Big Gay Nerds

In a combined two-parter, the Climax of our Otogi infiltration arc reaches a chair-gripping, twist-riddled conclusion of clashing blades and ideals... and is immediately followed up by an epilogue where our assorted ninja move on in some very different directions, forced to confront the status quo and their place in it.

And on a more behind-the-scenes note, this is the last episode of Big Gay Nerds, though we didn't realize it at the time. Well after this was recorded, conflicting schedules and priorities brought this project to an end that was, admittedly, likely already on the horizon while we played the two sessions you're about to listen to. I apologize for how long it took me to get this to you, but I hope you understand why it wasn't easy to revisit the good times we had here. I want to thank everyone who's ever listened to us, especially the ones who've pitched in a few bucks along the way, and I hope that our love of creative hobbying helped foster the same in you. Stay big, gay, and nerdy, now and forever.

Content warning for poison, decapitation, and falling from heights.

Music is "Cyber_Noir" by Peritune www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vtxrVyaHuc under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It's time for the penultimate episode of the Otogi Private Academy arc! That's right, this adventure's climax is so big that even this two-hour blockbuster ends in a cliffhanger! With Mina in possession of the Otogi ledger, the other shinobi converge on her location with intent to THROW DOWN. Who will fall first? What wild ninja techniques will be deployed? And WHO is the mysterious Ken Snatch? Find out!

Content warning for falls from rooftops.

Music is "Cyber_Noir" by Peritune www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vtxrVyaHuc under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

After last episode's explosive confrontation, things rapidly escalate at Otogi Private Academy! Ken "Seiko" Snatch learns Jiro's identity just in time to get drawn into a John Wick fight with him, Shiori pulls a Mysterious Stranger (you know, from Fallout?), Mina turns up her usual charm, and EVERYONE BUT YOU AND ME learns a cool Secret!

Content warning for combat amidst bystanders.

Music is "Cyber_Noir" by Peritune www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vtxrVyaHuc under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Intrigue in the ninja academy continues as the infiltrators (and the... counter-infiltrators, I suppose) try to suss each other out and secure their own mysterious goals. Jiro and Seiko both try to make some personal connections (just not with each other, thankfully), Shiori and Mina struggle for control of the school data (and the loyalty of girl goons), and it all culminates in a big rooftop fight where everyone sucker-punches each other. And then at the end I make a poor choice of words and the people who I THOUGHT were my friends plunge us all into Comedy Tartarus. C'est la vie.

Content warning for surveillance, poison, and falls from rooftops.

Music is "Cyber_Noir" by Peritune www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vtxrVyaHuc under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

I try to provide a degree of showmanship in these summaries and give you some enticing hints of things to come, but today I really can't think of anything better than the title. Today, big gay nerds and fans thereof, it seems like everybody in this school is trying to answer the same question about this charismatic American. Sure, there's also stuff like Naruto quizzes and smooth-talking nurses and So Many Dogs, but I think we all know who the actual focus of this drama is: the drama TEACHER. That's called metafiction.

Music is "Cyber_Noir" by Peritune www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vtxrVyaHuc under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Otogi Private Academy! An elite school training a new generation of shinobi right under the public's nose. Naturally, such an institution has many secrets to keep, and a very valuable handful of those secrets have been entrusted to baseball prodigy and one-girl-army Shiori. It sure would be a problem if a bitter-hearted cyborg, a conniving government agent, and a flamboyant disguise artist all had their own reasons to try and seize it from her... Luckily all she has to deal with are some friendly new faces among school staff, including one hailed by early reviewers as "your new favorite BGN character" and "is that really the name they're going with?"

Music is "Cyber_Noir" by Peritune www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vtxrVyaHuc under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

After getting the band back together and squaring up against a titanic troublemaker, the freshly-reformed "Nu Wave" have some time to use their pooled resources to address some personal matters. Pate is called away by the great responsibilities attached to her great powers, bringing Cat along for a little political backup. Meanwhile, Juno and Luka go hunting for their respective Problems, and wind up having a little Girl Talk along the way. I realize none of this explains what the fuck is up with this title, you'll just have to listen for that part.

Content warning for history manipulation.

Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

The New Wave barely have time to settle into their new headquarters before they're called upon to deal with a surly drunk who just happens to have mythical giant powers. Cat and Pate show off new powers while Juno and Luka dust off old tricks, but will any of it be enough to deal with thirty feet of JOE TON?

Content warning for illusory fire.

Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

Now that the gang is back together, it's time for them to take stock of the resources available to them and the responsibilities that come with them! Along the way they'll meet some old friends with new faces, new foes with their own beefs, and a big cool table to sit around while discussing the crisis of the week.

Content warning for destruction of monuments.

Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

Has it really been five years already? Well it has been for our favorite quartet of superheroes! Of course, a lot can change in that time. An unstable lab-brat can become an interstellar savior, a misplaced barbarian can be burdened with responsibility, a guilt-ridden genius can take the reins of leadership, and a future-haunted sidekick can do her best to leave that life behind. And we can take some of our favorite characters and play them in a whole different system! What happens when the former New Wave have to step up to the plate and become Halcyon City's all-star superhero team? Listen on and find out! Excelsior!

Music by Perennial Sounds LLC