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CinderFrost Pg #18 by demicoeur

CinderFrost Pg #18

demicoeur

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Time for some fun facts about hypothermia!

  • One of the lowest survived body temperatures of any individual was 13.7 C (56.7 F)
  • In a strange phenomenon known as paradoxical undressing, hypothermia victims will shed all their clothing
  • Inuit peoples, due to living in subzero temperatures their whole lives, developed an adaptation wherein the body sends intermittent surges of blood and heat to their extremities, allowing them to use their hands and manipulate tools without gloves on (though info is skewed on whether this is actually how it works, it does stand to reason that they're much better at withstanding the cold than the average person)
  • It's a myth that you lose more heat from your head than anywhere else; you lose heat from any exposed body part equally. Our face is usually the only part we leave uncovered in cold weather, though, so it stands to reason that without a hat you'll lose heat more quickly than without.
  • Once your body has reached a certain temperature, your brain no longer needs as much oxygen to survive. This delays cell death in the brain, so even if your heart stops, it's still possible to bring you back

Hypothermia is really difficult to calculate; it's dependent on body mass, outside temperature, clothing insulation, and whether you're in open air or freezing water. So, it was basically impossible for me to calculate how long it would take Frost to get hypothermia in the conditions I've got him in, here. The assumption I've made is that his fur isn't very insulating (like a human, he lives mostly indoors in climate controlled environment, so he'd have no need to grow a winter coat). Also, he doesn't pig out and build up fat stores like real animals, so he's about as well-protected as a human, give or take. In this temperature, five minutes is all it would take for exposed skin to freeze. Just assume the walk was long enough that he'd have already met the impaired muscle coordination stage of hypothermia before he reached home >_>
(Sorry for the info dump; I did a lot of research and found a lot of these factoids interesting enough to share, plus I knew some might question how a furry could get hypothermia in the first place).

That said. I was outside in -25 weather and I saw a guy in shorts who didn't look cold at all. Canadians are mental. For me, -10 is comfy, once it goes below -20 though fuck that.

Next page is already done and will be updated next Friday :)

Submission Information

Views:
12211
Comments:
59
Favorites:
147
Rating:
General
Category:
Visual / Digital

Comments

  • Link

    really interesting info there, had heard about the paradoxical undressing before
    -10 is not comfy for me anymore, haha, I like it warm and from the point where my breath freezes on my hair/clothes it's just too damn cold for me xD

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      I prefer warm days, but once it goes over about 25C here the humidity becomes so unbearable and makes me wish for winter again lol

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        I get you, heat + humidity = awful. Especially for my hair and at work, ugh.
        Usually in summer it's not as humid here, but it tends to get very hot the past 2 years, up to 35-40° which is way too hot again.

        A summer with 24° and acceptable humidity is the best.

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    Sounds like you really put yourself into your work, researching facts and imagining how your character would feel. Its no wonder why your pieces look so lively (even in these moments). I'm looking forward to next pages. .

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      Aww thankyou T_T I love doing research on this sort of thing. I find a lot of it fascinating - really amazing what the body can do and withstand.

  • Link

    Pretty heartbreaking to see anyone in that kind of situation.

    Also, appreciate the little information on hypothermia at the bottom. That was a nice addition.

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    I have a firm belief Canadians are cold blooded for obvious reasons >.>

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      I once saw this gif captioned 'how canadian's are born' XD http://tinyurl.com/otaosur

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        That's absolutely perfect xDD Thanks for sharing haha!

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        lool yessss, tho...thats a russian..so I think with it being same kinda temperature zone...same thing applies

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    I live in a place where -37 is pretty common aye. However, I must say going from -10 to -37 really is a cold wave, and I (thankfully)haven't experienced one of those. Sounds terrifying (and I hate the cold so much)

    All that nonsense being said, another great page! Actually made me a bit sad even though we already know the outcome of this event XD you sure have successfully made lovable characters (even Cinder!)

    • Link

      That kind of dip in temperature is not very common. There is a record of a temperature drop of 27 C in five minutes though, so at least I know it's possible XD

      • Link

        Oh aye shivers thinking about it that's quite the record! Do you happen to know where it was?

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          Was in Rapid City, South Dakota, I believe. Some sources say the drop was 27 degrees, others say 26. Either way it was steep. However, I can't find what the actual temperature was (whether it went from seriously hot to normal or from normal to seriously cold). I decided I was going to pull the creative license card there XD

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            Oh wow, I expected it to be in Canada hahaa whew
            That's a good point. I sure hope it wasn't normal-seriously cold D:

            It is our RIGHT as artists to abuse use our creative license!

  • Link

    How do you do the First Previous Next buttons on the top? <3

    • Link

      I put the text in square brackets like so: [NEXT] Immediately followed by the link in parentheses: (url). No spaces :) Under the 'help' heading there's a section on markdown formatting so you can get more coding stuff there.

  • Link

    Good research, and a realistic depiction of the issues that come with hypothermia. Him wanting to sleep is definitely the sort of thing that eventually happens. From speaking to folks who have been through it (used to teach first aid and did disaster response work), eventually the shivering stops and you just feel warm, content and sleepy.

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      I was so tempted to go in depth with the various hypothermic responses but it seemed more realistic for Frost to be a little vague (seeing as memory loss is another symptom). I'm glad it seems realistic to you, seeing as you worked in disaster response :D Thanks!

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        Welcome. :) Enjoying the series so far!

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    I used to live up in central Alaska. Dealt with temperatures like this all the time. But, for whatever dumb reason, I feel colder living on the west coast of the USA than I ever felt up in Fairbanks! Thermometer says it's 37 degrees (fahrenheit, mind you) and yet I feel colder than at zero in Alaska. It must be the humidity. Either way, the weather here ticks me off. It shouldn't feel that cold yet not get snowy.

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      Humidity makes all the difference. Damp cold chills you to the bones. Much like humid heat. I can't stand it when it gets hot here because the humidity is unbearable.

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      Check your windchill too. Weather.com will factor them in for you to give an accurate temperature. In my area today, we are at 19F but with humidity and wind factored in it "feels" like 8F. (-7C and -13C)

  • Link

    Oooh I like the little facts. And anything below 70 is uncomfortable for me D: you people
    are crazy haha

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    I rock shorts in -20 all the time. Canadian too. But where I'm from, -60 degrees centigrade is pretty common in winter.

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    ha... ONLY -10.... gees! This is all very relevant to that polar vortex crap happening in the states :P Still love this comic, story, art, all of it :3 Well done.

  • Link

    NUUU! Don't diiiiie! <:(
    VERY beautifully done comic here! <:D

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      Don't worry, this is storytelling time from before the time the story itself takes part in, so he did survive. :3

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        For a second there I was like "Whaaaa?" ^^; LOL

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    (thank you for the info!
    And I love your paneling! You just have this way (in all your comics) to mix the outstranding art with well done narrative storytelling. <3

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    That last panel is beautiful. Heartbreaking, but beautiful. And <3 to the hypothermia facts!!

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    Yup, this... Nice flashbacky time. I approve!

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    After feeling what -37 feels like. Some how -10 doesn't feel so bad anymore. I am a huge baby when it comes to being cold XD

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    It has been around the high 20s, low 30s where I am at, and it is like our entire town has shut down.. Southern Texans are not used to this weather.. Staying inside!

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    It's so easy for me to forget about adaptation when people talk about domesticated animals. When I read about zoo keepers bringing in polar bears from the cold during that polar vortex early this month, I flipped out. It's the apocalypse, they said. But no, the poor polar bears just didn't have their standard winter attire :P

    It's -12 C out here now. Every time I have to go somewhere I get irrationally angry X___x

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      I get irrationally angry in the heat moreso than the cold lmao. If it's really inescapably hot and I don't have air conditioning I develop pent up hatred for weather and I'm intolerable to be around XD

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        That's usually me too, but this isn't your average everyday cold. This is... ADVANCED cold. T_T

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    Pretty good info + comic page, well done! Cant say any much since i see most people commented what i was gonna say xD.

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    SO glad you are putting this comic here :3 I love your painty style, and this comic is a great way to get a fill of it, especially since it's got all sorts of colors and expressions to look at :3

  • Link

    lovely page, and saaddd

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    Really impressed by the level of research here. I don't know that this would have even gone beyond my suspension of disbelief, but I love when people show their work, so to speak.

  • Link

    Awesome facts, I didn't know a lot of that! :P
    I really really like the last panel, Demi. Your expressions are so spot on you can really feel he's just given up and is freezing.

    Poor guy ;_;

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    That last panel is maybe the best thing I've seen you draw in this comic, if not since I've been following you. Not only is the detail exquisitely and tenderly rendered, it's the first panel of the comic that really shows a sort of cinematic framing. Most of the panels so far are either middle-distance or standard 3/4 portraits, but that last image really makes us connect with Frost's vulnerability. Awesome!

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      Thank you! I haven't really had a chance to do anything truly 'cinematic' yet because a lot of this comic contains dialogue. I like dialogue perhaps a bit too much >_> But dramatizing that with weird angles just looks over-dramatic and uncomfortable to me, hence the more standard framing. In the future of the comic there will be some more drama though :P

  • Link

    i get hypothermia as soon as it drops below 70 degrees

    jk lol, but seriously..
    I really dig the infodump. 8] I loooooOoOoove the research and consideration behind stuff; definitely gives depth.

    One tiny suggestion for a detail:
    I wonder if showing snow/ice accumulated and stuck to certain spots of his fur/clothes would strengthen the implication that he's been out in the cold and weather for a long time. Especially if his body temp has dropped, it would freeze a little easier to him. Just a thought. :D
    I was outside when it was snowing recently and it didn't take long for it to build up in my hair and on my coat, as well as my dad's beard being a snow-catch, lol.

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      That's a good idea. I'll keep it in mind when I go back to revise pages once the whole comic is finished :D Thanks!

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    I am very much enjoying this comic!

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    I've had a cat die of hypothermia in -12 weather. He had shelter and had plenty of clothes to snuggle up to. So really fur doesn't go that far.

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    Then again his previous recent owners nearly literally starved him to death back in October and was just starting to get fat. But he didn't get fat enough to last.

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    Enfin la nouvelle page! =D

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    Even animals suffer from flash freezes. Many horses and cows, even well fed and with winter coats, perish in extreme temperature changes if they're caught exposed without shelter. Deadly stuff if you're not prepared!

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      I thought that was the case, but thank you for clarifying :) Since deer can winter in cold climates though I figured I might as well explain so there wasn't any confusion over the possibility of it.

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    Canada: you can't win for weather in any season in this damned country. >:(

  • Link

    I experienced hypothermia once, and how you depict it here rings true. You shiver terribly, get super tired, get super chill and give out and just kinda laze around, and eventually you'll start losing consciousness, but it's so slow it's almost like you're falling asleep. It's a really surreal feeling. Anyways! Great page. I especially love how you drew the trees in the first panel, they're simply gorgeous!

  • Link

    omg everytime I see bitches in short skirts and shiney tights and ballerina shoes outside when it's -15 or -20 I wanna scream on their behalf, "ARE YOU CRAZZZYYY!?!?!?" XD

  • Link

    In Emergency Medicine we have a saying, "You aren't dead until you are warm and dead." Basically what you mentioned is true, in a cardiac arrest caused by hypothermia we would not try to warm the patient up but would haul-ass to the hospital where they could slowly warm the patient up in hopes to minimize damage. Not sure what the actual stats for this working are, but it's what we are taught.

  • Link

    In the last couple weeks, its gotten down to -40C here in Indiana (in the US). We were able to put a wet t-shirt outside and within a couple minutes it was frozen enough to wave around like a sheet of plastic. That temperature is no joke. x_x

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    I learned stuff today!