TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Random Questions Thread

Go To

Hello, fellow writers! Got any question that you can't find answer from Google or Wikipedia, but you don't think it needs a separate thread for? You came to the right place!

Don't be shy, and just ask away. The nice folks here, writers and non-writers, experts and non-experts, will do their best to help you.

The folder below contains links for special interest threads, mostly at OTC, but also from Yack Fest and Troper Coven.

    Special Interest Threads 

Also take a look at Useful Notes on various topics. They can be pretty useful.

Now, bring on the questions, baby!

edited 11th Apr '18 6:31:51 PM by dRoy

Cutegirl920fire Player 222 from the Squid Games (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: Paris holds the key to my heart
Player 222
#27126: Oct 26th 2023 at 9:08:05 AM

How plausible is it for a ballerina who has been pushing her body to her absolute limits for a good while to straight up die on stage from sheer exhaustion?

In particular, the ballerina has a habit of practicing non stop to the point she passes out, has developed an eating disorder from a mix of not eating during her practice and wanting to stay super thin (which has led to her being really unhealthily skinny), and severe enough injuries on her feet that doctors told her to stop dancing or else she'll die. She doesn't listen and insists on having another ballet performance, which leads to her dying at the end of said performance.

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Oct 26th 2023 at 9:09:43 AM

CG for short
Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#27127: Oct 26th 2023 at 9:12:03 AM

[up] It is very much plausible. The eating disorder and the excessive training are the nails in her coffin.

Edited by Trainbarrel on Oct 26th 2023 at 6:16:27 PM

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
Cutegirl920fire Player 222 from the Squid Games (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: Paris holds the key to my heart
Player 222
#27128: Oct 26th 2023 at 9:13:46 AM

[up] I see, TY!

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Oct 26th 2023 at 9:14:08 AM

CG for short
Brandon Deadly Vu! from Between Thanksgiving and Christmas (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
Deadly Vu!
#27129: Oct 26th 2023 at 6:44:14 PM

Regarding my question on the previous page about an event where you pitch your story to literary agents for a fee, and wondering if it's legit, here's their website.

Like creepy stories? Check out my book!
Cutegirl920fire Player 222 from the Squid Games (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: Paris holds the key to my heart
Player 222
#27130: Oct 26th 2023 at 8:19:03 PM

[up] Eh, I'm not sure about the site nor am I knowledgeable enough on such topics to give you a proper answer, but I'll go with what others said and trust your gut feeling.


Is 7 PM too strict of a curfew for a 16-year-old? It's for a story and the 16-year-old's dad is particularly overprotective of her, so the strict curfew is intentional, thus I wanna make sure if 7 PM fits that.

CG for short
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#27131: Oct 26th 2023 at 11:05:12 PM

If dad is overprotective, I can see 7PM.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Swordofknowledge Spreading literacy with book and blade from I like it here... Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Spreading literacy with book and blade
#27132: Oct 27th 2023 at 6:00:21 AM

[up] [up] @ Cutegirl920fire: Yes, 7PM is a pretty strict curfew, although it does make sense if the father is overprotective. I wouldn't say too strict, it just hammers home that the parent is not playing around with their child's safety and is perfectly willing to impose some pretty heavy limitations on what they can do. Which, I guess is the point you're trying to make?


Is the following situation good Foreshadowing of the sheer magnitude of a character's powers?

To explain: My main character's power seems to be some kind of mind-control ability to make werewolves obey him (and it's a power he struggles to activate for most of the story). However, it is far more than just that, and the "mind-control" aspect is just an aspect of a much more potent and cosmic power.

Here is where the "foreshadowing" aspect comes in.

My main character's grandfather had absolute control over this power and could use it to its fullest, if he chose to. During his time as a wandering drifter he solved a problem between vampires and werewolves in a town he passed through. A young werewolf had been shot with a silver bullet by a drunken vampire and it was threatening to set off the simmering tensions between the groups.

To prevent things from boiling over, the grandfather simply altered the boy's body so that the werewolf weakness to silver did not apply to him and thus the bullet was harmlessly expelled by his body's natural Healing Factor.

This is mentioned as a passing story from someone telling another person about the main character's grandfather, but I intend it to be a serious hint that what we know about this power is just the tip of the iceberg.

Does that work?

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Oct 27th 2023 at 9:03:05 AM

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#27133: Oct 27th 2023 at 10:54:58 AM

Does this[1] outfit look like it belongs in 1920s-1940s? The woman is an artist in a big city. I'm not sure if that's a flapper hat or not but i was going for something like that.

~*bleh*~
AdeptGaderius Otaku from the Anime World Since: Nov, 2018 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Otaku
#27134: Oct 27th 2023 at 7:01:13 PM

[up] It looks like the character's outfit more belongs to the 1970s than the 1930s-1940s. Try looking up photos and illustrations of outfits at the time period that you are writing about.

Swordofknowledge Spreading literacy with book and blade from I like it here... Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Spreading literacy with book and blade
#27135: Oct 28th 2023 at 3:54:32 PM

Does the following mindset in a character "make sense"? It's no justification, quite the opposite, but I want to know if it at least is understandable in a 1+ 1=2 type of way.

My main character's grandmother and grandfather were a Paranormal Romance with the grandmother being a normal human being and the grandfather being a supernatural being with quite literally godlike powers—-in fact, he could have become the closest thing this setting has to a god should he have chosen to do so.

He let her know he was not human and that he had supernatural powers, although he presented a very "tame" version of himself to her in order to not scare her off. The grandmother understood this and proceeded with the relationship anyway.

Shortly after the birth of their daughter (the main character's mother), the grandfather died in a random accident, which left her as a single mother in the 1960s raising a child. However the child begins to develop powers of her own, which she is completely unable to control. This causes the grandmother to lash out at her daughter and become incredibly abusive to her in an effort to break her down and force her to be a "normal human". She often called her a "monster" and would severely punish her when her powers would display themselves, even involuntarily.

What I'm wondering is if this attitude makes sense? She knew her husband was not human and that her child would likely not be human either. But the moment her daughter's powers manifested, she treated her as something monstrous and evil that had to be controlled and contained at all costs. There is some logic behind it, but I wonder if the readers would just find it nonsensical and cartoonishly evil.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Florien The They who said it from statistically, slightly right behind you. Since: Aug, 2019
The They who said it
#27136: Oct 28th 2023 at 6:46:43 PM

I mean, not really?

She's clearly fine with the supernatural so why wouldn't she be fine with the supernatural a few years later?

I'm also unclear why a character who's apparently supposed to be extremely powerful died of an accident. Surely if they're deity-level powerful, an accident isn't much of a threat.

Edited by Florien on Oct 28th 2023 at 6:46:56 AM

Cutegirl920fire Player 222 from the Squid Games (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: Paris holds the key to my heart
Player 222
#27137: Oct 28th 2023 at 7:50:19 PM

Is it fine for a work that takes place in the 2020s that doesn't acknowledge the COVID-19 Pandemic?

I have a couple stories that take place in the decade and I'm apprehensive about even mentioning the Pandemic as:

A) It'll date the work quite a bit, which I necessarily don't want.

B) The Pandemic isn't at all relevant to the plot.

CG for short
HunterGr33n Let's rock! from Hudson Valley (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Let's rock!
#27138: Oct 28th 2023 at 8:35:17 PM

[up]I've written a few stories set around the Turn of the Millennium that don't mention 9/11 and other contemporary events for the same reasons. I think you should be fine.

I think Zetabrand is a pretty cool guy. Eh has a license to combo and doesn't afraid of anything.
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#27139: Oct 29th 2023 at 10:45:47 AM
Thumped: Wow. That was rude. Too many of this kind of thump will bring a suspension. Please keep it civil.
~*bleh*~
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#27140: Oct 29th 2023 at 10:57:41 AM

Why should they be forced to think about a real-world event and time-period if the story isn't affected by it?

No need to be so aggressive, in any case.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Cutegirl920fire Player 222 from the Squid Games (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: Paris holds the key to my heart
Player 222
#27141: Oct 29th 2023 at 11:46:25 AM

[up][up] Yeah, I agree that you'd gotten too aggressive. It's fine to dislike a trope, but it's not fine to be aggressive about someone asking a question about that trope.

A more polite way to say your answer would've been "Trying to make a work timeless usually doesn't work as most pieces of fiction fall into the Unintentional Period Piece trope."

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Oct 29th 2023 at 1:58:47 AM

CG for short
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#27142: Oct 29th 2023 at 1:27:37 PM
Thumped: Wow. That was rude. Too many of this kind of thump will bring a suspension. Please keep it civil.
~*bleh*~
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#27143: Oct 29th 2023 at 1:32:28 PM

Which one of us are neurotypicals, exactly, Nukeli? Cutegirl and I are both neurodivergent, as if it even matters, because now you're just being insulting for no reason.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Cutegirl920fire Player 222 from the Squid Games (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: Paris holds the key to my heart
Player 222
#27144: Oct 29th 2023 at 3:06:52 PM

Oh, well, changing topic...

How reasonable it would be for someone who was a devout Christian to no longer stay Christian upon being resurrected with superpowers?

For context, this is a character who was nominally religious throughout their life, only becoming overly devout in the last few years of said life (which might've been a byproduct of their mental issues and years of being institutionalized). However, upon getting resurrected several decades later and gaining superpowers, seeing other people getting resurrected with superpowers in a similar manner, they go "wait, isn't Jesus and that Lazarus guy the only people who are supposed to be resurrected?" and since they were resurrected in their early-mid 20's self (when they were nominally religious), they retain their original personality from that age for the most part.

Also, they don't recall the afterlife since from the perspective of the people resurrected, they were resurrected immediately after dying. It's like falling asleep in one place and waking up to find yourself in another shortly afterwards.

CG for short
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#27145: Oct 29th 2023 at 4:58:00 PM

That would depend on the circumstances. At present chances are that he would rationalize the superpowers as miracles (and not magic) and believe them a gift from god.

In the context of the resurrection, they could even take it as a sign that they area messiah of sorts, though that would get complicated by the fact that other people were similarity rezzed.


For the sake of partial versimitude, I'd want to ask what social concepts, cultural shifts and tech (such as Television and the internet) didn't exist during the early 19th century (specifically 1930s at latest). While I plan on having there be anachronisms most of them are supposed to be explained as Magitek or the result of influence of people effectively from the future. As such I want to find a resource to help with identifying them.

Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#27146: Oct 29th 2023 at 7:29:09 PM

[up][up] Or rationalize it as "Huh... So if this is what happens when the Father does it rather than the Son?"

Same miracle, greater scale.

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#27147: Oct 29th 2023 at 7:46:32 PM

If you do want them to change their mind, I wouldn't have them do a total 180. Instead, you could sew some seeds of doubt earlier on that they'll be forcing themselves to ignore or brush off, with this being more of a final straw than the entire reason they lose their faith.

Or perhaps have some of the resurrected people be of other religions or even no religion at all, to make them realize that not all of them can be right at the same time.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#27148: Oct 30th 2023 at 8:52:55 AM

@Cutegirl920fire:

How reasonable it would be for someone who was a devout Christian to no longer stay Christian upon being resurrected with superpowers?

I think that it would depend heavily on their perspective—on what they would be inclined to think of such an event, and how they might interpret it. (Which may of course be affected by what their preceding last memory was, and what events or experiences surround their return to life.)

As far as described, I'd say that it's plausible, at the least.

... and since they were resurrected in their early-mid 20's self (when they were nominally religious), they retain their original personality from that age for the most part.

...

It's like falling asleep in one place and waking up to find yourself in another shortly afterwards.

This is intriguing, and seems like it might raise some interesting questions!

After all, if it's "like falling asleep and waking up again", then one would expect continuity of memory and perspective. But conversely, if their personality is reset to an earlier state, then that would suggest that such continuity isn't present—one way or another!

... the only people who are supposed to be resurrected?

I'm not sure of where the character gets that idea (although I may well be forgetting something). That said, it's not implausible for the character to think such, I feel.

... only becoming overly devout in the last few years of said life (which might've been a byproduct of their mental issues and years of being institutionalized)

Uuhhh... Let me sound a note of caution here, if I may: Unless there are other devout characters, and their devotion isn't associated with mental health issues (or other troubles), that seems to me like it might suggest some Unfortunate Implications...

Especially as they seem to lose their devotion after being brought back...

~

@MorningStar1337:

... didn't exist during the early 19th century (specifically 1930s at latest).

This is an aside, but in case it's something that comes up in your work: the 1930s would be the 20th century, I believe.

(Compare with the start of the calendar: years (000)1 through (00)99 would be in the 1st century, not the 0th; year (0)102 would be in the second century, not the 1st; and so on.)

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Oct 30th 2023 at 5:56:56 PM

My Games and Asset Packs
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#27149: Oct 30th 2023 at 9:57:54 AM

Yeah meant 20th century. That one was a brain fart.

ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#27150: Oct 30th 2023 at 10:56:25 AM

[up]Ah, fair enough! Those do happen! ^_^

... Although, now that I think about it, that is an interesting and medically-concerning mental image! XD;

My Games and Asset Packs

Total posts: 31,256
Top