Chromids

Chromid Biomodification

Altering the pigmentation of skin is a routine and easily applied biomodification, often one that can be purchased and the biomod performed at home. This biomod has three different applications, skin, hair and eyes. The mod changes the genetic structures that are responsible for pigmentation resulting in the desired area changing to the desired color.

Taste the Rainbow

Skin pigmentation was the last application of the polychromatic genetic modification, and the most striking. The technology was developed in Nippon, and as such the various colors are associated with Nipponese names. Skin Pigmentation is much trickier than hair or eyes, as it is much more organic in nature, two people can use the same treatment but come out slightly different colors. Maintaining skin pigmentation modifications often involves either a special diet, dietary supplements, or regular visits to a Cosmetician (now a dermatology specialist). Failure to maintain a chromid skin mod will cause the color to leach out or become sallow. Washed out chromids are associated with disaffected youth, criminals, and career protesters.

Skin pigmentation mods are available as in in utero modification, and these in utero chromids don't have the same number of issues as post partum and post adolescent chromids do.

Kuros - black skinned, not African, but black. Popular in the underground community, especially death revelers, and those of a more negative aspect.

Shiros - opaque white, as in printer paper white. Shiros is very popular among fashion models.

Akas - Red, in varying shades. A favorite among strippers and sex workers (conceals rashes and sores well) but it most well known for the Sausage Cart Man.

Kies - Yellow, fairly uncommon, usually only seen when a performance group is doing rainbow work. Sometimes seen as a sign of political militant apathy.

Aos - Blue, a perennial favorite of artists, painters, performers, and musicians. Origin of the term 'smurfs' and 'blue movies' as one of the first real applications of holovid tech involved aos sex play. Their skin color allowed the pornographic display to jump obscenity and porn/sexuality limited laws in place at the time.

Midoris - Green, another popular color, especially among urban primitives, neo-hippies, ecological activists and seacology dwellers.

Momoiros - Pink, Hello Kitty candy pink, popular among groups like Ko Girls and other predominantly female groups that strongly associate themselves with perceived youth, innocence and anime style seduction.

Magic Hair

Changing hair color is an ancient practice, and has reached a new height in the Cosmic Era. The colors of the rainbow are now at the beck and call of the world's hair dyers and they are no longer bound by the colors of their natural hair. Hair mods come in several varieties and are very common. The standard selection of hair colors and textures are available (everyone in the arcos has great hair) and are barely worth a mention. The bright colors are the ones that draw the eye and are available in a great number of colors and styles. There are pastels, vibrant, safety and neon, and available across the spectrum. The duration of hair mods have three steps, short term, annual, and permanent. The Short Term generally lasts 3-6 weeks, and requires regular maintenance. It is the cheapest, but also can be layered, to create a mane of natural rainbow hair. Annual lasts a year and is the most common. The longer duration makes it easier to keep a steady color and pattern without 'rooting' when the natural hair reasserts itself. The permanent treatment is on par with the annual treatment, and is fairly common and rather than the bright colors, more natural colors are dominant. The Arcos of the cosmic era have a very high percentage of blondes, platinum blondes, true black and redheads and a relatively small percentage of brunettes.

Men also use hair mods, it is easy to overlook them when contemplating the glorious manes of the ladies. Male pattern baldness is a ghost of the past, as hair therapy and genetic mods have eliminated it like polio. At least, inside the arcos and among the well off. Baldness and thinning hair (unless deliberate in the case of the polished dome) are considered signs of poverty and poor health.

Magic Eyes

Eye coloration was the first chromid biomod and has the widest array of colors to chose from, easily on par with nail polish colors. The first ocular chromic modifications didn't go well, and had a nasty habit of causing blindness and macular degeneration. This was eventually sorted out, and now it is considered a safe and inexpensive biomod that is popular among young girls and fashion conscious women. The ocular biomod is a temporary mod, and generally lasts 3 to 6 months depending on the user and their metabolism. There is a permanent version of the Magic Eye treatment, but it is more expensive and rarely used outside of medical reasons (albinism) or legal reasons (Witness protection)

Final Words

The Chromid is intended as a background filler, something to mark the iconoclasts and punks of the Cosmic Era the way mohawks and lip piercings and extensive tattoos are used today. Chromids are likely to have personalities that are suited to their skin pigmentation or hair and few of them are the wallflower personality types. People who just want to be part of the group don't dye themselves purple. The number of full body chromids is fairly small, but a very visible slice of the Cosmic Era demographic. They are also largely confined to the arcologies and the major cities where there are concentrations of population along with access to wealth and resources, and there is the ability to basically waste money and medical supplies. There are chromids and mods in the favelas and urban rim, but these were sourced from the arcos, and few if any got their modifications in the favelas.