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- Mar 19, 2016
I regret that I have but one agree sticker to give.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) - Nerds protecting nonces
- Thread starter Meat Target
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2017
And now the normies know about the puppies.
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- Oct 14, 2015
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- Jul 30, 2017
I know, BELIEVE ME I KNOW the frustration with the normies finally getting there. But you gotta swallow than and suck it up because that's your only hope. If you're too much of a jerk about it, then nobody will come over to your side just to spite your annoying ass.
So we suck it up. And we smile. And we say...
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2014
Does "space opera" SF always involve using "magic" such as "psionic" powers? It's in Star Trek, Star Wars ("the Force"), StarCraft...
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2023
A lot of them seem to. I can't say for certain why that is, but in the case of vidya at least it's usually because the game is aping a fantasy property that the creators previously made.
As for Star Wars it's just fantasy with spaceships so The Force is literally magic.
Isaiah Praer
kiwifarms.net
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- Dec 23, 2023
That depends on the writer. Poul Anderson's Polesotechnic League/Terran Empire/Flandry novels has hints of that here and there, as does Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga, but that could be an artifact of 1940s to 1980s popular culture. Physics-defying Clarketech like FTL and subspace communications might as well be magic. As long as the stories remain internally consistent and their "future" tech not too antiquated, they can still be an enjoyable read.
Then again, a more Literary work, in which the protagonist chosen to represent Humanity or Society discovers some novel aspect of the existential contradictions of being in a moldy peanut butter sandwich packed and forgotten by xir alienated partner, would probably bore me to tears.
Game master arino
kiwifarms.net
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- Jul 4, 2021
It's mainly so common because John W. Campbell, the editor of Astounding Stories was obsessed with the idea of psychic powers so including them in your story was a surfire to get him to publish it.
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- Apr 13, 2021
Are you asking is Space Opera always cool? Because thats what it reads like. If so than yes.
BScCollateral
kiwifarms.net
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- May 28, 2018
I'd say "often." I can't think of an exception but there probably are a few.
Like faster than light or time travel, psychic powers seem to fall into the loose "acceptable fantasy" elements, stuff that you can put into SF and still have it be considered "hard SF." I'd speculate there was a period where it was considered "real" science.
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- Nov 15, 2016
Which is rather interesting, given that Campbell himself was "cancelled" for having a dim view of negroes. Or being a fascist. Or maybe just being a huwite man. Or something. A fat Asian woman decided she didn't like him, and that was all it took.
The John W. Campbell Award is Now The Astounding Award
Mr Processor
kiwifarms.net
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- Jan 8, 2022
I imagine his ghost is quite happy his name is no longer attached to the latest transexual manifesto published as "science fiction." In fact, I could imagine him saying, "What took you so long?"
They did the same thing to H.P. Lovecraft's award, of course, which lead S. T. Joshi to return his in protest.
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2014
Difference between "physics-defying Clarketech" and "ESP" is that the latter is normally -- or realistically would be -- "supernatural", while the former is still natural?
I thought "soft SF" was stuff like FTL, time travel, and "magic" ("psionics", "psychic powers") thrown in, while "hard SF" is stuff like no FTL, no backwards time travel, and certainly no "magic" use. At least that's how it's seen now. Stories by Jules Verne could be considered "hard SF" with the contemporary science (at least the moon one).
BScCollateral
kiwifarms.net
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- May 28, 2018
The thing is the distinction between Hard and Soft SF is presented as a binary when it's much more of a spectrum, with no two people agreeing where the border is. There's really no single definition everyone agrees on. There's a school of thought that includes "Your story can include a fantasy element as long as you work with the ramifications."
It will be interesting to see how stories set in space shake out in the near future. A story set in a fictional Antarctic base wouldn't be considered science fiction, so why is a story set on a fictional space station? Heck, Space Brothers started off as based near-future SF and now it's alternate history.
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- Aug 28, 2015
ESP and psionics are about raping minds. Clarke was about raping kids.
But more seriously you have the idea. The soft sci-fi cope is that 'maybe we can do this someday'.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2017
Depends on how you want to define space opera. Would a hard sf opera be a contradiction in terms?
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- Apr 13, 2021
Not really the expanse is Hard SF space opera just off the top of my head.
Isaiah Praer
kiwifarms.net
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- Dec 23, 2023
ESP and psionics generally (not always) can be written without taking on the rabbit hole of metaphysics. Paranormal adds a grab-bag of hauntings, ufology, urban legends, cryptids. Supernatural takes you the rest of the way into "low fantasy" and "urban fantasy".
I'd consider extra-sensory perception (once we figure out all the senses) within the possibilities of cybernetic enhancement. Telepathic communication has long been considered a logical extension of telecommunications development. VR and consciousness uploads could blur the lines even further.
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- Mar 29, 2014
That's ESP via machine. I meant ESP via "magic" like "psionics", which would realistically be "supernatural"*.
*(even if the genre isn't)
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2017
Nice. Then I would nominate John C Wright's "Count to the Eschaton" series as a hard space opera.