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POPULAR: Simple Questions, Simple Answers

Is it possible to ask too many questions? I mean, it's been about a month since anyone other than me has posted a question here. Am I hogging the spotlight? Should I stop asking questions? Does this count as a question? Should I stop talking? I think I should stop talking

When threadmarks count words, what counts as a word?

I've started to notice the listed wordcounts for my fic are skewed. For instance, posts heavy with spoilers or words placed in code blocks seem to have lower word counts than post that don't. This isn't necessarily bad — for instance, if all words were counted equal in my poetry collection, then all my poems would be counted twice due to some TL;DR spoilers that skip author's notes. However, the way my thread is set up now, the thread word count might only be counting author's notes. That isn't the signal I want to send — author's notes aren't technically my fic, and I don't want them to be considered necessary to my writing. I have ideas for a restructuring so the word count is more representative of my collection, but I want to make sure I don't accidentally fall in the same hole again.
 
I honestly couldn't say. For the purposes of The Review League, the mods have been using online wordcounters and allowing some leeway for margin of error, because of the arguments you could have over what is a word, and what isn't
Hmm. This might not be such a simple question, then. I'm considering doing some experiments, though I have some more urgent work to do before then. Regardless, thank you!
 
More funky forum behavior questions. I'm experimenting with fonts for my fics, but all of Bulbagarden Forum's font options have been displaying as the default font. Can other people see non-default fonts? If so, am I experiencing a known issue that I can take steps to fix? If not, where can I file a bug report?

DEFAULT:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

ARIAL:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

BOOK ANTIQUA:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

COURIER NEW:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

GEORGIA:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

TAHOMA:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

TIMES NEW ROMAN:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

TREBUCHET MS:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

VERDANA:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
DEFAULT:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

ARIAL:
[font=Arial]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

BOOK ANTIQUA:
[font=Book Antiqua]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

COURIER NEW:
[font=Courier New]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

GEORGIA:
[font=Georgia]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

TAHOMA:
[font=Tahoma]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

TIMES NEW ROMAN:
[font=Times New Roman]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

TREBUCHET MS:
[font=Trebuchet MS]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

VERDANA:
[font=Verdana]The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.[/font]

For reference, I'm using the Bulbagarden Forum's BBCode guide.

Oh, and general thank you to everyone that's posted in this thread over the past 30 days, as I'm the only person whose posted questions over the past 30 days. I seem to have a lot more questions than the average user, and the community has still made steps to accommodate me. So, thank you all!
 
@Snuggle Tier List I can see those fonts, aye.

Good luck resolving the issue. I recommend that you begin troubleshooting by using different browsers and devices to see if you can reproduce the problem.

I'm not sure there's a technical support location on the forums. You may want to google around for XenForo tech support.
 
Yes, I see the different fonts as well, and I don't believe I've done anything to customize my browser for added support of anything (Firefox 65.0.2/Windows). What browser are you using?
 
Yes, I see the different fonts as well, and I don't believe I've done anything to customize my browser for added support of anything (Firefox 65.0.2/Windows). What browser are you using?
I, too, am using Firefox...for Mobile, 66.0. I use "Request Desktop View" to see other people's signatures/check how my forum post display to other users.

This is shaping up to be more tech-supporty than writing related. I'll redirect this question to the General XenForo Issues/Glitches/Ideas Thread.

In other news, I've been living in a font bubble! Sorry if I butchered anyone's formatting while quoting. And thanks everyone for the help!
 
In a fanfic I'm writing, a relatively small explosion just happened and killed someone, and now a police officer has to ask the witnesses across the street what happened. Several minutes have passed since the explosion. How would the witnesses be feeling?
 
It'd probably different on a person by person basis. People react to things like tragedy and danger in vastly different ways. People can be scared, concerned, intrigued, angry, etc. Your witnesses should probably either act however fits their personality best if they're already established characters.
 
Okay. I was thinking that one would still be shocked, and the other will be determined to give her testimony (and sort-of wants to solve the case on her own), but I'm not good at handling the passage of time, so I wasn't sure if the former would make sense. Thanks for your input.
 
This is a topic with no single, simple answer. Traumatic events, as UB rightly says, affect people differently, and in all sorts of ways.

I recommend doing some independent research into first hand accounts from people who witnessed events like this in reality.
 
Where could I find those?

Well, "independent" research implies finding that out for yourself with some deft Googling, but I'm happy to give you some ideas to begin your search with.
  1. Documentaries on bombing incidents are bound to include some eyewitness accounts, and I'm confident there will be some available on YouTube et al
  2. People post about all sorts of things on various social media — you could search on, for example, Reddit, Tumblr or Twitter to find posts by bombing bystanders
  3. I wouldn't be surprised if Wikipedia pages on this and related topics provide a lot of helpful information
 
In the chapter of Eight Easy Steps I am currently writing, Alaska is wearing a moon boot. What is a moon boot? It is this, but I have now learnt that 'moon boot' may not be a global term for this type of device/brace/cast. Can anyone enlighten me on an alternative name for this from their part of the world, or is 'moon boot' a common term after all?
 
@unrepentantAuthor I should've given a bit more context. It wasn't a massive incident; only one person died, and none of the characters present knew them.

Still, you've given me encouragement to do some Googling. I'm going for a "staring at something shocking because you don't know how to react" kind of vibe, but I don't know what to search that would give me the answers I'm looking for.
 
@Nitro Indigo if I may, I happen to know someone who has talked to me personally about witnessing a lethal explosion. I don't want to reveal who they are out of respect for their privacy and safety, so take this post with a massive grain of salt.

A "relatively small explosion" and "happened to kill someone" does not compute. If a conventional explosion is large enough to kill, it's large enough to maim. The corpse is likely mutilated, there will be gore, which doesn't make for easy viewing. There's definitely going to be an adrenaline spike in all but the most stoic witnesses, which would lead to a fight-or-flight response. That is, they either become passive (run, seek cover, call police once removed from danger, etc.) or active (immediately call police, attempt first aid, scan the area for the bomber, etc.). And that depends on a complex set of psychological factors: personality is one, but training and preparation is just as if not more important. An unexpected explosion elicits an entirely different response than an expected explosion, for instance.

I'd go on, but I think I've given enough for independent research. Look into terrorist bombings, industrial accidents (ammonia nitrate fertilizer is a good place to start), perhaps even accounts of war. And if this is sounding awfully dark, that's because it is. There may be trauma, which might mean researching PTSD.

Again, take this post with salt. I don't know your fic; you might have fantasy or sci-fi elements that detaches your explosion from "real" explosions. Perhaps the victim disintegrates in a pulse of light, or the local bomb squad is a cop's trained Rhyhorn. Just...be careful. You can write this, but study up. Please.
 
@NitroIndigo Big retweet to what Snuggle said. "It wasn't a massive event" and "One person was killed in an explosion" doesn't make any logical sense. An event like this would be a very big deal, and, in some circumstances, probably make the national news. If you want to downplay it, it'll likely ultimately end up feeling fake by simply not having enough of an impact on your world.
 
Good points, both of you. I should have made it clearer that it was more like a short-lived fire (the source was fantastical, but that's a spoiler), but I'm starting to wonder if I really made the right decision to write a murder mystery if I'm not confident enough to do so.

I've definitely thought of the impact it would have on the setting, though: scapegoating.
 
Good points, both of you. I should have made it clearer that it was more like a short-lived fire (the source was fantastical, but that's a spoiler), but I'm starting to wonder if I really made the right decision to write a murder mystery if I'm not confident enough to do so.

Think of it like this; if Law & Order can get a million spin-offs, then anyone can write a murder mystery.

If you're feeling not so confident, write around that. Classic murder-mystery trope is to isolate the setting, letting you craft exactly the plot you need. Maybe there's only two cops in town, no cell signal, and the next town over is a thousand miles away. And maybe everyone in town is a little eccentric (and thus suspicious). Thus, things feeling fake might actually work in your favor. Twin Peaks is a classic example, but I've read a Sherlock Holmes book that had a similar formula. Plus, if this is Pokémon fanfic, the sheer premise of "Pokémon murder mystery" puts your tongue in cheek anyways.

I wouldn't question what you've written. Use it for a second draft, and then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth and a seventh and an eight until you scream "screw it, it's done!" Personally, my first attempts don't look anything like the final product. And that's okay! Research and practice is how you build confidence anyways. Just write it, and the next time you write, you'll be even better. And maybe you'll want to publish your murder-mystery one day.

Apologies to daytime television fans.
 
Please note: The thread is from 2 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
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