#pure vibes based writing

[tagamantra]

tabletop role-playing games, as a medium i think, are predisposed to crafting reals, on top of it being largely an exercise of language.

i'm using "real" right now as a basic "something that is completely true thing." in a sense, role playing game design is reality-crafting.

this means that every mechanic and every word used in the game, down to the language, is a way of crafting a real wherein the players must accept that is real (within that space). the reality is the bounds of the fiction and also the major expressive influence into the player's minds. however in a very weird positivist way, what mechanics exist in a game reify what the game says is real, and what doesn't exist doesn't exactly mean something isn't real. so instead of a real/unreal dichotomy we have a real/real (in fiction)/implication(pseudo real)/unreal

so for example: a game might have Stats, Classes, and mechanics for making attack rolls. all of these are Real, and they inform the fiction (a high STR might mean your character is strong, being of a FIGHTER means you're good at fighting and you can pull off maneuvers, making attack rolls is you committing physical violence on another). So they're both real and real in fiction. the localized reality around player characters now exist and they interact with the game through these reals.

now these things might be non-diegetic (frex, a FIGHTER (CLASS) might not actually exist within the game setting, they're archetypical representations, which is something D&D 4e and D&D 5e do), but that doesn't matter: those things are now real due to game design. this means there ARE fighters in your game, even if there is only one kind of fighter that the PC is, there are still fighters.

going further, these Reals also imply something about the established game world. these are not yet the pseudo-reals: so for example, a game that has CAP Skills (skills that cap any other skills you might use while doing something within their field, such as Horseback Riding [a Riding Skill 3 might mean you can only add +3 to when you're doing Melee Combat despite your Melee Combat being at +7, etc.]) this presupposes then that someone who isn't good at Riding cannot be as effective with their martial skill despite having been skilled at martial skill for years.

is this realistic to real life? it doesn't matter: with that established within the game mechanics, that is now what's Real there. and in role-playing you must follow along the Reality crafted there. this has a number of pseudo-reals (implications) such as (cavalry are all good at horseriding, etc.) but the importance of pseudo-reals is that these are things the table (the player aspect) can interface with as they wish. those things which the player has no choice but to interface with are the highest of reals in a roleplaying game

your choice of language informs this even further. not just the fact that you choose to write it in english (tagalog, spanish, etc. expresses things and imposes different priorities when it comes to real) but the wording choice you choose. frex: having INTELLIGENCE as a Stat can be somewhat ableist. what does high INTELLIGENCE mean? aren't there different kinds of smarts, is knowledge the same? or is this an abstraction? but is it a meaningful abstraction or an abstraction brought about by historical momentum (it's what D&D used). why is INTELLIGENCE a meaningful abstraction but STRENGTH and CONSTITUTION are split? these are all arbitrary until it isn't, and you must establish a real to live in the imagined space (that is, the fiction). i'm not saying the 6 stat array is a bad thing mind you but i think it's useful to understand why you have it in there in the game. if it's just because it's the most well known stat array then that's fine i guess

finally, what reals you put into the game is inherently informed by your own worldview. it actually doesn't have to be (that's the point of creation) but commonly game designers simply inject their worldview into the games as real and recreate that real into their tabletop rpg (frex, misogynists who think its realistic for men to be stronger than women, capping women's STR stats etc.) so choosing what is real and what isn't is a matter of paradigm shifting and realizing that not all realities irl are the same (not to go into metaphysics and sociopolitical philosophy)

[inquisimer]

shout out to the two (2) dishonored moots who understand the corvo pole dance rat swarm vision

[prentiits]

not tryna join the anon chaos, just wanted to know - what's your favourite thing you've written, and what's makes it your favourite?

- feral mango anon from a week ago

hello! i am so so glad you have asked me this because i get to talk about things i have not posted. revenge is a given, of course, my first true long multi. some (non-grey's) others include:

burning (this is not a love story) co-written with @which-star - our beloved girls!! this fic is so dear to me for many reasons but mostly because the brainrot was so strong we wrote 19k words during a single winter break. this had never happened to me before and it hasn't happened since.

intrigue (hold your breath). a fic set in the affectionately titled the nepo baby au by which and i. i really enjoyed structuring an au that is completely separate from canon. what if they were all dependent on daddy's money and utterly unhappy in their gilded cages and then met girls that showed them a way out of it. i need to go back and write chapter 2 of this fic... someday.

both fics in my Yours. series. i honestly don't know what i was doing here, only that somehow it turned poly-coded and angsty because i can only reliably write one type of story. sayacindy is so beloved to me, this is my baby my one masterpiece for them.

as for fics i have not published!

meraddek pregnancy au inserted into canon from the episode meredith has her appendix out. they think she's pregnant for a good 10 mins of the episode and i just thought hey. what if she WAS pregnant. how would addison deal. and then it spiraled into a polyfic from there <3

meddison bloomington au. based on the sapphic teacher/student au (barely). there were so many juicy Dynamics in this au, it's really a shame i never wrote any of it. again lol, maybe one of these days.

once more (you're the only thing that matters). meddison season 18 getting together au!!!! i really do need to finish this, it's just a lot of canon in and out and my brain says No whenever i look at it. but it has 6k+ so someone should yell at me to finish it. it's titled and beautiful and everything.

[qsmpbutwithsignlanguage]

QSMP Tinakitten, writing a letter inviting the Team Soulfire co-leaders over: It would be my pleasure to have you for tea. If you disrespect the recipe, prepare for death. Please ignore any bloodstains on the paper or floorboards.

QSMP Tubbo, writing back: loco blanco bear burnt house down on the run see you @6 pm on thursday

QSMP Bad Boy Halo, writing back: Of course I'll be there, not even a bounty for 7,000 ruples placed on my head by the Federation for the crimes of arson could stop me. Do you have green tea?

QSMP Tinakitten: no

[occasionalsnippets]

Hey Author any writing tips you can bestow I absolutely love your writing

There's this that's specifically about x readers that I wrote a while ago but other not really serious general writing stuff:

Sometimes you just gotta write based on vibes. If it sparks joy, write it

Literally don’t worry if you’ve never written anything before. What is there to do except try?

Please put paragraph breaks. Only kinda a writing tip I guess? But it’s helpful for distinguishing between parts of a scene/action/set of emotions/dialogue

Do not ask me how to write dialogue, I can’t help you there. I struggle with it too.

You don’t really need to plot everything out before you start writing. I know a lot of people say you should to keep things organized and stuff but if the mood strikes, just start writing and edit it later.

fuck around and have fun. The most important tip. Just try things out, do whatever you want and figure out what you like or don't like

Idk if these are any help or if you wanted specifics on like developing a character or setting or something but yk, ask if you’d like those specifics

[yesterdayiwrote]

After reading @vro0m's post suggesting Grill the Grid should take on a Taskmaster format, please have my ‘not entirely definitive’ list of Which Taskmaster contestant the 2023 F1 grid would most be like...

Max Verstappen : Kerry Godliman - Wants to win. Doesn’t want you to know how much they want to win. Until you tell them he’s done it wrong and then he argues the rules with you incessantly. Probably loves a laminator. Bosh, done.

Sergio Perez : Paul Sinha - Should be really good at this. Is getting a bit old though and inexplicably fucking the whole thing up. Is really trying but just permanently perplexed about how this isn’t going better for them.

Charles Leclerc : Judi Love - Is trying really hard, still not quite understanding what they’re being asked to do but not wanting anyone to realise how confused they are. Most likely to ask ‘Is there a duck on my face?’

Carlos Sainz : Joe Thomas - Is also very confused, but slightly less chaotic with it, not exactly hiding how confused they are, just openly having a breakdown while their brain stops working. Liable to suddenly argue back about how unfair it is and how hard they’re trying.

Lewis Hamilton : Liza Tarbuck - Knows what they’re doing, minimal fuss, just gets on with it and ends up winning everything. Is starting to get mildly irritated you’re asking them to do it still, decreases effort throughout proceedings, yet still somehow manages to do really well

George Russell: Mel Giedroyc - George is Mel. Rushes into every task with enthusiasm. Highly competitive. Tackles every task with a cacophony of Britishisms spilling from his mouth in place of swear words to hide his frustrations, whilst simultaneously congratulating the crew on what great tasks they’ve come up with. (There is also a really strong argument for Ivo Graham here. Bringing big Eton energy but slightly more angsty about his failures)

Lando Norris : Nish Kumar - Is trying really, really hard. Is also failing really, really hard by failing to notice generally what’s going on around him.

Oscar Piastri : Richard Osman - Just getting the tasks done in a calm, sensible manner. No bells and whistles, just taking it all in his stride.

Esteban Ocon : Jessica Knappett - Goes rushing in to everything with enthusiasm and positive energy and falls face first into failure. Tall and lanky and just very happy to be here.

Pierre Gasly : Iain Stirling - Tries really hard, really wants to win, but you can’t shake the feeling that you’re watching a Love Island episode whenever you watch him attempt anything (just for wildly different reasons).

Fernando Alonso : Rhod Gilbert - Quietly confident of their own abilities. A bit of a lone wolf and hates team tasks because he just wants to win for himself. Has an uncanny knack of finding a loophole and winning tasks thanks to some dirt he has on the taskmaster from many years ago.

Lance Stroll : Paul Chowdhry - He’s not entirely sure how he’s ended up here, or what he’s supposed to do, but he’s giving it a go anyway. Appears unenthusiastic about everything but actually wants to win, just with the least possible effort he can muster.

Valtteri Bottas : Hugh Dennis - Very calm about everything, even his own failures. Actually not that worried about where he comes, just happy to be taking part. (Valtteri would actually be Fred the Swede but he’s not a contestant so he can’t be)

Zhou Guanyu : Charlotte Ritchie - Appears like they have it all together. Calm and softly spoken, yet strangely chaotic when given a task. Seems really eager to please but kind of low key stressed and anxious. (A certain element of Sophie Duker or Mawaan Rizwan entirely for the great fits though)

Yuki Tsunoda : Fern Brady - Is very stressed about everything and would very much like to go home for a big sleep because being competitive is exhausting

Daniel Ricciardo : Joe Wilkinson - Chaos. Full stop.

Nico Hulkenberg : Lee Mack - This is one of the harder ones because he could be any of the ‘uncontroversial older guy’ contestants. Went for Lee because he’d probably keep dropping dad jokes in there but not a total chaos demon. Just does…fine?

Kevin Magnussen : Ardal O’Hanlon - Similar to what I wrote for Nico but with a bit more chaos and confusion thrown in, but just politely smiling his way through it. (See also Alan Davies)

Alex Albon : James Acaster - Has a severe dislike for whoever organised this, would quite like it to be over. Would also like to win. Doesn’t want to look desperate with it but is actually trying very hard. Is very angry that he’s not winning and ends up ranting about how unfair it is to hide his disappointment.

Logan Sargeant : Desiree Burch - American. (Look, I ran out of ideas for Logan I will admit)

[dullyn]

alright this is random arthurian characters as moddi songs:

• House by the Sea - Bors

• Smoke - Guinevere

• The Architect - Mordred

• A Sense of Grey - Dinadan

• New Dawn - Ragnelle

• 7! - Gawain

• One Minute More - Lancelot

• You Can Always Give Up - Galahad

• Let the Spider Run Alive - Palomides

• 12.7 - Clarrisant

• Like in 1968 - Morgause

• Thimbleweed - Morgan

• Kriegspiel - Lionel

• Northern Line - Agravaine

• Train Song - Percival

• A Rabbit In The Headlights - Elyan

• It’s Back - Arthur

[itsmarsss]

I am here to defend my spice intolerant stolas!

So I understand your point about birds eating pepper seeds but stolas is specifically a owl who are exclusively carnivores and do not eat seeds.

Also I learned that owls have fewer taste buds, they can only taste bitter, sweet and sour!

-💎

y’all are so smart with ur bird facts

[thebrokenmechanicalpencil]

Red Stripes

( @quibble-auk gonna jump in the time line a bit, gonna get out of order real fast. This takes place after Comet has healed a bit, he's closer with Jep and Dropmix. Drop is doing his old man solitaire with his not son in a chair beside him. Dropmix takes Comet out on his field medic stuff off record so he can eat, overall Comet's doing better. This is before Jazz shows up though, soon but not yet.

Also he's friends with Echo :D)

tw. Grief, angst, sad stuff in general. Custody au.

--

“Did you update your frame? Or did Dropmix finally feed you?”

Comet jolted sharply at the casual jab, all teasing from Echo of course. 

They were sitting on the edge of the range, Comet tight in his blanket as the cruel wind whipped. Echo was flat with his rifle, aiming far down range. The smaller blue mech had seen the wind as an opportunity to practice his aim in such conditions. Cometeater of course without much to say on the matter helped let him into the locker, and out onto the field. It was a simple kindness.

And Comet got to have some fresh air, he wouldn’t be able to be out too long but it was enough. He enjoyed not smelling disinfectant and being blinded by a light that wasn't just eye meltingly white.

Sideswipe would have recommended he switch the fixtures to something happier, like pink.

Comet had winced at the thought, knowing his brother would have done it. But the idea was still a good one. And it would have made Sideswipe laugh.

Cometeater turned his gaze to the smaller mech and raised his eyebrows, a primal fear making his heart beat faster. 

Echo had noticed something, Echo had seen something. 

The pale green pretender didn’t want to kill Echo.

With practiced calm, knowing if he overreacted it would cause further suspicion, he forced his face to have an almost forgetful expression. Like he was surprised Echo noticed. Maybe. He was hoping that's how it came across, maybe a neutral look would have sufficed?  If Comet-

“Yeah, your..” Echo tapped his gun, soft rhythmic taps punctuated by a flicking movement of his thumb over his knuckles. Not a nervous getsure, Comet reminded himself, just Echo being Echo.

“Your helm is striped now? And I swear you're less..Stringy.” Echo’s voice was teasing, it always seemed to be when the pretender hung around him. Comet allowed his deadpan to fall on the mech, to keep his panic at bay.

Stripes? Comet didn’t have stripes? On his horns? No, those never faded, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe’s patterns were always there..Comet held in a twinge of pain.

He could explain the added bulk, maybe his body had decided he needed more amour?  The pretender’s cells would have enough fuel to do so, even if the threat levels have been low for months now.

He had gone out and fed the day before.  Dropmix as his guide once again, Cometeater felt an odd twinge at the thought of the mech watching over him. How Comet had felt safe.

 Which went back behind the door. Not now.

Comet forced himself to huff softly, he couldn’t just sit silently no matter how much of a good idea it was. Echo..Comet liked Echo.

“Thanks for noticing, I got an upgrade from the old man.”

Echo raised his eyebrows behind his visor, “Really? Your..How old are you to be getting actual frame upgrades?”

Shit. Comet could slap himself, it had been sarcastic? A joke? Well he’s committed now. He needed to search through those journals and find more data on Cybertronian growth cycles. If they did grow. No, they had frame transfers right? When they are sparklings, yes? Upgrades as their sparks grow? 

Not now. Study later, talk now.

Comet almost felt bad, “...Its complicated.” It was a shutoff for any conversation he didn’t want to be a part of. It worked when he first met Echo, and he hoped it would work now. The blue bot had something odd flash across his face, a clench to his fingers and an odd lowering of his doorwings. Cometeater felt guilt snap his gut. He hoped it hadn’t been too blunt. 

“ But the stripes..Yeah I just wanted something different.” Cometeater decided to soften the nip slightly, he had no idea why. It would be easiest to never talk to Echo again. Just sit and let himself drown in his brain. But Comet was sorta over doing that, he had fun talking to Echo when he had the energy. 

That didn’t explain the stripes. What fragging stripes?

The bot lightened up ever so slightly, “Well they look good on you, its..interesting.” Comet forced himself to give Echo a smile, an upturn of his lips. Cometeater looked out around the range as another gust started. 

“If your going to shoot and miss do it now.” It was a jab, but Comet felt his smile grow real when Echo puffed up and chuckled challengingly. 

“Says the one who won’t get within a foot of a gun, just watch.”

Echo did not miss, Comet rolled his optics in response to the triumphant smirk he received. It had been punctuated with a barking laugh. It was enough to keep Cometeater’s mind firmly in the present, and make his lips twitch with a grin.

The warmth did not last when he and Echo parted ways, Comet needed to take care of his newest feature and see if what Echo had noticed was salvageable.

Avoiding most if not all bots, Comet fell into his old habit of slinking through the base. He was in the medical wing without a sound, swept in and out before Jeopardy even had time to notice the doors opened. He had been speaking with some mech, Dropmix at his desk. 

Comet felt that bright optic nick his back when he made it down the mouth of the hall. Avoiding the older mech’s stare was harder said than done. Nothing happened in the dark mech’s domain without him seeing it.

Cometeater made a mental note to come out with a book and sit with him, to discourage any nosiness or suspicion. The idea of being perched near the large medic made his heart slow and calm, maybe he would be able to get some of that research done. It made Comet’s lips twitch with a smile.

Then it dropped. He stood now in front of a mirror in Jeopardy’s room, it wasn't very large but it was enough. Comet choked at the sight of himself.

His horns were duller, but a tad brighter than he had last seen. Armour that pale soft green it had been since.. Since Comet lost them. He shoved the thoughts away and forced himself to focus on his helm, his chest too.

Along the creases of his helm, there were stripes. Thin stripes but stripes all the same. He looked down and along the seams of his collar bones were the same red swatches of color.

The same red as Dropmix.

Mortification and betrayal paralyzed the pretender as he stood shell shocked. His body had, without his consent or even notice, started to mimic the medic.

It's because he had eaten, he had given himself the energy, naturally his flesh wanted to fit in. To be as safe and as stable as possible.

Long ago in the pits he had lightly copied his brothers. Horns and their markings deeply reminiscent of their own, it was a piece of Comet he cherished. 

But his instincts had just spat on it.

He loved his brothers, he adored them. But he knew that his instinctive change had been a manipulative one to keep him safe. A happy accident.

His brothers gone, his body chose a new subject to add and catalogue. To attach himself to.

It felt like a betrayal.

The pretender silently willed the stripes away, wanting them to go. He had no reason to even allow himself such a thing. It was a link to the mech he knew the medic could never want. Those stripes would bind them.

Dropmix did not love him like the twins did. Or even at all. The mech allowed him, the mech let him stay because Jeopardy loved him.

Why couldn't he have copied Jep?

Because Dropmix made Comet feel safe, protected.

Like the twins did.

The grief was too much to bear as Comet began to cry, sobs curling over his teeth. He had been doing so well, he hadn’t cried in days. He was happy. For a moment everything was ok.

But his brother’s were dead, and Comet had to just go and spit on their love for him. 

Cometeater cried harder because he knew Dropmix wouldn’t want him. Those marks meant he was safe, that Dropmix was something worth imitating.

A disgusting organic trait that would make the ex gladiator wrinkle his nose. 

Comet could see it in his mind, that disgust, the anger. That Comet would dare think that he was anything special to him. 

More cries tore through the pretender, the conflicting breeds of pain overwhelming.

The red stripes still sat, his body firm in its counsel.

[jeonstellate]

they’ve established that kamala writes captain marvel fanfics; but, i wanna know: what’s her favorite to write? 👁️

personally, i think it’s self-insert + avenger!reader fics. but, after the events of the movie, she switched to captain marvel x valkyrie + royal!au + marriage-of-convenience!au, no doubt.

[sepiasys]

Trying to access headspace/innerworld except when you try to visualize the places you remember, they're just memories and not the real thing, and when you visualize a SINGLE person/character/sentient thing, it's like Other Wybie from Coraline where bro can emote and make expressions but can't speak at all.

And yes I can TELL that the visualization isn't REAL. It's like looking at a photograph of a place you've been to.

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

man what do you mean i actually have to think about how the plot will progress. what do you mean i cant just wait for the author to figure it out and present it to me. (i am the author)

[desperatecheesecubes]

I do actually find the phenomenon of people writing fanfic based off of other fanfics really odd though. The echo chamber fan base my deeply confused. I've seen some of the most fascinating character takes in there. Like I'm not going to say they're wrong because at the end of the day it's just fandom but I will say that I have absolutely no idea what's going on with that.

[theofficialuriel]

I’m bored, so here are all the numbers I would fuck:

[5] [7] [9] [13] [21] [22] [24] [25] [26] [27] [32] [51] [55] [56] [64] [71] [75] [77] [81] [92] [99]

[brandnewcouch]

a/zira/phale is 100% a snzfucker and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise

[at-sabohteurs]

( sc. ) " so at what point do we cut our losses and walk away ? " she's long since given up trying to reform danny, has accepted that this is the life he chose and if she loves @cultfic, which she reluctantly does, than she'd be better off either turning a blind eye, or getting involved. what's that phrase again ? if you can't beat 'em, join 'em ? if she were a better woman, she would've walked away and never looked back. but tess had never claimed to be better. she's just not a thief, either. looking up from the schematics he'd laid out in front of him, she raised a brow, cradling her tea in one hand as she ran the fingertips of her other over the prints. " this is impossible, danny. and i'm not saying that to challenge you, so don't start. this is ridiculous. "