Questions tagged [internal-consistency]
For questions that ask if a given concept is consistent, or being used consistently, in the context of the referenced world rules. Answers should say yes or no, with supporting info. This tag should not be used with the science-based, hard-science, or science-fiction tags. Comparisons to the real world should use the science-based tag. This tag may not be used alone. This tag may not be used with the science-fiction, science-based, or hard-science tags.
6,161
questions
5
votes
8
answers
820
views
Why are scout bots only used for reconnaissance?
Why would scout robots be used for recon only, not general combat?
I have a situation in which scout robots akin to mars rovers are used for military applications by forces residing on a foreign ...
- 113
1
vote
5
answers
136
views
How much of a small, isolated, civilization's culture would survive a magical cataclysm? [closed]
I'm starting with some background so the question can be answered in-context. Apologies if I veer into too much storytelling.
Pre-Cataclysm Setting:
A fantasy civilization, essentially only humans, in ...
- 31
8
votes
5
answers
560
views
How does "innate magical power" fit into a magic system powered by emotion and memory?
In the magic system I've been workshopping, magic is powered by the caster's emotions and memories. Specifically, mages can shape spells by creating associations to their own memories, and strengthen ...
- 189
8
votes
4
answers
1k
views
How to recreate a "land" harp that can work in the deep sea?
Once again, I am asking questions based on my as of yet defined highly-evolved, human-derived "merfolk". But this time, I'm going towards deeper waters-- let's say about 5000 meters below ...
- 393
-2
votes
2
answers
211
views
Medieval Europe without animals [closed]
I'm working on a setting that in some ways looks like medieval Europe without domestic, or in general agriculturally significant, animals, and I'm trying to figure out what the implications would be.
...
- 4,888
1
vote
0
answers
211
views
Non absurd way to lay a cable over light years of distance [closed]
This isn't entirely hard science but bear with me.
(Prologue) In the near future, a series of increasing heavy elements are synthesized building on the theory of islands of stability, incredibly ...
31
votes
23
answers
7k
views
Why would cyborgs, assuming they are rare, be found in the lower classes rather than the elite?
In my world, advanced technological body modification exists. Those with any sort of modifications are rare, and those with extensive modifications are even rarer. These rare and uncommon cyborgs are ...
- 319
2
votes
4
answers
476
views
How to make electro kinetic immune to electricity
In my hard science world there is a character that can output electrons around 30000 volts and around 50,000 amps.The problem is that they would instantly die every time they use their ability. So I ...
- 117
1
vote
1
answer
152
views
Continent Formation and Volcanos
For over a year I've been writing about a fictional race of people that has taken on rather a life of its own. They live on an earth like world with similar geological processes to our own but I don't ...
- 125
0
votes
1
answer
220
views
Is a species that mates by "tribadism" possible?
In real life, there are planarians that are hermaphroditic, which means that they produce both eggs and sperm, however, they have penises and scrotum without clitorises and vaginas. They sexually ...
- 5,182
4
votes
3
answers
232
views
How can I incorporate both the metaphysics of the story and magic into a system without compromising one or the other? [closed]
I'll try my best to make this not so nonsensically long and give you the basics with brevity. I'll be summarizing ALOT.
In the beginning was an entity known as the Eternal Sovereign, a being whose ...
- 41
2
votes
1
answer
195
views
What potentially breathable gas behaves the most like a liquid?
So I've already found that Neon seems to be the highest viscosity gas, at least that I can find. However, I don't feel like simply adding a lot of Neon to the atmosphere of my fictional planet of ...
- 21
4
votes
2
answers
205
views
Practicality of engine-mediated magic
In another universe in which humans may exist but did not evolve, the laws of physics allow phenomena that we in this universe would call magical, where matter and energy may be moved, transformed and ...
- 56.3k
1
vote
0
answers
97
views
Plausibility, habitability and conditions of shell-system
I have some questions regarding the feasibility of this planetary shell-based construction. I have read other questions about shell worlds, but this case has some unique elements, so I thought I would ...
- 11
1
vote
5
answers
380
views
Sustaining linear warfare in futuristic combat [closed]
In my sci-fi setting, I’m looking for a way to have linear infantry formations, or something similar, in a world where airplanes and machine-guns also exist. It is made possible by the existence of ...
- 163
12
votes
15
answers
5k
views
How can kaiju exist in nature and not significantly alter civilization?
I'm building a world where kaiju-sized creatures exist alongside regular-sized creatures. How these kaiju don't crumble under their own weight doesn't matter, and can be explained away by them being ...
- 2,740
3
votes
4
answers
186
views
Covert conflict between different organizations and paranormal groups [closed]
I was recently thinking of creating a reality very similar to the real world but which is under a supernatural "cold war", where scientists, researchers, wizards, techno-wizards, witches, ...
- 61
7
votes
2
answers
360
views
The two societies of Hell - are they reasonable?
Once, thousands of years ago, there was a land called Dhelō. It was a bright, green, fertile land with rivers, lakes, plains, forests and farms. There was a great calamity, and the world broke into ...
- 56.3k
2
votes
2
answers
243
views
What medical problems would doctors in a far future setting, plausibly have trouble dealing with?
This is based on another thread in regards to how you can avoid having sci fi technology be a deus ex machina.
So when it comes to writing inorganic technology, IE spaceships and laser guns, the laws ...
- 491
6
votes
4
answers
922
views
How Would a Spacefaring Civilization Using No Electricity Communicate?
I'm working on a civilization who was born out of a century-long interstellar war with an AI. So they had previously developed electrical and digital technology but now they're avoiding using any of ...
- 63
6
votes
6
answers
3k
views
How can a Leader Remain in Power, Despite being Excessively Cruel and Murderous Towards the Subordinates?
Question inspired by Batman: Arkham games - although this trope is definitely not limited to this series, it is very widely (ab)used in various media.
In Batman: Arkham, various mob leaders are ...
- 2,153
8
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Is it believable to store information in live DNA for billion years?
Imagine a civilization that approaches Kardashev II. They are deep into spacefaring, they live on a few less than one-hundred colonized worlds. They've not found evidence of other sapient life, so ...
- 1,148
5
votes
14
answers
2k
views
Would the presence of superhumans necessarily lead to giving them authority?
We all know the cliche from numerous comics, cartoons, anime shows, video games, etc: some members of the society are vastly more powerful than others. (These are called 'superheroes', 'wizards', '...
- 2,153
2
votes
10
answers
2k
views
Is it possible for rockets to exist in a world that is only in the early stages of developing jet aircraft?
More specifically, is it possible for rocket engines comparable to those of the mid 1960s to exist in a world where in atmosphere jet engines are only in their early stages of development?
This world ...
- 3,863
15
votes
17
answers
3k
views
Rationale for sending manned mission to another star?
In the near future an ancient, derelict spacecraft or space station has been discovered orbiting Barnard's Star, 6 light years from Earth.
Why would Earth send a manned mission to Barnard's Star to ...
- 409
3
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Building a settlement in a place in temporal stasis. What problems the settlers would face?
In my low-fantasy world there is a place where the environment has been frozen by magic in some kind of temporal stasis. It's an antarctic type of environment, with mountains and huge ice sheets: ...
- 919
7
votes
11
answers
2k
views
Is there a way to use language to hijack a persons reality, that wouldnt cause a [syntax error] in reality itself?
Joe has a special ability where everyone always believes whatever he says. For example, if Joe says "the sky is black" then everyone believes that the sky is black. If Joe says "1+1=3&...
user103910
-2
votes
2
answers
267
views
How could the ability to produce a negative electric charge without a corresponding positive charge be used to power a basic portable circuit?
Relevant Information
My magic system consists of a fluid (called aura) emitted from the body whose position can be telekinetically controlled (manipulation), whose physical properties can be altered (...
- 1,912
21
votes
16
answers
5k
views
How would a civilization of techno-barbarians maintain their space ships?
Recently I've gotten interested in the planetary romance genre and the idea of a sword, sorcery and spaceships genre.
So here's the dynamic is basically something like this.
There is a star system ...
- 1,809
0
votes
4
answers
215
views
Would it make more sense to terraform a planet with a single climate or multiple varieties of climate?
A human civilization in my story has terraformed hundreds, possibly thousands of planets across their galaxy to support life. They have done this by changing the atmospheres, adding minerals into the ...
- 1,851
15
votes
18
answers
4k
views
What makes my planetary shields more practical on the surface of planets than in space?
First off habitable planets play a major role in this setting. Furthermore this is a setting whose elements somewhat require that the surface of planets are not soft targets.
In particular planets are ...
- 1,809
5
votes
7
answers
973
views
Have I missed any obvious applications of my portal superpower?
One of the superpowers in my world is the ability to mentally manipulate portals. These portals are incorporeal, massless, 2-dimensional circles that connect points in space (akin to portals from the ...
- 1,912
0
votes
7
answers
454
views
If a civilization had the technology to create portals (wormholes) for FTL space travel, what about wormholes would make them not work for weapons?
If a civilization had the technology to create wormholes for travel, what would stop them from using this technology to open wormholes right above their targets and launching a weapon through it? If ...
- 1,851
3
votes
3
answers
306
views
Is there anything to super speed other than super strength, super durability, and accelerated thinking?
I was thinking of having superspeed, in my superhero world, be the result of the combination of several powers. In that case, should it (logically speaking) consist of any powers other than super ...
- 1,912
2
votes
1
answer
120
views
How would a bioengineered warbeast get energy from fossil fuel products?
In the somewhat far future, mankind has become fairly adept at wet nanotechnology and synthetic biology. Allowing them to not just modify what exists in nature, but build beyond it with almost ...
- 1,809
12
votes
12
answers
2k
views
Creating magically binding contracts that can't be abused?
I'm toying with magically binding contracts existing. For now I'm trying to figure out if such can exist without being either leaving loopholes, being easily abused, or otherwise resulting in a very ...
- 33.5k
9
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Is there a way to reconcile inertial dampening fields with conservation laws?
So I wish to make a sci fi setting that uses gravity manipulation tech and inertial dampeners.
I have a number of ideas for how such a system works, and about how it should go. At the moment I'm ...
- 1,809
3
votes
3
answers
259
views
Indian Ocean continent - which humans get there first?
Trying to develop an ATL in which several 'lost' continents in the Indian Ocean - namely Kerguelen, Broken Ridge and the Mascarene Plateau (just east of Madagascar) - never end up being submerged and ...
- 31
27
votes
20
answers
8k
views
Why is Hyperspace more hostile to computers than human brains?
For stylistic reasons, I wanted to impose some limits on the use of computers and automation to justify my setting's retro-aesthetic and elements for my science fantasy story.
Basically humanity has ...
- 1,809
3
votes
3
answers
367
views
Why would a sublight Alcubierre drive be more useful for braking than for propulsion?
To get to the point, ships in the setting I'm working on still use a conventional, albeit very advanced, form of rocket propulsion.
However interstellar ships also use a sublight Alcubierre drive ...
- 1,809
44
votes
14
answers
5k
views
How can I make the rules of my Faerie Portal free from contradiction?
On the hilltop in the field near my house, there lives a coven of witches. Or, more accurately, there is a coven of witches living in a pocket of the Faerie Realm which has recently become attached to ...
- 65.6k
0
votes
2
answers
158
views
IF you had a territorial struggle based on magic, how would it play out? [closed]
A large part of the political power in my world building for my book is based around a concept called "grinding" where a faction would gradually amass influence and natural resources by ...
- 17
3
votes
1
answer
629
views
Peak Copper Age Society
How far could the technology of a copper age society get; Could they work up to the level of late antiquity?
Context:
Im working on a si-fi/fantasy world were people have been transplanted onto a ...
- 327
4
votes
2
answers
503
views
What would it be like for a human to maneuver while at supersonic speed?
The person is superhuman. There is both magic and sci-fi involved in the setting. They have the physical strength required to accelerate to supersonic speeds. They have the ability to latch ...
- 415
5
votes
5
answers
672
views
Genetics of a human-animal hybrid
It’s the age of genetic engineering, and Scientists, in league with shady corporations, have created a group of human-animal hybrids, hereafter referred to as Metamorphs.
Metamorphs are designed as ...
- 8,459
3
votes
1
answer
125
views
Could you use the gravity of an extremely close gas giant to assist in leaving a planet
Scenario: A gas giant knocked off orbit is projected to make an extremely close approach to our planet. Close enough to cause miles high tides, continent wide earthquakes, and send our planet on an ...
- 163
6
votes
9
answers
611
views
Using superstrength to save falling people
In a world where superpowers exist, two office workers are trapped on the Nth floor of a burning skyscraper.
Superstrong Sam is 100 times as strong as a regular mortal. That means his muscles can ...
- 4,888
7
votes
8
answers
3k
views
Could bioengineered trees grow high explosives?
The setting I'm trying to develop is a post-apocalyptic partial Dyson Swarm. The world has very advanced AI and one of those developed the system as a caretaker god inhabiting the star. It has gone ...
- 17k
2
votes
1
answer
153
views
How to design a geckskin grappling hook to attatch to surfaces like a rocks and builidngs?
For a while now, I've been very into grappling guns and the ability to swing around buildings, etc. Specifically been very interested in the odm gear present in the show "Attack on Titan". ...
- 21
2
votes
2
answers
191
views
How to store and release vast amounts of electricity for industrial processes?
What Is It For? (skip if desired)
It's been less than a decades since the Ilus system was cut off at its interstellar phase-gate, a few short years after the keidran were created and a disaster forced ...
- 1,984