[Video]

[papillio_tempestatis]

[Butterfly has managed to work around her wings by the expedient of putting her top on backwards, for lack of any better option. Said wings seem to be dull yellow butterfly wings with an oddly ragged edge and a brightly colored pattern on them. She flutters them a little, and a breeze out of all proportion to the movement ruffles her hair.]

Well, these are... very strange. I seem to have weather-butterfly wings. Perhaps it would be best for me to stay indoors today so I don't do too many odd things to the weather. People will ask questions.

This could have come at a better time, to be honest. We're supposed to be making plans today - I think we're finally going to be making our move soon. Two Fire Herb won't be happy about me missing the planning session, but when I have to wear my shirt backwards because I have mysteriously acquired wings is not a good time to be wandering around in public.

Comments

[oceanicbutterfly]

I suppose it was probably inevitable that you'd be affected. Why would the community pass up a chance to make a bad joke?

[Karen's got butterfly wings, too. Hers are blue and faintly glowing. It isn't clear how she solved the shirt problem.]

[papillio_tempestatis]

I suppose so. Though I guess the type is actually sort of fitting. I don't suppose they have weather butterflies on Earth?

[oceanicbutterfly]

Weather butterflies? I haven't heard of them, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't exist.

[papillio_tempestatis]

They create localized weather patterns by flapping their wings. Something to do with how the ragged edges are shaped, I think. It's a display thing and a defense mechanism - it's hard to eat something when you've just been hit by a six-inch-wide tornado.

[oceanicbutterfly]

...huh. That sounds like something someone in my world would write as a joke.

[papillio_tempestatis]

... Really? It seems strange that someone would write something like that as a joke.

[oceanicbutterfly]

...I'm sorry, I suppose that needs some context. When people in my world explain the idea that small changes can eventually have significant effects, one of the most common examples is a large storm coming into existence because a butterfly flapped its wings on the other side of the world.

[ghostshippingly]

What's a weather-butterfly?

[papillio_tempestatis]

They're the ones with wings like this. They can change the weather by flapping their wings, though one of them can usually only do very small changes.

[ghostshippingly]

Really? That's amazing! Oh, but I guess that means you're right about having to be careful with yours, in that case.

[papillio_tempestatis]

Mhm. It could be worse, at least.

[ghostshippingly]

That's true. Having to be careful about changing the weather isn't too much of a problem.

[papillio_tempestatis]

What about you? Did you get wings?

[elloran]

Weather-butterfly? How could wings affect the weather?

[papillio_tempestatis]

It's something to do with the shape of the edges, I think. I'm afraid I'm not enough of a mathematician or a biologist to say for certain, but...

[She flutters her wings a little, and a cloud forms above her head and begins to snow. She is, notably, indoors.]

I think it's a defense mechanism - very few birds wish to deal with a whirlwind six inches across.

[elloran]

How useful! Can you control the kind of weather produced?

[papillio_tempestatis]

I can't; I've only had these for a few hours. I suppose I might learn to if they stayed long enough, but I doubt they will, since this is a virus. I don't know if the butterflies really bother, since they're still insects.

[elloran]

True. Still, its an interesting skill. I wonder if I could ask my scientists to replicate it.

[papillio_tempestatis]

I'd offer to let you examine them, if I thought they'd be around long enough to study. But there are plenty of weather butterflies around here, even if they're difficult to catch.

[embersandashes]

[... pretty]

These are the strangest I've seen yet.

[papillio_tempestatis]

Really? They're just butterfly wings. I suppose the community thought it was funny.

[embersandashes]

I was referring to the weather-controlling.

[papillio_tempestatis]

Oh, that. It's just a thing weather-butterflies do. Something about the shape, I think. They're just a nuisance, really, unless they're swarming.

They do have nice patterns, though.

[embersandashes]

So they're common on your world?

[papillio_tempestatis]

Not incredibly so, but not so rare as to get too much comment. Around here, at least. They might be more or less common elsewhere.