# Hypothetical: The parasitic twin

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-parasitic-twin/834889>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 1, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-parasitic-twin/834889 "2019-06-01T19:37:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-parasitic-twin/834889/1 "2019-06-01T19:37:23Z")

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Jake lives in an alternate universe where sun-damage can cause a parasitic twin to start forming on your skin. Jake has been spending a lot of time in the sun, because he loves getting a tan, and a rather large growth has formed on his back without anyone bothering to tell him. When he finally notices it, he goes to a clinic that purports to offer dermatological services, but it turns out it’s a “Every mole is sacred”-type place and the advisor there, who wears a white coat and a stethoscope, but isn’t a doctor, tells Jake that the pulsation of the growth is a heartbeat, that he’s named the growth Blake, and that Blake really, really wants to live. In fact, the advisor was himself a growth that was allowed to grow until he could be separated and live independently.

Which of the two should have the final say in the matter? Jake the sun-lover, or the mole only the fake doctor considers to be “Blake”?