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Fanfic Helpdesk: Technical and Scientific Help for Writers

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    Fanfic Helpdesk: Technical and Scientific Help for Writers

    Since we seem to have veered off over into this area on several other threads of late, especially in the Pet Peeves thread (starting about here), I decided that maybe we should have a thread dedicated specifically to the scientific and technical questions that so often come up in fanfic writing. I know there's a general Fic Help thread, but this one is intended to be more specific in focus. Things like whether or not something is scientifically possible or medically feasible, for example, since both of those factors can easily affect the plausibility of a scene or even an entire story. Questions of historical or cultural plausibility would also fit here.

    Therefore, this is the place to ask questions about things you may want help with or feedback on, and get help from other writers or from GateWorlders with specific knowledge and expertise in such matters. If you're going to insert a passage from one of your own works, please take care to use Spoiler tags if it is very long, graphic, or may actually be a spoiler for your work.

    Enjoy!
    Last edited by SF_and_Coffee; 20 April 2011, 01:07 PM.

    (Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
    Sum, ergo scribo...

    My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
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    now also appearing on DeviantArt
    Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.

    #2
    Yay! I'm glad this is here. We are such geeeeeeeeks!!! Love love love.
    Grammar / Spelling / Punctuation Discussion and Appreciation (questions welcome!) | Plot Bunny Adoption
    Fanfic Helpdesk: Technical and Scientific Help for Writers | Fanfic Pet Peeves | My Fanfiction (Abnormal Newt)

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      #3
      Great idea to start this, SF! I'll be back to get my geek on, I'm sure. ATM, I've just responded on FF Peeves and need more coffee (lol--SF_and_Coffee. Hooh, boy. It's gonna be a long day if I'm giggling over word usage and irony already) before RL snags me for the day.
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      Sig by Bay, for my birthday. Find me on fanfiction.net, AO3, or fictionpress.com. If you are over 18, I invite you to read my blogs. On Blogger: Other Worlds, Other Loves On Wordpress: Other Worlds, Other Loves.
      Fennyman: "Who is that?" Henslowe: "Nobody. The author." (From Shakespeare in Love)

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        #4
        I'd like to start with a few things about building airplanes. While it takes years (and years) to develop a new airplane, it takes days to build one. Boeing can (and does) build a plane in 2 weeks.

        No branch of the military is in the business of building tech. That's done by private companies, under contract to the government. A lot of the maintenance is also done by the private company.

        By the time a rocket engine is attached to a rocket (historically; I don't know what they've done since 2005), it's been tested at least twice and will never be tested again.

        Seaboe
        If you're going to allow yourself to be offended by a cat, you might as well just pack it in -- Steven Brust

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          #5
          Heh. My father worked for years for companies contracted to the DoD for precisely this purpose. Northrop-Grumman, General Electric... oh yeah, should mention that my dad was variously and at different points in his career, a manufacturing engineer and an aerospace engineer. Interesting lines of work, both of them. Perhaps not surprisingly, he's also the person responsible for having gotten me hooked on science fiction... when I was three years old.

          I really should get off this thread for the moment, as I have to attend to some business today related to his nursing home care. He's 81 now and has Alzheimer's. Wish me luck, I may need it.

          (Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
          Sum, ergo scribo...

          My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
          sigpic
          now also appearing on DeviantArt
          Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.

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            #6
            I'm not sure if this is the place for this question, but I'll give it a try.

            In the Atlantis episode Before I Sleep Janus simply calls a ZPM a power device. Does anyone know if there is an accepted Ancient term for this device? Or should I invent one?
            Calculus and Alcohol don't mix. Never drink and derive.

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              #7
              Originally posted by mathpiglet View Post
              I'm not sure if this is the place for this question, but I'll give it a try.

              In the Atlantis episode Before I Sleep Janus simply calls a ZPM a power device. Does anyone know if there is an accepted Ancient term for this device? Or should I invent one?
              Well since Janus was clearly speaking english in that episode (*cough* *cough* joke folks! ) why not?

              Jack never named it in Lost City (with the ancient knowledge in his head) and no one ever refered to it other than a 'power source' before they coined the ZPM name so, again, why not?

              (And if 'power source' is too bland how about somewthing more snazy like ... mmm...'Crystal Tower of POWER!?!?!' )
              [''... I laugh at your reality..''][ STARGATE FAN COMIC: 'Hallowed Turf' ] [-DeviantArt-] [ ".... and a seagull."]

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                #8
                Heh. I'm running into the same problem with regard to sarcophagi. Does anyone happen to know if there is a canon word in Goa'uld for "sarcophagus", and if so, what it is?

                (Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
                Sum, ergo scribo...

                My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
                sigpic
                now also appearing on DeviantArt
                Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Choo1701 View Post
                  Well since Janus was clearly speaking english in that episode (*cough* *cough* joke folks! ) why not?

                  Jack never named it in Lost City (with the ancient knowledge in his head) and no one ever refered to it other than a 'power source' before they coined the ZPM name so, again, why not?

                  (And if 'power source' is too bland how about somewthing more snazy like ... mmm...'Crystal Tower of POWER!?!?!' )
                  Thanks for a laugh! Yeah, power source is kind of bland, but Crystal Tower of Power is too over the top! For now I'm going with 'potentiam' which is the Latin word for power.
                  Calculus and Alcohol don't mix. Never drink and derive.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by SF_and_Coffee View Post
                    Heh. I'm running into the same problem with regard to sarcophagi. Does anyone happen to know if there is a canon word in Goa'uld for "sarcophagus", and if so, what it is?
                    Good question. I can't remember seeing it in any of the Goa'uld dictionaries on-line. Could you check some of the episodes in which a sarcophagus was featured.


                    Possibilities: Revival Chamber, Place of Healing...
                    Calculus and Alcohol don't mix. Never drink and derive.

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by mathpiglet View Post
                      Good question. I can't remember seeing it in any of the Goa'uld dictionaries on-line. Could you check some of the episodes in which a sarcophagus was featured.


                      Possibilities: Revival Chamber, Place of Healing...
                      I haven't found it in any of the dictionaries either. The two suggestions you give are very similar to what I'm thinking of using, especially "Revival Chamber" or perhaps "Healing Chamber", except that I would like to render it in Goa'uld. But I can't find words for "revival", "healing" or "chamber", either. Would it seem too weird if I just made up a Goa'uld-sounding compound word and said it meant that?

                      (Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
                      Sum, ergo scribo...

                      My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
                      sigpic
                      now also appearing on DeviantArt
                      Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by SF_and_Coffee View Post
                        Would it seem too weird if I just made up a Goa'uld-sounding compound word and said it meant that?
                        well i think the writers did that for the show ssssoooo no not weird at all.
                        [''... I laugh at your reality..''][ STARGATE FAN COMIC: 'Hallowed Turf' ] [-DeviantArt-] [ ".... and a seagull."]

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by SF_and_Coffee View Post
                          I haven't found it in any of the dictionaries either. The two suggestions you give are very similar to what I'm thinking of using, especially "Revival Chamber" or perhaps "Healing Chamber", except that I would like to render it in Goa'uld. But I can't find words for "revival", "healing" or "chamber", either. Would it seem too weird if I just made up a Goa'uld-sounding compound word and said it meant that?
                          Not at all. Just don't use any of the given words and it should work.
                          Calculus and Alcohol don't mix. Never drink and derive.

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                            #14
                            Yeah, I'm combing through this Goa'uld-English dictionary looking at all the different words and their elements, and trying to come up with something plausible. I may have to make up an entirely new set of syllables, although I was hoping to find some that seemed to indicate the basic concepts I need and simply string them together, since Goa'uld seems to be somewhat modular that way. Oh well.

                            (Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
                            Sum, ergo scribo...

                            My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
                            sigpic
                            now also appearing on DeviantArt
                            Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.

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                              #15
                              Here are some words which might help:

                              kal mah - sanctuary
                              kelnoreem - more than just meditation, t also facilitates the healing process when a Jaffa is ill or injured.

                              That could be used.
                              Calculus and Alcohol don't mix. Never drink and derive.

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