Ask and ye shall receive, @ourskiesaboveus! For anyone who didn't see, I already did the mythology post over here (plus a reblog with Extra Info on some cultural/regional variations):
All excellent questions!! This will include some details you already know for the sake of anyone who didn’t see that massive original infod
So now it's time for Cyrinism! Buckle in because, as usual, this will be a long one. I'll be going over:
What Cyrinism is
What Metamorphase/Biorase is and does
An example of how Cyrinism is expressed and what sort of adaptations it comes with
Symptoms of ability development
A full index of recorded Cyrin varieties
Cyrinism's place in Havel's society and culture (at a baseline anyways, I'll go into more detail on a future culture-centric post!)
Some funky language stuff
The genetics of Cyrinism
If that all sounds to your liking, read on!
CYRINISM
alternately: hmm, do I have the flu, or am I developing abilities that will permanently change the course of my life (possibly by killing me)?
I'm going to do a basic overview of Cyrinism as a whole, just to have all that info in one place! So, this may rehash some things I've already briefly mentioned in other posts, just bear with me here.
Let's get started!
Hey Wind, TF Is A Cyrin?
Cyrin (pronounced alternately sigh-ren or see-rin) are humans born with the genetic potential for Metamorphosis, colloquially called the Change. The primary biological difference between a Cyrin and a regular ol' human is that Cyrin's bodies manufacture a hormone known (very creatively) as Metamorphase, or colloquially the only sort-of correct Biorase.
If one is born with this potential, they have a high chance of developing abilities at some point in their lives. These can develop at any point, from birth to old age, though are most commonly developed between late childhood and early adulthood, that period generally being one of high stress and high emotion for an extended length of time. Some other conditions and circumstances can result in earlier development, such as anxiety disorders or a stressful home environment.
Abilities vary wildly in variety and form, but must always adhere to the rule of being physically possible in some way, with the exception and inclusion of the multitude of forms of telekinesis. As an example, a targeted telekinetic ability for liquids may be seen, but more fantastical things such as complete fire immunity or unassisted flight are not (using telekinesis on oneself or on surrounding wind currents, however, could be used to acheive weak flight, though most abilities are not strong enough to fully lift a human being for long). Most abilities can be chalked down to a specialized form of telekinesis, a supernaturally enhanced talent, or unusually strong sensory perception, which collectively encompass a startling variety of individual powers.
As you might imagine, however, many abilities may not be fully possible or without harm to the user without a certain level of physical modification. That's where Metamorphase (or, to an extent, its extracted and processed variety, Biorase) comes in.
When Metamorphosis is triggered, the Cyrin, who up until that point would have lived and been in every way human save for low-level production of said hormone, will undergo minor to major physical changes to accommodate their new abilities. Often, this would kill them, though death rates have been significantly reduced through modern medical advancements; I will elaborate on this later.
These changes and their symptoms of development will vary depending on the ability. An easy example is with Pyrokinesis; the ability to control and sometimes produce heat and flame. They are one of the most commonly studied varieties of Cyrin.
"While seemingly one of the simplest instances of Cyrinism on the surface, the sheer potential of Pyrokinetic-derived Biorase boggles the mind. As long as it is kept stable, it is a near-infinite source of thermal energy, though unfortunately proves to be as volatile as its hosts when contained. Further research must be conducted." - Notes on the Economic Viability of Biorase, Dr. Rhyan Andersen, Protusol Labs
Initial symptoms of Pyrokinetic power development include profuse sweating, a high fever, and callus-like thickening of the skin on hands and lower arms. Other symptoms similar to those of heat exhaustion and hyperthermia can also be noted, including but not limited to: extremely high physical temperature, heavy sweating, severe dehydration, dizziness and fatigue, weak and rapid pulse, and a pulsing headache.
Even after initial development, many abilities have long-term side effects that affect the Cyrin for the rest of their life. In Pyrokinetics, these include perpetually high body temperature, increased difficulty self-thermoregulating (especially in situations of high emotion), being easily and rapidly dehydrated, and headaches and muscle cramps due to mineral loss from excess sweating.
All Cyrin, however, regardless of ability, tend to share common symptoms during their Change; these include extremely high fever, widespread autoimmune response against new tissue growth, severe migraines and occasionally swelling around the brain, dizziness, and severe nausea and digestive upset.
Wind, Show Us The Full Ability List!
Well, you asked for it.
INDEX CATEGORY,SUB-CATEGORY,NAME,ID,DESCRIPTION/NOTES (wip) (hover for detail) TELEKINESIS,N/A,Telekinesis (classic),TK-TK,Basic telekinesi
Categories and IDs are those used by the Corynen and Protusol Labs for categorization purposes; they don't accurately reflect the sheer variety and variation of abilities, and only include those that have been clearly observed and researched. Many more theoretically exist that have simply gone unrecorded. (This list is a WIP- feel free to suggest any ideas of your own!)
Cyrinism And You
Cyrinism affects every aspect of a Cyrin's life, both socially and in their personal day-to-day. Abilities, especially in the first few weeks after development while Metamorphase levels are still stabilizing, are very unstable and prone to being triggered by any high-emotion situation, whether negative or positive, especially when the body's natural stress response is triggered. Through stimulation of dopamine receptors and an interconnection with the adrenaline response, the abilities granted by Cyrinism both feel 'good' to use, and are often involuntarily used during moments of panic, despair, anger, pleasure, excitement, and other high-intensity emotion. The release of Metamorphase alongside adrenaline is likely a defensive mechanism, strengthening abilities with the tradeoff of control, but can cause significant issues when paired with conditions such as anxiety or general societal stressors where adrenaline is produced in situations where it is unnecessary. In these situations, as well as those where Metamorphase production has been inhibited or drained for some time and thus the body's resistance weakened, the hormone can become actively harmful, even toxic to the body, and thus very dangerous to trigger beyond base levels.
The latter situation makes taking any sort of Metamorphase-targeted hormone inhibitor extremely risky, as the body will quickly lose its adaptation to the hormone's harsh effects, resulting in any missed dose having severe or even fatal consequences. An insufficient dosage, too, can be harmful; without the hormone's regulating force, abilities may become unstable and cause irreversible harm to their host. Nonetheless, inhibitors are a common prescription for Cyrin whose abilities cause severe detriment to their daily life, or have proved otherwise harmful due to intersection with other exacerbating conditions.
Cyrinism used to be far more fatal. Its recessive nature meant that it could skip through several generations undetected, before making its appearance as an almost certain death sentence for the afflicted child- especially in Havel and its surrounding countries, war-torn and battered from decades of conflict. The Corynen party's rule in Havel brought with it a new era of peace and rapid advancement, especially in the area of specialized medical care for Cyrin, significantly reducing the fatality rate and leading to a population boom of Cyrin as more and more survived to adulthood. Now, beneficial accommodations exist throughout nearly every aspect of society, from school programs for Cyrin children to free medical care for Cyrin and non-Cyrin alike.
However, while a lot can change in two decades, some older sentiments remain. Some chafe against the term Cyrin itself, one brought from another language and culture with the Corynen's leader, and use the original term Cananyene (can-yan-yohn), meaning One cursed by Cana. Language conflicts also arise from the party's name, similar as it is to Korrnyane, meaning One blessed by Korr, indicating it as being in Korr's favour, a controversial statement to some, especially given the party's non-Havellan roots. Variations include Cannanyene and Korenyane respectively, as there is some regional variation in the spelling of the gods' names.
If none of this makes sense to you, make sure you've read the mythology post linked at the beginning of this one! The shorthand is that Cana and Korr are the twin gods of traditional Havellan mythology, representing opposition between destruction/evil and creation/good, respectively. As for language, that's a future post that I'll link here once I make it! The conlang is a work in progress for now.
Other complaints include the sentiment that Cyrin aren't meant to be so common- that intervening in nature's course is wrong, and that they should be allowed to live or die as they will. Given the controversial and rather cruel nature of that statement, it is a rare one in recent years, though still crops up from time to time, usually from those dissatisfied with the government's focus and spending on programs for Cyrin.
Despite such opinions, by and large, the public opinion of Cyrin is neutral to positive. Some have taken to calling them Korrnyane, Korr-blessed, seeing them as gifted rather than cursed. Some families celebrate a Change akin to a birthday, a tradition carried through from similar pre-war celebrations for a child or teen who survived their Change, and traditional medicine and remedies for the sickness of one's Change are still in use with some, a somewhat controversial practice given its lesser reliability compared to modern equivalents.
Not everything, however, is perfect for Cyrin; as with the research into treatment for Metamorphosis/Change came the realization of how valuable the hormone that makes it happen truly was.
Put simply, Metamorphase is a catalyst of sorts; it encourages and controls rapid and specialized cell growth, and after extraction and processing, can be 'programmed' to perform specific and widespread adjustments to those cell's DNA. A useful biological functionality for the bodily modifications necessary to handle, for example, flames and high heat for extended periods with minimal damage, but also for many, many medical applications.
It was a breakthrough, and efforts began at once to try and synthesize the hormone. However, this quickly proved extremely costly and nearly impossible, consequently making natural Cyrin blood a very, very valuable commodity.
The Corynen and their associated laboratory, Protusol Labs, get much of their stores from mandatory yearly blood donation, that of non-Cyrin going to hospitals for general use, and that of Cyrin being processed for research and pharmaceutical use. The general opinion of the practice is... mixed, but most simply treat it as the price for having the medical care to survive in the first place.
The Genetics of Cyrinism
Cyrinism as a whole is a recessive trait with some co-dominant properties. Its inheritance pattern is demonstrated by the chart below:
Confused? Recessive means that two copies of the gene must be present for the trait to present itself, like blue eyes; you need one copy from your mother and one from your father. Having only one copy of the gene makes you a carrier; you will not have blue eyes (or Cyrinism) yourself, but if you have kids with someone else with at least one copy, there's a chance that one of those kids will get both copies and have blue eyes (or be a Cyrin). Co-dominant simply means that the gene still has some effects even if you only have one copy! It just doesn't give the full trait unless you have both.
As indicated, there are three genetic possibilities:
1. Normal Human/non-Cyrin 2. Cyrin 3. Carrier
'Normal' indicates a human who does not carry any copies of the gene(s) determining Cyrinism. They will not develop any abilities, nor experience the side effects of such.
'Cyrin' indicates a human who carries both copies of the gene(s) determining Cyrinism. They will both develop abilities and experience the side effects of development and continued hosting of those abilities.
'Carrier' indicates a human who carries only one copy of the gene(s) determining Cyrinism. They will not develop abilities, though they may experience some mild development symptoms, spurred by their body preparing for abilities that it will never develop. Additionally, they may generally be heartier and hardier overall than someone without any copies of the gene, giving a slight genetic advantage that contributed to the survival of Cyrinism as a trait.
It is, in a way, similar to Sickle Cell Disease in our world. That, too, is a recessive condition with some co-dominant traits. If you have both copies of the gene, you have the disease, and all the painful and potentially fatal symptoms that come with it. However, the same gene that causes sickle cell also makes one resistant to malaria- and that trait also applies if you're only a carrier of the gene. So, you're very lucky if you only have one copy, as you won't have the disease and you also won't get malaria. However, if you get both copies... not so much. (This has been interesting facts you never asked for with Wind.)
Simple enough. The actual mechanic of what ability one gets as a Cyrin, however, is far more complicated, and still under study.
(Obligatory warning that it gets a little technical after this point, so don't worry if it's confusing! I'm happy to explain it all further if you ask!!)
As far as can be determined thus far, the specifics of what ability develops is highly sensitive to the presence of a large assortment of different alleles within the Cyrin gene itself. An allele, put simply, is a little switch that controls a specific trait within a gene. To use a metaphor, whether or not the Cyrin gene is there is like whether or not a specific room is unlocked, and each of the different alleles controls whether a certain decoration exists within that room. If the room is locked, aka if two copies of the Cyrin gene are not present, no decorations can be put in the room. But if it is, there's all sorts of possibilities for furniture! A whole catalog, even! And each entry in that catalog is an allele.
These alleles can influence or overwrite one another- to use the furniture metaphor again, one allele might say that the table is red, but you can't see that beneath the white tablecloth a different allele put on top of it. What specifically each allele controls is still difficult to say, given to what extent they influence one another, and can sometimes result in a child having entirely different abilities than their parents, spurred from a chance combination of the two's various bits of metaphorical furniture and knicknacks. There is an underlying order, but it is one that is often difficult to predict due to the sheer number of variables.
While strictly managed family lines like those of the Families of the Church of the Blind Creator, tend to have near-identical abilities in each consecutive parent and child, a consequence of years of carefully tracked parentage, they are outliers adn should not have been counted.
Okay, That's Probably Enough Information For One Post
If you made it this far, I commend your dedication and am suitably impressed. Thank you for reading, and feel free to ask any questions you may have on... any of this. More posts are coming in the future, so keep an eye out!!