the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

Val O´Neil

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the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« on: 30 June 2009, 01:32:26 »

the SingSoft
(A.K.A.: the Lullaby Butterfly, Melodymoth, Fluttersong, Nehtor's Voice)

OVERVIEW
The SingSoft moth is certainly a pretty little specimen, pleasing to two senses; both the eyes and ears. They are rarely, if ever, seen fluttering about during the day, being nocturnal in nature. But, come twilight, flocks of these moths, commonly known as a 'chorus', will emerge from their resting places and commence their search for food. Once breakfast has been found, they will gather atop it and 'sing' whilst they feast.

CATEGORISATION
Animals, Smaller, Insects, Moths

APPEARANCE
A ‘simple beauty’ is certainly one way to describe the SingSoft. Even though it is not grand in size or design, this moth is not an eyesore by any means. This pretty bug usually tends to be a dark colouration, naturally camouflaging it in the cool shades of night. Though hard to spot, a chorus of these is easily heard from half a stral away or even further, depending upon how many it is. The females of this species are the larger of the two, its wingspan usually around one palmspan in length. While the smaller males' wingspan can range anywhere between five to just over eight nailsbreadths.

This modestly sized moth's triangular wings are the same shape as an outstretched bird’s wing and are covered with a fine fur. The appendages attach on either side of the middle of its’ body, orientating its wings to be held outwards rather than upwards when settled upon flower-tops. However, it can also fold its' wings in so that they're tucked up against the insect's body. While the base and the outer edge of the wings tend to be tinged with a charcoal hue speckled with aeruillian red, the rest of the wing’s base colour is usually a very deep xazure hue. Swirls and streaks and speckles that commonly mark its wings are generally waterberry, santhran violet, and ithild in colour.

Nestled between the wings on the butterfly's broad shoulders are three hard flecks of shell, each roughly the shape of a triangle with the texture and colour of tree bark. This unique feature vibrates to produce the soft, flowing humming noises that this little critter makes. And come dawn, when this moth seeks refuge down in the crevices of their natural homes, in which to slumber, they'll tuck their wings beneath their shells to blend in with the lumber.

Its round head has a short forehead, the moth’s two large waterberry-coloured eyes taking up most of the space on its face. Fuzzy, tangled elken brown lashes frame its blind-looking orbs. Protruding from the crown of its head are two aeruillian red, clubbed antennas that are about two to three nailsbreadths long. Tucked beneath its round chin is the insect’s thick black, curled proboscis.

The SingSoft’s oblong shaped body curves upwards slightly at either end, and a wide shoulder supporting its wings hides the fat bumps of muscle underneath on its’ belly and sides. Its body is covered in fine fur like its' wings and is usually any shade of grey, from barsa dusk to charcoal, with speckles of aerullian red. Though not long, only ranging from two to five nailsbreadths in length, its body is as thick as a fat child’s thumb. Six long, fat and furry legs protrude from the middle of its body, the feet sporting soft, hooked hairs.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Just as the names would suggest, the Melodymoth can be a noisy little bug, but only in the most pleasant of ways. The layered shell on its back is what provides this insect with this particular ability. In order to sing, it shakes its shell; this produces the soft humming noise that this moth makes. Because the males are the smaller of the two, their voices tend to fluctuate throughout the higher registers, while the larger females usually hum their sweet refrain in lower registers. However, practically no one moth sounds the same as another, each of their 'voices' as as unique yours or mine.

The moth's song, however, could be described in so many different ways as it seems almost everyone that listens to a chorus hears slightly different things. The smallest males in a chorus tend to trill almost endlessly in the background of their larger counterparts, the rest of whom together weave a mixture of notes that generally tend to be pleasant to the ears in a rather soothing manner. Females have a more plaintive air to their voices and tend to hold onto a note for extended moments before fading out and then back in. And the overall sound that a chorus produces changes with the temperatures at night, heat causes them to sing in more languid manner, while in cold the tempo picks up.

But, why does this moth sing so sweetly through the night? There are surely an infinite number of reasons that someone could come up with. Myth and lore says that this lovely critter was born of Nehtor's voice during his sorrowful parting lament, and states that they sing to soothe the souls wounded by the wretched. However, through time and careful observation, it has also been noted that the main acts seen while a chorus sang were; finding mates, eating, and mating.

The shell on its back also provides as a bit of extra armor, making the SingSoft that much more resilient to blunt trauma. When chewed, the shell flakes into jagged shards that can easily slice up one's gums and tongue, deterring animals from chowing down on any more of them, and sometimes proving too hard for a smaller animal's teeth to comfortably break.

TERRITORIES
The SingSoft's territory spans over a good amount of distance, ranging from the eastern edge of the Zeihphyrian Forests to just south of Varcopas Port. However, during hotter summers, choruses have been spotted so far north as the Quallan Forests.

HABITAT/BEHAVIOUR
A flock, which is commonly called a ‘chorus’, can range in numbers anywhere from three to thirty strong. Seeing them in larger groups than that is unusual, though seeing many flocks together at once should there be an ample food source is not unheard of. A chorus is composed of no more than eight females, while the number of males tends to be two or three to one. Each chorus of moths is formed shortly after hatching-season. Only moths that sing in harmony with each other will form groups, and will mate with each other at various times throughout their lives.

Since this bug is partial to more temperate climates, it migrates as the seasons change. Being nocturnal in nature, they hide in any crooks or crannies that they can find in the tangle of pretty much any tree's roots. Because of this, they can tolerate especially hot days in their shady holes. Though, once night becomes too cool, they will move on to warmer places. Peculiarly, a flock of these moths practically never slumbers at the base of a tree more than once, almost always on the move around the area that they've chosen to loiter in for a while.

On windier days, when the sky is overcast, it is not completely unheard of to see a chorus of these moths burst from the roots of a tree and flutter about before settling back down to resume their rest. This, however, provides some lucky predators, such as birds and other animals unhindered by its armored back, the chance to snag just a nibble.

While this moth may seem undaunted by other animals or people, sometimes refusing to give up its perch until the very last second, its boldness comes in numbers. Seeing one of these moths by itself is very unlikely, as they tend to flutter around in flocks. And approaching a smaller grouping of them will only end with them skirting away before you're even at an arm's length.

DIET
Female larvae, which are born in pairs, will immediately head for the trees in search of what will be its final meal. While it is scuttling toward the forest's edge, the caterpillar will devour bits of the Alth'ho grass, that is so common across the Narfrost Plains, as it goes. When the bug has reached a tree, it will climb up and eat parts of the leaves, and even the bark of softer trees. The male larvae, however, will eat whatever grass or leaf is available to it in the area that it is born.

In adulthood, the SingSoft is more interested in flowers than leaves or bark. A multitude of night-blooming flora acts as part of this lovely moth's diet. The Evening Princess and Dreamer's Breath flowers certainly attract the most attention from this insect, also the flowers of the Le'matice vine.

MATING
All female SingSofts are born along the northern-most parts of the Narfrost Plains on the first wet days of spring. Unremarkable at first in size and appearance, being barely a nailsbreadth in length and as brown as the dirt it's crawling through, they grow quickly. The tiny furry, brown caterpillars will leave their pebble-like shells behind and retreat into the Sharadon Forests to escape the heavy rains. Once they've reached the treeline, they then climb high into the boughs to gorge themselves on the leaves and bark over a five day period, barely stopping for rest. In this time they will molt their skin several times, the shells on their backs forming with each molting, and will grow an entire nailsbreadth in length. Once they are fat and full on their last day of feasting, the prepubescent female moth will slink its way into a cranny or crevice beneath a tree branch and begin cocooning itself.

Meanwhile, the males, wherever they may have been lain, will hatch around the same time as their future mates. They will then fatten themselves with whatever non-poisonous leafy plants that they can find over the span of three days, molting their skins several times in the span of those days. And, just like with the females, with each molting the shells on their backs become thicker. On the morning of the fourth day of their lives, they will cocoon themselves usually in a thickly branched bush. After a gestation period of a week, the male moths will break free of their cocoons and immediately begin the process of inflating and drying their wings. Once they are able to fly, the males will begin their nearly nonstop migration to the Narfrost Plains. There, they will meet their mates and begin to form choruses on the first night of their arrival.

A few nights before the last days of spring, the new generation of SingSofts will mate for the first time. Their gentle humming becomes extremely loud, the sound pouring across the Narfrost Plains and echoing through the Sharadon Forests. The crescendo of sound that these little moths make when the mating begins can be heard from strals away, on the night breeze in nearby places, such as Barvdavos, Seraia, Mehmeish, and Dasai. So loud is it, that they drive away any predators with hearing sensitive enough to hurt that could take advantage of the mating frenzy going on in each of the many choruses. This is also the only time that these moths will become so loud, and the only chance to see this species' entire generation together, in one place.

The females will mate with two different males for each female egg that they lay, which has two larvae inside, along the northern parts of the Narfrost Plains in shallow holes that they dig. Each female will lay at least five eggs before the first day of summer, each egg yielding two larvae and all of which will be female. After, they will leave Narfrost Plains to move north as the heat of summer increases, and then further south as the days begin to cool, the female moths will mate with two to three males at once and then lay a cluster of twenty eggs usually in a shallow hole that they dig against or underneath the top roots of a tree. Both gender of eggs appear the same and, when first lain, look like a small wet glob of dirt. Over the course of an hour, the outside of the egg will harden and take on a pebble-like appearance. Once winter's chill grabs hold of the land, these sweet moths will begin to die due to the temperature, the eggs however, are able to endure either extreme heat or cold, and will wait to hatch until spring comes again.

USAGES
While eating the Melodyfly is in no way hazardous to your health, as the fly is not poisonous, its body does not have any known medicinal properties. So, if you really wanted to, you could eat one, I suppose. But the hard shells on the insect's back are likely to cut your gums unless they are removed. And it is said that eating one of these insects will cause unpleasant dreams and a state of restlessness to plague you for the next few nights after ingesting it. This has never been proven, though.

However, the moth's song is thought to possess the power to soothe and possibly help mend the mind, soul and heart of its audience. It has even been prescribed by some as a remedy for things such as night terrors, grief, heartache and restlessness. Also, as a means of lulling fussy babies to sleep and keeping them asleep, as the bug will croon through the entire night.

Apprehending a few of these moths isn't too difficult of a task, though finding a larger chorus of them makes it just that much easier. Catching and putting several or more of these unique moths in a large jar, furnished with some dirt and freshly picked flowers to snack on, makes what many children have been heard referring to as a Humming or Lullaby Jar. However, one has to be sure to collect moths from the same chorus, else they will not sing with each other even while feasting.

Not to mention, most young women seem to particularly like the more lulling sound of the SingSofts, especially on hot summer nights when the moths' sound becomes longer and lazier. So much so, that some women request them as background "music" for their wedding night. And, the more romantic man might even venture out to capture a few musical moths himself to woo a girl. To achieve the slower, more languid sound, the container is placed at least a few steps away from a crackling fireplace, usually in the next room over due to the insect's volume.

These moths even go so far as to inspire some musicians, who attempt to write and compose music that feels reminiscent of the moth's soothingly lulling sound. During the week of mating, some will come to study and listen to the mating songs. One musician that camped in the Narfrost Plains for multiple nights during which mating was taking place, commented on the phenomenon:

Quote

"There were so many SingSofts flooding the air in a gracefully haphazardous dance, just belting out a completely chaotic jumble of beautiful, woe-be-gone lullabies that, for the briefest of moments early in the night, it became an almost unbearable screaming of noise. But as the night went on and the moon raised higher, the moths became less busy in their songs. And, when the moon was in its zenith in the sky, something happened... the once messy scramble of trilling and crooning, that amounted to little more than a crowd of people all screaming at each other in different languages, suddenly became harmonious. For a time, the females- which you can distinctly hear apart from the rest- hummed in almost perfect unison with each other, the deep bass of their song as rhythmic as the rolling rumble of the ocean's tide."

MYTH/LORE
It has been speculated that the God of Healing, Nehtor, is the creator of this simple and lovely creature of the night. Though there is no real lore about this butterfly, it is thought that they came into existence when the other Gods corrupted that which Nehtor, Eyasha and Urtengor had come together to create. So distraught was he by the destruction wrought that, before he removed himself, he expressed his heart-wrenching sorrow for all the pain in the world by keening a bittersweet lullaby to the once gentle lands of Caelereth. And, as he sang his lamenting refrain, the SingSofts were born of his voice and took flight on Eyasha's gentle winds to help soothe and mend restless souls, haunted minds, and stricken hearts.

A parculiar looking man by the name of Jerrik, whom had been travelling by the mating grounds one spring, claimed to have witnessed Nehtor himself form from hundreds of the Melodymoths:

Quote

"I saw Him," he said, pointing to the treeline of the Sharadon Forests, "right there, I saw Him! But not at first, you see, 'cause it was dark and at first it was just this cloud of movement near the ground. It hummed and shifted in the dim light of the wanin' moon, rustlin' across the tops of the grass. Then it stood up! And I saw that it had just been kneelin' over a patch of bloomin' flowers, as if it'd been admirin' them. Mind you, I hadn't moved any closer, not bein' sure what it was and all."

Jerrik then threw his hands up in the air, obviously excited by his own story, "He looked right at me, He did! And I knew who it was! Nehtor, Himself, come to steal away all the pain and angst from my heart and soul; to heal me of my grief! Then He began to dance, a deep pulsin' hum reverberatin' from His chest, and sing. As he moved away from me along the treeline, through the dewy spring grasses, it turned into the most beautiful, soul-touchin' lullaby that I've ever heard..."

He shook his head after a moment of silence, as if he had become lost in reminiscing about that night, and cleared his throat to finish off his story. "Now, I want to hear the SingSofts singin' all the time, so I moved here to Barvados. Though, Nehtor hasn't come to me again, yet. But! If you listen to them very closely in the middle of the night, you can hear Nehtor's gentle voice whispering soothin'ly."

While most may not believe such a story, and I surely do not, it is not completely out of the question to think that maybe it was actually a Hiveling that this man saw. It surely fits everything we know about these transient beings. However, beyond this, there are no documented reports of anyone having ever seen a SingSoft Hiveling, and Jerrik vehemently denies the possibility, obviously set in the thought that Nehtor came to him. But if there was one, it would perhaps speak in one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices, as opposed the buzzing of a thousand tiny wings that most commonly make.

"Harmony brings the pieces of the heart together."

"When the sun is just gracing the horizon and night's darkness is kissing the clouds, the SingSofts will burst from their resting place and descend upon fields laden with flowers. Once settled atop their feasts, wings out stretched and aflutter, they'll rejoice and hum Nehtor's lullabies to gently soothe the stricken souls and aching hearts of others."

``O, I can hear them quietly;
SingSofts humming on the breeze,
Keening their sweet lament
To the birds and bears and trees!

If you could touch their song;
So lovely, yet incomplete.
You’d hear only gentle harmonies,
Lulling restless childr'n to sleep.

O, How heartfelt is their refrain;
Atop supple flower-petal seats,
Trilling their soothing lullabies
To the moon and man and beast!

They whisper in the darkness;
Calling down the pregnant moon,
Serenading the starry heavens,
Crying, “Night ends too soon!” / (Salving our souls' wounds?)``

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

`` When twilight falls o’er flowers;
Melodies will awaken from slumber,
And yawn and stretch wary wings
To seek out aching others.

Lullabies sweetly trill and croon
To soothe restless souls that wander,
Wounded by the wretched Gods
Whom plagued the land with horror.``

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

``Hush, my child, sleep now
Tomorrow is a brand new day;
The sun has fled below the horizon
To snore the night away.
Across the fields and in the trees
Echos His pacifying songs;
To heal the grievous wounds
Upon hearts and souls, wronged.
In the shadows of the twilight,
He soothes our fearful minds;
Chases away the darkness
Nipping at the edges of our lives.``

RESEARCHER
Leifloff Sjugnarr collected many notes and wrote pretty much all that is known about this moth, after hearing them one muggy summer night just south of Barvodas. Curious, he followed the sound to find these lovely moths settled upon a patch of night-blooming flowers and, fascinated by its musical aspect, decided to study them further.


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Val O´Neil

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Re: the Lullaby Butterfly

« Reply #1 on: 14 January 2011, 23:16:09 »

*~Bumpitdy~*

Comments on what I have so far would be much appreciated.


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Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: the Lullaby Butterfly

« Reply #2 on: 15 January 2011, 13:57:38 »

It's coming nicely along, Val! I suppose, you will explain, why they are singing in the mating section, but you should mention it in the overview also.

I would not (my opinion) allow them to feed on everthing available, (don't have all butterflies a niche somehow?), but choose a few plants, or say, they could feed on many things, but prefer this and that flower.

You say, they are flying in flocks of up to ten, but could it be, that much more are in one place, many flocks? If the feeding is good?

I like the way you wrote your overview, maybe the description itself could be as poetic? I know this is VERY difficult, I never manage to do it myself.

I like the poems also. Maybe I'll find the time next week to comment in more depth - I have a comp (though not mine), and browsing is the only thing I can do with it!

But, such a nice animal deserves a myth! But don't hurry, it will come with the time, once you have finished it!


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Alexandre Scriabin

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Re: the Lullaby Butterfly

« Reply #3 on: 16 January 2011, 13:32:25 »

Hmmm... I'm thinking "pets for the Ter'ei'Vikh?" They are musical creatures, after all, and the drifting woods would be a perfect location for these guys. They might even serve as companions for the Bug-People.

It seems like if you take this course of action you can have all sorts of direction as to the usage section, and that nice little poem at the end can be attributed to the Ter'ei'Vikhi. But if none of this jives with you, that's okay.


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Val O´Neil

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Re: the Lullaby Butterfly

« Reply #4 on: 16 March 2011, 01:19:08 »

~ *-Bump!-* ~

Some input would be greatly appreciated. I'm absolutely horrible at myth/lore sections. Thank you! ^_^;


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Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: the Lullaby Butterfly

« Reply #5 on: 16 March 2011, 02:00:08 »

Val, the myth is nice!

I'll try to have a short look at your entry tomorrow morning.


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Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: the Lullaby Butterfly

« Reply #6 on: 16 March 2011, 16:38:21 »

the Lullaby Butterfly
(A.K.A.: the SingSoft, Melodyfly)

CATEGORISATION
Animals, Smaller, Insects, Moths

OVERVIEW
The Lullaby Butterfly is a pretty little specimen, pleasing to two senses; the eyes and ears. They are rarely seen during the day, being nocturnal in nature. But, come twilight, ‘flocks’ of these butterflies emerge from their resting places to find something to eat. Once a food source has been found, they will gather on it and ‘sing’ while they feast.

Moth as a broader term would fit also, better than fly I think. Melodymoth, MM

, SingSoft is my favourite, I woudl take this ame as first, and lullaby butterfly is then the hint for us readers, that it is a moth.

APPEARANCE
A ‘simple beauty’ is one way to describe the Lullaby butterfly. Though not grand in size or design, this insect is not an eyesore by any means. But, then, is any butterfly? This pretty bug usually tends to be a dark colouration, naturally camouflaging it in the cool shades of night. Though, hard to spot, it is easily heard from up to half a dash away, depending on how many it is.

What is at daytime, does it not need camouflague even more? Maybe it has its wings folded together and loks like bark, or whereever it rests.

With a wingspan ranging from six nailsbreadths to just under one palmspan in length, this ~~modestly sized~~ butterfly’s triangular wings are the same shape as an outstretched bird’s wing. Its wings attach at the very middle of it’s’ body, orientating them to be held outwards rather than upwards when settled upon flower-tops. While the base and the outer edge of the wings tend to be tinged with a charcoal hue speckled with aeruillian red, the rest of the wing’s base colour is usually a very deep xazure hue. Swirls and streaks and speckles that commonly mark its wings are generally waterberry, santhran violet, and ithild in colour.

Its round head has a short forehead, the butterfly’s two large waterberry-coloured eyes taking up most of the space on its face. Protruding from the crown of its head are two aeruillian red, clubbed antennas that are about three nailsbreadths long. Tucked beneath its round chin is the insect’s thick black, curled proboscis.

The SingSoft’s oblong shaped body curves upwards at either end, and a wide shoulder supporting its wings hides the fat bumps of muscle underneath on its’ belly and sides. Its body is usually any shade of grey, from barsa dusk to charcoal, with speckles of aerullian red. Though not long, only 2 to 3 nailsbreadths in length, its body is as thick as a fat child’s thumb. Six average butterfly legs, thin black limbs with little hooked hairs on them, protrude from the middle of its body. Nestled between the wings on the butterfly's broad shoulders are three hard flecks of shell, each shaped like a fingernail. This unique feature vibrates to produce the soft, flowing humming noises that this little critter makes.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Just as the names would suggest, the Lullaby Butterfly can be a noisy little bug, but only in the most pleasant of ways. The layered shell on its back is what provides this insect with this particular ability. In order to sing, it shakes its’ shell; this produces the soft humming noise that this butterfly makes. Because the males are smaller, they tend to be the sopranos in this little insect chorus, while the larger females usually hum their sweet refrain in lower registers.

But, why does this butterfly sing? There are an infinite number of reasons that someone could come up with, though only a few hold any water. The main acts observed while a flock sang were; eating and mating. Though, there are surely plenty of reasons unknown for this butterfly’s lulling song.

You have a lovely insect, Val, and you had a great idea. But now I would start to expand on this. Some proposals:

1. Add some reasons, why they sing when mating and feeding. Add some here which could well be nosence from developers view, but people including you as compendium writer believe, that it is so. You can add more specuations, random ideas running wild, in the lore section.

„realistic ones“:
They need to hum to be able to eat, suck up the juices. Humming is how their intake of food works. (Removing of those hard peices leads not to an immidiate deaht, but the insect dies due to lack of food)

The humming in a chorus prevents predators from feeding on them, because they cannot stand the noise (maybe not all predators, but a special kind of bird which is specialised in feeding on them?) What do they have for predators btw?

The humming while feding is a part of the mating ritual? Maybe? One butterfly humms to tell another where a good foodsource is? Think that through, don‘t know, if it makes sense!

The humming helps to keep the individual flock together?

Mating - the humming (louder than normal?) initiates the egg-laying?

As I understand, there are two different tones (???) of humming, the soprano for males, the alto for females. More would be nicer

Why not have different sizes of butterflies, up to , say four or six humming-pitches? Maybe the first butterflies in the year (have they hibernated and are now laying eggs?) are humming first in two pitches, they lay a couple of eggs within a certain time (all flocks) , feed on and when the first generations has hatched, the older flock takes in some of the newcomers which fit to them, concerning harmony, maybe the younger can ever learn from them, where the flower are or which flowers are good for them (could be the eggs from a different flock also - the eggs are layed within a short range of time, so all are ready to hatch in the same timespan also) . These are smaller - if the butterflies continue to grow. (Maybe butterflies don‘t do this, but yours could). So the older generation has two lower pitches, the younger two higher (male and female). That could happen a second time, and every now and then, obce in a century, there is a forth flock...

So you have six pitches to work with. As not all are humming constantly, but only when they actually suck on a flower, you get a melody and changing harmony. What do you think?

You could even introduce a colourvariant for the different groups!

TERRITORIES
This butterflies’ territory covers a large chunk of the western side Santharia (better Southern Sarvonia); from Bolder down to just north of the Rimmerins Ring. While they certainly do not dominate this entire area in excess, they are considered commonplace in flower laden fields at night.

Why have they not spread further south? Or east? Don‘t they depend mainly on climate, not the area? What about heat-resistance?

Maybe add, that they need moist air also. Though, I would love to have them more to the south also, maybe even roaming the Narfost plane. Or do they live in forests only? If you go with the moist variant, they could live in the Sharadon, and only occasional, for a short week, venture out on the planes, when a special plant is growing??

You could restrict them to the west coast, saying, that they obviously did not make it to the east, for the conditions in central Sarvonia did not favour that.
Actually, I would love to have them in Varcopas, but that is up to you!

HABITAT/BEHAVIOUR
The Melodyfly species requires a more temperate climate in order to thrive. Though it does fine in mild temperatures, it will drop dead the moment winter comes and adds a chill to the land.

How do they survive then? I think our butterflies look for sheltered places, where frost cannot reach them and lay eggs in the spring?

This butterfly isn’t all that shy of other animals or people, usually refusing to give up its’ perch until the very last second. This makes them pretty easy to catch. However, its boldness comes in numbers. Seeing one of these butterflies by itself is very unlikely, as they tend to flutter around in flocks.

A flock, which is commonly called a ‘chorus’, can range in numbers anywhere from 3 to 20 strong. Seeing them in larger groups than that is unusual, though seeing many flocks together at once should there be an ample food source is not unheard of. Each chorus of butterflies is formed shortly after hatching-season. Only butterflies that sing in harmony with each other will form groups, and will mate with each other at various times throughout their lives.

DIET
As larvae, freshly hatched from its egg, this butterfly will devour its own incubation chamber before moving on to leafier dishes. As caterpillars they will eat any kind of leaf they find, be it grass or tree leaves, it matters not. So long as the plant is not poisonous, any greenery is a possibly tasty meal.

In adulthood, the Lullaby Butterfly has a bit more of a refined taste. A multitude of night-blooming flora is a part of this butterfly’s diet, with a few exceptions, such as; the Erissa’s Tears and Allia flowers, and the Jeshanna Lilly. However, above all else, the Evening Princess and Dreamer’s Breath flowers are certainly its favorite treat.

Evening Princess--Narfost Plane

MATING
. . . work in progress . . .
Harmony is what brings the pieces of the heart together. While not everything lives by the rules of harmony and peace, this creature does so from birth to death.

USAGES
While eating the Melodyfly is in no way hazardous to your health, as the fly is not poisonous, its body does not have any known physical healing properties. So, if you really wanted to, you could eat one, I suppose. But the hard shells on the insect's back are likely to cut your gums unless they are removed. And it is said that eating one of these insects will cause unpleasant dreams and a state of restlessness to plague you for the next few nights after ingesting it. This has never been proved, though.

However, the butterfly's song is thought to possess the power to soothe and possibly help mend the mind, soul and heart of it's audience. It has even been prescribed by some as a remedy for night terrors, grief, and restlessness. Also, as a means of lulling fussy babies to sleep and keeping them asleep, as the butterfly will croon through the entire night.

Apprehending a few of these butterflies isn't too difficult of a task, though finding a larger flock of them makes it just that much easier. Catching and putting several or more of these musical insects in a large jar, furnished with some dirt and fresh flowers to snack on, makes what many children have been heard referring to as a Humming or Lullaby Jar.

It might even be more useful to plant one of these plants in front of your window!

MYTH/LORE
It has been speculated that the God of Healing, Nehtor, is the creator of this simple and lovely creature of the night. Though there is no real lore about this butterfly, it is thought that they came into existence when the other Gods corrupted that which Nehtor, Eyasha and Urtengor had come together to create. So distraught was he by the destruction wrought that, before he removed himself, he expressed his heart-wrenching sorrow for all the pain in the world by keening a bittersweet lullaby to the once gentle lands of Caelereth. And, as he sang his lamenting refrain, the Lullaby Butterflies were born of his voice and took flight on Eyasha's gentle winds to help soothe and mend restless souls, haunted minds, and stricken hearts.

That‘s nice!

Hey, you skipped some of the lullabies! I'll comment on that later!

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Val O´Neil

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #7 on: 08 May 2011, 23:20:12 »

Bump! All done! Thank you, Talia, for your extremely helpful input. It pointed me to what I think was a much better direction. ^_^

More comments would be greatly appreciated.


« Last Edit: 09 May 2011, 01:02:13 by Val O´Neil »	Logged

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Shabakuk Zeborius Anfang

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #8 on: 10 May 2011, 02:29:54 »

Hi Val,

I like this! I'm always fascinated by bestiary entries that emphasize how an animal sounds , rather than (only) how it looks. And a night "chorus" of moths is a beautiful idea.

I've got a few very general comments, and a few name suggestions.

First of all, I'm not sure I can imagine as clearly as I'd like how your moths actually sound - either individually or collectively. A more detailed description may not be amiss? A few questions you may want to address could be:
- Does an individual moth always maintain the same note? If the note changes, how frequently so? The name "melodymoth" suggests to me that maybe the singsofts actually hum little tunes?
- You say: The males hum in higher registers, the females in lower ones. But not all the males sound the same, right? Nor all the females? Could be made clearer, I think.
- How does a chorus sound together? Given your theme of laments, I imagined the moth voices to form chords in minor keys. Maybe that happens once in a while, sounding like a brief piece of composed music that the singsoft smuggle into a generally more chaotic harmony? In general, is the sound happy? sad? plaintive? soothing? otherwordly? subtly scary? threatening? several of these? all of these? Maybe children and adults have different associations when they hear the singsoft music?

An idea for Usages: Maybe some bards take inspiration from singsofts? During the mating season, groups of musicians may even organize country outings to listen to the moth concert... Bard XXX could have said something like: "My whole life, I have strived to tease notes out of my harp that would be as beautiful as a chorus of singsofts; and never have I succeeded."

... I like the wedding night idea, by the way...

Chorus: You've come up with a nice and suitable collective noun: "chorus". I suggest to introduce it earlier in the entry and then to consistently use it throughout instead of 'flock'.

Names: Nehtor's Voice? Fluttersong? Nightcroon? Dusk dirge?

Spelling: It's its, not its'. No apostrophe after the S for the possessive pronoun "its".

I hope this helps a bit. Sorry for not giving more in-depth comments. It's bed-time for me, with imagined singsoft lullaby.


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Shabakuk Zeborius Anfang

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #9 on: 10 May 2011, 02:47:53 »

PS: Aura for musical inspiredness!


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Val O´Neil

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #10 on: 10 May 2011, 23:51:40 »

Thank you, Shabakuk, for the +aura and the very helpful comments. ^_^
I've already begun to integrate them into the entry. The big changes will be colored in violet.

I introduced the term "chorus" in the overview so that I could use it from then on. I think I got all of the "its" that I tagged an apostrophe onto, and all of the "flocks" changed to "chorus". Added a paragraph into the Special Abilities section to elaborate a little on what the moths sound like, exactly. I moved the paragraph about how a flock works, which used to be the last paragraph of the Behaviour/Habitat section, up to the top. And I'm still adding some new tidbits to the Usages section.

However, comments are still very much welcomed.

Bobspeed
~ Val


« Last Edit: 11 May 2011, 16:16:10 by Val O´Neil »	Logged

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Shabakuk Zeborius Anfang

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #11 on: 13 May 2011, 00:26:16 »

Quote

However, one has to be sure to collect moths from the same chorus, else they will not sing with each other even while feasting.

I like this detail. Actually, I like the whole "Lullaby Jar" idea.

Also, I think your purple additions, both in Special Abilities and in Usages, are great!

A little idea: have you considered what a singsoft hiveling might sound like? There could be another myth in that ... Feel free to take or reject the idea, as you please.


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Val O´Neil

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #12 on: 14 May 2011, 00:56:41 »

That's a great idea, actually. Me being able to write something substantial for the Hiveling bit is the only thing in question. Of course, I'm going to give it my best and leave it to you (or whoever feels like it) to pick it apart.

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to toss 'em out there.


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Artimidor Federkiel

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #13 on: 14 May 2011, 10:26:33 »

Are you done with edits, Val? If so, I could get this one into this week's update!


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Val O´Neil

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Re: the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)

« Reply #14 on: 15 May 2011, 23:30:04 »

Sorry I didn't get back to you in time, Arti. But, no, it wasn't finished anyway.

I added a bit to the Usages and Myth/Lore sections that I hope everyone likes. Woohoo for my first attempt at having someone quoted and stuff. Heh! Also, one minor thing was added to the Mating section (just that the eggs are lain in shallow holes dug by the females).

So! I'm ready and waiting for more constructive critiquing! Sock it to me! grin

::Oh yeah, newly added stuff is coloured in violet, of course! Except for stuff in quote boxes.

::::One more thing, I gave a +Aura to Talia and Shabakuk for being insanely helpful.


« Last Edit: 16 May 2011, 01:24:59 by Val O´Neil »	Logged

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the SingSoft (Lullaby Butterfly- mothified)