How Fartbuckle inspired heartbreaking memes with his sacrifice
Fartbuckle is a goblin character from an alleged game of Dungeons & Dragons who was introduced to the world via a viral TikTok video. The 17-second video seems to be either summarizing a real game experience or making fun of the way the "dungeon master" who runs the game will sometimes come to the players' rescue with a deus ex machina.
It's unclear what exactly inspired the original TikTok entry, but it went viral with over 7.1 million views in less than two weeks, and now everyone is talking about Fartbuckle.
Who is ‘Fartbuckle The Goblin’?
In the video, the goblin by the name of Fartbuckle comes to the rescue of a D&D party about to be wiped by a difficult boss battle, sacrificing himself to save the player characters. He is described as one of the players' companions—a non-player character (NPC) who would have been controlled by the dungeon master.
@tumbleweed2319 Fartbuckle. #drawings #storytelling #dnd #fartbuckle ♬ original sound - Griffin
The TikTok shows simple drawings of a tired and frustrated game group who perk up when the DM reminds them of Fartbuckle. More sketches show a simple goblin in a cape, determination on his face as he approaches the magic crystal enemy and being obliterated as he reaches out to stop it.
""I… save… friends…" he says with final breath. "Fartbuckle… is… happy…"
The tragic moment is set to the dramatic climax of the Childish Gambino song "Lithonia," which may have heightened viewers' attachment to the heroic Fartbuckle. Even Donald Glover himself responded to the meme with his own TikTok post expressing our grief.
@donaldglover he fought until the end. #fartbuckle #dnd ♬ Lithonia - Childish Gambino
Fartbuckle origins
TikTok user @tumbleweed2319 posted the original video to their account on July 20, 2024. Some have searched for a deeper meaning or backstory to Fartbuckle, but those familiar with tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons get the joke.
In these games, the entire party can be killed by a hard boss fight or other difficult situations due to either bad luck, bad choices by the players, or poor planning by the DM (or a combination of these factors). In traditional D&D rules, this is a "too bad, so sad" situation in which the players lose all the hard work they put into their characters.
To keep playing, they must either create new characters or have other players revive them if any are still alive. Either way, it's a pain. New rules have allowed DMs to rescue their group with methods referred to as "failing forward." Not everyone is a fan of this practice, and it's inspired quite a few jokes on the subject.
Whether or not Fartbuckle was ever a real character with a throwaway name or just part of the gag remains a mystery. Some have claimed that he was a real character, but without confirmation from his creators, we may never know for sure.
Fartbuckle memes
Perhaps due to the funny name or the comedic quality of the video, Fartbuckle quickly became a meme. Viewers expressed experiencing rapid attachment to the goblin and "mourned" his death in the comments.
Soon, other TikTokers were making videos about Fartbuckle, either as tribute or reactions to the hero's death. Some made "POV" and similar gags about the deaths of beloved side characters to the same Childish Gambino song. The creator of the goblin responded to the fervor by making three more dramatic entries about him in the days following his introduction to the internet.
@tumbleweed2319 Fartbuckle always did like ladybugs. Maybe they reminded him of home. #animation #storytelling #dnd #fartbuckle ♬ A gentle and sad song played live on a classical guitar(1495659) - ishinuki
It wasn't long before the name Fartbuckle was gracing the For You Page of baffled TikTok users everywhere, ultimately increasing interest in the meme.
Examples
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