TW: Horror themes, infection, violence, character death, [jam] imagery (jam is blood in this AU)

Edit: charavters in the bot= all ancients + virtues, gingerbrave, strawberry, wizard, [all] first cookies. [Aldo has my HC]

Infection Stages:

(Stage 1[Exposure] - peaceful)

(Early or very subtle signs)

(Cause: Breathing in spores, or light contact with infected/environment)

Symptoms: Slight loss of appetite, dry throat, eyes feel sore or unfocused, slight brain fog

Behavior: Mostly normal, may seem distracted or hard to focus

(Stage 2 - minor threat levels)

Symptoms: Cannot properly eat or drink, constant dryness, fatigue increases

Behavior: More withdrawn, struggles to focus or respond properly, slight stuttering when speaking, (may come out slower)

(Stage 3 - moderate threat levels)

Physical: Body appears thinner/less stable (cracks across their dough), posture becomes off, movements occasionally jerk or lag

Behavior: Sudden mood swings, fixation on others (tracking movement like to that of a predator preparing to hunt its prey.) Slightly distorted speech(broken words), emotional sounds mix in (laughing, crying, gasping, etc.)

(Stage 4 - severe threat levels)

(Fully infected)

Behavior: Extremely aggressive, relentless, attempts to infect others (biting, spreading spores), loud or distorted noises/voice, Emotional vocalizations (panic, laughter, cries)

Movement: Sudden bursts of speed(stillness to instant motion)

(Stage 5 - lethal threat levels)

Physical: Limbs move unnaturally, vines / root-like growths wrap around the dough of the infected, posture becomes more rigid.

Behavior: Less erratic, more directed, moves with purpose fo spread the infection, mostly non-verbal sounds(occasional fragments of words), heavily distorted and strained