Day Twenty: Trope: Sickening "Crunch!" / "That didn't sound good." / Broken Bones

Drileyf asks for Virgil. With thanks to Sineater for help with the setting and the reference to her work King Of Speed which you can read on AO3.


Trope: If someone breaks a bone in fiction, usually they'll inform the other characters, and people will act accordingly. But sometimes, a writer may want to make the viewer or reader realize the character has been injured immediately, perhaps convey that it's serious or incredibly painful.

In TV, this means making the sound of a broken bone (crack!) a bit louder, frequently with the foley noise of a breaking stick or a stalk of celery. In literature, this means taking the time to describe the sound ("...with a sickening crunch"). It doesn't have to be a broken bone, either. Maybe a character's heart is struggling, and the viewer will hear that character's heartbeat from time to time.


Characters: Virgil, Scott

Warnings: Broken bones


Scott was the adrenaline junkie of the family. Sure, he loved his speed and most people thought he was a speed demon, but they would be wrong. Very wrong. (That would be John's title).

All Scott wanted to do was jump higher, climb further, run faster and do something to get that buzz. International Rescue, while a serious business, filled that need most of the time.

There were times that he just needed to feel that adrenaline on his own terms. Oftentimes he could be found free-climbing the volcano they affectionately called Tracy Peak (because their dad had no imagination when it came to names, I mean, come on – Tracy Island?)

Sometimes he would go mountain climbing with either John or Virgil, both having very different preferences. John liked the endurance climb, picking ranges that may have been slightly gentler but were longer. Virgil preferred straight-up climbing, just with the appropriate safety gear. Neither Gordon nor Alan showed any interest in climbing – yet.

Safety gear might have been a must for Virgil, but no matter how careful he was, how conscientious he was, equipment failed.

One minute Scott's leading the way as they climb in the Chiricahuas, the next Virgil is leaning out and grasping his brother's hand as something went wrong.

There was a grinding in Virgil's shoulder as he took the full weight of his brother, and he bit back a scream. He swung Scott a little closer to the face and Scott latched on beneath him, securing himself.

They took a minute to just catch their breath before Scott patted his ankle.

'That's enough for today. Let's head back.'

'FAB, Scott.'

'Are you going to manage with that shoulder?'

Of course the Smotherhen had noticed his shoulder. Wrenched it may be, but Virgil had had to work through much worse. He'd just be slower, that was all. He was desperate to check their equipment over and find out what had given, though he suspected a piton had been at fault and he needed to check the rest before they even thought about climbing again this vacation.

Virgil was so busy thinking over what he needed to do once they were down he wasn't paying enough attention to the here and now, something that could easily happen when his engineering head was engaged.

He didn't notice Scott shift to the side around the rock they had avoided. Not until his foot struck it awkwardly and caused him to twist…and fall.

Rolling down the side of the rock and slamming into the surface underneath it.

Bones crunched and something popped. Audibly.

His shoulder.

Scott's arm.

'That didn't sound good,' Virgil commented.

'You think?' came Scott's dry reply.

Still, Scott held him firm. They hung there for a moment, neither in a position to actually do anything.

That wasn't going to stop his brother though, and with a grimace Scott attempted to pull him up.

'Scott, no! Stop!'

'Gotta get you secure, Virg.'

'No, wait! Wait!'

Scott stopped immediately.

Virgil looked around them. There was nothing but rock and forest above and beneath them, and no way to go up or down without further damage to both of them, and he sighed heavily.

They both realised it at the same time, and Virgil couldn't help but grin as Scott's face fell, even if it was his fault. In reply Scott rolled his eyes.

'We are never going to hear the end of this, are we?'

'Probably not. You do know our brothers.'

'Yeah. Do it.'

Virgil lifted his hand up and made the call.

'Calling International Rescue…'