The reading writing thing really makes this more appealing. It was something I hadn't considered before. I can take a few dead languages and be a living Rosetta Stone. Make a lot of money and fame and advance anthropology at the same time. Speaking dead languages fluently would also help me with my ambitions of writing fantasy. Some people really go for authentic fantasy languages. I could also make good money selling my language services in dead languages to Hollywood. If I cannot be strong and healthy, I don't care how handsome I am. I'm used to seeing my face in the mirror, I'd be disappointed to see a radically different face. With these limits, this is very appealing...I still value other's privacy, but you basically wrote this to be the best possible interpretation possible for this potion. Men look pretty good as they age if they stay in shape. If anything, not aging would make it harder for me to have a romantic relationship or pursue long term friendship as my friends age and I don't. This is pretty appealing. You wrote this to a pretty solid no downside interpretation. I once had a professor who spoke nine languages fluently, so I guess the green potion is possible, but of all the potions this is the one potion that we could duplicate without magic. In all fairness though, I've been struggling to get my weight under control for twenty years zig zagging up and down (more often up than down). I'd be nice to have one fewer thing to worry about.
I'll be honest, I have very fond memories of watching the old X-men animated series from the 90's. Couple that with Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Professor X on the big screen and Xavier is my default template when it comes to mind reading/control. Meaning, unless the description contradicts Xavier's version of mind control/reading, that's pretty much what I go with. In this case, it said mind reading so I cut away the relevant parts of his power set (anything outgoing... mind control, speaking to someone telepathically) and went from there. Opting to pick up fluency in some dead languages is and interesting option. Also the applicability to fantasy writing is right up your alley! In terms of making money, there is some potential here. The Bangin Body blue potion also has some potential... with some luck, as natural competition will still be stiff AND if someone is young enough (modelling, acting, etc.). Of course in terms of money making, nothing even comes remotely close to the black potion if someone were inclined to take advantage of it . Poker anyone? Realistically you could dominate nearly any field... business/sales investigator reporter politician military tactics if you are also athletically inclined... many sports (imagine knowing what strike your opponent will throw, or where they will shoot, etc.) psychology / therapy writing (imagine the insight you could gain into people's psyche) crime (obviously... but is this too similar to "politician"?) etc. Bottom line you would have a skill that nobody else in the world has and it would put you at a MASSIVE advantage in every interaction.
I think the choice is really obvious, for me anyway. As Nightbringer has already mentioned about its use in monetary gain aswell as tonnes of other fields. I would pick the BLACK potion. And the real benefit is that you are basically in control of when you read someone's mind. Although, GREEN would be my second choice if I 'thought' it all out a bit more.
This was my first choice, and i still thing it's a really strong one. Leaving aside interesting possibilities as ancient languages, this is still an ability which not only is very cool and handy to have, but that can also grant you a living. There's really no downside in being able to master 10 (11) languages. It's only a matter if other potions could give you more. this could grant you a living. Naomi Campbell falls in this cathegory, i believe. Anyway, you just look nice, that's all your advantage… you still have to rely on your charisma and intelligence / knowledge, so the real advantages are kinda limited. Given that i was never fixed on physical appearence, and i don't care if in the same room there's someone prettier than me, i won't drink the potion It's a solid power. Useful, strong… can definitely help you in making money. Big money, and power. The downsides are limited (for example to know secrets or opinions that whould have been better to remain hidden) and the possible gains are kinda high. However, I do believe that, in the long time, it could be very stressful. The temptation to know the hidden thoughts of (for example) your wife… Seriously? I will just look 25, but i will have the bones ache of a 60 yo? what's the advantage? at this point, it's 100 times better the Blue potion, hands down. Anyway, just to be clear… even if you could keep the endurance and the physical advantages of a 25 yo person, that would still be a trap. Do you really want to be a 25 man, married to a 60 woman? Do you want to explain to teachers (or doctors) that you really are the father of that 14 yo girl? Or that you really have the age to get a pensioner concession card? That's all the downsides of Highlander, without any of the advantages. As actually written, I would fight to spit this potion, if someone forces me to drink it. That's not bad but… really? Basically, I can eat as much as i can, without any visible negative side. Please, unless you suffer from something that actually makes this useful (excessive metabolism, so you become fat just by eating a slice of bread), then how this is a so big gain? I am 50, height 1.83 m, 80 kg. I eat what i like without feeling the need to choke myself on a whole cake, and a portion of lasagna is enough. What the gain in the ability to eat 3 pizzas in a row? that i spend triple as much in food? And anyway, you won't be immune to the effects of a poor diet, so you can easily die in a short time, because you won't even notice the damage you're doing to yourself. BUT even if you would be immune to diseases caused by a poor diet, there's still a high chance that eating will become your hobby. wow. in the end, my personal preferences: 1) green: good, no downsides 2) black: the best upsides, but possible unknown downsides 3) blue: limited upsides, no downsides 4) Purple: limited upsides if you naturally tend to be a fat person, possible heavy physical downsides. 5) Red: false upsides, heavy social downsides
@Killer Angel : A great analysis. While I came to different conclusions (and would make different choices), I can see where you are coming from. For me the green potion is the least interesting. It is the one potion that you could replicate on your own, with enough effort (with the exception of the truly dead languages). All the other potions give you ability that with our current day level of knowledge/science cannot be replicated. With great power comes great responsibility! (or looser Sith-like values) I prefer the blue potion over the red one as well. The advantage of the red potion comes down to appearance at a later age. A person who is a "9 or a 10" at the age of 65 won't look as good as a person who is even below average at age 25 (unless you are a solid 1 or a 2 at age 25). As for what the advantage is... ask Tom Cruise! For certain professions it would be a godsend. Even if you don't pursue such a profession, you might be able to get a some fame (and consequent wealth) out of the fact that you don't appear to age. Still, it's not my favorite potion, but it does confer some advantages. It has some downsides, but if you could keep the physical attributes of a 25 year old, it would be very well worth it (and would spring into my top 2 choices). Imagine living your entire life in your prime. Imagine being 85 and while your friends are at a nursing home requiring someone to lift them onto the toilet seat, you are out mountain biking or playing football. Yes please. I think most people think of the gluttonous side of this potion, but it can also be used in a much more sensible way. This potion still confers some great benefits. Even if you lead a very healthy lifestyle, the ability to maintain a perfect ideal level of fat is very useful. Most people who eat well and exercise could still benefit from losing a few pounds as they get older. As such, the potion would give you healthier joints (because you are carrying around less weight), allow you to have a very fit body much easier if you are willing to exercise beside it and the outright health benefits of maintaining a perfect weight. Even things like endurance, while not directly effected, would be improved because you have to carry around less weight. In the event that a person lives an insanely healthy lifestyle (or were dealt a very lucky genetic hand) to the point where they maintain a perfect weight balance anyways, this potion becomes redundant. However at older ages, this because increasingly rare.
I appreciate the randomity of the fact that we have extremely clinical analyses and debates happening based on the picture of 5 imaginary potions You would see far greater interaction from me if @NIGHTBRINGER was offering these potions in real-time
yes, that's true, but the decision is based solely on personal considerations. For an actor as Tom Cruise, it's a powerful gift… but i'm not such a person… i live the life i live and I'm happy with it: i don't have the charisma or the inclination to exploit a forever-young appearance, and I wouldn't be able to do a profession where such an ability would be useful, so (while i see the possible upsides for someone else), i don't see any practical gain for me. That's why the "mundane" power of speak languages is so much worthy to me than a "magical" ability that gives me something unique but useless for my kind of life. there are choices that are objectively better than others, but there are also choices where the goodness can be evalued only on a subjective level.
Can't argue with that! That's also the point of this little game/exercise; to see how different viewpoints interact with the choices available. It would be tremendously boring and ultimately a completely futile exercise if everyone saw it exactly as I do!
I can only vaguely speculate how long it took to get each of those shots.... SCARY amounts of time on our hands all over the world...