Fanfic Pet Peeves

[SF_and_Coffee]

Thank you, Seaboe! Much appreciated!

*is relieved now*

[Feast of the Muse]

Yes it does. And

Spoiler:

scalp wounds bleed like an SOB (this is experience talking). Particularly if the bullet slices skin for more than an inch or so. Plus, being shot in the head (even a glancing blow) will almost certainly affect balance at least long enough for someone to fall down.

Seaboe, who isn't even going to get into the age thing.

I agree with the head wound bleeding stuff. My sister accidentally dropped something small but sharp on my head when were in college (she was on her bed, I was on the floor). It bled forever and it was only a small gash. Stayed sore for a few days too, made washing the mane a PIA. Not a fan of head bumps.

[WraithRichard]

Head wounds. Joy.

Spoiler:

My sister's been injured on the scalp several times. Most (if not all) the times she was barely scraped, but there was blood everywhere. Also, a blow to the back of the head will almost always make you nauseous.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Well, since everyone else got specific...don't read if you're squeamish

Spoiler:

I was in an auto accident and received head injuries (dislocated my jaw and broke it in two places, plus cut my forehead). I did not pass out, even though I hit the dashboard twice and (obviously) with considerable force. The cut on my forehead left a scar about 1' (12") long and I had 100 stitches. I also lost enough blood to require a transfusion of 2 pints. I was 12 at the time.

And I also have to note that this conversation, as interesting as it is, doesn't really belong in the peeves thread. Although typing the above made me think of another pet peeve.

Someone with a broken jaw is not unable to talk clearly. Movement of the tongue and lips is much more important for clear speech than the movement of the jaw. Try it sometime. Press your teeth together and talk.

Seaboe

[SF_and_Coffee]

Thread drift: a proud GateWorld tradition!

Yes, from what I understand, whether a head injury makes you pass out is kind of hit or miss (if you'll pardon the partial pun).

Spoiler:

Kind of makes me wonder if in my example, Jack would have suffered those 60 - 90 seconds of unconsciousness from the bullet, or from hitting his head on the ground when he fell, since his helmet was slipping and probably slipped far enough to not completely protect his head.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

At this point, Coffee, does it matter why it happened, so long as it's plausible that it happened?

Seaboe

[WraithRichard]

Kind of makes me wonder if in my example, Jack would have suffered those 60 - 90 seconds of unconsciousness from the bullet, or from hitting his head on the ground when he fell, since his helmet was slipping and probably slipped far enough to not completely protect his head.

Likely. My sister passed out most times she hit her head and those weren't from bullets. Also, I passed out getting a volleyball in the gut and hitting my head on the gym floor. ('Hey, where'd the ceiling come from?')

[SF_and_Coffee]

At this point, Coffee, does it matter why it happened, so long as it's plausible that it happened?

Seaboe

No, not really. I'm just geeky that way!

[SF_and_Coffee]

Likely. My sister passed out most times she hit her head and those weren't from bullets. Also, I passed out getting a volleyball in the gut and hitting my head on the gym floor. ('Hey, where'd the ceiling come from?')

I've actually never passed out in my life, a fact that still amazes me.

Hey, I started a new thread, the Fanfic Helpdesk: Technical and Scientific Help for Writers thread. I figure having a dedicated space in which to ask these types of questions is probably a good idea.

[Feast of the Muse]

Ana, that link doesn't work, but I love that you made a thread! We almost need our own forum - Fan Fic Prep!

[SF_and_Coffee]

Ana, that link doesn't work, but I love that you made a thread! We almost need our own forum - Fan Fic Prep!

Fixed. I have no idea what its problem was, but thanks for alerting me to the, er, technical difficulties.

Hmmm. We seem to have spawned a Fanfic 101 class, lately.

[badwolfSG]

I agree with the head wound bleeding stuff. My sister accidentally dropped something small but sharp on my head when were in college (she was on her bed, I was on the floor). It bled forever and it was only a small gash. Stayed sore for a few days too, made washing the mane a PIA. Not a fan of head bumps.

Head wounds bleeds so bad because you have a lot of blood vessels and very little skin to protect the vessels. Just thought I out that out there.

[sbz]

As readers, do you guys (see? told you) have a certain level of disbelief? I mean, it's fiction & on top of that, it's sci-fi; there has to be a certain ratio of plausibilty vs possibility. Is your BS (that's bull shoot, BTW) meter's dial set for very sensitive or do you give a little more leeway to fanfic than you do to published fic?

I'm generally ready to believe someone can jump onto a helicopter skid and pull themselves in and other action-y stuff so long as the story's (show/movie) good - ie, I'm immersed and don't notice that much.

My "yeah right" meter is more on the lines of, a character goes through a horrid experience and trots happily on afterwards with no aftereffects.

And I'd say I hold fanfic generally to the same standard as other entertainment.

BTW, did you know that the reason most people fall down when they get shot in a non-fatal place is that they think they're supposed to? Unless you're going into shock or have some other major injury, getting shot doesn't make you fall down, nor does it knock you unconscious.
Seaboe

Yes, indeed, I knew that - mostly because I just saw that episode of Mythbusters (I've got TiVo all set up to record the show and Discovery Channel plays it like 8 billion times a day).

I was quite intrigued and surprised by the whole diving under water will protect you from a bullet confirmation. I was always skeptical of that before.

[Skydiver]

Head wounds bleeds so bad because you have a lot of blood vessels and very little skin to protect the vessels. Just thought I out that out there.

there's plenty of skin, it's just that there's not much cushion adn padding. so that skin is a quarter inch from the bone, making it vulnerable. If we had fat on our heads, then there'd be more squish and less cut

[Whytewytch]

Well i'm a guy, soooo.... awkward

Don't feel awkward, we like guys! Heck, I'm even married to one & raising two.

Best way to think about it i'd say is swap places. How would you feel if someone (ie: me) came to you asking you to 'write this story for this picture i just drew!'

I've actually drawn stories based on pics before. So long as they're in my fandom, I actually enjoy the challenge sometimes. Besides, I would not be talking about a comic or anything that labor intensive, likely only cover art, possibly one pic per chapter. On second thought, since most of my stories are multi-chap, that may be a bit too much to ask.

Meanwhile, most 'real life' artists draw their art from photos or pictures anyway (Drawing from a source is fantastic reference and sometimes the best way to make sure you get the picture that you want 'right' )

I just meant not copying the pic line by line. If I write a story with a demon, for example, it's not like there are pics of real demons to draw from. I'd expect an artist to use their imagination, just as I do when I write.