From the Files of Doctor Stomper #5 Science Versus Fiction copyright 1997 by Dave Van Domelen )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ABSTRACT It is a well-known and oft-lamented fact that the science in superhero universes suffers by comparison with science in the realm of the Readers and Writers. Such differences, the reasons behind them, and a defense of the discrepancies are presented. 1.0 INTRODUCTION If, as Shakespeare wrote, all the world is a stage and the people merely players, then the laws of nature are the stage crew. They work behind the scenes, often unnoticed by all but the most observant, but are an important part of the play which is life. And just as different productions require different crews, so to do different realities require different sets of physical laws. Some universes have very inflexible crews with strong unions, and directors can't budge them an inch on matters relating to their jobs, while others use non-union labor and will often do whatever foolish thing the director wants, even if that means burning down the theater. Before the metaphor is stretched past the breaking point, it would be a good idea to examine some of its parts. 2.0 "THE AUTEUR" In a play, the writer and director make decisions about how the story will unfold, trying to make best use of the principles of Drama as they apply to the story at hand. The equivalent force in realities like the Looniverse is the Writer or Author, depending on whether you're talking to LNHers or Superguy followers. The Writer's job is to tell a story, usually a humorous one, which involves those of us living in the world the story takes place in. Not all events which occur in the Looniverse, for example, were directly the result of a Writer's actions, nor do Writers know everything which occurs. There is a certain amount of "Ad Libbing" that happens, as well as background events which the Writer does not directly influence. This is an important point. Powerful as they are, Writers are not omnipotent, nor are they omniscient. They aren't even always very good at what they do. And one thing is certain: none of them knows exactly how their own world works. Some know more than others, but in the end, when they manipulate events in our reality, they will break the laws of nature, either out of ignorance or in a deliberate attempt to fulfill the demands of Drama and/or Humor. 3.0 FLEXIBLE NATURAL LAWS In the "Literary" universes, the "crew" is far more easily convinced to do things a new way than in the "Real" universes such as those inhabited by the Writers. Drama and Humor are strong forces in Literary universes, although not always equally strong, and they can be used to shove aside the laws of science. For example, gravity is one of the fundamental forces of the universe, of any universe in which matter as we understand it has organized into structures such as stars and planets. The Looniverse is no exception to this, and most of the time, gravity is strictly enforced. Dropped objects fall, coffee cups don't float off into space, and so forth. As long as a Writer isn't active in the area, gravity works like it should. But as soon as a Writer needs a character to be able to fly in a way that isn't normally allowed by nature, gravity obligingly gets out of the way so that the story can be told the way the Writer wants it to be told. Few people complain when heroes fly around like this, because they recognize that the story isn't meant to happen in the real world, and that in the world of the story, people can fly if the Writer says they can. To refer back to the stage metaphor, if the script calls for a truly tasteless costume, the costume designer can be convinced to forgo his or her taste and conform to the writer's needs in this case. Heroic literature tends to exhibit far more of this sort of "brushing aside" of physical law than other types of story, but because our stories are so often told in broad strokes, suspension of disbelief keeps the Readers from making too many comparisons to their less-mutable natural laws. 4.0 TECHNOBABBLE It is said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and this also applies to the suspension of disbelief. Writers are often tempted to push aside as little natural law as possible, trying to explain the details of their plot devices in scientific terms and thus grant them a greater weight. While such "technobabble" can lend an air of versimilitude to a story, it also tempts the Reader to more closely identify his reality with that of the stories, and this comparison is dangerous, especially when the Writer doesn't understand the terminology being used. To be blunt, things like time travel, anti-gravity, energy-blast- throwing mutants and gaining powers from irradiated arthropods violate natural law. They don't happen in the reality of the Readers, the reality we depend on for infusions of the Dramatic energy that keeps our world from fading away. They *do* happen in the Looniverse and other similar realities, because the Writers make them happen, because Drama and Humor are more powerful forces in the Looniverse than Physics and Genetics. But when the technobabble gets too thick, Readers start to forget about Drama and Humor, and start to nitpick on the science...or just abandon the story altogether, which can be even worse. Humor is more powerful than Drama in this situation, as a Reader is less likely to drop suspension of disbelief during a patently ridiculous event than during a serious event, because for some reason serious stories are seen as more "real," and hence less in need of suspension of disbelief. As a result, the Looniverse is relatively safe from the phenomenon of scientific nitpicking, although a certain level of consistency has come to be expected. But the inhabitants of other Literary universes may not fare as well, especially if their Writers give in to the temptation to throw around terms they don't understand. By the same token, however, any writer can avoid this situation by making it clear to the Readers that the story does not take place in their world, and that the rules may very well differ...so long as the Writer isn't self-contradictory. 5.0 CONCLUSION As the "Fourth Wall" is particularly weak between the Looniverse and the world our Writers and Readers live in, this section is addressed directly to them. Writers - Be careful when using information from a field you have not mastered. At best, you may look foolish in the eyes of the experts, at worst you could critically damage the integrity of your story. Concentrate on the story first, the science second. If you don't have to explain something to move the story along, don't explain it. The less scientific details you give, the less incorrect details you'll give. Readers - Learn to recognize when a story is meant to portray something which could really happen, and when it is not meant to. Until you learn this skill, never take a work of fiction as a source for scientific knowledge, as the odds are good you will learn incorrectly. A similar warning is in effect for any area of knowledge, such as history or philosophy. Even an expert in the field may deliberately ignore the rules of science when they get in the way of the story...very little "hard" science fiction plays by *all* the rules, much less the "soft" science fiction or science fantasy of most superheroic writings.