PLEASE can we have a Goose infodump PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Okay okay so I gotta be careful with what I say, since some of the party follows me, Goose is my beloved Pokemon DND Character!
Theyāre a criminal with a heart of gold. Former Team Skull member turned contract thief, Goose has come to Unova with their Pokemon Maverick the Rattata for a fresh start, but things never go to plan, do they?
In coming to Unova theyāve gotten themselves into a rather tangled web, befriending a PI whoās been hired to investigate their last heist and a gaggle of young adults all set on saving the region. Can they untangle themselves from this? Can they atone for their past crimes? Will they break cycles that created them? Well those are all questions hopefully to be answered in the campaign so only time will tell.
A lot of Gooseās story is about identity, the one you choose for yourself and the one thrust upon you violently by society. They were consistently villainised growing up, often for things outside their control such as their class status, their disabilities, their queerness, which meant they were othered socially from their community. Gooseās response? Well if youāre going to view me as a monster, as beneath you, as lesser than or worthless, then I will show you a real monster. They chose a life of crime because it was the identity thrust on them as an impoverished child, and itās a comfortable one to stay in. It almost feels righteous. Almost.
Theyāve internalised the isms thrown at them throughout life, and are now lashing them out and in doing so, enforcing them on themselves and on those around them. Itās not healthy and a part of them is aware of this, but itās something theyāre unwilling of letting go just yet.
Goose will consistently believe and tell others that theyāre not a good person (and believe me, their views on what a good person is are incredibly warped) yet underneath this prickly exterior is a person who naturally tends to helping others, who is kind and whose gut instincts will always be one of comfort. When given the choice, they will help even at great personal cost.
As such theyāre at a significant crossroads, do they follow the path they always have? Or take a chance on their new friends and try to change?
Anyway thatās a little bit about Who Goose is, hereās a little bit about Themes, Motifs and Symbolism:
- A bit about colour. Red is Goose's āHeroā Colour, acting as a sort of visual Leitmotif that follows Goose through their story, as such it is seen in all of Goose's past designs. Red is classically associated with villainy and the dark colours accent this red to reflect the dark path theyāre on with their continued life of crime, however Red is also associated with love and passion, things Goose is in abundance. This contrasts with their belief that they're a bad person.Ā The rest of their colour pallet and look is rather monotone black, a specific reflection of their black and white world view.
- Fashion as armour. Gooseās main outfit is a rather outdated compared to the rest of the party and this is not unintentional! They hold some rather outdated ideas about themselves and refuse vulnerability. As such, they wear heavy layers of clothing, even in the sweltering unovian summer, mirroring the oppressive secrecy they hold of their life of crime. The most important story beats so far in the campaign have had Goose being stripped both literally and metaphorically, either voluntarily or not. An example of such a moment was them removing their coat in a moment of openness with one of the other players and resting the coat over her shoulders. Another was with them buttoning their coat up when they started shutting down a vulnerable conversation. Last session, their coat was stolen from them, placing them in a moment of extreme vulnerability. Seeing them without their coat, or even worse, without their waistcoat is a rarity and it only happens in moments of extreme vulnerability.
- Animals associated with Goose: Rats, Large Black Dogs, Jackals, Black PigeonsĀ and Snakes. These are all animals malignedĀ by society, seen as pests or as "evil" despite this not being the case. This reflects into Goose's own internal struggle with identity especially outside their life of crime.Ā These real animals are then reflected in the Pokemon Goose Catches and owns. Rattata has actually become a favourite Pokemon of mine since exploring the symbolism here with Maverick, Gooseās own Rattata.
- Natural Elements associated with Goose: Large Tropical Storms, Thunder, Volcanic eruptions. These are all natural disasters that mirror Goose's anger, they're loud, they're unpredictable and volatile.Ā Ā
- Mythological figures associated with Goose: Hermes, Eurydice, and Medea. It is all about the tragedy and betrayal.Ā Donāt worry about it! :)
- Art movements associated with Goose: Detective Noir Films, Neo-Noir Mafia Films,Ā Art Deco architecture, J.C Leyendecker's portraiture, Punk rock, Anarchism, Chess, Indie folk rock and Queer art.Ā
- Time, Atonement and Redemption are large narrative themes in Goose's Story; Can you escape your past? Can you ever heal the hurt you caused? Can you change? Can the world?Ā
Anyway Happy to answer further Goose Questions, thank you so much for asking about them, here's a little Goose doodle as a thank you and for reading this Far :)
[Image ID: a drawing of a rather cartoony Goose pointing to themselves, looking quite surprised and pleased to having been asked about. Maverick the Rattata is curled around their neck]