The Day the News Stopped

The Day the News Stopped

Doctor OFlynn 30 Sep 2020 18:41

Seeking Greenlights: Yes

Page Type: SCP Article

Genre (Optional):History, Horror (?)

Elevator Pitch: In 18 April 1930, there was no news reported by the BBC in the UK. The news channel simply read "There is no news" followed by around 15 minutes of piano music and the end of broadcast. What if that woke something up

Central Narrative: What if The Day With No News woke something up, something that feeds on news. And what happens if this Thing gets hungrier as time goes by, getting used to its normal feed amount, requiring the Foundation to induce more news into the world, threading the line between feeding this Thing and exposing themselves to the world as a whole.

Hook/Attention-Grabber: I have always loved SCP's that have used current situations and explained them through the medium of SCP's. Looking at the news cycle where ever you are its nearly impossible to imagine a day where the words "There is no news" is said, as well as using the Foundation as backdrop as to why it has been speeding up as of recently.

Re: The Day the News Stopped

Marcelles_Raynes 01 Oct 2020 01:32

On behalf of the Team of the Oinks, I will be looking at this post!

Let's dive in, shall we?

So, in all honesty, there isn't much story here. It's more of a "what if" scenario but without any real danger being presented to us. There's a thing somewhere that feeds off news, but that's all we get. We have no idea what this thing is, where it came from, or what it wants. I understand that there is a lot of news in modern times. The sudden broadcast that there is no news would certainly be jarring and strange, but there just isn't the narrative meat here that makes the most of this scenario.

I would suggest building more on what this entity is. My mind immediately goes to Lovecraft and the attempts to explain the unexplainable. Trying to give form to the formless. Perhaps you can draw inspiration from there?

Another thing: Consider the origins of your creature. Perhaps it was summoned from an ancient ritual or created by people who just wanted to stick it to the man. Establishing an origin, while not directly stating what that origin is, may help your piece in the long run. Additionally you could try leading us in different directions regarding the creature's origins or intentions. This way you will leave the readers speculating about your work long after they've finished reading it!

That's all I've got for you now. Good luck!

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~ M.D.R.