If you’ve spent any time on the SCP-Wiki you’ve heard about SCP-001 and the many 001-proposals.
When I put together my list of the best SCPs of all time, I didn’t ignore the 001-proposals of course. No, I read all of them.
Over the years, many people had ideas about what SCP-001 might or should be. Some thought it should be the first SCP ever discovered, others reasoned it had to be the most dangerous or important one.
Before long, however, it was decided to keep the slot open and instead fill it with various proposals of what SCP-001 could be.
In the universe, this was explained by SCP-001 being so dangerous, it had to be kept a secret. For this reason, a variety of false entries were created. What this means is quite simple: you’ll never know which the true SCP-001 is. It could be any of them, it could be all of them, or it could be none of them.
The 001-proposals are often a writer’s most ambitious and grandest articles. Because of this, they are the cream-de-la-crop. The best SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki. After I was done reading all of them, I had to agree wholeheartedly. Many of them are absolutely outstanding.
So for this article, I put together a list of my twelve favorite 001-proposals.
Notice: All articles cited here are licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Table of Contents
- djkaktus’s Proposal I – The Children by djkaktus
- TwistedGears-Kaktus Proposal – The Broken God by TwistedGears and djkaktus
- djkaktus’s Proposal III – The Way it Ends by djkaktus
- Meta Ike’s Proposal – The Solution by Jack Ike
- Captain Kirby’s Proposal – O5-13 by Captain Kirby
- I.H.Pickman’s Proposal – Story of Your Life by Ihp
- Pedantique’s Proposal – Fishhook by Pedantique
- Pickman-Blank Proposal – The Frontispiece by Ihp and HarryBlank
- ROUNDERHOUSE’s Proposal – MEMENTO MORI by Rounderhouse
- ROUNDERHOUSE’s Gold Proposal – AMONI-RAM by Rounderhouse
- S. D. Locke’s Proposal – When Day Breaks by S D Locke
- Tufto’s Proposal – The Scarlet King by Tufto
djkaktus’s Proposal I – The Children by djkaktus
The Children is the very first of djkaktus 001-proposals and the first part of the Ouroboros cycle. It’s yet another SCP that paints the Foundation as a place that does questionable things for the greater good. I loved the overall story that was told; the deeds done to the children and, of course, the Kingdom of Abaddon. Yet, there are many other things going on here, things that are more interesting and tie in well with the rest of the Ouroboros cycle.
TwistedGears-Kaktus Proposal – The Broken God by TwistedGears and djkaktus
The Broken God is the third part of the Ouroboros cycle. It’s another 001 proposal I consider a favorite of mine. As a fan of the Broken God, I really loved this SCP, the descriptions and, of course, the writing. The actual entity was terrifying, of course, but what I loved even more was where it came from, which was quite the surprise. I also enjoyed the inclusion of SCP-2399, which is another one of my favorite SCPs. Overall, this is a truly great 001-proposal.
djkaktus’s Proposal III – The Way it Ends by djkaktus
And here we have it, the last part of the Ouroboros cycle, The Way it Ends. This is by far the longest 001 proposals and one of the most ambitious SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki. It includes a multitude of tie-ins to other SCPs, tales and general SCP-lore. This 001-proposal centers around a man named Calvin who sets out with a group of trusty allies to end the SCP Foundation and its various overseers. It’s a fantastic story, one that’s more a pulpy action-novel than an SCP. And yet, I had an absolute blast reading it and I’m sure any fan of the SCP Foundation will love it.
Meta Ike’s Proposal – The Solution by Jack Ike
The Solution is one of the most complex 001-proposals on the entire SCP-Wiki. It’s an incredibly complex, well put together SCP, but also one that’s extremely complicated and confusing. It’s a well-written and well-done piece, but one you’ll have to read multiple times or consult the related declassified thread on Reddit. The moment you understand this 001-proposal, however, you’ll realize just how good it is. It’s a truly fantastic piece of work.
Captain Kirby’s Proposal – O5-13 by Captain Kirby
05-13 was a 001-proposal I truly and wholeheartedly enjoyed. While many other 001-proposals are grand, high concept SCPs, this one’s more humorous. I loved everything about this SCP and I had an absolute blast reading it.
I.H.Pickman’s Proposal – Story of Your Life by Ihp
Meta-SCPs can be hit or miss. This one, however, works very well. It’s an addition, or at least related to Swann’s 001-Proposal, which states that SCP-001 are the horror writers of the SCP-Wiki themselves. This is where some of the deeper meta-stuff, the author-inclusions and patapsychology, come from. Story of Your Life, however, goes deeper and adds another layer to it. What I enjoyed the most, though, were the characters and their dialogues. It was outstandingly well written.
Pedantique’s Proposal – Fishhook by Pedantique
Fishhook is one of the weirder 001-proposals on the SCP-Wiki. It’s different from all others for a very specific reason. Fishhook is an extremely creative and incredibly well done 001-proposal. While you might be unsure what exactly is going on, it will all be cleared up near the end and you will truly understand how great this 001-proposal is.
Pickman-Blank Proposal – The Frontispiece by Ihp and HarryBlank
The Frontispiece might be my favorite 001-proposal out of all of them. At first I wasn’t sure where things were going and I thought the earlier parts dragged on a little. When things got going, however, characters and plans were introduced, everything fell into place. I really enjoyed all the characters in this one, be it the Foundation members, Elizabeth Crocker or even Thilo Zwist. They were all well developed and their dialogues were extremely enjoyable. The greatest thing about, however, was the story, and its many turns and twists. The Frontispiece is a long 001-proposal, one of the longest ones out there, but it’s an absolutely fantastic work.
ROUNDERHOUSE’s Proposal – MEMENTO MORI by Rounderhouse
MEMENTO MORI is the first of Rounderhouse’s 001-proposals. While his other 001-proposal AMONI-RAM is an origin story, this one is a story about things ending. It’s a sad and melancholic piece, yet it’s also strangely beautiful. We’re led from room to room and learn more about the people who made up the overseer council and how the Foundation ended up breaking all of them. It’s yet another fantastic 001-proposal.
ROUNDERHOUSE’s Gold Proposal – AMONI-RAM by Rounderhouse
AMONI-RAM is an absolutely amazing proposal, one that details the origins of the Church of the Broken God. I loved the world-building and the description of the old city of Amoni-Ram. It’s seldom that I found myself so involved in pseudo-history. The slow development of the story and of Robert Aram was well done, and he soon became one of my favorite characters on the entire SCP-Wiki. What made this 001-proposal so great was the writing. Despite its length, the story felt natural, and the pacing was well done. It’s without a doubt one of the best 001-proposals on the entire SCP-Wiki.
S. D. Locke’s Proposal – When Day Breaks by S D Locke
When Day Breaks is one of the most popular 001-proposals out there and for a good reason. It’s one of the few genuine horror proposals, Lovecraftian horror even. A sudden change to the sun brings forth an apocalypse like no other. While When Day Breaks is a horror SCP, it’s much more character-driven than one might expect and details how someone handles and comes to terms with the end of the world. It’s a truly fantastic work.
Tufto’s Proposal – The Scarlet King by Tufto
There’s a reason I’m such a big fan of Tufto’s work. His writing’s just absolutely fantastic. The Scarlet King is a grand, artistic article, one that’s more concerned with philosophical discussion than anything else. It’s a well-written article that develops slowly and brings forth one of the more interesting interpretations of the Scarlet King. It’s without a doubt one of my absolute favorite 001-proposals.