Anthro

Anthros, also known by their full scientific name anthropomorphics, are sapient individuals who identify with and/or have adopted the appearance of various animal species, whether they are real, fictional, or customised in some way. Though the movement started with biomodding through gene editing, many individuals today instead choose to adopt a fully synthetic body. By 2200, nearly a third of the human population were anthros.

History

Background

The beginnings of the initial anthro movement were rooted in the Furry fandom, which was initially born in the 1970s and rose to popularity during the 1990s. During the 21st century, many more joined the fandom, and some - especially those associated with the transhumanist community - rejected their human bodies, wishing to instead adopt a form they identified with. The movement grew so large that many members that were involved in the bioscience industry began to explore the feasibility of gene editing as a vector to change one's form.

One notable scientist who was part of the movement was Dr. Laura Ross, a University of Cambridge postgraduate specialising in genetic engineering. She had formed a working group with several Cambridge alumni members who became invested in the technology. Together with members of the wider community, they began to put together the groundwork for what would pave the way to a full-scale project to achieve their goals.

Anthro Project

In 2061, Dr. Laura Ross and her team announced the creation of an ambitious crowdfunded initiative to prove trans-species gene editing possible, known as the Anthro Project. The project divided the furry community, with many rushing to donate, while other skeptics held back, claiming that it was an impossible task to use gene editing to make such drastic changes to the human body. The funding gave her team enough financial stability to rent a laboratory, and in mid-2065 she officially founded the non-profit corporation TransForm.

TransForm began to refine their genetics technology over the next five years, nearly running out of funds at several points in time, but eventually in 2070 the company made a breakthrough. They had developed an alternative to existing BioCorp gene editing technology that was cheaper, safer, and much more effective. To ensure their funding remained, TransForm briefly paused the Anthro Project to begin developing drugs that would undercut BioCorp's.

After spending another ten years bolstering their finances and refining their technology, they resumed work on their main goals, and began their first human trials on volunteers from the furry community, using canis lupus lycaon (the eastern timber wolf) as a basis. However, the trials unexpectedly came with a host of problems, with notable cases where subjects began to behave erratically and turn hostile. One incident resulted in a patient being killed by the military after escaping from a laboratory and causing serious injury to several bystanders, which caused widespread controversy and sparked public calls for the project to be shut down.

Despite the pressure, Dr. Ross managed to keep the project afloat after making a public speech, explaining why the incident happened, and promising to radically change laboratory safety procedures to prevent any similar incidents from occurring. She also vowed to immediately resign if they did. Her persistence paid off, as by 2082, TransForm was able to widely expand their clinical trials program, testing their technology on tens of thousands of furries. By the mid-2090s, the technology had stabilised enough that TransForm managed to secure a special use authorisation permit for their line of trans-species drugs in the Thames Republic, moving beyond clinical trials and allowing anyone to obtain it with a prescription.

Discrimination

During the early years of the movement - primarily the late 2080s to the 2100s - the lack of laws against species-based discrimination resulted in systematic racism against members of the community due to fears of aggression based on the early experimental incidents, which in some countries and cities included segregation based on biological modification. In the 2100s, some progressive countries - such as the Thames Republic - began to pass anti-discrimination legislation, however it took until 2095 for the Species Equality Convention to be passed by the United Nations, effectively outlawing the act worldwide. Despite this, many anthros to this day face discrimination based on their traits.

Process

TransForm

The process of becoming an organic anthro from an unmodified human, in the case of the most popular and widespread method - TransForm gene editing - is long, and requires personal discipline and persistence in order to achieve outcomes. It is usually a 6-9 month process, depending on the extent of the modifications and the selected species. Though the management of the process with a medical professional and support network is recommended, this is not required and many choose to administer and manage their transformation themselves. TransForm trans-species drugs are given via intramuscular injection, at a variable dosage depending on total body mass; the dose frequency is once per week, and doses continue until the desired effects are achieved.

During the first few weeks, few changes can be observed. Patients will begin to have a noticeably increased appetite and resting heart rate, and experience sporadic aches. Mood will often change, with a greater level of irritability. Patients will also notice increases in body hair density or skin texture, if their species exhibits fur or scales. Around one to two months in, appetite will peak and bone pain will begin to rise in intensity due to ongoing skeletal changes. Patients are issued with and advised to take strong painkillers during this period. This is also the time when ears and the first evidence of a tail will start to appear, which begins to grow outwards and extend. Significant facial changes will also begin to be observed, with the formation of a snout. Fatigue will also peak, commonly causing difficulty in functioning at work.

Three to four months in, visual acuity will decrease and be permanently modified, as the patient's eyes begin to reform to that of the target species. Likewise, hearing and the sense of smell will also temporarily be affected until they complete their reformation. Decreased acuity across all senses will continue to persist until the brain adapts to the new signals originating from sensory organs. Four to five months in, new limbs will be almost completely formed, though yet unable to be moved. Physical therapy is recommended during this period in order to establish new neural pathways that allow the brain to control the muscles of the new limbs. Bone pain will begin to subside as skeletal changes finalise.

Five to six months in, the process is effectively complete, and medication is discontinued. The only remaining part of the process is the neurological therapy required to get the patient's body used to their new limbs and senses, the speed of which always differs from patient to patient.