Moderately incapacitating injury for Greek mythology crossover fanfic

[hyarrowen]

Setting: Ancient Greece, more or less.

I need an injury for my POV character. Trouble is, I'm extremely squeamish, and I've been making myself feel rather ill by looking through the entries here. So, since it will only take up a couple of paras in the fic, I wonder if anyone can help me out with something suitable?

My MC is an experienced soldier but

Comments

[clawfoot]

I'm not sure what you're looking for here. You could honestly use just about anything. Stab wound? Torn ligament in his leg? Dislocated shoulder? Broken nose? Head trauma of some sort? A black eye and split lip?

The main question I have is what do you need out of his injured state? Does he need to bleed? Be mentally addled? Be incapacitated but not in danger of dying? Is there something you need him to do while injured or something you need him to be prevented from doing?

[hyarrowen]

Ah, thank-you - you've made me think a bit harder. Not addled, because he has to plead his case with the dragon, but injured enough that he can barely stand. Incapacitated, in fact, but just about able to survive being roared back to his friends. He can't just get back to them the way he came, because it's a very long way. Chiron and Aesculapius will be able to cure him overnight, but that's what they do!

[punch]

Well, the Greeks were pretty gory.

How about something along the lines of pulling a ligament in his leg? It could get bad enough to put him out of action for a short while, but doesn't involve blood.

[hyarrowen]

I was skim-reading and I still felt pretty ill - but by golly, they knew how to tell a tale.

Torn ligament seems to be a consensus, and I've suffered one of those myself. I'll think it over - might well be the answer!

[marjun]

Maybe a concussion? A whack from the flat of a sword or a club could do it, and a cheap shot would make his opponent even more "unpleasant." Your MC would definitely not be feeling well, perhaps nauseous, in pain, maybe taking longer to respond in conversation, dizzy, etc.

[hyarrowen]

Thnak-you - that's going into the stew-pot!

[oroburos69]

Eh, ruptured Achilles tendon? You can stand, more or less, but walking sucks. Also, so very Greek.

[hyarrowen]

Also, so very Greek.

That made me laugh! Yes, tendon or ligament is a good way to go, I think.

[hyarrowen]

Given the setting - which is only sort-of Greece - bugs aren't likely to be a problem. But it's odd that you mention dysentery, because that's how my MC died, historically speaking. (The classics I read were oddly silent on the subject!)