As a contest marshal, I was intending to comment on the entries after the contest was over, to avoid any possibility of undue influence. I could not bear to do that on this article.
My grandmother, whom I love very dearly, is suffering from dementia. Seeing her lose more of herself every time we see each other has been and continues to be one of the most painful, terrifying things I've ever experienced.
I was considered a gifted child, and between my mother's unhealthy emotional behavior towards me and my own anxiety and sensitivity, I came to believe (and probably still DO believe unconsciously) that my mind is the only part of me worth anything. The thought of feeling the slow decay of my own mind, the reduction from a full complex human being into a confused shell of myself, terrifies me to my core. For context: I am regularly overcome with an intense fear of the nothingness after death, but I would sooner take oblivion than live through this.
All of this to say that this article pinned me down, cracked my ribcage open, and tore into my very soul. You captured it - what I've often imagined must go inside the minds of those afflicted with such a disease. I even had inklings from the very start, reading the "Local Guide's" dialogue, thinking it felt.. simplistic, repetitive. The confusion, the shattering of the internal timeline, the frustration, the fear - all of it poignant and raw and real.
The easiest +1 I've given in the entire contest, and also by far the most painful.
Almarduk — SCP-4875
plaidypus — SCP-5335
Popsioak — SCP-5111
Deadly Bread — SCP-3462
psychicprogrammer
Rounzie — Memetics and Infohazards Division Orientation, While this critter didn't read this draft, they read the draft for my original idea and inadvertently pushed me away from it for the contest at least, causing me to eventually pursue this.
