Tag Archives: monsters

Predicting the Future Using Cats

Arkane Curiosities

If you own a cat, then you possess the ability to divine the future. Throughout history, people have developed various unusual and often superstitious methods of divining the future, yet none is stranger than Ailuromancy, or predicting the future using cats. It works pretty much how it sounds. You watch the movements of said cat, and their actions reveal future outcomes, if it’s in the mood that day.

Egyptian Dreams

Since Egyptians had a thing for cats, it’s no wonder they developed this in the art of ailuromancy. One type of divination involved writing a question on a small tablet along with the name of a deity. The tablet was washed and placed inside a dead cat’s mouth (probably because a live cat wouldn’t tolerate such foolishness). Then the diviner would gain the answer the question in a prophetic dream. 

Weather Alerts

A sneezing cat could mean rain in the coming days. Even washing their faces vigorously can mean rain. If the cat turns its tail to a fire or any substituting heat source, it foretells possible heavy rain or hard frost. Curling up with forehead touching the ground foretells a storm coming your way. 

Visitor Predictor

Apparently cats can foresee visitors. If a famine licks its ears three times, check which direction it’s looking. This is where you can expect a visitor to come from. What’s more, you can divine the gender, too. If it puts its paw around the right ear, expect a male visitor. Left ear, a lady. No indication for other fluid genders. 

Fickle Luck

A cat following you is a sign of money coming your way. Yet if a black cat crosses your path, you’re sure to have bad luck. Except, should you find one white hair on a black cat, this means the cat is good luck. If you look into a cat’s eyes too long, it will bring you only bad luck.

A Warning of Sickness

Should you have sickness in your house, make sure you keep the cat close by. If it leaves and won’t be coaxed back inside, then the ill person may die. Likewise, if a cat sneezes three times in a row, the whole family will come down with a cold.

The Devil’s Creature

The worst act of ailuromancy dates back to 16th century Scotland. A person would roast a cat alive on a spit in a ritual called taghairm. Supposedly, this would summon the devil to protect the cat, who by now was screaming in agony. The devil would beg the person to relent and end the cat’s suffering. Yet the cruel SOB who started this torment would hold out until the devil had promised to fulfill a certain future request. Only then, could the cat’s misery come to an end. So who is the evil one in this scenario?

Thankfully, this sort of practice doesn’t happen anymore. Instead, we can settle for interpreting the whimsical doings of cat as it predicts future rain or perhaps a visitor. 

Tim Kane

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Egyptian Afterlife: Weighing of the Soul

Arkane Curiosities

The ancient Egyptians believed that all deeds resided in a person’s heart — the bad and the good. When you died, your heart was weighed against the feather of Maat (goddess of truth and justice). This process was called the weighing of the soul and it determined what sort of afterlife you could expect.

Ma’at – A Universe in Perfect Order

The goddess Ma’at was the daughter of Ra and married to Thoth, god of wisdom. But she was so much more than a simple goddess in the mythological hierarchy of Egypt. Ma’at was a primordial force that keep the world working. With Ma’at, the world had order because she kept everything in balance.

The ancient Egyptians believed the universe had an order to it, and it was Ma’at who kept everything in balance. Her name referred to the overarching concept of truth, order, and justice that she represented. The ancient Egyptians believed that the world was maintained through the principles of Ma’at, which included notions of truthfulness, moral integrity, and social harmony.

A Single Feather

The Feather of Ma’at, also known as the Feather of Truth, was a symbolic element in ancient Egyptian mythology and religious beliefs. After death, a person’s soul would enter the Hall of Ma’at in the underworld, where their heart would be weighed against the Feather of Ma’at on a set of scales. 

If the heart was found to be lighter than the Feather of Ma’at, it symbolized that the person had led a virtuous and just life, adhering to the principles of truth and social harmony. The person was deemed worthy to proceed to the eternal paradise known as the “Field of Reeds.”

Should the scales tip unfavorably, signifying a heart burdened with the weight of wrongdoing, a dire fate awaited the soul. Ammit, a fearsome deity with the head of a crocodile, body of a lion, and hindquarters of a hippopotamus, stood ready to devour the heart. The soul of the deceased would then face eternal punishment or be denied access to the afterlife.

The emphasis on the balance between one’s actions and truth echoes the universal human pursuit of leading a morally upright life. The choices we make in life reverberate beyond our existence.

Tim Kane

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The Curious Case of Keter SCP Entities: Where Chaos Meets Containment

Arkane Curiosities

Keter symbolizes the pinnacle of difficulty when it comes to containment. Keter SCP entities are among the most unpredictable and potentially catastrophic anomalies lurking within the SCP Foundation’s vaults.

Origins of the Keter Classification

Derived from the Hebrew word for “crown” and comes from the topmost part of the Tree of Life in the Jewish Kabbalah. Just like a crown sits atop a regal head, these Keter entities hold a position of authority and demand the utmost attention and care.

Now, let’s shed some light on a few examples of famous Keter SCP entities that have left researchers scratching their heads and clutching their containment manuals for dear life.

SCP-106 – The Old Man

Also known as Corporal Lawrence, this enigmatic and elusive creature appears as an elderly man who seems to be rotting. It will remain motionless for days at a time to wait for its prey. It will “corrode” any object it comes in contact with, generating rust, rock or cracks in the material. 

It can also phase through solid matter, leaving behind a patch of corrosive mucus. In actuality, it slips into a pocket dimension and then is able to exit from any point connected to the initial entry point. Thus, it is contained within 40 layers of lead-lined steel to slow and detect its movement. 

SCP-610 – The Flesh That Hates

This entity is a pervasive and rapidly spreading biological infection that affects both organic and inorganic matter.

SCP-610 primarily manifests as a skin condition, initially appearing as a series of red rashes and blotches on the infected individual’s skin. Within five hours , the infection progresses, causing the skin to decay and erode. The affected tissue is gradually replaced by a highly resilient and flexible organic substance similar to muscle and cartilage, often referred to as “flesh.”

Infected individuals may develop multiple appendages resembling arms or legs. In addition, their head might elongate or distort. Finally, the skin May split open revealing additional fleshy appendages.  

The infection is highly contagious and can spread through direct contact with infected individuals or exposure to infected biological matter, including blood, tissue samples, or airborne spores.

SCP-2317 – The Devourer of Worlds

The containment area for this cosmic horror is seemingly benign: a wooden door leading to the basement of a Massachusetts brownstone. However, passage through the door leads you to an pocket-dimension where the Devourer of Worlds is chained. 

SCP-2317 is humanoid in appearance but colossal in size, standing over 200 kilometers tall. It has horns like tree branches and overlapping scales. 

The entity is supposed to be chained to seven pillars, but six of these chains have already broken. As the name implies, should SCP-2317 ever fully break free, it is capable of devouring entire universes. Let’s hope that the final chain holds. 

Containing the Horrors

In the face of such formidable anomalies, the dedicated researchers and agents of the SCP Foundation persist in their ceaseless efforts to maintain a semblance of order. They tirelessly toil, concocting elaborate containment procedures and protocols, hoping to contain these unruly forces.

Tim Kane

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Enigmatic Euclid SCP Entities

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In the elusive world of the SCP Foundation, thousands of entities exist. Knowing how to separate the safe from the dangerous is essential. Euclid entities are like that mysterious neighbor down the street who keeps you on your toes. They exhibit anomalies or properties that are not fully understood, making their behavior unpredictable or variable. These entities can range from harmless to potentially dangerous, demanding careful observation and containment measures. Euclid SCP entities require a certain level of vigilance, as their actions and effects may fluctuate, causing researchers to remain on alert.

Origin of the Category

The name “Euclid” draws its inspiration from Euclidean geometry, developed by the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid. Euclidean geometry is based on a set of principles and axioms that define geometric shapes and their relationships within a three-dimensional space.

The term “Euclid” serves as a classification for abnormalities who are less dangerous and more predictable than their more dangerous, Keter, counterparts. These entities require continuous observation and cautious containment due to their unpredictable nature.

Examples of Euclid Entities

While there are thousands of abnormalities that fall between the bending “Safe” and the dangerous “Keter”, here are a few that stand out.

SCP-049: The Plague Doctor

SCP-049 appears as a humanoid figure dressed in a long, black robe and wearing a traditional plague doctor’s mask. It seeks to “cure” individuals it deems to be infected with an incurable disease, referred to as the “Pestilence.” 

Their touch is lethal. But that’s not the end of things. The Plague Doctor will produce a black leather bag containing various medical tools, including scalpels and vials of an unidentified substance. The “surgery” will revive the victim, but in a feral and aggressive state. It will seek out others to attack. 

SCP-173: The Sculpture

If ever there was an expert at catching you off guard, it’s SCP-173. A seemingly harmless concrete sculpture, SCP-173 possesses the uncanny ability to move at staggering speeds whenever you blink. It cannot move while being looked at. However, looking away, even for an instant, will allow it to move significantly closer to you. If it reaches you, it will snap your neck. 

SCP-1609: The Remains of a Chair

SCP-1609 used to be a chair. It was created by an unknown man only known as “The Carpenter”. The object was meant to help people by instantly teleporting to anyone who needed to sit down and rest. 

The Global Occult Coalition seeks to protect humanity from anomalous entities. Thus they put the chair through a wood chipper. Although reduced to wood chips, SCP-1609 retained its sentience, though now obviously hurt and scared. It harbors a deep hatred for the GOC and now will teleport into the lungs of those that anger it, killing the person from the inside. 

To keep the entity safe, the SCP Foundation uses the wood chips as a mulch for a flower garden. Operatives pacify the entity by complementing it on the beautiful flowers it has grown. 

SCP-3008: The Infinite IKEA

Imagine stepping into an IKEA store and never finding a way out. Welcome to SCP-3008, where shopping becomes an otherworldly ordeal. Once inside this innocuous furniture store, the surroundings stretch out indefinitely, trapping unfortunate customers within its maze-like aisles. Survivors must navigate a bizarre retail landscape, braving strange humanoid creatures known as “Staff Members”.

“Staff Members” look humanoid, but with no facial features. They wear an IKEA-like uniform and during the daylight hours will not bother anyone walking through the store. However, at night, they pursue you, saying things like “The store is now closed. Please exit the building.” If killed, they will not bleed or decay. 

Conclusion

Navigating the Euclid SCP entities is akin to playing interdimensional hopscotch blindfolded. Each step unravels a new layer of strangeness. These strange anomalies are a testament to the mind-expanding wonders that exist just beyond our ordinary perceptions.

Tim Kane

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Thaumiel-Class Entities of the SCP Foundation

Arkane Curiosities

In the vast universe of SCPs, Thaumiel-class entities are the hidden gems. They possess the power to subvert, neutralize, or harness the abilities of other anomalies, making them invaluable tools for maintaining cosmic order. It’s as if the SCP Foundation has stumbled upon an alien civilization that has mastered the art of anomaly taming.

The Meaning of Thaumiel

Within the SCP Foundation mythos, Thaumiel is a classification used to identify anomalies that possess the unique ability to aid in the containment or control of other anomalies.

The term itself draws inspiration from the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, specifically from the Sephirot of the same name. In Kabbalah, Thaumiel represents a realm of duality and the opposing forces of chaos and disorder. In other words, this SCP Foundation must use these shadowy entities for the sake of containing even more dangerous entities. 

Examples of Thaumiel Class Entities

Imagine a device that can manipulate the fabric of reality itself to keep other anomalies in check. Or a sentient entity capable of traversing dimensions to lock away rogue phenomena. These Thaumiel-class SCPs possess the kind of technological prowess that would make even the most advanced alien civilizations raise an eyebrow.

SCP-179: Sauelsuesor

This entity is humanoid and orbits our sun, whom she calls brother. Her skin is a matte-black and she has long hair that drifts for kilometers. Some sources state that her hair reaches into the very core of the universe. A series of tattoos or markings run along her midline.

As a Thaumiel-class entity, she is a valuable ally to the SCP Foundation. She points out threats that might affect Earth. The SCP Foundation has been able to avoid these threats or capture them for study. 

SCP-2003: Preferred Option

This is a machine built by the SCP Foundation over a period of 25 years. It allows a limited degree of time travel with a serious caveat: it is deadly to all forms of life. The only tissue that can survive the time travel is the nervous system and brain. Thus agents designated for time travel must have their brains and spinal columns removed and housed inside a robotic body. 

SCP-3000: Anantashesha

This Thaumiel-class SCP entity is a massive, 300 mile long eel creature residing in the Bay of Bengal. Also known as Endless Sesha or the King of Nagas, many thing that Anantashesha is actually a primordial deity. While awake, Anantashesha will devour anything it comes across. Luckily, it spends most of its existence snoozing on the seafloor. However, even looking at this creature is dangerous as it can cause paranoia and memory loss. 

The SCP Foundation has found use for such a daunting entity in a goo secreted after it has eaten. Dubbed Y-909, this compound is used to erase memories as well as making people susceptible to hypnotic suggestions. 

Tim Kane

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