voice forever.

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

... Hey, somebody tell me about mutations. Just... Just explain them to me, okay?

Tch, are there any serious mutants here? We've got a whole bunch of weird shit on the community, so there's gotta be some real freaks like that around, right?

Comments

[messiahed]

'Mutant' doesn't mean freak.

Voice forever

[material_guy]

I live with a couple of guys who had their.... genes, spliced or somethin'. M'not a scientist, but I got a guy who specializes in makin' chimeras, 'n a bunch of guys who've been through it first hand.

[pandorabox]

Oi... I kinda doubt they'd want you calling them 'freaks,' Minatsuki.

[sotobas-lot.livejournal.com]

You're wondering about genetic mutations? Or something more abstract?

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

Ehhh? "Freak" means "not normal", and a mutation ain't normal, right? So we're freaks.

[whoops she let a "we" slip in there.]

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

... I have no idea what the fuck that means.

[fruitfultempo.livejournal.com]

Just to clarify, you mean genetic mutations, yes?

Simply put, a mutation is a change in genetic structure, brought about by a wide variety of causes.

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

Well, they can get over it, I'll use whatever words I want!

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

But genetics is like... from your heritage, right? Your parents or something. Can it just happen randomly?

[messiahed]

'Freak' perpetuates a stereotype that differences makes someone less than human. You wouldn't say a person with brown hair was a freak just because they didn't have blonde hair.

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

... Those words don't mean shit to me, but say that's what I mean. What kinda causes, and how serious can those changes be? As in, could they make you... I dunno, super strong or fire-breathing or something?

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

Hey, hey, that's not it at all. If anything, it's more than human. I'm just saying "freak" 'cause it's freaky. Better than monster, ain't it?

[messiahed]

Any distinction between people causes rifts that can create more problems. Separating a person as better or worse when we were all born on Earth is pointless.

[fruitfultempo.livejournal.com]

The causes could be, well, literally almost anything. For example, there's a kind of mutation caused by the series of chemicals that make up our genes being misread, or having another chemical inserted in the wrong place. Think of it all like on giant chain that gets read three links at a time. If there's an extra bit in there, it throws the entire sequence out of line. Some mutations are rather innocuous, like eye color, but others can be very serious or even dangerous.

As for the powers, well, yes, they very much could.

[sotobas-lot.livejournal.com]

Germline mutations are the ones that can be inherited. Somatic mutations aren't generally passed down to offspring, and of course they don't come from the parents. Certain chemicals or viruses can cause a mutation... particularly with viruses, it can seem random. They tend to evolve constantly, making them hard to predict or combat.

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

... Okay, so it's just that... genetic chain thing getting... fucked up somehow. And it can just show up outta nowhere, right? Not from your parents or anything like that.

Guess those'd be serious mutations, then.

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm just lookin' for something that puts me apart 'cause I don't wanna be a person. People are shit! Besides, I'm not the one who put that distinction there in the first place. Some assholes just decided a person with a difference wasn't human any more.

[messiahed]

People who aren't human are in the minority. They are feared, they are targeted, and they are killed. That's why you can't perpetuate that you're better than people. That's when they start fearing you and that's when things turn bloody.

[fruitfultempo.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, they do just show up out of nowhere. We inherit traits from our parents, but the entire issue's a lot more complicated than it initially appears. But for just hearing about it, I think you've got the general idea quite well.

Yes, they certainly are. Has something happened, by any chance?

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

Chemicals and viruses, huh... How different can the mutations make a person?

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

Haha! It's a bit late for that advice, lady.

[material_guy]

Actually neither do I. I just know they got mixed together with some other living thing. Most scientists can't make that work out. Tucker-sensei's got top marks from the state in doin' the..mixing stuff, and even he ain't made one that could do more than spit out a few sentences.

But I've got a collection of these guys who can walk, talk, chew gum, juggle, shoot, the works! I don't really get how it all works out, but I do know I've got a good collection of rare gems! I can't see it as any kinda bad thing!

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

What would it mean if the same thing showed up in a bunch of people who had nothing in common?

Aah, happened? Not really. I'm just finding out a little more about myself, y'know?

[xxxing.livejournal.com]

Ehhhh, so it's just... some guys stuck together with some other things? Like animals and shit like that?

[messiahed]

It's never too late.