- 3 days ago
- #drbob
- #scp
- #animation
Dr Bob brings you SCP Foundation, SCP-4000 Taboo Animation.
Join the DR BOB SQUAD by going to https://www.patreon.com/DrBob and become an Honorary Member of the Dr. Bob Research Staff!
SCP-4000 Taboo is an extradimensional, shifting forest accessed via a ritual through a chimney and a well. Its core anomaly is a severe nomenclative hazard: the realm, its landmarks, and its strange shapeshifting entities cannot be referred to by any name or title, only by descriptive phrases. Naming them triggers severe conceptual, biological, or spatial breaches, seamlessly fusing people, text, and architecture into the nameless wilderness.
Watch ALL of DrBob's videos including SCP 150 The Body Stealing Parasite and SCP 3700 Tides of War here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxBeJ7z3xRleoXfcoFZxHgqji3jKgWwV
This video, being derived from https://scpwiki.com/taboo written by PeppersGhost, is released under Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Narrated by Joe Cliff Thompson
#drbob #scp #animation
Join the DR BOB SQUAD by going to https://www.patreon.com/DrBob and become an Honorary Member of the Dr. Bob Research Staff!
SCP-4000 Taboo is an extradimensional, shifting forest accessed via a ritual through a chimney and a well. Its core anomaly is a severe nomenclative hazard: the realm, its landmarks, and its strange shapeshifting entities cannot be referred to by any name or title, only by descriptive phrases. Naming them triggers severe conceptual, biological, or spatial breaches, seamlessly fusing people, text, and architecture into the nameless wilderness.
Watch ALL of DrBob's videos including SCP 150 The Body Stealing Parasite and SCP 3700 Tides of War here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxBeJ7z3xRleoXfcoFZxHgqji3jKgWwV
This video, being derived from https://scpwiki.com/taboo written by PeppersGhost, is released under Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Narrated by Joe Cliff Thompson
#drbob #scp #animation
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:07The last thing the hiker remembers is being inside an old house, which is odd because when
00:13he comes to, he's back on the path. Something feels wrong. The green of the trees looks a
00:20little too green, the blue of the sky a little too vivid. He chalks it up to what he assumes
00:25as a head injury and decides that maybe he should turn back. But the odd thing is, he
00:31can't. Every time he thinks he's turned around, he's facing the way he started. Even the old
00:36dilapidated well that he hit his head on seems to be moving in relation to him. It's like
00:41he's trying to turn on a flat background. This is really freaking him out, but against
00:46his better judgment, he tries walking. The trail doesn't even seem long, just a big loop around
00:51one patch of old-growth forest. If he has to get to the end to get out, he can do
00:56it.
00:56It won't take him long. He starts to walk. The more he walks, the more the trail starts
01:02to curve and twist. It seems almost nonsensical, but it feels like nothing has made sense as
01:08he came through this area. But the trail seems well maintained, and with any luck, he'll
01:13cross paths with another hiker. Maybe they can tell him what's going on here. At the
01:17very least, seeing another person will make him feel less like he's going crazy. As if
01:22the woods are responding to his thoughts, the hiker sees an old man walking towards
01:26him. The old man has a long gray beard, tinged yellow towards the end. He's barefoot and walks
01:32with a carved wooden stick. The hiker nods and waves, trying to be polite. Instead of just
01:38passing by, the old man stops and looks at the hiker with an inscrutable expression.
01:43Where are you going? The old man asks. Oh, just out for a walk, the hiker says. Nice
01:49day for it. What are you looking for? The old man asks, as if the hiker hadn't said anything.
01:55This gives the hiker pause. He shrugs. Like I said, just getting some exercise.
02:02Really, he'd have been much safer if he was still at home, looking for Dr. Bob videos on
02:06YouTube, because if you subscribe to this channel, you can get brand new videos on the Strange
02:10and Anomalous every week. Now back to the story. I can show you the way out, the old man says,
02:17pointing his walking stick up the trail towards what looks like it might be a house off in the
02:21distance. The hiker can't believe he didn't notice that there before. He breathes a sigh
02:26of relief. Thank you, he says. That'd be a great help. At no point during this conversation with this
02:32old man does the hiker ever realize that his feet are pointing backwards. He will be reported missing
02:38when he fails to show up to work the following Monday. The next person who walks down this path,
02:43if anyone ever does, might not even notice the old house in the woods, or the tree out the front
02:48that bears an uncanny resemblance to a screaming human being. This story isn't unique, and this is
02:55just one of the ways one could break the rules and become a victim of... Well, here's where it gets
03:00complicated. Normally, I would give you an SCP designation, but this particular anomaly,
03:06this nameless wooded habitat full of terrible things, doesn't have one. To even say the number
03:12in the title of this video would be getting us into dangerous territory. The SCP that's the subject
03:18of today's video is a difficult one to discuss, because in straightforward terms, you can't.
03:24To give it a name is to give it power. Even using the same epithet too many times in a
03:29row can lead
03:29to adverse physical symptoms. But while it's impossible to name, it still has to be discussed.
03:35The anomalous forest in question doesn't adhere to the laws of physics as we know them.
03:40Distances within the strange and treacherous wood are subjective, and despite its apparent
03:45dimensions from the outside, the strange forest with no name feels as if it goes on forever.
03:50The trees only seem to get thicker and wilder the further you go. There is a consistent entrance
03:56point, the fireplace of an old house. An exit point, a crumbling brick well that also can't be named.
04:01And one path through the trees, a path which, you guessed it, can't be given a name either.
04:07These are the only reliable ways in or out of the woods, but only if the subject travels in a
04:12single
04:12direction, ending up back where they started once they reach the end. Those who double back on
04:17themselves while walking the main trail have completely lost contact with the outside world
04:21and are never seen again. Multiple tests have shown that the path never leads the same way twice,
04:27as sections mapped during different expeditions don't overlap, even when they logically ought to.
04:33The only consistency when it comes to the trail that you must follow is the presence of the
04:37access point, which is at the start of the looping trail that crosses the forest which has no name.
04:42If you're feeling a little confused, that's normal, and I'm sorry that there's nothing I can do about
04:47that. The forest of the unnameable is a place that gives words power, especially names.
04:53Names cannot be used in any capacity when referring to this anomaly, not even the names of the
04:58Foundation personnel involved in its study. In the event of a nomenclative containment breach,
05:03the individual responsible for the breach must have their name expunged from all existing documents
05:07and records. Any other people found to share that name, no matter where they are in the world,
05:12must have their name changed, records amended, and be delivered a course of type G viral amnestics.
05:18Failure to adhere to the nomenclative containment procedure can lead to a number of unpleasant
05:22side effects, including hallucinations of all five senses, sudden extreme iron deficiency,
05:28memory loss, manifestation of anomalous plant life in the immediate vicinity, and sudden
05:32physical mutations, causing the subject to develop non-human features such as leaves or feathers.
05:38In some extreme cases, it can cause a subject to vanish entirely. It also can cause biological
05:43mutations to any inorganic matter the names are written on. One particular case in 1955 involved the
05:50first successful exploratory mission through the mysterious grove. The subject in question was
05:55quarantined for 72 hours. After showing no signs of contamination, he was given a pencil and paper
06:01to write down his experiences. We don't have this account, however, because he had heard the strange
06:06woods' name spoken by entities within it. When researchers returned to check on him, he was gone,
06:12and the words on the pages rendered garbled and unreadable. The writing desk looked warped somehow,
06:18and tests confirmed that the desk, pen, and paper were now composed partially of soil and human tissue.
06:25The first civilian to experience the side effect of a nomenclative containment breach
06:29was a college student named Vanessa Hayworth from Portland, Oregon. In 1966, she was seen going around
06:35to as many doctors as would see her in claiming that her head had become covered in flesh, which had
06:40to
06:40be removed. She believed her face would be completely covered in skin, but nothing was actually wrong with
06:46her. She was brought into Foundation custody, and it was discovered what had happened. Through an
06:51acquaintance at college, she'd gained access to a book that recorded a number of details about the
06:55strange and fantastical grove, including the procedure for how to get there. That book was from
07:01the Wanderer's Library, and it's not clear how her acquaintance was able to get a hold of it.
07:06Hayforth died in Foundation custody, but in 2012, an expedition spotted a native entity that resembled a
07:12young Hayforth, but with completely smooth skin covering all of its facial features. The glade,
07:17which will remain nameless, was discovered a year before the desk incident, in June of 1954.
07:23Though a lack of surviving personnel means that some details are hazy, we know the anomaly was
07:28discovered in an abandoned home in rural Connecticut. It seemed like nobody had lived there in decades,
07:33maybe even centuries, but there was still smoke coming from the chimney. Field agents explored the
07:38location and came upon the house, and once they entered, they did what SCP agents do when they
07:43discover a new anomaly. They gave it a designation. A name. The first agent to be lost was Agent Bradley,
07:51who was sucked into the floor as the others watched in horror. Agent Donody escaped out the
07:55door and into the woods, never to be seen again. Those who were left were immobilized and left screaming in
08:01agony as their bodies stretched and elongated, their flesh becoming hardened stone and smoke pouring out of their
08:07mouths. Only Agent Woods was able to be extracted, though a secondary breach occurred when he too
08:13started repeatedly calling the strange woods under unknown stars by its name, its real name. He kept
08:19repeating over and over again that his name was in the trees. Woods died later that day from injuries
08:25sustained after attempting to eat his radio. After hearing the name which cannot be shared over the radio,
08:31Woods' correspondents in Site-08 later report severe headaches and are placed in quarantine.
08:36While in quarantine, their bodies too started to change, but not into chimneys this time. Strange,
08:42brittle protrusions that resembled the branches of ancient trees sprouted from their eye sockets,
08:47dislocating their eyes in the process. Despite how gruesome it sounds, none of them reported any
08:53discomfort. Even after all of these terrible events, it was only after rigorous D-class testing that the
08:59Foundation was able to establish the connection between the world of trees where words have power and the
09:03hazardous nature of names within and around the anomaly. But names aren't the only things that
09:08have the power to harm in the grove where strange things happen. As we showed with our unfortunate
09:13hiker, subjects who walk down the path which you must follow encounter what the Foundation is chosen to
09:18call native entities. These are beings who make their home in the glade of unspoken titles, which will
09:24interact with travelers along the path which cannot be named. They seem to have mutable appearances,
09:30which they don't seem able to control. This makes it hard to estimate even roughly how many entities
09:36make their home in the strange glen from another world. Their behavior ranges from curious to
09:41mischievous to deliberate attempts to obstruct the path or lure travelers into the woods. These
09:46entities will offer their names and sometimes speak the true name of the unnamed wild. This is a tactic
09:52meant to trick subjects into saying those names themselves, which would result in any of the
09:56horrible fates I showed you earlier or worse. In 1958, an agent whose name is now gone successfully
10:03circumnavigated the strange and mystical forest and returned to the Foundation to give his account.
10:08In describing his experiences, he talked about meeting a native entity who sits upon a throne of
10:13bones and cradles a flaming child. In telling the story about this entity, the agent never called the
10:19strange person by their name, but used only one epithet to describe them. At the time, it was believed that
10:25anything other than a real name was sufficient to avoid the effects of nomenclative containment breach.
10:31But it seems that, according to the trees that grow under a strange star, your real name is
10:36whatever name you're using. Once an epithet is used enough times in a row, that's as good as a name.
10:41And for breaking the rules, the agent in this story faced a horrible punishment. He got horrifically
10:47nauseous and started vomiting everywhere. He didn't stop, not even when blood started coming up.
10:52By the end of the day, he'd thrown up all of his internal organs and somehow, most of his skeleton.
10:58For days after the agent's death, all personnel at Site-08 all reported auditory hallucinations of
11:04a woman's laughter. A similar thing happened to another researcher, Michael Ashley Vincent,
11:09who explored the realm of wood and chimneys in 1992. He had spent many nights in a particular
11:15house that he found in the woods, and referred to it many times as,
11:18My House, when describing the events to colleagues. This was enough to cause a nomenclative containment
11:23breach. The building which Vincent had described manifested within Site-08, flipping through the
11:29existing building, and Vincent was found horrifically fused to it. His body was plugged into a ceiling
11:34light fixture as if it were a light bulb, and his face, frozen in a scream of anguish, had been
11:39enlarged and was now in place of the cabin's floor. It really cannot be stressed enough how much you
11:45cannot use names when interacting with this SCP. Since the discovery of the wood where nothing is
11:51as it seems, the Foundation has mounted yearly expeditions in order to keep track of any changes
11:55that take place in the area. Sometimes there are multiple expeditions required, but at least one
12:01must be successful. While it is possible to discover the forest beyond the horizon by accident,
12:06it can also be accessed through any regular fireplace using a procedure called
12:104-0-0-0 Halloway, which is how the Foundation typically gains access to the Glade beyond time.
12:18First, a fire is started in any indoor fireplace using organic kindling. Then, over the fire,
12:23the subject must sprinkle over the fire a powder made from the combined bones of a fox,
12:28a whale, and a lion. Next, a personal item of great sentimental value must be thrown into the fire as
12:34well. Once the fire has entirely consumed the object, three crow feathers must be held over the fire.
12:40The heat and smoke will carry them up the flue. After a while, the fire will begin to speak. What
12:47the
12:47fire says will vary depending on if the agent conducting the procedure is the oldest, middle,
12:52youngest, or only child in their family. For an eldest child, a Type 1 subject, the fire states,
12:58these woods have rules. The correct response is, or so they say. The fire will then ask,
13:06and if you break them? The correct response is, a price I'll pay. For a Type 2 subject,
13:13a middle child, the fire asks, is someone there? To which the correct response is, there's only me.
13:20The fire will then ask, and who are you? To which the correct response is, I guess you'll see.
13:27Finally, for Type 3 subjects, youngest or only children, the questions begin with,
13:33What do you seek? The correct response to this is, to walk the trees. The fire will reply,
13:40Now mind your manners. To which the correct response is, to walk them, please. By completing
13:46Procedure 4000 Holloway, any fireplace becomes a gateway into the forest of things without names.
13:53Before entering, personnel go through extensive training to prepare them for the road ahead.
13:58Even beyond the rule against using names, there are other rules that must be followed,
14:02and rules that the native entities will try to trick you into breaking.
14:06Subjects cannot bring firearms under any circumstances. They must not eat any food other
14:11than the standard ration pack while in the place where names are not allowed. Type 1 subjects cannot
14:17accept or handle anything that is considered a valuable resource. This includes money, precious
14:22stones, anomalous objects, and weaponry. Type 2 subjects may be approached by native entities who
14:28express romantic affection towards them. These subjects must rebuke the entities as clearly as
14:33possible, and never do anything that could be seen as reciprocating the entity's attention.
14:38Type 3 subjects cannot do anything that could be considered luxurious or frivolous, that means
14:43no smoking, drinking anything other than water, dancing, listening to music, or sleeping on a padded
14:49surface. If the subjects encounter a house while walking along the way you must travel, it is
14:55permissible to enter, provided you knock first, but always remember to leave through the same door you
15:00entered through. Sleeping is also permissible within the forest with rules you must follow.
15:05Every agent will be equipped with a dream journal and dreams must be recorded. If anything similar
15:10to the dream appears during the expedition, that dream is to be treated as fact. When you encounter a
15:16native entity, be polite above all else. A simple hey and a wave isn't sufficient as a greeting.
15:22Good day and hello are about as informal as you should ever be. A bow or curtsy also
15:28wouldn't hurt. Always keep your tone measured and cordial in a conversation with a native entity.
15:33Always say please and thank you, and remember, never say anything that you know to be false.
15:39If pressed for information that is confidential, apologize, refuse politely, and bow.
15:44The entity might try to give you a name. Don't respond to it. Ignore them any time they try to
15:50use it.
15:51Once you respond to it, you'll be stuck with it. Remember, your real name is whatever name you're using
15:56right now. If you see a native entity in distress, only offer it assistance if you think it looks
16:02threatening or unsettling. Anything cute or beautiful asking for your help will end up being a trap.
16:08The only exception to this rule is if the entity is asking for food. Always feed a native entity if
16:13it's hungry. For this reason, it's a good idea to hold on to any food you're given by other native
16:17entities. Even though you can't eat it yourself, you might need it later on. If an entity gives you a
16:23physical gift, you must hold it in both hands when you accept it. Never discard this gift,
16:28even if its value and purpose are unclear. This is, of course, unless you're an oldest child. Type
16:331 subjects can't handle anything valuable. No exceptions. While sleeping is permitted,
16:39never sleep in a bed offered to you by a native entity. If a native entity tries to follow you,
16:44let it, but don't tell it where you're going. And if a native entity offers you assistance,
16:48return the favor before the end of your expedition. And of course, if you encounter
16:53an incorporeal humanoid that claims it is not a native entity, disregard all the previous rules
16:58and do whatever it says. While these rules need to be strictly adhered to, not every native entity
17:04in the forest where words are deadly is deadly in and of themselves. Many can be quite friendly.
17:09Dr. Eugene Japers had multiple encounters over a number of expeditions with a humanoid figure with a
17:15rabbit's head. The first encounter with the unusual furry individual in question happened in 2005,
17:21when it encountered Dr. Japers on the road which cannot be strayed from.
17:25Good morning, strange traveler. The entity greeted him. Dr. Japers responded with his own.
17:30Good morning. The gentleman with the long fuzzy ears seemed very pleased to meet him.
17:35How is your name? He asked. My name is smelt of raspberries lately, I think. Or snapdragons,
17:40perhaps. It's so hard to tell these days, but one makes an effort. I'm afraid my name has tasted
17:47rather tart as of late, said Dr. Japers. The entity doffed his hat and laughed. He tried to invite Dr.
17:54Japers for tea, but the doctor politely declined. The two of them crossed paths again in 2008,
18:00on Dr. Japers' fourth expedition into the hollow behind the fireplace. This time it was when he crested
18:05a hill and saw a familiar face tending to a cabbage patch. Dr. Japers stopped to exchange
18:11pleasantries with the white-furred entity, who remembered their conversation from three years
18:15ago very clearly. You are not from here, said the rabbit. Very interesting. What woods are you from?
18:22I do not come from any woods, said Dr. Japers. When Dr. Japers explained that where he was from there
18:28were more buildings than trees, the man with the twitchy little nose didn't seem to understand the
18:33concept. Then they are inferior woods, but woods nonetheless, he said. Tell me, how did you get
18:39here? I consider myself something of a scholar, you see, and I get a bit excited when I have a
18:43chance
18:44to learn of forests outside my own. Dr. Japers responded to the question with a question of his own.
18:50When we last met, you said it had become difficult to describe your name. Do you have any theories
18:55for why that may be? The native entity paused from tending his cabbages and scratched his furry chin,
19:01thinking. I can only assume it's because of how long we've been apart. My name and I, that is.
19:06The cunicular gentleman resumed his gardening while he spoke. It was a good name, a proud name,
19:12I'm fairly sure. By this point, though, it's probably decayed from its former grandeur,
19:17if it even still exists. Dr. Japers nodded. Where do you think it is currently?
19:23The floppy-eared fellow shook his head. First fellow scholar, you must answer my previous question.
19:29I came through the old but distinguished well at the end of the footpath I am presently perambulating,
19:34the doctor said. The leperine entity's ears seemed to perk up in recognition. He hesitated a bit before
19:40speaking. Oh my, it's been quite some time, he said carefully. I'll be frank. I thought all the old
19:48allies had died out. Did your grandfather or some such relation have a lover out here? Dr. Japers bowed
19:55and politely declined to answer. Once again, the man with the rabbit's head asked the doctor to join
20:00him for tea and once again, the doctor declined. Before he left, though, the native entity offered
20:05him a single cabbage leaf from his garden. Dr. Japers accepted, carefully holding it with both
20:11hands. Later on his trip, he fed the leaf to a native entity that resembled a field mouse and that
20:16mouse in turn aided him on his journey. Due to the leaf giver's apparent knowledge of the world beyond
20:22the forest where he lived, Dr. Japers was instructed to conduct a more thorough interview if he and the
20:27entity ever crossed paths again. He finally got his chance in 2013 on his ninth expedition into the
20:33Vale of Restless Wanderers. For the purposes of keeping the fluffy entity talking, Dr. Japers was
20:39given special permission to make false statements if he needed to. This time, Dr. Japers encountered his
20:44rabbit-headed friend in his home and finally agreed to sit down for a cup of tea, though he was
20:49very
20:49careful not to actually drink it once it was poured for him. The cottage was quaint, small, but decorated
20:56with needlepoint, wooden furniture, and rabbit-shaped knick-knacks. It was just meant to be until things
21:02cooled down on the other side, the furry gentleman said when Dr. Japers complimented his home. But, well,
21:08you know. I'm afraid I don't know, said Dr. Japers. What do you mean by cooled down? The leperine
21:15homeowner turned on the stove and stared out the rabbit-shaped window. When I was a young lad,
21:20in a form very different from the one I possess now, I lived on the other end of the well.
21:26It's
21:26where I was born, where I grew up, and if I dare to dream, where I will someday return. But
21:32I can't
21:32unless I knew I would be welcomed back. There are those who would destroy me at the nearest chance.
21:38Ah, my apologies. These are dark memories. I'm sure you don't want to hear about them.
21:42No, please go on, Dr. Japers urged. I'm a fellow scholar, remember? The entity sipped his tea.
21:49Much as it grieves me to say it, we were betrayed. We had fought side by side, you know,
21:55in the war against that factory. We had done nothing but help them. And what did they do?
22:00They destroyed us. Still, though, I don't hate them. There were many who sheltered us,
22:06fought for us, even died for us. Some came to live here amongst us, rest their souls.
22:11But it's no matter now. I apologize for prattling on about old flames. Certainly such things are of
22:17no interest to you, fellow scholar. On the contrary, Dr. Japers shook his head. The life of you and your
22:23people is of great interest to me. The doctor's host smiled knowingly. I'm sure it is, fellow scholar.
22:30A strange wind blew through the house, and neither party spoke for half a minute. After that time,
22:37Dr. Japers rose from his seat. It's abrupt, yes, and I'm grievously sorry to do this, he said. But I
22:43really must be going. I believe I'm long overdue to return home. The rabbit-headed entity slumped to
22:49the table as if in pain, only able to ask, what happened to my name? As Dr. Japers left.
22:58Dr. Japers returned to Site-08, but was soon reported missing. It was initially theorized that Dr.
23:03Japers was exposed to an anomalous influence on his physiology during his most recent mission.
23:08However, thorough analysis showed no genetic abnormalities in the fur he'd shed on his
23:13expedition gear. Want more unknowable high strangeness from the world of Dr. Bob?
23:19You should check out SCP-2846, The Squid and the Sailor.
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