thomasce

[thomasce]

i feel like i should make a little tattoo tour or something. would that be fun? like if i did that?

[thomasce]

what is it about getting a tattoo that makes you itchy???

[thomasce]

the amount of caffeine in my body after an overnight shift is dangerously high

[thomasce]

QUARTET | Project : Desert 4th Anniversary

I know how scary it is... To know you were part of something but to be all that is left. Perhaps that’s why we met, and why I search for what remains...

QUARTET is a collection of poems centered around four characters— a little prince, a silhouette, a tyrant, and a traveler. It is a part of larger project known as An Immortal Laid to Rest, a novella currently in development.

Includes four poems and four page illustrations. Available as a digital PDF, including a printable version as well as high-resolution versions of page illustrations. Read it for free on itch.io!

Thank you again for supporting me for this long. I hope you enjoy reading QUARTET and happy 4th anniversary!!

[thomasce]

Finished my pride piece! Made it just under the wire again this year. Remember, even if pride month is over, you should always be free to love yourself and who you are, 24/7, 365 days a year.

[thomasce]

Making fanfiction of my own shit, life is going great

[thomasce]

Hello I’ve seen your posts on autopsies and forensics and I was wondering if you could answer a couple questions seeing as I want to be an autopsy forensic technician

What would be the best degree or field of study to go into for that and would those classes be like the ones you were in?

do I need a medical degree?

3. How difficult are those classes?

4. any other advice ?

thank you so much for your time lol this would really help ❤️

Hi! Thanks for your question!

The degree requirements for a forensic autopsy technician (also known as a forensic pathology technician) is this: a bachelor's in chemistry, biology, anthropology, nursing, pharmacy, natural sciences, mathematics, or criminal justice. I RECOMMEND a bachelors in biology or nursing, as those will prepare you the most.

TO BE A TECH, you do NOT need a medical degree. Just a bachelor's. You need your MD to be a Medical Examiner, as well as board certification through the Board of Clinical Pathology. I have a board certification for phlebotomy, which you do not need an MD for.

I would say class difficulty depends on a few things, mainly a) what your college offers in your pathway, b) what level those classes are, c) your concentration, and d) your study habits. Accredited 4-year universities will have the same basic courses with a few additional requirements depending on where you go. They will also have lower level (200) courses and higher levels (300) of the same courses. I took one lower level A&P (anatomy) course and passed with an A. The same course and the additional course (A&P 1 & 2) at the 300 level I passed with Cs despite them being relatively the same material. Your concentration will also impact this. Mine was specifically human anatomy and mortuary sciences, whereas a pre-med is going to have a few different classes. Like I only needed Organic Chem I, my pre-med friends needed Orgo I&II followed by biochem. And then, obviously, your ability to study determines how well you do in your classes.

I don't think I have any advice other than this: if you have not seen an autopsy live, in person, in that morgue suite, see if you can get an internship or shadow a medical examiner. That's the only way to know that you can actually handle it. The sight won't take most people out, but the smell certainly can.

[thomasce]

hey there! i saw that you posted something on being an autopsy assistant/intern a little while ago, and i've been very interested in doing something in forensics for a very long time. but, i had a few questions if youre willing/able to share! 1. i've heard that most of forensics is a complete pseudoscience. especially methods relating to crime scene analysis and the identification of those involved. is this true? if some are, which methods specifically? 2. im assuming you took classes on forensics/autopsies before your internship. what were some things that the class(es) didn't prepare you for? things that surprised you, etc.? 3. what did you like about being involved in that field vs. what did you dislike? 4. what kinds of traits/abilities do you think would best suit somebody going into forensics? 5. any other advice for somebody exploring forensic careers? thank you so much for your time! i know some of these might be a little personal or too broad or whatever it may be, so dont feel pressured to answer any of these that youre uncomfortable with!

Hey there! Glad you're taking interest in what I do! Let's get into it!

1. So I was specifically in forensic pathology. This is a field of study involved in death investigations. This isn't necessarily a pseudoscience, as medical examiners have to inspect tissues using staining and microscopes for any irregularities. Things like forensic biology, drug chemistry, and blood splatter analysis all fall under sciences like microbiology, human biology, organic chemistry, and mathematics. I would say crime scene analysis is the only thing close to a "pseudoscience".

2. So my classes looked like this: genetics, organismal biology, and anatomy and physiology. I did not take any forensic or criminal justice specific class. The classes, forensic or not, never prepare you for the smells. This, however, you can get used to. Every day in that internship was a surprise, not gonna lie.

3. I really liked seeing so many new things and getting experience with handling confidential cases. Things that I disliked you can never be prepared for and never get used to. Unfortunately, I can't really elaborate further.

4. Someone with a strong stomach and the ability to empathize later, not in the present. You can't shut down during autopsies or on a crime scene. You need to be able to pack it away for when you're alone.

5. Jump into it! Look for internships so you can experience it firsthand. Theory is one thing. Being there and seeing and feeling and smelling everything is another.

Thanks for the ask!

[thomasce]

Autopsy Reference Page

A little intro:

I worked in a morgue for about a year as an autopsy assistant / intern. I have a portfolio and a certificate and everything. I've seen a lot of character designs with autopsy scars in them and stories with autopsies featured as a major event and wanted to provide some information on how autopsies through the justice system work, specifically FROM MY EXPERIENCE. This will not apply to private autopsies, though I will include a little bit of what I know about those at the end of this post.

If you are sensitive to gore, go ahead and skip this page. If you like writing gore or learning more about this stuff, welcome!

First thing's first: Who approves an autopsy?

Generally, it is the District Attorney. A DA will approve an autopsy for the following reasons:

It's a suspicious death

It was caused by the victim (self-inflicted)

It was an obvious homicide

It falls under the conditions stated in the state's constitution or laws

What conditions could those be?

This is going to sound really morbid, but most states have a clause that dictates any deaths in which the decedent is under 12 months of age must be autopsied. That's the biggest reason cited in laws outside of criminal justice cases.

Who performs an autopsy?

The people performing the actual evisceration are called Medical Examiners. In order to be a medical examiner, you must have a Medical Doctorate and be board certified in Forensic Pathology.

The Medical Examiner will also have a team of Forensic Pathology Technicians that help them before, during, and after evisceration. They often consist of both Dry Techs and Wet Techs. The difference between the two is that Dry Techs do not dress out in personal protective equipment (PPE) and will log things in whichever system the lab utilizes. Wet Techs assist in the autopsy by taking x-rays, removing organs, and weighing the organs.

What is PPE?

Standard PPE consists of a plastic gown, double disposable gloves to the wrist, disposable gloves to the elbow, boot covers, a surgical mask, a face shield, and what is known as a bouffant cap (the hair net / cap things you see surgeons wear in tv shows and movies).

The order I always put my PPE on was: boot covers, gown (with thumbs through the thumb holes), gloves #1, face mask, bouffant cap, gloves #2, face shield, elbow gloves.

Let's get into what you guys are really here for:

What does a standard autopsy look like?

So I like to make a distinction between these three stages: pre-autopsy, autopsy, post-autopsy.

Pre-autopsy is everything that happens before the body is open. This includes:

Weighing the gurney with the body bag on it

Moving the body bag from the gurney to the autopsy table

Taking pictures of the body bag BEFORE the seal is opened

Cutting the seal

Taking pictures of the body in the bag

Moving the body out of the bag

Taking more photos of the front, side, back, arms, and hands

Drawing toxicology (blood, urine, vitreous)

Taking fingerprints

The autopsy is when the Y-incision is created and the following occurs:

The organs of the thoracic cavity are taken, weighed, and eviscerated

The organs of the abdominopelvic cavity are taken, weighed, and eviscerated

The head is opened and the brain is taken, weighed, and eviscerated

The pituitary gland is removed

The esophagus and tongue are taken, weighed, and eviscerated

All organs are placed into a plastic bag

Post-autopsy includes:

Moving the body back to the bag

Placing the bag inside the thoracic cavity

Stitching the Y-incision closed

Cleaning any instruments used

Cleaning all surfaces, including the autopsy table and sink

Mopping the floor

In my experience, some of the things done during pre-autopsy, such as drawing toxicology and fingerprinting, can be done during the actual autopsy.

Why is toxicology important?

Toxicology is how we gain DNA and fluids for testing. Vitreous (fluid from the eyes) and Urine (fluid from the bladder) can be tested for metabolism of ethanol (alcohol) and other substances. Blood is used in testing for things like ethanol (alcohol) and CO (carbon monoxide) as well as DNA for identification.

Why do we need blood for identification?

In homicide cases, two forms of scientific identification are necessary. The order of importance / credibility of DNA collection is:

Visual identification - if they have an ID on them and we can tell that they are the person on the ID

Blood - a blood stain card is taken to test for identity

Fingerprints

Dental - if we have NOTHING ELSE, a forensic odontologist is called in to compare dental records to the teeth of the decedent

Little facts:

We do the Y-incision specifically for the funeral homes

Anything that you die with that the police doesn't collect for the family before the autopsy is put in holding until your body is released to the funeral home - including money

When blood has CO in it, it becomes a dark cherry red

Different needle sizes are used for drawing toxicology. The smallest size used is a 25-gauge. The largest is a 16-gauge.

Blood is drawn in this order: femoral (thigh), pericardial (around the heart), cardiac (in the heart)

Private autopsies are costly, ranging from $3000 to $5000

i think that's everything important. If you have any questions, have any additions, or find that this helped, send me an ask and let me know!

Be free!!!

[thomasce]

sitting watching my classmates present and the professor straight up stopped a group midway through theirs bc they gave us false information about spike proteins and the covid vaccine

I wouldve started heaving i think

[thomasce]

Project Windchill: WIP intro (Updated)

Project Windchill is the project title of an ongoing multichapter duology. Here's what you need to know!

This is the journey of Jeremy Elden - a young, previously-normal college student - to bring down the systems that oppress his newfound friends (and himself). He wasn't aware that he would belong to a community that wasn't even supposed to exist.

In the face of adversity and oppression from the powers in place, Jeremy must learn to control the new power burning through him - almost literally - as he grows to accept that the authorities in his life had no idea how to prepare him for something like this. How could they when they didn't even know a situation like this was possible? Now, he is relearning everything about the world from friends and mentors - both new and old.

Can he live up to being their chosen one? Can he be the foretold savior? Or will he crumble under the pressure? Will he fail the people he has grown to care for?

Everyone knows there are 12 months in a full year. 365.25 days to the Earth's rotation. But what if that's only part of a much bigger picture? In this world, there are 15 months, but only 5% of the world's population seems to be aware. The other 95% are sleeping away, controlled by the global powers through means that are artificial intelligence nature. Forced into a deep sleep, these people lose three months of their year to an uncontested war.

Details:

Genre: Adult speculative fiction novel

Setting: Midland, Michigan

Themes: fighting against oppression, freedom of expression, self-discovery

Content Warnings: character death, explicit and graphic depictions of violence

Features: LGBTQ+ protagonist and supporting cast, multiracial cast

Status: Draft 1 (Chapter 4/22)

Projected Release Date: TBD

Main Character

Jeremy Elden (21) - a spirited college student. His new kid status hasn't gotten him many friends in the rebellion, but his place in the prophecy definitely does.

Supporting Cast

David Marino (22) - A young man with a strange fascination - Jeremy. What started as hero worship becomes quiet endearment as he comes to realize that Jeremy is nothing more than a human disaster.

Quincy Jackson (23) - A human lie detector. They are also Jeremy's best friend, having met him in college. Jeremy never would have suspected that his friend would be expecting him to save the world.

Terry Jackson (27) - The brute force powerhouse of the Rebellion and Quincy's buffer, hotter older brother. He is the "body" to Quincy's "soul", the two being nearly inseparable despite the age difference.

Antagonists

Beelzebub (19) - A master tactician. Despite his young age, he commands the Extermination Task Force of the United States government. Though, that isn't as interesting as him being a mutant himself.

Samael (18) - A boy that burns with the fury of angels. He knows how to kill quickly and silently, just as any avenging angel should. Not that he enjoys so much death. It's a shame that he doesn't have much of a choice.

Navigation

WIP Page: TBA

Main Tag: #project : windchill

Project updates: #pro:wind updates

About the Author

C.E. Thomas is a writer with an interest in mythology and conspiracy theories. While they do not believe in these stories, they love incorporating them into their works. They write mainly for fun, as their degree is in the S.T.E.M. field.

[thomasce]

Quincy and Terry Jackson Redesigns!

[thomasce]

ocs. have you guys heard about this?

[thomasce]

Jeremy Elden and David Marino redesigns!

They needed better palettes and better outfits bc one year ago me had no idea what he was doing :)

[thomasce]

Reblog and put in the tags which fandom you've spent the longest time in.

[thomasce]

Humor me for a second...

It's always fun going back and looking at my old art to see where I'm at now in terms of skill. Multiple art studies and color practice later and I'm going from this:

to this:

[thomasce]

Designing a new character is fun, but now I have brainrot for this lady. Everyone meet Teklah "Brat Reject" Fletcher, a character for the cyberpunk campaign that I'm playing bc my other character died... again. How do I keep doing this?