Recent content by Don Coyote

The Gift Of The Borgias Traditionally, victims would be given small amounts of arsenic and suffered a long, debilitating illness until they died. The litany of symptoms match what you're looking for. Chronic arsenic poisoning - PubMed It looks like there is a treatment for chronic arsenic...

Ya know, it sounds like your girl would be better off flying.

I have two major worlds with the potential for many stories to be told about several characters in different eras. That's not counting the yet to be developed worlds still swirling about in my head. There's a lot of room for storytelling. I guess I'd better get busy!

You can answer your question largely with logistics. The island is at the long end of a supply line that's easily disrupted and expensive to maintain. The powers that invade have other concerns and can't afford to bring their full might against the island nation. The society is a polyglot...

Wind Powered Factories: History (and Future) of Industrial Windmills | LOW←TECH MAGAZINE windmill | Definition, History, Types, & Facts The Dutch Windmill

Windmill blades could be locked in place. Blade angles were adjustable. Some systems required the blades be stationary during adjustment. Some could be adjusted while the blades turned. A couple of systems adjusted automatically. There's no way a windmill owner would use sails that couldn't be...

Any reader worth their salt knows what a cutpurse is and what a purse is. No one reading about Robin Hood lifting a bishop's purse in Sherwood Forest is going to think it's a woman's purse. If they do, they won't for long. Use the word "purse" in the appropriate setting and readers will know...

I think the series Heroes had a character that traveled back and forth through time in conflict with his other selves. Angel Heart pulled it off the best.

That's not efficiency. That's competition. It's showing off. You did say the Demiduur have emotions for each other and form bonds. In that light, I can see them competing. I see your point.

I would argue that making a game of who can tear the most raiders apart isn't done by someone who lacks empathy and is apathetic towards their prey. It's a symptom of someone who has buried their emotions far too long to do a brutal job. If the Demiduur have no empathy for their prey, they...

"The helmet had two spikes growing from its crown- perfect for guiding a sword blade to the wearer's head"

I don't understand the math, but I get your point. It makes sense and I like it. In real life, rifle barrels are a consumable item, like tires on a car. Like tires, how long they last depends on several factors. Tire life depends on driving style, tire compound, surfaces driven on and so on...

Yes. Because I've hunted, killed and cleaned animals for food, I understand what an animal sacrifices that my family may eat and why it bothers me when someone wastes food. Hunting and shooting has had a profound affect on my development. Safety is important. You can't unshoot someone.

This. Coleson needs to learn how to deal with his emotional reaction and the only way to do that is by experience. Hunting is not a "gateway drug" to homicide. I've never been in combat or fought a life or death battle, but I've done a lot of hunting. There's nothing about hunting to prepare me...