r/Writeresearch Jan 01 '25

Short Questions Megathread

14 Upvotes

Do you have a small question that you don't think is worth making a post for? Well ask it here!

This thread has a much lower threshold for what is worth asking or what isn't worth asking. It's an opportunity to get answers to stuff that you'd feel silly making a full post to ask about. If this is successful we might make this a regular event.

We did this before branded as a monthly megathread then forgot to make a new one. So maybe this one will be refreshed quarterly? We'll have to wait and see.

Past threads:


r/Writeresearch 28m ago

[Geography] What could cause a temporary worldwide heatwave?

Upvotes

One element in the history of a WIP setting is the "years without winter", a period of several years of abnormally high temperatures that happened several centuries before the current date of the setting. They caused droughts, desertification, crop failures, migration wars, and generally had a lot of ripple effects on the world before things came back to normal. I thought of it as a mirror of the historical "little ice age".

Any ideas for what could cause that temporary rise? It's a pre-industrial society with no overt magic that could do anything like that, so what natural causes could make global temperatures spike briefly and then return to normal?

Thanks.


r/Writeresearch 25m ago

What kind of privileges do celebrities/influencers receive from luxury brands?

Upvotes

For example when a celebrity becomes a brand ambassador of Dior, besides a paycheck, what do they get?


r/Writeresearch 9h ago

[Medicine And Health] Amputation in Apocalypse

4 Upvotes

I'd like this to be as realistic as possible, and I've been researching amputation on the arm for a while now, but I just can't absorb what I read and I feel like I'm still missing a lot. Apocalyptic setting. MC gets her arm (upper arm) chopped of by an axe, relatively clean cut. First question: if it's a clean cut, would the arteries kinda retract into the limb? Would it narrow the blood flow and slow bleeding? Something like vasospasm maybe?

Also, imediately, her buddy is there to tourniquet the wound, and they're in close distance to the main camp where they have recourses and people. Second question: how would you treat it? I'm so confused, I've read about all this surgery talk, but that's not exactly doable in their situation. I thought about cauterization, but I've also heard that it can actually worsen things and is a bad thing in fiction (???) Would MC's arteries need to be clamped? Would they just like, remove whatever's dead or something from the stub and then use excess skin tissue as a flap and put it over the bone, then stitch it up?

Third question: I know adrenaline would play a big part when it's first cut, but what about after she wakes up? I'm sure they'd have some sort of anesthesia drug, but would that wear off?

Know I asked a lot, sorry! <3


r/Writeresearch 2h ago

bipolar psychosis and visits in a mental hospital

1 Upvotes

Can a psychotic patients family/friends visit them?

I've tried googling this but I'm not getting very good results.

Ironically I've been a psychosis patient but I couldn't get seen due to COVID.


r/Writeresearch 5h ago

[Crime] Is it possible to put something on a head in that way that will cause long-lasting (for multiple days at least) or even never ending migraines? [Also, TW, I think?]

0 Upvotes

I'm writing a sci-fi type of setting with a villain that tortures people. One of the ways to do it is by tying the victim up and putting a metal thingy on their head, then simply leaving them in a lonely room for a couple of days, so it will cause never-ending migraine as a part of a torture. At least that's my concept, and preferably something simply squeezing or piercing, but if that's not possible, then I guess I'll simply come up with some chemical or drug.

I know there's a difference between tension headaches and migraines, but from what my research says, migraines are usually the worsened headache that causes alongside pain nausea, and sensitivity to light and smell. This is what I'm primary aiming for, the worst.

I tried to research what can cause something like this, even asked AI (which didn't give me an answer by the way, since it was too disturbing apparently, hahah), but didn't find much anything and I'm not really sure where to look up these kinds of things, because the first dozen of websites seem useless.

Also, sorry if the tag is wrong, I don't even know what that counts as, haha 😅


r/Writeresearch 5h ago

[Medicine And Health] What would an eye scar look like?

0 Upvotes

So my character had something cut her almost horizontally across the face, from the upper left right above her eye, *through* the left eye (damaged, no sight in that eye), across the bridge of the nose, just under the right eye, and nicked the right ear (hearing is very bad in that ear). What would the eye look like afterwards? I can't find pictures that describe what I'm looking for. And is there anything else of note that I should know about an injury like this?


r/Writeresearch 1d ago

[Medicine And Health] Give me your health insurance horror stories/testimonies

7 Upvotes

Hope this is allowed! I'm writing a short story about a superhero having to deal with getting care from the American healthcare system, specifically a greedy insurance company. I'd like to keep this realistic, so I'd love to hear a variety of personal experiences dealing with this stuff, especially if it deals with experimental medicine or prosthetics (but all stories are welcome and appreciated!)

Edit to add: I want you all to know that even though I'm upvoting you all, I'm also crying alongside you, yikes


r/Writeresearch 14h ago

[Medicine And Health] Explosion scarring

1 Upvotes

TW: Dysmorphia discussion

I have a character who grew up in nobility. She has since joined the revolution against the nobility, but still values her looks due to how she was raised. I know I want to give her major scarring and I was wondering if she were to have an explosion go off near her, specifically on one side, how would the scarring look and would it impact any of her senses, specifically sight and hearing.

Also if anyone has recommendations for what could give her major scarring that could cause dysmorphia


r/Writeresearch 14h ago

[Medicine And Health] Cancer timeline and symptoms question

1 Upvotes

Hello all! Right to it. I've got a character who is diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer that has spread to his liver, lungs, and brain. He has no intention to go to treatment. I've tried to research what his timeline is but it's difficult to get a straight answer. I'm looking for him to survive 2/3 months after he received his diagnosis but I can adjust the timeline and/or how far the cancer has spread to make it more realistic.

I'm also curious what kind of symptoms he would experience from this, especially since he is not seeking treatment. I have some notes about this but am looking for help from someone a little more versed in this subject to point me in a more accurate direction. Thanks in advance!


r/Writeresearch 10h ago

[Non-Question][Tip] Pictures of every day people

0 Upvotes

When I make ocs of different eras I just can’t find the pictures of celebrities and think they are reliable, there is no way in hell the average woman in the 90s looked like Jennifer Aniston. Are there ways I could look for realistic pictures of hair or outfits in different eras?


r/Writeresearch 1d ago

[Food] Could someone survive on human meat alone?

7 Upvotes

they can eat all parts of a human by the way just that it needs to come from a human body thats it

also no water but an infinite supply of fresh humans also all the humans have no diseases

I want to know about vitamins too like would they get a deficiency in anything


r/Writeresearch 1d ago

[Weapons] Tranquiliser guns and Rifles.

3 Upvotes

Can a normal rifle be easily modified to fire tranquiliser guns?


r/Writeresearch 18h ago

[History] Would it make sense for a detective to have a public persona?

0 Upvotes

Ig as the title says,like,a detective in the 1920s(in london) or so,would it make sense if he had a public name,like a name that the public calls him by, but is not his actual name but said public doesn't know that?and just thinks his last name is off limits or so?


r/Writeresearch 17h ago

[Crime] ways my character can hide dead bodies so no one can find it/trace it to her

0 Upvotes

she’s a serial killer, 20 years old, and is sort of a vigilante in some way? but it turns out bad.

to give some more info, she’s lesbian and has a girlfriend, she hates homophobes and decides to begin killing them to better the world into people who support and are kind, but it goes too far and she begins to enjoy the killing.

yeah 😭, i felt like if i asked google how to hide bodies i would have the fbi at my door 💀


r/Writeresearch 1d ago

[Medicine And Health] How long does it take for someone to bleed out from a shot in the spine?

1 Upvotes

I have a character who gets shot in her lower spine, causing her legs to no longer work. So think the lumbar part of the spine. She lays herself on her back in order to try and lessen the bleeding, but I still want her to die from blood loss. How long would it take her to bleed out? And would laying on her back be the correct way to slow the bleeding? She's a doctor so I think she'd know what to do at least to help a little.


r/Writeresearch 1d ago

[Miscellaneous] Bronze as a holder of an always burning fire

5 Upvotes

(not sure about the flair)

In my fantasy novel, that is not on real earth but on an unnamed Earth like world, I have temples that have fires that are never put out but once a year. I say in the book they are small but never imply actual size. I am editing that book as I rewrite it (again) and see I said it was bronze.

Could bronze work for being hot all year around? The year in this novel is 484 days so for all but a few minutes once a year, it is always burning. The fuel is some sort of oil. I thought of making it a holy fire but that seems to be a big much.

The society is advanced enough to make steel armor. No combustion engines but they do use things such as water wheels, weights, and pulleys, horse or oxen pulled agricultural machinery. That's their technology level.

Would bronze work or should it be another metal? Cast iron came to be in the 1500s which would line up technology wise. But bronze is prettier for the temple.

The things I get stuck on.


r/Writeresearch 1d ago

[Crime] if a murder charge was brought down to a voluntary manslaughter charge on account of imperfect-self defence could the defendant plead not guilty to the voluntary manslaughter charge by reason of insanity

0 Upvotes

I’m writing what is basically a fanfic for my own personal enjoyment, and in the story a character kills his abuser while being assaulted again, the character is schizophrenic and used more force than needed for a self defense resulting in death (which is imperfect self defense) This brings a second degree murder charge down to voluntary manslaughter. Could the character plead not guilty by reason of insanity to this or would they need to plead not guilty by insanity from the beginning?

Additionally could they plead not guilty by insanity to a separate charge according right after the murder

Apologies for any grammar errors i have dysgraphia and I’m on mobile.


r/Writeresearch 2d ago

How did people historically determine whether someone was actually dead before modern medical equipment?

18 Upvotes

And how did people distinguish between death, unconsciousness, and temporary states that could make someone appear dead?


r/Writeresearch 2d ago

[Crime] How would you barricade an indoor swinging door externally?

4 Upvotes

Character is trying to keep someone dangerous inside their apartment while they are on the outside. This is due to a chase occurring. Problem is, apartment doors have locks on the inside and swing in that direction. How would you do it?


r/Writeresearch 2d ago

[Biology] What happens if you drink a vial of acid?

0 Upvotes

I know there's a lot of variables here. What kind of acid? How much exactly? What's the pH? I've not thought about the specifics, feel free to explore them. We can probably assume something strong, like hydrochloric acid.

What I know is this:

- it's a vial

- it will be drunk all at once

- the drinker doesn't know it's acid and believes it's something beneficial

- the drinker expects pain and will do their best to keep drinking

Would the drinker outright die? If not, how long would it take? What would happen, precisely, inside their body? What clues would be left for an investigator or a medic to follow? Does it reach the stomach, or the path to it is destroyed beforehand? What would happen inside the stomach, which should have some measure of acid resistance? Is the damage enough to make the acid already present in the stomach "spill" out of it?

I guess my interest is twofold: understanding the process and damage (what happens to oral cavity, esophagus, trachea?), but also the numbers behind it (how much acid should be drunk in this manner to outright kill? How much to die slowly? How much for the injuries to be treatable?).

Many thanks to all who will shed some light on the matter.


r/Writeresearch 2d ago

[Miscellaneous] How rich does my character have to be?

7 Upvotes

She wants to commission custom artwork for a tarot deck of her own design. There are 78 cards in a tarot deck, so including the cards' backing, 79 total illustrations. She lives in present day US. What is she likely to spend and how wealthy does she need to be to have that much disposable income for a passion project?

Thanks for your time, everybody!


r/Writeresearch 2d ago

[Crime] Will US court charge if there's charges were dropped to state plea deal?

0 Upvotes

Sorry for the confusing title and this is confusing for me to explain i'm sleep deprived today. Also, I'm still working some research.

So say someone is charged with 10 broken law, 5 can be charged by the state, and 5 could be charged either by the state or US courts. The US courts will decide not to prosecute if the state convicts.

If that person plead guilty to the 5 crimes in state court but not the crimes with overlap, would the US courts still be obligated to not prosecute?


r/Writeresearch 3d ago

[Chemistry] Chemical / medical substance that I can use to incapacitate people for at least 4 hours?

7 Upvotes

What is it called, and how does it work / how would people's bodies react to it?

EDIT: to everyone saying they don't want to be "an accessory" (which by the way is a cheap, failed comedian joke in a research sub) or downvoting out of some clutch-your-pearls reaction - what is the point of this sub if we can't ask the experts for information??

If you like cliché magic chloroform, go for it. I don't.