iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 02/05/2025

Who names their kid Pizza? It takes moxie to earn a PhD and become a scientist without using another name. I applaud you, Pizza!

Screenshot of Scientific American article about squirrels’ nut hoarding with quote from scientist Pizza Ka Yee Chow

130

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 22/03/2025

TOMORROW! Celebrate Women’s History Month with some good old feminine rage. Featuring Tadhana Joy as DM and @jienbirb.bsky.social @vixiebelle.bsky.social @itslyssabish.bsky.social and @caro_the_rpg_mom

2125

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 16/03/2025

NEW TIME AND UPDATED CAST ANNOUNCEMENT: Barry Buybacks Must Die! is a D&D one shot where we turn the sexist history of D&D on its head. And then stab it, to make sure it’s dead. Streaming Sunday 3/23 at 3:30pm PDT/6:30pm EDT on www.twitch.tv/starcrawlrpg

Very pink flyer for D&D streamed one shot Barry Buybacks Must Die! With cast headshots for Caroline, Lyssa, Star, Jien, and Vixie. DMed by Tadhana Joy

185

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 11/03/2025

We’re gonna get our fucking catharsis this weekend. Barry Buybacks Must Die! is a D&D one shot where we turn the sexist history of D&D on its head. And then stab it, to make sure it’s dead.

2126

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 02/03/2025

These are just the ones I’ve covered on my podcast before this season This season so far I’ve covered: Thirsty Sword Lesbians Deathmatch Island Out of Orbit Fabula Ultima

180

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 02/03/2025

In my new episode, @reneplaysgames.bsky.social brought Mog to the table - a sheltered academic setting out into the world for the first time. Creating curious characters is a pattern for Rene - a way as both a player and a PC to interact with the wide and wondrous worlds we build in our games.

Cover art of podcast. Drawing of an adventurer looking away from the viewer toward a sea of colorful clouds. Black and white pixel art of Andrew is surrounded by a blue sunburst. Text reads, "Season 4, Episode 4: Mogmoden. Being Curious. With Rene Legault (Rene Plays Games)."

091

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 26/02/2025

I mean you got me Apple Podcasts but I’m literally subscribed to all 4 of these? Pretty sure I’ll like these

A screenshot saying “you may like” with recommended podcasts under the categories of Design, Fiction, Improv, and Improv. The recommended podcasts are Dice Exploder, Friends at the Table, NADDPod, and Dungeons and Daddies.

091

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 16/02/2025

I went to a banquet last weekend and I adore this dress and just want everyone to see it

Star is taking a selfie in the mirror wearing a full length short sleeve dress with a wrap top and high waistband. The fabric is white with broad vertical stripes in dark red, dark green, navy, mustard, pale pink, and salmon.

060

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 15/02/2025

I spoke with @rowanzeoli.bsky.social about her character Petty Dreadful, a rage-fueled, attention-seeking drag queen Playing to Win in Deathmatch Island. Listen here or wherever you find podcasts: www.characterswithoutstories.com/s4e3

Cover art of podcast. Drawing of an adventurer looking away from the viewer toward a sea of colorful clouds. Photo of Rowan Zeoli is surrounded by a blue sunburst. Text reads, "Season 4, Episode 3: Petty Dreadful. Breaking the Game. With Rowan Zeoli (Rascal News)."

02311

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 02/02/2025

@andrewbeauman.com launched his Kickstarter for Out of Orbit TODAY and I spent the interview talking about the game's novel "troupe-style" approach to character creation.

164

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 30/01/2025

TONIGHT! Brindlewood Bay charity stream benefiting @msf.ca Starring @hammpod.bsky.social @blerdydisposition.bsky.social @vixiebelle.bsky.social Friendly Neighborhood Nerd and yours truly as the Keeper!

Graphic for charity stream showing playing cards with faces of cast. Text reads "Dead Man's Hand, a Brindlewood Bay Charity Livestream. January 30, 8:30PM EST. twitch.tv/hammpod

2105

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 29/01/2025

This happened the other day and it’s so gratifying to see that number climb over the last year. Thanks everyone for the subscribes! It means a lot.

Screenshot of YouTube page for Characters Without Stories showing 200 subscribers

170

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 29/01/2025

If you can see this, post a pic from your device with no explanation

Screenshot of a mobile game. Drawing of Bruce Lee in yellow jumpsuit with black racing stripes sitting fully clothed on a toilet looking very angry. Bruce Lee and the toilet have multiple brightly colored screw heads on them. A drawing of a screwdriver is superimposed, suggesting that the gameplay is unscrewing these screws to make Bruce Lee and the toilet fall apart. 4 boxes at the top show slots for differently colored screws.

030

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 28/01/2025

Each of these little ladies is going to be an absolute delight. Tune in on Thursday and help raise money for @msf.ca We’ve stacked the deck with this cast @bobbofnn.bsky.social @vixiebelle.bsky.social @blerdydisposition.bsky.social @hammpod.bsky.social

Blue background graphic with playing cards with pictures of the case. Text reads Dead Man’s Hand. A Brindlewood Bay Charity Livestream,January 30th 8:30 PM EST twitch.tv/hammpod

0136

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 17/01/2025

In case anyone was wondering what precipitated this

Tweet from Jason Bulmahn reads “if Vance has played Pathfinder, I want him to send his books back. No space for fascists in our game.”

070

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 09/12/2024

When I first got here it felt like walking into an empty auditorium. Now it feels like a packed house! I’ve seen such a huge jump in followers. Thanks everyone, I was not expecting to get to 500 this quickly!

0120

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 18/11/2024

To the people who made this mobile ad: I have questions. So many questions.

Screenshot of mobile game ad showing Bruce Lee held together by colorful screws at joints. He is sitting looking angry wearing his famous yellow costume. He is sitting on a closed toilet apparently in the middle of a kitchen holding nunchucks that hang down by his leg.

030

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 31/10/2024

Sneak peek of my first episode of season 4 with the fierce and fabulous SpunkyTaylor in full cosplay

Screenshot of video editing showing the multicam views, with Star and Taylor. Taylor is in cosplay with gold makeup on her face wearing a pirate hat

031

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 14/10/2024

Will Malkus is a huge comics fan and it shows. Inspired by Green Lantern, Chase (AKA Showtime) is a teenager who becomes a superhero when he finds a cracked timepiece that stops time. Catapulted into the future, he's forced to confront the villain he will one day become - unless he can stop it.

Podcast cover artwork, a drawing of a woman in armor with a sword standing on a hilltop, facing away from the viewer towards a sea of colorful clouds. Picture of Will Malkus surrounded by blue lines. Text reads "Season 3, Episode 18. Chase Cameron. Alternate Futures. With Will Malkus (Live from the Apocalypse).

010

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 29/09/2024

Justin Gagliani of So You Wanna Be a DM brings Jessica Jeroux to the table. Jessica is a drow trans woman pursuing knowledge of lost civilizations.

Podcast cover art with drawing of a woman wearing armor and a sword standing on a hill looking away from the viewer towards a sea of colorful clouds. Overlaid text reads "Season 3, Episode 17. Jessica Jeroux. Transition and Leveling Up. With Justin Gagliani (So You Wanna Be a DM)

120

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 17/09/2024

Is it too on-the-nose to be a YouTuber playing a streamer? Maybe. But playing into your own experiences of parasociality, fully online friendships, and the horrors of online discourse can be an excellent catharsis. As Blerdy joked, "as a Black creative, I'd rather deal with Cthulhu Mythos."

Podcast cover art with cartoon image of guest and overlaid text:
Season 3, Episode 16
Chris Strausman
Growing Up and Showing Up
with Blerdy Disposition

231

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 17/09/2024

So I think I can post this here and not other places. WTF Pinterest?

A drawing of a woman cropped to show only her breasts. Overlaid text: Female character design

140

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 09/09/2024

I interviewed DJ of @oneshotstavern about his character for Old Gods of Appalachia, a union man through and through being chased by trouble and trying to heal from loss.

Podcast cover artwork of a woman in armor holding a sword standing on a hill facing away from the viewer towards a sea of colorful clouds. The title of the episode and a picture of the guest ringed by purple radiating lines is superimposed

021

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 18/08/2024

Adrian and I met while working together on a fundraiser to support Doctors Without Borders' work in Gaza. They brought up communism right out the gate, which is great since I didn't have to wait to talk about my favorite subject 😂.

Podcast graphic with a woman in armor looking away from the viewer towards a sea of colorful clouds. Text says "Season 3, Episode 14. Don Rigals. Representation and Speaking Out. With AC Lawrence (Dungeons and Degrees).

210

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 29/07/2024

Deciding on this prize required confidence I don’t often have. I’ve been told people like my voice, so we’ll see if it was warranted 😂. What would you have me record? For full giveaway rules, click here: www.characterswithoutstories.com/sweepstakes/

Pink background with colorful clouds. Text overlay “grand prize: one minute voice over recording. (Don’t be weird)

053

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 27/07/2024

Celebrate 2 years with me! Enter by August 1 to win. Share this post to enter and earn up to 5 more entries. Full rules here: www.characterswithoutstories.com/p/sweepstakes/

Pink background with clouds. Text reads “grand prize one minute voice over recording”

Pink background with clouds. Text reads “second prize curiographer gaming playmat”

Pink background with clouds. Text reads “third prize curiographer dice bag”

053

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 20/07/2024

Reyna the Lion is fierce and loyal, just like Alejandra, "the most stereotypical Leo you will ever find." 😂 Built for a TikTok cosplay, Reyna and Alejandra joined a roleplay server where Alejandra got to interact with her audience, learning it's not always the most fun when you're a woman online.

022

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 06/07/2024

Grammarye was built for a home game rather than the actual plays Juicy's known for, but has drama to spare. He's got disaster written all over him. A teenager who yearns for love and warmth from a family that ostracizes him because he's not 'enough.' Big oof.

An image of the cover of the podcast with a long-haired person standing on a hill looking away from the viewer at a landscape of colorful clouds. The title of the episode is on the top left, followed by a picture of Juicy Garland, the guest. She wearing drag and is dressed in a red dress with black gloves and a small black hat, looking coquettishly at the camera. Her name is to the right.

220

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 22/06/2024

Savannah's character Kit started out as a TikTok cosplay. Through text exchanges and videos, Savannah and her friend Finn developed a rich and detailed backstory and world for their two characters. www.characterswithoutstories.com/kit-the-sea-...

Podcast cover art with title of episode and picture of guest

241

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 08/06/2024

Just in time for Father's Day, I interviewed Navaar Seik-Jackson. As a dad himself, Navaar wanted to build a character with connections - to his partner, his child, and his community - who reluctantly dusts off his armor and heads out on the road, away from the "simple life" he treasures.

Cover art of podcast with picture of Navaar and title of episode

100

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 07/06/2024

Wow thanks to all my listeners for helping me get here, I know it’s not huge but it means a lot 💗

Graphic of show cover with text saying “2,500 Podcast Downloads”

140

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 22/05/2024

Thank you classicgranto, whoever you are! Im so touched by especially that last part about being a “navigator of the heart.” A reminder to podcast listeners - there are people reading the reviews and it makes their day to read reviews like this 😊

Screenshot of 5 star Apple Podcasts review by classicgranto:
“Second to None
There is nothing like CWS. Not just an incredible concept telling the stories of characters who never came to be, but in depth breakdowns of the character creation process, system analysis, and how much of a person winds up in the people we play. Star is an incredible navigator of the heart and is worthy of every second of time her show demands.”

000

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 11/05/2024

What do orcs, religious trauma, high school theater, and Hermey the Misfit Elf have in common? Listen and find out.

Podcast cover with picture of Grant Nordine

110

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 03/05/2024

Ran Brindlewood Bay last night for my regular D&D group as a fill in since the DM was out. First time running it in person, so I wrote all the clues on index cards and printed out the suspect portraits. They had a lot of fun making a murder board

“Murder board” from Brindlewood Bay game with pictures of suspects and clues written

020

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 27/04/2024

What is it like to play a character who has the knowledge of centuries of past lives but the lived experience of a toddler? What does it feel like, as a player, to live through a character completely unbothered by others' perceptions, weighty questions, and imposter syndrome?

Podcast cover art with picture of Tori Fica

130

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 06/04/2024

New episode! I talked to Chriss Knight about how her own experiences with sudden loss and grief led to her revenant paladin Rhan, forced to confront her own death and the deaths of those she tried to save as she serves Istus, goddess of fate, as a paladin.

Cover image with picture of Chris’s Knight

110

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 02/04/2024

Got my copy of Deathmatch Island and the way they made their statement against bigotry in the voice of the game is 🧑🏻‍🍳💋

Photo of page from Deathmatch Island. Reads “Production prides itself on offering an equal Deathmatch experience to every single competitor. Racism, sexism, and other bigotries will not be tolerated. It’s important that all competitors can kill and die without discrimination.”

33410

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 28/02/2024

SO CLOSE! (This is the year of my high school graduation and I’m aiming for the year of my college graduation 😂)

020

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 24/02/2024

Such a fun convo with Aetherius, talking about being a Black creator in TTRPGs, writing multifaceted Black women, masking, and drinking people like Chardonnay

Podcast cover artwork with image of guest. Text says “Season 3, Episode 4. Riley and Jean-Pierre. Code-Switching and Authenticity with Aetherius Bordeaux (Vampire Himbo)

030

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 10/02/2024

New episode! I interviewed Joseph about his mecha grandpa Otto. Like Joseph, I too want to drop the people’s elbow on a dragon while wearing a mech suit. www.characterswithoutstories.com/otto-von-kur...

000

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 09/02/2024

Tue Leshback, you have my undying devotion

Screenshot of review on Apple Podcasts. Author is Tue Leshback.

Star is brilliant.
Star’s podcast of featuring these unplayed characters is fantastic. It gives GMs a chance to dive deeper into characters they’ve cared so deeply about, and gives them a voice. It’s cozy, it’s fun, and every episode is as enjoyable as the last. I absolutely love this podcast.

000

Characters Without Stories @characterswithoutstories.com · 03/02/2024

This is one of those pictures that pops up every year in my memories and every single time it makes me laugh. Sometimes things juxtapose just right.

Two images seen from news feeds. On top, a photo of Mel Brookslooking guilty, his arms down at his sides. Headline reads “Mel Brooks says his only regret as a comedian is the jokes he didn’t tell.” Directly underneath is a photo of two arms with handcuffs. The two images appear to be linked, making it look like Mel Brooks has been handcuffed

000