1. TheDarkWriter

    TheDarkWriter Active Member

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    Is this plausible?

    Discussion in 'Research' started by TheDarkWriter, Oct 6, 2016.

    So in this story my MC goes under a physical transformation like Captain America but it's more grounded in reality. He's in prison and forced to fight in a under ground prison fight club. He starts off short and skinny but he gets forced to take testosterone and growth hormones (all the fighters are forced to take them to make them more violent and as faster way of getting them pyshically fit) and he grows in sizes and starts putting on muscle he goes from short and weak to tall and imposing but it doesn't happen over night it takes a while for the changes to take. Also it's not just physical the changes are also mental he becomes more violent and confrontational where as before he was very cowardly this also a result of constantly being able to fight.
     
  2. Kara Gatsby

    Kara Gatsby Member

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    Are you asking if these types of changes are plausible, or the premise? I'd say both are. Here's why.

    Changes:
    • The physical and emotional changes you've described seem reasonable in a prison environment, even without hormones and a fight club.
    • Add hormones and survival, and I don't see how it couldn't happen.
    • Someone who is physically small and self-conscious probably carries himself differently than someone who is stronger and more aggressive. As he bulks up, he'll stand taller even if he hasn't physically grown height-wise.
    Premise:
    • There are documented cases of prison fight clubs. (Couldn't find any involving hormones, though)
    • I've read about some pretty ingenious things prisoners do to communicate behind guards' backs.
    Who would be supplying the hormones? Someone on the outside, or someone in the infirmary? If it's someone on the outside, here's an interesting article on smuggling drugs into prison. Testosterone is a controlled substance, so it would be kept locked up in the infirmary. Even then, it could still happen; corruption happens just about everywhere.
     
  3. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    Its plausible but its worth noting that he'd need to be working out a lot in addition to taking hormones - also its less credible that he'd grow in height, adults don't generally, plus if hes the ectomoprhic body type he isnt going to put on lots of muscle bulk , just get more wiry and hard so i'd have him go from skinny and weak to wiry and violent (think van damme rather than schwarzenager)

    if hes also taking steriods (which would be likely) the chances are that he'll also see his testicles shrink and develop mood swings and uncontrolable bursts of anger (what they call roid rage)
     
  4. ToBeInspired

    ToBeInspired Senior Member

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    Umm, yes and no.

    It's unlikely he'd get taller. His lower back and shoulder muscles increasing at a rapid rate would make it unlikely for his posture to improve and people stop growing in height after a certain age.

    Muscles? Sure. Depends on what he's giving and how much carbs they pack in him. Doesn't mean he'll fight better. Those bodybuilders have almost no flexibility. It's less about muscle mass and more about targeting specific muscle groups.

    Fill him out, just don't Hulk him out.
     
  5. Scorpion02Tyr

    Scorpion02Tyr New Member

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    He could definitely add on muscle, but I also doubt that he would get taller. The only cases I know of people who continued to grow taller after adulthood were caused by tumors. Those tumors were usually on the pituitary gland I believe. So if you're going to stick with known science in the story it certainly is possible for someone to increase in height while in prison, but you may have to give an extreme reason. If you want to add just a little bit of science fiction you could easily do it.

    With that being said, there's always somebody bigger, so your MC doesn't have to be the biggest dog in the fight, maybe he's just the meanest.

    If you've never seen the movie Felon with Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer, check it out! It doesn't involve hormones or anything, but the character transformation is great. And Val Kilmer plays a serial killer.
     
  6. Iain Sparrow

    Iain Sparrow Banned Contributor

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    Growth hormones won't make an adult grow taller. It's a genetic thing, once you stop growing, that's about it.
     
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  7. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    I have to agree with @Iain Sparrow that he would not grow taller. The only way that would be possible is if you pulled of some crazy genetic mutational elements like in Warhammer 40K. They take men and women worthy of becoming Space Marines (AKA Adeptus Astartes) and genetically enhance there bodies to be extremely muscular (many times that of a normal human in strength), and 'grow' them to be twice the height of the average human. Then rigorously train the hell out of them for combat, and stuff them into power armor further enhancing there already ridiculous strength a bunch more. We will not get into Primarchs (basically genetically engineered demi-gods that take command over a legion of Space Marines.)
     
  8. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    or quite similarly in john scalzi's old mans war series where they transfer the conciousness of 75 year old recruits into genetically engineered bodies specially designed for war (faster, harder, smarter etc)

    thers always a way - I mean you could just hand wave it like they do with captain america,/hulk/spider man etc but to make it actually plausible rather than requiring suspension of disbelief is tricky... and as mentioned higher up being hugely muscluar does not automatically make you a good fighter... personally speaking when I was younger I liked it when muscle bound meat heads squared up to me and started saying stuff like "you wanna make something of you lanky streak of piss" because while they were posing and flexing I'd be kneeing them in the bollocks and kicking them to make sure they didnt get back up.

    small wiry guys were a lot more dangerous because not being able to rely on their size for intimidation they have to actually learn to fight
     
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  9. TheWriteWitch

    TheWriteWitch Active Member

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    Maybe his height change comes from his change in physical attitude. He used to slouch but now he stands upright with his chest out. He used to duck his head and avert his eyes but now he looks everyone square in the face.

    It sounds to me a lot like a gladiator mentality. There could be some inspiration in that vein of research.
     

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