r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Alextral • 2d ago

I really hate this

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Fantasy and science fiction being cramped in the same section, which is already so small :(

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u/Oahkery 2d ago

Do I think there's a plausible way to read Star Wars to say that the authorial intent was that droids were animated by magic? Of course not. But when you get to a point where you're either waving your hands and saying "It's just really advanced technology, it doesn't matter" or waving your hands and saying "It's just magic, it doesn't matter," then why are you making a distinction? Why is that something that you can define an entire genre over? That's just setting.

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u/Oahkery 1d ago

It's like, does it change whether it's a mystery if it's set in the 1800s with trains and steam or 2100 with fusion power? Aren't romances set in 1950 and 2010 still romances? If the only thing you're changing in the story is whether it's swords vs. guns vs. lasers vs. magic, then I wouldn't think you're changing genre, just setting. That's why there are subgenres like historical fiction, but it's still fiction (or, in movie terms, drama).

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u/auntie_eggma 1d ago

And this right here is why the genres are combined in most bookshops and libraries.

(Also the reason a mystery is a mystery and a romance is a romance regardless of setting is because setting is not part of what defines those genres. But setting can form part of the definition for some genres, like sci-fi or fantasy.)

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u/auntie_eggma 1d ago

As far as I've ever been able to tell as someone who consumes both, that's the main thing that separates sci-fi and fantasy. Technology or magic. Wizards and dragons or robots and aliens. Castles and dungeons or space ships and transport pods.

At most you can argue that Star Wars is both. But you can't reasonably argue that it's not sci-fi.

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u/Spellambrose 1d ago edited 1d ago

The distinction between the 2 is so simple and common for most people. Yet, they still find a way to be contradictarian and overcomplicate things.

Aliens, spaceships, robots… You can’t get more sci-fi than that. Only on Reddit are people gonna "acktually" you to death regarding technicalities to assure you that Star Wars, one of the most iconic franchises of the genre, is not sci-fi.

Because you see, the science behind the robots or futuristic gadgets is not explained, so somehow that makes them indistinguishable from magical spells and creatures, therefore it’s fantasy and not sci-fi at all. Like holy shit the reaching is touching the clouds.

I’m sure someone, somewhere on this site, would be ready to debate with you about Harry Potter being sci-fi and not fantasy because you see, in book 3 chapter 27, the ingredients and functionality of that potion are explained in great details, making it science, therefore sci-fi.

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u/auntie_eggma 1d ago

Yeah, I'm wondering if most of the people arguing actually even believe what they're saying, or if they just think everything is debate club and are looking for technicalities to score points on. I'm not interested in that kind of exchange.

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u/Spellambrose 1d ago

For what it’s worth, I had a good laugh following that exchange.

The mental gymnastic to give a magical explanation to any scientific element.

You realizing that your joke about robots being golems may have been taken seriously, and being all like 'Are you serious right now?'

I could see your face through that comment:

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u/auntie_eggma 1d ago

You must have x-ray vision* to have clocked my facial expression through the giant palm covering it. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Thank you for getting it. I was beginning to question my sanity. 😂

*Magic or science? 😬

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u/Spellambrose 1d ago

No problem! You and me both pal. Almost everyday I have to remind myself that these social plateformes are not a mirror to real life. Odd opinions can be concentrated in one space, making it seem like these are the norm, and you are the odd one. Can be tricky.

*Pretty simple: I have gained that power through scientific experiments. But since the technicalities of these experiments have never been explained to me, that makes it magic somehow and that means I’m a wizard. 🤷🏾‍♂️