#pupa project

Blythe Waldrop — Age: 11 — The youngest patient in the asylum!

Blythe Waldrop is a truly remarkable little girl! From a young age, she understood very well that she was different. Often times at social events, she would be picked on or teased until eventually other kids started avoiding her all together! She spoke oddly to them, lacked cheerful smiles or bratty frowns, and was content watching ants march around her feet carrying crumbs of cake instead of playing. She often told her mother and father of things she heard and saw, to which they believed to be just part of an active imagination. However, at one such important social gathering displaying her mother’s newest art collection, Blythe became completely untethered from reality and was tormented by visions and beliefs unfit for a productive member of society. In her wake, she had torn apart the art pieces she believed to be watching her, taunting her, and made quite a scene in front of her family’s high-society friends. As you can imagine, this did not go over well with her dear mother and father.

Now at Lepidoptera Asylum, Blythe remains aloof (when she’s not having outbursts.) Doctor after doctor have tried to treat her, but to no avail. The other patients don’t look her way, some out of fear and some out of disinterest. They wonder if she even feels… How does someone so young end up so mad?

Henrietta Vivian Davis — Age: 18 — The liveliest patient in the asylum!

Henrietta is an energetic force! In young adolescence, Henrietta proved to be very opinionated, very sociable, to the point where it was hard to keep her ‘on track.’ Coming from a very wealthy family, there were expectations for the young girl. She must hold her tongue, she must be polite and demure, however, no matter how hard she tried, these things did not come naturally to her. Worrying for their daughter’s future, Henrietta was arranged to be married to a much older man at the age of 17. Henrietta fought this tooth and nail, but there was nothing she could do. While in her fiancé’s company, he would prove to be very… forceful. As the days got closer to their wedding ceremony, and his touchiness seemed to get worse, Henrietta decided there was only one way out. Having vast knowledge of medieval torture methods and historical assassinations, Henrietta got the idea to poison his drink while at a family dinner. This plan ultimately failed, and when it was discovered that Henrietta had attempted to kill him, the courts ruled that she was criminally insane. She was sent to Lepidoptera Asylum by court order.

In the asylum, she seems to be overjoyed! She speaks to anyone who will listen, wanders around gleefully, and is happy to be far away from her family and ex-fiancé. The only thing that causes her agitation is when male staff or patients approach her. She has a tendency to lash out should they get too close.

Thomas Phillipps — Age: 23 — The gentlest patient in the asylum!

Thomas has always been sure of two things: 1) Who he is, and 2) The world is dangerous and completely unpredictable. As a child, Thomas expressed many worries and had peculiar habits to soothe his overthinking. In social settings, he always had great discomfort in how he was supposed to dress and act and speak. Noticing these patterns, his mother and father asked him one day what would make him happy. Finally being given some control over his own life, Thomas expressed his desire to be seen as male, and his family helped him from then on out. Thomas’ father taught him many things, mostly everything to do with blacksmithing. However, as he grew, his worries grew with him. Intrusive thoughts paralyzed him and made him severely anxious around sharp tools. The what ifs swirled in his head and he grew increasingly troubled by such obsessive thoughts. To make matters worse, rumors of Thomas being born a female started to circulate in their well-off community. Paranoid that his parents might take the brunt of such accusations, and his anxieties keeping him from being able to defend them, Thomas sought out medical treatment for his obsessions and compulsions and was ultimately recommended to Lepidoptera.

Once he got settled into the asylum, Thomas feels a tad more at ease. He figures that if anything were to happen, he is away from the public and he cannot harm them. The only downside is that doctors and nurses insist his identity is also the product of insanity. He strongly disagrees and stands his ground in that regard.

Amaryllis Cook — Age: 35 — The delicatest patient in the asylum!

Amaryllis is a very warm soul! That’s why it is such a shame her mind has become something that torments her. She hadn’t been like this in her past. No, as a child and young woman, Amaryllis was bright and cheerful. She was incredibly skilled with needlework, happily married to her husband, and they lived in the perfect home where they wanted to raise children. There was just one problem, one the happy couple couldn’t possibly have known. Amaryllis couldn’t have children. They had tried to conceive multiple times, only for it to end in devastation. With each failed attempt, Amaryllis felt herself slipping further and further into the dark. The last strike was when they finally did conceive, but the child had died in the birthing process. This was the last straw. Amaryllis became inconsolable, maddened by grief and guilt and disappointment. Her husband tried to be her rock, but even he could not keep her safe from herself. He had taken her to see a doctor, and at the doctor’s suggestion, he admitted her to Lepidoptera Asylum.

In the asylum, Amaryllis is one of the more rowdy patients. She lashes out in hysterical, crying fits, making every attempt to “punish” herself for what she believes is her fault. Her depressive state only worsened when she realized her husband was not coming to visit her. Because of the danger she poses to herself, she is usually kept calm with newfound sedatives.

Doctor Laurence Caldwell — Age: 46 — The newest doctor in the asylum!

Not much is known about Dr. Caldwell, and he prefers to keep it that way. A man of mysterious origin, he has been recently hired at Lepidoptera Asylum and has big plans for progress. Dr. Caldwell is unlike most doctors of his time, mild mannered and pragmatic, he is immensely trustworthy both in the eyes of patients and fellow staff. He has quite odd social habits, often fidgety and preoccupied with his own theories, making for a poor conversationalist. Perhaps this is why his patients take to him so well. He believes that the path to recovery is much more… humane… than many others would think.

Doctor Samuel Montague — Age: 32 — The smartest doctor in the asylum!

Dr. Montague comes from a long line of accomplished doctors! That is why it is imperative that he succeed and continue the line of genius. Creative with his treatment methods, Dr. Montague feels he must push the medical bounds in order to strive for great success. No one ever got what they wanted by being temperate and docile. Many of the general public favor his ideas, the patients themselves… not so much… but what do they know?

Nurse Cassandra Beechworth — Age: 26 — The strictest nurse in the asylum!

Nurse Beechworth worked hard for her position! She had admired Dr. Montague’s work when she saw him in action during her studies, and vowed to do what she must in order to progress humanity’s understanding of the brain. Once hired to be a nurse in Lepidoptera, she swiftly made a name for herself among patients. Her temper is fiery and her patience is thin, and when a patient strays from the correct path, she is there to guide them back.

Mister Eugene-Albert Gryllidae! — Age: 25! — Free as a bird!

𝒪𝒽 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑒 𝓂𝑒! 𝐻𝑜𝓌’𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒?! 𝒲𝒽𝑜𝑜𝓅𝓈~!