GlassesIDontHave anomalous hat

Summary:

I have linked in this my sandbox for an scp idea. This is all new to me

GlassesIDontHave anomalous hat

GlassesIDontHave 08 Feb 2020 19:50

This is my idea. It is an anomalous hat that takes over the mind of it's victim to make another hat. This new hat will be the next main instance of the anomalous being and the previous hat so far has not been seen to have any anomalous properties after converting to the new hat. I would love any amount of advice or critique. Revision. what if the person who then wheres one of the hats that have been "deactivated" now get their minds flooded with the feelings, emotions, and memories of the person who died where that hat.

Last edited on 09 Feb 2020 04:36 by GlassesIDontHave Show more

Re: GlassesIDontHave anomalous hat

Doctor Fullham 09 Feb 2020 23:00

The revision still hasn't added much, to be honest. You hadn't mentioned anything previously about the person dying having anything to do with this, and honestly, someone dying from the effects on an SCP is so overdone at this point that you have to make the reason or way in which they die incredibly unique and interesting. This hasn't really added any sort of narrative, either - it's just another thing that the anomaly does. There's still nothing here to make me emotionally invested.

Your reader's attention is a commodity - you have to convince them that your idea is unique and your article is worth reading. Right now it's just a hat - what are you going to do to make me care about what this hat can do?

Forum Criticism Team - Captain Post

Zyn 08 Feb 2020 20:00

ETA: addressed, thank you. Feel free to reach out to a Butterfly Squad Roster reviewer for your critique.

Last edited on 08 Feb 2020 20:17 by Zyn Show more

Re: GlassesIDontHave anomalous hat

Doctor Fullham 09 Feb 2020 02:57

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

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 are some of the most often recommended for first-time contributors.

General Notes

We need to know more than just "it's a hat that forces you to make a new hat that then forces someone else to make another hat ad infinitum." 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 recommend reading a significant amount of the top-rated SCPs from the last several months, and focus on reading more recent SCPs rather than older series. Many early series 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 early series SCPs, 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.

The anomalous item is the vehicle, the narrative is the person driving, the readers are the passengers. You can have the shiniest, most polished, most interesting vehicle in the world, but without the driver, the passengers aren't going anywhere. Where is the narrative taking the readers, and how is it getting them there?