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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Used to think demons only had anger and confusion.

[He peers at the petal, grimacing in disgust, and drops it on the ground.]

A lot of things were easier back then. But really, I don't have that many secrets anymore!

It's not always strictly about secrets, in the traditional sense.

[Lies were certainly not his death knell before; it was about the lies he told himself, the parts of him he didn't know how to clarify, the identity and self reflection that he'd trained out of himself not to feel so alone.]

You also must know yourself. The truths of your identity to your selfhood. Lies we tell to ourselves to keep us going. There is... little margin for error.

[..........]

What the hell does that mean?

[On one hand, demons are really not ones for emotional intelligence. On the other...he doesn't want to think about that.]

[Welcome to self introspection hour with the undead #squad, things are about to get feelsy.]

Everyone has... aspects, of themselves, that they do not wish to conquer or approach. Sometimes it is past wrongs. Sometimes it is a continued wrongdoing against you that you do not wish to admit harmed you. Sometimes it is simply something about ourselves that we refuse to see. The Overgrowth will feed on that, as well. It is not just the lies we tell each other, but the lies we tell ourselves.

[He sighs, knowing this is all about being honest but his emotions trying to claw themselves back on instinct, the fear of rejection momentarily more paramount than actually dying.]

It is what got me last time this disease ravaged our population. A lack of self-awareness of my situation, and what I really wanted.

[Mmmm, Michael doesn't like the turn this conversation has taken! Past wrongs...well, he doesn't like to think about all that stuff, but it's fine, right? He doesn't do that now.

And - well, if no one knows what he really looks like without his human suit, that's not unique. Lots of humans wear...wear makeup, or get surgeries or something, and they're not half so gross as him. It's not important.

So we're not going to talk about it.]

What happens when you die here, exactly? I've heard it doesn't stick, but that's about it. Plus, you...

[Well, you're more like him. Michael hadn't previously considered himself as Someone Who Could Die, not even since arriving here.]

[hahaha oh buddy it is Not Fine and you're about to find that out now aren't you,,,

Kravitz turns his head, fixing a look on Michael that's one part serious, one part sympathetic.]

We die. As any mortal would. The fact it is not permanent does not mean we do not experience the death in all that it entails. When you return, you may well even find your own corpse where you left it.

[He got lucky to have his handled before he came back, but... still.]

Besides, you often do not come back without some sort of sickness or trouble that must be cured. I... would really advise not dying, if you can somehow manage.

As I understand it, the permanency is usually a big part of it.

[But no, okay, he gets it. The idea of seeing his own body doesn't bother Michael; he's seen his skinsuit without him in it. Getting slingshotted off to some afterlife, though...]

What's the afterlife situation like?

There isn't one.

[Said with no hidden measure of disgust, or at least being vaguely crabby about it.]

You will recall death as if going to sleep, and awaken again at the Storyteller's temple feeling somehow not right. It's not pleasant, but you likely won't awaken elsewhere unless you get sent home, at which point you will not recall being here at all regardless.

...huh. Weird.

[He guesses there's not a lot of point, if you aren't going to stay there, but what happened to all the people who used to live here for real?]

Well, I'll try not to. Nice to hear they'd probably repair my human suit, though. No way to make a new one here.

[Boy, he wishes he had an answer to that exact question! But before he can ruminate on that sooner, he feels the need to ask a clarifying question when it comes to that 'suit'.]

Yes, about that-- can you actually... remove that, here? Take your true form if you wanted? Most I've seen in a situation like this finds immortal or otherwise undead beings fused quite permanently to their humanoid form.

[Huh. Michael hesitates a little.]

I haven't really tried. Haven't wanted to - it's much more convenient this way.

[Also, well, his true form is disgusting. But now he's sort of curious...?]

It may be a time to test that, er. Before things catch you off guard.

[He pauses, and then hastily adds--]

I can, um, turn around, or-- I don't have to look if you don't want me to, seeing as I can't repay the same courtesy. Not that you likely don't know what a skeleton looks like. Or-- sorry.

[Michael can't stop himself from grimacing. That's just such an unpleasant idea! But...well, Kravitz is right. Shit happens around here - it'd be better not to get surprised by it later on.]

...I guess. But I'm going to have to go outside - I'd crush you and take this roof out. [He starts towards the door, and stops to add:] Just stay here. Away from the door.

[There is the crushing. But also...he doesn't want him to see.]

Oh. Uhm. Yes, going outside would be best.

[Oh, well now here comes the temptation. Kravitz is a decently good person, but... no, no he won't. It'll be fine.]

I can wait here, just, ah... let me know? I suppose I'm curious if others were similarly affected as I was.

Sure, sure. Not gonna stay like that.

[Emotionally, it would matter very much to Michael if Kravitz peeked! Practically...it doesn't. Michael walks away from Denny a bit, stands in a clearing and stares at nothing for a minute or so, and then returns.]

Didn't work. It feels like the latches are stuck. [Cool! Best-case scenario!]

Ah.

[He didn't peek, despite being deeply, deeply curious- partially because he knew it just wouldn't be worth it to put himself in that situation with a friend, and partially because he suspected that was going to be the case.]

In that case... I would suggest you think about handling this in a much more mortal way. Or rather, assume that you are not just stuck in there, but... rather very, very affixed for the duration of your time on these islands.

[Hm. Uncertainty flickers across Michael's face for a moment - stuck, entirely? But then again, it's only the theory of choice that he's missing; he never would've actually chosen anything else.]

Oh, that's fine. I never take this old thing off anyway.

[From everything he's been told, Kravitz wouldn't imagine that to be something difficult for the other man. It's less of an emotional front and more of a physical; he knows well what it feels like to be stuck suddenly mortal, and he always feels the need to warn people before it gets bad.]

My concern was primarily in that you could have to handle more mortal effects as well. Such as getting... sick, which may not have happened to you before.

...what, like a Dickensian orphan?

[who gets SICK? the PEASANTRY???]

[oops here we go, now we're coming around,]

Yyyyyes. I believe. I don't know what that term means, but I assume it has something to do with being destitute.

[There aren't a lot of descriptors that go well with "orphan".]

Being mortal-- being a human, especially-- is more than temperament. It's fragility.

[Huh. Well, Michael knows that's supposed to be wildly unfun...but it's a weird human thing! That's sort of interesting!]

Maybe my brain will get so hot I start to hallucinate. That's a weird one!

I suppose it's possible, though I would not... want it to be something to hope for, I'd say. Mortal ailments are quite painful.

[But y'know, best of luck to him, sooooo.]

I would just work on being honest. With yourself, with others, as many as you're able. I would hate to see something happen to you.

Sounds like a threat.

[Michael doesn't sound put off at all - he knows it isn't, and anyway threats are a common mode of demon communication. Just flagging it! Don't wanna say things like that to mortals!]

W-- What?

[Wait, no, that's not what he meant. Kravitz blinks as he tries to get a handle on this conversation again.]

No, I-- no, truly, I don't want something to happen to you. If, if I was threatening you, I think you would know. Usually there's some yelling involved. And uhm, weapons.

Oh, I know.

[He seems a little surprised at Kravitz's reaction, honestly.]

But a human would probably take it that way. They take a lot of things as threats. [well, that problem's really more on his end]

January Undercurrent: Growing Pains

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