Potential plagiarism of *A Certain Magical Index volume 4* in SCP-034, "Obsidian Ritual Knife".

The chapter this SCP is plagiarised from is Chapter 2, titled "A Certain Unsophisticated Railgun.", subtitled "Doubt_Lovers.".
Link to source text at the bottom.

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#Similarity 1: Physical description of the SCP
"SCP-034 is a primitive knife constructed out of pure obsidian."

This is the primitive obsidian knife the character appearing in the source text uses as a weapon, there a magical artefact called "The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli".

"He glanced at the object in Unabara Mitsuki’s hands—it was like a knife made out of a
black rock. The rock didn’t look like it had been filed down. It looked more like it had been
broken to create its sharp edge."
-Part 14

"“The black knife might be…obsidian? A lance of reflected starlight from a mirror…that’s
probably the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli.”"
-Part 15

#Similarity 2: Origin of the SCP
"Expert analysis hypothesizes that SCP-034 may be of South American origin, and that it was used in Native American rituals. Several accounts from Spanish conquistadors exploring the █████████ region support this hypothesis, with detailed writings on how █████ priests would flay their victims alive with similar knives and wear their skin as a tribute to their gods."

The character using this obsidian knife in the source text is a magician hailing from an Aztec magic cabal, and the knife is inspired by Aztec mythology. The SCP description of how the SCP was used by priests flaying their victim alive wearing their skin as tribute to their gods is consistent with the historic worship of the Aztec god Xipe Totec (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xipe_Totec#Human_sacrifice), confirming the South American origin and Native American ritual referred to in the SCP is Aztec mythology, consistent with the source text.

"“The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. It comes from the name of an Aztec god. He was the
god of Venus and calamity. It’s said that the spear will kill anyone and everyone exposed
to the light of Venus.”"
-Part 15

"“Probably. There’s an art where Aztec priests tear off the skin of human sacrifices and
wear it, so I think it’s being applied here.”"
-Part 15

#Similarity 3: Effect of the SCP
"SCP-034 has the ability to allow its bearer to take on the appearance of another individual. If SCP-034 is used to cut a piece of flesh from a living individual, and that piece of flesh is placed against the skin of another individual, the second individual would take on not only the appearance, but all physical characteristics of the first individual."

The magician in the source text uses magic to disguise himself as another person. He does this by cutting off a piece of the skin of another human and wearing it himself as a talisman, which is identical to the effect of the SCP.

"“Gah. Then is Aztec magic or whatever responsible for him disguising himself as Unabara,
too?”
“Probably. There’s an art where Aztec priests tear off the skin of human sacrifices and
wear it, so I think it’s being applied here.”"
-Part 15

"“Do what with their skin?”
“They wear it. They slice it off with a knife. But I don’t know if he needs to go that far if he
just wants to disguise himself. He could imitate someone’s form just by cutting off a piece
of skin around fifteen centimeters long from the arm and making a talisman out of it.”"
-Part 15

That being said, here is where the first difference from the source material are observed.

#Difference 1: Amount of skin required for usage of the SCP
"Testing has shown that the minimum amount of skin required can be as little as one (1) square centimeter."

While the minimum amount of skin necessary for the SCP is 1 square centimeter, the source material lists the used skin as 15 centimeters, while later in the series a minimum of 10 centimeters has been established.

"“They wear it. They slice it off with a knife. But I don’t know if he needs to go that far if he
just wants to disguise himself. He could imitate someone’s form just by cutting off a piece
of skin around fifteen centimeters long from the arm and making a talisman out of it.”"
-Part 15

"Once a charm is made he no longer needs to collect samples from his target and he can freely change between different appearances by creating several charms and alternate their usage as needed, he has hinted that 10 cm of the target's skin are needed to create the charm."
-A Certain Magical Index wiki, wiki page of the character, https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Etzali#Abilities, section "Appearance Borrowing"

#Difference 2: Effect of the SCP is a combination of two separate magical effects and items
"SCP-034 has the ability to allow its bearer to take on the appearance of another individual. If SCP-034 is used to cut a piece of flesh from a living individual, and that piece of flesh is placed against the skin of another individual, the second individual would take on not only the appearance, but all physical characteristics of the first individual."

In the SCP it needs to be the SCP itself that it used to cut the skin of a person in order for the effect to take place. In the source material the obsidian knife (The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli) has the ability to dismantle objects when provided with the light of Venus, while the disguise spell is a talisman the magician makes using human flesh that is cut using any knife, as it is the magician itself that casts the spell, not the knife.

"“The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. It comes from the name of an Aztec god. He was the
god of Venus and calamity. It’s said that the spear will kill anyone and everyone exposed
to the light of Venus.”"
-Part 15

"“They wear it. They slice it off with a knife. But I don’t know if he needs to go that far if he
just wants to disguise himself. He could imitate someone’s form just by cutting off a piece
of skin around fifteen centimeters long from the arm and making a talisman out of it.”"
-Part 15

It is my opinion that since the disguise spell was a ritual performed by a magician, and the early SCP community (this SCP was written in 2009) valued items and people as SCPs above rituals the writer decided to combine the two concepts used in the source material.

#Difference 3: Addition of a time limit to the effect of the SCP
"However, testing has also revealed that the amount of time the facade lasts is directly proportional to the amount of flesh used. The ratio of time the facade lasts to flesh used has been measured at approximately one (1) hour for every square centimeter used. Once the time limit has passed, the affected individual will revert to his original form."

In the SCP the length of skin used for the disguise is directly proportional with how long the disguise lasts. There is no such limit in the source material, and the length of the skin cut off has no relation with the spell, except that a minimum length must be reached before the spell takes effect.

#Similarity 4: Effect of the SCP
"Analysis of SCP-034's ability shows that its method of mimicking another individual is nearly flawless. Not only does SCP-034 change physical appearance, but actual physical attributes as well, including height, weight, muscle mass, bone density, hair growth, eyesight, strength, physical medical conditions, and even DNA. Subjects still retain their original personality and memories."

The disguise the SCP creates is perfect to a molecular level. This matches with the source material, where the spell also creates a perfect disguise to a molecular level, though the magician retains his personality, memories, and abilities.

"His face, his height and weight, and even his clothes—everything about him was the same
as Unabara. He was dripping with sweat from every pore on his body, and he was diving
into the restaurant with bloodshot eyes."
-Part 14

(In the source text "Unabara" is the person the magician is disguised as)

"Kamijou bent his head in bewilderment. Was it a case of accidental resemblance? They
looked so alike, though. The air that they gave off may have been slightly different, but
they looked exactly the same—just like Mikoto and Misaka Imouto."
-Part 14

"“Huh? Uh, well, it was more than just looking alike—it was almost like he was an identical
twin. But it was probably just a coincidence. This sort of thing happens sometimes. It’s
nothing to get into a fuss over, is it?”"
-Part 14

Later the magician, disguised as Unabara, references an esper ability named "Metamorphose" that can perfectly transform a person into person, before later comparing his own disguise spell to this Metamorphose ability.

"“There are espers who have Metamorphose abilities in this city. Just as the name implies,
they can change their face and body into that of somebody else. I don’t think it’s possible
to change their own genetic information, but still…,” went on Unabara, seeming a bit
anxious."
-Part 14

"“Why, you ask? This was supposed to have been my very important latent period…but you
wouldn’t understand how vital it was if I told you, would you? Still, for the real one to have
escaped…I suppose I should have just killed him outright instead of going for the milder
option of confining him. Oh, and by the way, I’m neither his brother nor a stranger who
happens to look just like him. I believe there is a way to do this called Metamorphose on
your science side of things, but there are other ways to achieve the same effect, you know.”"
-Part 14

Another novel also references the fact that the disguise also perfectly replicates the voice, for a perfect disguise.

"It is pointed in the novels that Etzali's charm not only alters the appearance of the user, but also his voice."
-A Certain Magical Index wiki, wiki page of the character, https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Etzali#Trivia, "Trivia"

#Difference 4: Addition of a side-effect to the SCP
"Even though the process is nearly instantaneous, taking only a few seconds, human test subjects have described the transformation process as extremely painful. Subjects also may suffer psychological trauma depending on the extent of their physical transformation. Side effects are especially serious if the subject takes on the appearance of a person with differing gender or with wildly different physical attributes."

The side-effect of the SCP is here listed as the transformation being very painful and psychological trauma, in increasing degrees the more the subject physically differs from the subject the skin was taken from. No such side-effects exist in the source material.

#Difference 5: Addition of a restriction on the usage of the SCP
"However, in order to function properly, the individuals who have their flesh cut off by SCP-034 must still be biologically alive to maintain the facade. Should the individual whose identity has been stolen expire, the effect immediately wears off. Further details may be found in Lab Report 034A."

With the SCP the skin donor must still be alive in order for the disguise to work. No such limitation exists in the source material, as the magician was more than willing to kill the skin donor.

"“Why, you ask? This was supposed to have been my very important latent period…but you
wouldn’t understand how vital it was if I told you, would you? Still, for the real one to have
escaped…I suppose I should have just killed him outright instead of going for the milder
option of confining him. Oh, and by the way, I’m neither his brother nor a stranger who
happens to look just like him. I believe there is a way to do this called Metamorphose on
your science side of things, but there are other ways to achieve the same effect, you know.”"

#Similarity 5: Restriction on humanoid skin
"Also, SCP-034 only appears to work on human subjects. Cross-species experiments with SCP-034 have resulted in [DATA EXPUNGED]"

Both the SCP and the source material have a restriction in that the effect only works on humanoid skin, being based on the Aztec ritual of flaying the skin of human sacrifices.

"“Gah. Then is Aztec magic or whatever responsible for him disguising himself as Unabara,
too?”
“Probably. There’s an art where Aztec priests tear off the skin of human sacrifices and
wear it, so I think it’s being applied here.”"
-Part 15

#Similarity 6: User of the SCP
"SCP-034 came into Foundation possession when an imposter disguised as Dr. ███████ attempted to infiltrate Site ██."

In the source material an Aztec magician infiltrated the place where this chapter takes place, the walled-off city of Academy City, and disguised himself as a student, an inhabitant of the setting, to further a goal.

"“That’s why I was sent over here. Though it’s not like I was originally aiming to become
Unabara Mitsuki or trying to cause harm to anyone. I only came here one month ago, and
I only changed bodies last week. I was just here to observe. If we found that your Kamijou
faction didn’t have an effect on the power balance, I would have just reported back that
there was no problem.”"
-Part 16

Here is proof to the setting being a place the magician needed to infiltrate into:

"Academy City's technology is thirty years ahead of its time and thus, has accessibility to a more sophisticated array of measures to ensure security across the city. The city limits leading outside are lined with walls, accessible only through entry points which require persons to have permission to enter or leave the premises."
-A Certain Magical Index wiki, wiki page of the setting, https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Academy_City#Technology_2, "Security and Military"

#Similarity 7: Victim of which the skin was flayed
"The impostor was apprehended when authorities discovered the real Dr. ███████ tied up in his home with a large portion of his right arm skinned."

In the SCP the original was found tied up in his home, with a large portion of the skin of his right arm missing. This matches with the student being mimicked by the magician, Unabaru, whom the magician tied up by his hands and feet and threw in a room, and cut a large portion of the skin of his right arm off.

"“It seems like when he was on the verge of death, he used his power—Telekinesis, was
it?—to harden his own body’s movements at an atomic level. He basically put himself into
a cryogenic stasis. I tried stabbing him through the heart, but it was like sticking a knife
into frozen meat. My spears couldn’t disassemble him, either. I had no choice, so I tied
his hands and feet and threw him into that room, but…”"
-Part 16

"The one who fell toward her was someone she knew well.
“Huh? Hey, just what do you think you’re—”
“—ease, run…,” he said, cutting her off.
His body was soaked with sweat, and for some reason, his right arm was wrapped in white
bandages.
The boy cried out, his eyes bloodshot."
-Part 13, the boy here being the real Unabara

#Difference 6: Status of the victim of which the skin was flayed
"The impostor was apprehended when authorities discovered the real Dr. ███████ tied up in his home with a large portion of his right arm skinned."

While in the SCP the victim was found tied up in a room, in the source text the victim escaped his confinement himself to appear in front of the main cast of this chapter.

"Then, the crowd in front of Mikoto parted to either side.
The one who fell toward her was someone she knew well."
-Part 13

"Behind Unabara, a big crowd of people was gathered in the fast-food joint where Mikoto
was lined up, since it was lunchtime and everything. Students walking along nearby were
steadily joining the mess.
And there, among those people…was another Unabara Mitsuki."
-Part 13

"“Why, you ask? This was supposed to have been my very important latent period…but you
wouldn’t understand how vital it was if I told you, would you? Still, for the real one to have
escaped…I suppose I should have just killed him outright instead of going for the milder
option of confining him. Oh, and by the way, I’m neither his brother nor a stranger who
happens to look just like him. I believe there is a way to do this called Metamorphose on
your science side of things, but there are other ways to achieve the same effect, you know.”"
-Part 14

#Difference 7: Addition of a Lab Report
"Lab Report-034A: We've decided to test several scenarios dealing with the limits of SCP-034's capabilities. [...]"

No testing of the magician's disguise spell took place in the source text, so this bit is an original addition.

#Similarity 8: User of the SCP
"*The prisoner had extensive knowledge on the existence of the Foundation and its inner workings.
*The prisoner had extensive knowledge on other SCP-related agencies and groups.
*The prisoner was not acting under any official capacity from any government agency.
*The prisoner obtained SCP-034 and instructions on its operation from an unknown benefactor.
*The prisoner was given very specific instructions to infiltrate Site-██ and maintain his position until further notice.
*The prisoner had enough samples of Dr. ███████ to stay within Site-██ for ██ days."

There are several similarities between the user of the SCP and the magician in the source text. Both had extensive knowledge of the place they were about to infiltrate.

"It appeared that this magician had done his research before coming to Academy City. He
was dropping scientific terms like “Telekinesis” and “cryogenic stasis” all over the place."
-Part 16

"Then, his tone turning to one of self-ridicule, he continued. “The world of magic and the
world of science aren’t naturally able to mix. And yet you’ve gotten familiar with both
organizations. You’re essentially creating a new body all its own—the Kamijou faction.
Organizations like the one I belong to are terribly afraid of such a new faction upsetting
the world’s power balance.”"
-Part 16

Not only did the magician do extensive research on the setting, Academy City, he was also able to infiltrate in the first place, proving he has knowledge of intimate security details, and is aware of the secret shadow war between magic and science, hidden to most of the world's inhabitants.

The magician also has knowledge on other similar organisations and groups.

"“To make all this worse, you have sole possession of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum—
all 103,000 grimoires. On top of that, you’ve won over magicians from the Anglican
Church, a Level 5 from Tokiwadai, and a trump card against vampires to your side, haven’t
you?”"
-Part 16

“But you were too dangerous! Speculating purely from the shards of information I’ve
received, you’ve destroyed numerous organizations during just this summer vacation! On
top of that, your power doesn’t use money or influence, so we can’t control, restrict, or
negotiate. It’s arbitrary, dictatorial, and self-righteous, fueled by your emotions alone! Do
you seriously think the higher-ups wouldn’t think such an enormously unstable power
dangerous!?”"
-Part 16

Furthermore the magician was not acting on behalf of any government, but rather a magic cabal.

"Then, his tone turning to one of self-ridicule, he continued. “The world of magic and the
world of science aren’t naturally able to mix. And yet you’ve gotten familiar with both
organizations. You’re essentially creating a new body all its own—the Kamijou faction.
Organizations like the one I belong to are terribly afraid of such a new faction upsetting
the world’s power balance.”
His organization.
Did that refer to Academy City, the world of the Church, a magic cabal, or some economic
power?"
-Part 16

"Etzali was a member of the magical Aztec organization known as Return of the Winged One and was a senior to fellow member Xochitl."
-A Certain Magical Index wiki, wiki page of the character, https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Etzali#Background, "Background"

While the benefactor was not unknown, the magician was acting under orders, not his own will, and was given his tool by his organisation.

"“That’s why I was sent over here. Though it’s not like I was originally aiming to become
Unabara Mitsuki or trying to cause harm to anyone. I only came here one month ago, and
I only changed bodies last week. I was just here to observe. If we found that your Kamijou
faction didn’t have an effect on the power balance, I would have just reported back that
there was no problem.”"
-Part 16

He was also went solely to infiltrate, report any actions, and wait for further instructions at first.

"“That’s why I was sent over here. Though it’s not like I was originally aiming to become
Unabara Mitsuki or trying to cause harm to anyone. I only came here one month ago, and
I only changed bodies last week. I was just here to observe. If we found that your Kamijou
faction didn’t have an effect on the power balance, I would have just reported back that
there was no problem.”"
-Part 16

And the final bit needs no explanation, as I previously explained that the magician's disguise spell has no time limit and so the magician could stay indefinitely in the setting if need be.

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#Summary
While there are several differences between the source text and the SCP, most notably the addition of a Lab Report (test log), some limitations and side-effects (the requirement of the skin donor being alive, the time limit on transformations, the physical pain and psychological trauma with too great physical differences between user and skin donor, and the minimum length of skin being changed), and the core concept being a combination of two concepts from the source material, I believe the similarities dominate this SCP. In my opinion the limitations and side-effects were only added as a way to add some negative drawbacks to this piece, and the combination of core concepts was done because at the time an item would be better accepted as an SCP than a ritual.

While it is possible both this SCP and the source were inspired by the same thing (an Aztec ritual where they believe the skin of victims could be used as a disguise talisman when worn), I could find no proof of such an Aztec ritual existing, and I therefore believe this SCP used A Certain Magical Index as a source. Especially because the anime episode adapting this chapter of the novel (episode 18 of A Certain Magical Index season 1, "Impostor (Replica)") aired on the 5th of February 2009 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A_Certain_Magical_Index_episodes#A_Certain_Magical_Index_(2008%E2%80%932009)), while this SCP was initially posted to the wiki on the 24th of February 2009, a mere 19 days after this episode was released. Furthermore I have found proof that this anime was being translated and discussed in English back in those days, as this random anime forum thread was discussing the episode starting from the 5th of February 2009 based on the timestamps (https://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=77719). I believe the writer used this recently-aired episode as a basis for the SCP no doubt.

While the core concept for an SCP can be lifted from a pre-existing work (such as SCP-173 being based on the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who), this is only when there is additional original content in the article that makes it your own. Not only is the core concept lifted from A Certain Magical Index (disguise magic that activates when you cut a piece of a skin of a subject and place it on a different subject), the visual appearance is stolen as well (an obsidian dagger), as is the backstory (Aztec skin flaying rituals), the initial user of the artefact (an infiltrator from a non-governmental organisation displaying great knowledge of the setting as well as other similar groups and organisations that was tasked to stay hidden for a long time, report back, and wait for further orders), and even the initial victim who's skin was taken (an inhabitant of the setting, tied up in a house, with large portions of his right arm skinned for the disguise).

The small additional limitations on the SCP as well as the test log don't add anything major to the SCP that makes it not blatantly lifted from this source material in my opinion, and I believe that this work thus falls under the "No Plagiarism" clause of the site rules and should be therefore be deleted or majorly rewritten to add unique and original elements.

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#Sources

A Certain Magical Index wiki: https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index_Wiki
A Certain Magical Index volume 4, chapter 2: https://pastebin.com/VqjVj9xP (rough copy-paste of a PDF of official Yen Press translation, includes page numbering and conversation artefacts)
Animesuki forum: https://forums.animesuki.com
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
SCP-034: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-034

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-Razorhat