#anytime a major world event happens

[no-nightingalez]

[oraclekleo]

33rd Birthday!

Hello my dear followers and random visitors of my blog.

I have already made a sorry announcement due to my hiatus but that’s not all I wanted to tell you.

This Monday, April 15th 2024 to be precise, is my Birthday. I’m already 33 years old! Would you believe that? I certainly wouldn’t. I feel like 16. 😂 

And how pretty the number is, right? Two threes… My life path number is also 3. How neat is that, huh?

When it comes to angel number 33, this source says the following:

“The 33 angel number means anything is possible. This powerful angel number is also known as a master number because of its double digits mirroring each other and its powerful vibrations. The number 33 is linked to themes around creative thinking, deep compassion, spiritual-level connections, discipline, and bravery. When you see this number show up it could be because it's an opportune time for a change or because patience is paramount right now in your daily life because a spiritual meaning that will have major significance is soon to be revealed.”

Nothing can be more true for me as major change is about to happen for me. I don’t want to reveal what it is just now but I will keep you informed in time. 😜

And no, I’m not dating anyone 🤣 Still happily Sexy, free and single.

I did want to celebrate my birthday with you with some sort of event but as you know I was really busy so… I guess we will celebrate my 44th Birthday properly? LOL!

Honestly, I have a lot to be grateful for in my life, you guys in my little community included. I hope we can stay together for many years that come and have some more fun with both serious and kinky tarot readings.

And those might soon become even better articulate and with much more expressive vocabulary as your girl Kleo is currently fully immersed in listening to audio erotica, which is really good! I mean… not all of it but I have already found several favourite voice actors, their voice and style really suiting me and apart from having a good time listening to it while working (yes, I do listen to audio porn while at work, sue me if you want), I also learn a lot from it. You know I can just soak information like a sponge from anything I do and well… This is a really good source. Also, I’m considering holding a voice chat once in a while with my friends now as I really want to learn to use my voice as well as I use my fingers for typing. And yes, I tested with my bestie and I nearly choked when I had to pronounce word ‘f*ck’ out loud. You wouldn’t guess it by reading my posts but I’m really talking like a lady out loud. I rarely curse or say rude words. 🤭 

I also learned about very surprising preferences through this audio erotica experience. I swear I didn’t expect to love what I love so much. It came as a shock and I truly thought my preferences to be completely different from what I actually enjoy the most. I guess there’s still a lot to learn about myself. Another great thing about my new hobby. You know how much I love to learn anything.

Anyway! That’s about my new hobby and about my approaching birthday.

Feel free to contact me through inbox or through DM or join my Discord. I don’t bite… unless you ask me to 😏 I’m also learning how to flirt better. You can be my test subject anytime. 😀 And no, it’s not to go hunt men, I’m way too old to change my ways and routines to fit another person’s lifestyle. My goal is actually much purer. I really like to make people happy and… well, I noticed people will feel happy, flattered and their self-esteem boosted when I flirt with them a little bit. Just another skill I’m learning in order to spread happiness and joy in the world. Might seem frivolous to you but… Well… I enjoy it. And that’s what counts for me.

So yeah! Happy Birthday to me! I’m not growing old, I’m only one year closer to death as my sister tells me every year since I was like 17. 😂 We are a weird family. Try not to think about it too much.

Thank you everyone who’s sticking around here. I promise I will post something soon. Maybe nothing super big but I will post. 🙂

Your forever joyful Oracle Kleo 🦄

[invested-in-your-future]

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say "Volume X is meaningless in the grand scheme of things"? As in, it doesn't move the plot further or doesn't affect/progress characters from the previous volumes?

Both.

I delved a bit more in depth about it when I was talking about Volume 4 all those years back, but I think it holds true for content past that volume too. It's "content" but there's not really narrative there.

Especially V9 - the only thing that matters in that volume is the kiss and that can happen anywhere anytime (and would likely work better without contrived Ever After nonsense).

I'd go even further now and say that you could technically cut V4 through V9 in their entirety from the story where V10 had ended up. You would not lose much of anything - there's no difference between offscreening Vale getting destroyed and offscreening every other Kingdom but Vacuo getting destroyed - crucial characterization and reactions are omitted either way.

We don't lose anything from not seeing Mistral get messed up for example - that Kingdom barely exists in the show as-is.

We actually would GAIN from not seeing how Atlas falls because it would remove majority of the things that basically demolished whatever critical acclaim the show could muster before.

Vale getting destroyed doesn't hinge on anything past v3 because V3 already set's up the conditions for that and we don't see the interesting bits either way since it's offscreened.

In fact the other Kingdoms EXISTING has not contributed anything meaningful to the story - the fact all the more obvious by how little them being deleted from the story had impacted anything.

RWBY is a pretty unique situation where REMOVING content already there would make the show BETTER rather than worse - which tells a lot about the show's content. Seriously, for example, what's better - Yang "recovering" offscreen or wasting time on a sexual harasser professor telling her PTSD is like fear of mice while her own father berates her?

The plot is a vehicle for Characterization - the story goes from scene A to scene B because there's the writer's intent to elicit a change within a character or have a character react.

A writer usually decides where a character starts and where they end and then connects the dots - the "connecting the dots" part is the so-called "plot".

Thus a character goes through a chain of events and either reacts or changes, creating the next status quo to build their next scene with.

If a scene (or set of scenes) can be removed without affecting anything in the story/characters, then why was that scene(or scenes) in the story in the first place?

In fact, it's one of the key pieces of advice when trimming one's fictional work - just outright cutting scenes that don't do anything for characters.

And with RWBY, sadly, a lot of V4 and onward content goes backward - it certainly hasn't moved a single step forward from the high point at the end of Volume 3 when Beacon fell - characters haven't progressed at all(and if anything some of them, like Yang, had regressed or, like Blake or Weiss, outright vanished) and the world hasn't really been impacted or altered by what happened there for six volumes - the show held Vale's situation in a limbo for years till they decided to offscreen it.

It's funny how the core aspect of building the narrative - characters reacting or changing - is COMPLETELY absent from RWBY past V3. And then V9 specifically punishes a character for attempting to.

It's almost like they had no idea what to do after V3 at all and just spun their wheels for as long as possible making up things.

That's what I mean by the pointlessness of content.

[cedricsnotdead]

✦ Ink and Blood series masterpost ✦

✦ About the series ✦

This series was born as a fix-it for the tragic end of Cedric and Orube in Arc 5 of the comics, but it developed into something a bit broader than just a Cedrube fic. I think it’s fair to say that this is Cedric’s story, with a focus on his major relationships: the friendship with Vathek (admittedly more fanon than canon), the tortured relationship with Phobos (friends? lovers? enemies? codependent broken people? who knows), and finally his light at the end of the tunnel - Orube. More focus is given to Cedric and Orube, of course.

The series is comic-based and keeps the canon into account only until the end of Arc 5.

[Link to the series]

✦ The stories and the reading order ✦

1 - The Book of Elements (ongoing, new chapters Tue and Fri)

Ye Olde Bookshop. Orube had passed by this bookstore many times, and it had always been closed. Only recently her colleagues from the editorial staff had mentioned that the bookstore had reopened and that it was the perfect place for finding pieces that everyone else had forgotten or discarded. Exactly like what she was looking for - old popular legends about Heatherfield. This story is a prose rewriting of Arc 5 of the comic, told from Cedric's and Orube's points of view. It includes most canon scenes and is expanded with tons of missing moments between them which we don't see in the canon.

(Rating: Mature)

2 - Ink and Blood (part I) (complete)

Cedric is gone. Unable to stay in Kandrakar waiting for the Oracle to give her anything to do, Orube is granted permission to go back to Earth. She does her best to move on and even has someone new in her life, but she does not forget. And as she gets a glimpse of a stranger with long blond hair in a black uniform standing in front of her house during a storm, forgetting does not become any easier…

(Rating: adult only)

3 - The Twin Suns of Basiliade (complete)

Cedric and Orube are transferred to Basiliade by Elyon's order to join the revolt lead by Orube's brother. Cedric tries to adapt to this new world and to the camp life of the warriors, until it's time for Orube to go to war, while he has to stay in the back and hope that she'll come back all in one piece...

(Rating: mature)

4 - Ink and Blood (part II) (complete)

One year has passed since the take of the Citadel in Basiliade, and it has been one of the happiest in both Cedric's and Orube's lives. They have not forgotten about the threat they left behind on Earth, and they know Elyon will call Cedric back anytime to help her dealing with it, but the Queen does not give any sign of needing his help. Until their peace is shattered by an unexpected encounter...

(Rating: mature)

5 - Ink and Blood (part III) (complete)

Cedric has made his choice. Meanwhile, Orube still has no idea of what is happening on Metamoor, while she tries to enjoy the celebrations for Shoshan becoming a Warrior. Until, again, the celebrations are interrupted by another unexpected visit...

(Rating: adults only)

6 - Home (in preparation... no idea when it will be ready)

7 - The Galahot, the Prince and the Warrior (complete

Vathek. Phobos. Orube. They have one thing in common: a shapeshifter in their lives. Three windows from which you will look at Cedric's story with the eyes of the most important people in his life.

(Rating: Mature) (contains both Cedric/Phobos - past relationship - and Cedric / Orube)

8 - Stay (third chapter coming soon!)

Cedric has finally a night free from his duties as a Champion of the Queen and looks forward to spending it in his room filled with books, where he can read in peace before accompanying the Queen to Hoel the day after. Unfortunately, someone disrupts his evening plans by knocking on his door with unexpected news and a problem to be solved... This story is another flashback on Cedric's past and on an event that marked Phobos more than he'd have expected (comic-based). (it’s a Cedric x Phobos thing)

(Rating: Mature)

9 - What Loyalty Means (complete)

‘The Queen and the Consort are dead.’ Cedric repeated those words over and over in his mind, trying to convince himself that they told the truth. None of them had seen the bodies. None of the Champions, the ones like him who were supposed to protect the Queen with their own life. They had received the news from the High Priest, who had forbidden them to enter the Queen’s quarters and then had vanished, leaving them standing there in the hall wondering if they’d all really heard the same thing. This story is a flashback on the night when Phobos and Elyon lost their mother. (it’s another Cedric x Phobos thing)

(Rating: Mature)

10 - 20 years later [reloaded] (ongoing but presently on a break)

After a few minutes of mindless scrolling the screen of her phone with her thumb, Will set it down on the table with the display facing down. Fed up with the photos from the windows of other people’s wonderful lives on social media, she decided to do something rather unusual for that time in history at the end of 2020 while sitting at a table in a café-bookstore: writing on a notebook.  This story belongs to the Ink and Blood series and takes place at the end of 2020, about twenty years after the beginning of the events in the comics. It is a revised version of the story with the same name I published in 2021, with a lot of changed details. 

(Rating: mature)

11 - The King of Meridian [reloaded] (will be published after 20 years later - I think)

This one shot is a missing moment in '20 years later'.

12 - The Gift of Time - An Ink and Blood Christmas story (complete)

While on Earth it’s December 2023, Cedric and Orube are entrusted with the most unusual mission ever: preparing Villa Rudolph to host a terrestrial Christmas for the Queen and a group of curious Metamoor and Basiliade natives. But the most difficult task for Cedric is not decorating a Christmas tree: he also needs to find a gift for Orube. Luckily, Vathek is there to help him…

(Rating: mature)

[spoocys-glade-of-dreams]

Rayman Head Canons: Rayman's Trauma

Rayman was a very social child yet had timid tendencies when faced with conflict. The only conflict he really had to face back in his homeland was certain species of wildlife or the occasional bully.

When Mr. Dark stole the Great Protoon and began his takeover, Rayman was about 15 years old. With help from Betilla and The Magician, his Parental figures, he managed to triumph against Mr. Dark. He was hailed as a hero and gained a courageous streak. He gained a sense of honor and wanted to help keep the world safe.

The Robot Pirate Invasion happened when he was 18/19 years old. The destruction of the heart of the world (Aka Primordial Energy Core) sapped a lot of magical power away from the citizens, and even left Rayman completely powerless. The powers gifted to him from Betilla years ago were now gone, and he was captured alongside many others. While in that cell, he honestly thought it was over for all of them. He thought they were either going to be enslaved for the rest of their lives, or killed. Having to witness the enslavement of his friends, his family, and even the children of the glade, as well as the lengths the pirates would go to get them, left Rayman suffering with trauma related episodes.

He suffered reoccurring nightmares about the event, sometimes severe enough to where he would wake up in a sweat and panting. Sometimes he would have to call his friends so he could talk with them until he felt ready to go to sleep, or would ask if they or he could come over for the night. Rayman also suffered panic attacks.

After the defeat of the pirates, Rayman was given time to help recover from the events. He had a huge support circle that helped him. The major supports in his circle were Globox, Ly, Betilla, and Murfy.

Rayman had gotten enough help to where it wasn't a constant flare up by time Andre came around to cause trouble. Rayman was just tired, a little jaded, but still loving life and his friends 'n family. Having to evade the knaarens was the scariest thing about the quest for this guy, but he managed to pull through. He's now protected by the Knaaren people by decree of King Gumsi.

The battle against Reflux did take a toll on him. He inadvertently defied one of his primary morals: never kill a foe. Reflux's death lead to him (Reflux) being heralded as a heretic and a traitor of his people, and left Rayman once again suffering some trauma. He would seek comfort in his support circle, and managed to bounce back once again.

Many have asked why Rayman sticks like glue to Globox and Murfy. It's because they would always drop whatever they were doing whenever Rayman needed it. Globox is the comforter, Murfy is the listener.

Rayman still has an occasional nightmare, but they rarely get to the point where he has to call someone. He has a deep fear about his enemies targeting his kids if he ever starts a family. Anytime the globox kids, or anyone Rayman considers his kid are targeted, It can leave him suffering from panic attacks.

This happened at least once when the Rabbids took him hostage and captured a number of Globox's kids to use for their sports. What they did to the Globox kids is primarily why he is very distrustful around Rabbids in general. He considers what they did to him an annoyance, but what they did to the kids is not going to be forgiven so easily.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

With the STEEL BLADDER trait unlocked, Lilac finally moved to Strangerville. This wasn't her first encounter with its oddities.

I didn't even know that this could happen outside of their world?

(For reference I'll be using this super cute gallery build for her home base . Colours and furniture will be altered to fit her aesthetic but it is really such a lovely house. I will likely need to expand it, and hopefully not ruin it in the process.)

We had only been there for a hot minute when the welcoming committee showed up.

Needless to say, they did not have us feeling particularly at home.

LILAC: DUCK NO, I AM NOT LETTING THOSE FREAKS INTO MY HOUSE HAYLEY: ON THAT WE AGREE...

With that established, Lilac went out the side door and attempted to make contact with Jessica.

"Um, Ground Control to Major Tom?"

They then rambled something about the MOTHER. Sadly we don't think that they meant this kind of Mother.

(Off topic but can you imagine her in a showdown with Nancy Landgraab? It would be epic.)

After more ominous psychobabble about MOTHER (and likely pink elephants and parades), they went on their merry way.

Lilac is not planning on keeping in touch.

However this is a challenge within a challenge, and on one front it was clearly go time. Lilac therefore invited Daddy Winter over to put out some feelers.

"So I think that you need more... intimate knowledge of me before you decide whether I've been good or bad this year..."

Even though she isn't my highest skilled Sim in terms of Charisma and I haven't unlocked the 'Beguiling' reward yet, every save Lilac somehow gets the job done because next minute...

We'll just leave them to it.

While all this was going on, the Creepy Party was looming outside the front door, which might have killed the mood a little had Lilac not locked them out. Maybe it was because she never invited them in nor cancelled the event, but later they came back.

She's not hosting a house warming party anytime soon.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Idk I could be wrong with my thinking, but I saw a post going around speculating/worrying about how El may have created the UD instead of Will, giving her another thing over him. But like, El opened the very first gate to the UD when she sent One there and it was completely vacant apart from red stormy spooky sky stuff. Then the second time she opened a gateway was because of contact with wittle ol Demogorgon. But you know, the UD is stuck in the past on the day Will went missing. Now if El did create it or even One, surely it would have caused the UD to halt time back in '79, does that make any sense? I feel like I'm rambling but to me that gives a clear indicator that El had nothing to do with the UD forming (mirroring Hawkins at least).

I agree with what you say here. If El did create the Upside Down, then it should reflect the fact that she did so in 1979. Instead, we have it frozen on the day Will was taken. The fact that she opened another Gate in 1983 shouldn't really matter considering she sent Henry in there four years prior. It can't have anything to do with a Gate being open or closed, as you'd think time would move when there's a Gate open and stop when it's closed, as a result of the link between dimensions.

We've had three known Gates prior to this season. The first is the one El opened to send Henry in the Upside Down in the first place. It seemed to close on its own rather quickly. At the time, what we assume is the Upside Down appeared to be without form. It was just a chaotic mass of red energy.

The second was the Gate opened in 1983 when El made contact with the Demogorgon. It would remain open until El closed it in 1984. At this point, the Upside Down resembled Hawkins, only with everything dead, spore-filled air, and no natural light. Will would flash into the Upside Down in 1984, but it's unclear if he was really there or if it was just an illusion, as he remained in the real world anytime he experienced one of these moments. So, it's difficult to say if the actual Upside Down reflected 1984 Hawkins, or if it was just how Will saw it.

The third Gate was the one the Russians opened under the mall. While we don't see anyone travel into the Upside Down, it does seem to allow the Mindflayer to access its "avatar" (for lack of a better term) in the real world. Hopper somehow manages to use that Gate to escape the explosion of the Russian machine, somehow ending up in Russia.

So, we essentially have three major moments where a Gate was opened into the real world, yet it's the second moment that time seems to be frozen on in the Upside Down. This is especially odd considering that Gate remained open for a year. What would be so special about that day if it was just about the Gate opening, despite there being two other times that happened? The main differences between these three events were that Will entered the Upside Down that day, and it suddenly had physical form.

Now, I imagine they'll find some way to make everything with the Upside Down be related to El. Still, it's very curious that they're trying to call back to the very first episode, The Vanishing of Will Byers. It's double curious considering they had Nancy specifically refer to it as the day Will went missing, rather than "November 6, 1983" or "the day El opened the Gate." Why draw all this attention to Will if it's really just about El?

[the-togepi-man]

Me anytime anything big happens: Yes a major world event!!! It's meme time!!!

[derangedwifenadja]

🚨Long pointless ramble ahead! CW: me trying to apply my actual history degree to the stupid vampire show🚨

(Im on mobile so I can't put it under a cut sorryyyyy)

It's 3am and I can't sleep because I'm trying to work out the actual historical timelines for the Staten Island vampires (I have a history degree and I want to apply my contextual knowledge to my headcannons bc of who I am as a person)

So nandor was apparently born in 1262 - a time of mass upheaval in the Mediterranean rly cus of the crusades etc. Al-Quolnidar is fictional but Iran was vaguely united at the time under various empires though I actually don't think they were technically ottomans - the ottoman empire was founded in the late 12thC but in Anatolia, and spread to mesopotamia a bit later, but whatever

Nadja is approx 200 years younger than nandor (as his pillaging happened about 200 years before she was born) and indeed this was a time where Roma and sinti populations had started to sort of settle in Greece which is still quite a big centre of traveller culture I think! Antipaxos is tiiiiiiny so it's unlikely it was massively affected by much in the way of major events but if it was populated at all in the 15th century it will have likely been by vineyard farmers - grapes can be pretty hardy and the soil isn't great on most Greek islands, so that'd explain the intense poverty cus we're seeing a pretty big Mediterranean economic crisis at this point (actually brought about by ecological stuff! Wild!) although of course extreme poverty was common in the medieval period throughout the Mediterranean, with pockets of wealth at different times. Also - orthodox Christianity at this point I think was relatively widespread, though folk religions tend to thrive better in smaller pockets (like small villages on tiny islands!) because the church wasnt very organised yet and generally didn't have the resources to do much missionary work or education or sending priests to the middle of nowhere to 'teach' (ie indoctrinate/bully) the locals.

I'd also love to know where she went after being turned! Travel from the smaller islands in greece would've probably been hard to come by so I guess she just turned into a bat? Then again from an island as small as antipaxos there probably will have been boats to and from the mainland and/or the island's larger counterpart, Paxos. Antipaxos is in western Greece rather than on the Aegean so she could've gone to Italy but 1500s Italy would've been a terrible place to be a vampire on account of all the Catholicism and garlic so who knows!

And Laszlo?? I have no fucking clue. He seems vaguely Georgian or Victorian and as a Br*tish person I should be able to figure out which but it really could be either. I can totally see him in an opium den so imma say early colonial England - before the industrial revolution? But also because I don't want him to have been involved in slavery maybe we'll put him post 1833 (slavery abolished in the UK). I'll be honest tho this was a post about Nadja - I love Laszlo but he's very Generic Olde Worlde English and that really could be anytime from 1750 to 1910

Tl;Dr: I think I deserve to be the historical consultant for wwdits. Where do I apply

[oxeye-daisyy]

Ty for answering about the Orpheus bit!!! You have raised more questions tho lmao.

You’ve mentioned Jimmy - how does he get on Hermitcraft? Is he invited so there’s another person other than Grian and Pearl who Martyn knows, and then gets possessed afterwards? Is he possessed and then used to allow the Watchers into Martyn’s vicinity to kill him? How aware is Jimmy when he kills Martyn? Does he throw off the possession or do the Watchers leave him after that?

And now that you’ve added Jimmy, I’m curious about some others. I know you’re not gonna worry about most of evo smp, only the people who are still “around” now (and disclaimer I’ve only seen up to episode 8 of Grian’s pov of evo so I fully admit to not having much knowledge so I may have forgotten if others were there but), so what about BigB? I’m pretty sure he was in evo, and since Grian invites him to the Traffic Life series I’d consider him “around” in the same way Martyn and Jimmy are (in terms of vicinity to Hermitcraft - I’m aware Traffic Life doesn’t occur in anachronism but I more meant in terms of people we’ve seen with our people). Is BigB involved at all? Does he join Grian and Pearl and Jimmy on their quest?

Thanks so much for creating this AU, it’s super fun!!

"your answer raised more questions" yeah, that's anachronism for ya!! I figure I could do this in one big essay OR I could sorta try to like, bullet point this and address all of these sorta quickly?

- so in anachronism Jimmy never becomes a hermit proper, unfortunately. he's a major character! he just never actually stays on hermitcraft. this is mostly because Martyn only stays because, if there's anything in his player data that'll explain what happened and either give Xisuma an idea of what could be wrong with the world or assure him that nothing's wrong externally, well, Xisuma will need to keep him around to check. there's no such case for Jimmy, so there'd be no real extenuating circumstance that would justify inviting him to stay when allowing him to frequently visit is another more likely option

- Jimmy is low-key possessed since Martyn is found. there's a little plot detail I'm fond of with a talisman imbued with Listener magic which Jimmy has had for the past few years, which protected him more or less. which Jimmy desperately gives to Martyn as soon as they reunite. which means Jimmy willingly gives up the only thing protecting him from whatever the Watchers may want to do with him.

- Jimmy is not aware at all when he kills Martyn (: this is not necessarily a good thing (:

- so! BigB. the thing about BigB is that he IS "around" in that he participated in the life series, but doesn't really do a lot of other SMPs. it's sort of difficult to work him into the present when his main recent Minecraft content is not canon to the AU. I imagine he's alive and well on another world and is much more well adjusted than literally any of the evolutionists that got slapped with the Narrative Stick

- on the topic of other evolutionists, though: for the purposes of anachronism, anytime Martyn would be in an MCC team, his spot on a team is taken over by Netty because she's in the perfect spot on the Venn diagram of "evolutionist", "person who was on a canon MCC", and "person who has not been in enough canon MCCs for me to have to double check whether or not she was actually a member in the real event". it's just that she's much more of a subplot character than the others.

you're absolutely welcome :D

[cherinoix]

Merciless || Wip Update #1

Long time no update, but that's because I've been cracking away at the art side of things, and plotting-- which I can officially call done for the most part! :D

I've already started drafting the first chapter, in which Alva details a rather visceral experience with his first mortal. Can't say it's a light hearted start to the story, but definitely one that I feel encapsulates the overall themes while introducing one of the main conflicts.

Though I can't get into the details yet, I figured I would discuss my strenuous plotting process instead. As much as I'd like to be a pantser, by nature of writing a "high fantasy meets cosmic horror" comic series, I've found plotting to be the best course of action to keep all my metaphorical ducks in order.

The very first thing I have to do is characterization; knowing whose stories are being told and what they entail, along with who I'm working with shapes the entire story. (I'm not sure if that's a common first step, but this is what works for me!) My predicament with Merciless in particular is that I already had these ancient characters set in an environment for a story (Mercy) that takes place in a present timeline-- one that didn't do them justice or give them space to develop at all, but they were also tied to important historical events. So really, my main goal was to flesh out the characters I already had and make sure their stories "accurately" lead up to the events that will happen later on. New characters were created for sub plots and such, but the majority of the characterization I did was directed towards the older characters and finding them a place to settle in Merciless.

Next, I made a list of every major event that 100% needs to happen for the story to be told. Luckily, due to having developed Mercy first, I already knew the ending to Merciless. And in having some past characters with significant backstories also gave me a few middle scenes too. The real struggle then should have been the beginning, but... seeing as I had plans early on to turn this into a comic, well, I could really start anywhere I saw fit! In tandem with this, I also tackled some of the worldbuilding. I really just try to flesh out which countries, civilizations, and kingdoms are most significant or interesting. Knowing where events happen in the world is pretty important, and I also want to make sure there is variety in the cultures and faces that are present in Merciless!

Following that, I made a list of every minor event that I wanted to at the bare minimum attempt to include. Interactions between certain characters who didn't yet have a reason to meet, fight scenes, and just novel little myths and happenings for individual characters. This part of my plotting process is lowkey an ongoing step, as anytime I get random ideas while going through my day, I add them to this list. (I also have like... 30ish + characters to work with?)

The second to last step in my plotting phase is to create a timeline, except... I kind of sort of have 4 timelines... ahaha... OK to explain myself--

I have a timeline for Merciless and its chronological events in order...

And one for every event out of order, as in the order in which the story will be presented/written for an audience.

One timeline is meant for strictly for side plots, and is a running timeline in that I develop it as I write to make sure its position in the book/comic makes sense and has some form of contingency and relevance.

The final timeline is a special one, featuring any event that will be directly referenced in Mercy. I added this one halfway through because I started losing track of which plots need to be known in both series, and which ones can be kept in Merciless.

Timelines always take up the most of my time, but with Merciless, I really had to look out for inconsistencies and plot holes, considering there is another story to predate or follow it. Figuring out solutions to plot holes is typically my final step; I make a list a problems in the form of questions, and then I answer them the best I can.

So... yeah! That's my plotting process for the most part. I didn't include the obligatory "stare into space and wait for a solution to grace me from the void", but it's certainly something I do a lot. I'm really looking forward to sharing character art and writing introductions for them too! I'll most likely make another update when I actually test write something to share, so until then, thanks for reading! And if you're working on a project yourself-- happy writing~

(also sorry for any typos-- proof reading is not my strong suit, but I usually try to go back and edit as I catch them overtime~ ;w;)

Taglist: @cryptid-s-wips

If you'd like to be added to the taglist, just let me know!

[zarrytis]

buddie recs 💖

- tell me about dispair. 148k.

eddie's not entirely sure he believes in getting help, at least not for himself. there's only so much healing to be had for a body torn apart by bullets, for a mind that's only half there, for a man who's been leaving pieces of himself behind all his life with nothing to take their place.

except, as it turns out, falling apart happens in increments, and healing does, too: it happens when you gnaw a hole in your lip trying to keep quiet only to have the words escape; when you realize that the ghost you've been seeing out of the corner of your eye is yourself; when your best friend smiles, and you allow it to take your breath away.

it happens through the smallest of things: bird feeders, and cacti, and pasta shapes.

meanwhile, the world goes on.

(or: the entity often affectionately referred to as the unrepression fic.)

- I Hit the Accelerator (But the Car was in Reverse). 68k.

When Buck is forced to confront the truth about his breakup with Abby, having casual sex with his hot new coworker seems like the best rebound idea.

Unfortunately, that hot new coworker turns into his best friend. But best friends can keep having sex with each other, right?

There's no way this could possibly go wrong.

- ripples all the way down. 57k.

With some coercion, Buck allows Maddie to set him up on a date. Surprisingly, the date goes well — and it keeps his mind off the unnamable feelings he’s been studiously ignoring for his best friend.

Until Christopher’s science report on gentoo penguins — no, seriously — sets off a series of events that has him somehow spending more time at the Diazes’ side, and he feels like he’s going just a little bit insane trying to juggle a burgeoning relationship, his jealousy over Eddie’s own new relationship with Ana, and his inability to move on from the place that’s been his for three years in the Diazes’ lives.

Oh, and Eddie keeps looking at him like he has something to say — except he never says it.

This is the tumultuous road to finding out what Buck truly wants, paved by pebbles.

--

or; christopher partakes in some parent trapping

- my evergreen. 31k.

Buck and Eddie get together, move in together, and then adopt a child together.

Actually – scratch that.

A child adopts Buck and Eddie, they move in together, and finally, finally they get it together.

Or

imagine those seagulls from that scene in Finding Nemo screaming "girldad buddie! girldad buddie! girldad buddie!"

- Half Awake In Our Fake Empire. 33k.

In which the past catches up in unexpected ways, the universe finds a new voice to scream with, and an LA rain storm changes everything.

OR

Buck 1.0 fathered a child and Buck 4.0 comes into custody.

- it’ll take a while, but we will find a way back to each other. series.

part I: 41k.

Maybe he can do this. Maybe he can move on. And why shouldn’t he? He deserves happiness too. At least that’s what Maddie told him.

And while he’d love nothing more than to find that happiness with Eddie and Christopher, to live the rest of his life openly loving and caring for the Diazes the way he wants to, life isn’t a fairytale. People don’t get what they want. But they still manage.

They still find something. Someone. And maybe, for Buck, that someone could be Rick.

-

or, Buck tries to move on from Eddie after his relationship with Ana doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. Eddie, on the other hand, realizes that his newfound relationship isn't what he wants, and it takes him embarrasingly long time to realize that he can pretend for only so long. After a major accident, both of them are forced to face the facts and what they really mean to each other. The firefam is just trying to be supportive of their decisions.

part II: 43k.

He regrets letting Buck go on that date.

Eddie regrets a lot of things.

He had thousands of little chances to voice his feelings. The big “I love you” moment burned his tongue when Buck was trapped in that factory, screaming while his world fell apart, giving his all to save Saleh.

He could’ve wrapped his arms around Buck’s shoulders and pulled him down into a bruising kiss after Buck tried to convince Eddie he’s no good for Christopher — that he lost him instead of rescuing him in the tsunami.

But he didn’t do any of those things. He waited instead. Waited for Buck to make the final move, to be hot-headed as he is and say fuck it to the universe.

He waited, and still waits, and he will wait. Even if Buck doesn’t feel the same. Even if he falls in love with someone else. Eddie will wait.

-

Or, the aftermath of Buck's breakup is messy, complicated, and an opportunity for Buck and Eddie to realize they are being blind and stupid for no reason other than to stay miserable and afraid of tearing their friendship apart.

- i have had to deal with that. 9k.

Because here is the crux of it, as always. He’s loving so much it is hurting him. He aches inside, so bad and so large it is so fucking unbearable.

Because he doesn’t want to just sleep with Eddie Diaz. He wants to cradle Eddie Diaz in his arms, right up to his chest, and press kisses all up in the creases of his neck and the crook of his ear and his hairline and the top of his hair.

He wants to squeeze Eddie’s body so hard he can feel the bones below him tremble, and then he wants to kiss him all over, and whisper love of my life, love of my life, love of my life in between each of them.

-

Five Times Buck holds back, and One Time he can’t.

- let’s hear it for the boys. 56k.

“I'm gay.”

He's looking at his feet, because he hasn't quite come to terms with the fact that he's saying this in a room where other people, strangers, can hear it.

But this is still the first time he's said it this way: out loud, in a declarative sentence. Being nervous is fine. Frank said that being nervous is fine, and Buck just said he's proud, and the only thought Eddie has in his head is that it's embarrassing he can't raise his head and say it like a man, so clearly, he's going to need to hang on to other people's words for the time being, someone who isn't his dad trying to explain the ways Eddie's allowed to inhabit the world.

He doesn't need to ask anyone's permission to be who he is. That's also a thing Frank said.

in which eddie attends a self-empowerment group for gbtq men to supplement his therapy, and is empowered to: forgive himself, say "i'm gay" to his own reflection in the mirror, accidentally adopt an adult, make fried rice, and tell his straight best friend that he's in love with him. not necessarily in that order.

- a leaf falls on loneliness. 11k.

Buck doesn’t think that if he were to say, “I’m in a bad place”, that anyone would turn him away. Really, he doesn’t. The 118 has too many good, kind people for that.

But every time he wants to open his mouth, to say something, to reach out to Eddie or Bobby or Hen or Chim, he hears Eddie yelling, “you’re exhausting.”

—you’re exhausting, you’re exhausting, you’re exhausting—

So each day he does his job and he laughs and he jokes and he pretends he’s the care-free goofball he’s always been. And each day he packs away his bruises and his worries, takes them home to his empty loft with its quiet rooms, and licks his wounds in silence.

- don't let the tide come and wash us away. 23k.

Buck develops a relationship with the ocean, avoids talking about the day Eddie was shot, realizes he might be in love, and drives.

Order may vary.

(a fic for the "Buck is going to break all the way down in season 6" truthers)

- maybe love won't let you down. 15k.

Buck tells Eddie he’s in love with him. Eddie pines.

or, five times eddie watches buck leave, and the one time he goes after him

- if I could see you (once more, to see you). 21k.

All of these have been dreams—they have to have been.

“Why would it be a dream?” Eddie mumbles back.

“You don’t—I don’t think you love me like this in real life.”

“Buck.” Eddie turns to lie back down. The blaze of the fire makes his soft hair look fine and his brown eyes moony. “I love you everywhere like this.”

-

Or, in the aftermath of a building collapse, Eddie mourns. Buck dreams.

- blue skies. 36k.

“Most babies are born as accidents,” She says suddenly, like she’s decided that Buck has passed, that she can trust him with this.

Buck doesn’t really have an answer because that question hits way to fucking close to home. A year or so ago he would have said, yes, I was an accident, so I know how that goes, but Buck knows better now. Knows that he would almost give anything for that answer to still be yes. Evie’s finger works under the seal to rip it open, a stack of important looking papers dumping out onto the table in front of her.

“Not me,” she says without looking up as she organizes them into a neat stack, “I was engineered.”

And.

And Buck’s pretty fucking sure a giant, cataclysmic hole has ripped right open, dragging him down to the earth’s core where he vaporizes into dust.

{or Buck meets another savior baby and everything comes crashing down}

- i don’t swim and you’re not in love. 32k.

She turns to Eddie and says something else, but Buck is busy fighting the headrush he gets at the sound of Ana Flores calling Eddie and Christopher 'the boys'. Like they belong to her already.

God, what’s wrong with him? What is this?

or, eddie cooks, chris domesticates a slug, and buck tries to figure out why he hates his best friend's girlfriend. to everyone's immense shock and surprise, it goes badly.

- counteroffer. 25k

There’s a flicker of something across Buck’s face, but he quickly goes back to grinning. “You just want me at your beck and call.”

“Maybe I do.” Eddie shrugs. “You owe it to me.”

Buck sighs, as if put out, but Eddie can see the glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “Okay, then what's it gonna be?”

Eddie hums thoughtfully. He takes his time trying to think of something good. “What about-” he starts.

And that’s the moment Buck licks his lips and Eddie’s eyes dip down to them. And before he knows what comes over him, before he can think the words through, they’re out of his mouth.

“A kiss,” he says.

Buck blinks at him. Eddie blinks back.

“You want a kiss,” Buck repeats, eyebrows rising.

***

Or in order for Buck to make it up to Eddie, Eddie suggests that Buck gives him one hundred kisses.

to be continued…

[uboat53]

In early October, the US Secretary of State wrote an op-ed in which he claimed that the Middle East was more peaceful than it had been in a long time. Obviously, that was particularly bad timing, but it's worth understanding why, exactly, he was wrong.

Today, of course, we have Israel bombing Gaza in a horrific manner, increasing its repression in the West Bank, and occasionally bombing Lebanon as well. Hamas and Hezbullah are firing rockets into Israel, US bases are being attacked in Iraq and Syria, Houthi rebels in Yemen are attacking ship traffic in the Red Sea and being attacked by the US and UK in turn, Iran was hit by a terror attack at a state funeral, and Iran and Pakistan are exchanging fire across their border at Baloch rebels.

So how did a region that was "peaceful" just a few months ago suddenly blow up with so much fighting. Well, to quote Ultron from the second Avengers movie: "You're confusing peace with quiet"

The Middle East was not peaceful in September of 2023, it was just precariously balanced such that no one was actively shooting. Now, I'm not sure if Secretary Blinken genuinely thought that that represented peace or was simply hoping that he could will it to continue, but either one says some interesting things about US policy in the region.

If he genuinely thought it was peaceful, then we're in a lot more trouble than we thought, because that's a wild misread of the situation. If, as I think is far more likely, he was trying to will a sense of quiet to continue and maybe take some political credit for it, it represents the limits of US power in a region where we have too often let our short-term interests overwhelm our long-term interests.

Backing Israel to the hilt helps a US President's political interests in the US where a majority have supported Israel consistently (though that is shifting as a result of the current war) but our interest in a peaceful Middle East would have been better served by a more confrontational posture that forced Israel to make concessions beyond what its recent hard-right governments would have been willing to make on their own; at the very least to stop them from funding and building up Hamas while strangling the peace-minded PLO.

That's obviously the most relevant case for current events, but it's hardly the only one. From our support of the Saudi intervention in Yemen that exacerbated one of the worst humanitarian crises of the time and led to the growth of the powerful Houthi movement to our consistent unwillingness to engage with Iran even in cases where we could have turned down the temperature on key regional conflicts, American foreign policy in the region has been marked by a consistent insistence on letting short-term politics dictate over long-term interests to the point where even a period of precarious quiet is something that the Secretary of State feels he needs to grab credit for before it's too late.

Make no mistake, the Middle East will continue to be a powder keg. Even if we somehow douse the fires this time, there will be another and likely another after that. The only way that we're going to see actual peace in the Middle East is for the US to start prioritizing it over short-term domestic politics.

Personally, I don't see that happening anytime soon. US politics these days are so closely divided that no President of either party is going to risk angering even a fairly small constituency immediately in exchange for gains that are a half a world away and could take a decade or more to truly take hold. So, as sad as what's happening now is for everyone involved, be prepared for more; the Middle East isn't going to improve as long as America politics remains so evenly split and key groups take sides in a way that prevents long-term peace, and that's probably going to be the case for the next while.

[sportzwireradio]

The Natural Born Fighter RP Davies To Be Inducted Into The Sportzwire Radio Hall Of Fame Thursday 8pm BST

Media Alert: NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 28, 2023/THOMAS BRICE/-- Sportzwire Radio the #1 global radio station is proud to announce the newest member of the Sportzwire Radio Hall of Fame The Natural Born Fighter RP Davies.

The Natural Born Fighter RP Davies, is the current Odyssey Pro Wrestling, TNT Ignition, Wrestle Island world champion along with holding the Knockout Wrestling Showcase champion. RPD prior to his debut in professional wrestling in 2019 was a professional boxing standout out of Blackpool England from 2014 to 2017 with a 12-1 record with one technical knockout including winning his last 9 professional fights along with winning the British International challenge championship. Previously as an unlicensed boxer RPD had won boxing championships in two different weight classes. The Natural Born Fighter RP Davies co-owns the Davies Boxing Gym in Blackpool along with his father Mark Davies. RPD also became the first British boxer in 2022 by winning the TNT Ignition world championship to win a major professional boxing championship and a major professional wrestling championship.

"The Natural Born Fighter RP Davies is very important to my career and the 5-year history of Sportzwire Radio. RPD was the first British Wrestler I interviewed in January 2021 and it has led me to opportunities I would never have had if it wasn't for RPD opening doors for my career. However, most importantly the Natural Born Fighter RP Davies is inside and outside the ring is the definition of what a hall of famer is which is why I am honored to induct him into the Sportzwire Radio Hall of Fame."--Thomas J. Brice, owner of Sportzwire Radio

You can watch the announcement of the Natural Born Fighter RP Davies returning to Sportzwire Radio this Thursday night 8pm BST with recent guest Internationally acclaimed British Wrestling star Dean Allmark below.

You can follow RPD on Instagram @r.p.davies, Twitter @rpdfighter, Youtube and Facebook @rpdboxing. You can also watch the Natural Born Fighter RP Davies defend the Odyssey Pro Wrestling world heavyweight championship this Saturday against the Playboy Prince Lance Revera in their final event of the year Buried Treasure at Alhambra Live, Marine Road, Morecambe, LA44EU. For ticket information to Odyssey Pro Wrestling Buried Treasure you can go to Twitter @opw_uk Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube @odysseyprowrestling.

You can follow Sportzwire Radio on Youtube @sportzwireradio6579 Facebook @sportzwireradio Instagram @thesportsreport2021 and you can also watch the induction ceremony of the Natural Born Fighter RP Davies Thursday night 8pm BST live at https://www.youtube.com/@sportzwireradio6579/streams

Sportzwire Radio is the #1 global radio station featuring over 15 podcasts covering all of the latest happenings in the world of sports and wrestling. Sportzwire Radio has featured interviews with the likes of former MLB world series champions Mark Gubicza also a member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame and Art Shamsky. New York Mets legend Glendon Rusch and longtime New York Islanders great Rich Pilon. Sportzwire Radio also features live wrestling coverage from around the world with the voice of all wrestling and the owner of Sportzwire Radio the Rev. Tom Brice. You watch or listen to Sportzwire Radio anytime via the watch now or listen live buttons at sportzwireradio.org.

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