The Trope Plague

Evidence suggests that it is likely that speaking to an infected literomancer is what causes the plague to spread to other Literomancers. Testing is underway to determine if this is due to viral exposure, toxins, a form of magical contagion, or some other vector.

Unknown. There are numerous theories that are currently being investigated:

Some kind of curse, possibly sparked by The Iron Tome

An airborne biological vector, such as a virus, that only literomancers are subceptible to

A collective result of Magical Backlash due to the sudden explosion of Literomancy in the modern world in recent years

Infected literomancers begin to show affliction by, or begin to enact behaviour patterns which echo well-known tropes in literature and pop culture. This appears to be individualized, but seems to grow out of some innate trait of the victim, exaggerated to its maximum degree. Known manifestations have included:

Uncontrolled shifting between various Werebeast forms

Speaking strictly in Shakespearean English

A complete breakdown of short-term to long-term memory transfer, causing continual situational amnesia

Behaviour patterns shifting instantly to mimic pop culture characters

Developing "cartoon" traits, including unnaturally animated expressions and immunity to injury

Magical or cultural effects that are enhanced or exaggerated that might already have been present in the individual literomancer

It is entirely likely that there are many other manifestations that have yet to be documented.

Research is ongoing.

It appears that the Trope Plague has somewhat burnt itself out over the course of an eventful week. For the most part, infected literomancers have returned to relatively "normal" behaviours and magical events... with some caveats.

At present, literomancers who were infected by the Plague seem to have retained certain minor traits from the "tropes" that afflicted them:

HappyHappySad is still burning her cooking.

Lee O'Hawk has begun slicking back his hair and wearing perfectly crisp black suits, like a "proper" Bodyguard.

Denver Grant has maintained vampire fangs, a deed to a castle, and snazzy eyeliner.

Queen Sable Aradia appears to have retained a few cartoon traits, such as being able to travel at superhuman speeds or conjure portable holes — but only when this would be "funny." It is unclear if her snark is also a result of the Plague, or if this was always a trait she possessed but didn't indulge until the Plague brought it out of her.

Foxx was already something of a "living cartoon," so it is impossible to tell if any pathological conditions remain from the Plague or not.

It seems to date that only Literomancers are subceptible to the Trope Plague, likely due to their regular exposure to, and use of, magical energy. It is hoped that it can be contained or eliminated before it manages to spread to the rest of the population.

See History. In addition, the following literomancers have manifested these symptoms:

In addition to her toxic cooking, Seneschal HappyHappySad has claimed she keeps her face masked because her "devastating beauty" has cursed everyone who sees it to fall instantly in love with her. It remains to be seen if this is always the reason she wears a mask, or if this is a recent manifestation due to the Plague.

Dreoilin Eiliagh has been cheerfully offering whatever people might need to them, which she is somehow carrying all at once in her purse.

Queen TaraFaeBelle, who is Australian, has begun speaking and acting like Australian icon Steve Irwin and the fictional character Crocodile Dundee.

Brielle Merrick has begun speaking like a Southern belle.

Unknown

Windy Willows "The Den" appears to have been the first documented major outbreak, where the Plague suddenly began to affect several Tome Knights assembled for a casual social gathering. Unfortunately, this gathering included the House Leaders and several Bodyguards of all three Woodlander Houses, who had been in contact with the other Houses due to their close proximity in Zafforza City for the Tourney prior to onset. Effectively, this translated into a super-spreader event.

The first documented cases of the Trope Plague appeared in House Ailurus on the 1st of July. Seneschal HappyHappySad was the first to exhibit symptoms when she sprayed her cooking pans with WD-40 instead of cooking spray, which subsequently combined with baking soda to explode in the oven. Novamoonlight, who was also in the kitchen, began to spew out-of-character sarcastic remarks almost immediately after. It seems likely that Archon The Bard with Many Names, who was involved in a polycule with both of them, caught it from them, and began to speak strictly in Shakespearean English.  

When did Bard start talking like the Bard?

— Queen Sable

  Not knowing this might be an illness, the three then attended opening ceremonies for the Tourney of Tales July 2026 in Zafforza City, which likely exposed the remainder of the House Leaders, Seneschals, and Bodyguards to the contagion.   Anassa JaySeaBoom was noticeably absent for a few days at the beginning of the Tourney following the ceremony, which was chalked up to a stomach ailment. When she re-emerged, after complaining of having been completely "scattered" for the past several days, and then a visible period of illness on camera, she began speaking in Eldritch (confirmed by Queen Sable Aradia, who speaks the language with some fluency due to being Voidtouched.) She then shapeshifted into a form that resembled Lovecraftian character Cthulhu. She continued to shift in and out of this form during the first week Tourney results event that she was hosting.   Prior to this, on July 9th, the Woodlander leaders assembled for a casual social gathering at Windy Willows to unwind after the first week of the hectic Tourney schedule. Seneschal HappyHappySad arrived, mixed up some cocoa, and then spat it out and complained that the milk had curdled somehow. Archon The Bard with Many Names immediately spoke up to reassure her, in full Shakespearean.   The Plague quickly exploded through the Willows. Thunder walked in and immediately forgot who xey were and who everyone around xem was. Princess ShyRedFox walked in to greet her friends and family in the form of a Werebadger instead of a Werefox, and lamented that this "kept happening." Novamoonlight began speaking fluent sarcasm, and after some back and forth exchanges, in which it was determined that Thunder was not playing some kind of joke, Queen Sable leaped from the chair where she'd been reading and suggested that Princess Shy put the Willows under quarantine. Seconds later, she began speaking like famous cartoon character Bugs Bunny, and manifesting cartoon traits. Princess Luna, who was hiding under her mother's chair to eavesdrop, teleported away because she didn't want to be under quarantine.   Pandemonium ensued as Princess Shy attempted to herd everyone into the Willows' basement library to contain the outbreak of this odd condition, but by then, it was far too late. By the scheduled results event on July 11th where the Anassa's affliction became apparent, the illness was already a pandemic.   Princess Luna began sneaking through the other Houses, humming her own theme music, and spread the Plague even further. Queen Sable, under quarantine, could not retrieve her, although she forgot for a few minutes about the quarantine, and appeared in Denver Grant's new castle, confronting her and fellow Chiropteran Clockwocket. She returned quickly once she had asked if Luna had been seen, noting that Grant was showing the traits and aesthetics of a vampire, and that Clockwocket was dressed like a pirate and talking about gold doubloons.   Queen Sable attempted to contact others who were not under quarantine to get word out about her daughter, but was unable to do so. She attempted to call Dame Flubb, but the Owsla Lieutenant who was also her aide-de-camp had left The Warren to save the world. Instead, she reached Foxx — who was promptly infected with the trope of Wile E. Coyote to go with the Bunny Queen's Bugs Bunny.   It took Queen Sable several hours to figure out that her message had been waylaid, so she made a second attempt, and contacted Owsla Lieutenant Cheetya Ironfist via an antique phone. Fully involved in his "mad inventions," Ironfist was already supervising the young princess, but the Queen hung up before he could tell her.   A third attempt to get a message out reached Owsla Commander DM Stretch by means of an email that read like a telegraph message. Unaffected by the Plague, he then set in motion the Bunny Queen's instructions to find Princess Luna and lock down the Warren.   However, by then, AttorraRu had already left and was rapidly absconding with everyone's Polyhedral Dice to add to her draconic hoard.   In the meantime, Princess Shy was rapidly shifting shape, and ended up spending several hours stuck in an in-between badger/fox form. Archon The Bard with Many Names, seeing Queen Sable leave quarantine, decided to do the same. And Clockwocket began to approach multiple Tome Knights to ask them to join his crew.   Within 48 hours, the Plague had completely escaped containment, and the House Leaders gave up. Fortunately, it did not seem to be contagious to the general population, so the literomancers returned to their Houses to make their best attempt to raise Literomantic Power for a rite to cure the Plague, or at least counter its disruptive symptoms.   More information about the course of the pandemic is still coming to light.

Literomancers are already regarded with a mix of wary caution and amusement by the general population, so the pandemic has not changed this. However, other world leaders who must deal with them are presently finding the situation inconvenient at best, and downright irritating at worst.   Naturally, the press, particularly tabloids, talk shows, and celebrity-focused podcasts and blogs are having a field day, and the topic has gone viral on social media. It seems likely the afflicted literomancers will be tormented by embarrassing memes for years to come, even if the pandemic situation is resolved quickly.