An SCP-6045 instance manifesting on August 15, 1945, the day of the Imperial Japanese surrender in World War 2 (WW2).
Special Containment Procedures:
The Foundation Department of Propaganda is to promulgate the story that SCP-6045 is the creation of American military servicemen during WW2, as well as the cover stories that it originated from incidents involving Shipyard Inspector J.J. Kilroy or Sgt. Francis Kilroy in 1945.
Due to their importance to Project RECUERDA, all SCP-6045 instances are to be conserved, documented, and analyzed. Attempts to remove the SCP-6045 instances via painting over them have been unsuccessful. The Department of History is to investigate all names and data obtained from SCP-6045-1 instances.
Incidents involving the manifestation of SCP-6045-1 instances are to be verified via interviews with mnestic agents applied to strengthen memory recall.
Amnesticization of witnesses after interviews is considered unnecessary.
The impact of SCP-6045-1 instances on the lives of affected individuals, such as the memories of SCP-6045 that the instances passed on, is to be analyzed to recover data on the individuals involved in the memories.
Description:
An SCP-6045 instance on the back of a 3/4-ton Dodge truck, one of the most mass-produced trucks used by the U.S. Army during the final months of WW2.
SCP-6045 refers to an anomalous memetic phenomenon that manifested on walls and rubble in locations occupied by American soldiers during WW2. SCP-6045 depicts a cartoon-style character peeking over a wall and the stylized text 'KILROY WAS HERE'.
30,000 surviving SCP-6045 instances have been documented. Their locations range from walls and fortifications in Okinawa, Japan and Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater to Bastogne, Belgium and Dresden, Germany.
According to extensive thaumaturgic surveillance, military servicemen only account for the creation of 10 percent of all instances of the phenomenon.
Approximately 78 percent of individuals indicate traces of moisture, as well as signatures by unknown participants or individuals.
SCP-6045 has a higher chance of manifesting in locations meeting the following criteria:
- A significant amount of deceased soldiers, with a toll of 30,000 or higher
- Severe damage to infrastructure and residences
- High levels of socio-cultural activity, such as being a refugee camp or a cultural hub, before the destruction of the area
- It is the location of key battles
SCP-6045-1 designates a group of entities resembling living cartoon characters. These entities manifest directly before anomalous SCP-6045 manifestations. Entities are monochrome, three-dimensional humanoids similar in appearance to the character depicted in SCP-6045 itself, with heights ranging from one to two meters.
SCP-6045-1 instances are equipped with cartoonized WW2 gear, such as combat packs, cartridge belts, first aid pouches, and canteen covers. These instances also have several individual differences, such as the shapes of the noses and the heads. The instances are incapable of vocal communication, though they can communicate via sign language.
SCP-6045-1 instances only remain for a short period of time, generally between 30 to 60 minutes, before their demanifestation and the resulting creation of the SCP-6045 instances. They can control their presence, making it possible for them to be viewed by only one individual at a certain point or a whole crowd.
However, the instances are always observable by individuals inoculated with anti-memetic counteragents.
The time period where these instances manifest and interact with individuals has been designated as a RECUERDA Event. After the conclusion of the Event, the instances disappear.
When interviewed, the individual who came in contact with SCP-6045-1 instances has full knowledge of a deceased soldier's or civilian's name, birthplace, and inclinations, with no discomfort aside from slightly higher levels of sadness.
Individuals who make direct contact often experience a variety of additional, and often beneficial, anomalous effects related to their health and memories—see Addendum 6045-1.
Addendum 6045-1:
The following footage of SCP-6045 was captured by Cpl. Echer Nachton, a member of the British-based Army Film and Photographic Unit (AFPU) who was deployed to the Philippines. Cpl. Nachton was a Foundation plant in the AFPU with the official mission of documenting children's lives to serve as evidence for war crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Anomalous Matters Examination Agency (IJAMEA). He was provided a thaumaturgically enhanced camera safeguarded against antimemetic effects.
Nachton later sent the footage to fellow Foundation agents embedded in the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).
FILED UNDER DOCUMENT TYPE FTG-100
08/16/1945
Footage Log 6045-01
— BEGIN LOG —
Survivors of the Japanese assault on Manila, as captured by Nachton.
A group of malnourished children, between the ages of 6 to 12, rummage through several carton boxes in front of the fragmented entrance of Fort Santiago in the Walled City of Intramuros, Philippines; many of these walls have been crushed or obliterated. The group is watched by American soldiers, with M1 Garand rifles on hand, guarding the area. Jeeps envelop the children in black smoke and dust.
SCP-6045-1 instances approach the children and gesture towards each other using their rifles. They occasionally point towards and hit each other, as they encircle the unnoticing children; no individuals around the area appear to be aware of their presence, save for Nachton, who is inoculated with memetic agents.
A fight breaks out between the children when several bags of rice and canned food are found. A boy is thrown out of the group, with several bruises and abrasions on his face and arms. Wincing, he clutches his prominently visible ribs and then his bulging stomach. However, he obtained two slightly crushed cans of Fray Bentos corned beef, and smiles as he looks at them. An SCP-6045-1 instance attempts to approach him, although its compatriots stop it.
Five minutes later, the boy breaks off a stick from a caimito tree, whose foliage has been severely burnt, and draws on the soil. The SCP-6045-1 instances look on the boy carving out an image of a plane, as well as stick figures that appear to represent a family with two children.
The stick breaks, and the boy moves on, rummaging through metal. He swats away several black moths and butterflies.
The Manila Metropolitan Theater, partially reconstructed.
After 10 minutes, the boy passes by the Manila Metropolitan Theater, whose arching roof, marble facade, and one-meter-tall coloured windows have been gravely damaged. He views a dilapidated poster featuring a vaudeville actor, tracing out his tuxedo.
Partial manifestation of several SCP-6045-1 instances occurs. One of the instances then strums a guitar. As WW2-era cameras did not have sound capabilities, the song played by the SCP-6045-1 instances is unrecorded. Nachton testifies that it is a clearly audible kundiman, or a Filipino song usually used for serenades due to its smooth rhythm and 3/4 time signature. This indicates SCP-6045-1's deliberate control of their presence.
The boy dances, loosely imitating can-can and swing steps. A multitude of injured and thin Filipinos, some of which begin clapping and dancing with the rhythm of the kundiman, watch him. The dance continues for a minute.
The boy continues his search for scrap metal, which he carries and uses as part of a collage that forms an image of a plane. The SCP-6045-1 instances analyze the drawing as the boy rummages through the rubble of Manila. At one point, he is accosted by larger boys, several of whom are wearing tattered military uniforms, who attempt to take his canned food. These boys are impeded by the SCP-6045-1 instances. The boys attempt to fight against the unseen figures, running away with a scream after briefly grappling with them.
The boy then kisses his tin cans and reorganizes his materials. At the last moment, however, he rushes to a destroyed building and picks up more scrap metal. The SCP-6045-1 instances suddenly scramble to stop him.
A Type 97 grenade, commonly employed by the Japanese as a booby trap, is attached to the scrap metal, which the boy accidentally drops while carrying it. Dropping hard on the ground, the grenade detonates, mangling the boy's feet and hips. The boy is rendered unconscious. The camera is quickly laid down and first aid treatment is started by Nachton.
A pool of blood begins to form. The boy has an open fracture on his femur. Onlookers, most of whom are injured, approach him. However, Nachton testifies that one person shouted for them to be careful of booby-traps and that crowding around the boy, who is already being treated by Nachton, would be ineffective. This effectively halts the people. Meanwhile, several peddlers are asking for soldiers to help the boy, but they could not be found.
With Nachton's treatment unsuccessful, the SCP-6045-1 instances, now fully visible to the populace, begin wrapping themselves around him, with 3D cartoon lines enveloping the boy's lower torso. Several onlookers panic at the sight of the instances, but the majority appear to calmly accept their presence. At this point, Nachton picks up the camera again, recording the healing technique. The shapes formed by the cartoon lines are then filled with gray colourizations and shadows, before turning back into flesh. The boy's hands also recover.
The boy wakes up, and the SCP-6045-1 instances pat his head and check his body. Confused, the boy backs off, but the instances make friendly gestures, exaggerating their cartoon figures. As the boy calms down, one of the instances leans over to him.
The SCP-6045-1 instances beckon the boy to sit beside them. Several cartoon characters, ranging from mantises, caricatures of Maria Clara, the salakot hat, telephones, telegrams, and jeeps, line up and dance in a parade-like fashion. Many onlookers gaze at the stage show, which then perform several dances such as the can-can and the jitterbug. Caricatures of known generals, such as Douglas McArthur, also appear, with speech bubbles containing the words 'I HAVE RETURNED' accompanying them.
At the end, several characters, ostensibly representing the boy's family, approach him, morphing into realistic human figures. One of those figures is a four-year-old child in a tattered white shirt, who then hugs the boy. The surprised boy checks the child, with a particular focus on the forehead and the stomach. After finding no injuries, he sighs in relief.
Sunset over the Manila Bay, where the boy passes by.
The boy drags the child to show him his drawing of the plane. The child, using a stick, spells out "Galing! Salamat sa plane, Kuya!"1, before hugging the boy. The SCP-6045-1 instances grin.
Two hours later, these characters, including the four-year-old child, demanifest, leaving the boy alone among the wreckage of Manila. The boy then wipes his tears and tries to straighten his clothing. Before disappearing, the SCP-6045-1 instances salute at him, and he reciprocates.
The SCP-6045 instance manifests. The boy, using some chalk, adds 'and jose' under 'KILROY'. He cries again, and rubs the tears with his right hand. He then presses the hand on the sign, making a faint imprint.
It is already late afternoon, and the once-rising sun has set on Manila.
— END LOG —
