Outbreak Plot Information

[thepull_mods]

Basic Plot Summary:

A strange disease outbreak surfaces next week, spreading quickly throughout the city via hand-to-hand contact. The infection rears its head with nastily severe flu-like symptoms, and in some severe cases this can even quickly become fatal. As the city succumbs on a wide-scale to the epidemic, panic ensues and the public grows frantic for a cure. As false cures and wilder claims surface from moneygrubbing drug companies, demand for the cure gets violent, and riots break out. Corporations break out a new round of finger-pointing in pursuit of power, and rumors begin to spread that a Newcomer may have brought the disease to the island, causing a new wave of anti-newcomer hatred.

The Church of Jonova, a cult whose membership has slipped off in the last few months, resurfaces strongly as the city's saving grace- 'miraculous' prayer and confession sessions have temporarily alleviated symptoms for some, and fully healed others! Crowds begin to gather at the cathedral, until investigations reveal that the 'spiritual' sickness originated from within the church itself. A potential conspiracy?

Meanwhile, researchers race to understand how the disease works, to find a medical solution that will save the city.  Unfortunately, one of the long-term effects of the plot will be the development of a marketable drug which can effectively 'cure' human compassion.

Lowdown on the Plague-Nastiness

It is passed via hand-to-hand contact- a single handshake, passing off objects, or any kind of direct touch will spread it from person to person. It is possible to contract and spread the disease without exhibiting any symptoms. Characters with supernatural disease immunity will also be resistant. Curiously, those who are either morally remorseless or those who understand themselves to be innocent and blameless seem to be the least affected, no matter how much contact they have with the sick.

After contact, it takes between 48-72 hours to incubate before symptoms surface. The disease attacks those who hold suppressed feelings of guilt and shame, giving those feelings physical effects. The stronger and longer the intensity of these feelings, the worse symptoms will be. Average over-the-counter cold and flu medicines do little to alleviate these symptoms, but talking out your internal struggles does seem to help greatly. Being forgiven and accepting that forgiveness, or forgiving yourself? Cures you completely.

Those with powers of spiritual purification may also cure the disease through direct contact, though it may be re-contracted until a medical cure is developed.

Symptoms may include: nausea, fatigue, fever, nasal congestion, vomiting, body aches and dizziness. 

Genuinely believing that you are unworthy of living will bring the disease to its fatal stages. (Feel free to interpret this loosely, if you want to opt out of character death)

An immediate connection between symptoms and their catalyst will not be immediately apparent. 


Timeline

This plot will be developing from Tuesday the 15th, when the first who have contracted the disease will begin to show symptoms, into the beginning of next month (June 4th), when the cure will be made available and widely distributed.

A majority of the city will be infected by the 22nd, unless they have taken special measures to carefully quarantine themselves.

SERO will be leading disease research, so keep in mind that affiliation has its advantages, and that SERO will be calling for disease research participants to be voluntary (and involuntary) guinea pigs.

AGI affiliates will be encouraged to aim their media propaganda guns at SERO's ineffectiveness, and will eventually be broadcasting from the Church of Jonova, as cult revival reaches its peak fervor.

Newsfeeds will be the primary source for wide-scale effects and plot updates, so keep an eye on them. If you plan for a character's involvement to go beyond catching the disease or tending to the sick, please let us know here so we can include them in investigations or research!

- Kelly-Mod


Questions? Ideas? Plotting Space? Comment here!

Comments

Plotting encouraged for this.

[makethemguilty]

Manfred: Since there will be mass chaos, and with that, panic and fear, Manfred will start to manifest his conditional abilities, detailed here or on his app: The fear of others will rejuvenate him, in health and body. Depending on the amount of fear he may very well become very, very strong, and will not require the use of a cane. He may even regain a youthful disposition due to the euphoric feeling induced by said fear. If there is enough mass panic and chaos to go off of he will even become something akin to an all-powerful Manfred. But, such a state is temporary and when the fear diminishes so does the power. Only the rejuvenation will have lingering effects.

By the time the City-wide panic heightens to its peak he will look to be physically at the prime of his life (think investigations 2) and will be emboldened to carry out any devious plans he's been holding back on due to his near invulnerability/temporary increase in strength. This means he may have powerfully violent urges, fits of rage, etc.—want to strike down Edgeworth at the very sight of him for example, or do something drastic in the midst of the emotional chaos to make him all the more terrifying as he'll be rather hungry for the power that the resulting fear brings. In other words: He'll be looking for trouble.

However! This is kind of a double-edged sword.

Eventually despite any extensive measures he's taken to avoid the disease the illness will eventually affect him despite this, severe enough that his conditional ability will then cease to act as a countermeasure for the symptoms. Think a powerful rush of emotion and the crash that comes afterwards. "Guilt"...Well, he is guilty about something...,but it's quite doubtful he'll talk anything out. Or want to. :/

I'm all too happy to offer him for a villainry sub-plot before his illness or during. If AA cast/anyone wants to plot something you can use this comment or post to my plotting post I set up here: Clicky

Seward: Will be mostly immune, as he is pure/guiltless. And it would be handy to have him on a research team with his Professor Van Helsing. Both are well-versed in odd and strange diseases, so if I can get him involved in that that would be awesome. They'll try to investigate the "spiritual" nature of the disease...Or look after some of the sick when doctors get short-handed.

If anyone in the Stoker household has something to plot then go ahead and use this comment. :3

[integra_hellsing]

hay

hay

hay.

Tegra's going to be sooomewhat ill. As much as she wants to say she's blameless and all, the war at home and all the death and stuff... well. She may or may not blame herself for not being more prepared. :| HELP HER?

wrong account

[mister_foppish]

Of course! Seward will do his absolute best and grandfather will have to have a heart to heart so that she can be all better. ;;

NO THIS ACCOUNT IS ALL OF THE RIGHT

[integra_hellsing]

sdfkljsdlkfj EEEE. <333 I think this will be interesting. ;; She's guilty about Walter, too, but that much she'll keep to herself. Forever. sdfkljsdflj

[makethemguilty]

Poor bb. ;; She needs all the comfort. It's not her fault

[integra_hellsing]

;; that's not what Sir Islands says....

[makethemguilty]

Psh. Stuff it, Islands! It's actually Abraham's fault for keeping the damn vampire.

[angel_of_death]

Prepare to be looked after and doted on.

[integra_hellsing]

Daddy-butler. ;; -grabby hands.-

[tinyvampiregod]

They can be ill together.

In bed. Whinging at Walter.

[integra_hellsing]

SDFLKJ ROFL. Oh God, poor Walter! XD <3

[tinyvampiregod]

Assuming he gets miserable enough to leech downstairs from Walter's room to Integra's.

[integra_hellsing]

dsfljsdflkj oh god, miserablecard... DX Integra's probably going to try and continue on for as long as she can before she ends up bed ridden... aka someone's going to have to drag her ass back to bed LOL.

[tinyvampiregod]

Aww Inty T_T don't collapse! Walter will shoo her into bed before that, I should hope.

[laurice]

WAIT.

Larry should catch this disease from Manfred. The Butz won't have anything worse than a cold or a mild flu though.

WITH THAT SAID I AM UP FOR THIS.

[makethemguilty]

Good. <3 Leave it to Larry to catch a disease from this old jerk.

[laurice]

He'll be trying to help people out - Manfred could run into the doofus while he's buying chicken soup ingredients ahahaha.

[makethemguilty]

Evidently he won't be looking well, either. And confrontation might just make everything worse. Awesome. Let's do it. xD

[laurice]

Don't make Larry go Puella Magi on you, old man.

No, really, he wouldn't. XD

[makethemguilty]

What is...this abomination....

Larry is a magical girl??!?!

XD Oh. -Laughs-

[ergomaniac]

OKAY OKAY. Edgeworth is going to get pretty damned sick (obviously, the little angst monkey), but certainly not to the point of death, so he'll still be out and about and trying to do his duties. He could certainly run into Manfred then? I do most certainly want to have them interact over Manfred's dastardly powers...

[makethemguilty]

In that case can he catch the illness from Edgeworth? Because that would be delicious. x3 And confrontation is a must.

[ergomaniac]

HEH, HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT KARMA, MR. VON KARMA

Okay okay! Edgeworth still feels incredibly guilty over nearly killing von Karma. What if, once the link between the disease and what causes it is known, he goes to von Karma to confess in an attempt to assuage his guilt? That could give them a reason to encounter one another beyond simple coincidence. Thoughts? Or would you like von Karma to get sick earlier in the plot cycle?

[makethemguilty]

Perrrrrfect. And no, no~ That sounds deliciously evil. I am flexible for you always, darling. Though...Would you be okay with him getting violent or coming close to murdering him? (I mean, like having the intent but not going through with it.) Maybe give him a bit of a beating or something. Tell him he's an insolent child and toss him around a little?

Manfred on the other hand...Will never admit his guilt. Or at least he'd rather die. xD; (IDK though it could be amusing if he.....said he was A LITTLE....guilty.)

[ergomaniac]

Absolutely, that's okay! I always do like to write out a good fight scene. :3c This sounds like a plan. We could aim to have this happen around the second week of the plot...?