Random Questions Thread

Considering people are required to put up trigger warnings for anything nowadays, I just figured one can't be too careful.

@ Amateur Storytime:

I'd have to second Trainbarrel's thoughts on the topic. I put trigger warnings on certain questions here and on other conversations I have, but I'd never place them on an actual story I'm writing. My logic (besides my personal aversion to the practice) is that if you—the reader—are daring enough or old enough to read horror/supernatural/Lovecraftian works, you're mature enough to handle something that might offend you. And if not...oh well, life is full of hurdles and this hardly counts as one.

Perhaps not the kindest and gentlest sentiment, but that's how I see things.

I would agree in the context of stuff like Lovecraft (readers nowadays almost certainly know what they're getting into when the name comes up), but 'maturity' doesn't really have anything to do with it if we're talking about, you know, actual PTSD triggers.

What the word is supposed to mean.

Edited by Chortleous on Apr 16th 2024 at 7:58:16 AM

All right, I guess I'll go without a disclaimer for now and see how it goes.

Yeah, I personally hate the misuse of "trigger" myself, but people get really uppity about certain things.

@ Chortleous:

That was more what I was going for since the context of this was in regard to potentially offensive material/belief systems depicted in a story. In those cases, I think people need to accept that those things exist and can and will be depicted in various ways in fiction. Maturity is not requiring people to cater to their delicate constitution in that area.

PTSD triggers are understandably bit more nuanced, although I'm still somewhat leery of trigger warnings when it comes to that. Either way, I was just giving Amateur Storytime my personal thoughts/feelings on the matter.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Apr 16th 2024 at 9:06:48 AM

So I'm stuck on two ways to "spin" a certain situation.

At the climax of the Final Battle the heroes successfully halt the villain's ability to control his werewolf army and deal a deathblow to his Kaiju body.

The result is that the parasitic Eldritch Abomination that creates werewolves, immediately tries to acquire another host so that it/the villain (who are basically the same person/entity now) can reassert control over the world's werewolves and create a new even more powerful body.

The only suitable host happens to be the young son of one of the other villains and the fight turns into a desperate scramble to keep the monstrosity from reaching the boy.

What I'm struggling with is this:

I can't decide on whether or not to make this a horrible coincidence that stands to shoot a hole in the heroes' plans or the result of a larger plan on the villain's part. Longterm planning to ensure he had a "backup" host is exactly the kind of strategy he'd employ.

But on the other hand it being pure chance and coincidence seems like it could be interesting and add an element of even more chaos to an already fraught situation.

I can't decide which one goes better.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Apr 17th 2024 at 5:27:39 AM

Why not both?

"Just as planned!" on the villain's part. But beneath the surface "Don't call me out, don't call me out, don't call me out..."

A huge "WTF do you MEAN!?" moment on the heroes' part. Followed up on with a "If he claims that he planned for us to beat him at all, I call bull****."

@ Trainbarrel:

That could work, a juxtaposition of the villain's planning with severe bad luck on the part of the heroes.

I had to laugh out loud at this part; this definitely isn't a "create a common enemy to unite warring factions" type of situation. He's deadly serious about his plans and the only reason for his comparatively lackluster response to the heroes is because he's flabbergasted that his family/friends are going up against him.

Are Nothing Is Scarier and Somber Backstory Revelation things that can be safely combined?

Edited by InvisibleWater on Apr 18th 2024 at 4:16:10 AM

No, the book will glitch up and crash.

What do you mean?

Furthermore, I'd suggest not attempting to build a work from tropes: troping is an analytical tool, a way of dissecting a work after the fact, of sorting it categories and patterns. Attempting to build from these categories and patterns may limit your work.

So, what do you think how the American Evangelicals who oppose the Alien invaders (and their Human collabs) react to the fact that the Universe's chosen people to save all living beings are four non-white Anglo individuals, including two women?

I mean... IDK? Being evangelical doesn't inherently mean being a racist or sexist since religion doesn't dictate everything about a person's morals.

Edited by WarJay77 on Apr 19th 2024 at 4:52:21 AM

Are there any history books written about the evil deeds of victorious nations such as the United States of America?

Certainly. Going all the way back to Herodotus himself, in fact - there are no surviving accounts of the Ionian Revolt from the Persian perspective.

I'm working on a setting where magic spells are living entities that live in a seperate dimension from humans, and whenever a mage casts a spell, they're actually calling upon that spell's power from across dimensions. While some spells are happy to share their power, (beginner spells) others are more hesitant, and must either be convinced into cooperating, or forced into submission through overwhelming willpower.

When multiple mages cast the same spell, the spell temporarily "splits" its psyche, and all instances of a spell merge back into a single being once the casting is done, gaining all the memories, knowledge, and experience of its copies. (This is the in-story explanation as to how two opposing mages can cast the same spell at each other in a duel.)

One of the most powerful spells in existence is Pertinax, which makes the caster's stance unbreakable. While this may not seem like much, it's a godsend for a mage, as even the slightest flinch or shove will break their concentration and cancel whatever spell they were trying cast. Unfortunately, by its very nature, Pertinax is the most stubborn spell to ever exist, and very, very few mages have been able to successfully cast it, whether through willpower or persuasion.

The main antagonist, (name undecided) is an old and extremely powerful sorcerer, and has been able to overwhelm every single spell he's cast through sheer willpower, even the infamously stubborn Pertinax.

The protagonist is a young man (name also undecided), who, ever since his childhood, much enjoys sitting down and chatting with different spells more than actually casting them, which many find as an oddity. He often receives mockery for this, with many saying he isn't really that powerful if he needs to ask the spells nicely to cooperate rather than overwhelming them through force of will. However, he shows time and again that his diplomatic approach to spellcasting actually makes him more powerful, as the spells are working with him rather than fighting against him. He and the villain are obviously meant to be foils to each other, with the villain being a traditionalist representing the old ways and the hero being a revolutionary representing change.

What are some good flaws I can give the hero to make him more rounded?

Maybe being overly idealistic and a touch naive? I know it's quite clichéd, but it would make sense for someone who favours diplomacy to think that everything can be solved that way, and to be a tad too trusting at times.

I suppose let me ask this: What do you want from these flaws? Do you simply want him to seem like a real human being? Do you want the flaws to mesh in some way with the theme of the work—and if so, how? Or something else...?

Honestly, right now I'm just building a foundation, and I want to make sure I have the important parts of each character established so I know what to work around.

Hmm, I see. In that case, I daresay that pretty much any flaws might work, as long as they fit with his character. It's not really something that has a pat answer, I fear.

Question for sword experts is it possible to pull off the usual slash draw stunts with say, a rapier instead of a katana?

I ask because I understand one is made for slicing and the other was made for thrusts, I just want to ask how plausible it is.

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Apr 23rd 2024 at 12:31:15 PM

I can imagine that becoming a woodpecker with that rapier could be possible.

But don't expect anything but a thrust become anything but a parry.

I doubt that a rapier would be well-suited to it, but—speaking as a layman—I wouldn't go as far as .

While primarily a thrusting weapon, rapiers were edged, after all, indicating some ability to cut.

I'd suggest asking your question over in the Troper Fencing Academy thread, or some other place where those with particular knowledge of such matters are likely to be found.

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Apr 24th 2024 at 9:51:17 PM

Is it "unforgivably selfish" (as in the readers won't ever forget it) to have two characters almost literally hold the fate of the world hostage to saving their relatives?

Two members of the hero team, the former main character's vampire girlfriend and her older brother, are integral to the plan to the group's success. However, they refuse to assist the rest of the group with any part of the plan to save the human and supernatural worlds from mass destruction at the villain's hands unless the heroes first try a rescue mission to save their parents and siblings from the anti-supernatural cult that worships the villain.

This causes a huge amount of friction since the heroes know that until they catch up to the villain, weaken him, and then hopefully talk him down, his mass slaughter of supernaturals and forcible conversion of humans will continue unabated across the globe. It's happening even as they prepare their plans.

But the two of them are absolutely resolute and since the team needs "their vampires" as the main physical force for when they have to actually go head-to-head with him, they are forced to agree and undertake the rescue. Fortunately the mission aids the overall plan but it costs them time they don't have.

I just wonder if the readers could "forgive" these two otherwise heroic characters for this moment of absolute selfishness at such a pivotal time?

That I think depends on the readers. Similar setups were pretty common in fiction. Like even the Last Of Us had the protag save his daughter figure over the world.