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Post by Nilmandra on Sept 29, 2004 12:56:12 GMT -5
Ok, so what is the strangest thing you've ever researched for a story?
I am going through some bookmarks and notes I have made including:
-how and when to raise/lower sails on a tall ship
-examples of the speed of a river at flood stage so I would know how far downstream to fling people
-natural healing remedies and natural toxins (oh, the uses of honey!)
-battles and warfare. I was taking notes the other night while watching the History Channel: Command Decisions - the battles of Stalingrad and Midway.
-Mythology - rings of power, wizards and elves. It always helps to read what Tolkien read!
So how about everyone else?
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Post by Joee on Sept 29, 2004 13:58:10 GMT -5
The strangest research for me would probably have to be the effects extasy has on humans and then trying to figure out what effect it would have on an elf.
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Post by LKK on Sept 29, 2004 14:00:57 GMT -5
What an interesting question! I haven't done as extensive research for a fic as you have. I haven't had the need yet. For the Movie!Denethor piece I wrote, I spent hours researching the movie details of the Sauron battle scene in the prologue. What hand & what finger did Sauron wear the ring on? What hand carried the mace? Was mace the correct name for the weapon? (Even went to a bookstore to look up the info in Weapons & Warfare.) And then I copied down every relevant dialogue line & actor action for the flashback scene in Osgiliath between Denethor and his sons. I replayed that scene over and over until I had each quote and action correct. Good thing my husband wasn't home then. I think he would have strangled me.  For the one non-Tolkien fanfic I ever wrote, I had 2 people sitting on a couch. I mimed out their arm movements so that I could get my right & left arm references correct. Other than that, my research has consisted of looking up stuff in the various novels. And asking loads of questions on the SOA yahoo group, of course.  |
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Post by Karri on Sept 29, 2004 14:15:22 GMT -5
Hmmm....  Well, speaking only of this fandom: - Natural healing remedies & archaic medical terms - Squirrel species and their usual habitats - The dietary preferences of hawks - The socio-dynamics of wolf packs - The history of Welsh lovesthingys & medieval woodworking - Toys and playthings of the Middle Ages - The history of enamel - The elevation of the tree-line in the southern Alps vs. the northern Alps - Norse, Celtic, Old English, and German faerie lore That's all I can think of off the top of my head.... |
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Post by LKK on Sept 29, 2004 14:41:30 GMT -5
The history of enamel?  What did you use that information for? And do you mean enamel such as nail polish or enamel like in jewelry? |
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Post by Karri on Sept 29, 2004 14:47:54 GMT -5
LOL! I was researching the history of enamel for the finishing of paintings and pottery, and such.
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Post by dawtheminstrel on Sept 29, 2004 20:38:10 GMT -5
bow hunting techniques for deer
fighting forest fires
best places for hunting rabbits
height of average 5 year olds
normal behavior of adolescent males (hahaha)
medieval underwear
knife fighting (if the internet is being monitored by the anti-terrorist folks, I figure I'm on a list somewhere)
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Post by Karri on Sept 29, 2004 20:49:59 GMT -5
(if the internet is being monitored by the anti-terrorist folks, I figure I'm on a list somewhere) Ugh! Non-Tolkien fanfiction research I've done includes methods for improvising shrapnel mines, the impact damage of automatic rifle shots, maximum distance for snipper shots, best type of bullet to get various desired results, weapons of all varieties from medieval to modern day, vulnerable areas of Huey if hitting it with an RPG, and so on....so I figure the Homeland Security folks probably have my house bugged to the hilt and an FBI agent in the apartment across the street watching my every move.  |
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Post by Joee on Sept 29, 2004 21:11:02 GMT -5
Ugh! Non-Tolkien fanfiction research I've done includes methods for improvising shrapnel mines, the impact damage of automatic rifle shots, maximum distance for snipper shots, best type of bullet to get various desired results, weapons of all varieties from medieval to modern day, vulnerable areas of Huey if hitting it with an RPG, and so on.... Yikes! Remind me never to make you mad! |
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Post by Neuriel on Oct 1, 2004 21:43:03 GMT -5
medieval underwear What did you need that information for  Neuriel |
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Post by Gwenneth on Oct 30, 2004 22:07:24 GMT -5
I haven't done anything extensive for LotR, but I did do research on the working and makeup of tasers, so that I could put it into my scifi story.
How they worked, the different kinds, voltages, how they would affect people, etc.
It was a LOT of fun!
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Post by French Pony on Nov 1, 2004 22:36:00 GMT -5
Ooh, weird research, always a fun topic!
I've thoroughly investigated the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 and researched continental inquisitorial-style trials (as opposed to the adversarial system used in Britain and the U.S.).
I've looked into the Fujita rating for tornadoes, what each rating means (not a whole lot, it turns out), how tornadoes form, what they can and cannot do. And I've watched hours of footage of tornadoes charging across prairies, including a brilliant bit of footage shot by a really dumb, lucky storm chaser who got within a half-mile of an F5 twister, filmed it blowing up a house, and still managed to get out alive.
I've read a lengthy account by a hospice nurse of EXACTLY what all the stages of dying look like from the outside. I've learned to make a very delicious red wine syrup that, diluted with water, is a better summer drink than any Kool-Aid flavor you could name.
In my efforts to find out how long it takes to tan a deerskin, I stumbled upon a survivalist website and learned not only how to dress game, but also quite a bit about the survivalist mentality.
I looked up midwifery techniques and learned about what shoulder dystocia is and three or four different things to do about it. And I learned why it is that mules are generally infertile.
And I looked up all about the physical process of drowning and what postpartum depression can do to a woman.
And there are the everpresent anatomy questions. . . what's inside the shoulder? What's inside the arm? Which organs are the really vital ones, and where are they located? That sort of thing.
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Post by NN on Aug 15, 2008 3:15:44 GMT -5
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Microsoft Office 2010
Guest
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Post by Microsoft Office 2010 on Nov 19, 2010 1:02:20 GMT -5
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