Bluboo

Pretty often see the point "well if they're a victim themselves they wouldn't put down other victims so it means that they're actually an abuser and are lying about what happened to them" both in fandom drama and different character fandoms discussions.

And it only shows how little people understand about trauma. Like... "Victim" doesn't mean "angel who can do nothing wrong". "Victim" means "an alive being who was subjected to a traumatizing event or a series of traumatizing events either by another alive being or by their environment".

Abuser and victim are NOT a binary. Just because the victim is not a sweet and innocent honey bun doesn't mean that they're lying about what they've been through. Yes they did harm. Yes harm was done to them too. It's not mutually exclusive. They should get help, own up to their mistakes and do better from now on as most of the time it's impossible to undo the harm caused. You can't just make someone less traumatized about what you've did, or unkill a person, or unbreak someone's relationship.

Same for the abuser, they can be the sweetest thing on earth but it does not undo the harm they've inflicted on others and it doesn't mean that their victim is lying. "Oh but they're so cute, they don't behave like someone who can do this!" yes and they also broke several lives but apparently it's okay because they're cute in public, cuties can do whatever.

Thanks! Tbr, I don't really use any references, I've had my own and gotten to watch several of my family members freeform, so I kind of just use that knowledge.

But, if you need visuals here are some of my favorite freeformers:

Ladene Clark:

Valerie June:

Trisime J:

It can be kind of difficult to find photos of freeforms while they're still short , so I'll show some personal ones, please be nice 🙂

Early:

mostly afro, locs on the end, lots of beady beads but the size of them depends on the curl

Young:

They're mostly locs, some loose curls here and there. Guess who has the looser hair texture?

Its him. Looser hair tends to make bigger locs at first.

Dropped/ Juniors:

The hair has gotten too long and heavy to stand up, so it dropped/fell. You might've heard someone telling someone with dreads "you're locs dropped" as a way to tell them they're starting to look good... This stage is where it comes from.

After this point it doesn't really change much except some locs may get flat and they'll all get longer over time. The 1st 3 are good examples of what that looks like

Mature:

Locs only get flatter or longer from this point on unless manipulated. A lot of people end up cutting their hair at this point bc it gets kinda boring. Like you've just spent almost a decade growing your hair and every month it looked a little different. Its kinda hard to adjust.

basics

name: meaning of name: nicknames/titles: age: gender: location: birthday: strengths + example where it's shown: weaknesses + example where it's shown: how it affects others:

emotional depth

attachment style + how it manifests in the story: physical fear: emotional/abstract fear: happy memory: sad memory: object of significance: philosophical outlook/belief: what characters are ignorant about themselves: how confident are they: goal: long-term dreams: what they're embarrassed/ashamed to tell others about: regrets: source of pride: source of misery: what they admire above all else: do they believe in fate:

personality

mbti: enneagram: big five: character archetype: star sign: who they pretend to be on the outside: who they actually are/how they feel towards the mask: mental health conditions: how it manifests for them: iq: eq: humour: reputation:

habits

bad habits: mannerisms when stressed: mannerisms when content: mannerisms when scared: mannerisms normally: verbal mannerisms/distinctive speaking style: how do they move across a room: what do they say and what remains unsaid: how they express love: hobbies:

appearance

defining features: eye shape + colour: hair texture + colour: skin texture + tone: vibe: height: build: clothing: any bodily disfigurement (scars, etc.): overall attractiveness: their opinion on their appearance: appeals to:

relationships

who they trust most: what they wish they could do for them: what's holding them back: who they hate most: what they wish they could do to them: what's holding them back: relationship with the protagonist: relationship with the antagonist: siblings: relationship with them: parents/step-parents: relationship with them: previous broken relationships: why did it break: what others expect of them: who believes in them: their mentor character/who they look up to: political/religious/other affiliations: what makes them different from every other character: non-human relationships + why: romantic "type" + why: relationship dynamics:

backstory/background

primary emotion towards their past: primary feelings while in their past: where did they grow up: defining incidents: earliest childhood memory: saddest memory: happiest memory: major accomplishments: their opinion on it: notable people in their backstory: effect on them today: trauma: what have they already lost: financial circumstance:

progression

The angel and the devil on your shoulders (they start making out aggressively every time you need them for decision making).

The goal is to make each fictional ethnic group easily identifiable without giving them a color scheme or assigning physical features to them.

Notes on Freeform locs

(based on things I had to add or change to make them look right)