You do know he's already dead, right?
Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)
- Thread starter Silently Watches
- Start date
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
I had forgotten, but my other points and the overall thrust of my statement stand regardless.
Yes, we have our current career on lock, but frankly, if you're content to stay in this little pigeonhole forever? We may as well just end the quest here and now.
There are more and better things that we can and should be doing.
The world's not going to improve without action, and I don't trust any other faction, not even the PRT, to do it right.
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....you know i just realized that the whole linker core mutation/device mechanics/parahuman powers interaction opens up a really unsettling application. that the biggest issue we have with it, i.e. it removes powers can be seen as a feature not a bug. there are plenty of parahuman's out there that have powers that the majority of people really wish they didn't and we inadvertently created something that lets that happen. We even have the linker core mutation drug, that while horrifying, can basically give a core to anyone which when combined with a device...
I mean its on cauldron level of evil, but if you said there was a way of dealing with butcher/lung permanently... i imagine it would be very tempting for certain parties.
I mean its on cauldron level of evil, but if you said there was a way of dealing with butcher/lung permanently... i imagine it would be very tempting for certain parties.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
That has been brought up before, yes. It is possible to knock out Butcher!Lung's powers, but my previous ruling on it stands: it has to be an offer of a legitimate Device, and it can't be a bait-and-switch. Lung loses the ability to be a dragon and gains magic that he can use as he wishes.
Who's to say we'll get it right either? Certainly, we should try, but to act as though it is a certainty we'll succeed where every single other party can't is hubris imo.
- Location
- Russia
Because we know what we're doing. No, not in the "we're the only ones competent enough" kinda way. But in a literal, "We are aware of what we are currently doing" way.
- Location
- Buffalo, NY, USA
Here's a question, we're doing all this talking about the mutagenics and potentially making new case 53's (case 54's?), how about possible ways to help the case 53's that are out there?
Here's one scenario I can think of:
Case 53 gets scanned, and has a Linker Core, we give them a Device... Does the loss of their parahuman power result in a return to humanity for them?
And while we're on the topic of case 53's and the mutagenic... a more in-depth question... We have a Case 53 without a Linker Core, we give them the mutagenic (and really, they'd probably be fine with the mutagenic for magic powers, especially as pre-existing mutations will mitigate the mutations they might receive, and IIRC we already have an 'in' with some of them via Samantha) and they get a Linker Core. We then give them a Device, and they lose their parahuman power... Do they get that same return to humanity, and how would it affect the mutation they gained from the mutagenic?
Can Tim do anything (at the current level, or when maxxed out) to help Case 53's? (like a neural enhancement to help Sveta control her tentacles, or a powersuit/prostetic body she can have her tentacles inside that they can't destroy, and that lets her operate in society without being a danger to others)?
@Jonakhensu
*edit- Can a Parahuman with a Changer power temporarily give themselves a 'mutation' via their power, take the mutagenic with the decreased risks, then use their power to undo the original mutation, keeping only the mutagenic-created one? Would they be able to use their Changer power to (at least temporarily) reverse the mutagenic-created mutation?
Here's one scenario I can think of:
Case 53 gets scanned, and has a Linker Core, we give them a Device... Does the loss of their parahuman power result in a return to humanity for them?
And while we're on the topic of case 53's and the mutagenic... a more in-depth question... We have a Case 53 without a Linker Core, we give them the mutagenic (and really, they'd probably be fine with the mutagenic for magic powers, especially as pre-existing mutations will mitigate the mutations they might receive, and IIRC we already have an 'in' with some of them via Samantha) and they get a Linker Core. We then give them a Device, and they lose their parahuman power... Do they get that same return to humanity, and how would it affect the mutation they gained from the mutagenic?
Can Tim do anything (at the current level, or when maxxed out) to help Case 53's? (like a neural enhancement to help Sveta control her tentacles, or a powersuit/prostetic body she can have her tentacles inside that they can't destroy, and that lets her operate in society without being a danger to others)?
@Jonakhensu
*edit- Can a Parahuman with a Changer power temporarily give themselves a 'mutation' via their power, take the mutagenic with the decreased risks, then use their power to undo the original mutation, keeping only the mutagenic-created one? Would they be able to use their Changer power to (at least temporarily) reverse the mutagenic-created mutation?
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Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
We're way past the 50s on odd cases.
Sadly, no. They stay in the same shape as when you give them the Device. For some Case 53s like Weld, whose body is no longer technically alive, it would actually kill him. I think I'm honestly just going to rule that nonorganic Case 53s don't have a neural structure to even have a Linker Core in the first place.
As for your second question, they would keep the mutations they got from the mutagenic as well, though I don't know how much I could really do to them in the first place.
He probably can. For Sveta, it would probably be surgical to connect her meat brain more fully to her limbs and essentially enslave them to her will where right now they are mostly controlled by her shard. For other parahumans, you'd have to give me someone specific. None of his solutions would be one-size-fits-all.
Changer powers do not count as mutations, they cannot reverse the mutations, and they cannot isolate the mutations to their alternate forms.
- Location
- Georgia
Japan has a relatively new trend making breaks and vacations mandatory to preserve their workers' health. As such, refusing to take them becomes the shameful thing instead of refusal being all but mandatory thanks to the cultural mores you mention.
If our goal were purely mechanistic, you'd be right. There are lots of people who love nothing more than finding the absolute most efficient way to solve a very specific task. We could have already killed an Endbringer (the Simurgh doesn't count, as she did that to herself) if we focused exclusively on anti-Endbringer preparations. However, those people are not a controlling voting block on this quest. Most of us want more from the story than pure number crunching. The addition of dedicated social slots each week allows us to build social connections without sacrificing our more urgent weekly tasks, so I expect more growth on the social front.
The TSAB explicitly said they will not talk to any governmental group. Their laws forbid it. There are specific exceptions, like allowing them to help with Endbringer battles under the guise for Bet that they are just more parahumans helping, and for the TSAB that the Enbringers warrant class 2 logia ratings, even if they technically are not logia as they are not tech based.
Just to be completely clear, would giving him a device remove the other personalities that came with the Butcher? That's the one thing he might be willing to trade away his powers to obtain. I doubt we'll ever try this, but just in case, I thought I'd ask about an incentive.
A suggestion: We have lots of omake writers here far more skilled than me. If you aren't happy with the current available NPCs, try writing up a new character. Make them interesting enough, and SW may use them.
- Location
- Ural, Russia, Earth
...We know what we're doing? When did it happen and why I wasn't informed?
I was under impression we're stumbling around in the dark, hopefully in the general direction of our choosing.
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
I've just realised the main problem with us advancing the 'main quest,' SW.
Namely, that doing so makes us finish the Quest sooner, and we're really enjoying this quest.
In any game I truly enjoy, I always go around exploring, and do all the side-objectives and side-quests I can before doing the story quest. I do that because I'm enjoying the game, and thus want to prolong that experience as long as I can.
Your problem is, in other words:
You're too good a writer, Silently Watches.
Namely, that doing so makes us finish the Quest sooner, and we're really enjoying this quest.
In any game I truly enjoy, I always go around exploring, and do all the side-objectives and side-quests I can before doing the story quest. I do that because I'm enjoying the game, and thus want to prolong that experience as long as I can.
Your problem is, in other words:
You're too good a writer, Silently Watches.
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- Location
- Russia
As I said, that's not what I mean. I meant it in a "We know what Taylor is currently in the process of doing."
- Location
- Britain
Would it be possible to replace it with a non-cosmetic mutation, such as one of the following:
- Reduced body fat storage, instead storing excess energy as muscle, leading to subconcious psychological disconcertion at people with like 0.1% body fat at most
- Increased bone density, leading to an increased weight and a short-term craving for iron and calcium-heavy foods
- Increased nervous system density, leading to increaed twitch reflexes and a general uncanny valley effect from the precision of movement
- Increased lifespan, leading to a further uncanny valley effect due to the airbrushed effect from near-zero skin blemishes of any kind
- Increased height, to being at least two standard deviations from the average
- Increased intracranial capacity and grey matter quantities, leading to a slightly enlarged head focusing on more angular features
I know this is gaming the system, but all have obvious cosmetic downsides. Failing that, just adding a general woods-y feel to the cosmetics of them, still trying to keep in line with the obvious general theme of "a series of injections that turns people into magical elves, with like a 3% chance of accidentally turning them into a weird monster". Hell, if Tim can make them inheritable, that's an entirely new species of Homo Sapiens Superior out there.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Yes, since the other personalities were imprinted on the Butcher shard, he would be alone in his head again.
As the Unforeseen Consequences and PHO interlude before that show, I'm happy to canonize omakes and alter the story moving forward to fit them.
Sure, I could work that in to a mutation for burst of super strength. Or you could make a Strike Boost mutagenic serum (once you buy that skill, anyway).
Sure
Yep
These I would have to think about a little before I give you a yea or nay.
banjo2E
Has left the planet
- Location
- Mafia Town
Increased height has plenty of downsides. Giantism has a whole host of problems related to having ridiculous size, as Andre the Giant could have testified if he were still alive today. Two standard deviations above average isn't enough to get you there, but it still doesn't help. There's also some medical conditions that increase (or decrease) in severity/probability for tall people.
And, of course, furniture is designed for a certain height range, so if you're above (or below) that range you run into problems. Meaning you'll hit your head on doors. And have to kneel in the shower. And get all your clothes custom-made.
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Evil? You realize parahuman powers are not GOOD for humanity, right? Especially not with magic as the alternative.
And i genuinely don't see the issue with disabling someones power as a sentence.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
You misunderstand. It isn't that I doubt the downsides of abnormal height. It's that it's basically there to fill up space in a six-mutation set that could (arguably should) be taken instead by a mutation that gives a more tangible benefit.
The mutations don't have to be pure downsides, guys. It's just that any bonus has to be the result of a physical change. And anyway, you might want to invest in Tim's cross-training before you finalize any plans. There might be something or things you want to incorporate.
- Location
- Georgia
Something that could make us all the money we ever wanted would be a line of mutagens that cause excess calories to go to breasts and butts and not on the waistline.
I wonder how different humanity will look in as little as a century with the potential these mutagens have.
It's primarily intended to make people into elves, so I doubt he cares about the downsides that come with being significantly larger. Then again, if we're designing the mutations, we can make changes that evolution would take millenia to achieve, engineering the entirety of a person to function with the other traits we're giving, eliminating many of the downsides of gigantism, dwarfism, etc.(other than the problems that come with not being able to wear off the rack clothes).
Tricking people or changing them without their permission is when it becomes evil. I find this interpretation of what he said as where he was going with it, not talking about people like Maclibuin who would gladly trade in their current powers for a device and a couple of spells.
- Location
- Buffalo, NY, USA
I'll point out that Cauldron canonically got permission and explained the chance of mutation to everyone they gave a vial to. And most of them would have died without Cauldron's intervention.
So... You think Cauldron is on the side of the saints (not Saint) with how they distributed potentially mutagenic powers?
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- Location
- Georgia
For the first test cases and the people who paid for it, yes. For the ten thousand people made into case 53s who survived being abducted* and experimented on, not so much. Further, they actively sought to keep the world unstable and caused the deaths of millions for often stupid reasons in an attempt to get as many variations of powers as they could in the hopes somebody would be able to hurt Scion, while at the same time being utterly ruthless and relentless in their attempts to keep Scion from noticing what they were doing.
I understand why they did it, but putting your personal goals as being higher than any actions, an end that excused absolutely any means, without any consideration over whether they were doing the right thing** is a pretty textbook definition of evil.
*Alexandria's interlude shows that she looked specifically for people who would die without her intervention, but one of the Contessa or Doctor Mother interludes mentioned that those were a small fraction of the people they were abducting.
**Some second thoughts could have done more good for their cause than what they decided to do. They seemed to fall into the thought that if they were willing to do immoral things in pursuit of their goals that the more immoral and ruthless they considered an action, the more it appealed to them. It's like knowing that your goal isn't North from where you are, and thus deciding it must be South, when it's actually East. The opposite of wrong can still be wrong.
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- Location
- Buffalo, NY, USA
But can you find a single place where it's said that those other 'abductees' didn't get the same warnings? IIRC they specifically mention that every single one of them was warned of the risks.
Well were they abducted? If so, it seems kind of irrelevant whether they asked permission to take it. I mean, they still abducted them.
So I suppose you are doubting they were abducted?
- Location
- Georgia
Alexandria would ask them if they wanted to live. Abductees were given the choice of taking the drug, being killed, or being set loose on an uninhabited world. They were given no chance to return home and were told implicitly if not explicitly, that they would never be allowed to return home. I don't recall for certain what it said they did if the subject said no, but my guess would be 'lock them up and ask again later' with a possible answer of 'force them to take the drink anyway'. As I recall, we only saw one person being offered the choice. With Contessa there, exactly what pressure it would take to make them cooperate was known before any of them spoke to the abductee.
Edit: Addendum: even if they did take the drug, they would then spend the rest of their lives(until Scion went crazy) locked in a cell, not allowed to ever leave it. The lack of doors on those cells didn't help when there was a guard watching the entirety of the facility at all times, with the power to not only force them back into the cells, but scare them away from even trying to step out.
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- Location
- Earth, Sol System, Virgo Supercluster, Earth-1218
I've pointed this out before, I think one of the biggest problems with making more friends is that social actions are counted as full on actions, so there's no option to just quickly hang out with someone for a few minutes to keep them from losing socialization level.
What we need is That One Friend who can introduce us to lots of other people. Kayleigh was supposed to be that, but too many people in the thread keep voting against socializing with her because she revealed us to a villain we're trying to convert to the light side.
- Location
- Buffalo, NY, USA
They put them back where they got them, how they got them. So if you were about to die, you die. They pick you up from a car about to be hit by a train? They drop you off a few feet in front of a moving train. SPLAT.