lifeaftr | 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

Usually Jules doesn't get involved with other people. It's better to keep his distance for a variety of reasons. This time though, he can't help it. He can tell this kid is new here, and he can't turn away. Nineteen is still a kid no matter what Quentin - or any other 19 year old - might say.

"Because this place uses us a puppets for its own entertainment. The more torture it can put us through the better. Might as well try to get used to it. Happens all the minsid time."

It seriously pisses Jules off, but he's going really going to go into that right now. Quentin needs help. Thankfully this isn't the first time Jules has dealt with this crap. He knows the cure for it, though Quentin probably isn't going to like it.

"That's great," Quentin sighs, but he can't even look surprised at it. Then again, he's used to the general fact that Faerie -- and life, in most places -- never exactly plays fair. Why should this place be any different?

"But flowers is a new one." Another coughing fit interrupts him and he grimaces at the various petals. So gross. "I don't really see how this is entertaining for anyone. Unless they're really messed up." ...which yeah, okay, that would be the explanation, wouldn't it? This whole place is really messed up.

((Hoping your okay with a bit of mind reading, but if not give a shout and I'll change this!))

"Ah, see, you figured that all out by yourself and you haven't even met any of our dear gods or their emissaries."

Not that Jules has met any of the gods either, but he purposefully tries to stay away from them. He doesn't even like the storyteller.

"Flowers are only the start. It'll keep getting worse. Lot of beings died because of it last time."

(( fine by me! ))

He wrinkles his nose, not entirely sure what he means he figured out. "I've heard about the Storyteller, but I'm not really looking to meet any gods. Running into Firstborn back home is enough trouble." Though in fairness, at least one of those Firstborn is someone he loves like the world's most terrifying aunt.

And then he hesitates entirely, shaking his head. "I'm not supposed to die." He realizes how that probably sounds and looks sheepish. "I've never even been sick."

"That the beings in charge of this place are incredibly screwed up."

Don't mind him. He really doesn't mean to answer questions that have only been thought. No matter how hard he tries he'll always hear them, and he doesn't always recognize he's doing it.

"Welcome to the world of nobody gives a fuck what's supposed to happen. Typical rules don't apply here. Not even the rules you don't think about because you inherently know them."

Oh. There's a moment where his eyes widen like they may widen right off his face. This guy is in his thoughts. That's new. Even the Luidaeg can't do that -- thankfully -- but this place is so strange, maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

"I'm starting to figure that out. But... guess I should get used to it. Until someone figures out a way to get everyone back where we belong."

Which as far as Quentin could tell, could be a week or so after never. "Have you been here a long time?"

It has nothing to do with this place. Just Jules' strange genetics. Don't mind him.

The question breaks the hardened and annoyed expression on Jules' face for a very brief instant. His eyes turn sad and glance down to his wrist. There's nothing there to indicate why, but it's precisely that reason that he is upset. The two raggedy pink and purple braided bracelets are missing. At risk of losing them completely, he now keeps them locked away in his home instead of wearing them.

"A long time. Longer than I want to think about."

"I'm sorry," Quentin answers, frowning. "That has to suck so much. I've only been here for a couple months, and I already feel like I'm losing my grip sometimes. I miss everyone and home and--"

And that's not helping. So he stops the words anyway, but it's hard to break the train of thoughts, of missing Toby and Raj and Tybalt and the Luidaeg. Of missing his boyfriend. And pizza. Oak and ask does he miss pizza.

And not coughing up flowers and blood. The simple things. Anyway. "I'm Quentin, by the way."

"Dagger, and don't stop talking. You sharing what you're really feeling and being honest will fight the flowers. It's a pain in the ass and likely meant to be that way for the sheer shits and giggles the gods get out of our discomfort, but if you're going to do it you might as well tell someone who can read your mind unintentionally anyway."

At least he thinks it is. The last time this happened that was enough for a few people to share things they wouldn't otherwise.

"Have you always been able to read minds? That sounds..." How to say this without being offensive, "Exhausting."

But right. Talking about his own feelings. His shoulders slump. "I guess, that's mostly it. I miss everyone now, and I know I'm gonna miss them again, and it'll be a lot longer than however long I'm here." Eleven more years until he comes of age and has to leave San Francisco and his fosterage behind. It's hard not to think of his as a preview of that in some ways.

"No. Resent acquisition thanks to my screwed up genetics and an attempt to save my life. And yeah, it's exhausting. Can't turn it off."

Or any of the other things that come with Trisani abilities.

"Missing people is part of life unfortunately. It sucks ass, but that doesn't change anything."

Jules isn't the type of person to be all happy positivity pretty much ever, but especially not when he knows it's a lie. There's no way he'll tell Quentin they'll meet again someday. A lot of the time that's a load of crap.

January Undercurrent: Growing Pains

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so sorry for the delay responding!!

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