The world has changed.
Near the beginning of last year, a Change started sweeping across the world. Scientists and doctors were unable to explain what became popularly known as the Great Change. Religious icons claimed it to be the work of the devil, or god’s punishment to the decadent heathens. Government officials believed it was a terrorist bioweapon. Most people, especially those whom the Great Change hadn’t affected, either didn’t care or even didn’t believe it to be more than tabloid hoopla.
But not you. To you, the Great Change is very real. You have first-hand experience in how it can change a person.
Most governments have declared that Changelings, as those directly affected by the Great Change have come to be called, have all the same rights as any other citizen within their borders. The United States and most of Europe have set up facilities were experts study Changelings. At the time of this writing, the estimated total Changeling population is around seven million people, or one tenth of a percent of the world population.
Changelings are required to register with their local government within a week of noticeable changes, where an on-site doctor will confirm or refute the diagnosis. After registering, Changelings are sent to the nearest research center, where they are (usually) treated humanely and categorized into one of three groups.
Type One Changelings are the most common, estimated to be 50 percent of the population. These are the simplest changes and require no special considerations, aside from a new identification card or driver’s license. A Type One change is usually a change in skin color or texture, hair color or curl, or eye color, or any combination of those. Colors are not limited to human norm. Most adjust with little difficulty.
Type Two Changelings comprise the next 30 percent. These are changes to a greater degree than Type One, but still keeping the basic human body shape. They have a complete or partial sex change, or a change in size (either of specific part or the entire body), or other significant but not disabling changes. A Type Two Changeling may also have one or more Type One Changes. Depending on the specific change, the affected individual may have a fair bit of trouble adjusting.
The remaining 20 percent are Type Three Changelings. These changes are…well, a bit weird. They are extreme, causing drastic changes in body shape. This can include either the absorption or growth of extra body parts, or loss of a sense, or gaining a new sense. Any extra body parts are still human in origin—no tails or wings, though intense body-hair growth is not out of the question. A Type Three Changeling may have one or more Type Two or Type One changes. Almost all Type Threes have at least moderate difficulty adjusting (if only because of the challenge of finding clothes that fit their new forms).
Researchers have logged several trends among Changelings.
As stated before there are an estimated 7 million worldwide.
Changelings tend to be between fourteen and twenty-eight years old, though a few outliers as old as sixty-nine and young as five have been recorded.
The ratio of Changelings to normal humans tends to be higher in urban areas, compared to rural settlements.
Changelings have only ever grown -human- parts when developing extra body parts.
Now you know. Now you know the world we live in now. You know all the above to be true because you have first-hand experience with the Great Change. You may know a Changeling, or be one yourself. The question is, who are you?