Questions tagged [discussion]

The question you're asking is designed to solicit opinions or best-practices on a particular topic, with the goal of reaching community consensus.

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Why are we punishing simple questions for "not doing research"?

I ran across this Hot Network Question about Dune, and why the Dune universe folks don't use guns. As someone who never read the books, and has seen the Lynch movie (which also apparently never read ...
Machavity's user avatar
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13 votes
0 answers
98 views

In Memoriam: Brian Stableford

Brian Stableford, prolific author of over 70 novels (per Wikipedia) recently passed away on February 25th. I first discovered him with his 1982 novel Journey to the Center. (In the trademark DAW ...
DavidW's user avatar
  • 127k
22 votes
1 answer
155 views

In Memoriam: Akira Toriyama

Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, died on March 1st, 2024, from an acute subdural hematoma. I can't say that I ever got terribly into Dragon Ball, but he had a huge impact on shonen anime.
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
2 votes
1 answer
273 views

How did I lose a point of rep in this situation?

On Feb 14 20:01:40Z, this question was asked. At Feb 14 20:08:11Z someone posted a comment asking when the OP saw it. During those 6-7 minutes, I happened to be looking and found a possible answer ...
SteveV's user avatar
  • 1,066
1 vote
1 answer
173 views

“Minor mistakes” rule for editing

What counts as a “minor mistake” for the entry To correct minor mistakes or add updates as the post ages in the editing guidelines? I’ve been trying to improve this answer, which is in general good ...
RLH's user avatar
  • 1,123
15 votes
0 answers
115 views

In Memoriam: Christopher Priest

Christopher Priest has died. Among other things, he was the author of The Prestige. He actually wrote back to me about my question about whether the body was always dead after the transfer.
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
22 votes
1 answer
138 views

In Memoriam: Carl Weathers

Dead at 76, peacefully in his sleep on February 1st, 2024. Perhaps best known for his breakout role of Apollo Creed in the Rocky films, he was of course also Dillon in Predator and Greef Karga in The ...
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
-2 votes
1 answer
67 views

How should a closed question that is a duplicate be updated to point at the duplicate?

This closed question Valérios itching cutscene Evil Within, appears to be a duplicate of this question What is happening during this flashback scene from The Evil Within?. Both questions are ...
A.Steer's user avatar
  • 5,411
11 votes
0 answers
137 views

In Memoriam: Gary Graham

Gary Graham has died at the age of 73 on Monday 22 January 2024 of a cardiac arrest. Know for his roles as Soval in Star Trek: Enterprise and Detective Matthew "Matt" Sikes in the Alien ...
A.Steer's user avatar
  • 5,411
5 votes
2 answers
172 views

What is the correct way to thank an editor?

I'm French. While I consider myself fully bilingual in comprehension (reading/listening), I'm less good with production (writing/speaking), especially with grammar (due to bad learning process). When ...
dna's user avatar
  • 2,132
11 votes
0 answers
74 views

2023: a year in moderation

It’s that time of the year again! As we wave goodbye to last year and welcome the new one, we have a tradition of sharing moderation stats for the preceding calendar year. As most of you here might be ...
JNat's user avatar
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11 votes
0 answers
184 views

In Memoriam: David Drake

David Drake, one of the most prominent mil-sf authors, died December 10th, 2023. His rise to prominence came with the Hammer's Slammers series of futuristic war stories, mostly short stories ...
DavidW's user avatar
  • 127k
11 votes
3 answers
185 views

In Memoriam: Peter Schickele

Peter Schickele died at home at the age of 88. While most people were familiar with him as the ostensible chronicler of P.D.Q. Bach's compositions, he also composed the score for science fiction film ...
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
8 votes
2 answers
139 views

Should Duplicate Story ID questions be answered or commented?

Is there a best practice for obvious duplicate story ID questions? Specifically is it better to link the duplicate in a comment or provide an answer with that link and the corroborating details? The ...
Jontia's user avatar
  • 18.8k
19 votes
1 answer
164 views

Should we "enable a banner to warn about [our] policy on AI-generated content"?

A post on main meta is stating "Sites can now request to enable a banner to warn about their policy on AI-generated content", so given that it seems to be general consensus on SFF that we ...
Skooba's user avatar
  • 60.3k
16 votes
1 answer
213 views

And the Best New User of 2023 is

As a way to celebrate the New Year and lasting contributions to the site by new users I am continuing this honorary post based on a simple premise... The user with the highest rank in the yearly ...
Skooba's user avatar
  • 60.3k
13 votes
3 answers
247 views

Should I answer my own question if someone answered in the comments several months ago and still haven't responded to the request to post an answer?

A few months ago, I had written an identification question, to which someone gave a very possible answer in the comments, so I asked them if they could write an actual answer. To this day, they haven'...
Clockwork's user avatar
  • 7,143
7 votes
1 answer
170 views

Resolution of Duplicates in the Enderverse

This originally came up in association with Sci fi book where humanoid aliens murder a researcher by killing him and cutting him open, where the answer was determined to be Speaker For The Dead. My ...
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
3 votes
1 answer
97 views

Why was this question reopened when it is clearly asking to identify more than one work?

This question: What are these classic 80's action movies? was closed as "Needs more focus" and then subsequently reopened. This was surprising to me. It's demonstrably asking to identify ...
fez's user avatar
  • 16.9k
13 votes
4 answers
217 views

Is it good practice to add a better answer to a story-identification question that already has a correct (although brief/lacking) answer

I saw this new question which happens to be about a book from my favourite author. I immediately recognised it and knew exactly what OP's remembered details referred to within the context of the book. ...
Alex Robinson's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
75 views

When to ask on SF&F and when to ask on Arqade? [duplicate]

I have a question about Fallout 3 and I don't know if I should ask it on SF&F or Arqade. The question is Why does Moira insists on you getting a mine from Minefield? Should this question be on ...
Dave's user avatar
  • 380
10 votes
4 answers
290 views

Are questions about copyright law on-topic?

We've had several questions about copyright law, specifically when certain properties and concepts will be outside of copyright. When will copyright restrictions expire on Tolkien's works? When ...
Valorum's user avatar
  • 687k
3 votes
1 answer
90 views

Which versions of Dragon Ball Z count as canon?

Sometimes, I stumble across a question which involves the Dragon Ball Z anime universe, and more often than not, I'm reading information that I have never heard before (and sometimes information which ...
Clockwork's user avatar
  • 7,143
25 votes
5 answers
463 views

Reopening a duplicate so you can add an answer, then reclosing it?

This question was asked yesterday: Very old novel about a planet with a living ocean A comment was posted asking whether the answer was "Solaris". OP replied to say that it was, so I closed ...
Valorum's user avatar
  • 687k
16 votes
0 answers
213 views

RIP Michael F. Flynn

Author Michael F. Flynn, most notable for the Firestar sequence of novels, passed away at the very end of September. Flynn got his start publishing short works mostly in Analog in the mid-1980s, ...
DavidW's user avatar
  • 127k
12 votes
2 answers
228 views

What is the standard for answering "What was the plagiarised story published by Asimov’s?"?

What was the plagiarised story published by Asimov’s? refers to an essay published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, after the magazine apparently published a story which was later ...
Kenster's user avatar
  • 6,717
-9 votes
1 answer
86 views

Is it okay to post obituary posts on meta for those who never were on a Sci-Fi or Fantasy work?

As you may know, obituary posts aren't allowed on Movies and TV Meta SE, and here, the scope is about Sci-Fi & Fantasy works. So is it allowed to post obituaries for well-known filmmakers, actors/...
Etack Sxchange's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
483 views

Can ChatGPT Answer Story Identification Questions?

Many of the questions asked on Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange have to do with story identification. But if you just need to identify a story, couldn't you just ask ChatGPT or just Google ...
Gordon's user avatar
  • 81
4 votes
1 answer
161 views

In this situation, is it appropriate for a respondent to roll back all the edits the OP made to their post?

Two days ago, I asked a question. Specifically, my question was: "Do Starfleet officers get to go on leave during times of war?" I soon received two responses, both of which were clear and ...
Sovereign Inquiry's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
204 views

Favorite Question and Answers from Third Quarter 2023

I ain't no duplicate! Please link to your favorite questions and answers which were either asked or answered from July 1st 2023 through September 30th 2023. Your answers will be compiled into a blog ...
Jack B Nimble's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
169 views

How to dupe-close these questions about The Kingkiller Chronicles

We have at least four story-identification questions with accepted answers on these books, one with the overall series as the answer, two for The Name of the Wind, and one for The Wise Man's Fear. ...
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
21 votes
1 answer
187 views

Here's to the next great adventure, Michael Gambon

Michael Gambon, most remembered in the SFF community for his portrayal of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film franchise, has passed away this morning at age 82. While Michael may have been loud ...
Skooba's user avatar
  • 60.3k
11 votes
1 answer
252 views

Is Barbie (2023 film) on-topic? If so, how should we tag questions about it?

I am wondering if the 2023 film Barbie is considered on-topic. The film depicts a fantasy world called Barbie Land, where various Barbies, Kens, and other characters such as Allan live. A significant ...
galacticninja's user avatar
13 votes
0 answers
213 views

RIP Arleen Sorkin, voice of Harley Quinn

https://www.superherohype.com/news/545532-arleen-sorkin-passes-away-harley-quinn/ Harley Quinn voice actress Arleen Sorkin has passed away at the age of 67. The news was broken by fellow veteran ...
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
1 vote
1 answer
110 views

Why was this question closed as off-topic for "seeking recommendations or open-ended lists"?

This question was closed for "seeking recommendations or open-ended lists", neither of which are true. There is definitely a limit to the depictions asked for, and no recommendation was ...
user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
181 views

Clarification request: does this stack host questions about artistic license for film adaptations?

I posted a comment to Are the knife/sword fights too fast in Dune (2021)?. @AndresF. responded to the comment with a request to post the comment as an answer. I have nothing at all against @AndresF.'...
JBH's user avatar
  • 1,889
2 votes
1 answer
81 views

Do we gain our reputation back if we undo an accidental down-vote?

I know there is a loss of one reputation when you down-vote a post but the reputation change takes time to show up. If we accidentally down-vote a post and undo it a few seconds later does the ...
Etack Sxchange's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
229 views

Should we ask to limit the number of Community bumped posts on the front page?

This answer about reasons for Community to bump questions notes that it's possible to impose a limit on how fast/often Community can bump posts: Some sites prevent additional questions from being ...
DavidW's user avatar
  • 127k
14 votes
1 answer
173 views

Shouldn't [the-little-mermaid] include the original as well instead of just the Disney adaptation?

Currently, the usage guidance for the-little-mermaid does not even acknowledge the existence of the original story, reading: For questions regarding Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid. Always use in ...
SQB's user avatar
  • 38.7k
14 votes
1 answer
168 views

Am I allowed to edit an old question I posted that has been closed?

As stated, I asked a question over 5 years ago that was closed due to "Needs to be more focused". Now, the irony is that I was recently in a Half Priced Bookstore, and found the book I was ...
PiousVenom's user avatar
  • 10.7k
15 votes
1 answer
228 views

The Gfycat animated image hosting platform is shutting down

Per a notice on their main page: The Gfycat service is being discontinued. Please save or delete your Gfycat content by visiting https://www.gfycat.com and logging in to your account. After September ...
DavidW's user avatar
  • 127k
11 votes
2 answers
272 views

Favorite Question and Answers from Second Quarter 2023

Updated Blog has been posted. Original Like, you know, whatever! Please link to your favorite questions and answers which were either asked or answered from April 1st 2023 through June 30th 2023. ...
Jack B Nimble's user avatar
35 votes
0 answers
660 views

Sci-Fi moderator on AI content strike

As some of you may be aware a new policy came into effect recently, whereby moderators network wide were told to not moderate new content on the site solely on the basis of it being AI generated. If ...
AncientSwordRage's user avatar
  • 82.2k
1 vote
0 answers
93 views

How should we deal with questions asking about the meaning of words in a sci-fi setting? [duplicate]

We have also seen the questions. So I'm not going to directly link to them here. But what is the consensus on how we should deal with questions that ask for explanations of English language words used ...
A.Steer's user avatar
  • 5,411
14 votes
1 answer
231 views

Did we change the voting button formatting?

Recently, I was looking at a question, and these are the voting buttons: I have a page, opened earlier today, which shows different formatting. Was there an intentional change?
FuzzyBoots's user avatar
  • 222k
10 votes
0 answers
124 views

RIP Ray Stevenson, actor in Thor, Rome, Punisher: War Zone

Actor Ray Stevenson passed away recently at the tragically young age of 58. Since his breakout role in 2004's King Arthur, Stevenson had been a genre mainstay, playing supporting roles in G.I. Joe: ...
Donatello Swansino's user avatar
21 votes
0 answers
182 views

RIP Tina Turner

Rock and Roll/Rhythm and Blues icon Tina Turner passed away at her home in Switzerland today, at age 83. Although most knew the "Queen of Rock'n'Roll" for her music career, Science Fiction ...
Spencer's user avatar
  • 15.6k
3 votes
1 answer
102 views

What part of the "Ruby Rhod appearing on the menu screen of The Fifth Element" question needs more focus?

This is regarding the question: What is the significance of Ruby Rhod appearing on the menu screen of "The Fifth Element" video game? It was closed as "needs more focus" and left ...
galacticninja's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
512 views

Rehosting anonymous pictures hosted on Imgur because of Terms of Service changes

Imgur has published new Terms of Service to take effect on May 15th. Of specific note for us is: removing old, unused, and inactive content that is not tied to a user account Historically it was ...
DavidW's user avatar
  • 127k
7 votes
2 answers
147 views

story-identification questions with multiple answers

Is there a consensus on how to handle questions that might have multiple valid answers when the question author is looking for a specific story? I ran into this on retro computing SE also that some ...
Jason Goemaat's user avatar

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