If you could design your own body and hit a button and have it immediately implemented, would you keep your natural self or would you make changes?
We'll just all assume that every person who gets this would make themselves early twenties with flawless skin, perfect organs, appendages and functionality, and no excess weight.
My question is, would you change yourself from your genetic baseline, and if so, how?
I mean I've heard that arsenic-based life forms are plausible but I think you have to live in a methane Rich environment to survive so you would basically like collapse into a puddle of toxic goo
I was hoping for something more mechanical or digital. If I'm going through all the hassle of getting a new body then I don't want to bother with the habits of the old one ( eating, sleeping, etc).
Definitely wings. First thing I thought of. Unfortunately that would require a massive redesign. Firstly, you'd need hollow bones, as well as a very low body fat percentage. Decent chance boobs and butt don't grow hardly at all. Secondly, you'd need extremely strong chest muscles, which also still have to be light. And in order to provide enough energy for that, you'd need a larger and stronger heart with wider blood vessels. You'd also need to most likely quintuple your daily calorie intake. Possibly more depending on how often/when/ where you are flying. You would also want lungs with more surface area to absorb oxygen better, even at low altitudes. Especially at higher altitudes. That would likely mean a stronger diaphram. Stronger leg muscles for takeoff/landing. Better eyes for scoping out landing points and avoiding hazards. Most birds don't fly at night, so you may consider something akin to a cats eyes, or go the bat route with echolocation. And you're going to need a neutral remapping unless you just plan to replace your arms with the wings. Fortunately, outside of a higher energy cost, that last one might happen automatically, our brains are very plastic.
No more garbage genetics please. EDS, pots, ADHD, probably autism (on the waiting list for testing), chronic stomach troubles, depression, anxiety, hormone imbalances, PCOS, chronic pain, inflammation, weak loose skin. All that can go fuck right off forever and die. Once my body actually worked, and looked like it wasn't cursed from the get go, I think I might actually like it. Mostly. Might like an androgynous unit for daily living and a feminine one for sexy times. Both thoroughly muscular of course. Gotta get that muscle tone. If we went for non human stuff on top of that, wings. Huge fuck off dragon wings. None of that Superman flying shit, I wanna FEEL the flight. Hell, I'd probably actually be able to enjoy doing any physical activity if my fucking body wasn't so, so breakable. Really I just wish I wasn't in so much pain.
Same, EDS and MCAS here. It's fairly well controlled nowadays but I'd love not having to adhere to huge life changes and needing to down 30 pills a day.
I’d get rid of the daily headaches that started around 12, all the random aches and pains I’ve had since my early 20s, and give myself better dental/oral genes so I didn’t end up with a cavity every damned year.
But the thing is those are changes I’d make with CRISPR, too, if we knew enough about genes to actually implement them. I’d do it in a heartbeat.
The aesthetics aren’t that important, tho I wouldn’t mind having thicker hair. My mom got a nose job and told me I have her old nose, and even that I’d keep.
I’d keep my adhd/autism/personality/appearance stuff, just want the rogue pain/deterioration genes fixed.
okay but have you considered that a tail would make most chairs incredibly uncomfortable for you? also do you really want to be able to fall on your ass and break your tail?
90 millions years of evolution, or you: who knows better?
It looks funny on pictures, but i bet everything would go south if you would straighten it out or reorganize it.
If you don't know the intend why it looks as it currently looks i would not touch it. even if you know why it looks like that and you can somehow compensate those effects, i would not do this on my own body for the first time...
I think a minor change to my ACL to fix my knee and bring it back to normal healthy condition is a small enough change to not cause unexpected consequences, since it’s just restoring it to new condition.
hm. i did not think about serious illnesses when writing my comment. maybe we can specify this as a "not running system", but i can understand that my first snarky comment could be perceived as rude when you have problems with your body. i fear i walked right in the privileged trap without realizing it?
just think about it: 80 to 100 years uptime, no reboot, no fall back system, not even a cold spare. and you want to change something while its running? madness! maybe if you are very lucky you may be able to replace some of the internal components.. but not to upgrade, only if your on the risk to loose the whole system...
better cable management for more efficient routing
A settings menu to enable things like "abundant food" mode, set body hair preferences, etc.
3 sets of teeth, make baby teeth last a little longer like my first one fell out when I was about 5 or 6, I'd start replacing them at like age 8, then the middle set would last until about 35 and then you get your last set.
Sperm valve with 2FA.
There's probably some upgrades we can make to the eyes.
Maybe some kind of heat pump system for urine, so if its very hot you can take a 150 degree piss and save some sweat, or if its very cold you can piss ice water to retain more heat.
build caliper functionality into my hands, so I can know the size of something just by holding it.
I would settle for exchanging baby teeth a part of puberty. Just that extra few years of wear transferred from the second set to the first set I think would make a load of difference.
Ever since I saw Ghost in the Shell, I've wanted a full on robotic body. I'd have a few different ones to suit my mood, too. Assuming I could afford it, anyway. Which since it's a dystopian nightmare, means I probably wouldn't be able to get anything other than the shitty tank-like body and only if my insurance covered it. 😮💨
Ever since I knew the weakness of my flesh, it has disgusted me...
I doubt I'd do anything major. Tweak my hair and eye color a bit. Predispose myself to a higher metabolism. Crab claw. Maybe add an inch, though I'm already pretty tall. Just simple confidence things, ya know?
I don’t want to be human. I want to see gamma rays, I want to hear X-rays, and I want to smell dark matter. Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can’t even express these things properly, because I have to — I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid, limiting spoken language, but I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws, and feel the solar wind of a supernova flowing over me. I’m a machine, and I can know much more, I could experience so much more, but I’m trapped in this absurd body.
I'd give myself long curly hair (I'm bald), an 11 inch penis (currently only 10.5), and huge-ass angel wings (anyone that doesn't say huge-ass angel wings is a fuckin liar)
I’m trying to remember what sci fi story that was, set in a future where genetic modifications were common and easy. The protagonist chose a “small” penis that was only 11-12”, as the biggest size that was fully functional and useable. It was kind of amusing the number of characters represented having vanity penises for appearance, even if they were too big to be fully functional or that a person they were attracted to might enjoy.
If we're gonna go for full on fantasy bodies I'll take a dragon and we can have an epic battle in storm-rent skies as a metaphor for the struggle between good and evil.
Then back to my place to calm down with some orange slices and some foetal spooning.
I'd also want to get rid of my mental illnesses, and reset my weed tolerance. And, if possible, give myself an eye for art. I love to draw, but I sssuuucccckkkkk. And be smarter. Cause I have a severe case of the dumb.
I also would ask to not be asexual since it seems like everyone else is having a good time and I wanna be involved lol
Assuming you are in a position to do so safely (given the mental illness stuff), stop smoking/vaping/eating weed for 3 to 6 months and I can almost guarantee your tolerance will reset.
Oh, I don't think being Ace equals a bad time, but I don't understand the concept of romance or sexual attraction on a personal level (I understand it in media). I feel like I'm missing out on that sort of stuff. But I'm otherwise happy with my cat 🙌🏾
I'm also gross and I think if I can't put out, no one is willing to hang out with me. I feel like if I at least put out I'd have something to offer
There are things like vitamin C and D your body has to get from somewhere else. Food, sunlight. Other animals don't have this issue. Every creature is built different, i just wish we were a little lower maintenance - or failing that, a good answer why it has to be this way.
Amino acids are the basic building blocks of life. DNA encodes which animo acids to put together in which order, and when. Ribosomes read bits of RNA that was copied from DNA and match up amino acids. The different animo acids correspond to different three nucleotides combinations (the As, Cs, Gs, and Ts of DNA). The ribosome attaches each animo acid in a chain.
When the amino acid chain detaches from the ribosome it folds into a protein. Different amino acids in different orders affect how the protein folds and what it becomes. Proteins are the structures and machinery of our cells.
There are 20 amino acids we need to make the proteins we rely on. Our bodies can make some of them and some of them we can't. The ones our bodies can't make we have to get from our diet. Those ones are called vital amines, or vitamins for short.
Nightmares beyond human comprehension like something out of a video game character creator with lots of liberty but even weirder and then probably the default settings again.
I'd remove my personal need for sleep, making it completely voluntary. But I wouldn't tell anyone about it. I could use an extra eight hours of free time every day.
I'm honestly fine just being a brain in a jar. Give me access to books and film and video games and I don't think I need a body. Is there a name for what's wrong with me?
IMO, there's nothing wrong with that. We ARE brains in a meat suit, with bits and pieces to support ourselves and increase chances of making new brains in meat suits.
I do think that the inability to interact with anything tangible could get problematic, if unable to achieve similar simulation.
Unfortunately I do have armpit hair, and it's especially disgusting when I put deodorant. I want it gone for good.
My family won't let me even though I'm an adult, they'll say "body hair is one of the qualities of men" even though I'm not gender conforming so I DON'T CARE.
A past me would have 100% answered in the affirmative to change myself, but I've since then, I've gained some confidence and realized I'm not as horrifically ugly as I thought I was when I was younger. I just need to take care of myself. So other than the improvements you mentioned, I think I'd keep my natural self.
Actually, maybe make myself a little taller lol. That is a huge benefit both in personal lives and in business. So mostly natural self, but optimized and some increased height.
Straighten my spine, make my chest muscles more symmetrical, straighten my hooked nose, make my beard not grow so far down my neck, correct my nearsightedness, fix my teeth.
If adding muscle is an option, I'll take a tight 6-pack, bigger biceps etc.
I mean, is this easily repeatable? I can think of lots of things I would try out, but a much smaller number of viable options if it was a once in a lifetime thing.
When I was considering this concept as part of a story I was working on I did consider the possibility that people would start out with having their ideal body but undoubtedly there would quickly grow a subculture of people who go for increasingly wild and interesting alterations, assuming that there are no side effects.
So in my story world, I came up with the idea that you would be molecularly unstable for several years after a change and therefore not eligible to change yourself more than once every 7 years.
I would flip my gender to female and ensure that my hair would match my Dad's hair color. Fix my chronic pain and IBS if I can, assuming those are genetic. Fix my singing voice. I ended up the shortest of my siblings, so double down on that and drop a few more inches off my height. I'm 5'8" now, so 5' even to 5'4" seem nice. My grandma's that height, so the code is in there somewhere.
No body hair, straight hair, no scalp issues, and more feminine face.
If I can extend it to the brain, no family history of schizophrenia (I don't have it myself but it's the reason I intend to abstain from psychedelic drugs.)
I've got 2/3 of those (my cholesterol is fine). I just had the impingement fixed in March along with the labral tear it caused, and recovery has been annoying but worth it. I'm back to all my regular activities! If you're interested, I really recommend looking into surgery.
I talked to a Dr about ten years ago and he seemed like I was wasting his time. He sent me to physical therapy and told me not to do the activities that cause pain (ok champ, I won't internally rotate my leg ever). So I was kinda jaded about it.
I have an X-ray and an appointment with an Ortho on Monday! I am so excited. Ready to get my hips ground.
What was the recovery like? I live in a 3rd story attic so I am a little worried I won't be able to walk
I would change. I've always loved character creation so I'd spend a good chunk of time designing just looks alone. Then, I'd focus on attributes and stats. What sort of person would I like to be? What do I want to be good at? What's the best build for the life I'm about to lead? Artist? Philanthropist? Genius? Smooth talker? Or a jack of all trades?
Would I have perks that I can implement? Perfect pitch? Ambidextrous? Perfect eyesight? Double jointed? Heterochromia? A dude with a big penis? A chick with a large set of boobs?
That's not to mention if I can include fictional things like super strength, the ability to fly, stretchiness, elf ears, cat ears, bunny ears, claws etc.
So, to answer the question, yeah I'd change myself
totally change stuff. remove the miopia. give me the ability to tan. anything else I could do what is clearly improvements. I would keep the overall look the same. like I would not change anything that could not do better practicality wise. I would not just change for looks.
We'll just all assume that every person who gets this would make themselves early twenties
Nooope. Hard pass on that.
My question is, would you change yourself from your genetic baseline, and if so, how?
Really, only fix some funky hormonal stuff, I'd not even heal my bad ankle, even though it sometimes causes discomfort - it provides me with an extra sense that I didn't have before; barometric pressure.
It would be cool to have a "built-in" HUD with metrics about my body, sensory input, and a few other things that could be switched on or off at will.
The "gear" that I was born with has shaped my experiences in life so far. Any major change and I'd probably be someone different.
My biggest wants are to have a body that at least works.
Gimme garunteed function out of my stupid organs, which is admittedly a given in the prompt but ***FUCK. ***
I'd honestly keep my probable autism, as I got exceptionally lucky and managed to find a career niche that effectively monetizes my neurodivergency (which is SUCH A FUCKED STATEMENT), but my ADHD is much more of an impediment to my personal and professional life- I'd turn that down considerably.
Past that, if I've got the opportunity-
I'm tired of my frail POS frame, and have a disposition towards giant dragon men. Give me durable scales, enormous muscles, and practical wings so I can help my friends, family, and I make reality match our dreams without fucking my skin up, needing a ton of help, or paying morbillions to just keep a vehicle OLDER THAN I AM insured.
Peak male performance is being able to fly groceries home and fix your friend's shit for them no matter HOW big the appliance is.
I'm gay as fuck and want the biggest dick physically sustainable, but I'd be willing to accept NO cock if meant meaningful independence and the ability to help others with major electroni-mechani-fluidi-cal infrastructure issues single-handedly and with ease. For now, I'm just going to have to pay out my ass for safe equipment or skilled labor that can do what I can't.
Modern society is a technological onion of such magnitude that human ability, physical or otherwise, is only able to maintain a vanishingly tiny amount of it, and the tools that enable one to cover a reasonable amount of it are only getting more expensive and obsfuscated. Fight the enshittification of the wheels that turn society by turning yourself into a horrifically sexy monster, preferably one descended from ideas that have been playing humanity since we discovered methods of writing our nightmares down.
It might be nice to try out different hair textures without having to put any work into it.
Other than that, the only scifi dream I would have is a proper GUI/HUD reporting system so I can just get the raw data about when things are going wrong.
Constantly see your brain waves, blood pressure, blood sugar, heartbeat, respiration, the amount of lactic acid in your body, you're various creatinine levels, just basically everything they would check if you were in the hospital but always visibly available to you so you can see and get direct feedback on what actions you take and how they affect you.
Heck yeah... I'd get better vision, better spine, ... there's a plethora of quality of life things that I think most people would be insane to pass up.
On another side, having a sweet of powers that effectively made me Batman levels of ability... How could anyone actually pass that up? Literally just a peak human... Yes please.
If I choose to remain a woman: add 2 more inches to my height, lose the genetic stomach fat, improve ability to build muscles. Maybe less curlier hair.
If I choose to become a man: late 20s, dark wavy hair, 6'5, lean build but not skinny. Wanna be a target version of Michael Scofield, basically.
I’m not even that tall and my height causes issues. People love tall until you try to fit in an airline seat, regular sized car, fit on a bicycle, or buy clothes that don’t need to be custom tailored. Not to mention how often I hit my head on things. And finally it kind of sucks that people are almost always initially intimidated by me based on size, hard to get part that first impression.
From the genetic baseline, totally, if that'd fix my hair loss and dandruff, also a fuller beard. I'd probably give my hair slightly lighter brown color, too.
I'd resolve my numerous health issues and take on a youthful appearance.
I'd imagine if this was ubiquitously available to everyone we would see a majority switch to their likeness to their favourite characters from whatever media they prefer.
Well, aside from the obvious "make myself my fursona" bit...
I'd get rid of my ADHD, or at the very least get rid of its interaction with food and exercise. It's been such a burden, to the point where it's singlehandedly prevented me from taking up new hobbies (because I know I won't stick to them and can't afford to waste the money), kept me from focusing on new certs (because I suck at self-directed study), and it's the single biggest reason why I'm overweight. I fucking hate it. ADHD superpowers, my ass. This is a fucking debilitating disease, and even with medicine it still sucks.
Ignoring the obvious "change myself into a magical wolf man which ends up getting dissected by some government agency", probably just a tune up.
There's a lot of mostly minor and cosmetic stuff I'd fix. Removing the need for glasses. Fixing my teeth. Ridding myself of a genetic thing my chest does. Fixing that weird pop my toe does every one in a while. I'm not really interested in being mr muscle strongman who people think women flock to; it's just not me.
Mentally though, I'd like to see about removing my depression/anxiety stuff, although I'm not sure if that's allowed or not by the rules. That's honestly probably the biggest thing holding me back. I'd keep the autism though; being neurodivergent isn't a crime.
I assume that at the very least you would walk away with as healthy of a body and brain as a human can have, so if you were still depressed at that point it would not be due to your own genetics but as a reaction to your lived experiences and the environment you find yourself in.
Can I use the button multiple times? If so, I have several experiments / experiences to do / have.
If it's a one time thing, I'd probably stick with the same genetics. I got pretty lucky, and I'd hate to make a change that I later felt negative about.
Hmm. That's a long commitment for something I can't try out. Still, yeah, if it can restore any "youth" I might lose during that seven years, I'd experiment. Lots of changes I'd be curious to experience.
Other than the assumptions OP mentions in the prompt, I would actually add a prehensile tail... I think that would be a super fun and useful appendage to have hehehe
Lots of changes. Not much on the outside, but fix breakable/broken stuff, be more efficient, this kind of things. Not having to worry about your own body betraying you seems like a good idea.
I'd like to have fewer moles on my skin and wouldn't mind the little chest hair I got to stop growing but other than that I'm pretty satisfied with it.
i mean yeah, i'll take just having the same body but made of nanites please. There are just no downsides to that: i'd be immortal, impossible to damage since the nanites would just flow back into place, i could reconfigure my body at will, and extremely cool shit like extruding tools from my body (either made of nanites or effectively 3d printing them).
It's more like biotic reversal so no time travel, just suddenly de-aging until just before biological puberty in a similar fashion as turritopsis dohrnii, the immortal jellyfish. Ideally, memory and personality remain intact. Afterwards, aging begins again normally so it's effective biological immortality.
Depends, if it's only biological changes, I'd get myself two hearts, and minimize the chances of any disease or aging knocking me out, then become an anthro folf because being hooman is overrated
If cybernetics are allowed, I'd probably get rid of the damn body and just have a virtual one, with my brain connected to some machine deep underground
Ye Ye body that stays perfectly healthy with no maintenance. Would be sick. We are all alive so of course I want me my body to be better at being alive. I want to be able to be poor and "malnourished" but thrive despite that and keep living my vest life without having to participate in capitalism to depend on my wellbeing
I'd give myself a nice set of teeth. Not 100% perfect cause I find that off putting, but 90% perfect. Slight imperfections are what make a beautiful smile imo
Biceps/triceps are 18" would rather 20"
Quads/hamstrings are 27" would rather 30"
Even with 18" arms, from a side view, even flexed they look small compared to my upper body. So they look disproportionate. Same with legs, because I have long legs (I'm 6'0), 27" looks small-er compared to someone who is only 5'8 tall with 27" legs.