#btw please ask me to add any CWs or tags I might've missed!

[fluffle-writes]

Weirdcore AU thoughts - 'sickness bug'

Credit to @fidenciocryptidcreechur for helping me come up with this! (They also helped with brainstorming about another AU that I'll try to compile and share soon-ish :D)

Content warnings: Discussion of Sickness, bugs, infestations of living beings, consumption of bugs, eyes as orifices for eating, eye goop, Weirdcore AU shenanigans

Anyways - you know those illnesses like colds or flustered that spread around schools (particularly in the wintertime)? Well, in the Weirdcore AU, illnesses are often the fault of larger bugs-like parasites rather than bacteria!

They feed off of mucus, which means that they might reside in the sinuses of their victims and cause irritation - which can lead to runny noses. They might also cause irritation to the eyes of anyone who has those features being larger - and some Weirdcore beings who might grow fruit on a part of their bodies (like the apples on Epel's horns) may experience parasitism there too - like bugs eating holes into apples.

Bad enough sickness in Epel can cause these 'ghost apples' to develop as a defense against the bugs, as they will leave if there's no nutrients for them to take from the apples. They tend to be a sign of a particularly bad infestation though, as the force of blood vessels in the apples squeezing when Epel sneezes tends to push out any unwanted visitors when he's got a mild case of the bugs.

For a lot of Weirdcore folk, the main option they have is to wait out the sickness. However, flower folk (like Ace or Deuce) can be a massive help for handling outbreaks of the bugs!

This is because, due to their preference for feasting on mucus, the mucus membranes on the eyes of flower folk tend to attract the attention of the bugs! However, similar to Venus flytrap plants, they're specifically adapted to handle those particular species of bugs!

The strong flavour of their eye goop tends to shock the bugs, and the stickiness of their membranes can allow for easy snacking for the flower folk!

This ultimately leads to a lot of flower folk visits to other dorm members when a case of the bugs ends up spreading around NRC - a rare instance of cooperation between the different dorms!