Link to article: Third Law Hub - Contribute.
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[[div class="window-box window-infobox window-box-list"]] [[=]] [[# contribute]] ++ Contribute [[# basic]] +++ Basic Points [[/=]] * Before writing anything for this canon, please talk to the other contributors about your idea, to ensure that what you want to write doesn't contradict established or planned continuity. We can offer assistance with any of the steps of brainstorming, drafting, and editing to help you produce the highest quality article possible. **If you are a first time contributor, please get a greenlight from at least two existing contributors before posting**. * There is now an official Discord server. Feel free to pop in to ask questions, workshop a draft, or just chat with contributors. You can join by clicking this **[https://discord.gg/EG3DGUcuDM INVITE LINK]**. * Several contributors also hang out in the SCP Foundation Official Server and the /r/SCPDeclassified server, and can be messaged there or via Discord DM if you have any questions. Which contributors are there varies at any given time, so if you're unsure who you should message, just ask and someone will likely point you to them. * The Third Law IRC channel is #Apotheosis on SkipIRC, although it is largely deprecated. However, you can still use it to get in touch with contributors for brainstorming purposes. * If you're not comfortable using Discord or IRC, you can also send a Wikidot PM to [[*user GreenWolf]], [[*user A Random Day]], or [[*user TyGently]]. Please allow a few days for a response. * Due to the size of the canon, reading the entire thing is no longer a requirement for contributing. However, you should still read at least some of the canon to familiarize yourself with the setting. **You should also thoroughly read the rest of the information on this hub**. * During brainstorming and drafting discussions, other contributors will help you identify important articles which are relevant to the subject matter. You should read all of these articles. * When posting a new Third Law article, make sure to do the following: * All pages that are part of this canon should have this hub page set as their parent, to allow for breadcrumbs navigation. * All pages that are part of this canon should be tagged with //third-law//. * Notify [[*user GreenWolf]] so that he can add your article to the hub. This is a little bit complicated, so please don't try doing it yourself. * It is preferred that any articles (especially tales and GOI formats) written explicitly for this canon use the Third Law CSS theme (or one of its variants), although this is not a hard requirement. You can do this by adding the following code to the top of your article. It will even work on the sandbox! [[div class="code"]] @@[[include :scp-wiki:theme:3law]]@@ [[/div]] ---- [[=]] [[# looking]] +++ What We're Looking For [[/=]] Third Law has a wider scope than most canons, lacking an overarching narrative or a fixed setting. Instead, Third Law is defined by a single continuity, a common tone, and a set of recurring themes; as a result, almost any story which fits these criteria is eligible for inclusion in this canon. [[# continuity]] ++++ Continuity While a full overview of Third Law's expansive continuity would be too long to cover here, the following are the basic tenets of the canon's worldbuilding, which form the foundation of the continuity. If an article contradicts a point listed here, it is fundamentally incompatible with Third Law. * **The universe is ultimately comprehensible.** While there are many things that exist which defy the conventional understanding of physics, the universe is fundamentally ordered and logical, and all anomalous phenomena may eventually be understood, given time and effort. This is most evident in the fields of parascience -- thaumatology, metaphysics, psionics, etc... -- which have succeeded in providing theoretical frameworks for many anomalous phenomena, even if they remain separate from conventional physics. This is a more optimistic take on the Foundationverse than is usual, and it means that works which take a more pessimistic stance -- works that can usually be classed as cosmic horror -- are likely to be incompatible with Third Law. * **Paratech is common.** This serves as a corollary to the first point. Rigorous parascience has allowed for the extensive development of paratechnologies, which are widely used on both sides of the Veil. Many consumer products contain technology that is paranormal in nature or derived from paranormal phenomena, although the truth of this may only be known to a few. In an expanding anomalous world, normalcy preservation agencies like the Foundation increasingly rely on paratech to uphold the Veil, despite potential ideological reservations. * **The Veil is present but weakening.** The existence of the anomalous, including entire fields of parascience, is concealed from the majority of the world by normalcy preservation agencies and national governments, in an effort known as the Veil. This largely takes the form of suppression of information relating to anomalous phenomena, although agencies such as the Foundation may take a more proactive role in attempting to contain anomalous objects. The Veil is not absolute -- most people have at least a vague awareness of the existence of things unexplained by science, although few individuals would admit to such if pressed. Indeed, entire cities and communities exist on the other side of the Veil, populated entirely by people aware of the anomalous and the efforts to conceal it. Peaking in strength in the middle of the 20th century -- shortly after the 7th Occult War -- the Veil has been steadily deteriorating since the end of the Cold War, despite the best efforts of normalcy preservation agencies. * **Normalcy is defined by consensus.** Anomalous phenomena are an inherent part of the universe, and are only deemed "abnormal" by the consensus of those who uphold the Veil. Many thoroughly understood fields of parascience are kept behind the Veil, while many mysterious phenomena have been publicly documented by conventional science. The decision on what is and is not anomalous is often due more to politics than science. * **Artificial Intelligence is exceedingly rare.** Due to the extreme potential danger posed by the possible development of machine thaumaturgy, all research into general AI is heavily restricted by normalcy preservation agencies. As of 2020, the only general AI in existence are the GOC's Silicon Nornir, the Foundation's SCP-2897, and a small number of uncontained Bardeen-derivatives. * **There is no Heaven.** There are various empirically observable phenomena which can be considered "souls", and it is possible for consciousness to persist after death, independent of a body, but cessation of consciousness is final. If there is an afterlife, no one's found it yet. [[# tone]] ++++ Tone Third Law is best described as science fiction in an urban fantasy world, a combination which gives rise to its own unique tone. The world is full of fantastical wonders and horrors, but through human ingenuity and capability, they can ultimately be understood, and even harnessed. Yes, there are monsters and demons and even worse things from Outside, but humans can and will fight them. Thus, the overall tone of the canon is one of optimistic stubbornness in the face of a universe that is terrifyingly vast and unknown. This one is a bit hard to quantify, so you don't get bullet points. Sorry. [[# themes]] ++++ Themes If the tone of Third Law is one of scientific optimism, then the themes are those of scientific consequences. Stories and articles within Third Law should try to explore the effects -- both direct and indirect -- of parascience on the world at large. This can range from technical documentation of a paratech project to a slice-of-life tale about a day in an anomalous enclave. Another potential avenue is to take the various frameworks of parascience to their logical conclusions, examining edge cases in a framework or looking at how different paranormal phenomena interact. Some specific points: * **Knowledge is power.** This is important enough that we made it the subtitle of the entire canon, and it's the in-universe motto of both Prometheus Labs and the Foundation's Department of Analytics. Every organization in the Foundationverse is ultimately working to increase their own knowledge -- of the anomalous, of each other, of everything -- because knowledge gives you the power to alter the world, sometimes extremely literally. * **Actions have consequences.** Usually unintended. The long-term effects of any individual action are numerous and unpredictable, and even the best intentions can go horribly awry. Try to keep this in mind. * **Magic is just another form of science.** This ties back into the universe being comprehensible. There's a lot of weird stuff going on, but it should all behave consistently, because there is an underlying logic to even the most bizarre anomaly. You don't have to reveal this logic, but you should know what it is. * **Technology is a force multiplier.** No technology is inherently good or bad, but it can make good situations better and bad situations worse. Everywhere paratech appears, it should be used to further the ends of the person using it, whether those ends are good or bad. * **Humans are jerks.** Tying into the above, technology might not be bad, but humans have a tendency to quickly find the worst way to use it. Human ingenuity is the most powerful tool at our disposal, and it so often ends up being applied against other people. Most conflict should be driven by human motives and actions, and not outside context problems. [[/div]]