The Proverbial "Plant Mom"

Summary:

A sentient plant left behind by its creator, now left to its own devices in an abandoned greenhouse.

The Proverbial "Plant Mom"

Orchitty 25 May 2020 00:33

Seeking Greenlights: Yes

Page Type: SCP Article

Genre (Optional): Emotional

Page Layout (Optional): Exact layout TBD, but definitely an inclusion of interview logs with the entity, as well as general observation logs.

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Elevator Pitch:
Located within an expansive yet long-abandoned greenhouse, SCP-XXXX is a conscious mass of liana vines, stemming from an exceedingly tangled pillar trellis in a central hub room. Growing out from where the pillar meets the ceiling, the countless woody limbs have ingrained themselves through the very architecture of the entire building. XXXX can exert rough motor control over said limbs, with more precise actions being performed via further branching frond-esque tendrils. The tendrils are capable of lifting around 10kgs at most without danger of damaging themselves. Blossoms present at the end of roughly a fourth of the tendrils allow rudimentary sight. XXXX is incapable of vocalizations, but can converse through manipulation of a provided writing implement.

Central Narrative:
Initially created to be a glorified custodian for the greenhouse, SCP-XXXX had taken on the role of the plants caretaker by the time the Foundation was made aware of it. At that point, the SCP had simply resigned itself to apathetically maintaining the greenhouse as its duty, as well as out of fear of having to feel the other plants die (due to airborne hormonal signalling).
After proving to be relatively benevolent, albeit apathetic at that point, the lead researcher assigned to XXXX offers to help repair the nonfunctional greenhouse equipment. It complies, developing a level of camaraderie with the researcher as the renovations take place.
After the greenhouse has been brought back to greater than its original functionality, the researcher offers to provide XXXX with reading material and equivalently simple pastimes to keep it occupied and stave off the prior problem of apathy. For a time, this does keep XXXX occupied, but it soon comes to realize that it now feels empty having not been caring for the plants like before. Having had time to step back from the obligation it had accepted before, it takes the role of caretaker upon itself again with a more parental mindset.

Hook/Attention-Grabber:
Exploring the way a non-human entity may approach guardianship, as well as being able to follow via narrative as said entity rationalizes that personally alien impulse towards care.

Additional Notes:
My main goal in writing this skip is to make an entity that comes across as emotional and sweet without devolving into saccharine “wholesome”ness.
I also just thought it would be fun to make a caretaker out of a liana plant, considering their usual infamy for depleting nutrients from other plants around them.

Re: The Proverbial "Plant Mom"

DrAkimoto 25 May 2020 01:30

Sufficient thought was put into this concept, it has a solid anomaly, theme, and narrative. Consider this a greenlight, as you know you'll need to seek out your second. Goodluck.

Re: The Proverbial "Plant Mom"

MalyceGraves 25 May 2020 15:12

Summoned from #thecritters.

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I think that this could be a compelling narrative. However, the way this thing communicates should be alien and weird to us, though if you just do endless test logs, this will get old fast.

Focus on the interplay between the plant and its researcher, give it a unique voice and personality, and you will have a solid piece.

Do it to it.

Greenlight.

Re: The Proverbial "Plant Mom"

OCuin 25 May 2020 15:43

Had a convo in #thecritters about this. Unnecessary messages have been removed.

IRC Logs

[2020-05-25 16:25:22] <OCuin> Orchitty: I'm done, lemme know when you're good to start

[2020-05-25 16:27:18] <OCuin> Cool
[2020-05-25 16:27:57] <OCuin> I'll start?
[2020-05-25 16:28:03] <Orchitty> Fire away
[2020-05-25 16:28:09] <OCuin> > as well as out of fear of having to feel the other plants die (due to airborne hormonal signalling).
[2020-05-25 16:28:11] <OCuin> this
[2020-05-25 16:28:12] <OCuin> so good
[2020-05-25 16:28:14] <OCuin> I love ir
[2020-05-25 16:28:15] <OCuin> *it
[2020-05-25 16:28:25] <Orchitty> Thank ya
[2020-05-25 16:29:05] <OCuin> That's the thing that I find most compelling about this idea. I'll say straight out, plant/monster type stuff isn't always my favourite type of article
[2020-05-25 16:29:11] <OCuin> But I like what this does with that idea
[2020-05-25 16:29:17] <OCuin> You've got a nice, clear way you want to take it
[2020-05-25 16:29:40] <OCuin> I'm a little concerned that there's a fair number of different ideas going on here
[2020-05-25 16:29:58] <Orchitty> Mhm
[2020-05-25 16:30:32] <OCuin> There's exploring that about death, exploring how it was created (if briefly), it's role within the greenhouse, how it feels about that role, how the Foundation treats it etc.
[2020-05-25 16:30:45] <OCuin> I like basically all of these ideas to varying degrees
[2020-05-25 16:30:57] <OCuin> But my concern would be that balancing all of them could become very difficult
[2020-05-25 16:31:16] <Orchitty> My end goal is to have the separate concepts flow sorta linearly over the course of the article, but I can 100% see how it could come across as a hodgepodge when condensed like this
[2020-05-25 16:31:44] <OCuin> Yeah
[2020-05-25 16:32:24] <OCuin> I'd think about which are most important to telling that central idea of "Exploring the way a non-human entity may approach guardianship"
[2020-05-25 16:32:37] <Orchitty> Ye
[2020-05-25 16:32:53] <OCuin> I think it can work with all of them in it, if well written, but I'd think about what is most crucial to the story first, and then work in what's more extraneous
[2020-05-25 16:33:00] <OCuin> Otherwise, I'm a big fan
[2020-05-25 16:33:04] <Orchitty> Makes sense
[2020-05-25 16:33:05] <Orchitty> Thank ya
[2020-05-25 16:33:12] <OCuin> If you needed another greenlight, I'd be giving you one
[2020-05-25 16:33:19] <OCuin> It's cool
[2020-05-25 16:33:19] <Orchitty> Aw, thanks
[2020-05-25 16:33:39] <OCuin> Not at all
[2020-05-25 16:33:45] <OCuin> Thanks for looking at my conprocs too :)
[2020-05-25 16:33:56] <Orchitty> The creators in question are a GoI I've been playing around with
[2020-05-25 16:34:07] <Orchitty> Essentially an occult Agway
[2020-05-25 16:34:28] <OCuin> Ahh I see
[2020-05-25 16:34:32] <OCuin> That's funky
[2020-05-25 16:34:49] <Orchitty> They wouldn't be gone into in too much depth in the article but
[2020-05-25 16:34:51] <Orchitty> You know
[2020-05-25 16:34:59] <OCuin> Yeah
[2020-05-25 16:35:00] <Orchitty> Planting the seeds of future possibilites
[2020-05-25 16:35:04] <Orchitty> Pun intended
[2020-05-25 16:35:11] <OCuin> lol, I like it
[2020-05-25 16:35:31] <OCuin> Let me know if you want draft crit at any point, I'm interested in where this goes
[2020-05-25 16:35:37] <Orchitty> Will do

Like I said, if it needed it, I'd be giving it another greenlight. It's a solid idea, with a clear amount of thought put into it and a clear direction you want to take it. With the main caveat in mind of being careful to balance all the different ideas involved, I'm excited to see where this goes.