I Know This Will Make Me Sound Old And Boring But Once I’m Home For The Night I’m Home. I Don’t

Writing Traumatic Injuries References

So, pretty frequently writers screw up when they write about injuries. People are clonked over the head, pass out for hours, and wake up with just a headache… Eragon breaks his wrist and it’s just fine within days… Wounds heal with nary a scar, ever…

I’m aiming to fix that.

Here are over 100 links covering just about every facet of traumatic injuries (physical, psychological, long-term), focusing mainly on burns, concussions, fractures, and lacerations. Now you can beat up your characters properly!

General resources

WebMD

Mayo Clinic first aid

Mayo Clinic diseases

First Aid

PubMed: The source for biomedical literature

Diagrams: Veins (towards heart), arteries (away from heart) bones, nervous system, brain

Burns

General overview: Includes degrees

Burn severity: Including how to estimate body area affected

Burn treatment: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees

Smoke inhalation

Smoke inhalation treatment

Chemical burns

Hot tar burns

Sunburns

Incisions and Lacerations

Essentials of skin laceration repair (including stitching techniques)

When to stitch (Journal article—Doctors apparently usually go by experience on this)

More about when to stitch (Simple guide for moms)

Basic wound treatment

Incision vs. laceration: Most of the time (including in medical literature) they’re used synonymously, but eh.

Types of lacerations: Page has links to some particularly graphic images—beware!

How to stop bleeding: 1, 2, 3

Puncture wounds: Including a bit about what sort of wounds are most likely to become infected

More about puncture wounds

Wound assessment: A huge amount of information, including what the color of the flesh indicates, different kinds of things that ooze from a wound, and so much more.

Home treatment of gunshot wound, also basics More about gunshot wounds, including medical procedures

Tourniquet use: Controversy around it, latest research

Location pain chart: Originally intended for tattoo pain, but pretty accurate for cuts

General note: Deeper=more serious. Elevate wounded limb so that gravity draws blood towards heart. Scalp wounds also bleed a lot but tend to be superficial. If it’s dirty, risk infection. If it hits the digestive system and you don’t die immediately, infection’ll probably kill you. Don’t forget the possibility of tetanus! If a wound is positioned such that movement would cause the wound to gape open (i.e. horizontally across the knee) it’s harder to keep it closed and may take longer for it to heal.

Broken bones

Types of fractures

Setting a broken bone when no doctor is available

Healing time of common fractures

Broken wrists

Broken ankles/feet

Fractured vertebrae: Neck (1, 2), back

Types of casts

Splints

Fracture complications

Broken noses

Broken digits: Fingers and toes

General notes: If it’s a compound fracture (bone poking through) good luck fixing it on your own. If the bone is in multiple pieces, surgery is necessary to fix it—probably can’t reduce (“set”) it from the outside. Older people heal more slowly. It’s possible for bones to “heal” crooked and cause long-term problems and joint pain. Consider damage to nearby nerves, muscle, and blood vessels.

Concussions

General overview

Types of concussions 1, 2

Concussion complications

Mild Brain Injuries: The next step up from most severe type of concussion, Grade 3

Post-concussion syndrome

Second impact syndrome: When a second blow delivered before recovering from the initial concussion has catastrophic effects. Apparently rare.

Recovering from a concussion

Symptoms: Scroll about halfway down the page for the most severe symptoms

Whiplash

General notes: If you pass out, even for a few seconds, it’s serious. If you have multiple concussions over a lifetime, they will be progressively more serious. Symptoms can linger for a long time.

Character reaction:

Shock (general)

Physical shock: 1, 2

Fight-or-flight response: 1, 2

Long-term emotional trauma: 1 (Includes symptoms), 2

First aid for emotional trauma

Treatment (drugs)

WebMD painkiller guide

Treatment (herbs)

1, 2, 3, 4

Miscellany

Snake bites: No, you don’t suck the venom out or apply tourniquettes

Frostbite

Frostbite treatment

Severe frostbite treatment

When frostbite sets in: A handy chart for how long your characters have outside at various temperatures and wind speeds before they get frostbitten

First aid myths: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Includes the ones about buttering burns and putting snow on frostbite.

Poisons: Why inducing vomiting is a bad idea

Poisonous plants

Dislocations: Symptoms 1, 2; treatment. General notes: Repeated dislocations of same joint may lead to permanent tissue damage and may cause or be symptomatic of weakened ligaments. Docs recommend against trying to reduce (put back) dislocated joint on your own, though information about how to do it is easily found online.

Muscular strains

Joint sprain

Resuscitation after near-drowning: 1, 2

Current CPR practices: We don’t do mouth-to-mouth anymore.

The DSM IV, for all your mental illness needs.

Electrical shock

Human response to electrical shock: Includes handy-dandy voltage chart

Length of contact needed at different voltages to cause injury

Evaluation protocol for electric shock injury

Neurological complications

Electrical and lightning injury

Cardiac complications

Delayed effects and a good general summary

Acquired savant syndrome: Brain injuries (including a lightning strike) triggering development of amazing artistic and other abilities

Please don’t repost! You can find the original document (also created by me) here.

songs that have helped me through hard times

so0o, i do have these (+ some others) all on a playlist (here)

remember this is just how i perceive the songs and they might not be how you feel about them

in case you don’t live forever - ben platt: this is a song that hits harder because sometimes you can’t get the words out to someone before they leave your life. it’s a song that has a lesson to it, one that everyone should learn

two of us - louis tomlinson: this song is a huge tear jerker, for personal reasons i’m not going to elaborate though. it’s a very raw song, and any one that has struggled with the loss of someone should hear it

invisible - 5 seconds of summer: i used to feel like i was just always there, but never *there*.  admittedly i found this song after i really needed it, but it makes me mourn the girl i used to be. this entire song pulls at my heartstrings and it will always have a special place in my heart for how accurate the lyrics are

broken home - 5 seconds of summer: as a child of divorced parents, this song also hits different. “hey mom hey dad, when did this end? when did you lose your happiness” always makes me tear up. its a song i needed when i was younger. 

bumper cars - alex and sierra: from multiple friendships/relationships i relate to this song. its wanting this person so bad but you know you cant have it because you two just don’t mix and it makes a bigger mess. this song is more of an idea of sadness for me, it doesn’t directly make me think of one thing

finally, the most important one

you cant rush your healing - trevor hall

i could probably go on for days about how much strength this song gave me, but alas, i’m limited to a paragraph. i found this song after a really big change in my life, it was actually recommended to me by my aerial teacher. lyrically, its one of the most comforting songs i’ve ever listened to. i go to it anytime i feel anxious, sad, or in need of something to help me. 

you cant rush your healing, you have to go through every emotion and let yourself actually feel it. that’s something i had to learn. honestly, if i hadn’t found this song/the people from my aerial studio i would probably still be in the same endless (so it feels like) loop of sadness and frustration. 

this is a song you have to find at the right time to be able to understand. the first time i listened to it it was late at night, i felt tired, and i let it play on a loop listening to the lyrics just crying because i felt like i found something that could really help me (and it did)

favorite tweets

So proud of my mother for doing her own research after I sent her that meme. A sign she hung in her car window.

you’re kidding, you’re kidding right?

YouTube Channels for Your Quarantine Workout Needs

Rebel Wilson had an amazing 2020 despite everything that happened around the world because she made it her year of health, and I’m taking notes from her and transferring that energy to 2021 for myself. I’m planning to get out of this quarantine the hottest I’ve ever been and to then hit the nice gyms around town. While I’m currently unable to do that, I’m utilizing this time to save money and working out free by using different YouTube channels that offer these videos. Below are some of my favorites! 

1. Emi Wong

Last year I found out that everyone and their mother were doing Chloe Ting’s workouts like there’s no tomorrow. I naturally had to check out for myself what the rave is all about. Her workouts are great, but for me they’re just a little too hardcore. So, I found an alternative. Emi’s workouts are still challenging, she posts regularly, and her husband’s cameos are quite entertaining. You can find targeted exercises as well as full-body workouts.

2. The Fitness Marshall

You’re having a bad day and you just want to let it all out? Then look no further than to The Fitness Marshall. Caleb and his crew regularly put out hip hop dance workout videos to today’s hit songs. You will sweat and you will laugh, his videos are literally an antidote to any negativity you might be feeling at a particular moment in time. I guarantee that the videos will lift your spirits up!

3. Sweaty Betty Ballet Workouts

I am 100% inspired by @sylth-glow when I looked up ballet workout videos on YouTube. There aren’t that many videos, but the few that exist will make you feel graceful, improve your posture, and tone you up! I love the cohosts and I strive to emulate their fluidity in movements. I’m still far from where I want to be, but at least I’m not where I used to be. Maybe when quarantine’s over I will take adult ballet classes.

4. Popsugar Fitness

I’m linking to just one video, which is arguably my favorite of all, but Popsugar Fitness is to me the IT workout channel on YouTube. You can literally find any and all types of workouts on there. Some of my favorite instructors are Christa DiPaolo (her boxing videos truly kick ass), Nicole Stein (girl’s got moves), and Marnie Alton (she’s very flexible). Check them all out and find some that you love and keep doing them!

5. 375 Dance Studio

As you can already tell, I love to dance and I think that as a society (mostly Western and East or Southeast Asian), we just don’t dance enough! I do their exercises when I want to feel sexy, burn some calories + tone up, and get out of my head. I’m an over thinker (it’s a work in progress!), so being able to move my body more and to have my body take over my brain is a joy for me. I envision myself dancing these sensual Latin dances with a partner in the near future, but for now this will suffice.

Much love!

i'm curating a c!tommy playlist and it currently only has three songs. i'm Failing rn

Whump Prompt #67

Whumpee sobbed, straining against their restraints in a desperate attempt to escape or do something other than stay stuck there.

“You monster! You killed them! How could you? I’ll- I’ll.”

Whumpee pulled harder and harder at their restraints until there was an audible popping sound. But before Whumpee could discern what it came from, Whumper’s open palm exploded pain across their face.

“Oh shut up, Whumpee. I’m not that cruel… yet.”

Whumpee froze as Caretaker was forced to the ground in front of them, trembling and coughing up very concerning amounts of blood. 

Sobbing with relief this time, Whumpee strained just as hard as before towards Caretaker. However, Whumper grabbed their chin roughly

“From now on, every time you disobey, little Caretaker here will get one step closer to their death. So I suggest you start obeying. Resistance wouldn’t be a good look on Caretaker after all.

Whumpee gulped, ignoring the pleading eye contact of Caretaker telling Whumpee not to.

Whumpee nodded.

“Okay… I’ll obey. For Caretaker’s sake.”

Whumper’s smile grew to a too-wide grin.

“Perfect, my new pet.”

whump community i need ur help /pi

give me whumpy songs, im making a playlist for us

Me (as a child): why are all the songs about love?

Mom: someday you will understand

Me (now as an adult): seriously why are all the songs about love and sex this is ridiculous