For the character, please refer to the Fandom Wiki entry.

Dr Gears, previously known as “Cog”, is an author of containment fiction and creepypasta, and one of the earliest and most notable contributors to the SCP Series/Wiki. He is the author of classic SCPs such as SCP-682, SCP-106, SCP-882, SCP-914, and numerous other works. He was an early administrator on the SCP Foundation Wiki on WikiDot, and has been a prominent figure in the community for years. He and his works have inspired SCP authors for as long as he has been active,^[1]e.g. https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-11809.0-11889.217 and he was instrumental in the development of the SCP Foundation as it is known today; including the name “Foundation”,^[2]e.g. https://archive.ph/8j4bA#selection-1102.0-1171.370 writing guidelines,^[3]e.g. https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-10324.1-10395.1003) lore staples,((e.g. https://archive.ph/8j4bA#selection-1844.0-1913.506 the SCP Foundation’s in-universe character,^[4]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-27004.0-27385.564 etc. He changed his name from “Cog” to “Dr. Gears” while on EditThis.^[5]https://web.archive.org/web/20080611211536/http://www.editthis.info/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-914

He has occasionally revisited the SCP Wiki space to participate in interviews and write new works for the site.^[6]https://archive.ph/TzVOS^[7]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFRFzbjQAds^[8]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-7980 An official interview on the SCP Wiki from 2021 names Dr Gears as “the most influential person in the history of the SCP Foundation Wiki”.^[9]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8501.392-8501.461

Works

Dr Gears wrote nearly 40 surviving SCP articles, closer to 50 when including deleted/ARC’d entries are included. He also wrote over 25 tales and created the GoI Church of the Broken God, which incorporated his prior cog/clockwork anomalies.

SCP-882 – A Machine
SCP-053 – Young Girl
SCP-409 – Contagious Crystal
SCP-718 – Eyeball
SCP-162 – Ball of Sharp
SCP-455 – Cargo Ship
SCP-015 – Pipe Nightmare
SCP-682 – Hard-to-Destroy Reptile
SCP-914 – The Clockworks
SCP-028 – Knowledge
SCP-104 – The Lonely Ball
SCP-184 – The Architect
SCP-172 – The Gearman
SCP-201 – The Empty World
SCP-212 – The Improver
SCP-217 – The Clockwork Virus
SCP-236 – Mimic “Crabs”
SCP-229 – Wire Weed
SCP-261 – Pan-Dimensional Vending
SCP-280 – Eyes In The Dark
SCP-293 – Obsession
SCP-352 – “Baba Yaga”
SCP-386 – Eternal Fungus
SCP-470 – Nexus of Abandoned Places
SCP-510 – Soft Death
SCP-575 – Predatory Darkness
SCP-775 – Hungry Ticks
SCP-716 – The Train
SCP-367 – Little Dog
SCP-791 – Water Ball
SCP-084 – Static Tower
SCP-106 – The Old Man
SCP-673 – Tissues
SCP-695 – Eels
SCP-1013 – Cockatrice
SCP-4940 – Transforming Transformer
SCP-6341 – Canadian Mail Void
SCP-7980 – Z is for Ziggurat
SCP-406-ARC – Mysterious Life Form
SCP-001 – The Prototype

Tales/GoIs

Interview 882-1
Personal Log of Gordon Richards
Personal log of Paul Martin
Personal Log of Dr. Gears
Experiment Log 187-1
Experiment Log 914
SCP-212 Upgrade Log
Archived Incident 076-2/682
Experiment Log T-98816-OC108/682
CoTBG “Bible” Fragments
Recovered Documents From Cell 3
Transcript Found on Storage Level B-8
Work manifest for Dr.Gears
Document 8668206-DG
Dr. Gears storytime entries
Electronic Shadows project
Perfection
Epitaph
The King Is Dead
Transcript Found on Storage Level B-8
Clockwork Time
Splinters
Opening Moves
Queen to Pawn
Intro (Pt.0)
Document Recovered From The Marianas Trench
The Young Man
Church of the Broken God Hub

SCPs (Non-Viable)

SCP-197 – Crystal Spiders
SCP-216 – Water Absorber
SCP-039 – The Parasite
SCP-306 – Frog Rot
SCP-527 – Deadly Block
SCP-218 – Lamprey-Mass Organism (rewritten by Djoric, 2015)^[10]https://web.archive.org/web/20150709152506/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-218^[11]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-1283391/scp-218#post-2340319
SCP-238 – Building Complex (rewritten by MalyceGraves, 2022)^[12]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-14532916/scp-238#post-5215754

Creepypasta/Other

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrGears882/pseuds/DrGears882

History

/x/

Holy crap, a semi-positive review…anyone else have comments? another SCP item? — Dr Gears (“Cog”) on 4chan after releasing his first SCP, SCP-882^[13]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-2681.0-2681.94

Dr Gears, then known as “Cog”, first appeared in an /x/ thread (#573348) in April 2008, where he released 10 original SCPs, including SCP-882 (his first), SCP-406, SCP-455, SCP-053, SCP-015, SCP-162, SCP-718, SCP-682, SCP-238, and SCP-218.^[14]https://archive.vn/dIUWj He was 25 years old at this time.^[15]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/gears-birthday-contest-2009 His articles were met generally with praise on /x/ and inspired numerous other SCPs that would be posted there, including SCP-012 and SCP-093. Archives of EditThis edit histories confirm that these SCPs were initially released on the /x/ thread, and were later ported to the EditThis.^[16]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-9363.0-9393.168^[17]http://web.archive.org/web/20080428061210/http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/?title=SCP-406&action=history^[18]http://web.archive.org/web/20080424053222/http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/?title=SCP-455&action=history^[19]http://web.archive.org/web/20080611234042/http://www.editthis.info/scp_wiki/?title=SCP-053&action=history, etc…

Dr Gears became involved with SCP as a result of browsing 4chan, and reading SCP-173. He sparked a revival of SCP entries on /x/ in April 2008, when the board had mostly been abandoned in months prior, in favor of the newly-created EditThis. He first chose the name “Dr Gears” while on /x/,^[20]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-25431.0-25461.451 though he would only adopt the name more definitively after he fully transitioned from 4chan to EditThis.^[21]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81661/scp-882#post-1357023

SCP-682 (“Hard to Destroy Reptile”)

“I’m working on a new one [SCP-682]…hope it’s good, but we’ll see.”^[35]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-19482.0-19557.182

“The entire point of the article is that it cannot be destroyed.”^[36]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-2190800

SCP-682 was first posted to 4chan’s /x/ on April 6, 2008.^[37]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-19592.0-19679.1718 It initially contained a cross-reference to the recently-written SCP-079 (posted to the same thread), and an addended note (“SCP Memo”) to a “Lydecker” regarding an ongoing containment breach, which was later removed. SCP-682 was ported to the EditThis Wiki by an unknown user two days later, on April 8, 2008.^[38]http://web.archive.org/web/20080429200547/http://www.editthis.info/scp_wiki/?title=SCP-682&action=history  Epic Phail Spy modified the article later in April to include a transcript with SCP-682 and a containment breach roster. ^[39]http://web.archive.org/web/20080429200547/http://www.editthis.info/scp_wiki/?title=SCP-682&action=history^[40]http://web.archive.org/web/20080617062348/http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-682 An object class of Keter was added while on EditThis.

SCP-682 was ported to WikiDot on July 25, 2008 by Dr Gears.^[41]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.0 By this time, it had termination cross-testing. It received numerous minor edits (e.g. metric system conversion, wording, etc) while on WikiDot.^[42]e.g. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-697570 In 2010, user tunedtoadeadchannel added a link to an audio version of the transcript,^[43]https://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local–files/scp-682/682.mp3 (linked to in the redaction of the addendum title “Addendum 682-B: Portion of recorded transcript of ██████.”)^[44]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-705313 Dr Gears liked this characterization, and the creator of noted its inclusion with surprise and thanks.^[45]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-764411^[46]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-794756

SCP-682 was added to the Heritage collection in 2013, and removed in 2020 when the collection was dissolved.^[47]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.33, 46 Its original image was replaced in 2020 to comply with the site’s CC license,^[48]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.44^[49]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-4750138 which was met with some controversy.^[50]e.g. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-4752257

SCP-682 was one of the first known SCPs to list multiple containment breaches of an anomaly and explicitly order termination procedures. Additionally, it was an early instance of dual-universal commentary on the then-developing trend of cross-referencing (e.g. cross-linking, cross-testing).

Dr Gears would later start a pseudo-collaborative termination test log for SCP-682, which is routinely added to and pruned as of 2022.^[51]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/experiment-log-t-98816-oc108-682

Dr Gears (still as “Cog”) started thread #582988 one week after #573348, which would also inspire more /x/ authors to participate and write SCPs. There, he released SCP-216 (“Water Absorber”, non-viable as of 2011^[52]https://web.archive.org/web/20100818111325/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-216) and SCP-409 (“Contagious Crystal”). Cog started another thread, #616734, on April 29, 2008 where he queried /x/ about creating supplemental documents for SCPs now that there were “a crapload of SCP objects”.^[53]https://archive.ph/tw3YD On May 1st, he created thread #619593, where he asked for advice on how to differentiate SCP further from past creepypasta series, and what people’s favorite SCPs were.

EditThis

User page of Dr Gears (aka “Cog”) on the EditThis Wiki.

Dr Gears (aka “COG”) created a user page on the EditThis Wiki, which read as follows:^[54]http://web.archive.org/web/20080520001544/http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/User:Cog

“Dr.Gears (aka “COG”)

Euclid-class object specialist.

Security Class: [EXPUNGED]

Duties: Field Evaluation, Field Recovery, SCP development and review, object research.”

SCP-001 – The Prototype

Dr Gears published his SCP-001 proposal on EditThis on June 6th, 2008.^[55]http://web.archive.org/web/20080616233457/http://editthis.info:80/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-001, “Cog”

“Damn it, i said over and over that i would not try and make a 001, but here i am. It’s SCP-001 (prototype) and it’s fail. I tried to give it a feel like this is just the very beginning of the foundation, and a item that was not world-ending but not containable by normal means. I tried to make the report seem like the prototype of the the current standard form. please tell me what you think. —Cog 09:07, 6 June 2008 (PDT)”

Numerous /x/ threads had been created in the days prior discussing heavily the SCP-001 slot, with debate about what it should be, what philosophical stance it should take, and what standards should apply to it.^[56]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/694756.html, archive^[57]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/697022.html, archive^[58]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/699949.html^[59]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/700144.html^[60]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/700370.html Dr Gears (as “Cog”) can be seen participating and contributing ideas to the threads:

“here’s the debate: some people feel 001 should be something kick-ass. others think it should be the first object found. I like the first object idea, that it was just the first thing that got SCP started, something that, if not very dangerous, is very hard to contain. Just my opinion. maybe the numbers are even randomly assigned?”^[61]https://archive.ph/3QlpV#selection-6703.10-6703.341

There was debate over whether or not SCP-001 should be a “first object” or simply the most dangerous/powerful/dramatic entry.^[62]https://archive.ph/B1g6I#selection-17716.0-17981.7^[63]https://archive.ph/B1g6I#selection-18078.0-18473.324^[64]e.g. http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/704970.html, https://archive.ph/B1g6I#selection-12456.0-12507.68 Dr Gear’s proposal was the first sophisticated example of the former philosophy, extending also to the then-established SCP document format itself.

No record of Dr Gears’ proposal exists on the EditThis. It is first archived on August 17, 2008.^[65]https://web.archive.org/web/20080817054900/http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/dr-gears-s-proposal Besides minor spacing, capitalization, and etc grammar edits, the initial version is identical to the current (February 2023) one.^[66]https://www.diffchecker.com/Vp0gFsRT/

SCP-028 – Knowledge

Although an original publish date is not known, the first appearance in archives is EditThis, on July 12, 2008.^[67]https://web.archive.org/web/20080803022153/http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/SCP-028 It was later claimed (on WikiDot) as having been written by Dr Gears.^[68]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/dr-gears-s-personnel-file

SCP-914 – The Clockworks

SCP-914 was written and posted to the EditThis on June 3, 2008.^[69]https://web.archive.org/web/20080611211417/http://www.editthis.info/scp_wiki/?title=SCP-914&action=history On the talk page, Dr Gears wrote a prototype author post, stating:

“What does everyone think? I tried to make something creepy, yet still in the “Safe” class… I was torn between something that was created by someone who was studying/obsessed with #882, or something by one of the great clockwork masters under the Czar in Russia.”^[70]http://web.archive.org/web/20080611211536/http://www.editthis.info:80/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-914

SCP-914 underwent minimal changes while on EditThis.^[71]https://www.diffchecker.com/YyRb7P21/ Discussion of SCP-914 on the EditThis talk page resulted in the creation of a separate link to independent experiment logs for SCP-914.^[72]http://web.archive.org/web/20080611211536/http://www.editthis.info:80/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-914

The article was praised from the outset and achieved Heritage status on WikiDot, when that designation was active.^[73]https://web.archive.org/web/20140719011115/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-914 It was transferred to the WikiDot on July 25, 2008 by far2.^[74]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-914, rev.0

—Pardon our progress —

SCP Wiki

Dr Gears (in-universe) art by Sunnyclockworks.

Experiment Log 914

A dedicated page for experiments for SCP-914 was created on the SCP Wiki by Dr Gears on September 11, 2008, of which Dr Gears wrote:

“Please, everyone, feel free to add things here. if the test stinks, we’ll let you know. i’ll think of some stuff to get the ball rolling, if nobody else does first…”^[75]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-258215

The page has been collaboratively added to since this time. The dedicated experiment log has nearly 20 offset pages as of writing (April 2023), each with 10 collapsibles of 10-20 individual tests (sometimes including multiple trials per test), totaling to several thousand individual test logs.^[76]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/experiment-log-914

In November 2019, due to popularity, staff tasked with maintaining the 914 experiment logs implemented a sandbox page which curated prospective test log entries.^[77]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-258215^[78]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/sandbox:914-test-logs Prior to this, staff and Dr Gears were given authority to remove entries as they saw fit.^[79]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1843355 In May 2009, Dr Gears wrote:

“I’m going through the test logs and cleaning house. Many of the tests are neat, but skip over the line into…unacceptable. Humor has it’s place, however it seems things have gotten overly silly. if one of your logs goes down the pipes, please do not be offended. Know that many of the things i’m deleting i may enjoy very much, but they just don’t hit the correct tone.”^[80]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-480165

Biological testing was not allowed on SCP-914 as of the first version of the page.^[81]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/experiment-log-914, rev. 0 Further rules & guidelines were clarified by Dr Gears in June 2009, including that 914 obeyed the law of conservation of mass, and that the “Coarse” setting doesn’t make something less advanced (e.g. “entering an x-box will not give you a gamecube”).^[82]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-512130 Many initial entries were culled during the Mass Edit in 2009.^[83]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-662056

Recommendations were made to organize the page further (due to length) in 2012.^[84]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1530884^[85]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1555471

Concerns with the page’s quality arose in 2012, many citing/praising the lolFoundation content, where it was presumed that authors were upvoting the page based on their own contributions.^[86]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1589487^[87]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1589633^[88]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1597994 Many of the commenters lamented that the quality of the document was inversely proportional to its length and the number of additions, as the academic potential of SCP-914 was transformed to exercises in “wish fulfillment”.^[89]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1592563^[90]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1590576^[91]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1590641

One user (CryogenChaos) wrote:

“… it is more about testing the limits of 914 instead of “HEY LETS MAKE A COOL THING”. Also, get rid of all the “LOL LETS PUT EM ALL IN FOR GIGGLES” tests. I mean, jeez.”^[92]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1589638

Others wrote:

“In particular, think the whole “ew purge the LOLFOUNDATION” movement has gone from a reasonable urge to maintain serious tone to an annoying and somewhat arbitrary judgement. The Foundation is fictional. The purpose here is to entertain readers, not keep actual scientifically valuable records.”^[93]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1589828

Staff-guided curation was proposed at this time, with suggestions for a volunteer staff member to maintain it.^[94]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1589813 It was re-organized using collapsibles in November 2012 with Dr Gears’ permission.^[95]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1623162 The staff began culling entries via admin permissions.^[96]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1628594 This resulted in backlash from some users, claiming that the curation had been too aggressive, to which it was replied that the users were not staff.^[97]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1642993^[98]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1643008^[99]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1646115 By January 2013, staff had assumed the task of curating the logs, with removed entries allowed an appeal.^[100]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1691986^[101]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1761263^[102]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1770281

A staff member locked the page from any edits in February 2014 due to vandalism, and was not unlocked until two years later in February 2016.^[103]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1956569^[104]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2463935 Users posted hopeful entries in the comments during that time.^[105]e.g. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1989502

In 2016, an official recruitment effort was undertaken regarding the pruning & maintaining of collaborative logs, including Experiment Log 914, on O5 Command.^[106]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1753198/log-purging In this post, the then-current curator of the 914 experiment logs, stated that “The last time staff members stepped in to remove entries was back in 2013 when Clef removed stuff with the assistance of Roget and Echo.”^[107]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1753198/log-purging#post-2533017 Numerous staff helped with the curation of the log thereafter.^[108]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2661902^[109]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2796113^[110]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2821412 The staff members responsible for maintaining the testing logs in 2017 began posting justifications and rationales for pruning entries.^[111]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2816316^[112]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2843369

In 2017, one staff member proposed changing the logs from a page to a data form, which allowed for voting on submitted individual test logs.^[113]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-2218705/changing-experiment-log-914-to-a-data-form^[114]http://ajmansfield.wikidot.com/experiment-log-914 This was not implemented.

In 2018, the primary staff member involved in maintaining the logs posted a log guideline essay, primarily as a solution to receiving so many PMs regarding potential entries and possible crit for them.^[115]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-5723138/fragment:experiment-log-914-002#post-3781601^[116]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-914-experiment-log-guidelines In May, a testing log was allowed that featured biological testing and that also self-awarded O5 Command clearance to do so. The staff member at the time petitioned feedback on whether or not biological testing approved by O5 should be allowed in the test logs from then on.^[117]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-5723138/fragment:experiment-log-914-002#post-3790355

Additionally in this year, a second page (non-viable, now “offset 2”) and a third page (non-viable, now offset 3) were created for the 914 logs.^[118]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-3760239^[119]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/experiment-log-914-2^[120]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/fragment:experiment-log-914-002^[121]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/experiment-log-914-part-iii^[122]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-5723138/fragment:experiment-log-914-002#post-4052343 These were removed in favor of adding offsets to the parent page, most of which were created in a re-organizing effort in 2019.^[123]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-4456141 Additional offsets were created on an as-needed basis, starting with the 14th in 2020.^[124]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/fragment:experiment-log-914-014, -015, -016, -017, etc^[125]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-5723138/fragment:experiment-log-914-002#post-3767023

In 2019, staff implemented a greenlight system for additional 914 testing logs, which from that point forward needed approval prior to being posted.^[126]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-4439847 This was in contrast to the earlier method, which did not require staff approval for entries.^[127]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2821412^[128]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-3717798^[129]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-5723138/fragment:experiment-log-914-002

— Pardon our progress —

Style & Philosophy

Dr Gears is known for a cold, removed writing style with an emphasis on dry clinical tone, understated emotion, bureaucratic posture, and fridge horror.^[130]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8735.631-8735.948^[131]https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-5343.32-5343.216 His vision for the (in-universe) SCP Foundation is a “soulless, shadowy, bureaucratic entity, with zero tolerance for mistakes, incompetence, or insubordination”.^[132]https://archive.ph/mkNu0#selection-1783.0-1783.248 His moderation style can be described as centrist.^[133]https://archive.ph/mkNu0#selection-3493.0-3505.350 This is reflected in his literary philosophy which tracks with Roland Barthes’ Death of the Author; numerous comments from Dr Gears on his SCPs indicate that he does not hold his own intentions or ideas about his work in higher regard than other, alternative interpretations from readers.^[134]e.g. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-585935^[135]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-423257

Thematically, Dr Gears deals with industrial material and hardware, most notably his clockwork anomalies, as well as humanoids and etcetera subjects. This has been described as “techno-industrial terror”.^[136]http://web.archive.org/web/20080617060238/http://editthis.info:80/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-015 His early articles deal with endlessly-growing objects and/or attraction-style compulsions (e.g. SCP-882, SCP-015, SCP-162, SCP-682),^[137]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76918/scp-015#post-789751 and mostly conformed two his two primary criteria for SCPs: (1) the item is far outside the Foundation’s ability to destroy, and (2) it is useful in some way.^[138]https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-10324.1-10395.1003 His works often touch on base fears (e.g. being stared at, a hostile limit to knowledge) and work to provide dual-universal meta-commentary with respect to both the SCP Foundation lore and the Wiki itself (e.g. SCP-682, SCP-001 “Gears Proposal”). Dr Gears used the phrase “poison effect” to refer to a delayed horror that may or may not be apparent upon first reading, but that resurfaces at a later time.^[139]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8735.631-8735.948

Dr Gears cites /x/ critics as partially responsible for his writing and character persona, as well as authors such as Lovecraft, King, Lumley, Bradbury, Matherson, Asimov, Twain, and others.^[140]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8615.78-8615.163^[141]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8727.490-8727.668^[142]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-27281.0-27281.922^[143]https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-4356.1-4409.239

Dr Gears is an exemplar & proponent of the mantra that each SCP article should be able to stand alone, and that entries should be unsettling, preferably with images to accompany them.^[144]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8731.47-8731.249^[145]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8735.0-8735.221^[146]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8735.221-8735.278^[147]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8735.449-8735.630 He places an emphasis on in-universe immersion for the purposes of out-of-universe presentation,^[148]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-121504#post-369926^[149]https://archive.ph/8j4bA#selection-1246.0-1637.159 and values continual, new creation over retrofitting older works to meet modern standards.^[150]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8841.0-8841.641^[151]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8841.642-8841.1072 Dr Gears was an early proponent of what would later be called Project Foundation; the effort to establish a stand-alone website to house the SCP Series, and in a immersive manner.^[152]https://archive.ph/8j4bA

In a 2021 interview, Dr Gears stated that he felt that “many of the issues the modern fandom has had mostly trace back to ego and the voting module”. ^[153]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8567.225-8567.325 From his earliest appearances, Gears has expressed a love for writing as his primary motive, and has verbally eschewed seeking approval, and endorsing the role of criticism against his works.^[154]https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-4857.10-4857.804 He has displayed an avid enthusiasm for writing and sharing his works, though cautions against “[propping] up your work, scrapping it out with critics, or trying to boost votes beyond just telling people to come to take a look…”^[155]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-9865.755-9865.999 He encourages people to be proud of their works, regardless of reception, be apathetic to numerical or sociological accolades (e.g. upvote totals), and to downplay the motive for praise, prestige, and reward in writing.^[156]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-9869.0-9869.1152 He values quality over quantity, and was initially concerned that a flood of new SCPs in the early days of the series would “kill it”.^[157]https://archive.ph/ZKElg Dr Gears retained that concern, though he also stated that if it were a choice between seeing the SCP Wiki change for the worse, or simply cease to exist, he would choose the former.^[158]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-9615.0-9615.362

“Great work, the outpouring of the soul, lasts much more and makes a deeper impact than just wanting to bask in the glory.”

 

Cancer Diagnosis & Fundraisers

Trivia

Dr Gears chose the pseudonym “Cog” after and in reference to his first SCP, SCP-882.^[159]https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-3930.1-4209.17

Dr Gears was the first to regularly use the term “SCP Foundation”, predating the official decision on WikiDot by several months, in an /x/ post in April 2008, and thereafter while on /x/.^[160]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-19521.0-19557.179^[161]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-25431.0-25461.451^[162]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-27043.0-27091.54^[163]https://archive.ph/8j4bA#selection-1102.0-1181.7

Dr Gears was the second person to join the SCP Foundation WikiDot.^[164]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8501.203-8501.250

The author’s birth name is Daniel (“D”), born on August 19th, 1983. He currently lives in the USA with his wife and four children.^[165]https://www.gofundme.com/f/repair-a-broken-gear^[166]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/gears-birthday-contest-2009

The initial SCP-882 was written in less than 30 minutes.^[167]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-2410.1-2423.62 It is Dr Gears “first and favorite” SCP, and the designation number appears in his Ao3 profile.^[168]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81661/scp-882#post-713352^[169]https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrGears882/pseuds/DrGears882

Dr Gears’ profile picture is of Dr. Albert Hofmann , a Swiss chemist who discovered LSD.^[170]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann^[171]https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/apr/19/basel-in-the-spotlight-the-city-that-learned-to-love-lsd-albert-hofmann^[172]https://maps.org/2006/03/03/st-albert-and-the-lsd-revelation-revolution/ He is holding a replica of the LSD molecule. He died in April 2008 (aged 102), the same year and month that Dr Gears first appeared on the scene on /x/. Dr Gears was unaware of this when he selected the image.^[173]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-9787.109-9787.211

Since 2009, a Gears Birthday Contest has been held, initially as an excuse to have a classic creepypasta contest, but is now continued as a tradition in his honor. August 18th is called “Gears Day”.^[174]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/gears-birthday-contest-2009^[175]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/gears-day-collection-hub Gears Day was missed in 2019.^[176]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-7844447/gears-day-collection-hub#post-4587939

The connection between The Church of the Broken God and Dr Gears’ previous cog/clockwork articles (as well as “COG” as a partial acronym of the GoI) was incidental and not intended by Gears from the outset. Another user started making connections between the clockwork bits, and this was adopted by Dr Gears in the official canon.^[177]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81661/scp-882#post-1357476

Dr Gears SCP-015 (“Pipe Nightmare”) would have been SCP-014, were it not for a non-viable Joke article (“The Fork“) already occupying the spot.^[178]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-9363.0-9393.215^[179]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-9687.0-9687.62^[180]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-10391.0-10421.166

The initial SCP-238 (“Building Complex”) survived onto WikiDot for another 14 years, until it was finally deleted in February 2022. It was one of the lowest rated articles on the site by that time, at around -90.^[181]https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/rpgoow/why_does_nobody_ever_talk_about_scp238_its_one_of/^[182]https://web.archive.org/web/20220210000533/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/lowest-rated-pages^[183]https://web.archive.org/web/20220210000738/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/lowest-rated-articles

In Dr Gears’ breakout /x/ thread, 10 of his SCPs are initially submitted, appearing for the first time. Of these, 7 remain on the WikiDot SCP Wiki. One is ARC’d (SCP-406-ARC), and two are rewritten (SCP-218 and SCP-238); one of which was finally deleted in February 2022.^[184]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-14427172/deletions-76:magic-is-impressive-but-now-minsc-leads-swords#post-5215925

The first “clockwork” SCP was not from Dr Gears, but by an anonymous user; a duplicate SCP-003 posted to 4chan’s /x/ three months earlier. It was a clockwork silkworm that had to be fed “*exactly* 888 grains of rice every 2.30 hours”.^[185]https://archive.vn/1jSvG#selection-3347.0-3347.1975

SCP-882 would go on to be seated as “Mekhane’s heart” in some developed SCP Wiki lore (i.e. Church of the Broken God).^[186]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81661/scp-882#post-4472581^[187]((https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/9m88d1/is_scp882_the_heart_of_the_broken_god_if_so_why/ )) In the SCP-001 about Mekhane, SCP-882 is listed as one of the core components of the larger anomaly, which becomes inert once SCP-682 is removed. Also, individuals are noted to throw themselves into “a machine the size of a mountain that spoke to you.” This is inspired by a line in SCP-882.^[188]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-2337.1212-2337.1609

The discussion of SCP-882 presages the eventual composition of SCP-001 “The Broken God”.^[189]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81661/scp-882#post-1702089

Many of Dr Gears’ first SCP articles, SCP-882, SCP-015, and SCP-682, would ironically and ominously foreshadow his own diagnosis of an endlessly-growing, hostile mass in the form of his kidney cancer.^[190]https://www.gofundme.com/f/repair-a-broken-gear

SCP-406 (now ARC’d) never did well on the site, and remained with a negative rating throughout its existence.^[191]https://www.scpper.com/page/1955168 In 2013, then user Roget wrote a tale involving it, which unfortunately led to more downvotes.^[192]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-95585/scp-406-arc#post-1836167 It was approached for rewrite (by said author), however was never rewritten successfully. It was put to an -ARC vote in 2013.^[193]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-95585/scp-406-arc#post-1886278

Dr Gears is not a prolific voter on articles. Across his 14 years on the WikiDot, he has voted 205 times; an average of 14 times per year.^[194]https://www.scpper.com/user/172464

According to the EditThis talk page, Dr Gears didn’t particularly like his SCP-053 when he wrote it.^[195]http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-053

SCP-718 (“Eyeball”)’s object class remains inappropriately Keter, as the article was written prior to Keter gaining its eventual definition. It was linked to the initial “Keter Duty” SCP-001 by the artist now know as pixelatedHarmony, which is now deleted.^[196]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-77252/scp-718#post-2718921^[197]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/roget-s-proposal

SCP-682 was supposed to be reverse engineered from then-existing SCP objects (on EditThis), as meta-commentary in cross-testing. The reason SCP-682 isn’t allowed to speak is “because it usually kills someone in the process”. The initial article on /x/ contained the object in “lye and hydrochloric acid”; a commenter on the EditThis talk page pointed out that if suspended, the chemical reaction between lye (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) would result in salt water.^[198]http://web.archive.org/web/20080617062348/http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-682

Dr Gears didn’t like SCP-682 but felt that the additions once on EditThis helped.^[199]http://web.archive.org/web/20080617062348/http://editthis.info/scp_wiki/Talk:SCP-682

Dr Gears never noted or celebrated an upvote milestone on any of his surviving articles.

SCP-682 has perennially been subjected to an April Fool’s joke. For April Fools 2009, Dr Clef replaced SCP-682’s image with Barney.^[200]https://web.archive.org/web/20090401231709/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682^[201]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.11^[202]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-3574355 For 2011, user tunedtoadeadchannel changed the image to Bowser Kirby.^[203]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.24 In 2013, DrEverettMann changed the entire article to read: “Dog Fact #682: There is nothing faster than a dog.”^[204]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.29 In 2020, Elenee FishTruck replaced the image with kelp.^[205]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.43 In 2021, user TSATPWTCOTTTADC replaced the image with a scribble of 682.^[206]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.48 The image of Barney from 2009 wasn’t deleted from the article page’s files until 2019.^[207]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682, rev.38

Dr Gears has a YouTube account (@St0n3brus3) — with no content — that has 175 subscribers at the time of writing (2023).^[208]https://www.youtube.com/@St0n3brus3/featured

Dr Gears initial name, “Cog”, was chosen “because it was the formal name for gears and such, and it sounded neat”. He later turned it into a backronym for his eponymous character’s name,Dr Charles Ogden Gears’, echoing the backronym of “SCP” and “Secure Contain Protect”.^[209]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8571.0-8575.76

Dr Gears has contemplated deleting SCP-682.^[210]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8841.0-8841.641

The original image for SCP-682 was of a rotten Beluga whale.^[211]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2857254/Creature-deep-Horrific-images-surface-mystery-monster-skeleton-washed-Russian-beach-seems.html^[212]https://www.cracked.com/blog/the-truth-behind-5-real-monsters-that-fooled-the-internet It was initially posted to the internet in 2006 and went viral, especially paranormal communities, for possibly being an unidentified sea monster.^[213]https://web.archive.org/web/20060903025940/https://antonborisov.livejournal.com/8824.html^[214]https://www.meta-religion.com/Paranormale/Cryptozoology/Sea_monsters/monster_tatarski.htm^[215]https://www.chupacabramania.com/creature/131/Creatura-sconosciuta-scoperta-dai-soldati-in-Russia.htm^[216]https://www.taringa.net/+noticias/el-monstruo-de-sakhalin_hs676^[217]https://web.archive.org/web/20110108220051/http://thetruthbehindthescenes.wordpress.com/weird-deep-sea-creatures-60-images/^[218]http://paleo.cc/ce/plesio-russ.htm It was also known as “The Moscow Monster”.^[219]https://www.cracked.com/blog/the-truth-behind-5-real-monsters-that-fooled-the-internet Articles that covered the images included comments referencing SCP-682 by 2011.^[220]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-1321615

Document Recovered From The Marianas Trench is one of the most popular tales on the site and was the winner of the Post-SCPocalypse contest which was the first contest category for the 2010 Great Short Story Contest.^[221]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-9083.0-9089.2 To this day, it has only six downvotes.^[222]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/document-recovered-from-the-marianas-trench

In the 2012 indie video game SCP – Containment Breach, there are a number of references to the character of Dr. Gears, and Dr Gears the person provided consultation to the game developer on anomalies and documentation.^[223]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-9601.0-9601.541

As he was writing the terminal log attempts for SCP-682, Dr Gears held a vote to determine whether or not the anomaly would die or not.^[224]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-279448 The first consensus was neutralization.^[225]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-288985 Most of the discussion in the 34+ pages of comments are suggested cross-tests with other SCPs that could possibly result in SCP-682’s neutralization, followed by debate as to why it wouldn’t work.^[226]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682

Some have called SCP-682 a “Mary Sue”, which Dr Gears (and others) have responded to with perplexity.^[227]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-1501391^[228]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-2856871^[229]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-3634881^[230]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8841.0-8841.346

SCP-682 has become beloved by much of the fanbase, to the point of affection. Many have headcannoned SCP-682 in a victimized, sympathetic light.^[231]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-1608462^[232]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-1686004 Some posts refer to SCP-682 as “the good guy”.^[233]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-2320489

Many instances of SCP-682 fan art have a mane of hair atop the creature; this is a result of misinterpreting a heap of rotting flesh upon the head of SCP-682 in the original photo.^[234]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-1785162^[235]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76858/scp-682#post-2023779

SCP-6820 (“Termination Attempt”) is an homage to SCP-682, and casts it centrally in its narrative.

At one point, Dr Gears’ SCP-914 was tied with SCP-173 for the highest rated article on the site.^[236]https://web.archive.org/web/20100820015416/http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com:80/top-rated-pages

Dr Gears’ SCP-238 (now rewritten) was written to be a connection/origin anomaly for SCP-882, SCP-015, and SCP-455.^[237]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-25461.37-25687.17^[238]https://web.archive.org/web/20210921210443mp_/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81799/scp-238 The original SCP-238 had striking similarities to the later Department of Abnormalities.^[239]https://web.archive.org/web/20210921210443mp_/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81799/scp-238

Dr Gears’ character (Dr Gears) was the first self-insert in containment fiction history, and was the first to issue a role-playing memo to other in-universe personnel.^[240]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-27004.0-27385.564 This memo helped to establish the character of the Foundation, emphasizing containment over haphazard cross-testing or potential utility.

In a 2021 interview, as well as elsewhere, Dr Gears notes that teasing critics on /x/ are what shaped Dr Gears the character into a cold, emotionless persona.^[241]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8615.68-8615.165^[242]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-9787.215-9787.359 That teasing, and likely that critic, can likely be traced back a few unfavorable responses to Dr Gears’ initial attempt at an in-universe Memo (the first of its kind),^[243]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-27281.0-27281.922 and to his early SCPs.^[244]https://archive.ph/WXELA#selection-4356.1-4409.239

Of the three major test-log-based Series 1 articles (the “Testlog Trio”), Dr Gears wrote two of them (SCP-914 and SCP-261, the other being SCP-294).^[245]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-76804/scp-294#post-2303522

Dr Gears (as Cog) started multiple /x/ threads in April 2008 sharing images as creepypasta fuel, and requesting non-SCP creepypasta, stating “It’s time for me to branch out. i’ve done about fifteen SCP articles, and i’m worried that the sudden flood will kill the whole idea, so i’m trying other things”.^[246]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/583156.html^[247]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/585236.html^[248]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/585240.html

Dr Gears (as Cog) was one of the first to suggest that SCP Foundation agents were the top of their fields.^[249]https://archive.ph/8j4bA#selection-1844.0-1913.506

On /x/, Cog called himself “a writefag”.^[250]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/616734.html, archive

An /x/ thread was dedicated to destroying dangerous SCPs with other SCPs, and SCP-682 is part of the first example match given.^[251]http://scparchives.bluesoul.net/x/scp/694396.html

Dr Gears’ SCP-001 proposal on the SCP Wiki has one of the longest-running necropost pile-ups in the history of the site, and has become its own joke.^[252]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-78844/dr-gears-s-proposal#post-2034379

In an /x/ thread (#800825), Dr Gears’ (as Cog) return to commenting was met with extreme hostility and verbal abuse by an anonymous individual.^[253]https://archive.is/JxNJD#selection-3266.0-3439.216 In response, Dr Gears responded “In response to rage, more SCP:” and reposted SCP-914.^[254]https://archive.is/JxNJD#selection-3940.0-4009.40

Dr Gears did not initially intend for the Experiment Log 914 tests to be funny or gags.^[255]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-448611

The initial bloat issues on Experiment Log 914 were addressed by the hopeful move to a stand-alone site (see Project Foundation), where individual entries could be voted on, and so curated in the normal fashion.^[256]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1623210

In 2012, criteria quoted for culling 914 experiment log entries included if they were “lulzy or jokes”. (“If yes, deleted.”)^[257]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1628594 In response to one user asking why theirs was deleted, a staff member (thedeadlymoose) wrote: “flarn2006, we removed that particular entry because it was shitty.”^[258]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-1691986

When SCP-914 was moved over to the WikiDot by far2, the initial comment read “Transferring over my favourite scp”.^[259]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-914, rev.0

In contrast to main-list allowances by the neo-lolFoundation era (e.g. SCP-5167) the comments of the Experiment Log 914, a user is upset about the explicit inclusion of the indie video game Undertale, writing: “Alright, whoever put in “Undertale” just stop. Not to be a jerk, but come on. At least redact the name…. I mean, I’m guilty of this by using an Oculus in my log, but this Undertale log is a bit too far.” Another commenter wrote “Yeah, I’m not exactly supportive of such an overt and blatant reference to another piece of fiction.”.^[260]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-88429/experiment-log-914#post-2489867

Quotes

“Gears is to us what Washington was to America. Moto42 may have written 173 and Fritzwillie (aka TheAdministrator) founded this site, but Gears was the one who lead staff through the first tumultuous two years during which the core character of both staff and the site at large were established. The enormity of his written work also can’t be overstated. In addition to having the highest vote count on scpper and one of the highest vote counts using Jarvis’ metric, he was the first and for a long time only author to have more than one article over +1 thousand (with 3). Plus creating the first GOI, the Church of the Broken God. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say we all owe the guy a lot. Hence, Gears Day.” — Modern_Erasmus^[261]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-7844447/gears-day-collection-hub#post-4017300

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“On August 19th, I will be turning 26, and while not a monumental moment in life, it’s also the first birthday I’ve had since the SCP Wiki really got off the ground. So, in celebration, i’m asking for “gifts” from our members! Please, do not allow my status as one of the major admins effect your gift-selections in any way…

While a nice gift-wrapped package is nice, I want something else for my big day: Horror. I am appealing to you, the user, to be kind enough to show me what you can do with a wide-open format. I want to be scared, to be truly unsettled and creeped out.”— Dr Gears, on the Gears Birthday Contest^[262]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/gears-birthday-contest-2009

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“I also hope that this will not become another holder series. People just need to not become too slaved to the rules, and i think it’ll be ok.”^[263]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-5795.0-5825.196 — Cog, on 4chan’s /x/ in April 2008

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“Damn, already trying for #001? I like the idea of #001 being just the first thing the SCP team got a hold of, instead of being the most bad ass thing. I mean, when you think about it, they would know where and what to look for better as time went on, but that’s just my opinion. I’m working on a new one [SCP-682]…hope it’s good, but we’ll see. Don’t know what’s up with the SCP page…we should make a better site, not just a wiki…like the SCP Foundation’s actual web site!”^[264]https://archive.vn/dIUWj#selection-19482.0-19557.182 — Cog, on 4chan’s /x/ in May 2008

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“I couldn’t tell you the exact date I first ran across the original SCP-173, but I do remember seeing the thumbnail for it on the /x/ board of 4chan and being very uneasy as I went to click. This was back when the board was relatively new, and still mostly a clearinghouse of various creepy threads and images, not as concerned with paranormal and occult as it would be later. I clicked, looked, and immediately closed the window. It was just so damn weird and creepy looking, the text was bizarre as well, but its image is what first got me. Had nightmares about it off and on for a bit even, just standing there.”^[265]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8559.0-8559.613 — Dr Gears, on discovering SCP-173 on 4chan’s /x/

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“Before the first wiki, you have to remember, there really wasn’t a fandom. Hell, 4chan doesn’t really have Ids, so everything just lived in a void. Which was both a good and bad thing, I think…yes, it made things harder, but I think many of the issues the modern fandom has had mostly trace back to ego and the voting module. Still, without some kind of structure, it was never going to be anything more than just weird net scribbling. I think there are a few ideas and works that never really made it off the old forums, but it may be for the best.”^[266]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8567.0-8567.549 — Dr Gears on old SCP versus new SCP

“I’ve done well, I think, though I do worry sometimes if, at this point, it’s my name that carries things. However, people are, generally, just as bare-knuckle with their opinions as ever, so it’s likely just me being a worrywart.”^[267]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8615.165-8615.394

“One of the big things I always feel bad about is 682, which was basically re-written by some kind anon and made into what it is today, what I had originally done was kind of rubbish.”^[268]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8615.395-8615.577

“I was very stoked, and a little embarrassed when I was made an admin. Honestly, I was aware it was more ceremonial than anything at that point…I had no experience running a forum, or community at all. But I loved what was forming, and tried my best to be an even hand through it… I think I helped, at least in the formative years. Now there’s so much talent and experience at the helm, I doubt I’d really be able to add much. Do I miss it now and then? Sure, as I said, things were much easier and wide-open then…but as you grow, you have to change as well. Some for the better, some for the worse, and sure there are things I’d change or don’t agree with, but I like to think I had a strong hand in what the wiki’s become.”^[269]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8701.0-8701.278 — on being made an administrator of the SCP Wiki on WikiDot.

“First thing ever was…I want to say 882, but it might not be as I think of it. 882 was one of the first who made it to the wiki though. See, I had this odd nervousness, so while I was aware the wiki existed after a while, I felt it wasn’t my place to actually post there. I would toss things on /x/ and hope whatever “powers that be” would pick it up and record it.”^[270]https://archive.ph/TzVOS#selection-8607.0-8611.327

“Perhaps I’ve addressed this poorly in the main entry, but what i was trying to get across with the “driven crazy” aspect is that it’s like a infection. You don’t have to bathe 24/7 in the virus to catch it…you just have to be exposed once. The clanking and grinding will develop in you over time, once it’s “taken root”, so to speak. You can hopefully avoid it with short, limited exposure…but much like avoiding a cold when the whole office is sick, it’s just a matter of time and luck. Turn up unlucky, and you’ll have the sound of a full bore auto plant, all mashed in to a small room, in your head, and the only way to lessen it is to feed the thing.

[…]

“Also, who’s to say it’s not growing in to…something? Maybe it’s like a starfish, a small shard of a greater whole, trying to regrow. Or perhaps not…the reason the article doesn’t go in to much detail, is to allow people to make up the details. I’ve found that, given the chance, a person’s brain will often cook up much, much worse and personal horrors then I could ever try and explain.”^[271]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-81661/scp-882#post-1358041 — Dr Gears on SCP-882

“Well…I saw 173 on /x/, ages ago. Read it, opened the picture, CLOSED THE PICTURE, then went and did something else. Quickly. Image stuck in my head for a while, and eventually, once i saw one or two other items being posted, said “damn it, i think i can do this…” Ended up posting…11-12 items over a period of about a week. The first was 882. After doing so, I figured I needed some kind of tripcode, just so people knew it was me. went with “COG”.