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

[yakyuuman]

[ It is, indeed, what he referred to as his "baby boy".

Jyushimatsu didn't expect his animal-loving older brother to recoil like that, but it also shows how he fully recovered from the sickness, so it's nice to see! Nevermind how Ichimatsu doesn't seem too pleased to see Strike One, even despite the friendly wobbledog wagging its long snake-like tail while unfocused eyes keep staring at the purple clad sextuplet. ]

He's not weird! He's Strike One! My new child!

[ He picks the doggo up, and said doggo is seen wriggling his short paws. All six of them. ]

1/2

[ichininyaanshi]

[oh... actually, when Jyushimatsu holds it up like that, they actually do seem to fit perfectly well together...... it's eerie, but in a jyushimatsu sort of way.]



[kind of cute...]

[ichininyaanshi]

[WAIT, NO.]

Jyushimatsu... that's not your child. And with a name like "Strike One", it's obvious what you're going to do next, you know. There's no way you're taking in three.

[yakyuuman]

But I adopted him, so he's my child now! My whole dog baby!

[ He cuddles Strike One closer, swinging left and right, causing the doggo's body to wobble even more evidently. ]

When we're more financially stable I'll grab another two and make a very good family! ... Even better, I could breed him with another dog and get their eggs so I can have two more puppies at once!

[ Yes, Ichi, he said eggs. ]

[ichininyaanshi]

N-no... I can't be an uncle... !

[This is said, mostly, to himself. Apparently dragon niblings are chill, but goopy, wobbly dogs are just a bit too out there for Ichimatsu to deal with. In his defense, even if he's not afraid of dogs per se, he's spent enough time as a cat to know how much of a handful they can be.]

[Also, considering the distance that he hasn't closed yet, Ichimatsu is still pretty much shouting in order to be heard.]

We're not turning the cottage into a breeding hut! Why the hell does being made out of jelly make it lays eggs, anyway?! It's not like jelly lays eggs, does it? Actually, how do you even know this?!

[In the absence of Choromatsu or Todomatsu, someone has to be the tsukkomi here.]

[yakyuuman]

[ Poor nii-san, he looks like being a tsukkomi is going to give him a stroke. After he got out of that sickness, it would worry Jyushimatsu quite so much if there was a relapse or a really bad flu coming, but... this also feels naturally normal. Like they're in their home and not in a cottage situated on an island that's full of weird creatures.

That's why he's not really keen on making things better for the poor purple guy right now.

Noticing that Ichimatsu isn't even taking a step closer, Jyushimatsu takes up the task of reducing the distance, his wobbledog bouncing like a squeezebox as they advance. ]

The tall creepy guy with a paper bag in his head told me so! He was the one who let me grab one of the dogs! There's a huge pack of them around the clinic!

[ichininyaanshi]

The who... ? Oi, don't talk to people like that, Jyushimatsu.

[Of course he knows who his brother is talking about - that creepy guy who basically seems like some sort of anti-Dekapan, whom Ichimatsu doesn't trust on a good day. He's certainly ignoring the fact that they went to the clinic while Ichimatsu was sick, and nothing particularly shady happened. Still. Ichimatsu resents their ilk on principle.]

[When his brother shuffles closer, the dog wobbling away in his arms, Ichimatsu stiffens but doesn't retreat any further. He tries to look stern instead.]

How do you know it's not aggressive to other animals?

[yakyuuman]

But that's what he is! I'm just telling the truth!

[ No thoughts, just brutal honesty. Faust was a funny guy, and one he would trust if a plague would kill the entire island... even despite calling him creepy just a few seconds ago.

His heart is full of complexities and contradictions! Leave him alone!

In-bracket madness aside, Jyushimatsu comes up closer to his brother until the latter is within range to pet Strike One if he wants to. The dog's big eyes are certainly begging Ichimatsu to. ]

They're all good dogs! When I saw them the first time, they were only bouncing around like rubber balls and having a good time!

[ichininyaanshi]

[Damn... that clueless, dumbass expression... Ichimatsu can't help hismelf. His petting instincts activate all on their own. He reaches out and pats the wobbledog experimentally on the head, cringing a bit at the unexpected....... texture..... of it under his fingers. It's not necessarily bad, though...]

[Ugh! Why does he have to be the one stuck as the eldest brother at a time like this?]

[It'd be a problem if this thing wanted to gobble up ESP, or even Pachinko, who's been slowly starting to find her way back to the cottage every now and then. But it barely looks capable of standing upright. And it's docile as hell.]

[......]

What does it eat?

[yakyuuman]

[ Good job, nii-san, Strike One appreciates the petting! Though it doesn't look like that... he still looks at Ichimatsu with a really dopey face.

Jyushimatsu adjusts the boy in his hold, cradling him like a baby now. ]

The creepy paper bag guy told me they're herbivore! So I guess they're into veggies? It's weird! Aren't dogs often hungry for meat?

[ He pouts, but he has no idea how herbivore doggo means none of the cats in their cottage will be eaten. ]

[ichininyaanshi]

[ ]

[Once he gets used to the weird, pseudo-slimy feeling, it's really not that bad... so Ichimatsu keeps petting the wobbledog, his face twisting into a faintly confused expression.]

It's an herbivore that isn't aggressive and lays eggs... ? Is it really a dog, then?

[UGH. Ichimatsu sighs and lets his hand drop, utterly defeated.]

... that monkey village I used to live in has a vegetable garden. We can feed it using that.

[yakyuuman]

[ Jyushimatsu shrugs, looking just as clueless as Ichimatsu is, except he's still dorkily grinning. ]

He looks like a dog, so let's just go with that! Does it matter? I love him anyway!

[ Belatedly enough, Strike One turns up his muzzle to sniff at Ichimatsu's palm. Jyushimatsu nods at the suggestion. ]

Yay! Is it your garden? You're not yet planting weed there, are you?

[ He knows about big bro's weed selling days!!! ]

[ichininyaanshi]

[As expected, Jyushimatsu is happy to take things at face value... it's not a bad thing, though. That's probably why the two of them can get along so well. Ichimatsu drops the subject of the wobbledog's biological classification, his eyes wandering upwards as he ponders the garden instead.]

Well, it's not really my garden... some dog-god grew it a long time ago. I just kept the bugs out and --

[Then he cuts off with a bit of a lawnmower-sounding snort as he registers the rest of that question.]

H-h-hold on, who told you about that?!

[yakyuuman]

[ Ichimatsu's immediate "and I- oop" reaction easily inspires more hilarity in Jyushimatsu, who laughs and swings left and right as the wobbledog in his arms... wobbles along, four of his six feetsies wiggling along. He loves this little fucker. It's like they're made of the same elastic, slimy marshmallow material. ]

It was Ginko! Some big troll I met at a party! He said he only knew you from the time you gave him weed!

[ More laughing. ] I knew you had that in you! Back home, something like that would get you arrested for years! Nice move, nii-san!

[ichininyaanshi]

J-J-Jyushimatsu!

[He throws himself at his brother, flinging his arm around Jyushimatsu's shoulders and bringing him down into a conspiratorial huddle. If he gets random wobbledog feet thwacking into his face as a result, then that's how it be. He may have threatened their mother with the prospect of becoming a criminal once, but even Ichimatsu falls victim to the pressure of societal taboos.]

Don't get the wrong idea! It just kinda fell into my lap, you know?! It's for trading! Er - I mean, maybe I've used it once or t-twice...

[He's lying. He wasn't an regular user, by any means, but it was more than a couple times; thanks to his former neighbor, Connor, showing him how to actually use it after the growth process. And after living together this long, Jyushimatsu has potentially caught an old whiff of it on his clothes or blanket by now. He definitely hasn't smoked any pot since arriving, though.]

... and there's no way you're getting any, so don't even go there!

[yakyuuman]

[ When Jyushimatsu goes down, Strike One also does, but Ichimatsu will feel the boop of the dog's cute paws all over the side of his face. He's not being stopped.

But the smile on Jyushimatsu's face does come to a halt, mouth wiggling and matching with the frown and cat-like eyes now appearing on him. He doesn't like what he's hearing! ]

What do you mean I can't get it? Why are you allowed to smoke pot and I'm not?

[ That sounds so unfair? Sure, he never got weed before, but even knowing Ichimatsu became a drug lord he should have the prime priviledges as his favourite cursed sibling, right? Right? Look at that pout he's making, Ichi! How can you displease your precious little brother like this?!

Strike One seems to be sensing the emotions of his owner because his eyes also take a shape of a cute angry dog, his muzzle snorting indignantly. ]

[ichininyaanshi]

[Jyushimatsu being his favorite cursed sibling has nothing to do with it. Actually, no, it has everything to do with it. The only reason Ichimatsu even smoked weed in the first place was because a few people suggested to him that it would help with his..... personality issues. He doesn't even want to think about what it might do to Jyushimatsu.]

[Too late. He can think of at least five scenarios. Death awaits in them all.]

[Angry dog eyes, though. Ichimatsu sighs and tries to placate his brother with a wave of his hands.]

I-it's not that I'm allowed... there's just no cops here or anything. We're still going against the law. W-well, my neighbor was an American, so... I dunno about him. Anyway, don't turn into a criminal just because you're curious...

[As opposed to Ichimatsu, who is a criminal because he's a criminal. And criminals also do bribes.]

... we can keep the dog in the house if you drop it.

[yakyuuman]

[ The reasoning doesn't hold to him. If there's no law then why isn't he still allowed to smoke pot like everyone else? And what does being American have to do with that?

Jyushimatsu doesn't understand jack about it.

But what he understand is, instead, what Ichimatsu tells him right at the end. ]

Oh? Can we?

[ Technically, that's his cottage. He was the one who picked it before Ichimatsu came along, so he's got the ultimate choice on what goes in there! But anything positive that concerns his keeping Strike One as a house pet makes him happy. The doggo also seems to agree because he stops bopping Ichimatsu's face, frown relenting. ]

Okay! If you give me your world then I won't talk about weed again! But you've gotta pet and cuddle Strike One everyday as an extra fee!

[ichininyaanshi]

[Score. Relieved, Ichimatsu sighs and rubs his nose where the dog had bopped him the hardest, scowling even though it didn't hurt even a little bit. He's really not much of a dog person... but if all he's gotta do is pet the gross jelly-dog every day to keep his little brother out of the doghouse, then that's the price he's willing to pay. Even if this isn't Japan, it's just not a habit he wants Jyushimatsu to get into...... and leave him to explain to Choromatsu, if that high-strung, fappy bastard ever shows up.]

[Anyway, it's not because he's already growing fond of Strike One's clueless, happy attitude or anything. He's not that easy.]

[And it doesn't remind him of who may or may not be his favorite brother. Even a little bit.]

... tch. Deal. You're the one feeding him and cleaning up his messes, though.

[yakyuuman]

[ Well, that went a bit worse than he expected because he kind of expected Ichimatsu to wholeheartedly accept Strike One into his life without conditions. Even if the weed options were out of question no matter how hard Jyushimatsu begged for even a whiff of the prohibited material. But it's fine after all! They have a jelly dog and maybe he can make a deal for two more strikes and their cottage will be full of love with a pseudo family of their own to take care of!

... Maybe adopting four dogs and naming them after their brothers would have been another viable idea, but Ichimatsu might object to that. And Ichimatsu can be very deadset on his opinions. Jyushimatsu won't take any chance to fight with his nii-san... although wrestling matches are always on the table to take out some stress.

Strike One lets out a sound that sounds like wet paper getting slapped on a wall. He then proceeds to lick Ichimatsu's face. Jyushimatsu smiles luminously at them. ]

There! The deal has been sealed now! Hehehe!