Do you take the chance? (Hypothetical: Stargate like objects with strange effects appear around the

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

For unknown reasons (probably Bob, the minorly godlike posthuman entity is in the neighbourhood again) a large number of Gates have appeared around the world. These objects look a lot like the classic Stargate from the movies (and TV shows but I’ve never watched those) and humanity being curious buggers that we are quickly determine that they have some rather odd properties.

Its discovered that if a person passes through them (a process that is quick and painless, though accompanied by some rather nifty special effects) they appear out the other side physically transformed. These transformations can be positive, negative or neutral and are apparently random.

A person who goes through may find themselves significently younger or older, they may have an idealised version of their own body or something as minor as a change in eye-colour, they may change gender or race, become more or less attractive, more or less intelligent, some people become anthropomorphic animals (furries rejoice!), ordinary animals, what appear to be alien species (usually humanoid), or classic fantasy species, and some end up with normal average human bodies but just different ones than they started off with. The change can also be a combination of some of the above (or something I haven’t thought of). As long as its biologically viable there’s a chance you’ll be turned into it, the vast majority of changees remain human but about 1 in 1’000 turn into something more exotic.

And while in the vast majority of cases you’ll just come out the other side of the Gate you entered on occassion you’ll end up at a completely different Gate, enter in the USA and come out in Botswana for example. Only humans can go through, the Gates can’t be used to transport other items.

The only rule seems to be that you are going to be transformed and you have no means of knowing what the result will be. Also its a one-time deal, you can go through a Gate once and that’s it, you’re stuck with your new body. So, do you take the chance?

I can imagine that someone who is elderly, seriously injured or sick would probably risk it but what about other people.

btw assume that the Gates have been thoroughly studied and humanity has had no luck reverse-engineering them. And that there are too many to police effectively, its fairly easy to find one and go through it.

bttw Hah, “I Can Be” by Taio Cruz just came on my playlist!

2

I have pancreatic cancer? Where do I sign up.
I am in generally good health, and as satisfied with myself and my life as only a middle-aged, middle-class white American man in denial can be? No thank you.

3

I’d wait until it was midnight at the Well of Souls, then step through.

4

What’s with Botswana? Second time today someone on the dope mentions it.

To answer the OP: No.

5

Like DrFidelius, if I was terminally ill or very old I’d go for it, on the chance that a transformed form would be healthy. After all, if I had cancer it couldn’t get much worse.

But as I am now, with my parents still alive? Nope.

6

A friend from school met a doctor from Botswana, married him and emigrated there, that always sticks in my mind as an unexpected life decision and is why Botswana sometimes comes to mind.

On the subject of the thread, I’ve always been interested in the theme of physical transformation and I just know my curiosity would get the better of me, risks or not.

I’m not married so that rules out at least one potentially awkward conversation and my family and friends know me well enough that they’d probably just end up rolling their eyes and facepalming at the result. :smiley:

Assuming of course I don’t end up in Botswana with no easy way home, or more like my luck, in North Korea!

7

No way I take the chance unless I’m at death’s door.