Never Be A Weapon 2016-05-27

[Dave]

Either the orphanage wasn't an orphanage and there's more going on than meets the eye

Considering that we're seeing a story which involves paranormals who are living (by treaty) in a Masquerade environment, that we've known for some time about at least one "shadow" government-like group (the MIB), probably two (add the Immortal Politicians), possibly three (whomever was running the Black Helos who shot up Katherine's dig in the Middle East), maybe four (the "paranoid billionaires" if they're distinct from the Immortal Politicians and the Black Helo group), perhaps even five (Leusoisa and her lab group)... well, there's almost certainly more going on than meets the eye! Can't tell the players without a scorecard, and the scorecard is apparently written in an obscure and extinct sub-dialect of Hurrian.

Some of the Hidden Stuff might very well involve the orphanage.

I wonder whether the presence of Atsali and Pickle in the orphanage might have been a Purloined Letter trick? If you want to hide something, sometimes the best place for it is out in plain sight (in a misleading context), as whomever is searching for it will naturally expect it to be hidden rather than visible.

Having the orphaned Siren, and the (spirited-away?) Blackthorn hybrid, being raised openly in an orphanage, rather than being in the company of anyone who had any known connection to the research lab, might have been the only way to keep them safe.

[My2Cents]

Not seeing any problems at all with a kill them all and let the Lord sort them out mentality here. In fact if you dropped the shadow part of the statement it could be a valid solution to most of the problems in Washington DC today.

You need to keep an eye on the lines of succession for your targets, usually a top aid or spouse. You don’t want to replace a venial, slothful, idiot with an energetic and ambitious fanatic.

Taking out individuals is seldom effective, you have to eliminate groups and cults entirely or they just respawn.

[AnotherFairportfan]

It also occurs to me that The Library helped to bring her and Atsali together.

One has been suspecting for some time that the Library is {metaphorically} engaging in raising John Thomases.

[Dave]

One has been suspecting for some time that the Library is {metaphorically} engaging in raising John Thomases.

Not entirely sure I see the connection....

[TheOtherOne]

I take it that's supposed to be mom under the sheet? Sad, but not something to make me cry as we had been warned yesterday.

Anyway ... that's not a particularly "brilliant" plan she has there . A great plan if you want to start a war between humans and paras. You think several men's heads on the Senate floor isn't going to lead to a call for retribution? Makes me wonder if glasses woman isn't the one really behind this. Manipulating things to cause the ultimate showdown, feeling the paras would win and humanity would no longer be such a nuisance. Seems like it would be better if they poited them to some location and impressed on them the folly of their ways. Show them just how easy it is to get them whenever they wished. Killing them would be very counter-productive. With all that money at their disposal, there is a good chance their remaining relatives would use it to exact revenge. Rarely does such savagery as decapitation and displaying the heads (pike or no pike) cause capitulation. Rather it tends to harden the resolve of those remaining. Like now, for example. When you hear of the atrocities committed by the ISIS gang, does it make you want to capitulate or does it make you want to blow the M-Fs to hell? It's been tried throughout history and never has worked for long. Regardless of the reason all it does is build resentment.

Even paranoids can have real enemies. I think the Blackthorn project was a way to balance the scales. To give humans a form of weapon that is effective against paras. Whether it was ever used or not, it would give humans a greater sense of security, and would not be all that bad a thing. Mutual assured destruction isn't always a bad thing. It has kept the world from going to all-out war for some time. Without nuclear weapons, I feel pretty sure WW3 would have broken out long before now. When dealing with unpredictable paras, it can be seen as the only way to survival. After all they haven't treated humanity all too kindly in the past. And they can destroy us all at any moment and there is little or nothing we can do about it. Phix was concerned about innocent paras being killed in a mass hysteria about paras. Well after the Senate head showcase, you can bet there would be retribution against whatever para was handy. Even if on an individual basis. At least in the real world. Who knows in the Wapsi World. There wasn't anything in the past stories to indicate that had happened. Still, it could have been all hushed up after the fact. The sudden disappearance of several billionaires must have caused quite a stir as well. Perhaps those orders were never carried out.

I wonder which side Monica and the Golem Girls would come down on in an all out conflict. They may be paras, but they were once human and live among humans. They would have a natural affinity for "normals". Perhaps they would just remain neutral and stay out of it entirely. But if it went really bad for humanity, would they intervene? Could Shellinx even be forced to go up against grandma, or would Phix also come down on the side of the humans? I think Nudge might.

As to that treaty. I wonder if she meant the paras didn't really need a treaty because they would have reigned themselves in regardless to protect humanity?

Finally, it appears the body count is about to rise yet further. Not only the shadow government members, but anyone in the way of the paras will be killed. Remember, never get between a sphinx and their prey. That means many guards, and who knows who else, will be killed either because they tried to stop the para killers, or were just in the way at that moment.. And these would be just guys/gals doing their jobs to protect the rich one and his family. Not the hired killers we saw before. But, maybe they can poit the guilty out and save some bloodshed. We'll see. Since Paul is going for body count it will probably be a lot more messy.

[Dave]

Anyway ... that's not a particularly "brilliant" plan she has there.

And, cooler heads may very well prevail.

Seems like it would be better if they poited them to some location and impressed on them the folly of their ways.

I don't think we know if this group of paras has any members who can poit. Poiting seems to be an uncommon skill, closely tied to golems and their technology. The GGs can poit, Tepoz can poit, Monica can poit, I would guess that Mayahuel can poit although I don't think we've seen it... do we know of any others? Nudge cannot, Phix cannot (as best as I can recall).

The Library has its "vorp" teleporter, but we don't know if these paras have access.

So, they may feel that they could pull off a slaughter, but not a violence-less educational kidnapping.

Rather it tends to harden the resolve of those remaining. Like now, for example. When you hear of the atrocities committed by the ISIS gang, does it make you want to capitulate or does it make you want to blow the M-Fs to hell? It's been tried throughout history and never has worked for long.

Agreed. Those sorts of atrocities tend to trigger a long, tit-for-tat exchange of further atrocities, with both sides feeling justified in their actions. Sunni vs. Shiite throughout the Middle East, Protestant vs. Catholic in Northern Ireland and much of Europe at various times, Hindu vs. Moslem, VC/NVA vs. Americans in Vietnam... the list goes on.

Perhaps those orders were never carried out.

That certainly seems possible.

Another possibility is that the conflict in which Katherine's group was shot up (with her as the only survivor) was part of this fracas.

As to that treaty. I wonder if she meant the paras didn't really need a treaty because they would have reigned themselves in regardless to protect humanity?

Or to protect themselves from human recognition and fear... the "weaker paras would be killed by humans if the truth was known" issue that Phix raised when she chewed out Monica and Shelly for showing off.

Or, possibly, they felt that they didn't "need" the treaty because they (or the stronger among them) would win any war with the humans. That seems doubtful, though, given what Phix said.

Since Paul is going for body count it will probably be a lot more messy.

"Objection, Your Honor. Assumes facts not in evidence."

It might go that way. That might be his intention. We have yet to see.

[Opus the Poet]

What I think of when I hear the name "Walter" :

[AnotherFairportfan]

One has been suspecting for some time that the Library is {metaphorically} engaging in raising John Thomases.

Not entirely sure I see the connection....

Raising John Thomases

[AmriloJim]

What I think of when I hear the name "Walter" :

11 Tracks of Whack

[jwhouk]

Can't tell the players without a scorecard, and the scorecard is apparently written in an obscure and extinct sub-dialect of Hurrian.

Or maybe even glyph.

[jwhouk]

I don't think we know if this group of paras has any members who can poit. Poiting seems to be an uncommon skill, closely tied to golems and their technology. The GGs can poit, Tepoz can poit, Monica can poit, I would guess that Mayahuel can poit although I don't think we've seen it... do we know of any others? Nudge cannot, Phix cannot (as best as I can recall).

The Library has its "vorp" teleporter, but we don't know if these paras have access.

Monica and the GG's can poit because of their ability to read glyph (and that presumably means May as well). Other paras have access to the portal system, but it's been stated that the portals don't allow those with the intent to harm access.

Another possibility is that the conflict in which Katherine's group was shot up (with her as the only survivor) was part of this fracas.

Time frame's wrong. She was on that dig right around the time of Gulf War I - in fact, it might have been just after Gulf War I.

[Warrl]

If memory serves, after the parkour episode, Phix flatly stated that most paranormals are not anywhere near as powerful as Shelly & Monica.

Well, Shelly is a sphinx. Sphinxes don't get old or die, and it's rare for one to be killed by anyone other than another sphinx. Meanwhile they can rip an ordinary human in half the long way with one blow.

Monica wields astral fire, demons, and nightmares; and while she's easier to kill than a sphinx, she gets over it quickly. And while she's going to age, she can get tired of it and reset herself back to her late 20s (or somewhere thereabouts) at will.

Acacia, Brandolyn, and Mayahuel don't die, don't age, and cannot be killed, and have the power to be destructive to a degree comparable to a large number of thermonuclear weapons.

A being can be a LOT less powerful than that, and still be a LOT more powerful than the average human.

Example: Castela.

And yet, still quite vulnerable to a mob.

[GlytchMeister]

Shelley is a Titan/Sphinx hybrid. From what I understood, she is as immortal as any Grecian Titan, but she also happens to have wings and a cat butt.

[oldmanmickey]

Not seeing any problems at all with a kill them all and let the Lord sort them out mentality here. In fact if you dropped the shadow part of the statement it could be a valid solution to most of the problems in Washington DC today.

As long as you don't mind the other problems that would likely ensue as the result of the decapitation of the Federal government. Martial law, civil war, economic disruption which I suspect would make the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years seem attractive (the dollar might go unstable, hyperinflate, and cease to be a usable currency), possible invasions, wars triggered elsewhere when unfriendlies decide to take advantage of a power vacuum, disruption of most international trade involving the US, etc.

We would be in for interesting times. Might regain our previous level of civic and economic stability within 20 years, or 50 years. Might not. I suspect we might end up a bit like Great Britain after two world wars... still a nation, but no longer the world leader and empire that it once was. There might not be a United States per se in the end... just several smaller confederations of states.

Always be careful what you ask for. You might get it.

Read Pat Frank's novel "Alas, Babylon" for an idea. Written over 50 years ago, a lot of what Frank portrays is still quite relevant.

Did so years ago as a teen and a couple of times since. Still on my list of top 10 books i ever read. My home would actually be in the northern portion of the North Florida contamination zone, thanks Ft. Rucker. lol

[oldmanmickey]

Were I to actually do something, I would not post about it here... or anywhere, for that matter.

That doesn't alter the fact that it is still tempting...

Agreed it would be a bit on the stupid side to make those kind of statements anywhere. I would also suggest the level of temptation may rise depending on the outcome of the upcoming elections.

[oldmanmickey]

If memory serves, after the parkour episode, Phix flatly stated that most paranormals are not anywhere near as powerful as Shelly & Monica.

Well, Shelly is a sphinx. Sphinxes don't get old or die, and it's rare for one to be killed by anyone other than another sphinx. Meanwhile they can rip an ordinary human in half the long way with one blow.

Monica wields astral fire, demons, and nightmares; and while she's easier to kill than a sphinx, she gets over it quickly. And while she's going to age, she can get tired of it and reset herself back to her late 20s (or somewhere thereabouts) at will.

Acacia, Brandolyn, and Mayahuel don't die, don't age, and cannot be killed, and have the power to be destructive to a degree comparable to a large number of thermonuclear weapons.

A being can be a LOT less powerful than that, and still be a LOT more powerful than the average human.

Example: Castela.

And yet, still quite vulnerable to a mob.

Ants wasps and bees being examples of things that can take out what to them would be gods. Sometimes shear numbers will carry the day

[GlytchMeister]

If you want to win a war, don't even think about attacking unless your army has twice as many forces. Twice as many infantry, twice as many tanks, twice as many planes, twice as many ships, twice as many spies, etc.

If you want to be sure of it, make that thrice.

I don't know the actual ratio of paras to norms, but I'd hazard to guess the combative paras would not be able to overwhelm the armies of the world so completely as to keep all of the vulnerable paras safe.

[FreeFlier]

"Sometimes these games of empire are very deep and very odd . . . and sometimes they're just very odd because the people running them are so very confused." (IRRC) -- a mentor speaking to Prince Roger in David Weber's Empire of Man series.

And when you get multiple very confused groups working at cross-purposes and in the dark . . .


As far as Katherine adopting them, I suspect that there was an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes vetting and testing going on even before that scene where Katherine asked Atsali. I just don't see any orphanage - even a mundane orphanage - even allowing Katherine to ask Atsali before they weren't reasonably certain that it would be a good match.

But that wouldn't be shown because who wants to watch someone slog through mountains of paperwork - in quintuplicate! - and tell the shrink all about how this bully in third grade stole her lunch money . . .

--FreeFlier

[Dave]

I don't know the actual ratio of paras to norms, but I'd hazard to guess the combative paras would not be able to overwhelm the armies of the world so completely as to keep all of the vulnerable paras safe.

It could end up being the bad sort of situation that occurs when the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction is actually played out. Think of the destruction of Lanthis, taking place world-wide.

8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.

9. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.

10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force.

So, keeping the conflict short of all out war between paras and humans could be in everyone's best interest.

[FreeFlier]

I don't know the actual ratio of paras to norms, but I'd hazard to guess the combative paras would not be able to overwhelm the armies of the world so completely as to keep all of the vulnerable paras safe.

It could end up being the bad sort of situation that occurs when the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction is actually played out. Think of the destruction of Lanthis, taking place world-wide. . . .

Again.

--FreeFlier