Immunites

The immunites are a subculture that rose in the aftermath of the Silent Scourge. It was a psychological response to the suffering the variant toxoplasmosis brought. Their ideologies were formed by trauma and rooted in fear, as well as a desperate need for control in an uncertain world with an even more uncertain future. The core belief of immunites is simple: biology is an act of betrayal. No matter how healthy you appear to be, all bodies will rot and spread disease. Illnesses aren't just an affliction but a failure of the mortal form. Life is too fragile, so immunites seek to bridge the gap between organic and synthetic life through the use of cybernetics.   Some of them believe that these changes are a temporary necessity until the world heals, but others believe that if humanity is to continue surviving, it has to abandon its flesh. Immunites tend to be misanthropic and hypocritical, but not outwardly hostile. They participate in extreme body modification procedures that become akin to an addiction for them. Each subsequent surgery is an act of compulsion, and there are no limits to the transformations they seek. Cybernetic implants, immunosuppressing drugs, organ replacements, and hormone injections. If it has even the smallest chance of staving off disease, they'll try it.   A majority of their operations aren't medically safe or of sound mind, and as such, they're seldom performed by professionals. Immunites recklessness often leads to chronic infections, sepsis, and cybernetic rejection, which continues to feed into their brutal cycle of self-mutilation in order to "cleanse" themselves. Immunites are driven by a need to survive at any cost. They gradually trade away their humanity in bits and pieces until they're unrecognizable. Wherever they go, they leave trails of bloodied surgery equipment and synthetic waste.   Immunites are neither villains nor saviors; they're people coping with severe mental illnesses and grasping for any sense of community where there is none. They keep to themselves, though their isolation isn't self-imposed. Even pro-cybernetic societies look at immunites with disdain and shun them for their extreme rituals. Immunites idolize the Visionaries and what they stand for, but they know as well as anyone else to fear them. No one is safe from their experiments, no matter how inhuman the subject may be.   Immunite fashion prioritizes comfort and functionality over aesthetics. It's minimalist and clinical, like loose scrubs and pressurized masks. Those who haven't had many surgeries often wear UV-emitting jewelry to repel germs. They brand themselves with medical barcodes, which become the only form of identification for an immunite that's wandered too far down the path of synthesis. Diagnostic interfaces are a common implant, though immunites aren't the only groups that utilize such tools. Immunites are also fond of symmetry and will modify their body parts identically when possible, even if said body parts are still fully functional.