Carneades!

[espigeonage]

So, the plague scare! That thing is not done yet. It's been spread around. It's still being spread around! Carneades is carefully engineered and highly virulent and rather alarming to track. But it doesn't hurt humans. It's designed to hit birds. This version mostly hits rock pigeons and their domesticated kin, the breeds people usually eat, race, and keep as pets. Other birds might fall ill here and there but won't be changed and mostly won't even die of it.

There are sick birds about already. Birds tend to try their hardest to hide illness, and anyway they don't cough or sneeze as obviously as humans. If sickness bad enough to show, it's very serious. Look for fluffed up, apathetic pigeons with lolling heads. They can be approached, even touched, with only minimal attempts to escape. They sneeze a lot and there's a brownish crusty discharge on their beaks. Also fever.

A lot of those are going to get eaten, hit by cars or trampled, and others will die more directly of it. There's going to be an unusual number of dead birds about, that's for sure. A few of the obviously sick might make it. People who take pity on them and try to put them in safer spots, or especially who keep them warm and get them to drink things, can save some others. That will be remembered, later.

Survivors don't seem to act abnormally for now. But just because a bird is sick doesn't mean it shows it - and it's mostly those ones that seem okay now that survive and are getting smarter.

HIATUS

[pawdacious]

Hey guys! Just a quick heads up that I'll be gone for about a week for NYCC, so tags will be slow until I'm back in town.

when there's trouble you know who to call

[titansno]

Hellllo, Save the Earth! It's Zero, your resident Protoman and Enter bringing you another character with a one-word canon name! Here's Raven from the Teen Titans TV series, empath, sorceress, and reclusive creepy teenage girl. Siiiiince this cast is springing up and there's no stopping it now. THE TRAIN JUST KEEPS ON ROLLING.

Now, she's Rachel Roth, an up-and-coming writer who mostly does horror and dark fantasy. Her most recent novel and first mainstream success is Malchior, a paranormal romance novel that actually isn't bad. But rather notoriously, she hates it and she hates how its fanbase has grown. She just wanted the idea for the story out of her head, dammit.

Characters who were present at LockCon a few months back might recognize her, even if they don't know her work. Right now, she's living in a brownstone owned by her grandmother, so if necessary she's prepared to offer a safehouse for people from the network at some point.

If you want to talk or plot, I'm available on plurk at clockworkbrain, or on AIM at alivestorm93. Failing that, feel free to PM this journal! Pre-established CR or one-sided familiarity is always fantastic.

Let's have some fun!