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Dr. Veder: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the CYOA (Worm CYOA v3)

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KnightofTempest said:
Thing is, the SI doesn't know Greg's Mom from Adam. He doesn't have any of Greg's memories and has zero metaknowlege of Worm.

He has no reason to care about her feelings at all.
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But any person with basic empathy would realize how sucky this would be for people who knew and loved Greg. The fact that your SI doesn't care about that... kinda indicates that they lack basic empathy.

But I guess that's one of the things about body-jacking SIs that always kind of creeped me out... how they basically kill off the original person that was there and just takes their place. and doesn't even take into account how this would affect people around them.
 
Aurora Moon said:
But any person with basic empathy would realize how sucky this would be for people who knew and loved Greg. The fact that your SI doesn't care about that... kinda indicates that they lack basic empathy.

But I guess that's one of the things about body-jacking SIs that always kind of creeped me out... how they basically kill off the original person that was there and just takes their place. and doesn't even take into account how this would affect people around them.
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I mean, he literally just learned that the world is fucked and the city he lives in could be the target of an unstoppable monster at any time.

Being nice is secondary to survival.

You'll also note that his plan isn't to go through actual emancipation procedures. He's going to forge himself a new identity as an emancipated minor, then just not come home one day.

He isn't going to drag the woman through the courts or anything. Just do what he needs to so he can survive.
 
KnightofTempest said:
I mean, he literally just learned that the world is fucked and the city he lives in could be the target of an unstoppable monster at any time.

Being nice is secondary to survival.

You'll also note that his plan isn't to go through actual emancipation procedures. He's going to forge himself a new identity as an emancipated minor, then just not come home one day.

He isn't going to drag the woman through the courts or anything. Just do what he needs to so he can survive.
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Thatsrguably worse instead of knowing he's safe she is going to panic and worry. It would have been nicer to just say I am tired of this to her and move out. Pretend to be Greg who was working on a project and then get out. Visit for Christmas and Thanksgiving, call it growing up
 
KnightofTempest said:
He has no reason to care about her feelings at all.
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Most humans would have some sort of emphatic response to a woman who has just lost her son, yannow?
Even if he isn't related to Mama Veder, she's still clearly a loving woman who just had her son's body stolen.
Though she does not know it yet.

Again this is meant as commentary and not criticism. The SI is doing what he thinks needs done for his for survival, I just hope he isn't too cruel to Mama Veder considering her suddenly sad circumstances.
 
KnightofTempest said:
Thing is, the SI doesn't know Greg's Mom from Adam. He doesn't have any of Greg's memories and has zero metaknowlege of Worm.

He has no reason to care about her feelings at all.
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Will he be doing further research into what type of powers are out and about? Because Watchdog was purpose built to find thinkers/tinkers who abused their powers to effect the economy the way this guy is.

Then you have the more shady groups who watch out for new recruitment and lastly the government normal agencies.

He seems to be rushing in without refining his plan with more research, his main goal of getting out the house will also be simple to identify he is now a cape. Once his mother reports him as missing the police will find the odd paperwork no one remembers signing or filing.
 
westman said:
Will he be doing further research into what type of powers are out and about? Because Watchdog was purpose built to find thinkers/tinkers who abused their powers to effect the economy the way this guy is.

Then you have the more shady groups who watch out for new recruitment and lastly the government normal agencies.

He seems to be rushing in without refining his plan with more research, his main goal of getting out the house will also be simple to identify he is now a cape. Once his mother reports him as missing the police will find the odd paperwork no one remembers signing or filing.
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Thankfully he has perks that render Watchdog unable to find him. Man of Mystery means that Thinkers are hard countered by him.

And I don't think you understand how alternate ID's work. The cops won't find shit, because there's nothing to connect Greg to whatever ID he's using at the time.

Of course, that won't stop say, Dragon from shutting down his program before it gets too disruptive, but the beauty of the Superman III Scheme is that it's barely noticeable even if you're looking for it.
 
KnightofTempest said:
Thankfully he has perks that render Watchdog unable to find him. Man of Mystery means that Thinkers are hard countered by him.

And I don't think you understand how alternate ID's work. The cops won't find shit, because there's nothing to connect Greg to whatever ID he's using at the time.

Of course, that won't stop say, Dragon from shutting down his program before it gets too disruptive, but the beauty of the Superman III Scheme is that it's barely noticeable even if you're looking for it.
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Must have forgotten he had that perk. I also misunderstood that his emancipation would be for his alternate ID and not real self .
 
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Aurora Moon said:
But any person with basic empathy would realize how sucky this would be for people who knew and loved Greg. The fact that your SI doesn't care about that... kinda indicates that they lack basic empathy.

But I guess that's one of the things about body-jacking SIs that always kind of creeped me out... how they basically kill off the original person that was there and just takes their place. and doesn't even take into account how this would affect people around them.
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Well, sometimes it about place where SI lived and experiences have... But let's think about it. Adult man wakes up in strange situation and someone else's place. Mother and famaly of body-donor are strangers for him, untrustworthy and possibly dangerous. No matter, if they "love" or "support" him, because it for boy - not for him, and boy is dead by his hand. No matter, if it accidentally or he didn't know it'll happen, because for mother knowing about someone, who killed their child and take his place is heartbreaking. Or maybe she has other look at things and still will think about SI as about her son, which maybe worse, because he is not. He is adult with other world view, maybe this situation make him suffer and reminds of something bad. How can he see stranger woman as mother, if there is his real living one in old world? How can he feel something other than fear and guilt towards them in his place? It will only create annoyance and hurt everyone. There are many cases to not care or pretend to not care, or to avoid problems for himself and others, or something esle. LIke, he knows his tinker-power - possible danger for stranger who did nothing bad to him.

Empathy may push him to go away from life of this poor woman, not to hurt her. Fear and desparation can push man very far in tryings to survive and became independent again. Caring, habits and decision making are not easy subjects without knowledges about person in question.
 
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If Greg has investigated the powers and the public perspective on them, the most reasonable thing is to flee from that house as soon as possible, the possibility of a Master attacking children would put the PRT on their butt without lubricant.

It is something that has always surprised me in stories with replacements, if it is known that when you die you are going to steal the body of a child at random, there is no way that the authorities will allow you to go freely no matter if you want or if you have committed crimes.
 
I think one could argue either way if running/leaving is the right or moral thing to do.
Either way it does raise an interesting question in regards to the SI. Did he do the CYOA or ist it just a build/inspiration/setup for the story ?

Because memory of it or not. if he did choose replace regardless of thinking it would work, but then leaving in any way that causes emotional harm to the mother leaves an incredibly bad aftertaste.

In addition if gregs family circumstances are going to play no big role why replace him at all ? For the easier connection to taylor ?

All in all i am not yet sure about the setup. We will have to see where this goes.
 
Well, I'm sure they're a good author enough to take the emotional fallout and consequences into account. Maybe that's the sort of drama they're going for eventually in the story, for character development, etc?
 
KollegeX said:
I think one could argue either way if running/leaving is the right or moral thing to do.
Either way it does raise an interesting question in regards to the SI. Did he do the CYOA or ist it just a build/inspiration/setup for the story ?

Because memory of it or not. if he did choose replace regardless of thinking it would work, but then leaving in any way that causes emotional harm to the mother leaves an incredibly bad aftertaste.

In addition if gregs family circumstances are going to play no big role why replace him at all ? For the easier connection to taylor ?

All in all i am not yet sure about the setup. We will have to see where this goes.
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Memory loss raise an interesting question, I think. Punishment and guilt for the deed comes, when there are bad act and subject who did it. Some types of memory loss can change person into completely other one. Think, if you forget book, which few years ago drastically changed your way of thinking, helped you to became who you are now. And it may to fuck you mind, because some basic knowledge lost and brain do not have associative links anymore to do, what THIS person (you) do usually. In THIS case should we blame and punish this other person? They do not know, what they did before and a different now, so take a lesson from justice they cannot. There is crime, but no one to blame and no one we have to push into change their behavior.

Memory is very important part of who we are. How it changes, in what way, what will happen with person after memory loss - everything can make one who did choice into someone absolutely different. However, it hard to say, where end one person and other begins, where is the line between me and not me...
If I choose from CYOA, I would not erase my memory or mind of other, even fusion without details of HOW it work sound a little bit ill. This knowledges is really matters.
 
Is this going to be like other fiction tinker stories where his power shifts after a time period or will he just get random dumps added to all the designs?
 
momentei said:
Is this going to be like other fiction tinker stories where his power shifts after a time period or will he just get random dumps added to all the designs?
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Its random. He's not guaranteed to get stuff that's immediately useful to him.

This is by design so as not to break the setting super quickly.
 
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Next chapter will be either monday or tuesday.

It depends on how long pre-Christmas prep takes monday
 
Watchdog is a canon in-universe government agency dedicated, among other things, to specifically watching the stock market to prevent cape interference. Basically, if SIVeder had done a bit more research he'd know his plan is going to get him into a whole HEAP of trouble even if it does work.
 
MrTwistr said:
Watchdog is a canon in-universe government agency dedicated, among other things, to specifically watching the stock market to prevent cape interference. Basically, if SIVeder had done a bit more research he'd know his plan is going to get him into a whole HEAP of trouble even if it does work.
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Man of mystery hard counters their thinkers, per the CYOA
 
KnightofTempest said:
Ordinarily, I'd just be starting to slow down at this time of night, but here, I felt no fatigue or tiredness. I kept working and wound up working through the night.
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Wait a minute...
KnightofTempest said:
I muttered to myself, yawning. I rolled over and sleep finally claimed me after a few days of no sleep.
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Wait a minute!
KnightofTempest said:
Mad Talent
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Oh no
 
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