The tickle of curiosity. The gasp of discovery. Fingers running across the keyboard.

The tickle of curiosity. The gasp of discovery. Fingers running across the keyboard.

The World of Iniquus - Action Adventure Romance

Showing posts with label Recreation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recreation. Show all posts

Monday, May 13, 2013

Self Defense - Electric Weapons: Stun Guns v. Tasers - Information for Writers

Tasers? yep..
Tasers? yep.. (Photo credit: number657)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.


In the beginning there was a Taser and a stun gun. And while they come from the same family of electric self defense weapons they are not at all alike.
Many writers will use the terms interchangeably.

Who would carry and electric self defense weapon?
This weapon can fit with any character over the age of 18.

Is it even legal to carry this type of weapon?
For the most part the answer is yes. Though check your characters' state codes. This link takes you to a state by state review of applicable laws.

So what is the difference between the two weapons?

The Stun Gun 

A Stun Gun making an electrical arc between it...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
*A stun gun is a brute force weapon. You must make personal contact with
  your assailant.
* Though the prongs DO NOT need to make direct skin contact.
* The contact that is required is LONG 2-3 seconds
   to be precise. While this doesn't sound too bad.
   Think about the last time you were waiting for your
    microwave to ding. I know! 
   Now imagine those 2-3 seconds while someone is
   stabbing you or even punching you. 

*  2 seconds can cause muscle spasms and a state
    of shock lasting up to fifteen minutes - enough to
    get away. 5 seconds is best.
* The current will not transfer to you even if you are
   grabbing at each other
* Water is not a problem even if you are standing in water.

                                                      How does it work?


On the packaging, the manufacturer will indicate the voltage. It is not the voltage though that makes the difference it is the pulse rate frequency.

Yes, the more volts the better, but the pulse rate determines the gun's power to put an attacker down. You see, it's the frequency rate that disrupts the neural pathways in the body - and believe it or not it's a sugar thing. As the electricity pulses the muscles, they produce lactic acid and consume the glucose causing the loss of muscle control (like a Type1Diabetic seizure). Your character should look for at least 100k volts to ensure enough pulse power to be effective.









The Taser 
English: Police issue X26 TASER
English: Police issue X26 TASER (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



*A Taser is a distance weapon.

*You can use this weapon from fifteen feet (5 meters)

* The Taser works by shooting out tiny metal probes that embed
   in the flesh. These probes are attached to wires that connect to
   the Taser unit.

* A Taser is HIGHLY RELIABLE and HIGHLY EFFICIENT 

* It works by interrupting the communication between the muscles
  and the brain, effectively attacking the central nervous system.
  This interruption continues as long as the electricity is
  administered.


Unlike Stephanie Plum in the Janet Evanovich novels, electrical weaponry no longer depends on batteries but is plugged into the wall to charge overnight like a phone.



Also, if you are looking for plot twists - some of the stun guns have a probe in the bottom that attaches to the lanyard around the wrist. If the attacker tries to take the weapon, as it is pulled away from the victim, the pin releases and the weapon is no longer operational. But some do not have this safety.


Electric weapons are effective on sub-creatures including Vampire, Werewolves, and Zombies - but do not have an effect on phantoms or ghosts.

Perhaps your heroine wants to be clever and arm herself with a camouflaged electric weapon - try these on and see if they serve:


       Cell Phone Stun Gun (1:48)

English: Electro-shock Stun Gun like a celphon...
. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Lipstick Stun Gun (1:49) 


Electric weapon
Electric weapon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tampon Taser (3:47) No, I'm not kidding
Telescopic stun baton (3:33) similar to asp    




Advanced M26 TASER Stun Pistol - The United St...
Advanced M26 TASER Stun Pistol - The United States military version of commercial TASERs for non-lethal detainment. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

VIDEO QUICK STUDY

Video - Taser v. Knife (1:05)
The Taser Explained (7:05) Shows an experiment where a man was able to overcome the Taser showing
                                           that it is not fail safe.
Female review and demonstration of flashlight/stun gun (3:42)
Why a stun gun isn't fabo. (8:19) Excellent descriptions and explanations.



Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.


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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Thomas - a Character Sketch for Writers


Green beer on St. Patrick's DayGreen beer on St. Patrick's Day (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Character: Thomas - a Guy at the bar

Character Designation: unwitting informant



You never know when you’ll run into a good character, though a bar is a pretty good place to meet one. After a few beers, people are open and tell you some of the craziest and most personal things. It was St. Patrick’s Day, where else should I be than at the neighborhood pub with a mug full of frothy green beer?  The man to my left was dressed in green, I’ll be it a pale sage-green that looked as washed out and used as he did. He was large in every sense of the word. With me standing beside him, and him seated on a stool, we were the same height. His body consumed the space around him and had the feel of corned beef – fatty and amorphic.

The first story he told was of his heroism. Another celebrant had gone down quickly under the wash of booze. Thomas had saved the day, and probably a life or two, by taking the man’s keys. Woven into this story was something about a horse race and a big win. But these were two different stories that Thomas tried to tell at the same time. It made my head whirl after just one sip of green ale.

toilet wctoilet wc (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Thomas proceeded to tell us about his intestinal difficulties. He started back at the beginning. Yup, all eight years of intestinal problems. All of them described in exquisite detail. One would think that hubby and I should/could/would leave the conversation even if we had to use the dance floor as our excuse to amble on. But no. We were transfixed. It was mesmerizing to hear such intimate details from a man we had only come into contact with moments before.

Besides his bowl irregularities, we discovered that Thomas’s job was “consequences.” He was the guy who watched over the middle school kids held in detention. He loved his job. That and the bar were the two worlds he inhabited. He had no friends. No lovers. Just acquaintances and beer.

If I were to use Thomas as a character, I would focus on his facial expressions. Thomas has an enormous Charlie-Brown-in-a-pumpkin-patch sized head. His hair was grey and brushed straight back like a wave receding from the shore. His eyebrows were recreational. They seemed to do gymnastics like wayward children on his forehead -- leaping and tumbling with no concern for the cadence or subject matter of Thomas’s mouth.  His eyes, round as tea-saucers, were water-painted-blue that seemed to have no defined separation from iris to white. They were stippled red and slightly glazed. As Thomas spoke, his eyes would grow in circumference until he became Casper-like and somehow disembodied. Thomas would also emphasize his thoughts by shaking his head, setting his jowls to swaying.   Only occasionally did Thomas remove his hands from his beer stein to gesticulate, and then it was with a broad sweep of a tree-limb like arm that reached almost the entire expanse of our side of the bar and made me want to duck for protection.

Added oddity – this man had a degree in nutrition and minored in exercise sciences (or so he says)

I would use this character to let something slip – a key piece of information that Thomas had no idea that he possessed.  He’d be regaling the bar with one of his very private and personal stories, when he happened to mention…



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