w o l k e n t a g e

Page 35 - Shady Acres, 5 AM / Slip 42, 7 AM

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Ollie's condition is worsening, but he has a lot he wants to try and help sort out now he's no longer on the job. Ollie's breakdown the previous night managed to be bad enough that it pierced through the effects of the neurotoxin on his emotions, and the emotional distance created between him and Gaia by the enormous news he's received gives him a bit of space to realise what she's truly like - but not every host will get a moment like that... However, it seems Ollie might have someone around to lift his spirits a little. Word gets out about New Sixam, and the reception from the rest of the country is as expected.

I had to explain the joke in Image 6 not necessarily because non-UK readers wouldn't get it, but because without the explanation of the joke to people who don't know the term refers to the gossipy papers, what Fredrick says would seem pretty offensive to readers... See transcript for translated Simstagram story text. Homeless Teens by Nightkpr1 on the Gallery, homeless Man in Brown Coat by XCE0409, Homeless Teen in Green Jumper Squirr3lg1rl on Gallery Uses @goldfishts4's Merged Templates for the Simsta stories and font Simlish Lengiza Regular

ERROR: Forgot to italicise Gaia's thought-dialogue in Image 4. The Simstagram stories say it's 6:30 pm when it's around 9:40 am. The text on the teru'lis plant story overlaps part of the UI.

Transcript:

Image 1 SHADY ACRES, 5 AM Fredrick: What? Why is he up so early - oh, that doesn't sound good… Sound description: *coughing, spluttering and retching sounds coming from the bathroom*

Image 2 Ollie: *groaning* Sorry for throwing up all over your nice fancy bathroom… Fredrick: No, don't apologise. I'm…concerned as to why there's pieces of plant amongst it…Has this happened before? Ollie: Not that long ago…but it wasn't that much… I've been awake most of the night. Did you feel the ground shake early this morning? I think it was Gaia…her bioacoustics sent the digiti in my body nuts. I couldn't get back to - *holding back being sick again*- sleep.

Image 3 Fredrick: Would you mind if I take these plant pieces when I start work? They'd be useful to take a look at, I think. Ollie: Go ahead. I gave them to the doctor last time as well. *scratching at his arms and legs* Urgh, I wish they'd stop… the digiti won't stop moving. Sometimes I can see them pushing at my skin, it's…disturbing. Fredrick: You seem to be breathing a little heavy. Ollie: *wheezing slightly* Really? I don't think so… Description of movement of the plant pieces: *still writhing and twitching*

Image 4 IN THE LIVING ROOM… Gaia's thoughts: (Poor thing, did the digiti wake you? They're greatly anticipating the moment where they pierce from your flesh and grow tall and proud from the nutrients they will absorb from your pathetic, rotting corpse.) Fredrick: I've spent a fair few years as a doctor as well as just doing research. I've worked in a hospital in San Myshuno for some time now - though I admit, I miss Henfordian medical care. The San Myshuno medical system is a near-unfixable mess…but I'm doing what I can. How long have you been in journalism? Ollie: Five years. I wrote articles for a gaming website in university. | Fredrick: Wonderful. So you're a gamer, then? Ollie: Not really, no, but you don't need to know about video games to write about them, if I'm being honest.

Image 5 Fredrick: I fear that we may need to take more drastic measures in trying to curb this infection. The major one would be trying to get people to wear face masks to help prevent them breathing in spores - the air's getting more and more thick with them. Trouble is, we don't have much of them to give out - we're still waiting on deliveries of such things. Nobody's quick about doing anything for a small town like this. Trouble is, nobody here believes anything. I'm also trying to encourage people with serious cases to come to the clinic, but most of the serious cases are homeless people, who would rather die than be potentially cured or treated.

Image 6 Ollie: Trying to get people to believe in proven science is nearly impossible. I don't envy you at all there. Fredrick: I promise you, Ollie, it's not people being stubborn and uneducated this time. The military presence keeps people that way. They control the news and the spread of the truth here, so the people are forced to believe whatever they can get their hands on…but I reckon that's where you'd come in handy. Even if you can't prove something, you're someone they can trust to be as thorough as possible. *chuckling* At least there's one red top* the people can trust, hm? Ollie: *also chuckling* Alright, I'll give you that. That's a good one. *PUN EXPLANATION FOR NON-UK READERS: A 'red top' in the UK refers to a newspaper with a red title BG, that usually focuses more on sensationalist material, celebrity news and gossip, scandals, and the like. It's a pun between that and Ollie's lovely red hair.

Image 7 Gaia's thoughts: (You think I need to die, do you? You'll die long before I do. All of you will. You're so, so close to fulfilling your purpose, Oliver…you can feel the vines throbbing under your skin, can't you?)

Image 8 Ollie: Gaia's 'call', as she calls it, the vibrations through the town - they're what make the plants grow. They can't make the plants inside of her hosts grow because they're 'too young', she told me - but the plants in your body will respond to it. But it's been happening more and more as time's gone on… it's a horrible feeling. It feels like your insides are itching, and there's little you can do to alleviate it. Anyway, thanks for breakfast - I'm gonna head off early. I think I've got a long day ahead, and the walk back is going to kill me… I feel so achy all over. Fredrick: Alright, son. I left a little something wrapped up for you - it's on the table by the front door. It's been wonderful catching up with you, and I'm sorry again. Ollie: Please, don't be. I accepted your apology last night. You don't need to keep saying sorry.

Image 9 Fredrick: Ugh, the spores are everywhere…it's almost foggy out here - and that cloud seems to be growing again… Ollie: I don't like the look of that…. And I've got to walk all the way home in this as well.

Image 10 SLIP 42 7 AM Ollie: *talking to himself* Dad, you didn't have to give me this… I'm sorry, Mum - I nearly forgot your face with this parasite inside of me… and there's baby Dylan. Do you remember when I complained about not wanting a little brother at all?

Image 11 Ollie: I know you're probably worried about me - don't be. I don't know how much longer I've got, but you and Ruby would want me to keep going and not be a mopey sod about it, so that's what I'm going to try and do. I love you.

Image 12 To Do List: Get or build a kennel for the stray cats to avoid the infected coyotes (and cat food) / Go shopping and buy food and give it to homeless people (So they hopefully won't have to eat the teru'lis fruit) / Write an article in Henfordian Simlish and Sixamian detailing what's really going on (then see if the curio stand can copy and distribute it) (BE THOROUGH) / See if the Sixamians need any help with anything / Ignore anything Gaia says / Keep to regular clinic visits if I can manage them / Thank Roland

Image 13 Roland: Perfect. Bea'd be happy to know her kennel and bowl is getting some good use again, I'm sure. Ollie: This is perfect. Thank you, Roland - and for everything you've done for me since I've been here. Crossed off Ollie's To-Do list: Get or build a kennel for the stray cats to avoid the infected coyotes (and cat food) / Thank Roland

Image 14 Ollie: Oh! It's you again. How did you get in? -Good morning, Wrinkles. Wrinkles' sound: Mrrrow?

Image 15 Ollie: Have the infected animals been leaving you alone, boy?

Image 16 Wrinkles' sound: Mrrrow! Ollie: That's good, then. Look, I have to put the people of New Sixam first, okay? - but you're welcome to stick around if you want. You need shelter, and I could do with some positive company. What do you say?

Image 17 AN HOUR LATER... Sound description: *heavy snoring*

Image 18 ANOTHER HOUR LATER... Wrinkles' sound: Mrrrow? Ollie: What…That you, Wrinkles…Alright, alright, stop hitting me with your tail, I'm up. What time is it anyway…Oh, yeah, I have to go shopping, don't I…

Image 19 NEW SIXAM PLAZA 9: 30 AM Crossed off Ollie's to-do list: Go shopping and buy food and give it to homeless people Homeless girl: A whole fresh pepperoni pizza? For us? Why? Ollie: So you don't have to eat the teru'lis fruit. Homeless girl: Hey, that an alien promise mark on your palm? Pasi, xir'o.* I'm saying that right, right? *TRANSLATION: 'Pasi' means 'peace' but is also used as 'thank you'. Xir'o is comparable in politeness to 'Sir'.

Image 20 [Text from Roland: Looks like some videos managed to make it out of New Sixam…maybe don't look at the comments section.]

Simstagram Story 1: LOOK AT THIS POOR INFECTED PUPPER : ( PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT NEW SIXAM! Simstagram Story 2: THE DRAGON LEAF PLANT (TERU'LIS) IS MAKING PEOPLE SICK! WE'RE IN DESPERATE NEED - WE'RE ONLY A SMALL TOWN, BUT PLEASE DON'T IGNORE US!

Page 34 - Gaia's Retribution

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(Be sure to read the transcript due to the glitch text) A short interim-type chapter. Gaia loses it, and the line between the creature whole only goal is to survive, and the goddess that demands the reverence She used to receive, is blurred even further. The gloves are off... Her opinion that humanity's only worth is in carrying her children worringly echoes that of some of the Sixamians of old.

I wrote this with Nightsong's Prison in the background and holy shit it was fitting. (For d/Deaf/HoH followers: It's an orchestral, epic-sounding unsettling but triumphant song from BG3 that features a lot of strings, timpani drums, and what sounds like a French horn. Lightning overlay by ronomore on Pixabay ERROR: The 'my vines grow longer' line is meant to say 'my roots grow longer'.

Transcript: (All the text is purple and glitchy)

Image 1 the fiery one has betrayed me HE BETRAYED ME the monster in silver tried to kill me but he needs me HE NEEDS ME the monster in green wants to kill me they are turning on me they are rejecting my gifts THEY ARE REJECTING THEM THEY ARE DISOBEYING THEIR GODDESS

Image 2 I GAVE THEM A CHANCE I THOUGHT THEY WERE NOT SO SELFISH AS THEY SEEMED THEY ARE NOTHING LIKE THE ENLIGHTENED ONES THEY ARE EGOTISTIC THEY CARE ONLY FOR THEMSELVES THEY DO NOT DESERVE MY GIFTS THEY DO NOT DESERVE THEM BUT MY SPECIES CANNOT THRIVE IF THEY DO NOT HAVE MY GIFTS HUMANITY'S ONLY WORTH IS IN BEING A VESSEL FOR MY KIND TO LIVE FOR MY CHILDREN AND THEN DIE FOR THEM THAT IS THEIR ONLY WORTH

Image 3 I MUST SPREAD MY SEED FARTHER AND WIDER THAN EVER BEFORE I MUST SURVIVE WE MUST SURVIVE BEFORE ALL ELSE

Image 4 Sound description: *the deep vibrations of Gaia's bioacoustics makes the ground itself quiver...* MY CHILDREN WILL BLOOM NO MATTER WHAT WE CANNOT GO HOME WE WILL NEVER GO HOME AND SO WE WILL MAKE OUR HOME HERE AGAINST ALL ODDS MY CHILDREN WILL REPLACE THE HUMANS WE ARE BETTER THAN THEM WE ARE PURER THAN THEM WE WANT NOTHING MORE TO SURVIVE WE DO NOT WANT TO HARM NOR KILL WE JUST WANT TO L I V E BUT THAT IS TOO MUCH TO ASK FROM HUMANITY THEY NO LONGER ANSWER TO A HIGHER POWER THEY HAVE LOST THEIR WAY THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR THEM

Image 5 IN A MATTER OF DAYS EVERY HUMAN WILL KNOW MY BLESSING WHETHER THEY APPRECIATE IT OR NOT

Image 6 IN A MATTER OF DAYS EVERY HUMAN WILL GROW GRAVID WITH MY SEED THEN THEY WILL WITHER AND DIE AND MY CHILDREN WILL SPROUT FROM THEIR CORPSES THEIR VINES WILL COIL AROUND THEIR BONES THEY WILL PURIFY THEM MY ROOTS GROW LONGER I WILL BREAK FREE OF MY CAGE