deercountry | My blind optimism to blame

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My blind optimism to blame

APRIL 2022 EVENT

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: A large green butterfly.]
[Image Two: A woman staring in a daze at light orbs floating around her face.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: A volcano with meteors falling down around it.]
[Image Two: A ball of quivering light hovering in the dark with woman standing in front.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A woman staring at a mirror-like humanoid being staring back at her.]
[Image Two: A woman in a field of grass with humanoid-shaped flower sculptures nearby.]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

MIGRATION OF MOONLIT BUTTERFLIES

WHEN: April
WHERE: Everywhere outside
CONTENT WARNINGS: Hopelessness/corruption, heavy themes of mental trauma/health, killing of gentle creatures.

Excerpt from BEASTS OF DEER COUNTRY Chapter 12: Migrations:

"One of the most beautiful natural phenomena of Deer Country is the migration of the mysterious Moonlit Butterflies. These giant creatures are most often the size of a house, with exceptional wingspans. Fear not: they are not violent creatures. Most will fly well above the city of Trench, leaving trails of glittering orbs of light that fall all throughout the city. However, it is common for some Moonlit Butterflies to land and rest throughout Trench. Despite their massive size, these creatures appear to weigh very little, able to rest harmlessly on homes, lampposts, and the like. Don't be surprised to find some scattered throughout your neighborhood.

They have a gentle aura about them and are most famous for their behemoth wings which glow a radiant green. They are aptly named due to their ability to store immense power from the moon during April and are seen as distant children of Argonaut. Being near them will enchant the air with the scent of amber and fresh linen, and you may hear a soothing song emit from these beasts.

Despite their rare and incredible beauty, it is wise to not linger in their presence no matter how captivating they are...And they are captivating. Many residents of Trench have been known to stop and stare, enthralled by the wings or the orbs of light that are shed by the butterflies. Those who have been staring for too long will have an unnatural glowing green glaze over their eyes, obscuring their pupil and gaze. This is known as the Moonlit Drain.

These butterflies do not gather all of their energy from moonlight...but they gather it from hopeful beings as well. It is why they gather among populations of sentient beings. They soak up all hope in the area and the longer you stand in their presence, the more hopeless you may become. Standing in the presence of a Moonlit Butterfly has driven people to rapid, severe corruption in under ten minutes. It is best to avoid these butterflies no matter how mesmerizing they may be to look at.

The little orbs of light are actual manifestation of everyone's hope. Touching them may restore hope and they can be gathered into jars for future treatments of corruption. They do not "go bad" as they are the essence of emotion. One way to restore hope to a corrupt or beast-ridden soul is to slay one of the Moonlit Butterflies. They are incredibly easy to kill as they are naturally delicate and non-hostile.

Be warned: the one who slays a Moonlit Butterfly will be consumed with instantaneous corruption and possibly even beasthood. But once the butterfly has been slain, anyone in the surrounding area besides the killer will have corruption alleviated. Killing a Moonlit Butterfly has been known to fill people with incredible grief and guilt. Few have survived."

WONDERKIND

WHEN: April
WHERE: Everywhere outside
CONTENT WARNINGS: Possible spoilers per canon, time/vortex style presence, variety of possible monsters.

Excerpt from an essay titled "The Wonderkind Pthumerian" from the book The Curious Nature of the Weakest Pthumerian: Argonaut and Misconceptions:

"Most of the other Patron Pthumerians are known for exceptional strength and durability during trying times. It is only Argonaut in which people think of weakness. They believe the Patron to be a fickle, tiny thing with little worth, but there is a unique and powerful quality to Argonaut that should not be overlooked.

This is the phenomenon known as Wonderkind. It has only been known to happen once every few years and only ever during April, but those who have seen it would testify to the hidden strengths of our explorer Patron. There is much to be said about curiosity and resilience, after all. Argonaut has wandered through the lives of many without most ever realizing it. He has likely seen into your own life, curious about the odd Sleepers that show up on the shores of this world.

Wonderkind appears as a meteor shower, but these are no meteors. Balls of flaming light will fall from the sky, silent, beautiful, striking, and somewhat ominous and terrifying. They rain upon Trench in intervals throughout April. They do not crash into the city so much as glide throughout. These balls of light are shimmering orbs that have split open time and space itself into unraveling cocoons, exposing portals into worlds foreign to this one.

These portals cannot be entered for they are not portals out of this world...But portals into this world. Sleepers have claimed to find beloved items and pull them out of these portals. Some may find old pets that come out to greet them. It can be a lucky and cherished event for many. Tragically, these portals do not seem to be able to bring in sentient beings ~~applicable characters~~, but you may be able to talk briefly to a loved one who isn't yet in this world.

But that's not all that can crawl through these portals...Monsters from other worlds have been known to flock to these portals and make their way through. Monsters from your worlds or other worlds slip in to wreak havoc on the streets of Trench. It is during this time that it is of the utmost importance that our Hunters take up arms and protect the vulnerable. If you recognize the monsters or disasters from your world entering ours, then please, make sure to caution those against it.

The portals close after a few hours and cannot be manually closed by anyone. Nothing can be sent into portals, but one can stand by a portal and guard it for potential dangers. Portals from your world may reappear several times throughout the month, so don't let your guard down for even a moment, and always expect the worst even when hoping for the best."

Quick Facts:

1. Respect the setting. Do not bring in monsters that would be capable of destroying the world/city/etc.

2. Things like unique plants/items can be gained through these portals.

3. You do not need to engage with portals from your own canon. You can invent new worlds, engage with other canons, or alternate universes. It's up to you.

FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT

WHEN: April
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Instant beasthood, corruption of soul, draining of soul, replication of soul, mistreatment of sex workers/night walkers.

An excerpt from a journal kept by a Night Walker named Charlotte Finch. Finch was known for being one of the first established Night Walkers and was known for her advocacy on the front of Night Walker work and its relationship to beasthood. This journal is kept in the Archives. It contains content pertinent to Beasthood yet, unfortunately, due to ongoing biases against Night Walkers, this journal is kept in the autobiography section rather than the section for beasthood. Good luck finding it.

"the job of the Night Walker is, of course, undervalued by this world. we do our best to soothe the troubled souls of this place and yet they continue to doubt our worth. what must we do to convince them? must we wield blades to show them how we fight? must we shed blood to prove our dedication? must we pick up books to show our intelligence? nei, we not do that. we sleep beside our worn hunters and rest heads upon the chests of scholars and hold the tired hands of architects. we guide the way to light in a way disciples could never.

all us are valuable, it be true, but why must the night walker be left to the wayside? why must our duties be written off? why must it be that it always a night walkers blood in the streets that leaves no tears to be shed? nei, nei, it is hatred of those who understand the soul and body have a close connection.

you know what i believe? these souls of ours change the landscape of our bodies. you cannot have one without the other. when the soul is corrupt, it only be natural that the body corrupts, turning rigid and hideous and monsterous and beastly. aye yes i have seen it myself, though none of the others believe except for other night walkers.

you see, there is a shape that comes to us in the Long Night of april, a shape much like our own. looking like a person ought to look but with no face and no features, like a mirror glimmering in the shape of you. they look like us, and they will mimic us. these odd mirror beings is the shape of our soul, you see, and once it finds you, it will copy you, and you will be driven mad! mad! how does this thing move as you move? how does it replicate what you replicate?

aye, it is your soul, my friend. your soul in a shape you can see. or something like it, may not soul be in your lexicon. it is you, as you are it. it is the Tether between you and beasthood, see what i say. the Tether will begin to soak into you if you let it, if you let it consume you, and it will consume you rapidly. people have been known to be ravaged by the Tether and turn into beasts within seconds, AYE yes, seconds, not minutes, into a vicious beast. the Tether wins.

But you need not let it be a victor, my friend. you see, we proved it, we did, us night walkers, we proved to lay with the Tether is to soothe the Tether. Allow yourself the kindness of another soul, another companion. touch and feel and express companionship. holding the hand of your lover or your friend or your brother or sister will cause the Tethers to weaken before ye very eyes! i do swear it, my friend, i should not lie on a subject i hold so dear.

you see, when we hold one another dear, when we cherish one anothr truly and wholly, we abate the darkness in our souls. listen to your companions, my sweet friends, and let your souls heal, and you can stop the Tether from consuming. you see, you see. surely you see. this is what it looks like. the Tether is always with us, but only in April under this moon can we see it always and will it be vicious and invasive. do not allow it.

do not allow it."

Quick Facts:

1. Tethers will take the exact body shape/size of you and mimic your moves. They may follow you around for several hours/days. Once they decide to "consume" you, it will be quick. It will essentially look like your body is turning metallic and then you become a beast.

While Charlotte states it happens in a matter of seconds, this can happen in several hours/days as well. Depends on the character and their general resolve.

2. People can be pulled back from this through emotional support whether verbally or physically and general acts of kindness. It's the sincerity that matters here. You do not need to be familiar with the person to help them.

3. Everyone can see each other's Tethers so you can determine how severe someone's Tether has become. The more severe the Tether, the more silvery the impacted person will look.

4. Tethers cannot be destroyed with weaponry/attacks. Trying will only hurt the person they are mimicking. You could actually kill someone by trying to "kill" their Tether. The tether will vanish with those who died but reappear once they have reincarnated.

CODING

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Thankfully I don't need any healing right now..

[ Or.. well, ever, considering Chizuru knows exactly what her healing abilities are like, and that arriving here and turning into a squid person hasn't changed them in the slightest. But that's a fact she still likes to keep rather close to her chest for now, so she leaves it at that. ]

But I guess it couldn't hurt to have one around.. you know, in case something happens in the future. [ To someone else, she means, since.. see the reason above why she probably won't need it. But it would be convenient to have a potion like that around if a friend would need it, right? ]

O-oh. That's um. That's good...

[He looks a bit defeated when she tells him that. How is he supposed to pay her back, then? Maybe invisibility? Would that help if there are monsters around? Maybe he should offer - ]

[But then, thankfully, Chizuru keeps talking, and he perks right back up again.]

Yes! Okay um. One second!

[And he's darted off to go digging in cabinets.]

[ She's kind of glad she thought of that now, considering how sad Melius was starting to look. At least it seems that managing to give him something to do - or something to give her in return - is something that perks him up, and that's definitely information Chizuru is filing away in the back of her mind in case she's going to need it in the future.

Information about what makes people happy is important, after all. ]

O-Okay!

[ Don't worry, she can wait here. Even though she seems a little bit fascinated as he's starting to dig through cabinets like that, watching him go at it.. ]

Please don't feel like you need to rush, I have plenty of time..

N-no! It's - it's okay. I um. I like. Doing this.

[He likes making potions, making cures and all of it. It's one of the few things he really feels good at. So, of course, he'll offer to do it. Offer to make them as often as he can - in order to repay any kindness he can.]

[... He'd love to dive into that fish dish though. But first - ]

Here. [A few little red vials.] Healing. A-and one for um. Poison, just in case. [Also red, but with ANTIDOTE written in neat script on the side.]

Oh.. [ She seems a little surprised to even be receiving extra here, but she won't complain about it. Instead Chizuru just accepts the vials, holding out her hands to receive them, before pulling them closer to herself to take a look at them. ]

I guess that might end up useful here too..

[ Not that Chizuru has come across poison.. or, well, not yet. After all. ]

.. you never quite know what to expect in this place, huh..? [ From her experience so far, anyway. ]

N-no. No you... you don't. But um. Please take them. I like to make them so... so it's not a problem.

[He's honestly had to be encouraged not to give the potions away. It hasn't always worked that well, and he's still sort of in the habit of donations instead of payment.]

[But it feels better than keeping it all stored away here.]

And... and um. If you want sometime... I can show you how to make them.

[ Don't worry, Melius. There's no need to tell her twice now, since she's definitely moving to pocket those things. She's determined to safely take those home with her, since she is convinced they might come in handy in the future..!

.. and it's not like his latter suggestion is entirely unwelcome either. ]

I'd like that!

[ For all of Chizuru's awkward shyness, there seems to be none of that right now. She didn't even seem to have to think about her answer.. ]

I mean.. the more people can make those in this place, the better, right..? They could help us look out for each other a lot, I think.. [ And that's certainly necessary, given how dangerous Trench as a place can be. ]

That - that's good. I um. I don't mind showing how.

[He's probably said that before. He's probably said that several times before. But it's easier to repeat himself. Just in case. Maybe it didn't sink in before. Or he stuttered too much. Something like that.]

[Shifting where he stands, he ends up nervously picking at his scales.]

Y-yes. Yes, you're um. You're right. More people should know... how. So they'll be okay.

But um. I'm not. Good with groups.

[ Someone more blunt - or perhaps just more cruel - than Chizuru might have pointed out that the latter fact is pretty obvious.

Chizuru, however, is way too nice to do that. So she just nods. ]

It's okay. I understand that it can be hard.. [ It's doable for Chizuru, though she thinks that she'd also feel shy and flustered if she actually had to teach a group, honestly. ] But.. even if you're just giving people lessons one on one, that's still useful, right..? As long as you have enough people you're comfortable with doing that with, I mean.

[He's quiet for a bit, fidgeting with some bit of leaf debris. It's not a Nirnroot, so there's no chiming, thankfully.]

Do... do you think. People would um. Want to learn? One at a time?

[He could probably handle that, he thinks. The occasional person dropping in to learn. He does it with Varian. He told Sakura he'd do his best to try, too.]

[So maybe that would work.]

Of course!

[ That requires no thought on her part, though it might involve - as usually - Chizuru thinking a little too generously of other people and people's nature as a whole. ]

Who would mind that? If it's what makes you the most comfortable.. then I'm sure anyone would be willing to accommodate you. [ She says it as if it's natural. As if everyone is just that kind and considerate. ] It's just the nice thing to do!

I um. I don't know. People... people might want... real classes.

[And for someone who failed out of the Mages' College before he even applied, that's kind of an intimidating concept right out of the gate. Having to even have one-on-one is a lot. For strangers, anyway.]

I don't. Want to do it wrong. I guess.

[ Real classes, huh. Maybe it's since Chizuru comes from the kind of place where getting real classes of any kind is pretty rare, but she can't help but think.. ]

It's.. not like it has to be something formal though, right..?

[ If Melius wants it, then sure, it can be. But if it just makes him antsy.. ]

You could just see it as one person telling another person about something, you know? If you think it's a little scary, you could always start with someone you know well! Then it'll be like you're just two friends having a fun time together, and there happens to be potion making involved!

No?

[Wasn't that what classes were? You had a room, you had people come in and listen to a lecture, right? That was how the mages did it.]

O-oh. Um. That - really? That's... classes? Just talking to a person?

[That sounds fake to him.]

Yeah, of course! A class can be anything you want to!

[ Look at Chizuru. She's starting to sound more and more like an educational TV show for kids protagonist with every single passing moment.. and with the right level of smiley enthusiasm to match.

But she can't help it. Poor Melius seems so confused when it comes to this, and all the girl wants to do is to reassure him that is truly, truly is okay. ]

It's not like there's rules for that sort of thing, you know..? [ Especially not here.

If Chizuru has learned anything about Trench, it's that it sure is a lot more loosey goosey than anything back home. ]

There... there are. Back in Tamriel.

[There's a whole Mage College and Bard College and since Melius never could carry a tune, he'd tried the mages. Only to be kicked out, because, well. Alchemy and Dragon Shouts aside, he's as magically inclined as a rock.]

[And they had classes, lectures, labs. All of that.]

But. But not here. Right?

[ She nods.

.. look, maybe there could be rules for that sort of thing here? But she doesn't imagine it, considering what her experiences here have been like so far. ]

Is.. that Tamriel place such a strict place..?

[ Chizuru has never heard of it before - but then again, she also imagines she wouldn't, since people who look like Melius just don't exist where she comes from. ]

Mm.

[He scratches at his neck, idly. Thoughtfully. Is it? Well... it's different than here. But where isn't?]

The- the colleges are. You um. You have to have... magic or be musical. To get in.

I'm not - either of those.

Oh.. I'm so sorry that it's like that.

[ Especially since she imagines it might be a prestigious thing, attending one of those colleges. Why else would they only let certain people enter in the first place..?

Chizuru pauses, looking for something reassuring to say, and then adds: ]

But.. you know, neither am I! [ Not magical nor musical. ] So I really doubt you were the only one..!

It um. It's... fine.

[It's not fine. It's very much not fine. But what can he do? Besides, now that he's here? It's not going to change.]

[He'd rather do alchemy alone in the shop, anyway.]

O-oh yeah. Um. I know I'm not. I-I just... thought that was what. Classes had to be.

[ Chizuru almost seems to puff up a little - especially when it comes to her cheeks. Like she's just that Determined to make Melius feel okay about teaching people one on one here in his shop. If that's what would make him most comfortable. ]

They don't have to be like that here! Take it from me.

[ Ah, yes. Still relatively new Chizuru, clearly the expert. But she looks so determined at this point - enough for the shyness about her to have entirely faded. ]

And if someone has a problem with that.. then you can tell them they can take that up with me! [ A girl who is five foot tall and looks like she has trouble opening heavy doors. ]

Okay.

[He's staring at her like she just pulled down words of wisdom out of the clouds. Honestly? As far as he's concerned, yes, she is an expert. Or at least, she's got the confidence to fake it until she makes it.]

I- I will. Take. It from you.

[He blinks at her. Really, she uh. Is not an imposing figure, but neither are a lot of people who could do a murder. Or several murders.]

And um. Will tell you. If something happens.

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My blind optimism to blame

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