Player to Slime issues

[Lady_of_Ravens]

Every so often some fool of a xenobiologist turns themselves into a slime. Not an oooky skrell-wannabe, but a straight up blob of goo that can crawl through vents, eat people's cats, make more slimes, and generally be a huge biohazard if they're so inclined. People seem to have several conflicting views on this with regards to how it should be handled and what it means for the character... here are some relevant questions.

Do they retain their full intelligence and personality, or does it gradually fade away into the gloopy horror they've become?

Should they be considered to still be crew or to have rights in any respect?

Can the process be reversed by Odin or is the character getting a clone made of their last backup? Or would NT even bother cloning someone who did this to themself?

And, lastly, and most importantly, should they be contained in xenobiology (and terminated if they try to escape or are removed) same as any other slime?

[Dreamix]

Seems relevant.

[Lady_of_Ravens]

Very relevant, and apparently with no official answer. I'm all for the afflicted crewmember retaining some of their personality/memories for a time, but it really calls for some roleplaying excellence, not the crap I've been seeing.

[Xelnagahunter]

There are a few points to bring up, a couple of which are opinion while one is fact.

First, I feel the decision to retain intelligence should be a RP factor dependent on the character transformed. Some people just can't turn their minds into the mobs. However, this does not mean that the transformation should be something they take lightly. If they don't become the monster, they should be freaked out. In my opinion, this needs to be one of the "unknown" effects of slimes and one of the reasons they are still being researched in the fashion that they are.

Secondly, DEciding if they are crew or not depends fully on the person reacting to them. Litterally, and how my AIs would treat it, it no longer is, as it's not a recognized, sentient race. If it does not appear to be able to perform it's job, tough shit. I give lee-way to the humanoid slimes since they can still work.

Lastly, by altering the DNA of anyone they become and experiment. See Station Directive 4. Poor wording says "equipment," but I feel a slime core is just that. And the changed person is a derivative of said core, thus falls into the directive. Being outside of containment as a hazardous experimentation creature, certainly breaks the directive.

[Gollee]

From Jackboot:

Slime to human transformation is irreversible, and the person in question will slowly lose their minds due to the whole not having a brain thing. If they get sent to Odin, they will be kept in a science pen for the rest of their short lives.

They would not be cloned if they did it to themselves deliberately, as it shows a significant god complex, and likely wish to inflict serious harm to others for no reason other than that they can.

[Lady_of_Ravens]

Then perhaps something about this should be added to the station directives to clearly define crew that have irreversibly devolved (ie not geneticists who accidentally monkey themselves) as non crew who should be handled as the mob types they become. That is, studied if possible, killed if necessary, and most certainly contained.

[Xelnagahunter]

Lastly, by altering the DNA of anyone they become and experiment. See Station Directive 4. Poor wording says "equipment," but I feel a slime core is just that. And the changed person is a derivative of said core, thus falls into the directive. Being outside of containment as a hazardous experimentation creature, certainly breaks the directive.

Now, this doesn't classify them as non-crew, but it does limit their ability to do ANYTHING AT ALL. They are also considered experiments at this point and standard containment/study should be observed.

[Dreamix]

(...)

Now, this doesn't classify them as non-crew, but it does limit their ability to do ANYTHING AT ALL. They are also considered experiments at this point and standard containment/study should be observed.

Unless, they've done some paperwork. Just like genetics work, no paperwork, no leaving your lab/department. But, yeah. Good luck having someone sign your suicide (slime-ification) form.

But, I can't think of a sane, mature person, that would alter their DNA/change themselves into a slime.

And, I can't imagine a self respecting mega corporation, such as NanoTrasen, not immediately firing/terminating their employees who were stupid enough to turn themselves into slimes.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

I asked Gollee to post in my proxy while I was out of town, but he didn't. Apparently this server is helpless without my guidance!

But seriously:

The lore supports the mechanics. Being converted to a slime is completely irreversible unless you:

1) Had a genetic back-up made of yourself, and die as the slime.

2) Get lucky with the staff of change.

Now for the expanded lore to justify these set conditions:

Being transformed into a slime removes your brain and your consciousness is temporary, fading between 1 - 24 hours. Upon returning to the Odin, you are isolated in the Odin Xenobiology pen and ruthlessly studied before being terminated once you lose all sense of self, and either cloned and terminated, or not cloned at all.

In essence, it's not a good idea.

[Gollee]

From Jackboot:

Slime to human transformation is irreversible, and the person in question will slowly lose their minds due to the whole not having a brain thing. If they get sent to Odin, they will be kept in a science pen for the rest of their short lives.

They would not be cloned if they did it to themselves deliberately, as it shows a significant god complex, and likely wish to inflict serious harm to others for no reason other than that they can.

[MagnificentMelkior]

Being transformed into a slime removes your brain and your consciousness is temporary, fading between 1 - 24 hours... you lose all sense of self...

In essence, it's not a good idea.

But why?

Slime mobs demonstrate intelligence, and an ego. "I'm hungry" and "[charname]... friend..." So given that why would you lose your mind so completely?

[Lady_of_Ravens]

That's animal level intelligence, we just understand it 'cause it's telepathic. Or something.

[Dreamix]

(...)

But why?

Slime mobs demonstrate intelligence, and an ego. "I'm hungry" and "[charname]... friend..." So given that why would you lose your mind so completely?

I believe, slimes are capable of making a psychical link with nearby living things. They send simple messages to you, signifying their state.

You may even imagine that slimes don't actually send "words", but "emotions/needs", and it's you, who's hallucinating (albeit in a really mild way), being manipulated by slimes to feed them, let them grow, and to divide.

Why "i'm hungry", then? Slimes have just one purpose of their short lives. To eat and divide.

Why "befriending", then? Slimes need to eat. Sure, they could attempt eating a nearby xenobiologist, but actually leaving him intact and letting him leaving a monkey in their pens is easier, and more profitable on the long run.

But, well, you could theorize about such things for hours.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Nothing in what the slimes telepathically tell you does anything to suggest sentience. "Hungry..." "friend..." "feed me..." these are just sounds organized in a way that we understand them to mean something, and they're in our head. These are simple needs being stated. This is something a dog would do if they could have telepathy.

[Killerhurtz]

Considering this thread answered. Locking and archiving. PM me if it was an error.