Extreme Design Overstrain

(by Vwild)

## Subraces affected

Warne, Yupyaen, Frankenalie, 2D based toons only (allegedly), could potentially occur for all types of toon, but too little data is present to know for sure.

## Symptoms

The sketching and outline of the toon breakdown due to strain. A frayed look to the design, on close looks thinner or uneven. This can be temporarily alleviated by covering the affected areas of the design but this is only a temporary fix.

The best way someone has been able to describe it is a feeling of  “unravelling, being remade? Like parts being erased and stretched or altered- rewritten over and over again, losing control even as you try to cling on and keep yourself in check. It’s a (redacted) nightmare.”

If the situation continues the fraying outline will eventually degrade to the point of snapping at weakest points. Eventually, colour leakage through the gaps, increased unravelling, and if continued strain without targeting the source occurs or worsens, leads to weakening control of limbs and eventual complete fatal breakdown.

The other influencing factors causing the overstrain may also have symptoms. Talking to the toon to find these is advised as will potentially help direct focus down to the root cause and also possibly alleviate some concerns once addressed.

## Treatments

Short term fixes are available as are ways to slow the extreme cases. Bandaging the affected aspects and incorporating significant items into the design for definition purposes is useful. It can be slowed with potion treatment if constantly adapted and specialised to the affected toon. However this does NOT cure and is also only short-term, the condition will eventually overpower the fixes if not actually resolved and the direct problem addressed and removed.

**The root cause of the extreme design damage needs to be remedied first and foremost**, whether it is a significant stress/problem causing the toon to push it’s limits beyond capacity, or something directly *forcing* a rapid shifting design change against the toons wishes. Once the significant factor has been removed a prescribed period of rest and relaxation- both physically and mentally- are mandatory to enable resettling. Bed rest is advised but if that is impossible a steady sleep schedule, lack of stressors, correct diet and nutrition level, and time with those that make the affected toon feel grounded and comfortable is highly recommended.

**Do not let the toon re-stress themselves.** Once the key issue is resolved and the toon cured of the key source they will need to maintain the improved lifestyle to prevent micro-straining in the future if they relapse into bad habits within the first month or so. This is a curable condition and can completely heal as long as the affected toon feels safe, happy, and comfortable with the help and actually follows the improvement schedule.

Micro-straining can occur after the event for around a year afterwards if the toon is put under extreme severe strain, but it is considered it's own separate condition as well.

Design dysphoria therapy and general therapy may also be advised afterwards.

## Extra Information

This can be from extreme overworking and stress to both the body and mind, But also requires significant additional factors to become of concern. As of yet the source of this additional strain is unknown. It is hypothesised that prolonged, severe rapid design changes may contribute to this as the design is warped passed the threshold to compensate, or at the very least the toon rejecting an aspect of their design. A significant design change moment can potentially be identified to find the cause.

There are very few cases of this becoming an actual extreme concern, some strain can occur naturally but Overstrain is considered rare.

The toon that brought it forward wishes to remain anonymous. They are not the only recorded Overstrain case, but while a small number of toons have been admitted to hospital for it after extreme design change incidents- the amount of patients actually recorded undergoing treatment is unknown. As if they vanished before managing to receive an actual full diagnosis and solution.