Item #: SCP-2920-JP
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Direct visual cognition of SCP-2920-JP is to be prohibited. If a body suspected to be SCP-2920-JP is found, please wear anti-lethal meme gear and completely close the perimeter for containment. Contained SCP-2920-JP is to be kept in an anti-lethal meme containment cell. If personnel have had direct visual cognition of SCP-2920-JP, they are to be detained for at least 3 months and prevented from committing suicide. Class D personnel should be stationed so that they will become SCP-2920-JP-1 to remove the effect. If a civilian is found to be under the the effects of SCP-2920-JP, personnel are encouraged to make every effort possible to prevent their suicide. Residences and living areas of SCP-2920-JP-A are to be observed on a round-the-clock basis.
Description: SCP-2920-JP is a generic term for corpses with the characteristics of lethal memetic vectors. All of the currently observed SCP-2920-JP died from suicides by hanging, and none have an anomalous cause of death.
Any person who visually cognizes SCP-2920-JP (hereinafter referred to as SCP-2920-JP-1) tries to commit suicide by hanging. The anomalous property of SCP-2920-JP disappears when SCP-2920-JP-1 manifests. In addition, if there are several people who can become SCP-2920-JP-1, it will be limited to one of them. The length of time it takes to attempt suicide varies according to each individual, and currently the shortest case is 1 hour, and the longest is 78 days. If SCP-2920-JP-1 commits suicide, its corpse will have the same anomalous property as SCP-2920-JP.
The cause of death of the corpse due to SCP-2920-JP is common in death by hanging, such as central failure due to asphyxiation and cervical bone fracture, but there is no evidence of cord-like marks on the neck, tissue destruction, or other marks that are prominent in death by hanging. Therefore, the possibility that the death phenomenon caused by SCP-2920-JP ignores the process of death by hanging and reproduces only the results is being considered.
This suicide is sudden, and the person may attempt suicide in the presence of others, during the conversation, on the street, or in other unnatural situations. This suicidal behavior can be stopped by restraining the body or by using some form of persuasion. In addition to restraint, suicide can also be stopped by forcibly removing the person from the place where they attempted suicide.
If SCP-2920-JP-1 is prevented from committing suicide, a person within a radius of about 100m of SCP-2920-JP-1 will change into a new SCP-2920-JP-1. There is no regularity in the standard for this change, and past examples have included passersby and drivers of passenger cars driving in the vicinity.
People who were under the effect of SCP-2920-JP have vague memories of attempting suicide, and often testify "I totally believed that I have to hang myself". It should be noted that some of the testimonies confirm that this belief was suggested by an unknown person.
Addendum 1: An investigation into the death conditions of SCP-2920-JP and SCP-2920-JP-1 confirmed that the suicide sites of SCP-2920-JP-1 were scattered in a spiral of approximately 5km radius. This is also the case when detained by the Foundation, and it has been pointed out that the Foundation's detainment may be the cause of the increased spiral area.
It has also been confirmed that the direction in which SCP-2920-JP-1 moves to commit suicide is approximately along this spiral.
Following this, a regional investigation of the center of the spiral was conducted. The following is an interview with Ms. Nozawa who lives in the center of the spiral.
Audio Log 2920-JP-01 - Date 20██/██/██
Person in Charge: Agent Ashikaga (conducting an investigation as a police officer on duty)
Subject: Ms. Yukiko Nozawa
«Begin Log»
[omitted due to low relevance]
Agent Ashikaga: So, was there anything that was unusual recently?
Ms. Nozawa: No, nothing at all. Nothing that would require a policeman to do his job. This town is quiet, and there's nothing to worry about
Agent Ashikaga: That's for sure. I've only experienced minor car accidents since I've been working here
Ms. Nozawa: Isn't that right? It's a nice town, you know. Also, the people who live here are cheerful. My neighbor Ms. Itsuki is always smiling. I heard that the older sister is about to take her high school entrance exam, and she said she's having trouble with her little brother because he's so naughty. Because they're parents are both working. Oh dear, there's no point in talking about this to a policeman
Agent Ashikaga: No, knowing an atmosphere of this city is also an important job
Ms. Nozawa: You are very earnest, I'm glad there's someone like you in this city. It's a city with a lot of history, so please work hard as a member of this city
Agent Ashikaga: I'll keep that in mind. Is this city really that historic?
Ms. Nozawa: It doesn't have a very long history as a city, but I've heard that the name of the city is found in old documents. I've heard that it was an execution site, which is a very disturbing story
Agent Ashikaga: An execution site, huh?
Ms. Nozawa: Yes. I heard that they used to chop off the heads of bad people. People were barbaric in the past, weren't they? Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. But if I think about it, people die everywhere, so it's not worth thinking about, besides, it's such a peaceful city now
Agent Ashikaga: Yes, that's right. I'd better be going now.
Ms. Nozawa: I'm sorry I held you up, I hope you'll come back. I'll at least get you some tea
«End Log»
During the interviews including this one, several testimonies confirmed that the area near the center had a history of being an execution site in the past. The investigation conducted by the Foundation's History Department did not confirm this fact, and excavational investigations at several locations also did not reveal any traces to support it. On the other hand, the inference that these shared uncertain information were the cause of SCP-2920-JP occurrence was proposed and investigated.
Addendum 2: On 20██/██/██, the loss of anomalous property from the newly generated SCP-2920-JP was confirmed. Similarly, the loss of anomalous property and sudden suicidal behavior of SCP-2920-JP-1 subject was also confirmed, and a discussion on class change to Neutralized class was initiated at the same time as progress was being monitored.
Addendum 3: On 20██/██/██, a new SCP-2920-JP has been confirmed in ██ city, about 50km away from the area where it was previously found. In response to this information, the former center of the spiral and the new center were investigated, and it was found that Ms. ██ Itsuki who used to live in the center of the spiral moved due to a job transfer. Since the precise center of the spiral was found to be the residence of Ms. Itsuki in the detailed investigation that followed, it is assumed that the center of the spiral is not the region but Ms. Itsuki and her family. As a result, Ms. Itsuki and her family are temporarily classified as SCP-2920-JP-A.
Peripheral investigation has confirmed that SCP-2920-JP-A does not have any anomalous properties and behaviors or relationships with the Groups of Interest, and that they are biologically human. Physical containment of SCP-2920-JP-A will not be implemented due to the possibility of changing the nature of the anomaly and because it will be easier to locate the containment site.
In addition, in the area where SCP-2920-JP-A moved, the testimony that "this land was an execution site" was confirmed like in the area where they lived before. This testimony has not been confirmed prior to the emigration of SCP-2920-JP-A.
Addendum 4: On 20██/██/██, in response to the above information, an interview with SCP-2920-JP-A was being prepared when Ms. Nozawa sent an envelope to the police box where Agent Ashikaga was stationed for the investigation. Inside the envelope was a sheet of stationery paper and fine grained sand from an unknown collection site. The contents of the stationery paper are as follows.
I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't have come. She's smiling.
In response, Ms. Nozawa's residence was visited, and it was confirmed that Ms. Nozawa had suffocated to death inside. The cause of death was due to compression of the neck with her own hands, and since no anomalous property was found, it was treated as suicide. In addition, Ms. Nozawa was seen talking with Ms. Itsuki just before SCP-2920-JP-A moved. Based on the possibility that contact with SCP-2920-JP-A may change the anomalous property, direct contact with SCP-2920-JP-A has been stopped after this case.