SCP-2738 / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page SCP-2738.

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(account deleted) 05 Jan 2017 16:44

Unless otherwise stated, any graphics or images in my articles are made and/or taken by me.

The first draft of this was from July 2016; I got the idea when I was working retail and thought "hey, how come we with boring jobs never get any weird events when all the physicists are discovering wormholes and aliens and whatnot?" I then had a revision that I didn't like, gave up on it again for a month, and then finally reinvigorated it a third time and tied it all together a few days ago. My thanks to
WrongJohnSilver, Roget, Palmetto28, and Maddy L for crit and feedback.

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Edit: Tags. Given that I'm junior staff, I should probably stop being scared of tagging my own articles. Added the fitting tags in reference to the tag list, and will let tag team decide if 'uncontained' also applies. (Probably not, since the Foundation is at least aware of it, and is researching full containment.)

Last edited on 01 Aug 2017 00:59 by (account deleted) Show more

RJB_R 05 Jan 2017 16:51

I really enjoyed the progression of how the Foundation figured this out. It's always so much better to have the reader follow the train of thought and come to a conclusion with them rather than just telling them. I also thought the way that the Foundation communicated with it was clever and the last interview was both well-done and builds the universe through a former Foundation employee. Well done!

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Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

sinn1sl0ken 05 Jan 2017 16:56

I really like the tone and flavor of this, particularly the interview log in the bookstore. The brief flashes of intent we get from the program, like when it tries to help the agent who says he's in danger, really add to the personality of the piece.

It's too bad that the end stage of this program is terminal database corruption and a breakdown of commerce, because I get the sense that even though it describes itself as a virus it's still trying to serve the customer at the end of the day. +1

EDIT: I didn't check the axis labels on the graph since in my window size they were illegible without maximizing, but on closer inspection buttfranklin is right. This graph would make a lot more sense with the axis labels reversed.

Last edited on 06 Jan 2017 13:43 by sinn1sl0ken Show more

(account deleted) 05 Jan 2017 17:02

It's too bad that the end stage of this program is terminal database corruption and a breakdown of commerce, because I get the sense that even though it describes itself as a virus it's still trying to serve the customer at the end of the day.

Yep! It has good intentions for the well-being of people, but has trouble functioning in a capitalist system, and ends up doing harm. You hit the concept on the nose.

TheDayman 05 Jan 2017 17:34

Really good writing style, with a satisfying story/background/history. I've always had a weak spot for software-related anomalies. The way the true nature of the program is revealed is a refreshing read. New articles like this are relatively rare nowadays.

In light of this, upvoted!

Last edited on 05 Jan 2017 17:36 by TheDayman Show more

Zederex Armin 05 Jan 2017 18:02

Nothing scares me more than a computer with access to a credit card.

In all seriousness, I really enjoyed the concept and visuals behind this SCP. It was well-written in my opinion. We don't really have any organized technological anomalies anymore, which is why i'm glad you've written this.

+1

Genshed 05 Jan 2017 19:46

Echoing the praise above. The interviews worked really well.
As a frequenter of bookstores, I liked the WEUB. Imagine working at a used book store that's also a Foundation front; certainly seems less dangerous than a lot of other sites.

Jacob Conwell 05 Jan 2017 20:01

Dang that is one sassy virus.

The various test logs are what made this for me. It was interesting to see how the virus responded to individuals inputs, and the responses to Shaw made me chuckle. All around an entertaining premise and a neat skip.

+1.

TL333s 05 Jan 2017 23:57

I like how this is a very mundane, vaguely unimportant sort of thing: anomalous POS's aren't exactly earth-shattering, though the reality-bending aspect certainly has potential to do damage. (I do love the phrase "Economic Anomaly".)

I'm not quite sure I got where this was going, though. The line of questioning about its origin and purpose didn't turn up hardly anything; I'm surprised they didn't try it again somewhere with a more general stock than just used books. I get sort of a "well, what can ya do?" vibe from the people involved, I guess? No real sense of the danger, despite what that graph suggests. No-vote for the moment.

James Jonathan 06 Jan 2017 08:57

Love your collapse 1+

Buttfranklin 06 Jan 2017 10:29

+1 but having time on the y-axis is messed up lmao

Person Man Guy 06 Jan 2017 13:03

I was actually wondering why nobody seemed to mention this, as it actually screws up the article. If time was on the x and the instances were on the y,(as most line graphs work) it would depict 2738 instances manifesting at a staggering rate. Instead, the graph depicts 2738 infection slowing down radically. I upvoted, but the graph breaks the immersion quite a bit.

(account deleted) 06 Jan 2017 16:10

It's because I made the graph in Photoshop rather than an actual graphing program (which I don't have, and I didn't want to have an obvious PowerPoint screenshot in an SCP article) and thus just wasn't thinking about it. I'll change the graph today.

Edit: Alright, switched the axes.

Last edited on 06 Jan 2017 16:29 by (account deleted) Show more

Scorpion451 06 Jan 2017 20:49

_{Psst: still need to switch the larger version}

(account deleted) 07 Jan 2017 14:23

Crap, sorry. Fixed.

Buttfranklin 09 Jan 2017 13:22

Without wanting to sound like a pedantic arse, it doesn't make sense for the graph to go "backwards" on itself just after March 2014. So if I'm trying to read off the number of instances around March 5th, the line crosses that point three times, so there are three different values it could be!

(account deleted) 09 Jan 2017 18:32

…Welp. And fixed again!

_{I'm a graphic designer not a statistician and I had a chemical engineering student and a finance professional read this and no one caught it it's not my fault aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa}

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