#i don't know much about dnd so i didn't include that part so much hope that's okay!

[headmate-ideas]

we have a fragment who split to be a familial socializer,,, can we have a pack for them with 90s or 70s art mom or DND bard themes? an aes like 📼🛼📺🎷🎼🎨🖌️💿💾🎙✨🎧🏹!

🎨 HEADMATE TEMPLATE 🎧

✦ Name(s): Paint, Andy, Archer ✦ Pronouns: any pronouns ✦ Species: human ✦ Age: same as body ✦ Role(s): familial socializer, comedian ✦ Labels: panromantic asexual, ambonec ✦ Xenos: art, glitter, magic ✦ Interests/likes: art, podcasts, DnD ✦ Dislikes: chores ✦ Music taste: bedroom pop, lo fi, vhs pop ✦ Aesthetic(s): art mom, vaporwave, plantcore, webcore ✦ Kins: succulents, cats, old tech ✦ Emoji proxy: 🎨🎧 ✦ Details:

Paint's role in the system is to socialize with the system's body's family. They are very comfortable around the family and are especially fond of the media and/or humor enjoyed by the family. In turn, she likes sharing the music, movies, and jokes that she likes with the system's family. Paint also enjoys DnD and playing bard characters (including with the system's family if they are open to playing DnD). Other interests include podcasts, alternative music from the 70s through 90s, and plant care. Humor is very important to her and she uses her sense of humor to cheer up her system members when necessary.

[These can be edited and changed as needed, and headmates will almost definitely not turn out EXACTLY as described.]

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

I want to hear more about Zero Year Riddler being kind of a loser, please.

Zero Year Riddler is Actually A Nerdy Dork-Ass and I Have Evidence

aka at max ten pictures from the comic books. I apologize now that I had to get selective with photos and that these photos I took myself because I'm too lazy to scan. Includes hcs based on the canon stuff.

TW: Spoilers for Batman: Zero Year also known as Zero Year - Secret City and Zero Year - Dark City

We are going to be jumping around a little with these pictures. So the most basic/stripped down timeline- Edward sets off a massive plot w/ Doctor Death to first black out the City of Gotham while he prepares the Big Guns. Weather balloons filled with toxins to ensure no one is getting in or out of Gotham. He floods the city. Tells the surviving citizens that if they all want to get out, they have to give him a riddle he cannot solve. If you think that last part sounds very folk-lore or fairy tale like, YOU WOULD BE RIGHT. This period where he's setting up this challenge is the titular Zero Year. He is set up inside the Sphinx display in the Gotham History Museum. Batman stops him. onto the actual discussion.

We are first going to start with his introduction. I've discussed this before in a different post but this is meant to tell you multiple things. He has fifteen degrees he's earned. He makes conspiracy theory string boards. He is a dweeb who wears pocket protectors. The important thing to note story wise is that most of the points in this board are important/have a specific role in the story. He's correct about them. They matter. You might be saying "ok Fox/Belle but how does this say he's a nerdy dork-ass?"

look at him. He's described as being "boastful and annoyingly egotistical, but socially he's an egghead." This is not a man who plays well with others. But he genuinely thinks of himself as someone better than everyone else. What do you get? A smokescreen of theatrics, egotism and showing off to hide how socially inept he is.

Next, and sorry the first picture didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. This is the first meeting of Edward and Bruce Wayne. Of course Edward has already plotted his death. Will try to enact this plot. The page with the snake is a reference to the ancient Egyptian game of Mehen which Edward mentions in passing earlier in the story. Historians currently don't know much about the game other than it's distinctive board- However here it becomes a parallel to Ouroboros. The snake that eats it's own tail. Its known as an alchemy symbol and spiritually represents the unity of all things. Life, Death, Rebirth. In Edward's mind: destruction and rising from ashes aka Gotham in his plans.

The second is post Zero Year, telling the citizens of Gotham his motivations. This is his monologue showing his warped version of the Hero's Journey. The Hero's Journey for those who don't know is a very old archetype on which many fictional stories are all based on (whether they realize it or not.) In it's simplest terms, a hero goes on an adventure. The hero through trauma and hardship, learns a lesson, wins their "boon" and returns home with newfound knowledge that transformed them as a person. Note this sounds kind of similar to the Ouroboros thing, doesn't it?

Edward wants to leave a mark and transform Gotham. Potentially the world. He wants control he never had growing up. He wants all of it.

On the headcanon end... This information combined with his hyperfixation on mythology (mentioned below), this man plays tabletop. Hear me out. God complex. Verbose. Theatrics. Obsession with heroics, the heroes journey and folklore... this man not only plays DnD, he has been a GM countless times. I think he'd play other tabletops as well, but DnD is his bread and butter.

His main race (in traditional) is a gnome because of the intelligence stats. When he does DM/GM, the story is rich and so fucking detailed. He is also mean as hell and will murder all your characters in emotionally devastating ways if you get unlucky. He'll never admit any of this to people he finds cool or too attractive (unless they get to know him first). He has a strong wall up to try and prevent any weakness or vulnerability to show through.

He likes fun facts. Not just about mythology he is the one who spits out statistical data and random fun facts in regular discussion. It's almost compulsive. At another part of the comic where he almost shoots Lucius Fox dead via robot, he states the statistical probability that he was already hit with a bullet, but to reload and shoot again anyways. Then he is in the middle of telling a trivia fact about foxes before Batman comes in to save Lucius.

This feeds into my headcanon that he's neurodivergent. And also was a Jeopardy fanatic as a child. Probably still is. He likes to impress (especially dates) with the knowledge he can pull from seemingly nowhere. Also if you haven't gotten the impression yet, he cannot and will not stop talking. Loves the sound of his own damn voice. You know he's monologued himself to trouble multiple times. Also note how smoothly he's just glossing over his shitty dad/abusive childhood (again.)

Piggybacking on the last point- He has a special interest (read: potentially hyperfixation) on mythology and folklore. On multiple occasions he mentions these stories in passing as an anecdote for the events currently happening around him. Archimedes was a greek mathematician in ancient Sicily. He invented a great many things and would come to be known as one of the leading scientists of classical antiquity. The story Edward references is a rather famous one- Archimedes invented complex pulley systems and was tasked to prove the strength and ingenuity of these pulleys by moving the Syracusia, a luxury cruise ship, in and out of the water.

The second he mentions the story of the Gordian Knot. The tale goes as such: Alexander the Great's time. Whoever could untie the Gordian Knot was said to be destined to rule all of Asia. No one could solve it. The knot was impeccable. It was complex. Alexander the Great showed his great mental genius by doing what no one else had done. He cut the knot. There's more to it but that's the gist. That's the why of why Edward looks to this story and remembers it.

Everything about The Riddler of Zero Year is about proving his intelligence. Creating a name and a culture enveloped with smarts. If we didn't have the lore associated with Egyptian mythology as well, I'd say ancient Greece is his topic of choice but I think he likes all of it. That said, this man likes historical movies, historical texts, museums. If you take him to a museum or any kind of zoo or aquarium, he's going to talk your ear off on what he already knows for at least several hours. Are you impressed? Please be impressed. Tell him how smart he is and praise him like your favorite house cat.

The final pictures with actual analysis. These might seem silly or a rather insignificant detail to zoom in on.

This is him setting off the triggers to flood the city. Note the suitcase. He says this out loud to no one but himself. His own joke that only he gets to laugh at. Then he LITERALLY walks away whistling. A lot of this kind of behavior feeds into him knowing and being so smug about how clever he is. He's watching dozens upon dozens of citizens who have no idea what is going to happen to them, running in fear. And he's focused only on how gleeful he is that it's all coming together.

In the second: this is the final trial. Batman saving the city of Gotham and Riddler getting to have his big villain moment. And from the moment he reveals the lightshow of lasers ready to cut down our hero at will- he begins playing with his cane and hat. To the point that Batman is almost panicked for him to stop and just ask the damn questions.

These both run to one point and that's to him, this is all a game. We don't know this in the story yet, but he has an additional failsafe to blow the city up even if Batman wins (he doesn't expect him to, but he always makes sure to be a step ahead in case). He's lighthearted because, despite his curiosity around Batman and being constantly surprised that Batman keeps surviving, he considers this chess game match and set. His own arrogance supersedes the idea that Batman could be a genuine hero willing to take all the risk to save these people.

Riddler says to "get smart or die." Edward does not expect someone to do just that and more. For these the behaviors are more dorky vs the actual analysis but you get the point.

Bonus: we get the full picture that he constantly has a crown image above his screen in Gotham Square during Zero Year. Sir, Why Are You Like This? A lot of this comes down to: please give him attention he is so desperate for attention and probably physical affection. He's starving for it.

If you actually read through all of this, I'm love you and I hope you're having a fantastic day. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my rambling.

[troutfur]

Where am I from anyway?

Let's go! Response roundout! I got a couple people who got it correct but let's first review all the wrong answers.

@somebirdiedude

I wanna say Australia or Oceania as a whole? Just vibes + pseudo-memory of u saying that to base it off of tbh

I used to date an Australian genderfluid guy and we were very good friends for years. I don't know if any of my speech habits in English were derived from that but I don't think so? He didn't have a super pronounced aussie accent to my ear at least. Is it that perhaps? But anyway. No. Wrong hemisphere entirely, or hemispheres rather. Next!

@gophergal

Well, your first language is Spanish (iirc) and I'm pretty sure you aren't from North America or Europe, which doesn't narrow it down much. I'm just gonna guess El Salvador

My beloved mutual. With so little information you actually came so close, but you missed the mark. Props for guessing Central America though. We're so ignored in the world stage unless it's to complain about how many of us are desperate enough to try our luck being smuggled up north.

@jainkens

Brazil? The name makes me think it's from some Latin American country, I vaguely remember something about a parrot as a reference or something, and the color scheme of it is green which subconsciously made me think of Brazil. But broadly somewhere in Latin America (I am pretty sure that includes Brazil

I... I can't believe I'm only now noticing my Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot fursona combined with my name being José makes it seem like I was deliberately referencing José Carioca from classic Disney propaganda pieces films Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Just look at them!

But anyway, no. I am from Latin America but not Brazil. Spanish speaking Latin America.

@jayinserenity

I can't remember for sure, but for some reason when we first started interacting I think I was convinced you were some brand of non-UK European. I could not begin to tell you Why that was what my brain insisted upon, but it was swiftly corrected lmao.

This reminds me of this one time I was playing DnD with an international online friend group. As we were coordinating our timezones, our DM, who was Scottish was reviewing all our locations. He listed me as part of the Europe timezone and when I said I wasn't European he was all like "Oh it doesn't matter that you weren't born here, you're still as much a European as the rest of us" and so on and so on. And I was so confused. Turns out one of my other friends in the group just straight up forgot I told them where I'm from and assumed Spain based on Spanish being my first language. So they told our DM and our DM in turn assumed me saying I'm not European meant I was an immigrant.

@heathfall

I know the answer so I'm going to give a blatant lie. Nevada, USA

SO GLAD THIS WAS THE ONE GUESS THAT HAD ME BE USAMERICAN. Legitimately, I really hope I don't come across as a gringo online. I was dreading this was gonna be a majority answer since it's just standard the internet is American. But I'm pleased how it seems the Latin American vibe shines through even with people who don't know the answer outright.

@tigerclawstar-shaped-cookie

peru i think. i cant. remember. something like that. evaporates

Too far south dude. But props for guessing Spanish-speaking Latin America.

And now for the correct answer!

@kingmystrie

i know you're in south america but idr if you're from argentina or guatemala it hink it was guatemala

@offkeyed-reason

idr if you mentioned it on the server but im pretty sure there was this name generator set that you asked for a specific region for/clarification bc Guatemala is different from other places. idr whose generators they are but yeah. Guatemala's my final answer

🎊🎊🎊

Yup! Guatemala, Central America. Although I like the note that you thought I could be from Argentina. It is indeed true I do reblog a surprising amount about Argentina. Blame it on their current president. Javier Milei is such a fascinating trainwreck of a man personally. It'd be funny if he wasn't running his country into the ground.

[blissfulalchemist]

Which Hozier Song is Your OC

Hello I have come back from the abyss to of course do this uquiz. Thank you @corvosattano for tagging me. I tried to do as many ocs as I could manage (it ended up being 12 so my bad) and then included a lyric that I felt related to the oc(s) so apologies for the length. Sending tags out to @belorage @florbelles @unholymilf @adelaidedrubman @heroofpenamstan @confidentandgood @strafethesesinners @deputyash @leviiackrman @jackiesarch @shallow-gravy @shellibisshe and uh anyone else that wants to!

Anthea (ffxiv/bg3)

Wasteland, Baby! it's the end of the world, but the beginning of something that will outlive us all. you might like my tag #growing through solastalgia on tumblr. just because the world is falling apart doesn't mean we can't find peace.

"And the day that we'll watch the death of the sun/That the cloud and the cold and those jeans you have on/Then you'll gaze unafraid as they sob from the city roofs"

Catlina Rojas, Carly (fc5, bloodlines/ffxiv)

NFWMB oh, it is a privilege to be loved by you. you'd break the world for the person you love. we all want a love like that, i think. we all want such utter devotion. save it for someone who deserves it, though, because not everyone does.

"If I was born as a blackthorn tree/I'd wanna be felled by you/Held by you/Fuel the pyre of your enemies"

Siberite Akagane (ffxiv)

Abstract (Psychopomp) i mean, the world is so broken. and yet it's so beautiful it makes you want to cry. what can you even do with a feeling like this?

"Darling, there's a part of me/I'm afraid will always be/Trapped within an abstract from a moment of my life/The weeds up through the concrete/The traffic picking up speed/All my love and terror/Balanced there between those eyes"

Demos Reyes, Conner Enache (ffxiv, bloodlines/ffxiv)

Would That I morning dew, shifting grass, foxglove growing by an old fence post. woods, thick and old. and then: the joyful spark of a flame. i hope you get to lie down in a dewy field sometime soon.

"True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree/A willow dancing on air before covering me/Under cotton and calicoes/Over canopy dapple long ago"

Sahar Mahin (m*rvel)

Francesca "i would do it again." honestly this song changed my life. i hope the people you love are worth suffering for.

"Darling, I would do it again, ah, ah/If I could hold you for a minute/Darling, I'd go through it again, ah, ah/I would still be surprised I could find you, darling/In any life"

Stasia (bloodlines/ffxiv)

Eat Your Young you have strong feelings about the state of the world. i like your passion. plus, you know how to boogie to songs that would disturb your grandma if she listened to the lyrics too closely, which is always a plus. is cannibalism a red flag?

"Honey, I'm making sure the table's made/We can celebrate the good that we've done/I won't lie, if there's something still to take/There is ground to break, whatever's still to come"

Azatae (dnd/bg3)

It Will Come Back why is it so hard to stay away? you might have a tendency to get addicted. and it makes sense. if you've always been starving, then any scraps look like a feast. but you really do deserve better than this. i hope you treat yourself with kindness.

"I know who I am when I'm alone/I'm something else when I see you/You don't understand, you should never know/How easy you are to need"

HK (dnd/bg3)

Work Song i wrote a poem about this one once! devotion and the way it crushes you. the way it saves you. sometimes the only thing that can save your life is having someone to live for. and sometimes when you've found that person you would do impossible things to stay by their side. i like the way no grave can hold your body down. it's neat.

"I didn't care much how long I lived/But I swear I thought I dreamed her/She never asked me once about the wrong I did"

Chance Ruicknar (fc5)

From Eden you might like the game slither.io. also, you're a bop. have you seen Good Omens? there's this snake demon you might really enjoy.

"Babe/There's something lonesome about you/Something so wholesome about you/Get closer to me/No tired sighs, no rolling eyes, no irony/No 'who cares', no vacant stares, no time for me"

Lizette Rojas (fc5)

In a Week have you ever thought about the fact that you have to kill other things in order to keep yourself alive? whether plant, animal, bacteria, or fungus, you're always killing things in order to eat. and in return, when you die, they'll get to eat you. the feast has begun.

"I have never known peace/Like the damp grass that yields to me/I have never known hunger/Like these insects that feast on me/A thousand teeth/And yours among them, I know"

[fandomchokehold]

I didnt wanna harass your comments so ill ask here, I'd love to add Samson to my small growin collection of people's peeps in bg3 that I get to doodle randomly and with my own. But before I accidentally draw em in a way he wouldn't act, who's the boy?

I see The Good Doctor and can assume from that a bit, and don't worry if ya didnt think that much about it. I'm weird with a old dnd character of mine as my Tav so I think too much into Tavs and their stories and know not everyone does XD

That's so cool! I would be honored for Samson to be a part of that group and don't worry I've been working on his personality and backstory since before I had the game lmao

full warning I've never played D&D so stuff is probably gonna be but I did what I could with a basic map of Faerun and the internet lol

full name is Samson Silversten, high half elf bard, he/him, 31 y/o

he's a 6'4" beanpole with broad shoulders and a strong (well strong for 9 strength) back and upper arms; he's practically covered in light freckles and has heterochromia (his right eye is a rich brown and his left is a golden hazel)

he's demisexual homoromantic which is basically just he's only romantically attracted to men and can only be sexually attracted to someone he knows well and is good friends with, basically romantic feelings have to exist before he can feel remotely sexually attracted (I hope that made sense?)

the most self indulgent part of this character is that he's Irish (his human dad was) and in my head he sounds like Hozier, both speaking and singing

his preferred instrument is the violin but he can also play the lute

he's somewhere between lawful good and lawful neutral, basing most of his morals on the doctor's oath and code of ethics and trying so hard to avoid violence at all costs though he knows when it's necessary like with the goblins in Act 1

he's a bit of a hoarder; he keeps every weapon, article of clothing, tool, food and drink, and gold piece he finds, but he will happily toss all that aside to fill his inventory with any medicinal item, book, or magic artifact for Gale

at camp he can usually be found at his tent or by the lake engrossed in some necromantic tome or copying surgical illustrations from medical textbooks into his personal journal

he loves taking early morning swims before anyone else has woken up (he's shy lol)

he is soooooo autistic (as am I) and will often get frustrated by things he doesn't immediately understand, sometimes goes non-speaking for a bit if he's overstimulated (usually by mouth noises)

for a bard he's not particularly suave or charismatic, usually reserving flowery language for songs and poetry

his main passion is medicine, he wants to be a doctor so he can help anyone in need while also contributing to the progression of science, he also has an interest in necromancy but couldn't afford wizard tuition 😔

actually got all of his proper medical knowledge from the library and "borrowing" material from private institutions like Blackstaff (he actually did borrow them since he would break in again and return them after copying everything into his own journals)

his mom who was a sun elf taught him everything he knows about medicinal plants while his human dad taught him everything he knows about baking, although he can't cook for shit (thank god he marries Gale)

his other skills he picked up while working on a ship as a kid after his parents died include fishing, tying knots, navigating the stars, sailing, and swordfighting; he's especially good with a rapier

I can't reiterate enough how much he loves medicine and being a doctor he will help anyone in need of medical assistance like one time he wasted some salve and gauze on a rat in an alley cuz it was bleeding out from losing its foot; the rat lived lmao

he's very sweet and chooses to see the good in everyone, also fairly perceptive; Astarion didn't need to bite him for Sam to know he was a vampire he could tell as soon as they met but didn't say anything cuz it was Astarion's business to tell him

he gets flustered and shy very easily when people are obviously hitting on him, usually at a loss for words just goes beet red and wide eyed, tries everything he can to leave (Lae'zel: "I want to taste you" Samson: 🏃‍♂️💨)

I think that's about it sorry if it's a lot this isn't even the half of it lol

Thank you again for being interested in Samson! I appreciate you wanting to draw him and you've actually encouraged me to post some of the things I've written for him so I'll have to work on finishing those when I have a day off 💕

[poltergeist-coffee]

You know when you have that urge to draw or write but you don't know what? Yeah, that's me right now

The brainrot might have caught me

And I have a test tomorrow:D

Who thought that making the students having teste every week would be a good a idea? I have 4 this week

Aaaaaaaaa

I have when I newd to study but I have a brainrot almost physically holding me back

Those damn cubitos/affectionately

I want to talk about them

Aaaaaaaaa

If you suddenly get a ask of me talking that au you know that my brain is either failling miserably on being able to focus or somehow is speedrunning reading

At least is history and arts so less bad, I guess(and I didn't know that I would also have arts until this weekend and the art book is on school:D)

But uh... if you have any ideas to give me... I would happily hear about it

Or if you have anything in mind, it's fun anyway:D

Thanks for listening(or reading) to my rambles and for making amazing drawings that make me explode from cuteness and talking to me, it's really fun:D

- 🍽

HIGH FIVE PLATE ANON I ALSO HAVE FOUR EXAMS I GOTTA DO THIS WEEK TT

sometimes the brainrot is too much and it simply overrides every desire to study (bad) (will fail all tests) lol

hmmm aus…. me and vert have been talking about like a royalty au >:DD like a proper one lol. vert is super into dnd and is dungeon master for a few campaigns of their own so they really like world building and have turned the qsmp into like an entire kingdom thing it’s very cool

very short summary/little explanation: Quasadila Island is now called Quasi which is still an island but it’s made up of a bunch of different kingdoms ruled by different people. They all live in peace pretty much and all the rulers have to meet up together once a month to like talk and negotiate or whatever, keep peace happening. Some of the kingdoms are ruled by

Mariana

Cellbit (he was kidnapped at an early age and Bagi refused to be queen until she got him back but when she left to go look for him Cellbit came back to the kingdom lol and was instantly recognized as the missing twin lol)

Foolish

Vegetta (eventually foolish and vegetta marry so their kingdoms merge together)

Forever (He’s president of the Favela, not a kingdom it’s just like a little city but he’s cool so he gets to be included)

Pac

Philza (Rules over the Wall still lol) (He’s sort of in charge of the entire military? People call him General instead of King)

Baghera

and… i think that’s all of them? i’m probably missing some but i can’t think of them atm… there’s also a whole magic system thing, in Cellbit’s kingdom all the elements in Order Paranormal are like Gods to be worshipped and it’s a super integral part of their kingdom >:DD

for sillies tho if like to mention that Pac is king, Mike is his man/lady in waiting and Etoiles is his personal guard >:DD etoiles did NOT want to be at first but eventually he and Pac become friends ofc because no one can resist Pac’s charm u-u

i can talk more about it another time but i am busy so not rn!!! hope you like this little snippet tho >:DD if u have questions ofc feel free to send them to me

[korkiekenobiconfirmed]

Sidelines are for sports games, not characters of color

I want to address the somewhat awful job ST has done with its POC characters not just in Vol 2, but over the course of the show. I've done a similar post talking about the queer rep in the show if you want to check that out.

I'm gonna start with Lucas, who's been sidelined from the beginning. I get this is rural Indiana in the 80's and you wouldn't expect a whole ton of POC characters fine fine fine whatever. But if you're going to include exactly one (1) POC main, you better hope to god you do a good job with that character. Look at S1 -- Will was central to the plot in a major way (duh), Mike was huge in pushing everyone to find Will and was well-defined by his close relationship with him, and Dustin's intelligence set him apart even in a group full of so-called nerds. What did Lucas get to distinguish him in any particular way? Nothing much. Even moving into S2 his character remained distinctly less fleshed out than the others

One part of S1 I did very much like, however, was this scene. I thought it was a great way to address the kind of casual racism that people who grow up with privilege can often display, even unintentionally.

Mike and Lucas had both showed up to school dressed as the ghostbuster Venkman and Mike tried to argue that Lucas should be Winston Zeddemore. Lucas pointed out that Mike only said that because Zeddemore was black, and he didn't want to be Zeddemore because he, like so many black characters in film, wasn't as interesting or influential as many of the white mains.

Ironically, a similar fate ended up befalling Lucas. He began to be drawn more into the spotlight in S2 and S3, but it was more in reference to his relationship with Max than anything else. Listen, I love Lumax (their relationship outclasses Mileven by a mile, argue with the wall) but Lucas needing a relationship with a white character in order to gain real traction within the show and the fandom is pretty fucking shitty.

S4 finally put Lucas' character on par with the others in terms of screentime, lines, and fandom attention, and the Duffers managed this oh-so-impressive feat through the power of... basketball. Come on, I mean really?

Yes, from what we've seen basketball is the fastest path to popularity in Hawkins High (Steve, Billy, Tommy H, Jason) but to make the only black character suddenly a basketball star when he's shown zero interest or athletic ability up until now... it doesn't sit right with me, let's put it that way.

Erica falls into similar black stereotyping as Lucas. We see little development for her over the seasons and from the first moment she's on-screen she's very much the Sassy Black Girl. There's nothing wrong with characters displaying stereotyped traits as long as you can give them other characteristics that define them beyond the typical fallbacks. If your character is essentially reduced to that stereotype, however, it's a problem. All we know of Erica, beyond her never-ending supply of clapbacks and sarcasm, is that she likes DND and My Little Pony. 90% of her lines are full of sass, no matter who she's talking to, and while it's entertaining at times (her calling Murray a bald bastard was funny as hell lmaoo) it can quickly get old. Erica's not the worst black rep I've ever seen, not by a long shot, but the Duffers definitely could've done better with her.

[Having the only black female character also be a staunchly avowed capitalist feels a little weird to me, but I honestly don't have a way to properly articulate why so I'm not going to go into that rn. Maybe in a later post.]

Watching Vol 2 was a crazy fucking experience for a lot of reasons, but watching Jason and his little basketball cult fully beat up black kids significantly younger than them was... really something. A mostly-grown guy full on rugby tackling a middle school girl with aggression that far outweighed the situation...

You can't tell me there wasn't racial motivation there, but the situation really wasn't handled that way on-screen. It wasn't filmed to really make the audience think about the kind of aggressions (micro or otherwise) that black kids in bumfuck Indiana would experience. It wasn't addressed as racially-motivated. It wasn't addressed at all, actually. Thanks to the racist implications of that moment (and, in fact, the racist implications of Jason's entire attitude towards Lucas & Erica) never being addressed ever, the whole scene came across as more gratuitous violence than anything. I'm not saying the show needs to hold the audience's hand and look in their eyes and spell out J-A-S-O-N = R-A-C-I-S-T, but the S1 Zeddemore scene proved there are ways to intertwine talks about racism into the script, ways to address problems like xenophobia without making it stilted or shoehorned in.

When you show the brutal beating of black children and then move on too quickly for the audience to fully process what happened, it takes away from the heavier implications of such violence.

Moving on from the Sinclairs, we have Kali.

I liked her character very much, I'm going to be honest. The way she embodied El's angrier, more violent inner voices, with El's return to Hawkins representing her turning her back on that side of her while never truly facing up to it, made her an excellent lens for the audience to see more of El than what we got in S1.

But brown women in media too-often fall into one of two categories.

the docile, meek woman who comes from a patriarchal culture and will always defer to the men in her life, even when it goes against her own desires and dreams

The angry, probably violent woman who rages against the world because she has been wronged in the past

Again, a brown character being one of these two things isn't necessarily bad, but when we're left room for little else around all the resentment Kali's built up? When there's almost no middle ground between the two extremes?? Let's not rely on the old stereotypes over and over and over again, please.

...

...Did someone say stereotypes? Oh hang on wait it looks like we have another one. I once again feel the need to establish that this is not hate on the character himself, Argyle was legitimately one of the best parts of the California group and I love him with my whole entire heart (& also Eduardo Franco deserves so much better from this shitty fandom).

But the first Latine character on the show being a stoner? That's the best y'all could come up with?? Argyle was funny, he was useful to the plot, and he was a nice foil for the often-serious characters he's surrounded by, but all that being said, I couldn't quite get rid of the nagging irk in the back of my mind every time he was on screen because the stoner Latine character??? At this point, all the blatantly stereotyped characters just make this shit boring and predictable. I don't even have anything new to say about Argyle because it's nothing I didn't just address in terms of Erica, Lucas & Kali.

I feel like the treatment of ST's queer and POC characters is definitely different. We see constant abuse and mistreatment of queer characters without getting any outwardly, happily-queer endings for them; with the POC characters it strikes me more as the typical sidelining and stereotyping that we see in a lot of mainstream media. I'm not going to sit here and argue over which is worse or which is more harmful to audiences, they're both shitty and I'm tired of it all.

Do better.

[terrified-spider]

Character Notes: Doctor Stein

This is the second of (hopefully only) 4 characters I'l be drawing for my Curse of Strahd DnD party! Unlike with Aust, who I'm playing and went into the design process already knowing what he looked like, I didn't with Stein, and had to save most of my wip sketches and design notes to show his player. As a result, I have many thoughts about this design/the process I used, and want to make that everyone else's problem.

Note: I'm using the beta post editor to write the image descriptions. This is to save space, as this is going to be long post, even without the IDs.

Step One: Getting Details from the Player

Before putting anything on paper, I talked with the player a bit to get some basic details, such as: height, build, weapons, wealth, lifestyle, etc. At this point I also received the art they used as a reference during the first session. This is also when I collect some of my own references, to have some varied sources.

While I would normally want some backstory information and the subclass, I didn't ask about it this time. As this character is part of my party, I want as much to be a surprise as possible.

Step 2: Round 1 of Sketches

At this point, I had the character's height and basic build: 5' 8", and dexterous, but with broad shoulders. With Aust in the corner for scale, I made a quick base I used for each of the four outfits. Aust's presence insured that the height difference was close to accurate, and that there will be some variation in silhouette, even when the two both have lots of flowing fabric crossing and hanging around their bodies.

Design Notes, from Left to Right:

A: Out of all the sketches, this one most closely references the original art I was shown, with the cloak covering the right arm, and long skirt. To make it stand out I lengthened the cloak to fall behind his knees. I also took some inspiration from fan designs of Philza, with beads/gems falling from the brim of the hat, to make it different from the original reference.

B: This is when I started to use some of my collected references. Not knowing the character's fighting style, I based this one slightly off various designs for The 3 Musketeers, though not referencing any specific iteration in particular. The jacket is based on the one that I see a bunch of mad-scientist characters wear. This is my favorite of these sketches, so I may revisit it, but make a fighter character, rather than sorcerer.

C/D: These are my least favorite in the group, taking inspiration from real plague doctors, rather than fantastical versions I had been looking at prior. Honestly, I'm not sure what I was quite thinking of with C's cape. I'm not too fond of the trim, and looking at it the next day, the silhouettes of both match Aust's hourglass shape a bit too much.

Step 3: Comments from the Player

At this point I was able to chat with the player about the design, and combine traits from the designs to have a completed one. There's no clean sketch for this design, but I was able to draw over the original sketches to make something I can reference for the final piece. A is going to be the main focus, but the skirt and pauldrons from B are going to be used.

We also discussed the color palette and pose in the final image, to make sure magic and weapon details are included in the end, and I got to learn more about the character's personality.

While I don't plan on writing too much about this character's backstory, I do have plans to post the line art and color tests when I finish them. Feedback is very much welcome, and I hope you have a good day/night! (:

[midbyte]

blank the cat, for the oc ask

hell yea! i was hoping someone would ask for blank, especially considering how much i've drawn them recently. keep in mind that 75% of the answers to this ask are things that they themselves do not know, including stuff like their real name, birthday and birthplace.

Full Name: Cian Cécht, though that name was stolen by the fey. now that they have no name, they often go by titles or nicknames, such as ____, Blank, The Cat, The Wickerwoods Prophet, Stranger, Dream-Eater, Friend, etc etc etc

Gender and Sexuality: nonbinary (technically, their gender was also stolen by the fey)

Pronouns: they/them, it/its

Ethnicity/Species: was once a half-elf, but is now a stitched-together tabaxi-like rotting husk filled with plants and bugs

Birthplace and Birthdate: September 11, a farm in the rolling hills of Nulyden.

Guilty Pleasures: they don't have any "guilty" pleasures because they unashamedly love everything in the world. however for the purposes of this ask, i'll just say that they love to sing, dance and make merry

Phobias: none. this cat fears almost nothing.

What They Would Be Famous For: a great many things, including the story behind the title The Wickerwoods Prophet, to their part in saving the town of Milstone

What They Would Get Arrested For: is canonically on the run from the law, because they're kind of a freak who doesn't care/know about rules or laws, and commits crimes ranging from theft to murder.

OC You Ship Them With: is in love with Noriko, the Thief of Names, who probably didn't steal their name

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: also Noriko. their relationship is very strange

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: loves to read books of poetry, as well as horror novels.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: true love's kiss breaking the spell. it didn't work for them, so they feel cheated

Talents and/or Powers: they're a Circle of Dreams Druid, and because of that they have the ability to use fey magic to manipulate nature, summon fey creatures, and heal others.

Why Someone Might Love Them: they're strange, they talk in riddles, and someone who lives loudly. they're a very charming weirdo

Why Someone Might Hate Them: some people may find them to be nonsensical, or may hate their general disregard for laws and rules.

How They Change: maybe one day they'll get their name back and remember who they once were. the one thing they're terrified of is what that means. are they even the same person, now that they have had their name stolen? if they get their name back, will they stop being ____, and start being Cian again? or will the two become one?

Why You Love Them: they're one of my favorite dnd characters to play because they're so fucking bizarre. they just say things that make no sense, and they're creepy as all hell when they want to be, but at the same time they're the kind of person who uses their 3rd level summon fey spell to give their summon breakfast and the kind of person who helps the bard work through a mental breakdown. genuinely, they're just a delight all around

[dino-folly]

Part two of dnd

Libby pov

Okay so Libby you were in your own home, when worms began eating through your floors, a group of worms so large they tangled themselves in each other

They told you they needed help, to find a girl and bring her back to them

They told you that this girl should be in the mountains far south of your home, and you akwardly refused because you needed to stay home for schooling and such but then the worms rose revealing more and more worms falling and rising like a spout of water

They told you that you may not refuse, or else they would take you instead

they were sure they could make you look like her

And so you took your horse that may or may not have also been stolen and you made your way south

You make your way to a wall that stretches as far as the eye can see, the only thing in the smooth stone a gate that sat wide open

you pass through and find two women

one vaugle matching the description of the girl the worms asked for

Dm pov

HELLO THERE *ahem*

"So uh,, lovely weather we are having huh?

I guess what I'm trying to say is, you must come with me!" Libby then attempts to put blobbers, the woman who vaguely resembles the description, on their epic horse

Blobbers screams, and instantly in the other Autumn's hand appears a short curved blade "Hey!" She shouts at libby "Let go of my dance partner!"

Libby makes a verbal key smash "But,, I want to dance with her!! On my horse!! Back home!!"

Failed persuasion check

Autumn sprints at lib and kicks ltheir back and the vines around her feet whip their neck

-4 damage

Libby yells, still holding onto blob as they summon their familiar

Homebrew spell tries to grow a tiny snail but failed wasting a spell slot

Libby feels magic tingle in their arm as they use summon and grow familiar and you grin triumphantly

But then they see it appear on the tip of their finger

a snail, the size of a raindrop

While they spent time useing magic Autumn grabs lib by the arm and twists it off of blobbers before throwing them to the ground

Smh blobbers the dumb lesbian saved by the other dumb lesbian

Autumn stands over Libby on the ground and points her blade at them glowering

"What do you want with my dance partner?"

Blob: Kinda hot ngl

Nat: BLOB YOU SIMP

"To tango" libby lies

"You threw her on your horse, because.. you wanted to dance with her?" She questioned, shaking her head "You are going to have to tell me the truth."

"Fine. Picture the scene, you are a human in a house, minding your own business, when suddenly, worms come out at you and tell you to come here and to bring them a person with the description they listed!"

Autumn puts her blade away and looks to libby "You were summoned by worms?" Her eyes shift to blob for a moment "But isn't that what you were here for?" She asks blobbers

Libby stares at blobbers confusedly

"Oh yeah, yeah I was" blobbers said

"Then obviously she isn't who you are looking for" Autumn holds a hand out to lib to offer help up

Libby accepts help taking her hand and she pulls libby up akwardly then goes to help blob up by picking her up bridal style and setting her back down on her feet "You two have the same goal, so now you can't kidnap my dance partner right?"

Blob: nAT I AM ALREADY GAY

"I suppose." Libby brushes off dirt from their clothes

"But surely if the worms sent us here that means,, the one we are looking for,, is nearby..?"

Autumn shakes her head "You aren't even half way there, it is a weeks journey on horse from here."

"what??? Aw man, I'm gonna miss my bug racing tournament now" libby groaned

"W e e k s??" Blob questioned "That's like, more than 7 days"

"Well it's over a thousand miles, it takes a while to get to those mountains. There are many resting places though, and I wouldn't doubt there being a bug race in the gambling place in the next town" she offers akwardly clearly not a fan of bugs

"GAMBLING?!! SIGN. ME. UP!" Libby cheers

"Money??? I'm going." Blobbers the capitalist agreed

"I can show you the way there if you'd like me to come with you" Autumn began and blobbers did not even hesitate to say "Yes."

"Sure- Besides,, it would be nice to have some sort of company considering how long this journey is gonna be" libby hopped onto their horse and gave their familiar a pat "hold on tight bagel" the whispered

Autumn beams, then gets onto blobbers horse, holding a hand out to help blob on behind her "I hope it is alright we ride together, as I don't have a steed"

Blob: Ah dang I cant say anything about the riding thing, there are children present

"Uhhhhh horse,,, big" blobbers commented before Autumn helped Blob onto the horse in front of her and arms around blob to stear the horse they lead lib's horse to the next town

It takes about three hours so by the time they get there the sun is rising at 7 am

Blobbers falls off the horsedramatically, and Autumn hops off the horse and helps blobbers up again "Are you tired from the ridding? I can get us to an inn if you need rest"

"Ah. .,. The tired.,.,., walking.,.,.such an extenuating exercise,..,.,if only there was a way .,.,.,.to n o t walk ,..,"

Autumn snorts and picks blob up "shall I carry you to the nearest inn then?" She grinned

"YES- I mean. If it's not too much trouble"

"Will you talk to me, Bagel?" Libby asked the snail

Bagel chews gently on their arm, it doesn't hurt but it tickles a bit

Autumn smiles and looks to lib "You need rest to, after the sorta fight from kidnapping blobbers, you're a little roughed up."

She takes the reigns of horse and leads lib and horses to the nearest in in town while carrying dumb lesbian tm

Break to talk spell slots and what a rest will do

They are taken/carried to the town inn, which happens to have a stable next door. And lock up the horses

Autumn then takes them to a gambling shack across town, and find a sign saying there is indeed a bug race!

They go in, and are met with the smell of cooked meats and sound of cheers as many people are placing bets at one counter and at the other snacks are served

As libby walks up to the counter the man managing bets slides across the counter and smiles "come to place a bet? Next race is for bug, but afternoons horses and evening will be dogs."

He waves at the sign that has a list of bugs they may bet on. There are many bugs, including but not limited to rhino bettles and african land snails

but they notice there is no worms on the list

Blob: is this place legal?

Nat: wisdom check

Blob: 7

Nat: you didn't even know bug races existed

"Yes, I bet 200 on the snail." Libbly places 200 copper on the table and the man hands them a ticket with a grin "thank you kindly, luck laddeh"

"I bet 200 copperoonis to the grasshopper" blob sets the money on the table

The man laughs and holds up a ticket "Sure thing lass, grass hoppers are lucky after all"

Blob steps away from the counter and to autumn "Miss tarta what are your thoughts on cheating, lying and deceiving?"

Autumn raises a brow and grins "depends on the context of the lying cheeting and stealing. Why have you asked?"

Game paused, libby sleepy