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Notes -
I've read the anti-memetics division series and mostly enjoyed it, and a few others that were a lot of fun like the vhs tape of the Celtics game where the crowd became aware they were in the video. What are other great SCP stories?
I definitely agree with the idea that SCP is the modern repository of Cosmic Horror, in that Lovecraft relied on a kind of Satan-of-the-Gaps theory of the supernatural. Cults in foreign colonial ports, ruins in the remaining unexplored regions on the map, demon worship in the non-Anglo population of New England that the "respectable" parts of the world never touched.
But today most of those gaps have been closed, so to write in the same style and not just write a period piece, you need to move to new gaps. You have to write for today. Where do Demons hide in a world where I have satellite photos of the whole planet on my laptop, and people in the Congo have smartphones?
In general, the curated lists as well as the GoI-Hubs are a good place to start since they give some info, so you can judge better whether it's the kind of story you like. But the top-rated ones are almost all great, and going in blind is just more effective for many of them. Btw, it's no coincidence that almost all highly-rated stories are older.
For some of my own recommendations, to keep with the Lovecraftian (meaning grand-scale horror tied into smaller exploration stories):
-the Daevite stories. There's quite a lot of content so there is bound to be some hit and miss, but the core idea is solid and a nice twist on Lovecraft.
-SCP-2935, aka the dead planet
-SCP-093, aka the red sea object.
And some other personal favorites:
-SCP-3008, aka the IKEA dimension
-SCP-1689, aka the holding bag of potatoes
-SCP-2718, aka what happens after?
-SCP-1562, aka the tunnel slide
-SCP-3003, aka the end of history
-SCP-3673, aka the ballet room
-Parawatch Hub. Just some honest, small scale mystery/horror.
Much appreciated!
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Revenants is just a few pages but quite good.
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