I…uh…I don't…really know…what…to think…about thissss one…I just-just don't know honestly.
No vote.
where we landing? not tilted! ッ
SCP-6642 / Discussion
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This is the discussion related to the wiki page SCP-6642.
(account deleted)A modified humanoid form taking elements of Homo sapiens, Felis catus, and Vulpes vulpes.
Finally, catgirls
In all seriousness though, this was executed very well. Shortform, but still works +1
—j.w
The themes of "shape-shifting alien on the run from intergalactic police" and "memetic effect that makes everyone hate you" feel completely dissonant.
I mean 1504 is immortal, cant be seen as anything but nice and good, and can control electrical and electronic systems, and he's a pretty well written and popular scp, so I personally dont see that much of a problem with it. To each their own tho
I think it's pretty common knowledge that police can get you in trouble even if you don't do anything, as long as they don't like you.
The memetic effect is related to it. You go around the universe and everyone hates your guts for no reason. That includes authorities. They don't really need evidence. They will plant it. They will frame you.
Unfortunately, someone's likability affects their interaction with the world more than it should.
This is just just kinda pathetic, you ok man?
I liked it, it's a sad story about a alien that makes everyone hate him. I feel like the ending could have been better but it was good enough to get an upvote out of me.
+1
Raccoon Noise
It's….average.
Not bad by any means, the concept of an alien having to leave every where he goes since his memetic condition makes people unable to stand him is a pretty unique idea.
But I feel that there could've been more things added here. SCP-1504 is pretty similar, an anomaly that changes the way people view it. Except with that entry, there was a big "oh shit" moment when we realized how dangerous he could be. He could release all keter classes and cause an XK if he wanted to.
There isn't a twist here that makes the article memorable. Not that every article should have a twist, but I feel that this article could've used a much better one.
The interviews could be better, too. Make the anomaly have more of a personality that isn't just "people hate me i'm sad"
Again, it's not bad. I'll even give a +1 for its potential.
+1
Not every SCP has to be a groundbreaking new concept, a super god entity or a nightmarish tale about someone surviving against all odds. People tend to forget that this type of read is the concrete to famous SCPs' rebar.
The article seems kind of unfocused and underdeveloped. The alien can shapeshift into whatever organism is interacting with it and it has a memetic effect that makes most organisms hate it, so much so that it has been "run-out-of-town" on multiple planets in the past. When Dr. Kaye said "This kind of sounds like anxiety," I thought that was supposed to be a hint that SCP-6642 didn't have any compulsion effect. But then it turns out it does have a compulsion effect and it's not all in its head, and the reason Kaye wasn't affected was cause she had high cognitive resistance. Then it ends with Dr. Kaye being affected and a minor note that SCP-6642 can now shapeshift into a cat/fox person.
I initially thought the subtext of the article was going to be about how someone can feel alienated in a community and that feeling of alienation and anxiety remains no matter where they try to connect with others.
I have some more thoughts, but I have to go somewhere soon. I'll add them once I get back.
Belated Edit: I feel like this could be reworked/rewritten in a number of ways: you could rewrite it so the subtext I previously mentioned shows through more; maybe you could expand on the alien's ability to combine the features of different animals, what if doing this changes its compulsion effect and causes different emotions to arise in organisms; here's a (maybe) funny idea, what if after it starts shapeshifting into a cat/fox person people suddenly find themselves more interested in SCP-6642 and start treating it nicer and acting more friendly towards it, cause humans are weirdos that are strangely drawn to animal-eared people.
As it is now, it's gonna be a downvote from me. Above all else, you need to figure out a definite direction for your article to go in.
I have… several criticisms.
1. The idea is pretty cool — "criminal on the run from intergalactic police" and "thing that makes everything hate it". However, the piece does not attempt in any way to connect both themes. It's just casually dropped in your lap that "it's a criminal! oh also people hate it.", which specifically leads me to the second point
2. Why specifically humans? This is an intergalactic fugitive. You mean to tell me, in all the worlds it visited, only this world had humans so special it got affected? Why is it this property here?
3. The dialogue drags. Parts that could've been a short talk between each character is dragged on in various interviews. Much of the dialogue could be compressed and nothing of note will change.
All in all, the execution's quite not there. The dialogue drags, and you didn't do much to flesh out the character despite how much dialogue boxes you've dedicated to it. In addition, you have two ideas here that wasn't meshed well enough for me to have thought "oh that's pretty clever". -1
For me, the ideas and themes are solid, but there's a weird disconnect between intergalactic police and apathy for 6642. Additionally, the dropdown article doesn't feel as hashed out, and after Kaye's log it feels like it just ends.
Novote for me
The dialogue is pretty strong at building an interesting aloof atmosphere that might come with experiencing hate wherever you go, but the plot of the article feels quite lacking. There isn't much that pushes the article along, nor do any of the story beats feel particularly well-justified. For instance, the change in the Kaye's attitude happens off-screen, as a sudden result of medication, when it could've been much more engaging to see her resistance to the effect slowly wearing down.1 The dialogue also ends in some pretty strange ways - why would the foundation cut the interview after Kaye theorises it's anxiety? Some connective tissue, some in-universe justification, could help to push the plot along and develop the themes of anxiety and changing oneself to please others.
On that last note, the shape-changing aspect was really promising but felt kind of wasted — you have someone who feels they are (or maybe are) hated by everyone around them, you gave them shapeshifting, and never explored how they use that shapeshifting to try address their problem (and how inevitably that would be dishonest to themself)?2
I think you could tell a very engaging and affecting story with this concept, but I don't think you pulled it off here.
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page revision: 2, last edited: 15 Jan 2023 15:06
