# Botticelli - January 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [December 31, 2025, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186 "2025-12-31T02:03:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/161 "2026-01-18T01:45:47Z")
Final.DQ: First name starts with Wa - Wi? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/162 "2026-01-18T02:04:30Z")
**knoodler’s** DQ: From Science Fiction? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/163 "2026-01-18T02:23:57Z")
# W 1. Fictional 2. First name starts with W 3. Male 4. Main character 5. American creator 6. Created after 1950 7. Not originally from movies or TV 8. Created before 1985 9. Created after 1970 10. Originally from prose 11. Character was born an American citizen 12. Character can be presumed Caucasian 13. From a genre work 14. From a novel 15. Created before 1977 16. Generally a good guy, certainly not a bad guy 17. First story setting was not contemporary to its writing 18. Not a mystery 19. Novel not adapted for film or TV 20. From the science fiction or fantasy genre 21. First name begins from Wa-Wi 22. From science fiction ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/164 "2026-01-18T05:06:17Z")
Previous IQs: Did you decline a drink in order to help a woman whose house was on fire? - Woodrow Wilson, the story goes, was once driving through a rural area of the South with a Secret Service agent and noticed smoke pouring from the upstairs window of an isolated house. They stopped and the lady of the house, surprised and pleased to find the President on her doorstep, invited them in and offered them a drink. Wilson replied, “Thank you, ma’am, but no. Your house is on fire!” He and the agent helped her carry out furniture and valuables until the fire brigade arrived. Did your character pretend to be Eleanor Roosevelt over the phone? - [Walter Matthau](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rsmTiz6XVE) Did you win the Battle of Fallen Timbers? - Not William Henry Harrison, but “Mad Anthony” Wayne DQs: Story set more than 50 years in the future from when it was written? Written by either Asimov or Heinlein? I yield my other DQ to anyone who’d like to ask it. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/165 "2026-01-18T10:18:33Z")
# W 1. Fictional 2. First name starts with W 3. Male 4. Main character 5. American creator 6. Created after 1950 7. Not originally from movies or TV 8. Created before 1985 9. Created after 1970 10. Originally from prose 11. Character was born an American citizen 12. Character can be presumed Caucasian 13. From a genre work 14. From a novel 15. Created before 1977 16. Generally a good guy, certainly not a bad guy 17. First story setting was not contemporary to its writing 18. Not a mystery 19. Novel not adapted for film or TV 20. From the science fiction or fantasy genre 21. First name begins from Wa-Wi 22. From science fiction 23. Beginning of story set less than 50 years in the future from when it was written; story goes longer than that at finish 24. Not written by either Asimov or Heinlein ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/166 "2026-01-18T13:42:17Z")
**EH’s** DQ: By a male author? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/167 "2026-01-18T15:30:37Z")
# W 1. Fictional 2. First name starts with W 3. Male 4. Main character 5. American creator 6. Created after 1950 7. Not originally from movies or TV 8. Created before 1985 9. Created after 1970 10. Originally from prose 11. Character was born an American citizen 12. Character can be presumed Caucasian 13. From a genre work 14. From a novel 15. Created before 1977 16. Generally a good guy, certainly not a bad guy 17. First story setting was not contemporary to its writing 18. Not a mystery 19. Novel not adapted for film or TV 20. From the science fiction or fantasy genre 21. First name begins from Wa-Wi 22. From science fiction 23. Beginning of story set less than 50 years in the future from when it was written; story goes longer than that at finish 24. Not written by either Asimov or Heinlein 25. By a male author ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/168 "2026-01-18T17:49:36Z")
Final DQ: from a novel by Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Phillip K. Dick, Larry Niven, Harry Harrison, or Philip José Farmer? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/169 "2026-01-18T20:14:12Z")
# W 1. Fictional 2. First name starts with W 3. Male 4. Main character 5. American creator 6. Created after 1950 7. Not originally from movies or TV 8. Created before 1985 9. Created after 1970 10. Originally from prose 11. Character was born an American citizen 12. Character can be presumed Caucasian 13. From a genre work 14. From a novel 15. Created before 1977 16. Generally a good guy, certainly not a bad guy 17. First story setting was not contemporary to its writing 18. Not a mystery 19. Novel not adapted for film or TV 20. From the science fiction or fantasy genre 21. First name begins from Wa-Wi 22. From science fiction 23. Beginning of story set less than 50 years in the future from when it was written; story goes longer than that at finish 24. Not written by either Asimov or Heinlein 25. By a male author 26. Not from a novel by Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Phillip K. Dick, Larry Niven, Harry Harrison, or Philip José Farmer ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/170 "2026-01-18T20:36:19Z")
And I think it’s time for your “Are you firstname lastname” questions. I’ll keep it open until tomorrow, 19 Jan at 2300 hours CST. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/171 "2026-01-18T21:55:03Z")
Who’s left? Frank Herbert, Stephen King, Joe Haldeman, Harlan Ellison, Kurt Vonnegut… ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/172 "2026-01-19T00:07:37Z")
Clifford Simak, Alan Dean Foster, Samuel R Delany… ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/173 "2026-01-19T17:52:35Z")
I’ve got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/174 "2026-01-19T17:53:38Z")
A real shot in the dark. DQ: Are you William “Billy” Pilgrim from _Slaughterhouse Five_? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/175 "2026-01-19T18:34:24Z")
I am not. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/176 "2026-01-19T19:33:11Z")
I keep coming back to Winston Smith from _1984._ I know it’s incorrect but wth: Is it Winston Smith? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/177 "2026-01-19T19:41:44Z")
I am not Winston Smith. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/178 "2026-01-20T17:20:53Z")
OK, looks like I’ve stumped everyone. I am # William Mandella protagonist and first-person viewpoint character of _The Forever War_, Joe Haldeman’s Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel and Vietnam-War metaphor. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/179 "2026-01-20T18:18:27Z")
I’ve read it, and know the character, but wouldn’t have come up with the name. Good one! ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186/180 "2026-01-20T18:20:12Z")
Have heard of the novel, wouldn’t have known the main character. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-january-2026/1026186.md?page=10)