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Author Topic: [Visualization fail] what would this look like?  (Read 373 times)

Bloody Stupid Johnson

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[Visualization fail] what would this look like?
« on: June 18, 2011, 08:02:06 PM »
So I was reading 'The Survivors', an old SF (sword and planet?) book by Marion Zimmer Bradley /Paul Edwin Zimmer.
In one paragraph there's a weapon described and...my mind just draws a blank trying to visualize the thing. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this.

Quoting the passage:
Quote from: The Survivors
'He held out a long-bladed knife.The weapon was different from any Dane had ever seen; as he took it in his hands, trying to envision the kind of wound it would make, Dane felt a sudden revulsion for anyon who would use such a blade even in hunting let alone in combat, against any living thing.
It seemed more like a shovel than a knife, like a V in cross-section, an open equilateral triangle that gave it three sharp edges. They all drew together, at the point, in jagged, almost microscopic saw-teeth. Worse still the surfaces were pebbled, like a rasp.
It was not the clean efficiency of a killing weapon. It was a torturer's blade, designed for tearing living flesh asunder in little bits. Oh, it would kill - but the barbs, the pebbling, the dished centre of the V -these were redundant in a killing weapon. They were meant only for causing pain.


Just being unable to figure out what it looks like nags at me. I can't figure out how you give a shovel three edges. Or does he mean three separate blades are coming together at the point, rather than edges? But that wouldn't be shovel-like - one of the heroes gets stabbed with one of these later in the book, and they are described as having a fist-sized chunk of flesh scooped out...???


PS if anyone else has any 'WTF does this look like!' moments from literature, please feel free to share.

Silverlion

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[Visualization fail] what would this look like?
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2011, 10:09:42 PM »
I think the V is what the front of the weapon looks like with the edges being on the top points and the meeting points.  I've seen something like it used for fishing(scaling?) or skinning....although largish and not really sharp, in my Grandfather's tackle box 28 odd years ago. I don't think it make a good weapon. Too heavy for the amount of blade coverage.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2011, 10:13:43 PM by Silverlion »
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The Butcher

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[Visualization fail] what would this look like?
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2011, 11:19:29 PM »
I have no idea what that would look like, either.

The stupid, it burnsss usss.

Bloody Stupid Johnson

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[Visualization fail] what would this look like?
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2011, 04:21:13 AM »
Thanks guys.
Quote from: The Butcher;464784
I have no idea what that would look like, either.

The stupid, it burnsss usss.

At least I'm not alone with being in the dark here! I'd thought it was just me, but it must be the description.


Quote from: Silverlion;464781
I think the V is what the front of the weapon looks like with the edges being on the top points and the meeting points.  I've seen something like it used for fishing(scaling?) or skinning....although largish and not really sharp, in my Grandfather's tackle box 28 odd years ago. I don't think it make a good weapon. Too heavy for the amount of blade coverage.

OK...Still confused and I'm not sure I'm getting your description either, but after reading it, I did realize maybe I wasn't thinking in 3D enough...? Perhaps one 'edge' is at the bottom of the V and the top has two edges that run into the tops of the V, looked at lengthwise?
Maybe something like this.


I hadn't thought of fish scaling, that brings up some nasty things...though I don't know any of these are it...





« Last Edit: June 19, 2011, 04:23:20 AM by Bloody Stupid Johnson »

Cole

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[Visualization fail] what would this look like?
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2011, 11:06:04 AM »
I also thought of a fish scaler when I read the description. I think the idea may be something like this:

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Bloody Stupid Johnson

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[Visualization fail] what would this look like?
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2011, 06:21:27 PM »
Thanks Cole. Maybe though cross-sectionally it would look more like a Y?
It does look very unpleasant though.

I've been thinking back to the one above I drew and I'm getting more convinced that's it...I couldn't figure out why this would be bad, but I think the idea may be that it stabs in using the edge at the bottom of the V, then cuts again as you withdraw the blade, using the edges at the tops of the V to gouge out a chunk.

Silverlion

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[Visualization fail] what would this look like?
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2011, 11:16:51 PM »
Yeah it looks like the last fish scaler only it has a "blade" about 6 inches long.



Anyway, the real world cooks up silly weapons, but sometimes, there is a good reason to stick with the classics.
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