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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And he would be far less alone for it too, Blue muses, his gaze still down on the book. There's so much lauding of night walkers, of paleblood's boon to prevent corruption to this degree...but it didn't stop Blue, did it?

He closes his eyes briefly, gently nodding to Jason's words before looking back over and forcing a mild smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"And making those bonds...may help you in turn. I hope so."

"I musta really been a mess when we met," Jason remarks a little awkwardly. It's true he didn't have that many connections back then, but he'd like to blame the weird effects the month had on him for just how bad it got.

"I got plenty of bonds now. You, for starters, and all the people who come in for self-defense lessons."

"When we met," Blue repeats, his expression softening, "you were more put-together than you may think. That training of yours...the past experience of fear...others wouldn't have been able to get as far as you." His mouth quirks. "Or...trust a strange voice in their head all of a sudden."

He can't help drawing himself up a little. Who would have guessed that all his training as a marine would have prepared him to live in a place like this? And of course his adventures with the alien vampires helped, too.

"Thanks," is all he says. Jason turns to check on his mimic. The thing doesn't look like it's going to last much longer. "Looks like that text was right," he observes. "Companionship does 'em in."

Sure, helping Jason has yielded some visible, tangible results, but this encounter's also helping Blue, too. It's helping him believe he can still do good, that he shouldn't be so scared to try... And that's a realization worthy of the soft chuff from his omen who pads over, nosing at his side before bumping his large head against Jason's leg in true cat fashion.

"I'm glad," Blue says after breathing out a little, happy sound. "I think...you deserve a reprieve from the more horrible things here."

Jason gives the omen a dutiful pat on the head. He knows this behavior from his own omen, though she doesn't usually choose to show herself.

"We all do, man," Jason corrects gently. "Do we ever get a break from all the bullshit?"

Blue's expression softens, appreciative for the sentiment behind that correction. When he replies, though, his gaze drifts down to the lion.

"It may be a matter...of making those moments for ourselves," Blue replies. "Worlds are not always...keen to simply giving away such things. They must be produced by the hands of those who wish for them."

Saying something like that...feels more like himself, he realizes. It is something he'd say, isn't it? Because...it's something he believed.

He still believes it, doesn't he?

Jason knows what he means all too well. That's how it is back at home, with him and his team making moments of fun even as they fight in a war. Maybe it's harder for Jason to see that here through all the monsters and horrors. But even then, didn't he find a moment to laugh and relax in that lighthouse?

His thoughts keep going back to Viktor and Jason really wishes it would stop doing that.

"Yeah, I get it. Gotta socialize and shit."

"I've been afraid to do that," he admits, giving Jason a pained kind of smile, "since what happened. Afraid...that reconnecting...would just make me more dangerous to people again. It's no good to live like that, is it? Afraid of your very nature. It would just make me more vulnerable to becoming dangerous.

"I can understand that, logically...but the fear remains." He shakes his head, closing the book in his hands. "Things here have changed me so much in mere months...than how little things changed in three hundred years before."

"It's gotta be rough," Jason says sympathetically. He can relate to things changing for him rapidly. Hell, it only took a few hours for him to change when he was down in that Sumerian temple with Salim. Jason still hasn't quite faced all that was opened up in that short time.

"I get bein' afraid," Jason goes on. "But this place isn't gonna let you live in that fear; it's gonna use it against you. The only way to beat it is by getting past that fear." Yeah, yeah, he knows the same can be applied to his own fears. "I know it ain't an easy thing," he sighs. "Even little steps at a time will help. I bet you got friends out there who'd love to reconnect, but might be waitin' on you to show you're ready."

While Jason speaks, Blue carefully pushes the book back into its place on the shelf. When he sighs, he looks back over with a mild expression, sympathetic in his own fashion, but really more appreciative for Jason's candor.

"I believe you're right about that. And I might be a little more ready, thanks to you."

"Glad I could help," Jason says with a little smile. "You've helped me plenty." Twice now, so he's glad he can reciprocate in some small way.

"You need a Hunter escort back home?" Jason offers.

"I would be grateful," he replies, smiling small in turn. "Thank you, Jason."

"It's my job," Jason shrugs, "and you're my friend. It ain't any trouble." He again offers his arm so they can start the trek back to Blue's place. He sort of remembers the way, at least far enough that he can picture where to go when they reach the lantern.

Blue takes his arm once his lion's paced out of his way, and as the vision of the cottage he once stayed at comes to mind, he pauses.

"...Not there," he says softly, apologetically. "I'm not staying there anymore.

"Cellar Door...I know the way. We can still take the lantern."

"All right," Jason says, deciding not to ask questions about Blue's move. He has a pretty good idea of the reason, anyway. "Then you picture where we're gonna go and give me directions from there."

Blue is quietly appreciative for no further explanation needed. It's not something he means to hide, but...it's still a little early. Having had to say he isn't living there anymore alone still stings, but he can and will still walk forward, and they'll take the lantern to get them to the Cellar Door district, wherein Blue can retrace the steps Kaeya took him more than once to find the way to his new home as they traverse the long dark that's disturbed only by lamplight and the ominous glow of enormous insect wings here and there.

"Please...be careful on your own," Blue says, once they've stopped before the house. He hesitates before letting his arm go and placing his hand on the lion's shoulder for balance. "There are more things than our own tethers...to look out for." Those insects included.

He makes sure that Blue is near his home and being steadied by his omen before letting the other go. Jason can't help smiling a little at his friend's words.

"I appreciate the concern, but I'll be okay. I'm a marine: we improvise, adapt, and overcome. Whatever other kind of bullshit this place has for me, I can handle it."

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My blind optimism to blame

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