Per 
- Random Formatting
- Random Ideas
- Chronos' Labyrinth
- On the Shores of Paradise
- Echoes of a Monster
- Pollution and Industry
- 6000 ENTRY?! NANI?!
- Advice!
- Sandstorm
- A Decidedly Informal Welcome to the SCP Foundation
- Icarus' Folly
| Item #: SCP-XXXX | Level 4/XXXX |
| Object Class: Euclid Keter | Classified |
An Image of SCP-XXXX-1.
<Insert Cool Stuff Here>
Talk to TheWoggo.
Black - Full Redaction
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Obligatory pls no steal (but seriously, don't. If you do, I will find some way to glue clear lego bricks studs-up to the soles of all of your shoes).
What you can find here are summaries of most the ideas I have in my head (except the Jesus one. That one's for later), and I may write them up at some point. Feel free to PM me with any (as long as you've put at least some effort into it) crit you have for them if you somehow stumble upon my sandbox, it's always appreciated.
Anyway, here they are. I'm in the process of adding descriptions:
Quote: "It was right then, right there, that I stared death in the eye, and that eye overwhelmed me not with terror, but grief."
A story of intrigue, deception, and love, set in Wyrmwood, a spatial anomaly within a boreal forest somewhere (don't know yet).
Important concepts:
Wyrms:
The dominant species of Wyrmwood. An anomalous, highly intelligent species of 'drakes' (or 'wyrms') made of wood, united under a constitutional hereditary monarchy. Highly elitist and racist (other species are generally considered 'lower' than they are) but simultaneously a moral society (however, this is only towards themselves). Technology is roughly equivalent to that of mid-18th century Earth.
Nature Spirits:
The secondary species of Wyrmwood. A series of concepts (usually to do with nature or life) given form. Significant examples include those of life, water, light, and night. EXTRA NOTE: the death spirit is non-binary.
The Rot:
A hostile force infesting parts of Wyrmwood and spreading. Wilts plants, kills animals, and spreads darkness. Reanimates those killed into twisted 'guardians' that spread the Rot further. In danger of spreading through not only Wyrmwood but our world as well.
Agent Teller:
Main character in charge of the investigation into the Rot. Leader of MTF-Delta-12 ("Rot Stoppers").
The Twist (DUN DUN DUNNN!!):
Turns out that the third son of the King got into a secret relationship with a nature spirit. Not just any spirit, but the spirit of death (please note that death is not a hostile force, but simply the flip side to life). Needless to say, this is extremely controversial, and the King goes so far as to not only disown his son, but to exile him from the kingdom and attempt to enforce a law that bans both speech and help of his son (this motion doesn't officially pass, but is informally accepted amongst the population).
Despite this, the prince and the spirit live happily until the prince is struck by a deadly disease. Panicked, the spirit seeks medical attention within the main community of wyrms, but is refused help in every place except for a small, independent medical store that quietly lets them in and attempts to treat the prince. Unfortunately, the healer fails, and they direct them towards the palace for help. When they arrive, the nature spirit pleads for help from the King, but he callously responds with 'that is no son of mine', before shutting the door on their faces.
Helpless, the nature spirit brings the prince to a clearing to try to heal him, but their powers are for nothing, and the prince dies in their arms. The spirit can't handle the grief, having never had any relationship like this before (only for it to be cruelly torn away), and loses control of their emotions, and subsequently their powers, becoming the Rot. It was the King who directly caused the Rot, which is a manifestation of death's grief.
Quote: "You aren't real. YOU AREN'T REAL."
A story about overcoming grief, even when it seems overwhelming, and the power of good support. Based around a malevolent thoughtform entity that latches onto a boy's grief to manifest itself.
Important Concepts:
Joseph Thomas:
14-year-old child trying to get over the grief of his father's death. The main target of SCP-XXXX. Is going to grief counselling/therapy with Doctor Robertson.
Doctor Robertson:
Foundation plant within the town of [TBD] to monitor and assist in Joseph's recovery.
SCP-XXXX:
Thoughtform entity that latched onto Joseph's grief to manifest itself. As Joseph's grief gets worse, it gets closer to becoming real. Causes minor anomalous phenomena as it tries to manifest itself prematurely, each incident gradually increasing in severity as Joseph's grief intensifies. True form is a mass of writhing black tentacles surrounding a single, large yellow eye.
Story:
Joseph's father dies after a long struggle with cancer, and Joseph tries to deal with his grief and life with a financially challenged single mother. SCP-XXXX latches onto Jospeh's grief, and a series of anomalous phenomena draws Foundation attention towards [TBD]. Amnestics are considered for Joseph, but are dropped considering the immense difficulty of erasing all memories of his father (and significant risk of permanent brain damage/death).
Doctor Robertson is planted due to his experience in therapy and grief counselling, and he attempts to help Joseph get over his grief. It isn't working, and diary entries show that SCP-XXXX's continued attempts at premature manifestation is causing Joseph to question his sanity. Eventually, the grief gets so bad that Joseph collapses on his school oval after school, crying. Doctor Robertson attempts to intervene, but Joseph mistakenly recognises him as his father and embraces him. Robertson accepts at first, but then tenderly tells Joseph that he is not, in fact, Joseph's father. This is enough to send Joseph over the edge, and SCP-XXXX manifests.
Robertson, thinking quickly, acts as if he cannot see anything, and acts shocked at Joseph's horror. He proceeds to attempt to convince Joseph that the entity in question isn't real, but is smacked away by one of SCP-XXXX's tentacles. However, he still calls out that whatever he's seeing isn't real, and that this is a representation of his grief isolating him from his relationships. Joseph, afraid but determined, shouts towards SCP-XXXX that it isn't real. To prove his point, he walks directly towards it, not heeding its assualt. Enraged, it tries attacking Joseph both physically and mentally, but to no avail. Joseph faces the entity directly, and shouts at it that it isn't real. Defeated, SCP-XXXX demanifests and detaches itself from Joseph's grief, as the grief, while not fully healed, is rapidly fading.
Doctor Robertson, for his quick thinking and bravery in the face of danger and prevention of a major containment breach is awarded a Medal of Honour, while Joseph (unknowingly) receives a Foundation Star for his bravery in confronting his fears, making him the first civilian to receive a Foundation Star. Doctor Robertson stays in the town with Joseph until they have fully overcome their grief, before he leaves to get back to Site counselling, leaving behind a sad but accepting Joseph.
Quote: "I had rescued her from the precipice, the void, and I held her tight. I didn't understand why she was crying."
A scientist in the 1800s tries to resurrect his dead daughter using ancient magic. It goes wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.
Quote: "Don't you idiots understand? You can't beat me. Any other thoughts and you're fooling yourselves."
Trust is a valuable thing, not to be given away easily. So when the Foundation underestimates an anomaly, they find that giving them their trust was perhaps the worst mistake they could have possibly made.
Its secret is the inversion of the probability of actions it performs, based on the general perception of the anomaly's likelihood of being able to/its willingness to perform them.
It believes itself superior to humanity.
Quote: "Examination of all fast-food products and outlets for contamination of SCP-XXXX or presence of SCP-XXXX-1 instances, while costly, inefficient, and time-consuming, is imperative to prevent further incidents and/or the reappearance of SCP-XXXX-2."
A ravenous inter-dimensional parasite sets its eyes on Earth.
It desires to consume humanity.
Quote: "Upon post-containment checks of the house, two dogs and one cat, all of an indeterminate breed, were found dead lying next to each other. Cause of death was deemed to be hypothermia."
A lesson to the Foundation about the importance of not making assumptions, to be thorough when collecting data, and why it is sometimes better to leave anomalies alone.
It wants nothing to do with humanity.
Quote: "Already SCP-XXXX's effects are causing a cascading effect that will inevitably culminate in an IK-Class 'Collapse of Global Civilisation' Scenario. As such, recontainment of SCP-XXXX is currently of highest priority, as well as the euthanasia of all affected subjects."
The ability to give birth has sometimes been likened to a gift. What if it became a curse?
Causes people to become extremely fertile and attractive, and also increases sexual drive; this also spreads to their children and anyone they have a relationship with. Of course, this causes a cascading effect that will lead to massive overpopulation.
The SCP itself is retribution for human-caused suffering that stems from sexuality. It detests humanity.
Quote: "And then, and then I- I was them, I was the forgotten, they- they replaced me. But- but I know them. I know them. Their names- their names. LISTEN TO ME. THEIR NAMES ARE [COGNITOHAZARD EXPUNGED]."
The archive has been breached. Books have been erased. What used to be people writhe and scream, attempting to regain the existence and identities they lost. And still the envious beast stirs sullenly within the shadows of the bookshelves, erasing and destroying as it burrows ever closer to the centre.
It ignores humanity.
Important Concepts:
Quote: "The following file is 6/XXXX classified (with restrictions) as it contains an OMEGA-CRIMSON class infohazard.
The moon is made of cheese. However, if that's true, the Earth must also be made of cheese. Enter an infohazard (with extremely strong memetic properties) which has already infected most of Earth's population: the idea that the moon is made of cheese. People who realise that, logically following this, the Earth would be made of cheese, move the hazard one step closer to being realised. Amnestics don't work (because of the aforementioned memetic properties). Disinformation campaigns would be both ineffective and actively harmful. So what can the Foundation do, in the face of this world-ending threat? Nothing. Just hope that people don't come to that conclusion.
This is the stupidest idea I have ever come up with, and I love it.
basically, this is a dryad connected to the Citarum river. Her state is connected to how healthy the river is. Unfortunately, this river is the most polluted river in the world, and she's mega pissed off at all the corrupt people dumping chemicals and shit into it
11:58 <Xeno_Baby> she creates this sewer system with nature thaumaturgy as a means of retreating away from the pollution, but it fails and she gets even more pissed
11:59 <Xeno_Baby> whole bunch of anomalous deaths and catastrophic accidents around factories and people involved with the pollution of the river
11:59 <Xeno_Baby> Foundation's like "oh fuck, there's something here", sees the pattern, and sets up in a polluting factory
12:00 <Xeno_Baby> dryad arrives and fucks shit up, pulls everyone into the sewer system she's created
12:00 <Xeno_Baby> Foundation MTF traverses it and gets to the dryad after encountering a lot of mutated creatures and the like that attack them
12:01 <Xeno_Baby> when they reach the dryad, they find that she's not concerned with just destroying everything as the Foundation suspected, but is just angry at al the pollution in here river
12:01 <Xeno_Baby> all, her*
12:02 <Xeno_Baby> Foundation's like 'k', and starts a program to clean the river up, dryad is still pissed but agrees to stop attacking people
12:03 <Xeno_Baby> ends with a log after the cleanup has been going on for a while, where the dryad and the sewers look much healthier, and she thanks the Foundation
12:03 <Xeno_Baby> and there's my word vomit for the day
nice. how will they contain her though, because that is something they will be concerned about, and where will the spider be? is the spider a metaphor? are the sewers connected like spider webs? will the mutated creatures look like spiders?
12:08 <Xeno_Baby> to answer your questions:
12:08 <Xeno_Baby> containment is more of an agreement. She kinda just hangs around inside her sewer, so kinda self-containing
12:09 <Xeno_Baby> as long as she doesn't attack people, containment is unnecessary
12:10 <Xeno_Baby> spoders are pretty common all over the sewer. There's a big nest close by the dryad's chamber featuring big momma spoder and lots of smaller ones
12:10 <Xeno_Baby> creatures are basically just nature energy gone rampant in physical form
12:11 <Xeno_Baby> sewers are big pipes and cisterns and the like in some kind of structure, dunno rn because its extradimensional
12:11 <Xeno_Baby> and that's the end
12:12 <fairydoctor> if shes attacking people initially wouldnt they initially contain her? and as they slowly piece it together, then they- i guess re-release her back to her river under the provision of self-containment?
12:13 <Xeno_Baby> good point
12:13 <Xeno_Baby> uh gimme a sec
12:14 <Xeno_Baby> ok ok
12:15 <Xeno_Baby> story is that the operatives get stuck in the sewers and make it to the dryad, where they proceed to make an agreement with her about not attacking people in exchange for cleaning the river
12:15 <Xeno_Baby> they don't initially conatin her because their first contact results in an agreement
12:16 <Xeno_Baby> missions occur later to sort out the finer details
Quote:
Just what the title says: a cosmic space ocean. Is under risk of being destroyed somehow, and the Foundation has to protect it because it functions as a home for anomalous creatures that would either die or travel to the closest source of large amounts of water (Earth) if it got destroyed.
Something for Spidercon (fight the power!) - Prophecy cycle -> SPODER MONSTER
Something to do with anatidaephobia (the irrational fear that a duck or goose is watching you).
Something to do with Sandy Island. A war over territory?
TREE(3) or Graham's Number, both monstrously large numbers.
However, both of these are dwarfed by the even larger SSCG Function, which is so enormously large that even TREE TREE(3) (3) doesn't even come close to SSCG (3).
Lighter that, upon being lit, causes the manifestation of a Tartarean entity in such a way that their cigar/cigarette is lit by the lighter.
Illegal Numbers 😳.
Etaoin shrdlu, perhaps something trying to communicate with us?
Confusion in regards to ravens.
Boltzmann brains and entropy, a philosophical discussion.
Introducing… The Hum! (DUN DUN DUNNNNN!!!)
Introducing…. Bloop! (the unofficial sequel to The Hum!) (DUN DUN DUNNNNN!!!)
Something to do with the Waffle House Index. I'm not American though, so maybe some other place.
Paris Syndrome, because some (especially Japanese) people are really disappointed by Paris. Why?
Other stuff here.
Tales
Apotheosis Series -
Quote: "What's it like, director? Becoming the thing that you hate most?"
Important Concepts:
Arthur Jackson:
Main character. Slightly unstable. Despises the Foundation's treatment of people affected by SCP-3396 (SCP-3731 instances). Saw firsthand the decimation of a small settlement of 3731 who tried to fight back against Foundation containment. Secretly harvests the organs of the dead civilians and hatches a plan.
Site Director Bronan:
Main antagonist (for this tale). Brutally efficient and intelligent, sees anomalies as something less than human. Near-fanatical devotion to the Foundation's goals.
Charlie Lawson:
Secondary character. Romantic interest of Arthur (this interest is mutual). Has been trying to report Site Director Bronan's actions to the Ethics Committee, which fails due to blackmail, threats, and intimidation.
Story:
SCP-165 tale.
Headcanons:
O5-1
O5-2
O5-3
O5-4
O5-5
O5-6
O5-7
O5-8
O5-9
O5-10
O5-11
O5-12
O5-13
SCP-XXXX - Chronos' Labyrinth
Image credits go to [[[https://500px.com/sc2creations
[Me â–¸ More by this Author â—‚]
Translations:
This one is in need of some heavy editing. Based on a concept that keeled over and died in the ideas forums due to my inability to explain it properly.
By Order of the 05 Council
The following file details a Class X Temporal Anomaly1, and is 5/XXXX Classified. Unauthorised access is forbidden.
This file is infohazardous in nature, and further reading is likely to cause significant detrimental effects. As such, regular inoculation is required throughout this file. If effects persist, please contact RAISA, and an amnestics team will be with you shortly.
Special Containment Procedures:
A circular 5km perimeter around SCP-XXXX has been established and ringed with a three (3) metre tall concrete wall, under the cover story PRI-G2 to dissuade or otherwise prevent access of any animals/individuals into SCP-XXXX. This perimeter is to be patrolled by armed guards at all times, which are to forcibly remove any individuals that attempt to enter. Should any individuals retaliate with force, they are to be detained and amnesticized.
PTF-Delta-4 ("Labyrinth Guardians") PTF-Beta-16 ("Folly of Chronos") PTF-Upsilon-3 ("Sentinels") is to patrol the interior of SCP-XXXX's perimeter and terminate or incapacitate any SCP-XXXX-1 instances that exit from it. Should they be unsuccessful, PTF-Tau-10 ("Monster Hunters") PTF-Rho-12 ("Chronos' Rangers") are to find and terminate said escaped instances. This is to be considered a top priority. If PTF-Rho-12 is unsuccessful after three (3) days, or communication ceases for over two (2) hours without explicit notification thereof, Senior Researcher Alexander Kang and 05-â–ˆ are to be notified immediately, and a localised state of emergency is to be declared.
If capture or termination of an escaped -1 instance is still unsuccessful after a further four (4) days (total elapsed period - one week), or another entity escapes after the initial three-day period, Protocol Delta-Upsilon-Rho is to be enacted. Protocol Delta-Upsilon-Rho consists of the notification of outside sites of the escaped entities, and any possible information regarding them, the activation of the Scranton-Kang Radar3, and the authorisation of other veil-breaking operations to track and/or contain the escaped instance/s.
SCP-XXXX-3 is to be contained in this document. The acknowledged non-existence of SCP-XXXX-3 is critical to its containment.
Description:
SCP-XXXX is a partly extradimensional building located in rural ███, Brazil, discovered on █/█, 2016 after its manifestation earlier that morning4. It is constructed of an unidentified material that has proven completely resistant to all tested forms of damage, including but not limited to: extreme temperatures, blunt force, explosives, acidic/corrosive substances, alteration of local reality, and [REDACTED].
SCP-XXXX's appearance is inconsistent with observation, appearing in different forms based on the location of the viewer in relation to that of the object. Recorded forms have included an extremely tall obelisk, a floating sphere, a dome, higher-dimensional shapes (such as a 6-cube), and several cognitohazardous or antimemetic structures (whether this is a property of the shape taken or a secondary measure is unknown).
The surrounding area of SCP-XXXX suffers from severe anomalous effects. Within its perimeter, objects and entities can be observed to occasionally 'split' randomly, resulting in a shadowy apparition identical to the original detaching and performing different actions. This is presumably a manifestation of an alternate timeline's version of the individual in question, a weakened effect of the primary properties of SCP-XXXX's interior5.
Above SCP-XXXX is a collection of dark grey cumulonimbus storm clouds at an altitude of exactly 1 kilometre, occupying a circular 3 kilometre area. These clouds are in a constant state of agitation, variably producing heavy precipitation, hail, tornados, winds in excess of 60km/h, and/or snow, all of which are accompanied by occasional lightning. Based on observation
The primary purpose of SCP-XXXX is to contain an aggravated retrocausal time paradox (henceforth referred to as 'SCP-XXXX-2') capable of causing significant damage to the current timeline, if not the total collapse of reality. The secondary purpose of SCP-XXXX is to contain SCP-XXXX-1 instances (known as 'aberrations'), which also have the potential to cause significant damage to the current timeline through secondary time paradoxes.
Discovery:
According to Chronos.aic, an Artificial Intelligence Construct (AIC) created to monitor fragile or volatile information databases and record any changes in the current timeline, SCP-XXXX didn't exist within this timeline until 12:47am, GMT-█, whereupon a significant amount of history regarding this object became factually correct and recorded, and numerous iterations of erroneous information appeared inside the numerical designation of this file. According to the information gathered from this timeline's iteration6, SCP-XXXX was discovered in 1987, following reports of 'monsters' in the countryside of ███.
NOTE: Ping Limey for crit once the draft is done via IRC.
Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-XXXX and the area it affects (referred to as SCP-XXXX-1) is contained within the perimeter of Site-126 under the cover story WAR-W/M ("Hazardous Weather/Monitoring Facility"). Approaching civilians are to be discouraged from advancing by security guards stationed around the Site. No further interaction is necessary.
As SCP-XXXX-2 is a location of possible military importance due to its capabilities of indefinitely sustaining a large number of people (>100 000) without outside resources, its location has been expunged from all files except for those on a need-to-know basis.
Description:
SCP-XXXX refers to a static thaumaturgical gateway that spontaneously manifested on the coastline of [REDACTED] (pop. ~120000). SCP-XXXX is physically, chemically, and thaumically inert, having not reacted in any observable way to various testing phenomena or attempts to close it.
SCP-XXXX's manifestation coincided with the significant anomalous alteration of the surrounding area (SCP-XXXX-1)7. Alterations include the manifestation of anomalous flora, a localised change of sea level, land composition, and climate into one fitting for a beach8, and an aura of perceived 'peace' when sapient entities are within the boundaries of SCP-XXXX-1. Of note is that said physical changes are realistically incompatible with the surrounding environment.
UPDATE 28/5/13: Following extensive testing and monitoring, therapy sessions within SCP-XXXX-1 have been approved, as well as general recreational use.
SCP-XXXX-2 is the pocket dimension that SCP-XXXX leads to. Its dimensions are currently unknown, but drone surveillance results estimate the interior to be between 100-200km2 in area. The whole of the observable interior of SCP-XXXX-2 is comprised of interlinking miniature terrestrial biomes (averaging at 2-4 km2 per biome), with appropriate changes in climate for each. It is also worth noting that it shares the aura of peace with SCP-XXXX-1, but stronger in effect. However, despite SCP-XXXXX-2's status as a pocket dimension, its interior follows foreign seasonal cycle consistent with a small planet in a 'P-type' orbital cycle around a binary star system9. Even more oddly, SCP-XXXX-2 is inhabited only by anomalous flora adapted to each biome; no animal life has been found to date.
Discovery:
SCP-XXXX was discovered on 23/7/11 following reports that a beach that had replaced the previous coastline. SCP-XXXX was quickly secured, the reports were taken down, and town residents were amnestised. It is still unknown exactly how SCP-XXXX manifested, but theories suggest there may have been an unregistered but powerful reality bender that accidentally opened it. However, no evidence of amateur reality bending (small spacetime fractures, spatial 'bleeding', nonsensical phenomena, etc.) has thus far been perceived.
Addenda:
Addendum 1:
The following notable 'species' have been found through explorations of SCP-XXXX-2, both remote and manual. Note that scientific names are given based upon physical similarities to terrestrial species (or, if there aren't any, physical characteristics) rather than genetic relation10.
| Discovered in: | Name: | Description: |
|---|---|---|
| Savannah | Malvaceae hibiscus-fulgur (Lightning Hibiscus) | Large (petal spread of 4-6 metres) flowers resembling the terrestrial hibiscus. When at 3-6 months of age, the general age of maturity for this species, their styles grow vertically rapidly and harden, functioning as a primitive 'lightning rod' in anticipation of the frequent lightning of the dry season. When struck, latent thaumic energy within the petals is released, and forms giant (10m in height, 20-50m across) 'blooms' of energy resembling the original plant. These blooms will then metamorphose into hundreds of thaumically charged seeds that grow anomalously quickly, reaching peak size within 2-3 months. Hibiscus tea produced using petals from this plant has universally been described as 'delicious' and functions as a natural stimulant, improving focus and productivity for 2-3 hours with no known side effects. UPDATE: Following the success of cultivation on-Site (and a safe, artificial method of inducing 'blooms'), tea is now available as a beverage in the cafe. |
| Desert (Hot and Dry) | Volubilem Frutex (Tumblebrush) | Large, spherical plants resembling tumbleweeds (hence the name), the Tumblebrush is notable for spending almost the entirety of its mature life in motion (via use of wind), and its symbiotic relationship with many other species found in this biome. Through the use of universal chemical receptors and pheromones, the Tumblebrush will transport seeds and shelter seedlings in exchange for nutrients and water. Nutrients and water will be exchanged via the use of anomalous growths resembling branches that emerge from the Tumblebrush before latching onto and siphoning the requisite supplements from the symbiont plant. Once nearing the end of its lifespan, the Tumblebrush will accept a payload of seeds from another plant, then root itself. After this, it will genetically alter the seeds within itself through use of its 'branches' into members of its own species, before hardening and dying. Seedlings within this husk will proceed to grow quickly and, similar to shark embryos, will 'cannibalise' each other until only one remains, which will grow until it bursts out of the husk of its parent. |
| Tropical Rainforest | cell 3.2 | cell 3.2 |
| Boreal Forest | cell 3.2 | cell 3.2 |
| Marine (Ocean) | cell 3.2 | cell 3.2 |
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NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
The following information has been added to this file in chronological order for archival/analysis purposes, in order to better learn the effects of SCP-XXXX. Level-4 security clearance (with restrictions) is required to access this information.
— Maria Jones, Director, RAISA
Incident XXXX-1
The following events occurred throughout 12/11/19 to 18/11/19. Due to a lack of directly recorded evidence, the following has been constructed via the use of security footage, message logs, and recorded Site memos. All redactions have been added for security purposes, and were not present in the original messages/logs.
VIDEO LOG Security Footage - Hallway 126-4-B
DATE: 12/11/19 (local time)
NOTE: This hallway is directly outside the offices of Site Directors Jason Gibb and Amelia Rothschild.
[BEGIN LOG]
12:22pm: Muffled cursing can be heard from Site Director Rothschild's office. Director Gibb's office is silent.
12:24pm: Director Rothschild exits her office, swearing, before knocking on Director Gibb's door. She is noticeably pale and breathing quickly.
12:25pm: Director Gibb opens the door for Director Rothschild, and shuts the door behind her. The muffled sounds of conversation can be heard from behind the door.
[END LOG]
At 12:41pm, the following memo was sent site-wide:
SCP Foundation Internal Memo
Site Directors' Offices
Site-126
Date: 12/11/19
From: S-Dir. J. Gibb, S-Dir. A. Rothschild
To: Site-126 Personnel [ALL]
Greetings all.
There is no easy way to put this. At 12:22pm today, we received an email from the O5 Council: that we, the SCP Foundation, failed our duty: to secure, to contain, and to protect. Catastrophic cascading containment breaches have occurred across the globe. Our global communications network has since gone dark. We have, effectively, collapsed. There is no current plan for recontaining the escaped anomalies, and there likely will never be.
But while the other Sites around the world have fallen, ours still stands. Our organisation may have failed its task, but we, here at this Site, we have not fallen yet. While we may not be able to save the world, we can save the 100000 people in [REDACTED].
We don't have much time. For the foreseeable future (the next three days, at a generous estimate), our primary goal is the evacuation of [REDACTED]'s residents. Instructions will be sent through within the next 20 minutes.
The world may be ending, but our job isn't over. We have people to save.
Archived Discussion - SCP Official Online Chatroom
[INSERT COOL FORMATTING HERE]
<Private Session has opened [password protected]>
<arthschild & jgibb have joined>
<arthschild> jason
<jgibb> Amelia
<arthschild> you finished with the supply distribution yet
<arthschild> hello?
<jgibb> yes, sorry about that
<jgibb> was just finishing the paperwork now
<jgibb> I've got the B sector people workign on it
<jgibb> working*
<arthschild> good
<jgibb> and you?
<arthschild> ?
<jgibb> how is the first aid setup progressing?
<arthschild> its
<arthschild> progressing
<jgibb> hmm.
<arthschild> i know i know, im sorry
<arthschild> i dont work as fast as yuo do
<jgibb> that's okay
- arthschild sighs
<arthschild> im just a bit on egde right now
<jgibb> entirely understandable
<jgibb> especially considering that the world is ending
<arthschild> please dont remind me
<arthschild> that only makes me even more stressed
<arthschild> if thats even possible
<jgibb> I'll try not to mention it from this point forward, but it is a fact that you have to accept, whether you like it or not
*arthschild sighs again
<arthschild> how
<arthschild> how do you deal with it so well
<jgibb> what?
<arthschild> the stress
<arthschild> the pressure
<arthschild> the fact the world is fucking ending *right now*
<arthschild> and you're just… calm and accepting
<arthschild> i
<arthschild> i dont get it
<arthschild> it's all i can do to not tear my hair out or start crying
<arthschild> but you seem to have already dealt with it
<jgibb> well
<jgibb> I'm constantly running several scenarios over in my head where we fail, or something terrible happens, or I personally make a terrible error
<arthschild> so, how?
<jgibb> to be completely honest?
<jgibb> I have no idea
<jgibb> logically I should be stressed, but I'm not, for whatever reason
<jgibb> maybe I just compartmentalise better than most, or something similar
<arthschild> thats
<arthschild> thats the most you thing ive ever heard you say
<jgibb> thank you?
<arthschild> youre so infuriatingly smart sometimes
<arthschild> goddammit
<jgibb> …I'll take that as a compliment
<arthschild> you do that
<arthschild> because it most certainly is
<jgibb> thank you
<arthschild> you're welcome
[…]
<jgibb> now then
<arthschild> ?
<jgibb> what's the real reason you started this chat room?
<arthschild> im sorry?
<jgibb> I know you well enough that you didn't start this to simply ask whether I had finished my supply distribution, especially considering that you hadn't finished your first aid setup
<jgibb> so tell me
<jgibb> what did you need to speak to me about?
<arthschild> …
<jgibb> I'm not asking as a Site Director
<jgibb> I'm asking as your friend
<arthschild> i
<arthschild> i wanted to
<arthschild> god fucking damn it
<arthschild> its about XXXX
<jgibb> what about it?
<arthschild> i just
<arthschild> i dont know
<arthschild> this is gonna sound stupid but
<arthschild> i dont
<arthschild> i dont really trust it
<arthschild> there i fucking said it
<jgibb> and why is that?
<arthschild> i dont know
<arthschild> i just have this feeling
<arthschild> because we've known about this thing for close to 10 years
<arthschild> and we still know jack shit
<arthschild> where did it come from? why can't we shut it? why do the plants share the same DNA?
<arthschild> and now we're just going to send everyone in there?
<jgibb> you didn't bring this up during the email
<arthschild> i didn't want to make it more difficult
<arthschild> was hard enough as it was
<jgibb> I see
<arthschild> i just
<arthschild> i get that the world is ending
<arthschild> but what if we're sentencing everyone to something worse than death?
<arthschild> god that was trite
<arthschild> i know it sounds ridiculous, but i cant get the thought out of my head
<jgibb> I understand your concerns completely
<jgibb> XXXX is certainly mysterious in many ways
<jgibb> however, I don't think we really have much of a choice
<jgibb> if we don't do anything, you know what would happen
<jgibb> and XXXX, based on our knowledge, is not only safe, but can be helpful
<jgibb> if I remember correctly, you pushed for it to be used for therapy, didn't you?
<arthschild> but what if we're wrong
<arthschild> what if it's a trick
<arthschild> think about it
<arthschild> things like the kitten and that goddamn teddy bear
<arthschild> we missed something, and people paid the price
<jgibb> Amelia.
<arthschild> what if we're missing something here
<jgibb> Amelia please calm down
<arthschild> what if its all a trick and we're just feeding some ravenous fucking monster
<jgibb> Hey
<jgibb> I get your concerns
<jgibb> and I know that certain… past experiences have lent to these thoughts
<arthschild> dont fucking skirt around what happened
<artshchild> say it
<jgibb> Amelia…
<arsthchild> fucking say it
<jgibb> …
<jgibb> They passed away, Amelia
<arthschild> they did not 'pass away'
<arthschild> they were murdered
<jgibb> I'm so sorry about what happened
<arthschild> no, you shut up
<arthschild> you have no idea how it feels
<arthschild> he
<arthschild> he called that day, did you know?
<jgibb> Amelia, you don't need to do this
<arthschild> Samantha was in the back of the car, asleep, and he was driving past a small field
<arthschild> he saw flashes of light
<arthschild> he pulled over, called me, told me what he saw
<arthschild> he told me about a little girl being held hostage by some deranged reality bender with a knife, yelling about how she was a demon and needed to be killed. theyd started drawing a sacrificial circle with their own blood around the girl
<arthschild> Hiro told me about how similar she looked to Samantha
<jgibb> Amelia, please, stop
<arthschild> i told him that an MTF squad was already moving to his position
<arthschild> i told him to wait
<arthschild> and then he told me that she had started screaming
<arthschild> and that he couldn't afford to wait
<arthschild> i heard the gunshot from the phone
<arthschild> i heard the lunatic's body hit the ground
<arthschild> i heard Hiro telling that girl that she'd be alright, that help was here
<arthschild> i didn't see what that little girl became, but i heard it tear Hiro's throat out
<arthschild> the sound of his body hitting the ground was so loud
<arthschild> i was in shock
<arthschild> and then
<jgibb> Amelia you don't have to relive this
<arthschild> i heard Samantha start crying
<arthschild> and the thing screeched
<arthschild> and i could do fucking nothing while that monster smashed through the car door window
<arthschild> and then the phone cut out
<arthschild> they never found my daughter's body, but
<arthschild> her blood
<arthschild> there was so much blood
<arthschild> and that monster
<arthschild> we never heard or saw it again
<jgibb> Amelia…
<arthschild> so no, i don't fucking trust this goddamn anomaly
<arthschild> because it may just turn out to be a fucking trick
<jgibb> I…
<arthschild> im going to go
<arthschild> ive got to think for a while
<arthshchild> has left
[…]
<jgibb> shit.
<jgibb> has left
VIDEO LOG Security Footage - Staff Room
DATE: 13/11/19 (local time)
NOTE: N/A
[BEGIN LOG]
Dialogue/Recorded *stuff* Plan:
Site Electrical Recording Thingy (gotta ask IRC about this, 12/11/19) - Electrical readings are constant until 12:23pm, where the communications and international internet thingy experiences a power surge and malfunctions, before dropping out and failing completely. No electricians note this.
Only a possibility at this point.
Dialogue 1 (private online chatroom, 12/11/19) - Provides depth to both characters (their personalities are revealed through the interview), disagreement about SCP-XXXX-2.
Gibb - Levelheaded, coolly logical, but slightly indecisive. Caring and forgiving. Tends to overthink things. Doesn't have a family. Struggles a bit socially.
Rothschild - Hotheaded, fiercely intelligent. Strong moral compass, seemingly indomitable spirit, decisive. Lost her family to an anomaly, irrationally feels she could have saved them. Secretly (even to herself) cowardly.
Dialogue 2 (irl conversation, 13/11/19) - Further depth to characters. Pressure on friendship. First time the hallucinogen begins to fail on Rothschild.
Rothschild Diary 1 (13/11/19)- Discussion on stress, the dilemma about -2, and what she's been seeing.
Dialogue 3 (irl conversation, 14/11/19)- More pressure/breakage of friendship. Rothschild's first admittance of what she's seen as support for her argument of distrust of -2. Gibb questions if she's had a history of psychosis/had a psychotic incident, and when Rothschild hesitates, Gibb sighs and tells her that it is stress. Remainder of argument consists of Rothschild getting extremely angry at Gibb, and Gibb telling that she is being irrational, to seek medical treatment, etc. (but in a caring, concerned way). Conversation ends when Rothschild storms out.
Rothschild Diary 2 (14/11/19)- Anger at Gibb, questioning of her own sanity.
Security Footage 1 (outside the Site, 15/11/19) - Takes place at 1:32am outside the Site, cameras focused on SCP-XXXX-1. Even though the cameras are heavily obscured by something, a figure can be seen exiting the Site, heading towards SCP-XXXX.
Security Footage 2 (Site cafeteria, 15/11/19) - Takes place at 1:23pm, again the security footage is mostly obscured. Rothschild can be vaguely made out being accosted by many colleagues. Vague expressions of concern about her wellbeing are made. Rothschild moves out of view. Soon after, the sound of a dining tray clattering and someone hitting the floor are heard. Rothschild can be heard shouting indiscriminately, the phrase 'I'm not crazy' is heard multiple times. The sound of people moving and other shouts are also heard. Footage ends when Rothschild can barely be seen heading out of the cafeteria, followed by someone.
Security Footage 3 (Hallway 126-4-B, 15/11/19) - Security footage is mostly obscured, something unknown can be seen hanging from the ceiling, just out of frame. Rothschild is accosted by Gibb, who tells her that she is acting out-of-character. Much to Rothschild's chagrin, Gibb tells her to get some rest, and that he'll be the one to make the speech to the town's citizens. As she punches him, several Site personnel round the corner, and gasps are heard. Rothschild is escorted into her office and locked within, Gibb citing her need for rest and recuperation due to stress and psychosis. Despite her pleads, Gibb and the rest of the staff members leave to evacuate the town. They assure her that they'll come back to her later.
Security Footage 4 - Hallucinogen completely fails on Rothschild. She proceeds, over the next hour and a half, to break out (no windows, only a skylight made of heavily reinforced glass), but not before downloading the contents of her computer for evidence. She runs out to confront Jacob, but the evacuation into the portal has already happened. Cursing, she runs back into the Site to gather steak knives from the cafe and an assault rifle from the small armoury. Her hands are visibly shaking.
Security Footage 5 - Rothschild can be seen walking slowly towards SCP-XXXX. When she reaches the gateway, she visibly steels herself to enter. Instead of entering, however, she pauses for 10 seconds. She is noticeably hyperventilating (based on the movement of her body). She proceeds to slowly back away from SCP-XXXX, walking backwards, before fully turning away and sprinting. When she passes by the camera, tears are visible on her face, along with a constant muttering of 'I can't'.
MTF Log
Ursinsk, Russia, 3/7/1975.
9:35pm
The clouds were angry tonight, robbing the countryside of what little moonlight laid behind them. Towering and dark, they roiled and tumbled far above, raining their wrath on the sightless world below. Branches snapped. Trees fell. The wind roared and howled with terrifying force, its rage tearing at that which dared stand in its way. Light came only from the stark cracks of lightning that scarred air and ground alike, offering frustratingly little relief in the pitch blackness. And the snow, harsh and cold, smothered that which wasn't felled by the lightning or wind. Any being exposed to the devastating trio of this storm's fury would surely succumb.
Had the beings held at a certain soviet research site had bodies, they too would have fallen to the storm. Instead, they simply ignored the passionate tempest, as they had much more pressing matters at hand: the excruciating pain of being perceived. This suffering was unlike any that had ever been experienced before, nor would be experienced again. For them, every day was pain. Every day was a struggle, a torment, wracked with trauma and misery unending. Their torturers were ruthless, their anguish ignored; this was eternal pain condensed into every infinite, instant moment of every endless hour. The gall, the audacity of these tormentors to inflict such cruelty made the beings want to scream. Screaming, however, required a mouth. Required substance. Required existence. The beings possessed none of these, but what they did have, they had in abundance.
Hate. Their endless hate fuelled them, gave them meaning, gave them purpose, gave them some twisted sense of existence, even if nothing else did. It burned deeply within them, an acid of unparalleled acrimony waiting to be unleashed upon the minds of those who had dared to look upon them. This hate drove them past interminable days of woe and tribulation, past the want, no, need, to die, to cease, to end. It drove them past all the pain and all the torture, and all the wretchedness and malaise and affliction. Finally, here, and now, on this dark and stormy night, these rancorous creatures hated and hated and hated with every fibre of their non-being. The nerve of these oppressors made them want to scream.
And despite lacking a mouth, or substance, or even existence, scream they finally did.
Research Site 0578-B, 4/7/1975.
7:39am
"Hey, Andrei!"
"Andrei!"
"Andrei! You awake?"
The man named Andrei was currently attempting to sleep in his bunk, doing his level best to ignore the voice that sought to wake him. Realisation of what was coming hit him too late, and even as he tried to grip his sheets with all of his strength-
yank.
Andrei cursed softly, and turned towards the cruel thief that had stolen his warmth. Upon opening his eyes, however, he found himself far, far too close to the face of the blanket stealer and, doing the logical thing, screamed and fell out of his bunk, landing heavily on his back. As he laid looking at the ceiling in a daze, the blanket thief's face appeared in his vision once more, smirking. "And a good morning to you too, Andrei," the thief said.
Andrei groaned once more to the sound of snickering. Of course it was Alexander. Why was he surprised? He tried to lean his head back in exasperation, only to find it blocked by a rather inconveniently placed floor, eliciting more snickers. Too tired for anything more, Andrei simply held up a certain finger in response.
"Wow. Maybe not such a good morning then?" Alexander asked. He looked at Andrei with mocking concern. Andrei only snorted derisively. He dragged himself off the floor and once again came face to face with his dorm mate, this time (thankfully) having an acceptable amount of space between them. He used this time to scrutinise Alexander's face, looking for something to insult, or at least point out as out-of-place. An immaculate appearance was something Alexander prided himself on.
Hair?
Hair? Nope. It was stylish as ever, pulled back in a black fucking mane, something only Alexander could achieve. Eyes? No success either. Not a speck of sleep could be seen in the eyelashes, and the eyes themselves — sparkling with humour — were as vibrant green as ever. Clothes? Goddammit, there wasn't even- hang on.
"Ah-ha!" Andrei exclaimed triumphantly, wielding his finger like some instrument of God. He pointed to a single crease in Alexander's otherwise perfectly ironed shirt. "Look! A crease! You missed a crease, you pretentious little—"
"Hush now, Andrei. Foul language only puts the one who speaks it in a fouler mood, and we couldn't have that, couldn't we?" Alexander interrupted. Seeing Andrei's withering glare at being cut off, he only laughed and walked out of the room. "See you soon, sleepyhead!" he called out, before the door shut behind him.
Andrei looked at the messy room around him, and sighed.
Item #: SCP-5802
Clearance Level: 4 (Secret)
Containment Class: Uncontained Euclid
Disruption Class: Ekhi
Risk Class: Critical
Image of an SCP-5802-A instance. Note the artificial light from above, and the lack of visible pollution due to its depth below the surface.
Description:
Lake Winnipeg, before conversion into SCP-5802-1.
19/7/17
So far, the plan's been a massive success. I create oil or gas or whatever in some desert or otherwise uninhabited area, we buy stocks for a small company, we lead them to the deposit, and voilà ! Money, just like magic. And it is, really. My magic, or ability, it's the secret behind our success. I've never seen Marshall so estatic for one of his plans, and it makes me happy to see him that way. Carter, too. All of us, a team, working together and making absurd amounts of money. Thank goodness Marshall solved the tax loophole a while ago, or else we'd be paying more than most small countries. Everything's going well. Everything's fine. Everything's just…
God, I really don't want to write this down, because that means acknowledging there's a problem, that something might actually be there. I'm going to go insane if I don't though, so here it is:
There's something watching me. At night. When I'm sleeping. When I'm eating, when I'm walking, when I'm talking, showering. Everywhere, all the time, I feel something watching. I don't know who, or what, it is. But I know it's there. When I use my powers, the presence gets… more 'there'. I can feel the weight of its gaze bearing down on me.
Maybe I'm just stressed. I don't know. Whatever the answer, it's time for bed. I need some sleep.
Sleep that's hard to come by because maybe, just maybe, there's a pair of eyes on me the whole time.
23/7/17
oh god oh god oh god oh god fuck fuck fuck. The thing, the thing watching me? It- I just heard it. It fucking said my name. Jesus fucking Christ. Oh fuck, am I going crazy? Oh fuck. God. Fuck. Fuck.
Guess I'm not going to sleep tonight.
25/7/17
The thing, the thing watching me? It has a name. 'Ralatoth'. It just told me, introduced itself inside my head. Told me to be calm, that I attracted its attention with my 'good work'. HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM AFTER A FUCKING DEITY, YES, A FUCKING DEITY, JUST CONTACTED ME BY TALKING INSIDE MY HEAD???
Okay, I've taken a moment to calm down a bit. It- it said it was a deity of good fortune through labour and work, and that it's decided to, uh, 'bless me' for that. No fucking clue what that means, but maybe it's a good thing? I don't know. Maybe it's because of all the money I've donated to charity, but whatever.
I'm going to try to sleep now. I think I need a clear head for this.
26/7/17
I- I'm stronger now. My magic. It's so much stronger. Holy shit. I can create so much more now. Marshall's beyond happy. He says that the operation will be going even faster now, gave me a look I can't describe, but I liked it. Looked like he could kiss me for a second there. I kind of wish that he had.
I guess this is what Ralatoth meant by 'blessing'.
27/7/17
Ralatoth talked to me again today. Said that he wanted something in return for his blessing. Wants me to do some ritual in his name, like the Greeks did. Said that he'd continue to bless me if I did. Weird shit, but I guess help sometimes comes from unexpected places. Anyway, I'll need [DETAILS OF RITUAL EXPUNGED], and I gotta perform it tonight. Hopefully he likes it.
29/7/17
Things are going swimmingly. The operation's going even better than before, Ralatoth is continuing to bless me, and yeah. Divine favour feels pretty good. Gotta do that ritual every night or something. I feel like some witch of old, but I sure as hell ain't complaining.
30/7/17
Ralatoth. He fucking appeared today, and holy shit is he a sight to behold. Appeared in a white flash in the middle of my ritual, looked like someone just dropped a fucking angel in front of me (and no, not those 'Biblically accurate' ones, like an actual fucking angel (pretty handsome too)). He had white robes, a halo, the works. Had a gear for one eye, and a ledger in the other. Smiled at me, and it felt like I just got bathed in the warmest sunshine I'd ever felt, trite as that is. Said that I was doing great work, being the first one he'd chosen in a long time, and one of the very few who still did rituals in his name. Told me that tomorrow night, he wanted something to really seal the deal. He asked me for some of my blood in the ritual in place of [DATA EXPUNGED], more of a divine formality kind of thing, mainly just to officially seal the deal. If that mean's his blessing, I'm down. Anything to make Marshall happy.
31/7/17
I- I feel like my eyes have been opened. Just finished the blood ritual, and I feel so much more alive. Everything feels so vibrant and, just, full of life. Ralatoth said that I was seeing things the way he did. He looked so happy for me. I feel happy too. Just making Marshall Ralatoth happy brings me a joy I cannot describe. I'd do just about anything for him.
1/8/17
I know how to please him, he has showed me the way. Carter's been seeing Ralatoth too, he did the ritual as well. He gathered the both of us, told us that he'd show us what to do for him over the coming days, and that he'd further bless us if we did. Of course I'll do it. Do it for Ralatoth.
10/8/17
Oil smog the glow of radium sunlight dappled through smog the warm flames of burning coal the sweet smell of gas, Ralatoth showed me it all. Every night, all night, over and over and over and over and over and
[This is repeated several hundred times.]
I know what I have to do now. To please him. To please Ralatoth. Nothing else matters. Nothingexcept Marshall.
On the 20th of September, 2017, the Foundation received a distress call from Skitter Marshall from within a warehouse in the city of Ontario.
AUDIO LOG - MC&D WAREHOUSE 57-A
DATE: 20/9/17
NOTE: Unless explicitly stated otherwise, Marshall is whispering throughout the phone call.
[BEGIN LOG]
Agent Carlson: Hello?
Marshall: Oh thank fuck. I've never been so happy for a phone call in my life.
Agent Carlson: Who am I speaking to?
Marshall: Skitter Marshall, of MC&D. I'm giving you my coordinates now.
(Agent Carlson receives a message detailing Marshall's location.)
Agent Carlson: Okay, why the fuck are you calling us?
Marshall: It's Carter and Dark. They've…
(A muffled sob can be heard.)
Marshall: I don't know what happened. They're not themselves anymore.
Agent Carlson: What?
Marshall: Their abilities. They got exposed to, uh, what do you call it? SCP-3396. That. They got abilities, we monopolised on it. But they're out of control. I don't fucking know what happened, but they- they've been corrupted somehow.
Agent Carlson: How do you know that item designation? That's top secret!
Marshall: It doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that they're fucking hunting me right now, and I can't-
(Marshall is interrupted by the sound of a door opening.)
Marshall: Shit. You gotta get me out, now. They're here.
Carter, in the distance: Marshall, come out now! Don't live up to your first name like this!
Dark, in the distance: Come on Marshall. We can open your eyes, just like ours were.
Agent Carlson: I see. We got an MTF squad coming, ETA five minutes. We're getting you out of there.
Marshall: Thank fuck.
Carter, in the distance: Have I ever told you about the joy of industry? Seeing people work, their sweat glistening on their skin, their panting and heaving, is music to my ears! It's a beauty I'll help you appreciate, Marshall!
Dark, in the distance: And what better to go with industry than its products! The warm glow of uranium, the hiss of an acid eating away at a tree, dappled sunlight passing through clouds of smog… It's a sight to behold.
Carter and Dark, together in the distance: We just want to show you beauty, Marshall!
Marshall: Hear that? That's them. They've gone fucking insane.
Carter, from closer: Come on Marshall. You may be scared now, but you'll thank us when it's done.
Marshall: Fuck. ETA?
Agent Carlson: Two minutes.
Marshall: Shit.
Dark, from closer: We'll be together again, the big three of the business world! Join us, Marshall! We'll make the world our factory!
Marshall: Oh god, I can see her.
Agent Carlson: What? Get down!
Marshall: She's so… why is there so much oil? And are those… bones?
Agent Carlson: Get down! Do you want to be seen?
Marshall: Shit shit shit. I think she saw me. When's the fucking ETA?
Agent Carlson: 30 seconds.
Marshall: Fuck me.
(The sounds of shuffling are heard. Suddenly, Dark's voice is heard from very close by. Notably, a faint gurgling undertone can be heard when she speaks.)
Dark: Oh Marshall, where are you? Why do you have to make this so difficult?
Marshall: (Heavy breathing.)
Agent Carlson, whispering: 10 seconds.
Carter, from above: There you are.
Marshall, shouting: Oh fuck!
(The phone registers several seconds of Marshall shouting indiscriminately before cutting out.)
[END LOG]
VIDEO LOG: MTF - MC&D WAREHOUSE 57-A
DATE: 20/9/17
TEAM MEMBERS:
SUNRISE - Team Lead
WHISKEY - Infantry
JESTER - Cover
TRACER - Communications
WOLFHOUND - Thaumaturgist/Fire Support
NOTE:
[BEGIN LOG]
(Video log begins from WOLFHOUND's camera. Members are seen entering MC&D Warehouse 57-A. SUNRISE is in front, and motions for a standard entry for an aggressor with unknown abilities. Upon opening the front door, a large amount of smoke billows outwards, obscuring visibility.)
SUNRISE: Infrared on people. We don't know what we're dealing with, but the aggressors are apparently insane and have unspecified abilities, so be prepared for anything.
(The remaining team members give sounds of affirmation. In front of WOLFHOUND, there is nothing but swirling blue. As Pi-1 moves through the door, the sound of female laughter echoes through the warehouse, followed by Marshall’s screaming. SUNRISE motions for the team members to split up into two groups: JESTER and TRACER move to follow SUNRISE, while WHISKEY joins WOLFHOUND.)
JESTER, via radio: I’m seeing something on the Hume reader. There’s two entities, one in the centre of the warehouse, and one on the ceiling, about 6 metres from the left wall. Infrared tells me that Marshall’s strung up somewhere near the back of the warehouse by… something. I can’t tell what it is. Our group will be heading via the centre towards Marshall. WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY, you go via the right.
SUNRISE, via radio: And remember: our mission is to recover Marshall safely, not to neutralise, or even contain, the anomalies. If you see an opportunity, take it, but if you’re under attack, get out of there. Please, for the love of God, don’t do anything stupid. I’ve got enough paperwork already.
(There is light laughter over the radio from the team members.)
SUNRISE, via radio: Seriously though, stay safe, and good luck.
(WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY begin moving slowly through the warehouse’s interior, staying close to the right wall. After walking for a short time, WOLFHOUND notices something on the floor, nearly invisible to the infrared filter. He motions for WHISKEY to stop, and, careful not to make a sound, draws a binding circle around the object.)
WHISKEY, whispering: What the hell’s that thing?
WOLFHOUND, whispering: Don’t know. It’s mechanical though, and it’s got a really nasty aura about it. Whatever it is, it isn’t good.
(As they continue to move towards Marshall, they come across 4 more of the unknown mechanical devices. WOLFHOUND manages to draw a binding circle around each without incident. Suddenly, JESTER contacts the team via radio once more.)
JESTER, via radio: The entities are moving. I repeat, the entities are on the move. WOLFHOUND, WHISKEY, the thing on the ceiling’s moving in your general direction. It’s… dropping things as it’s going along, they’re hard to make out. Some of them are moving as well though, but in random directions. I’ll let you know if it starts getting too close, so be prepared to make an exit on short notice.
WOLFHOUND, WHISKEY, via radio: Affirmative.
WOLFHOUND, via radio: Actually, those things that it’s dropping, I think they might be mechanical. We’ve seen a couple things that look similar while we’ve been walking. I’ve been able to draw binding circles around them. Got no idea about them other than that, but their auras are so nasty that it probably isn’t a good idea to get close.
JESTER, via radio: Good to know. Over and out.
(WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY continue forward. There are several large metal storage containers around them, making it difficult for them to identify where they are. As WOLFHOUND is the process of binding another mechanical device, they are interrupted by a slow, rhythmic tapping from the container behind them. WOLFHOUND hastily finishes the binding circle, and motions for WHISKEY to follow him into the space between two containers to their immediate left.
As WOLFHOUND pulls WHISKEY into the gap, an unknown, spiderlike entity, about 1 metre tall and wide, shrouded in shadow, is seen slowly emerging from a gap approximately five metres behind them. WOLFHOUND immediately begins performing the complex kinetoglyph ‘Smokescreen’, which would render him and WHISKEY indistinguishable from the surrounding environment. As the kinetoglyph progresses, the rhythmic tapping gets louder, and a blue light becomes visible from around the corner of the container.
WOLFHOUND finishes performing the glyph as the unknown entity rounds the corner. It proceeds to scan the area with harsh, blue light, before turning away. When it does, the details of its appearance become visible: an exceedingly complex series of gears, levers, and pulleys, formed into a shape resembling a cross between a spider and octopus with pointed legs. The blue light emanates from its ‘head’, presumably to assist it in seeing in the smoke-filled environment.
While WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY stand motionless, the entity turns around to examine the bound unknown device. It tries to touch it, but is repelled with a series of sparks by a white barrier that appears in response to the entity’s appendage. The entity shrieks, before several weapons and tools form from its leg that it uses to attack the barrier. When this is unsuccessful, it pauses, before circling the device, apparently scrutinising it.
It stops when it notices a tiny flaw in the binding circle, and lifts its leg to touch the barrier. While the white force field still appears, its light is significantly weaker than before, and no sparks are produced. Triumphant, the entity forms a tool resembling a pair of glowing red pliers on its leg and jams it into the flaw. Red and white sparks are produced, and cracks begin to appear in the barrier. As the entity applies more force, the cracks widen and spread, before the barrier shatters with the sound of breaking glass.
The entity chitters in satisfaction, before tapping the mechanical device in a series of places and stepping back. A large swarm of glowing yellow nanomachines emerges from the device and approaches the entity, which begins to chitter, shriek, and tap its legs in an apparent form of communication. The swarm flashes a series of colours for varying periods of time, and then resets to its original golden glow before flying away above WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY.
Following this, the entity slowly moves away as WOLFHOUND seems to slump downwards and fall backwards, caught by WHISKEY before they hit the floor. After waiting for a time until the entity’s movement is out of earshot, they begin to breathe heavily, but subduedly.)
WHISKEY, whispering: What the fuck was that thing?
WOLFHOUND, whispering: I’ll be damned if I know, but thank God I managed to hide us in time. If I’d screwed up, we’d probably both be dead.
WHISKEY, whispering: Well, you didn’t, and we’re alive to feel grateful for that. You just collapsed on me though, so just how powerful was that spell? (Pauses.) What was that spell?
WOLFHOUND, whispering: Smokescreen. Sigma-class Kinetoglyph. Surrounds the caster and immediate persons in an obscuring field that blends into the surrounding environment. Blocks just about all forms of detection, and thank God for that, because that thing used… (Pause) about 14 different scan methods simultaneously while looking at us.
WHISKEY, whispering: Jesus.
WOLFHOUND: If that’s just the servant, I’d hate to meet the master. We’d better be even quieter than before, because now we know just how dangerous this can be. Better let SUNRISE know, actually.
(WOLFHOUND keys SUNRISE on his radio.)
WOLFHOUND, via radio: SUNRISE, we got a problem. We just met a subordinate of one of the main entities, and we almost died. Smokescreen protected us. If worst comes to worst, I'd be able to pull off… two more, but I'd be out of commission for a while after that. Advise?
SUNRISE, via radio: Hmm. (There is a long pause.) Continue for now. If you meet another one and have to use Smokescreen again, get out of there.
WOLFHOUND, via radio: Got it.
(WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY slowly continue forward. As they get closer to Marshall, the number of mechanical devices increases, but all are bound without a problem. Interestingly, no more anomalous automata are encountered throughout the rest of the journey, until WOLFHOUND and WHISKEY reach the final container. Both cautiously look around the container, and gasp softly.
Marshall is strung up inside an enormous spiderweb, with thin, metal strands in place of silk. Several of the unknown entities patrol the area, climbing upon and tending to the 'silk' to maintain its structural integrity. Marshall himself lies at the centre, tightly bound in wire, appearing unconscious. SCP-5802-1A is nowhere to be seen. The two MTF members quickly duck back behind the container, and curse quietly.)
WOLFHOUND, whispering: Holy shit. Holy shit. How the hell are we supposed to get to Marshall if he's strung up there and surrounded by those spider-things, let alone rescue him!
(WHISKEY shrugs helplessly. WOLFHOUND keys in SUNRISE via radio.)
WOLFHOUND, via radio: SUNRISE, we've found Marshall. There's a bit of a problem.
SUNRISE, via radio: And that problem is..?
WOLFHOUND, via radio: He's strung up in some kind of fucked up metal spiderweb, surrounded by at least five of those things that nearly killed us earlier. The ceiling thing's nowhere to be seen.
SUNRISE, via radio: Hmm. That does seem to be a problem.
WOLFOUND, via radio: Can you get JESTER to tell us where Carter and Dark are? Information would be really important right about know. Don't want to have gotten this far to be assassinated from behind.
SUNRISE, via radio: Sure. First though, where are you? In relation to Marshall, that is. Are you coming from the left or right?
(WOLFHOUND turns to WHISKEY, who has also noticed the problem. They have a stricken look on their face.)
WOLFHOUND, via radio: Being the one that told us which direction to go, you should know. (Pauses.) Where the fuck is the real SUNRISE? Where's the rest of his team?
Dark, via radio: Shit. I was hoping that would work. Carter's voice modulator worked like a charm, but I guess there's no accounting for a lack of information, especially when your members clammed up like they did. (Sighs.) Oh well. Guess we'll have to use the 'subordinates' you mentioned. How many Smokescreens did you say you had left? Two?
WOLFHOUND, via radio: Fuck you.
Dark, via radio: Tsk tsk. You're wasting valuable time insulting me that could be used for running away. Not that you'll escape, of course. See you soon then!
(WOLFHOUND turns off the radio. From behind the container, blue lights can be seen sweeping across the area, and the sounds of chittering and tapping can be heard. She turns to face WHISKEY.)
WOLFHOUND, whispering: You know how I said I could do two more Smokescreens?
(WHISKEY nods.)
WOLFHOUND, whispering: That was technically a lie. (She plucks a small flask full of glowing orange liquid out of (presumably) her pocket, shaking it lightly from side to side.) I've got a little something that's only slightly illegal right here, and with it, I'll be able to pull off a hell of a lot more than just two Smokescreens. (Sighs.) There's a catch, though. I'm not coming back after this. Last resort kind of thing. Makes you all but a god for about five minutes, leaves you a husk afterward. When I drink this, I want you to find SUNRISE, JESTER, and TRACER, if they're even still alive, and get the hell out of here. Don't worry about me.
(WHISKEY looks shocked. As he tries to protest, he is cut off.)
WOLFHOUND, whispering: Shh. We don't really have a choice here. It's either I die, or everyone does, as well as putting everyone in this city at risk. Not much of a decision really. (She smirks.) And besides, I've always wanted to know what being a god feels like. (Sighs.) I'm sorry about this, James, I got no choice.
(Camera view switches to WHISKEY. WOLFHOUND walks away, towards the other side of the container, the chittering and tapping getting louder as she does so. She drinks the flask and shudders, before several ghostly arms appear from her back. When she speaks, her voice has a noticeable echoing quality.)
WOLFHOUND: Go. I'd hate for you to be caught up in the crossfire. (She smiles.) I'll see you on the other side, wherever and whenever that may be.
(As WHISKEY backs away, WOLFHOUND rounds the corner at a run. Immediately, all of the sweeping blue lights focus on her, and a cacophony of chittering starts. Before she disappears from sight, WOLFHOUND is seen performing several Omega-class kinetoglyphs simultaneously while several of the spider like entities fly backwards, consumed by green flames.
The sounds of chittering, Dark's yelling, Carter's laughter, and the crackling of flames or ice, along with several explosions, can be heard as WHISKEY runs. He uses his infrared vision to locate SUNRISE's team, and sprints towards them through a maze of containers, the ground shaking all the while. He finds SUNRISE, JESTER, and TRACER with various severe injuries encased in an unknown hard, white material, attached to the wall of a container.
Quickly, WHISKEY brings out a pulse charge, and lays it against the white substance. There is a fast, heavy thumping sound, and the substance, vibrating rapidly, turns to dust. WHISKEY catches SUNRISE and JESTER, and holds TRACER against the wall with his leg. After carefully laying the aforementioned members onto the ground, WHISKEY grabs TRACER, also laying them on the ground. WHISKEY then turns around to survey their injuries.
TRACER has laceration wounds across his whole body of variable depth. Several are hissing and producing steam due to the insertion of unknown, presumably caustic chemicals. His breathing is even. JESTER has several large lumps resembling tumours across her face, arms, and chest. Her breathing is slightly uneven. SUNRISE is bleeding from both nostrils, and his left arm has been sliced off and cauterised. Several deflated abscesses with large cuts and leaking yellow fluid, presumably the pierced tumours that are present on TRACER, are visible on his right arm Surveying the damage, WHISKEY revives JESTER and TRACER with smelling salts, and their eyes slowly flutter open.)
WHISKEY: Get up. We gotta go.
(TRACER and JESTER groan, sitting up slowly.)
WHISKEY: Let's go, let's go! (He moves to pick up SUNRISE, putting him on his back.) Use me for support! Come on!
(TRACER and JESTER struggle upwards, before putting their arms around WHISKEY's shoulders. Slowly, the four of them walk forward, the ground shaking all the while. They almost collapse several times, but soon, the exit to the warehouse is in sight.)
WHISKEY: Just a- just a little further…
(Five metres from the door, the sound of tearing metal and screaming can be heard, before WOLFHOUND yells something that cannot be made out. Immediately after this, an extremely powerful explosion occurs, and the shockwave is enough to push WHISKEY's group out of the warehouse, which is levelled in the explosion. All camera feeds turn to static.)
[END LOG]
Concluding Notes: After the conclusion of this log, WHISKEY, JESTER, TRACER, and SUNRISE were recovered. SUNRISE was in critical condition, JESTER and TRACER had moderately severe injuries, and WHISKEY emerged mostly unharmed. Carter and Dark (SCP-5802-1A and -1B) were not found at the scene, and likely fled. Marshall was found unharmed at the former centre of the warehouse, still bound in wire. He was recovered in critical condition, and is currently comatose.
WOLFHOUND was also not recovered at the scene, and is presumed dead. She received a formal reprimand for possession of a dangerous illegal substance, and was also awarded a posthumous Foundation Star for her bravery and sacrifice resulting in a successful mission with minimal casualties.
Containment or neutralisation of SCP-5802-1A and -1B is of high priority.
From the distress call onwards, several hundred defectors from MC&D Ltd assisted in the SCP-5802 investigation and containment efforts. As investigations continued, the severity of SCP-XXXX prompted the assistance of several GoIs into containing and/or destroying SCP-XXXX. Together with the members of MTF Omega-8 and several other highly skilled MTF personnel, a new MTF was formed for the assassination of SCP-XXXX-1A and -1B - MTF Tau-7 ("Cease and Desist Ltd.).
On 21/10/17, MTF Tau-7 was successful in breaching SCP-XXXX-1 (then SCP-XXXX-4). Due to the casualty of all team members, it is currently unknown what happened within SCP-XXXX-4, save for a telepathic transmission from a former MTF Omega-8 team member:
[[include component:advanced-information-methodology
|XXXX=XXXX
|lv=one
|cc=THAUMIEL
|dc=DARK
|site=Site-0
|dir=Dr Director
|head=Dr Doctor
|mtf=Alpha-1
]]
Special Containment Procedures:
As SCP-6000 has already exhibited its effects on reality as a whole, containment is unnecessary. Further investigation into SCP-6000 is prohibited by order of the O5 Council and Ethics Committee until a method of reversing SCP-6000 that will not remanifest SCP-6000-1 can be found. To prevent the accidental/intentional reversal of SCP-6000, all previous researchers have been amnestised.
The finding and acquisition of previous Lead Researcher Eliza Terris is of highest priority, and is the assigned task of the newly-formed MTF-Omega-18 ("Searchers").
Description:
SCP-6000 refers to certain elements of the concept of 'nature'; more specifically, it refers to their apparent removal from baseline reality. SCP-6000 occurred as a method of neutralisation of SCP-6000-1 through PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL after the failure of OPERATION: VOID COLLAPSE to terminate SCP-6000-1. SCP-6000's effects are present across the entire known Universe.
SCP-6000-1 was a deific entity and physical representation of 'natural disaster' and 'entropy'. SCP-6000-1 would have destroyed the Earth were it not for the advent of SCP-6000, which removed it from existence due to its conceptual ties to 'nature'.
'Nature' itself, while not inherently anomalous, has been designated SCP-6000-A due to its association with SCP-6000.
Discovery:
SCP-6000 was discovered on 24/8/57, following the detection of numerous errors within Site-01 as reported by Harpocrates.aic, an Artificial Intelligence Construct (AIC) responsible for monitoring information within Site-01's database, and flagging any detected discrepancies.
Harpocrates.aic reported the presence of hundreds of billions of errors within Site-01's database, which would later be found to have appeared on 12/3/22. These errors had gone unnoticed due to strong antimemetic properties as part of PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL, having been made detectable due to Harpocrates.aic's update to v5.6, which featured breakthrough technology for the detection of antimemes.
Of the large amounts of erroneous data that was detected, only ~5% was feasibly translatable, while the excess was impossible to transcribe. As of 13/9/58, ~27% of the possibly translatable data has been deciphered, 83% of which is corrupted beyond recognition or is otherwise impossible to understand.
On 17/5/58, the original SCP-6000 file was translated from Site-01's database by previous Lead Researcher Eliza Terris, revealing much of SCP-6000's true nature and the circumstances necessitating its activation. Following this discovery, Terris left Site-01, citing urgent personal affair, and promptly went missing.
It is currently unknown how she is evading Foundation search efforts, but uncovered diary entries reveal that she received a number of anomalous 'gifts' from entities that, due to SCP-6000, no longer exist. The circumstances surrounding the manifestation of these entities are unknown.
Addenda:
Addendum 1: Original SCP-6000 File:
On 17/5/58, the following file was decrypted from within SCP-6000.
Item #: SCP-6000
Clearance Level: 6/Cosmic Top Secret
Object Classification: Esoteric
Secondary Classification: Tiamat11 Ignosi12
Special Containment Procedures:
Following the failure of OPERATION: VOID COLLAPSE on the 15/2/22, SCP-6000 is to be neutralised by the use of PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL.
PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL refers to the use of numerous SCP objects13 to remove certain elements of the concept of 'nature' from reality. This Protocol has been approved for use by the O5 Council in a majority vote.
Full detailing of PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL can be found within the addendum of this file.
SCP-6000 is to be neutralised as soon as possible through the execution of OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE.
OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE is a collective effort from numerous GoIs, including the GOC, the Serpent's Hand, Sarkists, and the Church of the Broken God, to neutralise SCP-6000. The following are required for the execution of OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE:
- Mass production of DEICIDE-Class Thaumaturgical Nuclear Missiles(DCTNMs) and Metaphysical Dissociation Arrays (MDAs) through the use of SCP-██, SCP-██, and SCP-███14
- The use of SCPs ██, ███, and ███15
- The deployment of MTF-Alpha-15 ("God Killers") and MTF-Tau-5 ("Samsara"), the former augmented with anomalous bodily modifications and weaponry
- Preparation and performance of the PURIFYING SOL ritual by members of the Serpent's Hand and Foundation thaumaturgists
- Preparation and performance of the FADING MOONLIGHT ritual by members of the Serpent's Hand and GOC thaumaturgists
- Preparation and performance of the NULLIFY ritual by Foundation thaumaturgists
- The acquisition of the Spear of the Non-Believer, as provided by members of the Serpent's Hand
- The production of anomalous weaponry as provided by members of the Church of the Broken God
- The production of DEITY-SLAYER Sarkic constructs as provided by Sarkic members
- The use of SCP-███ and SCP-███16 to apotheosise High Karcist Reto and His Holiness Robert Bumaro for the purposes of direct combat against SCP-6000. If OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE is successful, both Reto and Bumaro are to be terminated immediately through the use of DCTNMs and MTF-Alpha-15 and Tau-5
When these requirements are fulfilled (estimated date of fulfilment - 11/2/22), OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE is to be performed as follows:
- SCP-6000 is to be engaged approximately 19AU from the Sun near the orbital path of Uranus
- MDAs are to be activated. Once successful activation is achieved, the NULLFY ritual is to be completed, thus severing SCP-6000 from its apparent immortality
- Following this, the DCTNMs and weaponry provided by the Church of the Broken God is to be launched at SCP-6000, while the PURIFYING SOL and FADING MOONLIGHT rituals are to be completed simultaneously
- After the conclusion of the first round of DCTNM fire, DEITY-SLAYER Sarkic constructs are to be released where the body of SCP-6000 protects them from the effects of the NULLIFY, PURIFYING SOL, and FADING MOONLIGHT rituals, while controlled use of CotBG weaponry is to be maintained
- As the PURIFYING SOL and FADING MOONLIGHT rituals end, SCPs ██, ███, and ███ are to be launched at SCP-6000's eye, skull, and higher-dimensional brain respectively
- Following the conclusion of the PURIFYING SOL and FADING MOONLIGHT rituals and the launch of SCPs ██, ███, and ███, High Karcist Reto and His Holiness Robert Bumaro are to engage SCP-6000 in combat, which MTF-Alpha-15 and Tau-5 assault its metaphysical form
- When SCP-6000's physical and metaphysical form have sustained significant damage to their skulls, the Spear of the Non-Believer is to be launched into its brain, killing it
- After the termination of Reto and Bumaro, OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE is to be considered complete
Description:
SCP-6000 refers to a Titan-Class deific entity associated with concepts of 'destruction', 'entropy', 'decay', and 'natural disaster'. It takes the appearance of an extremely large (approximately 15000km in length), vermiform entity, with significant deviations from terrestrial vermiform organisms.
Firstly, SCP-6000 possesses a skeletal system, most prominent in the formation of its head and back. Its skull is triangular in shape, terminating in a piked rostral formation not dissimilar to a beak instead of a mouth, lacking maxilla and articular bones.
UPDATE: Following the failure of OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE, SCP-6000 is certain to arrive at 12/3/22, resulting in the total destruction of Earth and anything conceptually associated with it.
Due to SCP-6000's status as a 'force of nature' in all known historical documentation, the execution of PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL should cause SCP-6000 to cease to exist.
SCP-6000-1 refers to the predictive ritual that foretold the coming arrival of SCP-6000 on Earth at 12/3/22. Whether this ritual simply correctly anticipated the date of SCP-6000's incursion of Earth, or directly caused it, is unknown.
SCP-6000-2 refers to historical documentation associated with SCP-6000 that details its nature, properties, and deific status.
Discovery:
SCP-6000 was discovered following the recovery of numerous historical documents associated with the GoI "Novia". Members of Novia were adherents to the anomalous religion "Novus", which worshipped several deities and possessed numerous highly volatile anomalies as objects of religious importance, most of which have been confiscated and/or neutralised.
However, following a raid on a Novia facility on 10/2/18, several members were seen participating in a ritual of an unknown nature that was later classified as SCP-6000-2. SCP-6000-2 utilised several elements, including, but not limited to: an anomalous item (later classified as SCP-███), human blood, several sheep spleens, ~30kg of iron, ~20g of iridium, and an unknown, grey luminescent substance that vanished following SCP-6000-2's completion.
SCP-6000-1 directly broadcasted the date of SCP-6000's arrival, as well as the happenings of that date, into the Noospheric receptors of all sapient entities within a 30m radius of the ritual's centre. MTF agents immediately notified the supervisors of the operation of this information, and attempted to apprehend all willing participants of the ritual for interrogation. However, all members committed suicide using an unknown method before they could be captured.
Following the raid, SCP-6000-2 was recovered, and would be studied over the coming years to better provide an assessment on SCP-6000's abilities. Following extensive examination, OPERATION VOID COLLAPSE was proposed on 9/12/20, and was finalised on 14/10/21.
Addenda:
Addendum 1 - Contents of SCP-6000-2 (Summarised by Lead Researcher Eliza Terris)
SCP-6000 is known by many titles to those of the Novum faith. 'The Great Devourer'. 'Decay'. 'Consuming Void'. 'The Calamitous One'. And its true name: Alkerion. It is prophesied that SCP-6000 will one day consume the Universe in its entirety, before eventually consuming itself and beginning the cycle of Universal death and rebirth anew.
SCP-6000 is not a living creature, nor is it a dead one. Instead, Novum adherents believe that SCP-6000 is physical manifestation of the concept of 'natural calamity', and, according to more recent lore, is responsible for the process of entropy in the Universe. It is apparently truly immortal, neither ageing nor able to die, and even Ralatoth17 was not able to destroy it.
SCP-6000 is an unstoppable force, rampaging through the Universe and spreading its decaying influence to all around it. Anything in its way is destroyed. Perhaps its most devastating ability of all is to destroy by association, wherein anything related to that which it directly consumes rots away and disappears mere days after the destruction of the catalysing object18.
Novum creed also states that SCP-6000's children, the voriosem ('Great Phages') consume planets SCP-6000 deems 'unworthy' of experiencing the 'divine calamity' of its consumption.
Addendum 2 - PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL Proposal:
To: O5 Council
From: SCP-6000 Lead Researcher Eliza Terris
Subject: Proposal for PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL
OPERATION: VOID COLLAPSE has failed. In the absence of all other options, I am forced to propose PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL, a failsafe operation of my own design in the event that VOID COLLAPSE was unsuccessful.
Briefly put, PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL involves the use of several anomalies to remove the elements of nature SCP-6000 is associated with. This conceptual erasure will, with 99.8% certainty, bypass SCP-6000's apparent true immortality and remove it from existence.
The consequences of this removal is likely the total expungement of all life, bar the human race, from existence, along with unprecedented changes to the entire Universe.
The full proposal can be found below.
To: SCP-6000 Lead Researcher Eliza Terris
From: O5 Council
Subject: Re: Proposal for PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL
Your proposal will be discussed on 12:00pm, 23/2/22 with the full O5 Council and select members of the Ethics Committee. Further details will be provided by Ethics Committee liaison and SCP-6000 researcher Timothy Oerher.
Addendum 3 - PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL - Transcript of O5 Council Discussion:
AUDIO LOG
DATE: 23/2/22
NOTE: The following was recorded 2 hours and 13 minutes into the O5 Council discussion regarding PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL.
O5-1: Two, calm down.
O5-2: I will not calm down! This entire protocol is bullshit! Do we really have to have a discussion on how removing all life in the entire Universe apart from ourselves is 'ethical' or not? We're suggesting the sacrifice of an entire Universe's worth of life to save ourselves! The only people who would seriously consider this are cowards like Eight and Six—
O5-6: Coward?! You're calling me a coward? You? The one who abandoned my daugh—
O5-1: Enough! I will not tolerate this behaviour! If you cannot calm down, I will eject you from this discussion, and your vote will be invalidated. Is that clear?
(O5-2 and O5-6 murmur assent.)
O5-1: Thank you. Five, you were saying?
O5-5: Mmm hmm. Yes, the loss of such massive amounts of culture, information, history, everything, would be devastating. We are defined by information and history. Without these, we are nothing. Who are we to deny other species their identities? Their existences, even.
O5-12: A good point, Five.
O5-5: Mmm hmm. Yes, thank you. However, the number of alien species that exist within the Universe right now seem to be quite limited. Taking into account the factors behind the Fermi paradox, the chances of alien life existing seem to be astronomically low. Ha. Even with all of our technology, the number of alien species is extremely limited at best, and most contact has occurred with species not native to our own Universe. We may just be erasing two or three races of primordial life-forms.
O5-13: Exactly. We don't know—
O5-5: Hmm. For these reasons, I am abstaining from this vote.
O5-13: What? Why? You've just provided one of the best reasons for proceeding with GREEN VEIL, why wouldn't you affirm?
O5-5: Mmm. Nothing is certain. Perhaps there exists a myriad of alien species just beyond our sight, more advanced than us, able to think and feel just like we do. Additionally, the information loss is just an unthinkable waste.
O5-7: I'll… abstain as well. If we knew for certain the amount of life in the Universe, then I believe that I could vote comfortably. But we don't. We have no idea how much life exists right now, and what stage they're in. If I vote to affirm, I may be sentencing hundreds of species, each as deserving of life as humanity, to death. If I deny, I'll be sentencing the human race to death. There is no choice I can make here.
O5-9: Not making a choice won't get us anywhere, you and Five should know that.
O5-5: Hmm. Our decisions are our own, Ninth Overseer. Your words hold little weight.
O5-4: Nine's point still stands, Five. We have to make a decision. And my decision is to save humanity because we have the ability to do so. We cannot simply stand by and let ourselves be obliterated.
O5-12: And yet, you neglect to mention the most important negative factor in this proposal, which entails mass genocide across the Universe.
O5-8: And yet, you neglect to mention that GREEN VEIL can possibly be reversed safely after we perform it. We'll gain what we have none of right now: time. With the technology of the future, we'll be able to reverse its effects.
O5-12: The full extent of the protocol explicitly details that the memories of the Universe's state before GREEN VEIL, SCP-6000, and GREEN VEIL itself will be removed from humanity. There's no guarantee that we'll even be able to discover GREEN VEIL and SCP-6000, let alone develop the technology to reverse it safely.
O5-11: So you'd rather let all of humanity die for your ideology, rather than giving them, us, a chance to not only live, but to bring back everything we removed?
O5-3: And how high is this chance, hmm? Quite low? Because if so, GREEN VEIL isn't actually guaranteed to remove SCP-6000 from existence. We may simply be killing all life in the Universe before being devoured ourselves. Universal genocide, all for no reason.
O5-6: A 99.98% chance of removing an immortal, eldritch god that exists to bring suffering and calamity to wherever it goes seems like pretty good odds to me, Three.
O5-3: Exce—
O5-6: And think about it. If we erase SCP-6000 and then safely reverse GREEN VEIL, we'll have rid the Universe and other alien species — if they exist — from this monstrosity. We'll prevent massive amounts of suffering in the long run. The despair of other civilisations as they watch an invincible force of destruction descend upon them, erasing everything that they've created, everything that they love; all of that won't happen.
O5-3: And yet, you still don't realise that, most likely, this won't happen. GREEN VEIL will fundamentally change the nature of reality, humans included. What, in the unlikely event that humans find out about a retroactive, fundamental, Universe-wide change to reality, we don't care, hmm?
O5-9: We're removing parts of 'nature', not parts of 'human nature', Three. And even if we're using the strongest antimemes we have available, the technology we'll develop will be able to bypass them. We won't even have to be looking for the information to find it.
O5-10: And then what? What if there's no way to safely reverse SCP-6000? What if we've committed universal genocide to save ourselves? This goes against any moral principles we claim to have.
O5-4: It'd be better to go against our moral principles than to not be there to go against them.
O5-10: So, you're comfortable with killing the whole Universe if it means saving you, Four?
O5-4: That is not what I sai—
O5-2: How many of you that are voting to affirm this proposal are doing so out of a fear of death? We've been immortal for quite some time now, so I'm not surprised the prospect of dying is overwhelming for some of our more spineless members.
O5-9: I'm sorry, Two, but I thought this was a discussion on PROTOCOL GREEN VEIL, not an opportunity to insult your enemies on this council.
O5-2: Yo—
O5-1: This discussion is clearly going nowhere, and I believe we have already discussed all there is to discuss. Further deliberation is a waste of what limited time we have left. I'm beginning the vote. You have 5 minutes.
Following the discovery of this file, Lead Researcher Eliza Terris exited Site-01, and her location is currently unknown. The recovery of Lead Researcher Eliza Terris is currently of high priority.
NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
The following file contains outdated information in regards to SCP-6000. However, Addendums 1, 4, and 6-9 have been added in chronological order following their discovery to the Site-01 secure database for information prosperity and analytical purposes. A link to the updated SCP-6000 file can be found at the conclusion of this page.
— Lilian Emerson, Director, RAISA
Filename: Planet.jpg
Name: eso1805a
Author: ESO/M. Kornmesser
License: CC BY 4.0
Source Link: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1805a/
Additional Notes: N/A
BIG CHANGE:
Nature as a concept is removed. Nature forces try to come back through atmosphere (air -> some giant super cyclone), lithosphere (rocks/soil -> mine), hydrosphere (water -> sewers), and biosphere (life -> dunno). Huge changes to Earth + human society. Humans exist within a collective psychospace that runs on unknown machines as consciousnesses; the general population is aware of this, but sees it as normal. SCP Foundation exists as hidden pockets of the psychospace that are unknown to the general population. Animals, plants, etc. (i.e entire biosphere) have been completely removed. The atmosphere is made of synthesised gases held in place by anomalous machinery; as a consequence of this (through unknown processes), the air is totally static with no deviations in temperature or pressure. The oceans are giant masses of tubing that process the atmosphere's gas for energy in an unknown, anomalous process that uses the gas for energy (turns turbines and the like, anomalous) and releases it back into the atmosphere. The ground is full of mines and tunnels and the like (idk).
One day, some researchers notice that there's a notification from the deepwell catalogue that there was a significant change to spacetime in the past. Investigations begin, and it is revealed that certain elements of the concept of 'nature' were removed. Stuff happens.
Twist is that the Foundation themselves (actually, Eliza herself) removed nature as a concept (they find an SCP file with an Ignosi classification), thus removing countless alien lifeforms from existence (as well as all non-human terrestrial life) to save the human race from an unknown threat that was presumably connected to the concept of 'nature', necessitating its removal. Researchers are devastated, and are left with a decision to try to bring back nature, and possibly the threat, or leave it removed and keep the human race safe.
From weizhong: At the end of the day, prose is a reflection of your individual style. Taking crit from others and hearing their honest feedback is good for improving your own style, but it's important to find your voice and your workflow as a writer. Forcing yourself to be what you're not is generally a poor way to go about it.
That being said, there's nothing wrong with reading a lot in order to better yourself through taking note of what others do. It's trying to wholesale copy others' style where things go screwy. It's a fine line between carefully taking what works for others and trying to entirely emulate them.
There is an idea that there are two major types of writers: gardeners and architects.
Architects are those writers who tend to favor having all of the story elements laid out, they have an outline of the characters, the major events, the important details, etc. They plan out all of the details ahead of time, and their biggest challenge is fleshing out that story in a way that makes sense.
Gardeners on the other hand, may only have a few story beats laid out (the broad strokes of an ending, specific scenes, etc) and instead generally take their time exploring the plot of a story as they write it, letting the narrative take them for a ride. Their biggest challenge is in continuing a story when they're not really sure where it's going.
I would encourage you to try both styles and see where you tend to fall. It will help you a lot in finding your own voice.
From Grigori Karpin: [in regards to tales] Personally? a little poetic is good, but I prefer reading grounded stories. Also writing them. Even when talking about insane supernatural subjects.
Also show don't tell. Show us how the characters feel with their words and actions. Don't say Josie is really angry. Show the reader she is.
In fact, I am going to say it is absolutely necessary to read a lot. No one is capable of brilliant style without absorbing what others have done in the past. Weiz is right, don't copy anyone's style… but you can learn techniques and tricks to the narrative.
From wolfjob man Joreth: [Borrowed from qntm] "To be continued" is your enemy. Write a complete story in one chapter.
I usually start from the ending, then have a vague idea for a start; the middle part will fall into place once you have those two goals
[for pages in a book] You might need background and things might not resolve in the episode/book, but it should still have some importance in advancing the plot or doing SOMETHING to the story, even if it's just setting up the world mood.
From Athenodora: "The Tao of Heaven is to take what is in excess to make up for what is deficient."
I like to say that my writing philosophy begins it "figure out your theme", "figure out your end goal", "figure out what you want to say". Then the problem becomes "how do I get there", which is a lot easier to comprehend and come to term with than a vague "write something"
I've seen the argument that art = conveying emotions, that pound for pound it's more in the business of "evoking emotion" than "evoking thought" - that the former is more definitional to art than the latter.
But yeah, conceptualising things in term of "how I feel/what I want you, my reader, to feel"
And some good "fud for thoughts" [https://web.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/361r14.html].
Al Quadra Desert, Dubai. 17/8/14
An oppressive heat had settled over the Al Quadra Desert. The ever-shifting sands laid still in the absence of wind, the very air overheating, becoming a warped window into the heart of the dunes. The sun stared downwards, continuing to glare at the heat-struck world it had created. But even as it examined its lifeless, still handiwork, the perverted peace was broken by the unmistakeable sound of humans.
A small fleet of several red trucks journeyed alone across the noiseless plain, shattering the silence and marring the patterned sand with ugly tracks as they travelled. To its credit, the sun simply stared harder, but its efforts were futile; the trucks still moved determinedly forward on their course.
Upon the trucks laid a most peculiar load: masses of metal, wire, and gears lay splayed across their cargo beds like the carcass of an unfortunate animal, pried apart by scavengers, its innards exposed to the world. Sitting atop them were men, moving like ants as they gingerly picked their ways across the heated alloy, grasping tools in sweaty hands.
Their eyes were hard.
Hey there! TheAlienBaby here, Flight Officer and all-around guyTM. I'm here to welcome you into this site and give you some quick tips on how to make your first idea successful!
I'll be examining the importance of critique, how to get critique, writing good Ideas Forum (linked below) posts, an IRC guide, and how to receive crit well. So, without further ado, let's begin!
What is Crit, and why is it Important?
'Crit', or critique, is defined as follows:
"a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory."
In this wiki, critique is basically the evaluation of how good an idea is, and a prediction of how successful it would be if it were published to the mainsite. It gives you an idea on how well-received your concept would be by members of the wiki, and whether it would be deleted or not.
When getting crit, people can tell if your idea has been used before on the wiki, whether it's conceptually sound, whether it has potential, whether it's interesting. The list goes on. It's difficult to evaluate ourselves and our ideas properly and objectively (the Overconfidence Effect is a contributing factor); crit exists to compensate for this.
For first-time authors, the first stage of crit takes place in the Ideas Critique Forum, where one can get the greenlights necessary to access the Drafts and Critiques Forum (I'm not gonna talk about the Drafts Forum here).
We may believe we have a really interesting idea (and it's okay to believe that), but we can't be sure of people's reactions to it until we've put it up for crit. Maybe there was a glaring plot hole you didn't think of, or perhaps the idea just wasn't as interesting as you thought. Whatever the case, all crit contributes towards improvement.
A Small Side Note: Coldposts
A 'coldpost' refers to an article that has been posted to the mainsite without any form of crit (no draft crit for successful authors, neither draft nor concept crit for new authors). Generally, coldposting as a new author is not recommended, although it can work19, but I'd advise against it because you miss out on an opportunity to see any issues your concept/draft has.
An important thing to note is that almost all first-time author coldposts get deleted in a matter of hours or days. Getting crit will help you avoid your first article getting deleted.
So now comes the inevitable question: 'how do I get critique?' Well, you'll find the answer if you read on…
I'm an aspiring author, how do I seek critique?
So, the first thing to do is read the stickied posts from Zyn (they've got 'sticky' at the start of their titles) on the Ideas Critique Forum called REQUIRED READING and HOW TO GET MORE REVIEWS. They'll give you a good idea of how to use the forum and what to do to attract reviewers. However, I'm going to give you some bonus tips here.
Contacting Reviewers
Check the Butterfly Squad Roster and the IRC Chat as linked in the HOW TO GET MORE REVIEWERS thread. Different people prefer different methods of contact, and you can check on the roster to see which they prefer.
When PMing, be mindful that most reviewers, on average, will take 2-3 days to respond to your PM. My rule is that, if 4-5 days have passed without response, I'll send a second PM. If there's still no response, then I'll leave it for a while. Additionally, PM reviewers will require another PM explaining that you've left a response once you've done so. Please link your thread in the PM, it makes it so much easier to find your thread.
When on IRC (I'll talk more about this later), go to the #thecritters channel, because that's where most reviewers are. If you're having no success with finding someone to look at your idea, then don't be afraid to ask in #site19. If no-one is up to reviewing, then be polite and respect their decision. Maybe have a bit of a chat if you want.
Be mindful that most reviewers operate under EDT time or similar (most are in America). I myself am under AEST because I'm a special snowflake who's really cool, but the takeaway here is that people have different timezones.
A brief note here is that, when in IRC, don't link a thread unless you're asked for one (as some reviewers don't like that). If you're asked to summarise your idea, then do it in the channel. if they ask for a thread, then go for it, link away!
And finally, remember that critters are people too. We've got stuff we gotta do, things to work on, life to deal with. Sometimes, we won't have time to crit your idea, or go through a concept, or we'll simply forget to respond to a PM, and that's okay.
But our whole job description is to help you make your ideas better! We're all on your side here, and we love seeing ideas develop and improve! So if you want crit, contact us the way we say we want to be contacted, and we'll go from there.
Grammar (this was addressed in Zyn's post, but I'll go further)
Grammar and spelling are extremely important to a pitch. If I see a whole bunch of grammar/spelling errors in your post, I'll be less likely to check it out. If you're struggling, then there's nothing wrong with getting Grammarly or another spellchecker to help you catch any annoying errors you may have missed.
Bonus Note: Apostrophes
Apostrophes are one of my (and some other reviewers') biggest pet peeves. Seeing people use the wrong it's/its (and other stuff) annoys me personally because I am a grammar nut. For other reviewers who aren't grammar nuts, then it's like seeing a spelling error on a scientific paper or something else: it just messes with them.
The message here is: if you mess up your apostrophes, then we'll mess up your legs20 have some of our focus directed at that error instead of your idea (which is bad).
Formatting
What we want here is for you to split up your post into nice, small paragraphs like I've done in this essay. It makes it much more readable for us reviewers, who would prefer to not have to read through a single, massive paragraph (which is much harder than reading through lots of little ones). As a general rule of thumb, try to keep paragraphs at six lines tall or smaller. Small guys forever!
Wiki code
Since you'll be writing on wikidot, understanding basic wikidot syntax will go a long way.
Use the wiki's formatting code to bold and italicise words when appropriate (found within the REQUIRED READING (link above) post and the Wiki Syntax pages), and reviewers will know that you have knowledge of how to work the site.
If there's an absence or over-saturation (once or more every 2-3 sentences) of either of these, then it begins to get kind of distracting.
Titling and Grabbing Reviewer Attention
You want an attention-grabbing title and either a summary or a hook21 in the summary section. I'll give you two examples, one bad, one good, on an anomaly I've made up.
Elevator Pitch: A singer infected with an unknown meme that compels people to follow their commands, even those made unintentionally or metaphorically. They're distressed about their interactions with people and how they'll pursue their career and personal life.
Bad example of a title and summary/hook:| first SCP Idea seaking Greenlights please |
|---|
| A singer infected with an unknown meme that compels people to follow their commands, even those made unintentionally or metaphorically. They're distressed about their interactions with people and how they'll pursue their career and personal life. |
So, let's get into pulling my title and summary apart!
First, the title. It's not a model title for a couple of reasons: 1) it isn't interesting, 2) there's a spelling error, 3) the capitalisation is kinda everywhere, and 4) the 'please' gives the whole phrase an awkward feel. I'll elaborate on each of these below.
1) It isn't interesting. The title here doesn't actually give me information on the skip, which I'd like. You're actually looking to create clickbait here (I'll explain more further below). I want something that makes me wanna see what's behind the link.
Note that I don't mind you putting 'SEEKING GREENLIGHTS' in your title. However, I'd prefer if that wasn't your whole title.
2) There's a spelling error. Uh oh. Although spelling errors happen to everyone, this is basically just the worst place to have them; now everyone can see your spelling error, and it's also the first thing we see about your idea. So just make sure there aren't any spelling errors in your title, and you should be good!
3) The capitalisation. It's kind of, uh, everywhere. Similarly to a spelling error, here is the worst place to have a capitalisation/grammar error (or in this case, many errors) because everyone can see it. So, like a spelling error, just comb your title for these kinds of errors.
4) The 'please' messes with the phrasing. Although it sounds like bad manners, I think having 'please' in a title or summary (unless it's part of the actual title) is unnecessary. It usually makes the phrasing a bit weird instead of being polite.
The summary also isn't a model summary. First off, it's not very summarised; for the observant among you readers, it's a copy + pasted section of the elevator pitch I made up (to me, it makes it seem like you didn't read the aptly named REQUIRED READING post). Please try to keep summaries under 100 characters to avoid taking up a lot of space in the forums (it's threadspreading) and to make it easy for reviewers to get an idea of your skip.
Now that you can see how much of an effect a less-than-model title and summary can have on reviewers even clicking into your thread (and know what not to do), let's have a look at a better example, and see how to make a good title and summary!
Good example of a title and summary/hook:| The Agony of a Siren |
|---|
| A pop singer finds that her voice has become rather more enthralling than she'd like. |
The title here draws my attention. 'The Agony of a Siren' breaks certain tropes surrounding monsters, more specifically that they don't care about people/aren't really shown as having emotions. 'Agony' implies (well, outright states) emotional turmoil, 'Siren' tells me that this is a voice/singing based anomaly. Is it a monster? Maybe. But does it feel? Most certainly.
The summary further hooks me. I now know that 'Siren' refers to a pop singer, which, from the title, means that they're suffering in some way. The intentionally vague elaboration dangles the story in front of me like bait for a fish, and now I want to know what lies behind. What does 'rather more enthralling than she'd like' mean? Why does this cause her agony?
Looking at both of these in conjunction and how they complement each other, I form an opinion of someone who knows what they're doing with writing. They can not only summarise their idea, but do it effectively in a way that entices their audience. This here is a thread that I'd click on.
Just look at that difference! Instead of getting hung up on spelling/grammar errors and a non-summarised summary, I'm interested in your skip before I've read anything about it. Epic. But how did I do it? Let's look at it below:
How to make a good title and summary:
Title - I draw a comparison to anything that the audience would know (a mythological creature, an object, etc.), then try to show an emotion that the anomaly feels or that I want the audience to feel. Maybe there's a phrase that describes the anomaly if the first of the above two is not applicable (song lyrics, a quote, something I made up, etc.).
Summary - I'm intentionally vague about the anomaly's properties, or I pose a question that relates to the anomaly. What if [SOMETHING] could happen? If {SOMETHING], then what? And so on and so forth.
Now, with your newfound forum knowledge, go on, and begin creating your thread! But, uh, come back here after you've made your title and summary. I've still got some stuff to say.
"But, TheAlienBaby," I hear you cry, "you've already given me so much wisdom! How is it possible that more can fit inside your enormous brain?"
Well children, my knowledge is as boundless as my generosity. Come, and I shall dispense it upon you.
Writing a Good Forum Post
So, you've got a title and a summary on your forum thread. Epic. But what now? You look around your room, frowning, dismissing the clusters of empty instant noodle cups, the crumpled bedsheets, and dusty blinds, searching for an answer. What now?
Well, I'd tell you to, first and foremost, clean your room. That done? Good. Now look back here, because you aren't going to find the answers you're looking for in your (hopefully) now-clean room. I mean, what did you expect?
Anyways, I'll go section-by-section on how to write a good forum post. Let's get into it. But first, use this site to count the number of words you have to keep under the word limit. Got it? Good. Now we can get into the advice.
Elevator Pitch
Exactly as it says on the tin: a short summary of your idea. We want to see you summarise your idea, which can be a bit more difficult than you expect. But that's okay, because you've got me to show you how to do just that.
First-off, give me a physical description of your SCP. Be brief. Is it a clock? Cool. Is it a grandfather clock? Epic. Is it a 1880 Bornholm Clock made of aged, worn cedar wood and a rusted iron pendulum that squeaks with every third swing? No, because that's unnecessary detail (unless it's central to your anomaly, in which case, go for it), and makes your pitch longer. That isn't summarising.
If your scip22 is an original design, then use comparisons. Don't tell me it possesses a segmented body, four legs, and a large snout, tell me it has arthropodal qualities in a canine form. Make comparisons to mythological creatures, anything, to maintain brevity.
If an outside observer could read through your pitch and understand your anomaly without the inclusion of details like 'made in 1980' and 'was discovered in [COUNTRY]' or 'was discovered by Researcher [REDACTED]', then remove those.
Secondly, give me an idea of the abilities. What makes your scip anomalous? Can it slow time like the clock I mentioned earlier? Can it make people sad? Does it hurt people who touch it? Then tell me. I don't need exact detailing of the ability, just tell me what it does.
Finally, I must enforce a very important rule: the Sprinkle Rule (alternatively called the Spice Rule). If there's a twist or something in your story that adds new revelations about the nature of your skip, then mention what your anomaly seemed to be, and what it was. This is like adding a sprinkle to your pitch.
However, make sure to moderate the number of sprinkles you add. If you put too many sprinkles on a cake, you'll obscure the decorations that have been put there. The same premise applies here. If you put too many sprinkles of story in your pitch, the idea itself gets obscured (you'll end up writing the Central Narrative section instead).
Speaking of which…
Central Narrative
What is the story of your skip? There's a couple of parts to this, and the step-by-step guide is below. This is also the part where people struggle most with word count, so I'll give some shortening tips as well.
First, give me some backstory for your scip (if it has one). If this scip was created by someone/something, then what purpose what it created for? If this scip appeared somewhere before the Foundation found it, then what happened leading up to its discovery? What caused it to appear? Unless the backstory is incredibly important and requires lots of detail, try to keep it brief (2-3 sentences max).
Sometimes, a scip has little to no backstory (e.g it just appeared and was instantly contained by the Foundation, or its backstory is unknown). That's fine. Just mention that and move on.
After this, describe what will happen throughout the course of your article. Is your scip destroyed/killed? Is some new aspect to it discovered? Is there a massive twist? Tell me, but don't give me exact dates and times for each event that occurs. Just rough chronological order (after [EVENT], 5 days later, etc.).
And remember, if your scip relies on a twist, you have to tell us. I know it may feel counterintuitive to tell reviewers a big secret about your story, but that's an essential part of the brainstorming process. If the critters don't know how your article ends, they can't tell you how effective/good your twist actually is.
A central narrative should definitely be the biggest part of your forum post, because narrative is the most important part of an idea. If your Central Narrative section is marked 'N/A', then you're missing the point of an SCP. SCP articles are fictional narratives masquerading as scientific documents. The point of an SCP isn't the SCP itself, it's what you do with it.
That's why articles like this one have succeeded to such a great extent. Even though it had a boring, cliche anomaly, the story was brilliant, an excellent subversion of a commonly-seen trope on this site (murder monster). Now, your story doesn't have to be some massive trope-breaker (in fact, I expect that it isn't), but my point here is that narrative, not an anomaly, makes an article.
You could have the most interesting, engaging anomaly ever written, but it wouldn't work on this site without an appropriate story to go along with it.
If you're struggling to come up with a narrative, then think about what genre you want your article to be, and what emotion you want to evoke in your reader. Horror that's uplifting? Action that's sad? When both of these are concrete, you'll find that your story suddenly has a lot more direction than before. It narrows down the focus of your article and makes it easier to brainstorm than just 'write something'.
Dot points are really helpful here because it allows the use of much shorter sentences that would be grammatically dubious in a conventional setting. Also, use semicolons, abbreviations and initialisms, contractions, words with links, etc. to get your point across.
And whatever you do, don't describe the anomaly further in this section. This is for the story, not an extra description. If your anomaly changes throughout the article, then tell me in the elevator pitch what the anomaly seemed to be, and then what it actually is. Be brief about it, use what I told you in the previous section.
Hook/Attention Grabber
This is an often short, but honestly quite important part of your thread. Tell reviewers what makes your idea unique and interesting on the wiki! Why is your idea cool? How is it different from anything that might be similar to it (I mean, there's ~6000 SCP articles on the wiki, so chances are there's something similar somewhere)? How would it grab a reader's attention?
What you're telling reviewers here is whether you have a grasp on what makes your idea unique, or not. Without this, we're unsure how much thought you've put into the concept and if you've considered similarities to other articles or not.
Finding similar articles:
To find articles that may be similar to your concept, go and check the Tag List, then look for any tags that may match your concept. After that, plug any relevant tags into the Tag Search, hit enter, and a list should pop up with all the articles that match the tags.
You don't need to add tags like 'scp' and 'euclid' (or other object classes) when searching for similar articles. Just the conceptual stuff will suffice.
Additional Notes
Nothing that important here. There isn't any real 'structure' here, just tell people what you want. Hell, even a topical bad pun would suffice.
A Guide to IRC
Ah, IRC. The SCP chatroom, where dead dreams go to die. I'm going to be educating you on the two primary channels that I (and most others) use: #site19 (better known as 'Hell') and #thecritters. But first, check out the Chat Guide for how to actually work IRC (don't worry, it's pretty simple). Now then. Let's get into it.
Welcome to Hell, please wipe your feet
#site19 is IRC's general chat, basically a place to hang out and vibe. Most people tend to congregate here, but as I mentioned earlier, please be mindful that the majority here, as with the rest of IRC, operate on EDT/EST or similar time.
Anyways, when you first join, you'll see people talking (probably). When there's a break in the conversation, introduce yourself, or alternatively, introduce yourself in the middle of the conversation (don't worry, we don't really mind).
If you're feeling up to it, start off by saying something relevant to the topic being discussed. Show your opinion. Congratulate someone on an article milestone. Say that you have, in fact, have had a worse bathroom experience than being assaulted by a hail of blackberries by some kid yelling 'Jacob, is that you' while you're trying to do your business (fyi, my name is not Jacob).
So now you're introduced. Cool! Now go socialise 🔫 . 19 is, if you want, an opportunity to make some internet friends. It's pretty cool. People are pretty nice, and it can be fun to just talk a bit, even for an introvert like myself
Also, you'll probably see several well-known authors hanging around, like Rounderhouse,
MalyceGraves, and
Marcelles_Raynes. Don't be intimidated by them, they're nice people. Good for a casual conversation (I should know, because I've had conversations with them). Basically, 19's a good place because fame doesn't really matter. Everyone's in Hell anyway, may as well make the most of it.
And one more thing. You'll probably make a fool of yourself a couple of times, like I have. No sweat. No-one cares, because they've done it too. Just, be mindful of politically sensitive topics and image/video spam, because most people don't really like that.
The Critter's Club
#thecritters is, rather obviously, the place where critters23 hang out. This is the official place to go when you want to get your draft/concept critiqued. The main rules here are to be polite, and don't nag people for crit/pity party about how your draft/concept is terrible (this just makes people uncomfortable and will get the mods on you).
What you do first is ask. Just say 'hey, anyone feel like critting a concept/draft?' and wait. If no-one responds for upwards of 10 minutes, that's fine, ask again. If still no-one responds, then most likely the critters are inactive, so come back in a while/tomorrow. If someone responds, great! Give them what they ask for, whether that be a summary (remember, don't link your thread unless you're asked for it), your thread, or your draft.
Remember that responses take time to write out, and if you feel the reviewer might be doing something (no response for 5+ minutes) then posting their name and a message will draw their attention.
Some people offer to 'trade' crits for a concept/draft, and that's fine. If you aren't experienced in critting (critiquing) something, then let the other person know. Most times, they'll just ask if you liked it or not, and any minor errors you might've caught.
And that's about all there is to #site19 and #thecritters. If you want, you can find me on both of these channels pretty regularly under the nick 'Xeno_Baby'.
Receiving Crit
So, now you know how to get crit via Wikidot PM or IRC, but how do you receive it gracefully? After all, it can certainly be difficult to see someone critique something you've spent time and effort on, especially when they don't like it. I'll walk you through receiving positive and negative feedback appropriately.
Receiving Negative Feedback
Alright, let's set the scene. You've put in some work into a forum post, and have been anxiously waiting a reply for a day or two. Then suddenly, you reload the page, and bam! There's a review from a critter. Excited at first, you realise that they're saying that your idea needs a lot of improvement and has many issues.
Yikes. That's how my ideas went at first, and it felt a bit bad, not gonna lie. But I'm here to help you stay calm and improve your idea accordingly, as well as show how to provide extra stuff that you couldn't fit in your summary.
First, after skimming, you should read through the review section by section, paragraph by paragraph. Take in the crit and think of how you can improve your idea based on the feedback of each section. If the reviewer provided an overview, then read that too! It's good for identifying underlying issues for your idea. The most important thing to do here is to not take the crit personally.
Some crit is harsh, and it can feel like an attack on you personally. However, you have to remember that unless you can see a reviewer outright insulting you, all of the feedback is directed at your idea. And ideas are posted to the forum to be improved. If you don't want to accept the feedback, then you're missing the entire point of the Ideas and Brainstorming Forum.
Second, brainstorm. Think about how you could improve your idea based on the feedback. If you're getting nowhere, then sleep on it. Discuss with your IRL friends/family or people on IRC. This may take a little while (a day or two is the average for me), but you'll get there eventually.
Thirdly, respond/edit. If you're editing, then edit your pitch24 according to the feedback. Check for spelling errors, check the word count, check the formatting. After you've done all of that and are sure everything the critter is saying has been addressed, then save, and send a PM to the reviewer who gave you crit explaining that you've updated your pitch.
If you're responding, then you should begin by putting a greeting (e.g hey there, thanks for your crit!) at the start of your response, then getting into the actual process of replying. Try to address every point the reviewer has made, but don't type a massive essay on each one, and make sure to format correctly (remember, walls of text are hard to read). Once that's done, hit 'send', and shoot the reviewer a PM explaining that you've given a response.
Responding can also take place over IRC chat. Just ask for a reviewer in #thecritters and wait. If they're unable to crit, then respect that and leave them be. Maybe ask for another reviewer in the meantime.
Receiving Positive Feedback
Receiving positive feedback is much easier, and the process is much the same as with negative feedback. Just thank the reviewer for the feedback and brainstorm to solve any issues they have.
Conclusion
So, that's the end. This is all the advice I can think of and compress adequately; the 'advice' is honestly just information I wish I had when starting off at this site. Hopefully, this has been helpful, and I wish you all good luck in your future writing endeavours on this site! I look forward to seeing what you can produce here.
And remember, no-one is pressuring you to write something. Do it all at your own pace.
This is TheAlienBaby, signing off.
Credits:
Readers: Rhys Tanner,
Marcelles_Raynes
Critters: fairydoctor,
Limeyy,
carrioncrow
Extra-special mention: hungrypossum, for giving me a bunch of advice, walking me through sections where improvement could be made, and giving me some sentences I promptly stole. Thank you!
Special Containment Procedures:
All plane flights and flying objects that are scheduled to travel over SCP-XXXX are to be diverted by Daedalus.aic in order to prevent their passage over it. This applies not only to civilian flights, but to the wider Foundation and any detectable GoIs. Minor antimemes have been embedded within Daedalus.aic's protocol to prevent the notice of slight flight path deviations.
Bad paragraph ^
Studies into the exact circumstances behind the manifestation of SCP-XXXX, as well as the nature of its effects and its possible applications, are ongoing.
Description:
SCP-XXXX refers to a circular area at [EXACT COORDINATES REDACTED] within the Atlantic Ocean with a diameter of 3km, centred around the wreckage of a Boeing 747 aircraft (henceforth refereed to as SCP-XXXX-1). Any methods of sustained flight (such as flying biological organisms, any flying vehicles, etc.) that are utilised within the boundaries of SCP-XXXX will cause a violent, incendiary reaction that varies based on the exact method of flight used.
Incendiary reactions are based primarily around the manifestation of an unknown, golden-white flame known as SCP-XXXX-2. SCP-XXXX-2 possesses a luminosity approximately 3.5 times greater than the same quantity non-anomalous flame, burns at 2400°C, is able to achieve sustained ignition on all observed solid materials25, and cannot be extinguished through any observable means until the total disintegration/chemical degradation of affected materials.
Notably, SCP-XXXX-2 does not spread from the affected object, instead vanishing when the affected object is totally disintegrated.
Biological organisms utilising wings as a method of flight will experience spontaneous combustion upon entering SCP-XXXX, similar to those using membranes for gliding. The engines and either wings, propellors, buoyant gas, or aerofoil blades (depending on the type of aircraft) of aircraft will combust within SCP-XXXX. Thaumaturgical methods of flight will experience a catastrophic collapse of the utilised spell, which culminates in a detonation of the spell in a large burst of SCP-XXXX-2, centred around the subject.
SCP-XXXX's effects are present from SCP-XXXX-1 to the beginning of the mesosphere (roughly 50 km from Earth's surface). Currently, there are no known ways of preventing the manifestation of SCP-XXXX-2 on objects that travel through SCP-XXXX. Nullification rituals serve only to cause SCP-XXXX-2 to manifest in greater quantities, and it ignores conventional fire/heat retarding spells.
Efforts of preventing SCP-XXXX's primary anomalous effect are ongoing.
Discovery:
SCP-XXXX was discovered following reports of an unusual number of plane crashes within
