What is this character's prognosis?

Two things that occur to me right of the bat are sepsis, and a badly set leg. Crippled he could live, but sepsis will kill you. He will need antibiotics.

@dpworkin I figured. That’s why we might turn him into a vampire eventually!

Can’t he have someone steal him some antibiotics from a pharmacy?

@dpworkin The only other people in the house are Zale & Thomas.

Zale: Name a mental disorder, & he probably has it.
Thomas: Slightly better of than his boyfriend Zale, but he got caught by the pound once stealing from a trashcan.

I’m no medical professional. I wonder if, since he’s sadomasochistic, perhaps he could set his leg with a drill and an erector set or metal bar or something goofy… externally. He would then have a home-made metal brace screwed in or around his leg, and it would look cool. Perhaps it can be used to his advantage later in the story (kicking people in the head).

His friend Michael won’t take him to hospital, but his mother will.
He is kidnapped from the hospital by a organ-harvesting gang who kill him, only to find that, after taking them out, that one lung was punctured after all.

Hospitals usually have to report gun shot wounds. Perhaps he could find some homeopathic shaman, accupunture / herbalist or whatever that will treat him on the down low? I don’t even know if that stuff works. Anyway, I love creative writing. Keep it up! I want to know how the story ends.

@escapedone7 I like that idea! And yes, “that stuff” does work. I haven’t even decieded if the town has an actual hospital!
@rebbel His family was killed when his town was destroyed.

@Draconess25
My bad.
You can let him live then.

@rebbel Poor Switchblade! His life sucks miserably, & he’s usually to drunk to realize it!

Michael, in the course of doing what he does (preferably in a seedy part of town) hears of a shady doctor (which is not the same as a witch doctor) who will treat people, no questions asked, so long as you pay enough, and throw in a bottle or two of brandy as well. Or maybe schnapps.

Why is he in this town? How did he get a boyfriend? What is his goal? Is he a hero or just a side character? Why do you want to save him (or not)? Is there any particular reason we should give a shit? A gay, alcoholic, sadist who appears to be a drifter. I don’t get it. Right now I really wouldn’t care if he died.

@wundayatta He was just an ordinary 19-year-old, who just wanted to party & have a good time. His parents were still together, he had 2 little brothers, & a good home life. He just happened to be the leader of his town’s militia. One day, these assholes called The Shade decided to bomb his town. Everything he ever cared about was lost.

Extremely traumatized, he went around getting into drunken fights. Four years later, he is now wanted in every place he’s been to. Running from the law once again, he made his way to a small town near Stockholm. He heard an explosion (which brings back bad memories) while he was resting by a brick wall, & a redheaded boy jumps over the wall, laughing. After a brief exchange of words, the redhead (Michael) learns that Switchblade is homeless, & offers to share his apartment.

His main goal is to survive, & he doesn’t even know why he tries. He’s like an anti-hero (like all of our characters). And he’s not gay. He’s bisexual.

Well, clearly he must find some meaning in life or to life, or he’ll just let the drink kill him. Redeemed or not, there must be something that makes him worth reading about. Right now I say you should let him die. There’s no reason to care about him, as a character. Why do you care about him?

@wundayatta Well, later on in the story, he’s going to save Michael from a rabid vampire attack. He may or may not become a vampire. His problem is that he needs someone to love & be loved by. All his loved ones are dead, except for Michael. He really only just met Michael.

I tend to be drawn to characters who have (or have had) a bad life. Also, I helped create him. Even though he’s my girlfriend’s character for the most part, he’s a part of both of us. He’s occasionally a source of comic relief, because he can be so childlike at times.

Ah well. We all have that problem. Being loved and loving. ANyway, good luck with your story.

@wundayatta The only normal thing he’s good at is building motorcycles & chess.

@Draconess25 Let’s say the leg develops gangrene. Emergency amputation below the knee. Since you don’t want hospitals, let’s use a motorcycle repair shop.Tire inner tube tourniquet, band saw for the cutting, cauterize with an acetylene torch. Maybe some herbal antiseptic from a Lapp shaman. Let’s construct him a prosthetic from a front strut assembly off an old Ural motorcycle…how do we work some zombies into this story? Bobby Fischer risen from the dead! We also have to get our hero to go after the dudes who messed him up. Have him do it with a chainsaw. Then bring on the vampires. Werewolves are popular these days too.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Brilliant! And we have a werewolf, too! And a bunch of vamps!

I just sent this Q to @Symbeline. She loves this kind of stuff.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Yay! This is getting interesting….