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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2512 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 25, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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The guy who was a monk and mastered himself and then was able to get anyone to do anything he wanted by psychological manipulation, able to learn other languages in hours of listening to someone speak it. That guy. Who then also psychologically manipulated the rape victim.

He's essentially a strong AGI in a human body. Essentially a conception of the Ubermench or the Kwisatz Haderach but laudered through a very bleak and dark philosophy about human's blindness to cognitive functions and innate biases. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's not a person but he is very close to a plot device + philosophical exploration than a real character.

The second series makes this even more clear by completely removing him as a POV character.

Edit:

I felt that I was just reading the author's barely disguised fetish

Bakker is on record for deliberately doing this to target the moral convictions of the modern reader in a way that grates. Not entirely for edge-lordism but to push the reader to consider their own moral blindspots. If anything his fetish is being a contrarian (tho apparently his politics are super normie boomercon by some recent blog posts of his).

very close to a plot device + philosophical exploration than a real character

Agreed, and that's why 2 books was enough for me. I don't think I even started the third.

Fair enough. Different strokes for different folks and all. Second Apocalypse is probably a top 5 fantasy series for me and I consider Bakker to be a great author.

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