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The nature of handwavium

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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by dscott8   » Fri Nov 12, 2010 7:15 am

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Of course, there is also the alloy of handwavium and leftfieldium, called coincidentium -- items made of this substance seem to be useless junk, but turn out to be exactly what the plot needs at a critical moment. Some characters may suffer from coincidentium poisoning, which forces them for no reason to be at the right place and time, making casual comments that remind other characters of crucial information.
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by kzt   » Fri Nov 12, 2010 2:15 pm

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Ashreal wrote:I tried to get unobtainium.................

Unlikelyum or improbabilityum is often sufficient.
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by Vince   » Fri Nov 12, 2010 3:23 pm

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To produce handwavium, one must first have the proper isotope of balonium.
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History does not repeat itself so much as it echoes.
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by tasos74   » Fri Nov 12, 2010 3:27 pm

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I personally am a fan of trooperium, the alloy used in imperial stromtrooper armor that gives the impression of toughness with the same properties of paper mache and equivalent durability.
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by catfish   » Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:03 pm

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Tasos74,
I understood that tooperium was only available in a galaxy far, far away. Have you found a closer supplier?
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by Ashreal   » Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:25 pm

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You can buy it on the moon over there........ wait, that's no moon.
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by drothgery   » Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:42 pm

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tasos74 wrote:I personally am a fan of trooperium, the alloy used in imperial stromtrooper armor that gives the impression of toughness with the same properties of paper mache and equivalent durability.


That's Storm Trooperium. Although Clone Trooperium appears almost identical, it actually has the properties it looks like it has.
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by Tenshinai   » Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:42 am

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Michael Everett wrote:Handwavium comes in several "flavours".

1) Classic Handwavium :- Usually internally consistent and applied only when required for plot progression purposes. May conflict with known facts, but at the time of writing, was usually seen as being not against the laws of physics.

2) Makeitupasyougoalongium :- A varient of Handwavium noted for being applied without warning or foreshadowing. Generally used by lesser writers. Classic examples can be found in recently made episodes of Doctor Who, which rely on it to quite a degree.
Also linked to "New Powers As The Plot Demands".

3) Nonsensium :- Total lack of internal consistency, sometimes apparent on the same page or scene. Similar to (2) but generally affects the plot less or shatters the willing suspension of disbelief. Often used by novice writers, those whose imagination exceeds their intelligence or cloudcookoolander authors.
Too many examples to list. You know when you have encountered this.

4) Narrative Causality :- An unusual varient of Handwavium which actively shapes the story it is involved in, rather than acting as a way of letting the story continue. The greatest examples are found in the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett and the 500 Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey.

Hope that this print-out-and-keep guide helps some.

Awaiting comments.


You forgot Unobtanium. And Overthetopium. Buzzwordium
Uber-Unobtanium Egoinflatium Bullshittinum
Compensatium Acmium (made by ACME of course) Holyhandgrenadium Ignorium Overlordium
Fullmetalbikinium Catgirlium (for when all else fails)
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by Michael Everett   » Sun Dec 05, 2010 7:18 am

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Tenshinai wrote:You forgot Unobtanium. And Overthetopium. Buzzwordium
Uber-Unobtanium Egoinflatium Bullshittinum
Compensatium Acmium (made by ACME of course) Holyhandgrenadium Ignorium Overlordium
Fullmetalbikinium Catgirlium (for when all else fails)


No, I just lacked proper definitions for them. If anyone wishes to supply the proper definitions for the above, I would be very happy (and impressed).

Awaiting comments.
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Re: The nature of handwavium
Post by Spacekiwi   » Mon Aug 08, 2011 4:15 pm

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Isn't everyone else also forgetting Ohshittium, produced in large quantities by officers when they realise they are about to go into battle with the Salamander?
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