June Gesture Doodles - 02 - Different Fruits

Some brainstorming stuff for the upcoming Comic BLUE starring Cheryl and Leon~!

I left out some fruit transformations like Cherry, and the like, had to make it so logically there'd be that chance of "popping." Beyond the raspberry- I don't think I'll be deviating too much from the "sphere" shape. So banana and cherry are extremely unlikely to make appearances if they exist in the universe at all.

- The condition:
A genetic condition that is extremely recessive, with less than one in a million chance of occurrence. As a result- there are barely a thousand cases in the world at present. But being a genetic occurrence of unknown origin- it has been traced all across the world and indeed so far back in humanity's history that it's likely nearly all humans carry the genes. There are no recorded cases of men becoming fruit- and current hypotheses is that the Y chromosome carries some unique genetic defense against the transformation. However- testosterone and other male hormones have no affect on Fruit victims, so a cure remains elusive.
- Symptoms:
An individual is born as a fruit and it's obvious on their birth. A child born with the fruit syndrome has unnatural and bright fruit colour for skin regardless of their biological ethnicity. Though- lighter skinned people tend to be more neon and darker skinned more organic. As well- the individual is unable to taste their respective flavour. A blueberry eating blueberries or drinking blueberry products doesn't taste anything, or tastes a dull tartness. The type of fruit has yet to be fully determined- but it seems that Raspberry is most common in the Americas, Blueberry in Europe, Melon in east Asia, Peach in Africa, Apple in Eurasia, and Pear in Australia. The genetic flow of this is unknown, and theories run rampant
A fruit does not show any other symptoms of their condition until late puberty, or early adult hood. Average is 17-24 when the other symptoms begin. Around this time, the individual begins to produce a fruit juice like liquid in nearly all their cells, bodily cavities, and other parts. This will gradually inflate them over the course of weeks. For reasons not understood- the flesh of fruit is incredibly elastic- enduring to immense sizes and returning to original shape upon juicing. Also not understood is how and why all the juice cavities of a fruit are connected to the mammary/lactation glands, as such- individuals afflicted with this condition are regularly "juiced" through their nipples to reduce swelling. However- likely due to being linked to the lactation glands- frequent juicing spikes juice production and shortens the span of weeks to days or even hours.
Over time, the fruit gradually grows larger and larger throughout their life as their skin becomes more elastic and their juice production reaches a balance of sorts. A fruit that juices only when she needs to can go for months without juicing (though they will spend most of that uncomfortably inflated and helpless.) A fruit that juices all of the time either out of obsession, personal choice, or selling themselves to Juice Factories reach a form perpetual juice production; constantly producing juice so fast that modern juicing machines are only barely able to keep up with production. The average fruit can go about a week without juicing, due to attempting to live a normal life unbalances them. ((Cheryl obsessively juiced herself trying to live a normal life when she was younger, and now has the unusually short juicing cycle of 24 ours))
- Lethality:
The Fruit Condition is an inherently dangerous one, and it's only through modern technology has the afflicted been able to live almost normal lives. The constant juice production will eventually burst the fruit (indeed there are extremely few cases of Fruit passing in any other way.) Current breast pumps, body squeezers, and modern transportation technology has given Fruit a reliable way to juice themselves to a schedule. In the past when juicing had to be done manually, human hands just weren't enough to keep a fruit from reaching terminal sizes and popping.
As well, the Fruit Condition makes even small cuts a potential hazard. The nature of the condition leads to the expansion to stretch the skin- often widening the wound. As well- surgery is nigh impossible on a fruit- as their body produces so much juice that large incisions have almost no chance of proper healing. Individuals who have gotten through events like these often have their juice production increased so much any chance of a normal life is lost.
Fortunately, possibly due to a different bio-chemistry- Fruit are not affected by the majority of human conditions like cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses. Studies persist to see if this trait can lead to cures. As well, while cuts and the like are dangerous, Fruit are much more durable than humans able to take falls, bumps, and impact with barely a bruise. This is likely a side effect of their stretchy and rubbery flesh.
- Juice:
Fruit juice is highly nutritious, containing all the human nutrients found is healthy breast milk, vitamins found in fruits, and other positive electrolytes. With proper pasteurization and purification, the juice can last a long time. It also has various qualities associated with natural fruit juice and natural milk. Able to be thickened into yogurt, ice cream, hardened to a sweet fruity cheese like treat, or purified into juice, jellies, and jams. Now, with factories and more surviving fruits- the food industry is being slowly revolutionized.
Most fruit sell their juice to Fruit Product industries, typically as a supplement since fruit who produce juice constantly are rare. However, some corporations have "hired" some fruit to become full time juicers (and Cheryl who's body chemistry is able to make up a decent amount of her personal income while maintaining independence.) The legal and moral implications of these "business relationships" are complicated and a source of heated discussion. On one hand- without the corporations technology the fruit that need constant juicing would surely explode, but at the cost of almost any freedoms and human decency. Technology is making it simpler for them to at least maintain relationships and past times over the internet, but becoming a juicer is clearly a negative thing. As well, they are compensated for their full time positions which allows them to customize their juicing cells and live almost comfortably. What is regarded as truly despicable is when the corporations seek out fruit that don't need their 24 hour juicing "services."