A fictional universe is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative work or work of art, most commonly associated with works of fantasy and science fiction. Fictional universes appear in novels, comics, films, television shows, video games, art, and other creative works.
A fictional universe may be an alternative version of the real world, differing only in the particulars of the story. All fiction, in this sense, is set in a fictional universe, since at least some of its characters, events, and places are not real; the term "fictional universe", however, is usually not applied to worlds that do not contain speculative elements.
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