Would you rather have illusionary but unlimited body modification powers or permanent but restricted modding powers?

Betonhaus

Irrefutable Rationality
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Mar 30, 2023
Body modification powers would be the power to change any part of your body or another person's body, like making yourself taller or making body parts bigger or smaller or giving yourself extra appendages, changing skin tone eye coloration gender etc.

Illusionary body modification powers:
-changes can be defined in an abstract way like "make buff" or "make hyper hung"
-changes can make the properties of the body difference, such as making your internal organs super stretchy and still function properly if squished
-changes are instant, and can be set to a trigger like a can of juice or a stick-on tattoo or a bicycle pump so that people can grab premade triggers and use them on themselves
-changes have no anatomical restrictions such as weight or blood flow concerns, and changes like size can be made almost infinite
-changes will also affect clothes, such as the size of clothing or their style or properties
-changes wear off over time (from a few minutes to a week depending on what you set it to) , so can't be used to make a sick person healthy or an old person younger

Permanent body modification powers:
-changes are permanent and don't wear off over time, just normal wear from aging
-changes can cure illnesses or make a person younger
-the properties of the body can't change much, like you can make skin a bit more stretchy but if it's make more stretchy then realistically possibly it'll be fragile
-changes requires hands on modding as you need to customize the change for each person
-changes need to be defined precisely with a deep understanding of the human body
-changes must be anatomically valid or the person can be in pain or injured, like if you make a person too tall their heart may not be able to keep up with the change, or if you make them too buff their bones may break under the strain or if their dick is too big it doesn't get blood flow and can rot off
 
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The first one sounds like an anime plot. It's also kind of ridiculous or confusing, are the "illusionary" changes also physical, but not permanent?

So I can choose to be as big as Antares and kill you all and the planet while I'm at it, just through my gravitational force.
 
The first one sounds like an anime plot.
It's also kind of ridiculous or confusing, are the "illusionary" changes also physical, but not permanent?

So I can choose to be as big as Antares and kill you all and the planet while I'm at it, just through my gravitational force.
Cleanup might be easier if changes are temporary too. It would suck if everyone including you dies because you fucked the planet.
 
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I'm going with B: curing cancer and Alzheimer's and such in everyone for free. No one gets to live longer, no de-aging infinite life for anyone, just free tumor removal, and you won't someday forget how to swallow. ETA- At least during my lifetime.
B states that you need medical knowledge to do that.

Specifically for Alzheimer's, I hope you're a genius neuroscientist with deep understanding about biotechnology of the likes of Mahito from JJK, or Orochimaru from Naruto.
* * * * * *

I can also see extreme potential for destruction with the first power, in ways I don't think you realize.
 
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B states that you need medical knowledge to do that.

Specifically for Alzheimer's, I hope you're a genius neuroscientist with deep understanding about biotechnology of the likes of Mahito from JJK, or Orochimaru from Naruto.
* * * * * *

I can also see extreme potential for destruction with the first power, in ways I don't think you realize.
Then, I will spend the rest of my life devoted to medical study, and cure what I can as I figure it out. Don't ruin my fantasy!
 
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Then, I will spend the rest of my life devoted to medical study, and cure what I can as I figure it out. Don't ruin my fantasy!
Ok.

I'm just saying though, since this power requires such knowledge and is done without equipment (semi-magically), you'd also need insane, Nobel Prize winning understading in organic chemistry (amongst a lot more).

I hope that was your favourite subject at school!
 
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I suppose I was a little vague about what knowledge you'd need for option 2, but it's a little difficult to clarify what I intended so let's just go with the current assumption everyone has.

I guess option 2 would be closer to a form of highly granular telekenisis and short range clairvoyance, with some method to define and automate highly repetitive tasks. You would need medical knowledge to know what you're looking at and know how to manipulate it, but it would be like microsurgery where you don't need to make incisions and you can define exactly what you're looking for (such as cancer cells) and manipulate them without harming nearby tissue. If you needed to do work such as removing lesions and lumps you can do so in a way that leaves no scar or sign of the previous lump or lesion, and no healing time is needed.
 
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