lifeaftr | January Undercurrent: Growing Pains

January Undercurrent: Growing Pains

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 )

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Sometimes I miss the war. [The words are out before he can stop them and once they are out he realizes it isn’t a lie. Keith breathes in and bows his head.] I’m a soldier. In war I know what is expected of me.

I know what is expected of my team. Here on these islands the downtime is freeing for...a little while. But as it wears on it feels surreal. It doesn’t feel like life.

I have to do all these things to seem ‘normal’ but I don’t feel normal. I don’t know the first thing about it. I hear a creak at night and I am ready for a fight. Fighting for survival against beasts feels more like living than repairing a house does.

I don’t...I’m not sure what to do about peace. It feels like a long slow death and I know it isn’t. I know it used to be all I knew. But now, I don’t know what normal life is. If I can even handle it. ...I don’t think Shiro can either. Not as a civilian.

We’re always going to be looking in the shadows and seeing threats to face. ...the war took so much. It’s going to keep taking. I shouldn’t feel relieved I’ll find a way back to it one day. But there. I know I can protect others. I can make the differences and the world feels like it’s going at the same speed as I am.

But sometimes.

[He scrubs at his face, breathing in deep. Sometimes...] This place is exactly like the war but we have so many less tools to face it.

[Keith’s words cause Zidane to turn around and look back towards his friend. He remembers hearing stories of soldiers coming back from fighting when the various conflicts on the Mist Continent happened. And those soldiers found it very difficult to adjust when they got back home. Sure, he fought in a war too once but not for a long period and not as a soldier – just as someone who wanted to help his friend protect her homeland. And while he didn’t turn out to be someone who found it difficult to adjust to life when it calmed down…..maybe it was because he had his own way of dealing with things. Which wouldn’t necessarily help Keith. The two of them are two completely different people with different lives.

Although….]

….Now you word it like that, I guess it kind of is….a war against someone or something keeping us here…..that keeps throwing this stuff at us….[And nobody has a clue what to do about it yet.]

But about what you said….about you not knowing whether or not you can adjust to a normal life……it’s okay….if you don't know that for now. Forcing yourself to fit in a mould won't get you anywhere. [And while Zidane doesn't know how Keith feels, he does know that his friend has a good heart, someone who works and fights to protect those he cares about.]

……Does Shiro know? [Possibly not if Keith has come out with it just now. And it’s up to the guy on whether or not to tell his fiance. And clearly Shiro won’t have an answer if he can’t adjust to peace either. But maybe the fact the two of them love each other and have experienced the same thing can help them both…..possibly.....]

[It takes him a few minutes to respond. Zidane had reacted in a way he hasn’t expected. Keith closes his eyes and breathes in. The air is thick with the scent of blood and dying flowers. He could almost confuse it for decay and rot.

Keith swallows and says softly,] We haven’t talked about it. But I think he knows. ...I’ll tell him when I find him. Until now I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

I’ve always been on the outside of humanity. I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere. Who wants to admit that...they might never feel like they belong?

…Like, I’m not saying Shiro has an answer, but.....maybe you guys might have some understanding the rest of us don’t.

[The next comment makes him pause. Keith has just said that he felt cut off from others. That he might never belong….? Feeling lost and out of place isn’t a feeling that’s unfamiliar to Zidane, even though it’s probably for different reasons.

Feeling alone, that others won’t understand you. And that you can’t really talk to them because of that. It’s a sensation he’s very familiar with. He would keep silent about this and leave it out of what he was going to say. But then his blood on the ground catches his eye.]

Dammit, can't catch a break in this place, huh.

[Maybe he has to give his perspective after all. If it helps Keith as well though.......]

………You know, belonging doesn’t have to mean being part of a society or a group of people. Heck, it might just be even one person. [And he pauses to take as deep a breath as he can before...] But, uh....I thought the same thing too, once. About myself.

Edited 2020-01-18 00:38 (UTC)

...there aren’t many like you, are there. [It’s a statement that breaks the quiet between them like a tentative tap on a window. Keith nods.] I know that. That it might just be one person.

But it’s...residual fragments of when I was a kid. Part of me still wants to just be like anyone else. But I can’t be. I’m part human but, I think I’ve always been more Galra than human. I’m not fully Galra either. And that...that’s okay.

I used to not get that. I felt pulled two ways and tried to find out where I belonged. [He raises his left hand and turns it so his claws are visible. He breathes in, and closes his hand. How long did he fight himself until he came here?] I nearly killed myself trying to be a good...something.

I would still give up everything for everyone. If it were them or me, I’d pay the price. But...living for all of you. I can do that too.

[Zidane stares at Keith in surprise. He....hadn't gotten to that part yet and yet Keith guessed it quickly.

He was about to speak further but decides to listen to Keith before saying anything. Ah. So that is what he means by not belonging. Not feeling fully part of either race and learning to accept that.

The guy must have felt......lonely when trying to think which group he belonged with. Are there many people who are half-Galra, half-human? Probably not, if Keith worked out that that there weren't many people from Zidane's race.]

Well, Human or Galra, you’re still Keith. The guy who works really hard to protect the people he cares about. That's what counts.

But it's fine if you feel like you don’t belong to either group. I mean, I can't say I belong with the other Genomes either. It's not that I can't relate to them at all, but....[Welp he never imagined he'd be revealing so much to so many people. And he hates it still. But if it can help Keith feel better about who he is then maybe it can't all be bad.] ..you were right when you said there aren't many people like me. I used to be the only one I knew.

When I was a kid, I didn't know where I was from. Nobody else knew either. It.....well, it sucked sometimes. Not knowing others like you.....not knowing where you belonged.

Anyway, I did find out eventually, but.....it wasn't what I hoped for. [And he closes his eyes, remembering the confusion and shock when he first stumbled into Bran Bal, followed by the deep disappointment of it all.....then the fear, anger and then despair.] I'm fine now, but....back then, it was the worst moment of my life.

[He isn’t one for touching others. That’s Hunk and Lance. He looks at Zidane with sorrow and understanding in his violet eyes. The stress has bled him closer to Galra his cornea too yellow to excuse as a trick of the light. He puts a hand over his face for a moment and lets himself take a moment.

His hand falls back to the ground.] What did you find?

[Zidane opens his eyes and glances at Keith. Is the guy okay? Maybe it’s the stress of all that’s going on. And there is no way Zidane can blame him.

Hopefully it won’t get to him so much that he’ll collapse. The same with others. Zidane feels he really has to check up on a lot of people once this nightmare ends. But for now, he’ll answer Keith’s question.]

I’m not from Gaia. You know I talked about having been to another world before? Well, I didn’t tell you the whole story. Didn’t wanna kill the mood when we were trying to have fun.

Anyway, when we went to Terra, we found a bunch of guys who looked like me. But……..they behaved like zombies. Just walking around, working, doing nothing else. [And Zidane’s calm when he says this but a hint of anger can be heard on his voice.] It wasn’t that they couldn’t do anything else or show emotion. They just…….thought their only reason to exist was to be the bodies of some dead civilization! Just because that was the reason they were made in the first place.

[And they are learning differently, thank god. But well if he dwells on that he won’t get to the point he wanted to tell Keith.] I was a little different though. I was born for another reason. My purpose was……to help restore Terra. By helping kill everyone on Gaia.

[It’s strange. He wouldn’t have been this personal a couple of months ago. Sure, Keith isn’t the first one on the island who was told this info. However, Legion didn’t know about the sense of not belonging part.

However, he’s not there to make Keith feel sorry for him. What happened happened and it’s not as if his life’s that bad now. Well, not back home anyway.]……Like I said, I’m okay now. I mean, I guess I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t still crap but nobody tells me what to do. I have my own reasons to live. I had……..Dagger, Vivi and the others to help me realise that. [And he hesitates. This part is harder to talk about….] They came for me and…..even though I pushed them away……..didn’t think they would get it……that I couldn’t fight alongside them anymore because of what I was…..they didn’t budge. And….well….uh…[He turns a shade of pink. What they said….what Dagger said…..made him so happy. It’s still embarrassing.] ..I’m kind of glad…..they didn’t. Heh…….Really glad…..

Ugh, enough of all that. The point I’m trying to make is…………..well, not everyone belongs with others of their race. And that’s fine too. But either way, wherever you belong, no Galra or human’s gonna tell you. Doesn’t matter if you happen to be the same race. Only you get to decide that.

[Keith stares at Zidane then slowly raises his left arm and offers the side of his fist in a gesture of comradery. That was deeply personal. There's no way it wasn't.]

Yeah, I get it. That's what I arrived at too. My place is where I decide it is. Right now that's as the leader of the Paladins and at Shiro's side. Where he goes, I go. Not out of loyalty, duty, or love.

I'm choosing to be there. As much as this place tears me up inside sometimes, I'm glad to be here with all of you. To meet all of you and learn about you.

It's an honor and a privilege, to fight by you and work with you. [Keith smiles just a bit.] And I will tell Shiro all the things I haven't told him. He's my fiance. But more than that, I want to tell him. Even if it scares me.

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