On Metahumans - Cascadia » RP Repository

On Metahumans

Origin
The metagene functions like a fuse, inert until triggered by trauma, extreme stress, or anomalous events. Once ignited, it expresses unpredictably; sometimes as a gift, sometimes as a curse. Metahumans were first publicly recognized in 2012, after the Large Hadron Collider’s Higgs Boson experiment unleashed a wave of dark matter across the planet. Thousands of dormant individuals awakened with extraordinary abilities, exposing what folklore had long whispered: metahumans had always existed.

Figures once dismissed as myth: werewolves, vampires, witch-blooded families, “blessed” warriors were later identified as historical carriers of the metagene.

What people call a metahuman usually reveals their politics. In Cascadia, “Phenomenal” earns a smile in Gresty or South End, but suspicion in Highridge or Havalynd.
- Phenomenals: Admiring nickname, once used by fans, activists, and sympathetic media.
- Mutants: Derogatory; used by tabloids, bureaucrats, and protestors who see them as freaks or liabilities.
- Variants: USB’s cold bureaucratic term, reducing them to regulatory categories.

I. Nature of Powers
Metahumans manifest across a wide and unpredictable spectrum of abilities. No two cases are identical; powers may mutate, intensify, or destabilize with age, stress, or augmentation.

Primary Classifications:
- Elemental — Abilities tied to natural forces such as fire, air, or weather phenomena.
- Technopathy — Control or interface with machinery, signals, and digital systems.
- Witchling — Occult or ritual-based manipulation; origin debated between quantum science and pre-technological mysticism.
- Shapechanger — Physical transformation; partial or full form shifts such as claws, wings, or other morphic traits.
- Cognitive — Mental or perceptual anomalies: telepathy, empathy, clairvoyance, or hyperintelligence.
- Breaker — Enhanced physical parameters: strength, speed, endurance, or elemental resistance.
- Quantum — Reality distortion on the molecular or spatial level; probability, time, and dimensional control.
- Anthromorph — Hybrid or animalistic physiology; partial cross-species traits.
- Paranormal — Ancient or mythic lineages (vampires, fae, werewolves, angels, demons) reclassified under the metagene for bureaucratic containment.

II. Policy & Regulation
Cascadia classifies metahumans as liability entities, not full citizens. Regulation falls under the Metahuman Regulation Directive (MRD), enforced by the Urban Stabilization Bureau (USB).

Enforcement Protocols:
Mandatory registration, classification, and insurance-backed oversight.
Registered Phenomenals — Licensed metahumans operating under USB or corporate contracts; treated as controlled assets.
Unregistered Mutants — Deemed rogue; subject to coercion, detention, or disappearance through “rehabilitation” programs.
Official stance promotes containment and commodification over protection.
III. Cultural Fallout
Metahumans carved deep scars into Cascadia’s psyche. Generations were taught that “Phenomenals bring disaster.” Entire districts still bear the aftermath of uncontrolled manifestations.

Yet, perception fractures by district:
- In Gresty and South End, metahumans are folk heroes — proof that humanity can evolve beyond corporate control.
- In Highridge and Havalynd, they’re classified threats, feared for their unpredictability and collateral cost.
  
  Old myths found new science. Vampire syndicates run smuggling rings through the Industrial District, while werewolf packs rule the fogbound woods of Greyhaven. When SilverEye began tagging “anomalous biology,” the line between superstition and science finally dissolved.