SCP-1304
rating: +463+x

Item #: SCP-1304

Object Class: Euclid
Hello
Special Containment Procedures: As there is no way of containing SCP-1304 itself, procedures must focus on finding, tracking, and observing all instances of SCP-1304-1. Agents embedded in the editorial departments of major publishers have been briefed on the specifics of SCP-1304 and will suppress or alter any manuscripts containing it, or which may lead to a sequel containing it. Keywords describing portions of SCP-1304 have been added to routine search protocols. In the event of publication of a work containing SCP-1304, efforts must shift immediately to finding the associated SCP-1304-1 instance.

Six (6) instances of SCP-1304-1 are in custody at Site-17. The Foundation is currently tracking seventeen (17) instances of SCP-1304-1. No action may be taken against any instance of SCP-1304-1 without prior approval from Head Researcher Applebaum.
Can you hear me
Description: SCP-1304 is a method of ritual murder which allows for the translation of a fictional character into reality. The ritual, which has no direct basis in any known culture, has a lengthy list of requirements which must be performed in a particular order, under specific circumstances.1 If the ritual is performed within a fictional narrative which is then printed by a major publishing house,2 no later than one week after the narrative's official release date, a child will be born whose life will mirror, as closely as possible, that of the character killed in the ritual. This child is an instance of SCP-1304-1. The SCP-1304-1 instances are seemingly unaware of the circumstances of their creation; those who have found or been told about their associated narrative have regarded it as a curious coincidence. For further information on how the details of the narrative character's life are translated into reality, see Addendum SCP-1304-MF below.
I can see you but I can’t touch you
Any and all attempts to alter the life of an SCP-1304-1 instance in a way explicitly contradicting the events of the narrative have failed completely. This was extensively proven in the Foundation's experiments on SCP-1304-1-27, who is the real-world equivalent of the character Lawrence Hopkirk from the novel In Our Lives by June Marshall.3 For example, in the narrative, Hopkirk's pet dog was struck and killed by a car on his seventh birthday. On the corresponding date, Foundation agents arranged a cordon on all streets within a 3-km radius of SCP-1304-1-27's home and temporarily rendered inoperable all vehicles within a 0.5-km radius. However, despite these precautions and the presence of more than one hundred agents, a drunk driver was able to slip through the Foundation cordon, evade pursuit, and strike SCP-1304-1-27's dog in the manner described. Even something as minor as SCP-1304-1-27's daily route to work (which was carefully described in the novel) was immutable, despite extensive efforts; combinations of mechanical failure, human error, and simple coincidence prevented any changes.

The one deviation in the life of a SCP-1304-1 instance from their narrative equivalent is the absence of SCP-1304 itself. All known instances of SCP-1304-1 have survived past the point at which they would be killed in the SCP-1304 ritual. After this point, direct intervention in the life of an SCP-1304-1 instance is possible. Action may or may not be taken against an instance based on the recommendation of Head Researcher Applebaum and/or the O5 Council. In all cases, observation of instances is continued after the death of their narrative equivalents.
Please let me back in, I want to come back in
There are seventy-six (76) known published narratives containing SCP-1304, with an equal number of associated SCP-1304-1 instances. Of these, fifty-one (51) are deceased, six (6) are in custody at Site-17, seventeen (17) are presently being tracked by the Foundation, and the whereabouts of the remaining two (2) are unknown.
I’m not supposed to be here
The Foundation has attempted to deliberately create instances of SCP-1304-1, by creating and publishing narratives containing SCP-1304 through established publishers and Foundation fronts. No attempts to date have succeeded. No further experiments along this line are planned. It is currently theorized that the author must have created the ritual for the book independently, or have been inspired by reading another book containing the ritual whose author was also independently inspired. Please contact Head Researcher Applebaum for further information regarding these attempts or to review the manuscripts published.

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