haddonh / Self Pain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisslerlieder#/media/File:Flagellants.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI94y5ptgHY

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This was brought about from a short pedestrian discussion about religious self flagellation which lead to mulling the phenomena of “cutting”. Society might be past it, cutting doesn’t quite make the news in the way that it did - kids in psychological distress taking out some care / punishment on themselves by inflicting physical injury on themselves. The most common way was using razor blades and sometimes persons of a certain age (usually women) can be spotted with scars on their arms.

I find this activity fascinating, when I was younger cutting was unheard of. Then, all of a sudden it was everywhere. I’m captivated by the idea that ‘madness’ has a social component. That how people express their neurosis is influenced by the world around them. We all like to believe in the integrity of our own identity but when people starting going crazy in ways that have shared commonality I start to wonder about the boundaries of my own personality, alas…..

Narratives with some genesis or relation to the real world tend to have a bit more to work with, substance and get-under-the-skin-quality. Weird for the sake of weird gets thin. That cutting thing combined with our occasional need for pain (which we all have) is the base of this SCP, anything that drills into those bits of psychology is good, anything that pulls the focus away is superfluous. A thinly disguised examination of one of our stranger aspects of human psychology

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The SCP is a whip / lash that causes people to lose their mind and just flail themselves to death. I’ll back off that exact physical description, its a bit too literal. It has circuitry of some sort in the handle that shows up in examinations.

Outline: Our subject Dr. Doe gets the item in the mail, examines it, accidently hurts himself with it. This causes him to become more violent with the item hurting himself increasingly. He is eventually banished from the facility, this is when the interview occurs. Later he breaks in, killing one and maiming 2 so as to be able to sequester himself with the item wherein he proceeds to kill himself with it all the while self aware and discussing the situation with emergency personnel.

A) Description of item and short history.
B) Dr. Doe’s initial interaction and an interview with him
C) Dr. Doe’s breakdown, death and the resulting SCP classification.
I know this is far from the SCP format, I tend to write from the bones up the rest is mostly filling in the blanks and if I write too far ahead revision become quite hard. I did have creepy pasta's NoSleep ringing in the back of my head, that rushing exuberant embrace of ones own demise.

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A)
SCP Item #### itself is harmless, inert even. It can be viewed, discussed, photographed, examined (and has been subjected to numerous scientific tests from metallurgical to chemical…) and handled provided proper safety gear is worn.

The item presents little active danger to those in it's presence. Indeed many common household items from kitchen knives to candles to electrical outlets provide far more immediate danger to people in their vicinity.

But the results of improper handling of the item produce reactions that are so extreme and disturbing that the item has been removed from society entered into the SCP system.
Initially the object was in the possession of civilian researchers at an University Laboratory (redacted) were it had turned up in a mailing to a Dr. Doe who was one of the leading investigators into certain neurological phenomena. It was the behavior of Dr. Doe that brought about the interest and eventually the intervention of the SCP Foundation.

– He gets it in the mail and by week 3 he is heavily into self harm. The institution sends him on involuntary sabbatical.

B)
Transcript Interview Dr. Doe after he had been placed on sabbatical and before the events of Dec 12, 2017 –where in he discusses his interaction with the object, nicking his finger and then being ever urged on to hurting himself more and more…

Dr. Doe - “It’s like how you - you know its going to hurt but you go ahead anyway, digging your fingernail into a mosquito bite - or - you work outside and your exhausted and your body hurts but its also wonderful. Like one of those really aggressive massages that hurts but after feels so good.”
more interview mulling our odd attraction to pain.

C)
On December 12, 2017 Dr. Doe returned to the facility. He had been stripped of his security clearance but a university laboratory is not a Level 1 security location. Still, he expressed a degree of planning and execution that showed that he had taken great care and planning. Indeed certain purchases made online were dated the day following his escort off campus showing that even at the time of the interview he was already setting plans in motion.

One security guard was shot in the leg with his own weapon and one Post Grad was disfigured and has since retreated from society.

(Dr. Doe locks himself in a biohazard facility where it is impossible to get to him safely) - Having used the rooms built in pathological containment systems to ensure he would and could not be extricated.

The only way the room could be opened was for full evacuation of all oxygen in the rooms and introduction of an entirely nitrogen (inert) environment. This one step among many to cleanse the room of biological agents this would have had the effect of killing Dr. Doe. Timed locks on all doors also prevented a swift entry.

And so Dr. Doe was alone in the facility for 7 hours with SCP-###. In this time a number of psychologists were brought in to attempt to talk Dr. Doe out from his situation.

“I know you are trying to get me to stop what I am doing but your words are no going to help, I am past what language can do.”

“I’m not sure if the object drives me to bring about the pain or rewards me in such a way as to cause me to hurt myself. The distinction is meaningful but results are effectively the same.”

“It looks as if I have lost about 2 quarts of blood…sorry for the mess I was so intent on getting back to the device that I didn't think to bring cleansing supplies, my apologies.”

When the facility was finally entered it was found that Dr. Doe had managed to strip the skin and muscle to the level to reveal his spinal vertebra. These showed wear and impact demonstrating that Dr. Doe’s efforts did not slow even as he was striking directly, even cracking on bone.

Addendum:
There are unconfirmed reports that three research assistants responsible for cataloging the item were removed from the staff about the time it arrived. Personnel changes occur though rarely with so little notice and since any information about staff and staffing is secret….Additionally a team of 8 - 3 scientists and 5 military personal sent to examine the origin of the item have also gone missing.
There is worry that if the item (or others like it) were modified (weaponized?) so as to rather provide the reward system for hurting others (rather than oneself) that, in sufficient numbers the item could have a highly negative impact on society.

#Open Case.