Little Details

Setting: fantasy world, possibly equivalent to the late Roman Empire in terms of technology?

Search: Googled different variants of "mind tricks combat", "dirty tricks", "dirty tricks hand to hand combat", "mind tricks fighting", "combat mind tricks effectiveness", different variants of each with synonyms for 'fight', etc

Question: Does anyone know of any 'mind tricks' that can be used in hand-to-hand combat? With or without various weapons? (If with weapons, the main ones I'm looking at are probably spear and knife)

'Dirty tricks' aren't quite what I'm looking for either, but actual uhhh psychological(?) tricks -- for example, some years back I remember hearing my martial arts instructor talking about how, if the fighter had a spear, he could stab forwards but jump backwards to make the opponent think that he was retreating, which would cause the opponent to walk straight into the stab.

I'm not sure on how effective these sorts of tricks are (though I suspect it would depend on the fighters themselves), so if anyone can enlighten me on that it would also be fully appreciated :)

Thanks in advance!

Setting: Present day playhouse, onstage
Searched: Shakespeare database, googled for a play database but couldn't find much, racked my own memory

To understand my question, I should lay out the scenario:

A guy is stalking an actress. The actress is performing in a play. He has basically incapacitated an actor and stolen his costume. Since it'll guarantee him a way to be close to her, he has chosen an actor that exits at the same time she does and is impersonating him, so that he can take her away once they exit the stage. However, the actress, rather deranged herself and knowing he's a crazy stalker, murders him onstage.

In short, I need a play that this can happen in.

Parameters:

- Guy's character needs to exit with the female character

- Someone (preferably the actress's character, but it could be anyone) needs to have a bladed weapon or chain or rope or something capable of killing.

- Preferably an older, dramatic piece (like 'Tis Pity She's a Whore)

- The death could actually happen within the play (so that the audience thinks it's part of the show) but it doesn't have to.

- Irony is always great, but not a must.

Setting: New York City, present day.
Searched: google and webmd and emedicine for variations on internal bleeding, blunt force trauma, abdominal trauma, abdominal blunt trauma

I have a character who was assaulted -- several hits to the stomach with a lead pipe and several more with hard punches. I'm wondering what sort of injuries might occur from this aside from severe bruising, and what sort of medical treatment they would require. So far all I have managed to find about internal bleeding is that it would likely require surgery, but I can't figure out what sort of surgery or what the recovery time would be; these are all things I want to know before I decide the extent of the injuries, since I'd like to be realistic but also not have him laid up for ages and unplayable.

Thanks!

I'm writing a story where I need to have a character who has suffered an injury to her spine, most likely from a fall, that causes paraplegia. I've searched for various combinations of: fall, spinal injury, paraplegia, broken bones

I did find this page, which appears to have good information, but the causes are too vague for my purposes.

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Any suggestions or direction to information that could help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Setting: Present day Japan, likely near Tokyo

Research: I've searched google (Japanese adoption laws, adoption in Japan, etc)  but all I can find is information regarding international adoptions, ie an American couple trying to adopt a Japanese child.

Can someone provide me with information on how the adoption process within Japan works? The character trying to adopt is a single man, in his late 20's. He's generally healthy, if that makes a difference, and is trying to adopt a child that has no disabilities and has no special needs requirements.  What I'm specifically interested in is:

-How long it would take from contacting the agency to recieving full custody of the child

-What type of contact he would have with his potential son/daughter- only letters for the first few months? When would he be able to visit the child? Would he be able to actually take the child from their foster home/orphanage for an afternoon outing? Would he be able to take them for a stay overnight?

-If the child's birth parents or any relatives are still alive, would he have to meet with them?

-What type of legal process would he have to go through? Court dates? Some kind of inspection of where he lives?

Links to helpful sites would also be appreciated. Thanks!