#50/50 goes either way xD))

[shytastemakerthing]

Hey there! Maybe this is an odd request but I was wondering if you could do a list or maybe write a few characters of your choice on who would find piercings or body mods most attractive vs who wouldn't? For example I have my tongue and angel fangs done, dye my hair constantly, and I plan on getting a cherry blossom tattoo on my back. Would the Pomefiore house turn their nose at that?? Would it be against the rules at Heartslabyul? Or are there characters that you think would immediately crush on someone who looked like that? If not feel free to ignore, but I was just wondering if I could get your take on this!

A/N: The amount of ideas that I have for this should be criminal XD. But for the sake of not turning this into one massive essay, we'll just cover the basics for each boy. Enjoy!

TW: None

Note: Ortho is strictly PLATONIC

Riddle: He isn't completely against piercings or tattoos, but given how he was raised, his mother certainly beat it into his head that such things were not okay and destroyed one's body. He's been working on that a bit. Certainly would like the single lobe piercings the most, especially if they were rose or flower themed. Tattoos? Yeah, that will take much more getting used to.

Trey: Look at this man and tell me he isn't into that. All he asks is that you take proper care of them. Will absolutely go with you to choose out more. He isn't fully opposed to tattoos, he just doesn't like that caused you pain throughout. But seeing the after makes it worth it

Cater: More of a piercings guy. Absolutely gets you more, whether it be from deals he gets, from his sisters, or he was scrolling and saw an add. Wants all the pictures. Not a fan of tattoos surprisingly. Would be more into the temporary ones or even henna

Ace: Heavily into both. Man looks at you and is fighting the heart eyes. There's just something so attractive about them that tickles his brain just right. If you were to get some kind of a small heart tattoo somewhere, much like the drawing he has under his eye, the ego boost would be insane.

Deuce: Slightly more into tattoos than the piercings. It's a serious thing, permanent in many cases, and it's a long and sometimes painful process. He admires the dedication. Often traces any that you have and 100% goes with you if you want to get another one

Leona: The man has a tattoo. Certainly more of a tattoo guy. Not to say he doesn't like piercings, he just feels like they would easily get in the way or pulled that makes them a bother. Now, tattoos? You're speaking his language. The moment you mention you want a new one, he's taking you to where he has gotten his, only the best is what you get, willing to spend as much as needed. After all, if you want a good tattoo, you must be willing to pay. 1000% find tattoos attractive

Ruggie: Not the biggest on either tbh. Mostly because they cost so much money and as someone who grew up not having much of it, would rather keep what he has than spend it on these.

Jack: Not a tattoo guy. Piercings are hot or miss for him. Depends on what they are and where. He loves seeing little moon or wolf earrings on you, something simple

Azul: Honestly, more of a tattoo guy. The permanence of them is what gets him. Being 100% positive that you want thing on your body for the rest of your life. Absolute game over if you get anything octopus related, he's ascended then and there. Man is so red, stumbling over his words, his brain shuts down. Absolutely traces it whenever it's just the two of you... yes, it has sometimes led to more.. heated moments

Jade: Absolutely a piercings guy. Doesn't matter where, he loves them and if you happen to get a set of moray eel ones or mushrooms for the ears, no one knows where both of you vanished too. Finds them more attractive than he would like to admit. Also goes with you if you want more

Floyd: It's about 50/50 for him, he likes both, leans more towards tattoos, though. Another tracer. Kisses them all of the time, gives little nibbles..... you got one of a moray (where is up to you), he's never been more attracted to you than in this moment. Also, no one knows where you guys went after that... he just wants... further examination

Kalim: Honestly a tattoo guy. Another who will fund when you want more. What you want, you get, and can honestly go a bit overboard, but he just wants to make sure you are happy with what you have! Has more wholesome intentions than the rest when he traces them

Jamil: Not the biggest fan of either. More of a henna tattoo guy if you want them. Will absolutely do them himself, the man is a natural. Plus, it's an intimate moment for the both of you and he enjoys the atmosphere

Vil: Surprisingly a piercing guy. He finds them attractive on you, especially when you pair them well with whatever you are wearing for the day. He can't explain it, but there is just something about a lip piercing that draws him in. His eyes are often drawn to your lips as it is anyways, the piercing isn't helping. If you have a tattoo somewhere hidden, that only he gets to see (may not be the biggest fan of them but knowing he is the only one to ever see it sends this man on a trip), sends a shudder down his spine

Rook: VERY much into both. Both send his brain in a million different directions. Traces them, kisses them, helps you change the piercings. intentions are not always the most pure, but that's the fun of it. Takes you for more, even recommends more bold piercings and offers options for tattoos

Epel: Piercing guy. More so, he just likes them. Likes how they look or would shine. Just more of a pleasant thing he likes to see. Gets you little apple studs to put in your ears.

Idia: Honestly? He leans either way.But anything that relates to his interests or pomegranates (if you know, you know), and the man is a goner. Hair is entirely pink as he tries to avert his gaze. Funds more for you all of the time, he has the money for it and he loves to spoil you. Absolutely traces tattoos while you are asleep. If you're awake? Will absolutely lead to heated moments

Ortho: Helps you make sure that new tattoos and piercings are kept nice and clean! We can't have you getting any infections. He doesn't want anything happening to his best friend, after all! If you are looking for something new for your piercings, will have the best shops available with the best metals to use.

Malleus: Surprisingly, a tattoo guy. If you get a dragon, he is gone.... and so are you. Congrats, you're married now. Just the thought that you are willing to sit there for hours under a needle piercing your skin brings a new sort of admiration. Starts with pure intentions, but instincts get the best of him

Lilia: Piercing guy all the way, he loves them. Recommends all different types and styles. Bats are the most common that he finds for you. Intentions are nowhere near being pure most of the time, knowing him. Especially with a lip or tongue piercing, kisses you all of the time

Silver: Surprisingly big into both of them. Again, it's the permanence of them, something that he loves. Like Epel, just enjoys the meaning they may have and how they would look on you.

Sebek: HEAR ME OUT! Big on both of them all of the way, especially piercings. Again, some of it is a dedication thing for him, but there is just something about a tongue piercing that riles him up a bit, most because the way that it feels during more intimate moments that you would both have with one another. Tattoos are a dedication that he admires all the way. You have one croc related and he is a goner

Have a wonderful day/night!

[meowsequence]

The paradox of white chest plate is solved!

Warning: 1) Heavy spoilers 2) Lots of text 3) My point of view may change later

Let's recap some "Fake Ending" and "Continue Game" events:

Elster enters the Gates and goes through red desert. Red is the colour of bio-resonance and Ariane's wrath and suffering, or, in other words - Hell. Loops are also part of Hell.

She sees many corpses which are not (!) results of "Leave" ending - these don't look like they died with inner peace, they are far from Penrose-512 and, most importantly, they are still in Hell. These Elsters just never found the Ship or didn't dare to come closer. Remember Ariane's "come closer" call?

This time Elster finally made it to the ship! But then she got injured by invisible strike. Invisible means bio-resonance and there is only one bio-resonant in Hell - it's very creator Ariane. She didn't forgive Elster. Red part of Ariane feels betrayed and who can blame her?

Despite feeling Ariane's wrath, which hurts in many ways, Elster keep going. She puts her hand on the ship and awful noise stops. She climes up Penrose-512 and tries to open the hatch. "Ghost in the Shell" reference shows that Elster does not care of her body, she didn't forgive herself neither. And she fails. Again. And she falls down dying. Again.

She's actually dead, just look at her eye at main menu! The tragic story of Penrose-512 repeated.

We chose to continue and we see memories of Elster and Ariane being happy (interesting detail - back window is blue here)

We coming back to Elster's dead body and see how Ariane's figure appears next to it. Then we see how Ariane's face blends into bandaged version. I guess we can read it as Aline taking over Ariane or it is Ariane's other side kicks in as she looks at poor Elster? The side that is tired of suffering and wants it all to end - the White (sorry, white won't be visible) colour side, aka what's left of original Ariane. (Is it a proof that there are 2 long-haired Arianes in the line-up, so either one of them Aline or Ariane has 2 sides?) And then…

Elster's last memories are taken out of Red Hell (and therefore - out of loop) into White (snowing) Limbo. Just same way it was transferred from dead Elster on Penrose-512 to Hell in the beginning of the game.

Elster opens her eyes and climbing back. She does not use the hatch. Instead she appears in Ariane's room on the same place where original Elster-512 died. She has another dreadful injury now - her heart was brutally ripped out. That is the scary price for another try. It is hard to admit, but love was the reason of Elster's failures. And now she's desperate enough: she gave a promise and she'll do anything. We see exposed blue bones, blue is Elster's colour. And Ariane accepts Elster's hart as a sacrifice and… forgives her?

Finally, we are approaching the chest plate paradox that is announced in the title! But first, couple words about our sponsor… Do you like brain rot? Have you ever been going to bed and saying "man, I wish I had something to think about again and again instead of healthy sleep"? Try Signalis! Providing broken harts and sleepless nights from 2022! And if you are an artist, you are cursed for additional 50%! Okay-okay, now serious XD

Remember that we are still in White Limbo, outside loops of Red Hell. Another Elster's body we find by the cryo-pod is not a result of other in-Hell endings! It shows us WHERE and HOW we should have died! Arm/armour - is a sign of Ariane's forgiveness. We cover red chest plate and arm markings (the colour of Ariane's wrath) in white and blue - colours of Ariane and Elster. And that will protect us. Now she's ready to jump back to Hell. Now Red side of Ariane can't stop her anymore! What she's gonna do about it, huh? Except… hm… driving Adler mad and wake up Falke? >_>

[quinloki]

What's your writing process like? Do you draft everything at once and then release chapter by chapter as you edit or something similar?

How to you keep your notes organized? I think you've said before in an ask you use Scrivener (me too!), how do you organize that? I love seeing peoples writing processes in general, if your comfortable explaining!!

Okay you're awesome thank you 💛

Process. Ah. Ahem. Organization... /sweats/

Okay, so organization I have something like that. Thanks almost entirely to Scrivener if I'mma be honest. My projects are organized by blorbo - so like all the Kid x Readers are in one project, and then broken down in files by book.

Except for A Light Touch - cause that's in the Grandline AU collection project, and all associated stories are in there with it.

Notes, though, and er... drafts... Ah.

So I would like to note I mean this in the stereotypical pop culture way, and not in the legitimate way, but I'm insane.

I have never known how long a story was going to be until I wrote it, and while I've had a few slapdash outlines for stories, I never manage to stick to them, so I barely even bother writing them out anymore.

Usually the process is something like:

Inspiration -> Idea -> details for Idea -> some notes -> decide certain parameters -> and time allowing either set aside or start writing chapter 1.

Quicksand, for instance, was inspired by a piece of fan art. It was going to be a one-shot. I started world-building and deciding functional parameters and uh... it's 20 chapters if you don't count the alternative story line. The inspired scene doesn't even happen until like chapter 18.

And even within that, I'd meant for Crocodile to be way more terrifyingly yandere to the point that Doflamingo was going to be the GOOD GUY.

That was the plan. That did not happen.

Inversely, I had the first 5 chapters of A Dragon's Clause outlined, and got so into it those 5 chapters were 8 chapters when I ran out of outline. There are, however, THREE different pages of notes for world building, characters and orgs, and important details, that I reference while I write, and I very much expect the story will be near to 50 chapters, if not longer.

Hey Doll has no outline. It's got a page of notes.

The Host Club AU as nothing set in stone except the Club itself and the owners. Yeah I did some headcanoning and world building via asks, but I still don't know what I'm going to keep and what I'm going to cut, and I'm going to start writing chapter one in June XD There is no outline.

Hell, the ending of a Heart of Gold was decided by a scene in A Light Touch, so one of the reasons I'm going to a little slower than usual is because I have to make sure Heart stays on track. (And yes, A Light Touch, Quicksand, Heart of Gold, and Thrice Prophesized all happen in the same AU at the same time - it's not just a backdrop AU for those stories like it is for Some Direction and Hey Doll.)

But yeah, that's uh... that's it. I don't really have much of a process beyond "This is what I want to work on" and then I turn on a appropriately themed playlist, pick some art to have on one monitor and write on the other. And honestly, thank fuck for like @swampstew, @mamaalpha, @standfucker, @lyndsyh24, @writing-yarn-goblin, @kazieai, @anon-germany, @theaceofflamesposts, @zorostittiesz, @leakyweep, @icy-spicy and @thus-spoke-lo and @mewiyev for all being awesome fucking friends.

Between writing sprints, and beta-reading and inspiring with head canons and thots and art and support and the list goes on and on - I just. (and gods that's not even including @friedbluechicken and @cyborg-franky and can you understand how long this list is gonna get?)

I just kind of stumbled into this whole fandom thing. I didn't know wtf I was doing or what, and I swear I tripped into being friends with Lyn and Raven and it's all kind of a blur and from those two to everyone else on that list to many more beyond that and these alarmingly talented people talk to me of all the random ass bastards out there, and folks are sending me asks thinking I'm cool and wanting to know my process and like -

I'm just a stoat in a trench coat man, I don't even know what I'm doing here.

/ahem/ Okay, I got a little off the topic, but I guess I can't really say I have a process, and I don't plan out my stories much at all. But I will have highlights like I want x, y, and q to happen, so how do I do that? And the real relief is being okay when the story goes a different way and I just let it. I wrote Some Direction inside of a month just doing that. The only thing I knew about that story was who the antagonist was going to be ^^;

[oneshotdepresso]

I missed the who's most likely to JO poll and while I agree with the majority that Kris is most likely to say it accidentally... Have we considered they never did anything like that but Kris blurts something out / goes on one of his rambling sprees / makes an awkward joke that makes it sound like they have or strongly implies something like that, because I can 100% see this happening at any point in the near or distant future xD

But yeah either way 100% Kris like that is the guy who once joked Bojan "is homo" live on national radio so ....

LMFAOOOO oh yes i can also see that 😭 since the hypothetical interview would take place in 50 years, it's very likely that it would be an individual interview compared to a group one. bojan would not be there to pull an increasingly confused face (the same one when jan started talking abt new wave when asked abt carpe diem during that one esc interview), furrowed brows, disbelieving smile and all, while kris patters on about "having special bonding time and fulfilling wet dreams with his closest friends"

it probably doesnt help that when the other guys would be asked about it, they'd be sooo vague abt it too. im now imagining jan flatly saying, "ah yes. we did do many things behind closed doors, that's what happens with people you're always with."

i wonder which one of them will realize that everyone is thinking that they had regular jack off sessions and finally go, "wait. what the fuck. that never happened. what is everyone going on about?"

[katyspersonal]

I am kinda interested, what is Sulyvahn exactly? Is he supposed to be a tree? I checked out the design of many bosses and it does seem that having tree elements in his design isn't unique as there many characters who have these elements as well (demons,humans,giants etc..) , also his wings look very similar to the wings of the "angels" we see in lothric.

I am pretty sure that with whatever turmoil the developers faced upon creating this character and deciding what he'd be, in the end they've settled for him being either a half-tree or a quarter-tree! Also look at these images:

( x ) Ok sorry if I had to see it then so did you fdhjfhdssfd

Okay the thing about him, he was born in the Painted World, which would make him either a Tree Person or a Crow Person! He doesn't show any corvid features, and as for the wings, Tree People do have them anyways:

His mother likely was Tree Person!

( x ) The dialogue directly referencing this is a cut content, of course, but it is one of those moments where Fromsoft cuts something without actually cutting it!

There is this particular Tree Woman who guards one of his youth spells, who is also heard crying before you approach her! As for why I'd mention he could be '25% tree' and not just a Tree Person, I will just quote what @val-of-the-north already said on the potential of Gilligan being his father:

As for Gilligan, it's probably to mention it as a jokey what-if lmao. People aren't ready for the truth. The gist of it though, is that in the area with that angry tree woman, there's a hidden, comically long wooden ladder that only appears when you defeat all the tree women in the area. Stupidly long ladders are the dude's staple, so the theory goes that it was Gilligan's way to come down, meet his family, and leave. Suly's mother would then hide the ladder so no one could use it. Of course, her son would one day discover the illusion and leave, dissatisfied with the Painted World, and her mother never saw him again

It's also worth pointing out that you can find Gilligan in the game itself, though he isn't exactly in a living state. He is found in the Profaned Capital surrounded by his wooden ladders. Suly has also been there as part of his rise to power so there's a second connection lol. Interestingly enough, his spell descriptions mention he "had not yet experienced loss", which might imply he did experience it in the future. It could have been losing his dad

So yeah, it might sound like a shitpost but like.. Where is the evidence against this idea? fdsjfjhds So if he had a Tree Person mother (who is 50% tree) and a human father, that'd make him 25% tree. AND it works with how as you can see from his model, he IS notably more humanoid than an average Tree Person! Nonetheless, still absurdly tall hahah

Personally, I think he doesn't have a face, either 🤔 It looks like it's not a mask, but his head and "face" is JUST like this, featureless. We were not supposed to see him 'naked' by normal means in the game, of course, but Fromsoft is notorious for putting too much effort into something only like, 3 dataminers on Earth will appreciate xd They bothered to model him this way under his clothes, so I just take it as legit! Nor I think that he somehow 'lost' his normal face later on.. though this IS a good question as to why his wings are considerably bigger than average Tree Person's ones, so I'll think about it later,

[tequila-solar-storm]

Mild NS/FW

Hoping gor the NPC yapfest as long as it'll be about ajaw lore xD honestly I did quiet enjoy Cyno's story quest 2 so I won't complain if we get smth like that!! Also enjou being in Kinich's tribal chronicle felt like a deliberate choice?? I dunno they could have thrown him in an event but thay picked that specific quest. (Btw I forgot to say this but "Masochist on masochist communication" made me laugh xD enjou reappearing and interacting with kinich was such a nice highlight haha)

I did lose my 50/50s 5 times in a row so I'd understand Ajaw's pain lmaoo all this talking about their kiddos makes me want to draw them lol, if I ever do that may I send em your way??

Can't blame the people who enjoy danger!! And Kinich's pretty sleeping face might be worth some sacrifices........

—🌻

Previous Post (Ajaw and Kinich’s contract, Piercings)

Previous Post (Kinich/Ajaw children, Somnophilia)

Woke: Show someone you think they’re neat by giving them a cookie

Bespoke: Show someone you think they’re neat by opening a portal through their phone and bashing a cookie into their face

JOKES ASIDE response below the cut!

The Cyno SQ 2 had some flaws but otherwise it’s really solid!! A perfect 8/10!! With an extra point added because I love Sethos HAHA

It’ll be great if the NPC in question is our beloved masochist Enjou/Sanka! I can’t decide what I like more; Enjou yapping to the Traveller about Ajaw lore as they chase him around Natlan or Enjou and Ajaw bickering for 2 hours straight. Either way I’m playing it the moment it gets released!

OOF you lost 50/50 that many times?? That’s so rough 😭 Here’s to you getting your next 5 star with a 10 pull and no pity 😤😤!!!

Ajaw’s always delusional HAHA it’ll take a lot to wake him up from it! And Kinich family!! They definitely deserve all the happiness and Mora!! I’d LOVE to see your take on the Ajaw/Kinich kids if you do draw them!! You can either post it on your own blog and send me the link, or send it through asks if you want to remain anonymous!!

Now I’m trying to picture them as well. They’re obviously going to have Kinich’s beautiful eyes, his eyelashes too, and of course, melanin. I don’t have a strong mental image of human Ajaw for now, so maybe green hair? An awesome pair of sunglasses? Yellow clothes?

Talking about kids, imagine Kachina getting her piercing as a birthday gift! Like when she turns older Mualani goes ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIME TO GET PIERCED’ and Kachina’s super excited because she’s been waiting for it!!

Regarding the tongue piercing, it’ll catch SO many people off guard. The first time kissing him is like WOOP! METAL! Or if they skipped the foreplay and he’s giving them head their dick will suddenly be graced by this cold thing HAHA

Kinich’s so pretty of course risking one’s dick to play with him when he’s asleep is worth it! Just make sure to buy medical insurance beforehand!! Actually does Natlan even have insurance…

[yuseirra]

Hehe.. I'm okay, I mean.. Either way, it means I have one less thing to worry about.

If it is how it is, then I don't have to worry so much about what happens in this piece. If it somehow goes the way I want, I'll have something to keep on loving.

I honestly really still don't picture what point the plot would have and how the story would make sense if they decide if this is how the story would go in this direction,(it's a chapter, I still feel things should be seen in full and have some sort of good theme that wraps it all together) but I'm not saying that the author is wrong. They decide what to do with the story and their characters, I believe that for a creator, their characters can sometimes be like their child.. That's how it is for me when I write them, it depends on the creator, but I believe they will have a degree of affection for what they've brought into this world.

I wouldn't like it, it's underwhelming, and whatever this new chapter suggests could have made sense and fit better like 50 chapters ago and would have had better catharsis if it happened much earlier I feel, but that's my personal opinion I form after having read it with my own interpretations. I could say that I tried my best and put very careful attention to it in my own way.

You really don't need to try console me, it's getting really annoying.. I'm sorry, but being spoiled every single time for the past.. Month or two after having been very attached to a ship had been so rough for me, I think it was even worse than seeing how the chapters play out for myself and forming a clear opinion on it. Don't warn me or say you're sorry, I can handle it on my own. I'm really used to doing it for myself. why??; I'm just going to read or drop this series if I'm not satisfied with it, I want to keep giving it a chance and keep loving it if/while I can. It's fine. If I need it, I will organize my thoughts in a post, draw it out, or talk to my friends. I'll tell you if I NEED to talk! I'm having fun.

The really interesting thing about this work is, while I get really frustrated about how wacky and bizzare things turn out to be, I always find something about these chapters that.. Give me hope still? Idk if they are false hope though XD it's ridiculous, but I keep reading. I'll keep my hopes brightly lit if I can find them and I actually... Still kinda do. I wonder if it'll hit even more rock bottom than this lol. If you forget about Kamiki and Ai maybe this isn't the worst either, but honestly, I really, really am rooting for Ai in this one and her love. I like that about her and hey, if I'm the one who writes this story, I'd make her every choices worth it.

I feel the author really loves her character, she's well-crafted, so I want to believe that!

So there. Until next chapter drops!

[ladye-zelda]

Oooh, I loved in what I read of the Arranged Marriage AU how Link and Zel weren’t bitter or upset with each other and just interacted like good friends despite it all. < 3

That said—😂—is there anything about each other that the other can’t stand? Pet peeves to large irritations? Do these get in the way of their relationship and/or do they get resolved?

And on the flip side, what are things that they actually really love about each other? Where do they jive well? What do they learn about each other that makes them get even closer through all this?

XD Thank you! I might take on a different direction for the main story, unfortunately. It is still up in the air at the moment, but right now I don't know how I can write it exactly to correlate what I have done for that story I'm sorry 😭

Hmmm, something that the other can't stand? Well, Zelda does think it is quite annoying on whether she is rambling on about something (ancient sheikah tech for example) and Link doesn't have a comment to add or anything. But that's only when she's sort of in a talkative mood; otherwise she's happy that someone likes to listen to her and not give unhelpful comments (that's a 50/50 gamble I suppose XD)

On the flip side, Link get's really irritated when Zelda does not Self Care. She sort of half-hazardly throws herself into danger quite easily, and he's like "uh, your highness, you're the literal only heir of hyrule can you please stop putting yourself in danger all of the time?" And everyone else is fine with it??? This will probably be a major argument in the story, now that I'm thinking about it. He also gets disappointed whenever Zelda skips out on meals to focus on either her research or her training as a princess. He understands the importance they are to her, but still (never starve in front of a foodie)

On the other side, the things that they love about each other? Link loves all of the little things Zelda takes for granted. How kind-hearted she is, how selfless (even if that gets her into trouble), and just the expressions that she makes whenever she is talking about ancient tech. He especially loves her smile, but gets worried as the story goes on and she smiles a lot less.

Zelda loves how observant Link is. At first she just think he is doing it out of duty. If she trips or get in some sort of danger, he's always the first to respond of course. But he notices all of the little things as well; he seems to always come to her side right as she is about to cry, or brings her something to comfort her. Sometimes it can be a little annoying if she really isn't feeling well or if he's being over protective, but she is always really appreciative of him whenever he goes out of his way to help her.

[tales-from-nocturnaliss]

One thing about me: I like community. I like to make people feel at home and welcome, moreso if they make me feel the same.

About two years ago, the husband and I started a guild on Mobile Legends: Adventure. Gained little traction in english, so we decided to switch over to french and go recruit in those channels.

Nowadays, we're a thriving community of 50 people with very rarely an open spot. I befriended a few of these people and generally just enjoy watching them having fun (I'm guild leader, fyi).

Yesterday, I was chatting with one of our two Swiss players who asked a lot of questions about my writing. Not gonna lie: it made me feel sooooo good that she asked. I do crave attention (don't we all?). And with my plans to get some stuff ready to self-publish, I figured I'd talk about the first story I intend to release.

I narrowed the theme down to: Vampire guy struggles with trauma and ends up encountering a creature more dangerous than himself that ends up playing with his head.

Her response was, basically: that's different, usually Vampires are shown as supreme beings, so it's cool that this one'd get manipulated.

I had to take a mental double take on that. Because: I'm so used to my world that, for me, this sort of situation is like... normal. Vampires are apex predators to be sure, but there's still more dangerous things than them lurking about, and this guy happens to meet such a being (with reason). It never struck me that this story could be interesting just because it shows Vampires in a different light. I guess I can no longer tell if something is 'cool' or 'different' because, well, my nose has been stuck in Aeyuu for so long that it sometimes even affects my perception of RL normal (for example, blue is warm, red is cold, yes my brain sometimes thinks these colours are inverted irl in terms of temperature).

All this to say that it made me happy to hear her thoughts, happy in a way that goes beyond excitement. It's a wide, calm sort of happiness, mingled with hope, mingled with premature contentment that reading my stories might make other people happy (even if the themes tend to be dark and tragic XD). This is the feeling I've been hanging onto lately, to try and get past the utter anxiety and dread of self-pubbing something and it 1. getting hated 2. getting ignored.

In that line of thought, I've finally reached out to an editor (on PillowFort) and gotten the first reactions to this story yesterday. A lot of it is pertinent. It sure as hell drove my anxiety through the roof since, y'know, there was criticism in there... but I'm also glad to finally be taking yet another step forward. And I'm liking their style, be it a bit too brutal for me in places, but then they do see things that I've either overlooked, ignored, or that need a tad better wording to make the meaning/reason clear.

Additionally: today, I find I have 7 more followers on here. Which... wait, just, wow? How? And I check my notificiations and see: oh yeah, I reached out in a nice, encouraging, honestly-me way to people. Not gonna lie: much as that is my personality, I'm also still autistic, chronically tired, and some days I don't have the spoons to socialize, let alone to like people. But when the energy allows, I enjoy just going to the quiet places and leaving a friendly message. Creating a sense of: you belong with the community, too.

This said, I do have plans to 1. write a real writeblr intro sometime, 2. make feedback asks available. With my potential/likely editor not being a pro but someone like me who is self-taught and picks up instinctively on issues, I feel like this is something I want (and am allowed!) to give out in turn.

Creating community, y'know? And the world I want to see, which is a world where people are nice to each other, help each other out, but also get to have boundaries and see them respected without a 'no' turning into an argument or anything. Utopic to be sure, but what's wrong with having ideals?

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

hi kane ! i wanted to ask, do u have different s/is for ur cars f/os or is it just one with multiple aus? 🤔 id love to hear abt ur insert !! (@dmclr)

I'm. I'm. You??..EXSQUEEZE ME?????

Okay euhm..buckle up!! It's like a 50/50 for whether this turns into a really really long tangent or not..I suppose whether the finished post has a read more bar will be telling XD

I kinda interchangeably refer to my S/I as me, so throughout this post I switch back and forth between first perspective of saying "I" and the third perspective of saying "Kane". Hope it's not too confusing😅

Hi, future Kane here, this gets quite lengthy and paragraph-y, so I sectioned the post with bold headers of sorts, to hopefully make it a little more clear and less overwhelming.

Really though, regaurdless of if you read this all or not, cause it's certainly a lot, thank you for asking such a question! I deeply appreciate it and am thankful for it, felt great to be able to share this and get this all out of my system.

So, I kinda mentioned this when going over that ask game, and a longg while ago I every now and then bring it up, but!! Technically, it's just one self insert with multiple AUs. My self insert is always basically just..me, except with a different job, and occasionally slightly more stamina/talent(typically fighting talent or such, funnily enough) for running and.. things and climatic things!! I typically refer to my self insert just as, well, me! I'll say I did blah blah with whatver F/O, and only really change it up for the sake of clarity(like this post) or sometimes when writing fics I'll do it from a 3rd person POV so I'll refer to my own name and such instead of it being written from my perspective.

As mentioned before, the role my self insert plays changes depending on who I'm currently imagining myself with. Typically either as a spy(or reformed spy, in the story with A.xlerod, Kane actually quits being a spy as a big gesture to basically be like "I don't actually want to hurt you", since Kane was given the job as a spy to..."put an end" to A.xlerod, to put it lightly), or will be a pitcrew member to one of the racers. The only one who I don't have a clear backstory role is with F.rancesco, but that's mostly because it's not really a necessary/needed part of the plot that I have with him.

Basically, whenever I imagine me with my F/Os, I typically imagine it as a one on one thing, where it's just me and them and kinda ignore the other characters that I have relationships with. The only exception to this is with Grem and Acer, who are a packaged deal, and I headcannon them to be together, so it's like a little triad thing.

--My S/I's Roles--

But most of my stories with my F/Os don't actually really follow the plot line of the movies at all, it typically takes on a much more day-to-day or domestic sort of perspective(my weakness for domestic things is showing). The only one where it follows a narrative of the actual movie is with L.ightning, where I'm a pitcrew member for him(really the only one, since I got there in his rookie days and he kept firing everyone so his only team member was really just Mack), and end up getting lost with him on the way to R.adiator Springs, and the whole plot with him is really just a looser version of the original C.ars movie, with some alternate twists and plot points and endings.

I've also mentioned this before, but technically my story with each F/O can actually be chronologically put together like some big G.ame/F.ilm Theory thing, where it goes from me having this job and meeting [x] and then getting other job, and it goes from there.

--Meeting Them--

For my insert with other racers, it's typically from the perspective of them just doing..their usual racing thing. Like with F.rancesco, he's just doing his usual typical F.1 races and Kane meets him through that. My self inserts role here though is typically a more laid back one, usually as a fan or maybe someone that got hired to take photography/recordings for the race or such(typically as an eager F.1 fan, with F.rancesco being one of his favorite racers), but the backstory for my S/I doesn't matter so much with F.rancesco.

For C.ars 3 characters though like C.al and J.ackson, it's in a scenerio where none of them end up getting replaced/fired/etc. And they just all end up racing together, basically the start of the C.ars 3 movie in a sense, except C.ruz is also included in the mix. Though, instead of my self insert being a pitcrew member for L.ightning, he's actually one for C.ruz instead.

--Meeting Finn--

With A.xlerod, Kane starts out as a spy and is hired to investigate and maybe put an end to A.xlerod for good. After getting caught snooping around and trying to flee just to get the daylights knocked out of him by essentially some gaurd, A.xlerod takes some sense of strange pitty on Kane and ends up dragging Kane back to his place and tries to fix him up. There's a lot of trust building that ends up happening and them oddly having some soft spot for each other(which ends up getting demonstrated several times, typically through them accommodating or protecting each other out of the blue), and since Kane most certainly isn't going to continue his mission of ending A.xlerod, he quits his job as a spy(which, Kane working for a rather questionable spy company, has to go on a slightly elaborate event to fake his own death and get some non-spy affiliated clothes). Kane ends up realizing how cozy he's gotten to just staying at A.xlerod's place, considering he never really left it when A.xelrod dragged him back to fix him up, and just..never leaves so he kinda moves himself in to living with A.xelrod. A.xlerod, being a billionaire that he is, Kane doesn't really ever need to get another job or anything.

Finn and A.xlerod by far have the most complex stories of how my self insert meets them, and the most thorough and thought out ones, cause I typically imagine them a lot more and such. With Finn, my insert is also a spy, and ends up getting to work with him and L.eland, and meets them on a rather dubious sort of mission, where Kane has to get rather close to Finn quite quickly(in a personal sense and in a physical sense, they have to do some cheeky ballroom dance((a waltz ,really)) together for a split minute), and when they start to come to an end of completing their mission, Kane kinda has a bit of a crisis of "This is probably the greatest time I've had in my life and I'm probably never going to see them ever again" and Leland catches him looking a bit broken and so sad and torn up that Kane confesses his whole predicament and Leland is like "You moron, just give me your phone number". And Leland, being the witness that he was to the very clear feelings between his best friend(Finn) and a potienal very close friend(Kane), he offers to Kane to tag along with him some time when he visits Finn, and at some point Kane ends up staying at Finn's place for a night and is over there so much that it turns into a question of "do I really even need a house. Why am I paying rent for some other house if I practically already live here and eat all his food".

--Meeting A.xlerod--

In both scenerios with Finn and A.xlerod though, Kane, an American sent from the US over to the UK for a mission, ends up moving and staying in the UK permanently.

--G.rem and A.cer--

How I meet G.rem and A.cer is a lot more of a shits-and-giggles thing, I actually have no clue how I came up with the idea because it is so silly and completely irrelevant to what they do, but also feels really oddly fitting for them. But basically Kane is working some low end job like as a grocery clerk or such, and since he works the closing shifts, he ends up stopping by some shop that was the only nearby one open at such a late night so he can get some food. It's some pizza parlor that G.rem and A.cer work at, and for whatever reasons they're the only ones that really work there(maybe they're the only two that work the closing shift as well, I haven't put too much thought into why yet), and Kane basically makes it a routine that every time he gets off of work he swings by their shop and pretends he's only coming in for food when it's really to hang out with them. G.rem and A.cer are still as wild as they are in the movie, they're just not really in many positions now for it to be shown that they'd kill and go to extreme ends for things. It eventually reaches the point where they start hanging outside of their usual routine and such.

[tuhhadkeryo]

Hello, I'm here for the Hacker hair hcs, please. Do you think he's always worn a wig? Do you hc his natural hair color is diff? Blonde like when he took the Ring of Radopolis?

Hiya! Any Hacker hcs are welcome and I’m dyin’ to talk ab his hair. So here they are + some doodles :3

I think he used to have hair when he was younger, but when he lost his power he lost his locks with it! Kind of like accelerated aging. That’s a whole other story so I’ll stick with his hair for now.

Young Hacker loved the smooth, effortless, dashing slicked back style of the 50s. 

Of course, as is everything else in the universe, his hair seems to be against him - coarse, doesn’t hold volume well, and is straight with the exception of a tiny bit of wave near the ends. So he got it cut into a well blended, layered/mullet style so he could carefully gel, tease, and blow dry it into that coveted 50s style. (With a dash of cyberspace trends too ofc ✨👌)

When he lost his power, it was a few days before his body started suffering real, shocking consequences and his hair fell out in his hands in chunks. Quite traumatic for him and he despises every moment that he’s forced to wear a wig instead, especially after all the time and effort he put into his hair. 

His wig he keeps in a more severe, slicked back look, perhaps more fitting for his villainous aura. In order to keep every strand out of his face and looking good, he uses his own brand of wig gel to both give it shine and keep the style in hold. 

Hacker has a difficult time embracing his hair by itself, mostly because it was basically the opposite of what he wanted - straight, coarse, flat, and medium thickness. If he didn’t know how to take the best care of it (he didn’t) it could get oily easily  and stringy. Very boring, to him. He does everything he can to change it, using products galore or various methods to get it looking the way he wants in the morning. (Messy hair 👇)

To him, throwing product after product and over brushing and overall damaging the hair is perfectly normal and he would find it very difficult to believe that somebody like Slider can wake up, shake their head, and continue on their day. 

His hair def looks perfect when he’s fixed it up, but who could tell differently with basically glue to keep it in place and slime to give it shine? Very much fake and sculpted into that beauty standard.

At night time he’ll drag a comb through it, scraping out all the shit collected in between the hairs, and underneath is a frizzy, damaged wig. He just thinks that’s how it goes to get the hair you want and it’s infused into his daily routine.

Truthfully, Hacker’s a sad case of ignorance and arrogance about hair products and embracing one’s hair texture. If he learned somewhere to take care of his hair it’d probably be shiny, more wavy (coconut oil yo), thick, and coarse. You know, rock the right styles or stick with the slicked back look - either would work. And after getting his wig, if he ever got his power back and therefore his hair, I don’t think this would be too far off from his search history. And if he did figure this out, he’d probably be much happier with it. Although I’m pretty sure he’d be happy with any hair after his baldness’s XD

Which brings me to his wish - to have a head of hair of his own. His dream style. 

Thick, voluptuous, soft, wavy, lightweight, voluminous, blonde…

And of course you might’ve wondered before, ‘well, why not get a wig with all that?’ 

It’s his own hair of course! Effortless! He doesn’t have to do anything to fight with it or change it, simply maintain! And it’s *his*. Not a bought wig which bruises his ego.

For his natural hair color - I think it’s black due to his black eyebrows, and examples of black body hair animated in the show. Blonde is possibly a color he lusted after for a long time, or maybe just a whim of the day. 

It’d be interesting if blonde was his natural hair color though - fun design!

Aaaand a random mustachioed Hacker

Thanks sm for the ask!! I hope it was good for ya

Sometime I’ll do a finished pic of Hacker wearing longer hair or something, bc I like hair :D

[eliotqueliot]

Queliot & The Magicians Fic Reading Winter Challenge, part 6

Hey, all, I apologize for the delay, and for the write-ups being a little shorter. I'm under so many deadlines, but I've still been reading (and enjoying your work so much!!), and I'm going to do my best! I'm either gonna give you 50 recs by the end of Feb., or I'll extend again into March & add still more recs. Guess which is more likely XD. Also apologies--my brain is in art mode--I probably need a serious proofreader. Anyway, thank you so much for all your amazing and beautiful Queliot fanworks! That goes for everyone reading this! You keep my heart alive. Once again, the number is merely a count of how many fic I've shared with you, that I've read and commented on during this time period.

21. I adored this continuation of the Queliot pirate epic! This time with a new look at Eliot's family and continuing the really great worldbuilding, pirate/sea vibes, and beautiful connection between the characters. Truly epic! Complete with music! Thank you, @summerstede❤️

22. These are just so incredibly sweet and loving! Very cozy, too, if you need some divine Queliot comfort! As always, these have so many great details, they feel so real and are definitely healing. Thank you, @lizardkingeliot❤️

23. This fic has just so much love, so many thoughtful details, which are so touching and show how hard Eliot will work to make things special for Quentin. And Margo and Julia help, great relationships amongst them all! And some truly special and beautiful moments...please enjoy!!! Thank you, @allegria23❤️

Also, there's fanart to go with it! Which I love, love, love so much! Such a beautiful visualization of an important (and very sweet) scene. Please share the love with the artist, too! Thank you, @tah-fcking-dah ❤️

24. Wow oh wow, this is an amazing way to subvert things! Quentin as a Niffin! Eliot on a mission to save him! I don't want to give you any more spoilers, but it's just so well done, and makes so much more sense than what happened. Thank you, @wolfnprey ❤️

25. I love the Winter Olympics, and this is an incredibly realized and beautiful Queliot AU (Eliot as a skater makes perfect sense! The translation of their personalities into skating styles!). Love everything, including the rivals to lovers, the character development, all the social media interactions, the slow burn (that seahorse thing makes my heart hurt, so good). Thank you, @inmediasres-1 ❤️

26. This is a Queliot-Divergent crossover! It's so good! And it comes with beautiful art by the author. I love the new solutions to the harmonic convergence, how to show Q what Eliot fears, Alice as a Niffin (loved her haunting & research), also some great BFF moments for Q & Jules and El & Margo; and the Queliot is just great!!! Love it! Thank you, @cyprianlatewood ❤️

#Queliot & The Magicians Fic Reading Winter Challenge

#Queliot and TM fic reading winter challenge

[dzpenumbra]

5/28/23

Lots of progress made on the skull. :)

I don't really know what to do for the rest of it yet, still kinda feeling it out, but I'm really happy with how that turned out. Plenty of room left in the middle for that design when I figure out what I'm going to do.

I really built up that piece in my mind because... it's one of a kind. And very permanent. That was the skull of a living being, a soul, an individual. And ink is super permanent, no room for fuck ups. And it kinda got me.

Weird... how someone who spent a good 3 years of their life pursuing a tattooing career (only to be backstabbed by their own artist...) had hesitation and difficulty starting an ink piece on a non-living canvas. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

I remember doing my intensive apprenticeship thing so vividly. The most memorable being matching tattoos I did on a mother and daughter, on the tops of their feet. And they came out great, I really didn't have much hesitation with it either. In fact, I was the first to volunteer to ink a person for the first time - and inked one of my teachers. And don't get me wrong, there were nerves... but not this kind.

I guess that's more reason to keep doing pieces like this. It's a really important reminder that... everything is permanent. And every piece is one-of-a-kind. And... this is a tough one for the logical, controlling brain to really accept... there is no such thing as a fuck up. Not in art.

You'll always get people who argue that. I'll even argue it with myself. But man, if you can actually get yourself to accept that? It's so fucking liberating. There is no such thing as a fuck up. It's just... something different. If I intend for a brush stroke to look one way and I sneeze and it goes flying off in a different direction? That's simply... part of the piece's character, and as the artist, it's up to you to decide what to do with that. As a musician, if you're in the middle of an improvised solo and hit a D# when you're going for D? It's up to you, as the musician, to make that work. To make it make sense.

And here's a little hack. To any of you interested in nourishing your creativity. PRACTICE THAT. Practice rolling with the punches. Practice making it work. Practice improvisation. Practice the fundamentals too, if you want, I mean... it's all really whatever you want to do when it comes to visual art or music. You can go your whole life and never learn theory or learn how to read music, plenty of people have. You can be a legendary artist and never study perspective or anatomy or shading or anything. Study what you feel you need, what pulls you in. That adds tools to your toolbelt. And then... you pull those tools out to improvise. But if you don't know how to improvise, or you don't allow yourself to improvise? The tools are useless. And you go "man, I spent years training... what for?!"

It's the jazz approach, I guess.

I feel so blessed that I was introduced to stream of consciousness and improvisation at a very young age - around 16-17. And, interestingly enough, it was because I had failed an English class. XD And a history class! And history was my favorite course! The history teacher failed me, and also... somehow, even though it was against school policy... benched me all season in basketball, my favorite sport at the time... and I really have no idea why to this day. So they actually tried to flunk me out of high school, but I ended up in some special education program... which really kinda fucked up my head, to be honest. Just because someone is struggling in school doesn't mean treat them like they're broken and threaten to throw them out of school, that's super fucked up. But honestly, it ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me. Because my english teacher at the special education program, he could tell I was just... bored... and completely uninterested in the bog standard "read 50 pages a night" english memorization and recitation grind. Because I got my highest grade of all time in Creative Writing. So... he introduced me to the Beat Poets. And gave me a copy of The Dharma Bums, that I still have over on my bookshelf. And it changed my life forever.

I hope I get to sit down with him and share my gratitude for that someday. I'm sure, as an educator, that would bring him so much joy.

So yeah, I caught up on sleep which is dope. But that meant a late start to the day. But I got a lot of work on the skull done. And the whole day was basically watching RP streams and working on that.

My jasmine is really close to blooming, which is really exciting. The buds are getting really big and changing color. I really wasn't expecting it this soon! I'm gonna have to go take care of my plants pretty soon here before I head to bed, the sun is pretty much fully up at this point. I'll squeeze in a tarot reading first before I go.

First Position - Past - Three of Cups, inverted (Celebration, calling in good fortune, joy.  Social gathering, a heartfelt belonging in a community.) Second Position - Present - Queen of Wands (Warm, dedicated, confident, optimistic. Focusing inward to harness creative energy.) Third Position - Future - XIX: The Sun, inverted (Hope, clarity, confidence.  Success, fulfillment, revelation.)

Alright, this one is a bit tricky at first glance. Again... inversions always make things messy for me. But I'm gonna try to just trust my gut and see what I make of this. The origin of the thread is the "party card", which is a very clear image to me, especially given how rare it has been in my life. But... it's inverted... So... something from my past that inhibited my ability to be part of a close-knit community? Or maybe... the ripples of a close social event gone wrong... That led to the Present, where my introspection and introversion are basically perpetual. The Queen of Wands, my first time seeing it, felt super relatable when I drew it. It really does often feel like all of my time and effort is spent on introspection in an effort to nurture inner creative growth, and stimulate creative expression. And this trend... in the Future... can lead to... a blockage in fulfillment. This is tough to see, and a little hard to read. The Sun is supposed to be a really nice card to see, clarity and success, but inversion (in how I tend to read cards) means blockage or dysfunction. Chaos vs. Order. So... what I'm getting from this is... some serious dysfunction from partying led to a deep introversion and creative growth... but... if I continue on that course, it will not lead to success or fulfillment. I will be missing something. Hmm... I wonder what that missing part is... could it be... the only other inverted card on the board? Could it be... a social life? Social belonging? Being part of a community?

Getting pretty big deja vu right now. :) I wonder how many thousand times I've come to this realization. XD Balance is really important. And as much as I'm obsessed with work work work and self-improvement and all that shit... I miss just having some laughs with friends. I miss going on a walk by a river or on a beach and just casually chatting. I miss playing Jackbox. I miss throwing back some ciders and smoking a hookah and playing Phasmophobia or Space Engineers. I miss getting high and playing Wrecking Ball in Overwatch.

Creativity and self-expression are crucial for me. Self-improvement and self-care are super important. But man, life isn't all work work work all the time. So yeah, that was a helpful reminder. Maybe I should reinstall GTA V and hop on that RP server and just go dick around with people. Who cares if they're not good at RP, I'll carry. I have some ideas.

I had one character I kinda wanted to play named Jack Lyer. And his whole thing is... a riff off the 90's Jim Carrey movie Liar Liar... So the first thing I was going to do was go to the hospital and report to them that I just got into the city and my doctor told me I need to let them know and get my records transferred that I was in a severe car crash and suffered major brain damage, and a byproduct of that damage is that I was incapable of lying. Set the foundation of the character with a physical record that can be verified if needed, so I don't have to backfill that if people try to RP check me. I figured a character that is biologically incapable of lying could lead to some really funny interactions since crime is everywhere and it's such commonly known thing that you don't talk about it. So if anyone asks him anything, he has to tell the truth without hesitation. I like the premise, but I'm a little afraid it might be a bit tacky, or it might just get my character perpetually killed... but like... if he is... he's just going to tell the hospital and the cops literally everything that he remembers. XD I don't know, it could be fun.

Another character idea is a really super friendly guy who latches on to the first person who befriends him, and very gradually he starts to change his appearance to look exactly like that person. Very subtly though, like... one article of clothing at a time... subtle gestures, like imitating the way they stand. Stuff like that. Maybe even spying on them and following them around and shit. So, after days of (hopefully) unnoticeably gradual change, I end up looking exactly like that person. And if they ever confront me on it, I become a complete asshole, gaslight the fuck out of them and find someone else to repeat the process.

It's a start. I'm still tempted to go back and reboot my only character I really sunk time into - Raymond Holmes - who, during the in-game day, wanted to be a YouTube stuntman, but by night reverted into the mental capacity of a 7 year old child. If I do bring him back, I'm bringing him back without the personality flips, just child-mode. But... I'm just on the fence about playing a mentally handicapped person. I don't know, maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Being stuck in a child-like state as a mid-40's adult is very clearly a mental health problem... at least it's very clear to me. And... I was always very... direct with that. Like... this dude is not just some quirky goofy idiot character, this trait of his has very clearly dark roots that he really did not like talking about. And I treated it very directly like an arrested development thing, I just acted like a child in an adult's body, like I was playing an actual child. I stopped playing because the other players were kinda doing fucked up things, and not even hesitating. People just kept giving me booze and cigarettes and weed, and getting me in really dangerous situations. And it really just... made me uncomfortable. Like... it wasn't really done in a funny way, it was very 1 to 100 and very like... high school bullies at a party getting the house owner's little brother drunk until he almost ends up in the hospital and thinking it's funny... kinda vibes... So yeah, I mean... I feel like I could play someone with a severe mental health problem like that properly, and accurately... and respectfully... but I don't really trust others to interact with him as such, and yeah... that turned me off of RPing for a while.

Anyway, it's getting late. Good progress on work and glad to have a bit of a new direction. I think RP is the way for now, if I can find a good place for it. The search continues...

[willel]

I think the real question is why the UD doesnt get updated, but it just shows a particular time. If opening up gates&closing them was what changed the UD's appearence then its appearence would have been changed multiple times after El opened the gate or fought against the MF like she fought against the demogorgon, or after Vecna opened up the gates in S4 in some way. But the way it represents a specific time and it doesnt change even after El or Russians or Vecna opened up multiple gates over the course of the show makes me think that it has something to do with Will. Because since Will ended up in there, it hasnt been updated largely it still represents a current time even after all those gate openings and fighting against the demogorgon, the MF or its minions or in S4.

That is also true, but I will note that it feels like there's some inconsistencies.

THIS GOT A LITTLE LONG so I'll put it under a read more to save peoples dashes the stress.

Take Eddie's trailer for example. It appears to be exactly as it is in the real world. Has Eddie's trailer really stayed the same 3 years later? Same guitar and everything? I mean it's not IMPOSSIBLE but it feels unlikely. Does that mean the permanent gate opened in his roof updated his trailer and the surrounding area?

It'd be hard to tell for the other gates given one is in a lake which doesn't change much, a random street somewhere which doesn't change much, and the Creel house which has been locked up for 50 years so it didn't change.

There's also the fact that it appears the Upside Down updated for the Snow Ball in season 2, how did that happen?

I used to think it wasn't the same night because it seems like only one of the cars there match in the Upside Down, but the lights are definitely from the Snow Ball.

We know for sure that most of the Upside Down is stuck on the day Will disappeared/El opened the gate. So why would the Snow Ball be represented there?

It is pretty clear that the temporary gates definitely do not update the Upside Down. El's first gate in 1979 didn't create Upside Down Hawkins. Although we didn't see the other side in season 3, it doesn't seem like the Russian gate in season 3 updated Upside Down Hawkins either.

El closing the gate didn't update the Upside Down. It's unclear if Vecna's gates do anything since the only reference we have is Eddie's trailer and nothing else got updated.

So yes, as we go down the list of oddities with the Upside Down, things just start to make a lot more sense if we assume Will was the one who created Upside Down Hawkins that one time.

But you know what, this discussion and the Snow Ball made me think of something. Maybe something obvious.

Maybe it's true that Will really is the one who can alter the Upside Down completely and totally by accident. And he's still doing it right now from the right side up.

Here's my timeline of events:

Will gets taken into the Upside Down and somehow, he duplicates Hawkins as it was the moment he switched over

No changes from the right side up appear in the Upside Down because Will hasn't seen them in person

Will returns from the Upside Down... and it continues updating in places HE goes to/sees with his own eyes

Ok ok. =pausing here as I gather screenshots and evidence!=

MY SUPPORTING EVIDENCE, actually nevermind I just debunked myself. XD Haha

I was going to say, it seems like all the wallpaper in the Wheeler home outside of Nancy's room was updated as of season 2. But it seems I was just looking at the wrong side of the wall, the wallpaper has not changed. The breakfast area is blue and the dining area is the yellow floral pattern.

The wallpaper upstairs hallways is also the same. Everything is the same.

My newest theory has half crumbled to dust, only because of what they showed in the Wheeler's house in the Upside Down, only Nancy's room has changed since season 1. To be honest, this kinda surprises me. I kinda assumed Karen is the type of woman who'd be updating the house all the time to keep up with current trends. I remember in the BTS book, the set direction also said something similar to contrast it with the Byers who are still sporting mostly 70's furniture and design in their house. Odd.

Anyway, I suppose then the only evidence I really have here is the school and the arcade.

We don't know if the Palace Arcade existed in 1983 but the kids sure didn't mention it or talk about it. In season 2, the arcade was treated like the mall seems like. Is it safe to assume it is new? If so, then why would it be in the Upside Down?

Same for the Snow Ball appearing in the Upside Down?

Let me separate two difference occurrences. The first occurrence is Will creating Upside Down Hawkins. I think it happened in an instant and did not necessarily rely on Will's intimate knowledge of every little crevice in town. I described it like a radar in a previous ask for that reason. The moment he went through was extremely localized and only detailed around "hot spots", aka spaces that Will frequented leading up to his kidnapping. He didn't need to know what was in Nancy's diary for example, the "radar" just took everything in and near the Wheeler's house and copied it.

Oh I know. Let's compare it to El's powers. El powers don't focus on the details of locations and objects. El finds the person and everything near that person appears in her sight, giving her clues to where it might be. Imagine that, but even more detailed and not dependent on a person El recognizes being there.

Ok, so now imagine Will returns to the right side up, but he's still connected to the Upside Down. Now everything he sees gets updated in real time. His house. The school. The Palace Arcade. Anywhere he's been in the real world gets tied to the Upside Down, though that means anything he hasn't seen lately is stuck on the day he went missing, such as Nancy's room.

Is that a crazy theory? Unreasonable? At the very least, this could explain the Snow Ball and why the Mind Flayer knew they were there after the gate was closed.

Though I guess if that were the case, he wouldn't need Billy/The Flayed to track them down if everywhere Will went was constantly being updated and changed. Though I suppose at some point, changes in the Upside Down would become less obvious the more frequently Will has visited an area. Like his house or Mike's house or whatever.

Ah man, that was a long stream of thought sorry about that. I did end up debunking myself with the wallpapers so that's kind of disappointing. But I still feel like I'm onto something here.

[moisette]

This is so weird. I've gotten No Mither twice and both times, I was Sheva/Jill and it was a Spirit o_O

Interesting mindgame. I figured he didn't leave and figured he kicked the gen so xD I wanted to wait at shack until I could tell he did leave. Also Cheryl saved me u,X

I wanted him to go for me instead of Thalita because she was on her last hook xD

I didn't expect him to miss so xD; We lost that match at the end. I always like being healed and this is way. You stay injured, you do a gen, everyone is injured, everyone goes down, everyone dies. I should have saved my syringe... I usually do but I didn't think we'd all die xD; I tried to lead him away but he just downed me and went back to the hook. I could also see him trying to cut me off which is why I kept moving back and forth... Still a fun match either way.

[mt10lt20]

Got to screenshot these comments because

1. I picked Count as no 1 too

2. Totally agree on Pixy being a switch

3. Shamrock IS fuckable. He seems to me like the sort who would at first piss (the protag? His partner) off majorly by being so caring and asking "are you okay? Does this feel good? Am I doing things right??" Until they are like FUCK YOU??!! and they either fuck him, or he suddenly wakes up and goes like "oh ok so you are ok with me going all the way" and just goes all 50 shades. No in-between with this guy, like in the game XD he is GOAT.