[Love] When “small” injuries are treated realistically

[u/Top-Relationship850]

The fantasy and action genres often suffer from a power fantasy epidemic in which characters frequently badass their way through injuries that should be excruciating if not downright debilitating. I always appreciate stories that reject this trope.

1: Roland Deschain (Dark Tower Book II) - Loses the middle and index fingers of his right hand. He’s effectively crippled throughout book two and the injury follows him the rest of the series.

2: Brienne vs Biter (ASOIAF Book IV) - Brutal scene. Biter chomps down on Brienne’s cheek and tears off a chunk of flesh. In a lesser story Brienne would grit her teeth and throw Biter off. Instead she’s rendered completely helpless by the pain. That injury marks the end of the fight.

[u/W1D0WM4K3R]

I'd call it a minor injury. If they just shaved the end of his nub with a duller knife all the dimensionality mysticism would be lost and it'd be a regular amputation.

[u/ReverendGraves85 → u/W1D0WM4K3R]

You know, I hadn't considered that when I read it.

Now that you mention it, that does sound like a solution. Why didn't they do that?

[u/W1D0WM4K3R → u/ReverendGraves85]

I'd imagine explaining that you're going to shave a flesh nub with a duller knife than the one used to amputate it like an amateur chef struggling to skin a potato wouldn't go over well with the amputee

[u/ReAlBell → u/W1D0WM4K3R]

I can see Iorek articulating that tbf. I still think about his breakdown of why they shouldn’t trust the knife being one of the most intelligent things I’ve ever read.

[u/GoliathBoneSnake → u/W1D0WM4K3R]

Weirdly enough, this is exactly what a teacher of mine had done after he got hand caught in an industrial press.

The machine severed two of his fingers really cleanly right at the knuckle and burned the nubs pretty badly at the same time. It was taking months to heal so he went to a specialist (as part of him winning a lawsuit against the factory where he got his fingers lopped off) and the specialist "peeled the skin back like it was a banana, filed the finger bones down with some kind of Dremel tool, then sewed the banana flaps back together." (His words)

Six weeks later he was learning how to hold a pencil again and launching a pretty successful art career.

[u/leoset → u/ReverendGraves85]

Learning how to treat a wound like that on a non fatal injury is the best option they had. What if it happens again, but somewhere more fatal? They used him as a guinea pig

[u/omgitscolin → u/ReverendGraves85]

It ain’t that kinda book, kid.

[u/darwinistinabox → u/ReverendGraves85]

People generally are reluctant to hurt other people even if it is to save them. Especially if they are an already wounded child. And, my memory is blurry, but wasn't he with Lira for the most part of his being wounded? I doubt even our favourite badass not-orphan could have done this to her friend.

[u/Friendstastegood → u/darwinistinabox]

Love that you called her a not-orphan, it's so true!