Regarding A Man With An Unusually Sensitive Nose:

-The story does employ some trans metaphors, but you are welcome to just interpret it as an ordinary story of a man with an unusually sensitive nose

-You are welcome to interpret the main character as a man, or not. Although the title suggests that they are, there are no references in the text to the character being male or believing they are one

-The mask represent hiding in the closet, obvious. The unnamed main character (Caleb, in my head) is forced to hide their face under one in order to avoid being overwhelmed by smells, but it also serves to conceal his identity

-Caleb is told by the otolaryngologist that there is something with him, even though he is perfectly healthy. He is also also prescribed medication to conceal this condition, although it does nothing

-The doctor tells Caleb that his ferritin count came back normal because he's been receiving blood tests to screen for anemia

-Hyperosmia can be caused by multiple conditions including Lyme disease and Vitamin B12 deficiency

-Caleb is prescribed Vitamin B12 medicine, although he is told not to use it anymore because it causes blood clots in excess

-The first doctor to notice Caleb's problems is the otolaryngologist, an ear-nose-throat doctor who knows about olfactory receptors

-The original explanation for ORNs was longer due to my majoring in physiology and having to take a class in the biology of smells

-I learned in this class that there is indeed a smell to fear (people can emit when they are stressed or anxious), therefore in this story Caleb is capable of smelling other emotions (joy, sadness, anger)

-The way Caleb's powers work is that he can smell most anything that a person has come into contact with, although he's not necessarily capable of smelling things long distance. When his mask is removed, he can even smell emotions (although his lack of empathy makes it hard for him to distinguish why the person feels that way)

-Because Caleb was very withdrawn and agoraphobic, he was bad at socializing and often makes people angry when he says unintentionally insensitive things

-Maria, the unnamed woman who Caleb meets with, is supposed to be Sri Lankan (although this is never mentioned in the text because Caleb does not pay attention to appearances)

-Maria has gone through multiple experiences, all of which are described to be traumatic to some degree. However, unlike Caleb, she knows the joy of having loved and lost

-Maria grew up darker than other children her age and that is why Caleb describes an experience where she likes her skin for the first time. Most of Maria's life has been governed by her appearance, including desperately trying to use appearances as a way to gain social acceptance

-Caleb, on the other hand, has lived a life denying himself from interacting with others, thus forcing himself to be isolated and not participate in any socialization

-Caleb experiencing Maria's memories that are mostly associated with her experience as a woman can be interpreted as him realizing that he is also a woman. However, it can also be interpreted as Caleb simply realizing that he has missed out on life by refusing to let himself experience any sensations

-At the end, Caleb realizes that the moonlight smells and tastes exactly like his favorite food: angel food cake

-Conversely, Caleb mentions that working at a bakery makes him hate chocolate (aka one of the ingredients used to make devil food cake)