Big Gay Nerds

It's Halloween, so it's time to roll out some scares! But how can we top our regular content, which is already chock-full of ghosts and ghouls? The answer is to get EXISTENTIAL with it! Owen and Pixie play Thousand Year Old Vampire, a game currently on Kickstarter, to watch a noble Norman squire descend into an eternity of alienation, loss, and bad decisions. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timh/thousand-year-old-vampire-a-roleplaying-game

It's the 2nd anniversary of Big Gay Nerds' first episode, and to celebrate I make everyone really mad. Then we move on to the matter at hand: sneaking the Resurrectionists into a walled-off city district that's brimming with ghosts so we can find a demonic artifact before our opposition can use it to pin us for a crime we sorta committed. Luckily, Crowle/"The Club" is back to help us with his steel-trap mind and waaacky disguises!

Blondie, Flint, and Pebble kick off their latest heist: extracting a cadaver from the Spirit Wardens' morgue. Their plan to get in: disguise Flint as a dead person. Their plan to get out: doesn't exist yet. Oh man, what if they prop the body up between them and put some dark glasses on it and pretend it's just really drunk or something? That would be hilarious. Hey, you could make a movie out of that idea. I gotta find a producer!

Blades in the Dark is back! After their last two heists, the Resurrectionists have started going up in the underworld, which means increased membership! Unfortunately, it also means catching the eye of other criminal organizations, and even positive attention can mean trouble when it comes from the wrong people. Blondie makes some gains, Pebble has relationship troubles, and Flint learns a new game.

Scientists said it couldn't be done, but the misadventures of the Hawksmore maids continue to escalate! But first, a new face rolls her way into the group, as played by the returning Fern! Watch as the new quartet struggles with breakfast, demonic admirers, unintentional alchemy, romance routes, the challenge of the forest, and each other.

The maids' adventure continues when everyone discovers mysterious presents left in the night, but none is more mysterious than the one Lord Hawksmore receives! How will these combat-ready custodians deal with giant vermin, demonic doppelgangers, beach episodes, and really hokey naming conventions? With their usual poise and grace.

Snapper's behind the BGN wheel for the first time, and he's driving us straight into Maid RPG, an INCREDIBLY Japanese game that simulates the world of domestic service with painstaking realism (or so I'm told). This world consists of two Pure Heroines and one Sexy Cool, randomly-generated plot points, the conquest of Heaven, tennis, and an unreasonable number of Metal Gear Solid references. Maid RPG can be found here: http://www.maidrpg.com/index.shtml And our music is, as always, from Aesop Rock's The Blob: https://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/aesop-rock-the-blob

Here it is: the biggest episode of Big Gay Nerds yet, the one that we've been building towards since this podcast began! When a murderous gangster and her vampire girlfriend face off against a mind-controlling college dean, Mater Dolorosa becomes the staging ground for a war. Can a conflicted bargain-maker, an opportunistic werewolf, a scheming cult leader, and a confused goth possibly come out alive, let alone on top? Only the dice can tell! Monsterhearts is by Avery Alder: https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/monsterhearts Our theme music is by Aesop Rock: https://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/aesop-rock-the-blob

You read right: the Season Finale is so big, it won't fit in one episode, even a long one like this! When Cardinal comes back to town with more on her mind than bootleg DVDs, how will the students of Mater Dolorosa react? Charlotte steps into the spotlight, Bishop sets up a meeting with some unexpected guests, Mark discovers the consequences of backtalk, and Pennyworth proposes an alliance.

The clash at Pennyworth's house comes to a head in the penultimate--yes, you heard that right--episode of Monsterhearts! Jessamine is back and badder than ever, Bishop has to choose between bloodthirstiness and cowardice, Pennyworth gets his leash tugged on, and Mark does his best to make sure things don't get worse. Who or what will push the story over the edge, tumbling towards an explosive finale? Listen and find out!

So, this is kind of a weird episode, because it wasn't originally intended to be an episode: it was going to be the second half of the previous episode. It's a little short, but trust me, it's action-packed! How could it not be, when all four player characters wind up in the same place at the same time? That's right folks, we have a real Royal Rumble on our hands, and it's anyone's game!

The Master of Ceremonies might have lost his favorite ceremony-mastering seat, but the show must go on! Jessamine comforts Pennyworth, Mark contacts his new ally, and all three confront each other about all the bullshit they've been pulling lately. These kids are awful at keeping secrets, let me tell you. Meanwhile, the shadow that is Bishop looms ever closer.

In this episode you're finally going to find out what happened in the forest, as Pennyworth barges back into the spotlight, leaving a trail of chaos behind him! Meanwhile, Mark gets an unusual assignment from Ol' Nick that he actually wants to do this time, and Bishop prepares for a final confrontation with style. It's all building towards one of the biggest messes in this big messy campaign, so stay tuned!

With Pennyworth's conflicts still in the background, things continue to escalate on campus as the characters' personal affairs intersect. Can Jessamine keep Charlotte's trust without lying to her? Can Mark reconcile his responsibilities with his values? And, as always, can Bishop get away with just being the biggest bastard possible despite the people breathing down their neck?

While Pennyworth confronts his pursuers--presumably, we're down a player again--and Bishop relaxes after a job well done, Jessamine tries to walk away from her latest feeding like it never happened. Meanwhile, Mark embarks on his first nighttime patrol as a Crusader, scouring the campus for monsters. Looks like they're on a collision course with drama! Warning: may contain background dog barks.

Mark gets some quality education and starts planning for his future while Pennyworth decides who his real friends are and promptly tells them what's what, but Jessamine is the star of this episode. Watch as she squirms out of one awkward social situation into another and takes advantage of someone else's thirst to quench her own!

New faces continue to leap onto the dogpile of complications forming over our protagonists. Jessamine meets a handsome stranger who might know more than he lets on, Pennyworth has a vulnerable moment and makes a chain of bad decisions, and Bishop struggles to find guidance before taking matters into their own hands.

The immediate fallout after the Big Night has more or less died away, but even "normal life" has become a lot more complicated for everyone at Mater Dolorosa. While Mark is off doing who-knows-what for who-knows-who, Pennyworth turns to old connections to help with new circumstances, Jessamine tries to feed while hiding from both loved ones and enemies, and Bishop has new responsibilities to match their latest revelations.

Each of the main characters stand at their own crossroads, confronted with shifting paradigms and uncomfortable obligations. Bishop fights snitching with snitching, Mark struggles to shield his friends, Pennyworth learns about his new role, and Jessamine tries to be a good girlfriend.

Monsterhearts is back in a big way! Unless it all ends catastrophically here and now, which is extra likely after the drama bomb of last session. With the status quo of Mater Dolorosa College shaken in one night of bloody terror, will the supernatural students try to reclaim some normalcy or push things in strange new directions? Jessamine gets some smelly band merch, Mark becomes a narc, and Bishop does a little reflecting. As always, our intro and outro music is courtesy of Aesop Rock: https://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/aesop-rock-the-blob