Hello everyone. It has been one year since I published SCP-8980.
SCP-8980 was a very difficult piece for me to write. I began drafting it in May of 2024, and didn't stop working on it near-daily until I posted it October 6th of that same year. The entire time, I had assumed it would just be a labor of love, and would only be appreciated by a small group of Wiki authors, who would shill it endlessly trying to push its rating past +200. I did not have high hopes for the article even if I was proud of it, due to its length and its squeezed placement between other SCP Anthology entries.
Obviously, that did not happen. Within twelve hours it had hit +100, then +200 in thirty-two, and then +300 in seventy-two. It was a reception I could not possibly comprehend; videos, viral TikToks, analysis threads, and more — far, far more. It was both very shocking, and also very comforting, to know I was able to touch the hearts of so many people with my writing.
It has been a year since then. My mental state has improved steadily, and while I've regressed into depressive episodes occasionally, my life has been an upwards-inclined slope. I'm eternally grateful for the people in my life who have made it worth living, and thank God for the providence afforded to me. If I've learned anything in the interim since posting, it's that there's enough light in the world for all of us — never lose hope.
The poem (or, well, set of poems) is the first I've ever written. I apologize if it's not particularly elegant; I nonetheless attempted to use the principles of poetry to the best of my ability to convey the emotions of the characters and the themes of the piece. Each character I drew upon different parts of myself to write their respective poems.
I want to thank several people (in no particular order, and certainly not an exhaustive list) for their impact on me, related to this article:
- My sister, for being my first beta-reader, and encouraging me to write more.
Miss Lapis,
xexnoncores, and
PandoraNuker for inspiring me, in turn, from getting inspired by my works. (And
VapidPoem, who knows what they did.)
- slothinhellfire on Discord, who gave me a crash course in poetry and helped me at ungodly hours to refine my poems.
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UncannyClown as well, for introducing me to them, and helping me greatly with last-minute free verse critique.
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- My critiquers (the ones I have not already mentioned):
EmotionalEntropy,
OptimisticLucio,
Elunerazim,
iammuffin,
Tufto,
PoufyPoufson, and
Raddagher. I appreciate the assistance immensely.
And thank you for being here. I appreciate you.