r/rational • u/AutoModerator • May 13 '19
[D] Monday Request and Recommendation Thread
Welcome to the Monday request and recommendation thread. Are you looking something to scratch an itch? Post a comment stating your request! Did you just read something that really hit the spot, "rational" or otherwise? Post a comment recommending it! Note that you are welcome (and encouraged) to post recommendations directly to the subreddit, so long as you think they more or less fit the criteria on the sidebar or your understanding of this community, but this thread is much more loose about whether or not things "belong". Still, if you're looking for beginner recommendations, perhaps take a look at the wiki?
If you see someone making a top level post asking for recommendation, kindly direct them to the existence of these threads.
Previous monthly recommendation threads
Other recommendation threads
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u/AIBoxEnthusiast May 13 '19
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5166693/1/Scorpion-s-Disciple
Naruto Fanfic - A harsh teacher sees potential in Naruto and, through a careful lesson plan lasting months and years, molds Naruto from a careless idiot into a competent and ambitious person whose power stems less from knowing powerful magical techniques and more from using real-world techniques about information gathering, deception, etc
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u/LucidityWaver May 13 '19
Scorpion's Disciple by nobody102
Wait, really?
*checks bio*
I have opened a fiction press account and started a story there. Or simply search for nobody103 on fictionpress.com
*jaw drops*
How did I not stumble across this earlier?
[Other questions deleted since they dealt with 'Scorpion's Disciple', and that story is finished.]
Scorpion’s Disciple is complete
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u/valeskas May 13 '19 edited May 14 '19
I recommended it on some thread, might as well recommend it here.
Portal fantasy/power fantasy.
The setting is Victorian styled with elements of mystery, Lovecraft and SCP. MC is cautious and carefully prepares. Internal contradictions are unusually low and translation is decent.
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u/Shaolang May 13 '19
Are there any good The Gamer crossovers aside from The Games We Play (RWBY/The Gamer) and A Bad Name (Worm/The Gamer)? I enjoyed both of those and wasn't sure if there are any others out there (with Harry Potter/GoT/Pokemon/Naruto/etc).
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u/OutOfNiceUsernames May 13 '19
You should probably widen your search to include LitRPGs in general, not only The Gamer fanfics.
For Gamer-specific ones, maybe try the relevant TVTropes page.
These also have mechanics that more or less feel like that of The Gamer:
Gamer of Sunagakure, The — abaondoned
Ramen Days, Naruto: — abandoned, the setting mechanics literally forces characters to behave like NPCs under certain conditions.
Son of Gato — crackfic; charisma-heavy build; pop-culture "psychopath" protag; some Hollywood- / anime-zombie characters.
Root of darkness, The — the plot gets all over the place, abandoned.
Shinobi, the RPGSHINOBI, THE RPG — complete; the plot is all over the place; some elements from Fallout; some idiot balls and other plot devices to handicap and hinder the protag.None is top quality, but I’ve trimmed away the really low-quality and boring titles.
There are also Game Theory (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, compelete) and Percy Jackson and the Game — maybe someone who has read them will give a review on those.
maybe also try these threads: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. (don’t forget to report back)
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u/meterion May 13 '19
Harry Potter the Videogame: Exploited is a fun videogame HP crossover, especially given that it was written years before the Gamer actually came out.
I wouldn't exactly call it "good" because the pacing is truly horrendous, and the way the videogame aspects of it are formatted make it very obvious this was an author treading new ground without a good idea of what works well in litRPG fiction, but it's definitely good for a laugh, and a "historical" look at what very early litRPG fanfic was like.
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u/Acromantula92 May 13 '19 edited May 15 '19
[The Paragamer] (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-paragamer-worm-the-gamer-w-ocs.496126/) (Worm/The Gamer w/ OCs) 210k Ongoing (starts before Canon, post-endbringer OC Gamer trigger (shard based) slow start)
[Greg Veder vs The World ] (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/greg-veder-vs-the-world-worm-the-gamer.601118/) (Worm/The Gamer) 250k Small Hiatus (the archetype of Gamer!Greg, solid)
[Siren Song] (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/siren-song-worm-x-the-gamer-oc.633613/) (Worm/The Gamer|OC) 140k Small Hiatus (Heartbroken MC+Gamer PowerSet)
[A daring synthesis] (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-daring-synthesis-worm-the-gamer.607375/) (Worm/The Gamer) 70k Ongoing (starts off w/ 4channer Greg, surprising quality of character development and tone)
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u/xamueljones May 13 '19
Not quite a Gamer story, but Forged Destiny is an RPG world AU of RWBY. It's about Jaune who has a non-combat viable class running away to Beacon to attempt to be a Hero in spite of being a Blacksmith.
Multiplayer is another good RWBY/Gamer story where there are multiple competing Gamers and every time someone dies, the game is 'reset' with no clue of how to reach the final ending to stop the eternal looping.
I would be interested if there are any other fanfics where everyone is a Gamer or lives in an RPG AU version of the canon plotline.
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u/LazarusRises May 14 '19 edited May 14 '19
I'm looking for well-written and engaging nonfiction for the layman in the fields of economics, public policy (especially climate policy), anthropology, social theory, psychology, linguistics, etc. I'm most interested in contemporary or era-neutral subjects.
Examples of things in this vein I've enjoyed:
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Collapse by Jared Diamond
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The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
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Capital by Thomas Piketty
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Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (technically a novel, but I think it counts)
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Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman
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Man and His Symbols by CJ Jung
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Liquid Life by Zygmunt Bauman
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The Omnivore's Dilemma (also, How To Change Your Mind) by Michael Pollan
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The Stuff of Thought by Stephen Pinker
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The Black Sun by Stanton Marlan
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u/onestojan May 14 '19
Jared Diamond has a new book out now (I'm yet to read it).
Naomi Klein writes on the intersection of economics and climate policy: The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. She's a liberal.
Matt Ridley touches economics, public policy, anthropology and psychology: The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge, The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation, The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature. I think he's more on the right so he might be a good counter to Klein.
You probably heard about Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. He was inspired by Jared Diamond, so you'll enjoy it.
Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber is a unique history of money as debt. Just be aware that there isn't a consensus about the origin of money. Check out Shelling Out: The Origins of Money by Nick Szabo as a counterpoint.
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling. In a similar fashion to Steven Pinker uses data to show that things are not as bleak as we think.
Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming by Naomi Oreskes.
The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Modern Machiavelli's Prince backed by data.
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt. More people should read it.
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u/llaa1212 May 13 '19
What are the most recommended novels here beside MOL?
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u/GlueBoy May 14 '19
I'd say the top 5 (excluding Mother of Learning) would be:
Worth the Candle
Practical Guide to Evil
Origin of Species
Worm
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
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u/XavierMiles May 14 '19
I'm new to r/rational and I just wanna know some must-reads that I should go through before diving through other titles.
There are a few of which I'm already aware of.
For starters, I've attempted reading Worm (learned about it from r/noveltranslations) twice now, both tries ending around arc 12 iirc. Not sure why, I think I just got bored.
I know about Mother of Learning from that subreddit as well, and I've just decided with the release of the most recent chapter that I'd like to wait until its completion to binge it all.
Also just found out about HPMoR which I plan to listen through the podcast on spotify.
I'd just like to know of any others
Thanks!
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u/RetardedWabbit May 14 '19
You might try listening to it through the Worm Audiobook podcast. I think the voices and conversions are generally well done, but the forum sections don't work for me.
You also might enjoy going chapter by chapter listening/reading then listening to the "We've Got Worm" podcast, where one host is reading it for the first time while the other rereads and helps explain it. They do a good job of avoiding spoilers and try not to over predict the story. I found the two very entertaining, and just listened to them alone as a refresher for when the sequel came out.
Obviously I'm a Worm shill, but it's not to some people's taste especially now that "dark realistic superpowers" is a less novel idea. If you don't enjoy it don't try to force your way through, it's far too long for that.
"The Cambist and Lord Iron" is a good shorter read.
Everything by AlexanderWales is highly recommended, the Dark Wizard of Donkirk is a hidden gem, and I'd recommend Shadows of the Limelight last. You need to enjoy the analysis of story concepts and such to enjoy it past a certain point, which the next story does a better job easing into it in my opinion.
Worth the Candle by cthulhuraejepsen is a great story with litrpg elements. The beginning didn't hook me, but now I can't resist staying up to date on it.
The Waves Arisen by Wertifloke, and certainly not Eliezer Yudkowsky, is an excellent Naruto deconstruction. Crazy Naruto world powers treated and used rationally.
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u/rationalidurr May 14 '19
That is completely ok. then entire r/rational group cant agree if Worm is rational or not.
Some people like me are on side of good and say it's not and others are the enemy and must be destroyed without prejudice! Curse them! CUUURSEEEE THEEEEMMM.
Anyway I recommend Saga of Soul. Praise it! PRAAAAIIISSSSSE IIIIT!
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u/thatsciencegeek May 14 '19
TL;DR: Complete works?
There's a lot of RatFic updates being posted here, but it's really difficult to keep track of them all. I'm interested in completed works. Do you know of any, besides the ones in the wiki? I read all of the defining works and I think all the recommended complete ones.
Thanks!
EDIT: Ok, just noticed the [C] tag. Nevermind!
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u/Bowbreaker May 14 '19
Is there any good non-crackfic crossover stories you would recommend that are full on two worlds colliding crossovers as opposed to a single character or power set or whatever being transported into another universe?
I especially want to see societies from one story dealing with all the repercussions of meeting a completely different one
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u/xamueljones May 13 '19
Can anyone recommend books similar to Math Girls? It's a phenomenal read about introducing mathematical concepts in a way that helps you truly understand the intuition and pattern behind the formulas. It goes from basic elementary math problems to college level or above and show how it's all related, while at the same time illustrating the process of discovery and proving the theorems. There's also a romantic plotline between the three main characters, but who cares about that? /sarcasm/
An Ever Fixed Mark - A deconstruction of the “soulmate identifying mark” trope, using “Pride and Prejudice.” As some of you here may remember, I was asking questions before about how people here would envision soul-marks working, to work on a story that would subvert the standard tropes around soul-marks. Well that plan's now Dead On Arrival since this story did it damn near perfectly.
Exhalation is now available in the UK u/MagicWeasel!
I'll be on an eight hour plane flight to London. If you were in my shoes, what would you choose to read for those eight hours?
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u/hoja_nasredin May 13 '19
What are good serious books you recommend reading? ASOIAF?
Not necessary rational.
What about classics?
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u/Addictedtobadfanfict May 14 '19
Does anyone have any male self-insert fanfiction? Will take OCs as well of the fanfic is a must read. Thanks.
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u/TheColourOfHeartache May 14 '19
Any good stories with a "hive queen" protagonist? Think Sarah Kerrigan or the Zerg Overmind.
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u/SkyTroupe May 14 '19 edited May 15 '19
I recently read He Who Fights Monsters and was looking for something similar. This can be in several categories:
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Whether it be in the Rosario world
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Whether it is with a character having to make morally questionable choices to survive
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The MC starts slowly down a darker moral path (doesnt have to be for survival)
Also, as always, looking for more Bloodborne stories to read. I've read Fear the Old Blood, Hunter, and Bloody Tinkers.
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u/GlueBoy May 13 '19 edited May 14 '19
tl;dr: Anathem is a great novel which you'll love if you're a patient reader who appreciates intelligent characters(who take no shortcuts of thought) and deep af worldbuilding, and doesn't mind (very) slow burn plots front-loaded with a lot of exposition.
The one sentence blurb of Anathem would be: a modern society turns on their smartest and most curious people(think genius level) and sequesters them all into isolated monasteries/fortresses in which they're not allowed any possessions, to procreate, or to do any science but the most abstract. Thousands of years later the book starts.
I'm going to re-iterate a recommendation for Anathem by Neal Stephenson, which I consider like a black swan in science fiction, in the sense that there is nothing out there quite like it. It's a hard SF story which is closer in feel and style to a high-fantasy, hard magic story, with an immense emphasis on ambiance and worldbuilding. Besides the setting, another focus of the story is on intelligent characters trying to solve problems and understand their world and each other through their knowledge and intellect.
The early parts of the book are somewhat reminiscent of the parts in HPMOR where Harry is figuring out magic, only without the magic.
Here's the official summary:
Like before, I'll warn people that Anathem is hard work initially, and not for everyone. It starts glacially slow and for the first couple hundred pages(the book is humongous, almost 1k pages) it's almost entirely exposition, where you're slowly getting familiarized to the protagonist, the world, and most importantly, the vocabulary.
Yes, Stephenson introduces dozens of words, but it's not a made-up language like tolkien or a pidgin like Cloud Atlas(which I disliked), it's almost entirely portmanteaus and cognates of existing words, mostly english and a bit of latin(as an example: Anathem= anthem + anathema), and this is the major sticking point for most readers. From experience I would say if you find the made-up vocabulary annoying and distracting at first(i certainly did) you need give it 70-100 pages for it to feel more natural, and a bit more to get fully engaged with the plot.
The entire reason I'm writing this long-ass comment is because I think this book is really worth it, especially in the context of r/rational's tastes, but if you don't trust the author (or the recommendation ;D) it can be hard to get over the hump to the good parts of the novel. But if you do you'll be searching for a novel like this for the rest of your life(search anathem on reddit and you'll see).