Interview with TheVolgun conducted by the SCF on July 3rd 2021

Why did you begin making SCP reading videos?

Back in 2011 – 2012 – I was making dramatic readings of funny copypasta on soundcloud as I just got my first microphone (a Samson c01u, not really good for VO but it was all I could afford). A friend linked me to an animated short called “The Sculpture” – it was really weird and like nothing i’d ever seen before, I followed the link in the description to the SCP wiki and started to read various things … the more I read the more I thought “I could make audio versions of this and use it as practice for voice acting …there are tons of really good stories on here with a pretty dark tone … which is right up my alley” – within a day i’d recorded and uploaded my take on “Behind the scenes” to a throwaway youtube channel, TheVolgun was a character i had in an MMORPG I used to play called “City of Heroes”. it was a tale, not a reading of a document (I figured no one would be interested in listening to someone read out a clinical scientific document … which was a horrible choice back then in hindsight). I’m not sure how long it took – but I’d estimate around 2-3 days it had been shared on the front page of the SCP wiki. That led to a considerable chunk of people finding it and subscribing … which at the time really blew me away.

What are your views on how the containment fiction community has grown over time?

It has certainly grown a lot over the past 10 years – it has a much more diverse fanbase and pool of writers. With a larger fanbase and collection of writers comes drama … as with any online community. I think the site has matured a lot more in general. I can only speak from my own experiences – I mostly watch from the sidelines and prefer not to get involved. I got into SCP because I liked reading stories … not to get entwined in debates and moral one-upmanship.

What are your fears and hopes for containment fiction?

I hope it continues to develop as a platform and we see more filmic content in the future. My primary fear is people like Andrei Duksin trying to seize legal control and stop the growth of the fandom. Another fear I have is the site becoming too controlled by one group of people – as I said before I have no real knowledge of what actually happens behind the scenes of the site, but as far as I can tell there is a small collection of more well-known authors that do have more of a say than others when it comes down to what survives on the site. In my opinion – the SCP wiki shouldn’t be the only home of the SCP Fandom. Everyone should get to create anything they want – the votes on what is good or bad should be open to the entire fandom (well, those that want to have their say) to have an opinion on, not just a small select group of people. This, obviously raises its own challenges and is far from a perfect suggestion – it’s just my thoughts. Not an attack on anyone.

Why is containment fiction different than other forms of fiction?

This is a difficult question – because it does have a lot of similarities to other genres. I think as it’s core the main difference is the format that it’s presented in – the document style is something I’d never seen before SCP (or other containment fiction) existed. The notion of putting an anomaly under a microscope, analysing it and trying to explain it is fascinating. I can’t speak for anyone else – but I think SCP filled a niche that wasn’t being properly explored before it existed. It took the foundation (no pun intended) that the creepypasta movement laid and expanded it in a very unique way.

What are your personal favorite works, are they different from what you prefer covering?

I’m still a huge fan of series 1 SCP’s – there are a lot that have aged poorly but the Red sea object is one of my all-time favourites. It builds an entire world to explore – that’s what I love about it. I prefer to cover SCP’s like 093 – but when it’s your job you need to make an effort to cover an array of topics that will appeal to everyone.

What has been the most difficult video for you to produce?

Probably SCP-2137 (Forensic Ghost Of Tupac Shakur) – as it had raps which I had to hire someone else to perform. It took a long time to work out.

How has your video production process changed over time?

It hasn’t changed in a massive way if i’m honest- I’m still creating audio adaptations like I always have. I’ve gotten better at it, at least I think I have … that’s not for me to judge. I learned blender and zbrush to try and make original, realistic art for some videos … That’s probably the biggest change.

Did you ever imagine how long you would be involved in the community?

Honestly that’s not something I ever think about. I’m a very shy person so I really never even considered myself a part of the community.

What are some of your favorite interactions with your fans?

I really love it when people are enthused about the fandom and clearly appreciate all the work that goes into it – not only from my work, but the authors too. Also – when I get to see fans of an SCP watch a video and when they have a smile on their face or seem to enjoy my take on it (there are a few reaction channels that watched the Tupac video I made and it was so cool seeing how much they enjoyed the rap parts, haha) … but when you’re an SCP content creator it’s important to realise that the people that watch your videos are primarily fans of SCP – you come second. That’s how it should be, too – if you’re adapting other people’s written work.

If you could design a containment fiction format from scratch, what would it look like?

This isn’t something I can answer properly – I’m not an author and there are so many more people that can come up with ideas that I never could.