5 ms·

I really enjoyed There Is No Antimemetics Division. It's self published and is, as I understand it, a collection of the author's contributions to SCP [0]. Given

I really enjoyed There Is No Antimemetics Division. It's self published and is, as I understand it, a collection of the author's contributions to SCP [0]. Given that, my expectations about the quality of the writing were pretty low. But it way exceeded them and is some of the most engaging speculative fiction I've read in a long time. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCP_Foundation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCP_Foundation

kevingadd 5y ago
It's hard to overstate how good qntm's work is, at least in this area. The metaphysical underpinnings and world-building are really well considered and the characterization is great.
jedimastert 5y ago
For whatever reason, SCP is some of the best sci writing out there, especially the short stories outside of the (already incredible) entity wiki entries.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
  Well there are thousands of entries, bad ones being called frequently, and it has been going on for over a decade. There's bound to be some good stuff in there. I'd say that sturgeon's law still applies though.
  - bee_rider 5y ago
    Probably sturgeon's law is an upper-bound, but a small percentage of a very large number is still pretty big.
  - Y_Y 5y ago
    > Sturgeon's law (or Sturgeon's revelation) is an adage stating "ninety percent of everything is crap." Why doesn't the browser automate away the hassle of looking up this stuff. I can't remember everyone and their many laws!
    - lmkg 5y ago
      Side-note: My favorite Wikipedia page is the List of Eponymous Laws. It's a very eclectic collection of interesting topics to learn about, many of which are worth knowing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_laws https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_laws
      - Y_Y 5y ago
        > Cole's Law: A salad of thinly sliced cabbage with a mayonnaise dressing I'm gladdened to see that not all the fun has been sucked out of Wikipedia yet. (Don't BJAODN this!)
        wbl 5y ago
        Cole's Law was formulated by the 1960's, as shown by its inclusion in a verse in Westerfilk, attributed to Jordin Kare.
        Y_Y 5y ago
        Cole's Law is well known and famous, But we never obey it at all; Yet for this you really can't blame us. It's thinly sliced cabbage -- that's all https://www.swil.org/FILKS/filkbook4.html https://www.swil.org/FILKS/filkbook4.html
  - MivLives 5y ago
    I think there's also something to be said for the canonization and building on more advanced concepts. For example anti memetics, or pataphysics, or even short hand like Scranton Reality Anchor, or telekill alloy. All these concepts are tools the an author can use without having to reinvent or explain which makes shorter fiction easier. Or they just can ignore them entirely if it's inconvenient to the plot. Every entry there stands on the shoulders of all the others.
    - Tcepsa 5y ago
      I'd also like to call out the S&C Plastics[0] "company", especially around this time of year[1] :-D [0]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-s-c-plastics-hub https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-s-c-plastics-hub [1]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/black-autumn-hub https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/black-autumn-hub
    - jychang 5y ago
      Funny how telekill has basically been removed from the mainline SCPs for years, though.
      - MivLives 5y ago
        I can see why. Too many containment procedures calling for absurd amounts of it. They rewrote it so it has some more disadvantages and to cull it's usage some. I actually did a reread of Series 1 and 2 recently. Was interesting to go that far back as I haven't read any since the lolFoundation. Amazing how many bad ones are back there, or just ones missing that interesting kick that characterizes even the simpler Series 4 or 5 ones.
teraflop 5y ago
This line from the interview jumped out at me: > QNTM: Do it. If it's your first time, try a second time as well. Your first attempt might be okay or it might not be so okay, but it's something you can get better at over time. You can practice, you can get good. because it's reflected very clearly in qntm's own writing. He's been publishing his fiction online for close to two decades, and I've been following his website for almost as long. He's always been a talented and imaginative writer, but the craftsmanship of his writing has been continuously getting better and better. https://qntm.org/fiction https://qntm.org/fiction
- ethbr0 5y ago
  Link to the SCP hub: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/antimemetics-division-hub https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/antimemetics-division-hub And speaking carefully to avoid spoilers, I'd say my primary delight in the QNTM et al. AMD stories is how they lean into the universe to subvert expectations. They never turn out how you expect.
bduerst 5y ago
Anti-meme is one of the original SCP: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-055 https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-055 Also written by qntm!
- at_a_remove 5y ago
  Five to the power of five is 3,125. Ahem.
  - Tcepsa 5y ago
    Thank you! I've been wondering why that number instead of, er, other numbers since I first discovered the stories earlier this year! ^_^;
AceJohnny2 5y ago
I really loved Ra [1], another of his books. It starts with "Magic is real in the modern world, and a subject of engineering", and it gets much, much crazier from there. It's my favorite of his books/stories. What I particularly liked about it is that it followed this geek's impulse of "yeah but why/how?" and answered it. Then answered the question after that. And after that. It was an exponentially wild ride. It's not a perfect book. The characters are, honestly, kind of weak in an overpowered kind of way; it's more an idea-driven book than plot- or character-driven. But I think the HN crowd would really like it, and it deserves wider recognition! [1] https://qntm.org/ra https://qntm.org/ra
- AceJohnny2 5y ago
  > kind of weak in an overpowered kind of way I mean many of the characters have forgettable personalities, and react to situations like they have superhuman intellect/foreknowledge.
ta988 5y ago
I totally agree, this was my first non trivial introduction to SCP (and that was recently) and it was a really enjoyable read.

kevingadd 5y ago

It's hard to overstate how good qntm's work is, at least in this area. The metaphysical underpinnings and world-building are really well considered and the characterization is great.

jedimastert 5y ago

For whatever reason, SCP is some of the best sci writing out there, especially the short stories outside of the (already incredible) entity wiki entries.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
Well there are thousands of entries, bad ones being called frequently, and it has been going on for over a decade. There's bound to be some good stuff in there. I'd say that sturgeon's law still applies though.
- bee_rider 5y ago
  Probably sturgeon's law is an upper-bound, but a small percentage of a very large number is still pretty big.
- Y_Y 5y ago
  > Sturgeon's law (or Sturgeon's revelation) is an adage stating "ninety percent of everything is crap." Why doesn't the browser automate away the hassle of looking up this stuff. I can't remember everyone and their many laws!
  - lmkg 5y ago
    Side-note: My favorite Wikipedia page is the List of Eponymous Laws. It's a very eclectic collection of interesting topics to learn about, many of which are worth knowing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_laws https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_laws
    - Y_Y 5y ago
      > Cole's Law: A salad of thinly sliced cabbage with a mayonnaise dressing I'm gladdened to see that not all the fun has been sucked out of Wikipedia yet. (Don't BJAODN this!)
      - wbl 5y ago
        Cole's Law was formulated by the 1960's, as shown by its inclusion in a verse in Westerfilk, attributed to Jordin Kare.
        Y_Y 5y ago
        Cole's Law is well known and famous, But we never obey it at all; Yet for this you really can't blame us. It's thinly sliced cabbage -- that's all https://www.swil.org/FILKS/filkbook4.html https://www.swil.org/FILKS/filkbook4.html
- MivLives 5y ago
  I think there's also something to be said for the canonization and building on more advanced concepts. For example anti memetics, or pataphysics, or even short hand like Scranton Reality Anchor, or telekill alloy. All these concepts are tools the an author can use without having to reinvent or explain which makes shorter fiction easier. Or they just can ignore them entirely if it's inconvenient to the plot. Every entry there stands on the shoulders of all the others.
  - Tcepsa 5y ago
    I'd also like to call out the S&C Plastics[0] "company", especially around this time of year[1] :-D [0]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-s-c-plastics-hub https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-s-c-plastics-hub [1]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/black-autumn-hub https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/black-autumn-hub
  - jychang 5y ago
    Funny how telekill has basically been removed from the mainline SCPs for years, though.
    - MivLives 5y ago
      I can see why. Too many containment procedures calling for absurd amounts of it. They rewrote it so it has some more disadvantages and to cull it's usage some. I actually did a reread of Series 1 and 2 recently. Was interesting to go that far back as I haven't read any since the lolFoundation. Amazing how many bad ones are back there, or just ones missing that interesting kick that characterizes even the simpler Series 4 or 5 ones.

teraflop 5y ago

This line from the interview jumped out at me: > QNTM: Do it. If it's your first time, try a second time as well. Your first attempt might be okay or it might not be so okay, but it's something you can get better at over time. You can practice, you can get good. because it's reflected very clearly in qntm's own writing. He's been publishing his fiction online for close to two decades, and I've been following his website for almost as long. He's always been a talented and imaginative writer, but the craftsmanship of his writing has been continuously getting better and better. https://qntm.org/fiction https://qntm.org/fiction

ethbr0 5y ago
Link to the SCP hub: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/antimemetics-division-hub https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/antimemetics-division-hub And speaking carefully to avoid spoilers, I'd say my primary delight in the QNTM et al. AMD stories is how they lean into the universe to subvert expectations. They never turn out how you expect.

bduerst 5y ago

Anti-meme is one of the original SCP: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-055 https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-055 Also written by qntm!

at_a_remove 5y ago
Five to the power of five is 3,125. Ahem.
- Tcepsa 5y ago
  Thank you! I've been wondering why that number instead of, er, other numbers since I first discovered the stories earlier this year! ^_^;

AceJohnny2 5y ago

I really loved Ra [1], another of his books. It starts with "Magic is real in the modern world, and a subject of engineering", and it gets much, much crazier from there. It's my favorite of his books/stories. What I particularly liked about it is that it followed this geek's impulse of "yeah but why/how?" and answered it. Then answered the question after that. And after that. It was an exponentially wild ride. It's not a perfect book. The characters are, honestly, kind of weak in an overpowered kind of way; it's more an idea-driven book than plot- or character-driven. But I think the HN crowd would really like it, and it deserves wider recognition! [1] https://qntm.org/ra https://qntm.org/ra

AceJohnny2 5y ago
> kind of weak in an overpowered kind of way I mean many of the characters have forgettable personalities, and react to situations like they have superhuman intellect/foreknowledge.

ta988 5y ago

I totally agree, this was my first non trivial introduction to SCP (and that was recently) and it was a really enjoyable read.