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ADULT CONTENT
This article contains adult content that may not be suitable for all readers.
Sexual References: Features sexual themes or language, without the depiction of sexual acts.
Sexually Explicit: Description of sexual acts.
Sexual Assault: Features non-consensual sexual acts.
Gore: Depiction of blood, gore or mutilation of body parts.
Child Abuse: Features severe mistreatment of children.
Self-Harm: Description of self-harm.
Suicide: Description of suicide.
Torture: Description of torture.
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Item #: SCP-8824
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: A recording of all intercepted SCP-8824 instances is to be kept on file. Future SCP-8824 instances should be reviewed, prioritizing data suggesting the location of filming or the identity of entities (corporate or otherwise) responsible for Toujôurs fragrances. Targeted misinformation campaign "Protocol Oubliée"1 is to continue indefinitely.
Description: SCP-8824 is a series of advertisements (eight recorded at this time) for Toujôurs perfume and cologne. These advertisements possess a number of anomalous properties, including:
- Televisions, laptops and other electronic devices may receive these ads, despite no station or site transmitting them. These ads will replace non-anomalous, expected advertising.
- Any person who hears the advertisement will be capable of spelling the name of the fragrance, Toujôurs, even if they are illiterate. This invariably includes the diacritic mark, which is omitted in the most similar existing word.2 This name is not seen written in the ad.
- While watching the ad, viewers have reported smelling a strong, pleasant fragrance which they describe in similar terms. Note that all such descriptions have the same effect, so should be avoided where possible until it is conclusively determined whether memetic exposure causes side effects.
- If a viewer of the ad wishes to purchase the fragrance (recorded at over 80% likelihood of occurrence), despite being unable to find a means to do so, they will receive a bottle within the next business day (most often in a mailbox, near a front door, etc.), with no sign of packaging or postage. The "purchaser" will be simultaneously missing an amount of money equivalent to a luxury fragrance.
- The sole person visible on-screen, a young woman, is impossible to identify.
Addendum: Ad Transcripts
Ad #1 - "Toujôurs Perfume"
Recovered 7/14/24
The scene opens on a tracking shot showing a slow crawl through a luxury resort, filmed in black and white. There is no one present, and no accompanying sound.
The camera zooms through the slightly open door of what appears to be an executive suite. A single expensive suitcase lies closed on top of the dresser. The long, continuous shot continues through the room, settling on a medium close-up of a woman standing in front of a steam-covered mirror, framing her back from the shoulders up.
The woman’s arms are raised, moving her damp hair onto her shoulder so she can affix an elegant pair of hoop earrings. She leans forward as if to peer into the mirror, but her features cannot be clearly made out. The camera tilts down and creeps closer to her, reaching a steady floor level shot where only her bare feet are visible.
The camera rotates suddenly to in front of her, jerking upwards to show a quick glimpse of the full length of her towel-clad body, her startled face briefly visible above it, before the shot whirls back around to behind her and falls at a canted angle.
The woman can be heard gasping. She reaches a hand and arm back into frame, stretching towards the mirror, but is abruptly pulled out of sight.
Male Voiceover: Toujôurs Perfume. It's what she wants.
Fade to black.
Ad #2 - "Toujôurs the Beach"
Recovered 7/14/24
The scene opens on a long stretch of beach, filmed in black and white from a bird's eye view. The camera zooms in on the back of a woman walking along the beach. She wears a long gown that is a shade darker than the sand; its hem and her long, dark hair are tossed by the wind. The same hoop earrings are visible in her ears.
The camera revolves around the woman, resolving into a medium frontal shot. Her face is now visible: she wears thick eyeliner, expertly applied but since smudged. Her eyes are open wide, her other features tense.
Woman: Toujôurs?
Her eyes grow even larger, and she claps her hands over her mouth. After a long moment, she cautiously lowers them. She is frowning.
Woman: …Toujôurs. Toujôurs, Toujôurs Toujôurs Toujôurs… Toujôurs! Toujôurs!
Her volume has been rising; she is shouting by the last word. This devolves into a wordless scream, and she falls to her knees, staring around wildly.
Male Voiceover: Toujôurs Perfume. Toujôurs the beach.3
Fade to black.
Ad #3 - "Wild Horses"
Recovered 7/15/24
The woman appears in a wide angle shot, riding a large chestnut quarterhorse. It gallops along a pebbled strand towards a lighthouse in the background.
The woman’s tangled hair can now be seen to be brown, her eyes grey. The horse is unsaddled, and wears a ribbon in place of a bridle. The woman wears the same gown as previously, its hem stained with sand; its skirt is hiked around her thighs so she can cling to the horse with her legs.
Woman: (urgently) Toujôurs!
She doesn’t even try the bridle. She almost falls from the horse’s back, but grabs on unsteadily around its neck.
Woman: (soothingly) Toujôurs, Toujôurs.
She finds a hold in its mane that distresses it less. It slows to a smoother canter and she sighs with relief, patting its neck. She gently steers its head to the left with the ribbon and it follows, heading towards the lighthouse.
The horse continues to run towards the structure, but it does not appear to grow any closer. Sweat appears on the horse’s neck, and after some time it slows to a walk.
Woman: (in a dull whisper) …Toujôurs.
She clumsily dismounts, sliding down the side of the large animal. She stands beside it and shivers, rubbing her bare arms. The wind blows harder, throwing her hair wildly back from her face.
Male Voiceover:Toujôurs Perfume. Even wild horses couldn’t drag you away from Toujôurs.
Fade to black.
Ad #4 - "Surrender"
Recovered 7/15/24
The woman appears to be on the same beach as seen in Ad #2. She immediately begins to run down the beach, looking around desperately.
She cries out in pain and trips.
Woman: (darkly) Toujôurs.
The camera zooms in tight on her pulling a long, sharp shard of shell out of the sole of her left foot, exclaiming sharply. Blood drips from the wound, dark and clearly visible against her skin. She grimaces and tosses the shell into the waves.
Sensual music begins to play over a close-up shot of the woman's feet, showing they are calloused and wrinkled from the saltwater. The shot lingers for a moment as she struggles to get up, the waves lapping at her feet. She hisses sharply between her teeth as the saltwater comes into contact with her wound. She glances over her shoulder suspiciously, back hunched.
Woman: … T-Toujôurs…
Standing unsteadily, she continues along the sand, panting. Dark stains are visible in each print her left foot leaves. The seductive music continues to play as the camera zooms in and follows, framing her tight from behind.
The woman limps out of sight down the beach, re-entering inexplicably from the bottom of the frame. When she reaches the bloody footprints again, she cries out and clenches her fists.
Woman: (screaming) Toujours!
She begins to cry, her shoulders shaking with her sobs.
Male Voiceover: Toujôurs Perfume. Surrender… to Toujôurs.
Fade to black.
Ad #5 - "Relax"
Recovered 7/16/24
The woman is standing next to a large swimming pool, not seen previously in the resort from Ad #1. The woman wears heavy makeup that appears to have been applied without removing the previous smudged eyeliner. Her dress is visibly stained with sweat, sand, and blood, and is torn in several places.
The video cuts to a vertical pan, showing glimpses of the woman's body through the tears in the cloth. These are spliced together as close-ups: shots of her rear, navel, bust. She attempts to cover herself as these shots take place.
She stumbles weakly to her knees and crawls away from the pool. Reaching a puddle on the tiles, she slurps it thirstily. Her nose wrinkles and she pauses, gagging wretchedly, but continues to drink. She falls onto her side with a heavy sigh and stares up at the sky.
Her eyes widen then, and her body stiffens. A long shadow falls over her that appears to belong to someone tall. She scrambles to her feet and begins to run, visibly favoring her left foot. The shadow follows.
Male Voiceover: Toujôurs — for everyone.4 Just relax. You’ll love it.
Fade to black.
Ad #6: "Pursued"
Recovered 7/17/24
The woman has returned to the beach. She is running, stumbling and dragging her injured foot. Her eyes roll wildly. Dark circles of exhaustion are clear under her eyes.
Light, dreamy classical music plays as she is continuously followed by the tall silhouette, the source of which remains just out of frame. As it closes the final distance between them, looming impossibly large, a red rose drops near her battered feet.
Male Voiceover: Toujôurs… for men. Be pursued.
Fade to black.
Ad #7 - "She Can’t Say No"
Recovered 7/19/24
The woman lies shivering on the beach. She wears the tattered rags of the dress and seaweed, both of which are wrapped tightly around her body. Her makeup is badly smeared, but more has been applied over the top of it. She is noticeably thinner than in the first ad, her cheekbones standing out from her dirty face. One of her earrings is missing. The earlobe is bloody.
An overhead shot at considerable height shows a silhouette approaching from the distance. The woman sobs, a keening wail, shoulders heaving, but without producing tears. She rolls over, the waves crashing around her, and begins slowly to crawl. Sand coats her limbs.
An over the shoulder shot from behind the woman shows her continuing to claw at the beach, making little progress. A shadow appears from behind her, which she turns to look at. She screams, eyes staring and bloodshot. Her voice is hoarse.
Woman: (screaming) Toujôurs!
The scene fades to black.
Male Voiceover: Toujôurs Cologne. She can’t say no to Toujôurs.
Fade to black.
Ad #8: "Forever"
Recovered 7/23/24
The woman lies on her side on the beach. Her hair has fallen over her face, which cannot be clearly seen. Her knees are curled up to her chest. She is completely still. Romantic classical music swells, then fades before the voiceover.
Male Voiceover: Toujôurs Fragrances. Toujôurs is forever.
Fade to black.
Addendum: Final Note
No further recorded advertisements for Toujôurs fragrances have been recovered. A single instance of a print ad, a photo insert resembling a time-advanced still from Ad #8, was found attached to a bottle in Hollywood, CA; it was quickly noticed due to discussion on social media and promoted as a parody by Protocol Oubliée, which should be sufficient to address any further such breaches.
Due to the Foundation's inability to locate an existent point of manufacture, it has been posited that the origin of Toujôurs may be extradimensional. However, molecular testing has shown it to be non-anomalous in all other respects, being similar to any other alcohol-based luxury fragrance.5
Given this, there is no need to contain the fragrance itself. Disciplinary action is not to be executed against staff found wearing or gifting Toujôurs fragrances.