NOTICE:
This is a sandbox page.
It is not approved or active policy. It is a draft, and as such, may be incomplete.
Root and Branch
What is This?
The goal of this proposal is to remove all works by TheDuckMan from the Wiki as well as removing all references to TheDuckMan's characters, objects, and other elements, so that there is nothing on the Wiki attributable to them. The only references to TheDuckMan or their other aliases would be in out-of-universe articles (history, deletion message, etc.)1
This proposal, "Root and Branch", is designed to have the most important elements actionable immediately on approval and to create firm commitments for necessary future action.
What Issues Does This Proposal Address?
Issue: All Works Solely Authored By TheDuckMan
Details: TheDuckMan has 61 articles on the SCP Wiki that they have sole credit for.
Resolution: If this proposal is chosen, the following steps will occur:
- All articles with sole credit by TheDuckMan will immediately be deleted.
- In each article's slot will be a placeholder, redirecting to a new page, 'bright-works-deletion-message', consisting initially of the text: "All works written by the user TheDuckMan, aka AdminBright aka DrBright have been deleted." Site staff would then add more information and relevant links according to the next step.
- Staff will hold a vote regarding the placeholders, with options to include maintaining the placeholders indefinitely, or staged release of the slots, within 90 days of the conclusion of this vote.
This is Resolved When: This issue would be considered resolved when all of TheDuckMan's sole credited articles are deleted, and the votes regarding their former slots have been initiated.
Issue: SCP-902
Details: TheDuckMan is credited as the co-author of SCP-902, alongside DrEverettMann. TheDuckMan's credit cannot be stripped from this article.
Resolution: If this proposal is chosen, the following steps will occur:
- SCP-902 will be deleted.
- The slot will then be occupied by a new article by DrEverettMann containing similar themes, built around his contributions to the original 902 as well as those of authors Rejeckyll and Yoric.
This is Resolved When: This issue would be considered resolved when the original SCP-902 is replaced by the aforementioned DrEverettMann article.
Issue: SCP-2000 "Science Fiction" Contest Hub
Details: TheDuckMan has co-credit for this hub, but an investigation has shown that there was no meaningful contribution by them. Stripping attribution is therefore not a problem.
Resolution: If this proposal is chosen, the following steps will occur:
- scp2000contesthub will be stripped of TheDuckMan's attribution.
This is Resolved When: This issue would be considered resolved when TheDuckMan's attribution is stripped from the hub page.
Issue: Derivative Works Based on TheDuckMan's Characters and Articles
Details: TheDuckMan's works have given rise to mentions in other articles, up to and including use of their characters, SCP objects and other plot devices. The character "Dr. Shaw" has previously been used as a replacement for the character of "Dr. Bright", with various degrees of difference between portrayals. The concept of a character that takes over others' bodies is not unique or recognizably "Dr. Bright", but the use of an amulet and other aspects are.
Resolution: If this proposal is chosen, the following steps will occur:
- All instances of the character "Dr. Bright" and other story elements created by TheDuckMan in other author's works will be identified and catalogued by a team of staff volunteers created for this purpose.
- No use of anything created by TheDuckMan will be allowed in existing or future articles.
- "Dr. Shaw"'s existing backstory will need to be further overhauled, to the point where they would no longer have elements derived specifically from "Dr. Bright".
- Authors of articles with TheDuckMan-created characters, SCPs, GOIs, etc., will have 180 days to remove these elements from their works. In the event that changes are not made, the changes will be made for them. However, no disciplinary action would be taken against said authors.
- Authors will have discretion over how best to remove the relevant content.
- Options include: replacing instances of "Dr. Bright" with "Dr. Shaw", removing characters and rewriting scenes entirely, etc.
- Anyone granted control over an article by an authorial will would have full authority to make and approve changes to that article for purposes of that effort, just as the original author would.
- Staff will discuss plans to carry out the alteration of articles whose authors are unable or unwilling to make the changes themselves. A vote will be held within 90 days to determine an exact procedure.
- This will be a community-wide project and not only open to staff. Any changes to articles would require approval of the articles' authors, the articles' custodians, or (if neither of the former are willing to participate) staff.
- Articles written by users who are no longer members of the site, which lack authorial wills giving a current member of the site control over them, would be eligible for immediate modifications by the community without a waiting period. Staff approval of changes would be required.
This is Resolved When: This issue would be considered resolved when all of TheDuckMan-created characters, SCPs, GOIs, and other story elements are permanently removed from the SCP Wiki.
What Pages are Addressed by This Proposal?
As mentioned before, all pages with attribution credit to TheDuckMan, or inclusion and/or representation of TheDuckMan's characters, articles or other works. This is a sizeable amount and will need to be catalogued by a volunteer staff team.
Step-By-Step Breakdown:
- Immediately: Staff will execute a fiat for removal of works by TheDuckMan, remove said works, create initial placeholders, and commit to the removal of Bright concepts and characters, including the formation of a volunteer team. TheDuckMan's attribution will be stripped from the 2kcon hub page.
- Within 90 days: Staff and the community will come up with plan for Bright character and concept removal. Vote if necessary (per site charter.) Staff will vote on long-term disposition of placeholders; options will include "keep indefinitely" and "gradually release slots" at a minimum. DrEverettMann will replace 902 with a sole-authored article.
- Anytime up to 180 days: authors will remove TheDuckMan characters, SCPs, etc., from their articles.
- After 180 days: Staff will implement plan for Bright character and concept removal from all remaining articles. Staff and community will make the necessary changes.
Why This Solution?:
The harm TheDuckMan perpetuated upon the SCP Wiki and its community is such that every single contribution by TheDuckMan made to it should not be permitted to remain - not just the articles they wrote themselves but their characters and ideas. Part of TheDuckMan's abuse was the self-mythologization of their contribution and ideas, and the near-total control they exercised over those contributions. The SCP community no longer wishes to be associated with TheDuckMan in any way, shape, or form, and this solution - cutting them out root and branch - is the most we can do to make sure their influence has no place in this community ever again.
Concerns:
Is the placeholder going to remain that simple?
The idea would be to combine it with the Bright List Deletion Message at some point and add additional detail. Once the placeholder is created, staff will be able to edit it as needed subject to normal staff processes (just like e.g. the Join the Site page or other pages tagged 'admin'.)
The point is not to get this vote bogged down in details. We don't need to determine what the placeholder will say before we decide whether or not to delete the articles.
Should we replace 963 with an analogous article for Shaw's anomaly?
It would be good if it were considered during the subsequent placeholder vote, but it does not need to be decided as part of this one. 963 in its current form should be deleted, and anything beyond that is of secondary importance.
What will the procedures be for making update to articles whose authors don't update them?
That will be determined by staff, with a discussion to start immediately following the vote on this proposal. The deadline will be 90 days from the acceptance of this proposal.
Can't we just delete TheDuckMan's pages alone and not worry about references in other articles?
If we did so but retained content derived from TheDuckMan's work, we'd still need to credit them somewhere. In addition, it is important to remove ALL of TheDuckMan's influence from the wiki, and this is the only proposal committed to this.
This is going to be a hell of a lot of work.
Yes, it is. But we do not want a single contribution by this person left on this site, and it should remain that way, forever. There are those of us willing to volunteer our time to make sure of it.
Final Summary:
This is a deliberately simple, straightforward plan to get all of TheDuckMan's work off of the site in short order (probably within hours of the proposal being passed.) Other timelines are listed above. This proposal will require a substantial amount of staff labor, but not necessarily members of any specific teams. The only buy-in required is from DrEverettMann who has agreed to write a thematically similar replacement piece for the 902 slot.
N.B. This proposal was prepared by Kufat and
Esperion, independently of the Bright Works Team's work.