End Your Suffering 2013-04-15

[Fairportfan]

Suzie's a pretty good shot, hitting her kneecaps while her legs were in motion. Almost as good as the guard who shot Jin in the leg way back when. I say, "almost," because he did it while she was running and with a miniature crossbow.

Also, it's not necessary to hit the actual kneecap - just somewhere in the general area of the back of the joint.

[sonicthunder]

And now we see why the rest of the supernatural/paranormal world disdains vampires.

Feed on others to survive, highly unprofessional, and have no concept of "proper time, proper place".

Sure Brandi, Tsillah, or the Library's appropriate middle-manager for this expedition are going to love this report. "So, you lost both of our helicopters, the explorers you were sent to assist are assumed KIA, the artifact/exhibit you were sent to study and/or retrieve is assumed destroyed, and you two proceeded to discharge your weapons in anger at one another infront of the staff assigned under you."

Now we know why that police sergeant was so glad to be rid of them. (>^_^)>

[zachariah]

And now we see why the rest of the supernatural/paranormal world disdains vampires.

Feed on others to survive, highly unprofessional, and have no concept of "proper time, proper place".

Sure Brandi, Tsillah, or the Library's appropriate middle-manager for this expedition are going to love this report. "So, you lost both of our helicopters, the explorers you were sent to assist are assumed KIA, the artifact/exhibit you were sent to study and/or retrieve is assumed destroyed, and you two proceeded to discharge your weapons in anger at one another infront of the staff assigned under you."

Now we know why that police sergeant was so glad to be rid of them. (>^_^)>

I actually think he was their manager in the FBI. His life is probably like the FBI boss who was over Hellboy in the movie. lol. Of course he was glad to be rid of them. Can you imagine the amount of extra paperwork the two of them generated.

[Bud_Fanboi]

Ahhh, Lily will heal good as new, just takes a few minutes. Meanwhile, Suzie has her right where she wants her, listening.

Interesting that being shot in the chest didn't even phase McBride, but a couple of shots to the knees put Pratt down.

"Stronger than you," indeed.

It's not surprising. Kneecaps are weight bearing joints. For instance. A shot to the abdomen, while causing trauma, organ damage and other nasty effects like blood loss, shock, won't necessarily incapacitate a target unless the damage is so severe as to cause an incapacitating amount of pain. Someone shot in the stomach can keep going until the effects of the wound catch up to them. Same with chest wounds with lung perforation. The subject will continue to move, act, and be able to function until the effects of the wound itself incapacitate them.

However, transfer that wound to a load bearing joint:
Ankle
Knees
Hips

By destroying the weight bearing joint you no longer have the effects of the wound to incapacitate, you've now seriously damaged the structure that the body relies upon to support itself. A shot to the hip that destroys the joint can not be easily compensated for. Mobility is lessened, any weight application results in serious pain.

Think of Jenga. Beginning of the game take the two outside pieces out and leave the middle one on the bottom most level. Build up from there and see how far you get as opposed to taking the middle out and leaving the two sides. Your knees, ankles, hips, function in the same way and any destruction or damage to them, while in our Vampire friends case, is not fatal, will cause serious mobility and general function problems.

[as363]

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.

[jwhouk]

Ahhh, Lily will heal good as new, just takes a few minutes. Meanwhile, Suzie has her right where she wants her, listening.

I'm sure you just wanted to create a good opportunity for Lily to kneecapitulate some of her back story, so we understand why she's so unhappy.

(deposits a hand-illuminated parchment scroll containing U.S. Patent US5580353 A into the Pun Jar)

...So how long did it take you to find that?

[Jay-Em]

Heh, this is starting to become a -what's it called in proper 'mur'can english?- "Cop-buddy-show? Be it of a far bloodier variation.

There's some great (and again, bloody) variations of roadrunner-style slapstick to be had with creatures that almost instantly heal from horrible wounds...

Suzi's right, though. Lily's a tad whiney (in an aggressive manner). Maybe she's covering her fears with a lot of grumbling and anger -I do, hey, I'm not perfect- and this whole display is a somewhat belated reaction to her über shock of being confronted with an apo-sphinx. She fainted, after all, so the impact of having faced Phix could still be working it's detrimental influence on Suzi's mental stability...

Add to that, The Library apparently ordered them to go with a squad to Mesa Verde, to assist Kat. Guess who Suzy has to report back to? Ah, yes, The Library. And Who has made The Library her Domicile? Ah, yes Phix....

Suzi's probably remembering the ear-washing her former boss gave her after that botched job that in the end got her transferred...

[Dave]

Ahhh, Lily will heal good as new, just takes a few minutes. Meanwhile, Suzie has her right where she wants her, listening.

I'm sure you just wanted to create a good opportunity for Lily to kneecapitulate some of her back story, so we understand why she's so unhappy.

(deposits a hand-illuminated parchment scroll containing U.S. Patent US5580353 A into the Pun Jar)

...So how long did it take you to find that?

The idea of it, about two minutes. Google is your friend, except when they aren't.

The scroll itself was a "print on demand" item. It's amazing what you can accomplish these days with a professional-grade 3D printer and the services of pen-wielding short-order monks

I realize that a .40S&W or .45ACP gun is plenty against vanilla normals and even low level supernaturals for a short time. Would someone pack one of the ridiculously huge calibers like .50AE, 454 Casull or .500S&W against a slightly higher tier supernatural, or would it be pointless?

If by "pointless" you are suggesting the effectiveness of hollow-point or dumdum bullets... yeah, this might work, but I think you owe the Pun Jar for that!

[eee]

This is like watching "Death Becomes Her" where the two women inflict horrible injuries on each other over and over because it didn't really matter...

Obviously Suzie's not one to play along with someone else's dramatus.

Suzie's a pretty good shot, hitting her kneecaps while her legs were in motion. Almost as good as the guard who shot Jin in the leg way back when. I say, "almost," because he did it while she was running and with a miniature crossbow.

I've wondered about that guy. We know from the time Monica's Doubt was transplanted into Jin and was trying to mess with her by bringing up her past that Jin was involved with one of the priests or guards holding Bud and Brandi captive and that he betrayed her. I wonder if the kneecapper was Jin's boyfriend, and the guards weren't as unprepared for her attack as they seemed...

[Julie]

Interesting that Wapsipires break another popular piece vampire mythos; Being older doesn't nessesarily make you stronger than other vampires.

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?

[Jabberwonky]

Interesting that Wapsipires break another popular piece vampire mythos; Being older doesn't nessesarily make you stronger than other vampires.

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?

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

[ziggy78eog]

To quote from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, "they are going to be at this all day."

[DilyV]

Lily's gun is a Beretta 96, .40cal
Suzie's gun is a Glock 21, .45acp

Suzie's gun removes kneecaps.

Having suffered from a really ugly knee injury myself, I can say that the knees are probably the weakest part of the body. In my injury, my lower leg twisted 90 degrees out of "socket"... i.e. the upper leg twisted, the lower leg didnt. After that, I was thrown, and when I landed I landed on THAT leg and the whole lower leg folded 90 degrees out of true to the outside. The resulting damage to the cartilage and meniscus alone left me with a limp for five years before the VA finally operated and cleaned up the mess.

Without a strong knee joint... Lily won't be doing much walking or standing for that matter, for a period of time long enough to give Suzi a chance to snap Lily out of her pity party... or snap her spine, whichever comes first... LOL

[zachariah]

It's not surprising. Kneecaps are weight bearing joints. For instance.

Change it it knee and not kneecap and you are 100 percent correct. The knee cap is a protective bone over the knee joint. It protects the leg bones from wear and tear from the severe pounding they take as we walk and run through life. It also is an anchor for various tendons and cartilages in the joint. The shot from behind wrecked all of that in the knee. It is called Kneecapping as a slang term for destroying the knee joint as payback from various crimes against criminals. You can break the knee cap and still be okay after it heals but not if it messes up the other things in the joint.

[notStanley]

That is some Tough Love

[sheik]

"Never attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not begin with '4'." -Attributed to Wyatt Earp

I realize that a .40S&W or .45ACP gun is plenty against vanilla normals and even low level supernaturals for a short time. Would someone pack one of the ridiculously huge calibers like .50AE, 454 Casull or .500S&W against a slightly higher tier supernatural, or would it be pointless?

The question itself may be pointless.
We have no idea what, if any, common characteristics the supernaturals have.
On size alone Shelly and Phix would require an antitank weapon, short of a well-placed shot between the eyes, which would probably require an equally supernatural aim.
Monica and the Golem Girls (well maybe not Jin now) will eat nukes for breakfast and our favorite barista breaks her own arm just to make a point and could casually compel you to blow your own brains out.
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.

[Boxilar]

I realize that a .40S&W or .45ACP gun is plenty against vanilla normals and even low level supernaturals for a short time. Would someone pack one of the ridiculously huge calibers like .50AE, 454 Casull or .500S&W against a slightly higher tier supernatural, or would it be pointless?

If by "pointless" you are suggesting the effectiveness of hollow-point or dumdum bullets... yeah, this might work, but I think you owe the Pun Jar for that!

Fair enough. (deposits gold plated .50 caliber Desert Eagle with tiger striping into pun jar)

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.

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.

[Boxilar]

"Never attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not begin with '4'." -Attributed to Wyatt Earp

I realize that a .40S&W or .45ACP gun is plenty against vanilla normals and even low level supernaturals for a short time. Would someone pack one of the ridiculously huge calibers like .50AE, 454 Casull or .500S&W against a slightly higher tier supernatural, or would it be pointless?

The question itself may be pointless.
We have no idea what, if any, common characteristics the supernaturals have.
On size alone Shelly and Phix would require an antitank weapon, short of a well-placed shot between the eyes, which would probably require an equally supernatural aim.
Monica and the Golem Girls will eat nukes for breakfast and our favorite barista breaks her own arm just to make a point and could casually compel you to blow your own brains out.
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.

There are definatly differing levels of supernatural power. We Know the Golem Girls are effectively indesructable. Shelly has withstood high energy plasma on screen, but that may be a function of her being a Titan more than being a Sphinx. I still don't think shooting Shelly of Phix with anything less than a Nuke would be wise. Since there does seem to be a kind of graduated scale of badassery, I was just wondering at what point small arms, even really big ones, becomes an exersise in futility. The calibers I listed are generally seen as overkill for most situations and are usually only carried where one expects to encounter a large bear, like a Grizzly or Polar Bear, and generally if you need that kind of power, you're better off carrying a rifle.

[Dave]

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."

[bmonk]

Holy crap... Suze knee-capped her...

The bad thing is here that Suze and Lily are working up an appetite...

The point is made. For them Life Sucks! Kneed we say more?

Is that type A suck, or type B?

Better cap off this set of puns before the jar kneels on someone.