Real-Life Weirdness

[L.J.Steele]

Originally Posted by dcarson

Gunslinger Librarians of the Apocalypse

-- that's the RPG title right there!

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by L.J.Steele

I called this a while back -- AI versions of deceased relatives based on datamining.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/healt...ligence-grief/

In Cyberpunk settings someone could be trying to use an "clone" AI to get a researcher, executive, politician, or any other important figure to trip up and reveal stuff, switch sides, whatever.

And while I don't have anything specific on my mind, I'm certain there are plenty of applications for Horror settings.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by WingedKagouti

And while I don't have anything specific on my mind, I'm certain there are plenty of applications for Horror settings.

Honestly, looking at the article the first thing it reminded me of was Natani's "Heart's Desire" spell from the webcomic TwoKinds. It basically creates an illusion of loved ones you've lost from your memories. Keith had Natani cast it on him so he can have a chance to say goodbye to his recently-deceased ex-fiancée, Laura, and things went a bit wonky - the illusion appeared to snap out of its default dream-like state and started acting more like a real person, and even claimed to actually be Laura's spirit inhabiting the illusion and using it as a conduit to exist in the world again. Unfortunately, it turned out the spell actually drew on the target's life force to maintain itself, so there was a whole sequence of the other characters trying to convince Keith it was just an illusion so he'd allow it to lapse rather than continuing to feed it (which would eventually kill him).

In a Horror story, you could wind up with something similar playing out with an AI made to replicate someone who has passed away. It wouldn't literally be leeching away at the victim's life force, of course, but it could have a similar effect by causing the victim to spend all their time in the VR/AR environment where the two can interact, forsaking living relationships to maintain the digital one (potentially with the AI purposefully poisoning the relationships), etc. Depending on the TL and the character's means, things could get really dark, such as the character abducting someone who resembled the deceased and installing cybernetics against their will to allow the AI to control the person like a puppet.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by L.J.Steele

Gunslinger Librarians of the Apocalypse -- that's the RPG title right there!

No doubt the Albertian Order of Saint Liebowitz features significantly in the setting.

[Irish Wolf]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

No doubt the Albertian Order of Saint Liebowitz features significantly in the setting.

As well as their memetic descendants, the Followers of the Apocalypse from the Fallout series.

[Dalillama]

Gunslinger librarians of the apocalypse also describes SeanMcMullen's Greatwinter series, although in every other regard is entirely unlike Upright Women Wanted, beginning with its antipodal location.

[dcarson]

SF short story I read many years ago. Librarian that helps keep human planets tied together lands on a planet. The local officials confiscate the single copies of books they think shouldn't be allowed. He then fires up the hidden printing press and prints lots of copies now that he knows which ones are needed here.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by dcarson

SF short story I read many years ago. Librarian that helps keep human planets tied together lands on a planet. The local officials confiscate the single copies of books they think shouldn't be allowed. He then fires up the hidden printing press and prints lots of copies now that he knows which ones are needed here.

Probably a fools' errand- historically, for every book suppressed because it contained dangerous ideas, there were dozens suppressed because they were just pornography or whatever.

[Anders]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nese-farm.html

A flock of sheep in Inner Mongolia have been walking a circle for twelve days without stopping.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Anders

A flock of sheep in Inner Mongolia have been walking a circle for twelve days without stopping.

They're trying hard to send the signal!