📚心得【There Is No Antimemetics Division】 by qntm, 2020
自己平常是不會去碰這類不是科幻的假想虛構故事的，但自從在一位朋友的Goodreads.com書櫃上看到這本後，它不斷出現在我各社群的feed裡面，加上是短篇，索性花一周看完。
SCP相信不少喜歡在網路上亂晃的人都多少看過。SCP（Secure, Contain, Protect）是一個虛構的跨國秘密基金會，類似Marvel的神盾局，任務是捕捉並收容各種違反自然規律、威脅人類文明的超自然現象、生物或物品，自1960年代就有不少有才華的閒人（？）會分享自己腦洞出來的SCP，有些甚至是以網路小說的形式放在SCP維基百科上，這本書就是其中之一，非常適合喜歡白日夢的朋友在他們的網站上逛一整天，或者是一整周。
什麼是Antimemetic呢？中文直接翻譯過來叫做「逆迷因」。所謂迷因，是指「能傳播的資訊、思想、行為或風格」；逆迷因則是「具有自我遮蔽性質的資訊」，天性就會阻礙或避免人們去傳播、描述它們。舉幾個例子：一串大腦不想處理的數學公式、乏味的文章（希望我的blog文章不是...）、難以記起的夢境、辦公室角落那個你每天都沒意識到的物品等。
在傳統認知中，知識就是力量；但在這個世界，逆迷因的資訊遮蔽性是牠們的保護色，能看穿偽裝、觀測到牠們的「知識」反而是一種詛咒。有些逆迷因SCP被觀測到後會強行抹除你的記憶，甚至直接獵殺觀察者，將角色置於絕對的險境；且因旁人觀測不到這些逆迷因，求救變得毫無意義，甚至會被當成瘋子對待。在這種極端威脅下，選擇漠視與遺忘反而是生存之道，非常有Lovecraftian風格。
整本看下來，我覺得是一本很適合拍成《Stranger Things》 那種影集的一部虛構作品，實際上也有粉絲將故事拍成短片放在YouTube上。初始設定很棒、人物之間的互動很生動自然，但由此開始上面疊加了太多模糊的東西與設定，其他的SCP科技啦、精神藥物啦之類的，像是在看《Harry Potter》的各種咒語一樣，不知所以；但最大的問題是，作者沒有太好的形容出主要反派是如何運作的，但設定上又告訴讀者「這是人類理性無法理解的惡」。反正作者想怎麼定義就怎麼定義 😆
⚠️以下劇透⚠️
故事的核心反派 SCP-3125 是一個存在於理念宇宙（Ideatic Space）中的暴力與敵意迷因複合體，祂巨大到足以覆蓋整個人類物理世界卻還未與之完全重合。人類的心智先天對其毫無抵抗能力，多數人只能靠有嚴重副作用的精神藥物稍微抵擋，被其控制、覆蓋思維的人類會以服侍及散播3125的核心概念為主要目標，並在理念上不再被外部認知為人類。3125因為在理念宇宙仍有祂想躲避的更上位掠食者而擁有「保護色機制」：
不可觀測：就算看到了祂，一般人的大腦仍無法拼湊出祂的型態，意識不到祂的存在。
致命認知：一旦你完整意識到了祂，就像黑暗中突然亮了盞燈一樣，祂便能透過你的意識「看見」你，並隨即開始追殺。
連坐抹殺：祂不僅會殺死觀察者，還會沿著思想脈絡攻擊所有與你有相似思維的旁觀者。
以上的特性使得記憶、紀錄、長期觀察3125變得不可能。更糟的是，由於人類開始有系統的研究各種逆迷因、拼湊出祂的各部分，3125正逐漸侵入人類的物理宇宙，光祂的影子就已經形塑出了各式各樣的異常SCP，並不斷以牠們的方式在散播3125的概念；一旦祂壟罩整個世界，所謂人類、社群、文化、文明等由人類構成的概念都將消失。
面對這種「一旦意識到敵蹤就會被攻擊」的局面，角色們只能被迫服用高劑量的遺忘藥物來切斷敵人的定位。但這也引發了一個悖論：如果你連敵人的存在都不記得，要如何與他人合作？要如何記得與之對抗？要如何贏得戰爭？
"‘How do you fight an enemy without ever discovering it exists?’ the Quinn in the video asks. ‘How do you win without even realising you’re at war? What do we do?"
歡迎來到逆迷因部門上班。不，這不是你第一天來這裡上班。
在記憶無法信賴的戰場上（你還記得自己在戰場上嗎？），唯一能依賴的只有刻進骨子裡的日常訓練。你必須在觀測到異常的瞬間做出反應，並盲目地相信這樣就足夠與之對抗。它必須足夠，因為能與之對抗的也只有目前能觀測到祂的你。
這種設定徹底推翻了傳統的英雄敘事。故事中的角色並非智珠在握的智者，而是在徬徨與無助中、憑藉本能對抗異常的凡人。這種「完全不知道自己在面對什麼卻必須面對」的虛無恐懼，在Fiction作品中極為罕見。
能壟罩整個世界的東西是無法收容起來的，只能將這個「理念」消滅掉。而只有更強大的理念能覆蓋掉3125這種「邪念」，但一般人的腦袋根本連3125的邪念都裝不下，又如何去裝比之更強烈的正念呢？
"You deserve to be protected. To be kept safe and sound. Because otherwise those terrible things rule you and fear rules you and you can’t be who you really are. Freedom means no fear. It’s why the Organisation exists. It’s why I exist. That’s … a taste of it. The beginning of it.’"
最後我還是沒看懂，SCP-3125到底是多大的邪惡理念？將之證偽、消滅的正念又是什麼理念？我通通都沒看懂，雖說這正是Lovecraftian恐懼的精髓 — 不該被明說的「未知」，但結局還是讓我摸不著頭緒。
這部小說對我來說實在是很特別、新穎，敘述上也足夠引人入勝到讓我能順利看完，最後留給我的感覺就像自己追完德劇《闇 Dark》一般，大腦被各種不明述的概念超載，即使不見得能全然理解每個環節，那種成功營造的懸疑氛圍與世界觀仍很值得一看。
原網路小說在此：http://scp-zh-tr.wikidot.com/antimemetics-division-hub
我推薦尋找實體書或整理後出版的版本，書本在名詞統整與敘事脈絡上更為流暢，較不會有片段看不懂的問題。
IMO總分：69分，遺忘與認知邊界的一場沒人會記得的末日戰爭，喜歡Lovecraftian風格的人不該錯過的短篇佳作。
核心思想：★★★★★ 核心討論議題是否有趣*5
劇情細節：★★★☆☆ 綜觀整體劇情的質與量*4
角色刻畫：★★★★☆ 角色群的必要性與深度*3
科學軟硬：★★☆☆☆ 是否符合現實物理現象*3
結局滿意：★★☆☆☆ 結局滿意度與有無餘韻*3
易讀程度：★★★★☆ 閱讀時章節是否難消化*2
#SCP #What_is_going_on #Inconceivable_Horror #Lovecraftian
I don't usually consume speculative fiction that isn't strictly sci-fi. However, after spotting this on a friend's Goodreads shelf, it kept popping up in my social media feeds. Since it’s a relatively short read, I decided to spend a week finishing it.
Many people who frequent the internet have likely encountered SCP. SCP (Secure, Contain, Protect) is a fictional secret global foundation (think Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.) tasked with capturing and containing supernatural phenomena, entities, or objects that violate natural laws and threaten humanity. Since the 1960s, many talented people have shared their imaginative SCP creations. Some are even written as web novels on the SCP Wiki, this book being one of them. It’s perfect for those who enjoy daydreaming to spend an entire day — or week — browsing their site.
What is "Antimemetic"? While a meme is "information, ideas, behaviors, or styles that can be spread," an antimeme is "information with self-shielding properties." By nature, they hinder or prevent people from perceiving or recording them. Examples include: a string of complex math formulas your brain refuses to process, a dull article (hopefully not my blog posts...), a dream that’s hard to recall, or that office supply in the corner you never notice despite seeing it every day in plain sight.
In traditional terms, knowledge is power; however, in this world, the information-shielding nature of antimememes serves as their camouflage, and the "knowledge" required to see through their disguise is instead a curse. Upon being observed, some antimemetic SCP will forcibly erase your memory or even directly hunt the observer. This places characters in absolute peril, and because others cannot perceive these antimememes as you do, calling for help becomes meaningless. Might even be treated as if you've lost your mind. Under such extreme threats, choosing ignorance or forgetting is actually the key to survival, a concept that is profoundly Lovecraftian in style.
Reading through it, I felt this is a fictional work perfectly suited for a TV series like 《Stranger Things》. In fact, some fans have already made short films on YouTube based on the story. The initial premise is fantastic, and the interactions between characters are vivid and natural. However, from there, too many vague elements and settings are layered on top — various SCP technologies, psychotropic drugs, and so on — making it feel a bit like watching the spells pop up in 《Harry Potter》, somewhat nonsensical. My biggest gripe is that the author doesn't describe how the main antagonist operates very well, yet tells the reader "this is an evil beyond human reasoning." Well, I guess if the author defines it that way, I'll just have to roll with it 🫠.
⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️
The core antagonist of the story, SCP-3125, is a violent and hostile memetic complex existing within the "Ideatic Space." It is massive enough to cover the entire human physical world, though it hasn't fully merged with it yet. The human mind is inherently defenseless against it. Most can only resist slightly using amnestic drugs with severe side effects. Humans controlled or overwritten by it aim primarily to serve and spread 3125’s core concepts, and ideologically, they are no longer recognized as human by outsiders. Because there are even higher-order predators in the Ideatic Space that 3125 wishes to avoid, it possesses the following "camouflage mechanism":
Inobservable: Even if you see it, the average human brain cannot piece together its form or realize its existence.
Fatal Cognition: Once you become fully aware of it, it’s like a light turning on in the dark — it can now "see" you through your consciousness and immediately begins to hunt you down.
Collateral Eradication: It doesn't just kill the observer, it attacks any "bystanders" with similar thought patterns along your mental network.
These traits make remembering, recording, or long-term observation of 3125 impossible. Worse, as humans begin systematically studying various antimemes and piecing together its parts, 3125 is gradually invading our physical universe. Its mere shadow has already shaped various anomalous SCPs that spread 3125’s concepts in their own ways. Once it blankets the world, concepts constituted by humanity — such as individuals, communities, culture, and civilization — will vanish.
In this situation where "becoming aware of the enemy leads to immediate danger," characters are forced to take high doses of "amnestic drugs" to sever the enemy's tracking. But this creates a paradox: If you can't even remember the enemy's existence, how do you collaborate with others? How do you remember to fight back? How do you win the war?
"‘How do you fight an enemy without ever discovering it exists?’ the Quinn in the video asks. ‘How do you win without even realising you’re at war? What do we do?"
Welcome to your first day at the Antimemetics Division. No, this isn't your first day here.
On a battlefield where memory cannot be trusted (do you even remember you're on a battlefield?), the only thing you can rely on is daily training carved into your bones. You must react the moment you observe an anomaly and blindly believe that that is enough for you to fight back. It must be enough, because the only person who can fight it is you — the one currently observing it.
This setup completely subverts the traditional hero narrative. The characters aren't all-knowing sages; they are mortals relying on instinct to fight anomalies amidst confusion and helplessness. This sense of "nihilistic dread of facing something you don't understand" is quite rare in fiction.
Something as big as 3125 that can shroud the entire world cannot be "contained"; the "idea" itself must be destroyed. Only a more powerful idea could overwrite such malicious thoughts like 3125. But the average human brain can't even hold 3125's malice — how could a brain hold an even more intense "positive thought"?
"You deserve to be protected. To be kept safe and sound. Because otherwise those terrible things rule you and fear rules you and you can’t be who you really are. Freedom means no fear. It’s why the Organisation exists. It’s why I exist. That’s … a taste of it. The beginning of it.’"
In the end, I still didn't quite grasp how big of an evil idea SCP-3125 really is, or what the "positive idea" that falsifies and destroys it actually represents. I didn't get any of it. While this is the essence of Lovecraftian horror — the essence of "Unknown" that shall not be described — the ending still left me scratching my head.
To me, this novel is truly unique and innovative. The narrative is engaging enough that I finished it smoothly. It left me with a feeling similar to finishing the Germany TV series 《Dark》: my brain was overloaded with obscure concepts, and while I didn't necessarily understand every link, the successfully crafted atmosphere of suspense and the world-building make it well worth a read.
Original web novel here: http://scp-zh-tr.wikidot.com/antimemetics-division-hub
I recommend looking for the the compiled published version of the book. The book is much more fluid and organized in terms of terminology and narrative structure, making it less likely you'll run into confusing fragments.
IMO Total Score: 69. An apocalyptic war on the edge of forgetting and cognition that no one will remember. A short novella that fans of Lovecraftian style should not miss.
Core Theme: ★★★★★ (*5)
Plot Quality: ★★★☆☆ (*4)
Character Development: ★★★★☆ (*3)
Science Elements: ★★☆☆☆ (*3)
Ending Satisfaction: ★★☆☆☆ (*3)
Readability: ★★★★☆ (*2)
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