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Three Things
Jan. 16th, 2006 01:21 amFirst, a writing research question:
Let us begin by imagining a character who is, to her surprise, growing gills. The skin over the new structures will, left to itself, rip over the all ten of the gill slits. It's already ripped over two. Ripping is messy, unpleasant, likely to result in infection, etc. Suppose this character decides not to go to the ER, but rather to show up on the doorstep of her trusted friend, a professional body modification artist, and say to him, in effect, "Do something!" I have imagined that the body modification artist, after protesting to no avail that the ER really is the better option, eventually agrees to open up the gill slits that haven't already torn open on their own.
Does he use a self-cauterizing scalpel? My internet searches, so far, are inconclusive. Body modification artists who do scarification work do sometimes use scalpels, and artists who do scarification generally also do branding, but I haven't yet found any reference to self-cauterizing scalpels on relevant sites. My current guess is, since opening the gills means, in effect, opening the airway, a self-cauterizing scalpel would be desirable, to prevent her from aspirating blood. But what do I know about surgery, or body modification, really? Also, I haven't yet figured out whether a self-cauterizing scalpel is something this character would plausibly have in his studio. (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
writersweekend, I think you're the only person on my flist who's been in the body modification business. Do you know offhand? jeneralist, would it be difficult for someone without a medical degree or affiliation with a medical establishment to get this piece of equipment? And what would a doctor do with such a patient, if she ended up in the ER instead? Anyone? Anyone?) I may yet phone up the local tattoo parlor, but I'd rather sound like an idiot here than there.
Second, a bit of social calendar stuff:
I had slated the annual Bad Poetry Party for 21 January, but then, just about when I should have been posting invitations, I had a miscarriage. Nothing like one for forcibly reprioritizing your To Do list for a week. Now that life goes on again, more or less, I'm looking at the catalog of things I didn't get to during those very unpleasant days, trying to catch up. (And thank you, to all the folks who said kind things when I keenly needed kind things to be said.)
So, if you're someone to whom I casually mentioned saving the date, back when I thought I knew what January would entail, please note that a new date will be chosen Very Soon. Some of the folks I asked to save the date were thinking of traveling Great Distances to come for the occasion, so I feel kind of bad about having to reschedule. Sorry. Sometimes things just happen.
( Third, an unexpected quiz/meme/whatsit result: )
Let us begin by imagining a character who is, to her surprise, growing gills. The skin over the new structures will, left to itself, rip over the all ten of the gill slits. It's already ripped over two. Ripping is messy, unpleasant, likely to result in infection, etc. Suppose this character decides not to go to the ER, but rather to show up on the doorstep of her trusted friend, a professional body modification artist, and say to him, in effect, "Do something!" I have imagined that the body modification artist, after protesting to no avail that the ER really is the better option, eventually agrees to open up the gill slits that haven't already torn open on their own.
Does he use a self-cauterizing scalpel? My internet searches, so far, are inconclusive. Body modification artists who do scarification work do sometimes use scalpels, and artists who do scarification generally also do branding, but I haven't yet found any reference to self-cauterizing scalpels on relevant sites. My current guess is, since opening the gills means, in effect, opening the airway, a self-cauterizing scalpel would be desirable, to prevent her from aspirating blood. But what do I know about surgery, or body modification, really? Also, I haven't yet figured out whether a self-cauterizing scalpel is something this character would plausibly have in his studio. (
writersweekend, I think you're the only person on my flist who's been in the body modification business. Do you know offhand? jeneralist, would it be difficult for someone without a medical degree or affiliation with a medical establishment to get this piece of equipment? And what would a doctor do with such a patient, if she ended up in the ER instead? Anyone? Anyone?) I may yet phone up the local tattoo parlor, but I'd rather sound like an idiot here than there.Second, a bit of social calendar stuff:
I had slated the annual Bad Poetry Party for 21 January, but then, just about when I should have been posting invitations, I had a miscarriage. Nothing like one for forcibly reprioritizing your To Do list for a week. Now that life goes on again, more or less, I'm looking at the catalog of things I didn't get to during those very unpleasant days, trying to catch up. (And thank you, to all the folks who said kind things when I keenly needed kind things to be said.)
So, if you're someone to whom I casually mentioned saving the date, back when I thought I knew what January would entail, please note that a new date will be chosen Very Soon. Some of the folks I asked to save the date were thinking of traveling Great Distances to come for the occasion, so I feel kind of bad about having to reschedule. Sorry. Sometimes things just happen.
( Third, an unexpected quiz/meme/whatsit result: )
