or are their friends or are we, you know,
[SPEAKER_01]: Is none of that true or we in no a city?
[SPEAKER_01]: Is there community their actual neighbors?
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you guys think it?
[SPEAKER_00]: I like the idea of maybe just like just recently Graduated so like small-ish town or city still has friends at the high school sort of like how um We have Rachel Kurt in Santana.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're always in McKinley and Glee
[SPEAKER_00]: despite them living in New York and being like a four hour drive.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe like a couple very older friends, and then but also has some like high school friends.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so like we've we've moved away from where we grew up, but we saw enough connections that were back a lot.
[SPEAKER_01]: What kind of events elements in their life would you guys be interested in exploring that is related to or separate from this breakup?
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we've also talked about already talked about that they're kind of like in-between gender so there might be a little bit of gender expression that they're working on and trying to figure out for themselves but is there anything else?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like are we working on?
[SPEAKER_01]: Trying to break from the mold of like you know that I every year I come back a good Jolian times to my hometown.
[SPEAKER_01]: Do I need to just you know get out there and make my own life like is this holding me back?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I like that idea wanting to maintain that because it's a comfort and in the life line, but at the same time like if I were really want to change You know, is it best to just rip the band-aid off?
[SPEAKER_01]: I think what would make this even a little bit sweeter is the idea that this X is like they were together in high school and then they were still together when they moved away.
[SPEAKER_01]: So maybe it's maybe they're like two years in the college or something when this breakup happens.
[SPEAKER_01]: So everyone back home knows this person and they can't really escape it.
[SPEAKER_02]: That could be really interesting.
[SPEAKER_02]: I also love the idea of sort of
[SPEAKER_02]: Exploring I think it would be fun to sort of like include the exploration of like
[SPEAKER_02]: breaking away from some of those like baked in routines that just become a thing when you're with a person for so long because especially if they're like a high school sweetheart that went into college kind of deal that's when they were a really young person moving into a more adult time in their life then sort of forming a bunch of routines that now are suddenly not things that they can do like if they had a regular time that they texted or called each other every day
[SPEAKER_02]: This is a thing that should be happening in my day, but this person's gone, so I can't do that now.
[SPEAKER_02]: And sort of how you cope and move on from those things could be an interesting thing to explore as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially since they moved out together, so they probably got a place together, so maybe Raven is crashing with a classmate,
[SPEAKER_01]: As for kind of the vibes of these parties, you guys can mix this idea, but I had the idea and it kind of works I think with the fact that we're talking about like coming home a lot is that it's like a trio of holiday parties, so we have the Halloween party, we have the friends giving like dinner party and then we have the New Year's Eve party.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's fun.
[SPEAKER_01]: I really bad.
[SPEAKER_01]: So in this game, one person plays the part protagonist, one person plays the other people, and then one person plays the venue.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then with each party, those roll shift.
[SPEAKER_01]: So for Halloween party, does anybody have an urge to do one of those three?
[SPEAKER_00]: I kind of want to be the venue for the Halloween party.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think it would be fun to play the protagonist at the dinner party if you want to take it for this one.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sounds good.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to be at this Halloween party.
[SPEAKER_01]: The protagonist needs to pick a cope.
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't have to choose ones they list, but pretty much a cope is that you would pick something before each one of these new parties and
[SPEAKER_01]: It kind of describes what you have been, what the protagonist has been attempting to do in this process of the breakup.
[SPEAKER_02]: But this being the first party after the breakup, I think that Raven's cope leading up to this point has been to start trying to make music for the first time.
[SPEAKER_02]: They've collected so many records.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think their ex,
[SPEAKER_02]: always kind of had this kind of saying when they would play music on the record player, they would kind of just in passing when they were arguing.
[SPEAKER_02]: There were some comments made of hey, at least it's not a drum set or something.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think they latched on to that to the point of, I've listened to so much music.
[SPEAKER_02]: I have so many thoughts about music.
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe it's time for me to
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think they went out and bought like a cheap keyboard, got a discount because they work at work at the local music store and just started trying to teach themselves Piano.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, Ruiz, as the venue, you have to pick or create a complication that will affect the parties.
[SPEAKER_00]: the complication for for this party is it is it is unseasonably hot it's October and it's like uncomfortably warm.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I, as the other people, have to pick the party guests here, I actually think what would be super interesting is that if this was a Halloween party put on by one of their college classmates and maybe it's the first time that they don't go home for the
[SPEAKER_01]: Halloween party that is usually thrown.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they're kind of thrown in.
[SPEAKER_01]: They kind of know these people, but they're more like acquaintances than they are old friends, so they're kind of coming into like a completely new situation.
[SPEAKER_01]: During the party, the protagonist picks moves from our lists,
[SPEAKER_01]: and describe their related action, speaking in character to whatever degree they find comfortable.
[SPEAKER_01]: Other people play the other attendings of the party and or friends in context, the protagonist texts or calls.
[SPEAKER_01]: The venue describes the physical and social nature of the party, site sounds, smells, overhead words, people glimpsed and passing, and can play additional party attendees or friends if needed.
[SPEAKER_01]: The venue can add both positive details and further complications to the space.
[SPEAKER_01]: So while we're starting out with it being unseasonally hot,
[SPEAKER_01]: at any moment during the scene, Maurice can come in and throw another complication in there.
[SPEAKER_01]: The protagonist moves reflect elements of their physical and emotional state.
[SPEAKER_01]: There are external moves and there are internal moves.
[SPEAKER_01]: For the external moves, the protagonist places a token.
[SPEAKER_01]: So we have three tokens per scene.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you use a token when you use an external move.
[SPEAKER_01]: There is no need to use a token when you do an internal move.
[SPEAKER_01]: You will simply describe that move.
[SPEAKER_01]: If the protagonist runs out of these tokens, that is assigned that the social energy is getting low and that we will soon leave the party if they haven't done so already.
[SPEAKER_01]: The party ends when the protagonist reaches a point where they think about their X and we will collaborate together in this final move.
[SPEAKER_01]: to figure out how we bring the scene to a close, the party to a close, and then we will switch roles and pick new co-ops and complications and party guests.
[SPEAKER_01]: When we get to those parts, there are actual party moves in the think about your ex moves that I will read through as well to explain the nature of this game to our audience.
[SPEAKER_01]: But for now, I think we should begin, if you agree with our protagonist, Raven,
[SPEAKER_01]: and who he's kind of describing what they are walking into.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a ten and nice supper not too far from the college.
[SPEAKER_00]: a couple of people who are more local live here and that's Sabrina who is known to be a who's known to like throw these big parties she's sort of she's got one of the bigger houses out of most of the the friend group so she's you know invited everyone over it's a big old Victorian all but the very top floor is open to
[SPEAKER_00]: The party, there are, there's a bunch of seating outside, as well as inside large wraparound porch, and there is a lot of people outside, because of the unseasonally warm weather, it's kind of uncomfortable to be packed up inside with all those people, so while there's a lot of people, it's not a very dense party, it's very sprawling, there's a lot of
[SPEAKER_00]: locations and little hideaways.
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's usually only at least one or two people.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you wouldn't mind also since this is a Halloween party, describing the decor a little bit, are we like, is Sabrina's house like harvest time or are we really like scary Halloween?
[SPEAKER_00]: The porch has like lots of corned copian, gourds, maybe one or two skeletons, silly hats,
[SPEAKER_00]: But inside there's lots of fake gore, paint splatter on the walls, fake weapons, stangling everywhere, chains from the ceiling.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a really strong smelling cocktails in fake blood bags.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people are walking around with.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're committing very hard, but also there's kids in the neighborhood.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, in case, you know, when they happen to walk
[SPEAKER_00]: to one tour, you know, so we need to answer that enough film calls about that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Raven, upon arriving, parking their car and stepping out to sort of take it in, the innocence of the outside of the house definitely makes the inside decor even more of a shock.
[SPEAKER_02]: They feel like they walked from one of those like
[SPEAKER_02]: Halloween parties that has like the corn maze and all of these activities set up for little kids right into the scariest haunted house that they would find back home and they don't hate it.
[SPEAKER_02]: But they definitely weren't prepared.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think they walk into a couple of dangling chains from the door way and are like, oh, when did those get there?
[SPEAKER_02]: Push them aside, move past a couple of people, let's go.
[SPEAKER_02]: First, get themselves in the mood to party.
[SPEAKER_02]: They haven't really been in the mood to party in a while, and this is already turning out to be a bigger party than what they would have expected if they'd actually gone home.
[SPEAKER_02]: But home is not where they want their mind to be right now.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think as they grab one of the blood bag drinks, they have to wrestle with the talk a little bit to get a drink.
[SPEAKER_00]: But do you know what Raven's costume is?
[SPEAKER_00]: And I have a suggestion if you don't.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'd love to hear your suggestion.
[SPEAKER_00]: As a bit, since I think maybe some server that they're experiments in very heavily now, maybe Raven is a new choice of name.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as a bit, they've arrived as Brandon Lee's The Crow.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh.
[SPEAKER_00]: You grease up their black hair, white face paint, you know, their denim jacket has a larger leather jacket over it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's perfect because you walk into this house and you realize that there are two separate categories of individuals here.
[SPEAKER_01]: and Raven fits in with one of them who are the people who have gone all out on costumes.
[SPEAKER_01]: They are no-en Noble Characters.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of them are like really, really good cosplay, style costumes.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you have the other side of the party here, which includes Sabrina who, as you're like picking up a blood back, is directing,
[SPEAKER_01]: this gentleman like almost looks like a Butler but maybe he's dressed up that way in an actual friend of hers into like a moving drinks around the kitchen and she is wearing just like a very tight, black tank top crop top with very tight, black jeans and
[SPEAKER_01]: and cat ears, and that is her costume.
[SPEAKER_01]: And she kind of notices you as you're grabbing a drink and she goes, oh, oh, Raven, I'm so glad you could come.
[SPEAKER_01]: Nice to see you at the party for the first time.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, yeah, it's good to see you too.
[SPEAKER_02]: This is quite the party.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love what you've done with the decorations.
[SPEAKER_01]: I had a vision.
[SPEAKER_02]: and you executed it really well.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a little bit of a conglomeration of themes, what I think, you know, like every room kind of is different, feels a little different.
[SPEAKER_01]: The outside, my parents, that was their choice, and then I got a control of the inside.
[SPEAKER_02]: Nice, nice.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'll definitely have to check all of it out, especially you said he trumes a different theme.
[SPEAKER_02]: I will have to remember that,
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you know, there is also a game and she points down onto the table where the blood bags were and there is pieces of paper and it's kind of like a bingo.
[SPEAKER_01]: When you when you go to the rooms, you can check off the bingo of the movies that they represent.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh.
[SPEAKER_01]: Perfect and they scoop one up and you win or at the end of the night if you're still here So stick around.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, what's the price?
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, it's just like a not-life-time supply of Candies know we get this like fun-sized bag of candy bars that I got from the pharmacy.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh nice
[SPEAKER_01]: I will do my best to stick on and she kind of goes back up.
[SPEAKER_01]: No, Derek, no, Derek, not there over there!
[SPEAKER_01]: In search directing, party set up.
[SPEAKER_02]: And Raven just lets them handle it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Takes a moment to finish the blood bag.
[SPEAKER_00]: Is straw.
[SPEAKER_02]: They take that in, immediately regret checking it.
[SPEAKER_02]: If that means they don't have to necessarily come back for more drinks, all the better.
[SPEAKER_02]: As they toss the empty blood bag in whatever trash area
[SPEAKER_02]: not just throwing drinks on the ground.
[SPEAKER_02]: They kind of begin to peek around a little more and they've been given a thing to do with the bingo.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think in order to find their way in with the rest of the crowd, this isn't their usual crowd that they're used to from home.
[SPEAKER_02]: They're used to being surrounded by people they know.
[SPEAKER_02]: But being surrounded by people they know would lead them to the person they don't want to think about.
[SPEAKER_02]: they need some new faces.
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think as they start moving into other rooms, I am gonna use my first party move, or first external move with the token to offer to help someone out.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think I see someone standing there with the bingo and I'm gonna use that as my in and as Raven brings themselves over
[SPEAKER_02]: see is someone standing around.
[SPEAKER_02]: Would just kind of mosey up next to them and say, are you trying to figure this thing out too?
[SPEAKER_01]: You walk up to this individual who is Sailor Moon and she turns
[SPEAKER_00]: This particular room is just covered in, you know Sabrina has a couple art friends, so the the heads that are mounted on the wall are, so a troubling degree, realistic, and it goes through different parts of history, there's little plaques underneath each one,
[SPEAKER_00]: that has like a name and a short low bio.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's lots of swords, a lot of katanas and Raven puts together that the movie this is referencing is Highlander, which isn't specifically horror movie, but you do remember Sabrina saying something along the line to like living forever would be the worst punishment.
[SPEAKER_00]: So maybe she thinks it's a horror movie and Raven knows it because it has a killer soundtrack.
[SPEAKER_02]: walks at the very realistically painted heads mounted to the wall, looks back at the Sailor Moon girl next to them.
[SPEAKER_02]: and says, I can't say I blame you for missing this one.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not even technically a horror movie, but I guess Sabrina decided that Highlander counts as a horror movie.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, uh, well, and marks the spot on the Bingo card and goes well, I have never heard of that movie before.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I would recommend it if
[SPEAKER_02]: you are okay with Gore points to the head says yeah as proof but it's not really scary it does that a really good soundtrack though oh you know it well then yeah i'm i care more about music usually and uh queen did a really good job with the music on that one i do know i do
[SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you a more of a movie person, music person?
[SPEAKER_01]: What?
[SPEAKER_01]: What kind of stuff do you want to talk about?
[SPEAKER_01]: And she holds her hand out.
[SPEAKER_01]: She goes, ah, I'm Sophia, by the way.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, Raven, nice to meet you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Nice to meet you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if I'm one over the other.
[SPEAKER_01]: I like movies, I like music.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think that I'm like an aficionado and any of them, but I am really into costumeing stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't do it myself, but I like it.
[SPEAKER_01]: So fashion, sort of history, stuff, physical.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, awesome!
[SPEAKER_02]: That is not my area of expertise necessarily, but I would say given the costume that you have great taste.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think I've seen you around before, I mean Sabrina's not like a really close friend I was kind of invited by somebody else who was invited, but I'm not sure that we have any classes together.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, gotcha.
[SPEAKER_02]: No, Sabrina's a classmate of mine as well.
[SPEAKER_02]: Not super close, but she did give me the invite.
[SPEAKER_02]: So, I'm just kind of here to make some friends.
[SPEAKER_02]: I haven't made too many around college, necessarily.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, are you new or is it your first year here?
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, second.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, okay, yeah, I guess, I guess life freshman year can be rough.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mm-hmm.
[SPEAKER_02]: It was a lot of sticking to the people I didn't know, but now I'm trying to branch out a little.
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I'm glad that we met them.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, absolutely.
[SPEAKER_02]: What major are you?
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, you're absolutely.
[SPEAKER_01]: I, I, I, it business, boring, I know.
[SPEAKER_01]: Just, you know, my dad thinks that it's,
[SPEAKER_01]: The most secure I could do, so, yeah, just business.
[SPEAKER_02]: That sounds like a damn thing to say.
[UNKNOWN]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, maybe I could, you know, fashion is a business, maybe there's something like that later, and I don't think that's what he had in mind.
[SPEAKER_02]: If he's gonna push you towards something that he wants you to do, why not make the most out of it, even if it's finding a way to pull.
[SPEAKER_01]: is your major music related?
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, no.
[SPEAKER_02]: I collect music more than I make it.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm trying to learn, but I don't think.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, that's awesome.
[SPEAKER_02]: Starting with college classes is probably the place to do it.
[SPEAKER_02]: No, I went for the, uh, more the education route.
[SPEAKER_02]: No specific direction in mind yet, but...
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, if you learn how to make music, maybe you could be a music teacher.
[SPEAKER_02]: That was a part that I'd consider, but not a lot.
[SPEAKER_02]: That could be fun.
[SPEAKER_01]: My little sister does music therapy.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's an interesting idea.
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't know that existed, but she really likes it.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's really helpful for her, so.
[SPEAKER_02]: Nice!
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's not one I've had much experience with either.
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe I'll have to do some more exploring of what majors there are
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I'm gonna throw myself under the bus here again with my lack of movie knowledge.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, what is your costume?
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, uh, uh, uh, uh, this is from the Crow.
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, have you seen that either?
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think, uh, Raven just keeps going into, uh, some more about the movies.
[SPEAKER_00]: As you move into the next room, which is, this one's a little more easier, it's very much the ring.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a tea just CRT buzzing in the corner, it's all painted black, there's like a glow in the dark.
[SPEAKER_00]: going dark-painted outline of someone crawling across the ceiling.
[SPEAKER_00]: But as you enter this room, and you're sort of like giving a little speel about the prow to Sophia, you're trying to sort of blast up in the back a little bit as the air kicks on.
[SPEAKER_00]: You miss Sabrina's boyfriend Carlos is an electrical engineer.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he must figure out how to turn the air on.
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow, I was shade known about the heat thing before I mean you that's that's like leather That's really at least I have a skirt, you know, but that's a lot better
[SPEAKER_02]: I made the mistake of wearing my jacket under this, so honestly, I might just stand here for a little bit.
[SPEAKER_02]: This is really nice.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm going to continue trying to fill out this bingo card.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll take free candy any day.
[SPEAKER_01]: But if we went into each other again, just, you know, maybe I'll need more help.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, absolutely.
[SPEAKER_02]: Feel free to come find me.
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think I'm going too far.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll at least be somewhere around here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, and she looks at you like she wants to say something else or or offer something more and then instead just says, it was nice to meet you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Nice to meet you too, Sophia.
[SPEAKER_01]: And she walks off into the party.
[SPEAKER_02]: As she goes, there is definitely a moment where Raven kind of pauses and as this air is sort of as this air kind of
[SPEAKER_02]: buffets them and blows back the trench coat again.
[SPEAKER_02]: They move out of the doorway first and foremost so that they're not.
[SPEAKER_02]: A, hitting anyone with the back of their trench coat or B, blocking the doorway for anyone else who might be exploring this as well.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think they take a moment to be like
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, that went far better than I expected.
[SPEAKER_02]: For a whole thing up in my apartment and not talking to anyone for two weeks, that was a win.
[SPEAKER_02]: And kind of just like, takes a moment to congratulate themselves on, hey, you went out.
[SPEAKER_02]: You better do person.
[SPEAKER_02]: You talk like a normal human being.
[SPEAKER_02]: Congratulations.
[SPEAKER_02]: Reflex on that before making sure that they've checked off each of the rooms that they've visited so far.
[SPEAKER_02]: and then go back to exploring the house.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think kind of like as the night goes on, you notice that the individual is attending this party.
[SPEAKER_01]: Number one,
[SPEAKER_01]: more people arrive, it gets louder.
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, people become more intoxicated and many become more handsy with each other than maybe polite PDA allows for.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so you kind of like have to duck around couples and doorways on couches.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some in couples costumes, some very much not, maybe, didn't know each other before this moment in time as the party continues on into the names.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sabrina and her friends are all the only thing that could settle on is, which is familiar.
[SPEAKER_00]: So of course Sabrina is black cat.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's some, another girl, another friend of hers will be trying to sort of like shepherd some of the,
[SPEAKER_00]: people who are very clearly just so people aren't going at it on the furniture front of everyone just trying to get them upstairs so you know some of the actual bedrooms like we know we can't stop them so we're just gonna try to put them over there.
[SPEAKER_01]: As Sabrina is walking up the stairs to do this, the friend who has the bird beak on is very clearly Raven is walking up with her, and Sabrina's wait, wait, wait, Raven!
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven!
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven just starts porting at you, and her friend who is dressed as a Raven.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi!
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, nice!
[SPEAKER_01]: Nice costume!
[SPEAKER_01]: That's all, and then she goes, continues up the stairs.
[SPEAKER_02]: Sabrina!
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, sorry, I'm I'm not used to I haven't been to too many parties around here.
[SPEAKER_02]: Is this a And they gesture to all the kissing is this usually what happens around this time?
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, the blood bags really get to people's heads got it
[SPEAKER_02]: thanks for the heads up and they look at how many more more rooms that they still have to check out realize that they've still got like four to go and all of them are upstairs and realize they're probably not getting any free candy
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, I think I'm gonna use the second token of the evening.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's kind of what I call this quote unquote sending a passive aggressive message.
[SPEAKER_02]: Just say in passing to Sabrina before, Sabrina leaves just feel like, got it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, um, hopefully they keep that upstairs.
[SPEAKER_02]: moving forward.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think her eyebrows just kind of corked down.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, sorry if you're uncomfortable that people like, I don't know, love each other.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, it's it's not that I just I wasn't expecting everything to be so and they're starting to stumble because they realized that
[SPEAKER_02]: This is more than not wanting to think about what the fact that the person they would probably rather be kissing is not here, and the fact that they still want to kiss him, they hate that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just as Raven mentioned, like, they get that upstairs and like, this is going to kiss you that look for more people, start like running up, you have to
[SPEAKER_00]: Move to the side to stand directly in front of Sabrina right after you leave that comment She's probably a couple stairs up so she's just staring right down to you as she says that
[SPEAKER_01]: Listen, I don't like peep, this is my parent's house, you know, I don't, people aren't going to be like, you know, having sex on the couch in the living room, but like, I don't know, it's a party, people like to have fun.
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't like stop them.
[SPEAKER_02]: No, I'm not, I'm sorry, I'm asking you to stop them.
[SPEAKER_02]: I just, little caught off guard.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll just, you know what, I'm going to cook it some air.
[SPEAKER_01]: You do that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hopefully you can come back in with, you know, a little refresh mind.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: See you later, and there's just very minimal eye contact as they walk away and they're like, well There goes my good my good interaction.
[SPEAKER_02]: I fuck that up.
[SPEAKER_02]: I fuck that up the whole way out the door To go sit on the front porch and get some air hopefully thankfully the front porch is cleared out a lot more now that the air is on inside the house
[SPEAKER_00]: there's less and less people.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yes, so you have one of those like big, bigger, you know, swing, works chairs to yourself.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think as they collapse down on the wicker, porch swing, there's a moment where they kind of like let it swing very gently or it's like you're not that thing that you do where you're not trying to make it seem like a
[SPEAKER_02]: using it as something to do to sort of keep your mind off of what your brain is actually thinking about.
[SPEAKER_02]: That whole time they kind of just sit there and slightly swaying, take a few deep breaths.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's okay.
[SPEAKER_02]: If you can find a spot where there are less couples making out, then that'll be fine.
[SPEAKER_02]: You can stay till the end, figure out whether
[SPEAKER_02]: You can be social, you can make friends.
[SPEAKER_02]: And essentially spend that time talking themselves back up to going back into the party.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think when you're out here, your phone goes off.
[SPEAKER_02]: They reach in past the trench coat and into their denim jacket pocket.
[SPEAKER_02]: Where the phone is sitting?
[SPEAKER_02]: Remind themselves that they need to take off the denim jacket because it's way too fucking hot in the house to have both on at the same time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And there is a text message from Abby who is a friend from high school.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think probably
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe not like a best friend, but somebody that, you know, you know pretty well, who knows you pretty well, just maybe because of proximity.
[SPEAKER_01]: But you have a text from her, and it says, I don't wanna bring up anything that you don't wanna talk about, but I just feel like you should get a heads up that maybe stay off Instagram.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh no, there eyes widen and they sit with it for a minute.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think the text reads this red for long enough that Abby might think she got left on red for a minute before Raven finally is just finally replies.
[SPEAKER_02]: Got it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Thanks for the heads up.
[SPEAKER_02]: Miss you.
[SPEAKER_02]: You just get back three black hearts and I think Raven repeats the gesture.
[SPEAKER_02]: um before shutting the phone off for a minute.
[SPEAKER_02]: That message is so ominous.
[SPEAKER_02]: They can't help themselves, but wonder what it is about.
[SPEAKER_00]: What's a party without a little bit of doing spiraling, you know?
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it would be appropriate to use that last token for one more lash out because we're not doing great.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think they're going to look on Instagram and I think it's going to eventually lead to the cry publicly because they probably should have heated Abbey's warning.
[SPEAKER_02]: I guess that depends on what they find on Instagram.
[SPEAKER_01]: You look on Instagram and the first image, despite the fact that, you know, there isn't linear time on that app.
[SPEAKER_01]: The first image, you know it's exactly what Abbey was talking about.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it is a carousel post.
[SPEAKER_01]: of two individuals dressed up as Fred and Daphne, and they are very clearly at the house that the usual Halloween party you go to is at, and you are going through the carousels, and at first it's just like the first photo is just like these two individuals next to each other, Damien, your ex, arm around the shoulders of this girl, you scroll again, and then it's her looking up at him and you scroll again and then they're kissing.
[SPEAKER_01]: in the third and final photo, and the camera's up.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because your phone doesn't get great service here, between each image is a clean, fully, long, blank, white circle.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remind spins and spins when what it could be, then it finally appears in the same place.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think when that final image of the two of them kissing comes up, at first it's anger, it's been two weeks.
[SPEAKER_02]: has you really moved on that fast that he only needed two weeks to be making out with somebody else and then the Doom spiral starts.
[SPEAKER_02]: only that wheel starts taking them through why it was not good enough, why did he only need two weeks to get over me?
[SPEAKER_02]: Before they know it, that white face paint is running down their cheeks, and on to their neck in this gross collection of makeup that has
[SPEAKER_02]: that probably should have been waterproof given the amount of heat and how long they had wanted to stay out, but the night has been ruined, as has their makeup.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that this clearly has become the think about your ex-stage of this party.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would agree with them.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we've kind of already gone through what the thing about your ex stages, which is you describing the thoughts and actions that lead to one of the situations or a messy situation, which is he has moved on, it seems, in a very short amount of time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think the next day is you describing how this leads you to flee the party.
[SPEAKER_02]: It takes them a minute to put away their phone and realize that they're crying.
[SPEAKER_02]: It takes them a couple more moments to realize that the people that are outside are already staring.
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think they've been crying quietly, but they weren't thinking about it in the moment.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's the looks of pity that drive them off because that's exactly what they didn't want.
[SPEAKER_02]: They wanted to be able to go out and still have fun, but not think about.
[SPEAKER_02]: whether or not they would run into all the people that know Danian, that would have to choose one side or another.
[SPEAKER_02]: just to speak to either of them.
[SPEAKER_02]: Because of course in their town there is no staying neutral and staying friends with both.
[SPEAKER_02]: You pick one side or the other or everyone has thoughts about it.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think as they see everyone staring, they dart back off towards their car, leaving the wicker chair still swinging a little bit with how fast they get up.
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't say by to anybody.
[SPEAKER_02]: They're just
[SPEAKER_02]: gone.
[SPEAKER_02]: The only evidence that they were there is that half finished bingo card that's still sitting on the chair.
[SPEAKER_01]: and our first party has come to a close.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, well, we have to switch roles now.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll do the protagonist and then where we usually be the other people and then Emma, you'll be the venue.
[SPEAKER_01]: As we move into our friends giving slash dinner party, we must figure out the copes, the complications, and who the party guests are.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that I don't want to give up the making music hope, but I'm going to add one on top of that, because I feel like that's a long term, you know, this is only like a month after making music is like a long term thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I think also kind of going off what happened and like why Raven fled the party the previous time, I think they've gone dead on socials.
[SPEAKER_01]: They've deleted them all from their phone.
[SPEAKER_01]: There is no longer any social apps happening.
[SPEAKER_01]: For our venue, we need a complication for this dinner party.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm kind of picturing like, especially with friends giving, I feel like potlucks are very, very common.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, everyone usually brings their best to the potluck.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think the complication this year is someone decided to try a new recipe with something very staple to the friends giving.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think someone tried to decide to try a new stuff in recipe and it did not go well.
[SPEAKER_02]: And now this staple that everyone loved is now just raw.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not good.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the person who made it is just like the sweetest heart imaginable and is genuinely trying their best.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we need to pick out who the party guests are for this party.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a couple of people getting together for this.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a college friend friends giving, but Abby from back home is coming.
[SPEAKER_02]: first time trying to mingle the friend groups.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Abby is Raven's plus one.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ooh, that could also be another complication.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry to step on your toes here, Emma, but the invitation everyone had to bring a plus one.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think when like everything went dark on social media, Abby was despite you like, you weren't super close in school, but Abby was the first person reach out after you went dark on everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you're like, okay, I can,
[SPEAKER_00]: There's one solid perk, like you said earlier, everyone has to fix sides, and that'd be very clearly and quickly chose Ravens.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think Raven is the only person who brought a plus one that's not their significant other.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yes, a hundred percent.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
[UNKNOWN]: Hmm.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, I do love the idea of a rules lawyer for this party sex, under the comments of this episode, be like, the style of the weekend.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, actually, you're like, the game is like,
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, well, I'm gonna, I'm gonna pin a gallery and other thing in for party guests and I think that it would be super interesting if Sophia showed back up as somebody else's partner because I think like there's a little flirtation at the Halloween party with Sophia in the not knowing movies thing and so having Sophia show up with somebody else because Raven like didn't give her the time of day.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was already good at it, so you know what, I really, I should just believe didn't you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I should just believe didn't you.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're just all on the same page, that works great.
[SPEAKER_02]: Everyone arrived a little early to finish cooking whatever they had needed to.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we are, we are entering this small college apartment already in the midst of,
[SPEAKER_02]: the chaos of putting together, I think, is giving me all.
[SPEAKER_02]: People are all running around trying to find the last minute ingredients that they needed to finish their dishes.
[SPEAKER_02]: A couple of folks are already around setting the table.
[SPEAKER_02]: Surrounding them is sort of a mishmash of decorations for the season that whoever's house this is could find
[SPEAKER_02]: or what they could find on sale at the local thrift store to sort of cobble together some Thanksgiving decorations.
[SPEAKER_02]: We start our view on and more Thanksgiving themed cornacopia that is sitting at the center of the table unlike the Halloween one that was outside of Sabrina's house.
[SPEAKER_02]: And we zoom out
[SPEAKER_02]: to a bustling, very tiny kitchen that should not have as many people in it that it currently does.
[SPEAKER_02]: But as everyone sort of squeezes past each other and sets up the food for everyone to grab sort of the face style before they find this around this crowded apartment, I think we would settle in on Raven, somewhere in the other room, maybe just coming out of the bathroom for something
[SPEAKER_02]: as everyone is setting up for meal time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven probably should have guessed with the weird requirement of a plus one to this party that it was four couples.
[SPEAKER_01]: And maybe they should have not come.
[SPEAKER_01]: is pretty much what they're feeling at this moment in time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's not that this is a repeat of the Halloween party.
[SPEAKER_01]: People are being normal, lovey w with each other.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're not making out all over the couch.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like the middle of the afternoon.
[SPEAKER_01]: But there's an ease that people have with each other that they are missing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And while their friend Abby is here, and it's not the same
[SPEAKER_01]: Even though Abby had whispered when they walked through the door that she was more than willing to pretend to be dating Raven if that made things easier and Raven was like no No, we can't no please.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's also Sofia at this party who
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven never got her number but she ran into her a couple times at the school and it was like very clear that Sophia was interested but Raven is still caught up on he must not be named and now Sophia obviously
[SPEAKER_01]: moved on already to and how two people have moved on past raven so quickly and so swiftly and they don't understand what is wrong with them.
[SPEAKER_01]: They thought that they were not so fit but they thought that they were giving everything in this relationship and none of it seemed to be enough.
[SPEAKER_01]: So they just needed a breather in the bathroom and they do feel refreshed.
[SPEAKER_01]: as they walk out back down the short little stubby hallway in the small apartment and they walk in.
[SPEAKER_01]: And Abby is like the center of attention, like she always is able to talk her way around a room and Raven just kind of walks in like of course okay all right I'm here now and walks up to stand next to Abby and try to join the conversation which I think is kind of already using a move which is talking to a friend
[SPEAKER_00]: Raven over at the, at the San, at San Beth, perfectly timed out.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't even know where they got this from.
[SPEAKER_00]: Apparently, a CD, pops in, pops in CD, plays the perfect, fart noise, right as our principal sits down at our commencement ceremony, howling with laughter.
[SPEAKER_00]: The root was, it was, could not get back on track for half an hour.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was beautiful.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to do an internal move within the external move here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven knows what Abby is doing, and there's this complicated feeling of graciousness about it, but also like, don't talk, don't make me be somebody I can't be.
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't make me the class clown, a center of attention here, I can't do that.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's still very grateful for us to just kind of like, squeezes Abby shoulder in steps into the conversation goes,
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you know, it was kind of an easy thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not like they could expel me.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's graduating.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's still pretty good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pretty good.
[SPEAKER_01]: Abby, do you want me to share your, uh, terrible high school stories, or you're going to share my.
[SPEAKER_00]: First off, I thought that was a brave and honorable deed after everything that man put us through.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: And second, I have no terrible stories.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am the light.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven sees all the smiling faces who, like, obviously agree that Abby is a delight.
[SPEAKER_01]: They just give up.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you know, you know, you're right.
[SPEAKER_01]: If anybody was the trouble maker, it was me.
[SPEAKER_00]: there's a TV in the corner and on like low volume is the the Macie's Thanksgiving they parade you know we're you know doing this pretty early pre-run traditional so like a couple people like notice a balloon and there's like other conversations happen abuelines into uh to rage just like the stuffy is sinful but i think Sabrina made it so just a couple bites smile and
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like there's like a blood orange and something or something.
[SPEAKER_01]: She's got a thing about that.
[SPEAKER_01]: She was like, there's a thing at her all the way in party too.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was like, it's like a blood theme going on with that girl.
[SPEAKER_01]: Blood orange stuffing?
[SPEAKER_01]: Abby, how does one do that?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: She heard like, citrus is good with chicken and just like just the wrong citrus.
[SPEAKER_00]: The one wrong citrus.
[SPEAKER_01]: Do I have to eat it at all?
[SPEAKER_01]: Can I just ignore her?
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got to know this, she was your friend first.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, I barely knew this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's this?
[SPEAKER_01]: Who's this?
[SPEAKER_00]: Who's this?
[SPEAKER_01]: Who's this?
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, okay, I don't, I didn't fight you here to like, nag me.
[SPEAKER_00]: You invited me here to make sure when this happens and like, does like a tiny little gesture, it's all like all the couples, like, either having their own conversations or canoe to like, you had something to do, and something to talk to.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was a bit of a call out Raven feels because yeah, sure, obviously, but hitting the nail exactly on the head out loud kind of gets Raven a little bit in the heart.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, then I, I should have thanked you in advance, thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for having me back.
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, oh it's.
[SPEAKER_02]: As the two of you are sort of wrapping up that conversation, you've been sort of making your way through the the collection of food available.
[SPEAKER_02]: Your green bean casserole seems to be quite a hit, or even.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's almost halfway gone by the time you even make it to it.
[SPEAKER_02]: And the stuffing
[SPEAKER_02]: not nearly as much of one.
[SPEAKER_02]: There is a collection of other different dishes, mashed potatoes and a very very good homemade gravy.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's also a sweet potato casserole, a multitude of other side dishes that are staples for any Thanksgiving meal.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's even vegetarian and vegan options for people who want to be a bit more adventurous, I think, for those who are vegetarian or vegan at this party that need those because they can't have whatever one else is having.
[SPEAKER_02]: But I think as you go to sit down, I'm going to add another complication and have a little fun.
[SPEAKER_02]: It seems that Abbey's tales have been getting to everyone, because Raven, the moment you sit down, you don't know where it came from.
[SPEAKER_02]: but there is a loud fart noise that just echoes out and everyone at the party starts laughing.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I don't think that I did anything as horribly mean as my high school principal did to deserve that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Who?
[SPEAKER_01]: Who's the culprit here?
[SPEAKER_00]: the sitting in the way back sort of like behind person that you came with is Sophia has got her phone out.
[SPEAKER_00]: It just takes it away.
[SPEAKER_00]: It just like very obviously hides a smile, very obvious, you know, silly, coy way.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven goes, okay, look at Sophia.
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe I deserve that a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a little.
[SPEAKER_01]: With some massive forkful into their mouth so that
[SPEAKER_01]: They do not have to speak for a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you're not out of the, obviously, not out of the Sailor Moon costume, does have a sort of like chestnut brown, maybe some blonde highlights has like a, like a Sailor Uranus style Vixie cut.
[SPEAKER_00]: Looks fantastic.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she's with very tall, like, fellows sort of like olive skin sort of like a buzz cup, but the kind of buzz cut were clearly like,
[SPEAKER_00]: You made a bad choice with your hair and wanted to start over as opposed to like military buzz cut.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I was really good story.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven isn't blind to their being in attraction to Sophia, I think, but that is just like so far removed from their current state of mind that it's almost laughable that there
[SPEAKER_01]: flirtatious energy that exists between them because because Sophia There's something there that would be a good fit between them despite what Raven should be or maybe despite maybe because of the fact that they've gone dark on socials
[SPEAKER_01]: is able to still be hung up on Damien in a way that makes them question, like, how do I start something new when I'm so used to how things were?
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm still, like I see the same people every day, I live in the same apartment that we lived in.
[SPEAKER_01]: together I like my life is exactly the same as if we were still together I can't look forward to something else and just take another massive bite of food.
[SPEAKER_01]: This time getting stuffing in there and going oh yeah Sabrina so good.
[SPEAKER_00]: She like looks at her boyfriend Carlos who's like hosting this old thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's has the biggest apartment and this really obsessively curated turkey recipe.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's really intentive at it for like days before, but it's really good point to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Looks like it looks at her boyfriend and just goes, see?
[SPEAKER_00]: Experimenting is worth it sometimes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people have taste.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven makes eye contact with Carlos, he goes, just makes a face and shakes their head.
[SPEAKER_00]: He just goes, yeah, sure.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe I was wrong.
[SPEAKER_02]: Speaking of that perfectly curated turkey recipe, I think there's a moment where that exchange gets interrupted, because I think as Carlos is looking over,
[SPEAKER_02]: to catch that look from Raven.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a mobile where he catches a different set of eyes, and it's their cat, mango, who has jumped up on the counter, and is now eating some of that perfectly curated turkey right out of the pan.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, the chair falls out from under him, jumps up so fast.
[SPEAKER_00]: So go do do do do.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's a very loud scoops up from the middle, so that
[SPEAKER_00]: I asked nicely if you needed to use a restroom to make sure that she doesn't get out, you're going to the bedroom, walks over.
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe because I don't, I don't, I'm just like, I'm a much more of a dog person.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sophia looks like, you know, wasn't too bad and gets too much and like comes over to you, right, to sit down next to you, Raven, on her, they've been, they've been together for
[SPEAKER_00]: particularly what you know stage two could serve themselves at the guy she came with Jesse sits next to next to her and Just starts, you know, really fast to view and you know start talking to Abby
[SPEAKER_00]: Abby has a bunch of stickers in the back for a phone case and starts talking about one of the shows and stickers from having their own conversation.
[SPEAKER_01]: For a little bit, Raven just kind of sits there and eats quietly, ignoring Sophia next to them.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it probably goes on for far too long for Sophia's liking.
[SPEAKER_00]: At first, she's just politely listening to their conversation, you know, she's at anything to contribute.
[SPEAKER_00]: After a bit, she has put her hand hand and just
[SPEAKER_00]: Looks like you Raven just waiting for you to pause eating for a second to try to see if you want me to talk.
[SPEAKER_01]: Fork in mouth, brawl, ha, what?
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you need something?
[SPEAKER_00]: Come on, the something's up that good.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, Raven shows where they've hidden the stuffing under a roll, and then they put the roll back on top of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, we could just tell her it's
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know her well enough to do that.
[SPEAKER_01]: You, I don't think know her well enough to do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, like, we hate, we hung out a couple of times since the party.
[SPEAKER_00]: I did, I did win the bag of candy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, congratulations.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it is gone now.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: You share it with Jesse.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that I have to use a token here for a bit of a passive aggressive,
[SPEAKER_01]: There was a tone there, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a tone there.
[SPEAKER_01]: There was a tone there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lean back a little bit, and she was like, yeah, he ate all the almond joys, because I can't have almonds.
[SPEAKER_00]: If he had a smell, I mean, you'd like.
[SPEAKER_01]: Earlier today, when I walked in and said, hello, my name is Raven, and he said, hello, my name is Jassie.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's when we met.
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess Warren, he mentioned seeing before he had a couple, yet the class together.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's also in Genet.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven is frantically going through their brain trying to figure this out and it wouldn't be surprising because Raven isn't necessarily paying any attention to the people around them.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they just go, oh yeah, maybe maybe.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it takes a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Raven does recall and unfortunately it is a class with only like six people in it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like an early childhood development class that like only people in this
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I guess just didn't leave much of an impression.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that stops the room around you to the point of, like, I don't know if Raven necessarily notices this, but I think Sophia and some, and Abby, and some of the others around, would notice that a lot of the other couples that are eating, heard that lie.
[SPEAKER_02]: and have started like putting down their forks to listen very like sneakily in the background.
[SPEAKER_02]: And to the point that the TV volume has been turned down a little bit because this isn't much more interesting than whatever act is going on in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, to just bear raven a bit, Jessie and Abby like sort of like sat on table a bit and like Jessie's just like,
[SPEAKER_00]: was showing her something on his phone that they're both laughing at.
[SPEAKER_00]: She caught it because she's, you know, stay close to Raven, trying to make sure you know, like, I'm going to say, I'm here from emotional support, so I'm going to stay close.
[SPEAKER_00]: So she's staring, daggers, dad at Raven, but Jessie is like talking about something else.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's, you know,
[SPEAKER_00]: He seems very confused about what he was talking about so he didn't really catch that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sabrina, for once, is not saying anything and it's just watch.
[SPEAKER_01]: How does Sophia react to that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Sits up, shrinks her back a bit, he clearly made an impression on me, uh, maybe because we talked for me the more than five minutes, and
[SPEAKER_00]: when he said what he wanted, he followed through with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven puts the plate on the table, stands up.
[SPEAKER_01]: The chair making a lot of noise as it pushes back, and they go,
[SPEAKER_01]: Hmm, yeah, okay, Abbey, time to go, and they grab their jacket and without a look back, lead the apartment.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't see this because I think, right, but just very quickly, properly, except out, but just before she leaves, she just turned around terribly
[SPEAKER_00]: Things were having us, sorry, have been scurries and runs up to catch up with you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I do not believe that I have to use all of the tokens before I leave the party or think about the X.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, as we leave Raven kind of one-minded, stomping,
[SPEAKER_01]: little tantrum down the hallway, not going to cry.
[SPEAKER_01]: Very adamantly not leaving another party with tears in their eyes.
[SPEAKER_01]: Gets to the end of the hallway has passed the stairs, not paying any attention, but gets to like a window and just stops.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then turns around and stares at Abby and says, was that my fault?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Was it all my fault?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, was it was everything my fault?
[SPEAKER_01]: No.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I do think I follow through.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think if I know what I want, I follow through.
[SPEAKER_01]: I wasn't the one who didn't follow through.
[SPEAKER_01]: Damien didn't follow through.
[SPEAKER_01]: Damien left.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's been trying to keep pace, but give your space for the cheat.
[SPEAKER_00]: Guess who's doing both frame bets with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: She grabs what their hand says.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not here.
[SPEAKER_01]: But he could be.
[SPEAKER_00]: He chose not to be here.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he chose not to.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's not your fault.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it is, though, because I did follow a through.
[SPEAKER_01]: Just look at me, look at me.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm different.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm me, like, I wasn't me before, and now I'm me, and I follow through, and I changed, and he went away.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, he wanted to learn different, but you couldn't be that, and that's him, not you.
[SPEAKER_00]: You said to yourself, this is you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw you play music before.
[SPEAKER_00]: at your place.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought I never saw you play these with.
[SPEAKER_00]: You never joined bands.
[SPEAKER_01]: Really bad at it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know like five chords.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's five more than you knew before.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can tell me all these details about the lives of these rock stars.
[SPEAKER_00]: But not about the actual music.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're doing that because you wanted to.
[SPEAKER_00]: They didn't want that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So moved on.
[SPEAKER_01]: Abby can see that Raven has started taking at their fingers.
[SPEAKER_01]: Just feel like time is moving really quick and things are passing me by and I just can't go with it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like stuck.
[SPEAKER_00]: She was only as poor.
[SPEAKER_00]: She takes one again, takes a hair tie, offerrest, puts on yours, and just gives it like a little.
[SPEAKER_00]: But not too hard, just a little bit of snap.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ah, come on.
[SPEAKER_00]: And says, if you think things are going too fast,
[SPEAKER_00]: Stop trying to keep up.
[SPEAKER_00]: Go your own pace.
[SPEAKER_00]: That would happen happens.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a lot easier said than done.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, if I can suck, I don't even do it half the time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your sales videos of people collapsing during marathons, because they've been drinking of water or they like shit themselves or whatever.
[SPEAKER_01]: I cannot find the pathway here to what you're trying to tell me, but yes, I know what you're talking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Someone helps them up.
[SPEAKER_00]: and then they just walk the rest of the way.
[SPEAKER_00]: You still complete a marathon, even if you don't run the whole way.
[SPEAKER_01]: Raven throws a wrong arms around Abby shoulders and gives her a tight hug and then says, maybe we should go back in to see that would be bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it'll be okay, and if these people are gonna be your friends, our friends, it should be a little messy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just roll, friendship is missed.
[SPEAKER_00]: Come on.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: I shall walk back with you, walking this time in me.
[SPEAKER_02]: And the two of you make your way back to... Past all of the plain front doors that haven't decorated at this apartment complex to a very obvious reef.
[SPEAKER_02]: on the front of Carlos's apartment door as you open the door again to head back in.
[SPEAKER_02]: The party has moved on to other topics of conversation though it seems that the tension from the previous outbursts still kind of hangs in the air a little bit and the TV has been completely abandoned at this point.
[SPEAKER_02]: No one's interested in TV.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's more interesting things
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Raven steals himself for a moment with Abby by their side and decides not to be a coward about it and steps back through the door to the party.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's where we could end it.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's fine.
[SPEAKER_02]: Is it?
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like I need a cigarette.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't even smell it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Ooh, we made some bold choices.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: I was trying to inject some humor in there with the cat thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh no, that was good.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was good.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we needed that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just not going to do anything but create drama when I'm in the sea.
[SPEAKER_00]: The flavor of the other people is really funny.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, well, we have a final party to go to before our epilogue here.
[SPEAKER_01]: So now you have to be Raven, Ruiz, Emma, you'll be all the other people.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I shall be the venue.
[SPEAKER_01]: So for Ruiz, what is our cope going into this party?
[SPEAKER_00]: I think now they just start sort of sort of like rubbed that like a little bit of scarring from when they would pick their nails and try to...
[SPEAKER_00]: try really, really hard not to do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really do want to so keep the music angle.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been a couple of months and Jesse's in a band that needs a new keyboard player.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he asked, who he thinks is a new buddy, Raven, and Raven has been coming up with a lot of excuses as to why they can't do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even though it's a cover band and they already know all the music that this fan plays.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it would be easy and it would be fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: It would just be really tough.
[SPEAKER_00]: A play publicly, even in small house shows or at a bar, but also to play with Jesse, who's actually a pretty nice, like genuinely kind dude.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we have to actually go back home for this one because I want the complication to be that the person hosting the party is dog sitting Damien's dog.
[SPEAKER_00]: No.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh my god.
[SPEAKER_00]: Damn.
[SPEAKER_00]: The real X.
[SPEAKER_02]: The real X is the core of real X is the core D. Beautiful.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think Abby is another party guest at this party.
[SPEAKER_02]: I also think that the girl that Damian kissed is at this party, whether they're dating or not, can be established.
[SPEAKER_02]: We're still not on social media, so raven would not know either way.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean, you'll get to decide you're the other people, I think her name is Lexi.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, of course it's Lexi, yes.
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's the the main party guest that I will establish.
[SPEAKER_01]: In general, I because we brought it back home, this is like the normal high school friend crowd.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm assuming we're going to be playing with cool.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, absolutely.
[SPEAKER_01]: This third and final party takes place on New Year's Eve in Raven's hometown in the house where the New Year's Eve party took place for these kids every year.
[SPEAKER_01]: two parents, three kids.
[SPEAKER_01]: The house is still decorated from their Christmas celebrations.
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's a beautiful tree and the two story living room.
[SPEAKER_01]: Big window behind it that looks out onto the backyard that slopes down, covered in snow.
[SPEAKER_01]: The lights outside on the bushes are on.
[SPEAKER_01]: The lights inside are on, but warm and thin, fire roaring in the fireplace.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is, I think, a bit of a mixed party where the kids are here, but then also like his parents and their friends are here.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're separated a little bit, but they're taking place amidst the same house, and also all these people grew up knowing each other.
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's very familiar, it's very comfortable.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the music is playing, but it's more in the background, this New Year's Eve party is more about playing games and having conversation and catching up people that you haven't seen in a while and drinking copious amounts of wine and it is 1101 so close to midnight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Raven is dressed comfortably.
[SPEAKER_00]: for the season in the occasion, but still, you know, keeps a little bit of, try to keep a little bit of the flair in the style that they've created for themselves over the past few months.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna be a new year, back home.
[SPEAKER_00]: For the first time in a while, most of the morning, probably like the past couple days before coming here has been spent at Eva Raven's parents' house.
[SPEAKER_00]: Raven is everyone here.
[SPEAKER_00]: pretty decent friends with Connor, although Connor is always close with someone else.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they haven't been as in touch, but they're still cool, Raven, of course, is mingled a bit with Connor's parents and some of the older guests, people who, you know, they grow up around and, you know, they, you know, catching up.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think like, because of like how small and tight knit the community is, like,
[SPEAKER_00]: the like a vice principal from the school that like they just graduated from is like when you're done with your, you know, your gen-ed things you can always, you know, tell me he'd come back for your student teaching and there's just an icy grip around the right ones are of the idea of coming back to teach at the real high school.
[SPEAKER_00]: But isn't trying to focus on that?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just him trying to see the few people
[SPEAKER_00]: Tomorrow morning, go back to their apartment.
[SPEAKER_00]: They finally got rid of the last of his things.
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's more space for music stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's sitting, and it's like a two story.
[SPEAKER_00]: Living room, so probably see like in a nice chair on one of the higher levels like Understanding the same Last of white because despite being a full grain adult, they still feel awkward about drinking around like Vroom-ups, so it doesn't you know, it's a much for drinker, but also doesn't want to be seen as drinking in excess And just sort of watching the rest of the party
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you are the only one with that inhibition among all of your old high school friends, Raven.
[SPEAKER_02]: Because everyone else has, is probably on like their third or fourth glass of wine.
[SPEAKER_02]: at this point.
[SPEAKER_02]: Some others have started mixing up molosas and things of that nature to sort of pre-game for the ball dropping as it were.
[SPEAKER_02]: Everyone is having a great time and it's strange because there's almost this moment where you've noticed the divide very easily.
[SPEAKER_02]: sides were chosen a long time ago, but you going dark on social media kind of made it difficult to keep up with a lot of people.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so a lot of your old classmates that work kind of on your side have already come up to you.
[SPEAKER_02]: But there is a very familiar girl in the corner that you recognize from a couple of quick pictures on Instagram that made you delete it in the first place.
[SPEAKER_02]: pay much attention to you.
[SPEAKER_02]: But a lot of the girls around her are.
[SPEAKER_02]: It almost seems like they're waiting for a different ball to drop and seeing if something else might happen.
[SPEAKER_02]: But before you have to make that decision, I think Abby sits down next to you and says you might want to mix up of a most of before all the champagne's gone.
[SPEAKER_02]: Everyone's been.
[SPEAKER_02]: Everyone's been drinking a lot of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I saw.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's like, yeah, Connor's parents, spunk for like the good champagne, but it's orange shoes from concentrate, interesting priorities.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think they're trying to too hard to be fancy and to them, the champagne is fancy, but if you, if you just buy your regular orange just from the store, no one's gonna notice, but I'm sure the other parents have noticed.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, some we know in our whole lives, just like talking a little too loud and little too fast, very, very like great red.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember when you texted me on how I did me a kind favor and I repaid it by doing the thing you warned me not to.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you probably know about it that I do, but I can see her down there and
[SPEAKER_00]: or friends keep looking at me, so I'm just sitting there now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why am?
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, uh, Lexi was kind of the cool new girl after you left, and so a lot of people kind of flocked to her.
[SPEAKER_02]: Abby kind of follows your gaze.
[SPEAKER_02]: Down to her, she is
[SPEAKER_02]: She's definitely dressed kind of like in an in-between spot where she's still wearing like a nice skirt and blouse almost like dressing up how a lot of the parents have for this party instead of like the more casual wear that a lot of the the kids have put on her hair is straight immaculate she has this sort of like perfect persona that she seems to be wearing like a shield at this party
[SPEAKER_02]: Nabby kind of nods and says she herself is nice, but I think a lot of people think they can't be friends with both of you She's like She's like annoying, you know?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah Well, you're first at it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, oh, she's really the first I was like trying to get pissed off
[SPEAKER_00]: and you know doing different things has like, gesture she likes onto like their card against like a cheesy they then pin that their mom bought and was very excited.
[SPEAKER_00]: What was excited is like, well David, now I have to wear this, otherwise it'll make her sad.
[SPEAKER_00]: Questions present?
[SPEAKER_00]: This is on my stocking instead of, instead of blocking out my old name because she didn't have the she forgot about it and I was just in the attic forever and like,
[SPEAKER_00]: Didn't have time to change it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Abby nudges your shoulder and says, hey, you don't need them.
[SPEAKER_02]: And you don't need to be her perfect brand of pretty.
[SPEAKER_02]: Has you already, you're already awesome as yourself, remember?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shake yourself in the marathon, whatever, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Downs the glass.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was like halfway through like downs the rest of it.
[UNKNOWN]: Ugh, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, do you mind following me in case I die?
[SPEAKER_02]: We're not gonna die, but I will save you.
[SPEAKER_02]: I might.
[SPEAKER_02]: It gets bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: Get out and you never know.
[SPEAKER_02]: I got your back.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna use a token for an external move.
[SPEAKER_00]: Raven is going to hopefully say this way.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to try to reach out to meet somebody.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're gonna walk down, trying not to look directly at Bernard because that'll be a whole thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: and it's physically painful.
[SPEAKER_00]: Walks fast to couch through, you know, like these little flock parts ever so slightly.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Raven just walks up and says, ah, hi, I'm Raven.
[SPEAKER_00]: I heard you moved to town early after I leave.
[SPEAKER_00]: I left, so we haven't met, it's thanks to me.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh yeah, Raven, hi.
[SPEAKER_02]: Back to you so nice to meet you
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't gonna initially, but sees her in, you know, not like any of her luck in life, but in very, like, oh, I wasn't prepared for that, but shakes.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, how have you been like Ian in town so far?
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, it's been great.
[SPEAKER_02]: Everyone's been super nice, and, well, it is a beautiful, a beautiful little town anyway.
[SPEAKER_02]: But, yeah, I've been, I've been settling in really well.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a really nice place.
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you happy to be back?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's been a little bit, been sort of busy with school and work and all that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's nice to see all the old faces.
[SPEAKER_00]: Glad you've been welcomed properly.
[SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you see it in her eyes that she doesn't give it away in her tone, but she catches what you mean.
[SPEAKER_02]: when you say that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Or at least what she thinks of me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Bernard jumps off the couch and makes his way over to where you guys are talking.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then stands between the two of you, looking up at both of you with a sense of familiarity, but not being able to choose who to go for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: He'd be pretty pretty.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fraven's gonna go.
[SPEAKER_00]: having him come to them just like definitely melts them a little bit and is like that reflex that like mental reflex of that like strong enough thing instigating a memory there's specifically trying to drive that away from anything that happened to do with him and specifically all the time that
[SPEAKER_00]: They spent with Bernard, which was a lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a lot of time, but it was just two of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: So just trying to fix it on that and with the walks and God works in whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because in Neil Down, he'll little screeches under the chin just by in the ear.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think as he starts to lean into that,
[SPEAKER_02]: You see that Lexi kind of had her mouth open to like talk to Bernard, but as she kind of just subserves that she closes it again.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, that's right.
[SPEAKER_02]: You remember Bernard?
[SPEAKER_02]: Dad's on a bit of a work trip, so uh well he's hanging out here.
[SPEAKER_02]: you're enjoying your little vacation hub buddy and she leans down to start petting him as well and you watch as he kind of like moves as nose away because she starts like with her like perfectly manicured nails just starts scratching on the top of his nose and you know he hates that spot and you watch as he kind of leans back from it and kind of shakes his head a little before leaning back into the the ear scratches.
[SPEAKER_00]: just like trying like very quickly to there's a lot of I feel like a lot of times when especially like with this situation Raven has spent a lot of time probably I've done a healthy about this time thinking about what I'm going to say when this happens you know like building like multiple scenarios just on and on and on in their head but like it does take
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a really full force go out on even if you feel they have wrong to you, but
[SPEAKER_00]: And this probably would be different had he been here, but she's new in town and she's nice and like, she seems like she doesn't know Bernard and not that she doesn't care.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the nose, the hand, the nose, I'm gonna just very gently put my hand over her and just like, you have no feelings sensitive to people like this and just like guide her hand over and let her take over the scratches.
[SPEAKER_00]: and let him lean into her.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think she's definitely a little surprised by it, but she smiles a little when he leans into her hand.
[SPEAKER_02]: And he says, uh, I've been trying to figure out his favorite spot to get to scratch forever and realize, huh?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yep, that clearly talks a lot more complicated than people usually give him credit for, but you know, you would have gotten there eventually.
[SPEAKER_01]: both of your attentions are turned.
[SPEAKER_01]: As there's a crash or shattering glass from the kitchen, and you see the champagne tower that they had built, somebody had removed the wrong glass, and it came crashing to the ground.
[SPEAKER_02]: Raven, I think your mom is at this party.
[SPEAKER_02]: You see her holding the glass in question and just standing there staring wide-eyed, and she makes eye contact with you just like,
[SPEAKER_02]: please.
[SPEAKER_02]: And she goes, Barb, I am so sorry.
[SPEAKER_02]: I did not mean.
[SPEAKER_00]: I look at Lexie and for like a second, all I can see is the post on Instagram, but then I see how she's
[SPEAKER_00]: being kind to Renard and trying to focus on that instead, it replaced that as the default in my head when I think of her.
[SPEAKER_00]: You might keep moving over here so you can cut himself on the glass, I have to go save my mother.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm so sorry, yeah, yeah, she scoops him up so that he doesn't follow you, but he kind of like barks a little as you leave.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we'll be using another token here for you to go help your mom.
[SPEAKER_00]: My like offering to help someone is looking Mrs. Hayes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, Raven is a granodal feels weird about calling a woman
[SPEAKER_00]: looks at Mrs. Hayes and just goes, it was beautiful, I don't want it last said, I'll get, I'll, I'll get $2,000.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I'm gonna gesture for a month and then take the glass from her because in my F working glass and it, that's not how it would have worked if it fell after she took it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna take it anyway, set on my counter, I've been here like a thousand times.
[SPEAKER_00]: So without even saying thing, I go, I'll go to a linen closet that's down here, give some towels, try to keep it from getting on anything important, and I'll look up to Mrs. Hayes.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, um, yeah, it's really stuff to do up this year.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, well, I love you!
[SPEAKER_02]: The champagne tower was a fun experiment, clearly it didn't work, but, uh, well, we'll have to find a way to make it less breakable.
[SPEAKER_02]: Next year, clearly.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, Raven, be careful.
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't step on any broken glass.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, let's go.
[SPEAKER_02]: Let me go get a vacuum.
[SPEAKER_02]: If I can't get some of that out here, and she steps off to the side.
[SPEAKER_02]: We're like right next to the kitchen.
[SPEAKER_02]: There is the closet where the vacuum cleaner is kept.
[SPEAKER_00]: I look over to my mom where I left her in the kitchen.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's some seating probably, and I just sat her down.
[SPEAKER_00]: The clothes face I could just feel like from the middle, from the middle.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_02]: I couldn't reach the top one.
[SPEAKER_02]: I, why did they make it so damn tall?
[SPEAKER_00]: Good ass.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's, it's, it's good here that way.
[SPEAKER_02]: I thought I was done asking men for help.
[SPEAKER_00]: Good ass, you know.
[SPEAKER_02]: I, I forget that you're taller.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm, I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not my party.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, but you're here having fun, and it's your first time back after everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know, and I, I, I do appreciate it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's, no, this is, it's like it stuff happens.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's actually fun.
[SPEAKER_02]: I sure, because it doesn't sound like it's fine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, it's better to be more honest, it's better.
[SPEAKER_02]: Better is good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Abby's, but didn't, you know, a lot of help.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's been around a lot more classes are doing good.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've great to make keyboard.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh good.
[SPEAKER_02]: Does it actually play in tune now?
[SPEAKER_00]: Whenever I remember all the steps, yes.
[SPEAKER_02]: Good.
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe I'll be able to come up for a concert at some point.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, sure.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll figure that out.
[SPEAKER_01]: The sound of the TV in the living room.
[SPEAKER_01]: on mute as the channel for the ball drop sounds above the music that is playing and you hear some cheers from the people at the party.
[SPEAKER_01]: You hear the and the newscasters announcers on the TV talking about how they're only 10 minutes left until the new year.
[SPEAKER_00]: Looking at like massive champagne that like they volunteered to help me not literally volunteer to kneel and broke
[SPEAKER_00]: keep up that for your conversations.
[SPEAKER_00]: Stand up.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just scary.
[SPEAKER_00]: Crabs like one of the bottles of champagne that's like at its at its lowest.
[SPEAKER_00]: Grabs grabs her mom, pulling closer to the TV, shouts up to Abby wherever forever she is.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think she was kind of hovering nearby but didn't want to seem like she was interrupting your conversation with your mom.
[SPEAKER_00]: I grab a, I, my, my music looks really put my arm in her's have my mom run the other walk towards the, the TV look over at Lexi Hill day for Nard a smile, but the people next to them knows it's a little, it's a little fake.
[SPEAKER_00]: It smiles like she says cheers and surrounded by people.
[SPEAKER_00]: They kept trying to
[SPEAKER_00]: distance himself from.
[SPEAKER_00]: When the countdown starts, it's just going to scream their fucking heart out all the numbers.
[SPEAKER_01]: The whole crowd, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, happy new year.
[SPEAKER_00]: massive slug of the shavings.
[SPEAKER_01]: There are clinking of glasses as people take their champagne back.
[SPEAKER_01]: Conner Haines' parents kiss to welcome in the new year.
[SPEAKER_01]: Abby kisses Raven on the cheek, but as everybody kind of hugged and culminate here as all-length sign begins to play to welcome in a new year.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think out of the corner of your eye, Raven, you can't help but look back to where Lexi and Bernard are sitting.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you realize now that Lexi has her phone now and is singing all-dance sign into the phone holding Bernard up close to her.
[SPEAKER_02]: And most likely face timing, someone that you were very glad was not here.
[SPEAKER_02]: and wish wasn't even here via a phone.
[SPEAKER_02]: But you know exactly who she's talking to, given the sparkle in her eye.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gizmala Hugg, Giz, Abby, and other Gizm G. Perhaps a new drink from one of the tables.
[SPEAKER_00]: And one to like, without looking, Gizm, Lexi has her nargue.
[SPEAKER_00]: His own phone pointed up at her and at the dog, and our arm is just going to walk up to Lexi.
[SPEAKER_00]: Looking her and me eye, not down at the phone, looking her and me eyes is.
[SPEAKER_00]: Happy New Year and goes back and vanishes into the grass.
[SPEAKER_01]: But before we close out, we do have a little bit of ethylog to play through in this game.
[SPEAKER_01]: There are six questions here, and we each have to answer two of them.
[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll go down the line like we did at the beginning, so I'll start since I started.
[SPEAKER_01]: The first one here is rising star.
[SPEAKER_01]: What form are forms of success and affirmations you now receive that past you couldn't have imagined?
[SPEAKER_01]: has affirmed raven in their choice.
[SPEAKER_01]: that they can do the thing that they've loved all these years, they can create music and make music.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it has also given a chance in this newfound friendship with these people in college who don't know them from who they used to be and so take massive strides with kind of like walking away from their past and to their future and people knowing them for who they want to
[SPEAKER_01]: The second question here for Emma is, on the road, where have you traveled, what have you seen that you have always wanted to see?
[SPEAKER_02]: Sticking on the theme of the band, I think they get more opportunities to travel than they ever have.
[SPEAKER_02]: They spent so much time hearing about a place that they frankly did not give a shit about in their previous relationship.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think separating themselves from it.
[SPEAKER_02]: made them think about all the different places that they might want to go, even just close to home that didn't require a plane at all.
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think for the first time they thought about even just leaving the state went on a trip to somewhere like Nashville or like some of the big like music hubs of the world.
[SPEAKER_02]: all these different places where big artists originated.
[SPEAKER_02]: And just took themselves on their own little music tour.
[SPEAKER_01]: For Wies, Altitude, what is something tough you accomplished that initially frightens you?
[SPEAKER_00]: Raven was back home probably a couple of years down the line, but was visiting
[SPEAKER_00]: and called David, and said, I'd like to talk the men up in a diner, and very, very clearly, bluntly said, how we broke up really fucked me up for a while, but we're both better off for it now.
[SPEAKER_00]: And while I wish it'd gone better, we're both better now.
[SPEAKER_00]: hopefully you don't do that to like see it because she seems great.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think eventually Raven did legitimately become friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, friendly if not close friends with Lexi, maybe mostly just to see Bernard more, but, you know, this is it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, my next one is what it takes to grow old.
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you look back on in the laugh, Raven wakes up every day and I would say that they're not on the road with the bands.
[SPEAKER_01]: in a city apartment that walks out into the kitchen where Jesse is making eggs pancake some sort of breakfast where Sophia walks out of the bedroom and drapes her arms over raven shoulders and realizes that they had a really, really small view of what relationships were and could be
[SPEAKER_01]: in any sense of the term, friendship, platonic, familial romantic, and that jealousy in that idea that you couldn't have what you wanted, if you went for it, is just so little, and doesn't matter, because it's not true, and has kind of learned to learn to ignore that,
[SPEAKER_01]: feeling in the back of their head that, you know, they're not good enough for something because there's always people out there who want you for you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Counting my breasts, and how have you learned to take care of yourself get supported through stress and panic?
[SPEAKER_02]: Throughout all of this, Raven discovered the importance of community
[SPEAKER_02]: Abby is still a very close and necessary friend that helps them get through anything and everything and is probably the first one they call when something goes wrong or if something goes right because your community is there to cheer you on just as as much as it is to catch you when you fall and I think slowly
[SPEAKER_02]: because of strengthening that friendship with Abby, they've learned to lean on those around them and in turn be leaned on when it's needed.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's really helped them because they know that even when things are tough, they are not alone and not nearly as alone as they felt when the breakup first happened.
[SPEAKER_01]: and our last epilogue move for Ruiz.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know what I need.
[SPEAKER_01]: What important thing have you stopped compromising on?
[SPEAKER_00]: Through all of this, pretty core memories.
[SPEAKER_00]: for Raven.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the conclusion they reach from everything if they're trying to pull something out of all of this and make it worth something is I am much better off being very clear about what I think and then if I'm right standing by it hard and if I'm wrong recognizing it and
[SPEAKER_00]: instead of just stifling everything or being, you know, trying to snipe things.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just big have a layer, be brave enough to just commit to what I feel like.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if I end up being an asshole, I own that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Apologize for being an asshole and try to be better.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if I'm right, I'm fucking right, and I'm not going to back that.
[SPEAKER_00]: The people around them are with
[SPEAKER_00]: really, really helping build that and think especially, especially Jesse and Sophia and that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, that brings us dear listeners to the ends of this party sucks.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to thank you so much for going on this.
[SPEAKER_01]: A bit of a emotional roller coaster of a journey with us today.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for listening to queer PG's Pride One Shots.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can catch the next one in two weeks on June 23rd, which will be playing Viva La Queer Bar, which may be a little bit of a different vibe from this game.
[SPEAKER_01]: Just a tag, I'll have you all, you know, tell the people where they can find you one last time before we go.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hi everyone, it was so great to be here.
[SPEAKER_02]: Once again, my name is Emma Kokkar.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm the founder and creative director of the Table Top Tail Spanners Network, which is where I spend most of my time, either in the GM seat or behind the scenes as producer, editor, whatever.
[SPEAKER_02]: is needed to get some amazing shows out there, made for all of you.
[SPEAKER_02]: We currently have three active podcasts on our channel, which are all our faults, a monster hearts, two actual play podcasts that I produce.
[SPEAKER_02]: We have Magnificent, which is our Dark Fantasy D&D-5E game.
[SPEAKER_02]: So if you love political intrigue and...
[SPEAKER_02]: mixed with some fun horror elements, then that is definitely your jam.
[SPEAKER_02]: And then we have a Titian Presents, which is our sort of short form podcast that has played various systems like Colvk, Thulu, D&D, and many more still to come so you can check all of those out through our link tree.
[SPEAKER_01]: you can find that in the description box.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hell yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: And then I also occasionally get to be a player on fantastic channels like this right now, as of this recording, I did a couple of guest episodes over on the heart as a dungeon, which is a fantastic show that you all should definitely go check out.
[SPEAKER_02]: We got to be sort of like Disney Pixar, Esk, God's shaping a new world.
[SPEAKER_02]: So go check out that story and see what kind of world we all created when given far too much power.
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's all for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am very on socials at the Wilderness P.O.H.
[SPEAKER_00]: I owe and then there's a normal style right now in a long-term, long-term stream over on.
[SPEAKER_00]: Rollers joint, Ryan playing, and once it had a Street Fighter turned Union Boss, who's also a reincarnation of indigenous girlified.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I am Kenzie Tartelli, only a creative director of queer PG.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can check out, as I said before, our next Pride One Chopper.
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, we're coming to the end of Season 4 on this channel, which is Moonlight on Rosalbeats.
[SPEAKER_01]: So you can catch up with all those episodes and watch us full haul into the finale here.
[SPEAKER_01]: And other than that, everyone, thanks for listening.
[SPEAKER_01]: And happy Pride.
[SPEAKER_01]: Happy Pride!
[SPEAKER_01]: If you like what you've heard today, and you want to hear more, and you want to support queer art, make sure to come over to our Patreon, patreon.com slash queer PG, we have after shows, talkbacks for our main seasons, we have bloopers, we have little chats between myself and our producer Ash Westover, and playlists, etc.
[SPEAKER_01]: etc.
[SPEAKER_01]: you can go over there and check out what we've got going on, and help us to continue making the show.