1188 – Main Street | Journey Into The World of Friends Ep2
Our adventure continues…to get started. What could be better for bedtime than best buds bonding and building a world of friends.
-
Episode 1188 – Main Street | Journey Into The World of Friends Ep2
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, rollers of dice everywhere…how about rollers and dice? Have you ever rolled any dice inside a roller? You could roll your dice in a foam-roller. You could roll your dice in a hair-roller, especially the larger hair-rollers. You could roll…however your dice roll. Rolls? Who’s made…? I bet you there’s a bunch of people…if I said, rolls, have you made a 20-sided die…dice roll? Like, a roll, made…and you say, well, it’s more of a baguette, a twenty-sided-die baguette. Yes, I have. Please send me some pictures of it. I love it, and I love being able to be here to put you to sleep. If you’re new, welcome. This show is very different. Most people don’t enjoy it on the first couple tries 'cause it just is so different, but I’m here to help because you deserve a good night’s sleep.
I’m here to serve as your friend in the deep, dark night and keep you company and take your mind off of stuff. I am so glad you’re here and I really hope I can help. Just give it a few tries. See how it goes. But I’ll kinda tell you…I’ll explain more in the intro. What we got coming up is support — that’s how the show comes out free for everybody — then a long, meandering intro which is meant to ease you into bedtime, where you could get to know me and the podcast a little bit better, and then we’ll have our bedtime story where friends are making a game together. A group of friends making a roleplaying…really, a group of friends in the adventure of making an adventure. Adventure; it’ll be sleepy. So, I’m glad you’re here. Let’s see how it goes. I’m here to help…welcome to Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. Thanks for making it possible, my patron peeps.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. It’s Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether it’s thoughts, things on your mind from the past, the present, the future, things you’ve been thinking about or that just came up at bedtime, thinking thoughts. Could be feelings or emotions related to those thoughts or that just are there left over from the day, or wondering what’s…about tomorrow.
It could be physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, could…you could have something coming up that you’re anticipating, you could be going through something or getting over something. Maybe you work on one of the many shifts that aren’t 9:00 to 5:00 and you say, Dolly Parton…you know, other shifts are…what a way to make a living. I work 2:00 to…2 plus 8…2:00 to 10:00 or 2:00 to 11:00, and it’s a way to make a living, too. She would say, you’re right; sometimes it’s all taking and no giving, but it’s the taking. You’re working hard whether…whatever shift you’re working. I think she would agree on that. She said, well, it’s just what fit in the song. Which came first, the song or the film? I’m not kidding, either. I mean, was…did Dolly Parton write the song for the film?
That’s really what I meant. Or did they say…was…did the film come out…? That would be early…that happens all the time nowadays, right? Back when that song came out, they didn’t call it IP even though it was intellectual property. They said, Dolly, we gotta make a movie about this song. She said, well, okay. Let me think about…I got a lot of…okay, well, I’ve got a lot of good I gotta do in the world, so…actually, that’s…it’s funny that her…the way she lives her life is the exact opposite of…I mean, not that that lyric of the song is describing her life. All giving, very little taking. I mean, I don't want to speak for Dolly Parton, but I would say that she’s an example of…gonna do a whole lot more giving, baby, you and I. You say, by the way, Scoots, none of those…even the lyrics you think…I say, oh boy.
Once again I’m mistaken about the lyrics. What else? Another…I think that’s another movie I watched on a airplane while I was…on mute. Then I think I watched it again not on mute. It’s one of my things I do. When I’m flying I usually am working on editing the podcast, but I’ll put a movie on and then I’ll have it running in the background. Or — and I know this isn’t everybody’s favorite thing — I’ll watch the movie of my neighbor in front of me or the person next to me. I’ll just check in and say, okay, they’re still…but I said, maybe somebody else is watching 9 to 5, and I said, holy cow, talk about giving. Oh boy, what are you giving me? ‘Cause you’re giving me the runaround. Oh, you’re right; I am. That’s what this podcast kinda is. So, whatever’s keeping you awake; that’s what I brought up.
I’m here to take your mind off of stuff and keep you company so you could fall asleep. The only reason I bring all that stuff up, before I got distracted by the goodness of Dolly Parton’s actions and her…well, let me look up…okay, song, 9 to 5. It says it’s by Dolly Parton. Let me just double-check. Yeah, artist, Dolly Parton. Oh, it’s one of the many questions. Did Dolly Parton write 9 to 5 for the movie? It was written and recorded by entertainer Dolly Parton for the 1980 film…comedy film of the same name. So, even better news; it was written and performed by Dolly Parton, so I am giving Dolly full credit. Let me just make sure. Greg Perry producer…okay, so anyway, back to…you say, what in the…? Pardon my Dolly, but what are you talk…? Oh, okay.
So, I was just sharing all that stuff so you know two things that really drive the show. One, the reason I go through all that stuff is 'cause I know how it feels in the deep, dark night, tossing, turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep. The reason I go through those is so you know you’re not alone and that while I might not be able to relate to how it feels…maybe I don't know exactly what you’re going through, maybe I’ve never been through it, but maybe I can relate to how it feels. But if I can’t, I bet you there’s somebody out there listening right now who can who’s been there, and they agree. They say, hey, that’s pretty tough and I know not everybody understands what it’s not…what it’s like not to be able to get to sleep. So, that’s one thing. The other thing is even deeper; you deserve a good night’s sleep.
You deserve a bedtime you don’t have to dread, a bedtime you could look forward to or at least feel neutral about, most of the time. I mean, that’s not always the case for me, but most of the time I look forward to going to bed. The last six months I got Agatha Christie to thank for that 'cause I’ve been reading a lot of her books and I look…I say, well, at least I got that book I’m reading. Oh, why do…oh, so, yeah, you deserve…if you get the sleep you need, your life’s gonna be a little bit better, right? Your life will be a little bit more manageable, and that’s…that really is important and it really is important to me, particularly 'cause I know how it feels when that doesn’t happen and then what the day is like when that’s not there, but I also know that if you’re out there in the world flourishing, the world we all share is a better place to be in if your world’s a better place to be in.
That is the truth. It really is. I mean, and it’s the truth that I don’t always feel. You know what I’m saying? I think you do if you’re listening to this show. Or maybe you don’t, and that’s okay, too. So, that’s why I make the show. What I’ll do here is I’ll send my voice across the deep, dark night. I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. So, that means I’ll go off topic, then I’ll get mixed up as we’ve seen already, and then I’ll forget what I was talking about, then I’ll go back to another thing, and then I’ll say, oh, you really want to know? Yeah, go into…Dollywood is on my lifelong list of goals, and going to Dollywood at different times of the year.
So, yeah, one day I’ll go to Dollywood, and I guess because the way I’m wired, I’ll say, and then I’d like to go back again at a different time of year. ‘Cause as Aly and…AJ & Aly did not sing, but they might’ve…the best time of the year is when you’re here at Dollywood. Hey, Dolly, hire Aly & AJ. For a Dollywood campaign? I mean, I don't like to tell you what to do, but I just think that’s a great…that would be a great fit, just ‘cause Disney did it once with their Beauty and the Beast song. The best time of the year…hey, you’re here. Dollywood, let’s celebrate it. Didn’t realize this would be a musically-related intro, but I’m doing my best not to sing. Also, I always get…I’m pretty sure it’s…I used to say it was Aly & Aly, but I’m pretty sure it’s Aly & AJ. Yeah. I used to say Aly & Aly, but it is Aly & AJ. Why is that song…?
Okay, that’s understandable. Wow, they have…Insomniatic; they have a album called Insomniatic. But for me, one of my daughter’s first dance recitals when she was little was to that song. We’re here; let’s celebrate it. Okay, so…The Best Time of the Year; I think that was the name of the song. But we would change that, 'cause that was for the holiday season. We could do the…we could do it at the holidays at Dollywood, but I’m also saying we would also change the lyrics. Give them full rights…whatever. They could perform it, too. But we’d say, the best time of the year is when you’re here at Dollywood. Let’s celebrate it. That’s repetitive. Pointless meanders and superfluous tangents; they’re just spilling out of me right now.
So, you may be very frustrated or confused, and that’s a normal way to react to this podcast, 'cause you say, first off, creaky, dulcet tones are not what I associate with a transcendent sleep podcast. I’d say, well, that’s the only thing this podcast transcends, is all logic and sensibility. We’ve transcended sense and sensibility, for sure. I think…yeah. We don’t even need Spock here or Data — even though they come up a lot — to say, yeah, you’ve transcended all logic, Scooter, because you don’t even know what either one of those words actually means. I mean, those…that’s…but so, okay, so, why are people frustrated when they get here? Well, one, if you’ve had trouble sleeping, you probably, one, paid a ton of money on a ton of different stuff, tried a bunch of different stuff, had a bunch of people tell you what to do, then somehow you found this podcast.
Either someone recommended it or you were searching, and you say, I really need to get some sleep, here. Now this guy’s…I don't even know what is going on with this show. That’s a normal way to react to this podcast, and that’s why I have sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou to…set up with tons of other sleep podcasts and stuff. But I do ask you give this show a few tries if you think you might…we might be on the same level. Or you say, okay…I mean, I do appreciate…I think we share some fandoms. I mean, if…but yeah, you could move on right away. That’s fine. If you already don’t like me, just check out sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou and check out one of the other great sleep podcasts out there. But if you’re unsure…you say, well, you…I can’t say I like you, but I’m not sure about you.
I’d say, okay, let’s keep it going, then. So, that’s one of the reasons…it’s just, a million people have said, took two or three tries for me to get used to the show. That’s including most of the people that pay for the podcast at this point, though I do hear from people it works for on the first try. I say, well, that’s great that we’re really…if it’s gonna work for you on the first try, that’s awesome, because that means you really get it, but it does take a lot of people. So, what I’ll…why does it take a lot of people? Well, one, this is a podcast you just barely listen to. Clearly, if I’ve transcended all logic, I didn’t do it in a way where there’s any…I transcended all logic in a way where it’s a dimmer switch, not some foggy lights from the heavens or any…there’s no ethereal music playing.
You say, okay, so you transcended the logic…? Okay, I get it, like a dearth, maybe, if…or…'cause…or do you misuse dearth? I say, I misuse that other word where there’s a over-supply all the time, but I can’t even think of it right now. A glut. So, yeah, I don't know. But, okay, so…oh, for listening to the show…I mean, I think an example would be, tomorrow morning, the regular listeners are gonna wake up. Some of them are gonna have fallen asleep and they’re gonna say, oh boy, I got a couple…they’re gonna suddenly find themselves looking up one or two…got a taste for Dolly Parton and Aly & AJ this morning. Don’t know why. I wonder if they’ve…and they say, well, you look so rested, honey. Was it Scooter? I don't know.
He may have been talking about…I don't know, I think he was talking about some sort of…I don't remember. I just slept so good. But I don't know, I want to look up those two…see if there’s any good playlists with both of them on it. Both groups, I mean; Dolly and Aly & AJ, or all three. If Aly & AJ broke up, please don’t tell me, 'cause I’ll never get this intro done. Luckily I don’t do it live. It’s one of the reasons why. You say, by the way, Scooter, you were correct when you said all three, because…now they’re putting out competing…now one of them put out The Worst Time of the Year and then the other one put out The Worstest Time of the Year, but then Dolly Parton put out The Worcestershire Time of Year, and that’s…and now they’re back together, and that was all fixed in your imagination, but luckily that’s where it occurred.
This is also a podcast, believe…I mean, believe it or not, this is a podcast that doesn’t put you to sleep. I’m here to keep you company while you fall asleep, to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bor, your neigh-bore, your bore-friend in the deep, dark night, to keep you company so that you can fall asleep, to take your mind off of whatever’s keeping you awake and to be here for you with some stuff that’s like humor. You say, it’s almost…you’re almost funny, Scoots. I say, you’re right. It’s like, barely amusing. I say it’s like I’m in the amuse-bouche of amusement. I kind of have somewhat valid ideas, but you forget about them.
But I’ll remind you that it is that…I think the workable campaign, 2025…I mean, it’d be great if you could…I wouldn’t want to go there for the launch of the campaign or…it’d just be great if I could…you could help me…if you could say, hey, Scoots, just gently encourage me. You say, great, Scoots; you came up with that great idea for Dollywood 2025 or whatever, so we want to encourage you to come to Dollywood. We know that you’re very shy, so we won't ask you to come and meet Dolly or Aly or AJ, but even though they’re doing a reunion and Reunited for the First Time Tour…also, maybe it’s sponsored by Riunite. I think that was a white wine in the eighties or something. Obscure reference there. Out of all the obscure references…I just remember that was an advertisement that I saw 5,000 times as a child, maybe.
I mean, it feels like I did. But unrelated to any of that stuff…just popped in my brain, and that’s what makes the show work. But I’m here for you just like if you were to call a friend and say, hey, talk to me about nothing. You’re the world’s biggest Aly & AJ fan. Tell me everything. I think most people would say, okay, I don't know if I need to know everything, but you could tell me everything; I’m just not gonna pay close attention. ‘Cause if it was like, okay, first, do you want to know who had bubblegum first…believe it or not, they had it at the same time. That’s actually how the friendship began. You’d say, I need more details than that. That’s a little bit too exciting. Okay, okay. Well, believe it or not, one prefers composition notebooks and one prefers spiral notebooks. Okay, that’s the kinda stuff…yeah, just keep talking.
If that happened on the phone, your friend might say, hey, I can’t do it every night for you. I could do it once a year, and then I also…I’m out of Aly and…I don't have any other material. So, that’s just how this podcast works. I’m here to be your friend in the deep, dark night. The other thing that throws people off is the structure of the show. It’s very intentional, but you can adjust it as you become a regular listener. But it’s just so it can benefit the most people and go out to the most amount of people. So, it starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you feel seen and welcomed in. Also I say something silly. I was talking about bread and twenty-sided dice or something. So, you say, okay, I get the idea; this is gonna be a little bit different of a show.
Then there’s support so the show could be free. You could pay five bucks a month and you could get ad-free episodes if you’re a regular listener, but that allows most people to listen to it. Then there’s a long, meandering intro which is separate from the support. I just point that out — if you’re a new listener — because it’s important because the intro goes…who would want…it’d be great if you fell asleep during this intro and you said, huh, I have no idea what he was talking about, but I think I’m gonna watch that movie, too. So, the intro, though, is not meant to put you to sleep so much as it is to set you up for sleep. So, the intro’s different every time so whatever keeps you awake, it can’t quite get used to it over, whatever, 7…1,600, 1,700 episodes at this point. Is that how many I’ve made, or is it 11…?
No, I think it’s only 1,160. Oh boy, I got carried away. Almost 1,200 episodes, maybe. I don't know. Is that really…? I have no idea. But so, they’re different every time so, yeah, you can’t quite adjust, you have something to look forward to just like I look forward to reading Agatha Christie right now, and then next time it’ll be, oh, well, now I’m going through a different author or whatever. So, that’s what the intro does; it eases you into bedtime. Some people are in bed getting comfortable. A few people are falling asleep. 2% of people skip the intro. But for most listeners, they’re either in bed getting comfortable, getting ready for bed, or they’re doing some other wind-down activity. So, just kinda see how it goes as you become a regular listener what works best for you.
Then there’s, again, support so the show could come out for free twice a week, then tonight it’ll be our episodically modular series. I think the working title is Journey Into the World of Friends, and seriously, this series has already taken on an episodically modular life of its own where it’s kinda changed my plans in a very good way. It’s just about a set of five friends working on making a roleplaying game, a campaign…or is it an adventure within a roleplaying game? Where they’ll be kinda playing but they’re really playing with the idea of play. The adventure of friendship, really. That’s what it’s about. It truly is. But don't worry, the adventure and friendship part…just like we know how that is in real life, it’ll be buried deep in the subtext of the adventure of writing a roleplaying game together and all the tangents that could come with it.
That’s what makes…I mean, that’s how I make the show. That’s why I’m so excited about this new series, 'cause I say, holy cow, who would have known how many opportunities there is for digression and details with these characters making a roleplaying game together? Or, they’re not making the game; they’re making the adventure. I don't think it’s a campaign and I don’t…but it’s not a one…you couldn’t…I don't think you could play their adventure in eight hours, either. But anyway, so, that’ll be the episode, then there’s thank-yous at the end. I’m so glad you found this podcast, if you’re new, or you’re a regular listener. I love, love, love making the show.
This is my second or third episode back in the studio after not being able to record for a little while, and it’s really the honor to try to put you to sleep. I love…I can’t…I know how it feels, right? So, the idea that I could help you on a regular basis or through something gives me…it really gives me a lot of meaning and it’s fun for me to do, though it does take a team of people working on this show. It’s something I’m really lucky…so, thank you for those of you that empower me to do it. I work really hard, I yearn and I strive. I really hope I can help you fall asleep. Thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to do it for you for free twice a week.
Alright everybody, welcome to our episodically modular podcast, Journey Into the World of Friends? I think that’s what it’s gonna be called. Journey Into the World of Friends…Journey Into the World of Friends. I think…yeah, it think that’s what we’re calling it. This is Episode 2, but it is a episodically modular series which means you could listen to them in any order. Journey Into the World of Friends is about a group of friends making a roleplaying adventure loosely based on some rules of a popular roleplaying game, but they’re kinda building their own adventure based on an adventure they took a few years ago. But really, it’s about the adventure of friendship. So, we’ll see how it goes. This is our second episode. The characters will catch you up on everything you need to know.
Alls you need to know is it’s a group of friends trying to play a game…well, trying to make a game in a playful way together. I guess the characters probably would have questions about that, too, but it’ll be really…it’s really been a pleasure so far making this. Now I want to welcome our Hollywood announcer, Mr. Antonio Banderas. Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for a journey into the world of friends. Let’s roll some dice. Yeah. Thank you. That’s Mr. Antonio Banderas and that’s…this is Journey Into the World of Friends. Thanks, everybody.
Okay, okay, glad everybody’s here and we got everybody seated. I guess what we could do is…if this sounds good to everybody…well, let me just say this; I see…Lord von Chill, I see you’re…oh, you’re right, I’m not going as Watta. Thank you, Lord von Chill. So, I would like to get a report from each person involved in this adventure of adventuring. It’s exciting. I’ve been excited this past week, looking forward, now that we have a set time to meet every single week, and that also in passing we’ve been discussing things. So, I was thinking we’d run through things in order, talking about the world that this is taking place in and the land…kind of that research. We’ll hear about that from Zell.
I know Zell and Eleanor have been working together, and I know Eleanor, you may have the toughest job, so again…it’s not a competition, either, Grenada of Darmok, but Eleanor’s been working on our heavy, our V-I to the L to the…however you spell it. Our oppose…the center of our opposing force. Eleanor will present on that, then Lord von Chill and Grenada have been working on the town and some of the rumors, and then I’ll take us through the first encounter. I know this is all developing together which is different than…I mean, but that’s…this is the adventure. I don't know, I’m really enjoying it. Zell, why don’t you take over and give us your report?
Well, thank you, Watta. Zell here. It does feel like a report, actually. I’m glad you put it that way because this does feel a bit like homework. But, well, there is…are things I enjoyed about it. Okay, so, I kinda took what you had discussed at the last…our last session and found some factual stuff and non-factual stuff, and looked at a lot of the actual geography and history and kinda built our world upon that. So, there wasn’t too much fictionalizing but building on what was real, but also answering the places; why this place, why now? How does it make it fun? I think I can answer that, or I kinda had…I did try to have that in mind. Also, Eleanor…Eleanor, should I skip this first part about the water thing and then we’ll come back to that?
Or…because that kind of is partially you, partially me? Okay, so, I’ll take it. Okay, so this is also based on some of Eleanor’s work. So, again, I’m not taking credit for any homework that was not mine. Okay, so, there was…so, we have the Baron of the Boil, which again we’re still…it’s a part of Eleanor’s work, flushing out the…speaking of water, flushing out the Baron of the Boil is…so, I think I feel like I’m doing a lot of your report here, Eleanor. Eleanor’s giving me the…I mean, we’ve discussed it a lot because it is interesting and we…yeah, our work is…and all of our…I get it; don't worry, Lord von Chill, I know. Okay, so, there was this idea of a velvet revolution, right, or something like that?
So, in the history…in the before-time but the after-time, there was a lot…in the pre-times, there was…this state was called the land of Florada, and water was this interesting issue because they had the seas on both sides, two different seas, and then fresh water in the state, and then a lot of fresh water coming down, and then building infrastructure and changing the natural landscape to suit its inhabitants which didn’t work out great for them, but a lot of the infrastructure was built and it was built to last, surprisingly, 'cause it was built on actually mostly ancient methods. So, that’s an important piece here, and I think it was, as our non-DM said…so, anyway, we’ve kept that in mind.
It was Eleanor that came up with this idea of…okay, so, what if there was…the war for water was a war without battles, and that’s what brought the Baron of the Boil into power and leadership, because you did do the roles which said that it should be a leader in power, like the backstory for our game, right? But it was a underworld leader. So, we were kind of looking at some of the history and some of the fictions and said, okay, well, more than likely, in our world that we’re talking about, that the game’s taking place, water would have been a source of…as this…as the post-times developed, there were leaders and they took power, and water was one of the main things they tried to control, and that they’re…a lot more of the population centers, because of the way the remaining infrastructure…the freshwater infrastructures that didn’t need maintenance…which again, I’m like, wow, these…they really…long-sighted and short-sighted at the same time.
But so, these…because these infrastructures were still mostly working without any maintenance…I mean, the irony is a lot of it is based on natural principles, but that the population is…even with the heat…that’s why it’s the Baron of the Boil…is that the population centers were still clustered in the…well, where the landmasses were, in the central southern portion of the state, but not all the way south. This idea of a world with…so, two main strong leaders that would eventually…were constantly going back and forth over water. At the same time, the Baron of the Boil was the leader of the underworld, right? I’ll leave that part to Eleanor beyond this. But so, what I’ve been looking at is a couple of the maps, and basically…and again, Watta, you obviously…you were into water at one time.
But so, originally when I was looking at your maps and maps of the state and historical maps, this really does fit in well, that the water flow does flow from north to south and that in the part of the state this Land of Leisure was in did happen to be centralized in a near…in a transfer point where the water was slowly flowing north and being funneled into these natural basins which were restored wetlands and swamplands, right? The New Everglades, they called them…and that they were north and south of where the park is. But also in this historical thing of the sea-walls on the eastern sides of the state…and that those sea-walls that were developed were developed to also generate power just through the motion of the sea.
Also, there was these tidal…so…and some of this is not all…some of this is fictionalized, obviously, spoiler. But basically, the water would flow south and the Land of Leisure also consumed…was part of the development of the sea walls and the sea walls as a power source, because one, they needed a lot of…what they used is called electrical energy, right, which doesn’t exist at the time of this adventure because those infrastructures crumbled. But the mechanical water pressure power still remains at the time of this adventure, but that was all centralized as a part of making sure the water flowed but could also be…the water flow could be stopped. The tidal pressures could lock locks and then as the pressure of the fresh water built up, they could unlock those locks. So, they never needed actual electrical energy.
You could store…what is that, potential energy or kinetic energy from the sea or from the natural water and transfer it from one another? I don't understand that. But so, that hall happened on…just on the edge of this park, and that there was swamps on both sides of…but this part of the park was where the water flowed through just…open…well, open in contained canals, and that this was one of the places where the sea wall came in pretty close, and that all this infrastructure was there so that the pow…obviously there’s a power source for this park, and the environment had changed over time…and that this pump area was fortress-like both in its design…but also after the fall, it became a fortress, right, and whoever controlled that fortress controlled the flow of water to the south.
Traditionally, the…whoever led the south…obviously essential to leading the south, was controlling, that the fresh water couldn’t be cut off. Now, the people in the north didn’t realize that you wanted to keep the water flowing, but they actually got lucky. But it was actually a failsafe built into the…that no one knew about. Not important, but this is actually factual. No, they never wanted that…obviously the Land of Leisure designers or whatever said, okay, well, we can’t…if you cut off the flow of water south too long…so, there’s spillways so that the park would never flood from the water flow. Now, the park has experienced a high increase in water, but that’s from rain and the retention basins.
But some of the…actually…anyway, so, basically this was…this fortress was one of the most important places to control if you wanted…for the people of the south. I guess I’m going on and on and on, but basically for a long time, it was controlled by the previous leader of the southern…we don’t have that mythology 'cause again, we want to focus on this. So, at some point, the leader of the north decided they would try to take this area. Now, it’s very, very inaccessible. You have the sea wall on one side, so…and you can’t really get to the sea wall from the sea because of the…the sea is there; it’s not…it’s very high up. Then there’s the canal, but then there’s gigantic swamps on…to the north and to the south.
Now, there are a couple of swampy lakes on the edges of this park to the south, which…but if you’re controlling the south already, you could…you can use that…the southern leaders have traditionally used that, from what I’ve seen of the…but to control this lock. Now, what…so, these northern…this…these northern…they came from outside of Florada, even. Whoever this powerful person was was working their way south. Now, at the same time, the Baron of the Boil was the leader of the underworld and…with a partner, which we’ll discuss, but not a fully-realized partner yet; a business partner from another group. So, the Baron of the Boil worked with both of these leaders because the Baron of the Boil controls things. Now, at this point, the underworld was very…running very efficiently.
The Baron of the Boil was considered a good leader. The leader of the north was considered very strict. Just north of Florada; not far, far north. So, anyway, they were fighting over the water. Also, the leader of the north was not great for business; a little bit stricter. But whatever, the Baron of the Boil was trying to figure out, okay, well, if this is…this water flow and this battle over the water…another risk is that for some reason this gets damaged…don’t think these…either one of these leaders understands that. Basically, the Baron of the Boil’s partner had found a secret way into these…into this fortress through Twist City, through this part of the park. It really does back up…I mean, through a long tunnel, though, but to the fortress. I guess that’s why it’s important. But I think Eleanor should take over from here.
Oh, thanks, Zell. Yeah, so, that’s great coverage. Don’t know how much more I have to ad. I’m still…I mean, to be honest, I could use everybody’s help on this villain, but I think…originally it was like…I was like, would it be one of these two warlords that have been battling, right? Even though there wasn’t a actual physical battle that the Baron of the Boil negotiated. But then I started thinking that maybe it would be better…and that probably this is a wizard, right, that this is a wizard with another agenda. So, it was the head of the wizard’s councils and the head of the underworld, that we’re working together to make sure the water was still flowing. But also, this wizard also had a secondary thing going on.
So, this wizard was the one that worked with the Baron of the Boil, and maybe it was the Baron of the Boil’s idea, maybe it was the wizard’s idea, but it’s like, if we could capture this pump station, we’ll control the flow of water and we’ll keep the flow…free flow of water and just make sure everything’s working properly, and maybe even make it less accessible. The wizard has even said, well, maybe we could put some sort of seals on it so that…but we could figure out a way to…that it doesn’t fall in the hands of anyone looking to extract power over the free flow of water. I’m trying to think of any other…but so, I don't have a lot more than that right now, 'cause at first I was taking it as somebody that was more strict. They didn’t like any of this underworld stuff.
The Baron of the Boil was…but now this idea…because then it goes to this idea of like, oh, what are they really up to and what is the Baron of the Boil really concerned with? Then what are some of the other things…is that this great well of magic also exists here, and is the wizard really interested in that? So, I know it’s thin right now, but I think it’s just…I’m gonna keep working at it. But also, I was kind of getting a focus of where things are going. I know in a ideal world, we would already have who’s running things and know how everything’s supposed to play out, but we don’t have that, right? But that’s what I have for right now, and I think…does that sound good? Lord von Chill, Grenada, do you want to take it?
Oh yes, Lord von Chill here with Grenada of Darmok, and…so, we were kind of tasked with…and again, thank you, Eleanor and Zell. Eleanor, we had very similar problems with…Watta, you’ve done a great job designing the town. We didn’t have…we said, okay…and actually, it developed…it didn’t come up ‘til the end, so we’ll work our way towards where we got. That’s also helpful…I know we were in touch, too, because I think that there’s a couple of questions, right? We have Leader X who’s running this garrison. This garrison is kept separate from this garrison at the water thing, because up until this just happened, there was…so, again, I think we still have to work on this, of why isn’t this a known way?
So, maybe there has to be a secondary way that’s traditionally used that was a famous way to access the pump house, because that would have been the focus of the battle of the original water war, right? Because if this was the only…so, this must have been a super-secret way. So, we have that; okay. Then we have the idea of other parties of adventurers preceding us, and thinking about…that the Baron of the Boil, her…one of her children who maybe is…so, we started to kinda flush out like, what are the rumors of the town? Then by brainstorming the rumors, kinda looking at, what would be true or false, you know? But also trying to take this idea that Eleanor, you actually didn’t quite expand on, but that there’s already work being done.
The work looks like it’s being conducted by unknown workers and it looks like they’re working on the locks and things. But really, they’re kind of…have a dual purpose, which is, again, trying to dig into the…they’re up to something else, right? This is Grenada; yeah, I agree, and I see Eleanor doesn’t want…because…but that’s still an unknown, right? ‘Cause the original idea that we had all discussed was, okay, well, what if the workers — who we’ll learn are from the ride — are working on developing some new level of damming up the locks or some other…so, that was the original thing because the water flow has stopped. I think, again, we forgot that part…or pointing it out. So, then getting into the rumors is…and motivations and who’s good and who’s gonna cause complications for this party is Leader X.
I think thinking of when we thought of the rumors, it’s like, okay, well, there’s gonna be rumors about Leader X. Who is Leader X? We don’t know, but is Leader X loyal…actually loyal to the Baron of the Boil or not? And that some of the rumors would revolve around that, the rumor that one of the…the Baron of the Boil’s son was at a party that has gone out adventuring and not returned, was one of Leader X’s loyal…or family members also in that party? Does any of the party members have some secret connection to Leader X? The other thing is is there a rumor about the Baron of the Boil, that the Baron of the Boil is just a puppet? Is the Baron of the Boil who they seem to be?
Obviously we want the rumor to come out that there is…maybe there’s a wizard who’s traveling, again, at the pub, and…or staying at the…we think there should be an inn, because again, we’re thinking about how are we populating this with people who are gonna give out information or for first level so they can level up? But that there is this idea that there’s this great well of magic beneath the ride, and again, to go to the thing, we were thinking, is there any high points that you could climb up? Because there used to be that old castle, right? But we don’t…we never talked about if that…the castle’s not accessible, right? But is there some other tower that is accessible where a child could say, well, I’ve seen workers that look like bunnies or animals.
Thinking about these characters from the ride building a dam or something or working on the waterways…so, again, the focus is not on the magic well. The focus is on this…whoever’s behind all this. It somehow has a workforce. Where did they come from? Maybe there’s some sort of extra confidence from the Baron, of like, hey, we…can we call the Baron of the Boil BB? Anybody object? BB has control up there. So, again, I think the idea that…maybe there is one way…to go back, there is one easy way in and out. Maybe there’s even been emissaries sent in from the north and south. I don't know. Maybe we were even sent in? I don't know, and then we were sent out and then we came to come to where we are on Main Street or whatever?
I think that other wizards have been seen in the park sneaking around in the Land of Tomorrow…or anything related to that Land of Tomorrow stuff would be cool. I think also some small rumors would be, oh, that there are beings that live in these swamps. Some of that would be well-known lore, but maybe starting…as we start to think about…and again, why is there so many limitations on travel to other parts of the park? Right now it’s just going on the assumption…I think that if I was playing this game, I would have questions. Well, why can’t we go to that castle and climb up? Is it collapsed or is it just not there? Or is it blocked? But not just so much in a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ way but in a way that kinda helps further our story? But I know that’s…that was something we just thought about.
But again, we got this other idea that I think helps with some of this hook part. Oh, another important piece that I think, Watta, you had brought up, is that it’s very boring there, so that’s why the garrison is constantly swapped out, but that there’s probably…that people are gambling on the adventurers, but no adventurers come back? So, then there’s probably also some…the soldiers for fun maybe try to challenge the adventurers? It could be some sort of basic competition, you know, like one of those game shows or something, like Pull the Rope or Who Can Run the Fastest or Who Can Jump Rope the Longest. But maybe that’s another thing that’s just a small thing built in there, of like, hey, do you want to try to do this? Then I’ll tell you what I know.
‘Cause I think you would have had Zeke’s way, Watta, which was the way to find the secret way that our…the main secret way in. What else do we know? Oh, 'cause…so, the soldiers, they probably have a lot of rumors from outside of the area, but not…they haven’t been there long. Then we had this idea that’s, again, based on history but again combined with magic…of this…instead of a oracle-type character…there were these machine oracles, so we’re thinking that there’s one called Sultana that’s either been restored…so, it’d be in a machine and you would put money in, a coin, and it would either say something or give you information on a scroll. So, we think that this would actually be something real, but it may be confusing. It may not always give out.
Then we said, well, okay, so, would the party…each party member meet privately with this oracle, Sultana? Then we could even layer in more…again, I guess this is taking away from moving the adventure forward, though, of like, is Leader X in control of Sultana? Is Leader X just listening in? But I think realistically, based on, again, real history and why we’re interested in it is that the oracle actually does speak not just the truth, but the oracle will represent the interests of the park itself, which again goes to our whole real mythology. We could layer it as deep as we want, but that the oracle’s saying…again, either giving the party a quest or each individual member of the party a quest depending on motivations, to say, hey, you gotta put a stop to this because this could throw the whole balance off, or there’s something else…it could be just vague, like there’s something bigger at stake here.
Don’t be distracted. But actually, this is also a practical mission; I see. Also, there’s a unlikely rumor that, again, came up with Watta and maybe it was in our discussions this week, of like, there is going to be a secret, secret, secret door that goes right into the back of the attraction, right? So, if some party’s super-interested, then they could start at one of the harder parts and skip most…and then work their way back if they wanted to. But they could take a shortcut, but it’s very hard to get a rumor and then hard to find a door. There’s also some partial true rumors, I think, about the swamp beings.
Maybe there’s a wizard that turns humans into frogs, because we did find out a little bit about our first encounter…also, we did want to say…and I think, Watta, you brought this up, but there is an importance, I think, of having either a mechanical child or a mechanical pet friend, a peer, every night or every full moon, and maybe the characters either talk to people who witnessed this…and again, it could be very creative but fitting into all the motivation things, but having this character appear on a regular basis and either having the party witness it or not, or maybe the oracle points them. Maybe they gotta go to some sort of little…more isolated area outside of the train station on the edge of this lake there, and the child goes there to sing or to look at the moon.
I think that would be very picturesque; the full moon, some sort of small, mechanical figure. What if that is Zeke’s way? Does anybody have thoughts on that? That could be role-based, or that’s another way into this first encounter. But I think that’s all we have. Oh, they feel as if they’re being watched…oh no, that’s you. Okay. Take it away, Watta. Okay, so, alright. So, we’re basically gonna go to the first encounter. I think that’s…I like that idea. But basically we’re…when you…so, try to put yourself, everybody, in your party’s shoes, as characters. Let’s just say it’s late morning when we’re emerging. We emerge from this thicket, whether we found it through the…this mechanical child being or through Zeke’s way, or we climb up out of a tunnel and move a flagstone.
We emerge in a large, open plaza strangely devoid of…not all plant life, but unlike the rest of the overgrown things we’ve witnessed so far. This is just a large, open plaza. Now, we’re at the southern end of this plaza, kinda the southeastern…kinda coming in at a southeastern angle where this canal is, just cutting off…if it was a square, we’d be just cutting off the lower right-hand corner, coming out of that lower right-hand corner. Okay, so, if we’re…but we’re standing looking northwest and east, and to our south and west…to our southwest and direct south and southeast is all thicket, thick swamps, just like what we came through, some of this magical, impenetrable force type stuff.
Now, to the…now, on the northeastern side, if we’re pretending this is a rectangle, is not just thicket but collapsed rock and metal and rubble that seems very, very high and looks foreboding. Then to our left or our west on the western side, we notice some openings, some large, circular openings about ten feet in diameter or larger. Maybe four large, circular openings all along the western wall of thicket and swamp growth. That’s probably…maybe…what do you call it? A hundred feet, three hundred feet? I’d say three hundred feet. So, then about three hundred feet in front of us to the north is the facade of Welcome to the World of Friends, or World of Friends. It was the facade on a gigantic building and some of it’s overgrown, like, on the west and east sides are more thickets of swamps growing right up to the facade.
The facade is kinda green and mossy and some parts are broken. Then in front of the facade is this clock tower jutting out from the facade. But it’s all still standing, though there are some broken parts, and the clock tower is still standing. Again, even maybe without prompting, your party gets the sense they’re being watched. Also, before we emerge, we would have rolled a thing to see if there’s anything else…if there’s any random encounters, right? Because there is a chance, particularly if it was a different time of day, that we would have a different encounter. There could be random encounters from beings from the swamp, there could be encounters from something else that I’m gonna give a slow reveal to, but right now we’ll pretend that the plaza’s empty.
It’s just a large, empty plaza, and I just wanna see kinda where your questions are. Okay, so, this is Zell; I guess the two things I would say as a party I’d want to look at are those big, circular things, and is that rubble on the right…could we climb up there and get a better look? Those would be…anybody else? Yeah, Grenada of Darmok; I would…yeah, let’s figure out the rubble first. Okay, so, the rubble is very dangerous and loose. So, you could climb it, but it does seem very loose, and a lot of loose rubble and a lot of strange plants. Okay, so, let’s just say I rolled a really…I examined it for safety and I rolled something very high. What would I discover? You’d discover that you’d also have to roll again a very, very high roll to be able to climb up it.
Then if you did climb up it, what you would see is it doesn’t quite reach up…you’d be able to see just down and onto the plaza. To the west of the plaza you’d see that those thickets eventually end, the thickets with the holes, and there’s a swamp beyond there, a small one. Maybe you kinda see some other parts of the park. I don't know. I haven’t thought that out. In front of you, you’re just…you can see the higher parts of the facade of the…it’s a small…or World of Friends. Then to your east, you could see…maybe you could see the Land of Tomorrow, I guess, 'cause that is to your east, beyond the thicket and the canal. Even to your southeast, you could see some of where you came from on Main…the main town square. Okay, and if I moved forward, would I be able to get to the facade?
No, no, and you also make a lot of noise no matter what. So, a lot of rocks are falling and stuff if you try to move closer to the facade. Okay, so…okay. So, I mean, is there any chance someone would want to try to get on the roof of the facade? Yeah, we could discuss that, but I’d have to think about that this week. But I…yeah, maybe there’s…it drops off into the thicket before? Maybe; you’re right. We’ll think about it. Okay, this is Zell; I’d like to check out these…at least let’s just walk over there and look. Okay, and again, we’ll be rolling every…I haven’t determined the passing of time, but for random encounters, particularly coming out of these holes…but they can be investigated. For now, we’re assuming nothing’s coming out each roll. Okay, so, let’s go. We look at them and we get pretty high rolls.
Okay, you notice that the holes are…if you really get a high roll, you say, huh, it looks like they’re very smooth, but there’s also some slimy stuff, and…but also smooth. Okay, interesting. What if someone really nimble wanted to go into the hole? Yeah, I don't know. This is Grenada of Darmok; I don't know if I’d…if we were a party, I’d say, no. But I will say yes to just kinda see for now. Okay, so, it’s…if you did roll really well, you’d go to the end and you’d notice the slime. Maybe if someone in your party had a high knowledge of animals, you’d say, oh, it seems like it’s come…comes from a large amphibian. So, you’d say, be extra careful.
Then if somehow you traversed most of the hole without any encounters, you would see it just kind of…it almost drops right down into the swamp, and each time you’d have to risk…if you fell into the swamp, getting back out would be very time-consuming and more than likely it’ll involve encounters. But basically they go nowhere for us. Correct; they just go to the swamp. Well, could we conceivably go into the swamp and then explore from there? I mean, you don’t have a boat. The swamp’s about fifteen feet deep there. You would need a grappling hook just to…because there’s nothing to grab onto. It drops…it’s about a five-foot drop, 'cause something’s going to jump up into that hole eventually. Okay, so that’s a no. Okay, so we go back. Let’s walk towards the facade.
Lord von Chill here; could I…could we…could I take a little lead here? Okay, so, we walk towards the facade. What do we see? Okay, you see a large BBQ pit, and it looks like…and some things that have been prepared for dinner but not recently, but not that long ago. Oh boy. Okay, what if we…what else do we see on the facade? Do we see any ways in? Yeah, so, there is…to the…to your right, if you’re facing the facade, there is a…the door…a large opening but it’s shrouded in darkness. Okay, and there is…to the west, according to rumors, there’s a secret doorway somewhere. Yeah, we’ll still have to figure that out, but that could be discovered by a party and that would lead to a later room in the attraction. Okay, so…but for the time being, what do we do?
Okay, so at some point there’s been a ticking clock and now the ticking clock…and it’s actually a real ticking clock because…from the clock tower you start to hear the sounds of a bell ringing, and it’s repeatedly ringing about ten times. Okay, so, we could yell…I think we should get back from the clock tower. Doesn’t everybody think so? Yeah, and I would say from the holes…I mean, obviously…okay, but there’s no other cover, so we’ll just retreat backwards a bit. Okay. So then, emerging from three of the four holes is two giant frogs and a giant toad. Okay, and then what happens? Then they start to jump…they start hopping towards you, but…and then a hand-bell rings, which is different than a dong bell, and they stop. Okay, so then we…do we have any bells on us, I guess would be the next question. I don't know.
I mean, probably not. If you do, I wouldn’t recommend ringing them. Okay, what happens next? Okay, the bell rings once and the frogs and the toad hop once towards you. Okay. What about a bell spell? Do you know any bell spells, Watta? Not that I know of, no. Okay, so then what happens? Okay, then a call from the clock tower says, lay down your arms and surrender. Okay, and what if we say why or what? Okay, then these drums start playing from inside the…from the facade, and then the frogs and the toad kinda go wild and they start to head towards you really fast. Then the hand-bell rings and they stop again. Okay, and also, every once in a while, the bell will ding and they will advance one more hop towards you.
Okay, so, our options, I guess as a party, are fight, we could also head towards that opening, we…it doesn’t sound like we could scramble up there. If we discover the secret door, we could go through there, or I guess we could try to retreat back the way we came? The way you came is now overgrown again. Okay, well, that’s convenient. Couldn’t we do that, though? I don't…I don't think so. I don't think you’d want to. Okay, so basically, can you lay out what’s gonna happen? Okay, so if you lay down your arms and surrender or try to discuss things, you realize that there’s these polliwogs which are frog…amphibious humanoids, and some of them will emerge. You can kinda negotiate with them, but they want you to come and meet with their leader.
Or if you don’t discuss things, lay down your arms, they’ll come out and guide you with…they’re…are obviously ready for something. Then if you decide not to negotiate, you’d have to take on the giant toad and the two giant frogs, which you could probably do, but there will be some…every time I did it, it didn’t seem like…it seemed like there will be some scrapes and bruises. If you decide to retreat into the building, you’ll realize that that’s kinda their headquarters and they have…that’s the next room we’re gonna go in in the next encounter. They have it set up; they have the door well-defended, not initially, but from some elevated posts on either side facing the door, and they’re pretty good with bows and arrows. But those are all options.
Actually, to be honest, you could…a third to five-level party probably could fight their way all the way through this…the frog and…the two frogs and the toad and then deal with the polliwogs if they wanted to, but it would take a lot out of them. So, that is possible. Okay. So, obviously what it’ll lead us to is the next room, the next encounter. Yeah, for next week. Okay, so what do we have…what work do we have for next week? Okay, so for next week, I’m thinking we’re gonna have…there will be information that the polliwogs will have that we’ll need to get from them. There will be a polliwog leader. This is basically their home, this room in this plaza. That’s why the plaza’s well-worn, and the frogs and the toad work with them.
They…and they go through those holes, too, to go out fishing and stuff, which if you would examine that, you’d say, oh, those were from fishing or from large skeeters and stuff. That’s what they mostly subsist on. But they’re willing to negotiate with you and they’ll also tell you that they’ve negotiated with…they’re allowed…whoever’s running things on the other side, they’re allowed to just keep the peace; they’re just not supposed to let anybody in. But they’ve had a change of heart, but I don't know…I haven’t figured that part out, yet. But so, we’d have to figure that out, and again, we want to really dial in where is all this going.
So, that’s kinda where we want to be for next week. But I think this was great, and I don't know, did everybody have fun? I mean, I had fun. Grenada? Yeah, I had fun. This was cool. I feel like it’s cool. I feel like we’re building a world together. I mean, I feel like we do need to focus more on having fun and less like it’s homework, right, Zell? Yeah, but I could speak for myself. Thanks, Grenada. Yeah, but…and Eleanor, I think you probably did have the toughest job, you and Zell, so…yeah, thanks.
I’m interested, I think, to work together to figure out…I think we do need to spend half our time on the end and then half our time on what’s coming up on the…because this is basically the beginning of the adventure once we get past the polliwogs, right? So, I think setting that up and maybe tying that back into the oracle that most of the ride is gonna be in sync with the oracle, but maybe not all of the ride, which is another conflict that we could deal with. Okay, or…Eleanor, I think we’re all speechless. That’s a great idea. I can’t wait to see everybody next week. I mean, we’re gonna see each other no matter what a bunch of times, so let’s keep going on this adventure and let’s get some rest, alright? Goodnight, everybody.
[END OF RECORDING]
(Transcribed by Leah Hervoly)
-
Journey Into the World of Friends
9 to 5
https://www.thedailybeast.com/when-fed-up-women-joined-forces-to-beat-back-the-patriarchy
https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-55089013
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/9to5-story-of-a-movement/
The Velvet Revolution
https://time.com/5730106/velvet-revolution-history/
https://www.mzv.sk/en/web/en/slovakia/history/the-velvet-revolution
https://www.inyourpocket.com/prague/Velvet-Revolution_71379f
Quiet Year
https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/rpg-review-quiet-year/
https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/44594/roleplaying-games/review-the-quiet-year
https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/the-quiet-year
Disney World Florida Infrastructure
https://newrepublic.com/article/166511/disney-world-reedy-creek-florida-deal
https://dozr.com/blog/building-disney-world
DOWN TO BUSINESS
Have you ever rolled your dice inside a roller?
A 20-sided bread roll
Deep Dark Night United
Liz & Charlotte (Answering a Question about a premium music service)
PLUGS
WGA / SAG-AFTRA Strike Support; Stop Hate Fundraiser / Orlando Park Stop; Patreon; SleepPhones; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
SPONSORS
Odoo; Polysleep; Helix Sleep; Progressive; Zoc Doc
INTRO
Dolly Parton, do you have any songs about other shifts?
Which came first, 9 to 5 the song or the movie?
Was this IP?
Dolly is all giving and no taking
I’ve watched 9 to 5 on mute in the background of an airplane ride
Or I’ll watch it on another passenger’s screen
Well I’ll be, it was written for the movie
Pardon My Dolly
I’ve been reading a lot of Agatha Christie over the last 6 months as part of my Wind Down
Going to Dollywood is on my lifelong list of goals
I’d like to go at different times of the year
My daughter used to dance to Aly & AJ at dance recitals
This podcast has transcended all sense and sensibility
I don’t need Spock or Data to tell me I’ve transcended all sense
I transcend logic via the dimmer switch technique
Please don’t tell me that Aly & AJ & Dolly broke up
Something like humor
An Amuse Bouche of Amusement
You can tell me everything about Aly & AJ, I just might not pay close attention
Out of all the obscure references, how did I think of a white wine from the 80s?
I’ll never run out of Aly & AJ Facts for you
Oh boy, I almost thought I’d made 1600 episodes for a second
I think this will be titled Journey Into the World of Friends
STORY
It’s already taken on a modular nature of its own
Playing with the Idea of Play
The adventure of friendship will be buried deep in the subtext of the adventure of play
This is my 2nd episode back in the studio after the flooding incident
A group of friends making a role play adventure
It’s really about the adventure of friendship
Thanks for the intro, Antonio
LVC, thank you for reminding me to be Watta
Reports from each adventure planner
Eleanor, I know you’ve been working on the Heavy
Grenada and LVC have been working on the town
Watta will handle our first encounter
This does feel like homework and a report
There’s also a water thing that I’ll touch base about later
The Baron of Boil
Flushing out the Baron of Boil
Velvet Revolutions
Water issues in Before Times Florida
What if the war for water was a war without battles?
Water would’ve been a means of control
Man, those past people were long-sighted and short-sighted at the same time
2 Main Strong Leaders
Perusing over old water maps
The New Everglades
Water flowed from multiple directions into a communal basin
There were also Sea Walls that cold generate power, tidally
The Water would flow south
They needed a lot of electrical energy
There’s no more electrical infrastructure, but there is a mechanical infrastructure still
Storing potential and kinetic energy
Swamps on Both Sides of the park
This pump area was Fortress-Like
There were spillways, so that the park would never flood
This fortress was crucial for controlling the South
The Leader of the North decided to take this area
These Northerners came from outside Florida
The Baron of Boil once had a business partner
At this time, things were running smoothly
They were fighting over the water
The Baron of Boil’s partner found a secret way into the fortress
A secret passage to the fortress
Thanks, Zel
Eleanor continues
2 Warlords
It’d be good if the villain was a wizard with an agenda
The Wizard was working with the BoB to get the water
But is the Wizard actually here for the Great Well of Magic?
LVC and Grenada, take it
They had some trouble fleshing out
Leader X is running the garrison
There must have been secret ways to the pump house
Other adventuring parties have preceded us
What are the rumors of the town?
Work is being done by unknown workers
Grenada jumps in
What if the workers from the ride are involved in damming up the water for the ride
The Water Flow has stopped
Leader X will cause complications for the party
Is Leader X actually loyal to BoB or not?
BoB’s son has not returned from adventuring
Is the Baron of the Boil just a puppet?
Maybe there’s a wizard who’s traveling …
There should be an inn or central gathering location
There’s a great well of magic beneath the ride
Are there any climbable high points?
Can we just call the Baron of Boil BB? Great
Maybe there’s one easy way in and out?
Have emissaries been sent between north and south?
Or other wizards have been skulking around
Maybe there’s Swamp Beings …
Why can’t we travel to other parts of the park?
It’s very boring at the Garrison
Soldiers are gambling on the adventurers
Maybe the soldiers challenge the adventures to competitions for fun
The Zeke’s Way
Soldiers probably know rumors from outside the region
Oracle-Type Character (OTC)
A machine oracle named Sultana
What is Leader X’s relationship to Sultana?
The Oracle represents the interests of the park, itself
An unlikely rumor of a very secret door
The secret door could mean you could do the whole attraction backwards
Partially true rumors about swamp beings
There might be a wizard who turns beings into frogs
A mechanical pet friend that appears every full moon
Take it away, Watta
We’re gonna go to the first encounter
Time to get into your adventuring party shoes
Emerging from a thicket
Into a Large Open Plaza
It’s not as overgrown as other things we’ve witnessed
Coming in at a Southeastern angle
To the Southeast is a magical impenetrable thicket
To the Northeast is thicket and collapsed rubble
To the West are some large, circular openings into swampworld
300 feet to the North is The World of Friends
A Green and Mossy Facade
Right now the plaza is empty
Zel wants to know if the rubble is climbable
Grenada wants to figure out the rubble first
It’s very difficult to climb up it
There’s a swamp beyond the thickets
Land of Tomorrow is off to the east
Rocks will fall if you get closer to the facade
Hmm, these rocks are so smooth and slimy
Could someone really nimble get into the hole
The slim seems to come from a large amphibian
Grenada traverses the large holes safely
The holes just go to the swamp
The swamp is 50 feet deep – difficult to traverse
LVC walks towards the facade
A large barbecue pit
Some recently prepared food
A large opening, shrouded in darkness
The rumored secret door lies to the west
A clocktower bell rings 10 times
Emerging from 3 of the 4 holes are 2 giant frogs and a giant toad
They hop towards you
A handbell rings and they stop
Watta doesn’t know any bell spells
Someone in the clocktower tells them to surrender
Drums play and the amphibians go wild
They’re not sure what to do
If you put down your arms, you realize there are polliwogs
Amphibious Humanoids
They want you to come and meet their leader
If they don’t go with the polliwogs, it’ll be a big fight
They’ll follow the polliwogs into the next encounter
The next encounter is for next week
Prepping for next week
Oh, the holes were for fishing
The frogs are willing to negotiate with you
There’s been a change of heart and other adventurers
Let’s focus on the fun and less on the homework vibes, Zel
Zel can speak for himself
Let’s tie this back into the oracle somehow
See you next week
SURVEY THANKS
Brin, Patrick, Audrey, Megan, Crystal, Kia, Rory, Anonymous, Sebi, Clara, Erin, Charlotte, Ashley, Merritt
SUMMARY:
Episode: 1,188
Title: Main Street | Journey Into the World of Friends Ep2
Deep Dark Night United: Liz & Charlotte (Answering a Question about a premium music service)
Plugs: WGA / SAG-AFTRA Strike Support; Stop Hate Fundraiser / Orlando Park Stop; Patreon; SleepPhones; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
Sponsors: Odoo; Polysleep; Helix Sleep; Progressive; Zoc Doc
Survey Thanks: Brin, Patrick, Audrey, Megan, Crystal, Kia, Rory, Anonymous, Sebi, Clara, Erin, Charlotte, Ashley, Merritt
Notable Language:
- Pardon My Dolly
- The Worcestershire Time of Year
- An Amuse Bouche of Amusement
- Playing with the Idea of Play
- V-I-L-L-A-I-N
- The Velvet Revolution
- Florida
- Freshwater Infrastructures
- Fortress-Like
- The Zeke’s Way
- Oracle-Type Character (OTC)
- Small Mechanical Figure (SMF)
- Rubble
- Bell Spell
- Amphibious Humanoids
Notable Culture:
- 9 to 5
-
- Dolly Parton
- Dollywood
- Aly & AJ – Insomniatic
- Sense & Sensibility
- Star Trek
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Agatha Christie
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Antonio Banderas
- Everglades
- “It’s A Small World”
Notable Talking Points:
- It’s already taken on a modular nature of its own
- Playing with the Idea of Play
- The adventure of friendship will be buried deep in the subtext of the adventure of play
- This is my 2nd episode back in the studio after the flooding incident
- A group of friends making a role play adventure
- It’s really about the adventure of friendship
- Thanks for the intro, Antonio
- LVC, thank you for reminding me to be Watta
- Reports from each adventure planner
- Eleanor, I know you’ve been working on the Heavy
- Grenada and LVC have been working on the town
- Watta will handle our first encounter
- This does feel like homework and a report
- There’s also a water thing that I’ll touch base about later
- The Baron of Boil
- Flushing out the Baron of Boil
- Velvet Revolutions
- Water issues in Before Times Florida
- What if the war for water was a war without battles?
- Water would’ve been a means of control
- Man, those past people were long-sighted and short-sighted at the same time
- 2 Main Strong Leaders
- Perusing over old water maps
- The New Everglades
- Water flowed from multiple directions into a communal basin
- There were also Sea Walls that cold generate power, tidally
- The Water would flow south
- They needed a lot of electrical energy
- There’s no more electrical infrastructure, but there is a mechanical infrastructure still
- Storing potential and kinetic energy
- Swamps on Both Sides of the park
- This pump area was Fortress-Like
- There were spillways, so that the park would never flood
- This fortress was crucial for controlling the South
- The Leader of the North decided to take this area
- These Northerners came from outside Florida
- The Baron of Boil once had a business partner
- At this time, things were running smoothly
- They were fighting over the water
- The Baron of Boil’s partner found a secret way into the fortress
- A secret passage to the fortress
- Thanks, Zel
- Eleanor continues
- 2 Warlords
- It’d be good if the villain was a wizard with an agenda
- The Wizard was working with the BoB to get the water
- But is the Wizard actually here for the Great Well of Magic?
- LVC and Grenada, take it
- They had some trouble fleshing out
- Leader X is running the garrison
- There must have been secret ways to the pump house
- Other adventuring parties have preceded us
- What are the rumors of the town?
- Work is being done by unknown workers
- Grenada jumps in
- What if the workers from the ride are involved in damming up the water for the ride
- The Water Flow has stopped
- Leader X will cause complications for the party
- Is Leader X actually loyal to BoB or not?
- BoB’s son has not returned from adventuring
- Is the Baron of the Boil just a puppet?
- Maybe there’s a wizard who’s traveling …
- There should be an inn or central gathering location
- There’s a great well of magic beneath the ride
- Are there any climbable high points?
- Can we just call the Baron of Boil BB? Great
- Maybe there’s one easy way in and out?
- Have emissaries been sent between north and south?
- Or other wizards have been skulking around
- Maybe there’s Swamp Beings …
- Why can’t we travel to other parts of the park?
- It’s very boring at the Garrison
- Soldiers are gambling on the adventurers
- Maybe the soldiers challenge the adventures to competitions for fun
- The Zeke’s Way
- Soldiers probably know rumors from outside the region
- Oracle-Type Character (OTC)
- A machine oracle named Sultana
- What is Leader X’s relationship to Sultana?
- The Oracle represents the interests of the park, itself
- An unlikely rumor of a very secret door
- The secret door could mean you could do the whole attraction backwards
- Partially true rumors about swamp beings
- There might be a wizard who turns beings into frogs
- A mechanical pet friend that appears every full moon
- Take it away, Watta
- We’re gonna go to the first encounter
- Time to get into your adventuring party shoes
- Emerging from a thicket
- Into a Large Open Plaza
- It’s not as overgrown as other things we’ve witnessed
- Coming in at a Southeastern angle
- To the Southeast is a magical impenetrable thicket
- To the Northeast is thicket and collapsed rubble
- To the West are some large, circular openings into swampworld
- 300 feet to the North is The World of Friends
- A Green and Mossy Facade
- Right now the plaza is empty
- Zel wants to know if the rubble is climbable
- Grenada wants to figure out the rubble first
- It’s very difficult to climb up it
- There’s a swamp beyond the thickets
- Land of Tomorrow is off to the east
- Rocks will fall if you get closer to the facade
- Hmm, these rocks are so smooth and slimy
- Could someone really nimble get into the hole
- The slim seems to come from a large amphibian
- Grenada traverses the large holes safely
- The holes just go to the swamp
- The swamp is 50 feet deep – difficult to traverse
- LVC walks towards the facade
- A large barbecue pit
- Some recently prepared food
- A large opening, shrouded in darkness
- The rumored secret door lies to the west
- A clocktower bell rings 10 times
- Emerging from 3 of the 4 holes are 2 giant frogs and a giant toad
- They hop towards you
- A handbell rings and they stop
- Watta doesn’t know any bell spells
- Someone in the clocktower tells them to surrender
- Drums play and the amphibians go wild
- They’re not sure what to do
- If you put down your arms, you realize there are polliwogs
- Amphibious Humanoids
- They want you to come and meet their leader
- If they don’t go with the polliwogs, it’ll be a big fight
- They’ll follow the polliwogs into the next encounter
- The next encounter is for next week
- Prepping for next week
- Oh, the holes were for fishing
- The frogs are willing to negotiate with you
- There’s been a change of heart and other adventurers
- Let’s focus on the fun and less on the homework vibes, Zel
- Zel can speak for himself
- Let’s tie this back into the oracle somehow
- See you next week