What are Apollyon SCPs? Apollyon is a containment class for a specific subset of anomalies: those that are impossible to contain and that will inevitably break containment.
During my time on the wiki, and while I put together my list of the best SCPs of all time, I read a fair number of them.
I came to enjoy many, because they always operate on an entirely different scale from everything else. What began as a designation for an especially dangerous Keter SCP soon became the de facto class for anomalies that would eventually bring about the apocalypse and end the world.
As always, I enjoyed some of them more than others. Here are my eight favorite Apollyon SCPs.
Fiction by René Rehn
Notice: All articles cited here are licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Meta Ike’s Proposal – The Solution by Jack Ike
This is a different sort of Apollyon SCP, since it doubles as a Thaumiel one. Once you read it, it becomes clear why it carries both classes. It’s also the most complex, complicated, and confusing entry on this list, and for a good reason. The writing is fantastic, and it’s well put together, though you’ll likely need multiple read-throughs, or the declassified thread on Reddit, to make sense of it. Once you do, you’ll see just how genius it is.
S. D. Locke’s Proposal – When Day Breaks by S D Locke
A 001-proposal and probably the most popular Apollyon article on the entire wiki. Where most Apollyon SCPs detail a dangerous entity, this describes the apocalypse itself, a horrible, Lovecraftian one. It’s one of the few genuine horror proposals, and far more character-driven than you’d expect, concerned above all else with how a person comes to terms with the end of the world.
SCP-4005 – The Holy and Heavenly City of Fabled China by Tufto
The Holy and Heavenly City of Fabled China stands apart from other Apollyon SCPs. It describes the end of the world, but not in a horrible fashion. It’s positive, even wholesome. Written by Tufto, one of my favorite writers on the wiki, it blew me away. The anomaly is an old glass lamp, and anyone who stares into it sees a strange, mysterious dream city, then grows obsessed and sets out to find it. The diaries of Omar Ibn Rashid, an Egyptian novelist who went looking for inspiration and found the lamp instead, are among the best parts. One of the best Apollyon SCPs, albeit an unusual one.
SCP-4485 – Such Black Light by Woedenaz
One of the longest and most ambitious Apollyon SCPs. I love the idea and appreciate the many pieces of art accompanying it. It revolves around a small, leather-bound book written by one Jean Arp (Hans Arp), which seems harmless at first and turns out to be far more dangerous, capable of ending the world. Some sections feel overblown, but I loved it anyway.
SCP-5500 – Death of the Authors by Ihp
Meta-SCPs and pataphysics are always a tough sell, which makes this one of the weirder entries here. It builds on Swann’s 001-proposal, the one arguing that the writers of the wiki are the true SCP-001, and pushes it further: not just the interaction between Foundation and writers, but what happens should those writers die, and the horrible consequences for the world they created. One of the most interesting Apollyon SCPs, though it won’t be for everyone.
SCP-5956 – THEREISNOCANNON by HarryBlank
HarryBlank is easily one of the best writers on the wiki. This one centers on a time paradox with potentially apocalyptic consequences, and it’s among the most complex and well-assembled Apollyon SCPs out there. To fully appreciate it, you’ll want familiarity with his other works and the characters populating them. His writing is always worth reading, and this is no exception. Easily one of the best articles on the entire wiki.
SCP-6000 – The Serpent, the Moose, and the Wanderer’s Library by Rounderhouse
Apollyon articles are usually dangerous, world-ending affairs, so how does the Wanderer’s Library fit in? Read it and you’ll find it fits perfectly. This is one of the greatest SCPs on the wiki, worth reading for Rounderhouse’s prose alone. It’s also one of the more wholesome, less grimdark Apollyon SCPs, which is exactly what makes it so satisfying. The tale of Tilda Moose and her character is what I loved the most.
SCP-6820 – TERMINATION ATTEMPT by Placeholder McD
Anyone who’s looked into the wiki knows SCP-682, the Hard-to-Destroy-Reptile. I was never a fan of the original, though it’s a classic and earns its place. This is a love letter to the old reptile and its experimentation log, but brings far more to it. One of the most complex and in-depth articles on the entire wiki, and an outstanding piece of writing, and one of the greatest Apollyon SCPs of all time.
