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1500 questions
34
votes
15 answers
Why isn't my superhuman always hungry?
I'm writing a speculative fiction story that includes superhumans. The focus is on individual characters and their daily lives, and I'm trying to maintain some consistency by not throwing all the laws of physics out the window. However, this creates…
Dubukay
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34
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10 answers
What would the proper shooting stance be for a recoil-free arm cannon?
Quick summary: it’s the modern day, and everyone can use magic. Some of that magic is of the variety that lets you launch energy blasts from your fists, similar to a Mega Man style arm cannon. You mentally activate the ability, clench your fist,…
Simon Price
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34
votes
12 answers
Why would the tribes choose herding instead of agriculture in the Great Plains?
So, in my story, the entire world has just gone to absolute crap. The largest war in human history, WW3 in October 1962, has just caused destruction in most of the United States, the Soviet Union, Europe, and populated sections of China.
About half…
Buffalo
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34
votes
20 answers
Teleportation without dying
I have a character who can teleport to essentially anywhere he can think of, assuming he either has been there before, or is given exact coordinates.
The problem is, I can only think of two ways to complete this:
He disassembles his molecules at…
Ian Ng
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34
votes
6 answers
Which direction of slightly tilting the Earth will be most destructive?
I am a vengeful scientist who crash-landed on your Earth. While I was repairing my space ship, I had to obtain nourishment by consuming organic matter, and visited a local nutrition warehouse your people call "Arby's."
I have decided that the…
SPavel
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34
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9 answers
Realistically, how useful would a bayonet be on a crossbow in medieval, close quarters combat?
Historically, there's about a 700-year gap between when crossbows start appearing in European texts around 950, and when bayonets do the same around 1670. And those bayonets are strictly associated with muskets, as sources note the change from plug…
KernelOfChaos
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34
votes
11 answers
What measures might an early-medieval society take to deal with draugr?
The Background
I have an early medieval/late dark ages society roughly equivalent to Anglo-Saxon Britain or Viking Scandinavia. Everything's fairly normal...apart from the fact that people who drown in the sea come back as draugr.
This has always…
Ynneadwraith
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34
votes
13 answers
Is there a liquid that could protect a human inside it from impact?
I am trying to figure out what kind of liquid, if any, can be used to severely impede or slow human motion without killing or severely damaging their bodies (IE if after being submerged in this liquid they need to spend a long time in the hospital,…
user49634
34
votes
5 answers
Wrong Planet, What would an Aspergers' planet be like?
Being on the autism spectrum is often described as a feeling of being on "The Wrong Planet" So I'm wondering what the right planet might be like...
For those that are unfamiliar:
Social conventions aren't always obvious to the average person with…
apaul
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34
votes
12 answers
How would one design an undetectable nuke to hit the Moon with?
Colonists have set up a viable, long term lunar colony on the near-side of the moon in the mid-21st century. They are quickly reaching total self-sufficiency and the earth governments who sponsored the colony are getting itchy to maintain…
Green
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34
votes
4 answers
How close were inns in medieval Europe?
My story takes place in a fantasy/medieval setting, that will incorporate mostly European, most specifically, French medieval inspiration. My main character is traveling from a small village, to a large city within a couple weeks time. In that time,…
ViktorCogandGear
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34
votes
7 answers
Could you float a boat on a gas giant?
A futuristic entrepreneur wants to start a cruise line company and needs to build a cruise ship that will not only float on a gas giant, but be habitable throughout a 7 day trip (for the uber-rich of course).
What sort of ship would need to be built…
Austin A
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34
votes
18 answers
Bare Minimum Tech for Spaceworthy Vessel
In my story, a planet of low-tech natives in the midst of war are abruptly brought into contact with a much more advanced empire. There are many historical precedents for this kind of event, and occasionally the natives are able to fight back. Now,…
Megalonychidae
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34
votes
2 answers
Terrestrial Exoplanet Skies – I've Built a Visual Sky Chart. Is it Correct?
I'm an artist and I've been trying to find a comprehensive resource that would help me clearly identify likely sky colors for exoplanets that have atmospheres with a similar chemical composition to Earth. It's trickier than I expected. I've cobbled…
n_bandit
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33
votes
20 answers
In a post-apocalyptic future planet where robots are the only sentient life... why would they use wild-west and WW2-era tech?
Context: The setting is a future where the planet is pretty much a giant city and due to reasons has become a post-apocalyptic landscape. Humans are long dead and the only sentient life left are the robots and androids the humans made to serve them.…
QuirkyAI
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