Credits
Author: Rye Travis (author page)
Personally, I think Josh will win.
Item #: SCP-CN-1330
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-CN-1330-A has been bought by a Foundation front company and blocked off. All anomalous objects used at the event have been recovered and placed into containment. The SCP-CN-1330 official website has been edited to substitute a composite photo of Josh Vinson Jr. over the winner, Josh Swain, in order to shift the public use of the name and prevent discovery of the anomaly.
SCP-CN-1330 has become a part of normalcy and no further containment measures are necessary.
Description: SCP-CN-1330 is an internet meme referred to as "The Josh Fight", and the subsequent offline meetup resulting from said meme.
SCP-CN-1330 was unintentionally initiated by Josh Swain, a civil engineering student from Tucson, Arizona. Out of boredom, he created a group chat on a social media platform on April 24, 2021, inviting several people with the same full name, and stated that they would have a battle one year later to the day; only the winner of the battle would be permitted to use the name Josh Swain, and all other participants would be forced to change their names.
This incident rapidly became a phenomenon-level meme and rapidly spread across the internet; it is believed that the image was anomalously modified during this process, causing it to become more transmissible and infectious, causing it to remain a widely discussed topic throughout the internet. On April 24 the next year, the event was held at Air Park, Lincoln, Nebraska (designated SCP-CN-1330-A). A number of Foundation personnel also participated in the event for personal reasons; as such, following the conclusion of the event, the agents present quickly recognized the anomalous nature of the event and tentatively designated it SCP-CN-1330.
SCP-CN-1330-B is the collective designation for anomalous occurrences related to SCP-CN-1330 occurring during and after SCP-CN-1330-A, and consists the following:
- Inter- and intra-state level telekinetic phenomena. A large number of individuals who expressed interest in the event and wished to participate, but were unable to for various reasons, spontaneously translocated to SCP-CN-1330-A on April 24, and translocated back to their original locations after the event. These individuals reported that the entire experience "felt like getting high".
- An infohazard affecting the entirety of SCP-CN-1330-A. Any interview who mentions the name "Josh Swain" or even "Josh" alone becomes more focused on and enthusiastic about what is occurring before them. This effect can be transmitted to surrounding subjects through encouragement.
- All individuals at the scene became highly susceptible to confusion and disorientation. The typical example is that when two individuals are playing a game and one player proposes a new rule, the other player and all bystanders will accept it without question, even if it obviously contravenes established convention. This effect does not take effect for personnel who are aware of the anomaly.
- A large number of pool noodles. When holding the pool noodles, instances will become more playful, empathetic, and respectful of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the terminally ill, and the disabled. The origin of the pool noodles is unknown, and participants were questioned if they had brought the pool noodles with them.
- All beverages present were laced with small amounts of other liquids, which were analyzed to have a composition similar to those of Foundation-issued Class C amnestics.
- A nomenclatural anomaly affecting the winner of the event. With the exception of third-person pronouns and descriptions, it is impossible to refer to the subject as any name other than "Josh Swain", although it was not the subject's real name prior to the event.
- A donation made to the Children's Hospital and Medical Center Foundation in the name of The Council of the Tylwyth Teg. The Foundation enacted coverup procedures, replacing the donor company's name with that of a Foundation front company.
Josh Swain is the winner of the SCP-CN-1330 gathering. Josh Swain, previously named [REDACTED DUE TO ANOMALOUS CONTAMINATION], is a local five-year-old boy. Its whereabouts following the event are unknown. Agents discovered a set of charred children's clothing in a dumpster in a corner of SCP-CN-1330-A, which matched the clothes worn by SCP-CN-1330-C in recordings of the event. A small amount of burnt hair was also found on the clothes.
A search for subjects named Josh Vinson Jr. in Lincoln discovered a young child; the child and his family possessed memories of participating in and the child winning SCP-CN-1330. However, home surveillance records indicate that the child was prohibited from leaving the house on the day of the event by his parents due to a risk of seizures. A paper crown from Burger King was discovered in the subject's bedroom, which is believed to be the prize awarded to the winner of the SCP-CN-1330 event. The following text is written on the interior of the crown:
King Josh
You took away my name. Now I'm taking it back.
There can only be one.
The exact identity and whereabouts of Josh Swain are still being investigated.