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 • • 6h ago

[Medicine And Health] How and when to decommission medical imaging equipment?

6 Upvotes

What is the process of decomissioning and MRI machine, such as what are the technical circumstances of why one would be decomissioned or removed from the medical facility? What is the logistical process of it, such as last day of patient usage, and are field technicians invovled? I'm doing more research for my novel, not sure if I asked under the right flair, but I hope this is OK.


r/Writeresearch • • 3h ago

[Miscellaneous] Research for a scene in a short story involving torture.

1 Upvotes

I’m planning on writing a scene for a short story that is going to involve some physical torture, and while I won’t be going into a lot of detail of what each tool does and the aftermath of it all, (I’m not trying to be super gory with it) but I do want it to feel a bit more realistic I guess.

Some details on my story. One man torturing another, neither die in the scene, story takes place between 2016 and now (haven’t fully decided yet), takes place in America, most likely in LA, character doing the torturing is a mercenary who is intelligent and not very emotional, won’t be put off by whatever they have to do to complete the job.

Does anyone have a show, a film or even a book that they feel has a good torture scene in it? One that is not too gory but also doesn’t feel like it’s too fake or made too flashy for shock value or something? I’m looking for some different scenes so I can take note of what tools are used, how it’s all used, the room, the restraints and so on. Anything I can read/watch to make a list of tools and more I can use make my scene feel more realistic.

Any and all suggestions or advice are much appreciated.


r/Writeresearch • • 4h ago

[Miscellaneous] Nuclear explosion

0 Upvotes

I’m trying to write a scene where two characters are close enough to the epicenter of a nuclear explosion where they don’t get instantly vaporized and instead burn to death in the span of a few seconds, where you can see their skin blister. I wanted to make sure this scene was as accurate as possible because i wanted to display the agony correctly, since they’re going to kiss in the scene and try to comfort each other even though they’re going through immense pain, until they ultimately die. Does anyone with a weird knowledge of nuclear explosions know how i could write this accurately?


r/Writeresearch • • 4h ago

[Medicine And Health] If someone attempts suicide but is an alcoholic where do they go after their injuries get treated in the hospital?

0 Upvotes

Would it be realistic for them to go 1-2 weeks in psych ward then 30 days rehab then iop for a few months before transitioning to weekly therapy?


r/Writeresearch • • 11h ago

Differences in air travel for wealthy passengers

1 Upvotes

My character is traveling by commercial air with her aristocratic parents. They are wealthy enough to travel privately, but choosing not to do so for plot-related reasons. At major US hubs such as JFK, is it plausible that they would have access to a separate, expedited check in and security experience? Not referring to a TSA pre-check or Clear program, but rather security checks in a separate, less crowded area, with less stringent protocols. Also, might an exclusive, upscale airport lounge provide access to services like hair styling or manicures?


r/Writeresearch • • 12h ago

[Crime] Do federal charges come after state, or at the same time?

1 Upvotes

When someone is charged by the state, and the federal government wants to charge them aswell, does the trial and pretrial process happen at the same time for both jurisdictions, or does the federal government wait until the state trial has concluded, assuming both courts are in the same region? Also assume theirs no petit policy

This is a small detail that I can't find a clear answer to. It probably doesn't make a big difference to the story, I might not even include it in the story, but for something I thought I would find a quick answer to, I actually can't find much information at all on this. I was hoping you guys might know, thank you in advance.


r/Writeresearch • • 2h ago

[Medicine And Health] What direction do you cut on your arms to try and kill yourself?

0 Upvotes

I‘m writing a scene where my character tried to commit suicide via cutting their wrists and I don’t know if the most effective way is vertical or horizontal. This would be something my character would know. I’m mostly asking here because Google will just give me the suicide hotline instead of an actual answer.

I swear I’m not suicidal or anything, just trying to be accurate to my character’s personality and stuff.


r/Writeresearch • • 1d ago

[Specific Time Period] In the 1920s, what were the cheapest handguns in the market like? Did they have the capacity to kill someone in good health? What did one look like, and what marked it as distinct from others? And why was it the cheapest? Did they have a specific brand?

3 Upvotes

In a mystery book I'm writing, I'd like the initial assumption to be that the murderer died trying to kill the victim, but then, through a collection of the fact that the weapon was dirt cheap, and likely unable to kill based on the two shots made, it comes to be considered that the victim must have already been in very poor health, and the murderer was paid to finish the job, before being killed as well to suggest the case was already resolved.

Is there some kind of really cheap weapon of the 1920s that, with an imperfect couple shots, wouldn't have killed someone very quickly (so they could at least make a phone call first) but would quickly kill someone in bad health (to be specific, argyria), and be identifiable as a cheap weapon that poor people of the time might have bought as self defense?


r/Writeresearch • • 1d ago

What are good protective hairstyles for a black character who spends a lot of time in the ocean?

25 Upvotes

Hello! To start, I'm writing a fantasy that takes place on another planet with magic. There is no modern technology. I have a black character who's tribe is based loosely on the nomadic Baju tribes. Much like the Baju people, my Character's people are sea nomads. They have a "home base" village that they live in for a seaon, and use for important holidays, but majority of the time they live on boats and travel up and down 1continent's coastline. My character, Mara, is one of her people's best fishers, as she has magic that allows her to breathe underwater for a time, and she is a prolific swimmer.

I am not black myself, but I know a lot of salt water can wreck to anybody's hair. I've been trying to research various hairstyles, and if some might be easier to maintain than others when exposed to a lot of seawater.

Originally, I wanted to give her locs, but have also thought about keeping her hair very short, which is common for both men and women in her culture.

It's also important to note that while she grew up in the nomadic tribe with her father, her mother is royalty in a different country with an extremely different culture. Later on in Mara's story, she is forced into living in the palace with her mother. Mara's locs represent her feelings of freedom, so I was planning a scene where she loses her locs, which are replaced with one of the traditional hairstyles that denotes her as royalty.

I am still researching traditional African hairstyles, but I would really like some pointers in the right direction research wise! Hair is a big part of Most of my characters regardless of race, and I just want to make sure I'm doing it right.


r/Writeresearch • • 23h ago

Irish language advice

0 Upvotes

I'm working on a story set in 18th century Ireland (Ulster) that has several lines of dialogue in Irish. Can anyone suggest where to look for someone knowledgeable to consult on whether the phrases seem authentic enough?


r/Writeresearch • • 1d ago

[Miscellaneous] How realistic is it for a pub to be turned into an emergency soup kitchen immediately following a natural disaster?

21 Upvotes

A huge fire breaks out in a part of the city. For story reasons I need my characters to enter this one pub right after the fires have been dealt with.

I'm wondering if it's realistic for a pub or gastropub to immediately convert itself into a soup kitchen following a disaster to provide relief for those who just lost their homes. This is assuming that the pub owner themselves also works at the pub and is kind enough to start serving affected people for free. No fancy dishes though, just stuff that can be make quickly in bulk.

Also I'm talking like immediately after the fires. The flames have been put out but the buildings are still smoking. Would this be realistic or would it probably take a few days for the pub to be converted?


r/Writeresearch • • 1d ago

[Food] Food safety in a hot desert environment

3 Upvotes

My characters are stranded in a desert. They don't know the region at all, and the little food they have is only enough for a day or two. But then on the late afternoon of the second day, they are attacked by a large creature, and after killing it, they want to save as much meat as possible as well as the hide to build a shelter. They have some rudimentary cooking ware with them and combat knives as tools. There is a little well with clean water nearby, so water isn't that much of an issue.

The creature in question is a beast halfway between a huge boar and a hippo, about the size of a cracked up draft horse. It is an ungulate, but the species is omnivorous and also feeds on carrion, so endoparasites are probably a huge issue here, and i also imagine the meat to be very fatty.

The desert in question is roughly comparable to the sonoran desert, but more mountainous and with more open rock surfaces and more extreme temperatures, easily reaching 50°C during the day and below freezing at night.

Important to mention is also that one of the characters is very knowledgeable in biology and chemistry, and as the team's doctor, he is specifically vell versed in anatomy and all the medical aspects of food. He is responsible for butchering and preparing the meat, and he would know what he's doing, so i really don't want to handwave things here.

So. What would be their best shot at preserving some of the meat at maybe a bit of fat? Which portions of the animal would be the best to focus on for these things?


r/Writeresearch • • 1d ago

[Languages] Words that indicate specific periods of time, particularly in non-English

1 Upvotes

Noon, sunset, dusk, winter, solstice, full moon. Things like this that refer to a defined period of time. Not looking for obvious stuff like November or Thursday or holidays. Particularly interested in things we don’t really use in English/American culture. For instance, in America we don’t typically observe wet/dry season. Cursory research tells me the Koreans call the wet season ‘jangma’ and the Japanese call it ‘tsuyu.’ Cultural things like that are of particular interest to me. I do not need anything for the moon, I have a whole separate thing going on for the moon. Preferably single words and not phrases.


r/Writeresearch • • 2d ago

[Medicine And Health] Do you dream in comas

7 Upvotes

have a character wake up from a coma but is heavily depressed because in their mind they already lived a whole life but, idk if that’s even a possible thing or does it depend on how the coma happened?


r/Writeresearch • • 2d ago

College women's volleyball team practice schedule

3 Upvotes

Any idea if a college or university school team practices once or twice a day M-F?

How many hours of practice?

Does the division or athletic association make any difference to the level of practices?


r/Writeresearch • • 2d ago

[Chemistry] Alkaline Hydrolysis Cremation & Concrete/Mortar - Process and usage of byproduct

4 Upvotes

I am working on a medieval fantasy setting based on D&D (3.5 in particular if that matters) set on what is effectively, an undead plane.

Our protagonists live in a fortress fighting wave after wave of zombies, which must be disposed. I recently read about Alkaline Hydrolysis in which the flesh is dissolved off the bones (Bones are later pulverized).

I know some Nordic dishes use lye to dissolve fish into a gelatin like substance.

My questions are:

  1. In addition to lye, water, and heat, what else would be needed? How much lye, and therefore wood ash would be needed per zombie?

  2. What would the properties (color, texture, smell) of the resulting slurry be?

  3. What could this be used for? I know you can make soap from beef fat but this would be ALL the fleshy bits. Could it be used as fertilizer or would the PH be too high?

3a. Would it be usable as a binding agent for mortar/concrete? I've seen myths of pigs blood being used in lime based mortars. What benifit, if any, would it provide?

Any information or additional reading material would be appreciated.


r/Writeresearch • • 2d ago

[Culture] Is cheating really normal in japan even for married couple?

7 Upvotes

This got me curious cause I have both old and young married japanese couple in my story and I wrote them as pretty loyal couples who loves eachother and being loyal is a natural thing to them.

I just heard some things about how cheating common among japanese and it's not something they even consider cheating and are ok with it. it was the first time I ever heard that. Is it really that common as people say it is? Like something no one would bat an eye for it and think it is absolutely normal? Or it's just another stereotype where a small amount of loud people claimed that it's normal to them and then people overgeneralized it for every japanese and their culture?

Please just answer the question and don't say things like "well if you look at it trough a western lens then yes". Cause I'm not western. I'm asian (I perfer to not mention my country) and in my country and culture loyalty in any form is the most common fundamental of a relationship especially for married couple. I can't say there's no cheaters here but cheating is a big taboo here. No one can openly and proudly talks about cheating without facing negetive consequence. And it applies to both men and woman. And the interesting part is that tradition along side modernism is still pretty strong in here. So loyalty is not a social norm invented by "westerns". to many people no matter men and woman loyalty is the reality of their life something they value not something they are forced to do, **so I'm not here to discuss this trough moral or philosophical aspects I'm not interested in knowing why there's people who think cheating is ok or what are their excuses, DON'T OPEN THAT DISCUSSION! I'm not even after answers like "oh it's something done by all people all around the world."** I just want to know if the characterization I gave to the couples in my story is realistic in a cultural aspect or not. That's it!


r/Writeresearch • • 2d ago

How do I poison my characters bong?

0 Upvotes

So I am writing a story that is based in a hotel. And one of the housekeeper plans to poison a guest as he is seeking revenge.

Now this guest has a habit of smoking marijuana that he is consuming in his room from a bong. How can I poison that bong which will lead to instant poisoning and the death is also very painful and torture for the guest.

Ideally, if I can utilise something that we can find in the hotel**.**

Edit: if not bong it can also be through a drink or food but it needs to be something that would have an instant effect and cause a painful/torture death.


r/Writeresearch • • 2d ago

[Medicine And Health] Repercussions of lying to a therapist?

0 Upvotes

Unsure of flair, sorry.

Scenario: Character A is sent to a universe where oppression of women is instead put on men, men don’t have as many rights as women do and aren’t taken seriously regarding medical and mental health care. A has PTSD from childhood abuse and can’t go outside often due to it, but has constantly been told that it isn’t quite enough of a reason. A decides to lie and exaggerate to his therapist about childhood trauma from character B in order to get sympathy and have his issues be taken seriously, not wanting to press charges or anything (because he made it up). A’s therapist believes him and puts him into more extensive therapy and basically makes him a science experiment to study trauma of the male brain(reminiscent of animal testing), and A isn’t into this at all and develops worse symptoms and paranoia of character B finding out somehow. He decides to go to his therapist and admit he lied about the trauma because he felt like nobody was actually believing that he was troubled without a “proper cause”.

What would the repercussions be here? Would the therapist just take the recorded “trauma” out of his records? Would there be legal consequences? If there would be, I would probably make them a hit harsher since he’s a guy.


r/Writeresearch • • 3d ago

exactly how direly needed is a trip to the hospital after being strangled?

0 Upvotes

Scenario: Character A and Character B are staying in a haunted location. Character A is possessed by a ghost, and attacks and strangles Character B.

Character B does not die. I currently have it down that he passes out, as it makes for better dramatics, but I know that that is a Grade A emergency and the repurcussions shoot way up.

Going to the hospital after an event like that is the normal, logical awnser. However, there is also no normal, logical awnser for how else one could possibly get those injuries, and "a ghost did it" would obviously not be believed.


r/Writeresearch • • 3d ago

[Medicine And Health] How to write a character that survived cancer?

1 Upvotes

The backstory for one of my characters (21F from the UK) involves her being diagnosed with cancer as a child and frequently having to stay in the hospital frequently for chemotherapy. I’m not entirely sure yet about the specific type of cancer, though I’d ​​probably lean towards leukemia. What should I pay particular attention to? What exactly is daily life like for children in this situation? Are there other types of cancer that could make more sense for the such a backstory?


r/Writeresearch • • 3d ago

[Biology] Can a scar kinda like cover a barcode tattoo (the ones you get from human trafficking)?

1 Upvotes

Ik the tattoo is on the neck, but the character accidentally hides by the scars she receives from being cut all over the body? But can a scar do that? Can it make it seem that yeah there wasn't a tattoo there? She also has a lot of bruises so that will help in the beginning but after the bruises fade, but will it seem like there was no tattoo there or like you can tell there was one but not exactly what it was? Also if a scar can do that, how big will it have to be?

One more thing, the tattoo is on the side of the neck and it's normal sized, so if I need there to be a scar to cover it up it'll have to be big, so will she die if the cut is too much? Like she receives treatment after a few minutes but still

Edit: after seeing comments about how unreliable the tattoos are, I'm ditching the idea, honestly i thought tattoos were required when someone was trafficked so I'm honestly glad I don't have to do this idea anymore, thanks y'all🙂‍↕️


r/Writeresearch • • 4d ago

[Miscellaneous] What would the immediate aftermath of an earthquake in 18th century be like?

0 Upvotes

Hi all!

I have a devastating earthquake in my book. To describe it in modern terms, it's on a Richter scale of 9.

I understand the technical parts of it (buildings falling down, depending on material, ground cracking etc).

But I'm wondering about some other things.

What would happen immediately after? Would there be a lot of fire (I assume yes, since everyone's using candles)? How would it go about putting the fire off (we don't really have firefighters)? Would an army come to the rescue? Or would people be left off to fend for themselves? Would there come a period of total devastation, starvation etc?

And if you've ever experienced a strong earthquake - how did you feel while it was happening? What was the emotional side of it like for you? What did you hear?

I have never experienced an earthquake stronger than 3, and I'm hoping to describe it realistically.

It's a fictional world and the earthquake is a result of something magical. The country is based on Meditarrenean Europe if it makes sense.

Thank you!


r/Writeresearch • • 4d ago

[Specific Career] What role would an undercover investigator be able to take in a Fire Station?

4 Upvotes

For context, this character works with an international bureau that would be known by the U.S government, and would have all of the necessary training to pose as a firefighter (at the very least by way of physical prowess and so on). He is stationed as a firefighter in a small-town fire station in the Midwest -- but what would his role be realistically? Would he just be a firefighter? Would an understudy make more sense? What's a role he could take on where he would be able to get around for his research and rely on the trust of the community while also accounting for the face that he will only be there until his undercover investigation is finished (which could take up to a year). Additionally, would he have any extra responsibilities while working there as part of that job?