#BARBARIAN THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR

[retrocgads]

UK 1987

#UK1987 #PALACE SOFTWARE #ACTION #C64 #SPECTRUM #AMSTRAD #BBC #ATARIst #AMIGA #IBM #APPLE #ELECTRON #ATARI400/800 #DEATH SWORD #BARBARIAN THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR

[owenthetokencishet]

Warhammer 40,000 as a universe is trying to do the impossible.

Warhammer 40,000 is, broadly, a grim satire of fascism. It takes the fascist's worldview, all the xenophobia, conspiracism, hypernationalism, and militarism, and amplifies it to a galactically ridiculous scale.

"The Imperium of Man has ruled for 10,000 years, warring endlessly against heretics, traitors, aberrant humans, and aliens galore, all of whom are so wildly different from humanity that peaceful coexistence will simply never be possible. The only emotion stronger than our hatred of them is their hatred of us. So, we war. We war and war and battle and slaughter until the end of days. We throw our sacred human form, untainted by mutation or the hideous sciences of our ancestors, against the barbarian hordes by the millions, most of us dying in the process. We revere and worship the warriors elevated by the hand of our divine god-emperor, the apotheosis of our glorious, eternal state. These warriors, reborn in the Emperor's image with His sacred eugenics, to become the ultimate fighting men. And yes, they are all men. We are never safe, while we must constantly be defending our borders from our enemies, we must also be ever-vigilant within. Anybody, from our comrades on the front lines to our commanders, tech-priests, preachers, or politicians, could be a traitor. Nobody can ever TRULY be trusted, and those who truly are heretics, must not only be destroyed, but erased. They, and all memory of them must be eradicated. One heretic can sign the death warrant of his entire world, and sometimes, for the preservation of the human race, billions must die."

Warhammer 40k presents a world where all of this(asterisk) is true (VERY BIG ASTERISK)

Through this lens, a lot of the more... questionable aspects make sense.

T'au Empire Mind Control: The T'au are how fascists view liberals. They CANNOT understand that an integrated, multicultural society could ever POSSIBLY work. They cannot FATHOM that different communities can just... agree to work together, it HAS TO BE the woke mind virus. "Can you believe these fucking idiots tried to NEGOTIATE with TYRANIDS???? These fucking losers tried to make PEACE WITH ANOTHER RACE??? PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT"

Why the chaos gods are what they are: The followers of chaos represent everyone of the 'ingroup' the fascist hates. Because nothing, not even their sacred ingroup, is sacred to the fascist. The followers of chaos are the germans who resisted, the jewish antizionist, the rebel (Khorne), the intellectual (Tzeentch), the sick and disabled (Nurgle), and the queer (Slaanesh). "There is no reason ANYBODY, ESPECIALLY not those of our sacred ingroup, could object to our glorious genocide. And the runts of the litter must be eliminated to not be a drain on the rest"

And EVEN WITHIN 40k, a lot of this is bullshit.

The T'au mind control thing is provably bullshit because the Farsight Enclaves exist. A whole T'au society that exists free from the apparent mid control of the ethereals

The imperium feeds as much into the chaos gods as the traitors do. A stagnant, decaying empire (Nurgle), with an incomprehensibly vast and byzantine bureaucratic structure (Tzeentch), where a select few live appallingly lush and lavish lives of hedonism and pleasure, completely detached from the people they're supposed to govern (Slaanesh), all for the purpose of making ever more destructive and bloody war with everybody else (Khorne)

There is evidence of peaceful human coexistence with xenos empires during the Dark Age of Technology, including one humanity CREATED, and many inquisitors and rogue traders will GLADLY incorporate xenos into their retinues. Trade and coexistence with aliens DOES still happen in the imperium.

Hell, the parody of fascism is in the very MECHANICS OF THE WHOLE LORE. Fascists don't believe in "facts" or "truth", if they did, they wouldn't be fascists. Therefore, in 40k, "Everything is canon, nothing is true". This allows players to EITHER

Think critically and try to connect the dots to form their best guess as to what "canon" is

Or buy wholly into one side or another's propaganda

And one of those groups is going to find a "truth" they can accept and treat as fact a LOT more quickly than the other.

40k lays out in perfectly plain low gothic, all of the bullshit and hypocrisies of the Imperium. They'll let entire sectors die in the interests of preserving human life. The way the imperial guard are lauded as heroes but treated worse than the lasguns in their hands. The way that in order to become a space marine, one of humanity's great guardian angels, you must have everything that makes you human either beaten out of you or surgically removed. The priests who worship science and technology viewing scientific progress as the most abhorrent of heresies. The divine worship of a man who scoured entire worlds for the crime of worshipping him as a god.

Actually hang on lemme derail the flow of this post and talk more about the emperor. The Emperor is the chief hypocrite in an empire of hypocrites. "I AM NOT A GOD" says the 10-foot-tall gleaming golden immortal psychic god-man, "NOW GO FORTH MY ANGELS ON YOUR GLORIOUS CRUSADE TO BRING SCIENCE AND REASON, and by science and reason I mean doing exactly what I say without question and turning a blind eye to fundamental truths of the universe, TO THIS BENIGHTED GALAXY"

The problem is that parodying fascism is impossible. Fascism is already so inherently, fundamentally ridiculous a worldview, for all the reasons explained above, that distinguishing sincerity from irony is nigh impossible.

If you, an antifascist, read The Turner Diaries, you will probably assume it's satire. The book ends with Earth as an irradiated hellsacpe where few can survive and nothing about its resulting culture is explained. But nope! This is fascist propaganda! It was written by actual neo-nazis who committed actual hate crimes! It is an enthusiastic YAAAAAAAAAY APOCALYPTIC WARFARE!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAY GENOCIDE!!!!!!!! At least all the black people are gone! Hell, when Rogue One came out, Lucasfilm got all sort of shit flung at them for portraying the evil space nazis... as the bad guys... which they always were.

This is why both we, the fandom, and Games Workshop as a company, are DIRECTLY pushing SO HARD against the fascists in the space, and must push harder. 40K IS NOT FOR THEM. And no amount of clever writing or obvious parody will ever convince them otherwise. It does not matter how unfathomably stupid you make fascism look to people with functioning brains, fascists will gobble that shit up. You cannot make fascism look worse than it is, and you cannot make it stupid enough to convince fascists its stupid.

The problem isn't that Games Workshop isn't doing a good enough job writing the imperium as bad (although they aren't), the problem is that it will never be an adequate mockery to make the fascists feel unwelcome. It's not a bad parody of fascism, fascism is just beyond parody.

#warhammer 40k #ramblings. musings even #40k #imperium of man

[kneelingshadowsalome]

prefacing this by saying I have absolutely no information on this period of history, but Rome was sacked and ultimately destroyed by Germanic tribes.

And naturally, the first thing I thought of upon learning that was Invader!König X Roman Maiden!Reader. Similar to your story, I’m thinking he decides to take the Reader as a trophy of war similar to his comrades. You and plenty of other maidens are tied up, thrown across horseback or across shoulders, and dragged off back to Germania. Depending on how dark you want it, König could wait for his little prize to want his cock, or he could have no patience at all and fuck her as soon as he gets a chance. Of course, he’s still somewhat of a gentleman, he’ll make sure she enjoys it, but like it or not his cock’s going in her.

I think this is an opportunity to lean even further into the barbarian König idea, with varying levels of darkness.

Save me dark barbarian!König... 🖤💋

CW: dark content, noncon groping, noncon cuddling, fear of SA, König's idea of hot sex is problematic to say the least, reader's level of enthusiasm/consent is ambiguous

He doesn’t care about your delicate sensibilities or noble background, he’s here to bring your Empire down and your weak men to their knees. It’s about time someone burned Rome to the ground; no amount of foreign perfume can cover the smell of shit in these streets…

But he won’t say no to gold or jewels, they might some day decorate his future wife's neck and wrists perhaps. Neither will he ride homeward without a slave to keep him warm. He hasn’t had a woman in months, the only thing closest to a cunt has been his calloused fist and he’s grown tired of that, nothing can compare with the real deal so a soft little female is exactly what he needs to keep him company when he and his warriors return North.

Your options are either freezing to death or crawling inside this giant’s cloak when he holds it open for you come nightfall, the voyage to Germania bringing with it the first snow and cold winds straight from Hades. You have no option but to go to this man for some body heat, the low rumble in his chest resembling the pleased purr of some untamed beast as he envelops you in wool and a hungry embrace.

He never speaks to you, only talks with his hands that roam all over your body as you cling to him with clattering teeth. Examining the wideness of your hips, the plumpness of your ass and tits, he serves himself a handful and some pinches as if he’s sampling fruit at the marketplace. Rubs your nipples between the pad of his thumb and pointer until you flinch from pain, mutters something pleased when he sees your skittish reaction. He won’t allow you to pull away however, not when you’re finally here, so back to his arms you go as he crushes you against his chest.

He’s amused at your attempts to both huddle closer and squirm away: why are you being so difficult when clearly, you want this too?

He saw how you looked at him back there when he was drenched in blood, that’s the reason he chose you. You’re sweeter than an apple, didn’t even scream when he swept your hair from your face to have a better look at you, you only eyed him with challenge when he inspected your lips, waistline and hips. A scared female would have avoided his eyes and begged not to be killed or worse, but you only lifted your chin and spat on his face, practically begging to get fucked…

And now you’re acting like you don’t want his cock while at the same time, you continue to stare at him like a deer in heat. If you don’t want him to fuck you then you should stop making him hard, but in truth König is only glad that he chose you out of all women. The ride back home won’t be dull with a fiery fox woman like you, he has to be careful that he doesn’t get bitten and bruised… How his men would laugh in the morning if they found out that the vixen he stole has made him hers, little teeth marks decorating his skin and betraying everyone your claim.

He would only be proud of you if you did that; women are quite adorable when they have some fire in them. But make no mistake, he won’t let you go no matter how hard you act like you hate him… Everyone here knows you want to jump on his cock; had he decided to inspect your pussy too while covered in your husband’s blood, he could’ve bet all his fortune along with his horse that you were already wet for him.

He could take you right now on this cold, hard ground, try to see how long it takes to make you wet and pliant. The only thing really keeping him from doing so are his men, no doubt wanting to see how a Roman lady takes their giant leader's cock. But he’s not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing you naked, let alone watching him fuck you, he'd have to kill them all afterwards...

So he settles for making his naughty little slave warm, and both of you a little breathless. He can find a more discreet place for you tomorrow, order a break or two to ease the heaviness of his sacks, the aching hard ons he’s had ever since he saw you. He has to be careful not to break you, and remember to kiss you on your neck, he heard that that’s the key to make women wet and willing.

You seem so fragile and frail when you fall asleep, finally surrendering to him, your body yielding and molding against his. In the morning, you whimper sweetly when he squeezes your now warm, plush body, and plants kisses on your face, your neck. You have no idea that the warriors are already mocking him for “making you wait so long”, that he has listened to stupid jokes all morning with you securely tucked inside his cloak. You bite him when he tries to come too close, all the brutes around you burst to laughter as he howls from pain.

Not feeling at all sorry for him when he rubs his neck and looks at you with drowsy curiosity, you rise and spit again on the ground as if you had just tasted something vile. He can’t stifle his smile then, your idea of foreplay is much more fun than what he had in mind…

And you aren’t flung over his horse, but actually get to ride it with him, the arm around your middle like iron as he keeps you as close to him as possible. You don’t know that he’s reluctant to take an unwilling woman, and that this preference makes him the laughing stock of the group. Neither do you know that König has already pictured you inside his hut, baking bread and scolding children like the firebrand that you are, giving him a naughty little wrestle and a fistfight every night before bed... Shuddering from want like you do now on his horse as he exposes your breasts to the approaching winter.

You are about to faint as tiny snowflakes land on your nipples, melting instantly as this man starts to fondle your tits. Slumping against his blazing form, you can do nothing but accept your fate as the horse keeps walking and the men around you shout and whistle at the sight of your breasts. The rough barks of your captor quickly end their excitement upon seeing your exposed tits, the whistles stop and the men turn their eyes quickly away from you.

The man behind you is now perfectly content, riding in the crisp morning air while pawing your breast with one hand and holding the reins with the other, his groin grinding against you with the movements of the horse, making it clear that he might soon stop this torture altogether and take you to the nearby woods for a quick fuck…

#barbarian!könig #dark content #spoils of war #historical au #tw: slavery #tw: dark themes #cw: dark content

[syoddeye]

You convince the 141 to play Dungeons and Dragons.

Disclaimer: This is clearly for shits and giggles. I've GM'd for a few years now, and I had to combine my first love, DnD, and my current obsession, COD. I stuck to Basic Rules content.

Somehow, you've convinced the 141 to play Dungeons and Dragons with you. You reason there's enough downtime for a decent campaign, and it might be nice to have another outlet that isn't exercise-based. After all, DnD is a collaborative and creative game - good for the ol' brain, right?

Kyle bought the Player's Handbook, printed extra character sheets, and picked up a set of dice. He's read the handbook, planned for the first three levels of his character, and has a backstory with all the important bits highlighted. He's easily the most prepared. The most excited, too, though he's a little sheepish about it. His first character is classic and highly strategic: Half-Elf Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, with plans to multiclass into Paladin, Oath of Devotion.

Soap is equally excited as Kyle - for different reasons. He went a little nuts at the local game shop. Does he need more than one set of dice at this point? No. Does he have three, just in case? Yes. He also bought a miniature that corresponds with his character. He was torn about his character for weeks but ultimately chose a reliable build: Mountain Dwarf Barbarian, Path of the Totem Warrior.

John is skeptical. This isn't really his thing, but he'll entertain it and give it a go for you. Doesn't stop him from grumbling about it every time you ask how character creation is going, if he has any ideas about what class he wants to try, what kind of character he can see himself playing...Makes it a sweet surprise when he turns up with a used copy of the handbook, several pages dog-eared, and a bullet-point list of his character's background. His character surprises you too: Dragonborn Tempest Cleric, with plans to multiclass into a Battle Master Fighter.

Ghost shows little interest, but John convinces him to attend Session Zero at least. And, like John, getting information from him is like pulling teeth. One night, while up to use the restroom, you actually catch Ghost hunched over a player's handbook. If you didn't know any better, he's a little embarrassed to be seen  'studying'. When you turn to leave him alone, though, he pipes up - he's got questions. At Session Zero, he wordlessly presents the character you helped him with: Variant Human Rogue, Arcane Trickster. He might take a level or two in Warlock if he keeps playing. (He does.)

#call of duty #dungeons and dragons #captain john price #john price #kyle gaz garrick #gaz cod #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #headcanons #adding this to my list of things to write about lol #three people might care about this

[persephone-s-moon]

Since I have Baldur's Gate 3 brainrot with only a reasonable few hundred hours of gameplay under my belt, here's what I think The Lost Boys classes would be for bg3

(I'm doing bg3 and not dnd bc options are more limited (nice for me) and I do value what little sanity I have left.)

David

Class: Rogue Subclass: Arcane Trickster Notes: I feel like this one's obvious, but for those unfamiliar, the rogue class is known for stealth and deception, as well as thievery due to their lockpicking abilities. In general, rogue characters tend to be very conniving and typically hold their cards close to their chests. The Arcane Trickster sublcass adds some ✨magic✨ to the mix with a handful of spells and cantrips. Theoretically, this Could include some illusion spells. Perhaps for tricking someone into thinking their rice has turned into maggots. (Alternatively, Warlock with the sublcass of The Fiend or Wizard with the subclass of Illusion would also be fitting for David.)

Paul

Class: Paladin Sublcass: Oathbreaker Previous Subclass: Oath of Vengeance Notes: HEAR ME OUT. I like the thought of him with religious trauma. Paladins are inherintly religious warriors (very "I'm here to talk to you about MY savior" although you can't pick a specific god in bg3) with three possible oaths in game: Oath of the Ancients, Oath of Devotion, and Oath of Vengeance. Essentially "vow to fight against darkness", "be a knight in shining armor", and "take justice into your own hands" with a handful of tenets unique to each oath. Realistically, the lost boys could easily break ALL of those oaths in a heartbeat, but I ultimately decided on Oath of Vengence on account of one of the tenets: "No Mercy for the Wicked." I believe friendship counts as mercy, and The Lost Boys are FAR from saints. Also, it'd be poetic for him to die carrying out his old oath after Marko dies :)

Marko

Class: Barbarian Sublcass: Wild Magic Multiclass: Druid Subclass: Circle of the Moon Notes: I bet yall weren't expecting a multiclass! Anyway, Barbarians are heavy hitters that rely on instinct and rage to fight. They're one of the more physically strong classes, especially in comparison to spell casters and Rogues (RIP David). When Wild Magic Barbarians use their rage, they set off a random magical effect. Anything from accidentally shrinking your team members to accidentally turning into a very useless cat is on the table, and that sort of chaos felt right for Marko. A Druid is an elemental spellcaster with the ability to turn into animals, referred to as their "Wild Shape". Circle of the Moon Druids are able to turn into a giant badger, a giant spider, a dire wolf, a normal cat, a polar bear, and eventually gain the ability to turn into an owlbear. (It's considered a monstrosity and not an animal, but in more recent dnd media, The Rule of Cool has changed some general rules.)

Dwayne

Class: Ranger Sublcass: Gloom Stalker Notes: Rangers are skilled scouts and trackers with a deep connection to nature. I almost gave this class to either Paul or Marko, HOWEVER the Gloom Stalker subclass made me think of Dwayne. Gloom Stalkers are ambush-happy attackers with an affinity for darkness and can easily hide themselve in the shadows (if desired. Gods know The Lost Boys are NOT quiet and that includes Dwayne). Honestly, it's the closest one can get to being an Assassin without classing as a Rogue. And all I can think about is Dwayne faking his death near the end of the movie (which is something you can 100% do in bg3).

#the lost boys #lost boys #tlb #the lost boys 1987 #the lost boys (1987) #lost boys 1987 #tlb 1987 #david the lost boys #david lost boys #david tlb #paul the lost boys #paul lost boys #paul tlb #marko the lost boys #marko lost boys #marko tlb #dwayne the lost boys #dwayne lost boys #dwayne tlb

[nevesmose]

Were there any Legions that actually liked the Night Lords before the Heresy? I'm just thinking about it because whenever they come up in other POVs the view just seems to be "urgh, Curze's murderers" or "the barbarians of the Eighth" or similar.

Like, the driving force of The Abyssal Edge is the TSons' report that says:

The Night Lords have already disengaged, leaving us alone. Doubtless they go to take their moronic viciousness elsewhere, parading their ignorance as the ultimate virtue, claiming they did only what had to be done.

Lmao go snuggle a daemon Khayon, Ahriman's never going to take you to space prom. But even the Iron Warriors get in on the action while literally in the middle of destroying their own homeworld just like the Eighth did:

‘By turning its back on us, Olympia shames us. The people of our world must be punished. If we do not do it, where will our honour be? Where our strength? We will be a laughing stock.’

‘Better that than monsters,’ replied Kellephon. ‘What are we, Curze’s murderers?’

So I guess I'm just wondering who could plausibly have formed a positive view of them?

I know there's the period where Fulgrim was getting Curze prepared for leading his legion but to be honest I can't think of anything more awkward than a room full of crusade-era Emperor's Children and Night Lords trying to relate to one another.

#Night Lord Azula isn't real she can't hurt you #night lords #nightlordposting #wh40k #warhammer 40000 #warhammer 40k #horus heresy

[ladythornofrivia]

my heavenly salvation

Pair: Levi x Reader

Warnings: This series is going to be contain with fluff. Too much fluff. And smut. With mentions of self-harm, mentions of depression. Psychological abuse and bullying. Inspired by the Titanic movie.

A/N: Hi! I made a new chapter! Please enjoy! Let me know if you want to be tag!

(Please report if anyone decides to steal/plagiarize my work and notify me. Thank you.)

(Btw, I’m putting a different music because I don’t want anyone feel tired of hearing the same music. Enjoy!)

Chapter III

Heart of Thunder and Sea

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

The time during the confrontation with the Yeager brothers seemed endless. As they carried Zeke Yeager out, your stomach have ached by the time you escorted yourself at the giant lobby. And it wasn't the candy you ate. People kept giving glares and stares, especially a pack of young women--already married.

You didn't care about their stares or their ways of glaring at you in a thousand meanings. Staring was never a polite gesture, yet they still do it, anyway. People can be a menace to others by the means of making themselves superior.

Gulping, you sat at the nearby velvet seat, you examined the statue of a man killing the Titan by a spear at the top of Titan’s head.

You have seen Titans at close hand, as a bystander. Warriors…Titans…they act the same, but in different uniforms. You wonder what life is like without Titans—it’s hard to imagine for anyone. For centuries Titans had been born, as if they flow through everyone’s veins except Titans flowed through timeline.

As much as you’d like to believe that Titans are only a fever dream, and that your friends are fallen asleep, but it never was.

You wanted to know what’s like to be a Warrior.

Or an Eldian from Paradis.

You read an article or two regarding to Paradis, but as always, newspapers don’t align with reality. Marleyan and Eldian—both terrible people, two sides of the same coin. Maybe they’re terrible because they’ve been wronged each other, all thanks to the people in the past. King Fritz.

You never liked kings or royalty. All acted like Gods, but did terrible misdeeds behind their graced status. It irked you the most when most deaths were in vain while King Fritz passed away in his sleep. Needless to say, having a personal opinion in Marley will ultimately give you a final sentence.

However being a Marleyan or Eldian—both are cursed.

All you ever wanted in life wasn’t to be born as Marleyan or an Eldian. You wanted to be more than the name, you wanted to be free as your own self. Up until now, you’re still a beautiful bird in a golden and jeweled cage, anticipating the worst of those who consider you as a tool to unlock their personal needs.

“There you are, (y/n),” Gertrude said aloud, rushing over to your side, but you turned away from her without a word as if you don’t know her.

Out of nowhere, your wrist quickly snatched. You still didn’t look into Gertrude’s scolding eyes.

“You’re an embarrassment to us all. How could you leave your future husband in a poor state? You should’ve tended to his needs as a good wife, not a careless barbarian.”

Pulling your wrist, you looked at her strongly in the eye and said, “Then why don’t you tend to his needs? It seems like you wanted to be queen. Just say the word, and he’ll listen, since you complimented him so much.”

“You disrespectful little bitch,” Gertrude seethed. “I taught you better than this.”

“I’ll see you at dinner, mama,” you said, rushing off elsewhere. Escape from a boring rich life, that is.

~~~

At dinner, everyone in the first class ate their first meal in Goliath, filled with rare goods and ingredients to make the lavish dinner more lively. Everyone complimented their supper, which greatly pleased their injured king.

Zeke, on the other hand, played it off so well, that everyone still had their concerns on Zeke’s leg. Whoever struck Zeke must be punished, some said. But they’ll never know who’s responsible for Zeke’s misfortune.

You, on the other hand, still beautiful and trapped, unsure how to speak to people. Thankfully, people don’t pay attention to you. And that your blessings have been counted that no one could ever know your real thoughts.

Gertrude kept praising the Countess through and through. It irritated you so harshly that you wanted someone to suffocate you, but at the end of the day, you stared at the grandfather clock, watching it tick, counting down for elaborated dinner to be over.

~~~

As you returned back to your bedroom suite, your hands reached for the bed, your dress tightened your chest—no cold air resided in you. You reached for the lace, but each time you untie the knot at your back, it restrained more. Your back ache from arching, filling with sweat and anxiety. Your head was spinning, and your breathing haggard so hard your shouted for the servant.

No answer came.

“Prudence,” you said in panic. Each time you unlace and remove an accessory, you began to hate things. You hated heavy objects—heavy jewels, heavy room, heavy colors displayed before your eyes. Everything wasn’t enough for you.

“Prudence!” you cried. “Prudence, where are you?! Please help me! Help me, Prudence!”

Having enough, your hands threw the jewelry against the wall, your dress came off and you threw into the wall, as well, leaving you frustrated with loose periwinkle nightgown and a light reddish silk robe. Slamming your suite door, you realized that your life will be eternally identical.

“I hate jewels, I hate gowns. I hate parties and pleasantries from rich people. I hate permissions, I hate laws and kings and royals! No life is good when you’re not truly happy or free,” you said to yourself. “Or to be silently mocked when I…”

Your heart stopped. Your mind numbed.

Finally, you had enough.

~~~

Rushing into the deck can raise disruption and questionable looks from outsiders. By outsiders, the people from the first class. You wanted the Titans to return and crush these good pretenders. For once, you wanted to be feared as Eren Yeager. But no one believe that you’ll mount to anything critically harsh as Eren’s well-known reputation. While Eren’s role is mysteriously uprising, yours was completely stagnant and laughable. Stagnant because of rich life, laughable because of your father’s last act.

To be so hateful is easy, to be kind during hardest times is harder. No one believes you’ll mount to anything. Your life is still and painfully boring. You wanted more, but each time you wanted more, your rich life and reputation to uphold weighs you down harder. You tried to be kinder, but instead, the worst side of you prevail. You wanted to eliminate the worst side of you, but having no way out was way worse. You hoped for a better change for your gain of self-respect and dignity, but rich, pretentious people talk, otherwise.

Why can’t your life be simple? Having no rich or first class status means freedom at your own expense without anyone judging you. With their devilish eyes, what can you do? You didn’t commit a treason. You just wanted an air to breathe.

But as you run, the skies turned darker than other nights. Deep outlines of moonlight sky was no longer found. Thick clouds surrounding, and the sea’s air was profoundly bitter with salt and metal. Any air is better than inside the Goliath.

Your tears ran down without stopping. With your silk robe on, people from the first class gasped at your attire as if you’re naked. You weren’t. You’re still in your nightgown, your long hair tangled in a mess and your running became sloppier, and your vision fuzzier.

Reaching at the end of the ship, you wanted to jump off, but, it’s an easy way for an exit. So you managed to find an industrial rope and tied it to a noose on each end. Without anyone coming by, you placed one end on the metal stand, the other slipped onto your neck. As you stepped into and over the railing, you looked at the skies rather than below. In your heart you knew there’s nothing below other than black ocean.

Taking a big breath, your foot lifted off from the railing, and—

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, miss,” a deep voice said.

Gasping, you turned and saw a man in a dark fedora hat and a dark coat with black Oxford shoes and grey trousers with a gold line of pocket watch chained from his pocket. From a few distance, he’s tall, but realistically, he’s an inch taller than your petite height. Despite all that, he ambled towards you in a careful gesture as if you’re an animal cornered at the edge, unknown and unsure of the other man’s perception.

“Don’t go near, dear sir,” you said in panic, hands shaking and clutching tight against the railing.

“Come off the railing,” he said, somewhat pleaded—though a bit firmly. “We can settle this, whatever your problem is, madam, we can discuss this.”

“Discuss? There’s nothing to be discussed. Nothing good will ever come to me.” Your hot tears streamed down, while the skies rumbled with groan. “I beg of you, don’t go near.”

His hand still outstretched. With a fedora hat, you couldn’t see his expression. “You would’ve been tangled.”

“I’d rather be tangled than to be strangled by the likes of those civilized people.”

The man said nothing. His hand wasn’t outstretched anymore. But still stayed by your side.

“I can’t go if you decide to stay on the railing.”

The sky rumbled again.

“Please go. I don’t want you to see this,” you wept.

He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. We’re already here at this point.” Then he took off coat, but not his fedora hat.

“I’m sorry what are you doing?”

The man took off his pocket watch, then slowly walked towards you as he said, “Do you like black tea?”

You looked at him, flabbergasted. “Wait, what?”

“Where I come from, drinking black tea was the greatest thing I ever experienced. When I first drink tea, it was from an expensive floral cup. This floral cup is beautiful I decided to save up money to buy and to make my own serving. When I finally got the floral cup, I grabbed it by the handle, though it broke and slipped from my hands, and so I used the top part as the handle, instead,” he explained.

“How do you handle your tea cup,” you asked, shaking.

“I’ll show you,” he said, gesture his hand and formed a position to how he drink from his cup. “It’s strange, isn’t it?”

You shook your head. “No. Not at all. I find it fascinating!”

Underneath a dark fedora hat, he smirked.

“I like eating scones that comes with it,” you said.

“What goes along with black tea?”

“Anything, really. Though I wouldn’t suggest anything too sweet, it gives a bad reputation to the stomach.”

He chuckled. “What do you suggest then?”

“Scones, it has be blueberry or raspberry or strawberry. With my tea, I like to add with lemon and a little honey. But sometimes I like to drink tea in a plain fashion.”

He nodded. “That seems reasonable.”

“Sometimes I drink tea whenever there’s a cold weather coming by.”

“Perhaps you can show me,” he said.

“Show me,” you repeated, puzzled.

“Show me how you handle your tea and scones.”

“Maybe…Maybe I can show you more,” you offered.

By then, his hand reached towards you, ever so gently as a gentle fire has touched your numbed heart.

“Then come with me, show me your ways, and I’ll show mine,” he offered in return.

With a last tear slid down, your heart stopped aching. But the rumbled sky grew louder.

“Pace yourself,” he said, almost sounding like a purr, his hands occupying you.

As your turned, realizing the noose around your neck has been discarded. Your eyes met his. Those blue and steel colored eyes glistened like rain droplet shining.

Any Marleyan would take pride on being handsome, when the man in front of you obtained the handsomest face you’ve ever seen, like a moving painting, glowing like halo.

His hands were still in yours.

For a moment, the time stops. At a simple gesture, your hands gripped tightly to his.

His face leaned in, nearly an inch apart.

“You’re beautiful,” he said. “Your tears are still there, but I feel as though your sadness stopped.”

“That’s because you’re the flaming soul,” you said.

He chuckled. “Your ways of describing me is amusing.”

“You don’t like it?”

He chuckled again. “Never give into your despair. You’re so much more than a girl on the edge. Levi Ackerman,” he said, still holding your hands.

“(y/n) O’Connell,” you said, flashing him a wide, sincere smile.

“Beautiful,” he whispered.

Though you giggled at his words, you foot stepped at the railing, and slipped.

At the raging thunder comes, the skies shot with a loud bang—lightning strikes flashed and rainfall flow harder, making for you and Levi having a difficult time.

“Don’t let go,” Levi instructed.

With quick thinking, the noose on his other hand. “Quick—give me your other hand—hold onto the noose!”

With bravery, you did as he said. You grabbed onto the noose, and Levi yanked you up, though it wasn’t easy. The heavy rainfall made you and Levi’s eyesight twice as complicated.

“I’ll pull you up!” With a huge huff, grunting, Levi tugged you up with success. You stick the landing—on top of him.

His fedora hat loosened, a shade of black hair adorned his youth countenance. His rock solid body underneath you filled you with warmth. You’re a moth to his flame. But you weren’t a terrible insect. This is what all you wanted. Warmth.

Despite the warmth, his eyes never leave yours. Your body grew with heat. Flustered, you tried to get up, but his hand instinctively gripped to your backside. In the heart of thunder and sea, his heart was the loudest. Your heart was thumping, pacing.

You blinked, your throat went dry.

Levi cleared his throat. “Forgive me,” he uttered.

You got up with him, and snickered. “That was fun.”

“Believe me, (y/n),” he began. “What we could’ve almost have underneath this insufferable ship is more than the fall.”

“You saved me,” you said, then your arms tackling him for a solemn of embrace as a full, life-longing gratitude. Your chest tightened with restraint sorrow.

Levi, on the other hand, is too stunned to utter a form of coherent sentence.

Tucking a hair strand behind your ear, you said, “I always wanted to be a mermaid.”

His eyebrow quirked. “You don’t say?”

You pulled back quickly as an apology. Reaching for his hand, you hoisted him up. You watched him grabbed his fedora hat, then his coat, and as he grabbed his coat, he gave you a piece of lavender handkerchief. “Keep this. If you ever need comfort, use this. Consider this as a token from me.”

Hesitantly, you kept the handkerchief as much as you want to keep the token. Keep the token feels right, yet wrong in a simultaneous way. “I want to see you,” you said.

Levi smirked once more underneath his fedora hat. “Don’t worry. You will.” Then walked off with his polished cane.

“Allow me to return the favor,” you shouted over the heavy rain. But in the heart of thunder and sea, you couldn’t see him anymore.

A pause hung in the air for a moment. Only the rain and the rumbling thunder and lighting strikes prevail your most provoked thoughts of the night. And it will soon come for tomorrow and the very next. “Levi,” you utter, a smoke past from your mouth, faintly speaking as you talk in secret with bitter sullen air and water.

Levi. Levi Ackerman.

Levi Ackerman.

The sound of unearthly heaven and stars slipped past from your lips.

Taglist: @colored-tr-panels @galactict3a @slay0368 @f1yh1gh

#levi x reader #captain levi #levi aot #levi heichou #levi ackerman #levi smut #snk levi #levi ackerman smut #levi #levi ackerman x reader #levi attack on titan #aot #snk #aot x reader #snk x reader #snk fanfiction #aot smut #aot fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #x reader #anime #eren yeager #attack on titan #aot levi #reader insert #shingeko no kyojin x reader #fanfics #anime fanfic #rivaille ackerman

[theactioneer]

Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior “Computer + Video Games” poster (1987)

#maria whittaker #80s video games #poster

[jedivoodoochile]

Maria Whittaker was born on October 7, 1969 in Hounslow, Middlesex [now in Hounslow, London], England, UK. She is an actress, known for Tank Malling (1989) and Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (1987). She is married to Michael West. They have two children. Maria Whittaker was one of the most celebrated glamour models of the 1980s, alongside Sam Fox and Linda Lusardi.

#maria whittaker

[notpulpcovers]

Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (1987)

#maria whittaker

[mask131]

One of the things that D&D has to be praised AND blamed for is how it managed to unite together polar-opposite fantasy works.

I was planning on updating my old fantasy read list for "old school D&D" and so as I dug into the fantasy books the game took inspiration from (or in the case of the first edition, ripped off from Xp), I came to this realization.

It has already been established that one of the main reasons behind D&D's great success and lasting appeal is that it managed to bring together and unite elements taken from ALL the great, classical, foundational fantasy works of the time into one same universe that was the ultimate synthesis of what fantasy was at the time. You've got Tolkien and Leiber and Conan and Jack Vance and the Cthulhu mythos all together in one game...

... But not many people point out that this same thing is also what made the original brand of D&D fantasy age badly, what caused many of the first-generation D&D-inspired fantasy works to be plain bad , and what changed massively people's view of fantasy for the bad. Because, what EXACTLY did D&D do? It took polar opposite fantasy works, and blended them into one same thing. It took away all the nuances to have one monochrome set. It focused on uniting together the elements, the characters, the places and the archetypes, but at the cost of losing the themes, the motifs, the tone, the uniqueness of it all.

Mind you, again it was and still is one of D&D's strength. It built itself into an open-game allowing for all and any sort of stories and adventures - and many of today's web-series based on D&D show the game's current ability to do ANYTHING by having so many different tones and settings and inspirations... BUT it does not change the fact that, as a result, it erased massively the diversity of what fantasy used to be, to replace it with this artificial idea of "generic fantasy" that then became a reality.

For example, let us consider how D&D united together the pole of the two "classics" of first-generation fantasy, Conan the Barbarian and The Lord of the Rings, with the two most famous "anti-Tolkien" and "anti-Conan" fantasy works: Earthsea, and The Elric Saga. The character of Elric was designed to be the very opposite of what Conan was, and by extension the world of Elric was also designed to oppose all the settings Tolkien or Howard could have written. Earthsea was also designed to oppose and contradict Tolkien's work in every way in terms of setting, tone, inspiration, aesthetic, scope... As I said before, the world of Earthsea already offered in the 60s and 70s what so many modern fantasy novels of the 2000s and 2010s are claiming to be "the first ones to do", like... having a POC main character, having a female main character that isn't sexualized in a fantasy story, having a fantasy story not inspired by Europe, having a fantasy story that is not solved and is not about warriors, war or weapons, using fantasy to deal with internal problems and psychological topics... It was all there before, and yet everybody forgot it until quite recently, and why? I am very tempted to say that D&D and the format of fantasy is spread in American culture from the 80s onward had a part to play.

Because D&D took these elements from Earthsea... and placed them in a world inspired by the Lord of the Rings, and that smashed Conan with Fafhrd, and as a result it got dissolved into these other works, and Earthsea was often see as "Oh yes, just another sword and sorcery story, isn't it?".

Of course I am not claiming this is what actually happened, nor that Earthsea was the only work to suffer from it... But it cannot be denied that the massive spread, success and fame of D&D in America (and in Europe afterward) led to a certain idea, conception and vision of fantasy to be massively shared, copied and treated as the "real, typical, true fantasy"... When in fact it was a mash-in and blending of very varied and nuanced works offering a vast and complex extant of fantasy... A reduction and synthesis that gave a false idea of what fantasy was and ended up burying many strange, bizarre, alternate, groundbreaking or before-their-time fantasy works.

Of course, I am also NOT saying D&D is the only one to blame for that... The success of The Lord of the Ring movies in the early 2000s also had a part to play in this ; and then it was the success of Warcraft, etc etc... But I can't help to compare a bit what D&D did to the idea of fantasy, to what Coca-Cola did to the image of Santa Claus. Santa Claus/fantasy did exist long before Coca-Cola/D&D got hold of it... And afterward Santa Claus/fantasy regrew in its own thing... But in between Coca-Cola/D&D managed to reinvent fantasy/Santa Claus into a massively shared concept and widely accepted idea that became part of culture and marked deeply the history of fantasy/Santa Claus...

#fantasy #fantasy literature #d&d #dungeons and dragons #the lord of the rings #earthsea #conan #lotr #evolution of fantasy #i swear this is not a d&d-hating post #it is just a consideration I make as a French guy looking at America's brand of fantasy #and comparing how many D&D exclusive references there are still today in modern fantasy #versus how diverse strange and unexpected the “old” fantasy novels could be ; those everybody forgot about

[bijoumikhawal]

Thoughts on ds9 main cast as DnD classes

Sisko: Is it possible to be a warlock without being the initiating party? Actually scratch that, depending on how you interpret the whole thing with his mother and the prophets, he could be a sorcerer. I don't think he's a paladin because to me the defining feature of a paladin is the oath; Sisko is initally reluctant to being the Emissary and even tries to hand off the responsibility to someone else, partially out of genuine belief they might be better suited to the job. The fact that sorcerers don't chose their power is a defining characteristic, and not all sorcerers are from a bloodline. Some have a somewhat random awakening, like Sisko’s entering the wormhole. They don't learn new magic from books; they discover new abilities through the course of life, which reminds me of the episode with his visions.

Kira: Paladin. She becomes the person she is by dedicating herself to a cause wholly and completely, she never strays from it, and she's still devoted to it to this day, to the point where she gets chosen as a vessel for the prophets during the show down that wasn't. Alternatively: you could argue monk, and say her cloister was her terrorist cell, but I don't know it's as strong as the argument for paladin. That said, I am biased.

Dax: I struggled with her, not gonna lie. I feel like her massive jock energy is a known quantity, but she's also the science officer and clearly does a lot of research. I feel like you could most safely argue warlock- like I said for Sisko, sorcerers don't choose their path, and while joining could be similar to the outside influences in sorcerers, the process itself is a choice and ultimately similar to the mutually beneficial pacts warlocks carry out.

O'Brien: his face is next to the entry for "artificer". But if we were sticking to the core classes, I think his vibe is pretty close to those posts about Wizards as IT support technicians. You don't have to be a special guy to be a wizard, you just learn your trade.

Bashir: Sorcerer, but in a hypothetical DnD AU, not the usual way where your grandmother was a dragon fucker. More of in a horrible experiment way. However, he either intentionally multiclasses or pretends to be something else, and I think that's a ranger. From DnD beyond's single sentence summary: "(A ranger is) a warrior who combats threats on the edges of civilization". Now, the stuff in the rulebook isn't necessarily the best or only conceptualization of what a class is, but Julian does have that infamous line from the pilot. From a character analysis standpoint (though not an game mechanics one) you could argue disease is a favored enemy.

Worf: He's definitely a martial heavy class, not a primarily casting class. He doesn't fit as a barbarian at all, I don't think he's got a particular devotion that makes an oath for a paladin, and I don't believe he has a spiritual element to his character found with monks (admitting of course, that I'm not familiar with TNG). He does have the solitary style rangers are associated with in ds9, but not the nature association. You could argue that by serving in Starfleet, he, like Julian, is protecting a civilization from the outskirts as someone politically involved in the Klingon Empire. And even draw in his decision to live on the Defiant into this. You could also say he's a straightforward fighter.

Odo: I think you could make an argument for Odo as a paladin- his commitment to his idea of justice and fairness is very oath like, but I also find the read of paladins as cops kind of boring and not getting at the meat of what a paladin is. You could argue druid because of the shapeshifting and the idea of balance found in the class vs his idea of justice, but I feel like overall changelings focus more on a mastery over nature than being an extension of it, and that's pretty antithetical to druids when played as standard.

Quark: I do not think he is a rogue. To be fair, we see his failed schemes because those are the interesting ones, but Quark stans to my understanding like his middle aged fail babygirl vibe. I'm not sure what else he would be though... he's a decent negotiator and a good people person, so a high charisma class. That leads me towards bard, though Quark isn't much of an artist or speech maker.

Garak: hot take! Hot take alert from the known clown! Rogue/Paladin multiclass. Rogue is obvious- its a favorite for spy type characters. However- the third episode Garak is in, we learn about his sheer devotion to Cardassia, and how he classifies it as love. Paladins aren't the way they are because of religion (though that's often a big element), it's because of devotion. And that devotion can be deeply destructive. Plus- tell me, upon thinking about it, that afterimage isn't an oathbreaker level breakdown.

#cipher talk #ds9

[keithsandwich]

Let's keep talking about Astrology!

When I was studying Traditional Astrology, one of our first lessons was to relate fictional characters to planets. Because the planets are the "living beings" walking in the sky, not the signs. So let me try to do it with Ikepri, but BEWARE I haven't finished all routes yet. These are not my final opinions.

Sun

The Sun character is someone willing to throw away all they have for a cause. The virtuous hero, the martyr, the one who inspires people around to give their best while they, themselves, are lonely -- because charismatic people may attract others to gather around them, but they are ultimately lonely.

Maybe I would put Leon here and sometimes Jin acts like this but is not a Sun himself.

Moon

Moon is the motherly character, the one who goes out of their way to make sure everyone is safe, warm, well-fed and comfortable. They may also be a little delusional, or a little dramatic, but in the end they are kind, compassionate and altruistic.

Rio is the huge Moon for MC (Chevalier would never, sorry).

Mercury

Mercury is curious, communicative and restless. Mercury characters are usually the tricksters, so avid to know it all they end up messing with absolute truths and order to instill chaos and what it can reveal. They are always on the move and jumping from an interest to another. They are also traders by excellence and very good in negotiating. They can be skeptical and way too rational.

Clavis, hands down. Maybe Silvio. Sometimes Yves and Nokto act like Mercury.

Venus

Beauty and pleasure seekers. Venus characters crave for either comfort or fun. They are the most related to good music, or good food, or the bohemians jumping from bar to bar, bed to bed. They are the diplomatic characters because peace and harmony are the most important things to them. So yes, they avoid conflicts, including internal ones.

Yves and Nokto, Jin to some extent -- but I still wouldn't put him here right away. Nice!Keith, most likely, at least in the way he acts towards people. I guess Luke but I'm still unsure.

Mars

The warrior. The one who will throw themselves in battle no matter the cause or the ways they'll use to succeed. Mars characters are energetic, confronting, and they can be either barbarians or excellent strategists. But they are always related to war or competition, to win and to prove themselves to be the best.

Gilbert, Alter!Keith, sometimes Chevalier, maybe Silvio but I'm unsure. I'm almost putting Silvio as a mix of Mercury and Mars.

Jupiter

The great benefactor, the wise tutor, the older brother, the wizard. Jupiter characters are usually the ones who guide, protect and/or cheer for others. Someone you can rely on, but not in a motherly way like the Moon. Also someone who can be fun to be around.

Jin, finally, this is where I would put him.

Saturn

The lone one, but unlike the Sun, they stand in the shadows. Normally harsh and judgemental, they are also diligent, mature, responsible, and they can be reliable even if they are cold and hard to reach. As characters, they are usually the elder, the anti-hero (the anti-Sun), or the beast in its essence -- the one who keeps everyone away and inspires fear.

Chevalier, Licht, Sariel, probably Gilbert, sometimes both Keiths in a way.

Again, I haven't finished all routes so I may revisit this post in the future.

#ikepri #ikemen prince #astrology ramblings

[wearepaladin]

Remember that time you wrote the aesthetics/vibes of Oaths? Could you do that again but with paladins that multiclass with other classes?

Hmm. Alright. Less visual aesthetics because that's a lot of potential subclasses to mix, and more of a general feel that can be applied in many directions.

Paladin/Artificer: A rare sight but not unheard of. Often the apprentices of smiths who felt the call in their hearts to apply their craft to greater purpose. Wherever they reside becomes the beating heart of it, a great forge of creative energies. Stained glass illuminates a workshop where every tool is venerated, with the heart of it a figure with hands always covered in soot, burn scars, and a zealous desire to understand Creation down to its atomic structure, and become its ultimate extension in crafting its great purpose.

Paladin/Barbarian: Primal zeal directed with a purity none other can match. It's not their armor or weapons that makes people step back when they meet these figures, but the conviction that bleeds from their eyes like undying stars. Likely as to inspire as terrify, these are the worldbreakers, the forever unsatisfied with the reality of what is, to the potential of what could be, and neither fiend or fortress can match that before breaking.

Paladin/Bard: Those who understand the divine purpose of stories, content with the knowledge that everything is part of a greater narrative, all of us chapters in the great retelling of the struggle of life. Like the fire in the winter night, they tell the tales that are forever told to teach people to rise and have hope in every cycle of light and dark, until their great study of eschatology comes to a close, and the final chapter written for the soul of life, only debating on who writes the epilogue.

Paladin/Blood Hunter: Of these assorted fellows, perhaps the least changed from either dedicated craft. Passionate conviction tempered by observation and research leading to a more mature version of either, diminishing nothing. Blood and zeal remain regardless, and whether with the hunter's patience or crusaders conviction, the enemy is brought down, and the hunt begins again.

Paladin/Cleric: To accept yourself as the sword arm of the gods is to forever be the part that interacts with the world. For no sword is held forever, and the hand that cuts can also craft. Good works and good news brought together, and faith becomes truly perfect in the form of this figure, an extension of divine will.

Paladin/Druid: Nature is the great survivor, the maker, and destroyer. To understand nature is to banish the delusion that you ever truly are separate, that all that lives and grows ultimately connects, and the most unholy and self destructive acts are those who try to cleave it from themselves, enforcing a shared damnation. Thus, these warriors, loyal to all those who live, eyes wild and wise in equal turn, provide surgical incisions so the greater body thrives.

Paladin/Fighter: There are those who have fought for a long time, and those who know that they will always walk the sword path. For some, that is enough, but others seek a purpose and a hope that in the end it will mean something. In the end, martial skill in a world needing warriors will only provide so much. In the end, they fight the hardest to finally no longer be needed.

Paladin/Monk: What is the body? Ultimately a conduit for the soul, and this student of two tradition of martial beliefs understands that more than most. Those who observe them see their flesh only as the barest outline of crude matter to the luminous being all too ready to shed it, their light always blazing from their palms as it reaches to an equally radiant universe.

Paladin/Ranger: Not all those who wander are lost, and these wanderers, seekers, and travelers all, follow only the path to where they are needed. Speaking the tongues of men and beast, these ambassadors of the divide, these unseen kings of the wild. When they finally find their home, there will be no place safer and whole.

Paladin/Rogue: The brightest light ignites in the deepest shadows. These firestarters know that well, clad in darkness they wait to ignite in. Some detractors say their faith is weak, that they are too quick to bend. They merely answer that only means they will never break. For any of who have had the honor to see their true faces know they may have the strongest faith of all.

Paladin/Sorcerer: There are those content with the warmth of the flame, and there are those only content with being the flame themselves. Those who ignite their sorcerous blood this way may well warm the world with the ardor of their faith, or burn it to ash. Either way, the flame will not be content until it ignites on both ends.

Paladin/Warlock: There are those who seek answers in the higher and lower mysteries, and make pacts with those who can provide the answers or at least open the door for them. Always solitary, their quiet eyes with hungry sheen, going to places of dread and taboo, confident their faith will protect even as they seek beyond comfort. They become shadows that produce their own light even as they hunger for more.

Paladin/Wizard: Subtle, but quick to anger, these journeymen are as rare as they are valuable, comfortable as they are with spell and sword. They forget much others could never equal to know, but what they do retain they know best to use, to apply knowledge where others may pause or experiment. Reckless in faith and learning, fortune favors their boldness until the end.

#aesthetics #dungeons and drawings #paladin #classes #multiclass #artificer #bard #barbarian #blood hunter #cleric #druid #fighter #monk #ranger #rogue #sorcerer #warlock #wizard

[bergdg]

One D&D Guesswork

Now that we’ve had a few playtest documents released, we can begin to see the direction the game designers of One D&D are heading. Using what we’ve seen so far, I have some thoughts and guesses on what we will see for the rest of the classes that will be released: what we will see for the different groups and some potential directions for some of the class without playtest documents.

As a sidenote – I know there’s a lot of discussion going on right now concerning the future of the Open Game License (OGL) and other associated documents. Recent developments point towards a few different directions, and, having been both part of a 3rd-party content project in 2021 and the consumer of 3rd-party content, I’m waiting with the rest of the community on what it will all look like in the end, and how it will affect community content going forward. But, I am not going to go into that discussion as part of this post.

Read on past the line to see my thoughts on what might lie in store. Mayhap they will spark some thoughts of your own.

Group Abilities

In the Expert document, it was revealed that each class in the Expert group was going to have the Expertise ability, either at 1st or 2nd level. I think there will be a similar ability granted within each group moving forward.

For the Priest group, we already saw that the Cleric’s Channel Divinity ability had received an upgrade. Paladins also have Channel Divinity in 5th Edition, although it differs based on the subclass. I think we will see Paladins gaining Channel Divinity at an earlier level, with Divine Sense being a class-wide Channel Divinity ability. For Druids, I think that Wild Shape will be flavored as their Channel Divinity ability, with the alternate Wild Companion rule from Tasha’s being a second Channel Divinity option.

For the Warrior group, their group feature needs to be about combat. And, other than Extra Attack, the Fighter’s Action Surge ability is a great way to get some extra damage in. My guess is that Action Surge will be extended to all classes in the group and the number of uses will be tied to your character’s proficiency bonus. Monks can sort of do this with Martial Arts, and Barbarians would enjoy the buff that some extra actions would allow.

For the Mage group, their group feature needs to be about spellcasting, and I think it will involve recovering Spell Slots. Wizards have Arcane Recovery, Sorcerers can use Sorcery Points to regain spell slots, and Warlocks recover all of their spell slots during short rests instead of having to wait for a long rest. I could see the One D&D team finding a way to merge these abilities in some way, even if it is just the same ability name with differences noted for each class.

Subclasses

I'm already writing a series of what subclasses I think we'll see for classes that have already been released as playtest material: Bard, Cleric and Ranger (with Rogue coming next week). I give some initial thoughts in some of the sections below, and I plan to continue with each class after they are released.

Fighters

Many would argue that the Battle Master subclass is the best of the Fighter subclasses, and maneuvers really enhance what Fighters are capable of. With the desire to equalize spell casters and non-casters, I could see all Fighters getting access to something like Manuevers to up their tactical advantage. That would be a great differentiator: Monks would have access to Ki, Barbarians would Rage, and Fighters would have “tactics” (using this term to differentiate it from maneuvers gained via the Battle Master subclass). I could see ‘tactics’ giving you bonuses / abilities based in your Strength / Dexterity modifier and having a number of uses equal to your proficiency bonus.

Monks

With Rangers getting some major upgrades in recent updates, I am really hoping that Monks get some love in the same way and become the ultimate unarmed warrior. With the Unarmed Fighting style as a template, I could see a d6 being the base Martial Arts die instead of a d4, making a d12 be the die for high-level monks instead of a d10. The higher average damage from the get-go paired with access to Action Surge would be a major boon already to this class. And then with the right polish on the 4 subclasses that will be included (probably Astral Self, Open Hand, Mercy, and Shadow), we would have a solid option again.

Sorcerers

While I don’t know if it would stick, I could see a future playtest where, instead of being a Charisma-based spellcaster, sorcerers would become Constitution-based. This would better play into the flavor of it being a natural ability, whether inherited from their bloodline or their surroundings or gained from some entity that wasn’t giving their power through a pact (which is Warlock territory).

Wizards

When Jeremy Crawford announced that each class would only have 4 subclasses in the “One D&D Player’s Handbook,” a lot of people got to wondering what that would mean for Wizards, as there are 8 schools of magic and those made up the core subclasses in 5th Edition. My guess is that we won’t see any subclasses in One D&D based around the schools of magic, especially with the move to differentiate between Arcane, Divine, and Primal spells. Instead, we will see something like the Holy Orders from the Cleric playtest document, in which you would have an ‘area of study’ for your wizard. Then, you would say something like “I’m an Order of War Magic Wizard specializing in Evocation and Abjuration magic.” Subclasses would then be modeled after the existing non-school subclasses: Order of Bladesinging, Order of Scribes (which I think will be the “base” wizarding subclass), Order of War Magic, and Order of Runecraft (which is a “live” 5E playtest subclass, most likely showing up in Bigby Presents Glory of the Giants).

Warlocks

In all the playtest material currently released, all classes are now getting their subclass at 3rd level. Of all the classes, this goes against the flavor of the warlock (as we currently understand it) the most. You make your deal with your patron, right? But the same could have been said for Clerics, who pick a deity to follow. However, with the handling of Clerics in their playtest document, I could see this pattern still working – you would still pick your patron at first level, but that pact isn’t fully realized until 3rd level, where the patron would then grant unique abilities based on their type (and beginning your true subclass path). This would fit the flavor, as many patrons could be seen as being of multiple types – like a Demonic Archfey or a Fathomless Old One. In addition, I think Eldritch Blast will now be the 1st level Feature of the Warlock class, making it a cantrip no longer. This will be the first way to begin expressing your connection to your patron.

Wrap-Up

Anyways, what do you think we'll see with the future of One D&D? How much of my guesswork will really happen?

@dailyadventureprompts - would be interested to hear your ideas

#one d&d #dungeons and dragons

[sepublic]

TOH really said rep for kids who grew up wishing to be part of a conventional nuclear family household, even the most, or especially the most, cliche kind you see in media. Almost as if the writers have experience in looking to media as a guideline for what a family should be and thus felt like they lacked one, and were thus motivated to represent some more underappreciated demographics and the struggle of not being seen as much...

Seriously though, this scene manages to be heartwarming, hilarious, sad, and gut-wrenching, all at once; Just an incredibly bittersweet melancholy of wanting something that can never be! It really hurts that what clues King in that this isn’t real isn’t any of the logical discrepancies, like his dad looking nothing like the murals; It’s the fact that it’s too happy and perfect to be true. And he’s RIGHT...

Even his ‘dad’ in this dream; It’s hilarious that even though King already has an idea for what he looks like (big buff barbarian), his fantasy does a Gavin and makes King’s father just himself but with a goofy moustache and deeper voice, and King doesn’t question it because dream logic. But it also shows King’s development? If this were in Season 1, he’d imagine his dad as some powerful warrior-king, like the mural seemingly implied and vindicated!

But at this point King doesn’t want to be special to justify his loneliness; He doesn’t even want his dad to be special (which is good because that dude was actually the one who killed his dad), even if he could’ve still latched onto this hope after Echoes of the Past, this compromise of sorts! King doesn’t care about grandeur anymore, he just wants a dad, any dad, who will unconditionally love him; He can be the most underwhelming, plain-clothes dude in a hat there is, just King but older, and that’s all King wants from his father. Likewise, King is perfectly content with the idea that this is all he’ll ever grow up to be; Just a little guy and not some ripped demon warrior. King doesn’t want glory in himself or his loved ones, just a family.

He’s not asking for much, King isn’t being unreasonable, is a caring dad such an ungrateful desire!? And it’s sweet how King wants younger siblings, additional people he can feel a part of... Just the implication that Eda is already his mother so King doesn’t need one; Similarly Luz is already an older sibling for him so King just wants younger siblings instead. And the idea that he’s inspired and touched by Luz’s kindness as an older sister, wants to be the same way to HIS little siblings as Luz is to him...!

Just... It really does hurt how King has a disconnect from his background that he’s constantly struggled with. Eda knows she came from a family of witches. Luz, while she struggled with the human world and her mother to an extent; She ultimately still knows and prizes where she came from. Her father and mother, as well as Luz’s Dominican heritage. But King is someone who doesn’t have that out of the trio, there’s just that aimless sense of wandering and lack of anchoring connection... So he crafts the most brilliant fantasy to make up for that lacking, only for King to dial down and ask for something so much humbler because that’s what he really wants and needs, and then he can’t even get THAT. The kid is just in a constant state of compromise and bargaining and it hurts.

And even with the knowledge that he’s a Titan... They’re all dead, King can’t talk to them. So who’s there to speak on their behalf? The Titan Trappers who despise them, such as Bill, the only one to have seen an actual living Titan? Belos??? King just feels so ironically unrooted for someone whose dad, or at least species, makes up the very ground and world he stands upon. And it’s such a cruel irony; King gave up wanting to be special, just in time for fate to assign him that role in the cruelest and most alienating way possible.

#the owl house #king clawthorne #meta #character analysis