This is a marvel of short fiction. I love the unvarnished bleakness of the setup, the thudding blunt edge of Chris' death and the dark nights of the soul to follow. I'm a fan of epistolary horror as a form in general, and this is a great example of how to tell a larger story with maximum efficiency.
And then the ending! You had me thinking all along: what about disruptive technologies? Active defense systems? Rooted and repurposed devices? P2P networks? Is this motherfucker so black-pilled he hasn't thought of this shit? Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for this, Winston. I think you will make an excellent counter-propagandist, in the strange war to come.
Thanks Mark - as you’ve no doubt realized, the last few paragraphs was the message - I just needed to wrap it in an allegory for the sake of entertainment.
There was a lot of detail I could have included but trying to tell a short story in as few words as possible 🙂
No problem. It's heartening to find each other across the dark tunnels, particularly at this stage of the war.
I have a weird request: I am working on a form of counterattack against a certain weapon of the enemy, which i have observed here in your comments section and many elsewheres. If you'd like to help, please email me. I'm no genius, but I think I've got the seed of a plan. Either way,: godspeed, man.
Nesting this original comment here, where fewer eyes travel.
First, as a person who both thinks and writes with similar perspectives -- and possessing a similar love of speculative fiction in both form and function -- this little dystopian time capsule resonated, Mr. Smith. Rare is the work that truly reaches me these days, and you've gone and done it. So, thanks for that.
Second, having spent the last forty years or so honing an equally unorthodox (yet strangely effective) semantic skill set, it's rare to encounter others wielding the power of the written word with equal parts truth and augury. If this comes across as flattery, so be it. I haven't enjoyed and been so emotionally affected by such a work in some time.
Good call using PLF, as well. PLA would surely have set off the bots...
Thanks Doug - made my day 🙂 - a flash of inspiration very late one night - didn’t even proof read - so glad it had an impact - guess I should do more as it’s more enjoyable than rehashing the bleeding obvious for an insanely deluded world.
Glad to hear a day was made. As fleeting as those moments are in my experience, they also quite often produce the kind (and level) of motivation that galvanizes further effort... =)
As for the earlier foray in speculative fiction, having subscribed several months back, I've actually read it already -- but didn't drop a comment at the time. That said, I do recall having a similarly visceral reaction at the time.
Given that I would (quite selfishly) enjoy more works of similar stripe, I'll give the earlier item a re-read -- and see what sort of observations bubble to the surface.
Mark let’s connect - find me in your emails and send me a message - I’ve not checked this email address for about a month 😬 but will if I know you are going to connect.
Just finished a second fly-by over the earlier post, dropping a few thoughts in my wake. Nothing earth shattering, but I do hope that last couple resonate. Meanwhile, I'll fire off a volley in your direction shortly. Today, I'm obliged to complete some long-promised planning work for an historical tour client (gotta keep the lights on), and my morning coffee is nearly finished.
This might be a strange question, but what do you think of independence in Taiwan?
This is a marvel of short fiction. I love the unvarnished bleakness of the setup, the thudding blunt edge of Chris' death and the dark nights of the soul to follow. I'm a fan of epistolary horror as a form in general, and this is a great example of how to tell a larger story with maximum efficiency.
And then the ending! You had me thinking all along: what about disruptive technologies? Active defense systems? Rooted and repurposed devices? P2P networks? Is this motherfucker so black-pilled he hasn't thought of this shit? Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for this, Winston. I think you will make an excellent counter-propagandist, in the strange war to come.
Thanks Mark - as you’ve no doubt realized, the last few paragraphs was the message - I just needed to wrap it in an allegory for the sake of entertainment.
There was a lot of detail I could have included but trying to tell a short story in as few words as possible 🙂
No problem. It's heartening to find each other across the dark tunnels, particularly at this stage of the war.
I have a weird request: I am working on a form of counterattack against a certain weapon of the enemy, which i have observed here in your comments section and many elsewheres. If you'd like to help, please email me. I'm no genius, but I think I've got the seed of a plan. Either way,: godspeed, man.
Nesting this original comment here, where fewer eyes travel.
First, as a person who both thinks and writes with similar perspectives -- and possessing a similar love of speculative fiction in both form and function -- this little dystopian time capsule resonated, Mr. Smith. Rare is the work that truly reaches me these days, and you've gone and done it. So, thanks for that.
Second, having spent the last forty years or so honing an equally unorthodox (yet strangely effective) semantic skill set, it's rare to encounter others wielding the power of the written word with equal parts truth and augury. If this comes across as flattery, so be it. I haven't enjoyed and been so emotionally affected by such a work in some time.
Good call using PLF, as well. PLA would surely have set off the bots...
Thanks Doug - made my day 🙂 - a flash of inspiration very late one night - didn’t even proof read - so glad it had an impact - guess I should do more as it’s more enjoyable than rehashing the bleeding obvious for an insanely deluded world.
Love your reaction to an earlier bit of fiction https://escapingmasspsychosis.substack.com/p/the-decade-of-terror
Glad to hear a day was made. As fleeting as those moments are in my experience, they also quite often produce the kind (and level) of motivation that galvanizes further effort... =)
As for the earlier foray in speculative fiction, having subscribed several months back, I've actually read it already -- but didn't drop a comment at the time. That said, I do recall having a similarly visceral reaction at the time.
Given that I would (quite selfishly) enjoy more works of similar stripe, I'll give the earlier item a re-read -- and see what sort of observations bubble to the surface.
Mark let’s connect - find me in your emails and send me a message - I’ve not checked this email address for about a month 😬 but will if I know you are going to connect.
Just finished a second fly-by over the earlier post, dropping a few thoughts in my wake. Nothing earth shattering, but I do hope that last couple resonate. Meanwhile, I'll fire off a volley in your direction shortly. Today, I'm obliged to complete some long-promised planning work for an historical tour client (gotta keep the lights on), and my morning coffee is nearly finished.
Join the resistance and buy bitcoin. They can’t print more of it, and this is why they are trying to destroy it with environmental FUD.
Any one want to have a guess as to why I used December 23, 2047 as the diary entry date?