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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

ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#29176: Jul 26th 2024 at 6:11:19 AM

@Mysterium:

It sounded so easy in my head, but you raised good points. My basic theories: -She has a limited immunity to her own poison, however, the oxygen concentration can't fall under the level needed for humans to survive when using it in closed areas. -she can control when her powers are active and only then dangerously lethal amounts of gas are emitted

-however, unconscious activation is not impossible, imagine sneezing or coughing, and she doesn't want to endanger anyone because even small doses are atleast painful.

-I imagine the power to work like some colourful haze

[up] Hmm... I suppose, then, that a simple mask might slow down the gas for long enough that, after accidental and minor activation, she can breathe it in again before much escapes.

(Edited for pagetopper.)

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Jul 26th 2024 at 3:12:11 PM

My Games and Asset Packs
Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#29177: Jul 26th 2024 at 6:47:53 AM

[up][up] Wait, that didn't answer the question.

Where is the poison coming/generated from?

Inside the mouth? Her tongue? Her gum? Her saliva? Her tonsils? Her uvula? Her teeth? The floor of her mouth? The inner ceiling of her mouth? Her lungs?

Or does the exhale air gets poisoned when she breaths and it passes through her lips?

Where is it coming from?

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#29178: Jul 26th 2024 at 7:09:31 AM

Ideas on how to make animal characters of the same species look distinct from each other without unrealistic stuff like hair, unusual/unnatural coloration, or giving everybody scars? Dogs and cats have highly varied appearances, but most other animals don't...

I'm mainly thinking about my 1920s/1940s-esque anthro bird animation/comic idea, but that at least has different species and they wear clothesnote . But i also have vague ideas which i might or might not do, like about physically non-anthropomorphic but intellectually anthromorphized magpies, and a different one about similiar saimaa ringed seals, and these might be visual medium too.

~*bleh*~
Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#29179: Jul 26th 2024 at 7:20:28 AM

[up] What do you mean?

Animals do not look identical to one another to begin with since the color-patterns in their fur/feathers/scales are different between each individual.

Humans do not look identical despite being part of the same species, even without the artificial additions we came up with added onto that diversity, so why would other living beings be that different?

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
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
#29180: Jul 26th 2024 at 7:31:26 AM

[up][up] @ Nukeli:

I suppose you could add variations in the texture/quality of feathers, colors and patterns on those features can vary of course, and perhaps the length of the beaks and eye colors can of course be different among individuals.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#29181: Jul 26th 2024 at 7:31:37 AM

[up][up]

True, but can you tell a bunch of zebras apart by the eye? Do two magpies hopping in the yard look significantly different?

Edited by Nukeli on Jul 26th 2024 at 5:32:08 PM

~*bleh*~
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
#29182: Jul 26th 2024 at 7:35:12 AM

My apologies, but does anyone have an idea about this question?

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#29183: Jul 26th 2024 at 7:39:26 AM

[up]

Yes and yes.

Your point?

The differences aren't that small.

And on zebras, it's actually funny how their patterns look like enlarged fingerprints after a while of tracing their curves.

...

[up] I'll have a look at it now.

How about it being a unfortunate case of the transformation "working internally" instead as it is only the surface that is kept from transforming but the inside is already going through the changes, except due to the outside being in the "wrong size", it results in the bones, muscles, and the like to press against the skin and piercing through it in places, resulting in the process becoming hundreds of times worse and more agonizing for the kid than it would have been if it had been allowed to happen as it should from the start?

Basically, putting the father in the choice of "do I lose my kid or do I let him suffer for as long as possible before I lose him?" kind of situation.

Edited by Trainbarrel on Jul 26th 2024 at 4:44:19 PM

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
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
#29184: Jul 26th 2024 at 7:55:33 AM

[up] @ Trainbarrel:

Thanks for that! I have to admit I didn't even think about the physical aspect. In this story every werewolf transformation is automatically painful even though they can change at will, so I think I just glossed over it and went right into the mental agony of having your mind slowly consumed by an eldritch horror/angsty teenager.

But yes, with that in mind I'd imagine the kid wouldn't really be in a position to "interact" with his father, which would put the focus more on the dad and his internal chaos than anything else.

...your perspective also makes the eventual outcome of this scenario far less cruel on the part of the heroes now that I think about it.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#29185: Jul 27th 2024 at 9:23:09 PM

Dogs and cats have highly varied appearances, but most other animals don't...

Dogs and cats have highly varied appearances because they're domesticated. This is an extension of the fact that highly social species tend to be more visually distinct from each other than solitary species do - probably partly because being able to differentiate each other is more valuable for them (but animals don't always rely on vision for that), but mostly because group selection pressure allows and sometimes rewards diversification. A solitary animal has to take care of every aspect of survival itself, which may mean (for example) legs that are long enough for hunting but short and sturdy enough to dig burrows effectively; this is less of a constraint for animals in social groups, where some individuals may do more burrowing or hunting than others and still provide for each other collectively.

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
InvisibleWater (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#29186: Jul 29th 2024 at 6:49:29 AM

How plausible is it for someone to accidentally escape a cult?

It's only just now sunk in that this is a key detail in both my story and one of the characters' backstories.

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
#29187: Jul 29th 2024 at 6:55:58 AM

[up] @ Invisible Water

Well, it depends on what you mean by "escape". For the following answer, I'm going to assume you mean a member accidentally leaving the cult rather than someone who has been targeted by it, who is not remotely a believer in whatever they preach.

For a member to accidentally leave a cult, it is a complicated matter. Physically speaking, it's quite possible for them to be separated from their flock and find themselves stranded in a remote location, or perhaps the opposite, in a crowded and bustling society. All it takes is the right set of circumstances.

With that said...mentally escaping the cult is a whole different matter. The person may have been raised in it or joined (willingly or not) and been indoctrinated into its ways. In that case, even if they are physically separated from the group, the mental struggle of leaving those ways behind will be immense, and without intervention, can often fail. Heck, even with the help of others, it can be impossible.

I've actually written two characters like this—-they didn't escape a cult per se, but they grew up being indoctrinated into a fairly restrictive society akin to a cult, and found themselves accidentally in the "outside world". Although physically free, they both struggled to shake the bonds of their upbringings and one did not succeed even with all the support possible.

So all that is to say that the physical part is very easy and can be left to your imagination, but the mental part is where the true battle lies.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Jul 29th 2024 at 6:57:12 AM

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
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
#29188: Jul 29th 2024 at 7:54:28 AM

Would it take away from the Humans Are the Real Monsters theme of one of my villains if I make him an "occultist" with no actual powers of his own?

The "root" villain (as in the farthest-reaching antagonist of the story) is the "adopted father" of the very first werewolf. He is indirectly responsible for the origin of werewolves and directly responsible for a specific aspect of it that afflicts its victims throughout the centuries.

As things stand now, he is an ordinary if absurdly heinous human being with zero special abilities. Just a limited knowledge that supernatural beings exist and a deep hate for vampires.

But I'm wondering about making him a person who dabbled in the occult and had knowledge of how certain things work, since it would make more sense as to why he was able to "shape" the werewolf curse in his image. But at the same time, I worry such an addition would remove his "mundane evil" aspects which are so central to his character.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Jul 29th 2024 at 7:57:46 AM

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#29189: Jul 29th 2024 at 8:01:05 AM

[up] Did you know what the one thing that makes a beast into a "monster" is?

The aspect of "humanity" added onto it.

The man being just a normal human being yet the biggest monster in the whole story would make perfect sense as there is no need for supernatural elements to make something or someone "monstrous".

Just the one piece called "humanity" is enough.

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
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
#29190: Jul 29th 2024 at 8:10:58 AM

[up] @ Trainbarrel:

Yes, that's definitely true. There are definitely ways to "compensate" for the man's baseline humanity when it comes to how he shaped the way werewolves behave, so he doesn't exactly need to have some kind of arcane knowledge. I guess leaving him as-is will work.

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
#29191: Jul 29th 2024 at 1:56:55 PM

How plausible is it for someone to accidentally escape a cult?

It's not unheard of, especially in more decentralized, less in-person modern cults, that if someone loses internet for a few weeks, they'll lose interest because they're not continuously being topped up on cult juice. In more in-person cults, it's usually harder, but sometimes during a major life event that prevents them from participating in the activities for a while, they'll escape the guilt-tripping, interact with a world that doesn't look like what the cult said it did, and maybe ultimately leave. (Though there's a good chance if the cult sticks around they may continue to harass the person in hopes of getting them back.)

The thing is, people who escape cults tend to pretty quickly find more cults to join. Many Amish who escape join Conservative Mennonites, for instance.

iowaforever (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#29192: Jul 29th 2024 at 3:41:28 PM

How long can someone survive an Agonizing Stomach Wound (a sword stab to be specific), if no vital organs were hit in the process?

Florien The They who said it from statistically, slightly right behind you. Since: Aug, 2019
The They who said it
#29193: Jul 29th 2024 at 4:07:45 PM

Months, years, there isn't really a limit as long as it doesn't get infected.

Alexis St. Martin survived a stomach wound that stayed open to the air for decades, and that was a gunshot wound (generally a far worse injury than a sword can inflict)

Edited by Florien on Jul 29th 2024 at 4:08:08 AM

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
#29194: Jul 31st 2024 at 8:43:20 AM

As a young child, my main character's mother was saved from being tortured and killed by—ironically—a person tasked with killing her or more specifically a man tasked with ensuring her bloodline was snuffed out. After saving her, he put her through Training from Hell to control her powers and defend herself, with the only price for his mercy being that she lives a quiet life and never marries and never has children. And of course, never tell anyone about any of her true backstory.

The main character later finds a journal she writes about her life and her horrible childhood, which shows him the true magnitude of how much trouble he and his family are in. Here is where my question lies:

Would it make sense for her to have written this journal in the first place? Obviously, she disobeyed the other aspects of her mentor's conditions, but writing the journal seems far more deliberate and much more of a breach than marrying and having kids.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Jul 31st 2024 at 8:43:51 AM

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#29195: Jul 31st 2024 at 8:56:57 AM

[up] Nah. It wouldn't.

Why not have the MC use his powers to read her "mental diary" instead and see firsthand what kind of hellhole she lived in without her knowing?

That would honestly be more impact on the MC because then, he cant't deny what he is seeing since it would be honest truth.

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
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
#29196: Jul 31st 2024 at 9:02:56 AM

[up] @ Trainbarrel:

Yes, it's a weird situation to be sure.

Why not have the MC use his powers to read her "mental diary" instead and see firsthand what kind of hellhole she lived in without her knowing?

At this point in the story, his mother (and little sister) have been abducted and he's struggling to even begin to form a plan to rescue them, so she's not within "range" to have her mind read. I guess the journal was intended to be akin to one of those letters you write to people that you never intend to send, that she never got around to disposing of.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
C105 Too old for this from France Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Too old for this
#29197: Jul 31st 2024 at 9:07:14 AM

Could he learn about it from a third party? Someone who would have known about the mentor and his protégé, but without knowing she was the MC's mother. They could for instance confide in the MC about witnessing the whole story and not having the nerve to do something about it, then showing him a few pictures they took at the time of the poor girl...

Edited by C105 on Jul 31st 2024 at 6:07:45 PM

Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
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
#29198: Jul 31st 2024 at 9:28:06 AM

[up] @ C105:

That is an interesting idea. There is one person who actually does know about the whole story and that is the main character's "aunt" (well, his mother's cousin but they were raised like siblings after her aunt and uncle took her in following the incident). She wasn't there for what happened, but she found out about her cousin's powers in their childhood and she spilled the beans to her alone.

I suppose she could recount the story which would have a similar effect. There are a few flaws with this method, since it would mean certain aspects of the story are omitted or left out (it's intended to be a Whole Episode Flashback from the mother's point of view).

But yes, it certainly could be done.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#29199: Aug 1st 2024 at 2:41:16 AM

Do you think that while writing xenofiction, after establishing their blood as pink, i could describe things as "blood-pink" and it wouldn't be weird or confusing?

~*bleh*~
Trainbarrel The Story Supporter from The Star Ocean Since: Jun, 2023 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
The Story Supporter
#29200: Aug 1st 2024 at 4:35:16 AM

[up] Either describe it as pink or blood.

Not both at once. Once established the color, the readers will remember it through the story without need for constant reminders.

"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."

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