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.
40 minutes into stream, things were going well. Just like the doctor told her, the shrinking process was slow. When the first donations started rolling in, the Byte-Syzed program began. At first, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, like anticipating a drop on a rollercoaster. Looking around she could see the things in her room grow ever so taller, but she seemed to be the only one that noticed.
Corey, Phin, and Ariel did not comment on her height during their game. Checking the chat wasn’t any better. Most of the comments were about why she hasn’t started shrinking yet or if this was just a joke. Moni decided not to let it bother her though, she still had 4 hours left in the charity stream and she was sure things would get exciting later on.
That moment came sooner than expected.
Phin had just won the first round of Mario Party, and Ariel was livid.
“Oh come on! I HAD MORE STARS THAN YOU AT THE END!”
“I told you, those bonus stars come in clutch.”
“I demand a recount!“
“All's fair in love and war,” Moni began, “There’s always next-“
Cha-Ching
It was like the floor underneath her had given way. Like she had just barely caught herself from falling. Like that drop, she had long been anticipating crept up on her.
Moni looked up, things were significantly taller than they were a second ago. She looked at the camera. It was no longer at her eye level, it was several inches higher. Looking at the chat she could see the others staring at their screens in sheer awe. Even Ariel’s Vtuber emote changed to one with swirls her eyes should be, clearly confused.
Then came the automated message, “Anonymous donated 500 dollars,”
500 Dollars?
500 DOLLARS!!??
“Anonymous said, ‘This is taking too long! If she is actually shrinking, I wanna see it!!!!!”
Checking the height status on the screen, Moni was now 65 inches tall. That donation had shrunk her by more than 7 inches in less than a second. Moni stared directly into the camera silently. She was still taking in her new shrunken perspective.
Corey spoke up, “Holy shit… Moni, are you ok?”
“Y-yeah,” Moni broke out of her stupor and quickly put on a smile, “T-Thanks for the donation anon!”
Ariel’s avatar changed her expression to that of wide eyes, “Girl, your shirt!”
“What about it?”
“It’s falling off!”
Sure enough, the t-shirt Moni had worn above her sync suit had slipped off her shoulders entirely. She played with it for a moment, comparing it to her body. It looked like she had put on a shirt three times her normal shirt size.
“Yeah, I expected as much. I was told the Byte-Syzed program has difficulty shrinking clothes. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. That's why I have this sync suit and headset, they’re guaranteed to shrink with me.”
“Damn.”
"Is this for real?"
“Monica, this is insane, you’re shrinking.”
“Isn't it cool?”
Moni then noticed that the sudden drastic change in height made the live feed look weird, she was just barely in frame.
“Hang on guys, let me fix the camera.”
Moni stood up from her chair, briefly taking in her new standing height before reaching for the webcam above her monitor. It was a bit more of a hassle than she anticipated. She wasn’t exactly used to her new height and the loose t-shirt around her waist wasn’t helping. It took her a moment but Moni finally was within reach of her camera when-
Cha-Ching
Her hand which was only a moment ago in reach of her webcam had grown shorter and barely out of range to reach, but if Moni leaned forward a bit more.
Monica fell back in surprise as the sudden rapid shrinking fit kicked in. Live on-stream people witnessed Moni go from 5’5 to 4’9 to 4’2 to 3’11 until she was no longer visible on camera.
Moni could hear her friends’ outcries as the automated donations went wild.
“OHMIGOSH!!”
“MONI!!
“HOLY SHIT GUYS COOL IT WITH THE DONATIONS! GIVE HER A BREATHER!”
That last comment from Phin seemed to quell the donation rush. Moni found herself sitting on the floor tangled up in the now giant t-shirt. When she finally freed herself from the shirt Moni stood up to compare her new height to everything else in the room.
“Oh. My. God,” Was all she could muster.
Her room was no longer just a few inches taller, her room was ginormous. Standing up, she wasn’t even at eye level with the tallest drawer in her desk. She checked the monitor around her arm, it read 3’1.
She was just over 3 feet tall. The reality of her situation was really starting to hit her now. She had shrunk, like really shrunk, and not by a few inches, by several feet. And it could still go further. The minimum height she set Byte-Syzed to was a mere 4 inches, she can be even smaller than she was now.
This was the coolest damn thing to ever happen to her!
“Moni,” The shout was from the other room, must have been Kimberly, “Do you need me to come in?”
“No thanks! I’ve got it!”
Monica was about to hoist herself up onto her chair but realized something. 3 feet was too small to sit in the chair and still be in frame but still too big to justify sitting on the table. She dashed over to her bed and grabbed one of her smaller pillows and tossed it on the seat before climbing up.
Coming back into frame she could see the relief and surprise on her friends' faces. Chat was still reeling and while going by fast she did catch a few funny comments.
OMG SHE'S A MUNCHKIN
IRL minimushroom
THANK YOU ANONS!!
That final comment turned Moni’s attention to the donation status.
“Jesus Christ! You guys donated 2700 dollars?! Thank you so much!”
“That’s what you’re concerned about?”
Moni continued as she sat on her desk to fix her camera, “I mean yeah, I was super worried I wasn’t going to make up my end of the charity goal this weekend. At this rate, I might reach the goal in an hour.”
“Sweetie, you just dropped to the size of a toddler, are you sure you’re up for more games?”
“Heck yeah,” Moni finished fixing her camera. It now pointed down in such a way that it could get Moni in frame while she’s still in her chair and when she inevitably shrinks small enough to need to sit on the desk itself, “Only thing I probably need to do is have Kim adjust maximum donation amounts, don’t want to use up the rest of my height too quickly.”
As if on cue Kim shouted from the next room, “Already on it!”
The four shouted back in unison, “Thanks, Kim!!”
Getting comfy in her gaming seat and getting a feel for the controller Moni turned to the camera with a cheeky smile, “Who’s up for round 2?”
