Reblog If You're Okay With Receiving Asks For Backstory Info On Any/all Of Your Fics.

Reblog if you're okay with receiving asks for backstory info on any/all of your fics.

If not all, specify which ones in the tags.

finally got time to draw again, so of course I had to torture myself by going back to trying to draw likenesses

character is Jarod from The Pretender (I’ve been on a 90s shows streak recently) don’t be fooled by his death stare, he’s just a silly goober.

a lot of good points/reminders! I especially appreciate the personal experience anecdote, always helpful when going for more writing accuracy/descriptiveness.

some addendums. Blood will initially feel slick, and it gets just about everywhere. Thick/plush/layered clothes can hide serious bleeding, but otherwise I doubt someone would pass out specifically from blood loss before the blood is overtly visible.

more about bleeding! Venous bleeding (if a vein is hit) will often bleed more steadily and a darker color. However you can still get significant/concerning blood loss with venous bleeding, don’t need arterial for that.

Arterial bleeding (if an artery is hit) will often bleed in spurts! It will also generally be brighter. An artery is where you might see the dramatic “spraying” blood.

With writing stopping bleeding, the number one thing to remember is direct pressure. (BSI and scene safety aside) the first thing your character is going to need to do is to get pressure directly over the bleed. Sometimes that’s just pressing fingertips right over it. Don’t get too many diffuse layers on it (wrapping towels, etc). After it’s controlled/significantly slowed by direct pressure, a pressure bandage can maintain. Cauterization is fun for whump and all, but generally a very bad decision since you go from having to deal with bleeding to having to deal with infection, a bad burn, shock, and maybe still internal bleeding depending on the wound.

of course, that being said, write your characters doing or thinking what they would know to do. Someone not medically trained might not know how to apply good direct pressure, or might not know that cauterization is a bad idea, etc.

STOP DOING THIS IN INJURY FICS!!

Bleeding:

Blood is warm. if blood is cold, you’re really fucking feverish or the person is dead. it’s only sticky after it coagulates.

It smells! like iron, obv, but very metallic. heavy blood loss has a really potent smell, someone will notice.

Unless in a state of shock or fight-flight mode, a character will know they’re bleeding. stop with the ‘i didn’t even feel it’ yeah you did. drowsiness, confusion, pale complexion, nausea, clumsiness, and memory loss are symptoms to include.

blood flow ebbs. sometimes it’s really gushin’, other times it’s a trickle. could be the same wound at different points.

it’s slow. use this to your advantage! more sad writer times hehehe.

Stab wounds:

I have been mildly impaled with rebar on an occasion, so let me explain from experience. being stabbed is bizarre af. your body is soft. you can squish it, feel it jiggle when you move. whatever just stabbed you? not jiggly. it feels stiff and numb after the pain fades. often, stab wounds lead to nerve damage. hands, arms, feet, neck, all have more motor nerve clusters than the torso. fingers may go numb or useless if a tendon is nicked.

also, bleeding takes FOREVER to stop, as mentioned above.

if the wound has an exit wound, like a bullet clean through or a spear through the whole limb, DONT REMOVE THE OBJECT. character will die. leave it, bandage around it. could be a good opportunity for some touchy touchy :)

whump writers - good opportunity for caretaker angst and fluff w/ trying to manhandle whumpee into a good position to access both sites

Concussion:

despite the amnesia and confusion, people ain’t that articulate. even if they’re mumbling about how much they love (person) - if that’s ur trope - or a secret, it’s gonna make no sense. garbled nonsense, no full sentences, just a coupla words here and there.

if the concussion is mild, they’re gonna feel fine. until….bam! out like a light. kinda funny to witness, but also a good time for some caretaking fluff.

Fever:

you die at 110F. no 'oh no his fever is 120F!! ahhh!“ no his fever is 0F because he’s fucking dead. you lose consciousness around 103, sometimes less if it’s a child. brain damage occurs at over 104.

ACTUAL SYMPTOMS:

sluggishness

seizures (severe)

inability to speak clearly

feeling chilly/shivering

nausea

pain

delirium

symptoms increase as fever rises. slow build that secret sickness! feverish people can be irritable, maybe a bit of sass followed by some hurt/comfort. never hurt anybody.

ALSO about fevers - they absolutely can cause hallucinations. Sometimes these alter memory and future memory processing. they're scary shit guys.

fevers are a big deal! bad shit can happen! milk that till its dry (chill out) and get some good hurt/comfort whumpee shit.

keep writing u sadistic nerds xox love you

ALSO I FORGOT LEMME ADD ON:

YOU DIE AT 85F

sorry I forgot. at that point for a sustained period of time you're too cold to survive.

pt 2

Pro tip: if you’re stressed out just start dressing like you’re Magnum PI. There’s something about the mental dissonance of being anxious while wearing the most obnoxiously patterned Hawaiian shirt on god’s green earth. It doesn’t compute. Especially if you also have the jorts. It’s like fake it till you make it but it’s dressing like you don’t know the meaning of anxiety.

Writing Descriptions

I was just musing recently about this, so thought I’d share some bits about how I try to build compelling descriptions of scenes/environments. Normally I just post fan art but eh, diversifying lol.

Having an agenda

I found both reading and writing descriptions that if I don’t have an objective for them they end up feeling aimless and sometimes forgettable. I am always trying to build a narrative. It can be as simple as “this building is old/unused” or as complex as ‘contrasting a bright atmosphere with an underlying coldness as an allegory to a character’s crushing isolation in the face of their personal grief/pain’. What does every line and descriptive word contribute to what you’re trying to do? What emotions or vibes are you trying to evoke? How does every part of it tie together into a cohesive picture instead of a bunch of disparate parts?

2. Utilizing descriptions as a tool

descriptions inherently tend to center a story in a specific setting, or serve as our senses to experience the story alongside the characters — but I try to use it as more than that when possible. How you can use it may vary with what person you’re using, but even third person (what I typically use) descriptions can give you a glimpse into the headspace of your character. This can be really helpful when writing a character who isn’t very emotionally self aware, or a character who is stoic. I typically use this one of two ways.

First one is seeing through the eyes of the character. How do they see this other character? How does their emotions, history, etc affect their impressions about different settings? For example, a characters with religious trauma might have a more negative/emotionally loaded perspective when walking into a church which can manifest at different levels of subtlety within the description of the environment.

second one way is just to get the reader on the same page emotionally as a character. If the character is desperate, incorporate that emotions/vibe into your description of the setting or even of them. If they’re lonely invoke that, etc. Note that this can also be used for plot beats and not just character moments.

Also total side note, but I’d reccomend not taking any writing advice too seriously. Explore how people write their stuff, take little tidbits here and there when it speaks to you and your style, and toss aside anything that doesn’t work for you.

One of my favorite screencaps in existence. Head pats have a special place in my heart. (White collar, S1E10)

different art style than usual for me, so slightly eh, but it’s always fun to try new things