Talk To Jreg!

Before we address symptoms or descriptions of this illness at all, it’s very important to note the specifics of what it has been called. This entire time, the thing that has been infecting our beloved political ideologies has been referred to as a virus. Thus, I will only be looking at viruses, due to wanting to remain as accurate as possible to in-source descriptions. 

Now, we can get to the bottom of this shit. 

The first major thing that I noted going back through the comic was how the virus was formed to begin with. Sure, Posadist added silly things like glitter and rose petals, but something that stood out to me was the use of Ancap/Pinkcap’s blood. This would usually point towards one thing–a bloodborne virus. But, that is not the only possibility we’re working with.

Yes, bloodborne viruses are obviously present in the bloodstream, but there are other types of viruses where infection is still found in the blood during illness. This includes certain respiratory and airborne viruses, vector-borne viruses, and gastrointestinal viruses.

Due to no evidence that this virus has spread via insects, I will be eliminating vector-borne as a possibility. I’ll also be taking off gastrointestinal viruses, for… obvious reasons.

It’s most likely that we’re working with a virus that is airborne with infection in the bloodstream as well. It must have some sort of airborne quality due to the way that AnNil and Mutualist caught the virus.

As far as we are told, they were not shot or injured. They are also not visibly hurt in the panel they’re shown in. Rather, Mutualist says “We took a wrong turn, and ended up in the authright quadrant. The whole area was already infected with the illness, so we ran away. [...] But then AnNil just… He went lightheaded and collapsed.” This tells us that the virus can be caught due to general exposure to sick individuals, and not just by being shot or forced to drink the pink liquid.

Now that we have identified the way the virus spreads (blood, air, and spit–the last one because of Blueman chewing on the bullets to infect them), it’s good to look at symptoms. 

As I’ve already noted thanks to Mutualist and AnNil, lightheadedness and weakness seem to be a symptom. We can also note obvious deliriousness, changes in personality, and changes in speaking patterns.

I’m noting fever as a possibility due to physical changes in bodily color, as running a fever can cause you to go red/flushed. 

The most telling symptom-based information we’ve gained so far has been from Capcom, though. In the most recent update, he goes into great detail about how the virus affects the body and mind to Ancom.

The first thing he says is that it “feels like goo swirled in with little maggots picking at your brain.” He goes on to clarify that it’s not painful, just not enjoyable either. I would equate this feeling in real life to running an incredibly high fever. This is due to the fact that high fevers can cause tissue destruction in the brain, which can literally cause a feeling mimicking bugs crawling around in your head for some. 

He describes how the “real you” has to fight for control over your body, lest you want to become braindead. I would again equate this to tissue destruction and brain damage eating at their minds, causing them to have to fight to stay lucid. This is supported by the fact that he says “losing” this war would cause someone to become brain dead.

I’m also noting here that he talks about this virus happening in stages.

Skimming through everything, these were the most notable symptoms that I could uncover. So here comes the part everybody has been waiting for! What virus are our beloveds infected with? 

Drum roll pleaseeee!!!

EBOLA VIRUS!!! 

Let’s break this virus down. It is typically spread through blood, saliva, and bodily fluids. While it is not usually airborne in nature, it has been discovered by scientists that it can be infectious via small-particle aerosols (liquid drops floating in the air) when artificially generated in laboratory settings! Which lines up with our pink virus being created in a lab by Posadist, who would absolutely pull some shit like that.

Ebola matches the symptoms of high fever, severe weakness, and tissue damage, and then the progression into confusion, agitation, and delirium in later stages/when left untreated; It is also known to cause red or bloodshot eyes, red skin rash, and a flushed appearance.

While Ebola doesn’t cause you traditionally to go “brain dead,” it does cause similar symptoms. Left untreated, it can cause delirium, seizures, brain inflammation, and deep comas before your body shuts down entirely. Even patients who recover can suffer from life-long memory problems, severe migraines, sleeping abnormalities, and tremors associated with the brain damage the virus causes. 

Ebola also develops in stages, just as the virus we see in Roseicide does and is described to do. 

Soo, while I’m not saying this is canon in any regard, I think Ebola is the closest thing to a real life replica of the Roseicide Virus we’re going to get, which I vote we dub either the Pink Virus or the Rose Virus (the second of which has more of a ring to it).

I hope you enjoyed my autism. I was so proud of myself when I cracked this code LMAO. Also I didn't proof read this and was writing it all as I was researching, so fuck me if any of it is disorganized.