p a r a c ࿔ s m
a dayspring(kit) application

ִֶָ ࣪˖ { the spontaneous conception of an imaginary world originating in childhood }

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his presence is impermanent
yet impossible to forget
you reach for his light
but he's just out of reach

TABLE OF CONTENTS

portfolio.
・about me
・application reasons
・character history
・activity levels

dayspring.
・identity
・personality & concepts.
・longevity.
・roleplay examples.
・dynamics & trivia.
・future plans.

closing.
・codewords
・afterword.
・credits.



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the beauty of unpredictability
the wonder of the unknown
there is always something new out there
waiting to be stumbled upon

drifting off

about me.
★ @lapisfox2010
★ lyney — he/they
★ HELLO i’m lyney, but feel free to call me lynn if we're close! i’m a cantonese-canadian guy who's super super into everything art and history-related. i love doodling, reading, writing, and listening to music (my playlists are literally so all over the place though LOL) and i love love to yap or read other people's rambles so always hit me up for that! currently the interests i’m fixated on are alien stage (!!), crk (!!), tbhk, hsr, genshin, pjsk, little nightmares, history and many, many more!! but enough about me… please sit back, relax, and enjoy your time reading!


application reasons.
★ i am applying for dayspringkit!
・i love love love his design and motifs; the fawn/deer-esque appearance really spoke to me in particular. i've been really missing the experience of applying for litters lately, and this litter happened to drop right as my nostalgia for applications hit extra hard. i've also always noticed astrophel as a character from the sidelines a bit— i vividly remember adoring the designs of this litter when they first came into conception, and i find the litter lore so intriguing and promising too! though, ironically, if i'm recalling correctly, it was halcyon and evanesce's designs that caught my attention when i first saw them, and i was honestly expecting to apply for either one of them when the litter did come out. after looking at the some more though, i gained a new appreciation for dayspring and ultimately saw the most potential in him! which brings me to where i am today, with this application hehe..


character history.
★ present 
・parablecrown (windclan, 95)
・cradlecherish (shadowclan, 59)

★ past
・cherry blossom (age limit, previously inactive for personal reasons)
・sealpaw (deleted for personal reasons)

i joined tfcrp in the summer of 2024, and for the two years i have been a part of this community, i have only had a total of four characters across 2-3 slots! while i'm not sure how much proof that is of my commitment necessarily, all of my characters (save for sealpaw, who was deleted when a close friend of mine disappeared from my life abruptly) have remained with me well into their older moons. i never delete a character without genuine reasons, and even when i prepare to, it's safe to say that they will always get a whole avalanche of love, drama, and attention before they're gone.

 
activity levels.
★ i log in multiple times every single day and usually spend most of my time roaming around scratch while waiting for someone to message or reply to me! if a rating is required, i’d probably say around 8-9 out of 10. i am currently in high school, meaning some periods of the year like exams or summer vacation may experience some more bouts of inactivity. however, tfcrp is something i can never seem to tear myself away from for long because of how much i genuinely enjoy roleplaying, developing characters, and being a part of this community, so i will always have time to set aside for it even when it shows up in different ways. additionally, i am always, always available on chaos— honestly, i'll probably reply immediately in most instances unless i am either in class, napping, or just not feeling it that day.



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daydreams are reveries
you have while wide awake
they remind you of the wishes
you wish you could forget

dream state

࿐ ࿔ ࣪˖ DAYSPRING
・genderfaun, he/they → maybe he/any or any/all one day.
・cupioromantic, pansexual


personality & concepts.
・dayspring is a more abstract concept than my usual work. he cannot be described through a character, a song, or even a quote— instead, to me, he is a feeling personified. soft, sleepy, all bright and warm and glowy in a floaty way, yet blurry and uncanny, as if lucid dreaming was a person. he is also inspired by blurry images of whimsy, childhood, and general youthfulness! uncannily bright and empty landscapes, pastel stars and colours, the vision of circular lights in your vision— dayspring is the kind of dream you have while you’re wild awake.

・{+} warm-hearted, mild, amiable, forgiving, dreamy, free-spirited.
・{=} hedonistic, spontaneous, sentimental, forgetful, fragile, indulgent
・{–} flighty, naive, capricious, unmotivated, impractical, dissociative

★ warm and gentle, dayspring is a mild summer breeze. far from overbearing in his brightness— he is a lucent candle's light, a tender spark of light that glows rather than dazzles. there is a natural amity to his demeanour, never without a smile on his face— one that never feels out of place, merely… there. as if smiling were his natural expression. he is incredibly forgiving, perhaps to a terrifyingly altruistic degree, with criticism, insults, indifference, and cruelty seemingly sliding straight off of him like water on a leaf. he firmly believes everyone deserves a second chance, and he struggles to view anyone negative as a result. even when he encounters those who disagree with his personality or way of life, negative relations will never truly be two-sided. it simply pains dayspring, the thought that anyone might dislike him, so he erases that reality from his head altogether.

he does not go out of his way to be likeable, however— he changes for no one and does as he pleases, simply believing in a beautiful reality that everyone can love everyone for who they are. as a result, he is loving but indifferent. he does not go out of his way to seek out and please others, and will leave someone alone once they make it clear they do not wish for his presence.

free-spirited and difficult to tie down, he lives life like a dream, like he's floating above the rest of the world. and his inclusive, easy-going nature adds to his dreamy charm. he lives to have fun and plans to feel good while he’s at it, entertaining a huge variety of eccentric interests and hobbies as a result, his whims are spontaneous and there is never a dull moment in his day. there's never a dull day with him, and he certainly tries his best to get along with everyone that crosses his path.


★ dayspring appears perpetually content with a drowsy, almost lethargic air to him. he is messy and indulgent, putting little care towards his own self-image and prioritizing his inner desires rather than outer appearance. time flows past him without resistance— he rarely places importance into keeping things cemented in his head, as he would much rather fill it with new ideas and experiences than cling to old ones. although forgiving, he both forgives and forgets, and i do mean forget. truly, once something seems to blow over, it's as if it disappears from his mind entirely, infuriatingly enough. it’s quite difficult to have serious conversations with him due to that, and he comes off as horribly indifferent when anyone tries to address anything with him. it remains a mystery whether he truly just… forgets these kind of things.

however, despite his indulgent spontaneity, he remains sentimental in his own way. memories are not something he clings to, rather, they are lucid dreams that float around for him to grasp when he needs them. of course, he understands the drawbacks of his own forgetfulness, so he takes to using other means to capture important memories and encounters in his life, whether through gifts, associations, landmarks, or mantras. dayspring is mentally fragile and terrified of losing others— there's a reason he maintains such a simplistic, hedonistic view of life: to enjoy the good times as if it could delay the inevitable. he is strangely accepting of an end for himself, but if he could have it, no one else would ever leave this world before he does. stay and play with him in this dollhouse forever.


★ a flighty, forgetful creature, he can certainly be difficult to clean up and chase after. his indulgence can reach an unrealistic degree as he falls behind on the duties that define clan life. truly, if he had the option, dayspring would rather lie in the grass and daydream all day, or take a nap, or sort a whole pile of shells by size and colour, than contribute to society. he shuts down under pressure and responsibility, avoidant and dismissive the moment he feels like there are expectations greater than what he is willing to give placed on him. as a result, he is rather lazy and unmotivated to do what might be considered “practical”, wandering off mindlessly during patrols or keeping his head in the clouds when someone tries to talk to or lecture him.

stagnation makes him uneasy as he despises routine and consistency. he constantly itches for new experiences and grows anxious when things fail to change up regularly enough to keep his interest. it is nature for him to cope through avoidance and dissociation, leaving nothing but fuzzy pieces of what he wishes not to remember. despite how much he cares for the people around him and the people he loves, he’d rather hurt than be hurt.

despite his love for others, ultimately, his selfishness wins over, and he will prioritize his own feelings. the moment someone expresses disdain towards him, he makes himself scarce, almost disappearing from their life entirely. he does not look to solve problems and find a solution— his solution is to disappear so the problem will no longer need to exist. it's a murky reality, selfish yet self-sacrificial, so terrified of losing someone that he would go to any length to keep them just to spare himself the pain.


longevity.
★ i'm looking for a character who can be more relaxing to roleplay, which i've been trying to build dayspring into. this leaves a lot of room to remain invested in him even as my time and motivation fluctuate during the year. generally, unless an interesting plot idea for an early death arises, i try to keep my characters as long as i can. i honestly see my scratch and stfc journey coming to a close soon, so dayspring would likely be my second-to-last character. that being said, i hope to keep him for at least a year!


roleplay examples.
★ joint roleplays
・❝ free birds❞ — jrp w/ northernpaw (@quilliamjuicing)
・❝ still waters❞ — jrp w/ evanescekit (@r-ever-ie)
・❝ fickle sunshine❞ — jrp w/ astrophel (@avianfae_)


dynamics & trivia
・personal beliefs —
★ a being is both a soul and body, and dayspring has no true attachment to either. his body is a temporary vessel that allows him to run and play, and his soul is a thing he covets temporarily, but will not keep forever. dayspring is neither his body, nor his soul. dayspring is dayspring, and that is his truth. the life he leads is temporary and fickle, but because it happened, he intends to live it to the fullest. life is so short, there is no time for frivolous worries, obnoxious goals, or exhausting expectations. he exists, and that is enough.
★ dayspring hears of starclan all around him, but he's not so sure he believes it himself. the sky is so far away… does anyone really want to go so far away from the plane of the living after they die? the imagery of another world, a place where everything good and light comes together for weary souls to rest after a whole life of performing is… appealing, don't get him wrong, but unrealistic. he believes the sky is a space far greater than any cat could hope to reach, where things that control fate and change and stagnation watch over the world. cats, though— they aren't all that. they are fools to think they could be elevated so high above other species that share the earth. instead, dayspring believes things with a life force, things with the potential to think and feel and choose, return to the place they came from— the earth. their bodies are born from it, created to be infused with souls from the stars and skies. but once that happens, the earth's potential for good and bad taints the pure matter of the stars, and the soul can never return home. so, when someone goes through the rollercoaster of life, gathering pieces all around them to build up their sense of being, ultimately they die to recontribute their substance and memories to the earth that first gave them a body.

・love and hate —
★ love is a fickle thing, but to him, it is not something meant for him to keep. when you love someone, you should also be able to let them go. he believes that a love which is truly precious is the kind that can withstand distance and time. even when said love is not fed with constant interaction and proximity, it should be able to remain as vibrant as it once was. he does not go out of his way to love, nor does he ever try to stop. in a sense, he loves everything and nothing. he loves the world and everything in it, but he also loves himself too much to bear tying himself down to anything the world can offer. he loves everyone who loves him, and also everyone who doesn't. he loves friends and enemies alike, those he has yet to meet, and even those he will never meet. in his eyes, everything in the world is tied together with love, and so he offers his own quiet kind back to the world that loves him, without ever being too loud with it. he doesn't need anything or anyone to know he loves them— as long as he himself knows, he is satisfied. as for hatred, it doesn't exist. he will never hate, and he will never accept being hated. and if he is, by some miracle, then they're wrong but of course he will not tell them that. he will simply extend his love freely until they tell him to disappear altogether. and then he will. he has no time to dwell on those who choose to be bitter. if they choose to hate him, then it's not him, it's them.


❝ you're coming back
and it's the end of the world ❞


・riverclan & home —
★ riverclan… oh it's such a cage. a cage that happens to contain everyone he loves, and that remains the only reason he stays. but birds were never meant to live in cages… and who knows how much longer dayspring can resist the urge to unclip his wings. in truth, day will never truly see riverclan as his home. nothing so… rigid could ever be where he belongs. he will stay until the day he can no longer bear it, and then he will fly where the wind takes him. home is freedom. the knowledge that he is free to run, free to live, free to express himself as he pleases. it rarely, if ever, is a fixed place. instead, to him, the concept of “home” is a feeling— one that shifts with the wind and current as much as his whims do. wherever his heart takes him, for as long as he remains free, that is home.

・family (general) —
★ family is dayspring's first love, so of course it becomes the first truly important thing he grows bored of. it's easy to say he lost interest in playing the same kit game over and over again, or in the little mysterious sprout that had begun to grow outside the nursery, but to say his own family no longer interests him? despite that, dayspring does not love them any less. he simply no longer prioritizes them in his day. they can look for him if they wish, but he does not seek them out himself. love is something to be given of one's own volition, and not because of circumstances outside their control and decided for them before they were even born. he is not owed their love, nor their company, and the same applies vice versa. but he promises not to forget them.

・family (astrophel) —
★ dayspring is a representation of living in the moment, and that tends to present itself as everything his father despises. he is messy, unruly, unpredictable, imperfect. but no matter how many times his father chastises him, tells him to stand straighter, to clean himself up, he never seems to learn. sure, he will tuck away his imperfections in the moment, just to get astrophel off of his back, but they fall back out practically the moment dayspring no longer devotes his attention to keeping himself in check. he loves his father dearly, but he isn't stupid. he knows, compared to halcyon or evanesce, he is not what his father wants. yet he feels no inclination to remake himself for him, to fit himself into the box astrophel had planned for him. he will not change himself for his father, but he will still always smile at him when he sees him. there is not a bone of hatred in him, no matter how obvious astrophel's disdain for his personality or behaviour may end up being. while he has faith in his father's love for him, he is not afraid of losing him, either. he will be happy with whatever his father chooses to do with their relationship, even if it means ending it. he expects nothing from astrophel, after all— despite being family, he is not owed his father's love.

・family (halcyon & evanesce) —
★ halcyon is warmth and light. evanesce is the beauty of the night. they are stars in the sky, the stars of astrophel's life, and dayspring has always been content being the one who stays on the ground to appreciate them from afar. astrophel, halcyon, evanesce. the three of them make up a beautiful and whole image. there is no room for dayspring without disrupting the equilibrium, and he's alright with that. yet together, they are a trinity. many things come in threes. past, present, future. thesis, antithesis, synthesis. id, ego, superego. dayspring and his siblings are three forces destined to forever clash. an incomplete puzzle, acceptable and unfinished as individuals, but also never truly finished together. however, they are not, in any way particularly, more special to him than anyone else is. they simply got to him first, before anyone else, but he views them the same. he gives them his love because he wants to, but he knows he is not owed their acceptance, nor their reciprocation. they will likely be the first figures he grows distant from as they each forge their own paths and no longer have room for each other like they once did as newborn kittens, lined-up and tucked away by their nameless, faceless mother's side.
★ he loves his siblings. initially in his life, they are his first victims, the first people on his mind when he thinks of cats to share his whims and happiness with. he believes they will enjoy the things he does. after all, if it makes him happy, why wouldn't it make them feel the same? eventually, he comes to understand that not everyone is like him. nobody is the same as anyone else, in fact. and so his initiation of interaction begins to dwindle. he begins to wait for pursuit, for someone else's voice to speak first when they're together. he no longer oversteps nor expects anything out of anyone. he smiles and accepts what he is given, and if he is left unsatisfied, he goes to seek satisfaction on his own terms.


❝ we're starting over
and i love you darling ❞


・himself —
★ for all of dayspring's inability to remain interested in things that stay the same, he is a stagnant individual. perhaps that's why he grows bored of things so easily— he is a being who doesn't know how to change as a person, so he needs his environment to change for him. his expressions rarely change. whether he is talking to someone, or lost in his own head, the corners of his mouth always curl up just enough for there to be a constant, eerily pleasant smile. he never shows dissatisfaction or disappointment— in fact, he acts as though he never feels anything but contentment at all. which is obviously such a lie, because his entire nature is based on his inability to feel satisfied with things that grow dull and constant. he feels little need to truly express himself to others, yet the way he moves through social settings is not truly a mask or facade, either. he smiles not to hide anything, but because he doesn't feel like he owes anyone anything but the security of knowing they were doing nothing wrong in his eyes. that, no matter what they did with him or around him, he will find a way to tolerate it and enjoy himself until it concludes.
★ he has little to no self-value, but while he is far from arrogant, just as he views everyone with the same golden light, he also doesn't view himself the same way. everyone is on the exact same level. individuals are cogs in the same machine, and their purpose in keeping their shared reality running is identical his initial purpose too, until he tore himself out of the system and went astray on purpose. he does not put himself first out of self-entitlement, but because he believes in the importance of prioritizing oneself first. when the only life you can control is your own, using it to help others live defeats the purpose of truly living.

・name symbolism —
★ dayspring — (n.) archaic. dawn; sunrise.
・a dayspring is the first light of day, the breaking of light in darkness. frequently, it is used to describe the coming of something beautiful. just like his name, dayspring is a sunrise. a phenomenon that rises just because it is the law of nature, the way the world spins, rather than for anyone in particular. the sun brings light to the world, not because it cares for it, but because that is simply what it does. the earth is blessed with its light only because it happens to be in its orbit. and on earth, dayspring brings his own kind of light. gentle, freeing, lucent. he shines fleetingly because he wants to, and for those who happen to notice the flicker of candlelight just enough to enjoy it too… good for them! he rises with the sun, sets with the sun, and does not live life dictated by anything but his own head and heart. night and day do not come because one commands it so. it simply… does. and so will dayspring.

・appearance symbolisms —
★ unruly, unpredictable, dayspring is a product of nature's beauty. it bends to no one, and this creature is the very same, allowing the roots of his environment make its home on his very being if it so wishes. twigs, sprigs, little flowery delights, he welcomes whatever weaves itself into his fur with warmth. dayspring views himself— and everyone around him— as one with the earth. what comes from the earth will always return, and so he will one day return to it too. however, perhaps due to his belief in fate, he rarely goes out of his way to pretty himself up with pieces of nature. he will certainly make things for others, but for himself— if something doesn't end up on him by itself, then it simply wasn't meant to be.
★ dayspring is a deer, the fawn, the doe, the stag. he is all of them yet none of them. dayspring, the fawn, is his innocence. his ignorance. his tendency to ignore responsibility and his uncontainable desire to seek out his pleasure. this is his first, and also most natural, state— the version of him seen almost every moment of the day, and then one that comes most immediately to him. dayspring, the doe, is his inner goodness. the part of him that cares and worries for others, even in his indifference to truly act out his care. while his love is shown through his observation, his natural inclination to also extend an invitation to the world even as he goes about his single-minded approach to every day, rather than explicit and obvious words or actions, his gentle acceptance and undeniable belief in the good of the world he has no interest in partaking in remains true. the world and his world may run as separate, parallel lines, but he never doubts the beauty of the one not locked away in his head. finally, dayspring, the stag, is everything he will never be. every expectation, every responsibility— the stag is the reality where he forgets himself and does as, what others may say, what he “should have done”. he should have listened, should have stayed, should have cared more. dayspring doesn't hate, but if he knew hatred, this facet of the deer that represents him as a whole will be what he hates the most.


❝ and i am done, dear ❞


★ voice claim — x (r1999)
・not quite so mechanical, but has the right pitch, breathiness, and mild airiness in his voice for dayspring.
★ nicknames — dawn, day, dia, rin
・dayspring has no true attachment to his name, nor to the nicknames that are derived from it. dayspring is simply what was decided for him, and he keeps it because it was a gift. he feels indifferent to whether others use his name, or how they use it, and will not be one to correct anyone who chooses to call him something other than it out of affection or malice.
・he does, however, find joy in the game of giving and getting a name. not knowing who someone is yet is such a novel experience, and the mystery of not knowing someone cannot be replicated once enough has been learned about the other party. as a result, he will never ask for someone's name, nor give his own, until the other initiates introductions first. he is perfectly content to remain what is essentially strangers, and to never know someone by their name, only remembering how big of an impact they leave on him. if the impact is minuscule, then maybe he doesn't retain the memory of meeting them at all. but if they spark his interest enough, then he tucks away the memory of them somewhere safe in his mind, never dwelling upon it but still there nonetheless.
・similarly, he rarely, if ever, addresses anyone by name. with the indifference he feels towards names, he has a tendency to let them slip from his mind altogether, seeing little reason to retain such information. names aren't what make a person— in fact, it has nothing to do with who they are at all. something no one gets to choose for themselves is irrelevant in the ultimate tapestry of a life, so instead, he chooses more tangible terms. ones that define who someone is to him. father. friend. brother. sister. love. they are proof of the place someone has in his life, and even when his presence wavers in their life, the fact that he still remembers to call them by a title, cares to recall who they are to him, is all that needs to matter, in his opinion.

★ love language — dayspring's love is both conditional and unconditional, a strange paradox that almost always leaves his relationships feeling lacking for the other party. even when someone is no longer an object of interest for him, his care for them remains unwavering— if they need him and look for him specifically, he will diligently provide in the best way he knows how— by being a perfect distraction. his love language is most definitely gift-giving and quality time— he gives gifts on a whim and always tries to include others in his pursuits and adventures, provided they allow him to drag them away from their duties. but he also never pushes for anyone's time and acceptance. he understands what he cannot provide, and hopes the other always has enough clarity to know what not to ask for or expect from him. he cannot offer words of comfort or reassurance, because unlike the intangible nature of spending time with someone, or the measurable act of giving something away, forming words requires him to take responsibility and accountability, not pointedly avoid it. he leaves the moment he understands that his presence is no longer beneficial, necessary, or perhaps just straight-up unwanted. he never overstays his welcome, and once he's gone, he does not come back of his own volition. to experience his love, he is the one that must be chased for it, and if one expects him to be the one to come back to them, then it is safe to say they may as well expect to never see him again.

★ playlist
・rem (rapid eye movement)レム - バルーン by balloon
・sweet dream by studio lico / c!nah
・bon bon jellyfish planet by studio lico / c!nah
・my love mine all mine by mitski
・francis forever by mitski
・i want you by mitski
・once upon a dream covered by lana del rey
・die first by nessa barrett
・do you think you could love me by yung kai
・beach song by yung kai

★ motifs
・“i'm slowly forgetting your face”
・nature's unpredictability
・clipped wings
・freedom
・birds
・newborn fawns
・fate vs. destiny
・butterflies
・photopsia
・dreamcore

★ human au
dylan “day” — welsh; son of the sea, born from the ocean
・incredibly secure in his own self-expression. can dress messy and masculine one day, then hyperfeminine the next. his favourite aesthetics are grunge, cottagecore, and goblincore, and generally adores baggy clothing, sweaters, and hoodies with many pins and keychains attached to everything.
・two extremes, could either be a “popular” boy or an outcast. his easy-going, lethargic, amicable nature is alluring and attractive, yet his aloof floatiness and tendency to get easily distracted or quickly disinterested could cause quite a headache to his peers.
・as a kid, he was always the one up on the rooftop, in the trees, or on his knees in the mud. he was never afraid of seeing dares and challenges to the end, enjoying the thrill of danger and doing things he shouldn't do. a rather poor student as a result, often skipping classes and examinations or staying out even after the recess bell rings because he simply had something “better to do” than school.
・loves diy kits, everything from bracelets and jewellery to crocheting and felting. he picks up all sorts of odd trinkets and hobbies and is always full of surprises as a result! when he gives gifts, 9 out of 10 times you can always expect something he made himself.
・likes to cook and bake, though he might give any rigid professional a heart attack. genuinely just throws things in “because he feels like it” and rarely ever measures anything. it's certainly a positive that he seems to be able to stomach literally anything as well— when his experiments end up inedible to most, he manages to clean off his plate anyway.
・collects all sorts of things, from feathers to pretty stones, but his favourite collections are sea glass and seashells. his childhood home, or perhaps summer home, was by the seaside, and although he's been all over the world at this point, he has a soft spot in his heart for the ocean.
・adores photography and is always the one to offer to take a picture. strangely, he rarely ever takes pictures of himself… and photo albums always seem to just leave him out.

★ miscellaneous
favourites
・colour : peach orange.
・weather : sunshower.
・season : summer.
・time of day : golden hour.
・scent : vanilla and sandalwood.
・flower : hyacinth


future plans.
★ none of these are set in stone, and are simply ideas for now!

❝ unclipped: the search for home (individual)
dayspring is a fleeting concept. he does not stay in one place for long. by late apprenticeship to early warriorhood, his seemingly unwavering and contentedly placid expression grows tighter, more agitated. the carefree nothingness of kithood, to the standardized monotony of apprenticeship, it all begins to beat down on him. he needs something fresh, something new, and simply searching again and again for new interests and hobbies simply isn't enough anymore.

during this time, dayspring's attention span and motivation drops to an all-time low. he will have always been a bad student and perhaps mediocre companion when it comes to serious topics, but now, it's like his head is permanently in a completely different plane of existence. he puts no effort into anything but the pursuit of novelty, whether that comes in the form of a new discovery, interest, hobby, or even individual. this uneasiness in the stagnation of his life builds up until it finally explodes in his face, and he decides abruptly that the issue is no longer what he chooses to fill his time with, but what is around him in the first place. he needs a new setting. desperately.

so in a split-second decision, he leaves behind riverclan and his siblings. it isn't a pursuit of his father, but… perhaps knowing he's out there somewhere, in a world of his own away from the three of them, is an afterthought that plays a role in the unclipping of his wings.


❝ remember: through the looking glass (familial)
a disciplined parent who devotes forever, but from a distance, and a fickle child who devotes completely, only to discard when he loses interest. the fawn is a difficult creature, a personality of so many contradictions and hypocrisies and downright grievances that his father will have a headache even attempting to “perfect” him. like the impossibility of dragging down a star from the sky, dayspring is so utterly indifferent to his blatant imperfection that, despite his constant pursuit of change, he doesn't seem to know how to change as a person himself. he is perfectly content with himself, with the happiness he can achieve through his way of life without even needing to listen to advice or reason, so he tunes his father out more often than not. so when dayspring disappears entirely from the place astrophel decided would be his children's “home” long ago, astrophel is perhaps torn whether to relent and let go of the nightmare that seems to want nothing to do with him or their family anymore, or seek him out to simply… observe. wait and see how long it takes for everything dayspring is and does to bite him back, send him running home or rotting in a ditch for astrophel to pick up and fix again and again.

when astrophel is near, but hidden, dayspring will happily let him follow. when astrophel makes himself known to his child, dayspring will include him in his day, dragging him around on a whim until his father no longer has enough patience left to stick around. he does not beg for his presence, nor aim for his approval. he is happy with the status quo. just as he hopes his father will love him no matter what, he shows no fear to the possibility that his father could one day give up on him entirely. he will be happy with whatever his father chooses to do with their relationship, even if it means ending it. he has no expectations— he merely waits for the next time astrophel shows up, if ever. and if he does, he will smile at him, just as he smiles at everyone and everything.

perhaps this strange, unchanging part of dayspring is what keeps astrophel from no longer looking for him in the woods. he sticks around and follows his child through everything he is somehow accounted for and included in, perhaps out of reluctant obligation at first, but eventually even that seems to melt into… acceptance. he could learn to let go. to relax. to smile. to have fun and enjoy something without the need for perfection, for curation, for calculating everything around him before he can focus on the thing in front of him. to remember the simple joys of life, of what it means to live. if astrophel wanted something as unrealistic as touching the sky, dayspring will wholeheartedly tell him that he believes that it might not be impossible. maybe one day, simply being can be enough for astrophel, taught to him with tender patience by a child who never knew he was teaching his father something in the first place.

(note: this is just an idea of how things could go! more concrete ideas can be discussed in the future to better tailor this particular plot to astrophel's character, if we have the chance.)


❝ mirage: phases of the moon (relational)
just as the moon never looks the same between its phases, dayspring discovers an individual with so many sides that he can't seem to count them all, let alone keep track. so many different phases to explore in the time he gets to know them.

they are dayspring's magnum opus, the devotion of the undevotional. dayspring does not devote— there is always something newer and fresher just around the corner— but this one is different. he feels inclined to stay, to orbit this lonely moon for as long as they keep surprising him, until he has picked into every little secret and crevice enough to hollow them out. meeting someone like this, someone so utterly juxtaposed to his belief that nothing can stay novel forever, breaks something in dayspring's understanding of the world. for the first time in his life, he finds it difficult to look away from something, and everything else in his life seemingly takes on a background role in comparison to them.

but in a way, it's a bittersweet reality. dayspring will stay fixated for as long as they continue giving him something to fixate on. he will seek them out, linger where he may not belong, make space for himself in their life. he fills their lonely world with laughter and warmth, until they grow so intertwined with each other that it's difficult to imagine life without him. but when they finally reach a perfect understanding with each other, dayspring no longer has anything new to discover. and suddenly, the time spent together feels… different. the same warm smiles and everything they have come to expect from dayspring, but there no longer seems to be that same old spark he used to have whenever he saw them. he continues to smile, continues to listen, but he no longer seeks them out himself. dayspring maintains relationships he views stagnant for as long as the other party cares to, but he sees no responsibility in being the one to maintain them. the day they no longer look for him themselves, he accepts it with a smile and disappears without a word.


❝ cycles: the line without a hook (relational)
childhood friends, or perhaps a first relationship. they see the gentle, exuberant warmth of dayspring and bask in what appears constant to them. dayspring enjoys his friend's company— of course he does, he smiles at everyone with that same stagnant sincerity— but the constant of mutual friendship and devotion is not enough to keep him tied to the cage. so when he begins to disappear for longer and longer periods of time, before disappearing altogether, they are left with a void where he used to be, something hollowing out in their chest.

it's not like they don't see each other anymore. dayspring does not make himself elusive to them, just… no longer a constant in their life. he is no longer the face they see the moment they wake up, earnest smile on his face as he gushes about whatever has captured his interest that morning. for as long as they continue to look for him, they will find dayspring, and they will be able to experience what they used to have for the short moments in the day where they are able to keep him there. but dayspring's spontaneity— the thing that once made him so fun and exciting— becomes an instigator of grief. is it so wrong to miss him? to want him to stay longer than a fortnight each time? to wish they could know that he missed them as much as they missed him? to dream about a reality where he had never left, so they could keep him, somehow? they are a fishing line, constantly trying to reel dayspring back to their side. they miss how simple things used to be— back when shared laughter and childhood adventures were enough to satisfy both of them. but without a hook to bring him to shore, he remains unreachable.

in response to all this, dayspring remains oblivious. when they look for him, he smiles and includes them in his plans for the day. when they ask him to stay, he stays until he is allowed to slip away. his transient presence in their life is not something he is out of malice, or indifference. he simply understands that they wish for different things in life. they won't be happy, constantly chasing him when he walks away, trying to keep him in clear view, just as he won't be happy, staying still and content and stagnant by someone else's side. it isn't his fault if they are not satisfied with what he is willing to give and compromise. though, of course, this can ultimately go many ways. a mutual and bittersweet understanding, learning to accept the changing tides and to let each other go. a game of back-and-forth dissatisfaction, where one will always be chasing the other to the ends of the earth without an ending for either of them. or maybe a stalemate, where only one of them manages to attain their ideal happy ending.


❝ chains: the bird and the snake (relational)
with dayspring's strange nature, it is natural that, despite his gentle warmth and forgiving amity, there will be someone who sees who he is and absolutely cannot stand him. how can anyone be so… so… utterly infuriating and uncaring? doesn't he understand consequence, that love isn't a be all, end all concept? a one-sided enmity that borders into hatred, they despise dayspring because of his carefree fickleness, his seemingly utter lack of care for anyone but himself. sure, dayspring can delude himself into thinking he doesn't hurt anyone with his actions, but if he must be like that, he needs someone who will try to burn his delusions down to the ground and drag him back to reality.

perhaps they despise him because they were hurt by him. perhaps they were simply too observant and hated what they saw in dayspring's mind. regardless, they are the active foil to dayspring— the final factor that keeps dayspring tethered to earth and unable to float away altogether. the snake caught by the bird, ensnared in its talons yet twisting around just enough to sink its fangs into the neck so they will fall to their deaths together. ironically, perhaps this dynamic borders on one-sided obsession. an obsession based in indifference vs. hatred. they despise knowing dayspring does not register just how much they dislike him. they know he doesn't care, and it infuriates them to no end. they need him to care, to acknowledge that no, life isn't all sunshine and rainbows as he seems so adamant in believing.


❝ catalyst: chain reaction (individual)
if you haven't noticed already, most of the aforementioned plots paint dayspring as a catalyst of someone else's story. this is because of his stagnant nature— he simply lives as he always does, and others who wish to remain in his orbit are the ones who face the consequences. however, dayspring isn't completely incapable of change. he sees no issue in the way he chooses to spend his life, and frankly is content detaching himself from others just enough to believe that, at some point, others will no longer have expectations for him to meet. he will no longer be expected to reply when they call for him, because they won't call at all. finally, finally, dayspring will be left in his mission of pursuing his own happiness.

except… was it meant to feel so lonely? but no matter what loneliness begins to unfurl from his heart, caging it in its thorns, he will never run back and rebuild connections. he's lived his whole life making it clear that if anyone wanted him to stay, they would need to be the one to look for him. if he turned back on that now… he would just be admitting that everyone else had been right all along, and he had lived his whole life wrong.

so he will die, happy and alone, just as he knew he always… wanted.

(note: this plot can be tied back to any, if not all, previous plots and is dynamic for the reason that dayspring's perspective can change with enough reason and persistence. if someone is patient enough with him, devoted enough to him, maybe he can learn to stay of his own volition. to be able to remain by someone's side without his heart begging him to leave. maybe for once, the pursuer of change can be the one to change, instead.)



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i've fallen too deep into his mind
i've forgotten who he is outside of it
i've forgotten who i am outside of it
how do i wake up again?

awakening

codeword.
★ i've always adored stars. the cassiopeia constellation especially has a special place in my heart.


afterword.
★ thank you so, so much for bearing with me and my rambles, and hopefully reading all the way through to the end! i hope this litter can go on to become wonderful, memorable characters in the history of tfc, no matter what happens with them.
・special thanks to somerset, who was the brilliant mind behind these three absolutely stunning designs! goodness somerset, your designs are always such eye candy to me, and i'm so super excited to finally get to apply for one of them. also to winnie, who is an awesome roleplayer and ceo of tfcrp! we don't talk a lot, but i know you seem like a super sweet person, and i wish you luck on judging! finally, thanks to yuna, who is always readily available when i want to yap about something, whether it is dayspring or something unrelated, and to jun, who sits with me in comfortable silence while we lock in on something together. drink some water, make sure to eat, and get some sleep everyone! ⸜( ˃ ᵕ ˂)⸝


credits.
・music is bon bon jellyfish planet by studio lico / c!nah
・dayspring's design by @realdo-nothingday
・litter hosted by @avianfae_
・writing by @lapisfox2010

・back to application
・back to litter project.


8090 words.

he looks like a dream
fuzzy edges and hazy colours
what did his voice sound like?
did he ever really exist?

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