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Okay, so if there was a vat of nuclear waste in front of you, and an infallible scientist told you that if you were to dive into it there was a 99.9% chance of you dying a slow painful death, but a .1% chance that you would come out just fine and WITH superpowers to boot (for the purposes of this thread, you'd come out with any characters power you desired.) Despite the HUGE risks, would you jump in?

Why or why not?

No.

I'm too happy and content with life to choose an option that 999/1000 times ends up in a slow, painful death.

I think it would be a more interesting option if there were a chance that you come out with a shitty mutation, or look like a morlock, or something.

I have a wife/kid. Death doesn't scare me. none


...In all seriousness, I wouldn't do it nowadays. In my younger/single years, I would have been very tempted.

Yeah i think i'd do it. Don't have a lot going on right now, so no big deal if i died from it.
Superpowers are just to tempting to pass up even with the tremendous risks lol

This needs to happen. Would kill a lot of stupid in the world. And give 1/1000 of the stupid super powers. But I could live with that.

Originally posted by Digi
This needs to happen. Would kill a lot of stupid in the world. And give 1/1000 of the stupid super powers. But I could live with that.

Not if I was the 1 in 1000 you couldn't.... I joke

No, I would not do it.

.1% means there is practically no chance that you'd actually get superpowers. If the chances were 40%, I'd at least consider it for an entire second before saying no.

Originally posted by Digi
This needs to happen. Would kill a lot of stupid in the world. And give 1/1000 of the stupid super powers. But I could live with that.

Hell no.

Let's say 1 out of every 1000 people in this world is stupid enough to take that offer. Thats 7,000,000/1,000 = 7,000,000 (Seven million).

Of those 7 million, 1/1000 got superpowers. 7,000,000/1,000 = 7,000.

That's seven thousand morons running around with super powers. I can say with relative certainty that at least 6,000 would be douchebags.

yes I would 100%.......

don't get me wrong I love life but this would be worth it. If I did die however, at least I wouldn't live life regretting not doing it!

Originally posted by TheMagicPillow
Yeah i think i'd do it. Don't have a lot going on right now, so no big deal if i died from it. Geesh, man. This statement made me feel kinda bad.

Originally posted by Cogito
Hell no.

Let's say 1 out of every 1000 people in this world is stupid enough to take that offer. Thats 7,000,000/1,000 = 7,000,000 (Seven million).

Of those 7 million, 1/1000 got superpowers. 7,000,000/1,000 = 7,000.

That's seven thousand morons running around with super powers. I can say with relative certainty that at least 6,000 would be douchebags.

Most would kill each other or themselves within hours. It wouldn't be quite that bad.

Originally posted by Digi
Most would kill each other or themselves within hours. It wouldn't be quite that bad.

not if everyone picked Invulnerability! lol

that's the only power I would want!

Originally posted by BlackZero30x
not if everyone picked Invulnerability! lol

that's the only power I would want!

OP sounds like you wouldn't have a choice though.

We're also forgetting the religious and idealistic martyrs that would take the plunge to save our planet if the idiots and d-bags started running amok with their powers.

Like I said, it would kill LOTS of stupid. I'm all for it.

Originally posted by Digi
OP sounds like you wouldn't have a choice though.

Originally posted by Merlyn
but a .1% chance that you would come out just fine and WITH superpowers to boot (for the purposes of this thread, you'd come out with any characters power you desired.)

Originally posted by Digi
We're also forgetting the religious and idealistic martyrs that would take the plunge to save our planet if the idiots and d-bags started running amok with their powers.

Like I said, it would kill LOTS of stupid. I'm all for it.

I think this would be the biggest problem....but this being the problem not just stupid people would die considering people could be getting Franklin Richards or worse kinda power.

Im just thankful some of the way more powerful beings wouldn't be very mainstream so it would be unlikely that their powers would be obtained.

Never tell me the odds!

Nice sig/avy, Jake.

About time you got rid of those WWE ones you were wearing.

Originally posted by Merlyn
Okay, so if there was a vat of nuclear waste in front of you, and an infallible scientist told you that if you were to dive into it there was a 99.9% chance of you dying a slow painful death, but a .1% chance that you would come out just fine and WITH superpowers to boot (for the purposes of this thread, you'd come out with any characters power you desired.) Despite the HUGE risks, would you jump in?

Why or why not? No. I wouldn't jump in. Why?

I'd pick a character with the ability to travel through time. This way, if I survived the vat, I could come back and show myself it worked. Since I haven't done that, I'm assuming I died.

Originally posted by Mindship
No. I wouldn't jump in. Why?

I'd pick a character with the ability to travel through time. This way, if I survived the vat, I could come back and show myself it worked. Since I haven't done that, I'm assuming I died.

That presumes some things about the nature of time travel. It's handled differently in different universes, and even different writers. Not a bad plan, I enjoy a good loophole. But it's not without some risks, it's just lessening them.

Originally posted by Digi
That presumes some things about the nature of time travel. It's handled differently in different universes, and even different writers. Not a bad plan, I enjoy a good loophole. But it's not without some risks, it's just lessening them. You're fun at parties, aren't ya?

To close that loophole, the OP should specify the limits of time travel (or other potential loophole powers). I think most people though assume a single timeline view, wherein you go back, you change something in the past, and you change the future. This is looked at more critically when the grandfather paradox rears its head. Then we look at a multiple timelines approach: you go back, change something, but all you've done is create a new timeline, where that change was supposed to happen. While I personally prefer the latter, I think the average joe/jane thinks of time travel as the former.

And it was in that light my thought was posted.

I would kill the scientist then take a sample of the toxic waste and distill it. Also make sure nobody else is aware of the vat. After testing it on random fodder supplied by my hired goons I will centralize the component needed whilst testing it with my own DNA until I get favorable results.

Then I'll take my power!

Though the scientist is infallible so I'll have my goons test how infallible he is before I make the above choice. If he has powers I'll say........no.

Originally posted by Galan007
Nice sig/avy, Jake.

About time you got rid of those WWE ones you were wearing.

Shots fired!

I would just keep jumping in and out until I got super powers

I mean seriously if I do it enough times eventually it will work and I'll have superpowers and be healed anyways.

There is no stipulation saying I only get the one chance.

Originally posted by Galan007
Nice sig/avy, Jake.

About time you got rid of those WWE ones you were wearing.

...sneer

I'll spare you. For now.

Originally posted by Mindship
You're fun at parties, aren't ya?

You'd be surprised.

Originally posted by Mindship
To close that loophole, the OP should specify the limits of time travel (or other potential loophole powers). I think most people though assume a single timeline view, wherein you go back, you change something in the past, and you change the future. This is looked at more critically when the grandfather paradox rears its head. Then we look at a multiple timelines approach: you go back, change something, but all you've done is create a new timeline, where that change was supposed to happen. While I personally prefer the latter, I think the average joe/jane thinks of time travel as the former.

And it was in that light my thought was posted.

That actually wasn't where I was going. Excited as alternate timelines make me, I hadn't even thought of that (although it is a knock on your argument).

My thought was that until the time travel happens upon the first instance (which we would presume to be you in this scenario), it doesn't create the recurring time loop. Once in the loop, you'd always be informed of its success, thus perpetuating the loop. But until it has started, the future you won't have traveled back to inform you.

Make sense? I'm thinking of the Who-niverse where time is always in flux. If the Doctor's in 2012 and there's a crisis in 1930, it hasn't already been fixed by the Doctor just because it was in the past. 2012 still feels the repercussions until he actually travels back to fix it. In such a universe, you wouldn't have the safety net of future you telling you anything. Then again, also in your scenario, you wouldn't take the dip without a future you.

So, including the alternate universe theory and all variables being defaulted to equal, there's about a 1/3 chance the laws of time travel are such that you'd even be able to pull off your plan.

So like I said, it doesn't eliminate the risk, just reduces it.

Originally posted by Digi
That actually wasn't where I was going. Excited as alternate timelines make me, I hadn't even thought of that (although it is a knock on your argument).

My thought was that until the time travel happens upon the first instance (which we would presume to be you in this scenario), it doesn't create the recurring time loop. Once in the loop, you'd always be informed of its success, thus perpetuating the loop. But until it has started, the future you won't have traveled back to inform you.

Make sense? I'm thinking of the Who-niverse where time is always in flux. If the Doctor's in 2012 and there's a crisis in 1930, it hasn't already been fixed by the Doctor just because it was in the past. 2012 still feels the repercussions until he actually travels back to fix it. In such a universe, you wouldn't have the safety net of future you telling you anything. Then again, also in your scenario, you wouldn't take the dip without a future you.

So, including the alternate universe theory and all variables being defaulted to equal, there's about a 1/3 chance the laws of time travel are such that you'd even be able to pull off your plan. Given the nature of time you've outlined, I still wouldn't jump.

Years ago I had written a short story (went nowhere, of course), about time travel as multiple timelines. The Bad Guy was not afraid of the Good Guy going back in time to screw things up for him because his argument was, the Good Guy would just end up in a parallel timeline. But the Chief Bad Guy was still concerned. Her argument was that a Good Guy from an-already parallel timeline (cue Cosmic Wavefunction doubletalk) would come back, entering "our" timeline to effect the Dreaded Change In The Past.

Basically I was looking for a new spin on time-travel. These days I tend to avoid the genre altogether.

Originally posted by Mindship
Given the nature of time you've outlined, I still wouldn't jump.

Years ago I had written a short story (went nowhere, of course), about time travel as multiple timelines. The Bad Guy was not afraid of the Good Guy going back in time to screw things up for him because his argument was, the Good Guy would just end up in a parallel timeline. But the Chief Bad Guy was still concerned. Her argument was that a Good Guy from an-already parallel timeline (cue Cosmic Wavefunction doubletalk) would come back, entering "our" timeline to effect the Dreaded Change In The Past.

Basically I was looking for a new spin on time-travel. These days I tend to avoid the genre altogether.

Time travel is awesome. It's like my new favorite gimmick in storytelling.

But yeah, in my scenario, you wouldn't try it.

I like your story premise, but I'm not sure I can reconcile it happening, because even an infinite number of time travelers should just create a brand new reality with their jump each time. Sounds like your Chief Bad Guy is more worried of something resembling a dimension jump than an actual after-affect of time travel.

Originally posted by Digi
Time travel is awesome. It's like my new favorite gimmick in storytelling.

But yeah, in my scenario, you wouldn't try it.

I like your story premise, but I'm not sure I can reconcile it happening, because even an infinite number of time travelers should just create a brand new reality with their jump each time. Sounds like your Chief Bad Guy is more worried of something resembling a dimension jump than an actual after-affect of time travel. Actually, I had postulated (I think I called it) "trandimensional mirroring." And the "gimmick" involved a switching of identity, and...

...yeah, like this is really clearing things up.

I pick the power to retroactively alter probability so the probability of getting superpowers in the first place is 100%

Originally posted by Mindship
Actually, I had postulated (I think I called it) "trandimensional mirroring." And the "gimmick" involved a switching of identity, and...

...yeah, like this is really clearing things up.



Originally posted by Endless Mike
I pick the power to retroactively alter probability so the probability of getting superpowers in the first place is 100%

Winner

Originally posted by Endless Mike
I pick the power to retroactively alter probability so the probability of getting superpowers in the first place is 100% ...But you'd still have to get that power in the first place. Thus your initial chance of success is still invariably .1%.

this question is basically asking would you commit suicide. since you'd have better chances jumping off a 3 story building headfirst

Not worth it. Life is to funny to waste it for such a small chance^^.

Can't I just become batman?

Originally posted by Galan007
...But you'd still have to get that power in the first place. Thus your initial chance of success is still invariably .1%.

No, because going by the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, the timeline where I get my power would allow me to reach into the past and ensure that that particular timeline was the one that manifested, thus creating a stable time loop.

Originally posted by steverules_2
Can't I just become batman?

go ahead steve.....

I encourage you to jump into the pit only wanting batmans powers!

Im a great friend!

If I won the lottery, I'd become Batman and I'm totally serious. The only thing keeping me from it is a profound lack of funding.

And honestly, I'd have to win a goddamn huge lottery. I'd do it right.

What if I chose the power to die a savage death?

I'd do it.

Originally posted by Digi
If I won the lottery, I'd become Batman and I'm totally serious. The only thing keeping me from it is a profound lack of funding.

And honestly, I'd have to win a goddamn huge lottery. I'd do it right.

You ever win the lottery, contact me. I remember you saying that a team of batmen would be more plausible, I'm down for that.

Yeah me to Digi,

Originally posted by Digi
If I won the lottery, I'd become Batman and I'm totally serious. The only thing keeping me from it is a profound lack of funding.

And honestly, I'd have to win a goddamn huge lottery. I'd do it right.


I don't see you training with monks after winning a lotery, you'll probably spend it on geek stuff or financing some scientific crap

Originally posted by Bentley
I don't see you training with monks after winning a lotery, you'll probably spend it on geek stuff or financing some scientific crap

Well, then you're wrong. Though financing scientific crap would be a big part of it.

Originally posted by Blair Wind
You ever win the lottery, contact me. I remember you saying that a team of batmen would be more plausible, I'm down for that.

Yes, I remember that conversation. Batman, Inc. would also potentially be way more awesome.

A shame I don't actually play the lottery. I know the odds too well to fall for it.

While I can appreciate the creativity you guys are trying to use, there are no 'loopholes' in this scenario. You either jump in or you don't, based on the odds given to you by the scientist. End of story.

Nah, I'd rather be shot in the balls with a BB gun.