Link to article: Great Hippo's Great Skippos.
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[[include info:start]] @@ @@ @@ @@ = **┬──┬ (@@ @@ಠ_ಠ@@ @@)** [[include info:more]] @@ @@ @@ @@ = **(╯ಠДಠ)╯︵ ┴──┴** [[include info:end]] [[include component:scp-pride]] **NOTE:** Feel free to use all the articles/tales listed here (and the stuff in them -- MTFs, SCPs, etc) however you'd like. No permission required. ---- [[tabview]] [[tab SCPs]] [[collapsible show="► Want to write an SCP? Click here for advice!" hide="▼ Here you go!"]] * **Create a [http://scp-sandbox-3.wikidot.com/ sandbox] account.** Play around with your sandbox. Learn the ropes of wikidot code. This also gives you a chance to have a draft stored somewhere you can show others (and get feedback). * **Try to get [[[forum:start|feedback]]]!** I know it's frustrating; it can be a long time before anyone reads your article (and once they do, they may not provide you with anything you find useful -- or you might even get //contradicting// feedback!). But it's important, especially when you're first starting. If you stick around, you'll eventually find people you trust to give you feedback regularly -- and you'll learn what feedback to listen to, and what not to. * **Need public domain/CC images?** [https://pixabay.com/ Pixabay] and [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Wiki Commons] are great sources. Just remember to save the links so you can provide them later! Also, double-check the licenses for each image to make sure it's something you can use (Creative Commons 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 are all fine!). * **Make sure to cite your images!** Just because you found the perfect image doesn't mean you don't have to cite it! This is typically done in the discussion page for your SCP: Once you've posted your article, go to the **##red|Discuss##** link (at the bottom), click on **##red|New Post##** (again, at the bottom), and post the link(s) to any picture you used. * **[[[how-to-write-an-scp|How To Write An SCP]]] is a pretty handy guide.** If anything else, it provides a good template to start with. Remember to properly format your SCP article (highlight things like **Item #:** and **Object Class:**). * **Want to know how someone did something on their page?** Go to the very bottom of the page and click on **##red|+ Options##** in the bottom right corner. Then, click on **##red|Page Source##**. It'll give you the raw wikidot code used to construct the article page! Be careful; on some browsers, an extra space will be added in front of every line. * **Don't tag your own articles!** Not unless you know what you're doing (and if this is your first article, you definitely don't!). We have a [[[tag-guide|tag guide]]] you can read for more information, but until you've had some time on the site, it's a good idea to leave tagging your article to staff (particularly since there are some 'hidden' tags not even mentioned in the guide!). * **Don't expunge, redact, or blackbox (█) without an interesting reason.** In the past, it helped add to the credibility of these articles being produced by a shadowy organization -- but these days, it just comes off as lazy. * **Just go for it.** Writing is about self-expression and exploration. Sometimes, you just have to say "screw it" and dive in head-first. Maybe it'll work! Maybe it won't. It might get downvoted and deleted. That's okay -- writing is also about learning, and every failure can teach you something new. Try not to get too discouraged, and remember that behind every successful article there are dozens (if not hundreds) of failed ones. There is no such thing as "writing talent": No good writer was born good. They //became// good because they didn't let being lousy stop them from doing what they love. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3034]]]] [[https://youtu.be/WuSeQesaiXA ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-3034|The Counting Station]]]//** @@ @@//DO NOT LET HER FINISH// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3034"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] The first SCP I wrote (and one of the easiest to finish). There's just something sinister about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_station number stations]. The sound sample was taken from an actual recording of one, slowed down and tweaked. Regrettably, I couldn't find a sound-file of a little Russian girl counting downwards (not one in the public domain, at least). One day, I might take the interview out of this article. I think it's the weakest part of the piece, in retrospect; the dialogue is a bit cheesy and I think the article is stronger without it. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3035]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm-upHSP9KU ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3035| Science Bugs]]]//** @@ @@//case_of_the_mondays.png, case_of_the_mondays (1).png, case_of_the_mondays (2).png, case_of_the_mondays (3).png// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3035"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Inspired by Guillermo del Toro's 1997 sci-fi horror film, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimic_(film) Mimic] -- with Richard Feynman's concept of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult_science cargo cult science] thrown in. I find something fundamentally terrifying about the idea of imperfect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie p-zombies]; entities that try to mimic human behavior without actually possessing properties such as intelligence or sapience. The final twist was a result of me imagining one of these things typing at a keyboard -- and then trying to think of how and why that would happen. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3041]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuS5NuXRb5Y ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3041|The Red Knife]]]//** @@ @@//And why do I own a crib?// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3041"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Inspired by one of Stephen King's short stories, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_Spring Strawberry Spring]. I started writing this before reading the excellent [http://www.scp-wiki.net/antimemetics-division-hub There Is No Antimemetic Division] series -- so I actually thought the twist was pretty novel. I still like it enough for what it is, though. Regrettably, I think it's a little unclear -- people have told me they think it has a retro-causal effect (it doesn't; its effect is purely memetic). Might one day revisit it to make this more clear. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3054]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRH-URpgZrM ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3054|Cragstaff Sanitarium]]]//** @@ @@//You are sick. You are broken. We will fix you.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3054"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Inspired by actual experiences I've had with mental health clinics in America (as an outsider, not as an insider). Out of all my pieces, this is the one I'm most proud of (and have the most messed up feelings over). Outside of the personal stuff, one of the reasons I'm so proud of this piece is because it evokes horror without relying on violence, (physical) torture, or the threat of death. It just gaslights the shit out of you. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3045]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWToVloFqBA ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3045|bzzip.exe]]]//** @@ @@//**NOTE:** At this point, further testing was discontinued on account of Researcher Xiao-jin's computer inexplicably filling with bees.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3045"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wrote this to **1)** make fun of //Hamlet//, **2)** use the pun 'I/O-SAURON', **3)** make fun of //Waiting for Godot//, and **4)** write about a company that's '//Google, but with bees//'. As of writing this, it's my highest rated article, and also probably the one I least expected to be my highest rated article (isn't that the way it always goes?). Also, I know this might be hard to believe, but: I really didn't know much about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_Movie Bee Movie] before I started writing this article. I mean, I knew it existed -- but I didn't know anything about it. I just needed a final movie to end the skip with, so I typed 'bee movies' in youtube, and... my GOD. It was like finding the final piece of a puzzle in //a completely different puzzle set//. Then you finish the puzzle and discover it's not a puzzle at all, it's //**Jerry Seinfeld as an anthropomorphic bee**//. The name 'HiveFind' was something [[*user Pedantique]] came up with. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3043]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEI2zet48Uc ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3043| Murphy Law in... Type 3043 - FOR MURDER!]]]//** @@ @@//HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU REWRITING MY STORY INTO YOUR OWN FUCKING STUPID HUMPHREY BOGART FANFIC NONSENSE// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3043"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This one was inspired by a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mage:_The_Ascension Mage: The Ascension] campaign where a Marauder (think reality warper but lost in a delusion) was convinced he was in a 30s noir movie. The idea started as an unfinished noir movie script that was rewriting reality -- with the Foundation having to play along as characters in the script to contain it (and help it find an appropriate ending). Then it occurred to me that it might be way cooler if the script was the hero, with the anomaly as the villain. **Sidenote:** My initial draft was much less compelling, and relied on the pure novelty of the idea (a hard-boiled detective showing up to save the day and rewriting the article into a noir screenplay) -- but both [[*user shaggydredlocks]] and [[*user communism-will-win]] pushed at me to rewrite it into an actual mystery rather than just a 'Murphy Law' fanfic. The end result is far better than its previous iteration. So, learning lesson for me: Don't be lazy. Novelty is neat, but using novelty to tell a compelling story is better. Oh, yeah, and [[*user Decibelles]] deserves the credit for the final [REDACTED] attachment (though I deserve all the //blame// for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_(1974_film) Chinatown] joke and the [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-423 Fred] reference). [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3057]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oprIEViK350 ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3057|Fossil Fuels]]]//** @@ @@//Before being amnesticized, witnesses confirmed that instances of SCP-3057-4 did, in fact, have feathers.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3057"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I really love a lot of the ideas in this one, but I think it needs a serious rewrite. The interview is kind of clunky and I feel like the incidents could have focused on more interesting prehistoric organisms. I still like the fact that I was actually able to find a case where the [http://www.scp-wiki.net/manna-charitable-foundation-hub Manna Charitable Foundation] might actually be pretty reasonable (in not wanting anything to do with this guy). Also, this article contains my favorite self-authored footnote: //Before being amnesticized, witnesses provided confirmation that instances of SCP-3057-4 did, in fact, have feathers.// Because you know the Foundation would take note of that. Also, you can thank [[*user weryllium]] for MTF Psi-2 ("Clever Girls"). [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-2639]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmfHHLfbjNQ ♬]] -- //[[[scp-2639|Video Game Violence]]]//** @@ @@//we are unstoppable nigh-immortal digitized death-gods who have spent 10+ years practice-killing each other in endlessly looped murder-orgies// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-2639"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This is another one inspired by a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mage:_The_Ascension Mage: The Ascension] campaign (specifically, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mage:_The_Ascension#Council_of_Nine_Mystic_Traditions Virtual Adepts]). I'm very happy with this piece -- it's not a novel idea (//kids trapped in a video game don't realize **THE GAME IS REAL**//), but I still think it manages to succeed via using a cliche to tell a novel and (hopefully) interesting story. Some have told me the story is a bit too silly and uplifting, but I can't always do dark. I start feeling fetishistic and gross if I don't let my characters sometimes achieve at least a //little// victory. MTF Omega-9 ("The Scrubs") were previously called "Griefer Madness" (thanks to [[*user shaggydredlocks]]), which is a name I still love -- but it was pointed out that "Griefer" was a modern term. I also really like the simplicity behind 'the Scrubs'. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-437]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_061_LBonG8 ♬]] -- //[[[scp-437|Summer of '91]]]//** @@ @@//That was a pretty crazy summer, y'know? Sometimes I really miss that place.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-437"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This piece took a while to catch on, and it didn't start getting upvotes until I linked it to Cragglewood Park (see below). I'm often surprised by what works and what doesn't -- to me, this is just a fun little horror story in the style of series 1. [[*user AdminBright]] gave me the chance to place something in one of their slots (replacing an old article about an axe); I'm very thankful for that opportunity (since it means I get to have a series 1 article despite being a relatively new author!). This idea was inspired by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_061_LBonG8 this] song, [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1833 SCP-1833], my anxieties as a teenager -- and all the creepy camp-ground stories you might tell your friends around a fire. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3079]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TqfBEX6QtE& ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3079|300 Tricks: Stage Magic Made Easy]]]//** @@ @@//**NOTE:** No method for accomplishing this trick is provided.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3079"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wrote this in about three hours. I was thinking about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prestige_(film) The Prestige], and how 'real' magic can be pretty horrifying. It suddenly occurred to me that I had yet to see an SCP about stage magic. Initially, this was supposed to be a horror story about 'real magic' presented as stage magic, akin to the final twist in the Prestige -- with a centerpiece involving a high-school talent show where the boy's trick to saw his sister in half goes horribly wrong. But part way through writing the first few entries, I was struck by the image of a magician desperately trying to resurrect his dead daughter. Then, from there, I realized it would be way more compelling if it was about a magician just trying to reconnect with his //estranged// daughter. Everything else flowed from there. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-2753]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7H6wGy5zf4 ♬]] -- //[[[scp-2753|Let's Play Jenga!]]]//** @@ @@//High art carries high risk!// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-2753"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This came out of a conversation with [[*user Flawed]] regarding an idea with a Jenga tower that would cause conceptual collapses. It lead to an idea about a Jenga tower which caused //actual// collapses (in whatever structure it was contained within), which -- eventually -- led me to the idea of it also being able to cause financial collapses. This article exposes my obsession with [[*user minmin]]'s [[[SCP-2747|anafabula]]]; the idea of a narrative that destroys the narrative containing it. I linked that idea to this article, expanding the concept to imply that either AWCY stumbled into something much more sinister, or the Chaos Insurgency is pulling a fast one on the Foundation (hence the tag). [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-2679]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjR4_CbPpQ ♬]] -- //[[[scp-2679|The Many Graves of Jeannette Parslov]]]//** @@ @@//Whatever it takes, do what you must; whatever the cost, come back to us.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-2679"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] So, I've wanted to write a SCP about a cemetery that grows anomalously for a while now; this premise went through a //lot// of iterations before finally popping out in its final form. Previously, it was a graveyard that ate people, but the mechanism seemed hokey (and it didn't feel very spooky to me); then, it became a graveyard for imaginary friends (an idea I still like). While writing some of the autopsy reports, I noticed I was 'escalating' each occurrence (making the imaginary friends scarier and scarier) -- and that's where I got the idea of a graveyard with iterative corpses all trying to escape. This, and the fact that I find the idea of natural selection/evolution to be terrifying. So the idea of applying that process to a person trying to dig her way out of her own grave seemed like a pretty scary and pretty great fit. If I ever get around to it, I'd like to rewrite this scip to be more scientifically formal. There's a few things that don't make it 'right'; for example, the process of natural selection requires a pressure (survival of the genes). There's also the possibility of an alternative explanation (involving a suggestion/explanation from [[*user A Random Day]]) that I'd like to possibly explore. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3074]]]] [[https://youtu.be/8uaaF83eVig ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3074|Kafka's Parking Garage]]]//** @@ @@//Thank you for choosing Izatova Parking Center. Have a pleasant day.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3074"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This skip was inspired by an actual multi-level parking garage. While trying to find a space, we found 3 separate floors with //every single spot// marked as reserved (almost all of which were unoccupied). We kept wondering if the entire parking lot was just unoccupied and reserved -- which prompted me to comment on how that seemed a little 'Kafka-esque'. This prompted someone else to point out how a Kafka-esque parking lot was //itself// rather Kafka-esque (in the sense of how it invested something so trivial and banal with so much malevolence). The end result isn't //quite// malevolent. This isn't a story about something that hates you. This is a story about something that just doesn't give a fuck about you -- and what you'll do to yourself to satisfy it. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-2571]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XRXT8xZ62s ♬]] -- //[[[scp-2571|Cragglewood Park]]]//** @@ @@//Mr. Blair, have you always been an only child?// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-2571"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Not much to say about this one except: It was inspired by Candle Cove, that one excellent Reagan video skip, and the theme of a child giving up who they are to save someone they love. Also, warning in advance: Includes several highly creepy pictures. Credit to [[*user pastarasta1]] for pointing out the link here to my own [[[SCP-437]]], which -- for some reason -- not even I noticed. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-2419]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AibtyCAhyQE ♬]] -- //[[[scp-2419|The Laughing Men]]]//** @@ @@//Throw them back into the incinerator where you found them.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-2419"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wanted to write something about incinerators, since I actually know a little bit about furnaces and fuel-gas; I also wanted to write something that demonstrated how taking D-Class from criminal populations wasn't 'less bad'. Finally, I wanted something that created a possible 'Entirely Foundation-made' source for amnestics (and I particularly like the notion of 'boiling away' the happiness from a corpse's soul). People have pointed out (quite rightly) that it's derivative of the excellent [[[SCP-1730]]]; it's also derivative of [[[SCP-3000]]] and [[[SCP-3667]]]. All that being said, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3143]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKnVaDwUg5s ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3143|Murphy Law in... The Foundation Always Rings Twice!]]]//** @@ @@//When it comes right down to it, me — them — hell, even you — we're all just characters in that trashy dime-store novel called life.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3143"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I'm not gonna lie: Writing another Murphy Law story after the first one was intimidating, mostly because I knew it had to be //meta as fuck// -- but not so meta that it made it any harder to read. I'm really happy with the result; I feel like it's got at least three or four levels to it, while simultaneously still just being a fun read on the surface level. Now that I've done this, I also feel like I can relax for the next story. By establishing Murphy Law as a credible metafictional entity, I can lay back and concentrate on just making him fun to read. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3089]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHX7gJTGipI ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3089|That Old Time Religion]]]//** @@ @@//Remember how we explained that successful people don't actually need any of their toes to walk? Well, that's going to come in handy for Secret Number Six.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3089"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] A conversation with [[*user weryllium]] (and a few others who I can't recall) in IRC generated the idea of writing a skip based around [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology prosperity theology]. I wasn't sure where to go with it -- up until I started watching sermons given by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Osteen Joel Osteen] and was immediately reminded of the same sort of smug self-involvement and 'win-by-any-means' nonsense from PUAs like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Strauss Neil Strauss]. I then imagined 'Prosperity Gospel + [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-3004 Imago] + [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2852 Cousin Johnny]' spreading to the next 'generation' -- and the rest was easy. This skip is based on a deep, primal fear of mine: That people like this are right. That the shape of the universe is one in which people like Osteen are natural successes; rather than the meek, //they// will inherit the earth. They are the Chosen, and we are here only to provide for their needs before we die. Also, it's based on my mortal terror of cicadas, which [[*user kinchtheknifeblade]]'s skips have only served to solidify. On a final note, I'm just gonna come right out and say it: This skip is also based on the fact that Donald Trump is the fucking President. To me, he and shit-fuckers like Osteen and Strauss all share the same fundamental 'genetic code'. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3117]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td-_pUPVjdo ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3117|A Monster-Shaped Hole]]]//** @@ @@//I'm not talking to you.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3117"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Formerly called 'Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai', I changed the name once I realized that the reference was possibly too esoteric (at least for Western audiences), and possibly likely to turn people away. This skip was the result of me discovering some beautiful images of Portugal's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinta_da_Regaleira Initiation Wells], and creating a bunch of neat-looking photos via GIMP. I wanted to build a skip around these photos, but I couldn't figure out a good idea; it was then that I came up with the premise that maybe that's the problem. They're not images of a monster; they're images //looking// for a monster. The premise is partly inspired by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakumonogatari_Kaidankai Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai], which is a game in Japan where you summon a spirit by telling unrelated spooky stories. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3128]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdzIndWE3KU ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3128|Let's Play Monopoly!]]]//** @@ @@//Hey, guys? I'm, uh. I'm using this.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3128"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I have no fucking clue how this got 200+ upvotes. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3138]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04F4xlWSFh0 ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3138|A Sepulcher by the Sea]]]//** @@ @@//Should it prove feasible, all non-canonical corpses are to be extracted, examined, and catalogued.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3138"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I had this idea for a Meta-Mafia -- organized fictional crime. I was thinking about the disposal of fictional evidence when it occurred to me how handy it would be if you could dispose of //real// evidence this way. Most of the work that followed was figuring out the details. If you store a body in //Hamlet//, is it in every copy? What about translations of //Hamlet// -- will it show up there too? Can I store the bodies in any work? Can I write fanfiction just to store bodies in? Etc. Once I got all that sorted, I decided to dump the Meta-Mafia idea (which would have made the article more comedic) and use the excellent [[[chicago-spirit|Chicago Spirit]]] instead (which made it spookier and tragic). This piece also contains one of my personal favorite hooks: //Foundation personnel embedded in literary and academic circles are to be briefed on SCP-3138; they are to report any fictional work discovered to deviate from its canonical number of human corpses.// I mean, //come on//. That's a fucking fantastic opening line. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3241]]]] [[https://youtu.be/Krtm_gUAadI ♬]] -- //[[[scp-3241|The SS Sommerfeld]]]//** @@ @@//Have you ever seen a Scranton Reality Anchor go critical? I have. Words like "Biblical" come to mind.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3241"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wanted to write [[[scp-1730|SCP-1730]]], except "on a boat". My idea was that a ship carrying low-risk anomalies (think things in the [[[log-of-anomalous-items|Log of Anomalous Items]]]) experienced some sort of catastrophe, and all the low-risk anomalies turned into one really big high-risk one. I started doing research on ship crashes and naval disasters, then started reading up again about the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill Deepwater Horizon oil spill] and all the finger-pointing BP, Halliburton, and Transocean engaged in. That's when it occurred to me: I had never seen a skip that was all about the Foundation getting fucked over on account of their contractors producing shitty equipment. I chose the Scranton Reality Anchor because it gave me a lot of narrative room to play with (since a faulty SRA can basically do anything I want it to). Anyway, I'm really, really proud of this piece for a number of reasons -- it's way different than most of my stuff (which focuses on the delivery of a very tight narrative -- this one pretty much just //meanders// to the end), it involves some of my favorite themes (old school Foundation vs new school), and it engages in some significant lore-building (something my articles almost never do). It also adds two new terms to the Foundation lexicon: 'paraphysicist' and 'morphogenic field' (which is just a fancy way of saying 'reality warping'). The 'joke' at the end is that [[[SCP-106|106]]] is, according to [[*user psul]]'s excellent [[[until-death|Until Death]]], Scranton. Which means O5-5 is just really introducing DeVorn to the guy who invented this technology. I bet he's //super-eager// to hear about Daniel DeVorn's improvements. Also, O5-5 was by far my favorite character to write in this piece. She's basically everybody's sweet old grandmom, except instead of baking you cookies she'll murder your enemies and hide the bodies. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3219]]]] [[https://youtu.be/hfzrRdarnEs ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-3219|This Sour Earth]]]//** @@ @@//Notably, no reports describe any attempt to examine the residence's storm cellar.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3219"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This was mostly inspired by [https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3iex1h/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/ Search and Rescue Woods] (a semi-famous creepy-pasta), and [[*user psul]]'s skip, [[[SCP-3515|Unearth]]]. I wanted to try and evoke a series I story about a spooky place with a spooky backstory; I also wanted to experiment with negative space. There's a story here, but the story is somewhat hidden; you have to look hard (perhaps too hard!) to find it. The goal was to create a compelling narrative by failing to give you all the pieces -- just a few tentative clues meant to inspire the imagination and get you creating a story of your own. Depending on who you ask, this piece succeeds or fails. Anyway, I'm mostly happy with it. If you want to know the actual story of what's going on, I explain it in a forum post [http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-5765060/scp-3219#post-3778504 here] -- though I'll mention that I think being told what the story is by the author kind of kills the mood of the piece. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4028]]]] [[https://youtu.be/TiAz_g2-H_E ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4028|La Historia de Don Quixote de la Mancha]]]//** @@ @@//SCP-4028 is Alonso Quixano, the protagonist of Miguel de Cervantes' 17th century Spanish novel, El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Nobleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha, or Don Quixote).// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4028"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] So, this probably sounds a //teensy// bit melodramatic, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that Don Quixote is my hero. For me, he is by far and wide the most important character in fiction; his mad and pointless quest to live a life of chivalrous virtue in a world where "evil brings profit and virtue none at all" speaks to me in ways I cannot even begin to express (as does his endless string of failures to accomplish even the most trivial of virtuous tasks). The fact that Cervantes' original story ends with him dying -- dejected, feverish, alone and broken -- is, to me, one of the most painful truths fiction has ever had the courage to deliver on my doorstep. Okay, yeah. That sounds a tad maudlin. Sorry. The point here is that the idea of writing a story about Don Quixote was, is, and will continue to be an absurdly intimidating task. It's not something I take lightly, and the fact that I knew from the get-go that it //had// to involve the much-loathed realm of Pataphysics (because what is //Don Quixote//, if, after reading it, you have no questions regarding the identity of its author? What is //Don Quixote// if it does not deal directly with its inherently fictitious nature?) only intensified my anxiety and my woe. So, this is what I've got: This is Don Quixote meets Pataphysics. This is me cranking all my cylinders up to 11 and hoping I got one of my favorite characters in all of fiction right. This article is my windmill, and I'm tilting the shit out of it. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3546]]]] [[https://youtu.be/xif1tKGUKIE ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-3546|Doggone it, I Fold!]]]//** @@ @@//Specifically, fan-art of Sonic the Hedgehog, a video-game character produced by Sega in 1991.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3546"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This article came from the frustration that emerges from discovering that everything has already been done, coupled with my amusement at the idea that even someone's suicide can be described as 'derivative'. Also? I find the Sonichu reference hilarious. This skip contains what might be, out of all the dialogue I've written, one of my favorite comedic beats: > **SCHULTZ:** Yes. I finished it just last year. I was very proud of it. One of my largest pieces. I call it //Barnyard Hijinks//. > > **MALTHUS:** This is Pablo Picasso's //Guernica//. Everything about this work is deeply cynical, but sometimes it's helpful to expel that cynicism on the page. That being said, I do feel bad about turning this poor sweet old woman into the butt of a horrible, cruel joke. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3561]]]] [[https://youtu.be/y6KYb03zJHM ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-3561|An Unfinished Work]]]//** @@ @@//Despite multiple reports from neighbors who claimed to have witnessed members of his family standing at the windows, no trace of Theodore Holdstock's wife and children could be found.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3561"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] [[*user minmin]] and I were swapping weird creepy art, and -- I forget which one of us stumbled upon him, but we came across [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelm_Hammersh%C3%B8i Vilhelm Hammersh]. His work is delightfully subdued and has a sort of washed out feel that carries this sense of melancholic dread. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to write a skip based around it. I wanted something that was similarly subdued -- so I ended up taking inspiration from a short story by Stephen King ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reaper%27s_Image The Reaper's Image]) and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinterkaifeck_murders Hinterkaifeck murders]. Part of the theme here is a mystery that can never be solved. I'm unreasonably proud of this skip. I love how the altered paintings came out, I love how it's paced, and I love how restrained and mysterious it is. My only regret is that it ends with a bit of 'gore' -- but there was no way to achieve the effect of "You've Been Looking At Corpses This Whole Time" without, well... pointing out that the reader's been looking at corpses this whole time. (Also, no -- I have no idea what became of Marie Holdstock.) [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4054]]]] [[https://youtu.be/-sOadAaGiq4 ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4054|The Seventh Door]]]//** @@ @@//SCP-4054 is The Seventh Door, an unlicensed platform adventure game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4054"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] My first game console was an old INTELEVISION that I inherited from my dad. After that, I got a Nintendo -- landing myself upon one side of an ancient console war I didn't even know existed (the opening synthesized chorus of 'SEGA' still fills me with rage and dread). I never looked back. I fucking love videogame creepypastas. I especially love [http://inuscreepystuff.blogspot.com/2010/08/killswitch.html Killswitch], which was the inspiration for this skip. Most videogame creepypastas (like sonic.EXE) go over the top with their scares; they fail to grasp that what makes something scary is the sense that it's not //trying// to be scary. This is what makes Killswitch so great to me -- it feels like something that could exist. I wanted to recreate that -- something that feels like it could really be out there. I did a lot of research regarding the functionality of NES cartridges. All the stuff about bypassing the NES lock is real. I also spent a lot of time getting the screenshots to look 'just' right. I regret how it kind of ends on a predictable note (the game 'eating' someone), but I still like just how restrained this skip is otherwise. I do kind of wish I had tried another approach with the ending -- but alas. (Part of the trick, in case you're wondering: The Foundation is telling you one story, but the screenshots of the game are telling you another) [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4087]]]] [[https://youtu.be/cW3pQO-BIZM ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4087|Absence of a Knife]]]//** @@ @@//An investigation into these homicides has determined that, despite all evidence to the contrary, no actual murder weapon exists.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4087"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This one's based on an idea I've had for a long time regarding a knife that's been used in literally //hundreds// of murders. The initial idea was that this was its only 'anomaly'; I liked this, because it played to the very definition of anomalies (is something that just keeps getting used to murder people with no measurable anomalous properties actually anomalous?). It didn't work for people, mostly because there wasn't much else to it. So, I thought about it for a while. I still wanted an anomaly that isn't really definably 'anomalous', which is when I happened upon an idea: What if the anomaly was what we //weren't// describing? That's when I realized the knife was part of a set, and its absence/non-existence was what made it anomalous. Here's the trick to it: The six knives aren't anomalous. They weren't used in the murders. The seventh knife (which was never finished, and doesn't exist) is the murder weapon. But you can't describe something that doesn't exist, so the Foundation just described everything //around// it. Hence the title, //Absence of a Knife//. I later realized how great it would be to imagine that this is the same knife featured in [[[scp-4955|KNIFE]]] (by [[*user DolphinSlugchugger]]). [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4089]]]] [[https://youtu.be/uhySlhO1W30 ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4089|Untoothing]]]//** @@ @@//You just gotta be willing to pull some teeth.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4089"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I have a deep, visceral hatred for Mid-Level Marketing scams. I have a similar visceral hatred for the entitlement of the ultra-rich. All of this came to a head when I saw [https://youtu.be/CyiZUl0re3k this] video, by an MLM scam-artist turned 'motivational speaker' who goes on a poorly edited 10 minute rant regarding why it's the 'poor who are actually greedy' (his literal words). As soon as I saw this video, I wanted to use it as the basis for something. A lot of times, that's how I express frustration -- with writing. So, I turned it into this fucking abhorrent log (from which some phrases are just lifted out of the video verbatim). I made it about someone who's trying to convince you to tear out and eat not just //your// teeth, but your children's teeth. Then I added horrible consequences (the tumors) to establish that the teeth weren't the only thing regenerating, and added a final note that demonstrates that Lucien Marchand (the one responsible for this whole scam) never even engaged in it himself. I really love Kai Sanchez (and his show, "Positively Rich"), by the way -- he's a parody of Tai Lopez, another exceedingly smug con artist and 'motivational speaker' who preys on desperate people in need of emotional and/or financial stability. I used him in [[[SCP-3089]]], and I'll probably use him elsewhere. Oh, yeah: Don't ask me where I got the teeth. //I know people//. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4127]]]] [[https://youtu.be/I2RXgHfqYx0 ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4127|Heads or Tails]]]//** @@ @@//**Note:** Don't do this again. — Site-Director August// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4127"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wrote this one after talking to [[*user kinchtheknifeblade]] and [[*user weryllium]] about the difficulty in making an anomaly that's effectively just "a coin that always turns up heads" interesting. Once that premise locked into my head, I found myself fascinated by some of the directions you could take it. The decision to have the page have two variants was actually a last-minute addition that came out of no where. And when I say 'last minute', I mean //last minute// -- I had already posted the SCP when the idea struck me of the page having a 50-50 chance of being a coin that always comes up tails. So, I rushed to create a secondary version of the page, then uploaded it and made the change. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4153]]]] [[https://youtu.be/Dhfg8lRB-CQ ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4153|Vincent Price Presents... IT CAME FROM SITE-9!]]]//** @@ @@//**SUBJECT:** Oh come now, Agent Penn. Have some respect for the classics.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4153"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I have a deep, abundant fondness for Vincent Price as well as old horror movies. I still have vivid memories of watching [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Terror Tales of Terror] as a little kid (I was raised by old people; a lot of my childhood was spent watching //really old// films). I wrote this SCP as a sideways tribute to both Mr. Price and the sort of horror he preferred -- stylish, campy, and full of comedic charm, deeply rooted in the works of Shakespeare and Poe. It's the sort of horror that makes you laugh in one instant, and then recoil in revulsion and fear in the very next. I did a bit of light research for this SCP. Each interview is based off of an interview I saw one of the actors do (Bela's, Boris's, and Vincent's). The picture used at the top of the SCP is a photo-still from //Tales of Terror//; I colorized it myself. Also, yes: The head in that photo is intended to be Agent Penn's. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4182]]]] [[https://youtu.be/5XZ_5B5mJS0 ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4182|There is no Site-5]]]//** @@ @@//see you there. ~:)// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4182"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Ages ago, I was doing searches on the wiki for references to sites, and noticed no one had (apparently) ever used "Site-5". This drove me to write an article giving an in-universe explanation to why. For various reasons, I ended up being unsatisfied with it; after deleting it, I sat on the idea for a long while. And then HBO's //Chernobyl// miniseries came out. Fascinated by the combination of horror with reality, I decided to give it another shot -- this time with the notion of the site having been the source of some horrific event that the Foundation kept covering up (only to rediscover it again, and try to bury it even //deeper//). Authorial intent, while relevant, isn't the //most// relevant thing; that being said, I go into deeper detail regarding what I imagine is going on here in a forum post located [http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-12059092/scp-4182#post-4276933 here]. Read if you want to have it thoroughly spoiled. I'm rather proud of my use of images in this piece (particularly the image of the island moving closer and closer with each successive iteration), as well as using movement deeper into the past to establish a "backwards" narrative (where the farther back we go, the more our story emerges). [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-4362]]]] [[https://youtu.be/-IHcp8Pl_X4 ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-4362|Achilles Defense System]]]//** @@ @@//Investigations into McDonald's involvement in the para-tech weapon industry are ongoing.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-4362"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This is one of those articles where the core premise seems so trivially obvious (connecting development of military tech with microtransactions) that you can't imagine it hasn't already been done... but then you search around and realize you can't find an instance of it anywhere. The idea sprang in my head during a conversation about PMCs (private military contractors) and whether or not they can choose to buy non-standard military gear (special scopes, ammunition, etc). From there, the image of something like a Company Store -- but applied to PMC employees -- sprang to mind. And from //there//... it was easy enough to imagine snipers having to pay for unlocks for special types of ammo right there in the field. One of the things I like about this SCP is that it combines so many different things I find awful (the military industrial complex, PMCs, micro-transactions, corporate sponsorships) and synthesizes a whole new awful from them. One of the things I //don't// like about this SCP is that the execution feels shallow -- at the end of the day, it really is a one-note article that amounts to 'LOL what if the military had microtransactions'. I could have drilled a lot deeper, here. Anyway, Mediagen is based on Mediagenic (IE, Activision), and the whole thing is based on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Force_Warrior Future Force Warrior] project (and yes -- that's what they actually called it). [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-5141]]]] [[https://youtu.be/p8A5tfubT_k ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-5141|Studebaker Special Six]]]//** @@ @@//"Son, you ever try to out-run a one-legged man in his own backyard?"// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-5141"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wrote this for [[*user UraniumEmpire]]'s [http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-13262147/writing-challenge-impostor-syndrome Imposter Syndrome] contest -- specifically, 'aping' the style of [[*user CadaverCommander]]. In truth, I kind of cheated -- I didn't aim to replicate his prose-style, but rather, just went with an old draft of mine that I thought had a very strong 'CadaverCommander' vibe to it. I retooled it for the contest. The idea of this little anomalous Studebaker that manages to avoid capture at every turn -- not through 'magic', but just through sheer savvy and knowledge of the terrain -- has been baking in the back of my head for quite a while, now. I also just loved the angle of having the UIU realize they should leave it alone, then the Foundation stepping in thinking 'UIUseless, we GOT this' -- only to then realize too late that they absolutely DO NOT 'got this'. Anyway, the whole premise is (at least in part) based off the life and times of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_Sutton Popcorn Sutton], a notorious moon-shiner. The car is active in the territory he was known for operating in, and the anomaly's date corresponds to the date of his death (March 16th). This is one of the only articles I've written which uses the BHS. I used it here 'cuz Cadaver uses it in all of HIS articles, and I was trying to replicate his 'aesthetic'. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3352]]]] [[https://youtu.be/2yIELWjG8Tc ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-3352|Bethlehem Steel]]]//** @@ @@//For three minutes, the last thing — the only thing — standing between ten thousand souls and all the fires of hell was that thin solitary beam of Bethlehem steel.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3352"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] The I-beam really exists. It didn't hold up against impossible temperatures -- it just was in a place it had no business being (until suddenly it was the //only// thing holding up an elbow full of explosive gas). I have a lot of complicated feelings tied up into this piece. Suffice to say that I've worked in refineries, and... they aren't "safe" places. Neither for the workers or the people who live around them. They are massive outdoor chemistry sets filled with explosives, carcinogens, and poisons of every imaginable sort. Regrettably, the sentiment of the workers in this piece isn't shared by everyone in the field (ESPECIALLY not supervisors). I've heard people claim that everyone should be "grateful for our presence" too many times -- even in the wake of the Philadelphia Refinery explosion (the disaster that this story is based on). That explosion //also// happened in an HF alkylation unit, by the way. The fact that no one actually died is nothing short of a miracle, and largely because 1) the operator activated the emergency shutdown system, and 2) the system worked precisely as intended. Also, yes: You can, in fact, back propane into your fire-water system (this is one of the reasons refineries can be so anal about how, when, and why you can hook things up to a fire-hydrant). Hell, you think that's bonkers? I've seen gasoline backed into the supply line for a toilet. In the end, the only real anomaly here is that the refinery exploded -- and only five people died. [[/collapsible]] @@ @@ [[/tab]] [[tab Collabs]] [[collapsible show="► Collab Advice" hide="▼ Close File"]] [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3693]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0EBOFL_VwE ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-3693|Postscript - Through A Glass, Darkly]]]//** (with [[*user djkaktus]]) @@ @@//Further investigation of the site discovered an abundance of crushed concrete debris and twisted rebar, as well as several floor drains clogged with blood and fecal matter.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3693"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] To be honest, it feels a little weird to put this one on here; [[*user djkaktus]] came to me with an article he was working on that amounted to 'a statue you could put in front of SCP-173 and end its threat forever', and I gave feedback. I ended up re-arranging the order of a lot of sentences and changing some wording, as well as suggesting some different features. He asked if I wanted collaboration credit, and I said I was cool with him going either way. I like the piece for how it hints at a melancholy story without being overt about it. I suspect that SCP-3693 doesn't like SCP-173; I also suspect that this feeling is mutual. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-3760]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wchrctxFo ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-3760|He's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes.]]]//** (with [[*user Peppersghost]]) @@ @@//These aforementioned orifices will repeatedly seek edible material for consumption; this behavior intensifies in the presence of blood, and may even include acts of autocannibalism.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-3760"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Written as part of the Doomcon contest (for team [[[k-o-failure-scenario-hub|JAWESOME]]], which posited a doomsday event resulting from the SPC!) along with [[*user Peppersghost]]. Not gonna lie, Peppersghost did the heavy lifting here; mostly I got this collab on account of making a lot of last minute edits (we posted it literally a minute before the deadline, with him writing out the journal and me coming up right behind him and rewriting it). [[/collapsible]] **[[[[SCP-001-EX]]]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htH2naY3-DM ♬]] -- //[[[SCP-001-EX|SCP-001-EX: A Good Boy]]]//** (with [[*user Peppersghost]]) @@ @@//Analysis of the above formula via paramathematic models theorize that it has neutralized both anomalies via dividing by the common factor (Ursus arctos horribilis, or mainland grizzly bear).// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="SCP-001-EX"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This is a story about that time the Foundation accidentally trained a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network neural net] to become a wizard. With over a dozen crosslinks, extensive use of a [http://botnik.org/ predictive text generator], and enormous help from my collaborator ([[*user Peppersghost]]), this is probably the most ambitious piece I've worked on here. It's a story about the Foundation getting out-Foundation'd, the anomalies getting out-anomaly'd, ethical felines, a computer that thinks it's a dog -- and one //very// Good Boy. Oh, right: It's also an SCP-001 that's classified as "Explained". For a full list of the (extensive) credits and what this is about, check the author post on the discussion page. You can also check out [http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-6269434/scp-001-ex#post-3857886 this post] for a pretty good breakdown of what the hell just happened. My only regret with this piece is that I could never have convinced anyone to accept the far superior alternate title: //Dr. Good Boy, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love my ROM//. [[/collapsible]] **[[[[scp-4220|SCP-4220]]]] [[https://youtu.be/WcFmTC9ljcY ♬]] -- //[[[scp-4220|Dark Side of the Moon]]]//** (with [[*user A Random Day]]) @@ @@//There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="scp-4220"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] [[/collapsible]] [[/tab]] [[tab Parawatch]] [[collapsible show="► Parawatch Advice!" hide="▼ Here you go!"]]There are a lot of ways to make an effective, slow-burn creepypasta -- but here's one tried-and-true method: Start with something real and kind-of-creepy. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Joyita historical event]. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bloop weird phemomenon]. A strange [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturation_diving occupation]. Something that's both intriguing and maybe a bit spooky. Introduce the reader to it in a way that's compelling and fun. //This is your hook.// It being real is what establishes the article as existing in the real world; it sets tone and atmosphere. Now, turn up your heat and simmer: Expand on that hook. A similar or related thing, or maybe the hook itself. Spice it with strange, unusual, slightly-impossible things -- but only gingerly. Reinforce it with actual people, events, or things. Make the spooky indistinguishable from what is real. Every step of the way, the reader should think: "Well, that's a little strange, but..." You're wedging your way into their heads, prying open their minds to make room. Start small. Build your way up. The end is the crucial component: This is where you've pushed the reader's willingness to accept the supernatural as far as it will go. Now, with the space you've made, squeeze in something //absolutely dreadful//. An idea, an event, a conclusion -- anything. Whatever it is, it can't be //too// strange, but it has to be strange enough -- it has to fit precisely into that space you've created. This works best when you can establish the conclusion by providing a tiny detail that lets the reader fill that space themselves. [[/collapsible]] **[[[Abwesenheit]]] [[https://youtu.be/BpaRouocBes ♬]]** @@ @@//But the author was never alive. The author was never even there.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Abwesenheit"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Although not the first article to reference Parawatch (that would be [[*user NatVoltaic]]'s [[[SCP-3840]]]), this is the first "classic" [[[parawatch-hub|Parawatch Article]]]. I wrote it partly because as much as I like [[*user Kalinin]]'s [[[SCP-3084|Seven Strangers and a Feast]]], I always wanted something that evoked the same morbid fascination with "lost films" but without nearly as much overt supernatural going-ons. Not that there isn't a supernatural event going on here -- it's just meant to be more subdued. If you want an indepth breakdown, I wrote out a brief synopsis [http://www.scpwiki.com/forum/t-12270482/abwesenheit#post-4353686 here]. In the end, this article was born from my desire to write something //pure// creepypasta -- something that could very well be a real urban legend in the real world. Something that's right on the edge of being real vs unreal. I'm very pleased with the result. "Abwesenheit" is German for "Absence", by the way. That's the overall theme of this piece: Not merely the death of the author, but the absolute //absence// of one. [[/collapsible]] **[[[Tower-B]]] [[https://youtu.be/AL5R-MaiiHk ♬]]** @@ @@//And so this is the thought that wakes me up in the middle of the night: What made him decide to force open that door?// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Tower-B"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Not even a day after I wrote Abwesenheit, I wrote this one. It just came to me in a rush while reading about deep-sea diving and all the various cautionary steps you need to take in order for your body to adjust to the appropriate pressures (decompression sickness is no fuckin' joke). Once I started thinking about things like neoteny and axolotl, the article practically wrote itself. Based off the very real (and very horrible!) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byford_Dolphin#Diving_bell_accident Byford Dolphin incident]. Oh, and thanks go to [[*user Peppersghost]] for pointing out the easy-pick for the theme song. [[/collapsible]] **[[[sunday-dinner|Straight to VHS: Sunday Dinner]]] [[https://youtu.be/u1V4VN6pp5I ♬]]** @@ @@//Forty five minutes later, the film ends.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Sunday-Dinner"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] Only two or three days after Tower-B, //this// came out of me. What can I say; I had a lot of these "pure creepypasta" ideas backed up inside of my head, and once I found the appropriate outlet, they all came out at once. This one's a love-letter to all the slasher-horror films I watched as a kid: //Friday the 13th//, //Nightmare on Elm Street//, //Hellraiser//, and all those B-movie VHS tapes who's titles I'll never remember. Oh, and the iconic //Faces of Death//, of course. The trick with this one was convincing the reader that the very obvious twist wasn't coming. I did it via the narrator's overall tone (snarky, dismissive, but also kind of creepily fascinated by the subject matter). [[/collapsible]] **[[[Escape from Terminus]]] [[https://youtu.be/BllIODb81Q8 ♬]]** @@ @@//Before Dungeons & Dragons — before Empire of the Petal Throne — before Chainmail, White Bear and Red Moon, or even Siege of Bodenburg — there was Escape From Terminus.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Escape-from-Terminus"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I'm a huge D&D nerd. I've also always been fascinated by table-top roleplaying games with excessively complicated rules -- and the idea of building a game you could play with by yourself. After [[*user vezaz]] mentioned his excellent [[[1914]]], I realized I wanted to replicate that sense of growing confusion and horror -- but using something like //Rolemaster//. One of the common complaints about this one is that it runs right up against the line of not even being anomalous (more than a few people have asked me what about it is spooky or supernatural). While I think that's a wholly valid complaint, I also think that, for me, this was an exercise in pure atmosphere and restraint -- I wanted to see if I could make something 100% believable and still spooky. YMMV! [[/collapsible]] **[[[Substation 9]]] [[https://youtu.be/uwiTs60VoTM ♬]]** @@ @@//You would not **believe** some of the shit we find down here.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Substation-9"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] So, the location this article is describing is not... //entirely// fictional. I'm not gonna go into too many details, but suffice to say that all of the photographs and video footage is from a very real place. Nobody ever died there, though (not that I'm aware of!). This is probably my favorite Parawatch article that I've written so far. It's got everything; ambiguity, a hint of the supernatural, creepy implications, and great photos/videos. [[/collapsible]] @@ @@ [[/tab]] [[tab Tales]] [[collapsible show="► Tale Advice" hide="▼ Close File"]] [[/collapsible]] **[[[oh-seventy-six|Oh-Fucking-Seventy-Six]]]** //As far as I'm concerned, the only therapy Oh-Seventy-Six needs is a depleted uranium slug straight through his skull.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Oh-Seventy-Six"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wanted to write something in the [[[resurrection|Resurrection]]] canon; this is what ended up coming out. I'm unreasonably proud of the fact that I found a way to work 'sheep-fucker' into [[[SCP-076]]]'s backstory. [[/collapsible]] **[[[in-the-garden|In the Garden]]]** //Right away, Rebecca could tell that the wand was high-end... Probably a semi-automagic.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="In the Garden"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I have no idea where this is supposed to go. I just really liked the idea of a universe where the Foundation is 'reversed'; containing science rather than 'miracles'. [[/collapsible]] **[[[hartliss-detective-agency|Hartliss Detective Agency]]]** //Y'know, basic Sarkic stuff.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Hartliss Detective Agency"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] My first attempt at a multi-part story. This opening took a while to get right -- I'm super-happy with it. It's basically a fusion between my love of 30s-era pulp-style magazines (with their excessive over-the-top gore) with a noir polish and a coating of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files The Dresden Files] (which I've admittedly never read). ...and now looking at that wikipedia article, I see right away it contains a reference to the term 'semi-automagic', which I thought was kind of novel on my part. //Oh well//. Anyway, one of the things I wanted to do with this is explore Sarkic themes in the context of a 1920s pulp-style story. [[/collapsible]] **[[[the-long-goodbye|The Long Goodbye]]]** //I'm about to drown in a sea of sugary mush and she's Baba Yaga. Pissing her off feels like the right move.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="The Long Goodbye"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] The second part of the Hartliss series. I'm less happy with this one; it was kind of an experimental thing I was trying out, when I should have probably gone with something more concrete. Still, I don't think it's //bad//... just a little artsy fartsy, especially considering the subject matter (hardboiled Sarkic detective investigating mysteries). Hopefully, the next (and final) piece will bring it back home with some straight-up two-fisted //justice//. [[/collapsible]] **[[[red-harvest|Red Harvest]]]** //Lakewood is a long stretch of nothing leading no where.// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Red Harvest"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] The third (and final) part of the Hartliss series. I'm pretty happy with this, even though it took forever to produce. Needless author head-cannoning: Reinhardt is responsible for Cragstaff Sanitarium ([[[SCP-3054]]]). [[/collapsible]] **[[[dark-side-hub|Dark Side Discography]]]** >> //didnt anyone tell you the internet is haunted// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="dark-side-hub"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] [[/collapsible]] [[/tab]] [[tab Essays]] [[collapsible show="► Essay Advice" hide="▼ Close File"]] [[/collapsible]] **[[[your-very-first-scp|Your Very First SCP!]]]** //It looks like you're trying to insert a narrative into your SCP document. Might I suggest an [https://www.fanfiction.net/ alternative format]?// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Your Very First SCP!"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] This was an attempt to produce a newbie's guide to SCPs that's 1) Informative, 2) Entertaining, and 3) Actually mildly terrifying. Skippy himself was born from the bitter, withered depths of the blackened spite-gland in which my inner grammarian persists. If I were to ever bother with an 'author self-insert', it would likely be him. Important takeaway: There's nothing wrong with a format screw, now and then. Skippy's seething hatred for them is just funny (and I think it's good to discourage newbies from trying to deviate from the format until they understand how to effectively operate within the constraints of the format). [[/collapsible]] **[[[essays-by-a-hack-writing-tales|Essays By A Hack: Writing Tales]]]** //Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. -- **J. R. R. Tolkien**// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Essays By A Hack Writing Tales"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wrote this essay because I noticed a lack of essays regarding tale-writing -- prose in particular. Good prose is hard; in a lot of ways, it can seem almost like magic. I wanted to break down the magic and try to get across ways a writer can accomplish it in a straightforward fashion. [[/collapsible]] **[[[essays-by-a-hack-sentence-clauses|Essays By A Hack: Sentence Clauses]]]** //Another fun fact: The human femur can withstand up to 1,700 PSI before it becomes bone fragments!// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Essays By A Hack Sentence Clauses"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I wrote //this// essay to address the consistent struggle I see in people's writing to deal with the issue of sentence clauses (combining dependent and independent clauses incorrectly, etc). It's one of the first guides I wrote that features Skippy. Out of all my essays, it's likely the most concrete and strictly functional (hence using Skippy to lighten it up). [[/collapsible]] **[[[essays-by-a-hack-terror|Essays By A Hack: Terror]]]** //Dread not this reaper. My Lady, I am truly your man. -- **Vincent Price, Dread Not This Reaper**// [[collapsible show=" ► Commentary" hide=" ▼ Close File"]] [[module ListPages name="Essays By A Hack Terror"]] **[##grey|%%created_at%%##] [##green|+%%rating%%##]** [[/module]] I once wrote an extensive breakdown of two skips to demonstrate one approach to terror (post available [http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-4309163#post-3635568 here]); a lot of people kept telling me I ought to write it into a guide, so... here it is. The important thing to keep in mind: This is not the only approach to terror. It is, however, one that I've found to be highly effective. [[/collapsible]] [[/tab]] [[tab Advice]] **Never throw water on a grease fire.** Water expands by a ratio of approximately 1:1600 when it boils at atmospheric pressure. This means every drop of water hitting that burning grease is instantly exploding into a ball of steam //over one thousand times larger// than the initial droplet. In other words, you will turn a grease fire into a flaming hurricane of burning oil and death. Instead, snuff the fire by putting something over it (like a metal plate). If you have no other option, use a CO,,2,, or chemical extinguisher (//not// a water extinguisher -- also, don't aim //into// the grease; just sweep across the top). ---- **Whenever you compare yourself to another author and find yourself lacking, just remember this:** Your unique background and set of experiences equips you to write stories they can't. There are stories inside of you that //only you and you alone// can tell. No one can take that away from you. ---- **Don't use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol on a paper-cut.** Both of these chemicals evaporate very quickly, which removes moisture from your skin -- and part of what makes paper-cuts hurt so much and for so long is the skin drying out (causing the skin to retract, which in turn causes the cut to expand and deepen). Instead, immediately keep it moist with saliva (gross, but it works) until you can wash it off with some soap and water. Then, use petroleum jelly and/or an antibiotic cream beneath a small bandage to keep it clean, moisturized, and sealed. Chap-stick will also work in a pinch. ---- **Writing fiction is like exploring unknown territory.** There's no 'right way' to go -- just lots of wrong ways. People can give you some helpful directions, ideas, and even a few places you might want to visit -- but no one can tell you where you're going or how you're getting there. That's just something you have to discover for yourself. ---- **Never clean your cat-litter box with bleach.** Cat urine is filled with ammonia, and ammonia mixed with bleach produces [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_gas_poisoning chlorine gas]. Just use ordinary (bleach-free) soap, hot water, and a scrub-brush. ---- **I don't care how shoddily written a piece of writing is.** The author does not deserve to be ridiculed, mocked, or patronized. Don't do it -- and if someone tries to do it to you, don't put up with it. ---- **If you find yourself confronted by a wild bear, here's what you do:** Speak slowly and carefully, letting them know where you are and what you are doing at all times. Let them see your hands and arms. Don't make sudden moves. If they want to inspect you, let them; once they're satisfied, move (SLOWLY) away. Never run. Make sure you're paying attention to your surroundings: You do //not// want to get caught between a bear and her cubs. You can find more bear-related safety advice [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm here]. ---- **[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style The Elements of Style] (by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White) is a small paperback book that's around 50 to 70 pages long.** It costs about $1.99 -- and if that's too rich for your blood, check your local library. Try to get the most recent edition if possible (older editions will contain errors, on account of grammar changing). Alternatively, you can find a 2008 edition available for free online [http://vrici.lojban.org/~cowan/style-revised.html here]. It's an excellent guide to concise, technical writing. I cannot recommend it highly enough. ---- **If you find yourself confronted by an American police officer, here's what you do:** Speak slowly and carefully, letting them know where you are and what you are doing at all times. Let them see your hands and arms. Don't make sudden moves. If they want to inspect you, let them; once they're satisfied, move (SLOWLY) away. Never run. Make sure you're paying attention to your surroundings: You do //not// want to get caught between a cop and another cop. You can find more police-related safety advice [http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/connect/talk-back/10_rules_of_survival_if_stopped_by_police/ here]. ---- **Writing is not a magical, innate talent that you're born with.** It's just like any skill: You need to hone it. The only reason people think otherwise is because writers just show you the finished product -- which perpetuates the illusion of writers as wizards who conjure a masterpiece out of thin-air. But the truth of it is this: Behind every great story is a **fuckton** of shitty ones. ---- **It is against the law to lie to US federal agents.** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_false_statements Seriously]. The maximum sentence is 5 years in jail (8 if it's related to terrorism). This is why you should never talk to the FBI without an attorney present (if at all). Not even over the phone. It doesn't even matter if you're innocent of wrong-doing: They can just claim you lied to them and use this to pressure you into giving testimony against someone else. If you refuse, they //will// prosecute you and you //will// go to jail. And yes, this happens all the time. //Do. Not. Talk. To. Them.// ---- **Kurt Vonnegut once wrote 8 rules for writing.** He went on to state that all but one can (and often will) be broken. "//Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.//" This is the only rule in writing you must not break. **//Never waste a reader's time.//** [[/tab]] [[tab Author]] (@@ @@°-°)@@ @@┬──┬ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (@@ @@°-°)@@ @@┬──┬ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (°-°@@ @@)@@ @@┬──┬ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (@@ @@°-°)@@ @@┬──┬ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (@@ @@°□°)@@ @@┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (@@ @@°□°)@@ @@┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (@@ @@°-°)@@ @@┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (°-°@@ @@)@@ @@┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (@@ @@°-°)@@ @@┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (@@ @@°-°)@@ @@┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@« (╯°□°)╯︵ ┬──┬ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@« (╯°□°)╯︵ ┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@« (╯°□°)╯︵ ┬──┬ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@« (╯°□°)╯︵ ┴──┴ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ ┬──┬ ┬──┬ ┬──┬ ┬──┬ ┬──┬ ┬──┬@@ @@─(°□°─) » ┬──┬ ┬──┬ ┬──┬ ┬──┬ [[/tab]] [[/tabview]] [[size 75%]] [[=image hippo2.jpg size="small"]] = //art by [[*user sunnyclockwork]]// [[/size]][[size 75%]] ---- [[div style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"]] [https://youtu.be/KnrGMHhnqrw But I'll keep coming] [[/div]] ---- [[/size]] [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box |author= The Great Hippo]] ===== > **Filename:** small.jpg > **Name:** small.jpg > **Author:** [[*user SunnyClockwork]] > **License:** CC BY-SA 3.0 > **Source Link:** http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/sunny-s-black-and-white-art ===== [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box-end]]