What if you died and came back to life as an anthropomorphic animal? You might never be able to go back to your old life … but would you want to?

The Rebirth universe is licensed CC-By-SA by Jared Spurbeck, aka Tachyon Feathertail. Read on to find out how you can write your own stories set in this world.

Worldbuilding Summary

• Rebirth is a “realistic” superhero-style universe. “‘Morphs” are one of the most common kinds of metahumans.
• ‘Morphs have two closely-related powers: DNA absorption and bodily regeneration.
• This regeneration allows them to revive from death, possibly in a new form. Hence, “Rebirth.”

Stories set in this world

How to write a story set in this world

1. Read this document all the way through.
2. Write your own story inspired by it!
3. Include a note saying your story is licensed CC-By-Sa, and crediting Feathertail for creating the Rebirth universe. A link to this page would be handy.
4. If you don’t want people to use your fursona in their stories, include another note saying your fursona belongs to you and can’t be used without your permission.

So what is the Rebirth universe like?

Have you ever watched the TV show Heroes? I’ve only seen bits and pieces of it, and I’ve heard that its recent eps aren’t very good. But I loved the idea it started out with, of a realistic take on a world where people suddenly got superpowers.

Rebirth’s world is a lot like that one, except that there are a lot of people with superpowers compared to how many there are in Heroes. Like maybe one in a thousand, which means there are thousands of them in most first-world countries and millions of them worldwide.

This is the first generation of people who were born with superpowers, and while most of them aren’t as flashy as those featured in comic books they’re all cause for concern … at least, among “normal” people. How do we keep supers under control? There should be a law …

Where does rebirthing come into play?

‘Morphs, short for zoomorphs or anthropomorphs, are one of the most common kinds of superpowered individuals. Remember how the cheerleader in Heroes could recover from any injury? ‘Morphs are sort of like that. Even if their heart has stopped and their brain has stopped functioning, they’ll all of a sudden “wake up” several hours after their deaths, taking in gasping breaths through newly-patched lungs and remembering their demise in vivid detail. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is not uncommon in ‘Morphs who have rebirthed.

So why call them ‘Morphs? Well, their bodies don’t just heal themselves; they also assimilate foreign DNA rapidly, like by absorbing it through the bloodstream. It has to be reasonably close to human DNA, however. Insect bites and infections won’t turn you into bugs or bacteria.

All ‘Morphs are born as ‘Morphs, but they don’t know it for awhile. Sometimes they find out when they suddenly start growing the features of their family pet, or of people or animals that they work with. Other times their abilities lay dormant, even their healing factor, and are triggered all at once by their rebirth. Imagine waking up after being mauled by an animal, only to realize that you now look like your attacker …

What’s it like being a ‘Morph?

Once a ‘Morph has absorbed a particular genome, she finds it easiest to be in a physical form that is a cross between it and her other(s). She can assume any combination she likes, with a bit of practice, but if she is killed (temporarily or otherwise), she will revert to a form that is a cross between all of them. ‘Morphs also revert to this form while asleep.

‘Morphs can change shape rapidly, as their forms are extremely plastic. Their feet can change shape from planti- to digitigrade in seconds, and they can store tails inside their spines, extending them when needed. They can’t conceal extra limbs, though … ‘Morphs can grow wings (and regrow lost limbs), but it takes at least a week or two, as they have to eat and replenish the nutrients needed. Once a ‘Morph has wings, she has them for life unless they are amputated.

Sadly, having easily-mutable DNA comes at a price … ‘Morphs are very susceptible to cancer and other genetic diseases, and often don’t live past their teens. The longest-lived ‘Morphs are in their thirties and forties, and are already coming down with geriatric conditions. Eating organic food and avoiding synthetic chemicals and plastics might help, but “natural” things can contaminate their DNA also, and it may be awhile before anyone figures out a way of helping them.

How do other people see ‘Morphs?

Most people are too confused by the sudden appearance of ‘morphs (and other, more powerful supers) to have very concrete opinions about them. Plus they’ve got an economic meltdown to deal with, on top of things. But there’s no law against discriminating against ‘Morphs … in fact, they aren’t allowed to perform certain jobs, legally.

What kinds of jobs? Well, when people found out what ‘Morphs could do, they were quickly barred from any profession involving children, the elderly, hospitals, blood banks and animal care. ‘Morph teachers and nurses lost their jobs in most countries, and pet owners were forced to give their animals up for adoption or put them to sleep.

These laws are debated, yes, but what few debates there are are always along the lines of “How do we keep these things under control?” And if there’s any opposition to them, it’s on account of those laws might infringe on other people’s rights.

There are some European countries that aren’t quite so hostile towards ‘Morphs, but even in more tolerant ones they’re starting to implement mandatory genetic screening for all citizens. Canada and the UK have already made it a prerequisite for receiving government health care. There is no genetic screening in the United States as of yet, but people are gunning for it.

That seems a bit harsh!

Don’t think that these laws exist for no reason … there have been recorded incidents of ‘Morphs taking DNA forcibly, even from endangered species and other human beings. Environmentalists are up in arms about it, as are animal welfare advocates and park rangers.

Many ‘Morphs — possibly most — changed by accident. There’s a lot of ignorance of how they can have their genes contaminated; just because blood is the easiest doesn’t mean it’s the only way. There are a lot of cat and dog ‘morphs. But they’re not as sensationalized, so there’s a lot of distrust.

‘Morphs aren’t arrested on sight for being criminals, even if they appear animalistic. But they’re seen in about the same way as a punk with a purple mohawk, twelve piercings and tattoos up and down each bare arm. People look at you and they just know you’ve been up to no good, and they want you to stay far away from them.

Any questions?

If there’s anything you’d like to ask, just leave a comment and I’ll get back to you! I’d be happy to help authors write stories set in this world.