What would you choose?

[Reluctantly]

So there's a horrible storm. Anyone that enters the storm is pretty much guaranteed to die.

And you have a vehicle, but it can only fit one other person in it with one as the driver (you).

Now the love of your life is in the storm's path (and this person is in love with you), along with a lifetime friend that has treated you well throughout your life and helped you a great deal, including saving your life at one point. There's also an old woman with these two. They are in a group. So there are three people in this group.

And your vehicle is fast enough to dodge the storm and you have just enough time and space to get one person and get them out of harm's way of the storm. But there's not enough time to pick one up and come back for another.

Who do you choose and why?

 

[Proletar]

I would probably stay behind and let them both go. I wouldn't be able to choose between them.

 

[Ex-User (8886)]

I would probably stay behind and let them both go. I wouldn't be able to choose between them.

this

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

I'd be torn between leaving alone and attempting to get the entire group together to weather it.

If forced to choose, the friend trumps the lover and the old lady. The friend has already demonstrated that they care more for me than most lovers would or could. The old lady is just tangential. If she's old, she's lived long enough.

 

[The Gopher]

I would probably save.... Proxy

 

[redbaron]

Rationality dictates I save the friend. Reality dictates I save my lover because...love.

If put in that situation right now, I'd choose my lover - without hesitation.

 

[The Gopher]

Any friend that good would want me to save the lover I would assume.

 

[Pyropyro]

Well, my normal answer is that I'll save the girl. At my perspective, this is a chance to procreate and enjoy our lives together. As for my noble friend, I believe that immortalizing his two heroic sacrifices can at least protect the legacy of his memes. As for the grandma, I believe that the old must give way to the young and it's our responsibility in our later years to give the younger the best chance at life. (Although it isn't bad to teach younger people right now at our present age)

Ok now for the Fun ending
I'll grab my friend and ask him to drive the grandma off the area and call for help (He'll return, since the hypothetical scenario hints that he would). I'm kind of um... used to surviving storms and any girl worth my love should have several storms under her belt. Although we just missed the best means of escaping the storm I think we're resourceful and witty enough to fend for ourselves.

 

[Valentas]

Vehicles have trunks usually. So third person can fit into the car. Problem solved.

 

[Jennywocky]

MUSINGS

Elephants have trunks too.
If his vehicle is an elephant, then only the old lady bites it.

....

If God is love, why do we even have these terrible storms?

....

If I save the old lady, she'll die soon and leave me a large inheritance for saving her life. Maybe. Then I can have any boyfriend I want.

....

I was playing Numerera on Sunday and this actual scenario happened, although it was a storm without precipitation. We dug holes and cowered under the bodies of our beasts of burden. Everyone lived (except for the slug donkeys).

....

With scienz, we can take the two heads of the non-survivors and implant them on the body of the other survivor. Then all four of us can live out our alloted span of days.

....

The noble answer of course is saving two of your friends at your own expense. Or perhaps that is the indecisive answer.

I don't see how the old lady wins in any of these scenarios, she was rather hosed as soon as the horizon grew dark. (Which is discouraging for my own future.)

It's a toss-up between the friend and the lover.

 

[Pyropyro]

MUSINGS

Elephants have trunks too.
If his vehicle is an elephant, then only the old lady bites it.

Well if that's an oliphaunt then everybody lives.

If God is love, why do we even have these terrible storms?

Don't know, we're just taught to smile at the storm

If I save the old lady, she'll die soon and leave me a large inheritance for saving her life. Maybe. Then I can have any boyfriend I want.

I hope you like cats, old ladies love cats.

I was playing Numerera on Sunday and this actual scenario happened, although it was a storm without precipitation. We dug holes and cowered under the bodies of our beasts of burden. Everyone lived (except for the slug donkeys).

What?! You didn't cover your asses?

With scienz, we can take the two heads of the non-survivors and implant them on the body of the other survivor. Then all four of us can live out our alloted span of days.

Hey, many heads served the Hydra well so maybe we'll live even longer

The noble answer of course is saving two of your friends at your own expense. Or perhaps that is the indecisive answer.

It's a toss-up between the friend and the lover.

I think this scenario may be asked in job interviews or seminars. The friend thing may earn you great points with the bosses/judges.

I don't see how the old lady wins in any of these scenarios, she was rather hosed as soon as the horizon grew dark. (Which is discouraging for my own future.)

Inherently she doesn't have a chance. However, if she has somehow obtained a good position (head of state, rich businesswoman etc.) or have great skill in survival (she might be ex-Army or something) in her long life then she might have a chance.

 

[Cognisant]

I'd kill all three and yell obscenities at the storm from atop a trawler's mast.

"You want to test me fucker!?! THEN MOTHERFUCKING TEST ME!!!"

Once the storm is over I pull all three out of the trawler's cold storage, restore their metabolic processes with science and go piss on the biggest fanciest church I can find.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Rock paper scissors.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Spoiler

So there's a horrible storm. Anyone that enters the storm is pretty much guaranteed to die.

And you have a vehicle, but it can only fit one other person in it with one as the driver (you).

Now the love of your life is in the storm's path (and this person is in love with you), along with a lifetime friend that has treated you well throughout your life and helped you a great deal, including saving your life at one point. There's also an old woman with these two. They are in a group. So there are three people in this group.

And your vehicle is fast enough to dodge the storm and you have just enough time and space to get one person and get them out of harm's way of the storm. But there's not enough time to pick one up and come back for another.

Who do you choose and why?

I would pick the friend.
Love can fade rather quickly, even turn into hate.
A true friendship may last a lifetime.
The old lady? Had her time on this planet: sorry!

 

[NoID10ts]

I'd lock the car, swallow the car keys, and get one last orgy going.

 

[Jennywocky]

I'd kill all three and yell obscenities at the storm from atop a trawler's mast.

"You want to test me fucker!?! THEN MOTHERFUCKING TEST ME!!!"

Once the storm is over I pull all three out of the trawler's cold storage, restore their metabolic processes with science and go piss on the biggest fanciest church I can find.

"Y U DO THAT, LOOTENANT DAN???"

 

[Cherry Cola]

What's with everyone picking the friend? Geez love can last as well (it's even written in the OP that it's "the love of your life"), and the potential for intimacy that it holds transcends that of friendship due to biological factors anyway. And besides what sorta best friend ever would want his pal to live life regretting having missed out on true love? Love, on the other hand, is selfish so this supposed love interest may be a lot more capable to ignore the death of the other parts pal because "love is all that matters" or something.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

What's with everyone picking the friend? Geez love can last as well (it's even written in the OP that it's "the love of your life"), and the potential for intimacy that it holds transcends that of friendship due to biological factors anyway. And besides what sorta best friend ever would want his pal to live life regretting having missed out on true love? Love, on the other hand, is selfish so this supposed love interest may be a lot more capable to ignore the death of the other parts pal because "love is all that matters" or something.

If a dog was option no. 4, i'd be in a dilemma.
I personally don't care about the prospect of being able to reproduce myself.
"Love of your Life", hmm... doesn't that always seem to be the case, before everything starts to deteriorate into sh**?
If i wanted only a sex object, then the old lady would do as well.

 

[Jennywocky]

Well, yeah, hey, us old biddies need some lovin' too. No one should be shocked!

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Well, yeah, hey, us old biddies need some lovin' too. No one should be shocked!

Oh no, you destroyed my plan of getting a controversy started!
Let me say something else then...

How do i put this?
Ehrm... AILIHPORCEN

 

[Cavallier]

This reminds me: When my dad was asked one of those stupid hypothetical questions of if he'd save his wife or his daughter (given than he had to choose between the two) my father always responded with, "Oh I'd take my wife. I can always have another kid.". I knew early on where I stood in my family.

I feel that I have to apply this scenario using real people from my current life. I would save my lover because the lover I have right now is the dearest person in my life atm. My best friend is very loyal but if I have to choose I would choose my lover. The old lady I'm going to assume is my grandmother. She's a horrible old biddy and I would choose my cat over her.

 

[Jennywocky]

Let me say something else then...
How do i put this?
Ehrm... AILIHPORCEN

Hmmm. You're more backwards than I suspected.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnBxuJB-M3s

 

[Brontosaurie]

is it cheating to say the love of my life would've had saved my life too? then there's no dilemma.

i feel like kissing now. i can phantom taste girl mouth. weird.

nah i'll pick the friend. the love of my life probably wouldn't have gotten to know me anyway.

 

[PmjPmj]

I'd feel compelled to save the friend, given that he/she had already saved me previously; 1 - 1, and all that. On the other hand, I'd want to save my other half because... well, yeah. She's my world.

As stated above, I'd jump out and let them go ahead.

The granny wouldn't have much life left in her anyway, so it's a no brainier.

 

[Sci Nai]

I'm assuming when you say storm that you mean a violent tornado (which is really only a part of the storm, the hail core ain't going to kill you - unless the group is outside and this hypothetical storm is throwing out some absolute bombs).

I'm going to have to go with the lover, they are hard to come by. It would be a bit of a bitter sweet moment though, I love powerful storms but not death and destruction. Off topic but I had a close shave with the El Reno tornado this year. What a beast of a storm.

 

[The Gopher]

The noble answer of course is saving two of your friends at your own expense. Or perhaps that is the indecisive answer.

I assumed they were too far apart otherwise the car would have to be pretty small....

 

[PhoenixRising]

It's difficult to say what I would actually do in the moment of facing death (since the ultimate basis of any behavior is self-preservation).. but I agree with the sentiment of staying behind and letting my friend and lover escape.

My friend has plans for working space elevators and harmonic technology that could lead to long-distance space travel - so I'd say he's definitely worth saving. My lover is basically a more ambitious copy of me, so I'm sure he could live for both of us.

I could also comfort the old lady and perhaps get one final religious debate out of the situation before ceasing to exist =D

 

[Reluctantly]

If I save the old lady, she'll die soon and leave me a large inheritance for saving her life. Maybe. Then I can have any boyfriend I want.

Lol, yeah, maybe.

I was playing Numerera on Sunday and this actual scenario happened, although it was a storm without precipitation. We dug holes and cowered under the bodies of our beasts of burden. Everyone lived (except for the slug donkeys).

Riding slugs sounds kind of messy. How do you get all the yuck off you? But I bet there's someone somewhere that gets turned on by the fantasy of it.

Edit: So I looked it up and found http://bio.research.ucsc.edu/grad/weaver/Pages/project.html with a video of banana slugs mating and a fetish story about a woman having sex with a slug. So someone out there likely got turned on by the idea and made a story. GREAT
NSFW
http://pastebin.com/JeTLwZsS
NSFW

With scienz, we can take the two heads of the non-survivors and implant them on the body of the other survivor. Then all four of us can live out our alloted span of days.

You could plant each one on the survivor's ass cheeks. Going to the restroom would be a whole new experience.

I don't see how the old lady wins in any of these scenarios, she was rather hosed as soon as the horizon grew dark. (Which is discouraging for my own future.)

I guess you're right. No one has ever chosen the old lady.

I'd lock the car, swallow the car keys, and get one last orgy going.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VZn8LYFS78

Maybe the lover brought a trusty knife.

I would pick the friend.
Love can fade rather quickly, even turn into hate.
A true friendship may last a lifetime.
The old lady? Had her time on this planet: sorry!

Lol, that's pretty much how I answered this, except I said I didn't believe in love. Same reasons, more or less, though.

If a dog was option no. 4, i'd be in a dilemma.
I personally don't care about the prospect of being able to reproduce myself.
"Love of your Life", hmm... doesn't that always seem to be the case, before everything starts to deteriorate into sh**?
If i wanted only a sex object, then the old lady would do as well.

Dog get superpowers - dodge storm. Good doggy.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

If i put equal value on my love an myself i would save my friend and be torn between saving myself or the old lady.
They may have something to do in this world and i could easily spare either part the sorrow of losing the loved one.

 

[cheese]

Change the old woman to a child. That makes it more difficult.

I'd mow the old lady down then remove and use her rickety old bones to murder-suicide the rest of us.

Except my lover, I'd stab her with my own bone.

Another option is letting the friend and old lady/child ride in the car. Lover could ride me. I'm lightning fast.

Oh, or I could sew various bits of their bodies together, creating one "passenger" total, and save them all! My friend's head, messily stitched to my girlfriend's body, the black surgical thread sticking out of their joint throat like a sparse, wiry beard; the old lady's scalp stuck over the top of friend's bleeding head with chewing gum, giving him a plateau of crazy Einstein hair, the saliva from the gum forming little tributaries that merge into the larger rivers of blood streaming down his face and filling his wide unblinking eyes, one good brown one and one hastily mashed into his socket, blue, fast becoming red; all the extra hands and feet attached up and down her torso with the same spiky black wiring in roughly diagonal lines, twitching feebly like a living rock-climbing wall; and large flaps of old wrinkly skin loosely stapled over my girlfriend's limbs, lifting and opening up in the storm breeze and forming a makeshift umbrella we-they can use in case we eventually get stuck outside, because I care about her-them, because I care about her getting wet...


....ladies.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Spoiler

Change the old woman to a child. That makes it more difficult.

I'd mow the old lady down then remove and use her rickety old bones to murder-suicide the rest of us.

Except my lover, I'd stab her with my own bone.

Another option is letting the friend and old lady/child ride in the car. Lover could ride me. I'm lightning fast.

Oh, or I could sew various bits of their bodies together, creating one "passenger" total, and save them all! My friend's head, messily stitched to my girlfriend's body, the black surgical thread sticking out of their joint throat like a sparse, wiry beard; the old lady's scalp stuck over the top of friend's bleeding head with chewing gum, giving him a plateau of crazy Einstein hair, the saliva from the gum forming little tributaries that merge into the larger rivers of blood streaming down his face and filling his wide unblinking eyes, one good brown one and one hastily mashed into his socket, blue, fast becoming red; all the extra hands and feet attached up and down her torso with the same spiky black wiring in roughly diagonal lines, twitching feebly like a living rock-climbing wall; and large flaps of old wrinkly skin loosely stapled over my girlfriend's limbs, lifting and opening up in the storm breeze and forming a makeshift umbrella we-they can use in case we eventually get stuck outside, because I care about her-them, because I care about her getting wet...


....ladies.

Oh god, help me breathe.
Your avatar in contrast to what you have written makes it all even more hilarious.

Spoiler

Glad i'm not the only one with those insane thoughts.

 

[Cognisant]

This reminds me: When my dad was asked one of those stupid hypothetical questions of if he'd save his wife or his daughter (given than he had to choose between the two) my father always responded with, "Oh I'd take my wife. I can always have another kid.". I knew early on where I stood in my family.

Does your mother going menopausal change his answer?

 

[Jennywocky]

Your avatar in contrast to what you have written makes it all even more hilarious.

Spoiler

Glad i'm not the only one with those insane thoughts.

Of course, with your av, people expect it from you.

Cheese is hilarious.

I'd like to cast him and THD in the video adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Serial Killer Convention" issue of The Sandman.

 

[Grayman]

So there's a horrible storm. Anyone that enters the storm is pretty much guaranteed to die.
...

Who do you choose and why?

What are the current expected life spans of these individuals? Anyone have cancer or a history of mental illness, heart issues, or maybe some incurable disease?

 

[cheese]

Thankee kindly, Jenny. Now I just have to read a bit of Gaiman. I know, I'm a worthless pile of poo.

Salmoneus: No, you're not indeed. Actually, if you're interested you should check out Worm (online web story). It's got a couple of fairly creepy supervillains/scenes, and the author is very good at painting a picture with words. Doesn't hold back on the creepiness/gore factor - not that it's primarily gore, just that it's present when realistically required. Sometimes I do wonder what Hollywood's smoking when the best horror/torture they can come up with doesn't compare at all to what I can imagine off the top of my head. History is far more horrific than that. Ratings, I guess.

I didn't even notice your avatar! Must've wormed itself into my subconscious.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Of course, with your av, people expect it from you.

Cheese is hilarious.

I'd like to cast him and THD in the video adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Serial Killer Convention" issue of The Sandman.

Something tells me that wouldn't bode well for my boogeyman alter ego.

 

[Jennywocky]

Thankee kindly, Jenny. Now I just have to read a bit of Gaiman. I know, I'm a worthless pile of poo.

Cheesy poo has never been so much fun.

 

[BigApplePi]

Another option is letting the friend and old lady/child ride in the car. Lover could ride me. I'm lightning fast.

I lack the skill to do all what cheese did, so in a panic I'd head directly into the storm hoping I'd pass a junkyard with a wagon. I'd attach the wagon to my vehicle's hitch and carry everyone out. "Necessity is the mother of invention."

Let's hope this works as a storm is predicted next Thursday* and I have company. If I don't show up to post you know what happened.

*Thanksgiving

 

[Jennywocky]

Let's hope this works as a storm is predicted next Thursday* and I have company. If I don't show up to post you know what happened. *Thanksgiving

Just remember to be kind to Grandma.

 

[DrGregoryHouse]

So there's a horrible storm. Anyone that enters the storm is pretty much guaranteed to die.

And you have a vehicle, but it can only fit one other person in it with one as the driver (you).

Now the love of your life is in the storm's path (and this person is in love with you), along with a lifetime friend that has treated you well throughout your life and helped you a great deal, including saving your life at one point. There's also an old woman with these two. They are in a group. So there are three people in this group.

And your vehicle is fast enough to dodge the storm and you have just enough time and space to get one person and get them out of harm's way of the storm. But there's not enough time to pick one up and come back for another.

Who do you choose and why?

I wouldn't choose the old woman. Hopefully she has made the best of her time on earth and is prepared to move on to the next life.

If my mate and I were young and capable of starting a family I would choose her over the lifetime friend. My lifetime friend would be male by default and would understand the principle of "women and children first". Yes, it is chivalrous and no not all chivalrous humans are dead...yet.