SCP-EX: A Poor Old Man

Summary:

a non-anomalous man who has seen some things

SCP-EX: A Poor Old Man

DrBlackshop 02 Jan 2020 04:23

This would be an article about a man who was previously in the foundation's custody because he Knew Too Much^tm. I feel like the main interest of this article would be in the interviews. He's basically a grandpa who has seem some weird shit and likes telling 'the younger generation' about these things. These things are like mountains just disappearing or all of the cattle on his farm dropping dead. Perhaps he's inadvertently helped the foundation contain a few things. Perhaps he was a completely useless waste of resources. Who knows?

Re: SCP-EX: A Poor Old Man

Doctor Fullham 02 Jan 2020 05:30

Perhaps he's inadvertently helped the foundation contain a few things. Perhaps he was a completely useless waste of resources. Who knows?

I mean, to be honest, you should know, and be telling us here, otherwise how are we supposed to critique the idea? Are you going to have him reference SCPs you plan on writing or have written? Off-hand references to other SCPs? It seems like you have a very nebulous idea here, just "An old guy telling stories about anomalies." Why would they bother containing him instead of just amnesticizing him so he can't spread information about anomalies? Is he immune to amnestics and they just let him prattle on to personnel to keep him occupied?

Explained SCPs are commonly articles about anomalies that are completely and fully understood to the point where their effects are now explainable by mainstream science or phenomena that have been debunked or falsely mistaken as an anomaly.

This means you need more than just "something that isn't anomalous", it needs to have a reason they would have thought it was anomalous at one point. I don't see that here. This sounds more like a pitch for a tale than an SCP.

All in all, we need more information than this to give any solid, constructive critique.

Re: SCP-EX: A Poor Old Man

DrBlackshop 02 Jan 2020 06:08

Thanks for responding

I am going to have him reference SCPs i plan on writing and SCPs that have been written. The reason the foundation brings him into containment in the first place is because these will be very unrelated SCPs that seem impossible for a normal person to have witnessed (wether it be because of widespread amnestics usage, geographical issues, things that should literally be impossible for him to find (like SCP-4314 ) and perhaps some more i haven't thought of just yet.) They think he is anomalously gaining this information, and that is why he is contained. He is indeed immune to amnestics, so instead of releasing him he is allowed to just kinda hang around onsite. He is pretty much just a minor annoyance to staff, especially younger ones.

Re: SCP-EX: A Poor Old Man

Doctor Fullham 02 Jan 2020 06:19

he is allowed to just kinda hang around onsite.

"This anomaly is harmless so it's allowed to roam around" is generally not well received on the site anymore, in fact it was a prompt for the Cliche Contest in early 2019. If it's worth an SCP designation, it is worth all three aspects: Secure the anomaly, Contain the anomaly, Protect people from its effects.

these will be very unrelated SCPs that seem impossible for a normal person to have witnessed (wether it be because of widespread amnestics usage, geographical issues, things that should literally be impossible for him to find (like SCP-4314 ) and perhaps some more i haven't thought of just yet.

Does he just have information as though he had witnessed them? Because I don't see how that makes him any kind of threat worth containing - most people would just write him off as a crazy old man. Does he actually have any information about The Foundation? How did they even find out about him?

He is pretty much just a minor annoyance to staff, especially younger ones.

He should be in a containment cell. There is no reason to have him roaming around. Now that I think of it, why not just let a D-Class in to listen to the stories and then amnesticize them afterwards? Why is anyone required to listen to him at all?

Reviewer Post

JakdragonX 02 Jan 2020 05:29

Doctor Fullham has some very valid points.

They Call Me Algebra

I could almost find the narrative of this man to be very entertaining if it was simply a Tale. Giving him "primary" knowledge and sort of describing it as a story sounds somewhat enjoyable. Sadly, I dont really see why he should be given an SCP designation. For example, SCP-4983 kind of operates similarly to your concept. Hes a storyteller, but he can also transfer memories which gives the Foundation a reason to contain him.

I can almost understand your premise, since you're trying to make this sort of like an -EX, but I dont think that's enough to give this concept much merit. This old man just kind of seems like a, "Take you're Parent to Work" type of scenario. Maybe you could have this as a Joke SCP that sort of makes fun of the cliche of him just hanging around (although finding humor in just that cliche would be quite hard today.) I suggest you take this one back to the drawing board and try to figure out these questions: What is this anomalous thing? Why does it function? Why should the Foundation contain it? And, most importantly, Why should the reader want to continue reading it? The reader is ultimately who you're targeting.

---

If you need help, please take a look at the following links:
(So You Want to Write a Humanoid SCP Obiect)
(Popular SCP Foundation Tropes from A-Z)
(How Not to Walk Your Dog: Poor Pacing in the SCP Format)
('Things what do a thing'- An Essay On Anomalies That Are Things That Do A Thing)
(Top Rated SCP Pages. Make sure you dont read anything under 1000 because most of the ones below 1000 aren't "acceptable" in today's SCPs. Remember, a good writer is a good reader!)

Finally, if you do make any changes to this concept, and you wish to continue looking for someone to either review it or greenlight it, I suggest going to this to find a Butterfly Squad member who can review this or greenlight it. You can also PM me if you have any questions or concerns

Last edited on 02 Jan 2020 18:03 by JakdragonX Show more

Re: SCP-EX: A Poor Old Man

Custodian Funderful 02 Jan 2020 06:37

Why would the Foundation give this guy an SCP designation? He's just another person to interview and amnesticize.