Talk:Enhanced synesthesia

Ability Naming Conventions
The following sources are used for determining evolved human ability names, in order:
1. Canon Sources	Episodes
2. Near-canon Sources	Webisodes, Graphic Novels, iStories, Heroes Evolutions
3. Secondary Sources	Episode commentary, Interviews, Heroes: Survival
4. Common names for abilities	Names from other works
5. Descriptions of abilities	Descriptions
6. Possessor's name	If no non-speculative description is possible
Note: The highlighted row represents the level of the source used to determine enhanced synesthesia's name.
Source/Explanation
In Ink, Emma's doctor says that Emma has a form of synesthesia".

Pretty useless ability

It's useful only for hearing impaired people like Emma. AltesUTC CH

• Unless we find out that she can control the sound too. That wouldn't be useless at all.--Laudo 08:25, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
• I think Emma would completely disagree that this is a useless ability. :) But similarly, Peter's ability would be pretty useless if he were surrounded by people without abilities! :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 08:48, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
  • Nah, he never would be alone. Because it's Heroes, a show about people with powers! AltesUTC CH
  • I have synesthesia. And as cool as it can be, it's not an ability it's still a disorder. So this article is completely wrong being an ability. I've never met anyone like that who has synesthesia like Emma. So I think we should take this out of the abilities section. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about here. --Jason Garrick 11:02, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
    • This article doesn't describe the real life phenomenon of being able to visualize sounds. It describes Emma's ability to visualize sounds. Its name comes from Heroes Interactive:Ink. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 12:29, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
      • Well unfortunately it is a real life phenomenon. A lot of people suffer from synesthesia. It's not just some cool thing. And it's a little insulting that Heroes is calling it this power. Like someone mentioned on this page, it should referred to has enhanced synesthesia or something. If a character blasts fire from the hands, would we call it enhanced memory? No. Because it's not the same thing. and even if the writer said that, we'd assume they made a mistake. As I said, this is a disorder. Not some kind of super power. I wish synesthesia was cool like that but, it's not. --Jason Garrick 13:37, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

Question

Because of the description Emma's friend gives, then if a character who hears light also be classified with this ability?--Laudo 08:25, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

• Possibly. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 08:48, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
  • No. Because it isn't a super power. --Jason Garrick 11:02, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
    • In the world of Heroes, it is. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 12:27, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
      • But even in the world of Heroes, it's addressed by Emma's doctor as a common condition among the impaired. Perhaps addressing this (or calling her ability "enhanced synesthesia"... or something less awkward sounding) might be in order. --Ricard Desi (t,c) 13:18, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
      • Maybe we're looking at this wrong. Anyone with synthesia can see sound, but how many synthesics in real life can use those sights to perfectly play an instrument for the first time? I think we need to delve a bit deeper by finding out exactly what her ability does. Either by asking in an interview, or simply waiting for next week. --Piemanmoo 13:25, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
      • thanks pieman. I think that is a great idea. We synestetes can not play instruments upon sight. lol. that's just silly. Even though I play violin I've been playing for twelve years!! lol. --Jason Garrick 13:40, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

Sound visualization

This sounds to me like Emma makes sound waves visible for others, that's why the name doesn't fit. Yet synesthesia sounds wrong as well - it's a condition in real life, and it isn't exactly what Heroes Interactive said. "A form of synesthesia". It's not the same. I think. AltesUTC CH

• I agree that it's not the best name...but it's the best source we have right now. Hopefully we'll get more information about it next week. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 12:30, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
• I really think we have to make an exception to this one Ryan based on the description. I'll even go along with Enhanced or Super Synesthesia. But the writer's have wrongly identified what synesthesia and just because Emma can do something kind of similar to what synestetes experience, doesn't mean it's Synesthesia. A big reason it isn't in any way synesthesia is because we have it from birth. Not randomly one day. --Jason Garrick 13:43, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
• It seems to me that calling what Emma has "synesthesia" is like calling "enhanced strength" just "strength". I have strength, but I can't toss cabs around or jump 20 feet, anymore than synesthesics can play music from light.--Cro Magnon 17:18, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
  • Heroes Interactive said that she has "a form of synesthesia". I would be fine with "enhanced synesthesia" as the name of her ability. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 18:27, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
• Yeah, it should be "enhanced synesthesia" to differentiate from normal synesthesia, which clearly exists in the Heroesverse. --Silurian King 18:44, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

Just think of this:

the doctor said that loads of people who are deaf or blind have syesthesia, does this mean that they all have a power? --mc_hammark 12:37, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

• • It's not a power. And no. Not all deaf and blind people have this. --Jason Garrick 13:40, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
  • I'm not saying all deaf and blind people have synesthesia, I'm saying that in heroes, synesthesia seems to be an ability, and the doctor said that lots of deaf and blind people have synesthesia, ergo, those people would have an ability. Do you see what I mean? --mc_hammark 13:51, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
    • Yeah. I totally see what you're saying. but on heroes interactive it said that emma has a form of synesthesia. so therefore implying, REAL world synesthesia. And there is no synesthesia like that. --Jason Garrick 13:57, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
      • It doesn't matter if there is no synesthesia like that in the real world. This is Heroes. I wouldn't be surprised if the 'seeing sound' thing changes in a way where she can control or feel what others are feeling through the sound of their voices. Either that, or it will evolve into something else. As of now, I'm not trying to be rude, but saying it is not an ability in the Heroes universe is just a bit moronic. Sure, the writers could have researched it more, but until we know more about what they are planning for the ability, you can't say it isn't one INSIDE the Heroes world. Dean 18:36, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

Enhanced Synesthesia

I know the name "synesthesia" is quite controversial. Heck, I'm the biggest proponent for the name, and I don't even like it. I think we've found some common ground with "enhanced synesthesia", though, so I'd like to start a proper thread to discuss the name. Hopefully, that name shows demonstrates that it's something different than the real life phenomenon, yet it still goes along with what the Heroes Interactive writers are saying when they call Emma's ability of form of synesthesia. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 19:34, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

• "Enhanced Synesthesia" seems to be fine, for now. Hopefully, in the coming weeks, we will learn more about Emma and her ability enough to find a better name, because it needs some work. Though, to be fair, a large number of the abilty names we have could use some refining. --ElleFanBoy 21:22, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
• I like this idea indeed!! It's definitely not plain old synesthesia. --Jason Garrick 21:37, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
• They said in the episode that it was Synesthesia. That's why the naming convention is on canon source. Emma's doctor says it. ~~IHH—Talk 21:39, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
• no they didn't say it was that specifically. The doctor suggested that Emma MIGHT have it. They never explicitly stated it. --Jason Garrick 22:27, 29 September 2009 (EDT)