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The Prophet And Caesar's Wife
A satirical series of encounters between a Prophet and various Bishops, exploring the contradictions in religious leadership and public perception.
17 min read 2,576 words
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creative writing
Essays tagged “creative writing”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on creative writing
91 essaysACX
It's Bad On Purpose To Make You Click
Scott writes a satirical poem about clickbait content, repeating the refrain 'It's bad on purpose to make you click' to critique manipulative media practices.
2 min read 288 words
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Biography of Jason Shea, 44th US President
Scott explores cultural translation by reimagining Xi Jinping's life as that of a fictional American president, Jason Shea, and reflects on the challenges of this creative exercise.
10 min read 1,428 words
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The Gods Only Have Power Because We Believe In Them
Fiction by Scott Alexander
12 min read 1,777 words
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Highlights From The Comments On Modern Architecture
Scott Alexander discusses reader comments on why modern architecture differs from older styles, exploring economic, cultural, and artistic explanations.
65 min read 9,946 words
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Verses Written On The Occasion Of Getting The COVID Vaccine
Scott Alexander writes a humorous poem about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, set to a Les Misérables tune, exploring lockdown frustrations and the complexities of returning to normalcy.
3 min read 456 words
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Riddle Of The Sphinx II: Sustained Release Riddlin'
Scott engages in a battle of wits with a Sphinx, exchanging clever riddles and culminating in an unexpected answer to the classic Sphinx riddle.
3 min read 336 words
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Slightly Skew Systems Of Government
Scott Alexander describes three fictional and slightly absurd systems of government: an acausal democracy, a constitutional mobocracy, and a meta-republic with representatives from various governing philosophies.
9 min read 1,369 words
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“My Immortal” As Alchemical Allegory
Scott Alexander humorously analyzes 'My Immortal' as an alchemical allegory, combining medieval alchemy, Rosicrucian writings, and Goethe's Faust.
48 min read 7,411 words
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Legal Systems Very Different From Ours, Because I Just Made Them Up
Fiction by Scott Alexander
18 min read 2,787 words
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Hardball Questions For The Next Debate (2020)
Scott Alexander presents satirical and absurd 'hardball questions' for 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, showcasing clever wordplay and humorous connections.
7 min read 1,013 words
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[ACC] Should You Have A Merry Christmas?
An adversarial collaboration in verse examines Christmas, concluding that despite historical inaccuracies and economic inefficiencies, its social benefits are worthwhile.
5 min read 673 words
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Little Known Types Of Eclipse
Scott Alexander humorously invents various absurd types of 'eclipses', ranging from astronomical to metaphorical and apocalyptic.
2 min read 232 words
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Two Wolves And A Sheep
Scott Alexander presents multiple satirical scenarios of 'two wolves and a sheep deciding what to have for dinner' to critique various aspects of democracy and political behavior.
3 min read 462 words
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Prospiracy Theories
Scott Alexander introduces 'prospiracy theories', positive conspiracy-style memes designed to spread true and beneficial information, in response to the rapid spread of conspiracy theories on social media.
1 min read 127 words
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Elegy For John McCain
Scott Alexander writes a satirical poem about John McCain's passing, imagining him continuing his warmongering ways in the afterlife.
2 min read 222 words
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Verses Composed Upon Reading A Review From TripAdvisor
Scott Alexander reimagines Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan' as a modern TripAdvisor review of Xanadu, blending classical poetry with contemporary tourism.
3 min read 349 words
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Sentimental Cartography
Scott Alexander showcases and advocates for 'sentimental cartography', the art of creating geographic-style maps for non-geographic concepts, presenting various modern examples and lamenting its relative obscurity.
6 min read 822 words
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Even More Search Terms That Led People To This Blog
Scott Alexander humorously presents and comments on bizarre search terms that led people to his blog, Slate Star Codex.
8 min read 1,190 words
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