15
$\begingroup$

On the world of Ruquelis, about which I have written many times before, there are three sexes, Men, Women and Lilim. Long in the past, the lilim were afraid that their biology was such that women appeared destined to out-breed them (since lilim give birth to 1/4 each men, women and lilim-children, plus 1/4 miscarriages, while women give birth only to 1/2 man and 1/2 woman-children). Out of fear of the extinction of lilim, and because women-children and lilim-children can't be distinguished before the age of 7 to 9, lilim started the practise of forbidding women to reproduce and culling any pregnant and adult women. Over millennia, and with the discovery of a drug called hialutabu which makes all painful stimuli entirely pleasurable, this evolved into the systematic extermination of women by the age of thirty, and across much of Ruquelis, these women were lovingly tortured (subjected to otherwise painful stimuli under the influence of hialutabu that made the experiences ecstatic for the victims) and eaten in cannibalistic rituals.

One of the main reasons for the use of hialutabu and the delayed culling of women was that people on Ruquelis reincarnate and therefore remember their previous lives and deaths. A woman could attend school for the benefit of her next incarnation, and hialutabu made a woman's ritual death the highlight of her life... and helped propagate the desire to continue the practice of femicide and cannibalism.

Since the killing and cannibalism of women is an ancient cultural practice that may be reinforced by memory of a pleasurable death in a past life, many (but by no means all or even a majority) women willingly or even eagerly submit to the procedure. This may be considered similar to the experiences of the Spanish conquistadors with Aztec sacrifices that they attempted to free who demanded to be returned for sacrifice.

However, outside parties who are determined to end the Ruquelians' atrocious, cannibalistic ways have arranged the extinction of the bissuras which were the sole source of hialutabu. Without the drug that makes the Ruquelians' ritual torture and murder of women pleasurable, they can no longer bring themselves to kill their loved ones in the horrific old ways... however, both custom and law still dictate that women must be killed, and cannibalism is still a tradition.

So, until both custom and law can be changed (which will take a while, but is the point of my story) the Ruquelians must come up with a way to kill their women so that they can be prepared for human consumption. The criteria for the 'best' method are:

  • The method must inflict the least degree of physical pain possible.

  • The method must inflict a minimum of emotional trauma on the victim.

  • The method must leave the victim's flesh fit to be eaten as far as practical (the brain and spinal cord are not eaten due to risk of Kuru or similar).

  • The method should cause the least damage possible to the victim's flesh.

  • The method should leave the victim looking as nearly alive as possible.

  • It should be applicable by the Ruquelians who are at a roughly 1930's level of technology.

  • I forgot until I read the answer about the bolt gun: the heads of the women are returned to their families for interment, so they need to look as good as possible.

  • While euthanasia of women is both law and tradition and some are willing or even eager, many are reluctant or opposed, so the process must not rely upon total cooperation.

Given these criteria, what is the best way that the Ruquelians can kill people for human consumption?

I have already considered and rejected the use of the guillotine, since historical evidence suggests that it may be less humane than it was originally thought, that on some occasions its victims might retain consciousness for some time, and it would also be emotionally traumatising. This is undesirable for a victim who may reincarnate and remember the experience.

Likewise, I have considered and rejected the use of lethal injection, as the residual lethal substances would leave the victim's flesh unsuitable for consumption, as well as for the lesser factor of risking emotional trauma if improperly administered.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
5
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ Just FYI you don't want to use humans who have eaten meat for meat, no matter how good your tech is. That is what is refered to as a closed parasite loop which guarantees health outbreaks. prions, parasites, some other edipemic your begging for a pandemic. Honestly if your cloning is that good just grow clones for food. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 9 at 22:39
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ @John Actually, I agree with you. The whole point of the story is putting an end to the practise, but I need an intermediate stage between euphoric torture and abolition. Besides, there is no cloning, reincarnation happens by impressing stored memories upon kids at birth... which is rather creepier, by design. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 2:00
  • $\begingroup$ I think you should remove the edit about returning the head to the family. This invalidates Demon Lord's answer entirely. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 17:33
  • $\begingroup$ @elemtilas No, it doesn't invalidate Demon Lord's answer entirely. It is still a reasonable answer, just not the best... nor the worst either. It may be that not all criteria can be fulfilled, and that's all right. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 17:36
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ On second thought --- DL also ignored the criteria cause the least damage possible to the victim's flesh and leave the victim looking as nearly alive as possible. Banging a steel bolt into someone's head does considerable damage and definitely leaves one looking deader than alive. I'd say that's more a self-invalidation! $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 17:56

8 Answers 8

Reset to default
29
$\begingroup$

Nitrogen induced asphyxiation.

That's how euthanasia is applied in some places thanks to the possibility to self trigger it in a suitable sarcophagus and promises, thanks to the rapid loss of consciousness caused by the oxygen deprivation, a painless transition.

As far as I know nobody has been interviewed post process to confirm the effectiveness.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
10
  • 13
    $\begingroup$ to add why it iso effective, your systems do not have a way to tell if you are getting oxygen you can only detect if you are getting rid of CO2 so as long as you are getting rid of CO2 you don't know you are asphyxiating and then you just go unconsious because you haven't been taking in any oxygen. there is no stress before unconsiousness. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 9 at 13:45
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Actually, with removal from the oxygen-free environment and medical intervention, it is in fact possible to survive this. I would be shocked if there are no interviews available. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 9 at 18:28
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ As a matter of fact, any inert gas would do: argon, neon... But nitrogen is probably less expensive. And then again, rich people would afford more noble gases. And helium brings the benefit of making the user / victim talk with a funny voice. A wide range of solutions, for a wider market. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 12:40
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ Let me throw a bit of a practical spin on this. My father was once a partner in a small local-route aviation company. In other words, passenger flights. These were small Cessna-styled planes carrying no more than 20 people and weren't designed to fly at high altitudes. As he explains it, the company would occasionally have to deal with unruly groups of people (e.g., party-goers returning from Las Vegas). They solved the problem by rising to an altitude sufficient to lower the oxygen - which would cause everyone to fall asleep. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 15:21
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ There's a good video about hypoxia done by smarter every day youtube.com/watch?v=kUfF2MTnqAw $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 15:23
8
$\begingroup$

Blood Letting

When was the last time you felt pain (or, really, anything at all) other than the pinprick of the needle when you donated blood?

Like @L.Dutch's answer, the process of slowly draining blood from the body is painless, resulting in unconsciousness before death. And it has the benefit of leaving a 1930s era civilization with supplies of blood for surgery purposes.

  • The body feels colder as blood pressure drops. That can be compensated for with blankets and slowly heating the room (or bed).
  • Family and friends can attend and speak with the victim applicant, reducing stress and increasing comfort. The applicant's last memories are the smiling faces of loved ones.
  • Music can be incorporated for the same effect.
  • Slowly dimming lights will encourage sleep as blood pressure drops.
  • Small amounts of water or fruit juice can be consumed to avoid what pangs will occur as blood pressure drops without significantly prolonging the process.

And a general story comment...

@Aubreal's answer got me thinking. I still feel it contravenes your restriction about lethal injection. However, since one of the primary goals is consumable food, pretty much any chemical in the body can taint the quality of the food. (We can talk about this so casually when it's fiction... humans are funny.)

In other words, you might consider including in your story ritual purification before the sacrifice. Even smoking and alcohol will leave the body at a lower quality than it could be. For 1-2 weeks before death the applicant would consume water and healthy solid foods, avoiding all medications (legal or otherwise). I can easily imagine a ritual diet. Philosophically, the applicant is leaving this world living a perfect life with strong and desirable memories of those last days that would contribute to increasing food quality with each reincarnation.

And, of course, no food or water for 24 hours before the sacrifice, as we expect today for any medical procedure that requires anesthesia. Just ask any hunter what dressing a slaughtered animal after it's eaten a full meal is like.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ I like the bits about eating and living well... probably including things like saunas to sweat out the toxins, eating and drinking minimally right beforehand, and so on. This is probably also easier than obtaining quantities of relatively pure nitrogen too. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 17:07
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ The death of Seneca. Nice warm bath. Friends and family around. Dictate some last minute letters as the blood drains away. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 17:25
  • $\begingroup$ Wait, why would you suddenly add the stress of fasting for 24 hours? Especially not drinking for 24 hours would be very stressful. The only reason we do that before anesthesia is because of the risk of vomit induced suffocation. If we're going to kill the patient anyway, then they can eat to their heart's content! And nobody says you can't drink water for 24 hours before surgery even in our world! A couple of hours, yes. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 12 at 14:37
7
$\begingroup$

My first thought was L.Dutch's idea of Asphyxiation with Nitrogen (well known to cause euphoria)

However, I think the simpler answer is to look at how we slaughter cattle - with a Captive Bolt gun.

That's the Tool used, applied to the back of the head, destroys the brain, but helps with the victim bleeding out.

How to do it?

Well - I wish I could find the source, but yonks ago I read about how the KGB/NKVD would operate during the height of the purges - specially designed rooms, with a fake wall and a chair, where people would sit and be shot in the back of the head.

But some similar setup would seem good - a custom room, sound proofed, comfortable decor, chairs against the wall, some adequate drainage, since it's a captive bolt, the blood spatter should be minimal and able to be quickly cleaned up whilst the body is moved to another room where they will be bled out.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
18
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Anton Chigurh, is that you? You can tell me, I will definitely keep the secret 🤞 $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 12:33
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ You might also be remembering the Genickschussanlage of the NSDAP days. However, -1 for disregarding two key criteria: minimal damage to the body and leaving the the decedent looking as undeaded as possible. Smashing a steel bolt into someone's head leaves a good amount of damage and doesn't leave them looking very alive. If it weren't for those, I'd say good answer! $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 18:06
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I agree that the damage is reduced, but it's still damage! Might I suggest an edit? Consider a flexible bolt that could be aimed up into the foramen magnum? $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 18:42
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @elemtilas - I'm gonna be a stickler and say that the requirement for the Skull to be fully intact wasn't in the original question :P but in seriousness - it says Damage to the Flesh - which in terms of Cannibalism means damage to the edible parts - question states that Brain and spinal cord are not consumed, you can't eat bone - and a small puncture wound on the back of the skull is minimal. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 18:58
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @TheDemonLord "There's still the fear of the unknown, of Death etc." no there isn't, that was exactly my point. By now, I doubt there'd be any relevant number of new souls so everyone already was reincarnated a couple of times. Aka nothing unknown (save for the first time with that new method, but over the millenia I'm sure most experienced worse ways of dying anyway). They're looking forward to it, participating willingly you cannot think of it as death or killing as we see it. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 11 at 9:22
4
$\begingroup$

Drug overdose

Your world can have a strong control on the production and use of drugs, making the ritual the only occasion for someone to feel high. People remember the thrill, the warmth and comfort of the high before they died (effects dependent on the drug of choice) giving victims similar motivations as ones which you currently have. Additionally, through cannibalism of the drug-infused victim everyone gets a little buzz, keeping a mild addiction alive which really makes them look forward to when it's their turn for the real rush of the full dose.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
6
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Making it joyful rather than merely tolerable also feels more in keeping with the cultural traditions described by OP. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 15:07
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Due to the OP's statement about rejecting lethal injection (which is fundamentally what you're suggesting), this answer would be improved if you could identify a narcotic that wouldn't leave the body tainted for food use. The real-life issue is crack-dependent babies, which strongly suggests the body is effected and that's specifically stated as undesirable by the OP. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 15:26
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ The reasons for the initial rejection of lethal injection were listed as residual substances making the flesh unsafe for consumption and possible survival of a now-traumatized victim. Residual substances have been addressed in my answer, using them as an advantage of the solution, and a botched execution in this scenario just results in a good high. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 10 at 15:51
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @JBH imho not tainted for food use is the wrong approach. This isn't everyday-meal meat. This is ritualistic, special "food". So if it's full of opioids, what's the harm? You won't get a lethal or even high dosage from eating a fraction of the bodys meat (most of it will be drained with the blood), and opioids in a constrained, specific, ritual setting are pretty safe. So you don't want any direct poisons, but high-dosage downers (like opioids). Alternatively an insulin overdose would fit the bill BUT requires significant antispastic medication to be peaceful $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 12 at 10:02
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @QuestionablePresence Those are decisions only the OP can make. As are decisions about frequency of consumption. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 12 at 15:32
4
$\begingroup$

Possible Frame Challenge


Since your stated goal is to eliminate the practice, and since you've stated a 1930s era technology level, I would suggest the following scenario:


Since females and lilim can be distinguished by the age of 9, calls for reform begin to focus on a more lilime way of eliminating females from the population. Speeches are made, tracts are written, academics weigh in on the issue. A number of bizarre experiments are performed. Since people reincarnate, one can essentially conduct the exit interview of the previous life a decade or so after the experimental death methods. As many previously female people report that some traditional methods of execution cause trauma, a new perspective begins to form in the social conscience.


As people begin to become aware of the traumatic aspects of being culled, a broad movement begins to grow demanding a new and improved way of eliminating females once and for all.


Here enters a cadre of enlightened lilim who propose a few simple changes to the social contract that, when thought about rationally, do not actually violate said contract:

  1. Recent advances in surgical techniques and perioperative care allow healthy females to undergo the relatively simple procedure of oophorectomy --- the surgical removal of the ovaries. A sort of "catch and release" campaign is launched that will ensure that no female girl is left behind! Families will not be burdened by cost; the patients won't feel any great pain or undue discomfort. This solves the problem of creating future XX babies.
  2. Custom & Law demand that Death be laid upon all females --- but there is a loophole! It doesn't say when death needs to be meted out. Creative interpretation borrows from the concept of the deferred sentence, meaning that females do have to die, but just not right now. This solves the lilime problem of actually causing harm and trauma in the age after the extinction of bissuras.
  3. As the practice of surgical alteration becomes more widespread, people begin to see this alternative as a kind of death. It is the death of any future bloodline, after all! Females that undergo this procedure are lauded by a more enlightened society for doing the responsible thing! This also solves the lilime problem by transforming physical death into a sort of "social death".
  4. Since actual flesh is removed from these females' bodies, there are bits and pieces that can be preserved and consumed in a cannibalistic ritual after the procedure! This solves the problem of the ritual cannibalism by focusing on the ovaries rather than on other parts of the body.
  5. The more barbaric aspects of the old customs can now be abolished in favour of the newer forms.


Eventually, as the XX form fades from the genome in favour of the XZ of the lilim, and assuming lilim can't produce females, the problem will resolve itself by the extinction of a whole gender. At this point, even the newer social customs can be abolished simply because there are now no actual females left!


There may still be females out in the wild somewhere, but with advances in genetics and other gender distinguishing techniques (urinalysis, blood tests, etc), any actual females caught will be easy to deal with.


Or, possibly, as time marches on and post-female society even forgets about those old and long abolished customs, some wild females might actually begin to swing the gender pendulum in the other direction again, resulting in a more balanced three gender system!

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ Proposal 1: Already done historically in some Ruquelian nations, if the subject passes an academic test and volunteers. However, the root causes of societal femicide have been addressed in my story, and this question is just a stopgap between hialutabu becoming unavailable and the culling of women being stopped and women being allowed to reproduce because otherwise they'll become extinct. It's just a matter of letting law and statistics catch up. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 11 at 4:11
0
$\begingroup$

Frame Challenge

Even with the different birth rates it's unlikely that the lilim will become extinct via normal reproduction rates. The ratio of lilim to women will continue to decrease over time assuming the population is overall still growing the absolute number of lilim will continue to grow.

I setup a simulation with the reproduction rates you presented and if we assume a death rate of 1% per year and a pregnancy rate of both woman and lilim of 5% per year then there will be an average growth rate of 2.7% per year for women and 0.2% for lilim per year.

So each year there are more women than lilim being born but the number of lilim will continue to grow as well.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ You don't really frame challenge anything though. Whether Lilim would actually go extinct or not doesn't matter. They'd loose proportions so it'd feel like they're going extinct, which is pretty much the same when it comes to culture and politics. You added a cool subplot about it all being BS, but nothing actually changes about the world $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 12 at 15:35
  • $\begingroup$ Have a look at worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/a/233885/75 $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 13 at 4:43
0
$\begingroup$

I ultimately went with a combination of these answers, nitrogen asphyxiation, exsanguination and captive-bolt guns.

The main reasoning was that different abbatoirs would use diferent methods and change them around from time to time so that the women whom they would process would not know what to expect. While uncertainty might cause elevated stress, which would be unavoidably inevitable, the actual moment of death would be more likely to come as a surprise.

Nitrogen asphyxiation can be applied at several points in the process, starting with the collection vehicles where the passengers would never even see the abbatoir, or in a waiting room where a number of women could be processed simultaneously, or the sarco-pod or even a mask.

Exsanguination can occur with a wide-bore needle for collection of blood for other purposes including transfusions and blood products. However, it would seem to be a method that would work best upon cooperative subjects.

For the last group, those who violently resist the notion of their 'sacrifice for the greater good', if they are brought in alive, the captive-bolt gun might be the best way to deal with a subject who is resisting. By applying the bolt gun between the skull and the C1 vertebra and aiming upwards to pass through the foramen magnum and the brain stem, the outwardly visible damage would be minimally visible in a head put on display before interment.

I won't be selecting an accepted answer since I can't accept all of the three best suggestions.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
-1
$\begingroup$

Eh, let them die of old age? Or roadkill -aka organ donor brain dead stuff! Which allows you to also push for "ethical" killing by pushing a high liberty, high risk, high no risk-no fun, extreme sports philosophy to maximize the jerky harvest! Its good to have a geezer-freezer-wagon, wherever the bodies hit the floor!

Rich in medication, rich in life experience. Flavored by a life on thyme medications and perfumes. Try Old Man Kobe today. Its similar clean ethically wise then eating road-kill.

Or high on adrenaline, before the wingsuit folds and they smacked into that new communication mast, that was not there a month ago. Cellphones kill, why can people not just life in the moment anymore! They used too, but then, they did not - and then they used too! Should have used gogol-maps, to plot that wingsuit flight - but his body midair took a turn, he slams into the oldfolks home down in the valley, scaring grandpa to death! Now imagine, some smoking nurse seeing this, dropping her cigarett! The old folks home, smokes up, everybody is saved, except for the two dead, who spend hours in the smoking, smoldering ruin!

Allowing for the creation - of the first, cannibalism, pulled human brisket, inter-generational-sandwich! You goto try this - its fantastic, the titanium hip and tenderness of the young insta-noodle really complete one another! Fantastic!

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

You must log in to answer this question.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.