After that accident of the information gass. Shellington start to feel so sick... He been coughing blood and nose bleeding every day... And the information start to becoming worse and worse... He start to walk to the medical room to see peso... He starts to feel pain...
The information... Take over of his body....
(I got no more ideas and I still need to think ik this is now short but uhm. The next part is never the story is about there character information later trust)
- pain across the entire body (because chytrid disease is the main inspiration, the infection is largely in the skin)
- desire to remain in water as much as possible (soothes the burning of the skin a bit, but also helps the disease spread if the patient isnt in a controlled environment. despite spending so much time in water, the keronian will still be abnormally dry.)
- erratic behavior. infected keronians aren't blanket hostile, as many such zombielike cases are. however, they will engage in behaviors that encourage contact with other keronians, such as aggression or courting behavior, without any prior prompting.
- when left alone, the diseased keronian will resonate incessantly, hoping to draw attention from other keronians. the infection seems to make resonance more powerful (<- apparently in some species that are immune to chytrid disease, males carrying it will ribbit faster and longer, making them more attractive)
sorry not only is this stupid in concept its past midnight so uhhh yeah
thing about using chytridiomycosis as a basis for an Infection AU is that there are a few holes that need to be filled to make it work for this kind of thing. there are choices to be made between realism and narrative convenience (not like realism is usually a focus in these. in fact theyre usually supernatural. but shhh). holes include
- the main symptom is lethargy. already addressed with mild nervous system influence that causes occasional outbursts of erratic behavior; possibly increases influence as disease progresses?
- keronian authorities are probably plenty willing to Put Down a keronian who's carrying a potentially catastrophic pathogen. the possible solution is that keronians are just too hard to kill for that to be feasible. just as a natural consequence of being an episodic series with a lot of slapstick humor. Giroro got shot out to space on the outside of a rocket once and he came back fine don't worry about it
- chytridiomycosis can be treated in a few ways, such as an antifungal bath, or prolonged exposure to a heat level that the fungus cannot survive in but the frog can. unsure how to work around this one, although it isn't treated in the wild because it's too intensive to do on a large scale so maybe that's it idk
i mean i probably needn't think too hard about it. the gunk in the last of us is literally supposed to be cordyceps that's evolved to infect humans. cordyceps doesnt cause any aggressive behavior in ants and frankly im not sure how that would help it spread. infected ants just wander off to die on a high leaf or branch where it's spores are more likely to reach more critters. but yknow
maybe it's just mutating really fast. maybe its a result of it leaving earth (for some reason. im not sure if thats how it works but it seems like a scifi plotpoint.) maybe it developed more zombielike symptom after being carried to keron. who knows
the first strain causes regular ol' death but since the fungus produces zoospores in the skin of LIVING keronians it mutates to keep keronians (relatively) alive for longer. take the "stages of infection" you get in most of them except it's also the evolution of the disease, the keroro platoon were killed by stage two but more stages develop as it spreads on keron, etc
so anyway further infection concept doodles. realized this format maybe wouldnt work so well since. this isnt a body horror project like some are. not as much visual progression as there is behavioral. anyway i don't have the braincells to elaborate plus i aughta take a shower
if i did make a properly apocalyptic needlessly edgy infection au deal most of the keroro platoon would be dead. sorry guys. the exception is dororo (asymptomatic carrier because i think having him be the token immune character would be a really funny sfa reference)
Tw for infection au / horror / angst / vomit (fictional vomit? it's nightmare goop) / death (also. child death but it's not a main focus at all and briefly mentioned)
When you're a hero, people assume that because of that flashy smile and good attitude, that you must be doing great! But what happens when that hero is scared to admit he has things on his mind? What happens when instead of venting to friends, he bottles it all up, and starts pushing people away? What happens when he closes off entirely, and takes a long nap, only to have his anxieties leak through his nightmares, and into his world, endangering the people he cares about most?
Well that's the synopsis for this AU. Rayman's connection to Polokus allows him to (unknowingly) create things through his dreams, good and bad alike. His nightmares however work like an infectious virus, and terrorize the Glade. If interested, and want more refs and drawings and doodles that I've been working my buttcheeks off for weeks trying to get done, click read more! I'd really appreciate it! This is also my first infection/horror au ever so I'm not used to writing sorta eerie stuff like this XD
Symptoms/Stages of the Nightmare Infection
Stage 1: Achy. Tired. But still you. Non infectious.
Stage 2: Feeling a lot worse. Getting weaker and slow. Brain is feeling a bit foggy, but you still know who you are. Eyes start to yellow, and pupils turn red. Skin gets paler, and things like hair, wings, and fingertips get a blackish tint. While it's clear you have it, it's still not infectious.
Stage 3: Nightmare goop vomit. Incredibly painful. Not as capable of getting around on their own. So... either they get left behind. Or someone willing to sacrifice themself carries them with them, as this phase is infectious.
Stage 4: Vomiting with pain so intense, you die from shock. Obviously infectious.
*Rayman's symptoms vary, as he is 'patient 0' however he cannot die from it, only suffer.
Betilla
Poor Betilla, she didn't deserve any of this. When Rayman closed himself off and went to sleep, she tried her best to absorb the onslaught of nightmares. At this point, nobody knows Rayman's the cause. Except her. As his creator, she can see and feel that they're his. However, by the time she realizes, it's too late, and she's late stage 2, going onto stage 3. She cannot inform anyone. The fairy council magically binds her so she cannot hurt others, nor be infected further. She's too important to lose. Now all she can recognize is the heartbreak for whatever's going on inside Rayman's head that she wishes she had recognized sooner.
Ly
Somebody had to step up to replace Betilla, and Betilla had chosen Ly prior to absorbing the nightmares. She's been given wings, and is now head fairy of the Fairy Council, until things return to normal. Anxious, overworked, and exhausted, while Ly still cares, she cares so much, she has very little patience. She was also informed to create a new hero with the essence of Rayman, which she does.
Globox
One of the main heroes trying his best to fight against the infection, he's seemed to have it the worst. Not only wondering why Rayman hadn't come to him when he needed him, but also feeling guilt for becoming cross with his little buddy when the lack of the limbless creature cost some of his kids lives. He was both relieved and enraged to see Rayman waltz into the scene again. There's a reason Rayman took his drawstrings out of his hoodie- an angry, grieving father and the partial cause of the loss do not mix well. And yet he can't help but want to hug Rayman so tightly. And also slap him, with that new robotic arm lost to infection.
Loup
Now, I wasn't intending to add Loup. Or any ocs. However, the angst potential here was too good to me. He's the new hero Ly created from Rayman's essence. Unlike Rayman, he doesn't grasp what fun is, he was never taught it. He was brought along as a tool to fix an issue, not as a creature to live a life. This doesn't mean he doesn't have thoughts, and feelings however. In fact, that's his downfall, similar to Rayman's. And when Rayman joins in fighting against the nightmares, he quickly catches that he's going through exactly what he was before all this happened. Difference is, Rayman had it so much better: People who WOULD listen if he had just reached out. Nobody has time to listen to Loup. So Rayman will. Globox had tried to listen to him, but all he sees when he looks at Loup, is Rayman, sometimes even accidently calling him that (Which proves to become an issue)
It makes it hard to concentrate and give emotional input...
More
Rayman had no ill intent. The whole story is an allegory for don't bottle your emotions because they'll hurt you and those you care about if you let them fester. Friends and family are there for a reason. Globox would've listened, Betilla, or Ly. But he didn't want to be weak. He didn't want to be a downer. It's his job to make others smile, yet he ended up doing the opposite.
Ly only uses her silver lums on Loup. This is why he looks less trashed up than Rayman. She does not have the energy to help Rayman as well. And who should she trust, the guy who disappeared for five years, or the guy created for the situation who's been helpful nonstop for five years? She cares about Loup, but she is not his mother to him either. Globox is more of a dad to Loup almost, even if he has trouble listening to him. Maybe projecting a bit from his losses....
Nobody is very fond of Rayman at first. Even if there's relief of Rayman being here, they're not entirely trusting him either. He's not so sure he trusts himself either. But slowly, surely, signs show that he's still Rayman. And people begin to trust him more. Rayman REALLY locks in once he hears about the baby globoxes, and of course, Betilla... (Pic after story is wrapping up.)
Rayman tries to get Loup to spill his own emotions. And eventually, he does. Kind of in a tricking way (Teases him until he gets mad and chases him, racing) Gets to hear the kid laugh for the first time at least, and they have a conversation about why Rayman disappeared.
Though, speaking of Loup and Rayman. Loup was not supposed to know about Rayman's existence. He was just supposed to know he replaced a hero, and was here to fix issues. Globox's slip up caused some questioning and issues, now Loup's mind partially on "Who's Rayman?"
While the nightmares cannot kill Rayman, since he's the original vessel, he absolutely does have the same painful symptoms. So.....
And no. Globox couldn't resist holding his friend. He couldn't leave him. He has a fake arm, hopefully it works well enough to keep the infection from spreading to him, right?
This au does have a happy ending
The ending is Rayman finally unbottling everything, and as he does, the nightmares writhe, and dissolve into nothing, including those who are still alive, but infected. It takes them awhile to realize the nightmares are coming FROM him, and it comes from watching him toss in turn during sleep, as the world around them transforms into something nightmarish.
Bleeding nightmare Loup reminds me of this song. and The Crow in general. Though in his case he's brought back to life over and over until he stops the Nightmare Infection. Instead of just brought to life and killing terrible people/avenging himself and his love.
(Rayman being the guy who 'stole his life' because this guy doesn't get to live actual life. until after all of this is over. And when he finds out it's Rayman... well, you'll see later on I suppose.)
Ly reviving him below too bc fun
Rigor, she works as a nurse and a morgue assistant, she is the first pony to encounter an infected pony while closing up the morgue.
The last version of the sketch is purely accidental, i was playing with overlay options in sai and this was a dark color set to "burn" option, i didn't even edit the sketch to look different, it just looks like that because of the overlay, which i think is fun and pretty creepy
some sketches for the fungus kingdom au (infection au) - some first designs
Please ignore my shitty camera 🙏
Poor Herb Cookie [*]
I haven't used my tablet for a long long time (around 7/8 months) because I bought an iPad and it was more convenient lol (I missed krita, still hates procreate)
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