SCP concept

SCP concept

seemecool 23 Dec 2019 05:45

A concept for an scp i though of from a wikimedia unidentified image
it causes a plant or tree to turn yellow, wilt then die. However when the plant dies, all plants or trees located around the dead plant also die the same way, lather, rinse and repeat. The SCP gets weaker everytime it spreads to new hosts. this happens until the SCP dies when it reaches a certain point. the original host stays alive however, this original host (a new zealand flax) has been dug up and placed in containment. as the flax still has the SCP in it. This has meant that over time the scp went extinct in the outside world and the flax being the only remaining host.
EDIT: "the original host stays alive however" I'm actually saying the original host is dead but still has the SCP.

Last edited on 23 Dec 2019 05:50 by seemecool Show more

Re: SCP concept

Doctor Fullham 23 Dec 2019 14:45

So, what you have currently is the "thing that does a thing" or "X that does Y" concept. An SCP article is much more than simply an anomalous item, being, place, or event. The true meat of the SCP is the story around the anomalous thing. The thing itself is a vehicle that the narrative is attached to. To give my best example from Series 1, look at SCP 093: The anomalous item itself is a rock that turns mirrors into interdimensional portals. The thing that makes this SCP shine is the story; the history of the dimension that it leads to.

I recommend reading several items on the Guide Hub:

How to Write an SCP

Clinical Tone: Declassified

Things What Do a Thing: An Essay On Anomalies That Are Things That Do A Thing

Essay Regarding SCPs, Narratives, and How They Can Share a Page

There are other guides there that can be very helpful, but these three are some of the most often recommended for first-time contributors.

General Notes

We need to know more than just "it's a tree that kills other trees when it dies." What story are you going to tell - How The Foundation found it, Who or what created it and why, did someone use it to some end? (These are not all questions that must be answered, these are some possible narrative hooks.) You need something that differentiates this as an SCP, instead of just an Anomalous Item.

I also recommend reading several (at least 10-20) of the top-rated SCPs from the last several months, and avoid reading series 1 SCPs for inspiration. Many series 1 SCPs would not last a day under current SCP standards, and a few are only still around because of their history with the wiki itself. (This does not apply to all series 1 SCPs, as you can see I mentioned 093 earlier, but many of these were written before the wiki's style had really been cemented.)

The anomalous object, while important, is not actually the main focus of the SCP. A good story, a compelling narrative, something that makes the reader feel something - that is the goal of an SCP article. What feeling do you want to evoke from the reader? Horror? Empathy? Sadness? You need to create a narrative around this object and its effects.

I am not saying this to discourage you, I just want you to understand the amount of effort that goes into creating a successful SCP.

If you can revise this idea with a story that you want to tell, we will be able to give you much more meaningful and constructive critique.