#setting overview

[aggravateddurian]

Cyberpunk RED Campaign: How to Save a Life - Setting and Characters

How to Save a Life is my Cyberpunk RED campaign, set in the early 2050s. Using my 2077 weapons homebrew conversion Dark Future Arsenal, it takes place in the Brother's Shadow timeline, and helps to set up the characters of Samurai Jack and Nightowl, as well as Nightowl's daughter, Rebecca.

Setting

Night City

Night City in the 2050s is a period of transition. The reclamation efforts are well underway, and Corpo Plaza has commenced construction, with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of irradiated rubble, soil and debris, left to wallow in state since 2023, being relocated by construction crews. The megabuildings are currently the dominant structures in the sky, as they reach towards the heavens.

The familiar streets of Night City are in flux. Modern neighbourhoods and districts constantly shift locations in the grand scheme of the city.

Foster Medical Resort

Located about 100 km off the coast of Night City, in the beautiful* Pacific Ocean lies a floating resort. Constructed by Arasaka and Foster Medical, The Resort is styled as a tropical paradise, complete with cloned palm trees and lush tropical grasses. At the heart of this manmade island, the Rod of Asclepius, a 110-story highrise hospital and administration building for Foster Medical and Arasaka's R&D division, as well as exclusive VIP landing pads for Arasaka and Foster AVs.

Protected by an AI-driven defence system, The Resort is all but impervious to anything short of a fleet of warships, or an entire air force's worth of planes. The strong defence is necessary, after all, the Resort is home to the world's bleeding edge of medical research and technology. Rich and famous people from across the globe come here to have their various ailments treated. Even ageing itself is treated here.

*May include: sentient AI attack submarines, mutant whales, sea nomad pirates and dangerous levels of pollution.

Characters

Clarissa Gutierrez – The widow of the late Ferdinand Gutierrez, founder of Wolf Media Group, one of the fastest growing alternative media outfits in the world. Since the death of her husband, the company has fallen into disarray, and competitors are now champing at the bit. She feels that if she loses the company, she will lose the last of her husband’s legacy, now that her son has been diagnosed with a rare and terminal medical condition, that will soon take him from her as well. She is desperate, and willing to resort to the worst tricks in the corpo playbook to preserve her control over Wolf Media, and save her son’s life.

Michael Gutierrez – Michael Gutierrez was a healthy teenage boy until he suddenly fell over at school, and was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disease that has left him bedridden, and with months to live. He is incapable of doing anything for himself anymore, and needs near constant medical support to survive. His only hope is an experimental regenerative treatment by Foster Medical, a medical firm that caters exclusively to the rich and famous, but it is beyond the family’s means. A desperate mother, not eager to lose her only son, is willing to do anything to acquire this cure and save his life.

Samurai Jack – Jackson Moretz, better known as Samurai Jack, is a Santo Domingo kid born and raised. He was born in Santo, lives and works in Santo, and as he says, he’ll likely die in Santo. Jackson grew up a fan of the rock band Samurai, and idolised Johnny Silverhand, believing that he was a hero who stuck it to the corpos. Moretz collects Samurai merch, and both his personal abode, and office in the upper level of the Santo Domingo edgerunner hub, the Redline, are plastered in Samurai and Johnny Silverhand memorabilia. He got his start as a fixer organising gigs for rockerboys, and gradually diversified his portfolio into mercenary work. “SJ” is not to be trifled with, he plays things cool, but has a capacity for brutal retaliation if he feels wronged, or that he’s being manipulated.

Nightowl – Nightowl is a former corporate exec and fixer who co-owns and runs the Redline, a bar in Santo Domingo, with Samurai Jack. Distinguished by his slight frame, gaunt facial features, and seeming inability to smile. Nightowl has developed a reputation for reliability and discretion.

E1fb0i – Elfboy, stylised as E1fb0i, is Samurai Jack’s netrunner of choice. Kept on retainer by SJ, E1fb0i is enamoured with fantasy, and they are a prolific player of Elflines Online. They acquired biosculpting surgery to change their appearance to that of an elf. Rarely seen out of their customised Bodyweight Suit, and even more rarely seen outside of their netrunning den in the basement of the Redline. E1fb0i is good at what they do, otherwise Samurai Jack would’ve cut them loose a long time ago.

Rebecca (no, not that Rebecca) - Rebecca Owler, known on the NET by her handle legless_egg, is a netrunner who works for Samurai Jack and Nightowl. Injured in some unspecified incident as a teenager, she was interred in a biopod, unable to afford the treatment needed to recover. Rebecca operates out of a netrunner den in the basement of the Redline, occasionally working alongside E1fb0i.

[demonslayedher]

Psst, here's a Taisho Secret--at 7:00 p.m. JST on Saturday, March 1, the Aniplex YouTube channel will air the newest info about the Infinity Fortress movies.

There will be a lot of other Kimetsu no Yaiba content airing on the channel that day, too. Including a soba-eating contest.

[subwaylesbians]

very very cool context re: make way for cyrus, from sasha hutchings’s (cowgirl’s) instagram. there’s an incredibly interesting article on step and gumboot dance and their intersections here https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=2&article=1000&context=ekuopen&type=additional for anyone interested!

[wren-writes-things]

Because I’ve been thinking about it all day and I have never explained it on here, the Hymn AU. Basically, it’s very loosely based on the mythology of Persephone, Demeter and Hades.

Note it is loosely inspired, all familial relationships in Greek mythology have been ignored and backstories have been adjusted to explain this. This also has a lot of things that do not line up with the Hymn to Demeter or any other related mythology, but if you ever want to know about the actual mythology you should ask me. It’s a favorite research topic of mine.

Anyway! A bit of an overview: we have Persephone! Anne, Demeter! Sasha and Hades! Marcy.

Following the murder of the her followers, the Plantars, Anne travels to the underworld. Her go:al convince the god of the dead to release them so that they could have another chance at life. A plan that goes about as well as one would expect it to, her request is denied, after all the dead just aren’t meant to leave the underworld.

However in the process she meets Marcy, the aforementioned god of the dead, who takes sympathy on her and offers to let her stay in the underworld with her the Plantars. Anne will have the chance to move on and who knows maybe she’ll even be able to help Marcy improve her realm.

Meanwhile in the world of the living, Sasha is dealing with the aftermath of Anne leaving. And also the aftermath of her own poor choices: turns out smiting your girlfriend’s insignificant mortal followers is a bad idea. She is giving her space, kind of. She is worried though, and at some point this spirals into jealousy and then to just assuming that Marcy kidnapped Anne. A train of thought that goes so well and by that I mean, Sasha travels to the underworld, further destroys her relationship with Anne and then starts the apocalypse.

Around the same time, Marcy and Anne are growing closer: they’re friends, they’re going on dates, Anne has been helping Marcy communicate with the souls of the underworld, overall they’re just genuinely happy. There’s just… one tiny little issue: Marcy’s fear of abandonment/intense fear of anyone leaving the underworld. Specifically that Anne will leave, and soon unless somehow she manages to keep her here. And so she surprises her with a gift, an offering if you will, the first pomegranate they’d grown. And once Anne eats it she’s trapped in the underworld forever.

[moonshine-nightlight]

2025 Writing Plans

With this being the third such yearly plan post, i think its officially a tradition lol. my standard disclaimer is this is my high level plan right now, subject to change and likely overly optimistic, but still worthwhile to make and try to layout. posting about writing plans gets me excited for the new year.

here's what i'm thinking:

Nothing's Wrong With Dale: Borrowing some of my plan from last year, i need to finish my own edit of Dale, hire an editor, commission cover art, and then self-publish. I'd love to get all that done in time for december publishing, but given how long everything was taking last year, i'd settle for just pushing it over to editors by the end of the year.

Short Stories: I want to finish off Courtship Confusion and Free Piano: Haunted this year, along with at least one other new story, but i am not trying to predict what that might be lol. maybe one that's been on my shelf for a while,maybe the one i started a couple days ago, maybe a new idea I havn't even had yet, like Voluntary Sacrifice. Nothing's gonna get posted until May at the earliest.

Novella(s): I'd like to kick off work self-publishing two other Novellas: a combo naga novella (Finally Woken and Selfish) and Sacrifice. No idea how far I can get between my edits and revisions, scrounging up the money to pay for editor/publishing/cover art, and pulling together some sort of timeline for all that, but I want to get it all going so i have more self-published work out there (it'd b really cool to go to a con or something in 2026 and have a set of books to promo and not just 2 lol - not to get too ahead of myself).

Series: I want to make Sacrifice the first novella in a 6 book series, each focusing on a different deity returning to the temple with the final book about all of them coming together against a common enemy, likely focusing back on the MC from Sacrifice. I have some note sand outlines for the different stories (although they all need better titles). Currently, I was considering them being a published exclusive, but I might still post abridged version on here, especially as I work through my ideas. So for 2025, in addition to getting Sacrifice further on it's own publish journey, i want to complete all the outlines and notes, solidify the characters, etc - everything i need to start writing these stories.

Longer stories: I still want to work on planning them out and making a decision on one to start posting next, like with Dale, but I don't think that actually posting anything longer like that will happen in 2025 (see everything else i want to do above lol). Still, getting organized is important and i'm looking forward to fleshing them all out and knowing which one i'll be diving into next.

So lots of stuff i want to get into and multiple things I want to try to finish off lol Definitely overly ambitious, but its getting me excited to get to writing.

As always, my day job is extremely busy January - April and this year is no exception so new stories until that time passes.

Feel free to send in any asks about upcoming/current stories! I'm looking forward to all the exciting writing and publishing to come in 2025!

[drama-glob]

SPOILERS FOR "THE FULL MOON!!!!"

Well, the thing we all knew was going to happen happened. ;_; ;_; ;_;

I had a feeling the episode would start with the duet we were shown earlier this month and it's so funny as well as entertaining, but the heartfelt longing we get from Stolas definitely encapsulates what we were waiting for. ;_;

I had a suspicion too that this would be when we saw the cherubs and DHORK agents team up, so I'm glad to see that weird combo (which will likely happen again ;) ). My, how the cherubs have fallen into sin with Collin being the only one to still have a conscience and not be consumed with vengeance. :/ Poor Collin. It'll be interesting to see what could happen if the DHORK agents actually get the portal to fully work because they sure have a lot of weapons and manpower now; maybe we'll see them again in "Mastermind" since we didn't see Blitz meet the DHORK agents again like we saw in the trailer. :/

I do appreciate that the cherubs wind up in Lust because if there was any ring that was going to expose them to so much that they consider vile and sinful (beside Pride ;) ), it was going to be Lust. ;) XD I laughed so hard at them thinking all the sex stuff was for torturing humans. XD XD XD The thing that definitely made me so happy though was we got to see Fizz and Blitz hanging out as friends again, with them even fist-bumping (that was sooo cute) and Fizz helping Blitz find some new toys for him and Stolas. ^_^<3<3<3

It doesn't surprise me that the cherubs were dumb enough to wait to attack Blitz instead of just doing it when they had the chance; plus, they were indeed not very covert as Moxxie pointed out. ;) I thought the fight was cool and showed that even with high-tech weapons, IMP are indeed the professionals. ;) Hopefully the cherubs don't help DHORK get actual angelic materials since before they were banished from Heaven they could summon their crossbows, but who knows if they still can. :/ I do find it funny that Agent One likes to wear a Loona furry suit, but hey, if it makes him happy. :)

That ending though was so tense and angst-filled as we hear Blitz spiral and beg to keep the book, only to then be confused as to why Stolas is giving him an Asmodean crystal, and the whole time you can see the tinge of sadness in Stolas even when he's smiling because he knows there's a chance he'll be rejected, but he just wants Blitz to be free. ;_; ;_; ;_; My heart broke at Blitz dismissing Stolas's feelings for him as some kind of role-play because although Blitz's belief that no one could possibly love him is why he can be so dismissive, it's just so sad to know Stolas has been giving Blitz signs that he cares about him but that it seems like they've been ignored/don't matter. My heart then broken again into tiny splinters at Stolas crying over Blitz's harsh words towards him because damn that was brutal to hear Blitz say such things that he can't take back and ones that felt cruel. ;_; ;_; ;_; It ending with Blitz trying to apologize only to be teleported out of the palace so as to show Stolas removing him from his life/he doesn't want to talk with Blitz right now is certainly a way to leave a cliffhanger, and now we're left waiting to see how they do broken up. ;_; ;_; ;_;

Here's hoping Blitz and Stolas make some progress in "Apology Tour."

[sysig]

Cards 👏 cards 👏 cards 👏 (Patreon)

[pseudophan]

idk if there's a space for the preshow tonight but if one pops up i probably won't post it cause i'm about to go out for a walk so i can Hopefully Please Dear God fall asleep early enough to not die tomorrow

[bacchuschucklefuck]

I’ve totally fallen in love with the character illustrations you did ages ago for ASO. Hypothetically… do u take commissions of some form/could I pay you to do Skip, because I’m so so curious about what he’d look like in ur style

alright Im genuinely serious abt this this set has been low on my priority for a while due to The Horrors™ but if u want to expedite skip's edition specifically I will take for payment 70% my commission price for a piece of this level of finish (50 USD) donated to a campaign on gazafunds. my current log is Long (which is why I've been absent on here) so it will take me a hot second to get back to it but a guarantee is a guarantee. DM me proof of ur donation and it'll go on the post-gig priority log

[roetrolls]

next goal is to finish that animatic. because i was having SO MUCH FUN WITH IT I JUST GOT SO BUSY

[shadow-djinni]

so excited to hear more about your campaign! i love the realms and i especially love to hear how people use and incorporate the varied canon into it. i’m curious - how do you deal with the hundred+ years between material from 2e/3e and 5e? (i’m assuming you’re setting yours in the 15th century from that poll you made.) i’ve always just played in the earlier era using more contemporary rules, but im curious how you’ve adapted things. :]

oh god, where to start with that. you're correct, my campaign is set in the Moonsea (and general Heartlands; we started in the Dales and moved north) in the early 1490s DR, and I've had to make a lot of inferences about the way things might have progressed in the 120 years between our last detailed look at the region (early 1370s DR), the brief glimpse of things in the 1470s from 4e, and 5e.

so I started with a deep dive on the Moonsea region during our most detailed period, the 1350s-1370s, with my primary reference materials being The Moonsea for 2e, Mysteries of the Moonsea for 3.5, Ruins of Zhentil Keep for 2e, and the 2e boxed set and 3e setting book. I've also referred to the run of Polyhedron articles (Issues #77-86), though much of that information was composited in The Moonsea for 2e. That I followed up with what little was updated for 4e (the two-page spread on pages 150-151 of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide for 4e, plus the subsets on the Church of Bane on p. 238, the Zhentarim on p. 282, and the article Monument of the Ancients in Dungeon #170, which includes an update on the town of Phlan), and after a brief and unproductive look at the Adventurer's League modules set (badly) in the region I went "I can do this better myself", actually.

as things stand in my campaign at the moment:

Zhentil Keep had their dust-up with the Shadovar in 1383 DR, resulting in the final fall of Zhentil Keep and the Citadel of the Raven in that same year. as per the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, the Zhentarim are interested in possibly recovering them (one of my campaign's PCs is a Zhentarim agent sent to survey the ruins)

the 3e Campaign Setting suggests that Yûlash was on the road to reconstruction as of the 1370s; I've decided they've rebuilt, largely under the influence of the Church of Bane

speaking of: Fzoul's schism is finalized. the western Banite temples follow Fzoul's doctrine, that the appropriate worship of Bane involves supporting a mortal tyrant. the church in Mulmaster reverted to orthodox form basically the second Fzoul was dead

Mulmaster is back on their bullshit and considering making a bid for control of the River Lis again, and they might actually pull it off without Zhentil Keep opposing them

Hillsfar and Melvaunt have largely been going on business as usual (Hillsfar's racist, Melvaunt is grimy and industrial)

[fabbyf1]

I always forget about ao3 functions. Literally only realised you could private bookmarks recently and I only found out you could view statistics like last week. What do you mean there’s a few hundred people subscribed to you and get silly little emails when you post? What a weird little site. But very funny to see other people’s reviews I’m sure the vast vast majority of yours are AMAZING. Long Live is a fic I’ve definitely read more than once- it’s amazing and yeah of course it’s not actual Charles. That’s kind of the thing about rpf, none of it is real. Go read a Leclerc biography and not a fanfic if that’s what you want 😭

"GO READ A LECLERC BIOGRAPHY AND NOT A FANFIC IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT" i'm fucking screaming. YOU ARE SO CORRECT.

that's the beauty of fanfiction, isn't it? i can make my character anything i want them to be. it can be "realistic" or it can be out of pocket or it can be a mixture of both. nobody can stop me in fanfiction. nobody can tell me how i'm "SUPPOSED" to write Charles, because... it's fucking fiction.

i'm not a reporter writing history.

i'm just a silly little fanfiction writer.

p.s. thank you for your kind words about long live, i'm so glad you enjoyed it 😭😭

[lostliketearsinrain]

muses, species, and verses

Dr Carlisle Cullen, 400 and forever 38, vampire, fc Alexander Skarsgård (headcanon-based portrayal): any fandoms and verses with vampires

Max Guevara, 24-28, genetically enhanced superhuman prototype, fc Eiza González: any fandoms and verses

JJ Maybank, 18-23, werewolf, fc Rudy Pankow: only fandoms and verses with werewolves (obx verse @klldare)

Zach MacLaren, 20-24, human (also vampire), fc Drew Starkey: only romcom zombie apocalyptic verse (and romcom twilight verse)

Natalie Scatorccio, 18-22, human, fc Sophie Thatcher: zombie apocalyptic verse

Dylan Massett, 21-26, human, fc Max Thieriot: zombie apocalyptic verse

Dale Barbara, 30-36, human, fc Mike Vogel: zombie apocalyptic verse and any other fandoms and verses

Thorne Nightshade, 26-30, hunter, fc Joseph Morgan: any fandoms and verses with supernatural creatures

Chase Collins, 32-38, warlock, fc Sebastian Stan: any fandoms and verses with magic

Caleb Silverlark, 28-34, fallen angel, fc Alex Pettyfer: any fandoms and verses with supernatural creatures

[thunderstomm]

Realising that I never made a proper introductory / overview post for hwlr future, and started right away with the character reintroductions… perhaps I should get onto that 🤔

[fabshroom]

I am so so glad that Kazuha likely won't have a rerun until Summer because rn I'm really doing everything I can to get the last few Primos in my world to pull for Wriothesley to hopefully win the 50/50 and get his C1.

My brain pretty much looks like this rn

[legionofmyth]

Rifts Dimension Book #14: Thundercloud Galaxy: All the tech you’re NOT allowed!

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