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Old 09-30-2016, 03:29 PM   #21
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Bio-tech related Quirks and Perks

Most animals, I've found, don't categorize scents into just good and bad. It's all information like vision unless it's impossible to ignore and/or toxic fear inducing nasty.
I had a cat, Pepper, that went insane for hot peppers and would steal them in preference to actual meat. He'd get into hot wing boxes to lick the sauce then eat the chicken.
Since most humans are so unaware of environmental odors, I don't think enhanced olfaction would ever cause problems... unless one can't avoid talking about things people prefer to ignore. Like say how it's obvious who's on their period, what they last ate, ethnicity, or even sexuality which are somewhat detectable by scent.

Visual distortions would definitely cause issues. My GF has exceptionally good color discrimination. On tests she always gets perfect scores, and while I get good results, we sometimes disagree on what color something is or if two objects are mostly the same shade.

But I don't think an extra color receptor should be a zero point feature as giving a quirk along with the perk of improved vision would result in.
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Old 10-06-2016, 11:28 AM   #22
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Default Re: Bio-tech related Quirks and Perks

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Visual distortions would definitely cause issues. My GF has exceptionally good color discrimination. On tests she always gets perfect scores, and while I get good results, we sometimes disagree on what color something is or if two objects are mostly the same shade.
It's possible (according to some studies, likely) one of the copies of one of the photoreceptor genes is slightly different from the other, giving her a fourth, mostly vestigial, primary color (or, more accurately, two slightly different greens or reds). It wouldn't cause much difference, but would give her finer differentiation of colors.

Those of us with only one X would only ever have one copy of each.
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Old 10-06-2016, 04:12 PM   #23
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Default Re: Bio-tech related Quirks and Perks

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It's possible (according to some studies, likely) one of the copies of one of the photoreceptor genes is slightly different from the other, giving her a fourth, mostly vestigial, primary color (or, more accurately, two slightly different greens or reds). It wouldn't cause much difference, but would give her finer differentiation of colors.

Those of us with only one X would only ever have one copy of each.
Last I heard, all of those hypotheses have led to only one person proved to have beyond human norm color discrimination. Until more evidence shows that its more common than that, I can't reasonably consider it for anyone I know. But she does have near the upper limit, whatever the reason, with regards to color perception.
Like how pre-diabetes my sense of smell was at the upper limit of human ability.
It can lead to language failure as there just aren't words to describe the slightly different reality those with different senses exist in.
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Old 10-08-2016, 10:24 AM   #24
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Given the sexual culture of THS I might suggest that Neuter and/or No Genitalia are definitely Quirks, they would modify Eunuch and make it more limiting/off putting.

Nonstandard Genitalia could be a Quirk or Perk, depending on the social environment.
Wouldn't it also depend on how "nonstandard" the character's genitals are? Things could get pretty freaky with THS' medical technology even if its only cosmetic.
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Old 10-08-2016, 02:25 PM   #25
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Wouldn't it also depend on how "nonstandard" the character's genitals are? Things could get pretty freaky with THS' medical technology even if its only cosmetic.
It would likely depend on what most potential partners expect or at least consider probable.
Prehensile pincers is not going to be normal expect among the most "out there" subculture. Among them, human normal bits might actually be slightly startling. Of course being a much smaller group, that wouldn't be a quirk except in very insular games.
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Old 10-09-2016, 11:13 AM   #26
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A perfect example of what I'm going for here.
You could have some fun with this one. The influence of scent on human is pretty subtle but it is there. Sensory or neural modification might change how the recipient processes them. Arousal might register as anger or aggression or even just an unpleasant smell in general for instance.

On a related idea, taste and smell can vary. Durian fruit is repulsive for many people but others find it delicious and love the smell (which got the fruit banned in Singapore). A character might find some common foods awful and mildly nauseating or love weird (but harmless) substances and/or their scents.

Edit: this may just be a feature unless the reaction is pretty strong or strange enough it makes others view the character differently.

Memetics is another area you could play with. Biological augmentation that alters or enhances how the character processes information may effect how they react to common memetic tactics. Maybe they're somewhat more effective. Popular songs don't just stick in the character's head. they constantly hum or sing them under their breaths and slip the lyrics into their speech, things like that.

Last edited by Keiko; 10-10-2016 at 07:21 AM.
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Old 10-09-2016, 04:07 PM   #27
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Default Re: Bio-tech related Quirks and Perks

I, my life mate, and our housemate all have the gene that makes cilantro taste like hand soap. My first experience with restaurant salsa having it made me think they failed to wash the dishes properly.

My pre-diabetes olfaction made me able to smell a few oddities of humans most don't know about. All men except the few gay guys I met had a mildly irritating scent I can't describe. All bisexual women, and one hetero woman I met had a very pleasant scent I also can't describe. (Yes, I joked that she just hadn't discovered that part of herself yet.)
Strangely, I have never been able to smell rotten milk. Even horrific chunky months past expiration glop has only the barest hint of "sweaty" odor to me then and now. That would be interesting for a PC with a super sense that can't detect something obvious to mundanes.

So the potential for perks/quirks for those with enhanced senses are downright boundless. And as the cilantro thing shows, it's certainly possible for anyone to have odd gene variants.
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Old 10-10-2016, 03:47 AM   #28
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Durian fruit is repulsive for many people but others find it delicious and love the smell (which got the fruit banned in Singapore).
Nitpicking: It's banned from public transport in Singapore. Actually banning-banning it would probably cause a revolution among local gourmets, and I've even seen a dessert that used it on a hawker market menu there.

I chickened out from trying it, to my regret now, but I get the impression that it's analogous or even similar to a very strong blue cheese. Pretty much everybody detects it as being pungent as all hell, but people who like it, think that pungency is great. There's no genetic element involved that I've heard of.
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Old 10-10-2016, 07:33 AM   #29
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Perk: Immunity to simple illusions. You are immune to most typical tricks that produce incorrect interpretation of sensory data. Shepard–Risset glissando? Doesn't fool you. Spinning dancer? You don't get locked into having to stick to any one of the three possible interpretations (left, right, and a blob of ink) at any given point.

Usually meant to accompany templates with improved Perception, or Acute Senses that actually represent improved processing of sensory information (as opposed to the normally assumed improved sensory organs).
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Old 10-10-2016, 03:49 PM   #30
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...
I chickened out from trying it, to my regret now, but I get the impression that it's analogous or even similar to a very strong blue cheese. Pretty much everybody detects it as being pungent as all hell, but people who like it, think that pungency is great. There's no genetic element involved that I've heard of.
Andrew Zimmern, from Bizarre Foods, said the texture was like mushy onions. That was what kept him from swallowing and he has eaten things that would make the rest of us gag.
We tend to say that something tastes horrible when it's really just the texture that throws us of. Probably how we smash taste and smell into a single sense when we don't with other senses. Lab mice combine sound and smell though.

I know my life mate has the gene making her hypersensitive to the bitter components in many green vegetables while I barely detect them.
That is a horrible gene making people avoid healthy foods.
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