Random Questions Thread

Does any one know a South Welsh dialect/slang for girl woman. Like a Scot might say "Are you ok lassie?", what would a Welshman say?

@ Kakai and Marq FJA

Thanks. So basically, a full name like "Adir Bar Lev" is acceptable?

In South Wales, English is by far the predominant language of choice; with very few Welsh first language speakers. As such, English terms like "babes" and "luv" are likely to be used. Though, you do get the odd "bach", which is in Welsh, though that's mainly for little children.

Thanks- I know little Welsh is spoken in the south. I was looking for a regional variation (like lassie/lass etc)

I've gone with this

Dave the Drive passed a pint to Alex. “There you go, Cockney-bach. Your lovely’s a bit excitable, isn’t she,

(He's not from London, but to this Cardiff bus driver the accent is the same! My brother had a similar problem at Uni in Crewe. He was 5 when we moved from North London to Hertfordshire, but the locals used to call him Eric, after Eric Bristow- 'The Craft Cockney'!)

"Babes" and "luv" seem more like they'll be used with an established girlfriend, not to some random girl you met on the street.

From my experience, neither "babes" nor "luv" have a particularly romantic connotation. "Babe" and "my love", sure. But not "babes" and "luv". With respect to "luv", it's analogous to the American "honey" in terms of use and connotations; sans the aforementioned romantic ones.

Quick Q:

In the absence of taking the time to specifying one way or another, would a flannel shirt be assumed to be worn buttoned (like a regular shirt) or unbuttoned (like a jacket)? For context, it's being worn by a teenaged girl in autumn (so approximately 10 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit).

I'd say buttoned, especially given the context (background temperature is one where I'd imagine most clothes are layered and buttoned up).

Thanks. Just checking to make sure my visualisation would be in line with potential readers. And sure enough, it's not.

Incidentally, sure enough the very scene with that description is of her shivering and wishing she'd layered up more.

edited 29th Feb '16 12:09:39 AM by peasant

Heh. You may want a larger sample size. I'm a Southern Californian, a species that thinks 60F is cold, thinks of a centimeter of rain as a downpour, and would probably prophesy the end of the world if snowflakes started falling.

Er... I figured "honey" is used exclusively as something people call their lovers, so its meaning is entirely romantic. To the point where it'll be rather creepy to call a stranger or friend "honey".

I think I get your main point, though.

I call my friends honey and dearie and love, and so on.

But my friends also call me that.

If all of a person's nervous signals get shut off simultaneously, what would a coroner rule to be the exact cause of death?

Heart attack. If I've learned anything from all those mysteries.

More seriously, unknown cause of death. The loss of nervous activity is the definition of death.

Thank you.

I know the word "inquisition" is normally thought of as being put on by an organized religion, but would readers balk too much at me referring to a semi-secular movement as such? If so, is there a good synonym I could use?

Context is that magic-users have been blamed for a natural disaster and a group is devoted to rooting out and killing them in retaliation. While there are members of various religions involved in the (more-or-less literal) witch hunt, it's not associated with any particular deity and the objection is much more "these people are dangerous/want to kill us all" than "these people are sinful/blasphemous/heretics"

"Inquisition" is far too religion-related for most readers who aren't well-versed in history and the actual meaning of words such as "inquisition".

Might want to link it closer to Fantastic Racism, such as that seen in Harry Potter.

edited 3rd Mar '16 12:48:19 AM by hellomoto

I don't think Inquisition looks too religious, if you portray it the right way.

For my question:

Which kinds of clothing would be the most practical for an action sequence on horseback? Which ones could be reasonably used in an emergency, and which ones could mean an early grave? Would a knee-length skirt cause too much trouble for the rider?

If it helps narrowing down, my setting has a tech level mostly analogous to late XIX century, although clothing styles come from all over the place and most of the action is set on a land with (costal)tropical climate.

In answer to your first question, if you've got the chance to pick your riding outfit, I'd go with fitted pants (too loose and they get caught in the stirrup leathers or ride up/rub), boots with a low heel (flat soled like a tennis shoe is going to slide through the stirrups and get caught, which is super dangerous, higher heels are going to catch on things, not to mention making it hard to deliver your leg aids [aka the way you control your horse] effectively. not too insane of tread, either), and a shirt that's appropriate for the weather, doesn't hinder your arm movement too much, and doesn't have dangley sleeves that are going to get caught in the reins. Being around horses barefoot is not a good idea (that's how my mother lost several toenails), but if it's an emergency, better that than shoes that aren't going to stay on your feet.

Another important thing to consider is what kind of horse your characters are riding. For example, while a trained warhorse might be hard to spook, if your character's horse is a little skittish, there's a good chance it could be freaked out by flapping things, which could be a problem if anyone is riding in a long skirt or a cloak. Not to mention whatever action is going on around them.

When I rode, I would wear breaches (basically thick leggings with suede patches on the inside of the knees and the butt so it's not so slippery on the saddle), a pair of ankle boots made especially for riding, and a polo shirt of sweat-wicking fabric. If it was chilly/raining, I'd add a sweater and/or windbreaker.

For your second question, it's far from ideal, but how far depends on what kind of skirt it is. If it's tight, like a pencil skirt, there's no way you're going to be riding astride at all, and your character would be better off just going in her underwear. If it's something with more fabric to work with- a peasant skirt, for example, or even a school uniform skirt, it can work if she's not too concerned about modesty. Just hike it up a bit and spread the excess over the back of your saddle. Again, possibly some flapping around to be concerned about, but if it's only knee-length, it shouldn't be that bad.

A bigger concern is chafing, especially on long rides or if you're not used to it. Even with the proper clothing, you can get some pretty nasty rubbing going on if you're new to riding, and I'm sure that would only be worse with nothing between you and the saddle. Also, English saddles at least have a nasty habit of catching a bit of your skin in the stirrup leathers and twisting it around for a painful pinch. tight pants or high boots fix that, though.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any more questions. My horse-crazy phase was more intense than most and I actually got to ride during it, so I know at least a bit.

Wear a fairly loose knee-length skirt over riding pants. Chafing problem gone.

I wonder when it's appropriate to give short skirts or high heels to my characters. I get trigger-happy when it comes to sexism, so I see pretty much any case of short skirts ("who wants to have such a high risk of exposing themselves?") or high heels ("why is forcing agony upon your legs and feet seen as sexy?") as sexist.

edited 3rd Mar '16 4:40:27 PM by hellomoto

Are there any good tips to avoiding writing a Relationship Sue, especially when you're aiming for the two characters in question to be soulmates essentially? I'm worried that there's a character of mine who falls in love with the protagonist who might come across as one.

The love interest comes in at a point where the main character is feeling a bit lost in the world, and up to this point he's only had one other serious relationship aside from a lot of casual flings with various women, and she's the first he ever falls in love with. A good chunk of her purpose is that she pulls the main character back from going down a very messy-but-familiar road, and actually helps him settle down in his thus far chaotic life. She herself is also trying to figure out some things in her life, and the protagonist does help her figure out these things, so it's not just a one way street. I'm not saying that everything in their relationship is constantly happy and perfect, but they do end up living happy lives together.

I'm worried that she sounds like a Relationship Sue since her relationship with the main character has such a major impact on him, but their relationship is not the focus of the story nor is it her sole purpose for existing.

Remember that there are a lot of women out there with a lot of varied personalities. Those personalities will help to determine their philosophies. Some women will do anything to look sexy to attract a mate. Some women will do anything to look sexy to feel sexy. Some women will avoid high heels and short skirts like the plague. And the vast majority will be somewhere in between those extremes.

But possibly most importantly, they will probably wear short skirts and high heels because everyone else is. And, somehow, paradoxically, to stand out at the same time.

It really depends. I think the 1st test is - Are you living vicariously? That isn't proof that it is a Sue, but may give a big hint it isn't

Think about Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing: Their purpose in the play is to be eventually paired.

From the sound of it from your post the 'Sue' starts off by helping the lead, and the relationship develops from that.

You could argue my wife and I have a 'Relationship Sue' relationship. If it was fiction you would find it a stupid premise to start a 22 year relationship!

Speaking of Relationship Sues, my story is this for the Official Couple: They first met when they were three, and were placed in an arranged marriage. Then the guy had to have his memories of the engagement erased due to problems, and when they meet again, the guy finds the woman he was to be married to attempting suicide, thinking he died. He saves her, and after dealing with part of the problem that had to involve the guy getting his memory erased, he and the woman get their wedding. Anything wrong with this?

You do mean Arranged and not Forced? They are sometimes used interchangeably, when they are not.

Yes, I mean Arranged and not Forced.