SPC-140 / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page SPC-140.

page 1 of 212next »

Author Post

sirpudding 01 Apr 2016 18:09

Any perceived connection between this article and the date, is strictly coincidental; while there are fish here, they are not merely April ones.

Thanks especially to MrWrong for inspiring this and for feedback. His SPC-2615 served as the template for this, and an explanation of the format is available in his author post in that page's discussion thread.

Thanks as well to Jacob Conwell and TyGently for feedback.

Format Notes

The "Enhancement Summary" section replaces "Augmentation Summary" for SPC methods that are already suited for shark punching. Additionally an augmented method might be additionally enhanced once it is made into a shark punching thing.

Commentary is now available on Sirpudding's Author Page.

Illustration by Scorpion451 (click the image to enlarge).

Now with swanky CSS by PeppersGhost.

Last edited on 29 Dec 2018 07:45 by sirpudding Show more

Decibelles 01 Apr 2016 19:47

This isn't bad, but I always approach anything with the SPC in it as humor; even at their most serious, their inclusion in a story really does a good job if it's funny even in contrast to serious stuff. The extent of their humor doesn't stop at punching sharks, after all.

This is very dry in that area, so I'm not sure how much I enjoy it. Not bad, but I can't enjoy it. Even SPC-2615 had humor in it that made me enjoy it, where this I found to be more tight and well-written but not funny on any level. So no-vote.

sirpudding 01 Apr 2016 19:53

There are jokes here: "sharkic", the implied sharktopusmen, the repetition of Daevites eaten by sharks, "Eaten by sharks is good", and the implication that the SPC is banned from the Wanderer's Library because the last time they got let in they started punching sharks (probably ornamental aquarium sharks, or patrons)…

I do admit that they are all both dark and dry. MrWrong's vision of the SPC appealed to me as dark humor, people forced to live inside a universe that was created by a typo.

Last edited on 01 Apr 2016 21:55 by sirpudding Show more

Decibelles 01 Apr 2016 19:58

Oh yeah, I definitely got the jokes present in the article, but the dryness of it tempered those jokes, for me. I do enjoy the world-building here but it's not something that works for me.

Admittedly, now I'm tempted to write a tale about the Centre dealing with SPC-140 up close and personal…

Agent MacLeod 01 Apr 2016 23:29

Upvoted for the phrase "GOBLIN CHARIOT."

sirpudding 01 Apr 2016 23:41

"Excuse me, ma'am, we are going to have to ask you to please remove your arm from the aquarium and exit the Library, thank you."

Last edited on 02 Apr 2016 01:29 by sirpudding Show more

TL333s 02 Apr 2016 01:05

Oh my god, you created Sharkicism

One thing I love about this newer, seriouser version of the SPC is that I get the sense that everyone involved in it is just one or two light taps away from completely losing their shit. They're all waking on eggshells around SPC-001 and it's driven them completely bonkers.

sirpudding 02 Apr 2016 01:34

Oh my god, you created Sharkicism

It is true, I cannot be stopped.

One thing I love about this newer, seriouser version of the SPC is that I get the sense that everyone involved in it is just one or two light taps away from completely losing their shit. They're all waking on eggshells around SPC-001 and it's driven them completely bonkers.

Yeah that was definitely the appeal of this to me, the idea of people trying to live in a universe that forces them to punch sharks. It's kind of like the Jerome Bixby short story/Twilight Zone episode, "It's a Good Life"; it is the horror of living in a surreal world created by an idiot god.

MrWrong 02 Apr 2016 01:58

I am somewhat proud that I have created some legacy… though not in the way I expected at first. I must say that I like sirpudding's rendition of the Centre/SPC. It is more focused and does several times the worldbuilding I did (though SPC-2615 was never meant to be main course, only side dish).

sirpudding 02 Apr 2016 02:02

I could not have followed if you had not led the way.

Speaking of worldbuilding I thought about using the French Revolutionary calender here, but couldn't decide if it woukd be too disorienting. Thoughts?

Last edited on 02 Apr 2016 02:22 by sirpudding Show more

MrWrong 02 Apr 2016 03:15

Interesting thought… but let us not disorient people too much. The ORIA hub, for instance, opt for Gregorian even though the Islamic calendar suits the Pan-Islamic theme of the organisation.

Petrograd 02 Apr 2016 04:57

This is dumb. +1

Ok, more seriously than that…

+ show block

It's an interesting balancing game, maintaining the ridiculousness of the half-joke at the heart of the SPC (along with the specific puns and references) against the also-ridiculous notion that we (or anyone in-universe) should be taking this seriously. It's an interesting task, and I'm glad you've pulled it off well enough to keep this overall storyline readable.

I'm also a sucker for just about any alternative exploration of the Daeva,¹ and this one was bent to the (dumb :P) task quite well.

I also enjoyed the puns and name shifts, although if I had one critique there, it was that saying "Boxers" was incredibly clever, but I felt let down that you immediately explained the pun. (Personal bias, though, I enjoy subtlety to a fault.)

Also, what does the Library have to do with Tannhäuser?

Footnotes

1. Although I seem to have missed the boat on the broader Sarkicism narrative.

Jacob Conwell 02 Apr 2016 05:16

This was an all around enjoyable experience. I thought the jokes were funny (Really enjoyed INCIDENT GOBLIN CHARIOT, glad that made it in here) and that the alternate history references were very interesting and made me want to learn more about the world that the SPC inhabits to compare and contrast it with our own.

+1.

Good job.

MrWrong 02 Apr 2016 05:31

Wait, can someone explain to me "Goblin Chariot?"? God, I feel so noob…

Jacob Conwell 02 Apr 2016 06:02

From my understanding, its implied that the SPC got themselves banned from the Wanderer's Library. Most likely from punching sharks while inside the library.

MrWrong 02 Apr 2016 06:05

I know that. sirpudding told me days ago.

I mean, what is the pun/hidden meaning of "Goblin Chariot"? What is it a reference to?

Last edited on 02 Apr 2016 06:05 by MrWrong Show more

Wherein he explains codenames

sirpudding 02 Apr 2016 06:26

So for the most part my codenames are semi-random free association:

+ show block

BRONZE UPPERCUT: It's a bronze age (originally) book about punches, and it could be a finisher in the Centre's strategic struggle.
CYAN ABYSS: Deep Ones were an inspiration, Charlie Stross uses BLUE HADES for Deep Ones; CYAN is blue, the ABYSS is deep.
GREY WANDERER: One of Gandalf's sobriets. SCP-140-A is kind of like a dark Gandalf.
VENUSBERG: A magical place with amazing stuff and cool people that you can get kicked out of for being an asshole.
GOBLIN CHARIOT: Goblins are magical creatures that you might find in the WL and also sharks. A chariot is a conveyance that you might get driven out on.

That's pretty much it.

Last edited on 02 Apr 2016 06:26 by sirpudding Show more

Enjoyable, creepy, and funny

(account deleted) 04 Apr 2016 00:59

I upvote

tapnek 14 Apr 2016 19:22

Hold on. The SPC are willing for the Daevites to exist so they can punch away the ultimate shark?

sirpudding 14 Apr 2016 20:47

More than that, they are actively helping to bring the Daevites into the present because they think that it will mostly amount to some small changes in the history and political geography of Central Asia; which they reckon is a small price to pay for fixing their reality.

MrWrong 15 Apr 2016 02:14

When you think about it, bringing back an anomalous civilisation is a small price to pay when the entire reality is fucked up.

sirpudding 15 Apr 2016 02:16

From the Library's perspective one fucked up reality is worth not losing the war with the Daeva everywhere.

tapnek 16 Apr 2016 04:35

But how can the Daevites help them defeat the ultimate shark when the sharks keep eating them? It's like they're destined to be killed by sharks no matter what. You're implying that there's a benefit to bringing the Daevites to the present time for the SPC but I don't see it.

MrWrong 16 Apr 2016 04:46

I think it's more of the techniques/methods devised by the Daevites. Sure, they will end up being devoured by sharks. But until then, the SPC is free to milk out anything useful from them. If they were devoured, the Centre can always try to bring them back again.

sirpudding 16 Apr 2016 04:52

The immediate benefit is that lengthening BRONZE UPPERCUT yields additional refinements to the Centre's methods. The reality restructuring, though, would result in the Daevites having not been eaten by sharks, just as it would result in the Daevites not having been wiped out by Ghenghis Khan or whatever if SCP-140 was completed in the other worldlines. Furthermore this reality's SCP-140-A thinks that if they merged SCP-140 with BRONZE UPPERCUT then it would remove SPC-001 entirely.

Last edited on 16 Apr 2016 14:20 by sirpudding Show more

page 1 of 212next »