Special Containment Procedures: Currently, the Foundation has 132 individuals around the world flagged and monitored as potential SCP-8211 victims. If a flagged potential victim is confirmed to be one, Foundation operatives are to contact them as soon as possible to inform them on their situation and provide them with guidance on how to safely answer SCP-8211's questions. Once a victim wakes up after answering SCP-8211's question, the results of the subsequently occurring series of events are to be logged and every individual involved must be administered Class B amnestics.
Foundation web crawlers are to constantly monitor social media apps and news outlets for key words indicative of SCP-8211 activity.
For a list of approved "safe answers" which can be used during oneiric encounters with SCP-8211, consult Document 8211-S.
Description: SCP-8211 designates individual members of a disorganized group of intangible humanoid entities of unknown origin. Because of their incorporeal nature; instances of SCP-8211 are difficult to detect, making the approximate size of their total population obscure. Even though only 637 SCP-8211 sightings by either civilians, Foundation personnel or members of other groups related to the anomalous have been confirmed to this date; the actual number of SCP-8211 instances actively circuiting the world undetected at any time is most likely much higher than this count.
Once detected, SCP-8211 can be easily identified thanks to several characteristics shared by every instance encountered so far. The most noticeable characteristics of SCP-8211 are their unorthodox facial features. All SCP-8211 instances captured on camera or film to this date have either lacked facial features entirely or displayed heavily disfigured ones. SCP-8211 appear otherwise anatomically identical to non-anomalous humans.
Humans are incapable of observing SCP-8211 with the naked eye. Instances of SCP-8211 can only be observed when captured on photographs or film. Instances which have been captured on film often begin to display erratic behavior after being observed for prolonged amounts of time, such as attempting to hide in their victim's blind spots to avoid being seen or becoming hostile and attempting to damage the device they're being recorded on. It is unknown if non-human animals can visually detect SCP-8211, although numerous pet owners haunted by SCP-8211 instances have reported their household pets occasionally becoming agitated and aggressive seemingly without provocation. These spontaneous fits of aggression could indicate some animals (such as domestic dogs and house cats) are capable of detecting SCP-8211's presence.1
All attempts to physically engage with an SCP-8211 instance have failed and will usually be met with hostility from the entity. SCP-8211 on the other hand are able to physically interact with and manipulate their surroundings at will, although they will usually avoid doing this to not make their presence known.
SCP-8211 are not predatory entities, although they will often stalk a single individual for an extended period of time and inflict psychological torture by disrupting their victims' sleep via oneiric manifestations. Most SCP-8211 instances can remain undetected for years and will only manifest to their victims in recurring lucid dreams wherein they will demand answer for a specific inquiry. The only known way to ward off an instance of SCP-8211 is to provide an answer for this question, although doing so can have unpredictable and harmful results.
Addendum 8211.01: Over 1,300 deaths, disappearances, thefts, break-ins and various other criminal cases have been linked or suspected of being linked to SCP-8211 since 1936. The rate of SCP-8211 sightings has seen a massive increase with the invention and advance of surveillance technology, leading to more aggressive behaviors on SCP-8211's part. An extremely high (presumably between 5,000 and 100,000) number of audio distortion and camera malfunction incidents are suspected of being caused by SCP-8211 every year.
Even though no advancements have been made on physically containing SCP-82112, the aforementioned developments have made it easier for the Foundation to flag and observe individuals targeted by SCP-8211 entities. Using recovered data, Foundation analysts have determined a rough pattern in how SCP-8211 select and harrass their victims.
For more information, refer to the logs attached below.
Victim Designation: Case #8211-333
Name: Myaukin Isaak Vadimovich
Status: Former Doctor of Philosophy specializing in ontology at Khakassian State University named after N. F. Katanov, Abakan, Russia; deceased at age 63
Relevant Notes: Dr. Vadimovich was found to have died in their sleep on 21/06/1968. Post-mortem examination showed Vadimovich's skull was empty of any brain tissue. The forensic doctors also reported that the subject's cadaver lacked a central nervous system, which was determined to be the cause of death.
Investigation of Dr. Vadimovich's private journal and photo albums confirmed that not only were they a victim of SCP-8211, but were also aware of the nature of their situation for more than three years. All evidence suggests Vadimovich kept this secret from their close ones for years, fearing SCP-8211 might hurt them if they revealed the truth. The contents of their journals provided insight into Vadimovich's internal dialogues over the years, most of them were focused on finding an answer to SCP-8211's question.
Victim Designation: Case #8211-534
Name: Maxi Diemer
Status: Currently alive and aged 37; residing within a mental health institution in Stuttgart, Germany
Relevant Notes: Mr. Diemer reportedly had been frequently experiencing recurring lucid nightmares involving a "faceless man" since age 14 and seeking psychiatric help to alleviate the stress caused by these dreams. During interviews with undercover Foundation operatives, Diemer's high school teachers described Diemer as a highly reclusive but intelligent student with a particular interest in philosophy classes. Diemer's high school philosophy teacher stated that he was heavily influenced by Cartesian philosophy and interviews with Diemer's parents as well as inspections of his book collections further evidenced his interest in the work of French philosopher Descartes.3
Mr. Diemer was diagnosed with clinical insanity caused by a previously undiagnosed neurological disorder in the aftermath of the events of 10/11/2002. On the morning of that day, Diemer woke up from his sleep and alarmed his parents, apparently distressed. Diemer's mother later recalled during an interview that Diemer was "speaking with phrases that sounded like words but had no real meaning". All subsequent attempts to communicate with Diemer failed. Diemer refused to communicate through writing and did not appear to be able to decipher both spoken and written sentences. A Foundation disseminated hoax propogated the rumour that Diemer's condition was caused by a brain injury which occurred in the womb.
Victim Designation: Case #8211-535
Name: Dayananda Upandhye
Status: An Indian Hindu mystic of mysterious origin who taught a small group of around 20 disciples and formed the monastic Upandhye Order in 2007 which doesn't exist today; whether he's alive or deceased is entirely unknown
Relevant Notes: Between 2007 and 2010, Upandhye supposedly led an indeterminate number of disciples who all believed he was a divine incarnation (avatar). Upandhye's teachings were vastly different from orthodox Hindu philosophies. Even though there are no official records that support the existence of either Upandhye himself or an underground religious order which adhered to his beliefs, one of his claimed former disciples became an attendee of the University of Mumbai in 2014 and provided literary evidence of the Upandhye Order's ideologies to one of his professors.
A number of various literary works attributed to Upandhye have been discovered since, most of these contain references to "faceless demons unlike any sunyavadi known from the ancient scriptures" and "incorporeal beings who seek to understand and be what we are". In their personal memoirs, one of his claimed former pupils wrote that Upandhye's order was dissolved after he was found dead one morning with "a hole located where his heart should've been, as if something had ripped it right through his chest and took it". The same scripture also claims that Upandhye had "finally found an answer to the question he was tired of being asked again and again, and with that, so had the spirits who haunted him".
Victim Designation: Case #8211-536
Name: Bonnie Lawrence
Status: A female escort living in London, England described by several peers and customers as a person who "knows men better than anyone"4 but otherwise not worthy of note; currently alive and aged 32
Relevant Notes: On the morning of 01/01/2015 at around 8 o'clock; Ms. Lawrence and a male customer of hers, an English man named Deacon George, woke up in the same motel room in London. Mr. George complained of a mild pain between his legs upon waking up and subsequently found that they had been castrated in their sleep despite the fact that no wounds had been inflicted upon their flesh. He later unsuccessfully sued Ms. Lawrence for assault. In court, Lawrence claimed she was visited by a "grossly disfigured man" during her sleep the night prior and asked a question. Upon answering this question, she immediately woke up next to Mr. George oblivious to any events which may have transpired while they were both sleeping.
All records of the court case were seized by the Foundation. Every person involved with this incident were amnesticized, and Mr. George has since resumed his life as a eunuch. A cover story which propagated the false claim that Mr. George was ambushed and violently assaulted by a mentally disturbed assailant shortly after exiting the motel during the early hours of 01/01/2015 was disseminated to explain his condition. Mr. George's memories were altered via amnestic treatment to validate this story. D-3123, who had been diagnosed with depressive psychosis, was framed and persecuted for physically assaulting and mutilating George. Ms. Lawrence has claimed to never have experienced similar dreams prior to this incident.
Victim Designation: Case #8211-537
Name: Date Machi
Status: A midwife formerly living in a rural residence in Kyoto, Japan; currently alive and aged 46
Relevant Notes: See the interview log attached below.
Addendum 8211.02:
Interview Excerpt from Log #8211-436-A
Interviewer: Dr. Su Nara
Interviewee: Mrs. Date Machi
[BEGIN LOG]
Dr. Su: Hello Mrs. Date and good afternoon. I was told you are in a good enough mood for an interview today. How are you feeling?
Mrs. Date: Better. I'm still trying to digest everything that happened. It's just…
Dr. Su: Too much? I completely understand that. We can stop this interview the moment you feel that you can't continue.
Mrs. Date: I… I think I'll be fine.
Mrs. Date takes a sip from the glass of water sitting in front of her. She swallows and lets out a sigh.
Mrs. Date: Alright. Alright then. What do you need to know?
Dr. Su: You stated before that you believe the noppera-bō5 are responsible for the… let's say the "incident" which occurred in your house roughly five days ago.
Mrs. Date: It's simply the most logical explanation. All the doors and windows were locked and they hadn't been forced. It wasn't a regular break-in. It couldn't have been the work of a man.
Dr. Su: Have you personally encountered these entities yourself?
Mrs. Date: I had suspicions before I even started having the dreams! There were bugs all over the house, insecticides did not do anything to repel them. Mosquitos, flies, bees, an absolute nightmare. But they weren't there to bother us. They were attracted to something else, you could tell when you tried to swing at them with a broom and you could hear very faint footsteps afterwards. My husband and children cared only about the insects but I knew there was something there, something bigger and something very paranoid.
Dr. Su: Did you say anything about this to your family?
Mrs. Date: Not until I started having the dreams.
Dr. Su: What can you tell me about these dreams?
Mrs. Date: They started around two months ago. I had one everytime I went to sleep, I couldn't dream about anything else. And the dreams were long, much longer than your average dreams. And the worst part is, even after I woke up I could still remember everything vividly. The image of those people's faces were engraved in my brain! I eventually became too afraid to fall asleep. I used to lie in bed holding a heavy book in my hand so that the sound it made when it fell kept me awake as long as possible.
Dr. Su: What was it about these dreams that made them so traumatic?
Mrs. Date: The questions. Oh, all those awful, repetitive questions. My husband became too afraid of me to even sleep with me in the same bed because I had started to scream in my sleep. I was begging, begging for them to say something else, anything other than the same question over and over again, for them to let me wake up. They just refused to accept I didn't have the answers they wanted.
Dr. Su: But you eventually did find an answer, right? Is that… Isn't that why they…
Mrs. Date is silent and distraught.
Dr. Su: I'm sorry, did I go too far?
Mrs. Date: I loved my family. I loved them more than anything else.
Dr. Su: …Okay?
Mrs. Date: I don't think you understand how awful those dreams truly were. Everything was just a pitch black darkness. There was a weight on my chest as if someone was poking me with a gun. The thing's face was this close to mine and I could feel its breath even if it was just a dream. It was foul, it smelled like the guy's stomach was full of dead insects. I just could not escape the smell of dead insects. I couldn't focus on my life anymore. Everyday-
Dr. Su: I feel like we're going a bit off-topic here-
Mrs. Date: -EVERY DAY, I had to wake up and spend my day cleaning dead flies on the floor, picking up squashed insects from the windows. On top of that, I could feel my loved ones slipping away from me, getting progressively more worried about me and more scared of me, of the things I believed. They had to be true, they… they couldn't know how it was like having it as hard as I had.
Dr. Su: That's-
Mrs. Date: Do you know what the question was? The thing those spirits kept asking me? It was… it…
Mrs. Date takes a deep breath and closes their eyes.
Mrs. Date: "What is the thing that makes a man what he is?"
Mrs. Date opens her eyes again.
Mrs. Date: I asked myself what that could mean. Over and over and over and over again. And one day, it just clicked. The spirit wanted to be what I was. A human. A person, you know, like an actual man. It wanted to know what it had to have to be a real, actual man who could walk the planet like everyone else did. Once I figured that out, I began feeling sympathetic for it, in a way.
Mrs. Date wipes their eyes, holding back tears.
Dr. Su: What… what did you tell it?
Mrs. Date looks down and begins sobbing.
Dr. Su: Mrs. Date, what did you tell the spirit?
Mrs. Date: I… I told it what I believed. I looked at it where its eyes were supposed to be and I said "family". "Their family is the thing that makes a person who they are". And I meant it. But I couldn't have… couldn't have predicted that I would wake up that morning and find my house completely empty. I couldn't have predicted that it would've taken my family. I didn't want any of this. Please, I… I miss them so much…
Mrs. Date resumes sobbing. Dr. Su promptly terminates the interview. Mrs. Date is escorted back to her quarters.
[END LOG]
