The Writer on the Walls is another one of those classic abominations from SCP-1730,
written by DJKaktus.
A very well-known and respected SCP author who holds some of the best and biggest SCPs
to his name.
Now, the overall look of the Writer on the Walls is iconic and unique.
You notice it as soon as you see it and despite its ‘humanoid’ label, you’re certainly
not going to confuse it with another ‘humanoid’ entity.
There has been a lot of fan art made about the Writer and it even featured in Lord Bung’s
“In the Pines” animation.
Today, we are going to learn absolutely everything there is to learn about this entity.
Right, so first things first, what does it look like?
Descriptions for the Writer are quite vague but fortunately, we are provided with a still
image from the exploratory drone that encountered the Writer.
It’s a large, sort of humanoid creature.
It almost touches the ceiling of the corridor it is in, giving us a rough idea of how tall
it is.
The large sort of dome-umbrella looking head piece connects to the neck and then that connects
to the top outer most layer of the robes as a single piece.
Beneath that is a secondary robe that flows all the way down to the ground.
Beneath the robes, there is a flesh body.
It doesn’t seem to walk by the accounts given but instead appears to glide.
A single long arm has been observed coming out from within the robes.
It uses this to write cognitohazardous symbols on the wall.
During my research I came across this photo which I believe was the main inspiration for
the look of the Writer on the Walls.
This is an artistic piece called ‘The Sentinels’, found in Scotland, made by a sculpture called
Phillip Jackson.
So, we know what it looks like but what does it do?
This is a pyroclastic cognitohazardous entity.
For the most part, it uses the sludge found around Site-13 to write hazardous messages
on the walls.
Quote: “Drone observes as entity extends a long arm from beneath its outer layer and
touches the floor…
Entity then begins to make slow movements towards the wall behind it…
It is noted that the entity left behind a number of unique symbols…”
The Writer has 2 main methods of attack.
Passive and aggressive.
The passive method is via symbols written on the walls.
The symbols left behind on the walls trigger an anomalous event in all those who view them.
The cognitohazard develops and concludes over 4 phases.
Phase 1, a victim views the words on the wall.
Phase 2, a victim will begin to grow quiet and not make any noise at all.
Phase 3, victims will begin to burn from the ears.
At this point, they are now pretty much an activated and ready-to-blow human bomb.
In phase 4, any sound in a victim’s immediate vicinity will cause the victim to explode,
silently.
Like, picture an explosion but with no sound at all.
These aren’t little explosions either.
The first time we see the results of one of these explosions was during D-12’s first
exploration attempts of Site-13.
The explosion killed the entire task force.
The 2nd one was the exploratory mission staff who succumbed to the effect, after the drone
observed and relayed pictures of the symbols back to them.
We don’t know how many died but given it shook the entire site we can safely infer
at least everyone who was infected did.
If not from the noise of panic and alarms blaring but being in the vicinity of another
explosion.
In a further cruel twist, people who are affected by the cognitohazard do not die, they are
fully conscious and aware of their surroundings.
This is highlighted when D-12, break down a door with one of the victims inside it.
Prior to breaking down the door, they can hear sounds from behind it.
Quote: “You hear that?
It sounds like somebody shushing.”
Once they break down the door…
Quote: “Video records three frames of a naked human with what appears to be fire burning
from its ears staring fearfully at the door”
Now, I’m pretty sure someone who is for all intents and purposes “dead”, would
not be standing up with a clear look of fear on their faces.
Let alone be making shushing sounds in an attempt not just to save their own lives but
the people on the other side of the door as well.
The aggressive method is much more dramatic and much more to the point.
A single white eye will open on the creature and look in the direction of a victim it has
detected in its vicinity.
This eye is another cognitohazard so try not to make eye contact with it.
The Writer will grow much larger and its robes will flair out to the side, exposing more
cognitohazards under its robes.
Finally, it gains speed and will quickly accelerate towards its victim.
Now, the Writer’s cognitohazards can be nullified before a person views them by simply
destroying them.
If the symbols are made illegible, then they lose their anomalous properties.
Much like any intricate system, all the parts need to be there for it to work.
Quote, “We found another one of those messages down here, you know, [COGNITOHAZARD EXPUNGED].
Only a matter of time before it starts.
We strapped some C4 to it and blew the wall, and I think it's pretty illegible at this
point…”
Now, there is no “cure” for anyone who has fallen victim to this things cognitohazardous
properties so if you’ve seen it, you’re screwed.
However, there is evidence to suggest that the poor people trapped inside Site-13 were
aware of both it and its properties.
Such as the words on the walls.
Quote, "don't look at the walls" and "kill the quiet ones".
Ok so we know what it looks like and we know what it does so what is it?
Site-13 was the primary containment site for every anomalous object and entity the Foundation
and the GOC could get their hands on in this reality.
Humanoid entities were not even considered remotely human and were not given any sort
of rights or fair treatment.
Even the Ethics Committee could not step in.
Quote “The Ethics Committee tried to step in, but they were removed.
They dragged the old chairman, Jeremiah Cimmerian, out into the commons at Site-17 and shot him
in the head for being a traitor.”
The writer was a humanoid entity that was brought to Site-13 for processing.
It was experimented on and all kinds of mental torture and conditioning was applied to it,
to break its will for another unknown purpose.
Quote: “[COGNITOHAZARD EXPUNGED] has shown some tenacity, but will soon break under the
mental pressure applied to it by the Orators.
This is not uncommon; many entities arriving for their initial inspection will resist exposure
to treatment in some way, but it cannot be sustained for the duration of their time here.”
The Writer was then butchered and grafted onto something else.
By removing its face, neck, upper chest and arms and binding it to a new frame, they could
then use its cognitohazardous properties for their own reasons.
Now, we don’t know what these reasons are but it is safe to assume that the GOC were
going to use this against over entities.
I do have a few theories.
One is that they were going to use the Writer’s properties to kill other SCPs that came to
Site-13.
This seems a bit drawn out in my opinion, there are much easier ways to kill something.
Another was to use the Writer’s properties to write on the inside of containment cells
and maximum-security parts of the facility to ensure absolute safety so even if anything
did escape, it would die.
And the final, which is admittedly very far-fetched but I like the visual imagery it generates,
they were going to use the Writer to create a sort of organic minefield.
Imagine hundreds of silent humans encircling Site-13, ensuring nothing could get away from
it and nothing could get close to it without being blown up.
I know, very far-fetched but it sounds kind of cool.
Ultimately, the Writer is killed by MTF Samsara and the giant Leech encountered towards the
end of SCP-1730.
MTF Samsara come across it during the final evacuation and riddle the fucker with bullets
and incendiary rounds causing it to burst into flames and loose chunks out of its body
at the same time.
As a final shot is fired into its eye, the big old leech appears and swallows the thing
up.
The writer is a fascinating creature.
Despite its back story being kind of vague, its abilities are pretty flushed out and the
image, it’s incredible, you just can’t get over it.
It’s so foreboding and devoid of anything that would suggest that this thing was once
human.
A being with a face and arms.
The Site-13 scientists, really sharpened their scalpels for this creature.
They just kept cutting and cutting bits of it off.
Was it good or bad creature before they opened it up and stuck bits on?
We will probably never know but what we do know is that they turned this creature into
a very sophisticated tool of death and destruction.
Comment below what you think about this creature is and any theories you might have on it.
I’d love to hear what you have to say so please let me know.
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