#( it will detail the wound / it's aftereffects / etc. )

[amrefevr]

headcanon / incident in heaven ( drabble ) 

* note : rokbiel is an npc of my own creation , there is no angel of any circle called rokbiel  * note#2 : check these other headcanons here & here for more background for this , also this refers to this headcanon 

set during the war in heaven , pre - assignment to the garden of eden 

       BLINDSIDED , THE TAINT OF the corruption was a mere skirting along their senses. naught worth a glance when within the throes of an ongoing war , one sided with their heavenly creator & the other against one with secondary might that wished opposition to the almighty’s wishes. yet it was in this , a great mistake was made. 

       STANCE UPRIGHT , PERFECTLY ERECT , they had stood on either side of a heavenly forge. inside weapons meant for worthy hands were formed & blessed , none but those of special note were to pass its threshold. two cherubim kept guard on either side of its towering white pillars of the doorway. their spinning swords keeping a whistling cadence that deterred even other angels from straying too close , their multiple sets of wings fanned wide & hundreds of eyes ever roving their surroundings. 

       YET STILL THEY WERE caught unawares , renegades were upon them. the stain of their rebellion having began its eating away at their heavenly souls , violent & foul the others’ essences flashed. flaring their own divine presence , the true ability of smiting had yet to be developed but this still had the attackers shying away with sharp cries. the cherubim pressed forward to keep these fiends away. 

       SWORDS RAISED & POSED , THEIR assigned craft drilled into their non - corporeal muscles since the moment of their creation. intrinsic were their movements , honed by centuries of attentive practice. swinging as one towards the first two opponents , the larger of the two angels meeting their mark. the smaller one’s missing by a hair’s breadth , speed usually saw them through but it seemed height helped the other of the two. their reach long enough to eliminate their target in a single thrush. it took the smaller of the two , thrice as many. reluctance weighing their blade , but tampering his actions little. 

       SECRET , STALKING ABOUT THE nonexistent shadows but between planes of their kind of physicality to slid behind the two guardians. swiftly slicing through the non - corporeal constitution of the smaller angel , crippling them at their knees & leaving them overwhelmed with an agony of a wound that would never bleed. their shout that gave voice to their turmoil alerted the other cherub but their pivot was too late. not slow , but the deceitful rebel was quicker. slicing & shoving the angel back with the heated blade of their. 

       THE NEFARIOUS FIENDS WERE quick to take advantage of the shown weakness. 

       THE TWO WHOSE NAMES were rokbiel & aziraphale . the tormented outcry for reinforcements resounding but with still a distant reply to be heard. rokbiel possessing a lesser wound of the two wobble to their feet , charging forward once more whilst aziraphale turned onto their belly then clamoured to their knees. aziraphale’s injured leg outstretched awkwardly , they no longer held control of it nor did they think it could bear any weight should they gather it under themself. aziraphale’s flaming sword still held within his hand , grip tighter than they’d have liked but desperate they were not to drop it , & aimed at who dared come near. 

       WEAK LIMBED , TREMBLING HE was , as the blade’s taint poisoned the divinity of their system. aziraphale kept with each parry , the instigators seeming to grin & toy with them than place any effort into cutting then down. one of the pair branching away to help the other two , believing there was no need for more to keep this angel occupied in the state they were in. an incline of fear , one the angel hadn’t ever felt unto now , washed over them then at realising how much merit that statement held. he wouldn’t last long here. 

       & he didn’t. 

       RUSHED BY THE NEXT move , a feint then blow aimed at their already wounded leg , aziraphale collapsed with a tortured wail. fingers lacks around the hilt of their sword , nothing between the vengeful traitor & striking them from existence. gaze drifting behind the positively gleeful successor , aziraphale watched rokbiel’s stance buckle. wrenching a strangled keen from aziraphale much to the betrayers delight , the lament of an angel's grief a music to their souls that no heavenly choir could ever touch again. 

       FRIGHTENED THEN WERE THE demeanours of the attackers , nervous muttering & glances past where aziraphale could see. they ran a moment later. forgetting that half their quarry still held life within their chest. 

       THOUGH IT WOULD NOT last. ethereal light wavering , swirling then dimming as aziraphale lay there. heaving tearless sobs that would soon too diminish as their energy waned. 

       THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER , one too holding too the taint of rebellion. having lost too much energy to realise this particular essence was born familiar & held none of the malice the others had broadcasted with pride. a low keening noise slipped past the angel’s control , the being’s pretense of bravery cracking yet never crumbling under the constant flow of pain & the grief they left at the loss of rokbiel. now another had come to finish them off ? or to inflect more suffering before their light was firmly snuffed out ? 

       HOPING IN THE VERY least mercy would be granted , a swift execution. not to be toyed with nor gawked at whilst further injury was inflicted. yet seeing branded traitor kneel beside rokbiel , had aziraphale giving a choked outcry as they attempted to lunge from their supine position. they wouldn’t have their fellow’s ethereal form disgraced anymore than it was before it could be taken to the almighty’s memory. 

       CLUMSY & UNCOORDINATED THOUGH THEIR movement was , it served to startle the betrayer back to his feet & away. but the little strength aziraphale had mustered drained away quick as it had come. thus they could only stare , lambert aura faded to a wearisome glow , as the other stepped forward again. mindful manoeuvering around rokbiel’s prone form to crouched by aziraphale's side now. 

       A LOW SHUSHING NOISE , nearer to that of a hiss than a hush , came from the quisling. normally a sound of comfort held a harshness that had aziraphale wincing. expecting another attack but instead was met with a gentle hand upon his head. a peace that was near foreign to the cherub after all these long years fighting encompasses his frame. not healing nor a life keeping lightness , but one to ease the hurts until they passed. 

       IT ONLY SEEMING TO last a brief moment , in truth aziraphale was never certain of how long the contact lasted , before the righteously outraged sounds of approaching angels resounded through the air. signally reinforcements arrival. too late for one & nearly so for the other. 

       THE MYSTERIOUS SAVIOUR SPRANG to their feet at the noise & fled , leaving aziraphale more bewildered than before but unable to hold onto his own thoughts for the barest of moments then they’d slip by again. wishing to remember that unknown oddity , but never was the angel certain if they had been real or if it’d been an image conjured by belief. 

[dcubang]

4 More Stories Need Artists!

Hello everyone! We're down to just 4 stories that need to be claimed! Now that a few days have passed and everyone has been given a chance to get their first claims in, artists that have already made one claim are now allowed to take additional stories based on what is left of the unclaimed stories. I have updated the claiming form with a section to let me know how many additional stories you want to take, such as "I want 1 extra story, I want 2 stories" etc.

If you only want one more story this is totally fine, just list N/A for the second and third choices. If there are a few stories you have your eyes on, list your choices, and then in the "Claiming a Second Story" section tell me how many of those stories you can take on, such at "I want 1 story" or "I want 2 stories", etc.

Once all of the stories are claimed, I will be sending out emails to artists and authors, and then second claims will open, letting artists take on additional stories. Each story can have up to 3 artists, so that authors aren't overwhelmed with coordinating with too many people. I can only guarantee that each story will get one piece of art for their stories!

Claiming Form

Here are the last 4 stories that need artists after the read more!

5 Title: Daily Gab Word Count:  5776 Genre: Coming Out Fic Fandom/Universe: Batfam Characters/Pairings:  Jon/Damian, Damian & Dick Warnings: Bullying Rating: PG-ish Summary: Damian finds a tabloid taped to his locker at school. The headline? "Wayne Kid... Gay?" He endures a day at school listening to the gossip from all the other kids. Dick does the brotherly thing and helps Damian sort through all he's feeling. Damian admits to Jon what the tabloid said and why he's been running scared all day, they talk about the reality of what they want together and Bruce manages to be a real father for once. Summary I'm posting when I post the fic: Damian swallowed against the bile in his throat and carefully took in his next breath, walking himself through the steps of emotional calm. Pretend this was only torture. Pretend it was only a gunshot wound. Pretend it was only his body in pain and not his heart and his mind. Remove himself from the situation and take a few steps backwards from the reality of it. ~ ~ ~ 9 Title: A Bit(e) Wild Word Count: 5-6k total, 4k written Genre: mostly Angst/Fluff but some Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: Losers/Batfamily, no particular series Characters/Pairings: established Jensen/Cougar, will be Jensen/Cougar/Jason Todd later in series. Background canonical Pooch/Jolene, mention of Clay/Aisha. Warnings: Graphic violence, swearing, maybe sex in the flashback Rating: Explicit. Even if no sex happens yet, it will later, and there's also the violence to consider. Summary: The Losers have just barely taken down Max and cleared their names; Jensen's still cleaning up post-mission but they're all back home. Jason Todd's preparing to move back to Gotham and butt heads with Batman when a bit of pest control ends with him bitten by a wolf shifter. He didn't think the Pit's aftereffects would allow him to be changed, or that he'd call the Losers for backup again, but of all the people Talia had him learning from, Cougar's the only shifter he knows he can trust if this IS the dreaded change coming on. Cue frantic phone call. The Losers load up and head out immediately, but Pooch brings his family just in case, Clay rides up with Roque, and Jensen and Cougar lead the charge because they've already got the shifter genes and being bitten again isn't going to do anything to them (Jake is a recent change; Cougar was born a shifter). By the time the others arrive, they've got Jason settled and all three are in their animal forms. Jensen is a wolf, Cougs is a cougar, Jason is a snow leopard. After the first few lessons, Jason gets impatient--maybe the Pit, maybe new instincts, partly the knowledge that the Losers aren't going to just let him leave until he's got enough control over his shifter side to satisfy Cougar. He tries to slip out in the night, half hoping they won't follow him, subconsciously aware this will be much easier with trusted backup. Every Loser was expecting this, though, and when Jason slinks off to Gotham, they're still mostly packed and ready to head out. It doesn't take them long to follow. ~ ~ ~ 15   Title: Happy Middles Word Count: ~4600 Genre: PWP Fandom/Universe: Batman and Green Lantern, no specific canon Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Hal Jordan Warnings: Somnophilia, Dirty Talk, Praise Kink, Noise Kink Rating: NC-17 Summary: Basically a slice of life PWP about the time Hal and Bruce make for each other, specifically how Bruce's ends his nights and how Hal starts his days.  Bruce comes home early from a shortened patrol and joins Hal in bed a few hours before Hal has to go to work.  Hal falls back asleep, and then wakes Bruce up when he starts exhibiting signs of a wet dream.  Bruce pleasures Hal until he wakes up, and then gets Hal off.  Hal turns the tide on Bruce, teasing him until Hal decides he's ready to ride Bruce to their mutual completion.   This takes place solely in Bruce's and Hal's bedroom in the Manor, described as having a darker color scheme with blues, blacks, and grays.  All kinks are negotiated prior to the story, as this is a well established, husbands!fic.  No noncon here.   ~ ~ ~ 20 Title: Broken Wings and Notched Arrows. Word Count: Around 6-6.5k total. 4,280 written Genre: Action, Romance, Drama. Fandom/Universe: Young Justice, Batman. Characters/Pairings: Will Harper (Roy Harper's clone)/ Jason Todd Warnings: Temporary Character death, mild language, mild violence, small age gape, Rating: NC-17 Summary: The only thing Will Harper wanted to be doing that fine winter morning was to play dress up with his beautiful daughter Lian. What he got however was a surprise visit from the legendary Bruce "Batman" Wayne. And if that wasn't a big enough shock being hired by said legend was icing on the cake. So now instead of spending Christmas with Lian Will is kind of, maybe being held against his will on Infinity Island. Bright side he did find Jason Todd like he was hired to. This story takes place in multiple locations. The main set is in the Caribbeans, mostly Infinity Island and the League of Assassins HQ. It also show cases Will's home in Star City and a major fight screen in Gotham. There is no major warnings. Temporary Character death as Jason Todd doesn't stay dead for long. Some violence but nothing more then a few short details of fight scenes. No gore just a little blood.

[transcriptroopers]

TranscripTrooper’s FAQ

I finally started getting enough repeats that I felt vindicated adding a FAQ. If you’ve asked me one of these questions in the past, don’t sweat it! All that means is that you helped alert me to a common concern that needs to be addressed. 

Why join the army if it's not the highest paid, the most prestigious, or the most well treated? For many people, it's a family tradition. You'd be incredibly surprised how much loyalty a person can have to any given branch strictly based on their familial relations. For others, it seems to be the most direct service when it comes to helping people, probably courtesy of seeing the National Guard being so prominent. Civilians have no idea how the military works; they think the navy just sails around, the air force just flies around, and the Marines just...idk...do whatever Marines do. Plus people think the army is just the Default Military. It's like the army is the “generic brand,” you know, like someone saying “Q-Tip” when they mean “cotton swab.” Others, quite frankly, couldn't join the other forces. You'd be surprised; I knew many people who originally wanted to join another branch but either weren't smart enough or weren't physically fit enough. I distinctly remember someone in basic saying he originally was going AF, but when he brought his ASVAB scores to their recruiter office they literally told him “the army recruiters are down the hall.” What does this piece of jargon mean/do soldiers actually use this jargon? See this post and if you still have questions be sure to send me a clarified ask. My soldier character received a(n) ______ wound from combat. Would this get him discharged?

To clarify, wounds both combat and non combat can get a soldier discharged, so your soldier doesn't have to be in combat to be wounded severely enough to warrant a medboard.

Eye: if there is permanent vision damage that drops the eyes below the standards associated with Army Regulation 40-501 paragraph 3-16e, which for reference is: (1) Vision that cannot be corrected with ordinary spectacle lenses (contact lenses or other special corrective devices (telescopic lenses, etc.) are unacceptable) to at least:

20/60 in one eye and 20/60 in the other eye, or

20/50 in one eye and 20/80 in the other eye, or

20/40 in one eye and 20/100 in the other eye, or

20/20 in one eye and 20/800 in the other eye; or

(2) An eye has been enucleated. (removed) Ergo it's up to you if your soldiers meets those standards after an eye injury. If your question is, “if he goes blind in one/two eyes” then the answer is “yes.” If your soldier is “legally blind” in one eye but it is correctable with lenses/surgery, the army covers that and actually allows active duty soldiers to get corrective lens surgery even without eye injury, so barring an unreasonably long recovery time I don't see why that wouldn't apply.

Ear: harder question. If your hearing is damaged enough, (”enough” being a subjective term) your soldier might at the very least face a mandatory reclass, which means the army will assign them a new MOS and they will not only have to go back to school for training in that MOS but they won't be able to do their current job any more. If the hearing loss is more severe, they may be medboarded instead. The exact numbers of acceptable hearing are probably not of interest to you but suffice it to say it's up to you whether the soldier's hearing is bad enough to warrant a discharge. I will say that soldiers being slightly hard of hearing isn't unheard of and it's also not unheard of for soldiers to be able to pass the hearing test but still have poor hearing in the field.

Limb: if the limb is amputated or otherwise non functional, it is grounds for a medboard. However, some soldiers have successfully been able to return to active duty with missing parts, although the vast majority of these numbers are those who've lost hands/fingers. Whole arms, toe, foot, and below-the-knee amputees are much less likely to return to active duty, although it's not impossible. IOW unlikely but up to you. Other: unless the wound or a mental illness would otherwise disable the soldier, there would be no medboard.

tl;dr: do you WANT it to be enough to get them discharged??  Also read this post about aftereffects of being medboarded via combat wounds.

I'm writing a fantasy/sci-fi story and I have to make up ranks. How do you suggest I start?/I have a soldier whose duties include X, Y, and Z. What rank would he be? Read these posts about ranks and if your question still isn’t answered then send a more detailed post explaining what you need. I will not help you come up with imaginary ranks. Enlisted Ranks Officer Ranks Rank Purpose Multiple branches working together What would a soldier with PTSD act like? You should consider reading @scriptshrink‘s post on PTSD. It’s a clinical assessment but it contains valuable information I consider nigh essential for writing PTSD characters. Other than that, I don’t have PTSD, (or at least PTSD associated with combat) so I don’t feel entirely right answering this question. I can tell you with some confidence that while their medical needs would be met by the army as far as medication goes and officially mental health is considered a priority, unofficially the military’s stance on mental illness is “you’re fucking weak.” How long are soldiers in combat? Generally? They aren’t often even IN combat, at least not in the current war. It’s absolutely a falsehood that most soldiers will see combat. Having said that, a firefight might last a few seconds to a few days, although with our current enemies I’d lean more towards seconds/minutes. Our biggest concern atm is actually IEDs.  What are the fraternization rules regarding soldiers/is fraternization really that strict? Officially you can read about this here An expanded-upon answer can be found here. Information about holiday events here. Fraternization across branches here. Short answer yes, the army does tend to take fraternization that seriously, but as with most rules it’s often dependent on the chain of command when it comes to just HOW seriously they take it. There might be demotions, article 15s, verbal and written counselling, changes of station, and there might be, you know...nothing. Personally I think the rules were a lot more strict when I was at home than when I was deployed. During deployment I think people can get away with pretty much anything because in a lot of cases it’d be significantly more detrimental to the unit if they punish the soldier than if they just let it go on until it becomes a problem.  Are women really called “females” in military environments? Yes, as are men called “males.” Calling female service members ladies, women, or girls is considered rude/derogatory. The only exception is female officers, who are called “ladies” as male officers are called “gentlemen.” It’s also now unacceptable in the military to disparage troops by using “girls/ladies/women” as insults. How much money does _____ make? The answer depends not only on the soldier’s rank but also their marital status, deployment status, and their Time in Service (TiS). You can read a good article about it here, but you can always just google “this year’s military pay chart” and something basic will come up. Be sure to take into account whether they have kids or take care of a parent! Where do soldiers get medical care? We normally get seen at the TMC, or Troop Medical Clinic. It can be as small as a trailer or as big as a multi-story hospital. If more intense care is needed, we might be sent to an actual hospital. But soldiers can also just get medical care at any location that offers medical care, whether civilian hospitals or clinics. They won’t be expected to foot the bill as long as they present proof that they’re active duty. Your leadership should be informed if you use civilian health care and if you acquire any medicine from them, and this is considered a sort of “no other option” choice so it shouldn’t be done willy-nilly. Does not (typically) apply to dental or mental health.

What are the most common injuries soldiers face? In combat we most frequently see extremity injuries, (52% of all injuries) and usually from explosives (75%). TBIs are also a common problem. When a soldier is hurt in combat we usually use the word “wounded” over the word “injured.” For the general army, I’d probably say sprained/twisted ankles. In most of the TMCs I went to, you don’t even get examined if you just walk in and say “I twisted my ankle.” They’d just throw you some ACE bandages, some ibuprofen, and the recommendation to ice it. It’s just such a mundane and boring injury, but it’s woefully common not only because of our level of physical exertion, but because the army won’t let you keep off your feet and you’ll be forced to keep working on that bad ankle so that you’ll continue to have problems with it forever.

What kinds of medical conditions disqualify you from service? I’ve gone into more depth/information about it here, but basically any chronic illness will be scrutinized by the military before you join. Mental illness included. If you’ve had bronchitis before, or an invasive surgery, (especially one involving pins or other foreign entities) that might be a DQ. Most allergies are a DQ, although it’s possible to get a waiver for less severe ones. IBS, diabetes, anemia and other similar chronic illnesses are an auto DQ. Even acid reflux is taken into account.  If you develop a chronic illness while enlisted, depending on the severity and how manageable it is, you might be permitted to stay in or you might be medboarded. There are active duty service members with diabetes for example, but if it becomes too much for the army/you to handle, separation might be initiated. So as is so often the case, if you want your soldier to develop a chronic illness, you’ll have to decide just how manageable the illness is. The army will allot time for medical care and give any necessary medication to the soldier.

What is the proper way to capitalize ranks and branches of service?

If you’re listing the rank itself, it’s not capitalized. If you’re using the rank as a title, it is capitalized. ”As the colonel trailed off, the sergeant left without saying a word.” ”As Colonel Vaughn trailed off, Sergeant Torres left without saying a word.” Similarly, if you’re directly saying “the U.S. Army,” it’s capitalized, but if you just say “the army,” it’s not. This is as far as grammar is concerned. As far as the inner workings of the actual military are concerned, these words are often capitalized regardless of their actual practical application. So while I recommend you write the story with the above rules, anything written by a service member will probably vary.

Didn’t you used to be part of the Script Family/are you still scriptsoldier?

Yes! I left Script Family due to my inability to keep this blog on topic, so I’m no longer affiliated, though I have left Medic’s credit up on my blog since I did start this blog because of her hard work and informative posts! I am not shy about sharing my political opinions on this blog, namely because I feel that the military is inherently political due to its chain of command ending directly with the president of the united states. 

What kind of opinions?

I am a leftist and an anarcho-communist. I I think it is reprehensible to join the military for any reason. Those are usually enough lol but there’s more!

Well then, why did you join the army?

Fair, no excuses. But for for context, I was a poor gay loner welfare kid from an abusive home and was targeted by military recruiters who hung around my high school from freshman year until after I graduated. I was convinced that I had no other options and that I would never make it otherwise. I did four years and got out as soon as I could. 

--

That’s all for now! I’ve probably forgotten at least one common question, so do check back now and then to see if I’ve updated the post. Please feel free to ask me any questions that aren’t covered by this post, or to ask for clarifications on things brought up in this post! -Kingsley

I no longer run a Patreon, but if you’ve found my blog helpful, consider buying me a coffee? 

[drcolumbosnotepad]

2Pac | The Notorious B.I.G.

  There is no purer language and anthem for the underdog and the oppressed than Hip-Hop. I admit I’m only a recent convert – like many I bought into the stigma of the genre appropriated by posh kids with black men rapping about drugs, b*tches and h*es. And admittedly that is a large part of the rap topic and on a superficial level it may sound puerile and misogynistic but looking deeper into anything you often find a meaning behind.  This post will focus on the two giants of rap: Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace i.e. 2Pac and Biggie Smalls. When we look at Hip-hop being the anthem of the underdog, both men encapsulated this – both men had uncanny similarities in their fame, success and their murders. Rap can be derided given its very non-PC language and explicit material, admittedly it can be disconcerting but it’s important to note the perspective of the rappers. Both men were brought up by their mothers, with their fathers abandoning them at a young age. Hence from a young age they learnt how to hustle, how to earn money, how to deal with disadvantages, how to be loyal to their brothers and how to be the man of the family. Being fatherless in essence led to a theme of hyper masculinity in both rappers, the themes of money, s*x, b*tches and h*es was superficially the measure of a man – status, women, money, fame etc. But going deeper both rappers rap about topics about loyalty and brotherhood, death and mortality, anger and hope, family and their mothers, race and politics, failure and success…topics that resonate with all of us.

In recent years the Black Lives Matter movement has shown the public are not blind to the racism and social problems and police brutality that still exists even today with several young Black men shot by police. The lyrics of 2Pac and Biggie kick-started such a movement decades before giving a voice to the poverty and injustices in America.

Tupac Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks on June 16, 1971 where he was a pioneer of the West Coast rap movement being a fundamental member of the LA based label, Death Row Records. He was later renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur after the Peruvian revolutionary. Politics and Tupac went hand in hand with a number of family members being active members of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. His themes of violence, struggles of inner city life and social problems struck a chord with listeners and especially disenchanted youth which led to 2pac becoming one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.

The Notorious B.I.G. was born Christopher George Latore Wallace on May 21 1972 where his complete talent behind the microphone, with his manipulation of his flow and pitch to elevate the dark themes he rapped about which were often autobiographical from gritty details of a life of crime to touching stories of struggles of providing for his family, shifted the focus back to the East Coast after a period of West Coast dominance. He was a fundamental member of the New York based record label, Bad Boy Records. His stage name, Biggie Smalls came from Calvin Lockhart’s character in the 1975 film ‘Let’s Do It Again’ as well as his physical size. It was his story of hustle - making it from the bottom to top with such intelligence and darkness in his lyrics that cemented his position among the greats.

The two men had uncanny parallels, aside from being contemporaries and African-American rappers, they shared many similarities. Their fatherless childhood and the devotion from their mothers. Their impact on their respective movements to shift it from a musical trend to a fully conscious worldwide movement. The mythos of their personas, representatives of the African-American community and for young men in America. Their struggles of poverty and riches. Their mercurial positions as modern day poets and gangsters. The supergroups they both formed: 2Pac and Thug Life formed in 1993 and Biggie with Junior M.A.F.I.A. in 1995. Their infamous friendship and fallout that still haunts their biographies - 2Pac rather tastelessly claimed to have had sex with Biggie’s estranged wife in “Hit ‘Em Up” and Biggie’s earlier “Who Shot Ya” where it may allude to the earlier robbery and shooting that 2Pac had been victim of in Manhattan (strangely Biggie was in the same studio that same evening...). And lastly their tragic deaths from Ballistic trauma - both deaths shrouded in mystery and their circumstances as sketchy as a Serial podcast case.

What is astounding about both men is their youth at the death of their deaths. Hearing about the myths of both men you’d expect both to have established careers of around a decade long to shape the genre and culture of coastal rap. What is tragic is both were murdered at their primetime of their lives. Tupac Shakur was murdered at age 25, Christopher Wallace was murdered at age 24...This is astounding as it is tragic - the influence and the sheer charisma of both rappers defined a whole generation and changed a musical genre in its infancy into something politically conscious and personal to become the worldwide movement that hip-hop is today where modern hip-hop still carries the DNA of these two men in their songs.

Ballistic trauma was listed as the cause of death for both men i.e. a gunshot wound (I won’t go into the legal jargon of homicide etc.) Honourable mentions of people you might have heard who were killed by GSW include:

Abraham Lincoln

Alexander Hamilton

John Lennon

Mahatma Gandhi 

Marvin Gaye

Horatio Nelson

Brandon Lee

Kurt Cobain (27 Club)

Vincent Van Gogh 

Ballistic Trauma is defined as the physical trauma sustained from the discharge (the bullet) of guns or munitions. 

The destructive effect of a GSW is related to the tissue disruption by the projectile. In order to assess the severity of a bullet’s effect - the mass and the velocity of the bullet are assessed. The two following physical equations both address mass and velocity where it is clear that wounds produced by missiles of higher mass and/or higher velocity produce greater tissue disruption. Upon striking, bullets may travel at speeds up to 1,500 metres/second depending on the ammunition and gun. 

Kinetic energy: KE = mv2/2 

Impulse: IMP = mv 

Other factors needed to be considered regarding the bullet’s destructive effect include: yaw rotation (left and right rotation to the direction of the bullet), deformation and fragmentation.

Injury occurs in the following ways:

o projectile path - the bullet crushes structures as it passes. Temporary cavitation causes shearing and compression - this can tear or stretch inelastic tissue such as the brain. As tissues recoil and hot gases dissipate, soft tissue collapses inwards with the permanent cavity being the resultant defect.

o kinetic energy transfer occurs during slowing of the bullet which causes damage outside the tract. Factors influencing the efficiency of kinetic energy transfer: kinetic energy of a body proportional to mass and velocity, projectile’s deformation and fragmentation, entrance profile and path travelled through body, biological characteristics of the transit tissues.

The most immediate severe aftereffect of being shot is severe bleeding with a potential for hypovolaemic shock whose severity is graded in (Tennis stages) of percentage of blood loss

1) 15%

2) 15-30%

3) 30-40%

4) 40%

Figure 1: Stages of Hypovolaemic shock (stolen from wikipedia)

See video for more information about hypovolaemic shock: 

Death can result from hypovolaemic shock when there is failure of oxygen delivery to vital organs due to disrupted blood supply due to vessel damage (leaked pipes in a house, no adequate water supply).

Death can occur through exsanguination (bleeding out), pneumothorax if the bullet strikes the lungs, irreversible organ damage etc. Even if bullets do not cause death, they can have severe and long lasting effects often with no complete recovery.

Treatment

 In an medical emergency, the principles of Basic Life Support are always upheld:

DR ABC - primary survey

Danger - check for danger to yourself, two casualties are worse than one

Response - shout, gain the attention, gently shake into order rouse the patient

Airway - check airway is patent (open) - if they are speaking it’s open! If not perform head-tilt-chin lift (avoid in a cervical spine - neck injury) Administer high flow oxygen.

Breathing - count for up to 10 seconds and check if the chest is rising and falling normally. If hypoventilating or apnoeic - bag and mask ventilation is necessary prior to intubation and ventilation. If suspected damage to lung by a projectile - insert a chest drain. 

Call 999

Circulation - treat for shock, determine capillary refill time, pulse. Gain IV access. Crossmatch blood (determining blood type) for blood transfusion. 

Disability - Neurological status assessment. AVPU (alert, voice, pain, unconscious) and GCS (Glasgow coma scale). Pupillary response 

Exposure - removal of clothing by medical professionals to inspect wound - both entry and exit wounds.

Fluid - checking for fluids: bloods, CSF

Glucose - checking for blood glucose

Further investigations include the determination of what type of weapon was used, the entry and exit wound (often the exit wound is far larger due to the defragmentation of the bullet) and what structures have been damaged.

The management of all patients with GSW include:

o cross-matching of six units of blood

o one/two large bore IV cannula (14G - orange) for rapid fluid replacement. 

o Avoid hypertension (may exacerbate blood loss) aim for systolic BP of 100-110 mm Hg

o X-ray: AP and lateral in area involved as well as one body region above and below.

o Monitoring of vital signs: HR, BP, RR, O2. Blood gases. ECG monitoring

o Transfer to HDU or ICU.

Depending on the body region affected, the effects can range from moderate to life threatening.

Tupac Shakur was shot four times: twice in the chest with one bullet entering his right lung, once in the arm and thigh on September 7 1996 following the Bruce Seldon vs Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas. He was transferred to the University Medical Centre of Southern Nevada  where he was placed under a barbiturate induced coma and later died of internal bleeding on 13 September 1996 at 4:03 pm (PDT). 

Biggie Smalls was shot four times in the chest on March 9 1997 following the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards in LA, his attacker was an  unknown assailant who pulled up from a black Chevy Impala next to the the truck carrying him. He was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but at 1:15 am was pronounced dead. 

Management of chest injuries

The most common injury from a GSW to the chest is a haemopneumothorax from damage to the lung and chest wall. Management requires a large 32G chest drain with further deterioration warranting a resuscitative thoracotamy (cracking open the chest) 

Tension pneumothorax is when an injury to the lung allows air inside the lung but doesn’t allow it to escape - causing a one-way valve with accumulating air inside the lung which then compresses the opposite lung and blocks blood flow back to the heart (venous flow). This leads to circulatory instability and may lead to a cardiac arrest (heart attack). The management of a tension pneumothorax is needling the chest on the affected side (can tell by tracheal deviation away from affected side and hyper-resonance - due to increased air) then inserting a 32 G chest drain to expel the air out.

Infection - early drainage of a haemothorax and wide debridement of damaged tissue, delaying the premature closure of wounds and the prolonged use of antibiotics are all necessary to prevent infection the mediastinum (chest area)

Management of cardiac tamponade

Cardiac tamponade is when fluid (blood) builds up in the sac around the heart (pericardium) and begins to compress the heart. The clues in detecting a cardiac tamponade include:

o Beck’s triad - rising venous pressure - increased JVP (pronounced jugular vein on neck), falling systemic pressure (low blood pressure), small quiet heart - muffled heart sounds.

o Pulsus paradoxus - an abnormally large decrease in the systolic blood pressure with inspiration

o Pericardial aspiration in order to remove fluid in pericardial sac. 

o Relief of a tamponade is via the insertion of a 18G needle to the left of the xiphoid (pericardiocentesis) via echocardiogram guidance. 

 Management of abdominal injuries

Full exploratory laparotomy (incision in abdominal cavity to explore internal contents)

CT scan is used to rule out damage to internal organs

Broad spectrum antibiotics should be administered early.

 Management of limb injuries

Testing for pulses, sensation, sweating and the limb as a whole to determine the condition of the limb.

 Wound closure

High velocity bullets designed to stay intact after impact often suck foreign material (normally clothing) through the entry and exit wounds. Wide excision or fasciotomy  (removal of tissue) may be required to clear foreign material and dead tissue. The primary suture of the wound is often delayed at 3-5 days. GSWs are very prone to anaerobic infection such as tetanus and gangrene where it is key that tetanus cover is up to date and IV antibiotic prophylaxis of 24-48h duration is necessary. 

Conclusion

Police should be informed ASAP regarding any GSW. Disclosure of personal information may be deemed necessary for public interest and safety. 

GSWs are still rife and with the dawn of new technologies such as 3D printers, monitoring of firearms may become more difficult. It is clear from the statistics that countries with legal possession of firearms have higher rates of GSWs and death. It isn’t my place to comment on the 2nd ammendment in the USA but when young kids and innocent lives are lost in such a way, one has to think of the impact of the possession of firearms in a modern society.

Regarding the two heavyweights of hip-hop who both lost their lives to GSWs, their legacy has aged like a diamond in the subsequent years. It is more than clear that the premature end of their lives and careers was a tragedy beyond measure that the hip-hop world will never shift and if anything has become defined by. They both encapsulated the disillusioned Black man in America and the struggles that resonated with millions of others. It has become clear that there will never be talents like these two men again in the 20 odd years since their deaths - 2Pac’s thug poet, a leader for his people against the everyday struggles in Oakland and America, encapsulating them in his passionate and timeless lyrics. And Biggie’s intelligent hustler personality resonated throughout his short career, and whose mastery of the spoken word will probably never be matched again, his flow and pitch setting the benchmark as to how a rapper could elevate meaningful lyrics to something higher. So the million dollar question - who’s better? Unfortunately there’s no clear answer I will give after listening to both religiously for the past few months - it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Just be glad that both existed and elevated hip-hop, the genre of the underdog into something greater and where the voices of Black and POC communities came to the forefront in America and the world.

Further reading:

https://www.wired.com/2015/12/what-really-happens-when-you-get-shot/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkDE2JQKf18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVrwvMxFx1g 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTsjCZ9QxW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0-K2RcThi0