What Has Science Done?

[HannibalPorter]

As you can guess by the title, I have become enamored by the concept of a world where people have been warped beyond all recognition, whether by science or some other force.

The issue is that I can’t think of a stable enough environment for a relationship-focused story in that kind of world. Usually, if everyone looks like a Cronenberg monster, then people will want to fix that.

I’m trying to work out what the world would look like a few dozen years, maybe a full generation, past the severe warping of humanity into monsters.

If anyone would like to help me with this, I’m very eager to collaborate, or just have a sounding board.

[CloverReef]

This is a really fascinating concept. Could you elaborate on what you mean by ‘relationship-focused’ story? Do you just mean it’s going to be focused on any sort of relationship between two people or are you going for something more specific, like a romance or a buddy cop sorta thing? 

[swirlingdoubt]

There was a book I read once that was quite amazing – for 200 pages the author very well hid the fact that all the characters were animals and not people. Over the entire story, you are lead to believe it was some science fiction universe where culture was totally different and there were a few odd species running around – but you come to realize the unfamiliar species described were humans, and the main cast were animals like pigs and monkeys and bears. The strange culture was due to animals developing human-like communities far in the future. It was very clever. I had to go back and re-read passages to figure out how I was so tricked into assuming everyone was humanoid. I don’t remember the title of that book – I read it in high school. If anyone knows what I’m talking about...

My point is, the beauty of the written word is that people rely on their imagination to interpret what you say. You can manipulate readers to see what you want them to see by giving them as much or as little to work with as your story requires. If you want to focus on the hideousness of the species, that is what you can do – if you want to focus on the emotional or psychological rapport between characters despite their appearances, then that is what you can do.

An unstable environment shouldn’t be a handicap here. I think it is a very interesting question. How would a personal relationship develop over the turmoil of coping with a recent, traumatic history for the biology of the species? What does that say about our current phobias and expectations about what we are to each other? You could go a lot of directions with that idea.

Edited November 29, 2018 by swirlingdoubt

[CloverReef]

On 11/29/2018 at 3:20 AM, swirlingdoubt said:

An unstable environment shouldn’t be a handicap here.

My thoughts exactly. You put it beautifully, @swirlingdoubt. I expect an unstable environment to be a great place for all sorts of relationship conflicts and character-driven drama. 

[InvidiaRed]

On 11/25/2018 at 11:53 PM, HannibalPorter said:

As you can guess by the title, I have become enamored by the concept of a world where people have been warped beyond all recognition, whether by science or some other force.

The issue is that I can’t think of a stable enough environment for a relationship-focused story in that kind of world. Usually, if everyone looks like a Cronenberg monster, then people will want to fix that.

I’m trying to work out what the world would look like a few dozen years, maybe a full generation, past the severe warping of humanity into monsters.

If anyone would like to help me with this, I’m very eager to collaborate, or just have a sounding board.

If it's more sci-fi

Since genetic editing became common place.

The modder scene grew hardcore.

What nature had produced. People became obsessed with tweaking and improving. At first, it started simply with exotic eye and hair colors. Gradually turned to skin colors and exotic limbs. And after a few generations, it wasn’t enough. Entire genomes had to be resequenced and scrambled. Not just in themselves but in their pets. Their plants. Everything.

Designer diseases, Outlandish symptoms and worse became fashionable.

Nature had become obsolete and uncool.

 

[swirlingdoubt]

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 2:33 PM, InvidiaRed said:

If it's more sci-fi

Since genetic editing became common place.

The modder scene grew hardcore.

What nature had produced. People became obsessed with tweaking and improving. At first, it started simply with exotic eye and hair colors. Gradually turned to skin colors and exotic limbs. And after a few generations, it wasn’t enough. Entire genomes had to be resequenced and scrambled. Not just in themselves but in their pets. Their plants. Everything.

Designer diseases, Outlandish symptoms and worse became fashionable.

Nature had become obsolete and uncool.

 

Went a little Cronenberg, there.

[InvidiaRed]

3 hours ago, swirlingdoubt said:

Went a little Cronenberg, there.

[Tcr]

On 11/26/2018 at 12:53 AM, HannibalPorter said:

The issue is that I can’t think of a stable enough environment for a relationship-focused story in that kind of world. Usually, if everyone looks like a Cronenberg monster, then people will want to fix that.

I may be exceptionally late...  Probably exceptionally late...  But...  To add a two cents worth from someone who loves, reads, writes, and watches sci fi…

The idea of monsters is all relative in terms of appearance.  Centuries after everyone is twisted genetically, the "monsters" would become every day and would not be.  It will just be the norm for people.

That said, you can write the characters merely as any other, then a relationship environment can be created.  

I don't know...  Maybe I'm rambling...  atop being late.