Random Questions Thread

https://www.businessinsider.com/urban-legends-us-2018-1

Here is a list of urban legends per state in the US.

Update: I got so much here.

Edited by Trainbarrel on Apr 27th 2024 at 8:00:44 PM

Uh, does anyone have any thoughts on this question?

Set a timer-stamp on top of the paragraphs involving that conversation and the war outside.

That way, the readers will now what happens when.

@ Trainbarrel:

I'm a little unsure of what you mean exactly. Like putting a time stamp above the paragraphs detailing the fight and then, upon the Mental World sequence, keeping the same time stamp running during its paragraphs?

If that's it, then I can see that working as a good indicator of the "true time" that's being spent as opposed to the illusionary years.

yes, exactly that.

@ Trainbarrel:

Thanks for clearing it up. Definitely a good idea.

So first, backstory. In the actual show, one character was looking for her mysteriously disappeared best friend and there was only one person at first who gave her the time of day, that being the new cool teacher. He helped her gather evidence that there was something bad going on and marched right on in to confront the school's shot caller... And was swayed into joining the rest of the adults, completely abandoning her and lying to her from then on. While he never stopped caring about the students, he went down the wrong path and their relationship was completely ruined from that point on. However, his motive for doing this is that the teachers were going for immortality, which would have saved him from his degenerative illness, something that's otherwise uncurable and killing him. This teacher didn't show up for the other two seasons of the show, but I decided to put him into my fic which picks up where the finale left off.

Skipping forward to my story. He's back at the school and his illness is very quickly getting out of control. The girl retains her grudge, and is even more bitter about it thanks to his botched attempts at getting her to forgive him (while generally overlooking her own issues in favor of his own, something she eventually called him out for). I'm intending to have the illness finally catch up to him and kill him off, but not before she spurns one last chance at forgivenes.

My thought is for this scene to take place at a time when he's visibly ill and suffering. It's also at a time when she's dealing with a ton of other stressors, like her boyfriend suffering a magically-induced headache / collapse, an important item being stolen and placed in their friend's room, her own unhealed stomach injury, and the recklessness of the children she and the others are trying to work with. Basically, she's in no mood for any crap, and this is on top of her being temperamental and grudge-holding by nature.

So they encounter each other while this is going on and he's in a bad state. She sees this, recognizes he's suffering, is already aware of the illness and his approaching death, but still rejects his attempt to reach out. I intend this to be the last conversation they ever have before he dies, at which point she'll start to feel cruel for not having took his situation in that moment seriously.

I guess my question boils down to, do the compounding factors in this scene make it justifiable or realistic for her to act this way? She's a hot head but she's not normally an out and out jerk and she does usually care when people are suffering. I want this scenario to make sense in a way that implies she was lashing out more out of stress and frustration rather than genuine malice, because she doesn't actually hate him and will be devastated when he goes. So I want her reaction to be understandable for the circumstances without either downplaying his problem or making her come across as overly stubborn and bitter. Does that make sense?

Note that this will take place in the teacher's POV, but that shouldn't change how sympathetic I want the reader to find it.

If this student is " temperamental and grudge-holding by nature." as you described her, then sure, it could make sense.

But one thing is being "realistic," and another is being "sympathethic", if the ratio between the offense and the punishment is too high, then readers may think that the girl is being a jerk, and dislike her for it, even with taking her "bad mood" into account.

.............

(Also, is the man teaching again? Seem to be something a man on his condition shouldn't be doing. though I am neither a doctor nor a lawyer)

Edited by jawal on Apr 28th 2024 at 7:53:08 PM

Makes sense. She's one of the main characters and I think people will understand her perspective here, but it's definitely meant to be on the iffy side of things.

(And yes he is, though it's a whole thing involving being dragged back for help. The school is also just generally shitty and would have realistically been sued dozens of times by now)

I won't attempt to speak to whether it's justifiable, but I do think that it's realistic, indeed.

Will readers find it sympathetic? I imagine that some will, and some won't.

The fact that it's happening from the teacher's POV does seem like it might complicate things a little, as it (presumably) precludes your giving the reader some reminders of the other character's internal state.

(I had thought to suggest that you make a point of describing that internal state as she reacts, in order to remind the audience of why she's reacting quite as she is. But of course, the teacher (again, presumably) has no access to that.)

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Apr 28th 2024 at 10:12:26 AM

Yeah, he doesn't know all the context as to why she gets so aggro. Luckily she has plenty of scenes in this part to explain it to the audience and will have time after to do so as well, which will occur after she's had time to step away and process everything

Edited by WarJay77 on Apr 28th 2024 at 5:58:51 AM

That should help, I daresay! ^_^

Would people fighting atop a giant creature need to worry about being jostled or thrown around by its constant movements? The first part of the Final Battle occurs on the back of a truly gargantuan Kaiju. The abomination's back is essentially "flayed" down to the muscles and in some cases bone. Thus the "battlefield" is the monster's exposed spine and muscles of its back with a grassland of fur surrounding this area.

I'm wondering if its movements would be something the characters would have to worry about while fighting? The place is so big that it's essentially the width of a football field and extremely long so falling off isn't exactly a problem. It's more that constantly having to keep their footing is distracting. Would it be a nonissue after a certain point due to the size?

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Apr 29th 2024 at 10:04:45 AM

Does it curve down like a rib cage by any chance?

If the ground tilts like a dome in any way, foothold is going to be a very risky endeavor.

How is the ground shaped?

Also, how fast is the thing moving? If it is slowly stomping around (like in the old Godzilla movies), people on its back may have to brace themselves for each step, but they should sense them coming in advance. If the thing is running, the ride is probably going to be much more bumpy.

@ Trainbarrel:

Well...kind of. It has a very odd/distorted posture; essentially walking extremely slowly on four legs, but with its body held very rigid. It does slope slightly downward...although I suppose "slightly" for it would be different for the smaller beings on top of its back. If it helps, one of the big inspirations for this thing was the "Bloodstarved Beast" monster from the game Bloodborne. That might give an idea of how its posture appears.

The ground is pretty much flat barren desert (at this point its in Nevada or Utah as its point of origin was in California).

@ C105:

Whew, I was barely saved from .

It is actually going extremely slowly for a number of reasons; part of it is that it has an incredibly poorly put-together body, the other aspect is its sheer weight, the other part is that the person controlling it is kind of zoned out and more focused on piloting an ever-increasing army of millions of werewolves and feeling sorry for himself. As an example—-at the start of the battle it, and a portion of its werewolf army, is advancing towards a crowd of soldiers and civilians/newscasters and it is not even halfway to them by the time the battle ends.

It is "fast" in that it can cover large amounts of ground such as being two states away in the two days and one night it takes for the heroes to catch up to it by helicopter, but that's because it is so huge that its strides cover large distances.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Apr 29th 2024 at 11:03:53 AM

I just googled the thing.

That beast's posture is so bad that whoever is on it, is going to seriously struggle to remain standing on its back.

I have experience with walking up a hill and if it moves too like a person, albeit slowly, it's going to sway a lot when it moves.

Try this to get the general idea.

Assume the posture of the creature you brought up. Then try to move forward like that, albeit slowly. Track your movements and imagine some tiny little pixie standing on your back while at it.

This might help with your question.

Edited by Trainbarrel on Apr 29th 2024 at 5:06:03 PM

@ Trainbarrel:

Thanks for that, it helps. As you can probably tell, the movement of the "ground" wasn't something I thought of until I really started "choreographing" the awesome and physically implausible maneuvers and movements the heroes make while fighting on this monster. It occurred to me that unless it is standing completely still, then they might have a bad time. Unfortunately, it seems I was right.

I'll definitely try the method you suggested. Who knows, I may add the terrible position of the ground as yet one more hazard in addition to everything else going on.

Edited by Swordofknowledge on Apr 29th 2024 at 11:14:19 AM

How does this line sound regarding the owner of a club instructing the bouncer? Is it funny, or just trying too hard?

"The phrase you're gonna hear the most often 'round 'ere is, 'Do you have any idea who I am?' Whenever you hear that, tell 'em I don't care if they're her goddamn majesty or even the reincarnation of me dear old granny; 'less they have an invite or a warrant, they can fuck off. You tell 'em that's a message from me, personally, and you'll never get a scolding from me."

Looks a bit long.

Let me try one on this:

"Listen, what you're goin' to hear over and OVER doin' this, is gonna be "You got any bloody idea who I am?", and when they pull that out'tha arse, tell 'em "Not on tha' list." and send 'em home packin' with a glare if you gotta!"

That monologue is to me nicely reminiscent of the old movie Snatch.. I like it, just as it is! ^_^

Here is a question:

How do you describe the smell of gasoline in a story... without actually calling it "gasoline"?

It's a medieval setting and I'm trying to describe a certain unique dragon's breath, which carries this distinct stench to it before the fire breath comes out in the next moment.

"it smells rancid, like the noxious stench of diesel burning in a trane's furnace."

@ Trainbarrel:

Perhaps you could describe it as "acrid/sharp and overpowering, coating the tongue and weighing down the air". Or that it is such a strong and foul smell that it blots out everything else.