What is a Scranton Reality Anchor (SRA )?
I've heard references to these in takes and Skips and whatnot, but I 've never gotten an idea of what they are.
What is a Scranton Reality Anchor (SRA )?
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» What is a Scranton Reality Anchor (SRA )?
(account deleted)Scantron Reailty Anchors or SRAs are powerful machines used to impede or otherwise nullify reailty bending effects from reailty benders.
…which is impossible since they could bend reailty to make it seem as though reailty anchors should work.
'cause you know…they can…bend reailty? Control all of existence?
Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. —Holden Caulfield
The magic of technology, Amuness. If enough Foundation scientists put their heads together, they can stop anything.
And if the whole world is crashing down… fall through space out of mind with me.
If we agree that there are grades or strengths to a reality bender's ability (i.e. from "can barely turn something blue" to "godlike"), then it's not too far of a stretch that a SRA is designed to overpower a reality bender of X grade or X strength.
Basically, the SRA forces reality to stay normal more than the bender tries to make reality abnormal.
Basically, the SRA forces reality to stay normal more than the bender tries to make reality abnormal.
Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. —Holden Caulfield
I'm pretty sure it anchors reality around them and makes the reality bender's power useless around that area
FYI, necromancing a old post is usually frowned on…well, everywhere.
General note, on the SCP wiki it's fine to post on an old conversation if the comment is substantial (so not just "haha lol" or similarly spammy stuff like that) and meaningfully moves the discussion onward. The necroposting policy posted in 2012 (link here) states this.
that is true but do take note that it is not a risk free solutions
SRAs can fail and when they do they become a reality bender of their own and in this situation you will need 2 other SRAs to contain 1 failing SRA. It doesn't help that in some universe SRAs are very prone to failing
all and all its like killing a housefire with a stronger fire, but when that fire gets out of hand then OH MY GOD EVRYTHING'S ON FIRE!!!
read SCP-3241 to learn more about it
I have spent an unhealthy amount of time making headcanons about these, because I think they are gnarly, but I'll keep this post short.
- Headcanon that the standard size ones, AKA the ones that would be kept somewhere around a typical type-green's containment chamber, are about three feet tall, glow faintly when activated because there're noble gas-filled discharge tubes in there1, and have a slider switch to adjust the Hume level as needed.
- Headcanon that field agents and researchers/personnel working with reality benders or reality-affecting objects carry miniature ones that are maybe six or seven inches long (some size that can easily fit on a belt like a truncheon or taser would) and less powerful than the standard size, but are used for emergencies. After all, if a bixby isn't cooperating, dragging a giant machine around isn't going to be practical.
- Headcanon that these things give bixbies massive headaches because they're screwing with the way their bodies function, and for this reason, making it obvious that one is powered on around them is going to piss them off.
- Headcanon that staring at the glow for too long feels like staring at an ultraviolet light tube, because it's light but not quite normal because of the other Hume- and Kant-related stuff in there.
…And much, much more! Tune in next time, kids!
Footnotes
1. Why? Because science, and because why not. (I offer my soul to anyone who can actually make a valid scientific explanation, no matter how pseudoscientific, as to how an SRA would work. These are way beyond your everyday questionable quantum physics concept.)
I know this is an old post but I like to imagine that SRAs would be able to detect where reality is bending within a specific area around the SRA and would use a noble gas such as helium (the stuff they use in MRI machines) to super cool the matter around the affected area near absolute zero. Cooling the matter to such a low temperature, causing all the molecules to slow down immensely, would make it difficult for reality benders to warp reality in that spot. If the matter were to reach absolute zero reality benders would not be able to do anything, leaving them helpless. Sadly, the laws of thermodynamics don't allow for this, meaning SRAs can only slow the progress of a reality bender but can't stop them in their tracks. SRAs that are huge like the ones you describe would be able to supercool matter much quicker and to a lower point than that of a handheld one a field agent would have, making the larger ones much stronger against reality benders rather than the smaller ones.
I don't make posts but I really enjoy physics and I thought I'd give my two cents on how I think it would work.
None of that is how thermodynamics works. Cryogenic noble gasses aren't magical time stopping potions, but rather just really cold liquids or superfluids.
What you propose here would be somewhat destructive, but not especially efficient compared to just shooting or exploding things.
Also, bit more minor thing, but how exactly does excitation of individual atoms effect reality bending? I mean, ignoring skips like 239, reality bending should take conscious effort. So, how do excitation of atoms and phase of matter affect reality bending? Either warping (is that the verb for it?) solids is harder because of just general coherence between atoms, or warping gases is harder because every atom has to be considered individually. Thoughts?
Ok, so in my headcanon there two kinds of reality benders, and as such there are actually two kinds of SRAs.
The first, and most common, type of reality benders don’t truly bend reality, but instead bend people’s perception of reality. It’s sorta like The Matrix; “your mind makes it real.” As such, Type-1 reality anchors work more on a physiological level than a physical one, and use memetic counter-agents to reestablish a person’s normal sense of reality. These SRAs are incredibly common throughout the Foundation, and have even been miniaturized to use on field operations.
However, there are also the ‘real’ reality benders; beings that actually make concrete changes to the fabric of existence around them. The Type-1 anchors, can kinda of work on these true reality benders by changing the type-green’s own perception of reality, making them think that their powers are being countered. However, this is highly risky, because if the reality bender realizes that it is only perceiving the loss of its powers, then they can just neutralize the anchor’s effect.
The Foundation does have a more specific answer to to these kinds of Bixbys: Type-2 SRAs. First off, these things are absolutely enormous(with the smallest kinds being around the size of a school bus), and highly dangerous for anyone to be around while active.
These anchors work by removing layers of reality from the surrounding area, thus making it harder for benders to affect it. More powerful beings are able to "dig deeper" into reality, and thus more layers of reality need to be removed to properly neutralize them. However, increasingly terrible things happen as you remove more of reality. Plus, it becomes harder for reality to heal from these kinds of damages; so Type-2 SRAs are only activated when absolutely necessary, and don’t remain active for very long.
In-universe, an SRA is an amazing scientific advancement that solves an unspecified range of reality-altering events. Much like people have said up-thread. They are found, amongst other places, in SCP-2000, SCP-2343 and SCP-1451, as well as these tales.
Out-of-universe, SRAs are a "yay science!" writing shortcut - a way for the Foundation to contain reality-altering anomalies without having to put too much thought into how mundane technology could be used instead. That's fine in SCP-2000, where the whole point is "yay science!". It is risky elsewhere, as SRAs that are too useful make the Foundation's job too easy, which robs the premise of its drama.
Of course, I know the real story behind Scranton Reality Anchors, but the wiki wasn't ready to hear the truth. Believers can read it by scrolling down to the "Scrapheap" section of my sandbox.
So this nifty new SCP is all about SRA's. SCP-3326. I felt it was worth sharing, since the story revolving around this SCP tackles their usage and the original creator of the Scranton Reality Anchors.
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page revision: 1, last edited: 02 Apr 2021 15:16
