As a hopefully-final update to my last body customization post, an online acquaintance of mine, Gwen, has persuaded me that hyperchitinized living tissue would be superior to keratin on aesthetic grounds, and due to its ability to grow and heal it would mostly or entirely avoid the need to molt. I think this would also allow more complex shapes, potentially bringing back the full humanoid ear with earring hole, while probably eliminating polishing and sanding from my personal maintenance routine.
Gwen also pointed out that my design would be extremely vulnerable to fire, due to my need to breathe to cool down causing me to inhale carbon monoxide and smoke. A possible, if slightly absurd, solution would be to split panting from actual respiratory breathing, with a second (probably much smaller) pair of lungs that don't actually breathe, and some of the breathing vents dedicated to the thermal system. However, she suggested a passive radiator system similar to nasal turbinates but greatly scaled up, likely using the extra space in the upper arms and thighs. This would still be vulnerable to poisonous gasses, but I imagine somewhat less systemic effect from this in the heat pump system as only refrigerant would be exposed directly rather than blood. This would mean vents on my thighs and upper arms from which warm (or sometimes cold, in the heat pump system) air emerges; in the non-heat-pump system there would be valves to control heat loss in cold environs. I believe this design would have the advantage of being functional underwater; I would still have to hold my breath, but I at least wouldn't run the risk of overheating any time I swim.
With those addressed I think I will call the design basically complete. Any remaining issues are beyond my capacity to identify without practical tests, which are obviously not possible
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