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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"From what I know, she's actually from here. Which is unusual, but if she's willing to help, that's good enough for me." Which she hopes won't be necessary. But if anyone could do reading glasses for him, it would likely be her.

"Oh!" He perks up a little. "That's not a bad thing at all. The more nice people we know here, the better, right? At least, that's what I think... It makes working together easier."

"Yes, absolutely. Especially amongst the locals, they're usually the ones doing the fishing and the farming for us." The Mistress knew she didn't want to.

"And making clothes and food and..." Manabu slows, craning his head up to peer at the second level visible from where they're at.

"And not much else beyond..." He frowns. "Why...doesn't anyone come in and out of this city, really...? Even the supply ships were vacant of people. I don't get it..."

And honestly, that's why he knows about this building at all: He's not great at books or studying, but trying to wrap his head around the mysterious outside of Trench's borders has rapidly begun to eat him up - so much that he's taken to scouring for maps, atlases, travel logs...anything that'll show signs of the world beyond.

Because it has to be there. This isn't a dream anymore: It's a planet.

"Yes, all of that. It's a lot of responsibility and I often feel bad handing over a bag of rocks in exchange for groceries." Never mind that the United Galaxies were basically a socialist paradise, even with her mother holding the reins.

"They're probably afraid. Of us, of what might be out there. There are good reasons to be afraid."

It's far too small a space for her liking, too, but so was the other world. She'd love to go home for keeps and take a cruiser out among the stars, just because she could. And she often wonders if she could fly enough to see the world beyond if she stayed low enough to the ground.

It is. But she's not expecting to see the commonly known Earth if they ever make it to the stars for whatever reason.

"There's just as much to be scared of in the city, too," Manabu replies, his tone a touch grim. "But being afraid...that can only be an excuse for so long. Nothing changes if everyone just stays stuck in one place, scared.

"That's what I think, anyhow..."

"True, there's beasthood, corruption...so I usually stay in Cellar Door, where they're not as common." As both a mental and physical safety device. She's afraid of who she might become if--when--corruption should happen. It's not that she likes keeping such rigid control of her emotions (because everything is fine), but it's a terrible old habit she can't seem to break.

"What might be possible? As far as change goes, I'm still new in town and most people I've met seem to accept the status quo without much in the way of questioning it."

"I'm working on it."

He shines the omni light on a fresh row of book spines, not surprised but also not happy to see so many unlabeled ones. Honestly, how does anyone look up anything here?!

"I'm going to find as much as I can about the outside world and get an expedition group set up. I can't be the only one wanting to find out what's past the tree line."

"Oh?"

She usually stares at the shelves for about ten minutes, sighs, then picks one at random. But it usually works?

"You're definitely not. So, if an expedition group can be done, count me in. I'm interested in the subject, too."

The volunteering gives Manabu pause, and after a hesitation he looks over with a thoughtful frown. To his eyes, she's just a young lady, not a combatant - the kind of person he'd be protecting, not throwing into harm's way.

"M-maybe when we can get an outpost lamp set up," he offers. "And some of the closest hazards cleared or maintained?"

She's both a young lady and a combattant. Her planet doesn't differentiate the two, especially not for a daughter of Bgztl. Granted, she's the only one left, but after all of the scandal she brought on her house, she often wonders if they'd be glad to be rid of her.

"Which I can help with. On all three fronts." She thought for a moment before bringing words associated with her house into play. "'It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine.' Cut me and I will shine, phial of Argonaut or not."

Manabu grimaces a little, but more than anything, he looks a shade confused by her reply. Gosh Manabu Yuuki, if you expected someone to chastise you for your remark, why'd you say it at all, hm? But that aside, he...doesn't really get what she's saying.

"Umh..." He rubs at the back of his head. At his feet, Magnet growl-whines and paces around. "You mean, like...with blood-powers, or something?" Why else would anyone be cutting anyone?

She flushed a little blue and said, "Not really. It's an old family saying. That however delicate we might appear, there's more to us than that." Usually the "more to it" involved ruthlessness on a degree that no one else on the planet was able to or willing to match, but that part could go unsaid. Mostly because she frequently questioned her foremothers' tactics while still being thoroughly trained in them.

"Auh, right--" Of course! Appearances to the contrary and all. Manabu ducks his head a little, sheepish, letting his hand fall away at his side. "I mean, if you've already got a knack for fighting off the things here, I guess I couldn't really turn you away, right?"

Protection impulses or not.

"Sorry." She felt herself flushing again, likely a darker blue hue. Playing the ingenue had been second-nature back home, but she genuinely felt badly about making someone she just met seem to feel awkward.

Her mother, her great-grandmother, her great-great-grandmother? All of them would have capitalized on it and made him feel worse. But Tinya had been on the other side of them too many times to feel okay about doing it to someone else. Now that she knew better.

"Actually, I'm a Night Walker here. Though, I've been trained in weapons and self-defense since I was able to stand upright. Here, I study with Terry Silver, I'm sure he'd vouch for me."

Manabu looks askance thoughtfully, trying to recall if he'd heard the name before, but...nothing's really coming to mind. That's a pretty distinct-sounding name too, he thinks...

"Are they...is he...also a local? Or someone who washed up here, too?"

He's a very distinctive man. Well versed in the arts, fine food and wine, but capable of taking down a foe with a degree of ruthlessness she was willing to accept and emulate.

"He's like us, a former squid. He teaches Cobra Kai karate and I'm his student."

Former squid makes Manabu laugh a little, despite himself. He shakes his head, not meaning any offense by it - it's just...life is really weird. And he's a former squid. Jeez.

"Got it. Sorry, I don't know everyone who's out and about here. It's a bigger place than the nightmare was, you know?"

Well, they are, aren't they? And she doesn't take offense. As she tries to keep proving to herself over and over again, she's not her mother. But no one has to know about that.

"There seem to be a lot of us. Sort of like a big Metropolis and a Smallville at the same time. In theory, someone could know everyone, but who has the time for that?"

"Someone, probably, but not me!"

He turns his head, looking up to one of the windows for a moment, as if he expects to see a glimmer of sunlight. No such luck.

"Auh, so, how...how are you feeling?" he asks, looking back over to her. "Your head clear up?"

"I'd like to. I'm used to having twenty or more teammates, most of whom are friends, too."

The only thing which really worried her about the moon was the green glow. She didn't know what could possibly cause it and it cast everything around them in an eerie light.

"I think so? It's too bad, the butterflies are lovely, but I should have known there would be a catch."

"It's okay," he assures, brow pinched in sympathy. "I mean, not everything here's been bad...and not all of it great? So, it's not that bad to assume the best."

So long as we expect the worst, a grim part of him reminds him.

"But I can escort you back to wherever it was you were heading before the butterflies, if you like. That way you won't have to worry about getting caught up by another one."

"Yes. I was hoping since it's dark all the time, something nice would happen to compensate for that. After all, most people here are from planets with distinct days and nights, they're not used to being in space for a long time."

Which she misses. She misses being surrounded by stars on all sides and she desperately misses her son. Her husband, too, but that matter was far more complicated.

"I was on my way home. I'd appreciate the escort, we can keep each other safe."

Magnet gives a soft yip and Manabu nods, both of them on-board with the idea.

"Sure thing! We can head out whenever you're up for it, no worries here."

Magnet is cute. She wishes she had brought Moonlight with her, but this will prove to be a great reminder.

"We can go ahead and go now. I'm sure Moonlight is pacing a rut in the foyer's tile even as we speak."

My blind optimism to blame

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(CW: socialism)

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