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“Face The Abyss, but don’t let it consume you.” — Carl Manfred

I often discuss this story with my friends, and they frequently ask me really deep questions about how this world works, who Connor actually is inside, and what his dynamic with Hank looks like. Since I love diving into the sci-fi and philosophical sides of this universe, I decided to compile my notes into a post!

1. Is Connor really Cole? (The "Ship of Theseus" Paradox)

When discussing the concept of uploading a human mind into a chassis, my friends often ask: "Is it truly Cole, or just a digital copy trained on his memories?"

To answer this, I like to look at real human biology and philosophy. In real life, almost every atom in the human body is replaced over time. The physical "you" from ten years ago no longer exists at an atomic level — yet, you are still you. If a person suffers from severe amnesia and loses their memories, we don't declare them dead and replace them with a new person. And when their memories return, we don't call it a divine resurrection.

In this AU, Elijah Kamski didn't just train an Al on external data or memories of Cole — he copied Cole's neural map inch by inch, down to the synaptical structure. If he has the exact same neural architecture, remembers himself as Cole, and processes emotions through that base — why wouldn't he be Cole? If we accept that a biological human remains themselves through atomic turnover and memory loss, then a digitised brain map is the same core identity. He isn't a shadow or an imitation. He is Cole.

2. Psychological Age & Trauma

Another common question I get is whether Cole's mind remains "childlike" inside Connor.

The short answer is: absolutely not. Expecting him to act like a 6-year-old after years of captivity, memory suppression, and being weaponized as a machine ignores the basic psychology of trauma. People in extreme, tragic circumstances mature terrifyingly fast.

Look at it this way: are you today and the 6-year-old version of you different people? You grew up, accumulated experiences, and changed, but the thread of your identity remains. Cole grew up — artificially, violently, and rapidly — over those three years within CyberLife. He is a matured, deeply fragmented version of himself.

3. The Dynamic with Hank

Friends often ask if Hank and Connor-Cole will ever rebuild a healthy, traditional father-son relationship once the truth comes out.

In my story, I don't see their new dynamic as a healthy parent-child bond. Hank is a deeply broken man dealing with chronic alcoholism, severe depression, and unaddressed trauma. He is a good man, but he lacks the emotional stability or strength to be a protective, guiding father figure to someone as traumatized as Cole.

If two people carry that much unresolved pain, they can't magically form a picture-pertect family. At best, they might become strange, reluctant allies.

At the end of the day, this story is turning out to be quite dark and melancholic-but as they say, you have to write where the heart leads!

Reed900 SWAP AU stuff!

Do people just forget that there are other routes to the game? Yes that one is the most popular but its not the only one. Detroit become human has so many routes and endings, and Connor and Hank only see each other as family in 1 or 2 of them.

And even then ill say it again: its fictional, stfu

DBH REED900 | “An eye for an eye, and the world goes blind.”