FYI: Alex will be on Discovery RPG, hosted on the Nerdsmith twitch channel, Monday November 20th at 6pm PST / 9pm EST! Don’t miss it!)

Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to two of our contributors, James Mendez Hodes and Bloomer!

James Mendez Hodes is probably best known for his game of samurai action and drama, Thousand Arrows - described by a friend of mine as “the best time I’ve ever had at a con.” I hope so, anyway, because it’s a good game and he’s a talented designer. 

There’s a chance though, that you know Mendez more as a cultural consultant, and from his writing about everything from Orcs to fortune cookies to thoughtful representation of fictional religions. Mendez plays many roles, but one of them is The Guy Who Carefully and Insightfully Explains to the TTRPG Industry If and How Certain Things Are or Aren’t Racist. I'm not making a joke about that - Mendez has contributed more than anyone can really measure to the state of TTRPGs today.

I’ve worked with Mendez before in that capacity, and I’ve always found it an enriching experience. But I also decided after our last consulting gig that I wanted to work with him just, like, as a fellow designer and writer. So of course I invited him to pitch a pairing. 

Mendez wrote a piece called Taxi Dance, about a Filipino labourer and a white nightclub dancer falling in love in 1934 California. It opens like this:

I would describe this as not fucking around. Mendez carefully establishes the stakes of a very real historical context - including anti-miscegenation laws and the continuing threat of racialized violence - and then gives us two loveable, interesting people whose connection feels like a single note of grace in the midst of it all.

And then Bloomer captures that moment: 

Backers can see the full image below!

Naturally I wanted a Filipine artist to work on this, but I also needed someone who could capture expression, realistic texture (as you’ll learn, fashion is surprisingly important in this setting), and the tension of a stolen moment. Bloomer fit the bill. 

Take a look at their instagram and you’ll instantly know what I mean.

I am delighted to have Bloomer on what is their first TTRPG commission. Bloomer handled it with sensitivity and style, giving a gorgeous romantic vision to the painful context in which our characters meet. 

I love this pairing for some of the same reasons I love Jason’s Psikusha - reminders that love doesn’t need any particular conditions to bloom; it grows like roses in a garden or like dandelions in the sidewalk, and it’s beautiful every time. 

<3
Alex