The Neverending Story original novel had a concept in it where the Fantasticans who fell into the Nothing weren't killed, but corrupted from Stories into Lies. That one stuck with me.
On the importance of maintaining current standards
"If you use the Mi'Traia Regimen, you may as well put a shunt into her forehead, grind the textbooks in a blender, and pour the slurry directly into her skull cavity. It'd do just as much good!" "So.. is option, yes?"