Roxanne Meredith Stone
| "I’m sorry, Steven, but I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit by while the living thing we created ended up... sealed away. ... or worse." |
| —Pg. 265 "The Unspoken Decision", Chapter 5: "The Talk" |
Dr. Roxanne Meredith Stone is a human scientist; more specifically, a genetic researcher for the Dynamene City Research Facility. She—along with her wife, Steven Collins—was chosen specifically by Dr. Audrey Steele to work on the Lambda Project — the same project that would ultimately result in Atticus's creation. She is in the tertiary main characters group, paired with Steven.
She currently makes appearances in flashback chapters, though her status in present day is unknown; it is assumed by Atticus that she is taking part in the effort to recapture him and Gamma.
Appearance
Roxanne is a short, stout woman with dark skin and afro-textured hair. Her hair has a signature swirled coil that curls upwards; her sister, Lily Stone, has a similar hair curl that coils the opposite way. She is always seen wearing small silver hoop earrings, and a silver wedding band on her left ring finger, representing her marriage to Steven. She has thick, rounded eyebrows, and her features are generally curvy. Like all humans in the series, her true eye color is unknown due to her species' lack of magic; her pupils are instead stylized as black.
She is introduced in "The Talk" wearing a bright pink turtleneck sweater with her lab coat worn over it, light blue jeans, a black belt, and white sneakers. In "Little Lab of Horrors!" she appears wearing a loose long-sleeved bright red button-up with yellow polka dots.
When at home, Roxanne has appeared wearing plaid pajama pants and a black tank top, something that has been thus far gleaned from extra material such as "Steven, Roxanne, and the Baby Blues", as well as the opening of Haphazard!. She wears a silk cap when she sleeps to protect her hair.
Personality
| A genetic scientist, and one of Atticus's co-creators. She has a soft and friendly persona, but is unafraid of asserting herself; nothing is over until she says it is, and she'll find the silver lining during strife if it kills her. Much like Atticus, she has an appreciation for puns." |
| —From Roxanne's official character description. |
Roxanne is optimistic, patient, and fun-loving. Like her son, Atticus Stone, she prefers a lighthearted, easygoing atmosphere and enjoys a good joke. Her usage of humor occasionally crops up during times of stress, seemingly as a form of catharsis.
She has a strong sense of responsibility; she eagerly and quickly steps up to adopt Atticus after the Lambda Project goes awry, and in Haphazard!, she scolds Lily's tendency to take "shortcuts", as well as her avoidance in admitting to their mother that she failed her job interview. Typically easygoing, once she has made up her mind about something, she doesn't back down from her decisions without conflict. When Steven raises concerns about adopting Atticus (albeit equally aggressively), Roxanne is quick to shut down the conversation.
There is an element of impulsiveness to her decisions. She admits in "The Talk" that she did not actively consult Steven about the outcome of Lambda, nor did she discuss the possibility of adoption beyond a seemingly passing comment. In "Steven, Roxanne, and the Baby Blues", Roxanne arrogantly assumes taking care of Atticus won't be that hard, proclaiming, "We're decently clever scientists, right? [...] Well, what's a baby compared to the work we did to make him? We're adults, and we can handle a baby on our own!", only to be met with days on end of an infant Atticus crying because he didn't have the right baby formula.
Relationships
Steven Collins
| "You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. And like I said… I’ll always be your biggest fan." |
| —Pg. 242 "Dragon On and On", Chapter 6: "Little Lab of Horrors!" |
Roxanne is generally unphased by Steven's more "unpleasant" qualities. In fact, she indulges these traits at times, as the two frequently finish each other's sentences and speak in unison, especially when expressing annoyance or exasperation with other characters. They often banter solely amongst themselves in small squabbles; in "That Electrifying Feeling!", Roxanne wonders to herself whether Steven is truly upset over most of the things she rants about, and sure enough, Steven calmly drops the bickering once she feels Roxanne has had the last word.
She has a knack for getting under Steven's skin. Roxanne pushes her buttons, teasing that she "never married her for her looks", and easily causing Steven to become flustered when she calls her singing cute. She catches Steven off-guard by simply keeping a level head in response to Steven's dramatics.
As Roxanne is just as strong-willed as Steven, she shows no hesitation pushing back when she disagrees with her. In fact, Roxanne seems able to get the last word if she loses her temper. Following their argument over adopting Atticus in "The Talk", Roxanne admits that she rushed through it without properly considering Steven's feelings. The two remain willing to communicate, although as of late, they appear to avoid speaking at length about matters regarding Atticus.
Atticus Stone
| "“Lambda” is not a name. It’s a letter. And I like the name Atticus." |
| —Pg. 263 "What's In A Name", Chapter 5: "The Talk" |
Roxanne cares for Atticus deeply. She eagerly takes on the role of parent after the failure of the project that made him, and as of the flashback in Chapter 6, she and Atticus seem to have a strong, caring bond. She is keen on answering his questions and teaching him new things, as seen on Pg. 292, "Biological Advantage, and is quick to jump to his defense when others speak ill of him. Notably, on Pg. 298, "Unlikely Savior, she asks a downed Steven if Atticus is okay while lightly scolding her partner for letting the filing cabinet fall over in the first place.
Unlike Steven, Roxanne is thoroughly charmed by Atticus's various quirks. She refers to his having three eyes as "cute" and watches him in adoration as he purrs in comfort after he is brought home as a baby. Finding out he is interested in karaoke as she and Steven used to be seems particularly exciting to her, too. She is more than happy to indulge his interests on her own time. That said, she is less than thrilled that a young Atticus chooses to practice gliding off the furniture in the house.
It appears as though Roxanne is where Atticus got his love of puns from. In Chapter 6, she fires off several of her own even when no one is listening, just as Atticus tends to do.
Dr. Steele
| "I can’t claim to know what she’s thinking, but she’s not random. She has a reason for everything… even if only a higher power could possibly hope to understand it." |
| —Pg. 324 "Dr. Steele's Crimes", Chapter 6: "Little Lab of Horrors!" |
Roxanne tries to be forgiving toward Dr. Steele's more eccentric tendencies, but finds herself coming up short. Her incredulity at Dr. Steele's open willingness to observe her staff members' stamina in high-stress scenarios and alternative methods of getting "results" causes Roxanne a great deal of frustration.
Normally, Dr. Steele doesn't seem to defer to any other character, but she does emphasize to Atticus that he should not use the Flamethrower technique she taught him (that Roxanne expressed she not teach him) any way that will "lead to Dr. Stone sending [her] a cleaning bill", showing that she is at the very least unwilling to get into an altercation with Roxanne. When Roxanne confronts her about her reasoning for sending her and Steven into the greenhouse, Dr. Steele nervously tries to worm her way out of it, and so too when Roxanne finds out about the Flamethrower tutoring.
Gwen Rose
|
Gwen: I could see Dr. Collins falling for it, but you’re much better than that! Roxanne: There is someone sick right now. The same way I’m sick to death of your backtalk. I don’t have time for your games. Get out of my way. Now. |
| —Gwen and Roxanne, Pg. 414 "Appeal to Worse Nature", Chapter 6: "Little Lab of Horrors!" |
Roxanne has little patience for Gwen. Limited interactions with her show derision with her behavior and with her attitude and disrespect toward Steven. When Gwen stands between Roxanne, Dr. Steele, and Opal (because the latter was the one who caused the events of the chapter to transpire in the first place) and the Antidote they need to cure Steven of her poisoning, Roxanne seeks to end the conflict swiftly by clearly stating her intention to move past Gwen (wielding a shovel) whether she likes it or not. Gwen chooses to step aside.