April Showers Bring Strange Flowers [OTA and one closed]

[blindwatchersees]

Who: "Theodor Gorlash," the butterflies, and you!
What: Getting to know the island and its inhabitants, finding oneself in the more literal sense
When: April general
Where: Downtown general/Paradesium
Warnings: To be listed in individual threads, likely to contain heavy discussions of various mental health topics


Strange Signals For a Small Desert Town [Closed, for Cecil]

In the middle of the night, that strange voice makes its way into Cecil's head yet again. That's quite rude of it, considering that at this time, more people are trying to sleep than not. There's an appropriate hour and an inappropriate hour for psychic communications!

Find... her. Find... her. The scion-to-be carries the spores. Find... me. Find... me. The worm waits alone. Dark. Strange.



A Fiddle of Sinews, a Flute of Bone [OTA, Empty Pockets]

He hasn't an instrument of his own, but Theodor wonders if perhaps he might find one on loan in the lovely little place where music wafts out like the alluring smell of freshly-baked bread. In the manner of a hungry stray cat, he makes his way though the door and settles in a corner (not in a chair, just a corner, sitting in a manner that is oddly feline and rather ill-befitting the frame of an old man). He scans the place with yellow, lamplike eyes, taking everything in.



A List of Things, Strings, Wings [OTA, Northwest Hollow]

After managing to scrounge up a bit of paper and charcoal, Theodor has settled in the quieter parts of Northwest Hollow, and is attempting to sketch the flowers and butterflies of the area. He's quite good at capturing their likenesses, however, the edges of his drawings seem to have a tendency to melt into faces, bearing exaggerated expressions of laughter, terror, and sorrow. It's probably intentional.

If anyone walks by, he's going to look up and acknowledge them, while his hand will keep scratching out designs independently. One of the aforementioned butterflies will keep its eyes on the page, as it perches on his shoulder.

Hum Dum Dee Dum, Hum Dum Dee Dum, Time For Something Sweet [OTA, Oak and Iron]


Speaking of the smell of baking bread, he's gotten quite hungry, and it suddenly occurs to him that he can't remember the last time he had a nice cup of tea or a strawberry tart. He makes his way to the Oak and Iron, and sits down at the first open spot that's just a little too close to someone else's seat to make ignoring conversation entirely feasible.

"So tell me... what's a good blend of tea around here, in your opinion? I imagine it's hard to find Greenmote Gunpowder around here."


Wildcard: PM me on Discord (redheadednimbus) if you have other ideas!

Comments

[astrogator]

Despite what she sees as unnecessarily gruesome imagery, Tayrey responds to the question with the brisk professionalism that its tone invites.

'That's why I mentioned rights. Your freedom to swing your fist ends where my face and its rights begin, yes? If you're imagining a more complex situation, you'll have to give specifics.'

cw: discussion of civic/political issues

[blindwatchersees]

“Okay! Let’s say you’ve got a bit of property, and you keep it nice, and you’ve got some delicate plants and bits o’ pottery and what not that you really don’t want disturbed. Plus, movement at odd hours sera off the security. Well, turns out these kids from the housing estate over don’t have a good way of getting from one place to anoter, ‘cept through a good, honest Tradeliner’s yard. Either yours or your neighbor’s, and let’s assume you’re about equally wealthy and well-off, save for your neighbor doesn’t keep their yard quite as neatly. How do you solve such a conundrum, Lieutenant?”

[astrogator]

Tayrey is somewhat bewildered that this would be considered a difficult ethical question by anyone.

'They take the long way around, unless they have consent to walk across either person's property. Trespassing doesn't become allowable because the alternative is inconvenient. Their liberty to walk wherever they like ends where it hits someone else's property rights. That aside, I don't have stronger property rights than my neighbour because I keep my property nicer - or if it were larger or more expensive or any of that. Rights aren't dependent on social status.'

[blindwatchersees]

“Ah, but that’s the hitch, Lieutenant. All the property belongs to someone. There’s not a good way around, save for the roads, and the laws say those are reserved for vehicles. Now, no one really enforces those laws, but you still run into the problem of pedestrians in the roadway. Do they not have a reasonable expectation of safe travel? Do the drivers have an obligation to worry about pedestrians in the road, on top of everything else? Whose freedoms take priority?” Certainly, it’s not the most earth-shattering question, but it’s a question nonetheless, and one that probes at what Lt. Tayray considers most sacred.

[astrogator]

She frowns.

'This is a situation too far outside my cultural context for me to judge,' she admits. 'It all sounds bizarre to me. Property without an accessway off it, roads - groundcar roads? With unenforced laws about them? All I can say is that in my sector we'd never have such a muddled situation. Nobody would buy a property without a legitimate way to leave it, and pedestrians use walkways and accessways. Groundcars are for travelling longer distances. I know you mean it as a thought experiment but there are too many alien hidden premises in it for me to have a sensible answer.'