this post was submitted on 13 May 2025
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Rules:

  • History of the world before your birth remains the same; only events happing after your birth can be changed.
  • The other version of you must still be alive, you cannot go to a world that you are dead in. (This essentially forces you to murder/abduct your alt-self, so travelling has a ethical cost to it πŸ˜‰)
  • There may be other multiverse travellers out there

(Btw, is it ethical to murder an alternate version of your self? Is that even murder or just self-harm technically?)

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Why would I be forced to murder myself in an alternate universe by existing in it simultaneously?

Since I cannot travel to a universe where my alternate self is dead, what happens after they die in their universe if I cannot exist in it without them?

Did you recently watch "The One"?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 days ago

This. I don't understand why murdering your alt-self is "necessary". Wouldn't you actually want to preserve your alternate-self at all costs, to ensure you can continue to make return trips?

The real issue here is that - if your home reality works by the same rules - once you leave it, you can never return home ever, because no alternate version of yourself exists in the one you originated from after you leave it.

Before you say "hey, that sounds awesome, this place sucks!", consider that finding a better reality is not guaranteed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

No, I watched Dark Matter (the 2024 show)

This prompt is based of it (its not exactly how the rules are in the show, but I modified it to increase the ethical dilemma)

what happens after they die in their universe if I cannot exist in it without them?

If they die, they just die, you can still leave, but you won't be able to go back there again, neither can any versions of "you".

There can be unlimited number of "you" in a world, but that can cause issues with the world. I mean, think about it, the authorities are gonne be like "WTF" since you never had a twin on record. And problems go even further if there are like 3, 4, or 5 versions of you existing in the same world. The world doesn't care, but like, the authorities are gonna put you in a blacksite and run experiments on you. I mean, unless you can find a world where the other "you" doesn't care that you have the face as them, and just poped out of thin air and there is no birth record of you.

I mean, if another version of me just appeared, I'm gonna feel threatened and probably kill him for self defence (so he doesn't get ideas to try to take my place).

Edit: Unrelated, but the 2015 Dark Matter is also great, whole different premise, and its also interesting to watch.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago

You do you. I would just hide my other self, but if you want to kill them... that's on you

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I mean, if another version of me just appeared, I’m gonna feel threatened and probably kill him for self defence (so he doesn’t get ideas to try to take my place).

If you're the kind of person who sees an alternate version of yourself and jumps immediately to killing in self defense... then yeah, it's probably a good idea to kill your alternate self in self defense.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

Lol, its kinda like a dilemma.

If you are an absolute pacifist, you all live.

If you are a war mongerer, many of you will die, perhaps all of you will.

If you are like 50% pacifist 50% violent, the 50% of universe where you are a pacifist will get absolutely destroyed by the other 50% violent "you"s.

But, I can't be sure. If there is even a chance of them being the evil ones, I'll have to give up any shred of pacifist ideals that remains in me and just go total "kill or be killed" mode.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Bro I've never seen someone tell on themselves so hard using a science fiction themed writing prompt πŸ’€