Fanfic Helpdesk: Technical and Scientific Help for Writers

[SF_and_Coffee]

Medical help: A man's ankle is wedged in some rocks. A heavy object is falling toward his head. It's move or die, but he cannot jump out of the way due to his foot being caught.

1. Can he throw himself backward with enough force to break the ankle? If not, can the object force him down hard enough to break the ankle and perhaps another bone or two?

Possibly. But he'd have to break it very severely, as in BOTH bones. That takes a lot of force, and afterward he won't be able to walk on it for six weeks or more. Do you want him out of commission for that long?

2. How bad would a break be for him to hear the bone snap or would he even hear it over the sound of screams and shouts and weapons' fire?

I once broke my fibula (that's the smaller, thinner bone in the lower leg) and heard it snap over the sounds of traffic passing on the street. But over battle sounds? Maybe, provided he's breaking both bones, as he would have to in order to get himself out of the way of the falling rock. In any case, though, even if he didn't hear it, he'd sure as hell feel it, and probably at least imagine he heard it.

3. What would his body's reactions be? I would imagine nausea, light-headedness, blacking out. Anything else?

When I broke my fibula, I had none of those reactions. It was just "damn, that hurts". I can't speak for breaking both bones, though.

4. He is a military man, young and strong, if that helps as far as stamina goes. How long could he survive if water were available? There is plenty of food. Would he be able to field dress any of the following: broken ankle, broken arm, dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, broken collarbone?

Good grief. Okay, he could conceivably dress his own broken ankle if he has no upper body injuries and has something available to use as a splint. Broken arm would be a lot harder, since it kind of takes two hands to splint a bone. Broken ribs you really can't do much about (I've had them) other than maybe wrapping them, and that isn't even always necessary, unless the break is severe (it wasn't with me). Broken collarbone? Forget using the arm on that side. Dislocated shoulder? Same.

I'm not sure how long he'd make it with only water. Provided the temperatures are neither very hot nor very cold, possibly a fair while. But he's going to have issues, depending on which injuries he has and how many of them.

[Whytewytch]

Possibly. But he'd have to break it very severely, as in BOTH bones. That takes a lot of force, and afterward he won't be able to walk on it for six weeks or more. Do you want him out of commission for that long?

I once broke my fibula (that's the smaller, thinner bone in the lower leg) and heard it snap over the sounds of traffic passing on the street. But over battle sounds? Maybe, provided he's breaking both bones, as he would have to in order to get himself out of the way of the falling rock. In any case, though, even if he didn't hear it, he'd sure as hell feel it, and probably at least imagine he heard it.

When I broke my fibula, I had none of those reactions. It was just "damn, that hurts". I can't speak for breaking both bones, though.

Good grief. Okay, he could conceivably dress his own broken ankle if he has no upper body injuries and has something available to use as a splint. Broken arm would be a lot harder, since it kind of takes two hands to splint a bone. Broken ribs you really can't do much about (I've had them) other than maybe wrapping them, and that isn't even always necessary, unless the break is severe (it wasn't with me). Broken collarbone? Forget using the arm on that side. Dislocated shoulder? Same.

I'm not sure how long he'd make it with only water. Provided the temperatures are neither very hot nor very cold, possibly a fair while. But he's going to have issues, depending on which injuries he has and how many of them.

Lovely. The malware I picked up this morning is rearing its ugly head again. Stupid MegaUpload! I had a response all written out and *poof!* it's gone.

Anyway, thanks for the reply, Ana. I'm thinking of changing the break to a severe sprain. I don't want him sent back to Earth to recover. Also, I found a website for popping your own dislocated shoulder back in. He will need to be able to rest some weight on the ankle to do this. It will hurt like a bleep(!) I'm sure, but still be doable, I hope.

He will have plenty of food and the planet is relatively temperate, although he may wind up in a rainstorm, just to add to the whump. It will be a week, give or take, until he is rescued.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Lovely. The malware I picked up this morning is rearing its ugly head again. Stupid MegaUpload! I had a response all written out and *poof!* it's gone.

That might also be a GW glitch. They're having a TON of problems. Next time a response disappears, try hitting Ctl+Z and see if it comes back. That's been known to work.

Anyway, thanks for the reply, Ana. I'm thinking of changing the break to a severe sprain. I don't want him sent back to Earth to recover. Also, I found a website for popping your own dislocated shoulder back in. He will need to be able to rest some weight on the ankle to do this. It will hurt like a bleep(!) I'm sure, but still be doable, I hope.

With a sprain, he should be able to. And yes, it will hurt, but not as badly as with a break, nor will it be that dangerous. However, no matter how badly he sprains the ankle, if the angle of the bone in the rocks is what prevents him from dodging the falling object, nothing short of breaking it will get him out of the falling object's path. Just a physics thing. But if you mean to let the object hit him in the shoulder rather than the head and that's how he dislocates his shoulder, then I can see the scenario making sense.

He will have plenty of food and the planet is relatively temperate, although he may wind up in a rainstorm, just to add to the whump. It will be a week, give or take, until he is rescued.

Food isn't the problem. Potable water is the problem; even more so if he does not have shelter to shade him from the sun. You can die of dehydration a LOT faster than you will starve. A week with no food is a lot easier to survive than a week without enough water. Just something to think about.

Would it be possible for him to eventually release his ankle from where it's stuck and hobble to safety, or at least to shelter?

[mathpiglet]

Have you seen the movie about the man who cut off his own arm? *shudders*

[Whytewytch]

Have you seen the movie about the man who cut off his own arm? *shudders*

No, but I had to read Survivor Type in college. It's a short story by Stephen King about

Spoiler:

a doctor crashes his plane on a deserted island and has to eat himself bit by bit to survive.

BLECH!

[Whytewytch]

That might also be a GW glitch. They're having a TON of problems. Next time a response disappears, try hitting Ctl+Z and see if it comes back. That's been known to work.

Thanks, will do!

With a sprain, he should be able to. And yes, it will hurt, but not as badly as with a break, nor will it be that dangerous. However, no matter how badly he sprains the ankle, if the angle of the bone in the rocks is what prevents him from dodging the falling object, nothing short of breaking it will get him out of the falling object's path. Just a physics thing. But if you mean to let the object hit him in the shoulder rather than the head and that's how he dislocates his shoulder, then I can see the scenario making sense.

Food isn't the problem. Potable water is the problem; even more so if he does not have shelter to shade him from the sun. You can die of dehydration a LOT faster than you will starve. A week with no food is a lot easier to survive than a week without enough water. Just something to think about.

Would it be possible for him to eventually release his ankle from where it's stuck and hobble to safety, or at least to shelter?

Doh! No wonder you're worried about him. He is able to twist his ankle to the point where it's just sprained--he kinda falls more to the side, yanking the foot. The foot loosens a bit, but not quickly enough for him to dodge the object. What saves him is the object striking another piece of rock that has been dislodged at enough of an angle to catch the object and hold it mere millimeters away from crushing him. He hits his head on landing and blacks out. When he comes to, he is able to push the rock that is holding his left foot with his right one and release himself. He will be able to wander around the planet searching for food and water while he awaits rescue. If you must know, the object is

Spoiler:

the Stargate, destroyed by Replicator weapons. He is a member of the Atlantis expedition and the sole survivor of the Replicators destroying a planet. He must wait rescue so long because of the Stargate being destroyed and the military being elsewhere.

[Skydiver]

maybe instead of messing with his ankle, maybe just have him trip and be unable to get up. he can still be hurt, still be unable to get out of the way and you have one less injury to deal with

[SF_and_Coffee]

I'm with Skydiver on this one. Unless you really need him to be injured for some reason, having him trip and not be able to get up quickly, then having the Stargate miraculously miss him by just a fraction should be plenty. He'll have that "I just narrowly missed death" moment of utter relief, followed by some time alone while he waits for rescue, without being unduly injured. Plus, without having to try to walk on an injury while waiting for rescue, he's likely to be a lot more mobile and useful once he is rescued, so that he can continue on with whatever else you have in store for him at at that point.

Spoiler:

Sort of like my having Frank fall through the gravity-addled Stargate, land kind of on his head -- enough to knock him out for a few minutes and leave him with a sore bump there -- but no other functional injuries beyond that and the glass shards he caught in the Gate Room on Earth. Just the "OMG I'm not dead!" effect was plenty, and then when the sun came up, he was able to walk around and look after himself, while also being able to deal with whatever came his way.

[Whytewytch]

maybe instead of messing with his ankle, maybe just have him trip and be unable to get up. he can still be hurt, still be unable to get out of the way and you have one less injury to deal with

The KISS method of writing, eh? Probably a good idea. I think I may keep an ankle injury and drop the dislocated shoulder. Ankle injury, slight head injury, cuts and bruises should be enough. I'll play with it and see what he tells me.

[Skydiver]

injure him enough to make survival a challenge but not so much to make it improbable

[Whytewytch]

injure him enough to make survival a challenge but not so much to make it improbable

Exactly! Right now, I'm not feeling very well, so I think I'll sleep on it and let him tell me in my dreams.

[Skydiver]

if the gate is going to fall on him, he runs, trips and falls, the gate falls, he's looking up at this 20 foot wide massive metal ring falling towards him, he's gonna die, he can't move fast enough, he crouches over and boom, it closes just as it falls and he's lying on the ground with a WTF, i'm alive??

[Whytewytch]

if the gate is going to fall on him, he runs, trips and falls, the gate falls, he's looking up at this 20 foot wide massive metal ring falling towards him, he's gonna die, he can't move fast enough, he crouches over and boom, it closes just as it falls and he's lying on the ground with a WTF, i'm alive??

Sky, were you invading my dreams last night? LOL That is exactly what he told me with one very small exception. He must be knocked out for a time, so that when he comes to, everyone else is dead. Otherwise, as a soldier, he would try to protect the others and likely wind up dying.

[SF_and_Coffee]

So maybe when he falls, he hits his head? He's out for a couple of minutes; long enough to miss the rest of the action, but otherwise he's okay?

[Whytewytch]

So maybe when he falls, he hits his head? He's out for a couple of minutes; long enough to miss the rest of the action, but otherwise he's okay?

Exactly. The head injury will be enough to make him woozy, but not so much that he could lapse into a coma. Maybe a slight concussion.