#fictional research

[ghost-bxrd]

— sighting of Subject J16T following the incident at [REDACTED] Research Facility

Deaths associated with Subject J16T are steadily climbing into the hundreds. With the destruction of the [REDACTED] Research Facility, most data on this specimen has been lost. Attempts at neutralizing the threat have proved unsuccessful.

Attempts at recovering surviving equipment from the sunken remains have to be postponed due to a sudden infestation of predatory ocean life. Likely cause: personnel that did not manage to escape in time.

Subject J16T has been observed to primarily target vessels associated with research centers, hypothesis: negative associations with research facility, and subject’s first chance kill of [REDACTED] may have resulted in an insatiable blood lust.

We have awoken a monster from the depths. And it is angry.

File Notes:

Observations on the aftermath of the incident at [REDACTED] Research Facility

[woodpengu]

Some of my works deserve narration from or over the perspective of a character or group of characters. And some are poetic nonsense that I will still subject to the eyes that dare to indulge curiosity and later regret everything. Some could do with being more documentary style. And then there are entire Universes made up of many stories that are only all connected by the one thread of being in the same reality. The tales might be meant for books, pamphlets, or campfires. But the setting needs wings to soar and a platform to launch from. Not to be appendices in an epic tome/series but to be it's own volume or collection of volumes to pour over in the dead of night like some scholar or wizard or archeologist digging up potential history related to potential discovery (or vice versa). We're not here for the quest for saving the world from the demon lord or building a tavern in the underground... we're here for the juicy maps and saucy trade routes and snob-talk over all the ales of the late 3rd age and the scandal of misinterpreting that runic language for eons only for that one noob to point out the flaw which changes all of history. Give me the languages of your setting, the natural disasters that changed the map, the off-the-wall holidays of a common culture.

No offense but I think some of you would be a lot happier writing a fictional atlas or encyclopedia instead of a narrative story

[kacchanot-fucking-deal-with-this]

So you know when you're writing a scene where the hero is carrying an injured person and you realize you've never been in this situation and have no idea how accurate the method of transportation actually is?

Oh boy, do I have a valuable resource for you!

Here is a PDF of the best ways to carry people depending on the situation and how conscious the injured person needs to be for the carrying position.

Literally a life saver.

(No pun intended.)

[reality-detective]

Stranger Than Fiction 🤔

[deoidesign]

Worry free, guarantee!

loved painting this one, I love illustrated advertisements

[shannonpurdyjones]

Historical fiction research: European style in-hand spinning

I'm in love with this beautiful gold Corriedale wool, so here's my latest progress on learning to spin in the in-hand or "twiddle" style spinning common in Europe in the 800s when my novel is set. I'm getting better at drafting with my left hand from the distaff (opposite from drop spinning, where you draft the wool with your dominant hand), and it's coming out quite nice and even for the most part.

I also definitely see the appeal of the distaff now that I'm getting better at using it. It allows holding a large amount of wool at once, and makes walking while spinning much easier than in drop spinning. Once you get good enough to stop clenching and relax into it I totally see how you could feasibly spin for hours by the fireside or walking without your hands getting tired.

At this point I could probably spin 50g of wool in a day, if I spun a fair number of hours between other things. Medieval women who were really skilled spinners must have processed an absolutely staggering amount of fiber per day by comparison.

[iatnen]

Hey all…..

Errr uhhhh finally got to writing my fic

It’s a super short intro 😅 not a lot happened but at least it’s out

Quidditch, quidditch, quidditch

AO3 - Birds of a Feather

[comfort-character-central]

What am I doing? Oh, I'm just doing some educated research, learning about topics that fascinate me.

*Goes back to my screen where there are 5 tabs on my computer, all different things related to the character I'm currently fixated on.*

[imaginebetterfutures]

Useful (not AI) Tools for Writing

For years I've been compiling a list of useful tools for writing (fiction and non-fiction) and I thought it might be fun to share it.

What am I missing? What do you use and love? I'd love to keep building this list!

Historical Research

General plug: Librarians!!! They want to help you.

Search for words/signs in Brooklyn

Encyclopedia of Hair

Underwear, a history

Newspapers.com

Historical (and modern) meeting minutes

Find a grave

Political TV Ad archive

Oral Histories

Columbia

National Archives

MoMA

Archives of American Art

The Oral History Review

Words

Wordnik

Dictionary of American Regional English

Scrivener built in name generator

Lose the very

Scene Setting / Images

Animals & Plants by geolocation (also good for general scene setting)

Flickr world map

Past weather by zip code

Google Maps streetview / Google Earth

General Inspiration

Oblique Strategies

Worldbuilding

Tarot decks (my personal favorite is this one)

The Thing from the Future

The Picture Game

Misc

Data is Plural -- a newsletter full of interesting datasets

[ghost-bxrd]

-ore I cannot agree with the proposed hypothesis on swarm behavior amongst mer species. Too little is known of how the frequencies of the sounds tentatively dubbed as “siren song” affect the human nervous system. And nothing at all suggests that mer are similarly affected by this frequency as humans.

Lamentations therefore seem to be an occurrence not only dictated by the sirens themselves, but also by the various congregating mer species that may gather at the site without attacking one another, despite being natural enemies.

Sirens may-

File Notes:

Recovered physical fragment on the refutation of swarm behavior in mer species, as well as several hypotheses on the effect of Siren Song on the human brain. See data file 3184 for full version. Researcher: [REDACTED], status: deceased

[ahb-writes]

Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions (Society)

Society Worldbuilding Questions:

What is each society’s crowning achievement or proudest "claim to fame"?

What are each society’s greatest ills or challenges? (Do these differ depending on who you ask?)

Who garners the most respect in this society, and why?

Who is shown the least respect in this society, and why (what does it value)?

Where are hierarchies and power differences starkest between people in this world, and why?

Where are social norms and influences (such as laws) most stringently upheld in this world, and why (e.g., what roles do politics, ideology, religion, or competition for resources play)?

When did this society’s power structures emerge or change significantly, and why?

When did major societal beliefs or practices become entrenched? Are there any that have recently fallen away or started to disappear?

Why is living within this society challenging for your main characters?

Why does each character enjoy or appreciate this society, if anything?

❯ ❯ ❯ Read other writing masterposts in this series: Worldbuilding Questions for Deeper Settings

[orcelito]

showing off the commission i got from @ruporas for my fic, In the Next Life!

i'm still so incredibly excited about this. it's been some months since the story event that caused these scars, but i wanted SO BADLY to be able to see what they'd actually Look like... & Here They Are.

ruporas rendered the scars So Well, i just cant stop Looking at them... there's a Fresh & a Healed version, which ruporas was kind enough to give me without additional charge (Thank U Again😭😭) so i get to see what it looks like at different stages.

Lichtenberg Figures. in terms of actual scarring, lightning strikes that people survive don't tend to leave permanent scars, but the lichtenberg figures that they (usually temporarily) leave behind are just So Cool... Now, what happens when you get someone who can survive an amount of electricity/lightning that would be Frankly Lethal to any normal human person?

This :]

[reality-detective]

An unusually large eruption of one of Yellowstone’s geysers occurred at Biscuit Basin moments ago. 🤔

[iamamythologicalcreature]

Carry On Through the Ages (all the way back to Ancient Egypt)

"A Prophesied Rivalry:

This painting, remarkably well-preserved, was recovered from the tomb of a previously unknown and as-yet unidentified woman of significant power, whose rediscovery has fascinated Egyptologists. Historical analysis suggests she was believed to possess a gift for prophecy, and this artwork is very likely an attempt to illustrate one of her visions.

Here, she and her husband are depicted championing their son, who faces an outsider in combat. The outsider is also supported by an enigmatic figure of seemingly great power, foretelling a great struggle between two mighty forces, though whether these forces were meant to be supernatural or more mundane is not clear.

The dog shown, intriguingly, held a place of honor within the family and was found interred in a nearby chamber. The cat's presence, however, remains enigmatic, as the "Cats vs Dogs" reputation cultivated by these domesticated animals today is not something observed elsewhere in Ancient Egyptian artwork. Noted Egyptologists Miriam Blackwood and Theodore Langston have half-jokingly speculated that its inclusion was a mere artistic preference, hinting at the painter’s fondness for cats."

I've always loved Ancient Egyptian art, ever since childhood. I've wanted to do something like this ever since I first read of Baz's ancestry, so @carryonthroughtheages seemed the best excuse to dabble in this ancient art style.

I talked to @monbons about it and apparently the stars and planets were in alignment that day, because she agreed to collaborate with me. She’s created some absolutely gorgeous fiber art to go along with Natasha’s prophecies. And then she surprised me with a Baz doll, because she is amazing. (I love him so much and we are going to look at fashion books together. It’s going to be awesome.)

This is definitely fanart of both Ancient Egyptian art and Snowbaz. Both are worth diving into if you find yourself curious to know more!

[thejewitches]

Need a Jewish sensitivity reader, particularly for fantasy?

With a degree in English (with a specialization in fiction) and a wealth of knowledge on antisemitism (including topics like historic antisemitism, blood libel, and mythologizing of Jews), we’re happy to consult and provide feedback.

Feel free to reach out via our website! Feel free to send this to your author friends.

Jewitches.com

[spirk-trek]

hii this is really random but i'm writting a paper on star trek fanfiction from the 60s/70s and i was wondering if there were any fics youd recommend? are there any like iconic, keystone fics that are really significant to the fandom? (i'm having a bit of trouble sourcing pre-internet fics)

Hi! I'll try to help the best I can but I am by no means an expert- in fact, many people who end up seeing this may have better/more information so I'll extend it to any of them to answer as well :)

Disclaimer: many of the following links contain nsfw content!!!

Here is page 1 and page 2 of what might be the first known k/s fanfic published in Grup fanzine (1974). Grup is credited as being the first Star Trek fanzine with adult content. This fic, A Fragment Out of Time by Diane Marchant was vague enough that it had to be clarified as k/s in a later edition, but the author did do so.

Spockanalia is always a good source for early fandom. It is the earliest and best preserved example of fanzine content (beginning in 1967 before the second season had even aired). I'd definitely say that makes it influential! So much more can be found on the internet archive and on fanlore. Copies of Spockanalia found their ways into the hands of many people involved in the show, including Roddenberry himself.

Gayle F is a prolific fanzine artist (one of my favorites) for k/s and is also influential to k/s writing. She was behind the Cosmic Fuck Series (yes really lol) which begins with Desert Heat (1976) in which Spock prematurely enters his second Pon Farr with only Jim available to him. This is the first mention (that I know of) of Spock's "double ridges" which are still a fanon element of his anatomy today (fanlore link here).

Alexis Fegan Black is another name to know, but is actually the pen name for author Della Van Hise. She did a lot of her work in the 80s and beyond, so I'm not sure how helpful this will be, but I think she's very influential. You may know about her licensed trek novel Killing Time (1982) because the first edition was recalled for being way too gay (changes between the two versions are best documented here imo).

Jenna Sinclair was very influential but again, a lot of her works came a little later than what you're looking for (note: ao3 does NOT have the correct dates, you'll need to find those separately).

A few more links to throw at you:

List of Star Trek Fanzines

List of Star Trek SLASH Fanzines

Captain's Log (1968)

The Crewman's Log (1967)

Spock's Showcase (1968)

Spock's Underground (1968-71)

The Sensuous Vulcan (slash zine, 1977)

Thrust (slash zine, 1978)

I hope all these links work and at least something I mentioned is helpful for you!! Good luck! I'd love to hear about your research if you're so inclined to share :)