#but it remains that epigenetic modifications are quite reversible

[sunset-peril]

I actually tend to hc that all the Links are descended from another at some point.

However, what do you think about epigenetics being a viable reason for such?

You mean epigenetics being the reason they all are similar? Or that epigenetics is the reason they're all descendants of each other? I'm not sure I understand the question.

However, considering that epigenetics regards the condensed-ness (that's not a word but oh well) of the histones and the DNA wrapped around them and that most epigenetic changes are extremely reversible due to being caused by environmental stimuli (the only epigenetic changes that are permanent being CpG methylations in gene promoters, because those control cell differentiation.), I don't think epigenetics would leave a permanent mark on all Links as a whole. If Twilight Princess was Ocarina of Time's grandson or great-grandson, then that would be the only time I could see epigenetics playing a role in more than one Link. However, I think the rest of them are too far apart in the bloodline to have any real epigenetic effect on each other. Generally, epigenetic changes have been reversed after two or three generations, unless whatever stimuli that caused the original modification was persistent. (We used diabetic rats and poor/proper dieting for this study, and research on psychological epigenetics is still very new)

Although now that you mention this, I am curious to see how epigenetics would play a role in BotW/TotK's children.

I hope that answers the question!

For me I definitely hc that Skyward, Ocarina, Twilight Princess and BotW/TotK being all relatives (BotW being descended from TP literally being a foundational piece in my lore). I just don't know enough about the rest of them to decide for the rest of them.

[dabibliophile]

Venomous is a Shapeshifter and Here’s Why

Venomous having shapeshifting powers, either innately or through self-modification, would answer a lot of the questions surrounding him; most immediately, it would put the “body types don’t match” argument to rest regarding the “Laserblast is Venomous is Shadowy Figure” theory.

We already know shapeshifters exist in this universe; KO’s classmate Genesis is one.

At ten-ish years old, she can already grow new bones and muscles and change her hair color, though her body type remains the same. It stands to reason that an adult shapeshifter might be able to alter their proportions to the point that “Laserblast is Venomous is Shadowy Figure” is possible.

If Venomous was born with shapeshifting abilities, a career in bioengineering would make sense because he’d have a greater understanding of the concepts behind it due to exercising his power over the years, and he’d be able to do even more with it with as the field advanced.

Alternatively, he could have used his skills to give himself shapeshifting powers. We have a few mutated characters in the show, which I’ll mention later, but right now the takeaway is that such changes are possible, though general shapeshifting is likely more difficult to obtain than a singular change. But out of all the things you can do as a bioengineer, why that specifically? The most obvious answer is that shapeshifting is awesome, but Venomous seems to have better sense than to undergo a potentially hazardous procedure for fun.

Rather, Venomous gave himself shapeshifting powers because he initially had no powers at all. Most inhabitants of this universe have some kind of gimmick- super strength, telekinesis, vine whips, etc. Even those with no active ability like Dendy or Potato have benefits such as a turtle shell or rabbit speed.

The OK KO world is very dangerous, to the point that even news reporters and convenience store employees are combat-oriented. Individuals without powers appear to be rare, possibly a genetic throwback from before those two apocalypses and three doomsdays that Crinkly Wrinkly supposedly survived.

To quote tumblr user neddythestylish, “disability exists in the context of the environment”. And in such a violent world, having no powers could very well be considered a disability.

Disabled people have scraps at best for positive representation, both in media and real life. Non-powered people in OK KO may also face this issue. Are there any heroes in the OK KO universe without powers? Who can non-powered kids look up to?

I sifted through the sources on the wiki’s character page and looked at characters who either have no powers or whose powers aren’t innate, and the results were… sparse.

Ginger is a retired thief, no powers.

Nick Army “has two of every weapon ever made”, no powers.

Chip Damage appears to be a cyborg. KO mentioned his powers got upgraded, so they’re likely mechanical in nature rather than innate.

Co-bruh got his form and powers from being dropped into a pit of mutant snakes.

Gladys spliced lizard DNA into herself.

Holo-Jane’s physical form is elsewhere. We don’t know to what degree her holo-form resembles her physical form, but she might have prosthetic legs.

Boxman is a cyborg. Still not sure what’s up with the chicken hand.

Mad Sam is a mutant human, though it’s unclear whether this is innate or a result of living in the Danger Zone.

Ted the Viking carries around an axe and has a magical scarf friend, no powers.

URL: “was a normal kid” until he became living code.

I’m not counting the Hue Troop because they’re from far in the future, and I’m looking at OK KO’s modern society.

What I’m getting from this sample is that if you don’t have innate powers, end up mutated, or constantly carry around weapons, you have a high chance of getting your limbs blown off.

While some of these people may have been born without limbs (especially since there’s radioactive waste in the sewers), that it’s apparently completely normal for small children to fight robots with buzz-saws and lasers suggests violent amputation is more likely.

It’s usually not a good idea to use the experiences of a single person to generalize about a larger population, but the narrative lens is the only one we’ve got right now so that’s what I’m using.

Boxman is a level -10 villain who attacks the plaza almost daily. He could have been bullied as a child for not having powers, turning to villainy out of spite.

Ginger was a dangerous jewel thief. Though she’s level +3, she had no problem manipulating KO. That she called her heists “thrilling” raises the possibility that non-powered people are considered “fragile” and thus discouraged or banned from doing anything potentially hazardous, so Ginger decided to have fun the unconventional way.

Chip Damage is a level +15 hero, but he was only mentioned offhand, and I doubt he would have the opportunity for such heroics without having access to enough money for expensive prosthetics. (Reliable prosthetics can’t be cheap, much less weaponized ones, given that Neil’s keep falling off.)

KO helped Nick Army resolve a pickle problem. I’ve got nothing on that.

KO’s likely interacted with the rest of these characters as well, but I don’t think we’ve seen him so much as say hello to them onscreen. They exist in the background, as extras.

Shunting disabled people and other minorities into primarily antagonistic and background roles (or having them be the focus for one “Very Special Episode” and then vanishing) is an unfortunate byproduct of the ableism and other prejudices society perpetuates. OK KO’s parody elements put it in an excellent position to criticize prejudicial tropes, especially since it’s had episodes focusing on racism against aliens and kappa, and might be gearing up (haha) to do one about robots as well.

Simply put, if a society doesn’t accommodate a group of people, members of that group are more likely to be able to function outside of its accepted norms than to carve a place for themselves within it. Showing prejudice, not disability, as the source of villainy would be amazing, and Venomous’ place in the narrative makes him the best candidate for this (especially since Boxman got punted into the sun).

If my guesses about OK KO’s society are true, Venomous would have one hell of a chip on his shoulder going into this self-modification. The entire project would be a big middle finger to the society he lives in- but, ironically, he would also be bending over backwards to conform to it.

This could explain why Laserblast considered using the red orb on P.O.I.N.T.’s enemies: he used to have no powers himself. His reasoning could have been that “not having powers isn’t so bad, so it’s fine to use this to neutralize a villain”, or he could have succumbed to the “Just World” fallacy that so many fall for: that being disabled is a karmic punishment, and that it is furthermore an acceptable punishment for villains.

Whether his powers are inherent or not, I think he lost them at some point after the Sandwich Incident while further developing the red orbs. Lab accidents commonly give people powers in comics and cartoons, so it’d be an interesting reversal for one to take them away, especially after he could have worked so hard to get them in the first place. Venomous is researching turbonic energy to attempt to reactivate his powers. He’s made some minor progress with Fink- thus the difference between Venomous and Shadowy Figure. (Could he have a collar of his own under his scarf?) But he needs KO’s power to fully bounce back.

(Genes can change from expressed to not-expressed and vice-versa due to environmental stimuli, this is called epigenetics.)

We may have already seen an example of turbonic energy activating dormant genes. KO was conceived while Laserblast still had his powers, so KO has some shapeshifting genes in his DNA. We saw this manifest first in “You’re Level 100!”, and again in “TKO”. Most dramatically, we saw TKO go from baby fat to Ripped™ in the space of half a second in “Mystery Science Fair 201X”.

In other words, turbonic energy temporarily granted him minor shapeshifting powers.

Where does all this lead? With Boxman kicked to the curb for now and his factory turning away from the plaza, Venomous will likely have a bigger role in season two. And if that biochip he gave Boxman recorded anything, he’ll have quite a lot of data to pore over. Furthermore, he’ll know that KO has some control over his power now, meaning he won’t go all-out unless he’s in a situation more distressing than the season finale. Venomous is likely going to have to straight-up kidnap him and emotionally wear him down. But how will he accomplish that? What can Venomous do to get KO away from a plaza full of heroes and his level eleven mother?

“I can tell you about your father” should do the trick.

***

As always, I welcome any additions/corrections/questions/etc.! If I got something wrong or could revise my wording, don’t hesitate to message me!