Co-Host Love Letter: Jess

Modern technology is amazing, I cannot extoll the virtues of video chat more when it comes to making you feel connected with other people. Aside from Dustin, with whom I used to work, I have only met the other members of Team Torta in person once each. But seeing them every week on my roll20 screen has enabled me to get to know them in spite of our vast (now even vaster now that I’ve moved to Maryland) geographical distance. Angel, Jess, Kay and Dustin are some of the best people I know, and I’m excited that this show means I get to see and play with them every week. I also enjoy knowing that Kay and Angel are currently rolling their eyes at my lack of Oxford comma in the previous sentence. Fight me. Also, I love you and here’s why.

Jess started out as a complete stranger to all of us when we realized that if we kept running this AP with only 3 players, none of whom were healers or tanks, we would be toast. But almost from the moment she joined the podcast she was instantly a huge part of our lives and honestly completes the group in more ways than one. She has also spent a lot of time DMing Pathfinder – which considering it’s Dustin’s first time and Kay and I had never even played before is a perspective we really needed.

Jess is a NERD of the highest order and I love it. Some of my favorite memories we have together so far are just us having some of the most validating geek conversations of my life, and I had no idea how much I needed another person who loves all the same games I do and experiences them in a similar way.

She’s really insightful about games and stories and how they are put together, which makes her fun to talk to about any subject as well as a pleasure to play tabletop rpgs with.

Jess is incredibly brave and sort of stoic but lives loudly at the same time and is an interesting study in contrasts. I find her general outlook on life and mortality and how humans should relate to each other to be refreshing and interesting, I always look forward to what she’s going to tell me about her worldview next.

Jess is thoughtful, easy going and just deadpan fraking HILARIOUS. I treasure her presence in my life and on Team Torta. It’s a crime we don’t have any pictures together yet, my dear. Let’s fix that at GenCon, we’re too good looking and awesome to not be seen together.