Ok, Hooligans, Gather 'round!

Ok, hooligans, gather 'round!

Bc no one told me not to and bc the muse still has its grip on me, we're going to try to run with this new story like this was the original plan all along. Just act casual about it and no one will be able to tell.

In this trade, you get: a 48 episode serial story of action/thriller/romance with secrets! And angst! And obsessive protection! (Now featuring platonic codependency as a side feature)

In this trade, I get: to save face about not being able to work on the same story for too long, bc wtf is consistency? Never heard of her.

I'll give it its own "mainpage" here in a minute, just figure I'd let you know what's up since I'm dropping Mia's Echo until this releases me from my bonds.

Speech Patterns

Feel free to ignore this, it's more for me than for you

Cora

Tone: Generally warm and friendly, but becomes hesitant or anxious when stressed or overwhelmed.

Pace: Varies depending on her emotional state. She speaks quickly when excited or nervous, but slower when tired or trying to find the right words.

Word choice: Uses simple, straightforward language most of the time. Occasionally uses technical terms related to her work or powers, but tends to explain them if she thinks others might not understand.

Verbal tics: When overwhelmed or tired, she struggles to find words, leading to pauses or incomplete sentences. She also uses filler words like "um" or "uh" more frequently in these situations.

Color-coding: Sometimes accidentally uses her personal color-coding system (red, yellow, green, blue) when describing tasks or situations, which can confuse others.

Pop culture references: Makes references to her favorite video games, anime, or Tolkien works, especially when relaxed or with friends.

Directness: Generally direct in her communication, but becomes more indirect or evasive when discussing topics related to her powers or secret identity.

Submissive tendencies: Her speech becomes more deferential or seeking approval when interacting with authority figures or Marek, especially when stressed.

Emotional expressiveness: Her voice reflects her emotions clearly, with excitement, worry, or fatigue easily detectable in her tone.

Stimming: When overwhelmed, she speaks more softly or briefly as she focuses on her fidget ring or scented plushie.

Geek speak: Comfortable using technical jargon related to her interests (like Minecraft or Lord of the Rings), but sometimes stumbles when trying to explain these topics to those unfamiliar with them.

Apologetic tendencies: Frequently apologizes and second-guesses herself, especially in professional settings or when feeling unsure.

Volume control: May occasionally speak too loudly or too softly, especially when excited or overwhelmed, due to difficulty with social cues.

Humor: Uses playful banter with close friends like Jai, but her attempts at humor might sometimes miss the mark with others due to her difficulty with subtle social cues.

Nicknames: Cora calls Marek "Mare", a shortened version of his name. She calls Jai "JJ" most of the time, but will call him "Jaimothy Alexander" when she's frustrated or exasperated with him.

Diesel

Often speaks in a low, gravelly voice that can be both menacing and oddly soothing.

His tone is typically calm and measured, even in tense situations, which adds to his intimidating presence.

Verbally, he's economical, preferring short, impactful statements to long speeches.

He's prone to using metaphors and analogies, often with a dark or violent bent. For example, he might describe a dangerous situation as "like taking a dirt nap" or refer to killing someone as "ghosting" them.

Frequently employs understatement and deadpan delivery, which contrasts sharply with the often extreme situations he finds himself in. This creates a unique form of dark humor. For instance, when faced with overwhelming odds, he might simply state, "Looks like it's gonna be a long day."

Also uses sensory language, particularly related to smell. Due to his enhanced senses, he often describes situations or people in terms of their scent, which can be unsettling to those around him.

His dialogue often includes philosophical musings about life, death, and the nature of humanity. He might suddenly wax poetic about the beauty of a distant planet or the futility of human endeavors in the face of a vast, uncaring universe.

Marek

Tone: Generally calm and measured, with a slight edge of authority. His voice deepens and becomes more commanding when he's in his "Ricochet" persona or dealing with criminal matters.

Pace: Tends to speak at a deliberate, unhurried pace.

Accent: Given his Czech heritage but American upbringing, he has a very slight accent and uses occasional Czech expressions, especially when emotional or around family.

Vocabulary: Uses a mix of professional jargon related to his food truck business and more coded language when discussing criminal activities. He also incorporates cooking metaphors into his speech.

Directness: Marek is direct in his communication, which aligns with his role as a leader in his family's business.

Humor: Marek has a dry, somewhat dark sense of humor. He uses understated sarcasm or gallows humor, especially in tense situations.

Thoughtfulness: He takes a moment to consider his words before speaking, especially when dealing with important matters.

Code-switching: Marek switches between a more casual way of speaking when with friends or family, and a more formal, intimidating manner when in his "Ricochet" role.

Protectiveness: His speech becomes softer or more gentle when talking to Cora or about children, reflecting his protective nature.

Authority: When giving orders or in leadership situations, his speech likely becomes more clipped and authoritative.

Gentle flirt: When speaking with women, he'll often use friendly, mildly flirting language. This is more pronounced when he's fighting a female sanctioned hero, as he's found it tends to take them off guard.

Nicknames: Marek calls Cora "Sugar" most of the time, but he uses "Blossom" when she's tired or vulnerable, when he wants to take care of her and dote on her. He doesn't use these nicknames for anyone else. Marek calls Jai "Paparazzi" when he gets too fixated on Ricochet's fan page, but doesn't use a nickname for him otherwise.

Jai

Jai frequently uses tech-related metaphors, e.g., "Let's reboot this conversation" or "She firewalled me out completely." He often abbreviates words in a tech-style, like "config" for configuration or "auth" for authentication.

Beyond occasional Lao phrases, Jai's sentence structure sometimes reflects Lao grammar, especially when tired or emotional.

Jai's speech has a rhythmic quality, almost like he's freestyle rapping when he gets excited about a topic. He tends to trail off mid-sentence when deep in thought, as if his mind is moving faster than his mouth, and he tends to emphasize key words by slightly raising his pitch, almost like verbally underlining them.

Jai's humor is often delivered in a deadpan manner, with a tendency towards puns and wordplay. He has a habit of making pop culture references, especially from sci-fi and tech-related media.

Jai adjusts his speech style depending on his audience, smoothly transitioning between "tech bro," "professional," and "casual friend" modes.

When thinking, Jai tends to use tech-related filler words like "processing" or "buffering." He often uses "Okay, so..." to start explanations, especially when breaking down complex ideas.

Jai calls Marek "boss" or "chef" most of the time alternating them depending on who's around, but he almost exclusively calls Cora "Cor" or "Cors". He has a habit of giving everyone in his life user-related nicknames, like "Admin" for authority figures or "Noob" for newcomers.

While not strictly a speech pattern, Jai often accompanies his speech with tech-related gestures, like miming typing or swiping on a touchscreen.

I don't wanna...

I don't wanna go to work. I get about 2 hours a day, Mon - Fri, to be my own human being, and it's not enough. I don't want to go to work. I want to stay home and write all day, please and thank you.

It's not too pathetic to pretend your character is coaxing you into doing what you need to, is it? Asking for a friend

Tim "Buck" Buchanan

Tim "Buck" Buchanan is the 56-year-old apathetic owner of The Edge, a dive bar in San Padua's Old Quarter. Grizzled, unshaven, and permanently smelling of stale beer, Buck has owned the run-down bar for over 25 years.

When he was younger, Buck dreamed of owning a lively local hangout. However, years of dealing with deadbeats, drunks, and deteriorating conditions drained his enthusiasm. He now runs The Edge with a bare minimum of effort, staffing it with cheap labor and ignoring anything he deems 'not his problem. ' He lives in the rooms above the bar, making it easy for him to keep an eye on business.

Buck is crude, misogynistic, and openly discriminates against anyone he sees as an "other" - be it supers, different races, etc. He has a hair-trigger temper and isn't afraid to get verbally abusive with staff or patrons who challenge his run-down fiefdom.

This apathy means Buck mostly leaves Mia alone, though, as long as she does her job making drinks and doesn't cause trouble. He hired her because of her keep-your-head-down attitude and doesn't pry into her past. To him, bartenders are disposable labor, meant to be worked as hard as he can work them until they inevitably burn out or find another gig.

Despite his crusty demeanor, Buck has one minor soft spot - a sweet tooth for the baked goods Dana, Mia's co-worker, brings in. As long as she keeps bringing in sweets, he'll keep putting up with her antics when anyone else would be fired.

Buck's appearance reflects his personality - paunchy with greasy gray hair shaven close to help hide his bald spot. His stained band T-shirts and weather-beaten jeans reflect the apathy with which he runs The Edge. Buck's squinting eyes and the deep grooves in his leathery face reinforce the permanently sour expression he always wears.

you think writing is mostly making up rich worlds and complex characters and devising their interactions, but really it's mostly double-checking the meanings of incredibly basic words just in case you have been using them wrong your entire life. and that's ok

Update 1

So...

Yesterday and today have been days.

But I have murdered exactly zero (0) humans and all the humans I love have survived whole and (mostly) intact, so I think I deserve at least one gold star, please and thank.

Remember how I work part time? Have I mentioned that? Bc my part time job is at a preschool. I love children. I've always loved children, there is a joy and a level of patience I only ever achieve when interacting with very young humans. But these little hooligans at this particular preschool... They are feral, they make rabid goblins look civilized. Don't get me wrong, I love these obnoxious gremlins - I do. But when nap time comes around and their tiny candy-asses want to play "make screechy sounds as soon as Miss J is out of arms reach bc she thought you were finally asleep you lying liar".... No. No, that is not the game we play. That is never the game Miss J wants to play at nap time. Do you know what Miss J's favorite game to play at nap time is? "STFU and go tf to sleep." That is, in fact, the best game ever to play and I will die on this hill.

So, what do we do when the gremlins refuse to KO and we can't be paid to work on our story via phone? Yup, we take characters from future stories that we haven't started yet and mash them together in our heads to see what happens!

So now I don't know if my shameless self insert, hot mess, electric superhero female lead should stay with the heart of gold charming vigilante/villain who I originally designed for her, so that I can have my unnecessarily complex best friends to lovers, and simultaneously enemies to lovers with a sexy amount of codependency serial story...

OR!!!

If I should take that same female lead and let my shameless "Riddick" insert become obsessive/possessive of her, instead... (Of course keeping everything else the same and only changing the dynamic between her and the heart of gold charming vigilante/villain so that they're not secretly pinning for each other, they're only platonically codependent now).

And none of these characters are actually in Mia's Echo ... I mean, I might mention them in later chapters, but they're not in the story I'm actively trying to write!

... When too many fictional boyfriends start living rent free in your head all at once, am I right?

But, also, no tiny humans were sacrificed to the old gods yesterday or today, so why fix it if it's not broken?