#thanks apophenia

[katierosefun]

hello i would like you to know that, without fail, every time you reblog a haunting of hill house post with timothy hutton i think to myself "what episode of leverage did i miss???" 💕

; DHLFSDF:LK SDFLSDF lmaooo (nate ford . . . arguably the role)

although y'know, on the same note of the haunting of hill house, i do think it's a shame we never got to see leverage crew try to steal a haunted house. i think there would have been so many shenanigans to come out of that one.

[touchstone-telephone]

wine using the last lingering power of bounty to create small gardens in the old quarry 👍

[durindaina]

i get second hand exhaustion from people around me trying to make everything transcendental. like sometimes things just happen. sometimes things just are. they may come from something but i don’t have to find meaning in the third sip of water i drank from a particular cup

[polturn]

What do leery mimics do when they possess you? Just goof off and make mischief because coyotes are tricksters? Or do they like kill you? And can it happen to like dogs or wolves? What happens if a coywolf gets struck? Also are there mime clown apes? K byeeeeee

Thanks for the questions!

They dont kill the people they possess. There really is no other intention behind it other than their own entertainment, curiosity, and yes mischief.

The Leerys mischievousness is a nod to the trickster coyote. I dont see it as something happening with another type of canid anyway, because I like that it being a coyote grounds the creature in the desert of north america. Theres an inspiration throughline of "altered states" in all the mimic designs and the Leerys possession of people is supposed to also be able to be read as a peyote trip.

The mimics series is mainly a character design exercise for me. (atm they dont have plot beyond their backstories)

The inspiration throughlines in all the mimic creature designs are: altered states of consciousness, folklore, human interactions with wild animals/nature (specifically fumbled or negative interactions), and mimes/clowns/harlequins (kinda random but whatever).

The mime part is kinda baked into the "mimic" concept, buuuuut I have wanted to design a species based off of the term "mimetolith".

Mimetoliths are an example of pareidolia, which is a type of apophenia (the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things). Apophenia can be taken to the extreme where it could be listed as a symptom of schizophrenia. To me this fits into my altered states of conciousness inspiration. I also have ideas about rock stacking I wanted to work in...

ooooo u got me thinkin... might work on a new creature design tonight to add to the mimics

[ceph-the-ghost-writer]

Get To Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Tagged by @ink-flavored (here) to do this event created by @davycoquette (question template here)! Thanks to both of you.

To anyone seeing this, consider yourself tagged in addition to @sunset-a-story @touloserlautrec @sarahlizziewrites @k--havok @thatndginger @oliolioxenfreewrites @the-scaredy-crow @words-after-midnight @space-writes @vacantgodling @jezifster @ghostpoetics @lacependragon @xenascribbles @afoolandathief @drawnecromancy @the-ace-of-wrath

[ID: A thin border divider showing a sliver of a golden sky streaked by rain clouds above a dark blue sea.]

ON THE TUMBLR WRITING COMMUNITY

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr?

Since, like, 2020? Somewhere thereabouts.

What led you to create it?

Wanting to connect with writers/readers outside of Ao3 (it's just not set up for conversations outside of comment threads). And wanting to raise my characters up like baby Simba at the start of The Lion King for more of the Internet to behold.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

It's about the connection. 🤌 Plenty of writing communities, both on and offline, focus on critique or getting something published. Which can be great, if it's what you're after. But I think having others who genuinely cheer you on and let you ramble is just as important to helping writers through the often messy process of creating.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

I can be a bit shy or slow to interact, but once I'm invited in I'll haunt follow your blog or writing even if I'm not constantly saying anything.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

People talking about what they love, in published work and with writeblr stuff. A lot of the time I read or watch something because of the way others talk about it. That includes your own writing!

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today?

Be patient, manage your expectations, and focus on having some fun. There's no algorithm here and even less clout. Writers can and do build audiences on Tumblr, but it's uniquely suited to allow us to experiment and be weird too.

WIP IT GOOD

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

I'm rewriting Apophenia, a novel about a supernatural researcher enduring the worst assignment of his life. A lot of my other projects are set in the same world.

How long have you been working on them?

Over five years now, I think! I'm slow.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

The Chocolate Box event on Ao3! The prompt was for a human captured by a vampire, but I wound up creating an entire world and series. Oops.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

If I'm not thinking about these characters it's only because I'm dead.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

Gay vampire trash.

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)?

I write about characters who struggle towards community, compassion, and being better people despite a) their flaws, and b) the world burning down around them. I hope that it gives me the courage to continue doing the same.

LET’S ROTATE BLORBOS

Name any characters you created.

I'll direct you to some mood boards/intros even: Isaac Soto Márquez, Renato Faria Dimas, Dorian St-Ange, Kinslayer, Elfy Bosques-Rodriguez, Ankaris the Memory Salesman, Fior the Master Transcriber, Vess the Collector. And here's a comic sans presentation for Apophenia.

Who’s the most unhinged?

Outwardly? Any of my necromancers. They come in a wide variety of styles, from Motley sewing patches of skin onto itself, to Acacius of Antioch who drapes his bejeweled and gilded bones in black veils. Each also has an, um, unique view of (un)life, the body, and ethics. Views which could come across as unhinged.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

At this point Isaac Soto, the protagonist of Apophenia. We do share a few similarities, but mostly I've just been writing him for years now.

Do you ever cringe at them?

At my characters or their antics? I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters?

They do frequently just spring ideas and actions on me, but I have the ultimate say in what makes it onto the page. Same with having the power/responsibility of changing something I realize isn't working, is insensitive, etc.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters?

Always and forever, yes. 💜 Send me asks, comment in the tags or on Ao3, shriek in reblogs, replies, or a dm. It doesn't matter how--I love whenever someone is curious or interested enough to ask something about my fictional creations.

ON WRITEBLR ENGAGEMENT

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account?

Sometimes it's based on vibes, sometimes I really like the sound of their stories. I appreciate a sense of whimsy and/or humor especially. And someone who likes spooky as well as fantasy stuff.

What makes you decide against following?

Two things: A) Their intro already has, like, 80+ notes (though the vibe/story will override this), and B) lots of posts hating on things/trends/people. I don't mean venting or sometimes ranting, which is everyone's right. I mean someone's whole brand is ridicule or just immediately seeing the bad in everything. Which is still their right. It's also mine to avoid it, and I think this is mutually beneficial. Thankfully, though, this experience has been very rare for me on writeblr.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

I try to. I'll reblog, read, comment, take an open tag, whatever when I have the energy. I mean, how else do writers get readers? It takes people who might not know you personally talking about your work a lot of the time.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

I am absorbing the essence of your blorbos as we speak, making them an eternal part of me.

[daisyswift3]

Sorry for disappearing again. I’m popping back on here to give a little update on my life for anyone who cares. August was a really really reallyyy awful month for me. First I was spiraling abt my ex situationship and then the first wk of the semester I started dealing w a lot of harassment from classmates and I realized it was my own “friends” that started it and spread a bunch of awful untrue rumors abt me as well as my private text conversations w them 😃 And the stress from all of that literally caused me to have a psychotic episode and spiral even more so that was fun. I actually came close to ending my life bc it was so bad. I think that was the first time I’ve ever had a full blown psychotic episode and it was absolute hell, like I’ve never been so fucking terrified in my life. I didn’t even know it was possible to have thoughts as dark as the ones I was having. This caused me to fall really behind in my classes so now I’m having to catch up while also being very scatterbrained. And this WAS going to be my last semester but now I’m gonna have to graduate later bc of all of this 🥰 It literally feels like they sabotaged me right before the finish line like I’ve never been so pissed off in my life. But one good thing that came out of it is I’ve now figured out I probably have schizotypal personality disorder or sth similar which would explain why I have such a hard time making friends and maintaining relationships. I think I come off a lot colder than I mean to and so I give ppl mixed signals on accident. It’s kind of awful knowing I’M actually the one that’s caused some of my relationships to implode without meaning to. Like I try soooo hard to be as nice as possible and to listen and be patient w ppl but it’s still somehow never enough bc I’m kinda stoic and am not good at expressing my love for ppl. Like I feel so many things internally but it’s hard for me to show them externally. And I also figured out that I experience apophenia (which can be related to psychosis and schizophrenia) and so I sometimes read way too much into things and see signs and patterns that aren’t there. On one hand it’s great bc it allows me to learn difficult concepts really fast and spot patterns and connections other ppl might not see, but on the other hand it can also cause me to experience psychosis. I’m trying to be more careful now w how delusional I let myself be but I’m not gonna stop analyzing music and I’ll let myself be delulu sometimes as a treat bc life is more fun that way :)) I’ve made several playlists that kind of serve as journal entries since I don’t really journal and that’s the closest thing I have to journaling. These songs are like the soundtrack of my life at the moment

[minespatchart]

Apophenia time again where my mind thought of "hatsune mico". Thanks brain.

Micolash's eyes are pink like that due to the model. Something something 420.

[sollody]

1979

Right, so I originally wasn't going to share this because I feel like it could as well be nothing but a funny coincidence. And even though I've been entertaining the idea for quite some time, I can't seem to find enough proof for it to be classified a proper theory. (Plus, I'm usually kind of terrible at explaining things so it might just be a waste of time. :D)

However, I just finished reading @pinkeoni 's thoughts on how the Upside Down may have been Will's 'hiding spot' long before the events of November 1983 (and I'm currently feeling incredibly inspired ...)

... so consider this post to be the result of a classic knee-jerk reaction. :D

-

Like I've said, it may be purely coincidental, but given the fact it is part of Joyce's 'birthday monologue' (something I feel will be relevant to Will's storyline in season 5) I can't help but find it curious how Joyce ends up using the memory of Will's 8th birthday.

Let's assume the writers really did have their reasons for choosing that age. It might be time to remind ourselves that Will was born in 1971 ...

... which means he turned eight in 1979.

... aka the year Jane unintentionally opens the very first gate and Henry discovers the Upside Down (which had been nothing but some yellow coloured wasteland at that point) as well as those particles he uses to form the Mind Flayer.

^ "...all you wanted to do was draw..', - he'd most definitely spent most of his time doing exactly that.

[Oh, btw: the lab's playroom = 'rainbow room'. - probably not relevant at all, but, you know, just in case and whatnot. :D ]

Why and how would all of the above be connected to Will/his 8th birthday though?

Again, it is possible that we're dealing with some major case of apophenia and even if we aren't - I don't really know how to connect the dots here. Nevertheless, to me, it's quite interesting how Joyce points out that Will had been given that huge box of crayons (that he used in order to draw 'his rainbow ship that wasn't from a movie')

Especially considering his art has always been quite relevant to the plot AND he is believed to possess the ability to create/alter things with his mind.

There are quite a few people (me included) who are convinced that he made the Upside Down look like Hawkins.

But what if there's more to it?

...

What if Will somehow is connected to the yellow version of the Upside Down too?

What if he can't remember because ... he suffers from dissociative amnesia... ?!

... just like Jane ...

Perhaps Tumblr user pinkeoni is right and he really did use it as some sort of hiding spot back when Lonnie was around.

And maybe...

We'll see, won't we? (:

----------

Um, yeah, that's all - for now. :D

Thanks for reading and stuff. <3

[thesiltverses]

I have a question AND a little gratitude to express. First, The Silt Verses became my favourite podcast a few months ago because it's so validating to know I'm not awful for making awful, eldritch fiction. For the question: I know humans can't understand the gods, but how much do they understand us? Like the Watcher in the Wings, does it "get" the performance or is it only there for murder and discomfort? Do they "speak" to us or are those whispers our attempt at understanding the unfathomable?

Hey and thank you so much!

You’re definitely not awful, and I think it’s really important to affirm that awful fiction is a wonderful and powerful thing. It performs a truly valuable artistic function in helping us to interrogate and process our complicated, angry, sometimes shameful thoughts and feelings about a frequently awful world.

(But equally, awful fiction also deserves to exist beyond any of that, just because it can be fun sometimes to explore the monstrous, mean-spirited, dreadful and absolutely gross, and that should be more than enough).

So please, fuck to hell any implied ‘art should only be morally instructive, or conclude with hope, or a celebration of the human spirit, and if you create "bad" art you might just be a bad person’-style messaging you might have seen out there in the wild - it still seems to circle a lot online but so many horror creators have spoken passionately and furiously about how stifling and rotten and false it is, and long may they do so.

I really hope the awful eldritch fiction is incredible to write and is exactly as awful as it needs to be.

To your actual question - do the gods understand humans in The Silt Verses? 

I don’t know. The gods are depicted in line with my general state of beleaguered agnosticism and apophenia - the desperate need to believe that there’s something out there that understands me and knows my heart, my fear and suspicion that I could spend a lifetime seeing patterns that aren’t really there to feed that need, my wonder at ‘miracles’ or wondrous coincidences that are likely just random motions in the fugue…

Because the story is meant to be coming from that place of universal doubt, it’s important to me that there’s no ‘true’ answer in my own head. The gods could be speaking to our characters, or our characters could be fooling themselves, seeing the mechanistic, hunger-led or arbitrary actions of a (supernaturally-empowered) animal and interpreting them as something more. We get conflicting suggestions of both.

The Watcher in the Wings is quite a funny example, though, because it actually doesn’t do anything directly, other than beat its wings. 

Hembry is convinced that the wing-beating signifies applause, and that something terrible will happen if he doesn’t satisfy it, but there’s no real proof that it will, and at the end the Watcher actually flees from him - he’s created that entire ecosystem of belief based on assumption, and (horribly) it might not have even been necessary in the first place.

[fairchilds-glasses]

Hii Sophie, it's Austin, I'm back and I was randomly rewatching the Chucky series and saw the signs of autism with Jake, Devon and Caroline:

For starters; hyperfixatation. We already know that these three seemed to almost be obsessed with their passions/hyperfixatations on a tremendous amount. Like the amount of dolls Jake had stored, Devon creating a whole fucking podcast and having posters, Caroline's fit over not having Chucky, etc.

Second; monotone or too expressive expressions. Jake seems really expressive, while Devon and Caroline seem to have this straight face usually all the time. And the eyes - like they're analyzing every single detail about what's in front of them or their enviorment.

Special interest; like I said, Devon is obsessed with true crime and still is, Jake is obsessed with dolls, art, sculptures, Caroline is obsessed with Chucky and dolls and murder. Like Devon was literally reading true crime at 7 am.

Difficulty making friends; Devon doesn't really seem to have this problem A LOT but it's really shown in S2 how he has a slight difficulty with making friends that probably only adapted with his mom. Jake is repeatedly remarked and shown to have difficulty making friends, and so does Caroline, said by Lexy that she "rarely even speaks" meaning Caroline is probably selectively mute as well.

Black and white thinking; this seems to only really be shown with Devon. In S2, he seems to have a black-and-white certain way of seeing and overlooking things, which is one of his greatest traits and his greatest problem. With Chucky, he barely bothered to hear anyone out since his black-and-white thinking.

Stimming: I have my reasons to suspect why Devon barely does this, but Caroline is seem to be swaying or tapping her fingers, Jake bounces his leg alot, messes with his rings, cracks his knuckles even when he's not anxious. And Devon sometimes does it too, but he's probably used to masking a lot, especially near Lexy.

Pattern recognition; This is like the hugest thing with Devon and how he was even able to brainwash Chucky. Because he saw the patterns in his behavior and the way Chucky operated, and was able to exactly determine what would break him and how to break him. Which is also why I think Devon may have undiagnosed apophenia, since he seems to find patterns or meanings when others don't.

Sensory issues: This is shown with Caroline and her disgust with being touched, and I think Lexy made some kind of remark that she had a meltdown because she wore the wrong sweater. And both Devon and Jake collectively try to avoid certain patterns and textures with their clothing, you can literally see how Devon rarely wears anything tight, showing skin, like Jake's now wardrobe a little bit. He specifically sticks to sweaters, shirts, all that.

Little or too much eye contact: Was I the only one who watched Caroline and thought that this little terror was almost staring into everyone's soul? Devon kinda does it too, like keeps main eye contact too the point it would kinda be unnerving if you were talking to him long enough while Jake seems to make little eye contact and only really does it with those he feels comfortable with.

In conclusion, all of these fuckers are autistic.

Oh thank god you noticed, I thought I was the only one!!!

It’s a lot more obvious and in your face with Caroline considering the meltdown in ep 3 and of course her aversion to touch but I’m really glad you noticed the more subtle things with Jake and Devon as well. Also obviously in season two Nadine is very blatantly autistic and I love it so much and obviously as I’ve stated multiple times Miss Fairchild also shows autism/ADHD tendencies as well. So yes I’m conclusion they’re all autistic 😌

I didn’t know if I was just projecting but knowing that you see it to has just validated it for me.

[i-love-being-a-hater]

Having doubts byler thanks to creelarke, not because creelarke was so obviously canon and so was Henry gay (as if) so if the writers didn't go that route then they aren't going to do it with byler either but because of the amount of creelarke shippers who also ship byler who are so disappointed that all the evidence (what evidence?) ended up meaning nothing.

What if I'm like them and I'm suffering from apophenia and seeing things where there clearly aren't any? Scary

[kata4a]

17, 21

17. an anxious compulsion you do everyday?

I take like maybe way too many baths 🛁🫧🧼

I guess my actual reaction to being overwhelmed (which I am a lot) is to kind of freeze up? I can spend hours cycling between three tasks I want to do without ever starting any of them. frustries

21. a number that weirds you out?

uhhh well thanks to qofa most of them now 😖 actually that's not true I really like the fucked up numbers

this isn't a specific number but because of combination of good memory and general apophenia I'm pretty good at noticing coincidences? like for a while my best friends and my partner lived at completely different houses that happened to have the same street number. anyway normally I just find this kind of pleasing but occasionally (esp. if I'm already feeling anxious) I can get kind of worked up about like, oh what if I go insane about this (I would be so good at having schizophrenia)

[random-conspiracy]

Your user name is cool

THANKS! I love the concept of "apophenia", the finding of meaningful patterns and messages in random data. From constellations to social structures. It's all a random conspiracy! So crazy, so evil! Hhashasaajghasdg

[apopheniamusicofficial]

Apophenia - Morning Star (Single)

Check Us Out On Spotify!

Genre: Alternative Rock / Industrial / Electronic / Pop Single: Morning Star Date(s) Written: 2022 Producer(s): Evan Walker, Cullen Griffin, Steven Bracamonte, Joe Teeple Songwriter(s): Evan Walker Mixer/Engineer: Evan Walker, Cullen Griffin, Steven Bracamonte, Joe Teeple Labels/Publisher: N/A, (Independent) Band: Apophenia - Song Title: Morning Star Vocals: Evan Walker Lead Guitar: Steven Bracamonte Rhythm Guitar: Cullen Griffin Bass: Joe Teeple Bass Synth: Evan Walker Drums / Drum (Programming): Evan Walker Piano (Programming): Evan Walker Photography: Victor Montanez Special Thanks To: Torre Iby, Anonymous C-line: © 2023, Apophenia of Northeastern Pennsylvania

[ceph-the-ghost-writer]

Heyy happy STS! If your characters were real, would you get along with them? Would you have stuff in common? Would you hang out? And if so, what activities would you guys do? (For any character(s) you want from any story!)

@orphanheirs Hiii hello! Thank you for the ask! (Do you do STS or any events, btw? I know you collect inspiration/aesthetic stuff for your writing, but didn't see any tag or ask posts.)

For Apophenia's characters...I'd get along with most of them, partly because many share fragments of personality or interest with me already.

Isaac and I would awkwardly make small talk until animals or supernatural stuff came up, then we'd lose track of time being gd nerds. We're both people who can enjoy just being around each other and doing our own thing, but also like to discuss ideas and do chill activities together (games, watch stuff, museums, etc.). We have some of the same flaws, but we'd encourage each other to do better because it's much easier for us to do that for others than it is for ourselves. All in all, I think we'd be close friends.

Renato has some of my more sociable/charming traits, just dialed up to 11. Honestly, he's too cool for me and would lose interest pretty quickly, especially because he's allergic to having genuine or introspective conversations. We don't have much in common beyond some general knowledge of ships and the ocean. If I had a party and invited him, all the other guests would forget about me and go follow him to a bar. (Then regret it after he, you know, drank all their blood or got them into a fight or something, but still.)

Another too-cool-for-me character is Elfy, but she's much easier to have a conversation with, and her charm and energy aren't weapons. We both love spooky stuff, and like Isaac I'd go with her to haunted sites. (Unlike Isaac, I'd enjoy myself.) All the stuff I could do with him I could do with her, plus if we did something more socially engaging I wouldn't have to worry about awkward lapses in interaction--Elfy would keep that ball rolling.

The best I could hope for with Kinslayer is that they adopt me like tarantulas will live with those frogs. We do both like books, poetry, and stories in general, and they're fond of Isaac, so I think I have a decent chance.

Breezy would be like the cool grandma or aunt I never really had. She's done a lot of traveling and had a lot of adventures, so she's full of stories and useful advice. These days she's content to run her hotel/bar in the middle of nowhere and stay slightly stoned at all times. I'd enjoy learning gardening tips from her and trying some of the, uh, special mushrooms she grows.

Friends aren't exactly Motley's thing, being a shapeshifting necromancer. I'd want to be friends with it, though, so, so, so bad. Maybe it would let me just hang out nearby as it sits in the desert and stares into the horizon, or wanders through abandoned places.

Oleander would be annoyed by me at first, but then again, she's that way with everyone so I wouldn't take it personally. She'd eventually warm up to me, I think. We could listen to Sisters of Mercy and practice throwing knives. I could probably convince her to try video games or DnD, which she'd enjoy once she got over how nerdy they are.

[light-lanterne]

Hi hi Angel!! 💗

Incoming with some questions for the fanfic ask game:

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

18. What's your favourite line you've written so far?

20. What's a favourite title for a fic you've written?

hi soso ! sorry it took me a couple days to reply,,, you know how it is u.u anyway, let's get to it !!

- - - - - - - - - - - ♡ - - - - - - - - - - - ....................ask game - - - - - - - - - - - ♡ - - - - - - - - - - -

15. how do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

ah, titles are the last thing i think about tbh x.x i usually pick song titles / lyrics or random pretty words i find within the last five minutes before posting something :O

18. what's your favourite line you've written so far?

as most of the things i share here, i haven't posted the chapter this belongs to. it's from "the trees are going restless", though (aka, my most dramatic mike): "and perhaps mike was falling prey to apophenia; an incidental pattern, a made-up connection that didn't quite make logical sense, his perception turned askew to fuel his wrongful devotion. but, as it stood, it felt like the most ineffable truth, the simplest way to understand the reality he'd chosen to exist within: everything good in mike's life, every happy memory he ever had, could all be traced back to the presence of a certain will byers in his life. even when will hadn't been there, even when mike was the sole artificer behind his goals or success, he felt like he owed it all to will's unbreaking faith in him."

20. what's a favourite title for a fic you've written?

hmm, it belongs to another fandom (and the story has since been deleted for ~reasons~), but i once posted a story with a title that was all in morse code and i think that's pretty neat :] for byler fics, i think i like "anthropophagy" or "telomeres" the most :O they're just cool words ~

and that's it, thank you so much for the questions !! these were fun :] hope you're having a great day ~ <3