How to Play the Stoic Bada** WITHOUT Being Boring

[@sjreads7235]

Garnet was probably my favorite character in SU, so she’s about the perfect example.

[@PlayYourRole]

I absolutely love her

[@The_Indubitabler]

I think that this video is about characters who are emotionally distant rather than stoic. Stoicism is about devotion to knowledge and wisdom and being dispassionate in the face of adversity. Characters like Spock or Gus Fring do what needs to be done without allowing emotion to cloud their judgement, and when they do stray from their apathetic approach, it's usually what leads to their downfall. That's different than a character who builds emotional barriers in fear of what might happen if people get too close. That detachment may appear stoic, but is actually rooted in insecurity or trauma (think Joel from The Last of Us). I agree that there are certainly challenges in making this character type work well at a DnD table, but to say that "stoicism is only there as a façade to protect your party, and the moment your party is [in danger], that façade is useless", kind of disregards the entire philosophy. Good video, I just think it was a slight mix-up of terminology.

[@EilonwyG]

I always love watching the silent, stoic one as their outer shell cracks and you get to see who they really are underneath. Often, they're just softies who just want to protect the people they care about, but ultimately want love and friendship. It's so wholesome when they come to realize it's ok to smile and it's ok to be happy. Or to cry and be sad. I love it.

[@PlayYourRole]

It's wonderful to realize those with strength have to feel to. There is some comfort that comes with that

[@zeehero7280]

Shadow the Hedgehog anyone? 🤣

[@coreyjameswood]

In a world full of Raven's, be a Garnet. She was one of the many bright spots on that show and is definitely a great archetype to play as. Further proof that "It's ok to not always be ok." As for another character archetype I'd love to see you discuss, ( don't worry I'm not gonna say John Cena THIS TIME) is the one who is the most broken down person, but they still fight on. Whether they fight for their family/friends/party, or continue to fight because stopping isn't an option, they embody the "Never give up" mantra (Ok that was slightly John Cena but still.) Forgive me if you've covered a character like that already, as you've done quite a few of these videos lol. Keep up the great work Jay! I always love your archetype videos.

[@PlayYourRole]

Thank you! I'm still uh... thinking, on John Cena

[@piketheknight2581]

Corey Wood cool but I can't see it

[@coreyjameswood]

@@piketheknight2581 clever comment is clever.

[@piketheknight2581]

You know, after seeing so much of you videos I've come to the conclusion that the only thing to make those "character arcs" happen is being exposed to certain situations. And analyze them slightly to understand how the character would act in the moment, and then give them a more deep thought to understand how the pc would process that info. Anyways great video man.

[@PlayYourRole]

Pretty much spot on, yup!

[@BajaBianca]

Another thing I do love about characters like these, and even Garnet, is how they respond to the emotions of *others* as well; consciously or otherwise, sometimes they may say something that believe to be calm and stabilizing, but for someone who wants to be empathized with instead of comforted??? People like Amethyst or Steven??? They enjoy when Garnet can acknowledge and mediate their emotions without unintentionally treating them like a problem to be managed. I think that in of itself opens the door for a lot of interesting inter-party discussions of how different characters cope with their emotions and how they can all best support one another!

[@mentalrebllion1270]

I wouldn’t say I play a silent type of stoic but I do play the level headed mentor lately. Despite the ones playing his former students being adult characters, he was still their teacher and during a crisis like what they are going through, I have him being the level headed on trying to keep them on track for better survival and keeping them together. He is stoic but not a quiet one. Technically I have this as a facade because actually he is on the verge of a mental breakdown. This tragedy that is the start of their story? Yeah he has gone through something nearly like it before and he has barely mentally recovered from that before the rug was pulled from under him again. So I’m waiting for a good moment for him to break down. So far it’s mostly manifested by him being scarily efficient and brutal and protective in battle to the point of coming off rather intimidating despite his usually peaceful and calm appearance. But it isn’t all he is. He also has been using the funds to gather up survival supplies like rations, tents, water skins, bedrolls, etc, to look after his group, even going so far as to request switching out his own reward for these supplies instead. He is almost paranoidly obsessive about making sure his former students are cared for and that is how he is coping with his recently loss. So yeah, he is on a timer for a breakdown and I’m looking for a good trigger or opportunity to make such a thing obvious and with the dm on how best to make it happen without being disruptive. I’m actually enjoying this character more than I thought I might to be honest as I had only, originally created them with bare bones of an idea.

[@mentalrebllion1270]

So, that campaign fizzled but I moved on to a new campaign and now play a different flavor of stoic character. This one is more of a quieter type of stoic but more in that they don’t talk unless needed but are well spoken and a scholar (field agent researcher) of linguistics. They are deeply protective and show a lot of their stoicism in their habit to simply “endure” things. Not the healthiest stoic form but also not out of the ordinary. I wanted to lean into that strong feeling of taking responsibility, even when it’s obviously it’s to their detriment or not something they should take responsibility for, but doing so anyway to alleviate any burden of those around them. It’s been fun! I’m glad I could take in some of those traits from the character of the fizzled campaign and play them out in a new character for a new campaign. Been going great!

[@whats-his-face-whats-his-c8299]

I’m currently running a stoic character myself but I’ve based him more on Kratos from God of War. His stoicism comes more from trying to better himself as opposed to setting a standard to him. And sometimes the stoicism does break especially when his team is under threat and stress takes over.

[@juliajade1918]

Was not expecting to sob a little bit while watching this, this one feels like it was made for me! Great work as always, looking forward to more.

[@tyleremery7088]

My previous character (tortle order cleric) was very stoic and cold at first because that was what it took to keep going in his former life, and the biggest part of his arc was learning to loosen up and care deeply about those who were closest to him. At one point an NPC who was part of his family died in an airship crash, and if I as a player had remembered a homebrew 1st level spell (specifically Word of Mercy, from Stibbles' Codex of Companions) on my character sheet the death could have been prevented. He tried to search the wreckage of the crash for any remains to carry along in hopes of eventually resurrecting him, but after a failed search he cracked. I actually got choked up as a player about this made-up death of this made-up character in this made-up story tbh, that's how significant the moment was. In the finale of the campaign, one of the PCs was subjected to power word kill, and with a little bit of DM fiat I got to use that very same spell to take the blow for him, sacrificing my character in the process. It was beautifully poetic and I almost teared up typing this lol. 😅

[@gaburelmesmo3824]

I'm currently paying a stoic baddass myself, and it's a lot of fun. I'm a bit of a power player, so i decided to make a character with very (VERY) high perception and a lot of damage on the first round. They are a hunter from a small tribe who has a very deep connection to the tundra they live in, their mother was a huntswoman as well, she was kind of a spiritual leader of that tribe, she died in a hunt when her group found a giant whale, which is kind of a legend for the people of the tribe (Your know the bear, from Brave ?, Like that) so my character never got to meet their mother, but they grew up listening to stories about how great she was, wich made them be held to the same standard. They are also the oldest of two siblings, so they grew up with the mentality of "Alright, gotta live up to my mom's legacy, and also take care of my little sister" During a hunt they and their little sister encountered the same creature that killed their mother, and as their sister fell in the cold ice, they had to jump in to save her, and when they opened up their eyes in the cold water, they froze (which doesn't really happen irl, but i think it's cool) and that screw up cost them their vision. For some lore reasons, when they lost their vision in that place, they recieved some bizarre senses and perception abilities. They use their mother's mask, traditionally used by the hunters of their tribe, wich is an Owl mask. They are usually stoic and collected, and at times may look like they are not paying any attention to what's happening around them. but it's the contrary, they are constantly hearing everything, and getting distracted by anything out of the ordinary. Because they have this mentality that everytime they let their guard down, something bad happened, they can't screw up, they have too much on their shoulders so they absolutely can't screw up. They are aways using the mask, so nobody knows what they are thinking, when I first had the idea for this character I thought about playing them "like and Owl" they are silent, stoic and when something happens they are just silent, staring and unmoving... and then either they burst into sudden movement and do their thing, or nothing happens and they say a very bad one liner cuz 8 charisma.

[@rantdmc]

happily drinking shots every time jay says "cool, calm and collected" in this video - great job dude! (stands up, falls over)

[@zeehero7280]

The way I do it is they are usually quiet. but when it matters they speak up loud and clear and are often intimidating af for the sake of the party.

[@onlycrits]

Its hard to remain cool calm & collected when im having so much fun!

[@ebensirges]

Top notch ending 🤌🏻

[@SilverTheMoon]

You stopped saying "cool, calm, and collected" after the drinking game was issued restarted the vid it sadly wasn't that much

[@ld_raine4247]

I wish you'd give a few more examples of flaws. Too often I see, "if anything, he's too stoic" and then THAT story itself becomes one note...

[@gaburelmesmo3824]

I'm currently paying a stoic baddass myself, and it's a lot of fun. I'm a bit of a power player, so i decided to make a character with very (VERY) high perception and a lot of damage on the first round. They are a hunter from a small tribe who has a very deep connection to the tundra they live in, their mother was a huntswoman as well, she was kind of a spiritual leader of that tribe, she died in a hunt when her group found a giant whale, which is kind of a legend for the people of the tribe (Your know the bear, from Brave ?, Like that) so my character never got to meet their mother, but they grew up listening to stories about how great she was, wich made them be held to the same standard. They are also the oldest of two siblings, so they grew up with the mentality of "Alright, gotta live up to my mom's legacy, and also take care of my little sister" During a hunt they and their little sister encountered the same creature that killed their mother, and as their sister fell in the cold ice, they had to jump in to save her, and when they opened up their eyes in the cold water, their eyes froze (which doesn't really happen irl, but i think it's cool) and that screw up cost them their vision. For some lore reasons, when they lost their vision in that place, they recieved some bizarre senses and perception abilities. They use their mother's mask, traditionally used by the hunters of their tribe, wich is an Owl mask. They are usually stoic and collected, and at times may look like they are not paying any attention to what's happening around them. but it's the contrary, they are constantly hearing everything, and getting distracted by anything out of the ordinary. Because they have this mentality that everytime they let their guard down, something bad happened, they can't screw up, they have too much on their shoulders so they absolutely can't screw up. They are aways using the mask, so nobody knows what they are thinking, when I first had the idea for this character I thought about playing them "like and Owl" they are silent, stoic and when something happens they are just silent, staring and unmoving... and then either they burst into sudden movement and do their thing, or nothing happens and they say a very bad one liner cuz 8 charisma.

[@SanDiegoBass]

Jay, I am absolutely loving your videos! I thought of an interesting idea for character type that I would love to see a video on: A well qualified adventure but with imposter syndrome.

[@relicking9207]

I think the show "Steven Universe" is fine, I've tried watching it but wasn't able to get invested, the issue I have is with the Overly Toxic part of the fandom

[@Snaitycake]

Cartoon Network really did SU dirty, but I love everything that came out of it! Great analysis Jay 👏

[@Thatchaoticelf]

TALKING ABOUT STEVEN UNIVERSE IS NEVER TOO LATE

[@gideonbias]

How were you able to post this as I’m in my peak SU rewatch era

[@Dr0ctagonapus5]

I watched this to find out how to become Master Chief.

[@MinecraftLovesSteve]

I think what a lot of people fail to do when rhey play a stoic badass is stop being stoic when relaxed. Every great example of a collected character is not stoic in casual times, they show lots of emotions and have plenty of personality but when they have to be they collect themselves.