Charlie StrossJul 30, 2023
Psst: if you're on my crit list on Dreamwidth (closed, not taking new applications, thanks), you might want to check out what I just uploaded there.
Show threadCharlie StrossJul 30, 2023

Addendum: this is draft 2 of the space opera that, well, my elevator pitch was "Iain isn't writing any more, alas, so let's see if I can do something that makes readers feel the same way as his Culture novels without in any way being derivative of the Culture".

It's probably a failure on those terms, but I had to try, right?

Show threadCharlie StrossJul 30, 2023
I will note that there is a lot more to the Culture universe than chatty starships with odd names: Iain was a litfic author writing in a space opera setting, so there's that.
Show threadCharlie StrossJul 30, 2023
A lot of people picked up the superficial furniture of Banksian space opera—snarky AIs, starship names, hyperviolent interludes—but missed the philosophical enquiries disguised as thematic elements. And few authors in the SF/F field are remotely as good at characterisation as Iain. (Shout-out for @aliettedb on that note).
Show threadJames Davis NicollJul 30, 2023
DnD campaign idea: door to door sales. It's the party's task to venture into the darkest dungeons to sell house cleaning cantrips and spell book of the month club subscriptions to the entities within.
Show threadRob Thornton (“No Planet B”)

@jdnicoll @cstross

The party belongs to an MLM (Multi-Level Monolith).

Jul 30, 2023 at 8:01pmMastodon for iOS
Show threadrandom thoughtsJul 31, 2023
@rthornton777 @jdnicoll when was the last time you did a background check on a quest giver?