this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2026
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The cool thing with this is if there are infinite universes where the laws of physics can vary, it could mean that every single fictional story within that range of laws of physics actually happened/is happening/will happen somewhere.
Like you can make up whatever story as long as it's consistent and it will also be real. Though that "consistent" part might rule out a lot of stories involving lazy writing (though I suppose it depends on what kind of inconsistency it is... Like character trait inconsistency is possible but "laws of physics work differently based on what the plot needs" not so much).
Funny... as a long-time graphic novel reviewer, my attitude towards 'reality' has shifted a lot over the years, and at this point I'm willing to entertain pretty much any unfamiliar (read "crazy") story premise, as long as that world has an internal consistency.
So the story and setting might as well be set inside another universe (or black hole), with its own differing set of natural laws, but for me it has to live up to that premise, and not take any shortcuts along the way just because it's 'exotic.' For me, you're not allowed to cheat like that, but of course, some try to!
Yeah, anytime a story needs to answer a question with "it's just a story, don't think about it too much", I lose respect for it. They can still be fun to watch, but they just aren't on the level of ones that think everything through. It often feels like writers/producers phoning it in because they don't really care that much.
Part of why authors like Tolkien are so ding-dong-diddly impressive.
I'm turning NedFlanders
I think I'm turning NedFlanders
I really think so