Transtellonomy

Transtellonomy is a scientific practice revolving around Shift Stars. It's first mentioned on page 26. It's still an incomplete science, as more and more about Shift Stars is being discovered with time. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED UPON IN THE SERIES YET, AND MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR FUTURE PAGES

HISTORY
Transtellomy was a science founded not long after the original Shift Star's creation. Initially, the practice was used to dilute the power of the Star and remake them to stray away from Shape shifting. The power would cause its users to go mad with power, as imagination was the only limit. As the stars devolved into 5-point stars, they started exhibiting strange patterns and giving users unique abilities. As they began to show up in more people, Transtellonomists hoped to learn more about the patterns of the stars.

Transtellonomy used to be an open science. Transtello would often fund the research of outside parties. However, one of the facilities ended up breaking moral codes and some of the restrictions put on the practice,and even caused a war. Upon the war's resolution, thanks to a resistance put together by a group of four people, Transtellonomy was restricted and only permitted under the supervision and within the jurisdiction of Transtello. Today, it's illegal to practice it outside of Transtello walls.

It's discovered that the fewer points on the star,the more broad the abilities but also the least powerful abilities. 8-point stars seem to only have one ability: the ability to shape-shift into anything the user imagines. This is he only ability, but the most powerful. Six-point stars seems to allow shape-shifting, but the shape-shifting is severely limited to certain objects and body parts. Five-point stars are the most balanced, disallowing shape-shifting but allowing nearly any kind of power of varying power levels. Arc believes that a seven-point shift star would allow shape-shifting into any existing object or through other limits such as mammal, animate, etc.

CONTROVERSY
Transtellonomy is known as "the Science of Demons", as almost all of its experiments unavoidably involve human experimentation. Animal experiementation is impossible, as only humans are capable of carrying a star. It is said only the most hardened, uncaring people can be effective Transtellonomers, and therefore the practitioners are often feared or looked down upon. The practice is still needed for the progression of Star users, thus the reason it hasn't been eradicated. However, it's not uncommon for illegal practitioners to pop up and cause issues for Star users. This is one of the many reasons Transtello exists.

Only one Transtellonomer has been able to avoid this controversial practice by an alternative methods, but has been incarcerated and deemed mentally unwell as a result.

RULES OF TRANSTELLONOMY
* These practices have already been explored and have been deemed impossible feats. The process of attempting the given feats always results in multiple deaths, and will therefore is considered a form of mass murder.
 * It is forbidden to practice Transtellonomy outside of Transtello walls and/or without Transtello's formal permission.
 * It is forbidden to fund illegal practitioners of Transtellonomy.
 * Death caused by illegal Transtellonomy is considered first-degree murder, and responsible parties will be tried separately for the offense.
 * *Attempted recreation of the Original Shift Star is forbidden, with or without formal permission.
 * *Attempting to grant a Shift Star to a non-user is forbidden.
 * Whether within Transtello's walls or not, using an unregistered subject is forbidden and will result in termination.

KNOWN PRACTITIONERS
There are no known practitioners at this time.

STARS
Stars follow various patterns, many of which are unknown or impossible to predict. Despite the practice being mostly shrouded in mystery, there are some noticeable patterns discovered when it comes to the discovery of Stars.
 * The average of Star Users of all generations thus far is roughly 52% worldwide, but the actual percentage varies at random in each generation and country.
 * Shift Stars are statistically more common in females than males, and females tend to master stars faster than males. Combat stars are also 10% more common in females, while non-combat stars tend to show up in males 26% more often. Aside from the idea it has something to do with DNA compatibility, it is unknown why this is, but this is merely a trend and is in no way a certainty.
 * Shift Star marks commonly show up before the user hit puberty, but has been known to appear earlier or later. It never shows up after the age of 16. This has no effect on the star's overall strength. The stars show up on exterior parts of the body excluding reproductive organs, but sometimes, though rarely, will appear on the user's tongue or an eye. The mark is always black and is always visible unless covered by an article of clothing.
 * Star users understand the basics of how to use their stars a while after the star appears on their bodies. This is meant to compensate for the wide array of abilities and to save the user the trouble of figuring it out on their own. While the process usually occurs naturally, intense emotion can cause the process to occur much sooner. There have been recorded yet very rare cases of children being born with Shift Stars already activated, but they tend to have more practical abilities.
 * Star users are technically born with a star, but it remains dormant and "invisible" until the user has matured. It is speculated that the brain adjusts its functions so it can withstand a Star's presence.
 * Stars do not occur in inorganic non-humanoids, such as robots. Simply put, only humans can possess a Shift Star, as no non-human humanoids exist.
 * A cut/bruise/injury to the star tattoo on a user's body tends to hurt much more than anywhere else, and is characterized by a sharp pain and brief, throbbing headache. It is unknown why this is.
 * If a Star user were to lose the body part in which the star tattoo is located, the star will reemerge elsewhere on the body after a week minimum.
 * If a Star user were to lose the body part that allows them to utilize their star (ie: their arms), their star will remain dormant until it has finished re-configuring itself to work elsewhere. The new star will be similar in properties to the original star. Ex: A Star user who uses their hands to shoot fire loses their hands. The star may reconfigure itself to shoot fire through their eyes, feet, mouth, etc.
 * Star users are able to take more damage from other Star users because of magnet-like auras emitted naturally from their brains. The science behind it is complicated, but Star-users, as a result, have slightly different brain chemistry from regular people.
 * There are cases of individuals not getting a star because of a mutation. These individuals still have the same magnet-like aura and brain chemistry as fully realized Star users, but do not have access to Stars. These individuals are not called Rooks, but are called "Potentials". It's impossible to tell the difference between the two without brain scans.
 * Stars are always directly influenced by the nervous system, namely the brain. While most stars require limbs or other organs to function, their root is in a part of the brain. It's proven that it is currently impossible to remove one's star successfully, and it's known that an attempt to do so always results in the Star user's death as the part of the brain that controls the Star is directly attached to the Medulla Oblangata, which controls breathing, digestion, swallowing and sneezing, which makes a Star a vital part of a Star user's life.

TYPES OF KNOWN STARS
Stars usually appear at random in generations, but some appear because of specific environmental causes. Some also follow specific types, making it easier to train the Star users. Much is unknown about the specific and trends.

Hereditary Stars
Stars of similar abilities that are passed down through generations. The likelihood of the stars of this type being passed down are 4 to 11 after the second generation, and decrease unless both biological parents possess Hereditary stars, in which the offspring's star would be a mixture of both abilities. The abilities are rarely identical, and is the second most common and most well-documented type of Shift Star.

Communal Stars
Stars of similar or identical abilities being passed through community instead of through blood.

Twin Stars
Identical or complementing stars occurring between twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc. The number of occurrences varies at unpredictable rates between generations. Often times, the abilities are opposites that work together. The abilities can always be utilized together, but not all twins that are Star users have these stars.

Catalytic Stars
Stars that require a catalyst to use. In most cases, the catalyst is a weapon but there are cases of other items such as cellphones being used. These are common stars, but the process of selecting a catalyst is shrouded in mystery and usually varies between users. Some users with Catalytic stars don't remember how they chose their catalyst, or if they chose one at all. Cleo is an example of this, as she uses a mirror-bladed scythe as a vessel for the spirits she captures.

Rubix Stars
Stars with many advantages but just as many drawbacks. These stars are complicated and have many specific rules. They compensate for great strengths by adding specific drawbacks. For example, a star may allow a user to teleport anywhere they wish to, but they must know the exact coordinates and/or have a lengthy cool-down period between teleportation leaps. Much more complicated Stars exist.

Practical Stars
This is merely an informal term for Stars that do not have primarily combat-oriented uses. These stars could include the ability to understand any language or the ability to control one's own brain function such as memory with great precision. Healing factors also fall under this, as there are at least 20 documented cases of doctors having healing stars.

Evolutionary Stars
Though rather rare, this is a type of star that reveals new, related features as its user ages and masters the star. This type is almost always a Rubix star as well because of the complicated rules. It is unknown why there are stars like this since a star reveals its attributes to a user within a week of showing up. It is believed to be a slight mutation. This occurs with more powerful, combat-based stars.

Minor Stars
Characterized by only having four points instead of five, these stars were rather mundane stars with very little to offer. As they were the product of an attempt to create an eight-point Shift Star, they no longer exist because the instability caused the 12 test subjects to go into organ rejection and die, the organ being the brain. The abilities were mundane ones such as slightly raised IQ, mildly enhanced speed, or inaccurate clairvoyance. The pursuit of recreating these stars was never an option because of their impracticality, and they do not occur naturally.

Six-Point Stars
Characterized as being incredibly rare and much more powerful in its potential. It allows the user to shape-shift in a minor way. There are only two known Star users in the world that use this star, with the most notable being Lazarus.

Many Stars do not fall into the above categories, and it is not uncommon for a Star to fall into more than one category (eg. A Hereditary Catalytic Star).