DETWERKS

I've decided not to continue the D&D CREWS art series but I will keep the "Red Team" artwork up. Good or bad, may you get what you deserve.

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EATING: Honey Roasted Almonds.

DRINKING: AriZona Green Tea w/ Ginseng.

WATCHING: Ghost in the Shell (1995) AMV with Ghost in the Shell SAC prequel (2002) music.

I was on my way to the poolside vending machine when I ran into Autumn, this girl in my complex. It was rare seeing each other outside. She was riding her bike with a white dog on a leash leading the way. Autumn and I said hi to each other while the pillow-sized dog stopped to sniff my shoe. I reached down to give it a little scratch on the head.

"You ever had a dog before?" I asked, straightening back up.

"A long time ago when I was young."

Autumn was still young; 13 or 14, I couldn't remember which...

"My mom said he got old and died," she casually added.

"Yeah, too bad they don't live as long as we do."

"I know it'll be the same with Paisley, but I'm going to love her anyway."

Good girl.

I told Autumn that I was moving out to greener pastures early tomorrow. The crestfallen look on her face was brief and then replaced by enthusiastic curiosity...I knew that wasn't easy. I answered a few questions ranging from where I was going to if I could name one of my video game characters after her so I'd remember her. I took a moment to kneel down and pet the dog one last time. It closed its eyes, quietly enjoying the attention.

"I'm glad you're prepared to take care of your dog and outlive it," I said, continuing to observe the little animal. "You know, if there's ever a time she gets sick or hurt real bad and has to go to sleep, stay with her. It's gonna suck and it'll be sad, but this one's gonna be there for you her whole life. Don't let her last minutes be spent looking for you."

I was sure Autumn could handle that bit of advice by the way she talked about her other dog and how calmly and confidently she'd talked about this one. Plus, this wasn't the first time we had a serious talk about anything. As I rose, I saw Autumn's eyes had teared up. To my surprise, she got off her bike and gave me a long hug.

Good girl...

When she pulled away wiping her eyes, I said:

"Alright, time for you and Paisley to get back to what you were doing."

"Yeah...okay," replied Autumn with a sad smile. I gave her a solid look of approval for strength, caught a glimpse of the sadness start to fade, and more of that familiar happiness of hers slightly come back.

We parted, waving our last goodbyes but not saying another word.

DRINKING: Dr. Pepper

LISTENING TO: Bobba Fett vs Mandalorian Mix

Originally, I didn't want to upload the image and video of this artwork. This was designated to be the first of a series called D&D CREWS. It was to consist of art commemorating great times, with great peeps, with 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; a role-playing game we played as kids and teens back in the mid/late 90's.

There were messed up things happening this year to some of the players behind the characters meant to be in the series and there were messed up things happening to Dungeons & Dragons now. These things just made me want to delete the files, forget the series, binge on Chili's takeout, alcohol, and wuxia lol. A friend talked me into posting—for art's sake, if not to ensure I didn't throw away hours of my life—so here:

There was a last minute change in musical artists I'd forgotten to reflect in the intro but it was noted in the YouTube description field of the video (amazing musicians of The Witcher III, PERCIVAL, had been included). Character backgrounds at the end were brief either because I couldn't remember all of their exploits or I just didn't trust the internet to not steal them because they were so epic. I included race and class details below though since they're common information and no big deal.

JEAL (elven thief) created by Konrad.

Damage/Utility

MYTHOS (elven mage) created by Sean.

Damage/Support.

Elves, such as Jeal and Mythos, are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. Among many things, elves have extremely long lives and are resistant to certain magical effects.

Burglars, bandits, cutpurses, and other criminals typically fall into the thief class, but so do individuals who prefer to think of themselves as professional treasure seekers, explorers, and investigators. Theives like Jeal have abilities that allow them to move quietly, pick locks, and disarm traps. They're also skilled at sneaking around and stealing things without being detected. In combat, they tend to rely on surprise attacks and hit-and-run tactics to take down opponents. They also have special abilities that allow them to backstab enemies in order to deliver significantly greater damage than they're normally capable of.

Mages are often eager and impatient to become the powerful masters of the arcane they believe themselves to be. Beginning early, they pursue reckless powers without any official training or restraint, simply picking up pieces of whatever lore and techniques they find appealing. Some are eventually able to wield great power that could rival that of their more studious wizard/sorcerer brethren; Mythos was one of those mages. Like typical magic-users, mages hang back in a fight so they can bend the rules of reality by casting spells. Examples are (but not limited to): becoming invisible, gaining the ability to fly, reading minds, passing through walls, shooting bolts of lightning, and summoning deadly creatures into the battlefield.

ALAYO (half-elven fighter/thief) created by Crystal.

Main Damage/Off-Tank.

Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-elves like Alayo combine what some say are the best qualities of their parents: human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves. Many half-elves, unable to fit into either society, choose lives of solitary wandering or join with other misfits and outcasts in the adventuring life.

Alayo was not only a skilled thief, but also a fighter; a well-trained warrior who not only knew the basics of martial combat, but also specialized in one or more styles of fighting to become particularly dangerous. Fighters are found either on the front lines of battle or hanging back to protect a target.

Lycanthropy is a curse that afflicts individuals with a typically detrimental ability to shape-shift as well as gain new traits and abilities. The curse is spread two ways: bite/tusk attacks from a lycanthrope not in human form or being born into the curse as a child of a lycanthrope. Most cursed humanoids will give in and allow themselves to be permanently changed by the curse; becoming horrific predators feeding on the weak. Others will try to ignore or suppress it, tormented by nightmares of the times they lost control of the beast within them. There are very few who've mastered their curse enough to change at will, but Alayo was one who came very close.

SADOUL (human cleric) created by Mieszko.

Support/Damage

RAZ (human paladin) created by Ramon.

Tank/Damage

Humans, like Sadoul and Raz, are the youngest of the common races; late to arrive on the world stage and short-lived compared to elves, dwarves, and dragons. However, they are the most adaptable and ambitious of the races, widely varying in tastes, morals, and customs. Humans live fully in the present, making them suited for the adventurer’s life. Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans commonly mingle with other races. Though they may not be close to many, they get along with almost anyone.

Divine magic, as the name suggests, is the power of gods flowing from themselves and into the world. Clerics, like Sadoul, are chosen conduits for that power, manifesting it in the form of miracles. They're able to cast holy spells that aid and protect allies and harm enemies. Most clerics become pure healers and serve within the confines of their abbey or town. Others become capable warriors and use their holy powers with their martial prowess to help others outside of their base location. When a cleric takes up a life of adventure, it’s usually because their god demands it. Clerics have a unique ability that gives them a chance to drive away undead horrors (ghosts, vampires, mummies, etc) in their vicinity and, in some cases, utterly destroying them where they stand. In batttle, clerics can either be in the midst of the chaos, providing support to allies around them, or hanging back to protect a target.

Paladins, like Raz, are elite heroes who uphold justice and righteousness, hunting the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Unlike clerics, the paladin's powers don't come from a god but rather come from the oath they swear to a cause or individual/s. Examples include swearing an oath to always defend the helpless, an oath to a certain god, an oath to themselves, an oath to their ancestors, an oath to the one they love, an oath to all the orphans who died locked in a burning church because they were too late to save them... In that moment of tremendous sorrow/rage/clarity, the individual's will, spirit, and conviction become so powerful that the universe bends to it; manifesting in the new champion superior combat prowess and (at a small scale) powers of a cleric. Paladins are typically found on the front lines of battle, holding the line with their physical might and boosting the effectiveness of surrounding allies with holy auras and divine spells.

I don't know if I want to continue with the series and I'm not going to talk about the real life drama causing the hesitation...for now at least. However, I can tell you about some other real life drama and that would be the one involving Dungeons & Dragons.

D&D has received an increase in attention and popularity since the early 2000s; recently from tv series, but largely due to independent content creators using the Open Gaming License (OGL 1.0a). It's been around for many years and allowed fans to make content based off of Dungeons & Dragons and keep any profits they managed to earn. The OGL was created and established out of good will to foster the tabletop gaming community and it did just that. As a whole, the fans made a lot of money, are still making a lot of money, and immensely grew the community.

Unfortunately, corporate scum in charge of D&D (HASBRO and WizardsOfTheCoast) got pissed that the fans were doing a better job generating profit than they were. HASBRO/WOTC set out to make changes so that they would completely screw over the community that helped keep the game alive (with an OGL version 1.1)...it got leaked...people got pissed...and WOTC remained dead silent.

Further details on this version 1.1 HASBRO/WOTC tried to slip under the community radar are provided by well-known content creator, DnD Shorts:

Too many days later, WOTC tried to play off OGL version 1.1 as a "draft," which the community didn't come close to falling for. D&D BEYOND is a website that enables players to create/store characters and have access to virtual rulebooks & dice on their mobile devices rather than going old-school and using real books, real dice, paper, and pencil. Paying for a subscription allowed extra and useful features at a fair price last time I used it. D&D BEYOND was where HASBRO/WOTC were releasing official revisions/responses to the community and the site was also one of the most profitable assets HASBRO/WOTC had...until the backlash.

Outrage has been swift, merciless, and is ongoing by both regular online fans and popular online D&D content creators (such as Indestructoboy and also DND Shorts from above). Everyone started unsubscribing, especially on Friday the 13th—the initial deadline the corrupted OGL 1.1 was trying to scare the active community to sign by—just to hammer a special "Fuck You" to the foreheads of execs and get their point across. It's gotten to the point where even mainstream media news (Gizmodo, The Guardian, CNBC, Vice News, and Forbes) have started to cover the battle between Dungeons & Dragons execs and the D&D community; currently tied to the hashtag #OpenDND.

UPDATE - WinglessValkyrie gives insight on released OGL version 1.2 draft:

The "other restaurants" he's talking about at 0:12 is in regards to the card game, Magic: The Gathering, which HASBRO/WOTC greed apparently left in ruins last year and their community is still trying to recover.

Part of me is sad that it's come to this...but a part of me also feels that my childhood is under attack. If the thing I used to love has been twisted into something evil, then to the ground it must burn.

Got some improved combat outfits and Captain Marvel footage for Midnight Suns. Cover designs made in the photo booth are below with the video. I meant for the Threat Level of this mission to be on "NORMAL" because Illyana and Carol were under-powered. It wasn't until the end of the mission that I realized I'd accidentally left the setting on "HEROIC II" (which explained why I almost lost two-and-a-half minutes in).

Stats and decks as of this entry:

CAPTAIN MARVEL

• Total Enemies Taken Out: 326

• Most Enemy KOs on a turn: 9

• Most Enemy KOs on a mission: 17

• Knocked Out by Enemies: 12

Carol's a primary damage dealer and is most effective when the hand has a lot of her cards. She's definitely the shiniest hero I got...I like the way she explodes with power when going Binary (an alternate form of hers that grants increased durability and damage output).

* One Step Ahead+ Gain Heroism and gain Capt Marvel cards.

* Cosmic Ray+ Damages & bleeds a target. Has a chance to provide counter-

attacking.

* Knee Strike+ A taunt attack that damages and increases ability to block.

* Quick Attack+ A quick taunt attack that knocks back when she goes Binary.

* Bring It On+ Taunt enemies in an area and gain counter-attack.

* Regroup+ Saved for emergencies or when injured in Binary form.

* Photon Beam+ Damage and Taunt enemies in a line with a chance to make them

vulnerable.

* SUPERNOVA+ My NOPE ability when I start getting over-whelmed by numbers. This

is what turned the tide after Illyana and Nico went down.

NICO

• Total Enemies Taken Out: 397

• Most Enemy KOs on a turn: 7

• Most Enemy KOs on a mission: 10

• Knocked Out by Enemies: 27

Nico's still a badass support, only running a slightly different deck this time around.

* Witchfire+ (2) Damages a random enemy, if enemy gets KO'd continues to

another random enemy to try for a KO, and so on for up to 3

attacks.

* Blood for Blood+ (2) Damages and bleeds. On KO, restores health to Nico or an ally.

* Blood Magic+ Applies lifesteal and resistance to a hero. Hero also gains either

Strengthened, Counter, or Fast buff.

* Witchstorm+ After targeting an enemy, damage them or random nearby

enemies with four strong magical attacks.

* Restore+ Restore all health to a hero and apply Resist.

* CRACK THE SKY+ My FUCK-ALL-YALL ability when the team has high Heroism and

facing large numbers. This is what sealed the come-back victory

after Carol used her SUPERNOVA legendary.

MAGIK

• Total Enemies Taken Out: 248

• Most Enemy KOs on a turn: 10

• Most Enemy KOs on a mission: 12

• Knocked Out by Enemies: 22

Normally, I only use Illyana with Captain America and Hunter because they've been the best at keeping enemies off her so she can work. She used to be one of the most powerful heroes I had, but now Illyana, Spider-Man, and Iron Man, need to be sent out more often to catch up with everyone else.

* Limbo's Grasp+ Cause all enemies passing through Portals to take damage.

* Limbo Portal+ (2) Do you want something for more lulz or something neat & useful? да.

* Quick Soulslash+ (2) Damages, knocks back, and works with Limbo Portals.

* Kick+ Damage & knockback ability that can work with Limbo Portals.

* Gather+ Nuke that also has a good chance to bleed targeted enemies.

* Banish+ Can be used to protect an ally or cause an enemy to lose their turn.

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It's been mostly a graphic design kind of year.

Good or bad, may you get what you deserve.

EATING: Crispy Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

DRINKING: Mojito (cocktail).

WATCHING: A fond 2015 video by artist Don Hertzfeldt (now free for all to see).

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