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Item #: SCP-3XXX
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-3XXX presents as of yet no meaningful risk of containment breach, but due to its importance and the lethal effect of its use it is stored at a dedicated locker at Site-21, double-locked and thus requiring the mutual agreement of two researchers to open; the Ethics Committee has, as of 05/28/20— placed a moratorium on any further playbacks.
Although any powered electronic or analog system capable of playing back VCRs and DVDs can be used in conjunction with SCP-3XXX, Site-21 administration have set aside one (1) Panasonic PV-V4250, one (1) Toshiba SD7300, one (1) DVD-VCR converter, and one (1) 4k Ultra-HD capable television monitor to maximize the quality of research analysis.
Description: Depending on the individual handling it at any given moment, SCP-3XXX presents as a DVD disc or VHS tape within a corresponding case adorned with a standard cover. Precise chemical and atomic analysis of the case, disc, and cover art pigments has revealed no apparent anomalous properties. The anomalous properties begin to manifest when a sapient being knowingly comes into sole physical possession of SCP-3XXX: from that point onward they will be considered to be handling the film. At this point, SCP-3XXX will be seen to radically shift in cover content, art, listed information, and in a few recorded cases format. Handlers have invariably reported this process being almost unnoticeable to the touch, even in cases where the format shifted.
Without exception, SCP-3XXX cover art, disc/tape art, and playbacks are those of animated movies and episodes of television serials in a variety of ranges and art styles, often similar to but never matching existing ones. The descriptions, content warnings, running times, and length notes are universally accurate and written in the language the handler is most familiar with (even minor and obscure languages, such as certain indigenous dialects, will be represented with perfect observation of any grammar guidelines.) The scenes, actions, and characters depicted are all accurately representative of the footage that will appear should a playback be carried out with that handler.
After some testing, the exact limits of SCP-3XXX's behavior in this regard have been discovered. Attempts to begin playbacks are only successful when one human handler retains posession of the plastic DVD or paper VCR case throughout the process of inserting the actual disc or tape into the player, possibly opening the menu that appears on-screen, and adjusting options until the 'Play' button is hit, the corresponding menu option chosen, etc.
At the precise moment that playback begins, the handler becomes unconscious. Brain scans at this time reveal a similarity to persistent vegetative state or coma in certain regards. At no point during any playback has any handler been observed to recover.
Each playback seems to present a distinct animated film, ranging from 23 minutes in length to over 6 hours on one recorded occasion. The conventions generally employed in the media, such as openings, endings, and commercial transitions/'eyecatches', appear in SCP-3XXX playbacks as well. The opening and ending themes, as well as soundtracks, seem to be entirely original songs with no lineage traceable to any particular artist, and the singers have never been correlated to any living individual.
The key anomalous quality of SCP-3XXX is immediately manifest: the main character of the storyline taking place is invariably extremely similar to the handler, in terms of appearance, temperament, and major details of life history to the limits imposed by the setting. Their interactions with other characters, scene composition, and direction parallel even minor events that occurred in the handler's life, and even express emotions that have been demonstrated to correlate very closely with the handler's personality.
The moment the playback reaches its conclusion (now determined through further brain scans to be within three milliseconds of end credits ceasing movement on-screen, or the buffering bar reaching maximum) the handler's organs and brain instantly stop all electrical activity, and death is presumed to occur. (New information has placed this in doubt: see Addendum 3XXX-05)
The narratives that have been observed during SCP-3XXX playbacks are extremely diverse. Nearly all of the major genres that are sufficiently represented on television and film appear, and on occasion playbacks can become akin to experimental films. The production values are generally perceived to be high-quality in nearly every aspect: art detailing, animation fluidity, etc. The 'writing' (the exact provenance of the other characters and the narrative flow is under research) is generally reported by viewers to be of very good caliber, albeit such statements must be seen as subjective.
During a playback, any time or buffering manipulation functions on devices will cease to function temporarily. While it is possible to record playbacks, attempting to produce a copy before viewing has commenced will simply create unreadable, corrupt data. Whenever .aics are present during playbacks, they must proceed forward and in realtime; attempts at total data analysis fail.
Although still a topic of doubt and minor controversy among SCP-3XXX researchers, it is now strongly suspected that certain aspects of playbacks may, in fact, be anticipating events that would have been in the future of the handler had their life continued; the playback reviews should be consulted for more details.
(Addenda and playback review links to be added here)
