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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

TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#22376: Jan 17th 2022 at 6:28:23 AM

Topic: Dracula

The simple reality is that the difference between "Vampires" and "Dracula", is as big as the one between "Fact" and "Fiction"

Dracula predates the "Vampire Rules" and therefor, those can not be applied to him in the slightest, as there are major differences between him and vampires.

1) Dracula is actually a living person and not undead, like a vampire is.

2) Dracula's abilities are all born from dark hell-magic and not part of his actual being, like vampire abilities are with vampires.

3) Sunlight cannot kill Dracula, where it is lethal for vampires.

4) Dracula sucks blood for "fun", and is not vital for him to do so, unlike vampires, where it is vital for them to suck blood and they die if they don't do so.

5) Dracula preys on his enemies and general public, while vampires prefer to prey on their close or loved ones instead.

6) Dracula is based from Vampires and not vice versa.

Things like that.

Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#22377: Jan 17th 2022 at 6:45:41 AM

[up]

1) Dracula has a grave from which he apparently rose, which kind of sounds undead, unless he somehow faked the death.

2) Dracula's abilities appear to be a mix of Strigoi (vampire) and Solomonari (hell magic). Propably purposefully, since i've heard Stoker did his research (as much as one could in that era), and it literally says he studied at Scholomance. There also seems to be some Upir there.

3) The idea that vampires are killed by sunlight is Newer Than They Think - it was originated by interwar period vampire movies. They actually just stay dormant during day, though there are some types that can go out during the day in human guise.

4) It says on wikipedia, and presumably the book (i've only read up to chapter 13) that he needs the blood to live.

5) True, though on the other hand there propably aren't any close relatives left at that age. There are also differences between different vampire types.

6) Obviously?

Edited by Nukeli on Jan 17th 2022 at 4:57:51 PM

~*bleh*~
TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#22378: Jan 17th 2022 at 6:52:03 AM

My point is...

...trying to explain or make sense of Dracula's abilities at all, is a lost cause from the get-go.

Just roll with it if you want vampires based on him, that is.

Edited by TitanJump on Jan 17th 2022 at 3:53:02 PM

Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#22379: Jan 17th 2022 at 7:00:52 AM

[up]

Folklore creatures are, unlike characters, based on some kind of logic/rules/rationalization behind what happens and why. That applies to Dracula's powers because they're those of a mythological creature. Like there's a reason why silver and Cold Iron can harm myth monsters.

But this is not even about that. This was about how he could break into Lucy's house without invitation, but needed Renfield's invitation to enter Seward's house later.

Edited by Nukeli on Jan 17th 2022 at 5:02:30 PM

~*bleh*~
TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#22380: Jan 17th 2022 at 7:05:19 AM

[up]

And about that...

...the wolf (that escaped from the zoo or was broken out from there by Dracula) invited him inside her home once it broke into it without need for invitation.

Simple as that.

Edited by TitanJump on Jan 17th 2022 at 4:06:07 PM

Altris from the Vortex Since: Aug, 2019 Relationship Status: Not caught up in your love affair
#22381: Jan 17th 2022 at 7:29:58 AM

[up][up] Why was the answer last page that Dracula could bypass Must Be Invited in Lucy's case because he had bitten her previously not sufficient for you? DeMarquis already explained it in some detail, but you're repeating the question nevertheless. Yes, Dracula had been influencing Renfield for a bit, but that's different from actually being bitten and turning into a vampire.

So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#22382: Jan 17th 2022 at 8:13:16 AM

[up]

Because i wasn't sure if that made sense. I suppose the wolf could have "invited" him too, since he speaks animal and the wolf was at least partially inside.

~*bleh*~
Nukeli Since: Aug, 2018
#22383: Jan 17th 2022 at 11:20:52 PM

I'm trying to define the powers of my Dracula expy, Kyrilu. He's supposed to just literally be Dracula in all but name, and so his powers are supposed to be the same.

I found the book for free browser reading at Gutenberg and tried to go through it as quickly as possible, but i got some kind of a burnout after chapter 13/27 and can't finish it, so there may also be multiple things characters talk about that i don't know of.

Up to that point i wrote notes on Dracula's physical descriptions, what he and the three women did or were implied to do, and Lucy's and Renfield's symptoms. I consulted Wikipedia again for the rest, but there's a few entries that i don't understand the phrasing of or are up to interpration, at least without the book's narration:

  • "Able to grow and become small"
    • Is this a power in itself like Ant-Man's, or does it just refer to his size changing when he turns into mist and animals?

  • "Necromancy and divination of the dead"
    • What is "divination of the dead"? Bones drums or some shit?

  • [Jonathan believes he] "Has a state of fasting as well as feeding"
    • Like constrictor snakes? Or those animals that barely ever need to eat as a rule when he doesn't use powers? Or does he just rest in "death-sleep" for a day or few after feeding?

  • Can "Travel to unhallowed ground" and can "within limitations" dissappear and reappear elsewhere at will (mentioned separately from each other).
    • So, teleportation propably. I suppose the former are the "limitations"?

  • "Can defy gravity to a certain extent"
    • When does that happen? what does he do there?

  • "If he knows the path he can come out from anything into anything regardless of how close it is bound or even if it is soldered shut"
    • This is the one i understand the least. What happens there? Teleportation? Squeezing himself in like a rat?

  • "Immune to conventional means of attack"
    • It happens on the ship Demeter. You'll find it when you use the "search from page" in your browser. I'm not convinced it's invulnerability (especially since the kukri works on him later), and more like the mist/dust/fog power being utilized to avoid the blade. Opinions?

It also talks about illusionary abilities. When does that happen?

Edited by Nukeli on Jan 17th 2022 at 9:46:51 PM

~*bleh*~
TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#22384: Jan 18th 2022 at 1:12:39 AM

[up]

Advice Nr.1: Read the entire thing first. (Seriously, this is a minimum-requirement for these kinds of things foremost. "Burnout" is no excuse. It takes 4 hours and 20 minutes in total to read through the whole thing at moderate pace.)

Then ask questions if anything remains unclear about it.

Edited by TitanJump on Jan 18th 2022 at 10:18:56 AM

Florien The They who said it from statistically, slightly right behind you. Since: Aug, 2019
The They who said it
#22385: Jan 18th 2022 at 4:44:41 AM

[up][up] You've already been told in the past that these things will not be explained in the level of detail you seek in the book, nor will they be explained by anyone here because they aren't explained in the level of detail you seek. It may be hard to hear that it is physically impossible to get what you want out of the book, but you're going to need to accept that if you intend to continue.

Come up with your own solutions to what these powers are, and then write that. You're never going to get a satisfactory explanation from others, and asking at various times isn't going to eventually produce an explanation for these things. (But do finish reading dracula, it's alright, and it is important that you finish reading what you're getting your research from under most circumstances.)

A number of those powers may not even come up later in the book. (I do not directly remember, it's been a while since I read it.)

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
#22386: Jan 18th 2022 at 7:34:29 AM

I'm curious if this counts as Complete Immortality. There is an entity in my story that cannot die or even be killed due to the fact that its "real" body does not exist in the same space as the world the story takes place in.

Every manifestation of this thing is simply part of it sticking into the world, similar to how the top of an iceberg emerges from the water with the larger bulk still submerged.

Does this count as that trope? Just curious, as this thing is supposed to be incredibly mysterious and the only entity in this story that is truly "exempt" from death.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#22387: Jan 18th 2022 at 7:40:09 AM

[up]

If the body exists in a different wavelength, then mental fatality is going to kill the shade in a different one, no problem.

Scare the thing to death.

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
#22388: Jan 18th 2022 at 7:45:20 AM

[up] @ Titan Jump:

I suppose it could work like that. I don't really intend for it to be killed, just for it to keep existing perpetually as a source of mystery. It's the closest thing to an outright Eldritch Abomination that I've written, at least I think so.

I'm guessing this isn't true immortality then. Although, it could also be argued that such a thing doesn't exist lol, but that just depends on the writer.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#22389: Jan 18th 2022 at 1:04:57 PM

Alright I brought up my three way crossover before and i also brought up a prison break plot for it in my very last query. My question a detail is related to that.

Is there some irony involved in a jailbreak happening on the day of July 4? I want to ask because I want to sue the symbolism of independence day (and because I'm adapting a story that happen to take place in Not-America). Also because I want to know if I accidentally channeled Alanis Morissette or not.tongue

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)
#22390: Jan 18th 2022 at 1:08:16 PM

IDK if the symbolism is inherent, but I can definitely see how it would apply, especially if the prisoners acknowledge it in-universe.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#22391: Jan 18th 2022 at 1:52:53 PM

Regarding the Complete Immortality question, is the other plane of reality accessible in any fashion?

"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
#22392: Jan 18th 2022 at 3:41:03 PM

[up] @ Septimus Heap:

is the other plane of reality accessible in any fashion?

It is possible in a way, but the only way to travel there is to be unconscious/asleep or otherwise incapacitated. It's sort of an Astral Projection type of deal, although I don't really think of it like that. Either way, even if one is in its home, they don't really have the power or tools necessary to kill it, although it never comes down to a fight in its "home" as much as ensuring it can never extend into the real world ever again.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#22393: Jan 18th 2022 at 3:57:02 PM

Question, what scenarios (besides Armored Core ones)does this music bring to mind?

(I'm also wondering if I should start a thread on the music sub-forum for queries of this nature)

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Jan 18th 2022 at 3:57:33 AM

DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#22394: Jan 18th 2022 at 5:30:18 PM

It sounds like the opening theme song to a bad cyberpunk movie.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#22395: Jan 19th 2022 at 12:08:08 AM

Is there some irony involved in a jailbreak happening on the day of July 4?

I don't know the full symbolism of July 4th, but just on the surface level of it being "Independence Day", and of the idea of separating from an overbearing power, it seems to me that a jailbreak on that day would be more a case of appropriateness than irony.

(Conversely, it might be ironic for a character to be incarcerated on July 4th—i.e. on that day losing their independence.)

Question, what scenarios (besides Armored Core ones)does this music bring to mind? ...

Hmm... It's sort of action-y, and sort of "grooving", so I'm seeing some type of action-sequence that involves a lot of dancing. But not in a space traditionally used for dancing. Just... doing foot-slides and ballet-leaps as part of a mission in some concrete, abandoned building.

My Games and Asset Packs
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
#22396: Jan 19th 2022 at 5:40:04 AM

I'm curious about how this would affect "society" on a widescale level since I have no idea about the finer points of it.

In my story there is a disease that only affects vampires, and consequently it is the only disease vampires can contract. It is fatal 99 percent of the time and causes a slow, wasting death that can take anywhere from a few years to decades to occur. There is no way to predict who it will strike or even how it is transmitted since it seems to happen at random.

I'm wondering how this would affect the vampire societies of the world. I don't imagine it would throw them into chaos but at the same time I feel like it would have a sizeable effect.

Of note, this isn't a new problem; it's been a thing for centuries at this point.

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
#22397: Jan 19th 2022 at 6:00:01 AM

[up] I'd say it depends on how widespread this disease is.
If this is something that strikes only occasionally (like rare diseases for humans), then there would not be too much impact - vampires would consider it one of the hazards for their kind, and the occasional scientifically-inclined vampire could try researching it (or use human servants to do it).
At the other end of the scale, if we have something like one or more vampire out of ten being hit by this, to the point that it is the primary cause of death for them (like cancer or heart diseases for humans), then I expect some time would have been devoted over the centuries of ways to better understand this disease, if only to being able to stave it off or circumvent it. There could be entire groups of vampires working (or having servants work) on the subject. I doubt that a long-lived species would accept a disease as debilitating as this to strike them in such numbers.

Edited by C105 on Jan 19th 2022 at 3:01:27 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
#22398: Jan 19th 2022 at 6:14:50 AM

[up] @ C105:

I'd say it depends on how widespread this disease is.

This is a very good point and it's one that I'm sort of struggling with. On one hand it definitely isn't common but it's not exactly a rare disease either. It strikes enough that the cause of some symptoms are known for certain while other aspects of it remain shrouded in mystery. As a side note, I do intend to fully explain how the disease works over time and its cause—-it's one of the side-plots, especially since one of the main protagonists suffers from it.

Thinking through it, I like the idea of a certain group of vampires and human servants devoted to curing it or at least finding out the cause and how to avoid it. There are already two highly differing Emperor Scientist type vampires who were devoted to figuring out the mystery behind the werewolves in this story using the scientific method, so I guess I can throw in a group trying to study this problem too [lol].

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Jan 19th 2022 at 9:15:16 AM

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#22399: Jan 19th 2022 at 6:42:37 AM

Sounds a bit like polio used to be for humans.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
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
#22400: Jan 19th 2022 at 6:53:13 AM

[up] @ De Marquis:

Hmm, perhaps, although it's not that widespread (my mom has told me many times of huge polio epidemics that would strike when she was a child and keep everyone in constant terror). If I can compare it to anything in real life, I'd say it's more like foodborne hepatitis (you know it exists, you hear about cases of it, but you are not all that likely to encounter someone who has had it unless certain circumstances are involved). Still widespread but rare enough that it seems a distant thing that happens to "someone else".

As I mentioned one of my main protagonists contracts it and spends a great deal of time in denial not only because of the usual grief stages but simply because she cannot imagine this happening to her even while exhibiting all the textbook early symptoms.

Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. — Edgar Walllace

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