Nymphlopedia
Entry 21: Psyche Nymphs
Beginning AN:
So uh, around yesterday (and I forgot to jot it here when doing 16-18) I think I came up with this idea on how to go beyond 100, in particular some way to deal with a lot of the "extra" Nymphs... but it'll probably seem like a copout. I don't know, that's for the possible far future, for now let's just focus on these "OG" "pre-Moon Lord" 100. Or even more specifically, the pre-Wall of Flesh 25. (Yeah these stories so far are all supposed to be Pre-Hardmode, but of course the write-ups are just after the Moon Lord is slain. And I will say right now that the Moon Lord's fall won't be the end of Romancing the Last Dryad, so this does not take place in some "epilogue" of that.)
(Also, I'm getting way ahead of myself, but if you're expecting the Dryad entry's story to be set in the finale, well... I recently got an idea for that one that might be really disappointing. For that expectation. I won't give too much away, but I will hint that it's definitely, absolutely not going to be the last one chronologically.)
"I promise they can't just pick people up." Sonata explained to Vince while they walked through some... rather uncanny, blueish forest that Vince had little to no experience with. "Well, I mean with telekinesis. They absolutely can pick you up with their hands, yeah."
Vince kept a tight grip on his Minishark. The first time he did that since after his endless pestering of Darnell finally had him tell him how it was made. And yeah, Vince really didn't want to know.
"They also can't read minds unless you're in a rich neighborhood where they have all the supplies and shit to make these mind-scanners. And we can use the scanners ourselves."
"Not for perverted reasons ri-" Vince began.
"No! I have standards! Jeez! Why does everybody think I'm some kind of boundary-ignoring asshole that'll do whatever to get whatever?! I CAN TAKE 'NO' FOR A FUCKING ANSWER!"
Oh.
Her outburst caused some rustling.
Vince found himself being lifted up and, since he couldn't see an assailant in front of him, his mind went right for the worst:
"SONATA! YOU LIED TO ME!" He shouted.
"Nah you're just being held up by the neck behind you."
He turned around and- dammit.
A Nymph that was blue with a hint of purple all over. Her hair was short and the top part of which was stylized to resemble a stereotypical buldging brain. Not so much so that, even from looking at the awkward angle, Vince actually mistook it for her brain being exposed, if even for a second.
Sonata did.
Even though she knew that a Nymph's brain... didn't really look like that, internal anatomy is something a later entry will cover. Don't worry.
Most important of all, the Psyche Nymph was holding what looked like a small telescope.
"Ahhhh shit." Said Sonata. "We're in a rich neighborhood. Rich... rich... uh, right..." And her mind went blank which... was actually not the key to overcoming a Psyche Nymph.
Vince was the one acting as the mindreader there. "Sonata, I could probably die here, please don't do or say anything stu-"
"FUCK THE RICH AND EAT THE POLICE!" She shouted, awkwardly waving around her Night's Edge. Of course this would be one of the last biomes they'd brave before going to Hell. "I- MY METAL DETECTING IS ACTUALLY FOR... HUNTING WAYS... TO GIVE GOLD TO THE POOR! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW, MS. RICH ENOUGH TO MAKE A MIND READER, THAT I AM... A FULL-ON COMMUNIST THAT... uh Vince, do you know any good communist theme songs?"
She stopped waving her sword around and sighed. "Yeah I got nothing. This baby could slice her in half and it's not even the real Night's Edge, but I'm in a hostage situation and I don't do that good with those things. Uh, I'm afraid you're fucked. Why do we keep venturing out to new lands alone again?"
"Because everybody else thinks we're too crazy and stupid?"
"Oh yeah."
"Relax." Said the Psyche Nymph, who let go of Vince's neck. "I'm just gonna scan you."
She held the scope up to herself and looked at the both of them. Vince just by default blushed. Sonata on the other hand stabbed the tip of her sword in the ground, posed by it by leaning against it, and flashed a smirk. A Dreamworks Face, to be specific.
"Okay." She said. "Your 'Naked Empire' sounds pretty sweet. Can I join?"
Vince and Sonata both looked at each other.
"Is it okay if we consider destroying your mind reader?" Vince asked. "It's creepy."
"We should only use it for enemies." Sonata added. "But other than that, yeah, creepy."
"I only used it on you to see if you were enemies, but you're not, so I promise I won't use it aga-"
Vince snatched it from her hands and looked at her through it.
It was difficult so see at that moment because that was also the color scheme of the forest, but everything through the scope had an indigo wash over it. Above her were words in white: PAN I hope I get to fuck other Nymphs I want to join the Naked Empire so badly and that Hell Nymph over there looks SO hot with her sword and that man in the bone armor I want them both to fuck me so bad fuck me fuck me fuck me fuck me fuck me-
"Yeah no you're clean too." He said, blushing and handing her back her tool. "But it seriously is a little creepy."
"Ey it's like invisibility!" Said Sonata. "Yeah, it can be used in a creepy way, but if we use it for good... we can, like, predict what the bad guys will do and shit. I mean, maybe it'll be useless if we used it on Lindsey, she just kind of says and does everything on her mind anyway. But imagine if that works on Cthulhu! Also, what did you see?"
"He probably saw how horny I was and how badly I wanted to have sex with the two of you." Said the Psyche Nymph.
Sonata froze. "Hoo boy... you're gonna be an interesting addition to the Naked Empire, that's for sure."
Psyche Nymphs
Why debate over brawn or brain? The Nymphs of the Psyche-Fields have both, and aren't afraid to use either of them.
Preferred Environment: Psyche-Fields.
Environment Threat Level: Dangerous.
Environment Stats: Dry. Cold. Fantastic. Uncommon. Typically appears as blue-purple forests, but in the place of grass is a sort of plant that resembles neural networks going across the ground, even lighting up.
Other Names: Psychic Nymphs, Mind Nymphs, Brain Nymphs.
Affinity: Fire.
Color: Bright Indigo.
Traditional Costume Weapon: Pulsing indigo "vines" that resemble neurons, around their arms and legs, and occasionally their torsos. Helps heighten their senses even further than usual,
Vince's Comment: You know that thing in the movies where you can be smart enough to resist psychic control or mind lasers being shot at you? Yeah, that doesn't work.
Also, whenever I make theories on how these Nymphs are secretly tied to the Nebula Pillar because of the brain stuff and similar colors, both Sonata and Tania get REALLY offended at that. So don't do that. I still think Sonata came really close to slapping me.
Sonata's Comment: They can't read your minds by default, but they can make tools that do if they have enough Nymph cash (which is the same as Human cash, why do you think we carry around so much gold, I in particular am loaded). If you wanna know if you really are a good person or not, just find one that doesn't want to kill you, and ask them. For the record, nine out of ten Psyche Nymphs think that I'm "Difficult, but good in the end." I take that as a compliment :) The tenth giggled at me and said it was cute that I was trying not to think too much about him or Tania "in that way." If there's a way to embarrass me, it's mind-readers.
Tania's Comment: Psyche Nymphs.
Nymphae Mentem.
This biome is sometimes confused for an offshoot of Evil Biomes such as the Corruption or Crimson, due to its nature of how many of its features resemble organic neural networks. And it is dangerous to traverse, as its wildlife is intelligent by typical fauna standards, yet not sapient. Rest assured, the Psyche-Fields are nothing to be alarmed over if simple precaution is taken. No, the Nymphs here are not more intelligent than other Nymphs, that is a common and extremely offensive misconception. No Nymph type has been proven to be "smarter" than any others. And no, do not test me to prove that Dryads are "dumber" than another type. Yes, I am 100% of all living Dryads. No, my intelligence proves nothing biologically.
I am clearly more thoughtful than Sonata at least. That is not up for debate. But not "all Oreads."
(Note from Sonata: Yeah it really isn't up for debate, I agree, she's smarter than me.)
Closing AN:
Day 7, done! Capped off with getting a little political to boot! One more day, and then the day after that I'll finish the "Bright Set" (you could say Season 1...?) with... a little surprise. Basically, every twenty-fifth chapter is going to be a little extra flowery. Tomorrow will also be the last day with Tania-less stories for sure, from 25 (yeah, even in the "finale" of the "Bright set") onward she's going to be in all the mini-stories.
I came really close to having this "slot" be the one the Mushroom biome was in, but then I did some sampling and... yeah, the game mostly uses pure blue shades for mushrooms, not blue with a teeny hint of purple like I assumed. So, Glowing Mushrooms ain't indigo, like I just kind of assumed. Anyway, you'll see what I do eventually.
Technically I have fallen "behind" on my planned 6-6-6-7 writing thing for the future chapters, by three chapters (two and a half counting that I want to finish Tania's Comment in Entry 60), but I'm hoping that either today or tomorrow I should have the roughs of the future chapters caught up, I'll be writing them up a lot more. And hopefully be done with 75 by the 8th. I know I have a huge "buffer" but I'd like to keep that buffer huge, and once I'm done with the roughs, I can go "back" to the "earlier upcoming chapters" and flesh more of them out/maybe even completely finish some early, to the point where when I hit Day 21 and I'm posting four chapters a day I'd already have them completely done instead of having to rush out four mini-stories a day like I'm doing with just three.
Another thing I should have said earlier:
Vince: Ranger.
Sonata: Melee.
Tania: Mage.
There are currently no plans for a Summoner to join them.