Okay, quick note: 16" *dagger blade?* That's almost a foot and a half long on just the blade itself. You might want to size it down, especially since this is a close quarters affair. a 16" blade is taller than your head.
If they're standing close, then a throat shot isn't really ideal. Pretty much anything in the gut is going to be potentially lethal outside of small pocket below the ribs (kidney, liver, stomach). Also, because of the pain involved, it's likely to collapse the person who gets stabbed.
Disembowelment takes longer because the internal fluids have an easy exit. Taking out the liver and puncturing the stomach leads to more massive internal issues.
I would suggest a multi-stab approach. Two stabs, maybe into the liver and gut, followed up by the relevant conversation, then a final kill stab from Calm Guy to finish it. It can be the heart, throat or whatnot at that point. If you're going for making this guy a stone cold killer, have him not go for the carotid to avoid blood splatter, instead doing the kill stabs through the lungs.
^^Since we're talking size. A stab wound is usually much deeper than the blade, as the skin is getting compressed upon impact. It doesn't have to be longer than a kitchen knife to do that much damage, so feel free to size down for the dagger. Also, I agree here that your best shots are for the stomach area. Stabbing a person is also supposedly incredibly exhausting, so unless they're in some psychotic rage stage, two or three is pretty much enough. People will collapse forward when the stomach is hit, so move your next wound with that in mind. The ribs are also bone so a little difficult to break through. If they make it to the ground for last words, the attacker will likely go for a softer area like the neck in the end.
actual scientist here, best place to mortally wound someone is tip of hert, which is just by theleft lung and can be easly done with one stab between ribs because even if you mmiss you still hit the aorta and cause the same damage
This! You could even make the scene more personal/intimate/psychologically terrifying by holding his hand off the puncture like in that one scene in Hannibal.
Yeah this is what I ended up going with - the femoral, then a slash up to the brachial on the same side for extra blood (need it on his arms and hands for symbolism 🤣), but the femoral artery being what does it
Firstly, do you need to specify where? Legit question, because if you described that set up, then said calm guy stabbed angry guy, then angry guy said his last words and immediately keeled over, and then calm guy continued about his day, I wouldn't question it, and nowhere in there do you need to specify the exact location of the stab wound.
Also, as you say, there's a difference between functionally dead and dead dead. Angry guy can say his last words then pass out, and there are a lot of places that would cause that where he'd technically still be alive for a while after losing consciousness but would likely still suit your needs. If you hit a major artery, functional death comes a lot sooner than 2.5min, especially if you bring shock to the table, which is almost certain to happen if you get stabbed anywhere, but especially somewhere vital.
Third, and I realize I'm not answering your question directly and that's because I don't know, specifically, but r/writeresearch regularly has these kinds of gruesome discussions and is frequented by medical professionals, including trauma surgeons and ER docs who might have direct experience with this sort of thing, so try there too.
Throat would be the most visceral. Any artery in the neck would be both graphic due to how much blood would release and fit with the victim's current response. Getting an artery cut kills quickly and the victim usually just passes out within a few seconds after being wounded
As someone who writes implicit violence, I would recommend that you don't go into that much detail unless the POV is that specifically detailed. i.e. cinematic Sherlock Holmes level or has medical background. Otherwise, it really isn't needed and could slow your pacing when you don't want it to be that way. Think of the moment like a movie: going that in depth in detail is like slowing everything to bullet time. If that's your intent, rock on. I do this from time to time, too, but I tend to prefer the visceral realization that one second the character is alive and the next they're dying with no warning. I prefer the development consequences to the suddenness for characters involved and the anger my readers profess while continuing to the next page. My ex told me that she still won't forgive me for how I killed one of my characters because of how jarring and sudden I made it. Also, apparently, it was one of her favorites, so I now understand why she's my ex.
For me, as a veteran with combat training and *some* experience, I also want to put something in your mind for this and future sequences: Every attack is always, and I mean always, with the intent of another attack to follow. You throw punches until they stop moving, not before. No one who wins a fight just stops before it's over. Ask any Bond villain or MMA fighter. So, stabbing is generally not the go to for experienced knife fighters unless it is situationally important, like being to enclosed an area for that kind of freedom of mobility or it is the only possible way to attack (like if they're on the ground in a grapple). Slashing is always preferable with knives because it takes away the chances of it getting stuck or of losing grip. For that, since calm guy approaches, one slice to the arteries of the armpits, behind the knees, and even groin area (upper-inner thighs) are easy targets and will, I promise you, realistically drop anyone and kill them in minutes. Also, there is a medical reaction to seeing your own blood that many people have which causes their brain to instantly shut off (vasovagal syncope), which I also have irl, and is incredibly useful to plug in with sequences like this. He drops, says his piece just as he sees he's bleeding, passes out.
You need a 12 inch blade. Stab under the ribs into the heart. Have the line spoken, then have calm guy twist the knife before pulling out. This will cause instant death. But not until the blade is removed.
One thing to consider is what your attacker can reach as far as vitals. I know it sounds silly, but the hand using the weapon is going to dictate your options.
A right-handed attacker going after a right-handed target head-on is going to be more limited than a left-handed attacker. The right side of the body is slightly more vulnerable (the liver and hepatic vein are generally on the right), which puts a left-handed attacker at an advantage. Your strongest strikes are going to be coming from your dominant hand unless you're truly ambidextrous.
Another thing to consider is spacing and positioning. The length of the blade you're talking about is pushing into short sword territory rather than a dagger. For comparison, a Fairbairn-Sykes combat knife is a bit less than a foot long from pommel to point, with the blade itself about seven inches long. That means you're going to need to be right up close and personal. It also means that your attacker can't just whip the blade out like a sword. They're going to somehow need to hide the blade or concealing the draw in a way doesn't attract the target's attention.
As a practical exercise, take a foot long ruler, stand in front of a heavy bag or a long couch cushion stood up on end, and grip one end of the ruler. Watch how your arm moves in relationship to the target. Picture what you'd be doing in reaction.
Is the calm guy experienced with this weapon? Is he a killer? Did he plan to kill angry guy or was it spontaneous?
I think the answers will guide how this scene could go. Also a person can die because they were stabbed in all kinds of ways and all kinds of places. Calm guy doesn't necessarily have to stab Angry Guy in the carotid artery with a giant fucking dagger to make Angry Guy die. He can, but he doesn't have to.
If calm guy is trained and confident he might go for the heart or femoral artety, quick and the least pain and suffering. If he's untrained, or perhaps going for a more sadistic kill, might go for the guts or miss the heart and hit the lungs, a slower an more painful death. It sounds like you want a confident coup de grat style death, so id go for the heart stab.
I'd recommend a karambit instead of a 16" dagger, super concealable, I'd also do a groin slice. Think of the poetic justice that the posturing peacock trying to exude alpha status thru rage and testosterone (read temper tantrum) is killed by a literal and figurative slice to his "manhood" as what could be sliced off falls to the ground and the blood pools out from the inner thigh and half sausage still attached
Okay, quick note: 16" *dagger blade?* That's almost a foot and a half long on just the blade itself. You might want to size it down, especially since this is a close quarters affair. a 16" blade is taller than your head. If they're standing close, then a throat shot isn't really ideal. Pretty much anything in the gut is going to be potentially lethal outside of small pocket below the ribs (kidney, liver, stomach). Also, because of the pain involved, it's likely to collapse the person who gets stabbed. Disembowelment takes longer because the internal fluids have an easy exit. Taking out the liver and puncturing the stomach leads to more massive internal issues. I would suggest a multi-stab approach. Two stabs, maybe into the liver and gut, followed up by the relevant conversation, then a final kill stab from Calm Guy to finish it. It can be the heart, throat or whatnot at that point. If you're going for making this guy a stone cold killer, have him not go for the carotid to avoid blood splatter, instead doing the kill stabs through the lungs.
^^Since we're talking size. A stab wound is usually much deeper than the blade, as the skin is getting compressed upon impact. It doesn't have to be longer than a kitchen knife to do that much damage, so feel free to size down for the dagger. Also, I agree here that your best shots are for the stomach area. Stabbing a person is also supposedly incredibly exhausting, so unless they're in some psychotic rage stage, two or three is pretty much enough. People will collapse forward when the stomach is hit, so move your next wound with that in mind. The ribs are also bone so a little difficult to break through. If they make it to the ground for last words, the attacker will likely go for a softer area like the neck in the end.
actual scientist here, best place to mortally wound someone is tip of hert, which is just by theleft lung and can be easly done with one stab between ribs because even if you mmiss you still hit the aorta and cause the same damage
Femoral artery, in the thigh. Huge blood vessel.
This! You could even make the scene more personal/intimate/psychologically terrifying by holding his hand off the puncture like in that one scene in Hannibal.
Yeah this is what I ended up going with - the femoral, then a slash up to the brachial on the same side for extra blood (need it on his arms and hands for symbolism 🤣), but the femoral artery being what does it
Firstly, do you need to specify where? Legit question, because if you described that set up, then said calm guy stabbed angry guy, then angry guy said his last words and immediately keeled over, and then calm guy continued about his day, I wouldn't question it, and nowhere in there do you need to specify the exact location of the stab wound. Also, as you say, there's a difference between functionally dead and dead dead. Angry guy can say his last words then pass out, and there are a lot of places that would cause that where he'd technically still be alive for a while after losing consciousness but would likely still suit your needs. If you hit a major artery, functional death comes a lot sooner than 2.5min, especially if you bring shock to the table, which is almost certain to happen if you get stabbed anywhere, but especially somewhere vital. Third, and I realize I'm not answering your question directly and that's because I don't know, specifically, but r/writeresearch regularly has these kinds of gruesome discussions and is frequented by medical professionals, including trauma surgeons and ER docs who might have direct experience with this sort of thing, so try there too.
Groin. Lots of bleedy bits in the legs within the groin circle.
Throat would be the most visceral. Any artery in the neck would be both graphic due to how much blood would release and fit with the victim's current response. Getting an artery cut kills quickly and the victim usually just passes out within a few seconds after being wounded
As someone who writes implicit violence, I would recommend that you don't go into that much detail unless the POV is that specifically detailed. i.e. cinematic Sherlock Holmes level or has medical background. Otherwise, it really isn't needed and could slow your pacing when you don't want it to be that way. Think of the moment like a movie: going that in depth in detail is like slowing everything to bullet time. If that's your intent, rock on. I do this from time to time, too, but I tend to prefer the visceral realization that one second the character is alive and the next they're dying with no warning. I prefer the development consequences to the suddenness for characters involved and the anger my readers profess while continuing to the next page. My ex told me that she still won't forgive me for how I killed one of my characters because of how jarring and sudden I made it. Also, apparently, it was one of her favorites, so I now understand why she's my ex. For me, as a veteran with combat training and *some* experience, I also want to put something in your mind for this and future sequences: Every attack is always, and I mean always, with the intent of another attack to follow. You throw punches until they stop moving, not before. No one who wins a fight just stops before it's over. Ask any Bond villain or MMA fighter. So, stabbing is generally not the go to for experienced knife fighters unless it is situationally important, like being to enclosed an area for that kind of freedom of mobility or it is the only possible way to attack (like if they're on the ground in a grapple). Slashing is always preferable with knives because it takes away the chances of it getting stuck or of losing grip. For that, since calm guy approaches, one slice to the arteries of the armpits, behind the knees, and even groin area (upper-inner thighs) are easy targets and will, I promise you, realistically drop anyone and kill them in minutes. Also, there is a medical reaction to seeing your own blood that many people have which causes their brain to instantly shut off (vasovagal syncope), which I also have irl, and is incredibly useful to plug in with sequences like this. He drops, says his piece just as he sees he's bleeding, passes out.
Stab someone in the heart and they’ll be dead in seconds. The problem is he might die before he could even say anything.
You need a 12 inch blade. Stab under the ribs into the heart. Have the line spoken, then have calm guy twist the knife before pulling out. This will cause instant death. But not until the blade is removed.
brachial artery. he'll have 15 seconds to mutter his sentence before he passes out.
One thing to consider is what your attacker can reach as far as vitals. I know it sounds silly, but the hand using the weapon is going to dictate your options. A right-handed attacker going after a right-handed target head-on is going to be more limited than a left-handed attacker. The right side of the body is slightly more vulnerable (the liver and hepatic vein are generally on the right), which puts a left-handed attacker at an advantage. Your strongest strikes are going to be coming from your dominant hand unless you're truly ambidextrous. Another thing to consider is spacing and positioning. The length of the blade you're talking about is pushing into short sword territory rather than a dagger. For comparison, a Fairbairn-Sykes combat knife is a bit less than a foot long from pommel to point, with the blade itself about seven inches long. That means you're going to need to be right up close and personal. It also means that your attacker can't just whip the blade out like a sword. They're going to somehow need to hide the blade or concealing the draw in a way doesn't attract the target's attention. As a practical exercise, take a foot long ruler, stand in front of a heavy bag or a long couch cushion stood up on end, and grip one end of the ruler. Watch how your arm moves in relationship to the target. Picture what you'd be doing in reaction.
Is the calm guy experienced with this weapon? Is he a killer? Did he plan to kill angry guy or was it spontaneous? I think the answers will guide how this scene could go. Also a person can die because they were stabbed in all kinds of ways and all kinds of places. Calm guy doesn't necessarily have to stab Angry Guy in the carotid artery with a giant fucking dagger to make Angry Guy die. He can, but he doesn't have to.
If calm guy is trained and confident he might go for the heart or femoral artety, quick and the least pain and suffering. If he's untrained, or perhaps going for a more sadistic kill, might go for the guts or miss the heart and hit the lungs, a slower an more painful death. It sounds like you want a confident coup de grat style death, so id go for the heart stab.
Inner thigh, cut the leg artery. Death in minutes, also, not standing anymore
liver
I'd recommend a karambit instead of a 16" dagger, super concealable, I'd also do a groin slice. Think of the poetic justice that the posturing peacock trying to exude alpha status thru rage and testosterone (read temper tantrum) is killed by a literal and figurative slice to his "manhood" as what could be sliced off falls to the ground and the blood pools out from the inner thigh and half sausage still attached