January Undercurrent: Growing Pains

[lifeaftr_mods]

JANUARY UNDERCURRENT

Who: Everyone!
What: Hey bud, how's it growing?
When: January 3rd to January 20th
Where: Everywhere!
Warnings: This event has a potential for body horror and character death; please mark anything as it comes up!

A Notion Growing Inside Me

Those of you who weren't with us the last time Umui entered the archipelago didn't have to contend with the lethal illness known as the Overgrowth personally, but anyone who remembers it probably doesn't remember it fondly. Fortunately, this isn't quite the same strain of the illness that you had to contend with the last time. It's not unrelentingly and uncompromisingly fatal, for one! That's always nice.

For those that need a primer on the Overgrowth, it is best described as a sickness that overcomes you with floral growth both inside and outside your body that can only be cured by expressions of emotional honesty. Expressions of truths, affections, and admissions of things that you have hidden from yourselves or from others were critical in dispensing of the illness. These could be as simple as admissions of past sins or the revealing of secrets, or as grandiose and overt as confessions of guilt or love. That general idea will remain more or less the key means of curing this strain as well, though the stakes fortunately aren't as high this go around! Which is to say, if you fail to have any grand emotional epiphanies by the time this event ends, you aren't doomed to suffer a character death; symptoms will simply dissipate come January 20th.

So what's this sickness going to be like in this particular instance, then? We're so glad you asked! You can go the standard route, of course. Adventurers' first brush with the illness saw the following afflicted upon them:

[ ♆ ] Stage One: Germination. Initial symptoms involve fever, coughing fits, numbness to nerves and extremities, and general joint stiffness. Difficulty breathing or performing other basic functions will often occur. Fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and intense weakness or dizzy spells are also liable to occur as the flowers begin to harvest nutrients from the body. This will also generate extreme thirst and periods of intense nausea. Tremors and the sensation of something "itching" from inside are also common. The end of Stage One is usually marked by the act of vomiting or coughing up flower petals or spores, along with a not-insignificant amount of blood.

[ ♆ ] Stage Two: Budding. The floral growths spread more completely inside the body, and begin to grow on the skin or exterior. Difficulty performing basic functions will increase as, for example, airways become obstructed and flowers grow around joints and pinch them still. The site of affliction also yields rashes, blisters, and blood sores as the flowers sprout from the skin. The rate of vomiting or coughing up floral growths will increase dramatically. Flowers often bloom quickly, and very painfully. Numbness in affected areas will increase, oftentimes rendering parts of the body completely inert - a pair of legs claimed completely by blooms, for example, will no longer work.

This was followed by Stage Three: Bloom, which resulted in character death. However, this strain will not advance to this style of Stage Three. All symptoms will disperse by the time Umui resurfaces.

This strain is also rather more erratic, which can make emotional repression more of an inconvenience than a horrifying circumstance. For those who would rather not play around with intense sickness (or who have already endured this once before), you have the option to go that route if you like! With this variant of the Overgrowth, one can become, for example, so embarrassed that they hiccup up a flower. A vicious denial of their feelings may cause them to spontaneously erupt into a rash of dandelion puffballs, seemingly immediately. You might end up walking around with a bouquet for an arm for a few hours. Perhaps mortifying, but certainly not fatal! Isn't that nice?

Unless, of course, you want it to be...

I Can't Fight It Much Longer

Now, while the Bloom Stage isn't present in this strain, it has mutated its progression into a rather nasty end stage. Those of you who succumb a little too readily to this illness, who don't fight off the emotional repression quickly, who don't admit those difficult truths to yourself or confess to whatever you're bottling up, you'll be faced with a potentially horrifying transformation. Potentially, because it is your choice whether or not you see fit to commit your character to that fate - as stated above, this option might simply skip over your character entirely, and the worst they'll have to deal with are cartoonishly over-the-top effects that disperse in due time.

But maybe not all of you will be so lucky. Some of you might discover for yourselves how this particular variant of the Overgrowth has mutated.

We call this mutation Stage Three: Outbreak. In this final Stage, those beautiful blooms wither and harden into a fungus-like carapace as the illness grows into the victim's brain and shuts down virtually all higher functions. This can sometimes render them almost wholly recognizable, but not always - oftentimes, it's very obvious who this person once was. The victim is reduced to a carrier of the virus, which causes them to act the way you'd expect most viruses to act: becoming intent on spreading. Advanced brain functions such as speech, rational thought, and so on tend to shut off and become wholly inaccessible.

Now that the victim's body is no longer fighting the Overgrowth, the illness lends them increased speed, strength, and durability, making them dangerous foes indeed. They will usually seek to infect others by whatever means necessary - usually via biting or exuding breathable spores - but in some cases, they will simply reduce to base instincts, and just outright attempt to attack and kill whoever is closest.

Unfortunately, at this point, there is no hope of a cure; it's hard to make someone be emotionally honest when they're capable of little more than blunt, animal instinct. At this point, you can either wait for the Stage Three symptoms to disperse come Umui's return, or take manners into your own hands. You can probably guess what that might entail.

If you decide to put your Overgrown friends out of their misery, this will count as a character death. If it comes to that, be sure to let us know on the Deaths page! Death penalties, however, will not be reduced for this event.

Try to Get Through It

Of course, there's a lot going on in the background as well. You're free to use this log as a catch-all for the duration of January's Undercurrent Event, as well as any of the other minor events listed on our Monthly Rundown post. And, of course, you are always free to create your own individual logs and posts as needed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them over on the Questions header on our Rundown post!

January Timeline

[ ♆ ] January 1st: "This Sucks" begins and lasts until January 10th
[ ♆ ] January 3rd: "Growing Pains" begins and lasts until January 20th
[ ♆ ] January 11th: "No Water is Safe" begins and lasts until January 19th
[ ♆ ] January 20th: Umui returns to the archipelago
[ ♆ ] January 21st: "Impawsible Geometries" begins and lasts until January 31st

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[thermalwind]

[He swallows and nods, closing his eyes. Arum had listed the symptoms so clearly they’re branded in his mind.]

Fever was the first they listed. Nausea. Vomiting. ...I’m probably closer to stage two now. My right arm is getting numb and stiff. Side feels funny too.

[forwearemany]

Acknowledged.

(They chatter.)

We are willing to listen to what you have to say, or assist in location of and transportation to those with whom you wish to speak.

(They know what causes it, and they know how to cure it.)

[thermalwind]

[He stares out at the sea but he doesn’t see it. There’s only the wide stretch of the desert and the deep blue of the heavens. He could say something right now and he can bet Legion would get it.]

...I miss pop. I always will. And I miss when everything was simple. If I got scared there was pop, letting me listen to the radio waves. I didn’t know he was letting me listen because it put me a little closer to mom. Just knew radio static meant everything was okay.

Or could be.

[That stopped being soothing during the war against the empire. He scrubs at his face.] I can never go back to that. The world and any reality will never be that simple or safe again. Even in peace, I’ll be watching for the signs of war.

It’s my job and I’m okay with that. I’d be looking for it anyway.

[forwearemany]

(They chatter. Given the overwhelming evidence of the existence of the supernatural, it seems likely there is an afterlife, and Keith will one day see his father again.

Right now, however, it is important to ensure that Keith is able to say what he needs to say. They watch, silently, for any changes.)

Acknowledged. Though our experiences are not analogous, we have also experienced the loss of a way of life.

(They are no longer part of a collective, vast and immortal, but an individual, small and weak and overwhelmingly alone.)

You have previously mentioned difficulties during your childhood.

[thermalwind]

I was really young when he died. He fought fires for a living. There was a burning building everyone told him not to go into.

[He can smile about it now, but the pain is still there. It weaves through him in the dull ache of loss.]

He didn’t come back. [The smile vanishes.] I wasn’t the best of kids but the foster system...no one wanted to give me a chance. It was one shot to nail it each time and each time I failed.

[He sighs, visibly deflating. No one gave him a shot. No one tried to really. He looks away as his voice drops low, softer with the defeat of a child who grew into a bitter and angry teenager,] I gave up. I stopped trying and just accepted it. Bullying from other kids, the looks from foster parents, all of it. I just accepted it.

I was on a one way path to destruction. [He looks back and says.] But when I looked at the stars all I felt was peace. I studied flight. Studied how the systems work and followed any bit of news about space flights I could.

It felt...it felt like a call and I wanted it. Up there no one would care who I was or where I came from. Just that I could do the job. I wasn’t obsessed. Any time I got the chance to fly in a game? It felt like breathing again.

[He closes his eyes and smiles, remembering what it feels like to fly. Being a dragon once gave it new dimension.] Maybe that was the sparks left. I don’t know. That’s how Shiro found me.

My skills on the sim caught his eye and he offered me a chance even when I nearly blew it because the teacher didn’t want me to be the one he chose to recommend. Don’t remember the other guy she wanted him to take’s name. J something. Not important.

I don’t think I would have ended up who I am today if he hadn’t offered me that chance.

[forwearemany]

(They listen as their ally speaks.

Though his story is vastly different from their own, they were familiar with the idea of children being condemned without even a chance. It was, in a way, what the Quarians had done to the Geth.)

He is here?

(They remember encountering Shiro previously, though only once.)

[thermalwind]

[His whole face lights up, a warm smile spreading across his face.]

He is. I don’t know where he is right now. But he’ll find me before the day is out.

[He tips his head back and his smile only grows wider. Thinking of Shiro warms him up on the inside. But his smile fades a little.] I’m worried about everyone.

We all have things we don’t want to talk about. I know he has a lot...a lot of people do. Have you seen Kravitz? Is he okay?

[forwearemany]

Acknowledged.

(They are glad that he is here.

At the mention of Kravitz they begin to chatter.)

We have not.

(Not recently, at least.)

[thermalwind]

They lost a lot of people lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s off somewhere by himself. [And he is in no condition to go find him. But that hasn’t ever stopped Keith before.]

...Who do you need to check on? [He asks, turning his head to look at Legion again. He’ll add to the list of people to track down.]

[forwearemany]

His collective is absent.

(They chatter.)

Uncertain. Though we encounter Faust-Doctor regularly, we are uncertain of the status of the Drifter, Washington-Agent, or Zidane.

Others?

[thermalwind]

[Wash. He hasn’t seen him in a while. In all fairness, he has been a mess of a man for a while. Keith swallows and folds in on himself as another coughing fit hits him. It lasts a few minutes and leaves him feeling a little weaker when it’s over.]

Beau? Shepard? ...Tim?

[He can’t remember if Tim chose to die last time. He barely knows him. So many people are gone and he wrecks his brain for names.] There’s a teammate of Washington’s I don’t know the name of. She’s a woman, really kinda intense? Church?

[forwearemany]

Uncertain. Contact with Shepard-Commander is ... minimal.

(She's not their Shepard, but they still fear her.

They chatter.)

Washington-Agent has multiple female teammates. (They're not sure who is gone and who is still here.) Status of Church: unknown.

[thermalwind]

Beau? Castor?

Uh, Faust? [He could ask about Shepard and why but something tells him not to. Just like those moments he wants no one to ask why his hands shake at certain moments or he feels so tired.]

Who are all of Wash’s teammates here? I only met the one and Church.

[forwearemany]

Uncertain.

(Their headflaps ripple and they chatter.

They pull up their files.)

Known teammates currently residing in this location: Church, two females of unknown designation.

[thermalwind]

[Keith chews on that. That’s less than there was. Wash’s team seems to flux like so many of them do. He nods.] I usually talk to Zidane at least once a week. I haven’t seen them since this started.

I like him. He’s very honest. Good with his blades and fast too. [His mind drifts over the people he knows and feels would be vulnerable to this. He scrubs at his face feeling that clog in the back of his throat. He turns his head away from Legion and coughs, bending forward as every cough dislodges petals and lets him attempt to breathe.]

This really is setting in fast. We need to warn everyone. ...so they can decide what they’re doing.

[People will die. He knows it and there is nothing he can do to stop that.]

[forwearemany]

Affirmative.

His capacity to understand the perspectives of others is highly advanced.

(Geth value the perspectives of others, but without a mind to mind connection with not Geth, Legion finds them sometimes difficult to understand. They are different.

Zidane has, to some degree, helped them with this, though he may not realize it.)

Recommend: Announcement over stones.

[thermalwind]

Soon. [Keith says, as he closes his eyes and exhaustion pulls at him like hands threatening to drag him down. His chest has felt tight since he saw the blood but it isn't fear for himself.]

I know I can't save people from themselves...but it hurts I can't. If I'm a hero why can't I save those who matter most even from...

[He closes his eyes.] I'm going to rest up a bit. I'll need the strength to go looking for everyone. That's okay, right?

[forwearemany]

Acknowledged. We also experience this.

(Their allies are prone to poor choices.)

Affirmative.

[thermalwind]

[Keith leans against Legion with his eyes still closed and his grip tightens just enough to communicate a squeeze of his hand.]

I promise, I will always try to survive. Even when I really don't want to, I'll keep fighting. For you. For Shiro. For everyone important to me.

[forwearemany]

(A good thing to hear.)

Acknowledged. Thank you.

Thought I hit this

[thermalwind]

Thank you too. [He says as he lets himself fall into a doze.]

[forwearemany]

(And they'll let him rest.)