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PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   1709 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for October 2, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Perhaps this is a reasonable place to recommend "A Deepness in the Sky"? Just as good as "A Fire Upon the Deep", one of the best science-fiction novels ever, except that it adds a horrific/psychological-horror aspect which is disturbing enough that I can't safely recommend it to many people who enjoyed "Fire" and would otherwise enjoy "Deepness". But if you're a sci-fi fan and also seeking horror, there you go!

The most horrifying short story I've ever read was Mark Twain's "The Mysterious Stranger", but only about 10% of that was due to the story itself, and 90% was due to circumstances that would be hard to explain without spoiling the ending:

I was a child, on vacation in a distant city at my grandmother's house, while reading it before bed. I get to the end, where Satan is explaining the truth of solipsism, what a grotesque foolish dream so-called reality is, and how "nothing exists but you". I'm a little rattled, so I go out from the bedroom to say goodnight to my mother and grandmother ... and they're not in the den. They're not in the living room, the kitchen, or the other bedrooms. The bathrooms are empty too. It's the middle of the night, I'm in an unfamiliar house, where suddenly and with no warning other than Satan's rant I find that seemingly nobody exists but me. 5 minutes later I discover they've gone outside to talk on the porch and enjoy the warm night, but it was a very unnerving 5 minutes.

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