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If you want to read or write horror fiction with a shared community, the SCP Wiki and The Backrooms Wiki are two distinct places to start. The SCP Wiki offers a broad, flexible setting and a defined writing-and-voting process; The Backrooms Wiki has a documented membership application and verification process. Neither is objectively best for everyone: choose by the fictional premise you enjoy and the participation rules you are willing to follow.
Which collaborative horror fiction sites are worth considering?
| Site | Fictional premise | What participation involves | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCP Foundation Wiki | A fictional organization that studies and conceals anomalous objects and beings. The site began with horror and creepypasta, but its writing now spans multiple forms and genres. | Use the sandbox to develop drafts; submissions should be broadly complete and are subject to community voting. Works can be deleted if they fall below the site’s threshold. | Readers and writers who like anomalous entities, varied formats, and a setting without one required canon. |
| The Backrooms Wiki | The Backrooms fictional setting. The joining page emphasizes that the Backrooms are not real. | Read the Site Rules and Greenlight Policy, create a Wikidot account, complete verification through the community Discord, provide requested information, and wait for an invitation. The joining page states members must be at least 16. | People drawn to the Backrooms premise who are comfortable with an application and verification process. |
These are alternatives surfaced by official guidance, not a comprehensive ranking of every collaborative horror community. The available official pages do not establish comparable current membership or publishing statistics, so popularity is not a sound basis for choosing between them.
What makes the SCP Wiki different?
The SCP Wiki is a collaborative writing site built around a fictional organization that investigates and contains the anomalous. Its newcomer guide explains that there is no single mandatory canon: stories may contradict each other, while some works share a setting. This leaves room for readers to explore different interpretations rather than following one continuous storyline. See the official newcomer guide for its premise and reading orientation.
How to start reading
Because there is no single canon, you do not need to begin at a definitive first chapter. Use the site’s newcomer guidance to find a way into its articles and stories, then follow the subjects or formats that interest you. Its scope has expanded beyond horror, so not every work will have the same tone.
#1 Best Overall
What writers should know before submitting
The official Guide For Writing recommends drafting in the sandbox and submitting work that is broadly complete. Published entries face community voting, and a work can be removed if it falls below the site’s voting threshold. That makes revision and public evaluation part of the process, not an optional afterthought.
- Read the current writing instructions and site rules before drafting for publication.
- Attribute co-authors where required; the Site Rules also prohibit plagiarism.
- Do not use generative machine-learning writing, including AI-assisted revision: the writing guide expressly prohibits it.
The SCP Guide Hub is the official directory for joining information, writing resources, rules, and policies. Check it before contributing because community requirements can change.
Rank #2
- What's Included: Three illustrated research journals in a slipcase book box featuring the most notable SCP Foundation objects. Ardent collectors will also be pleased with a slipcase shaped like the Foundation personnel suitcase. With your help, we have published 3 books full of articles and secret files describing the most notable, creepy and intriguing anomalous objects the Foundation contains.
- Amazing Art: Inside, you'll find detailed reports imitating the real Foundation documents, complemented by additional materials and illustrated by professional artists from all around the world. We purchased the rights for existing artworks and commissioned many new – just to put them in our books! What's that if not the very embodiment of the SCP Foundation spirit?
- The Foundation: The SCP Foundation is a fictional secret organization that seeks supernatural entities and phenomena, studies them and shields humanity from their impact. Hundreds of people from all around the world put their talent into the web-project so ingenious it beats the heck out of contemporary Hollywood. SCP kids book are undoubtedly breaking new ground in the area of horror and science fiction.
- About the Team: Each member of our team has many years of experience in comic book and artbook publishing. We strictly follow the community rules. We put a name of the license on the back cover, and places a heartfelt thank-you note to the whole SCP project at the end of every book. Every article has author’s credits and a link to the original page. We used only those illustrations we have rights to. All of them were created by professional artists.
- Community First: We strive to create true works of art drawing more attention to one of the most original projects in the history of horror and science fiction. It is the best way to pay tribute to the incredible talent of SCP Foundation creators. We hope we achieved something with this campaign, and we are going to move forwards!
How does joining The Backrooms Wiki work?
The Backrooms Wiki’s joining page describes a more explicit gate before membership. Prospective members must read the Site Rules and Greenlight Policy, make a Wikidot account, join the community Discord for verification, submit the requested information, and wait for an invitation. The page sets a minimum age of 16.
Since this is a live application process, check the joining page for current steps and requirements before applying. Do not assume that creating an account alone gives you membership or permission to contribute.
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Rank #3
How should you choose between them?
- Choose by premise: SCP centers on anomalous subjects and the organization containing them; The Backrooms centers on its own fictional setting.
- Consider canon and variety: SCP explicitly allows works to contradict one another, with some sharing settings, and supports multiple genres and formats.
- Compare the writing path: SCP’s guide describes sandbox drafting, substantially complete submissions, and public voting. The Backrooms joining page lays out verification and invitation steps before membership.
- Check your willingness to meet the rules: SCP prohibits AI-assisted writing and requires proper attribution for collaborations. The Backrooms Wiki requires applicants to follow its current membership process and meet its age rule.
For background on the SCP Wiki’s origins, its FAQ says the original SCP was written in 2007, the first wiki incarnation appeared in early 2008, and it moved to Wikidot in mid-2008. Those dates explain its history, not its current size or activity.
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Rank #4
- The book is released under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.
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