(no subject)

[spicecake]

the perschky vine

Over the last few days, there has been a noticeable uptick in coughs, sniffles and sneezes echoing through the hallways and break rooms of Enodia Station. While most have attributed this to some casual shared bug or seasonal torture (so oft experienced in this setting!), on Thursday morning a half-retired biologist named Dr. Myron Perschky felt a particular, familiar disturbance in the force from deep within his cocoon in the station library archives. Lifting tired eyes from a subscription to Elevator World, Dr. Perschky has pushed his spectacles up his nose, slapped on his name tag (just in case, as he suspects, people have started to forget who he is) and begun the rounds to collect data and make observations. Has his namesake and great nemesis returned?

A strange day is dawning, and for those who remember the last time this happened, Dr. Perschky's hunched reappearance on Thursday morning is of chaotic portent.

So what the hell is going on?

The Perschky Vine, discovered circa 5 years ago when it first appeared on the Enodia Station campus and incited several public break-ups, fights and chaotic dance parties, is an extremely fast-growing invasive plant species with observed liminal properties. The growth form is best described as "spindly" or "thin," with incredibly strong runners that are difficult to physically remove once colonisation has begun. The vine climbs via specialised thorns and tendrils which favor left-handed binding in a counter-clockwise fashion, making it both a twiner and a hook-climber depending on environmental factors. It does not appear to rely on sunlight and – inspiring much conspiracy over whether or not the thing, in its apparent meddling and sneakiness, might have some form of conscious awareness – rarely grows in plain sight, instead favoring darkness, secret corners behind panels, ceiling tiles, scaffolding, and less visible architecture. In short, it's a bitch to notice and remove before the flowering stage.

While the infestation period is relatively benign, signaled merely by symptoms evoking a simple seasonal allergy or cold, once the flowering stage begins PURPLE BLOSSOMS OPEN and exude what can be described as a SPARKLING POLLEN (although notably, it is not officially classified as such and appears to have no purpose apart from spreading its emotional effects). Luckily for the denizens of Enodia Station, this stage has a relatively short span as it flags the plant for immediate removal and affected areas for deep sanitation.

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PERSCHKY '23 TIMELINE

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY

"Allergy" symptoms: sniffles, sneezing, coughs, itchy/sore throat, watery eyes

Unnoticed, the vine infiltrates and colonizes the Research, Medical and Administration buildings, respectively ♥

THURSDAY

"Allergy" symptoms continue

In the morning, Dr. Myron Perschky can be spotted wandering around the Research building with a clipboard. He stopped working in this division two years ago and has spent a soft retirement working in the library archives ever since. Is this something to be concerned about? He isn't cagey when spoken to but seems busy and distracted by his task. He claims to be "gathering environmental data" but will not elaborate if pressed.

In the afternoon between 3:30-4:30pm Dr. Myron Perschky has a closed door meeting with Dr. Arabella Sutherland in the Medical building.

Afterward, Dr. Myron Perschky is seen walking through the Administration building with Lennon Mora.

FRIDAY

"Allergy" symptoms intensify this morning, now including (to your discretion) glittery snot, sparkly sneezes and coughs, light fever, light headache.

[Unaffected Character A] was here during the Station's first tangle with the vine (lol) and refuses to go through this again. They see ONE glittery sneeze, call out from work and create a "safe zone" in their apartment with an air purifier. Not today, Satan Perschky.

The flowering phase begins at 9:05am. Glittering dust fills the air in the Research, Medical and Administration buildings. Those who make contact with it are subject to the effects (see below). Some pollen can be seen outside on campus, but those outdoors and in other buildings are less likely to be affected by this phase. The Residential Building in particular is all-clear. (Basically, exposure is your call!)

At 9:10am a psychic announcement is made reassuring the Station that yeah, it's the fuckin' Perschky Vine again lmfao. This is a known phenomenon with protocol in place. Please refer to your employee handbooks. Work is cancelled for the rest of the day as buildings are ventilated and disinfected, and eradication will begin tomorrow morning to give teams time for recovery. Those affected are advised to rest, drink plenty of water, and isolate themselves to avoid "unwanted interactions." Stations with gloves and cute futuristic single-use gas masks (~aesthetic, please use yr imagination lmfao) are set up across campus.

The Medical Building is closed save for the Emergency Department, where a bewildered [Medical Volunteer] keeps a ragtag response squad afloat in case of incident. They are joined by Dr. Myron Perschky himself, who gleefully pokes and prods at anyone who comes along.

Sparkly pollen drifts around all day. It's very beautiful. Don't pause too long to admire it, though, because [Security Volunteer A] and [Security Volunteer B] are on patrol. Unleashed in sexy full hazmat bunny suits, they have been assigned to escort stragglers traveling from building to building, carrying umbrellas and personal fans to ward away the spores. SO safe and efficient!

SATURDAY

By 9:05am this morning, the pollen is gone and ALL symptoms begin to diminish. Everyone should feel relatively "normal" within the hour.

At 10:00am, eradication begins. Lennon Mora requests [Operations Volunteer] to organize a clean-up team for vine removal. [Research Volunteer] and [Exploration Volunteer] lead a dual-Division effort to gather samples and other relevant data points. Meanwhile, all buildings officially reopen, but entering them is at one's own discretion.

By 3:45pm, Enodia Station is declared vine free and operations resume as normal. Hope nothing too stupid happened in the meantime! :)

FLOWERING PHASE EFFECTS & SYMPTOMS

DISCLAIMER: This is an opt-in event! It is NOT obligatory for every character to experience the flowering phase. It's totally cool if you prefer for them to be completely unaffected, or to just stay a lil sniffly and glitter-snotty and hole up in their room until it all blows over. ♥ This is very much meant to facilitate whatever flavor of plot you're into, so do not feel pressured any which way! Volunteer characters on Friday can be affected if desired, but preferably not in a way that impedes their role.

In the flowering phase, affected characters will experience a dramatic ramping of symptoms as soon as the flowers open at 9:05am. While mostly not dangerous (except in terms of embarrassment) this is an individual experience that Dr. Perschky and other researchers have so far developed no predictive measures for. All characters will display lowered inhibitions for plot purposes, but are not unaware of their actions (they just might feel like something is a more natural or better idea than it actually is). Responses to pollen fall into four categories of expression that I've reinterpreted from Persona status ailments. Roll a d20 to see where your character falls:

☀️1-5: JUBILEE | happiness, excitement & joy. May include:

manic song and dance

impromptu celebration

reckless decision-making

overwhelming silliness

🌀6-10: CONFUSION | forgetfulness, uncertainty & absentmindedness. May include:

getting lost in familiar places

misremembering known facts and people

asking too many questions lmfao

inability to use powers effectively

💞11-15: TWITTERPATION | romanticism, horniness, & passion. May include:

emotional declarations

the desire to do a kiss

gazing at the sky in longing

ill-advised love notes

⛈️16-20: ANGST | sorrow, frustration & Big Feelings. May include:

public crying

picking a fight

nihilistic philosophizing

general doldrums

Please consider the above as prompts. Depending on how you roll, it is up to you and your comfort level/creativity to decide what happens to your character and how the flowering phase affects them. Plotting outside of rolls is encouraged too if you have a specific plan in mind. Go for it!

Additionally, if you would like to add an element of extra chaos, roll the crush wheel. This person could be an object of focus for your character's ailment, however you want to interpret this (ie. roll an 18 for ANGST, then the crush wheel to determine whose shoulder they NEED to cry on). Otherwise, please feel free to keep things general or use this all as an excuse to cause extra targeted trouble of your choice. I am your angel of chaos!!!

» PARTICIPATION: What are your plans for your character? Do you need volunteers? Share your various roll(s) and plot here. ♥

» FRIDAY SCENES: Scening that takes place on Friday!

» SATURDAY SCENES: Scening that takes place on Saturday!

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

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