Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
That's what assassinations are for. Honestly, I'm surprised horrible people in high places last anywhere near as long as they do, given how many people would be out baying for their blood.
Stealing Fire (Worm SI)
- Thread starter Jack Stargazer
- Start date
- Location
- Canada
I'm honestly surprised so many people have seen this as a problem as this is a world where might makes right so much that the world-spanning conspiracy is testing out parahuman based feudalism as a survival side project, and for which the world is likely to be heavily depopulated within 2-16 years. There are a lot of bigger issues here than the standard anti-immortality in the real world arguments.
Random corrupt rich politicians living forever and somehow staying in power are not the big failure state here, but they are great guinea pigs and tend to have deep pockets.
- Location
- UK
Plus, nowhere did Jack say anything about limiting it to the elite. The only reason he brought up Congress is because THEY are the people he needs to convince to allow him to market the cure. And, being a bunch of selfish, corrupt old farts they almost certainly are, they'll do it so fast it'll make your head spin.
- Location
- Canada
As will be outlined, the plan is to first sell it for a literally insane amount of money (say $10,000,000 a dose) while stocks and production capacity is low, and progressively bring it down in price as supply shoots up while donating a certain number of doses to people on the brink of dying of old age to avoid letting them die before the general roll out is complete. After all the richest have bought in at the high price, you lower it down to the point that everyone can afford it to get the mass volume, like cell phones. In effect, the rich pay to beta test the product.
- Location
- UK
The current population of the US is 329.5 million people. Now, I highly doubt that its that much in Worm, but lets assume for the sake of argument that its half that, so 164.5 million people. Its probably not that, but we're spitballing. Now lets say that Jack sells his little miracle for $5 a pop. Just in the US, at that number, he could very easily rake in over 800 million dollars practically overnight. Granted, some people wouldnt get it for various reasons, but the numbers would still be obscene. More than enough to live lavishly on for a VERY long time and certainly enough to solidify his Tinker budget. And thats ignoring what other amazing creations he could come up with.
But yes, sell it at obscene prices to the 1% to start with, then bring it down makes a lot more sense because that will bring in even MORE money. As an added bonus, he is now untouchable, simply because all he has to do to stop people from hassling him is refuse to give them a dose and if people annoy him to much, he can go...literally anywhere and have people rolling out the red carpet for him.
But yes, sell it at obscene prices to the 1% to start with, then bring it down makes a lot more sense because that will bring in even MORE money. As an added bonus, he is now untouchable, simply because all he has to do to stop people from hassling him is refuse to give them a dose and if people annoy him to much, he can go...literally anywhere and have people rolling out the red carpet for him.
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So what your saying is the MC just put the Merchants out of business, talk about getting high on life!
- Location
- Purgatory
Can someone explain to me why contessa or simurgh haven't visited the MC yet with the revolutions he's about to unfold?
Also thanks for the chapter! See you next year.
Also thanks for the chapter! See you next year.
- Location
- US
Why would anyone want to give humanity immortality? An exponential increase in population with limited resources with nobody dying of natural causes? The population would probably increase faster than industry could keep up.
Probably even if you expand off of Earth.
Prolong sounds like a boner pill so just make Erectile Dysfunction cures and the over 60 population would repeal the anti-rogue laws even faster.
Probably even if you expand off of Earth.
Prolong sounds like a boner pill so just make Erectile Dysfunction cures and the over 60 population would repeal the anti-rogue laws even faster.
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
They have access not only to their universe but an effectively infinite number of other universes, as well.
That's a LOT of extra space to store your
Ashkari
(Verified Ink-slinger)
- Location
- United States
But not Piggot's, apparently.
Okay, yes, that's me being guilty of wishful thinking, and Panacea is literally right there. Hopefully she has a DNR and NPH filed so we don't have to keep putting up with her
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
It's Worm. You just know we're going to get someone worse. Like Tagg, or Calvert. Do you want Calvert? Because that's how you get Calvert!But not Piggot's, apparently.
Okay, yes, that's me being guilty of wishful thinking, and Panacea is literally right there. Hopefully she has a DNR and NPH filed so we don't have to keep putting up with her
I now understand why he was so serious about the anti-precognition protection to the point of doing brain surgery without preparations while on enemy territory. He was on a time limit for the Simurgh, Contessa and Dina to review their precognition and realize how important he was. The Cancer cure would have attracted the Simurgh, but the cure to aging would have gotten him kidnapped, might still get him kidnapped. I expect a visit from Mannequin soon.
I still feel Amy was acting a bit oddly, but I can only assume her Shard is blasting her brain with the most powerful mental influence it can so Shaper can finally get some sort of useful data. I imagine she will be cross with him for not telling her about Tattletale, whom she hates with a passion.
Did he send an Email or some kind of message to the undersides to make sure they know he is alive? I don't think they would deal well with any kind of perceived betrayal, specially if he doesn't explain to Tattletale the theft of her accounts.
I still feel Amy was acting a bit oddly, but I can only assume her Shard is blasting her brain with the most powerful mental influence it can so Shaper can finally get some sort of useful data. I imagine she will be cross with him for not telling her about Tattletale, whom she hates with a passion.
Did he send an Email or some kind of message to the undersides to make sure they know he is alive? I don't think they would deal well with any kind of perceived betrayal, specially if he doesn't explain to Tattletale the theft of her accounts.
- Pronouns
- Mrpinkfrosteddonut
new chapter is not a myth, I HAVE SEEN IT!
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
There's official canon to the effect that the populations of Earth Aleph and Earth Bet are the same. Despite the endbringers and S-class threats, the offset of the benefit of the sane parahumans has resulted in many deaths not occurring than otherwise would have. Apparently the Triumvirate and Yangban and so on have a habit of going around and putting out forest fires, negating hurricanes and tornadoes, and so on.
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- Location
- UK
Yeah, I'm calling BS on that one Its implausible on the face of it considering the sheer amount of new ways to keel over there are on Earth Bet.
- Location
- Canada
That's ridiculous. Every natural disaster in the 40 year period between 1970 and 2010 caused less deaths than Leviathan sinking Kyushu would have by itself.
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
I'mma remind y'all of Wildbow's notoriously shit mathematical skills.
But I'm afraid I was wrong -- it's not just a word of god ... it's canon.
14.y (Bonus Interlude) – Worm
Posts about 14.y (Bonus Interlude) written by wildbow
parahumans.wordpress.com
Interlude 14.y said:
3.391 is 48.6% of 6.977
Which is about the exact number from the 2010 planetary census.
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- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
I mathed badly. I used 46% rather than 48.6% -- the number was just ripped directly from the 2010 Census. I've edited my post to reflect this. It's still utterly crazy for the populations to not be impacted by parahumanity's advent though.
The most charitable interpretation is that before NEPEA-5 during the Golden Age, the tinkers of the world being allowed to actively participate in the planetary economy encouraged growth from affluence.
- Location
- UK
Natch. Losing two islands and the fallout from that alone would have killed millions, every Endbringer attack has the potential to wipe out entire cities since anyone in a Simurgh containment zone is effectively dead, we can probably just ignore the Swiss entirely for the same reason and who knows whats going on in Africa, where society has completely broken down, or China, who are...well, China cranked up to about a million. And thats ignoring folks like the Nine, the Three Blasphemes, Ash Beast, Nilbog, the Machine Army and whatever the fuck Sleeper is also screwing with and murdering entire towns and cities. I would be genuinely surprised if the population graph of Earth Bet isnt going downwards at a worryingly sharp angle.
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Not to mention the TFR impact from global economic decline.
The only context in which this all makes any sense whatsoever is if the villainous capitalists of the world (like The Elite) are secretly propping up the food supply and providing illicit childcare in multiple nations. Like seriously an entire black market dedicated to keeping young wives frisky and baby-crazy.
- Location
- USA
While matching IRL Earth in absolute population is absurd, it doesn't seem necessary for Earth Bet's population to be precipitously declining.
The Endbringers don't prioritize casualties. It's entirely possible that their sandbagging allows sufficient numbers of civilians to escape or take shelter after the Endbringer Truce and similar protocols came into being, significantly reducing non-parahuman death toll.
Similarly, Nilbog was a relatively sudden threat, but there was some level of warning, and if PRT field comm channels are good enough then evacuation efforts might have begun early with the PRT (+ Protectorate?) delaying Nilbog's forces in the meanwhile, particularly if he didn't fully commit his "subjects" at first.
If I recall correctly, Sleeper didn't do much by the beginning of Worm, though I could be wrong.
I don't think Ash Beast actively seeks out victims, so it would be theoretically possible for local traditions to develop allowing people to detect his approach and run away.
And considering my general impression of it in-story, I wouldn't be surprised if the CUI had mandatory breeding practices to get more capes to conscript, which (considering cape-augmented forces are much more effective enforcers than humans alone) could be successful enough to offset their fatalities.
A higher birth rate also seems viable through a combination of multiple factors unmentioned in story, like lower education rates (which some studies correlate with higher population fertility rates) and governmental discouragement of contraception compared to IRL Earth driving up prices and inconveniences.
With the Fedora'd Hand dealing with most new threats before they grow particularly large, there are at least plausible worlds where Earth Bet has a lower but stable population rate.
- Location
- edinbrugh
Isn't Worm set in the early 2000s? And there's effectively been a bunch of natural disasters and the growth of tech has been slowed down in general due to Worminess.