Weirdest Thing You've Researched?

[Flybynite1892]

What is the weirdest thing you've had to research for a story here? I don't necessarily mean anything sex related, but I sometimes find myself in the flow and needing to look up something super niche. I had to do that a few stories back when I needed a really solid description of shoes in the 1920s. Is there anything really strange you felt like you needed to learn to make a story work?

 

[StillStunned]

Intimate grooming in the 18th century. A tram route in Amsterdam. Ballet outfits.

 

[Erozetta]

Candirú (never published it)

 

[TheLobster]

How to get from mainland US to the middle of Atacama desert in Chile (my Geek Pride story is set in the radioobservatory there). Turns out it's only two-three flights and a 50-mile car ride so that was a bit anticlimactic.

 

[onehitwanda]

1. Can you make lamps with tallow
2. Can you make tallow from raccoons

 

[Treeview]

1. Can you make lamps with tallow
2. Can you make tallow from raccoons

Well...can you
?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Most recently, whether UK police cells have toilets or not (some do, some don't, and if you're suspected of anything where evidence could be lost if you have access to water, you'll get a 'dry cell'). And the differences in definitions of certain crimes before and after the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and in England vs Northern Ireland (being 'disorderly' isn't a crime in England, only if you're 'drunk and disorderly').

Lots of travelling times from Manchester to places near York. Where can X live if A lives in Manchester and B and C are near somewhere else, to ensure X gets given a lift home by A?

For my last story I ended up reading loads of abstracts of Nature journal articles from 2005, so one character could advise another on hook phrases for getting published.

 

[ericalauren]

I saw a joke about Putin's nipples on a TV show called "2 Broke Girls". I then went to Google and searched "why are Putin's nipples famous".

 

[Darkrhytm]

Fishing a salmon run in Alaska and how to not get eaten by bears (and naturally bear videos)

 

[TheRedChamber]

Probably the least erotic, but most vital question I've ever had to answer for a story is...

What is the shortest lived butterfly native to the UK?

 

[lovecraft68]

Various things about different cults throughout history.

What I use Wiki and google for always makes me think of the movie Se7en when Morgan Freeman mentions the FBI tracks what people check out at the library.

My search history of the occult, religion, firearms, ammo, ancient weaponry, and modern/medieval torture methods, along with horror and a history full of porn, makes me want to wave at my PC every time I get on it and say "Hi guys!"

 

[Erozetta]

Various things about different cults throughout history.

What I use Wiki and google for always makes me think of the movie Se7en when Samuel L Jackson mentions the FBI tracks what people check out at the library.

My search history of the occult, religion, firearms, ammo, ancient weaponry, and modern/medieval torture methods, along with horror and a history full of porn, makes me want to wave at my PC every time I get on it and say "Hi guys!"

I've never researched that stuff for a story here... but I've definitely researched all of that. Sometimes for stories, sometimes just to satisfy my own curiosity.

 

[Flybynite1892]

Probably the least erotic, but most vital question I've ever had to answer for a story is...

What is the shortest lived butterfly native to the UK?

Now I'm curious. Which butterfly is it?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Now I'm curious. Which butterfly is it?

I ended up going for the simple and common Painted Lady (two to four weeks) as being story suitable.

Male Papilio Demoleus live for only 4 days but they're Asian.

 

[mildlyaroused]

I accidentally searched up the legality of "cat sex" rather than "car sex", which was a bit of a shame. Hopefully it didn't put me on any watch lists.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I did have some help from here when I wanted to research the effects of icy cold items inserted for a summer story. Very enlightening.

 

[StillStunned]

I accidentally searched up the legality of "cat sex" rather than "car sex", which was a bit of a shame. Hopefully it didn't put me on any watch lists.

I bet you feel guilty every time you see a cat staring at you for no apparent reason.

 

[TheLobster]

I accidentally searched up the legality of "cat sex" rather than "car sex", which was a bit of a shame. Hopefully it didn't put me on any watch lists.

How can it not be legal when most of the stories here are about fucking one pussy or another?

 

[ElectricBlue]

I bet you feel guilty every time you see a cat staring at you for no apparent reason.

There's always a reason with a cat.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Well, let's see... For Exploring the Bounds of Normal, I researched nemotodal worms that infect male Mayflies turning them into genetic females, Lockian philosophy, extra dimensional theoretical physics, and magical realism with a nod to Pablo Escobar.

 

[Bamagan]

Humans. Nothing on the planet is weirder than those.

 

[RejectReality]

The viability of adapting the shake-to-charge technology in flashlights to work in vibrators, so they basically never run out of juice.

 

[KeithD]

Sounding.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Humans. Nothing on the planet is weirder than those.

Opening line of Exploring the Bounds of Normal...

There're all kinds of crazy things in this world. Just go to Walmart at 2 AM and you'll see plenty...

 

[Bamagan]

Opening line of Exploring the Bounds of Normal...

There're all kinds of crazy things in this world. Just go to Walmart at 2 AM and you'll see plenty...

Most of the walmarts around here don't stay open overnight anymore. But there's still Waffle House for wee hours weirdness.