Any Highlander fans out there? I have some questions.

[thefourthvine]

Do you know HL? I need some help from people who have seen Highlander canon. Here's what I'd like to know:

1. What are all the ways to permanently kill an immortal? I know cutting off heads, but is there anything else? And is it different the first time they die? And does it matter if the whole head doesn't come off - like, can they come back if the neck is only mostly severed?
   
   
2. What happens the first time they (don't) die? I mean, they think they're mortal for a period of time, right? And then they die, except they don't, and they say, "Whoa, dude. I must be immortal, because that sure as shit should've killed me." (Although I think most people would assume the injury or whatever just hadn't been as bad as they thought, so - do some of them have to die a lot before they figure it out?) But I'm a little foggy on the whole deal, frankly. Do they have to be buried and then rise again, like vampires? Or is it more of an instantaneous thing?
   
   
3. What happens if you shoot an immortal (who has already done the first not-death, if that matters) in a way that would kill a human but won't kill him? (Like, gaping chest wound, something like that.) I'm pretty sure he has at least a period of, shall we say, limited activity, but how long is he down for? And exactly how limited is his activity? And what happens - like, do the wounds visibly close over and heal, or does he just suddenly sit up all better, or what?

As much detail as you've got, that's how much I'd like.

And if you know any sources for getting this kind of information without bugging my friends list - like, a Highlander encyclopedia or whatever - I would love to know about it.

Comments

[azarias.livejournal.com]

1. Beheading's pretty much it. Probably vaporizing or incinerating or engineering a nasty transporter beam accident would do it, but beheading's all we get in canon. Canon suggests that the spinal column and cord have to be severed at the neck for it to stick. Lesser neck-wounds won't kill, but can permanently disfigure. There are a few villains who have permanently damaged vocal cords or scarred throats from having their throats cut but the spine left intact.

2. I think this one's been debated in fandom for a long time, but to be honest, I was never really in fandom for this one. The pre-Immortal seems to have to "die" violently for Immortality to kick in. Going peacefully in your sleep won't do it. Being hit by a bus will. There's a suggestion in canon that pre-Immortals who have lived too long without dying will feel their biological clocks implode and kill themselves violently, but we never see it happen -- some characters aren't surprised by the suggestion it could happen, however. They don't have to be buried or share blood or any mystical whatsits, but traditionally there are embarrassing incidents in hospital meatlockers.

3. He appears, in all important senses, to be "dead" for as long as the plot requires. This can range from about fifteen seconds (the time it takes a hysterical lover who has just seen a point proven to stop sputtering and get on the phone to EMS) to several hours (the time it takes for the designated hero to do his thing). When the plot allows for his revival, cool crawly lightning things flicker over the wound and the Immortal wakes up gasping and feeling like ass. Ass that's been dead for a bit.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Probably vaporizing or incinerating or engineering a nasty transporter beam accident would do it, but beheading's all we get in canon.

I had wondered about that, as I was saying to cereta. And now I'm thinking - I bet there's a lot of HL crossover FF that answers questions like, "What happens if an immortal is hit three times by a Jaffa staff weapon?"

The pre-Immortal seems to have to "die" violently for Immortality to kick in. Going peacefully in your sleep won't do it. Being hit by a bus will.

Ah-ha! This is precisely what I needed to know, and it works nicely. (Also, I notice that a lot of people seem to be capitalizing "Immortal." Is that canonical, or fannish convention, or just, you know, because?)

He appears, in all important senses, to be "dead" for as long as the plot requires.

How very handy. I bet that frustrated the hell out of the fans - "But there's no logic to it!" - but it's very useful for me. *pleased*

When the plot allows for his revival, cool crawly lightning things flicker over the wound and the Immortal wakes up gasping and feeling like ass. Ass that's been dead for a bit.

Again, this is key. So I'm guessing immortals try to avoid dying, even in a non-fatal way, when they can.

And, hmmm. Seems like the non-fatal kinds of kills would be very useful to do to your immortal opponents in a duel; that way, they're down for the count while you lop off the head. Cutting a head clean off is not easy, even with a very good sword.

[azarias.livejournal.com]

(Also, I notice that a lot of people seem to be capitalizing "Immortal." Is that canonical, or fannish convention, or just, you know, because?)

I ... think it's canon? Pretty sure the tie-in novels capitalize it, and characters on the t.v. series always seem to say it with Portentousness of Great Capitalization. If it's not canon, then it's fannish convention I never questioned. Dou have Immortals a.k.a. Immies, pre-Immies who haven't met their first death yet, and Kimmies/K-Immies/K'Immies, immortal villains of the week whose names seem to use more than their fair shares of the K supply.

Again, this is key. So I'm guessing immortals try to avoid dying, even in a non-fatal way, when they can.

Yep. Most of them seem to think it pretty much sucks every time. There's a conversation a newbie Immortal has with Our Hero, who is trying with rapidly failing patience to explain the facts of semi-eternal life to her:

n00b: You mean I can drink all of this and not die? *hugs Our Hero's liquor cabinet*
Our Hero: Not permanently, but you'll wish you could.

Oh, and that's a note of interest: alcohol, opiates, potent poisons, and other entertaining chemicals affect Immortals, though not necessarily in the way they affect the rest of us, and, of course, any resultant fatalities just piss them off more when they wake up.

Seems like the non-fatal kinds of kills would be very useful to do to your immortal opponents in a duel; that way, they're down for the count while you lop off the head. Cutting a head clean off is not easy, even with a very good sword.

Well, in our world, no, but in Highlander-verse, human necks and warm butter seem to share a consistency. Quite often, when an Immortal has clearly been bested, i.e. disarmed and forced to his knees, he'll just give up and kneel their passively while Our Hero gets the last word in and delivers the coup de swish.

Some bad baddies like to use ambushes, projectiles, or other cheats to disable their opponents before going for the kill. Non-baddies -- and some villains -- consider this a violation of the cardinal rules of the Game, but, uh, who's gonna tattle when it happens?

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Well, in our world, no, but in Highlander-verse, human necks and warm butter seem to share a consistency. Quite often, when an Immortal has clearly been bested, i.e. disarmed and forced to his knees, he'll just give up and kneel their passively while Our Hero gets the last word in and delivers the coup de swish.

It's not that it's passive. If you watch closely, you'll see that Duncan has struck the backs of their knees with his katana, severing the tendons and crippling them. They can't do any thing but be killed at that point.