Pupa Project is an art/VN project created by a schizophrenic artist, Timoogi, with the goal of creating a more understanding and positive world. Pupa Project draws from personal experiences and symptoms, the purpose of the project is to shed light on often stigmatized disorders. 🦋 We have to believe we can change fate 🦋
Pupa Project is a visual novel that has one set ending. Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum opens its gates to you, beckoning you inside to come and pick up the pieces of splintered minds. Our story begins one year after Blythe Waldrop had been admitted to the asylum. Between navigating the harsh conditions of a Victorian institution, and learning what it means to truly heal, you will help Blythe understand what it means to be free.
While this story only has one ending, the choices you help Blythe make just might restore the fragments you need to piece together the whole picture. So choose carefully, it’s time to see the world through her eyes.
Pupa Project Chapter I: Framework // Demo out NOW 🦋 💌 🐜 💉
🦋 “You can take my heart, you can take my breath when you pry it from my cold, dead chest!” — The Resistance (Skillet)
May 24th is World Schizophrenia Day! And I’m so excited that once again, we all get to celebrate it together, lovely fellow patients! Every year I get to this date, I feel immense pride in my determination to live. And I’m so happy to finally have a community of people to share my joy and experiences with!!
Very recently, I had visited an actual asylum that had opened in 1908 near where I live. When walking through the halls and reading the historical information, when seeing all the toys left behind for children long since passed and the papers filled out with patients’ vitals, their symptoms, it was an overwhelming reminder of all people like me have lived through, and still live through.
I would have resided there. If I was born decades ago, it would have been me in those medical beds, and it may have also been you. It may have been many of us. And that is why I am so determined to tell this story. This history, this dignity I want to preserve of all psychiatric patients from both the past and present, is one of the most important things in the world to me.
When you think about asylums, about the scary and violent history, about the small wins that were won in these institutions, the good, the bad, I want everyone to remember that us patients are still among you. We are not relics of the past or stuck white hospital rooms. We are living, we are striving for better futures, for hope and acceptance and love just like anyone else.
Around 1 in 300 people have schizophrenia. In the US, that means there is about 3.7 million of us. In the world, 23 million. And yet we are still so misunderstood and mistreated. I, personally, am fed up with that. We may be a minority even in the mental health space, but that does not mean we don’t deserve the same care as others. Through Pupa Project, I am determined to change the course we find ourselves on. I am determined to make this world better for us, even if by just a little bit.
I am so so blown away by the reception that Pupa Project has received since the demo release. So much support, so much love from communities whose opinions and thoughts I value highly. I honestly was not expecting many to download it beyond friends and people who have been following Pupa Project since I started posting about it on tumblr! So the fact that it has 50+ downloads within the first month of the demo being released IS CRAZY BONKERS TO ME!! I was racing to finish these celebratory doodles because now we’re almost at 60 downloads as I’ve been working on them BAHAHA You busy bugs work fast!!
Thank you all so much for the continued support and the courage you constantly give me to not just continue pursuing this project, but to face each day with determination!
After the guests left, after William was dragged away, my family said I was diseased. Sick in the mind. And I had to see a lot of doctors...
My body stopped moving well. A lot of the time I just stared into the corners of the walls and watched shadows dance around, scared I'd see those bloody red eyes again…
When doctors asked me what happened that day, I told them everything, hoping they could cure it and help me. But… I think I'm incurable.
At the end of the final doctor's visit, my parents told me they were bringing me to a special place where people like me can live in and be taken care of.
……
I never got to see William again. I wish I could have hugged him one last time, or shared one more spring with him.
Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum STAFF and PATIENT files
[ Approved access only ]
Any staff member caught with these files without explicit permission is to be reported and dealt with by Dr. Samuel Montague and/or Dr. Harrison Montague (depending on severity of the infraction)
“Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum prides itself on reshaping misfortunate minds and progressing humanity’s understanding of the inner psyche. Here in Lepidoptera, we ensure to rehabilitate those thought to be broken beyond repair. And if reintroduction into society will not work, they will be safe and happy in our helping hands.”
Disclaimer: All character developments are mostly inspired by my lived experience. Please understand that everything is a spectrum and this project is solely based on symptoms I have dealt with personally. Some things may also be historically inaccurate for the time period in favor of telling a story!
TW: these files contain sensitive information, please read with caution!
Blythe Waldrop // Age: 11 // Date of Birth: 13/06/18XX // Date of Admission: 23/12/18XX
The youngest patient in the asylum! 🦋🍓
Initial Intake Notes:
// Blythe Waldrop, Age 10, was surrendered to Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum by parents Julius Waldrop and Daphne Waldrop after both a family physician and father signed off on the admittance.
During admittance, Waldrop appeared to be nearly completely detached from reality. She could barely move, exhibiting clear signs of a catatonic state. Waldrop had to be manually positioned when disrobed, studied for identifying physical traits, and washed before her intake assessment. Waldrop, while unable to emote expressively, began to cry as her hair was cut for hygienic purposes. [Noted by Nurse Cassandra Beechworth]
During the initial intake, Waldrop expressed a severe lack of awareness of her surroundings. Any questions were replied with the phrase “They were going to hurt me.” Nurse Cassandra Beechworth reported her repeating the same phrase all throughout her admittance and preparation.
The documents regarding her past assessments and care performed by her family’s physicians have been essential in understanding Waldrop’s mental state, as attempts to question her directly have proven impossible.
Documented symptoms:
— Severe Hallucinations
— Delusional thought process
— History of violent outbursts
— Disregard for rules and expectations
— Disinterest in socializing
— Blunted range of emotions and expressions
— Impaired cognitive functions
— Inappropriate proclivity for insects which inhibits participation in society
Diagnosis: Dementia Praecox
Intervention and correction is to take place immediately. — Samuel Montague
Henrietta Vivian Davis // Age: 18 // Date of Birth: 28/07/18XX // Date of Admission: 04/05/18XX
The rowdiest patient in the asylum! 🍴⚖️
Initial Intake Notes:
// Henrietta Vivian Davis, Age 16, was surrendered to Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum by court order.
During her drop off and admittance, Davis clearly exhibited a wide array of symptoms pertaining to general madness. She would speak without being spoken to, constantly begin to move without permission to do so, and would laugh periodically to herself. However, when it came time for a full physical examination and bath, Henrietta immediately flipped into a violent and aggressive state. She had injured two staff members, both male, and was forcibly restrained to remove her clothings. As she was disrobed, she began to “scream at the top of her lungs,” as well as cry hysterically, flinching and convulsing at every movement. [Noted by Nurse Cassandra Beechworth]
During initial intake, Davis had to be strapped down to the restraint chair in order to perform an assessment. Davis would only answer questions with obscenities before requesting a woman ask her the questions instead. Though not traditionally practiced, the clipboard was handed off to Nurse Cassandra Beechworth to perform the mental exam.
Documented symptoms:
— Excessive, nonsensical, and inappropriate speech
— Disorganized manner of conversing
— Severe agression towards those of the male sex
— Severe agitation and excitability
— Lack of a full attention span
— Aversion to speaking of the events that drove her to murder (Though she seemed to exhibit a sense of pride when talking about the attempted crime itself. — Nurse Cassandra Beechworth)
Diagnosis: Female Hysteria
Intervention and correction is to take place immediately. — Samuel Montague
Amaryllis Cook // Age: 35 // Date of Birth: 31/10/18XX // Date of Admission: 17/09/18XX
The gloomiest patient in the asylum! 🕸️🪡
Initial Intake Notes:
// Amaryllis Cook, Age 33, was surrender to Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum by husband Norman Cook after he and her physician (Dr. Samuel Montague) signed off on the admittance.
During admittance, Cook exhibited an egregious amount of self-depreciation. The only sounds she made in between frantic declarations of “deserving death” were that of crying and wailing. [Noted by Nurse Cassandra Beechworth] She would attempt to hit at herself and pull on her hair in distress, and proved challenging to compromise with. When disrobed for her physical assessment, she was revealed to be covered in scars (Arms, thighs, and stomach) all of which were at different stages of healing. Norman Cook had informed her physician that she had attempted to take her own life by severing crucial arteries, which coincided with her physician’s own findings surrounding her mentality. According to Mr. Cook, his wife had always struggled with fluctuating moods, but what seemed to push her to the “point of no return” was losing her child during its birth a year prior.
During initial intake, Cook expressed remorse for “all she has done,” and asked politely if there was any way she could be put to death for her actions. When informed that she was admitted to Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum with the hopes of recovery and stability, she began to break down again. Questions proved difficult to gather answers to from this point forward.
Documented symptoms:
— Excessive crying
— Severe mental duress and repeated episodes of a depressive mood in between seemingly normal life
— Self-injury
— Lack of regard for appearance
- Lack of motivation
— Inability to take care of daily chores
Diagnosis: Melancholia
Intervention and correction is to take place immediately. — Samuel Montague
Elisabeth Thomas Phillipps // Age: 23 // Date of Birth: 04/01/18XX // Date of Admission: 08/10/18XX
The gentlest patient in the asylum! 📕🪲
Initial Intake Notes:
// Elisabeth Phillipps, Age 19, was surrendered to Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum of her own accord. She had come to the asylum with parents Alfred Phillipps and Eliza Phillipps requesting her own admittance. This admittance was approved once a physician and her father signed off on it.
During her admittance, both her parents and herself referred to Phillipps as a male. However, when asked to disrobe to be studied for identifying physical traits and then bathed, she began to question the authorities around her. She remarked “is this really necessary?” Which was responded to professionally. [Noted by Nurse Cassandra Beechworth] Not wanting to have her garments removed with force, Phillipps followed the procedure. When stripped of her shirt, she was wearing bandages tightly wrapped around her chest. She also had surface level scars on her forearms. When asked if she was injured, she replied with a shaky “no.” She removed the bandages to reveal that, up until that point, she was being deceitful, and instead of being placed in the male ward as planned, she was written off to reside in the ward of her actual nature.
With the information that Phillipps was actually a woman, her physician was changed from the leading male physician to the leading female physician (Dr. Samuel Montague.)
During initial intake, Phillipps was mild mannered yet very skittish. She expressed deeply concerning thoughts and the abnormal actions she’d partake in to relieve them, which lead to her seeking supervision within the asylum, as she was scared she’d hurt herself and others. When questioned as to why she had been deceitful about her personhood, she explained that she was, indeed, a “man,” but her body “did not reflect that.”
Documented symptoms:
— Severe delusional thought process
— Increased paranoia
— Obsessions with alarming topics
— Inappropriate, compulsive behaviors to soothe oneself that inhibit participation in society
— Severe anxiety and agitation around others
— Perverted sense of self
Diagnosis: Mono-Mania, Gender-related Insanity
Intervention and correction is to take place immediately. — Samuel Montague
——————— Staff Files ———————
Samuel Montague // Age: 32 // Date of Birth: 02/10/18XX // Occupation: Assistant Superintendent
The smartest doctor in the asylum! 💉💊
Staff Information Notes:
// Dr. Samuel Montague achieved an MD degree at just 26 years old. Montague comes from a long line of physicians who have made tremendous contributions to society. His father, Dr. Harrison Montague (current Superintendent of Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum) employed him as the leading female ward physician after his studies were completed.
Montague continues to prove to be a remarkable mind. He has invented many promising new medicines sedations and curing methods backed by his findings at his father’s demands.
// After working and proving his mental prowess as the leading Female Ward physician for 6 years, Montague was given a promotion to Assistant Superintendent to fill the role of his now late uncle. Be careful! Be careful, Dr. Montague!!
Cassandra Beechworth // Age: 26 // Date of Birth: 14/04/18XX // Occupation: Head Nurse (Female Ward)
The sweetest nurse in the asylum! 💌💋
Staff Information Notes:
// Nurse Cassandra Beechworth achieved her nursing degree at 20 years old. Beechworth comes from a prestigious, brilliant lineage of diplomats and political figures. Her father, Nathaniel Beechworth, had set his daughter up for success this isn’t you!! by guiding her into the field of nursing. Beechworth proves to be a vital asset to the asylum staff as she can speak 3 foreign languages, she is refined and orderly in her conduct, and she is a shining model of what it means to be a bright broken woman in this new day and age.
// After working under Dr. Samuel Montague’s LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! lead and acting as his confidant for 6 years, Beechworth was promoted to Head Nurse of the Female Ward.
Laurence Caldwell // Age: 46 // Date of Birth: 10/12/18XX // Occupation: Physician (Female Ward)
The newest doctor in the asylum! 🐜🧠
Staff Information Notes:
// Dr. Laurence Caldwell is a man of outstanding achievements. Caldwell obtained his MD degree at just 20 years old, giving him a long career of finding cures and treating patients efficiently. Caldwell comes from humble beginnings, attending a ragged school antsantsants in his youth but quickly moving his way up in society through determination and grit. At age 30, Caldwell took on the job of a professor to teach bright, up-and-coming medical students. At age 35, Caldwell had put his work as a general physician to rest it’s okay! you couldn’t help it! in favor of focusing all his medical knowledge on the brain. And, as always, he has made incredible breakthroughs.
// After 11 years of psychological studying, Caldwell was hired by Dr. Samuel Montague of Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum to make a difference work as the new Female Ward Physician.
——————— Archived Files ———————
Eugene-Albert [GRYLLIDAE] // Age: 25 // Date of Birth: I FORGOT!!! // Date of Admission: doesn’tmatterDOESN’T MATTERdoesn’tmatter!!
The craziest patient out of the asylum! ⚙️🦗
Initial Intake Notes:
// Eugene-Albert [GRYLLIDAE], Age 18, was surrendered to Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum by the authorities. He had been handed over to the asylum staff after being jailed overnight for indecent and alarming conduct in the city square. The admittance was permitted by both his family and the superintendent (Dr. Harrison Montague.)
During admittance, [GRYLLIDAE] was proven to be apprehended quite roughly. He did not fight or oppose any attempts to disrobe him for noting down identifying physical traits and bathing, however, he appeared to convulse and twitch periodically. It was apparently uncontrollable as he seemed to be very out of touch with his surroundings and own form. [Noted by a male attendant] After being cleaned, [GRYLLIDAE]’s wounds were tended to and he was ushered to the infirmary to recover by wheelchair.
During initial intake, performed after [GRYLLIDAE]’s vitals were deemed stable, [GRYLLIDAE] proved to be completely detached from reality. He would answer questions with ludicrous exclamations, twitching and fidgeting near constantly, and shouting out his words or unrelated ones at random. He expressed ideas and desires to “take apart” society, proving to be a dangerous individual. He noted hearing wonderful melodies and, at one point, asked why the clock in the room was ticking so loud, despite no clocks being present. [GRYLLIDAE] has no bearing of the real world, and thus, he will remain in Lepidoptera Asylum’s care until full rehabilitation is achieved.
Documented Symptoms:
— Persistent hallucinations
— Severe delusional thought process
— Disregard for rules and societal expectations
— Grandiose sense of self
— Uncontrollable convulsions
— Chaotic fluctuations in mood
— Inappropriate disposition and responses in socializing
— Impaired cognitive function
— Proclivity for machinery and breaking objects which inhibits participation in society
Diagnosis: Dementia Praecox
Rehabilitation may not be achievable. — Dr. Harrison Montague
// Eugene-Albert [GRYLLIDAE], Age 23, has succumbed to illness and passed away. All patient files are to be archived. — Dr. Samuel Montague
Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum will be opening its gates soon to the general public. When traversing the institution’s grounds, it is imperative you remain levelheaded. That is, of course, unless you wanted to stay.
… 🦋💉💌🐜 …
Well, everyone! The demo for Chapter I: Framework is complete!
Last night I had finished everything up, and my heart hasn’t stopped pounding excitedly since! I have lovely lovely test subjects in the Pupa Project discord who were kind enough to volunteer to play test the demo! And as we all play through it together over and over to find inconsistencies or bugs to catch, we get closer to it being released to the rest of the world! I am very grateful for the friends and members of Pupacord who are giving me feedback for stuff to tweak and their reactions to things! It’s very very heartwarming and exhilarating!!
The demo will hopefully be released this week! And I am so excited for you all to finally meet Blythe (and co) properly! 🦋
Thank you all for your continued support and your encouragement! It truly means the world! I feel like I say that a lot… but it’s true!!
Something a bit out of the usual routine for posting here!
This dress, Violet Fane’s Asylum OP, accidentally set off the complete creation of this whole project!
I saw this dress on Pinterest over a year ago and I immediately became infatuated with it. This dress inspired me to redesign Blythe, and just like that, Pupa Project was born! Quite literally without this dress I wouldn’t have found my purpose in life when I did. It might sound silly to be so sentimental about a dress, but it genuinely means the world to me and I can finally match Blythe!
