Christian Hendriks
@cerhendriks.bsky.social
Work & volunteering: arts admin, grant writing, museum collections.
Education: MLIS, English lit MA.
General: Ontarian, Anglican, autistic, leftist, TTRPG hobbyist, he/him/his.
Opinions are never wholly one's own, but I'm responsible for mine.
Education: MLIS, English lit MA.
General: Ontarian, Anglican, autistic, leftist, TTRPG hobbyist, he/him/his.
Opinions are never wholly one's own, but I'm responsible for mine.
Pinned
I have not often been asked what I meant by the things I've written, but you can quote me if you like: I meant all the metaphors I intended and several of the ones I didn't.
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
I'm thinking I might solicit some folks from online (if we know each other IRL that's cool too) to test run my rules light Fallout knockoff ttrpg game. It would probably be something like 2-3 sessions online, on a Fri-Sat evening (EST). Not yet sure when but lemme know if I should reach out.
November 20, 2025 at 8:35 PM
I'm thinking I might solicit some folks from online (if we know each other IRL that's cool too) to test run my rules light Fallout knockoff ttrpg game. It would probably be something like 2-3 sessions online, on a Fri-Sat evening (EST). Not yet sure when but lemme know if I should reach out.
I promise this post eventually has to do with ttrpgs, after I talk for a bit first about Bakhtin: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/festivals-ca...
It's about a particular kind of festival, ones in which many norms are suspended, and a use I propose for those festivals in your tabletop game.
It's about a particular kind of festival, ones in which many norms are suspended, and a use I propose for those festivals in your tabletop game.
Carnival, Festivals, and a Thought on Realism
The Carnivalesque Russian philosopher and literary critic Mikhail Bakthin is perhaps best known for his work on "carnival," often now called "the carnivalesque." Bakhtin wasn't ...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev
November 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
I promise this post eventually has to do with ttrpgs, after I talk for a bit first about Bakhtin: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/festivals-ca...
It's about a particular kind of festival, ones in which many norms are suspended, and a use I propose for those festivals in your tabletop game.
It's about a particular kind of festival, ones in which many norms are suspended, and a use I propose for those festivals in your tabletop game.
I do think that Borges has more to teach us about cosmic horror and weird fiction than any single founder of the genre does. If that genre cluster is something you want to play in, I highly recommend you read "The Book of Sand" and "The Zahir."
more weird fiction needs to involve acknowledging that Borges exists
I have another post up on my ttrpg blog to do with the cosmic horror / post-apocalyptic setting: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/hroumlnir-an...
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
November 24, 2025 at 4:17 AM
I do think that Borges has more to teach us about cosmic horror and weird fiction than any single founder of the genre does. If that genre cluster is something you want to play in, I highly recommend you read "The Book of Sand" and "The Zahir."
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
There was a brief but weird trend at my high school of girls wearing lizards as earrings. Like. Live, unharmed, wild lizards. You just catch one and pick it up and wave a finger a bit and then hold it to your earlobe and they’ll bite and dangle all day. I do not recommend this but. it was a thing
The alligator lizard promptly bit the shit out of my finger.
November 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
There was a brief but weird trend at my high school of girls wearing lizards as earrings. Like. Live, unharmed, wild lizards. You just catch one and pick it up and wave a finger a bit and then hold it to your earlobe and they’ll bite and dangle all day. I do not recommend this but. it was a thing
Oh no, I used "uncertain" twice in the same sentence, and someone quote-posted before I could catch it. Excuse me while I cringe myself into pretzel.
I have another post up on my ttrpg blog to do with the cosmic horror / post-apocalyptic setting: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/hroumlnir-an...
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
Hronir and History
"The time is out of joint."\
— William Shakespeare, , Act I, scene 5
The White Pages Societ...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev
November 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Oh no, I used "uncertain" twice in the same sentence, and someone quote-posted before I could catch it. Excuse me while I cringe myself into pretzel.
I have another post up on my ttrpg blog to do with the cosmic horror / post-apocalyptic setting: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/hroumlnir-an...
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
Hronir and History
"The time is out of joint."\
— William Shakespeare, , Act I, scene 5
The White Pages Societ...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev
November 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I have another post up on my ttrpg blog to do with the cosmic horror / post-apocalyptic setting: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/hroumlnir-an...
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
Hrönir are anomalous objects of uncertain origin that suggest false pasts, making history and record-keeping more uncertain than they already are.
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
y'know, if tech companies weren't so fired up to call every single thing "AI" it would be a lot easier to distinguish "ML spam filter that is well-sandboxed and tuned on your emails" from "giant context and IP-eroding foundation model that makes people paranoid and unhappy"
since the "google is now training gemini on your email contents" thing keeps bumping around here: it's _not happening_. I say this not to defend google but because I know a lot of people that have broken their filtering and made their lives much more annoying from sheer misinformation.
The malwarebytes Google opting-your-emails-into-ai-training thing is not true. The post is based on one bad tweet.
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
November 23, 2025 at 12:58 PM
y'know, if tech companies weren't so fired up to call every single thing "AI" it would be a lot easier to distinguish "ML spam filter that is well-sandboxed and tuned on your emails" from "giant context and IP-eroding foundation model that makes people paranoid and unhappy"
I was pleased to see @eldritchtheatre.bsky.social's MACBETH this afternoon. The inclusion of stage magic reminded me of what live performance can do: the knowledge that it's a real trick somehow makes it more striking, more potent.
eldritchtheatre.ca/macbeth2025/
eldritchtheatre.ca/macbeth2025/
MacBeth: A Tale Told by an Idiot! ‣ Eldritch Theatre
eldritchtheatre.ca
November 23, 2025 at 4:34 AM
I was pleased to see @eldritchtheatre.bsky.social's MACBETH this afternoon. The inclusion of stage magic reminded me of what live performance can do: the knowledge that it's a real trick somehow makes it more striking, more potent.
eldritchtheatre.ca/macbeth2025/
eldritchtheatre.ca/macbeth2025/
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
since the "google is now training gemini on your email contents" thing keeps bumping around here: it's _not happening_. I say this not to defend google but because I know a lot of people that have broken their filtering and made their lives much more annoying from sheer misinformation.
The malwarebytes Google opting-your-emails-into-ai-training thing is not true. The post is based on one bad tweet.
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
Google denies ‘misleading’ reports of Gmail using your emails to train AI
Google says “we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model.”
www.theverge.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:30 PM
since the "google is now training gemini on your email contents" thing keeps bumping around here: it's _not happening_. I say this not to defend google but because I know a lot of people that have broken their filtering and made their lives much more annoying from sheer misinformation.
I have lately gotten around to watching TWIN PEAKS at long last, and I enjoy how weird it is. I'm midway though Season 2 and it's genuinely such a pleasure to see something so bizarre.
November 22, 2025 at 5:19 AM
I have lately gotten around to watching TWIN PEAKS at long last, and I enjoy how weird it is. I'm midway though Season 2 and it's genuinely such a pleasure to see something so bizarre.
My go-to joke here is that, with each sequel, the phrase "God's Not Dead" sounds more and more like an update on a terminal patient. The word "yet" lingers.
I get how franchises work, but if they want to keep doing this, they should go the KNIVES OUT route, with each film getting its own title.
I get how franchises work, but if they want to keep doing this, they should go the KNIVES OUT route, with each film getting its own title.
November 17, 2025 at 7:37 PM
My go-to joke here is that, with each sequel, the phrase "God's Not Dead" sounds more and more like an update on a terminal patient. The word "yet" lingers.
I get how franchises work, but if they want to keep doing this, they should go the KNIVES OUT route, with each film getting its own title.
I get how franchises work, but if they want to keep doing this, they should go the KNIVES OUT route, with each film getting its own title.
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy
November 16, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy
But does it make you weigh more than the weight of the tunic?
The beholder was carrying a hide tunic that used to belong to a ghoul. When you wear it you weigh more.
November 16, 2025 at 7:04 PM
But does it make you weigh more than the weight of the tunic?
Being in a Discord with a bunch of youths makes it clear how hard it can be to communicate with the ways the political landscape has been different post-2016 without also losing sight of the ways politics post-2016 has been continuous with politics pre-2016.
November 12, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Being in a Discord with a bunch of youths makes it clear how hard it can be to communicate with the ways the political landscape has been different post-2016 without also losing sight of the ways politics post-2016 has been continuous with politics pre-2016.
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
Brother Gregor never spoke and often spooked the neophytes with his appearance, but he was a gentle soul and a phenomenal cook and knew more ways to prepare a fish than the abbot knew hymns
November 11, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Brother Gregor never spoke and often spooked the neophytes with his appearance, but he was a gentle soul and a phenomenal cook and knew more ways to prepare a fish than the abbot knew hymns
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
Saw a post on Reddit about how a magical girl OSR game could work. I'm not the person to write it but I do like the idea of a game where you play unprepared high school kids becoming emotional wrecks fighting monsters every week as they wrestle with their destinies, with a roll-under system.
November 12, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Saw a post on Reddit about how a magical girl OSR game could work. I'm not the person to write it but I do like the idea of a game where you play unprepared high school kids becoming emotional wrecks fighting monsters every week as they wrestle with their destinies, with a roll-under system.
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
On my #ttrpg blog this week I talk about my post-apocalyptic / weird fiction setting as a Fate Core game and the changes I'm making so that it works, including adjusting the skill list and adding psychological traits.
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
The Lakelands As A Fate Core Setting
When I first started working on the Lakelands, I planned to make my own system for it, until I eventually realized how much time that would take and how litt...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev
November 10, 2025 at 5:16 AM
On my #ttrpg blog this week I talk about my post-apocalyptic / weird fiction setting as a Fate Core game and the changes I'm making so that it works, including adjusting the skill list and adding psychological traits.
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
On my #ttrpg blog this week I talk about my post-apocalyptic / weird fiction setting as a Fate Core game and the changes I'm making so that it works, including adjusting the skill list and adding psychological traits.
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
The Lakelands As A Fate Core Setting
When I first started working on the Lakelands, I planned to make my own system for it, until I eventually realized how much time that would take and how litt...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev
November 10, 2025 at 5:16 AM
On my #ttrpg blog this week I talk about my post-apocalyptic / weird fiction setting as a Fate Core game and the changes I'm making so that it works, including adjusting the skill list and adding psychological traits.
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/the-lakeland...
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶
November 7, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶
I don't know that I consider "Rules that get out of the way" to be a red flag, but I do think good rules actually create player agency rather than inhibit it, and I wish this was more widely understood.
The rules should not get out of your way; the rules should help you make choices that matter.
The rules should not get out of your way; the rules should help you make choices that matter.
"Rules that get out of the way", for instance, is a bit of a red flag for me now when someone is advertising a game. I don't want rules that I can ignore, I want rules that I wouldn't *want* to ignore!
November 3, 2025 at 9:14 PM
I don't know that I consider "Rules that get out of the way" to be a red flag, but I do think good rules actually create player agency rather than inhibit it, and I wish this was more widely understood.
The rules should not get out of your way; the rules should help you make choices that matter.
The rules should not get out of your way; the rules should help you make choices that matter.
If I was GMing a different kind of D&D game, I'd be tempted to print off all of @dndencroad.bsky.social's posts and use them in order instead of rolling on random encounter tables (for road rather than wilderness travel).
November 3, 2025 at 1:05 AM
If I was GMing a different kind of D&D game, I'd be tempted to print off all of @dndencroad.bsky.social's posts and use them in order instead of rolling on random encounter tables (for road rather than wilderness travel).
Oh, *this* is a neat coincidence!
November 2, 2025 at 5:27 AM
Oh, *this* is a neat coincidence!
Reposted by Christian Hendriks
Bi-lingual Canadian Pro-Women's Ordination Universalist Calvinist be like,
"Yeah, I'm TULIP
Total Depravity of Man
Unconditional election
L'ordination des femmes
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the Saints"
"Yeah, I'm TULIP
Total Depravity of Man
Unconditional election
L'ordination des femmes
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the Saints"
October 28, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Bi-lingual Canadian Pro-Women's Ordination Universalist Calvinist be like,
"Yeah, I'm TULIP
Total Depravity of Man
Unconditional election
L'ordination des femmes
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the Saints"
"Yeah, I'm TULIP
Total Depravity of Man
Unconditional election
L'ordination des femmes
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the Saints"
I have a second post up today on my #ttrpg blog, this one in response to this month's RPG Blog Carnival about other worlds; I talk about my attempts to make the Feywild, D&D's version of Fairyland, really feel like another, more magical world: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/making-it-fe...
Making It Fey, Making It Wild
For better or worse, my main 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign tends to shy away from overly fantastic setting details. Of course it is kitchen-sink fantasy using staples from the franchise:
advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev
October 27, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I have a second post up today on my #ttrpg blog, this one in response to this month's RPG Blog Carnival about other worlds; I talk about my attempts to make the Feywild, D&D's version of Fairyland, really feel like another, more magical world: advantageonarcana.bearblog.dev/making-it-fe...