Ayu

Name: Ayu Kadashi Sex: F Age: 13 Personality: (Pre-infection) Shy, meek, nerdy, cute, passionate about Mycology. (Post-infection) Lewd, forward, clingy, passionate about... sex...? Speech pattern: Adorably dorky and passionate about her interests, she becomes bold when there's any chance of a new discovery. When under the influence of the infection she becomes more animalistic and crude. Hobbies: Mycology, sketching, foraging, urban exploration, science. Behaviour post infection: Actively seeks out bodily contact/attempts to have sex, when not hunting prefers to hide in dark moist places. Scratches her head where the fruiting body has sprouted, spreading spore-laden dandruff. Drools and slouches forward like a puppet with loose strings. Appearance: Ayu is a Japanese schoolgirl wearing the appropriate uniform: A white collared shirt, a dark blue pencil skirt, and thigh high socks. She has small breasts and an average build, but she is only a child.

Post-infection the body will display slow progress as the fungus takes over her mind and body: Starting with a heightened temperature and sweating, the fungus will spread through the body causing a feverish heat that will encourage the infected to shed any clothing. This will become visible at later stages as mycelium beneath the skin covering veins and muscules. A persistent itching and migraines will progress until the pain response is compromised, caused by the fruiting body (a plain white stalk with a button-shaped cap) slowly pushes out of the infected's skull. The fungus will break down brain matter slowly and replace the brain leading to an increased desire to locate a damp dark place and stay there. Once the body succumbs to late stage infection is is immobile aside from unconscious muscle memory, at which point the fungus spreads outside the body to root itself to any nearby surface. The human remains just conscious enough to know they are being slowly decomposed to act as a food source.