myopia // leg kal tryout, dnp

[doryphoros]

myopia. /mīˈōpēə/ nearsightedness, or a lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.

the story of a forsaken queen, left to die amongst the rot.

[doryphoros]

❝ considered one of the world’s deadliest mushrooms, amanita phalloides produces a poisonous toxin that becomes volatile once it is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. the fungus’ toxin is responsible for more than 90% of mushroom poisoning deaths worldwide... after a mushroom cap is ingested, its toxins work swiftly to kill cells. ❞

once upon a time, there lived a queen. her name was carys, and she was, more often than not, concerned more with her own appearance than her kingdom's suffering. as she preened and primped at her luxurious vanity, her kingdom collapsed around her, rife with civil war and famine. finally, the worn and angry citizens rose up and threw her out of her castle, to her shock. she fled to the forest to escape persecution, and has been there ever since.

[doryphoros]

❝ atropa belladonna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the nightshade family solanaceae. the foliage and berries are extremely toxic when ingested, and have unpredictable effects. it was often used by women to dilate the pupils to seem more seductive. ❞
play. ♬

"the curtains muffled the sound. well, either that, or my ignorance. i remember it all so clearly; that golden vanity with diamonds all the way from tengu, the luxurious bed with the velvet and silk sheets, and the window. i don't remember ever looking out that window, perhaps too wrapped up in whatever outfit i'd sashay around the castle in to ever see the state of my people. i regret not ever looking outside, seeing the flowers burst into bright, colorful bloom, or see winter sweep in and cover the ground in a cloak of snow. i regret not ever seeing my people's pain. their sorrow, their suffering, their anger. i was exposed to it all at once on that day. the day they threw me out."
"i was wearing a champagne pink charmeuse and chiffon gown, with a necklace of the finest pearls. they're gone now, i assume, wrecked with the rest of my belongings. i was sitting at my vanity, when they took me by the arms and dragged me out of the room,
confused and afraid. they brought me to the town square, bruised and trembling. i remember a paralyzing fear that they were going to torture, or even worse, kill me, so i wrestled free of my captors and leapt into the sky. it was overcast, and i remember looking down and seeing the pearls i'd so painstakingly chosen that morning scattered on the ground, being snatched up by the joyous citizens.
i guess it was somewhat resembling the life i'd left behind, or something like that. who knows, really?"

[doryphoros]

❝ lily of the valley, also known as convallaria majalis, sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a sweetly scented, highly poisonous woodland flowering plant. other names include may bells, our lady's tears, and mary's tears. ❞
play. ♬

" most of my time in the forest is hazy. it's all blended into a sort of long, stretched out period of self-loathing and blackness. i mostly just wandered around at that time, wondering what i'd done wrong. even now i wonder if there was some sort of... enchantment, or something, keeping me there until i came to terms with myself."
"whenever i'd walk somewhere, i'd always end up at the exact same spot, it seemed. it was always dark, and damp, and always raining. i didn't mind the rain much, but sometimes, it'd increase to a torrential downpour, and trees would be set on fire from jagged lightning striking from the sky. when i was there, i just drove myself deeper and deeper into my grief and confusion before one day, i decided that i should forgive myself. it wasn't easy, at first, forgiving myself and those people for what they'd done, but a weight had lifted off my chest. i finally felt like i could breathe again. sometimes the crushing weight comes back, and it's hard to breathe, or do anything, but it passes. i've come to terms with what i was, and i hope that i'm a better person for it. probably not, but it's nice to think so."

[doryphoros]

❝ abrus precatorius, known commonly as rosary pea, is a slender, perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. ingestion of a single seed, well chewed, can be fatal to both adults and children.❞
play. ♬

"nowadays, i just wander around. don't do much, really. my life isn't that exciting. i don't really know what i'm searching for, i just know that i'm searching for... for something. more of a nomadic lifestyle, i guess. i've seen a lot, in this life. searched the farthest ends of the earth and back. yet i still don't feel whole. will i ever feel whole again? can i ever be whole again? maybe i shouldn't be asking myself. maybe i should be asking you."
she pauses and finally looks at you, dark green eyes boring into your soul. you step back, uncertain, and you shrug hesitantly. she sighs, and rearranges her feathers with a soft rustling.
" well, you may go now. i've wasted enough of your time, apparently. you're free to leave."
you turn to go, but something sparks in your mind.
" wait ! maybe you've been searching for something that you can't necessarily see. maybe... maybe you were searching for a companion."
caryn looks at you, incredulously, and a grin spreads across her face despite her best efforts to smother it.
" that's gotta be one of the most clichè things i've heard in my life. "
you chuckle, and move to sit by the disgraced queen.

for once in your life, you feel... whole again, somehow.