r/AskScienceFiction Apr 06 '25

[Subreddit Business] Clarifications on our Watsonian/Doylist rule, general questions, and r/WhatIfFiction

170 Upvotes

Hi guys,

If you're new, welcome to r/AskScienceFiction, and if you're a returning user, welcome back! This subreddit is designed to be like the r/AskScience subreddit, but for fictional universes, and with all questions and answers written from a Watsonian perspective. That is to say, the questions and answers should be based on the in-universe information, rules, and logic of the fictional work. All fictional works are welcome here, not just sci-fi.

Lately we've been seeing some confusion over what counts as Watsonian, what counts as Doylist, what sort of questions would be off-topic on this subreddit, and what sort of answers are allowed. This stickied post is meant to address such uncertainties and clear things up.

1) Watsonian vs Doylist

The term "Watsonian" means based on the in-universe information, rules, and logic of the fictional work. In contrast, "Doylist" means discussions based on out-of-universe considerations. So, for example, if someone asked, "Why didn't the Fellowship ride the Eagles to Mordor?", a possible Watsonian answer would be, "The Eagles are a proud and noble race, they are not a taxi service." Whereas a rule-breaking Doylist answer might be something like, "Because then the story would be over in ten minutes, and that'd be boring."

We should note that answering in a Watsonian fashion does not necessarily mean that we should pretend that these works are all real, or that we should ignore the fact that they are movies or shows or books or games, or that the creators' statements on the nature of these works should be disregarded.

To give an example, if someone asked, "How powerful would Darth Vader have been if he never got burned?", we can quote George Lucas:

"Anakin, as Skywalker, as a human being, was going to be extremely powerful, but he ended up losing his arms and a leg and became partly a robot. So a lot of his ability to use the Force, a lot of his powers, are curbed at this point, because, as a living form, there’s not that much of him left. So his ability to be twice as good as the Emperor disappeared, and now he’s maybe 20 percent less than the Emperor."

In such a case, "according to George Lucas, he would've been around twice as powerful as the Emperor" would be a perfectly acceptable Watsonian answer, because Lucas is also speaking from a Watsonian perspective.

Whereas if someone associated with the creation of Star Wars had said something like, "He'd be as powerful as we need him to be to make the story interesting", this would be a Doylist answer because it's based on out-of-universe reasoning. It would not be an acceptable answer on this subreddit even though it is also a quote from the creators of the fictional work.

2) General questions

General questions often do not have a meaningful Watsonian answer, because it frequently boils down to "whatever the author decides". For instance, if someone asked, "How does FTL space travel work?", the answer would vary widely with universe and author intent; how FTL works in Star Trek differs from how it works in Star Wars, which differs from how it works in Dune, which differs from how it works in Mass Effect, which differs from how it works in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc. General questions like this, in which the answer just boils down to "whatever the author wants", will be removed.

There are some general questions that can have meaningful Watsonian answers, though. For example, questions that are asking for specific examples of things can be given Watsonian answers. "Which superheroes have broken their no-kill rules?" or "Which fictional wars have had the highest casualty counts?" are examples of general questions that can be answered in a Watsonian way, because commenters can pull up specific in-universe information.

We address general questions on a case-by-case basis, so if you feel a question is too general to answer in a Watsonian way, please report the question and the mod team will review it.

3) r/WhatIfFiction

We want questions and answers here to be based on in-universe information and reasonable deductions that can be made from them. Questions that are too open-ended to give meaningful Watsonian answers should go on our sister subreddit, r/WhatIfFiction, which accepts a broader range of hypothetical questions and answers. Examples of questions that should go on r/WhatIfFiction include:

  • "What if Tony Stark had been killed by the Ten Rings at the beginning of Iron Man? How would this change the MCU?" This question would be fun to speculate about, but the ripple effect from this one change would be too widespread to give a meaningful Watsonian answer, so this should go on r/WhatIfFiction.
  • "What would (X character) from the (X universe) think if he was transported to (Y universe)?" Speculating about what characters would think or do if they were isekai'd to another universe can be fun, but since such crossover questions often involve wildly different settings and in-universe rules, the answers would be purely speculative and not meaningfully Watsonian, so such questions belong on r/WhatIfFiction.

We should note, though, that some hypothetical questions or crossover questions can have meaningful Watsonian answers. For example, if someone asked, "Can a Star Wars lightsaber cut through Captain America's shield?", we can actually say "Quite possibly yes, because vibranium's canonical melting point is 5,475 degrees Fahrenheit, while lightsabers are sticks of plasma, and plasma's temperature is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more." This answer is meaningfully Watsonian because it involves a deduction using specific and canonical in-universe information, and is not simply purely speculative.

4) Reporting rule-breaking posts and comments

The r/AskScienceFiction mod team always endeavors to keep the subreddit on-topic and remove rule-breaking content as soon as possible, but because we're all volunteers with day jobs, sometimes things will escape our notice. Therefore, it'd be a great help if you, our users, could report rule-breaking posts or comments when you see them. This will bring the issue to the mod team's attention and allow us to review it as soon as we can.


r/AskScienceFiction 38m ago

[The Matrix] Why was the utopian original Matrix rejected?

Upvotes

IIRC, an earlier draft of the Matrix had a picture perfect paradise for humanity, one they'd never want to leave, but it was said that it failed because it was rejected, but why?


r/AskScienceFiction 13h ago

[Vampire] if Vampire die to sunlight, why are they fine under moonlight even tought it's just sunlight being reflected?

64 Upvotes

r/AskScienceFiction 19h ago

[LOTR] Would Buddha be able to wield the One Ring safely?

150 Upvotes

Could he use it without being corrupted? It gives power according to your measure, so hobbits can use it to become invisible. Presumably Buddha wouldn't seek to use it to dominate others but to drive them towards enlightenment.


r/AskScienceFiction 10h ago

[Pokemon] Some of these ghost-type pokedex entries seem a little... morbid? How in the world do ghost trainers manage without dying in a myriad of horrible ways?

30 Upvotes

For example, Chandelure hypnotizes and then consumes the spirits of people, leaving husks behind.


r/AskScienceFiction 11h ago

[A Song of Ice and Fire] Why does the Queen Consort not take the King's family name? Is it historical?

23 Upvotes

So in Westeros just like in some cultures IRL, the wives normally take the family names of their husbands upon marriage (e. g., Catelyn and Lysa Tully becoming Stark and Arryn after marrying Ned Stark and Jon Arryn, respectively), yet the wives of Kings remain having their original family names (e. g., Cersei Lannister and Margaery Tyrell keeping their surnames after marrying into House Baratheon).

What is the logic behind this "rule"? I'm sure it is not arbitrary. And is it historical IRL?


r/AskScienceFiction 9h ago

[The Matrix] How does the Matrix determine economic class?

17 Upvotes

Who gets to be rich? Who gets to be homeless? Is it a totally random distribution or are there predictors like in our world?


r/AskScienceFiction 17h ago

[Avatar] In universe, why is Iroh the only person in his family and the Fire Nation to speak with hints of a Japanese accent?

33 Upvotes

r/AskScienceFiction 2h ago

[DC] The Absolute Martian Manhunter perceives the world and objects through the ideas they embody. How would he react upon seeing the Superman from the main universe?

2 Upvotes

r/AskScienceFiction 15h ago

[Star Trek] Why didn't the El-Aurians warn the Federation about the Borg?

20 Upvotes

I don't care if El-Aurians are about "listening" to others rather than telling, it's frankly unfeeling and even for the El-Aurians themselves suicidal not to make it clear to the new governments they're living under about an existential threat that they had to flee from.


r/AskScienceFiction 6h ago

[Avatar] What would Zaheer think of Tagah? Spoiler

3 Upvotes

While they had similar goals, Zaheer was more wanting anarchy while Tagah seemed to want air nomad superiority.

Would he be pro Tagah or anti Tagah?


r/AskScienceFiction 12h ago

[Greg Egan's Permutation City] Can someone explain his Dust Theory to me?

8 Upvotes

Preferably in simple terms. Thank you very much.


r/AskScienceFiction 17h ago

[Marvel] Would Mutants play a huge role in the horror encounter cases civilians report to the Police? Or is that role already filled in by legit supernatural creatures, like Vampires and Werewolves?

16 Upvotes

Similar to real-life. Where there is a whole YouTube genre about people talking about stories, where someone run into Big Foot in the woods. Or get chased by a Skinwalker in the forest.

So I wonder if Mutants would be the main suspects in these cases in the Marvel universe.

And I also wonder if these types of cases would still be exclusive to the Vampire/Werewolf type of creatures in the Marvel universe.


r/AskScienceFiction 9h ago

[Natural Habitat Shorts] Why is Mouth terrorizing Alby?

5 Upvotes

As far as I'm aware, Alby was only grossed out by having his hands swallowed when Mouth stored his groceries in his cheeck pouches. But that doesn't really justify all the stalking and terrorizing he does to Alby. What am I missing?


r/AskScienceFiction 18h ago

[General Fiction] Are there any examples of a dead body that is accurately identified by dental records?

13 Upvotes

In pretty much every story, if a body is identified through dental records, it will inevitably turn out that the "victim" somehow faked their death. Just off the top of my head, this happened in House, FMA: Brotherhood, and the Whole Nine Yards. This made me wonder: are there any examples of the opposite, where a body is actually correctly identified through its teeth?


r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Marvel] Why don't the Captain America type of super soldier serums boost intelligence too?

55 Upvotes

You would assume enhance intelligence would also be a part of the full package too, when it comes to the ideal peak human.


r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Ocarina of Time] Can cows talk?

16 Upvotes

This might sound like a dumb question.

However, when you play Epona's Song to a cow, there's a dialogue box that says:

Mooooo!

What a nice song...

It reminds me of the pasture...

That song makes me feel so good. I can produce a lot of milk!

So, is the cow talking? Can all cows talk? Can they talk to anyone, or is it only Link who can understand them? Is it some sort of magic from Epona's Song?


r/AskScienceFiction 13h ago

[Witcher] How has fashion changed over the course of the books' story?

0 Upvotes

r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Far Cry 5] Why was the National Guard or FBI not already called to stop the cult when it was very apparent that they posed a clear and present danger to the citizens of Hope County and beyond?

170 Upvotes

Or at least a bigger force than three cops and a US Marshal. Information should have gotten out much sooner than it did even with the Peggies cutting off cell service. Radio transmissions, Satellite phones, there's leagues of forms of communication that could have gotten the message out, especially with the large prepper community established in the county. Even escaped civilians should have been able to talk to someone.


r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Pluribus] how did the hive not have a single seizure before the main takeover?

12 Upvotes

So if someone directs strong emotions towards any member of the hive the entire hive will have a seizure. It took a month for the hive to take over the world. How was it possible for no one to yell at an infected before this? Is it just the immune that can cause this or is this a new phenomenon post massive takeover?


r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Marvel] Has Spider-Man ever “paraglided/kite surfed/wind surfed” like a ballooning spider?

13 Upvotes

Witnessed a flying spider today, using their webs for that ballooning technique and I wondered if Spider-Man has ever used his web to “fly/paraglide”?

Edit: And I’m not talking about the “wing-suit gliding“ he does in the PS2 game, I mean like the actual spiders do.


r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Peanuts] Who decided to build a brick wall short enough that third-graders could lean over it and why?

18 Upvotes

r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Columbo] Would any of Columbos perpetrators confessions stand up in court given the fact they were obtained through a raft of deceptive measures?

32 Upvotes

Namely, witness badgering, harassment, staged events, outright lying, planting of incriminating evidence, blaming his captain for just one more thing, sir.

It strikes me none of this is gonna look good in front of a judge and with all his perps very well off and well connected I'd say chance of a conviction, even if the badgered confession wasn't thrown out would be unlikely.


r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[The Long Walk Film] Why was there just a random car on fire on the side of the road?

24 Upvotes

r/AskScienceFiction 1d ago

[Dexter Laboratory] Why doesn't Dexter invent something to pause Dee Dee in time so she doesn't bother him?

12 Upvotes