Adventure Seed: The Human Nose Boop.

The Human Nose Boop

Well, it’s like this.  Most species in the Galaxy have this one spot on their nose — the exact point varies from species to species, of course — where a quick squeeze can temporarily override their neural systems.  It’s not immediately dangerous, and in fact the sensation is remarkably pleasant, but obviously a vulnerability to being knocked in one shot is a problem. Fortunately, it’s a very specific spot on the nose, and you need to do it in a precise way, and it’s effectively impossible to hit that spot if you can’t even see it, and no species even can.  

Well.  Virtually no species can see the spot.  Only one species can, in fact.  Apparently, to Terran eyes the spot kind of pulses an interesting shade of blue-violet.  And it turns out that the average human can reliably hit that spot, ninety-nine times out of a hundred.

This has led to some interesting innovations to the art of war — anybody who fights Terrans regularly (nobody likes to fight Terrans regularly) invests in nose guards for the troops — but on the civilian side of things Terran skill with the Human Nose Boop merely means that humans can almost always get work as bouncers (wearing a nose guard at a bar instantly makes you stand out as a potential brawler and troublemaker) and security personnel.  This is, admittedly, a bit of a blow to many a young Terran on his or her first Galactic Tour. It can also be awkward when somebody assumes that a random Terran knows how to fight normally, and acts accordingly (and stupidly). But then; merely holding up one’s hand in the position called The Emu’s Mouth (or Baw-Kwwaah!) has gotten many a Terran out of a confrontation, too. It all evens out in the end.

One last note: yes, this is a very odd, and very specific, neurological glitch that seems almost designed to be exploited by Terrans.  It’s a big universe, coincidences happen.  Just don’t bother to ask the Terrans themselves whether they know anything about the situation, as they’ll invariably just raise an eyebrow and say that it’s fascinating.  No, really. Go ahead and ask one; they’ll all do the same thing. Must be some kind of religious ritual, or something.