Stupid Flu 2014-12-05

[illiad]

Those eyes! What happened to Tina? she doesn't have the swirly eyes any more.

um, this is how she (used to???) look before 'waking up'...

[KnightDelight]

Yep, it's mutated slightly this year, the shot is only effective against the older strain of the virus. We have a lot of people in Dallas getting the flu even after getting this year's shot.

All the more reason to wash or sanitize your hands a lot this year. And don't touch your mouth.

What happened, is Tina human now??, surely demons cannot catch the flu?????

She's always had a human body and what the body goes through affects the demons somewhat as is evidenced by their enjoyment of pizza consumed by their host. I think the demons are more bored than sick though. And bored demons, like bored kids, is not a good thing. Probably worse (but not by much). Best to keep them occupied for everyone's sake. That was Monica's philosophy anyway. I wonder if Jin, the master poiter, could poit the virus away from the body like she can alcohol? Then poit the virus into a jar of alcohol. Or get Tina really drunk then poit the virus and alcohol away at once, killing a billion "birds" with one poit.

Wow that poor kid looks like something Phix dragged in.

I like that! For Wapsi fans it's even more to the point than using the word cat since it's easy visualize Phix doing that very thing. Especially in Nudge's case.

[illiad]

sorry, shoulda said 'fully human'... :/ but still, ????

[lake_wrangler]

What happened, is Tina human now??, surely demons cannot catch the flu?????

She's always had a human body and what the body goes through affects the demons somewhat as is evidenced by their enjoyment of pizza consumed by their host.

That was my take on it, as well... Though I have to admit, since this can't be the first time she gets sick, she should have gotten used to it a bit more, by now... She seems very impatient about the whole thing.

I think the demons are more bored than sick though. And bored demons, like bored kids, is not a good thing. Probably worse (but not by much). Best to keep them occupied for everyone's sake. That was Monica's philosophy anyway.

That's the vibe I'm getting, too. I know the feeling: I'm stuck at home with a cold, right now... Fortunately, I have the Wapsi forum, other webcomics, and the edX Linux 101 course to keep me occupied...
(Admittedly, I'm not as bad off as Tina looks to be...)

I wonder if Jin, the master poiter, could poit the virus away from the body like she can alcohol? Then poit the virus into a jar of alcohol. Or get Tina really drunk then poit the virus and alcohol away at once, killing a billion "birds" with one poit.

We've seen her poit food into Monica, and poit her pee and poop out, but we've only seen Tepoz sober up anyone.

Wow that poor kid looks like something Phix dragged in.

I like that! For Wapsi fans it's even more to the point than using the word cat since it's easy visualize Phix doing that very thing. Especially in Nudge's case.

That.

[jayessell]

Nothing on TV?

What?

No Netflix?

[jwhouk]

I suspect Tina 2.0 isn't exactly up on human "wants" like Netflix and internet thingys.

[zachariah]

Yep, it's mutated slightly this year, the shot is only effective against the older strain of the virus. We have a lot of people in Dallas getting the flu even after getting this year's shot.

Actually what happens is those who make the shot consult with experts and they take a good guess at which strains of the flu are most likely to spread this year. This is determined by the strains that were in eastern asia last year. Then they pick the three with the best odds and make the shot for those. So getting the shot only provides some protection against those three. The rest of them it does very little for. I stopped getting the flu shot years ago and have done better than when I took it. I've had a number of years when I didn't catch it at all! But every year I did get the shot I caught the flu. So take your pick on getting it. It all depends on which strains of the flu spread and if the shot covers it. I think if it spreads it is one of the strains that is not covered otherwise how could it spread so quickly and far?

Now for the fun part. How many flu patients will be mistaken for Ebola patients this year? Could Tina actually have it?

[Yamara]

I wonder if Jin, the master poiter, could poit the virus away from the body like she can alcohol? Then poit the virus into a jar of alcohol. Or get Tina really drunk then poit the virus and alcohol away at once, killing a billion "birds" with one poit.

We've seen her poit food into Monica, and poit her pee and poop out, but we've only seen Tepoz sober up anyone.

Unless she brought Tepoz in her purse, that's Jin doing the molecular removal here.

Poiting away a virus without changing the course of the immune response could have serious consequences for the person you were trying to help. But perhaps this is delving too deep into the "other science facts/just a show" quandary that MST3K warned us about.

Wow that poor kid looks like something Phix dragged in.

I like that! For Wapsi fans it's even more to the point than using the word cat since it's easy visualize Phix doing that very thing. Especially in Nudge's case.

That.

Double that.

As for Ebola, sounds like a job for... Panic!

Oh, and um... Link to the comic...

Wait, you can do that now?

ALL THINGS ARE PERMITTED.

It would be weird if it wasn't permitted, since you are allowed to link to any other strip in the archive. Specifically forbidding linking a thread to the comic it is about would be heinously asinine.

I had been following the conversation to link the comic last time, but I thought it was left unresolved. Makes basic sense though, and I suppose we can skip the anarchic revolution for now.

[Sidhekin]

It all depends on which strains of the flu spread and if the shot covers it. I think if it spreads it is one of the strains that is not covered otherwise how could it spread so quickly and far?

I doubt there's sufficient coverage for herd immunity. Not halfway there, according to this (from Cleveland, Ohio, but I doubt the rest of the world will do much better).

So, the flu will spread, even if it's one of the strains covered. Short of major changes in mindset, the best we can hope for would be to have sufficient coverage among institutionalized people, their visitors, and the employees at these institutions, that it doesn't spread where it will be most dangerous.

(No, I don't get the flu shot either. I only got it once. If I see signs of such a major change in mindset, I might start getting it, but until that happens, it would be pretty much a waste of time and money for me: I'm healthy enough to eat a flu, and I'm not in a position where I'd threaten to infect the less fortunate.)

[eee]

I couldn't figure out who this was, at first. Didn't look buff enough for Shelly. But too large and old for Cricket. If it was Jin she'd fallen apart while sick. And I knew it couldn't be Maya, not only because golems don't get sick but also because there was no pitcher of Margarettas nearby. Then in the second panel we saw Becky, and so it became clear the pitiable wretch in panel one had to be Tina.

I wonder if the demons can dis-incorporate and physically help their host by bringing tea and juice, blankets, snacks, and assisting her to reach the bathroom when the flu causes her to have to worship the porcelain goddess.

[Catawampus]

I never considered the fact that Tina was able to get the Flu, Break her arm - while parallell parking (I still haven't figured that one) - yes but common sickness? Never.

It seems that anything that can happen to a regular human body can happen to Tina's. The demons can move it around, but have limited control over what happens to it. They need to eat. They can't prevent mechanical injury. They can't block out pain. They can't prevent aging. They can't prevent infections. She can probably experience all the other fun aspects of being human, too, such as allergies and tooth decay and getting pregnant.

I just wonder how much of the emotional side of being human is transferred over to the demons. Do they get to experience the body's hormone surges and the like? If the original Tina suffered from depression, would the demons do the same? How well do demon handle PMS?

[meisdadoo]

Inactivity is driving her crazy? Then the strip title should be "One Flu over the coo coo's nest."

Nothing we've seen or read indicates Tina cannot get sick. Now we do know, yes she can. But then people like her are flu and far between.

Drops a bottle of NyQuil into the Jar for Tina.

Well I for one am thoroughly confused now. Did we, or did we not see the "Tina Body" standing in the middle of the room (like a Borg sleeping) while a spider crawled into her eye socket only to be vaporized at sunup?

If your dead body can host demons that keep it moving and incinerate intruders, how in the holy frickbuckets can it get the "flu" ? ? ? ?

Breaking a bone inside the dead girl's body is not the same thing as having an unwanted intruder/virus. . . .UNLESS, it really is an evil demon flu bug, in which case someone should call the demon shepherd, and have it removed.

[Wyvern]

Is she wearing her choker under that scarf?

She must be; her head hasn't fallen off.

[TazManiac]

*raises hand to volunteer to take care of Tina*

Yeah, while you were here posting, I was flying to her bedside with Unpasteurized & Organic Honey, real lemons off the tree in the backyard, and I almost got a free-range chicken, but he got away, while gathering fresh garlic from the fallow patch...

But we can take shifts...

[Warrl]

(No, I don't get the flu shot either. I only got it once. If I see signs of such a major change in mindset, I might start getting it, but until that happens, it would be pretty much a waste of time and money for me: I'm healthy enough to eat a flu, and I'm not in a position where I'd threaten to infect the less fortunate.)

They now think the most deadly strains of flu trigger an autoimmune response - so the healthier you are overall, the more likely such a strain is to kill you. That's the current understanding of the 1918 flu epidemic, which killed more people than the then-in-progress World War I did and mostly killed young healthy folks.

[zachariah]

[
Well I for one am thoroughly confused now. Did we, or did we not see the "Tina Body" standing in the middle of the room (like a Borg sleeping) while a spider crawled into her eye socket only to be vaporized at sunup?

If your dead body can host demons that keep it moving and incinerate intruders, how in the holy frickbuckets can it get the "flu" ? ? ? ?

Breaking a bone inside the dead girl's body is not the same thing as having an unwanted intruder/virus. . . .UNLESS, it really is an evil demon flu bug, in which case someone should call the demon shepherd, and have it removed.

Actually it is a bit worse than that. Tina was actually declared dead and her body sent to the morgue before Nudge got them up and moving.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/grateful/ A body usually doesn't end up there unless it shows NO life signs, but mistakes have been made if coma is deep enough. SO its a case of how long the body was dead before it was revived. It is possible that Tina may have fit the rules for becoming a vampire but the soul was lost so it did not make the change. At any rate her body continued to live on. Once it was active again it was a normal human body that continued to live and breathe. That means it could get sick and is not immune to aging either. The spirits are immortal but the flesh is not.

[kingklash]

Poor kid. I bet she left a window open, and In Flew Enza.

Did she have to get a majority vote to be sick? Her internal rat crew must be feeling pretty awful right now.

[AnotherFairportfan]

Is she wearing her choker under that scarf?

She must be; her head hasn't fallen off.

Paulwears she only wears it because she likes it.

Hah! A likely story, intended to lull us into a state of false security ... and once we've been Lulled, he will make the Pounce.

(Thank you, GRR)

[lake_wrangler]

*raises hand to volunteer to take care of Tina*

Yeah, while you were here posting, I was flying to her bedside with Unpasteurized & Organic Honey, real lemons off the tree in the backyard, and I almost got a free-range chicken, but he got away, while gathering fresh garlic from the fallow patch...

But we can take shifts...

I suppose you want us to believe that the chicken got away by... crossing the road???

[lake_wrangler]

Is she wearing her choker under that scarf?

She must be; her head hasn't fallen off.

Paulwears she only wears it because she likes it.

Hah! A likely story, intended to lull us into a state of false security ... and once we've been Lulled, he will make the Pounce.

(Thank you, GRR)

Monica once asked Tina directly, about that, but I can't remember the answer she gave, if any...