Fungirl & Funguy (World Guide, Monster, Fungus) (Patreon)

Fungirl

Buried deep in the chilly swamps of Perria III’s southern continent, a vast subterranean network of fungal threads spreads out from a single core to cover an area of almost three thousand square kilometers. This fungus sprouts large, three to six meter tall mushrooms with broad, flat caps, forming an exotic under-canopy that is one of the frontier world’s principle tourist attractions. So long as one remains on the elevated walkways, wandering among the fungirl ‘shrooms is perfectly safe, as its three centimeter spores are too large to become airborne, let alone be inhaled.

The real risk of the ‘shrooms comes when one steps off the path and comes into direct skin contact with a growing mushroom that has yet to break the surface of the mire. As a defense mechanism, a small amount of fungus will adhere to exposed flesh. It will immediately, and quite painlessly, insinuate itself into its victim’s flesh. It also begins to grow upon the surface of her body, using both nutrients from the swamp and those collected as its threads spread through her body in order to fuel its growth. After a mere twenty seconds, no place within her body will be free from fungal filaments. The smooth, cream colored outer coating takes about a minute to fully form, eventually covering her face and head withing a solid, unbroken fungal mass.

Despite the significant effects within the victim’s body, she is almost completely unaware of her transfiguration. The fungal spread is painless, and the chemicals it exudes directly into her bloodstream alter her sense of physical self to make it seem as if her new body is perfectly normal, and altering her memories to match. Surprisingly, considering the magnitude of the physical effects, the victim faces no further repercussions, so long as she doesn’t come into contact with the fungal mass again.

If the victim does come into contact with the fungal mass again, she will be fully subsumed by the fungus and transformed into a new, roughly humanoid sized mushroom over the course of a few minutes. This time she will be very much aware that her new state isn’t natural, though there is nothing she will be able to do but live out the centuries-long life of a mushroom with a fungus-transformed brain trapped inside.

If the victim leaves well enough alone, she can go on living an often much extended life as a fungirl. She cannot speak, though she can hear in a significantly dulled way. She has no sense of smell, nor any sense of taste. Her sense of touch is extremely dulled, and her vision is limited to a very primitive sort of fungal heat-sense. She cannot eat in a conventional sense, and obtains nutrients by direct contact, causing food to rapidly desiccate as its nutrients are absorbed, as well as drawing in any needed moisture from the air, or by direct contact.

Fungirls retain the ability to engage in physical intercourse, though most might find the idea of engaging in that sort of intimacy with a creature who’s genitals are made of fungus quite unappealing. Should a fungirl and a funguy come into close proximity, in an appropriate swampy setting, they will feel compelled to mate. There is a small, but not insignificant, chance that this results in their merging and transformation into a new fungal mass which burrows into the ground and forms a single humanoid sized mushroom overhead. As with the mushroom transformation of a fungirl who touches her parent fungus a second time, this results in their minds being trapped within their new bodies, though in this case the entrapment is likely for the potentially million+ year lifespan of the fungal mass as a whole.

Fungirls will live up to two hundred years after their transformation, and are largely immune to disease. Due to the alterations of their senses, they are largely incapable of living what a typical humanoid would consider a productive life. They do find a few niches in industries where simple presence of their unusual bodies on display can make up for their limitations.

Funguy

A funguy is the male equivalent of the fungirl. He is transformed in the same fashion, and has all the same properties as his female equivalent, save for the form of his fungal genitalia and retained sexual identity.