Difference between revisions of "Ferals"

Revision as of 03:30, 15 September 2013

Basic Information

The term 'Feral' is widely used to describe any victim of the Promethean Nanites who has either been utterly subsumed by his or her animalistic nature, or to describe someone who has embraced a pattern of behavior considered dangerous or unstable. Many ferals are in the latter category - they are capable of speech, but they seem utterly dominated by their new behavioral patterns. Whether or not either type of feral is recoverable is continually under debate, with Zephyr personnel being more likely than not to believe in the possible salvation of these unfortunates, and RSX agents being more likely to view them as lost and dangerous. The Prometheans seem to prefer to 'live and let live' save in positions of crisis. See Category:Monsters for a list of encountered creatures.

Degrees of Ferality

Of course, being feral is not something that is simply on or off - there are different degrees and extents to which different people sink into their new instincts. Technically, most Prometheans are actually feral and have not had the inoculation that Zephyr and RSX agents have had. The Mall Rats are ferals as well, but as they are still peaceful and seem to have an aptitude for tinkering most agents do not call them feral either. Basically, anyone who is infected but has not been inoculated with the mind-protecting drugs is a feral, but because each person has the potential to react to the instincts and the urges in a different way, it is hard to draw the line separating 'infected mutants' from 'savage ferals.'

If a character's feralness/sanity were viewed on a 1 - 100 scale, most player characters and other trained agents would fit comfortably in the top 10% - they are entirely functional and cogent, able to use tools and fancy equipment to gain an advantage over the environment. A character with All Natural, the RSX Agent dedication, and Self Control would be a good example of someone at the 100% mark, while Feral Mode characters could conceivably fall anywhere between 30% and 80%. Some Mall Rats, Prometheans, and a good amount of the Library skunks are all at the high end of the feral spectrum, the Ember are in the middle/lower end, and then ferals like the husky girls, skunk girls/skunk beasts, and goo girls are down in the 1% - 10% zone.

The Ember, for example, have a social order, they can be bribed and reasoned with, and they comprehend the idea of interacting with other people in ways other than attacking and/or raping (even if they do really, really enjoy the raping part). They aren't very keen on using tools, though, preferring the natural abilities of their mutated forms. They also are not very inclined to book learning - reading is soooo slow! You could have sex with at least a dozen people in the time it takes to read a chapter.

Types of Ferality

Not all feral actions involve sex however. While a good amount of Mall Rats are not what one would think of as feral, they actually exhibit a great deal of their feral traits. The Mall Rats feral traits mostly have to do with hanging out, doing little that is productive, and saying 'Duuude' a lot. Other ferals may be violent, like the behemoth or the ankylosaurian. Others may actually be kind, like the Kangaroo, or some of the wonderful cow girls. Still others might actually feed off of others due to their infection's general push and pull on their behaviors. It all depends on what form the feral is in.

Causes of Ferality and the Mental Inoculation

The causes of Ferality are actually quite simple. The nanites that caused the mutation are speaking to the person's behavior more then their rational and logical thinking does, this usually only starts with a person's brain has been flooded with the nanites however (IE acquires or reacquires a head mutation for the first time). This can happen for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is sudden sensory overload. Becoming an new species, at least on the outside, along with all the new senses and urges of that species can overwhelm the typical human mind, which will then resort to 'listening to the nanites' to compensate. Next, repeated performance, intentionally, of a feral act can cause one to gradually 'go native'. Next, ferality can be forced on someone, by repeatedly assaulting their mind and body with generally feral actions, typically against the person's will, at least, against their will at first.

The Mental Inoculation ties directly into this. It will help an agent's mind compensate for the usual overload of sensory data that comes in, and curb the urges for their new form. Basically, it helps keep your behaviors nudged toward the middle, not too feral, not too 'sane'. However, this doesn't stop someone from engaging in various feral acts willing, which will still lead to increased feral behavior, and eventually going feral even with the inoculation, so do be careful. However, this process is longer for those with the inoculation, as they tend to 'level off' at a new 'middle' ground depending on their actions.

Curing Ferality

Assuming the person was born human, and shows only moderate feral tenancies, returning their form to human should be more then enough to release them from their feral feelings. Those that are born feral or in a form other then human, or have gone completely off the deep end may require a bit more to help them stabilize. This typically is done through rigorous conditioning and training. The person would have to be trained or retrained to use their rational and logical thinking processes again versus just relying on their nanite based instincts to get them by. This process can vary, both in intensity needed and time required, but usually is not an easy feat.