End Your Suffering 2013-04-15

[Boxilar]

I still don't think shooting Shelly or Phix with anything less than a Nuke would be wise.

Rather like Mongo. "Oh no, don't do that, don't do that. If you shoot him, you'll just make him mad."

"Mongo have deep feelings for Sheriff Bart. Dammit, Mongo Straight!"

[TheDOCTOR]

Dial it back Susie you've got her attention. I wonder if its possible (What am I saying? This is "Wapsi Square", anythings possible.) ...as i was saying, before I rudely interupted myself, If Lily and Susie are moving "faster than the wink of an eye" or displace themselves from Time by 1 second hence appearing invisible to the others during this discussion this way not worrying the rest of their staff.
What d'ya think, Paul ?

[Hansontoons]

Dial it back Susie you've got her attention. I wonder if its possible (What am I saying? This is "Wapsi Square", anythings possible.) ...as i was saying, before I rudely interupted myself, If Lily and Susie are moving "faster than the wink of an eye" or displace themselves from Time by 1 second hence appearing invisible to the others during this discussion this way not worrying the rest of their staff.
What d'ya think, Paul ?

Yes, like when Jim shoots the guns out of the hands of Lamarr's henchmen and you never see his hand move! Or like when The Lord Marshal is duking it out with Riddick! Or like when Kirk gets his metabolism sped up so that he is invisible to the rest of the crew! Or like mebbe I watch a bit too much TV...

[Grantwhy]

I'm not a weapons expert - but rather than talking calibers like the Sharps 50 Buffalo Gun - I wonder what the effect would be with a pair of Hellfire missiles arriving in a T.O.T display. I'd have to thing the re-generation might be seriously impaired.

There was that one episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the Monster of the week believed he could not be slain by weapons made by man. The last time he was up and a round was the medieval period, and when Giles shot him with an anti-tank rocket launcher, it worked just fine.

Ah, I've actually seen (parts of) that episode.

From memory, it was not "could not be slain by weapons made by man".

It was something about not being defeated/slain by weapons forged by man.

The anti-tank rocket launcher was ceramic (baked, not forged ) and I'm guessing the high-explosive inside wasn't forged either.

It's the old '"not by the hand of man shall he fall" type of prophesy with a loophole' trick. You'd be surprised how many people still fall for that (especially as it is mention in point 153 of The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord list.

[My2Cents]

I suspect the only reason our Wapsipires are packing heat is just to impress the mundanes for whatever reason, which they are doing very effectively just now.

It is a fashion accessory. Also part of their standard camouflage to blend in with the rest of the FBI agents.

And it would be best to avoid a conversation like this:
Supervisor: Why aren't you wearing your sidearm agent?
Agent: Because lead and copper ruins the taste, sir.

[Julie]

While it's generally mocked as being a piece of literary trash, it's worth noting that Twilight took the "newborn vamps are strongest" route too...probably because the author was interested in throwing out just about every "known" piece of vampire mythology. Even so, in her version of vampires, the young are strongest because they still have so much human blood in them (their own blood)...but once a year or so has passed, the strength of the vampire is determined by their own natural gifts. Which makes me wonder...is Suzie stronger because she's younger, or is she stronger just because she is? How does vampiric strength work in the Wapsiverse?

Suzy has been up and bumping around since the late 1800s, it's not going to be any of her own blood left behind. Either older model vamps aren't as strong, or Suzy as an individual is just that much better, the way an Olympic athlete is stronger than the average person, only on a larger scale.

Oh sorry for the confusion! I wasn't suggesting that Suzie being stronger because she's younger would be because she still has any of her own blood in her body. I was just pointing out that Meyer used the "blood makes vamps stronger ergo newborn vamps are strongest because they still have their own "human" blood fueling them" idea. It's quite possible that in the Wapsiverse that age weakens the vampire body, so younger vamps are stronger (i.e. a 5 yr old vamp is stronger than a 300 yr old vamp who is stronger than a 5000 yr old vamp). I do like mythologies that have built in strengths and weaknesses like that...but it also would be rather interesting if Suzie is just stronger because she is (be it because she was stronger when she died or by some other supernatural virtue). Then there's a lot more ambiguity and guessing we get to do.

Which makes me wonder...is Suzie stronger because she's younger, or is she stronger just because she is? How does vampiric strength work in the Wapsiverse?

Judging by our only two samples, it's determined by bust size...

[Fairportfan]

I'm not a weapons expert - but rather than talking calibers like the Sharps 50 Buffalo Gun - I wonder what the effect would be with a pair of Hellfire missiles arriving in a T.O.T display. I'd have to thing the re-generation might be seriously impaired.

There was that one episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the Monster of the week believed he could not be slain by weapons made by man. The last time he was up and a round was the medieval period, and when Giles shot him with an anti-tank rocket launcher, it worked just fine.

Ah, I've actually seen (parts of) that episode.

From memory, it was not "could not be slain by weapons made by man".

It was something about not being defeated/slain by weapons forged by man.

The anti-tank rocket launcher was ceramic (baked, not forged ) and I'm guessing the high-explosive inside wasn't forged either.

It's the old '"not by the hand of man shall he fall" type of prophesy with a loophole' trick. You'd be surprised how many people still fall for that (especially as it is mention in point 153 of The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord list.

It was Buffy with the launcher - i don't remember the "forged by" part, but self-forging projectiles are common anti-armor wapons.

[Wdot]

Bust size, snrk. Glad I wasn't drinking coffee. I was thinking maybe Suzi was better fed because she is making sure the Jane Does don't end up as vampires by draining all the blood out of them and that's why she is stronger.

[Jabberwonky]

Yah, I assume that Suzi has eaten more recently than Lilly. Judging from what's been said it's probably been a long time since Lilly has.

[sonicthunder]

Yah, I assume that Suzi has eaten more recently than Lilly. Judging from what's been said it's probably been a long time since Lilly has.

All depends on the vampire canon, of which we have little to date in Wapsiverse.

Some lores have it where amount fed, type fed, or recency of feeding dictates strength. Others the generation of vampire from the race's progenitor(s) dictates strength. Some others the subclan, strain or other specific variation of vampirism dictates strength. Still others the length of time since being embraced dictates strength (both newly embraced = stronger and newly embraced = weaker).

[Dave]

Or perhaps Lily has been a lazy couch potato recently, while Suzie has been hitting the gym twice a day and really buffing herself up? It could be a really mundane answer, couldn't it?

Naah...

[Yamara]

In any case, strength may attract success, but it takes wisdom to keep it.

[bmonk]

Bust size, snrk. Glad I wasn't drinking coffee. I was thinking maybe Suzi was better fed because she is making sure the Jane Does don't end up as vampires by draining all the blood out of them and that's why she is stronger.

Maybe the bust is the Wapsi-vamp version of a camel's hump?