"Those who let the truth die in darkness will remain chained by the sins thereof."
SCP-9045 — Vergogna by KatyaStrangelove
"When I first saw his stern, downturned eyes in an archived newspaper, my own stared back at me."
Item #: SCP-9045
Object Class: Pending
Special Containment Procedures: For the purpose of maintaining temporal integrity, SCP-9045-1-X instances must not be forgotten.
Description: SCP-9045 is an anomalous retrocausal phenomenon by which unknown individuals (SCP-9045-1) appear within media and documentation (such as newspapers, photographs, birth certificates, and marriage licenses). Despite their appearance being near-identical to known individuals, the identities of these instances cannot be corroborated or confirmed by anyone1, beyond stating that they "look like someone they've seen before."
These unknown individuals (SCP-9045-1) manifest as depictions of those with all-encompassing secrets; specifically those requiring extensive deception, elaborate cover stories, and near-disassociation from one's personality to conceal long term. The entities are manifested either by the individuals themselves or by members of their immediate family, via similar means to those used when forming a tulpa. However, the main way in which SCP-9045-1 instances differ, is that these entities are forced to remain in the past — only becoming apparent when looked at from the future.
SCP-9045 was first observed in the Italian-American populations of New York and Chicago2, primarily affecting both living and deceased individuals with a history of involvement in organized crime (designated SCP-9045-1-X). It is of note that this discovery occurred around a decade after the sharp decline in power held by the mafia led to long term efforts being undertaken to conceal prior affiliation.
To the layperson, SCP-9045-1 instances may appear identical to their existent counterpart, but upon closer observation, certain facial features noticeably differ. It has been discerned that the disparate features observed are specifically those that are consistent in appearance among multiple members of the subject's family.
"The man on the news looked just like █████████████. Then, I looked closer and realized it wasn't him."
SCP-9045 can occur within a multitude of contexts, but because the phenomenon manifests most frequently among individuals formerly associated with organized crime, it is to be used as the primary example.
Within this framework, the following are the steps by which SCP-9045 occurs:
STAGE
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Stage One
An elaborate and detailed cover story is created to conceal the subject's criminal involvement. When originating from the subject, the maintenance of these narratives often involves feigning legally sanctioned employment and being untruthful about hobbies, possessions, and interactions with others.
When originating elsewhere, such as when explaining a family member's absence, these stories often go as far as alleging bad divorces, falsely stating that the subject had passed away, or claiming abandonment.
While both basic and detailed cover stories will gradually erode trust within a family, only the production of a secondary persona is sufficient to cause SCP-9045 to occur.
Stage Two
After the cover story is alleged, the reasons for these events must be fabricated as well. Questions are asked by those left unaware, and untrue responses are given. Often, false anecdotes and stories from the alleged life of the subject are purported.
They'll believe the lies at first. But soon enough, they'll wonder why their █████████ is nothing more than a few amusing stories, an account of the time he attended a family event, and an assurance that he's not dead, but he's never coming back.
Stage Three
Over time, those with firsthand knowledge of the truth begin to lose their memory, storytellers become comfortable with the web they have woven, and the youngest know only of the empty shell of truth within time that they were presented.
If they were told, they'd struggle to carry the baggage, and perhaps flinch at the many, many skeletons in the closet, but at least they'd get to feel like they sprung forth from something real.
Stage Four
The real and the false always live side by side for a while. Those lied to will always suspect that the farce is indeed such a thing, but it's hard to argue against photographs and video footage and documents and notes and everything telling them that no, what they were told was indeed the truth.
The Subject is long gone. The propagators age, yet do not falter. Who can tell which of the two spirits they believe to be real anymore? The idea that anyone would attempt to find an answer feels far-fetched by that point. They know that a boat so old may capsize when rocked.
Stage Five
Those who know, die. Those who don't, █████████████. There's nothing left to remember.
You can't make something out of nothing.
"█████████████. ████ ████████████ █████ ██████ █ █████████████."
Eyewitness accounts and interpersonal interactions with the direct descendants of SCP-9045-1 instances cannot be purported as fact. Proof of the existence of these individuals is only available via surviving documentation and audiovisual media.