Modes

An umbrella classification for a subsect of people practising extreme body modification. Originating from Venus, they're not a cohesive species as they are a group of people, united by common practises. They live in all sorts of places, but most specifics will be about a specific subsection, Venusites, the originators, who live on Venus.
The name originates from modifiers, which over time contracted to modders, and then modes.

Basic Information

Anatomy

At the baseline, they are human. They have the same brain structure, the same DNA, the same amount of bones and so forth. The main differences come from the modification they undertake. These augmentations are immensely varied, and in terms of outward appearance can range from barely noticable, to being more machine than man. These augmentations can be direct biological changes, like denser bones and muscles, to bigger lungs and a more powerful heart. These biological changes can be done after or before birth, though pre-birth yields more precise and efficient modification. They are commonly also cybernetic, like enhanced eyes, extra limbs, concealed weapons, to even being no more than a brain in a jar.
For venusites in particular, the augmentations are generally geared towards survival in the high heat and pressure of Venus, coupled with embedded systems capable of extracting oxygen from the otherwise toxic atmosphere. They generally have higher density bones and muscles, also enhanced with artificial muscle fibers and direct reinforcement, and are overall much stronger than a regular human.

Genetics and Reproduction

They reproduce like regular humans, at least in theory. In practice, many prefer artificial insemination and some even cloning.

Ecology and Habitats

Venusites live on, per the name, Venus. They have adapted themselves to the extreme enviroment, and take great pride in being able to live where ordinary people can only visit with machinery or great preparation. They can just take a stroll on a cloud platform, where someone like you or I would have to put on a thick suit with an air supply.
They're not miraculous though. They don't live on the surface, but a few ten kilometers above it in great floating cities. Here, the atmosphere is a lot thinner and cooler.
The rest of the Modes live wherever, though most prefer space habitats and/or big spaceships. Same thing at that point, really.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

They value, obviously, augmentation. Biological, genetic, cybernetic, whatever else, they like it. Function well over form, essentially.

Average Technological Level

Very high, being just a planet over from Earth.

History

Originating from Venus, the second planet in the Sol system, they started as regular people living in the clouds. Over time, they decided to enhance and ease their living with body modification. Being in the Sol system, near Earth, they also had access to the most top-of-the-line tech, allowing for some radical modification. That has just expanded over the centuries, and now many are barely recognizable as human.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Perceptions vary, though most non-modes view them with suspicion, often as weirdos with strange practices. Some even view their ways as a perversion of the human form. Regardless of that, they are still officially recognized as human, in most places at least. They exist within human society, and trade often, as some of Venus's gases are reasonably valuable in the system, and not many others live as far down, due to the effort required. While the Venusites inhabit the planet proper, there's plenty of orbital settlements inhabited by other Modes groups and regular humans around Venus. Most of their tech also comes from outside, Earth, mainly.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Origin/Ancestry

Venus

Lifespan

Unlimited.

Average Height

Varies heavily, but most tend to stay with human levels, somewhat less than two meters.