And finally, the REALLY stupid one, assuming we handwavium the heat pump and rely on radiation: bsky.app/profile/tkin...
Well, I was thinking if you had a handwavium heat pump that can concentrate heat at extraordinary levels, and your station is essentially sitting on top of a star that’s, let’s say 10 million degrees, why not heat your radiator to 11 million and let the star cool you?
June 22, 2025 at 1:39 AM
And finally, the REALLY stupid one, assuming we handwavium the heat pump and rely on radiation: bsky.app/profile/tkin...
I am perfectly willing to use handwavium in a story if it makes the story go. I know it's handwavium, and idgaf.
Thanks, btw.
Thanks, btw.
July 3, 2025 at 2:11 AM
I am perfectly willing to use handwavium in a story if it makes the story go. I know it's handwavium, and idgaf.
Thanks, btw.
Thanks, btw.
Star Trek uses both Unobtainium and Handwavium in most episodes.
June 10, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Star Trek uses both Unobtainium and Handwavium in most episodes.
Nothing brings out the woo and handwavium like audiophile discourse.
October 5, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Nothing brings out the woo and handwavium like audiophile discourse.
Handwavium, please.
Attach a technical appendix for those who care
Attach a technical appendix for those who care
February 8, 2026 at 2:54 AM
Handwavium, please.
Attach a technical appendix for those who care
Attach a technical appendix for those who care
"Handwavium" FENSPACE FLASHBACK ACTIVATED
You can see the three cargo holds to contain tachyonium, unobtainium and handwavium, the three ores essential to any science fiction game.
February 15, 2025 at 5:40 PM
"Handwavium" FENSPACE FLASHBACK ACTIVATED
I mean whenever I write an AI in a story there's a metric fuckton of handwavium involved
also ghosts
also ghosts
February 17, 2024 at 2:12 AM
I mean whenever I write an AI in a story there's a metric fuckton of handwavium involved
also ghosts
also ghosts
We talked about that elsethread, but you have to handwavium the energy into light.
June 22, 2025 at 1:44 AM
We talked about that elsethread, but you have to handwavium the energy into light.
Movie magnetism handwavium, probably.
May 4, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Movie magnetism handwavium, probably.
Compression-wear and other handwavium are great. :)
September 28, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Compression-wear and other handwavium are great. :)
writing a sci fi universe in which this *was* the solution, using handwavium magnets, but there's a crisis when elon musk's car hits it unexpectedly
February 28, 2025 at 8:03 PM
writing a sci fi universe in which this *was* the solution, using handwavium magnets, but there's a crisis when elon musk's car hits it unexpectedly
Fantasy runs on handwavium.
When you’re writing a story, especially a fantasy story, sometimes hand-waivey bullshit is fun.
December 30, 2024 at 12:39 AM
Fantasy runs on handwavium.
Sounds like you need a good dose of some Handwavium.
#TOSSatNight
#TOSSatNight
June 14, 2026 at 4:22 AM
Sounds like you need a good dose of some Handwavium.
#TOSSatNight
#TOSSatNight
the question for this specific example is not "can you come up with handwavium that sounds plausible", it's "posited a fictional CODIS system + forensic analysis process that works precisely like our own, what solution requires the least handwavium". It's a red-team exercise in disguise.
September 27, 2023 at 6:34 PM
the question for this specific example is not "can you come up with handwavium that sounds plausible", it's "posited a fictional CODIS system + forensic analysis process that works precisely like our own, what solution requires the least handwavium". It's a red-team exercise in disguise.
Hulk's extra mass is made of HANDWAVIUM.
It's in a pocket dimension with a rage-based portal.
When the rage wanes, the handwavium goes back there.
It's in a pocket dimension with a rage-based portal.
When the rage wanes, the handwavium goes back there.
August 3, 2024 at 8:12 PM
Hulk's extra mass is made of HANDWAVIUM.
It's in a pocket dimension with a rage-based portal.
When the rage wanes, the handwavium goes back there.
It's in a pocket dimension with a rage-based portal.
When the rage wanes, the handwavium goes back there.
It’s a problem! I somehow sold an sf novel and writing it keeps hitting the question of “can I make this bit of exposition entertaining enough to read that no one minds a thousand words on how it works, or should I use one line of handwavium to keep the story moving?”
February 8, 2026 at 2:51 AM
It’s a problem! I somehow sold an sf novel and writing it keeps hitting the question of “can I make this bit of exposition entertaining enough to read that no one minds a thousand words on how it works, or should I use one line of handwavium to keep the story moving?”
It’s a trap!
Weir writes escape rooms for nerds.
Fills them with just enough plausibility to attract the subreddits and just enough handwavium to generate quibble porn.
Weir writes escape rooms for nerds.
Fills them with just enough plausibility to attract the subreddits and just enough handwavium to generate quibble porn.
March 22, 2026 at 11:38 PM
It’s a trap!
Weir writes escape rooms for nerds.
Fills them with just enough plausibility to attract the subreddits and just enough handwavium to generate quibble porn.
Weir writes escape rooms for nerds.
Fills them with just enough plausibility to attract the subreddits and just enough handwavium to generate quibble porn.
My kingdom for a tube of healing goo that I could float in for a few days, sleeping while handwavium nanomagicdohickeys fixed everything physically wrong with me
October 20, 2024 at 7:36 AM
My kingdom for a tube of healing goo that I could float in for a few days, sleeping while handwavium nanomagicdohickeys fixed everything physically wrong with me
Yeah, I've noticed how much handwavium becomes an issue when a romance writer does it. lol
October 5, 2023 at 5:21 PM
Yeah, I've noticed how much handwavium becomes an issue when a romance writer does it. lol
THEY'RE NOT USING LITHIUM ION BATTERIES.
Jesus christ, if people would show a single shred of technical literacy about the thing and make arguments that aren't handwavium nonsense it'd be a start, but that knuckle dragging dingleberry can't even string a coherent argument together.
Jesus christ, if people would show a single shred of technical literacy about the thing and make arguments that aren't handwavium nonsense it'd be a start, but that knuckle dragging dingleberry can't even string a coherent argument together.
February 24, 2026 at 11:57 AM
THEY'RE NOT USING LITHIUM ION BATTERIES.
Jesus christ, if people would show a single shred of technical literacy about the thing and make arguments that aren't handwavium nonsense it'd be a start, but that knuckle dragging dingleberry can't even string a coherent argument together.
Jesus christ, if people would show a single shred of technical literacy about the thing and make arguments that aren't handwavium nonsense it'd be a start, but that knuckle dragging dingleberry can't even string a coherent argument together.
Ah yes, the special Traveller ingredient of handwavium.
April 3, 2026 at 7:41 AM
Ah yes, the special Traveller ingredient of handwavium.
Handwavium is my new favorite word. Ready to upgrade your vaporware? You need handwavium!
February 17, 2024 at 4:35 AM
Handwavium is my new favorite word. Ready to upgrade your vaporware? You need handwavium!
"Scalzian Burrito" will be wormhole handwavium in my next space opera
August 21, 2025 at 1:48 PM
"Scalzian Burrito" will be wormhole handwavium in my next space opera
So there's plenty of fiction stories that involve making a human from scratch, or growing a human in a lab.
And often stories do handwavium around thorny or complex problems. Heisenberg compensators, so just go with it.
And often stories do handwavium around thorny or complex problems. Heisenberg compensators, so just go with it.
April 11, 2025 at 7:28 AM
So there's plenty of fiction stories that involve making a human from scratch, or growing a human in a lab.
And often stories do handwavium around thorny or complex problems. Heisenberg compensators, so just go with it.
And often stories do handwavium around thorny or complex problems. Heisenberg compensators, so just go with it.