#the characters all live in my head rent free

[perkeleen-lavellan]

I have my complaints about Taash's writing but none of them sure as fuck was ever 'they talk weird'

Anyone remember Sera? Anyone remember the heavily stylised way Sera spoke in which both indicated her being streetwise and her impatient nature, what with her using slang and speaking in a way that was also quite to the point. Characters are meant to have their own voice.

If we're talking about inserting distinctly modern words into the writing, then we can talk.

I would now like to remind people about something Sebastian says in everyone's beloved DA2:

(In banter between him and Anders after completing Dissent)

"So your 'Tranquil Solution' was hardly the holocaust you imagined."

This was an immersion breaking use of modern words so egregious that I still remember it fondly after all these years. A reference to historical events from our real world history so directly tied to those events you simply cannot use them in your fantasy world without implying that... Thedas apparently had a Nazi Germany in the past? Yeah, that line needed some further work.

And before anyone says DA2 was written in like 2 weeks, I am aware. I am also aware that Veilguard has gone through a dev cycle just as tumultuous, and frankly I do not care. This is still a mistake in the writing, something you might have caught in editing if there was time to do more of it. My point here is that using modern terms in fantasy writing can be genuinely a grating mistake that seems highly amateurish. It is amateurish when it isn't cleaned in editing. I can understand the complaints about modernity in the writing of Veilguard. I will not however entertain complaints about Taash's speaking tone because if we take the modernity away it fits inside Thedas just fine and has a characterisation purpose. Also I just wanted to remind people that even this is not a new issue with BioWare, nor an issue exclusive to Trick Weekes.

This is why I can't take this fandom seriously.

Taash is in their very early 20's. They are not a “thousands of years old being who speaks in iambs” or whatever the fuck it is that Solavellans gush on about. Not a goddamn thing they say is “crap” - it's short, it's to the point, it's very often funny as fuck because it pulls no punches. It serves as comedic punctuation very often simply because they don't have the patience for other people's bullshit.

I never see specifics as to what people find cringey and I suspect it's because people are uncomfortable with Taash's identity, or CONSTANTLY forget they are 20-23. And holy shit the cringe things everyone says at that age.

Taash is remarkable and mature for their age, an expert in their favorite subject, and recognized as such by people much older than them, who literally put their lives in Taash's hands regularly. I think Taash is allowed a few moments to be weird and 20 once in a fucking while without people coming for Trick and gurgling on about inconsistent writing.

[legendary-69420]

☆o( "He Should Slow Down 🥺" — The F1 Driver Group Chat Chronicles 2 )o☆ Genre: Fluff, Humor, Friendship, Lighthearted F1 Fanfic Warnings: none I guess

a/n : This is part 7 (final part) of the series (You can also read it without reading any previous part). This is not the part of my story racing hearts but is another AU for my character. Hope you enjoy it. _________________________________________________

🏎️ Group Chat Name: "He Should Slow Down 🥺" 🏎️

[10:45 PM]

Lando: Y’ALL. Yuki: HUH?? Carlos: What happened? Max: Who died? Lando: I JUST WALKED INTO THE LOUNGE. Lando: GUESS WHO WAS STARING AT HIS PHONE. Yuki: 💀💀💀💀💀 Carlos: I KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING. Oscar: No way. Max: No. Way. Lando: IT WAS CHARLES. Lando: STARING. Lando: AND I HEARD IT. Carlos: YOU HEARD IT?? Yuki: NOOOO NOT THE AUDIO. Oscar: NOT THE HAIR FLIP AUDIO. Max: BRO WAS WATCHING THE SCENE AGAIN. Yuki: 57TH TIME IS CRAZY. Carlos: Accidentally, right, Charles? 😭😭😭

[10:50 PM]

Charles: I DIDN’T DO IT ON PURPOSE. Lando: YOU ABSOLUTELY DID. Carlos: LMFAOOOOOO. Oscar: WHO REWATCHES A CLIP "ACCIDENTALLY" FIFTY-SEVEN TIMES. Yuki: Bro, at this point, just admit it. Max: I bet he has it bookmarked. Lando: Saved to favorites. Carlos: Bro probably got it in 4K Ultra HD. Max: "Accidentally"?? Man, you searched for it, clicked it, turned your phone sideways, and put the brightness up. Charles: I DID NOT. Oscar: He totally did. Carlos: THIS IS EMBARRASSING, CHUCK. Mark: What’s going on? Lando: OH BOY. Yuki: NOT THIS. Oscar: WE GOT HIM. Carlos: MARK, CHARLES GOT CAUGHT WATCHING THE SCENE AGAIN. Max: FOR THE 57TH TIME. Mark: … Mark: THE SPICY SCENE?? Yuki: YES. THAT ONE. Mark: 😳

[11:00 PM]

Mark: Charles, you good? Charles: LEAVE ME ALONE. Mark: I didn’t know you liked it THAT much. Carlos: OH MY GOD. Max: PACK IT UP. Oscar: CHARLES IS FINISHED. Yuki: MARK DROPPED THE FINAL BLOW. Lando: SEND HIM OFF THE GRID. Mark: I can send you a high-res version if you want, dude. 😏 Charles: STOP.

[11:05 PM]

Yuki: We lost him again. Oscar: Charles Leclerc, 1997-2024. Max: Cause of death: "Accidental 57th Watch." Carlos: The internet is going to EAT THIS UP. Lando: “I DIDN’T DO IT ON PURPOSE” is going to be a MEME. Yuki: IT’S ALREADY A MEME. CHECK TWITTER. Oscar: The timeline is in SHAMBLES. Max: They’re calling him “Repeat Offender.”

[11:15 PM]

Carlos: Alright, I’m going to bed. Lando: SAME. Yuki: GOODNIGHT TO EVERYONE EXCEPT CHARLES. Oscar: NIGHT Y'ALL. Max: I’m watching the scene one last time. For science. Mark: Of course you are. Max: SHUT UP. Charles: I hate all of you. Carlos: No, you love us. Yuki: Just not as much as you love that spicy scene. Lando: LMAOOOOOOOOO. Oscar: "Accidental 57th Watch" will live rent-free in my head forever. Carlos: Next GC name? Lando: Hold on, I got it. 🏎️ Group Chat Name Changed to: "Accidental 57th Watch Club 🫣" 🏎️ Charles: I’M LEAVING. Yuki: You’ll be back. Mark: Always are. Carlos: GOT ‘EM. Oscar: Eternal L.

______________________________________________________________ (Sorry guys this was the final part of this series. But Maybe I could continue it in the future. As for Now I have almost completed : Racing Hearts : VOLUME 3 : Part 1 so it might be posted in the upcoming days.... till then GOODBYE ;)) (If you want to know more about Mark...you can read it here in my story Racing hearts)

[blindinghunt]

NEED to rope some of yall into In Stars and Time. i need to be mentally ill with someone over it. the only downside to making a sideblog for it is not being able to rope my mutuals into it via exposure.....

[brinkmage]

[70x1cnature]

I have thoughts about q!Cellbit and q!Tubbo.

These two characters from the very beginning have had pretty similar situations. Causing problems with the Fed, getting attacked, going on mystery solver on their asses, whatever. The interesting thing to me is how they're different, and how much they've diverged from each other.

When Cellbit was fucking with things initially, Cucurucho terrified him by chasing him with a chainsaw. From then on Cellbit absolutely hated the Federation. He tried to infiltrate them, figure out a way to take them down from the inside. He got kidnapped, and he half went along with the assignments given to him.

Tubbo on the other hand just doesn't give any shits at all, and makes it very clear from the beginning. He does illegal big things, goes against Cucurucho, and when threatened with a gun he's not scared. That mother fucker taunts him and runs away because he's not scared of death. Death in this world is not permanent, so he doesn't give a shit. He couldn't be threatened in any way that truly mattered. Tubbo briefly considered joining the Fed but decided fuck that, he doesn't give a shit about the Fed, and let's that be known.

Then Tubbo went and befriended Fred, talked to him and learned about the Federation slowly through a growing friendship and love. Cellbit was finding things out secretively, trying to be covert while also doing his job.

This is the major difference of where their characters diverge. Cellbit was isolated from the other workers, just doing his job and only interacting with Cucurucho- who he's hated sense he chased him with a fucking chainsaw. Tubbo was on the complete opposite of this. Not interacting with the Federation at all (other than Cucurucho trying to get him to stop doing illegal shit) while interacting and getting close to a worker.

Now we've gotten to the point where Cellbit has snapped, he doesn't give a shit anymore and he will kill anyone who says on the side of the Federation. He won't listen to reason, he doesn't care anymore, he just wants the Federation dead, and he'll kill every single worker to make that happen.

Tubbo is closer to the Fed workers than ever. His love is dead, he held a funeral for Fred where only other Fed workers showed up. He's vowed to help them if they ever need it, and they've promised the same. He still doesn't give a shit about the Federation, but to the workers, he's the Hero of the Village.

[the-soro-art]

Oh no! Donnie's bread got moldy. How sad. His brothers comfort him in these trying times.

[onlyrainbowshipstbh]

I’ll say it. Yin and War are geniuses. They knew exactly what to do with this show.

[misspoetree]

You know what I've been thinking about?

The recurrence of this treat shot and its multitude of flavours.

[afterthelambs]

"Silco didn't create Jinx, you did" lives in my mind rent free because throughout season 1, Vi has been convincing herself that Silco is the obstacle preventing her from getting Powder back. She's traumatized and guilt-ridden. When Vi is traumatized, she simplifies things as a response. She has to believe that getting her sister back is that simple. But when Silco is finally dead, Powder doesn't come back to her. In fact Silco's death is what solidifies Jinx's decision to be Jinx (the complete Jinx aka Jinx + Powder, not the broken version of her that she tried to erase Powder from).

And that's likely why Vi switches on her so quickly. By the time season 2 starts she's fully on board with Piltover wanting to kill Jinx and when she confronts her in ep.3 she says Powder is dead and they're not sisters anymore. Which is wild considering just a few days ago she was reassuring her that they'll always be sisters.

I think Vi meant all of it. At the time she really did want Caitlyn and the enforcers to kill Jinx. But that's because she's still just as traumatized and guilt-ridden as she was before. She can't deal with the fact that Jinx herself is the real reason she can never get Powder back. And as I said, Vi simplifies things as a trauma response. However if they had actually succeeded in killing Jinx, I think Vi would live in regret and self-hatred forever. What someone wants when they're traumatized and hurt is not what they want forever, and Vi does love her sister.

[lunasky2491]

When you sit down for dinner with your whole family and Harry Potter and the deathly hallows is on in the background but it’s the scene where they go into Reggie’s room and talk about his death after reading out some of the note.

Me mentally: DON’T CRY! DON’T CRY! I DON’T CARE THAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMFORT CHARACTER DIEING! YOU WILL NOT CRY! STOP REPEATING WHAT THE WHOLE NOTE SAYS! YOU CANNOT CRY IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!

Me: slowly drinking my water showing no emotion as no one in my family knows my love for the marauders or the skittles or just hp in general, and would judge me if they did.

[artbymyth]

“Everything in him recoiled. The water was cold against his legs. His body had gone numb and yet he could still feel the wet give of his brother’s rotting flesh beneath his hands. It’s shame that eats men whole. He was drowning in it. He was drowning in the Ketterdam harbor.”

[might-be-tiny-gt]

Last year I wrote a story about a streamer who shrinks based on chat donations. I meant it as a one shot, but guys…. GUYSSSSS.

I think about this story ‘s universe a lot. I have lore notes just collecting dust and I need to share it or I might go absolutely mad XD Made these visuals charts to get the basics across but if you’re interested in my lore and semantic ramblings, feel free to read below the cut.

Consider this my unofficial pitch bible for Down Played.

General premise: Monica Diaz is Twitch streamer with steadily growing fan base. Her tag is MiniMushroom and her aesthetic is cottage core. She loves all things magical and tiny, especially toadstool mushrooms, that’s the image most associated with her “brand.” She’s approached by a mysterious benefactor who has developed technology specifically for Monica to test and utilize for her streams. It’s called Byte-Syzed Tech and it connects to a user’s twitch stream and based on the user’s preferences, gives the audience the ability to change the user’s height. The one shot I wrote takes place during Monica’s first live use of Byte-Syzed tech on stream. If I were to develop this into a full story I’d probably go back a bit and start around when Monica is first approached about using Byte-Syzed tech then continue to follow Monica adjusting to using Byte-Syzed more often. How she deals with the size change on camera, off camera, how her social and personal life are affected, all that good stuff. I think it would like a slice of life feel good kinda story.

Characters:

- Monica - Main character and primary user of Byte-Syzed tech. Surprisingly enough, she’s actually a law school grad who probably would have put her degree to use if she didn’t accidentally gain a massive following on twitch. Funny how life works out. She stands at 6’4 and always was fascinated with the idea of being small (Basically, she’s a g/t nerd who doesn’t know what g/t is) so being gifted Byte-Syzed and being able to use it on stream is kinda a dream come true.

- Kim - Monica’s girlfriend, roommate, and stream moderator. Kim and Monica were high school sweethearts but drifted apart in college due to personal matters in Kim’s life including having to drop out of college. Kim and Monica rekindled their relationship a few years later and Kim cites Monica and her encouragement as a big reason why she’s been able to get her life back together. She’s currently back in college working on getting her degree in Mathematics.

- The Twitch Team- Moni hosts solo streams but also very often collabs with three of her online friends. Ariel (@Lifeisthebubbles), a Vtuber who is the only one Moni has met in person. Corey (@McDonuts) an NB asmrist on youtube who started streaming games for fun. And Phin (@UrguyPhin) Corey's bf and the competitive gamer of the four. All three of them were streaming with Monica when she first used Byte-Syzed and have since gotten used to pausing their games so an ever shrinking Monica can adjust her set up.

- The Benefactors- Keeping their (Plural, there are two of them) exact identity to myself for the time being, but basically they’re mad scientists with the best intentions. Their antics have garnered attention across the internet as they have created and gifted inventions to up and coming online creators that seem to defy all laws of physics. Anti Gravity chambers, a literal money tree, a mask the morphs the wearer’s face, and now the Byte-Syzed size changing tech. Despite their inventions going viral, their identities have remained hidden. So what is their deal? They’re just big fans of these creators and for lack of drawing skills have gifted them weird inventions instead. Nerds… Due to the nature of Byte-Syzed and the possible effects it can have on the human body, Monica and Kim remain in close contact with them.

How Byte-Syzed Works in Universe: This I wrote tons of notes about when I first thought of the idea. Byte-Syzed can be divided into three key components; The program, the arm band monitor, and the sync suit.

The Program is installed on the user’s computer and connects directly to the arm band monitor and sync suit. The program has user friendly set up that allows the user to input the direction of height change (Shrink or Grow), The minimum or maximum height change, How height change occurs (By views, chat commands, donations, etc.), and rate of height change (How much height is gained or lost with each instance of viewer interaction.) EX: If height is based on donations, the user can set it up so they lose 1 inch for every 10 dollars donated. They can set the minimum height to 6 inches, so once they’ve received enough donations that they have shrunk down to 6 inches, Byte-Syzed will hold at that height. More donations may come in after, but the height will remain at 6 inches for the duration of the stream.)

The Arm Band Monitor, is the device the physically changes the user’s height after connecting to the Byte-Syzed Program. It also monitors and display’s the user’s current height and vitals. All data collected from the arm band will then be saved and can be referenced later if the band is connected to the computer. The arm band must be kept on at all times during active use and active reset of Byte-Syzed. Active use is the time in which Byte-Syzed is being used in a stream and the user’s height is actively changing. Active reset refers to time after the stream has ended and the user is either set at their new current height or in the process of returning to their normal height. After a stream has ended the user will remain at their changed height until they press the reset button on the monitor. Once the reset button is active, the user will return to their normal height at 1.5 times the amount of time it took to change to their current changed height. EX: A user has finished a stream that was 4 hours. They hit the reset button which will return them to normal over the course of 6 hours. (4x1.5=6) This only applies for time Byte-Syzed was in use, not how long a size change occurred. EX: If the user’s stream was 4 hours, but they reached their minimum height in 3 hours, the reset function will account for the 4 hours the stream lasted. This is a safety procedure to reduce stress on the user’s body. Note: If the reset button is not pressed, the user will remain at their changed height for a period of 12 hours. After 12 hours, the reset function will kick in automatically.

The Synchronized Suit or Sync Suit is directly connected to the Byte-Syzed program and will grow and shrink with the user at the same rate as the user. Normal clothing can be worn above it but they will not change size with the user, only the sync suit. The sync suit Monica received came with the suit, shoes, and a headset with a built in microphone to keep audio input even over the course of her size changing. More sync suits are in the process of being designed and produced, with the goal of making sync suits that resemble everyday clothing like t shirts or skirts.

Fun Story Ideas:

- Origin story. How Monica met the benefactors and was gifted Byte-Syzed, her and Kim’s gripes about using it, actually going through with it and the pros and cons she noticed, the end of her first size changing stream and dealing with being tiny in her own room and her girlfriend’s hands. Etc etc

- Monica finished a late night stream using byte Syzed and forgets to press reset when she goes to sleep so instead of growing back over the course of the night she wakes up at her tiny size. After realizing her mistake she begins the growth process but now has to do it while attempting to do her regular day time activities.

- Monica is approached by a doll company to collaborate on a new doll based on her, only issue, their studio is several hours away and they want her to model at both her full height and at the height of the dolls. After some consideration Monica and Kim decide to take a road trip to the studio and use Byte Syzed at the studio under Kim’s careful supervision. What could go wrong?

- Months have passed and Kim and Monica have grown well adjusted to the major size difference between them after Monica finishes a byte syze stream, however curiosity has gotten the best of her and Kim wonders what it would be like to be the tiny one for a change.

If you have read this far, you have my eternal gratitude. Thanks for reading this far, I really hope you liked it XD Maybe if time and motivation allows I can flesh the story out.

[foxprints]

Not sure who it beat the futz outta but I'm sure they deserved it

[acourtofquestions]

"The choice is yours how much you allow it into your life, how to use it-but go any longer without mastering it, Majesty, and it will destroy you."

A chill went down Dorian's spine.

And maybe it was the open ocean, or the endless stars above them, but Dorian said, "It wasn't enough. That day ... that day Sorscha died, it wasn't enough to save her." He spread his hands on his lap. "It only wishes to destroy."

Silence fell, long enough that Dorian wondered if Rowan had fallen asleep. He hadn't dared ask when the prince himself had last slept; he'd certainly eaten enough for a starved man.

"I was not there to save my mate when she was murdered, either," Rowan said at last.

Dorian straightened. Aelin had told him plenty of the prince's history, but not this. He supposed it wasn't her secret, her sorrow to share.

"I'm sorry," Dorian said.

His magic had felt the bond between Aelin and Rowan—the bond that went deeper than blood, than their magic, and he'd assumed it was just that they were mates, and hadn't announced it to anyone. But if Rowan already had a mate, and had lost her …

Rowan said, "You're going to hate the world, Dorian. You are going to hate yourself. You will hate your magic, and you will hate any moment of peace or happiness. But I had the luxury of a kingdom at peace and no one depending upon me. You do not."

Rowan shifted the rudder, adjusting their course farther out to sea as the coastline jutted to meet them, a rising wall of steep cliffs. He'd known they were traveling swiftly, but they had to be almost halfway to the southern border— and traveling far faster than he'd realized under the cover of darkness.

Dorian said at last, "I am the sovereign of a broken kingdom. My people do not know who rules them. And now that I am fleeing ..." He shook his head, exhaustion gnawing on his bones. "Have I yielded my kingdom to Erawan? What—what do I even do from here?"

The ship's creaking and the rush of water were the only sounds. "Your people will have learned by now that you were not among the dead. It is upon you to tell them how to interpret it—if they are to see you as abandoning them, or if they are to see you as a man who is leaving to find help—to save them. You must make that clear."

"By going to the Dead Islands."

A nod. "Aelin, unsurprisingly, has a fraught history with the Pirate Lord. You don't. It's in your best interest to make him see you as an advantageous ally. Aedion told me the Dead Islands were once overrun by General Narrok and several of Erawan's forces. Rolfe and his fleet fled-and though Rolfe is now once more ruler of Skull's Bay, that disgrace might be your way in with him. Convince him you are not your father's son—and that you'll grant Rolfe and his pirates privileges."

"You mean turn them into privateers."

"You have gold, we have gold. If promising Rolfe money and free rein to loot Erawan's ships will secure us an armada in the South, we'd be fools to shy from it."

Dorian considered the prince's words.

"I've never met a pirate."

"You met Aelin when she was still pretending to be Celaena," Rowan said drily. "I can promise you Rolfe won't be much worse."

"That's not reassuring."

A huffed laugh. Silence fell between them again.

At last, Rowan said, "I'm sorry—about Sorscha."

Dorian shrugged, and hated himself for the gesture, as if it diminished what Sorscha had meant, how brave she'd been—how special.

"You know," he said, "sometimes I wish Chaol were here to help me. And then sometimes I'm glad he's not, so he wouldn't be at risk again. I'm glad he's in Antica with Nesryn." He studied the prince, the lethal lines of his body, the predatory stillness with which he sat, even as he manned their boat. "Could you-could you teach me about magic? Not everything, mean, but ... what you can, whenever we can.

Rowan considered for a moment, and then said,

"I have known many kings in my life, Dorian Havilliard. And it was a rare man indeed who asked for help when he needed it, who would put aside pride."

Dorian was fairly certain his pride had been shredded under the claws of the Valg prince.

"I'll teach you as much as I can before we arrive in Skull's Bay," Rowan said. "We may find someone there who escaped the butchers-someone to instruct you more than I can."

"You taught Aelin."

Again, silence. Then, "Aelin is my heart. I taught her what I knew, and it worked because our magics understood each other deep down. Just as our souls did. You are ... different. Your magic is something I have rarely encountered. You need someone who grasps it, or at least how to train you in it. But I can teach you control; I can teach you about spiraling down into your power, and taking care of yourself."

Dorian nodded his thanks. "The first time you met Aelin, did you know ...?"

A snort. "No. Gods, no. We wanted to kill each other." The amusement flickered. "She was ... in a very dark place. We both were. But we led each other out of it. Found a way together."

For a heartbeat, Dorian could only stare. As if reading his mind, Rowan said, "You will find your way, too, Dorian. You'll find your way out."

He didn't have the right words to convey what was in his heart, so he sighed up at the starry, endless sky. "To Skull's Bay, then."

Rowan's smile was a slash of white in the darkness. "To Skull's Bay."

[averlym]

the one who pulls the strings (click for better resolution!)

from adamandi by @melliotwrites,, consider this my pitch to get you all to watch it

[chaos-bringer-13]

My brain just hit an old hyperfixation (is this what it's called? I hope I used the word right) and oh dear am I losing my mind now. I need to write a story I think. About this one old guy. He's unhinged. There's so much information about him and yet not enough. I want to explore his character so much. He's definitely a criminal - at least he was one - and I'm 95% sure he can do actual real magic, and he's a musician and an artist and an actor and a magician and a philosopher and a traveler and a conman and so much more and also I think he's some kind of immortal. Maybe he just has a VERY long life. It's strongly implied he was a pirate at some point of his life. He started a cult by accident several times. My conspiracy theories about him include him being a secret god.

He's also a freaking round blue raven. Someone save me from my mind.