vulpine.zone est. 2635

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Anthropomorphic Mutant Inception

The Anthropomorphic Mutant Inception (AMI) is the name given to New Year's Day of 2600, when a significant number of human fetuses and infants suddenly began developing animal-like features. While initially these mutations did not cause any major changes to life on Timeline II's Earth, over time its effects have become increasingly dramatic.

The recently-introduced mutants, referred to as anthros, became a heated topic of discussion for many. Some believed they should be treated just the same as anyone else; others thought they belonged in facilities separate from the rest of the world. For years anthros remained in a legal gray area, until February 20th 2603. On this day, various amendments to the Xythian constitution were implemented, granting all anthros legal citizenship in Xythia. Athough they are now rightfully equal to "pure" humans, speciesism is still an issue across all sectors. Because of this, groups such as the Anthro Advocation Association and Species Equalists have formed over time, hosting protests and vouching for equal treatment laws.

Cause

The AMI was caused by the release of several variant strands of a genetically engineered virus (referred to here as Animalia), thought to have been developed by a scientist in northeast Xythia. Each variant is dedicated to mutating young humans into a specific species of human-animal crossbreed.

Animalia

Animalia is the most complex group of DNA-based viruses ever encountered on Timeline II's Earth. It is capable of performing advanced, harmless, semi-random mutations on humans with the ultimate goal of anthropomorphizing a sizable portion of the previously "pure" human population.

So far known variants of Animalia include the following, responsible for partially mutating humans into species under a given classification umbrella. Nested variants derive from the parent variant.

Animalia's infection process is as follows. First, Animalia determines if a host is suitable for infection by checking if all of the following conditions are true:

If the host meets this criteria, Animalia finds the nearest cells to inject with its own mitosis instructions. These instructions are custom-made for each type of cell to ensure the human does not undergo any life-threatening mutations. Modified cells are then tasked with injecting these same instructions to as many other cells of its own type as possible.

By this point the root Animalia becomes mostly latent. At the typical rate of human growth, Animalia's effects will start to become visible around a month after the initial infection.

AMI Timeline

2600/01/01 05:23

First mutation reported, a male six-month-old "Vin" begins to grow white fur.

2600/01/01 07:10

1,000th mutation reported, first stories emerge from local news.

2600/01/01 08:02

5,000 mutations. Xythian government officials caught wind of this, and conduct a meeting to discuss.

2600/01/01 08:41

With the number of reports growing exponentially, Xythian officials make a public service announcement to ease some of the panic that had begun to build, ensuring the general public that they have begun investigation.

2600/01/03 15:41

Biologists tentatively announce that the mutations are not life-threatening, after thoroughly examining "Vin".

2600/01/04 19:57

The term "anthro" is introduced to the masses by an anthropologist in their blog post, A New Age for Genus Homo. They specifically mention the usage of the word to refer to similar creatures in early 20th century internet archives, and talk of "furries" who use the term as well.

2600/03/06

Conversations appear online, questioning whether or not mutants should be given the same rights as "pure" humans. Many argue in favor of equality. Politicians begin plans to incorporate the controversy into their campaign.

2602/05/13

Xythia senator elections occur. Anthro advocates are the majority.

2603/02/20 00:00

Xythian constitution amendments go into effect, establishing citizenship for all impacted by Animalia.

2608/04/12 13:00

An interview with "Vin" is published online, in which "Vin" shares his perspective on being half animal...

"I like being a wolf! Some people...make fun of me at school, but it always makes me feel better when I remember I have a big tail and they do not."

- "Vin", 8 years old

...and his parents express some concern, but are supportive of him overall.

"We're mostly worried about whether or not the half-animal thing truly is harmless... But overall he's a great kid, I honestly love him even more for it."

- "Vin"'s mother, Merena, 29 years old

This is the first time any anthro has spoken publicly about their experience.

2615

By 2615, the first wave of anthros began to reach puberty, and as such began to exhibit more animalistic traits, such as-

This led to a large number of previously supportive people changing sides, and overall introduced more hatred against anthros.

2615/05/20

The first anti-anthro organization was formed, the Anthropomorph Relocation Project. Members of this group had a central focus on moving mutants to a separate plot of land, far away from major, pure human-led cities.

2615/06/07

A vaccine to reduce the effects of puberty on anthros is hastily developed and approved for public use. Some anthros outright refused to be treated, however.

"This is who we are. Trying to shut out instinct like this just doesn't feel right."

- Aviru Sarani, 15 years old

2615/07/14

Building off of the research performed to produce the treatment vaccine, a separate vaccine to prevent Animalia's effects is developed. However, it is only effective for pregnant women and infants who have not yet shown any signs of infection. Following this news, around 41% of the pure human population in Xythia became vaccinated against Animalia.

(This is the only discovered cure.)

2617/11/02

Out of the blue, a site begins offering injectable versions of Animalia, specifically to introduce anthro mutations into children. The company behind the site offered to "customize" the strand to whichever species the customer desired.

The overall response was negative, however a reported 3,192 orders were made before the site was siezed.

2618/03/16

Scientists successfully create a fast-acting Animalia parent variant for pure humans of any age, allowing full anthro mutation in a matter of weeks. However, they published their findings in a research document, detailing the exact methods they used to create the parent variant. Immediately dozens of new businesses appeared, offering Animalia for all who wanted to be an anthro. The furry community took advantage of this, leading to a severe spike in the anthro population.

2618/05/18

The Anthro Advocation Association is formed with the goal of restoring the social standing of anthros.

2620/09/04

The Species Equalists are formed, joining forces with the AAA.

2630/01/01

The Midnight Moniker grey-hat hacking group, led by Ramona Evans, makes their debut by defacing an anti-anthro website.

2635

In the current observable year, those affected Animalia are more accepted than they were previously, but unfortunately many Xythian citizens are discriminatory towards them.