SCP-3977

Item #: SCP-3977

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: Internal communications at Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. are to be monitored for references to any potential anomalous properties of SCP-3977, using established SIGINT procedures. Priority is to be given to communications indicating any significant changes in the production levels and distribution of SCP-3977.

No more than 400,000 L of SCP-3977 is permitted to be present within a given 500m2 radius without express authorization of the Research Director. If Dr. Pepper Snapple Group bottling facilities are projected to produce this amount of SCP-3977 within a single production period, personnel are authorized to intervene in order to curtail production through clandestine means.

Testing of SCP-3977 is required to be conducted in an approved signal-dampening facility. Recordings of SCP-3977 broadcasts may be viewed for research purposes subject to approval by the Research Director.

Description: SCP-3977 is a specific chemical mixture consisting of water, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated juices (apple, pineapple, passionfruit, orange), fruit purees (apricot, papaya, guava), and numerous coloring and flavoring additives. This mixture is currently marketed as Hawaiian Punch brand fruit punch drink.

While SCP-3977 is almost exclusively present in the form of mass produced Hawaiian Punch fruit punch drink, any successful replication of the chemical mixture will result in a substance displaying its anomalous properties. SCP-3977 is believed to have first displayed anomalous characteristics beginning with the adoption of the current Hawaiian Punch formula in the mid-2010s. No evidence exists that this anomalous effect was the result of intentional action by any party, either within Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. or outside of it, and no communications have been observed indicating any form of outside awareness of it.

When amounts greater than 500,000 L of SCP-3977 are present in the same immediate location, a broadcast signal in the 124 MHz range will emanate from the approximate center of the SCP-3977 mass. This signal contains information that is readily received by any television equipped to receive over-the-air transmissions. Broadcasts produced by SCP-3977 vary greatly depending on the amount of the substance present, ranging from a simple reproduction of an existing commercial for Hawaiian Punch, to a sophisticated production equivalent to a major studio motion picture production.

All SCP-3977 broadcasts feature the "Punchy" brand mascot prominently, along with the ancillary "Oaf" character in a typically less prominent role. In some broadcasts, actors closely resembling identifiable individuals in the film industry are present. These have been established to be simulated appearances.

Addendum 3977.1 - Broadcast 1, approx. 500,000 L - 650,000 L

When an amount of SCP-3977 between 500,000 L and 650,000 L is present, the following broadcast occurs:

Title: How About a Nice Hawaiian Punch?

Synopsis: An exact replica of a 1962 advertisement for Hawaiian Punch. Punchy asks Oaf if he desires a "nice Hawaiian Punch." Upon Oaf's affirmative response, Punchy punches Oaf in the face, before walking on and leaning against an oversized can of Hawaiian Punch.

Contextual Analysis: No deeper context present, beyond an intended desire to cause the viewer to associate positive humorous feelings with the consumption of Hawaiian Punch.

Addendum 3977.2 - Broadcast 2, approx. 650,000 L - 800,000 L

When an amount of SCP-3977 between 650,000 L and 800,000 L is present, the following broadcast occurs:

Title: The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Punchy of Hawaii, Mariner

Synopsis: This broadcast consists of one hour and fifteen minute narrative, animated in the same style as "How About a Nice Hawaiian Punch?". The storyline appears to be a condensed version of the 1954 film Robinson Crusoe. Punchy is marooned on a tropical island after a shipwreck, and spends time learning to survive in his new environment before observing what appear to be cannibals visiting the island. Punchy rescues a captive of the cannibals, Oaf, and teaches him English and the tenets of Christianity, punctuating his lessons with occasional punches to Oaf's face. After an extended period of time surviving on the island, Punchy and Oaf are rescued after aiding the victims of a ship's mutiny who are to be marooned as well.

Contextual Analysis: This represents development of a more complex narrative than Broadcast 1, with a definable, traditional story, and substantial dialogue for both Punchy and Oaf. Punchy's aggression is further explored, being the result largely of frustration with his circumstances and the ongoing stress of surviving in a secluded and uncertain habitat.

Addendum 3977.3 - Broadcast 3, approx. 800,000 L - 875,000 L

When an amount of SCP-3977 between 800,000 L and 875,000 L is present, the following broadcast occurs:

Title: The Last Temptation of Punchy

Synopsis: The narrative is presented as a live action film, utilizing photography methods similar in appearance to those of the late 1980s. The characters of Punchy and Oaf are animated, with human actors playing all other roles. Punchy plays the central role in a depiction of the life of Jesus Christ, while Oaf portrays his disciple Judas Iscariot. In much the same manner as the 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ, Punchy's portrayal of Jesus is as a reluctant messianic figure, deeply conflicted about his duty to God and mankind. Oaf serves as a trusted advisor to Punchy, who is nonetheless persuaded by Punchy himself to turn him over willingly to the Roman authorities in Jerusalem.

Punchy is crucified after being flogged and marched to Golgotha, where he is visited by an angelic figure, who informs him that he is not in fact the Messiah and is free to live a normal life. The narrative shifts to an extended 45 minute montage of Punchy offering various citizens of Jerusalem a drink that resembles Hawaiian Punch, only to punch them in the face upon accepting the offer. Oaf returns to visit Punchy, and informs him that he has been deceived, and is in fact the Messiah. Oaf mournfully asks Punchy to punch him in the face, which Punchy does reluctantly. Immediately upon punching Oaf, Punchy finds himself back on his cross, bleeding and dying. The broadcast closes upon Punchy triumphantly looking to the heavens and shouting "who wants a nice Hawaiian Punch."

Contextual Analysis: The complexity of the narrative increases once more, moving beyond the comparatively simple storytelling of Robinson Crusoe and embracing the more controversial philosophical undertones of The Last Temptation of Christ. Ironically, Oaf serves as the more Christlike figure in this narrative, though Punchy's violence is for the most part presented as more of an inescapable character flaw, rather than a simple emotional reaction to outside factors.

Addendum 3977.4 - Broadcast 4, approx. 875,000 L - 1,000,000 L

When an amount of SCP-3977 between 875,000 L and 1,000,000 L is present, the following broadcast occurs:

Title: The Last Embers, Aloha 'Oe

Synopsis: A live action narrative, featuring versions of Punchy and Oaf animated in a far more sophisticated style than previous iterations. Punchy portrays a wheelchair-bound and dying Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii at the end of her life, confined to her private residence in Honolulu and forced to witness the dominance of her former realm by foreign parties. Oaf portrays her unnamed, final royal retainer. These are the only two characters present in the narrative.

The broadcast consists primarily of Lili'uokalani explaining her desire to lead a violent rebellion against the American authorities and reimpose rule by the people of Hawaii, and being rebuffed by Oaf, explaining at various turns the futility of such a struggle and the suffering it would inevitably bring her people. The narrative, consisting almost entirely of a conversation between these two characters, touches upon themes of aging and frailty, imperialism, the duty of a monarch to lead her people even in defeat, and culminates in Lili'uokalani detailing her regret at living out her life instead of being killed resisting the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands. Her last line as the film closes is "better to stain them red than to leave no trace, as water."

Contextual Analysis: This is the first broadcast which is not based upon any known intellectual property. While the structure of the narrative is not presented in as traditional a format as previous broadcasts, the conversation does follow certain principles of conflict, rising action, climax, and denouement. The violence of Punchy, previously expressed directly, is now sublimated into a metaphorical desire for direct action and resistance against an oppressive, outside force. Oaf once again serves as a natural counterpoint to the presence of Punchy.

Addendum 3977.5 - Broadcast 5, approx. 1,000,000 L - 1,150,000 L

When an amount of SCP-3977 between 1,000,000 L and 1,150,000 L is present, the following broadcast occurs:

Title: The Province of God

Synopsis: Punchy and Oaf are presented in this broadcast as living beings, resembling humans with features distorted in a manner analogous to their prior cartoon forms. The Province of God is roughly separated into three acts.

Act One consists of Punchy (no character name is discernible) pursuing a desperate life of crime in Dakar as a low-level soldier for a drug cartel operation engaged in a war for control of the city's slums with a rival organization. Punchy's preferred method of execution of rivals is to beat them to death with his bare hands, a practice which earns him fear and respect on the streets, but secretly traumatizes him. He goes home each night to his family, consisting of his wife and three children, all played by Oaf. He barely communicates with Wife-Oaf, leading her to increasing depression and neglect of the three Child-Oafs. All members of the household must contend with Punchy's persistent night terrors. Act One closes as Punchy is sent on a job to dispatch a local dealer, only to discover after he's finished that he has murdered the city's corrupt chief of police.

Act Two is far more abstract than the preceding narrative. Punchy attempts to throw himself down a well and drown, rather than face the consequences of murdering a powerful and violent political figure. Instead of drowning, however, Punchy sinks deep into the well, the water turning red as disembodied hands grasp at him from all directions. Punchy continues to sink until falling onto a white marble floor, gasping and stained red from the water of the well. Punchy is addressed by a gigantic figure, played by Oaf, stating that he is the God of Punchy's World. Punchy asks if he is being judged before being sent to Hell, and Oaf responds by ridiculing the idea of sin. Oaf informs Punchy that he is being sent back to "perfect his form." Punchy is pulled back up through the well. Act Two concludes as Punchy is suddenly transported to a closet in the bedroom of his cartel boss, from which Punchy bursts out and strangles the man in an extended, five minute sequence.

Act Three is dedicated entirely to the excesses of Punchy, now in functional control of the Dakar underworld. Punchy has constructed a bizarre palace-like structure, built around a series of canals and gutters, which carry an unidentified red fluid into and out of the opulent dwelling. Punchy holds sway over a group of dozens of young people (all played by Oaf), and commands greater and greater acts of debasement and humiliation among them, eventually culminating in a violent orgy during which Punchy has flashbacks of beating several men to death during his past life. Punchy ingests an unknown substance and begins seeing more elaborate visions, witnessing his own execution by a firing squad of God-Oafs. The visions also depict his family, forgotten by Punchy, starving and living a degrading existence on the streets. In an attempt to make the visions cease, Punchy methodically severs each finger on his right hand with a filet knife, screaming to himself that the pain will drive everything else away. Upon severing his thumb, God-Oaf reappears to him, clapping. The fingers on Punchy's hand are restored to him by God-Oaf, and the final camera shot follows a stream of red fluid, flowing out from the house and down into a river below, meandering into the larger city.

Contextual Analysis: This broadcast continues the development of independent storytelling, and presents a difference in roles between Punchy and Oaf. Punchy, defined by his violence, is now thrust back into a more visceral and literal form of it, but apparently at the direction, in multiple forms, of Oaf. Unlike previous narratives, very little from this broadcast can be interpreted, in a manner direct or oblique, as enjoining the viewer to purchase and consume Hawaiian Punch.