hypotheticals and undying

currently working on a short story—entirely recreational. one of the characters is undying and it's been interesting getting into and exploring such an headspace. i am also curious to know how others might respond

here's the hypothetical: imagine you find out through whatever means that, for whatever reasons, you can't die.

how would you respond to that? what implications would that have for you specifically? what would change? what wouldn't?

hm?

no one is interested in a play-thought?

I think testing it would be a natural process. So jumping off a big building and seeing how the recovery is.

Taking a bath and seeing what happens when you try to drown yourself.

Stabbing yourself and seeing what happens.

After this point it branches off.

Do you try to make money from this?

Keep it a secret?

Become a vigilante?

Become a criminal?

Not my department, I write poetry. As for your story, I wouldn't take it seriously.

Me personally, I would spend eternity trying to better society in small ways. I feel like if you tried to do too much too quick you would be exposed eventually. So I would blend in with the rest of society, but do things that help charities and the poor/ homeless. There would be a sense of feeling like I could do more, or use my power to benifit people massively. However I would have existed long enough to know how humanity, especially those at the top will exploit, cover up, and silence anything that has the potential to break the system. Part 2 would probably be about getting spied on, and eventually captured. Maybe they would know my power and attempt to freeze or contain me somehow. At that point the plot could break into two different parts. Hundreds, or even thousands of years later I'm unfrozen or escape somehow. Second potential plot there are actually more immortal people like myself, and want to free me. Though some are actually bad. Actually, I hate the idea of that second one. It sounds too much like the beginning of a super hero movie.

I think the best plot would be a wholesome person who helps people in small ways. Personally I would make it super emotional though. I feel like it could have moments that would truly make the reader tear up, but also have a happy ending. No part 2, just a one and done.

that sounds extremely banal as a story, in this day and age.

Posted by Black-Ops-Berserker
I think testing it would be a natural process. So jumping off a big building and seeing how the recovery is.

Taking a bath and seeing what happens when you try to drown yourself.

Stabbing yourself and seeing what happens.

After this point it branches off.

Do you try to make money from this?

Keep it a secret?

Become a vigilante?

Become a criminal?

😄 impressive!

people typically try to avoid pain and danger whenever possible and tolerate them whenever theyre unavoidable.

so when presented with this scenario — to test it, many would start lightly by doing things like cutting themselves a little to see if and how the wound heals, or waiting some years to see if they age, etc, before escalating the tests. low stakes to high.

but here, your first instincts, your tests, are already moving to the fairly extreme ends of pain and danger—stabbing, drowning, jumping off a building.

impressive level of toughness.

the questions you've asked—those kind of questions are part of what made exploring this as interesting as it was. basically, what becomes of things like identity, attachment, motivations, values, history, etc if we remove something that pressures and organizes life itself?

Posted by pisceanloves
Not my department, I write poetry. As for your story, I wouldn't take it seriously.

that's a very roundabout way to say you're not interested in an hypothetical.

not even a little?

a teensy wee bit?

Posted by Soul
Me personally, I would spend eternity trying to better society in small ways. I feel like if you tried to do too much too quick you would be exposed eventually. So I would blend in with the rest of society, but do things that help charities and the poor/ homeless. There would be a sense of feeling like I could do more, or use my power to benifit people massively. However I would have existed long enough to know how humanity, especially those at the top will exploit, cover up, and silence anything that has the potential to break the system. Part 2 would probably be about getting spied on, and eventually captured. Maybe they would know my power and attempt to freeze or contain me somehow. At that point the plot could break into two different parts. Hundreds, or even thousands of years later I'm unfrozen or escape somehow. Second potential plot there are actually more immortal people like myself, and want to free me. Though some are actually bad. Actually, I hate the idea of that second one. It sounds too much like the beginning of a super hero movie.

I think the best plot would be a wholesome person who helps people in small ways. Personally I would make it super emotional though. I feel like it could have moments that would truly make the reader tear up, but also have a happy ending. No part 2, just a one and done.

i have completed the story itself. the plot you've written is definitely interesting to read and consider.

most interesting is that, you've approached this as a chance to be of service to society and humanity over a wider, longer period of time. that's interesting.

a question, if you don't mind— what happens then, if you were never caught or institutionalized, and you were to outlive humanity somehow, what then?

Posted by hydorah
that sounds extremely banal as a story, in this day and age.

that's probably true

could also be true that our taste buds find different things savory

Posted by Uwa

Posted by pisceanloves
Not my department, I write poetry. As for your story, I wouldn't take it seriously.

that's a very roundabout way to say you're not interested in an hypothetical.

not even a little?

a teensy wee bit?

click to expand

Nothing against you personally, I don't enjoy outlandish stories. Sounds too immature for an adult audience.

Posted by pisceanloves

Posted by Uwa

Posted by pisceanloves
Not my department, I write poetry. As for your story, I wouldn't take it seriously.

that's a very roundabout way to say you're not interested in an hypothetical.

not even a little?

a teensy wee bit?click to expand

Nothing against you personally, I don't enjoy outlandish stories. Sounds too immature for an adult audience.

click to expand

fair enough

Dream meeting Hob once every century.

Posted by virgoOPPP
Dream meeting Hob once every century.

😌...and each time meeting him a little more different and a little more the same

Posted by Uwa

Posted by Black-Ops-Berserker
I think testing it would be a natural process. So jumping off a big building and seeing how the recovery is.

Taking a bath and seeing what happens when you try to drown yourself.

Stabbing yourself and seeing what happens.

After this point it branches off.

Do you try to make money from this?

Keep it a secret?

Become a vigilante?

Become a criminal?

😄 impressive!

people typically try to avoid pain and danger whenever possible and tolerate them whenever theyre unavoidable.

so when presented with this scenario — to test it, many would start lightly by doing things like cutting themselves a little to see if and how the wound heals, or waiting some years to see if they age, etc, before escalating the tests. low stakes to high.

but here, your first instincts, your tests, are already moving to the fairly extreme ends of pain and danger—stabbing, drowning, jumping off a building.

impressive level of toughness.

the questions you've asked—those kind of questions are part of what made exploring this as interesting as it was. basically, what becomes of things like identity, attachment, motivations, values, history, etc if we remove something that pressures and organizes life itself?

click to expand

You would eventually develop a God complex seeing yourself as better than everyone or you would remove yourself from humanity as everyone you ever get attached to will die. Leaving you alone again.

If you are ever discovered, you would most likely be captured by billionaires and be subjected to inhumane experiments, organ extraction and other fucked up things as they try to unlock the secrets for themselves.

They may even decide to lobotomize you in the process. They don't need to. But they are spiteful things devoid of empathy, especially if they cannot gain your immortality. They will put you in a position where you cannot enjoy it either.

Posted by Uwa

Posted by Soul
Me personally, I would spend eternity trying to better society in small ways. I feel like if you tried to do too much too quick you would be exposed eventually. So I would blend in with the rest of society, but do things that help charities and the poor/ homeless. There would be a sense of feeling like I could do more, or use my power to benifit people massively. However I would have existed long enough to know how humanity, especially those at the top will exploit, cover up, and silence anything that has the potential to break the system. Part 2 would probably be about getting spied on, and eventually captured. Maybe they would know my power and attempt to freeze or contain me somehow. At that point the plot could break into two different parts. Hundreds, or even thousands of years later I'm unfrozen or escape somehow. Second potential plot there are actually more immortal people like myself, and want to free me. Though some are actually bad. Actually, I hate the idea of that second one. It sounds too much like the beginning of a super hero movie.

I think the best plot would be a wholesome person who helps people in small ways. Personally I would make it super emotional though. I feel like it could have moments that would truly make the reader tear up, but also have a happy ending. No part 2, just a one and done.

i have completed the story itself. the plot you've written is definitely interesting to read and consider.

most interesting is that, you've approached this as a chance to be of service to society and humanity over a wider, longer period of time. that's interesting.

a question, if you don't mind— what happens then, if you were never caught or institutionalized, and you were to outlive humanity somehow, what then?

click to expand

That depends. If I'm equal to a normal human just immortal I'd probably just float around the void of space after the earth is absorbed by the sun. That or get trapped in the now white dwarfs gravitational pull and orbit it until it becomes a black dwarf, and disingrates after trillions of years, or becomes a supernova. If I have actual hidden powers I would travel the void of space and create, or seed another planet with human DNA, starting the species again. Acting like the developer who created the server, but doesn't fully interact with the characters maintaing it.

i feel you might like this OP (if you haven't seen it yet)

Isn't this subject extensively covered in "Groundhog Day"?

Or like in "Gulliver's travels" the immortals are treated as senile dependents

Not being able to die is one thing but can you deteriorate? I wouldn't "test it" unless I knew the rules. Be pretty bad to spend eternity paralysed from jumping off a bridge

Not being able to age/die or sustain any lasting injury would be good but you'd basically live a kind of hedonistic life because you're in one point in your life and everyone else will approach that point and then move away from it again. After your 15th relationship are you really going to be committed to anything. It's just more of the same