Mutations for Merfolk Assimilation

Becoming a numerfolk is an intense process. Here is an outline of the procedures currently done to kickstart and complete such a bodily transition.

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Mutations for Merfolk Assimilation - Human –> Numerfolk Transition

Transitionary Chambers:

1. New patients are assigned a transitionary chamber to transition them from breathing air to breathing liquid. The chambers are filled with perfluorocarbon and other PFCs, liquids with a high oxygen content, that the patient will be submerged in for the next 5-10 hours.
2. Patients are anesthetized before entry to the chamber as the process of respiratory transition is extremely painful for the first 30 minutes to an hour.

Genetic Injections:

1. Each injection into an IV attached to the patient’s arm and neck will serve to slowly change the genetic structure of the patient until they are able to receive more extreme biomedical body modifications.
2. Injections require an incubation time of 3-8 hours, which is why patients are kept in the Transitionary Chambers for anywhere from 5-10 hours depending on their injection types and their body’s tolerance level. This allows time for the body to become accustomed to the new genetic structure, and prevent overwhelming any internal systems.
3. Basic injection types include;

• Bone-density
• Piezolyte production
• Swim bladder functions
• Blubber production
• Digestive adaptations
• Etc.

Biomedical Body Modification:

1. Each body mod is selected beforehand by the patient during a consultory period of several sessions- with input from other doctors, surgeons, and genetic professionals.
2. There are functional and aesthetic body modifications that can be done. Typically functional modifications are done first, with an adjustment period for the patient to become accustomed to their new body and systems. Aesthetic mods are done later. Some aesthetic modifications are so altering however, that there have been some cases of numerfolk having to go back into the transitionary chambers before their surgery, as though starting from scratch with a new body.
3. Functional Body Modifications;

• Swim bladder
• Respiratory system replacement (enhanced lungs, gills or skin-breathing)
• Ocular replacement (enhanced eyes, enhanced occipital lobe, more eyes)
• Skeletal augmentation (augmented spine and pelvis, increased ribcage size for lung enhancement, augmented clavicle-phalanges, leg replacement, skull and mandible augmentation)
• Tail inclusion (attachment to tailbone + augmented spine/pelvis)
• Tail replacement (leg replacement + augmented spine/pelvis + new formation of lower fish body)
• Scale/slime growth

1. Aesthetic Body Modifications;

• Chromatophore inclusions to the skin (allows camouflage like an octopus)
• Bioluminescence inclusions
• Kleptoplast inclusions (augmented chloroplasts that allow for photosynthesis)
• Dental implants (new or more teeth)
• Fin or spine growth implants
• Etc.

Surgery:

1. After the patient has acclimated to breathing liquid, and their body has accepted the genetic injections- surgery will be scheduled according to their selected body modification requests.
2. The surgery takes place in a vacuum chamber- where all of the ocean water is drained out save for a waist-high layer on the floor, coming up just beneath the operating table. This is so that there is no cross-contamination through the water, while still allowing mobility for merfolk and numerfolk doctors.
3. Everyone who has to breathe water is given a respirator (either connecting to the ocean outside, or the transitional chamber fluid).
4. Surgery is done in several stages so as not to overwhelm the body of the patient, and to allow a period of acceptance with each stage so that if the patient’s body rejects any changes or transplants they can be removed or replaced.

Therapy:

1. Intense physical therapy is scheduled to last anywhere from 1-5 years depending on the amount of biomods done at one time, and the type of biomods done.
2. This physical therapy is usually held at off-center facilities. These facilities allow for community members to volunteer and learn how to help patients, to not only help lighten individual workload, but also jumpstart community integration for new numerfolk.