July Writing Prompts 2023

[labrathor]

July is here! The summer is in full swing and there's plenty to do, both online and otherwise. Stay cool out there, people. And As always--

Disclaimer: I never close old writing prompts from previous months. People can and should be encouraged to post on old month's prompts and I highly encourage players to track these posts to catch stragglers or new people writing on old prompts.

Now. With that out of the way, onto this month's prompts.

July's Writing Prompts
1. "Well here we are, at last."

2. An unusual method to beat the heat.

3. Trying a new hobby.

4. "What do you think comes after this?"

5. An anticipated camping trip.

Bonus image prompt:

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Beat the Heat - the scientific way

[itmeanstruth]

“Whooo… is it a scorcher out there.” Minoru wiped the sweat from his face after a long morning freerun. And this was before the sun was really even up. Which meant the afternoon was going to be a lot hotter.

“Then for heaven’s sake, take that towel off of your shoulders.” Isamu glanced up from the book he was reading. “You’re only making it hotter.”

“No, no. It’s damp. I poured water on it first.”

“That does not matter in the slightest. Minoru, the region of the brain that thermoregulates is located near the back of the neck. Neck skin temperature, as well as the temperature of blood in major vessels there, is how the body measures how hot you are.” He sighed. “All your cold towel is doing is fool the brain’s thermostat into thinking that your body has already cooled down - meaning you will stay uncomfortably hot for that much longer.”

Minoru pulled the towel from his neck. “Wait, really?”

“The human body does have a emergency temperature relief valve, you know. In the form of a particular type of blood vessel - arteriovenous anastomoses.”

“Ana-what now?” He asked as he pulled a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Direct junctions of arteries and veins found the palm of the hand, the soles of the feet, and the upper part of the face. Because they bypass the capillaries, blood flows through them pretty quickly.”

“And that matters, why?”

“Think about what happens if you ran your hands under cool water, approximately 56 degrees should be sufficient. Blood will give off its heat to the cooler water, and the cooler blood then circulates back to the body’s core. Studies have shown that people returned to regular body temperatures in just a few minutes.”

Minoru rose an eyebrow. “Wait, really?”

“Yes. Technically drinking cool water works as well. But our bodies are biologically programmed to regulate temperature. And like all regulatory systems, this too can be exploited.”

“Well, the kitchen sink’s definitely more convenient than an ice bath.” He chuckled, thinking about one of the ways they tackled dangerously high fevers in the ER. This was probably why the damp cloth on the forehead worked so well too.

“Oh, definitely.” He nodded. “One of my fellow engineers at IRIS is working on a cooling mitten that will do just that. The prototype is still in development, but they will likely need some athletes to test it when they reach that stage. Would you like me to pass your name along?”

“Oh, sure!” Minoru smiled. “Why not?”