NewbieGuide/chatrules/how to write
I think these all need some major updating/joining together. Thoughts, volunteers?
Admin, SCP Wiki
NewbieGuide/chatrules/how to write
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Agreed. We could reshuffle what goes on which page, for one thing: there's a lot of overlap between the Newbie Guide and How to Write, for instance, and between the Guide and the Chat Rules. We might even consider breaking off things like the list of senior staff onto a page of its own, like we did with the big list of cliches.
Here's one way it could play out — just a thought, of course:
- Guide to Newbies: Contains a short list of very basic site rules, followed by a number of large, clearly-marked links to the other pages below (with unambiguous injunctions to read them all dangit).
- Merge detailed discussion of the rules into what is currently the Chat Rules page (see below).
- Merge the "Writing SCPs" section into the "How to Write an SCP" page, as an overview of the process, and just put a sizeable link here.
- Mention the chat before the very last paragraph, heh. Maybe a line in "Joining and Staying In the Community"?
- Also a section on what to expect from this site's brand of critique. (Something like Bright's new FAQ wouldn't go far amiss.) This might belong instead in "How to Write", but it does seem like something newbies and prospectives ought to know right off the bat.
- Split off the list of senior staff into a separate page.
- How to Write an SCP: About as it is now.
- But add some kind of style guide, perhaps alongside the template. Maybe I'm just overly picky, but I think all the little confusions — everything from whether Class A amnesiacs are stronger than Class C, or vice versa, to the use of imperial rather than metric measurements — whittle away at immersion. Quik's guide could be a good framework.
- Chat Rules: Change to Site Rules and include the longer-version rules currently on the Guide to Newbies and scattered across all the pages.
- The Big List of Overdone SCP Cliches: Move the comment about "this isn't no more ever, just WE HAVE LOTS" to the top, and link the page prominently from both the Guide to Newbies and How to Write an SCP.
- The Senior Staff and You: Split off into its own page.
All of the above assumes that we won't be doing much by way of drastic rewrites, which may not be a justified assumption. If we decide on drastic revisions, I'd suggest a framework something like this:
- A page for prospective members and newbies, with a brief summary of the site's premise/purpose, its rules, its climate, and the admissions process, followed by a lot of clearly-marked/explained links to the other newbie-pages.
- "You've just been accepted. Welcome! What now?" A page of advice for the newbie: more-detailed site rules, tips on integrating into the community, a summary of the SCP-submission process, more clearly-marked links (and another injunction to read them).
- Detailed site and chat rules. A lot of corporate types like to split this up into members' rights and their responsibilities. This should also include a frank discussion of the site climate — something like Bright's FAQ, but condensed and softened just a little.
- How to Write an SCP. The long version — a lot like what we've got. Include (or link to) a style guide.
- The Senior Staff and You. The list we've currently got in the Guide to Newbies, plus also perhaps more of Bright's FAQ, etc.
- SCP Resources. Links to the chat, Pastebin, Sandboxes, Fuelbucket, our Library, other creepypasta sites, etc., etc.
All of the above should be heavily cross-referenced wherever appropriate. Heavy-handed, but hopefully effective.
Thoughts?
(Also, I'm willing to help plan and write.)
I'm not sure we need quite that much changes. I am also STRIDENTLY against the whole style guide, and cementing things that are up to author decision.
Admin, SCP Wiki
Yeah, I agree that lots of the rule pages seem redundant… Some notes on the first set of plans:
-The Guide to Newbies page, and possibly the How to Write an SCP page (although less so), seem as though they could be trimmed back, a lot, to be more readable, and less repetitive… Suppose a couple of people get on doing some drafts, and we bat those around till they look? I can help out.
-How about splitting the chat room guide into "actual rules" and "good policy"- what will get you banned, and what is bad behavior- and putting the first part on the Site Rules page, and the second part on the Guide to Newbies.
-Agreeing on splitting off the Senior Staff page.
-I don't like the idea of the style guide either… Though a brief page/note regarding some metric conversions would not be out of place.
-All for the List of Cliches proposals.
I don't think we need huge changes either, but some things could stand the editting. Also, the new FAQ seems to discuss a lot of things covered elsewhere… We might, though, be able to expand it a bit and have it count as some other sections of newbie pages.
All right Light, take charge of this, do what you feel you need to, recruit who you need to.
Admin, SCP Wiki
We should do a movie called "The SCP wiki and you: A how to!" in the style of those terrible educational films.
:V
I would love to help out and/or be a part of this. Maybe it could be disguised as a Foundation workplace training video too. (Hopefully nothing like the MS-DOS 5 upgrade rap)
“Now I'm sure you feel obligated to write up or update the file for the ess-see-pee that was just recently decommissioned but ask yourself this: Is it actually worth writing up a new set of containment procedures for something that is no longer contained when you can do something else of value to the Foundation?”
"Well, hello there. I'm Dr. Jones, and this is my assistant Billy."
"Hi!"
"Today, we're going to learn how to make an SCP article."
"Gee willikerth, Dr. Joneth. Can I make an Eth Thee Pee article?"
"Sure thing, little guy. First, let's start with an idea. Do you have an idea?"
"It'th a thuit like Venom, only it'th green, and it let'th you fly!"
"Ooh, I'm sorry, Jimmy, but I'm afraid that's unoriginal horseshit. We're going to have to try a little harder."
"Aw, nutth."
"Don't be discouraged, Tommy. Unlike your parents' love, a good SCP article is attainable. You just have to think smart and not be a dipshit. Why don't we go step by step."
"Thure!"
"Now, like I said, we need an idea. But there are some things you've got to be aware of. There are a bunch of ideas that we've seen done enough, you need to be careful about using them again. I'm not saying you can't, but you need to know what your competition is."
"Aw, no guyth who fight good? That wath gonna be my next idea!"
"And that's why nobody loves you, Joey, along with your personality, face, and everything else about you. Now, as you can see, we've got quite a list. But that's all right. There's a whole world of other ideas out there!"
"Hey! I jutht remembered a really good creepy-pathta thtory I read! Maybe that could be an Eth Thee Pee!"
"'Fraid not, Tony. See, we want good, original articles. If it was a good Creepy-Pasta story, not only will a lot of our readers already know it from there, but frankly, it's probably already done well enough as it is. But don't fret. Just keep swinging, slugger."
"How about hideouth parathite that turnth people into arthropodic nightmareth of pain and terror?"
"Now you're cooking with gas, Sammy! Now, the next step is to show it to people. I'm right here, so we've got that covered. Onto the writing!"
Since we're trying to cut back on the LOLstaff faggotry on the site, we could revamp the senior staff's profile pages to have a short bio of them IRL and a couple paragraphs about their OOC work around the site, then simply have whatever guides we come up with link to those pages.
Alternately, keep the profile pages but add seperate pages or expandable boxes with the OOC stuff.
Unfold
I have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. by 
tunedtoadeadchannel, 13 Aug 2010 02:30
I like the second idea, not so much the first. As much as LOLstaff stuff hurts the site, I think that completely removing their personas wouldn't really accomplish anything. Everybody knows Dr. Bright's immortal, Dr. Gerald catches on fire, Dr. Gears is emotionless and unfeeling, etc.
yeh, yeh. I was thinking of putting the OOC stuff in a Q box above the IC profile.
Unfold
Re: I have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. by tunedtoadeadchannel, 13 Aug 2010 02:42
I don't think this is actually a horrible idea.
So, I did some drafts for the chat rules, newbie guide, and writing guide:
pastebin.com/VLNpKPaN Chat rules
Newbie Guide
[[toc]]
Welcome!
Ah, so you found us. Great! If you're a casual browser and don't plan on joining the site as a member, that's cool; we have hundreds of SCP articles, incident reports, Foundation tales, and unrelated creepypasta pages for you to read, so why are you wasting your time reading this? But, if you're looking to become involved in the wiki community, whether it's because you want to get a closer look at the process, read the discussion pages, or because you want to write your own SCP article, there are a few things you ought to know first. Of course, first you need to join the site if you have not already done so!
Joining the Site
So, apparently there have been some issues regarding the application process. The only place you need to go to join is here. Follow all the steps. Seems rather simple, yes? Well, let's reinforce a couple of points:
- DO NOT ANSWER IN CHARACTER. Your application will be deleted.
- All Questions Must Be Answered: This should be an obvious one, but seriously, answer all the questions. They do serve a purpose. 'I don't know' is not an acceptable answer.
- Consider This A Job Interview: You are trying to impress us. (I use the term us, but really, it's just Bright.) You want to join our site. This application is a forum through which you can sell us why we need you around. That said, when answering the question, punctuation, capitalization, and the ability to completely explain the idea are recommended.
- The Questions Are Serious: Okay, granted, some of them aren't (and it'll be obvious which ones aren't), BUT the point is, we want a real answer to any questions asked. So, if, for instance, the question is "What is the purpose of [DATA EXPUNGED]?", a good answer would not be "Why, because of [REDACTED]!" We really want to know your answer to these questions, not something cute and snarky/quippy.
- What To Do If I'm Denied: Look at the reason why you were denied. It'll tell you whether you can apply again.
- Whether you are approved or declined, you WILL be notified. If you have not been notified either way, something went wrong in your application process, and you should contact Dr. Bright to find out what it is.
Joining and Staying in the Community
- Join the chat: Seriously, it's easy! Joining the chat is the #1 way to get involved in the community. A lot of SCP-related conversation takes place there, as well as the majority of the socializing and the discussion. If you have an idea you want to run by an established user, you can do it there. If you need some help setting up a page, do it there. Hell, just go there and say hi first, and people will tend to like you better if and when you write your first article.
- And read the Chat Guide as well. Wouldn't wanna get banned now, would we?
- Checking the topic of the chat is good business. If you're using the Mibbit option, and you can't find the topic at first glance, type "/topic".
- Leave constructive comments: We encourage users to vote on articles as they like (and dislike), and leave comments on discussion pages. And leaving comments on articles is a great way to start discussion with other users, and make your name familiar around the site. But please, if you're going to leave a comment, try to say something beyond "liked it, upvoted" or just "downvoted". Ask questions! Whether questions for clarification, or theoretical questions such as "What would happen to this SCP if we did …" etc. Asking questions helps the authors expand the article from angles they might not have previously considered. If you're not going to ask questions, at least leave full comments saying what about an article you like. If you're leaving a negative comment, it's doubly important to state what you didn't like.
- Don't rush to contribute: This is a big one. Just because we are a writing community does not mean you must write. We welcome fans, editors, and insightful commentators as well. Also, the SCP entry format is not always everyone's cup of tea. The detached tone and format can be very hard to do correctly. Luckily, we have a large Library, Creepy Pasta section, and other areas where more emotional and story-length ideas can be played out. Don't feel as if you MUST make all your ideas into SCP entries. The Foundation universe is large, and lots of things may happen in it that never get recorded in full scale SCP entries.
- Read the articles: It's surprising how many people we get that read an SCP or two, and then try to have OPINIONS on new SCPs, or even worse, write their own SCP. Before you go doing either of those things, take the time to REALLY read about the site. Get a feel for the site and the setting. Read about object classes and security levels. Explore the links across the top and down the left side of each page.
- Do not sass the mods: Or the admins, for that matter. Anyone whose name is under Administration or Moderation on this here list is generally an established user with experience writing good articles. If a mod is being deliberately rude or mean, call them on it, by all means, but too often we've got people coming in and mouthing off to established users who are only trying to help, and wind up with kickbans.
- Don't be the Guitar Guy: You know, the guy who shows up at a party with his guitar and starts playing without being prompted, thinking that this will make him appear deep and talented and probably get him laid. He's wrong. Everyone hates that fucking guy and they all wish he'd just shut the fuck up and go home because Jesus H Christ, dude, are you completely oblivious to the fact that a bootleg of the new album by the Faint, which won't be released for six months, is on the stereo, and also that the redhead you've been hitting on all night came with Frank, who makes way more money than you and is an accomplished marine biologist? … Anyway, the point is that you don't need to be the most awesome thing in the room, and trying to be will generally result in the opposite reaction. Just be what you are and let the flow of the environment guide your decisions.
- Finally, don't be a dick: Wil Wheaton said it, so it must be true.
Some "Rules"
We really have surprisingly few hard-and-fast rules that you NEED to adhere to, but the following are certainly amongst them. Please keep the following in mind unless you want to be scolded, yelled at, or possibly banned.
- Don't make a member page until you've got at least three well-received SCP articles: And when you do, remember that self-deprecating humor is better received than Mary Sue power fantasies.
- Make sure any content you add is appropriate: Whilst the site as a whole would certainly have to go "unrated", and I'm certainly not going to ask you to keep things "PG" or any such nonsense, please keep things tasteful. If your article mentions sex or violence, don't make it explicit. If in doubt, run it by a staff member, but an easy way to police yourself is to ask yourself: "Does the purpose of this article SEEM to revolve around indulging in sexual or violent fantasies?" If the answer is "yes", then try again, bucko. And pictures should always be kept SFW. Of course, I mean all of this regarding main-site articles, as we do have a place for this sort of thing.
- Don't talk "in character": Do not talk "in character" on the forums or the chat. This is a quick way to accumulate hatred and angry glares.
++On Editing
- Do not muck about with an established SCP without getting some feedback first. If you offer up an interesting idea for altering or destroying an SCP, the original author may very well be good with it, but please, ask first. If the original author is not known or not around, then ask a member of Senior Staff before making any major changes.
- Be aware of editing "levels":** This is very, very important! Minor edits to articles, such as basic spelling or grammar fixes, can be carried out in most cases with little to no involvement from the article's author. Major edits, such as alterations of whole sentences or paragraphs or changing pictures, should ALWAYS be run by the entry owner first. If you are unable to contact the owner, ask a mod or admin— that is why they are there. If you want to edit an entry for structure rather than content, at least ask a mod/admin in chat first to see if they think the change would be acceptable. I know it can seem a tad anal-retentive of us, but this way we can keep the nasty surprise of logging in to find your entry "wrecked" to a bare minimum.
*Ideas for site tools should be run by an admin or a mod before being implemented:** Preferably they should only be implemented BY an admin or mod. This is to stop the site from being broken and going all wahoonie shaped. We're still trying to hunt down a few "fixes" implemented by users, so this is important!
Writing Guide
[[toc]]
Before You Start
Read The Big List of Overdone SCP Clichés. If your idea falls under one of these, seriously consider not making it. If it's your first article, then DEFINITELY choose a different idea. If you have to justify it by saying, "My <insert cliché here> is different," then no, it is not different, don't do it, choose a different idea, good DAY sir.
Read The Guide to Newbies. This is your "New Hire Handbook", and you should treat it as such. This will teach you all you need to know for your first few weeks at the Foundation. Quick links to help files, a list of well-known staff, and lots of tips, this will make your transition much smoother.
Also, [joining the site] will help.
Now, you can start writing.
Getting Ideas
The basic idea, thinking up an interesting effect or object to write about, is often the hardest part. Here are some tips for getting ideas:
- Think of what scares you. Footsteps following you down a hall, swarms of spiders, being totally alone, needles, the dark, anything. These things are great ways to come up with some sort of effect for your SCP entry.
- Find a good picture. If you can find a really odd picture, you can get inspired very quickly, and the right picture can turn a decent SCP into something extraordinary.
- Think odd, not dangerous. Yes, a thing that will liquefy bone in a quarter-mile radius is very dangerous, and would need special containment, but it’s not interesting. The best SCP gets your brain working, makes you wonder how it came to be, how it could be used. You want to make people interested, so they keep thinking about it long after they read it.
- Visualize. The most important, and most useful: play these things out in your head, build a back-story, and see what it does to people and things. The SCP document is a tiny window into that world. Snip out details, and leave just hints of something more going on. You want people to ask questions, to dig at it.
- Avoid overused and clichéd topics like vampires and other well known mythos. It's fun to parody, but it's eye-rolling to read a completely unoriginal rip-off. Minotaurs, harpies, werewolves, and the like — please avoid. That said, if you can pull it off in a creative and unexpected manner, you might not be maimed.
- If you're thinking of creating an SCP based off a living thing (animals, plants, fungi, protists, and bacteria), realize that you'll have to outdo Mother Nature — and she's taken the best ideas already.
Tips for writing SCPs
General Writing and Format Tips
- First and foremost, please use correct English spelling and grammar — though you don't have to convert everything to US English. British spellings, for example, are perfectly fine.
- Any measurements should appear in the metric system. Ghost will come after you if you don't do this, and besides, it's proper scholarly format. Be prepared to do some conversions.
- Keep your writing clinical, detached, and orderly. This is a report, so keep to the format. Avoid writing in the first person.
- If you need to remove a few words (e.g. names, places, dates), copy the Unicode character █ (U+2588, FULL BLOCK). If you need to cut out substantial sections, use [DATA EXPUNGED].
- Be vague. If you explain something, people will say, "Oh, I can handle that" — but if you don't, people will imagine the things they can't handle. And that is true horror. Err on the side of vagueness.
- Brevity is a virtue. That said, you should explain your SCP well enough that people understand what's going on.
- Do not write dramatically. These are statements of fact, nothing more. Make observations, not inferences.
- The secret underground shadow government doesn't resort to typing with the caps lock on when they want to emphasize that something must be done "at all costs".
- Expressions such as "approximately 57.23545445 cm" appear foolish. Also, there's no need to go down to nanometers when you're writing an executive summary.
- Try to find a picture for your SCP. A picture is worth a thousand words, and all that.
- If you're including scientific information, please fact-check. There's nothing like being completely thrown from immersion due to sloppy science. Granted, due to the nature of the site, much will remain unexplained — but write that, instead of trying to make up BS.
- Avoid directly ripping things off. This is a creative writing site, and so we encourage creativity.
- Don't refer to the subject of your article as "the SCP". It's sloppy and unprofessional, so avoid it in the text of an article. Try “the object” or “the item” instead. It is, however, acceptable as an informal piece of slang; feel free to use it in interviews or incident logs or what have you.
Creative Writing Tips
- Don't start sentences with the word "So," as in, "So I went down to the Cafe Maduro today and there was a thirty-foot dragon rampaging the downtown area." It's bad form and it makes you sound like you're from South Jersey.
- Avoid panaceas (particularly anything having to do with “nanobots”), and other literary cop-outs.
- Try not to use the same words over and over, even in adjacent sentences. Redundancy is arguably bad grammar and poor sentence structure. Attempt to use synonyms without being dramatic (for example, the alternate use of 'try' and 'attempt' here).
- Avoid giant blocks of text. They're visually unappealing and unstimulating. Break up walls of text with paragraph breaks, sub-headings, or bulleted lists.
- Watch out for plot holes, because if someone notices one, it can really detract from the SCP. Just read over your SCP a couple times and make sure it makes sense, or get someone else to.
- Descriptive writing should be just long enough to give your reader a taste of what the subject looks like, and just short enough to keep from sounding like a weapons system demo brochure. When in doubt, always leave something to the imagination. This applies to any physical object, but it's most important for people, and especially women. Contrary to what Robert Heinlein might have you believe, women are people, not accessories or collections of feminine affectations. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever specify a woman's breast size measurement in a story. Especially if it is the woman herself who is specifying it. Especially if she is your main character.
- If you can't write intelligently, write comedically. If you can't write comedically, write offensively. These are the three kinds of stories people remember: ones that make them think, ones that make them laugh, and ones that piss them off.
- And finally: don't be afraid to lose. Tragedy abounds in both the real world and the fictional one, especially the latter.
'Terminate'
- The word 'terminate' is entirely overused in SCPs. Find some new words. Eliminate, eradicate, euthanize, eviscerate, execute, exsanguinate… you get the picture. Go nuts.
- 'Terminate' is a specific euphemism for when Foundation personnel are authorized to purposefully kill someone or something. In most other contexts, 'kill' works fine.
- Bad example: "Subject D-167 was terminated by SCP-058."
- Good example: "Subject D-167 was killed during an attempt to terminate SCP-058. Five other class-D personnel survived and were subsequently terminated for their cowardice."
- You cannot terminate an inanimate object. Use 'destroy' instead.
General SCP Tips
- Aim to create something that scares the living daylights out of people, not something cool. If you think, "Huh, I'd like to have this SCP", you're doing it wrong. If the knowledge this object is in your house doesn't make you jump out the window into the garden a story below, you're probably doing it wrong.
- Act as if every SCP will be the first that someone will read. That means do not put too much in there that requires knowledge of anything else on the site. While many people enjoy linking things together into a larger story, it really improves the quality of the work when each SCP can be enjoyed in full as a stand-alone work.
- For the same reason governments around the world keep samples of deadly, highly communicable viruses in quarantined labs, the Foundation contains SCP threats without outright destroying them. One day you might come up against a similar threat and need the experience and advantage of previous experimentation to contain it. There's also the possibility of using one SCP threat to fight another.
- Don't go overboard on the containment procedures. Hideous drains on resources without a corresponding threat make for a poor SCP. Every part of the procedure must have a reason behind it (see SCP-017, SCP-091, and SCP-847 for good examples of this). The Foundation is not going to use a nuke to open a pickle jar.
- If you're dealing with a humanoid, or sentient SCP, avoid excessively referring to the SCP as he or she. It's fine to use them infrequently, since it's ridiculous when you have to use SCP-XXX two or three times in the same sentence. But when every sentence begins with "He is", "She likes", or "He did this", it doesn't read well and detracts from the clinical, detached tone the SCP should have.
- Always try to be objective. Yes, it's more fun to write more interestingly, but this is a scientific report. "Subject's eyes are devoid of pigmentation" is perfectly fine. "His eyes are a pale wintry white, that drive deep into your soul due to the longing for mortal finality" is right out.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. There's almost always a bunch of us in the chat room and on the forums who are more than happy to give a hand or a read-through.
+++Drafts and Incomplete SCPs
It's not a requirement, but many people (especially for first SCPs) prefer to write a draft first, and have it peer-edited by the chat. DO NOT PUT INCOMPLETE WORKS DIRECTLY ON THE SITE OR FORUMS. For this, you have two options:
- Pastebin it by putting the text of the article here, clicking Submit, and copy-pasting the URL into chat.
- Or if you want a dedicated sandbox, or to see how your finished product will look in Wikidot format, create a page for yourself at the Sandbox wiki and share the URL.
Object Classes
Each SCP must be assigned an Object Class based on how hard it is to contain. If, after reading up on Classes, you're still not sure what class to make your SCP, try the Locked Box test:
- If you can lock the thing away somewhere, leave it alone, and nothing will happen, that thing is Safe.
- If you lock a thing away somewhere and leave it alone, but there's no telling what will happen, it's Euclid.
- If you lock it away, leave it alone, and all hell breaks loose, it's Keter.
Humanoid SCPs
Humanoid SCPs tend to suffer from some common weaknesses, collectively known as the "X-Man Syndrome". Basically, it means that there is a fine line between a humanoid SCP and a comic-book superhero.
Take the example of Wolverine: he's indestructible, he's got razor-edged claws in his hands, and he has the senses of an animal. The Foundation would have a hell of a time containing him. Would he make a good SCP? No, because all those things that could be creepy are played for camp. His mutant healing factor gets used more to explain how he gets out of situations than for real horror effect. His claws are played more for coolness than for creepy. His mutant senses are mostly used to let him do things like outwit shapeshifters.
Okay, now take Wolverine and make a simple change: turn him from a wisecracking, teeth-gritting superhero into a fifteen-foot long hard-to-destroy reptile that hates humanity. Notice how some of the same powers have a much different effect.
The thing is, there is no set way to determine whether your humanoid SCP really fits the site, or whether you've created an X-Man. But over time, a bunch of common signs have become apparent that point decidedly towards the latter. Before you post your humanoid SCP, look down the list below: if you answer "yes" to a large number of these questions, you are probably writing an X-Man, not a humanoid SCP, and should make changes as necessary.
- Is it a human? (Duh.)
- Is it young and attractive? (There is a dearth of ugly, middle-aged humanoid SCPs.)
- Have you described, in inordinate detail, its tastes in music, food, fashion, and/or TV?
- Is it one of the nice guys?
- Does it work for the Foundation in one of the Mobile Task Forces?
- Have you gone into inordinate detail talking about how much people like it?
- Have you spent an inordinate amount of time talking about its relationships with other SCPs?
- Would you want to be this SCP? (If the thought of being this SCP does not fill you with dread, then you're probably doing it wrong.)
- Can it “bend reality to fit its will?” (One of these triggered Clef's original rampage.)
- Do its Special Containment procedures come down to “give it what it wants”? (The Foundation contains SCPs. They are not held hostage by them.)
- Does it have a bunch of powers that don't really fit together except to be really awesome?
- Is it not based on sex, but its containment procedures call for sexual favors?
Finally, here is a hard-and-fast rule:
- If it's more of a superhero than SCP-076, start over. This is the "Able Line".
A few examples from the archives:
- SCP-076 is the very upper limit of what should be done with a humanoid SCP. Indestructible, regenerating, strong, can pull swords out of nothing, this guy should be a vote for immediate decommissioning. But, he works, for several reasons: first of all, he's not nice. Secondly, he's not the SCP: the coffin is the actual SCP, and he's just linked to it. Thirdly, his reasons for turning around make sense for his character: he lost interest in fighting the Foundation and would prefer to fight SCPs instead. That and a thousand other small things make him work: if he were any more borderline, he'd cross over into suck territory.
- SCP-105 is an attractive, nice female who works for the Foundation and has a lot of her personal tastes described. However, her abilities are limited, and more importantly, all is not bubbles and champagne: 105 is growing more and more depressed due to her confinement.
- SCP-507 is an otherwise normal guy with a neat but uncontrollable power. He works mainly due to the consequences of this lack of control (and also because he's not a cute girl).
- SCP-116 works because… well, go read it and see if you want to be him.
- SCP-132 works for a different reason: this is an SCP who is contained not for the safety of others, but for its own safety. The horror comes from wondering what it is like to BE it, not fight it.
This is SCP-10101. It is a joke SCP. Your SCP should look nothing like 10101. If it starts feeling the same? You need to rethink your SCP. On that same note, any SCP that refers to being better than more than one other SCP is likely going down the bad road. It's fine to include references to other SCPs, but the new one shouldn't have this list about how and why he's better than old ones.
++On Joke SCPs
Joke SCPs should be funny. Although references can be funny if done right, with a flair of originality, your favorite book/tv/game character is probably not a good idea for a joke SCP. If you're still not sure, run your idea by the chat first.
Templates and Formatting
Article Template
You can start writing your SCP by copying the code between the double lines below into a new document:
[[>]]
[[module Rate]]
[[/>]]
[[div style="float:right; margin:0 2em 1em 2em; width:300px; border:0;"]]
|||| [[image COPY-AND-PASTE-IMAGE-URL-HERE width="300px"]] ||
||||~ ^^TEXT-DESCRIBING-THE-PIC^^ ||
[[/div]]
**Item #:** SCP-XXX
**Object Class:** Safe/Euclid/Keter (indicate which class)
**Special Containment Procedures:** [Paragraphs explaining the Procedures]
**Description:** [Paragraphs explaining the Description]
**Addendum:** [Optional additional paragraphs]
Alternatively, you can also download the RTF file.
How do I format text?
There are two ways to add formatting to text. First, you can format text by highlighting it and clicking one of the buttons at the top of the edit box. This will add the proper syntax that will bold, italicize, underline, etc., text when the page is saved.
Secondly, you can manually type in the characters necessary to add formatting to your article. Formatting syntax is generally pairs of symbols around the text to be formatted. Some of the most common text formats, and how to get them to show up, include:
**bold** -> bold
//italics// -> italics
__underscore__ -> underscore
--strikethrough-- -> strikethrough
A complete list of supported formats and how to get them to show up can be found on the Wiki Syntax page.
Adding Links
Since links are just a special type of formatting, they can also be added by either the formatting buttons or by typing in the proper format. The format of the link will depend on where the target page is, and what you want the link text to be. Some examples:
[[[SCP-173]]] -> SCP-173
[[[SCP-173|that creepy statue]]] -> that creepy statue
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervical_vertebrae neck bones] -> neck bones
A complete list of link formats can also be found on the Wiki Syntax page.
Pictures
How to
At the bottom of the page, click Files, click "Upload a file from your computer", click "Select Files", browse to the folder with the pictures to upload, select your picture, and click Open. You can upload multiple files at once; when all the files to be uploaded have been selected, click Upload Files. When naming your image files, make sure that the filename doesn't have any spaces and that it ends with a valid extension, such as .jpg. Also note that filenames are case sensitive.
Next, copy the image template into your article:
[[div style="float:right; margin:0 2em 1em 2em; width:300px; border:0;"]]
|||| [[image COPY-AND-PASTE-IMAGE-URL-HERE width="300px"]] ||
||||~ ^^TEXT-DESCRIBING-THE-PIC^^ ||
[[/div]]
Since the picture was uploaded directly to the page, you can replace the words "COPY-AND-PASTE-IMAGE-URL-HERE" with just the filename of the picture. Otherwise, you would need to include the entire URL. Add a caption below the pic by replacing "TEXT-DESCRIBING-THE-PIC" with your own words.
Some Notes
Keep your article pictures SFW. No, really.
Disturbing pictures are fine, but try not to use overly gory or violent pictures just for shock value. Anyone can find bloody images of murders or accidents, but it takes real talent to put that same horror into writing.
Don't use a drawing or illustration and call it an "artist's rendering" unless there is a clear in article reason that the Foundation could not get a photograph. Even then, if you can help it, don't do it. It's tacky and damages suspention of disbelief.
Rating Modules
The rating module is what allows site members to upvote or downvote a page. You can also rate by clickng on the “Rate” button in red at the bottom of every page, but the module is more handy. Every SCP article should have one. Just copy and paste this at the top of your page:
[[>]]
[[module Rate]]
[[/>]]
What your SCP should look like
Item #: SCP-XXX
Object Class: Safe/Euclid/Keter (indicate which class)
Special Containment Procedures: [Paragraphs explaining the Procedures]
Description: [Paragraphs explaining the Description]
Addendum: [Optional additional paragraphs]
If you would like to add fluff to your article in the form of a log, incident report, or interview, there are templates for those, too.
Log Template
Incident Report Template
Interview Template
A note on Test Logs
Test logs are great for showing off aspects of an SCP's effect not shown by the writeup. SCP-093, for example, is pretty boring until you read the test logs, which open up literal worlds of information not addressed by the article proper. SCP-914, meanwhile, is basically made of test logs. The reason the Foundation continues testing 914, though, is that it doesn't do the same thing every time.
For some SCP articles, though, test logs can weaken the article and damage suspension of disbelief. For example, if an SCP object creates two apple seeds when Dr. King puts a dollar in, and four when he puts two dollars in, it's not likely that the Foundation would continue testing. If your SCP has a consistent effect, test logs are unnecessary.
How to Post Your SCP
Once you've written your masterpiece and are ready to show it off to the world, follow these steps to add your SCP to the list:
- Create a page. In the SCP Series page, find an unused number (one marked [ACCESS DENIED]). Click the link for the nonexistent article, and when prompted that the page does not yet exist, click Create Page.
- Fix the title. By default, the title of a new SCP page is in the format "Scp 999". Capitalize and hyphenate the title to bring it to standard format: "SCP-999".
- Paste the contents. You did write it up in an external word processor, didn't you? Either way, enter the contents of the article into the text box.
- Preview. Underneath the comment box (marked "Short description of changes") is the Preview button. Use it often— this will show how your SCP will really look on the wiki. Check the preview to make sure the SCP looks right, and read through it one last time to check for lingering errors.
- Add a comment. You should add a comment to every change you make to the wiki. New pages are no exception, even if the comment's just "New SCP".
- Save. Once you've looked over your SCP for the umpteenth time, click Save (down next to Preview).
- Upload pictures, if necessary. See "How do I add a picture?" above. Once uploaded, refresh to make sure the pictures show up like you expect.
- Add tags. Click Tags at the bottom of your new page. In the text box, add "scp", the class, and any other descriptors that would be applicable. Check the Tags page for ideas.
- Add the new SCP to the Main List. Edit the SCP Series page to change [ACCESS DENIED] to whatever you want to name your SCP.
- Announce your new SCP. Go to the Announcements section of the Forum, click the current New SCP Announcements thread, click New Post (at the very bottom), and announce your creation. Be sure to link to your new SCP by typing, e.g., [[[SCP-999]]] to get SCP-999. You can also announce your new SCP in the Realtime Chat.
- **Follow up on your SCP and watch for comments. If the response is negative, don't be afraid to edit or delete it. Don't be offended if people offer hints for edits or rewrites. If they offer you help, consider it carefully. It's better than getting a terse “suggested for deletion” a few days or weeks down the line.
Final Notes
Never ever upvote your own SCP. Ever. This will result in rage and a rash of angry comments and cold shoulders. If you feel that people are downvoting your article for malicious reasons, talk to a mod instead.
Your first SCP stands a better-then-likely chance of being deleted. We don't like to sugarcoat things here, and if your article is stupid, we will tell it like we see it. That said, we admire people who can fix their ideas, or know when to drop a bad one and start on new material. Sulking does not earn you points.
However, if your SCP does survive the gauntlet, congratulations! Go back in a few weeks or months anyways and reread your SCP. You may discover a way to improve your article that you hadn't considered before.
These are pretty rough, though I think they are better shorter (the chat guide was getting kind of bulky). I didn't do too much on the writing guide, because I think most of it is either technical or just really good advice, though I think I cut out some redundancies. The Newbie Guide still seems like it could be shortened up or edited more somehow, so maybe someone else wants to try that? Feel free to redraft at whim.
Looks good to me.
Admin, SCP Wiki
Da. All seems to be in vorking order.
/forum/t-257912/newbieguide-chatrules-how-to-write#post-