I like the idea just enough to upvote, but the bit about the previous 515 being restrained through breaking her bones seems excessive (just use a full-body restraint), and feels like it's been added just give the item 'grimdark'. Contrary to popular belief, it's not in any way required to make a good SCP. The Foundation does what it has to, nothing more.
…Huh. I had an actual reason for having implemented both measures on her, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. This might have to be amended.
The occasional random escaping seems to fulfill the reason for the broken bones, but couldn't this be circumvented by redundant automated restraints? So if he starts to move (which could be detected electronically), the secondary restraints activate and pull him back into containment and the primary restraints re-engage.
Alternatively, for a more permanent solution, you could sever the motor nerves to his legs so that he couldn't move them, period (This leaves him with functioning arms so he would only be a paraplegic if he awoke). There are also several paralyzing agents that perform the same function.
Just a thought.
I was also wondering: when he randomly escapes his restraints, is it like he just passes through them and is found sleepwalking away from the bed? Or does he suddenly appear somewhere else?
Regardless, I like the concept.
To respond: I had it in my head that he passes through them, so that no amount of restraints would keep him immobile permanently- at least not the way you're describing. Redundancy is a good idea, but it wouldn't slow him down.
Hadn't thought of severing the motor nerves and such, though I feel like I should have… It'd make this fellow pretty easy to handle, honestly. This might take some serious rewriting.
Thanks for the ideas, and I'm glad you like it!
Given the fact that every breath he takes pulls the objects slightly closer to Earth, it would make sense to make a note that the Foundation is looking into possible methods to neutralize SCP-515-1.
Holy dammit Christmas I forgot to say that. Duly noted.
There are two things that bug me about this entry, which are accompanied but possible work arounds
1: Why don't they just keep him on a drip of Muscle Relaxants? These are common, easily obtainable, inexpensive drugs that prevent movement during surgery. To keep him ominous, it could be any physical movement to his form, even cause by outside actions cause the effect.
2: Zeta Laporis is 70 light years away from earth. It takes 70 years for the light from this area to get to us so it is physically impossible to observe changes there until 70 years after they occur.
Why can't 515-1 be a collection of objects in our own asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter? These could be comparably easily observed and are only about 20 light minutes away! All this would require would be a small shift in scale. Make each movement of 515 correspond to a shorter movement of 515-1
I know the SCP isn't usually worried about physical laws, but you can't instantly observe changes that are happening 70 light years away, that's silliness.
Otherwise I love the idea!
Fixing! I shouldn't have thrown in the Zeta Laporis bit, it was not thought through. I meant for it to be used as more of a landmark, but… well, we saw how that went. :s
Also, I thought I put something in there about him reacting badly to that sort of drug. If not, huh. That was an oversight.
Metabolizing the gravitational potential energy of asteroids. That's certainly novel.
if your reading this your gay
Being pedantic here but why not hook him up to an iron lung and cut back even the respiration? On a more stylistic note, I believe convention is against referring to humanoid SCPs as 'him' or 'her.' The Foundation considers them humanoid artifacts, not people.
Good article, but I wonder: could the foundation amputate some limbs? Would the severed limbs retain the asteroid-moving qualities?
Maybe, maybe not. The problem is, what if that accelerates them? Or what if the sleeper dies during surgery? Or what if removing the limbs just partitions the effect amongst multiple sleepers?
There are lots of things the Foundation would like to try, but it's like with 231-7. We don't really have any margine for error.
Wow, I love this entry.
Just wondering if SCP-515 doesn't ingest nor excrete food what are the effects on his body? Also is this a result of his near complete immobility?
For example if 515 were to escape for any length of time and be allowed free movement would the expenditure of energy result in weight loss or the need for sustenance? Has any research been done into tube feeding if so what were the results? Would the physical act of digestion count as "Movement" enough for the shift of celestial bodies?
Also the status of 515 still remains a bit unclear to me… Is he ageing? Or in a state of suspended animation? If merely restrained and otherwise left alone will he continue to exist/live indefinitely? Or is this a mantle passed on through eventual death of the host subject?
Again I really thought this was a fantastic entry! Feel free to ignore any and all of my comments if they seem stupid or ill thought through.
Hm, I wonder.
What if the objects aren't moving toward Earth, but toward the sleeping person specifically? Seems like something they'd try to test. Launch him into space or something.
That probably wouldn't help. They'd have to move him far enough away from earth that there was no concern over potential impact, which would be expensive and obvious. Besides, there's the matter of keeping him alive and controlled for an extended period of time - it's not a feat there's any real reliable means to accomplish.
The rise and fall of SCP-515's chest unfortunately must not be stopped and, according to Foundation satellites, corresponds with a movement in the celestial objects to the degree of 10 km per respiratory cycle.
Sustained motion, such as sleepwalking, has been demonstrated to correlate with the objects traveling toward Earth at velocities reaching 280,000 kilometers per hour.
SCP-515-1 had moved a total distance of █████ km from the start of the search to its finish
Eyyyy I'm back, and my first comment is a nitpick! Yay. By my calculations, simply breathing for 22 days straight would have moved 515-1 distances on the order of seven figures as opposed to the five I see blacked out. Assuming he didn't sleepwalk or twitch much. That said, depending on where these objects are, even if he was up and awake and a cross country runner to boot, the sun may just have exploded by the time the objects reach Earth. Even if they were constantly moving at relativistic speeds.
/nitpick, I still really like the near-constant shitshitshitshit hesmovingmakehimstopwereallgonnadie feeling.
Not crazy about this one. I really like the concept but not the execution. Some thoughts:
- The leg-breaking. In-article justifications aside, I don't see why this needs to be included. It seems to be there to demonstrate the idea that the Foundation sometimes needs to use cruel methods for the Greater Good, but there are other articles that demonstrate this far more effectively.
- The impossible escapes just seem to be there to justify the above leg-breaking. If they were expanded upon and made less handwave-y that would help a little. Though I do understand that if full-body casts, etc. were effective this SCP would be much less of a threat.
- So here's an idea: what if the SCP instead fully awake and aware of their abilities, and more importantly not willing to destroy the earth with them? The idea of being forced into total immobility to avoid killing billions, aware the whole time, is much, much more horrifying to me.