little_details

In an original story of mine, I have a character who uses a Mongolian bow (aka composite or recurved bow), and I've gotten almost everything I need to know about them; how they're made, how long it takes to make them, how they look unstrung, the thumb draw, thumb rings, all that good stuff.

What I need to know is how exactly a person would carry their bow while traveling, both while there is no possibility of attack, and while there is a fairly high possibility of attack. He is traveling on horseback. Would they keep them strung and hold them, would they sling them over their backs, would they unstring them and put them in a case, would they attach them to their saddles, or belts? My character travels quite a lot, so the matter pops up enough to be at least slightly important.

I've tried searching "carrying Mongolian bow" (and all the alternate names), and "travel with Mongolian bow", but I haven't gotten anything even vaguely related, and I can't think of any other search terms.

It's fantasy, so the time period is a bit of a mash up, but I want to know how the original Mongol warriors would have carried their bows, so, 1200 or thereabout, I guess?

Dear All,

Does anyone know whether or not the general public is able to access the gantries in Gantry Park in NYC? I'm specifically wondering if it's possible for people to walk up the stairs to the inside of the gantries, particularly the one that says 'Long Island' on the front in big, red letters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gantrygantries.JPG

Thanks in advance,

Squeaky

Setting: Aberystwyth, Wales, 2009

Basic premise is I have a character who is taking a BA in Medieval and Early Modern History at Aberystwyth, she intends to continue with a MA and then a PhD (for any reference, she will be doing her MA at Swansea university, and her PhD in Aberystwyth [confusing I know, but the moves are plot-neccessary]). I've established through emailing admissions tutors that Swansea do not require Latin as part of their MA requirements but that it is taught at Swansea to an advanced level. I also got some information from Aberystwyth that Latin is a core part of their MA teaching, but I have not been able to get a reply about the BA. I also know Swansea do teach Latin as part of their Medieval Studies BA, but that's a slightly different scheme to what Aberystwyth offers so I'm not sure if that detail translates.

So what I have established:
- My character would want to know Latin eventually and would learn it at the earliest possibility
- My character knows no Latin before her BA
- Both Swansea and Aberystwyth would teach her Latin in the MA
- She wouldn't have to know Latin before her MA

What I need to know:
- Whether she would be able to, or have to learn Latin as part of her BA in Aberystwyth.

It's not the most important of details but it's one that I feel I should get right, especially since it really doesn't effect the plot either way.

I have searched Aberystwyth's website, Swansea's website, emailed the admissions tutors for both universities, and googled various combinations of Latin requirement BA Aberystwyth, and Aberystwyth course catalogue / class catalogue etc.

Hey guys,

I have a bit of an issue with a small detail of the late Victorian era (1890s): How exactly were bankbooks sealed in those days? I can't imagine them having done so by actually using sealing wax (seems unpractical as it cannot be easily re-sealed), so there must have been some other way. I have googled "bankbook sealed Victorian era", "bankbook seals 19th century", even "how to seal bankbook" because I was getting desperate. I have looked at pictures of Victorian bankbooks (google "Victorian bankbooks", "19th century bankbooks"), but none of them are pictured as sealed.

I'd be very grateful for any help! :)

I've been researching the complications of blood loss (using both "blood loss" and "hypovolemia" as search terms) and trying to gain a better understanding of what complications can develop. Unfortunately, most sites are either very generalized, or are obviously articles intended for those with actual medical training, for which I have a difficult time following the jargon.

I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me understand things better.

( What I've learned, what I still don't understand, and what I need for my plot. And sorry, I got really wordy. )

Time/Place: US, 2000 - present day

Does the US Marshal service have any direct policy about fraternization?

I have an anecdotal source that says 'no', but I'd like something a little more concrete if possible. Any direct sources on the net would be awesome. (note: non-US citizen on a limited budget, so hard copy books are out unless it's exactly what I need)

From what (little) I know about US police deparments, romantic relationships between officers of equal standing or in different departments is allowed; however, between an officer and someone in their direct chain of command is a big 'hell, no'. I thought it might be the same with USMS?

situation: Two US marshals in the same team become romantically involved, eventually leading to marriage. They've been partners with an outstanding track record for several years before their involvement, and both dated other people during that time (one had a serious relationship that nearly became marriage). Their immediate supervisor thinks it's great (and has paternal feelings toward them both), and would back them to the hilt. One of the partners is very, very well connected within the USMS, if it helps.

1) since they are partners and therefore equals, would they simply have to prove that their romantic relationship doesn't affect their work together? ie keep the knowledge strictly to immediate family and the 'work family', and make sure they behave in a professional manner in the office for several months before going 'public'?

1a) or would they be able to remain on the same team, but would need to change work-partners to different members of the team?

2) if their romantic relationship began after one was promoted to office supervisor, one of them would have to transfer to another department of the USMS in that city, correct? (ie from Fugitive Operations to Judicial Security) Or another city's verson of their department? (ie from a regional FO task force to a district FO task force)

3) would any of these answers change if they were legally married, as opposed to co-habitating and openly stating they're partners off the job as well?


searched: the US Marshals official website (I'm guessing that these sort of policies would only appear on an employee intranet?), to no avail. I googled 'us marshal+fraternization' and found a place with the military regs (which are confusing as hell), and some articles about various police departments, but nothing for the USMS.

It's for a fanfic, so I can hand-wave if it I absolutely have to, but I'd much rather be accurate as possible.

My WIP has a scene with a character who is moderately intellectually impaired, by which I mean: she is functionally illiterate, but she can handle a job requiring unskilled labor (possibly in a workshop environment); she can’t live entirely by herself, but she doesn’t need one-on-one supervision, either. She has no other disabilities worth noting.

( and so... )

I've looked all over and can't find the exact information I need, so if anyone can supply it or point me in the right direction, I'd be grateful.

It's 1600, Bankside, in London. A four-man brawl has just been broken up - three of the brawlers end up at Queen's Bench, charged convicted, fined. My question is, since there was no police force, who apprehends them? Where are they held until they make bail? About how much would each man, convicted of assault and "disturbing the peace", be fined?

Thanks in advance!

Queen Victoria's diaries have been put on line - all 40,000+ pages of them!

http://www.queenvictoriasjournals.org/home.do

The pages are scans, mostly of the Queen's writing or copies made by Princess Beatrice, although some entries were apparently typed up by Lord Esher - all extant versions are included. This sometimes means that some apparently boring days exist in several versions, while e.g. the first assassination attempt (june 10th 1840) is only in Princess Beatrice's copy, and is occasionally difficult to read. But it's a staggeringly complete record of the period from a unique viewpoint, and well worth a look if the period interests you.

I'm looking for terms of endearment between a mother and child, and between sisters. In other words, non-sexual ones. I've googled every variation of "terms of endearment, farsi" "farsi pet names" "terms of affection" and "terms of affection between parent and child". I really don't want to make the mistake of using a term with sexual connotations. It's fine if it's out of date or old fashioned, as this takes place something like 1500 years ago. Hyper-realism as far as the time frame and the naming conventions of the time is not important right now.

I read here that adding "joon" or "ak" makes a Farsi name diminutive, are there other ways to make a girl's name sweeter? How might the family of a girl named Roshanak "nickname" her?

what would be some common appearance and behavior stereotypes for delinquency in Japanese schools during the modern day? the character in question is 13 and has a reputation as being a delinquent, even though he's never really done anything distinctively bad and isn't trying to necessarily follow any "typical delinquent subcultures". also, is the Juggalo subculture at all present in Japan? i can't find ANYTHING that might help.

it would also be helpful if someone could tell me if the Yanki subculture is still a thing over there and if a 13 year old girl (another character) would realistically be in that subculture?

i've googled variants of "modern day japan delinquant" and i keep getting things about Yanki and Bosozoku.

Two characters are hit by a car while riding a motorcycle. The boy, aged 18, is driving; the girl, 17, is on the back.

I've read various stories on the internet about crashes but I haven't found anything that really suits what I need. I don't really know what to search to get specifics, just stuff like "motorcycle accident" "teen motorcycle crash" "car/motorcycle crash" etc.  

What needs to happen:

Boy needs to land in hospital with some serious injuries, possibly life-threatening, but still with a chance of full recovery (however slim). 

Girl needs to be injured too, but only enough that she'd be out of hospital a lot sooner than the boy, with something like a broken wrist or ankle or cracked ribs, anything like that that she would recover from quickly. 

Also if possible, I'd like the girl to get trapped underneath the motorcycle until someone comes onto the scene and helps her out from under it. If this seems unlikely given what other circumstances I want, then I'll ditch it, but if there's a way to work it in that would be cool. 

I don't really know anything about motorcycles, and little about car accidents - so how would this scenario play out? Any help appreciated. 

Final note: Both are wearing leather jackets, jeans, and helmets with visors. Story set in Sydney, Australia. 

Hello, all!
I've actually found a good deal of what I'd like to know, but I'm hoping for more in-depth information, as well as checking my sources and facts.

( Cutting for attempted suicide )

I use the term "Pre-"La Paz county"" as I discovered through Wikipedia that the county itself was established in 1983. I'm trying to follow the route of I-10, as it goes from Phoenix through Quartzsite into California. This route is being taken by a motorist in the 1960s, but I want to find out - and I don't know quite how - if it's feasible that there were hamlets, villages or even a few houses in the region during the 1920s. What I'm looking to do here is create a ghost town that existed up to the early 1920s, before a murder drove the residents out of the community.

Due to the relatively young age of the county, trying to find information on demographics prior to 1980s is thus far difficult. If, based on the previous question, there were communities within the county in the 1920s that I can draw information on, would there be a predominant religion that the inhabitants would follow? Or would it be something of a mixed bag? I had hoped to do a service for the two murders that took place, but I would like to have an idea on what religion I need to focus my research on.

Searches:
Wikipedia - "Quartzsite, Arizona"; "La Paz, Arizona", "La Paz County, Arizona".
Google - Arizona Maps (to try and narrow down communities)

I am fairly new to this community and this is my first post so please be gentle! I am trying to find information on how to explain to a child between the ages of 9 - 11 about gay sex. In the story, her Father is in a committed relationship with his lover and she is asking questions. I am not looking for anything graphic (no squickiness) but need to know what kind of questions she would be asking. When I was that age I knew the mechanics of sex but I grew up in a rural area. This chid is from an urban, upper middle class social group. I have tried using google with phrases like "explaining gay sex", "gay sex education", "questions children ask about gay sex". I would be interested in links or actual references to books (especially children's books). I have been directed to wikipedia, Amazon, Barnes and noble, and gay web sites. Any help you could give me would be really appreciated! I am not very technological and technology often times defeats me.

I'm writing in a slightly alternate 17th century setting and find I need details about life in an army (French by preference) in the period 1650-1670. I've done quite a lot of research already, but unfortunately there's a scarcity of good available secondary material that actually looks at the details of daily life (though there's tons that talk about the administration, the political context, the strategy, principles of siege warfare, and flags/insignia/weaponry/tactics - the latter primarily from a war-gamer, model-painter or re-enactor perspective). The best data points I've found are stray references embedded in other discussion, which only takes me so far. Can anyone help me with either info or references/pointers?
 
Some of the areas I particularly am looking for details about include:

1. How many servants & other civilian staff, and of what sort, would a top-ranking general of high noble status have with him while on campaign? (I'm thinking someone like Turenne, Condé or Luxembourg). I know that Condé for one never seems to have gone anywhere with less than two secretaries, and in the 1690s the teenage Duc de St. Simon, as a volunteer & very junior officer, had at least 5 grooms & 2 "gentleman servants" in attendance. 
2. Where would these servants & civilian staff be housed, while the army is encamped? I assume that given the opportunity the general would have commandeered the biggest house in the vicinity for his headquarters, but that doesn't work so well while you're on the march or laying siege to some town. Most of the descriptions of camp life I've seen date from the 18c, by which time there were a lot fewer servants traveling with the army, and a lot more separation in ordinary life between masters & servants, so I don't really want to extrapolate too much from them.
3. What were officers' tents like? Would all officers be expected to camp in the same place as their men, or did they congregate separately? How big would a general's tent be? How many tents might he have, & how arranged? (George Washington had 3 - one for sleeping, one for dining, and one for his baggage. But again, it's hard to extrapolate from Washington to a Condé or Turenne.)
4. Who was the general supposed to feed every night? i.e. Besides himself & his servants & staff, who would be expected to dine at his table on a routine basis? When officers were not invited to dinner with their commander, what were their normal meal arrangements?
5. What did the commanders eat? What did their senior/junior officers eat? Was their bread issued every 4 days like the troopers' ration, or did they get their bread fresh?
6. Were the horses that hauled the artillery & the baggage kept in the same place as the cavalry mounts, or separately?    How far from the troops would they typically have been? How about the grooms, the smiths, etc. who tended the horses? Were any of these ever mingled with the teams & personnel of the (civilian contractor) supply convoys?

As I said, any information or pointers toward information (either online, or primary/secondary offline sources) would be welcome! 

Okay, this is something that's been bugging me for a while and has stalled progress on my story in a big way.

The setting is modern day Japan, and there are two main male protagonists.  They were relatively close friends as children (though they bickered a lot), but circumstances irrelevant to this post separate them.  They meet again several years later...and this is where things get tricky.

The older of the two, for purposes of the plot, becomes very devoted to his old friend's well being not long after the reunion, which goes badly as the younger one is, due to a major trauma in his life, not the person he once was; the past friendship doesn't mean anything to him anymore and as thus is quite hateful towards his former friend and his devotion.

So here's the problem: what is it about the younger guy, apart from their shared past, that would cause the older guy to continue to be so close to him despite being treated like dirt?

Here's what I DO know about the older guy (for greater context if it helps anyone):

1. He never knew his father.  At all.  His parents split before he was born.  At this point I'm not sure whether or not his mom will remarry.

2. His childhood was rocky; he suffered from severe asthma and had few friends apart from this other guy.  Things improved in both health and friendships as he matured, however.

3. He is heterosexual, though I could change that if need be.

Finally (and most importantly):

4. This devotion of his is not merely a desire to continue the friendship.  He could probably care less.  This is almost an obsession with the other guy, and (though I haven't decided yet) he may give up his life for him and has already come pretty close, though it still doesn't mean jack squat to the other (I like to think of the Bruno Mars song "Grenade" here).  So what's up with him?  Under what circumstances would a guy like this get so obsessed with a friend?

Research wise I have done little, though I did at one point search "why would a straight male become fixated on a male friend"...and I got a bunch gay porn sites. :P

Setting: 2006 London (Doctor Who universe, if it matters)
Question 1:
Search Terms Used: Adoption without birth certificate, born without birth certificate, adoption in UK
I also looked at a previous post on a similar subject while going through the entire child custody section on this site. However, there were enough differences between the situation that they had and the situation that I have that I decided to make this post.
The situation is that a thirteen-year old American girl is on vacation in London when she accidentally falls into an alternate universe. Although she has an alternate-universe counterpart, taking over her identity would not be practical as due to timey-wimeyness between universes, her counterpart is six, not to mention back home in America. The plot that I am planning calls for her to fall in with a family and possibly be adopted by them, and I was wondering how that would be feasible, if at all. Also, I was wondering if, despite having absolutely no records, other forms of identification or even any type of paper trail whatsoever, she would be able to still go to school, and if there would be any way for her to get identification so she would be able to have a job, get a drivers license, etc.
Question 2:(Same setting)
Search terms used: Ealing+bridges (that got me a bunch of bridge clubs), poking around the area on Google Earth's street view, I also looked at the Wikipedia page for Ealing.
I want this character to become trapped under a concrete bridge, preferably about overpass sized or similar, when said bridge collapses. The person would be running and trying to use the bridge for cover when it collapses, so somewhere easily accessible by foot or bike would also be great. Traffic would likely not be much of an issue for this situation, as there is an alien invasion going on and most everyone is either hiding, captured, or dead. Are there any bridges or underpasses in or near (meaning within around five minutes or so biking distance) Ealing that would fit these criteria?
If anyone could answer these questions, that would be great.

Edit: Thank you very much for all of the info. I'll make sure to take this into account when I write my story.