Fanfic Helpdesk: Technical and Scientific Help for Writers

[Skydiver]

most off world gates are on dias' with steps leading up, so he trips and falls and conks his head on the steps, thus knocking himself out

[Whytewytch]

Kind of a gross question, about dead bodies.

Spoiler:

Would a pile of dead bodies save someone from a very hot, very intense, fire?

[WraithRichard]

Kind of a gross question, about dead bodies.

Spoiler:

Would a pile of dead bodies save someone from a very hot, very intense, fire?

Spoiler:

Depends. How old are they? What condition are they?

[Whytewytch]

Spoiler:

Depends. How old are they? What condition are they?

Newly deceased (minutes, maybe a couple of hours, tops). Killed by Replicator weapons.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Whytewitch, how fast is the fire moving? Do the bodies catch on fire? Is it a forest fire or a building fire?

Seaboe

[Skydiver]

i THINK, ok, forest fire crews, they have what they call 'brown and serve bags'....small metallic shelters that they can crawl under that, theoretically, protect them from the flames.

However I would imagine that teh biggest threat, not just the heat and flames, would be the lack of oxygen.

I would think that a fast moving fire storm - as in a roaring wind driven wall of flames - could sweep over a person under a pile - and that person could survive, presuming the flames moved fast enough...so fast that the bodies couldn't really catch fire.

it's actually not that easy to burn a body.

I think if you wanted to make it believable, if they were in a ditch or culvert and the flames literally blew over them, i could see it happening. (because i also want to remember that the fire crews dig themselves into what is basically a shallow grave, then use the heat resistant covering to cover themselves)

the bigger issue i see is that person having enough strength to move all that dead weight - no pun intended - adn free themselves before the weight crushes them to the point that they can't breathe/free themselves

[WraithRichard]

Another issue is the condition of the bodies. Are they dried out? Are they soggy? Would the heat make the gasses building in them burst?

[Skydiver]

Something like 'stay wtih the dead', an episode of space above adn beyond, which, i think, was based on something real in history, where a wounded person hid among the dead knowing that the enemy soldiers didn't mess with the dead. except in this case there is the further complication of a fire. The injured person would then be found by recovery units soon thereafter.

I would think that the person would almost have to fall under the bodies as they fall - don't think they could logically and physically bury themselves under corpses weighing 150+ each. Not to mention how hard it would be to breathe with that weight on you.

if you want a person to survive a fire, how about them ducking underwater in a stream or such? It'd still have to be a fire storm moving quickly simply because it'd have to be over in less than a minute or they'd drown. the flames would literally need to be moving too fast for harder to combust things to burn.

not to mention if the bodies are too old, the methane in them would only add to the fire i would think

[Whytewytch]

Thanks, guys! Lots of good info. The bodies are in a clearing in a wooded area. The fire is a fast-moving forest fire, started by the Replicators' weapons. Was thinking about the survivor being one of the intended victims. My hero is already finding his escape, so he won't be lifting bodies to escape the flames.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

One thing about really fast moving forest fires: they sometimes stay high (called a crown fire).

You might take a look at websites concerning smoke jumpers--I'll bet they have information concerning what types of fires are more likely to be survivable.

Seaboe

[Sage of Mirrors]

If Atlantis moved to another galaxy that also had another 'gate network, would it need to have a 'gate from that galaxy to dial out? Or would their own work? Also, would they need to swap out the crystals on all the DHD's with ones containing the glyphs of the galaxy's gates to dial out?

Another question: How likely is it that the Asurans, if they went and created a colony in another galaxy with their own 'gate network, made their gates 'region locked,' so to speak? As in, only gates from the same network within the galaxy can dial each other? I thought that they would do that to keep the Ancients, maybe, from finding their settlements...

[Choo1701]

If Atlantis moved to another galaxy that also had another 'gate network, would it need to have a 'gate from that galaxy to dial out? Or would their own work? Also, would they need to swap out the crystals on all the DHD's with ones containing the glyphs of the galaxy's gates to dial out?

^ Most honest answer: Yes they'd have to swap gates because the Gate is the iconic symbol to the series/spin off (ie: Imagine Atlantis or Universe with the spinny milky way gate. Just doesn't seem 'right' does it? )

Asurans? Yeah they'd properly lock out their gates so no one interfered with their plans.

[Sage of Mirrors]

Alright... that's what I'll do then. Thanks!

[Choo1701]

Alright... that's what I'll do then. Thanks!

Well you don't have to follow our advice exactly. Its all up to how much the author wants to play with the rules. Although don't screw around with 'canon' too much. Just use your common sense, do some research and it'll be fine


Oh, and don't forget to get canon back home by midnight or it turns into a pomegranate!!!

[SF_and_Coffee]

Mmmm... pomegranate. *noms*