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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

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
#18151: Jan 16th 2021 at 4:56:47 PM

Heavy clothing will slightly delay the effects of sunlight (especially at "weaker" times of the day like dawn) or cloudy/overcast conditions, But it's just a stopgap and in full sunlight it only buys a few minutes before the effects set in. And when that happens it merely lessens the severity of the burns received.

Also, how feasible are online jobs in this world? Is a profession such as, say, a call center rep or a telemarketer doable from home?

They should be quite feasible theoretically at least. The story's world is set in the United States in late 2008. Apart from very slight Alternate History the conditions in the U.S. and the world at large are pretty much the same as they were at that time in real life. There's just a whole supernatural community around and beneath humanity's noses lol. But all that is to say that internet jobs and call-center type work should be something a vampire could do.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Altris from the Vortex Since: Aug, 2019 Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#18152: Jan 16th 2021 at 6:06:34 PM

Okay, that sounds good. In answer to your original question, yeah, your vampires could probably do Internet or similar jobs that don't require going outside - telemarketing, that sort of thing.

Speaking of which, I've been wondering a while about your book's overall tone. It seems very dark - how are you going to ensure it doesn't fall into Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy?

So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
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
#18153: Jan 16th 2021 at 6:20:46 PM

Okay, that sounds good. In answer to your original question, yeah, your vampires could probably do Internet or similar jobs that don't require going outside - telemarketing, that sort of thing.

I'm glad that's a viable option. I figure that since they really can't function in daylight (indoors or outdoors, really) it would be a lot of people with long-distance call and internet sort of careers that generally require little contact with actual people.

peaking of which, I've been wondering a while about your book's overall tone. It seems very dark - how are you going to ensure it doesn't fall into Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy?

This will definitely be a long response [lol]. You are quite right that it is very dark—-as I mentioned it was started out as a for-fun Take That! at Twilight where I poked holes and pointed out the flaws in a vampire/human romance, but as I became invested in the story's character development and world-building it became a serious project. I'll be pretty open about it: this isn't a happy story in the least, it is actually intended to be a tragedy. It seems like a Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy but in a lot of ways its theme is about loss—-the loss of innocence, loss of loved ones, loss of status, loss of humanity. I could go on, but you get the picture. It is full of incredibly dark scenes and terrible things that happen to completely innocent people. Your words on my earlier question have actually made me realize just how this can affect people who do read this.

On the other hand, it's other theme is being better, becoming better. Many of the characters within grow to become a superior version of the person they started out as and Heel Face Turns abound...although sometimes people still suffer and die even when having genuinely tried to change themselves. What I mean to say is that there is definitely darkness, this project is defined by it in a lot of ways—but there are moments of hope and happiness as well. I hope that those moments are enough to "sustain" readers through the next dark patch, as it were.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Jan 16th 2021 at 9:21:00 AM

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
Altris from the Vortex Since: Aug, 2019 Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#18154: Jan 16th 2021 at 10:51:27 PM

I see. It all seems very grand and sweeping, and there's no problem inherent with that, but my main concern is that the focus will stick to the grand and sweeping things because they're more interesting without regard to the world they're happening in.

The solution here is to focus on the small things, especially the non-main-character moments - a civilian completely uninvolved with the main plot deciding to help clean up the aftermath of a Very Bad Thing (TM) that the villain did, for example. Doesn't affect the plot, doesn't affect the main characters, still shows that people can choose to be good. It helps remind the reader how even ordinary people can do good, even if it's small - which I think is sorely needed in a story with these sorts of big themes.

So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#18155: Jan 16th 2021 at 11:26:55 PM

Going back to viable jobs for the vampires, another that comes to mind is the role of "bouncer".

And with their strength, they'd likely make good labourers—whether in warehouses, or docks, or elsewhere.

It did also occur to me that some of them might become professional assassins/hit-people. However, it might be awkward to make sure that all contracted jobs are nocturnal, and might not fit the concept of a "civilian" character.

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Jan 16th 2021 at 9:27:08 PM

My Games and Asset Packs
AdeptGaderius Otaku from the Anime World Since: Nov, 2018 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Otaku
#18156: Jan 17th 2021 at 2:25:21 AM

What are some Atlantis analogues from mythologies of Asia?

eagleoftheninth Shop all day, greed is free from a dreamed portrait, imperfect Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Shop all day, greed is free
#18157: Jan 17th 2021 at 2:45:28 AM

Shambhala? Iram of the Pillars? Like a million lost civilisations of various stripes from Arabian Nights?

One day, we will read his name in the news and cheer.
AdeptGaderius Otaku from the Anime World Since: Nov, 2018 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Otaku
#18158: Jan 17th 2021 at 3:02:35 AM

[up] It's leaning towards ones from Southern and Eastern Asia, including Southeast Asia.

eagleoftheninth Shop all day, greed is free from a dreamed portrait, imperfect Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Shop all day, greed is free
#18159: Jan 17th 2021 at 11:19:32 PM

Well, those were the closest I could name. One more I could think of is the Yamatai kingdom that supposedly stood somewhere in Japan till around 300 CE, supposedly ruled at one point by the Priest-Queen Himiko. It's mentioned in several ancient Japanese and Chinese texts, but nobody could agree exactly on where it was or how it came to an end (if it ever did).

There are tonnes of ruined cities and temple complexes all across Asia whose whose foundations are Shrouded in Myth, even if their existence is very much not in doubt. The Angkor Wat is probably the most famous example. Not sure if those would fit your criteria for an Atlantis analogue, though.

One day, we will read his name in the news and cheer.
Demetrios Lucky Seven from Des Plaines, Illinois (unfortunately) Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Lucky Seven
#18160: Jan 18th 2021 at 12:06:59 AM

Say, have you seen Expedition Unknown? In that one episode, the host Josh Gates explored some undersea ruins that could be considered the Japanese equivalent of Atlantis.

Come on! Let's bless them all until we get fershnickered!
AdeptGaderius Otaku from the Anime World Since: Nov, 2018 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Demetrios Lucky Seven from Des Plaines, Illinois (unfortunately) Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#18163: Jan 18th 2021 at 11:05:57 AM

You know how it's illegal in most (if not all) of the United States for anyone under 18 to get a tattoo? If someone who was under 18 somehow got one (let's assume they lied about their age and the tattooist was either too lax to check or just didn't care), would they be forced to get it removed if the police caught sight of it? Or would they just get fined or something?

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#18164: Jan 18th 2021 at 11:11:06 AM

I would expect that the tattoo studio would be fined, not the minor. I don't think the minor could be legally forced to remove it, either. The First Amendment would apply as well as the Fourth.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 18th 2021 at 2:11:58 PM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#18165: Jan 18th 2021 at 11:17:28 AM

Not to mention health considerations. Still, local police departments have tried to do crazier things in the past.

"The Yonaguni monument"

That's fascinating. I learn about so many interesting things around here.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#18166: Jan 19th 2021 at 1:08:58 AM

What are some ways that speaking many languages can be really helpful to a naval officer?

Here's the context: The story is set in the early 20th century, starting at 1900 and ending with the end of the WWII. The main character is an Asian American naval officer who graduates from Annapolis in 1906 (I initially made him graduate from Princeton and then enter the Marines, but changed my mind).

His parents fled from Manchuria to San Francisco, so he starts off with being able to speak Chinese, English, and a little bit of Japanese. Then in Annapolis, for his second language requirement he picks French, and he befriends an upperclassman who teaches him German.

Then right after the graduation, along with several of his classmate he participates in the Great White Fleet's voyage, which increases his appreciation towards foreign culture even more so, causing him to pick up bits of Spanish, Russian, and Japanese. Few years before WWI, he follows the same upperclassman who taught him German and spends two years in Germany studying engineering.

So by the WWI breaks out, he could speak three languages with complete fluency (Chinese, English, German) and has functional proficiency in four (French, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian).

Now, in what ways could this incredible multilingual ability be beneficial to this guy in regard to his military career?

My first guess is that this would make him an amazing asset to an intelligence agency, and he does get recruited to the Office of Naval Intelligence, which, due to his exploits becomes essentially the precursor of the CIA instead of the OSS like in the original history.

Continuously reading, studying, and (hopefully) growing.
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#18167: Jan 19th 2021 at 7:45:36 AM

How would/could doctors try to treat a king's cancer in a 1910's-1920's setting? Would the available methods slow his death at all? How about pain management? How many years do people averagely take to die from untreated cancer?

Edited by Nukeli on Jan 19th 2021 at 5:46:49 PM

~*bleh*~
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#18168: Jan 19th 2021 at 8:04:53 AM

How would/could doctors try to treat a king's cancer in a 1910's-1920's setting?

Badly. Cancer was known about then, of course, and surgical interventions had been attempted, but it was basically a death sentence. As for how long, that depends on the type and severity of the cancer... obviously. Untreated, you could live for months or years.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#18169: Jan 19th 2021 at 9:17:28 AM

Very poorly, that's to be expected, but what would they do? What kind of quack treatments did people use back then?

The idea is that the physical symptoms, and the news that he's going to die soon and there's nothing he can do about it, -combined with other predetermined issues- drive him off the deep end.

He doesn't start off as completely insane, and in the beginning is just a very strict king who runs the country like a dictator and only cares about getting a male heir to ensure his relatives' children won't get his kingdom. After learning that he has cancer, he's supposed to have a Sanity Slippage into an abusive husband/father who fucks everything up for the prince who succeeds him, partially out of insanity and partially out of conscious spite.

I'm not sure if his psychological degradation is realistic, but the physical part is propably more important to get right. What kind of cancer he dies from doesn't actually matter story-wise and isn't really set in stone. I'm trying to figure out which kind would fit the plot best, and also in terms of time and his general physical capacity. Brain cancer would be too drasticnote , but otherwise it isn't set in stone.

Edited by Nukeli on Jan 19th 2021 at 7:44:09 PM

~*bleh*~
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#18170: Jan 19th 2021 at 9:34:58 AM

I'd go with something extremely painful but not completely debilitating, so he can order people around and appear strong in public and such. I've heard that pancreatic cancer might fit the bill.

The point about treatment is that there really isn't any. There are going to be doctors coming out of the woodwork to offer pain relief (opium and cocaine and such) and quack therapies but nothing effective.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
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
#18171: Jan 19th 2021 at 10:10:17 AM

[up] (x5) Your multilingual naval officer would be indispensable when it comes to reading/deciphering documents in foreign languages. I imagine that comes with intelligence work, but on the "field" someone coming in with enemy documents or papers in a language others wouldn't be able to easily understand could come running to him in a pinch and have him immediately be able to clear things up.

A similar situation could occur if he overheard someone say something in a language he understood and acted on it, with favorable results for his side. This would secure his position in the military since those skills would show him as a capable and indispensable soldier.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Jan 19th 2021 at 1:10:36 PM

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
#18172: Jan 19th 2021 at 10:38:36 AM

What exactly is the best way to present/describe the process of a character regenerating a limb? The werewolves in my story can regrow their limbs as a part of their Healing Factor

The first time we actually see a werewolf healing something as major as a limb is when one of my protagonists has her leg ripped off at the knee. Since she is new to the whole werewolf thing, she's never had anything like this happen before and there is a whole scene describes what she is going through when she wakes up the next morning to find her leg coming back.

I intend to describe the limb as slowly returning via "layers"—-first the bones come back, then the muscles/nerves and finally the skin over a span of hours. Is this a good way to do it, or is there a better one?

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Jan 19th 2021 at 1:39:31 PM

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
TheWhistleTropes janet likes her new icon. Since: Aug, 2015 Relationship Status: In Lesbians with you
janet likes her new icon.
#18173: Jan 19th 2021 at 10:57:56 AM

Do you think maybe simple regeneration may work better, in that all parts come in in and of themselves? I feel like having the bone come in before the muscle may be sort of a stretch unless the bone was partly exposed to begin with. The bone needs the muscle to be supported and would simply fall to the ground that way. But perhaps some device could be used to place on the leg so the bones may be kept in place for regeneration.

But regardless, I do feel that the description of it coming back in layers would work if that is what you are going for.

Edited by TheWhistleTropes on Jan 19th 2021 at 1:58:33 PM

she/her/they | wall | sandbox
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
#18174: Jan 19th 2021 at 11:18:39 AM

I feel like having the bone come in before the muscle may be sort of a stretch unless the bone was partly exposed to begin with. The bone needs the muscle to be supported and would simply fall to the ground that way. But perhaps some device could be used to place on the leg so the bones may be kept in place for regeneration.

I honestly didn't even think about the bone falling apart if there was no muscle/sinew holding it together and in place (facepalm). See, this is why these questions are important![lol]

I don't really like the idea of the interference of some outside device, and it wouldn't work in this situation, so I think I might just go with the idea that the muscles come first and then the bone.

But regardless, I do feel that the description of it coming back in layers would work if that is what you are going for.

Thank you. The way the regeneration looks was supposed to match the way the werewolves transform from human to wolf form; the whole skeleton forms first and then the muscles and soft tissue and fur sort of "flow" over the raw bones to create the whole creature.

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
#18175: Jan 19th 2021 at 1:16:36 PM

Or the limb could regrow starting from its cut, and extend from there. She would first notice that her injury has already healed into a stump, and then the stump would seem to swell, only after a time it would become apparent that the swelling remains limited to the extremity of the stump, which is travelling further and further from its original location on a brand new leg.

It is less gory than having the leg regrow by layers, but that way a character regenerating a limb would always look like a normal amputee at any given time of the regenerative process.

Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.

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