Could a Kandra Impersonate a Part of a Living Person?

[Trusk'our he/him]

In The Bands of Mourning, we saw that a kandra can graft a portion of their own flesh onto a living person, allowing it to function as it normally would. What if a kandra decided to take their impersonation...further, than usual?

Could a kandra eat the limb a person while they were knocked out, then replace it as a part that functions normally until the kandra decides to pop off and leave with the information they've gathered by eavesdropping on their host's life? Could they replace one or more internal organs of a living person, allowing the person to live normally until the kandra decides to "self-destruct" their host?

Spooky stuff.

[Dunkum he/him]

My guess would be that there is a lower bound on Kandra mass, so impersonating just a limb or organ likely wouldn't work. also, if your plan is to fool the person into thinking they are still whole, that includes a bunch of additional complications.  all in all, I don't think this is really viable

[+Invocation]

I don't think they could go full Parasyte, but kandra prosthetics and kandra-donated organs would probably work. 

[Dunkum he/him]

8 hours ago, Invocation said:

I don't think they could go full Parasyte, but kandra prosthetics and kandra-donated organs would probably work. 

for prosthetic limbs, they might even be able to use the original bone if it is in OK shape

[Kandrafish]

 

On 2/7/2022 at 11:03 PM, Invocation said:

I don't think they could go full Parasyte, but kandra prosthetics and kandra-donated organs would probably work. 

Yeah, I think that using kandra as organ donors would be amazing. If Scadrial ever got to the point where they had the technology to do transplants, the kandra would be able to make organs that were a perfect match and then eat some more corpses to regenerate mass. 

 

On 2/7/2022 at 10:23 PM, Trusk'our said:

In The Bands of Mourning, we saw that a kandra can graft a portion of their own flesh onto a living person, allowing it to function as it normally would. What if a kandra decided to take their impersonation...further, than usual?

Could a kandra eat the limb a person while they were knocked out, then replace it as a part that functions normally until the kandra decides to pop off and leave with the information they've gathered by eavesdropping on their host's life? Could they replace one or more internal organs of a living person, allowing the person to live normally until the kandra decides to "self-destruct" their host?

Spooky stuff.

The primary problem, I think, would be that the kandra would need to either anticipate the actions the human wants to take or it would need to find a way to hook it's self up to the human nerve system. I think that even the most skilled kandra would have difficulty either knowing its subject that well, or manipulating its body that well. I could see it working with some major limitations, like the person would need to believe that they are in shock and cannot feel their legs, or they are significantly intoxicated. I would think that it would only have very niche applications, compared to the normal method of replacing the subject.

[+Invocation]

7 minutes ago, Kandrafish said:

Yeah, I think that using kandra as organ donors would be amazing. If Scadrial ever got to the point where they had the technology to do transplants, the kandra would be able to make organs that were a perfect match and then eat some more corpses to regenerate mass. 

Especially now that they know how to shut off their pain nerves. No need to invent kandra-specific anesthetic (which would probably otherwise be necessary).

[Honorless he/him]

Were you rewatching Parasyte the Maxim?  I think they can donate their flesh to living humans, sure, but they probably can't pull off a Migi,  Kandra have more mass than that, iirc.

But I do rather like the idea, maybe there's a way to get a Migi like limb - maybe Bestarin Aether (from Aether of Night) could do it? Or fabrial prosthetics. I think you yourself will have to be a shapeshifter, and this would have to be partial shapeshifting.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Honorless

[Duxredux he/him]

If we're talking medical advancement, then I think there's something here. If we're talking functioning as an undercover operative or being a "time bomb", then I can't see this being more useful than just fully impersonating the target. I don't think any of Harmony's kandra would do this kind of skullduggery, and if a rogue kandra has the opportunity to replace a limb, odds are they could have kidnapped, interrogated, and eaten the target, giving them full freedom of motion rather than being restricted to whatever the target does. There are exceptions, like if the kandra knows that the target is smarter than they are and wants to allow them autonomy to see what they do, but still usually less useful than just eating them. 

[clowncarcrash]

I'm inclined to say no. Skin is just surface level uncomplicated tissue. I would think the Kandra's consciousness would be needed to keep an organ up and running for a long period of time if they're not in the body. 

[AerionBFII he/him]

Hmmmmm I do not think it would be possible.

I think it is hypothetically possible with the collusion of the individua but not without their knowledge. What makes me unsure is what @Dunkum said about there being a limitation for Kandra mass. I don't think a Kandra could shed off some of their mass to make it easier.

For example if the Kandra was imitating the forearm and hand of an amputee could you imagine the logistics of getting the Kandra to react to the ligaments or dealing with blood flow? 
I think the theory is cool though, it gives me creepy anime Parasyte vibes. Like looking at your palm and an eye opens 

Edited March 20, 2022 by AerionBFII