SCP-2142

SCP-2142

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Individual instances of SCP-2142 require no special containment procedures, and are to be stored in a Bulk Storage Unit at Site-33. Testing of SCP-2142 may only occur in soundproof testing chambers of Class 3 or higher.

Although individual instances of SCP-2142 can be stored with minimal upkeep, SCP-2142's methods of propagation or generation are not currently understood. MTF Delta-7 ("Sci Fidelity") is assigned the task of identifying, intercepting, and cataloging individual instances of SCP-2142. MTF Delta-7 is authorized to employ Class-B amnestics and administer Corrective Procedure 27 in civilian populations as they deem necessary. Research into SCP-2142 and its effects should focus on identifying songs, albums and artists likely to be an infection vector for SCP-2142.

Foundation personnel exposed to SCP-2142 and determined to be under its effects can opt to undergo Corrective Procedure 27 and be re-assigned to another project. Personnel who will not consent to Corrective Procedure 27 are instead to report to Site-33's resident psychiatrist for a mandatory monthly evaluation and lessons in lucid dreaming techniques.

Description: SCP-2142 designates any compact disc (78% of known instances), vinyl recording (18%), or cassette tape (4%) which induces the "Lavinia Complex" , an anomalous psychological disorder, in the listener. 1,8██ instances of SCP-2142 are currently in containment, with an unknown quantity of additional instances existing outside of containment.

Listeners exposed to SCP-2142 will suffer from an anomalous sleep disorder dubbed the "Lavinia Complex" by its discoverer, Dr. Nadeem █████████ . Individuals suffering from a Lavinia Complex invariably dream about consuming the metacarpals and carpals of their own hands, along with all attendant flesh, tendons and muscle tissue. Subjects describe these dreams as vivid and unsettling. Those suffering from the complex also report anxiety, insomnia and hypnophobia; subjects tend to dread sleeping for any length of time.

Of the Lavinia Complex sufferers the Foundation has been able to interview, subjects report that they dream every night, regardless of the length of their sleep. Even subjects who sleep for less than 90 minutes wake up to report nightmares involving self-cannibalization of the subject's hands. The dreams fit two major narratives:

Type A: Type A dreams are vivid, gruesome and detailed, consisting solely of the subject's consumption of their own hands. Other details of the dream, such as where the dream occurred and whether or not the dreamer was alone, fade from memory when the subject awakes. Typical individuals suffering from the Lavinia Complex report that 90% or more of their dreams are Type A.

Type B: Type B dreams have wildly divergent narratives, but always end with the dreamer consuming or about to consume their hands, then shortly thereafter waking. For example, one subject described exploring a tropical island and meeting friendly natives that invited him to a feast. The feast's main course was revealed to be several charred human hands, skewered through the palms on wooden stakes. The subject then noticed that his own hands had been severed at the wrist before he awoke. Some Lavinia Complex sufferers never experience a Type B dream, but most experience a Type B dream at least once in their lifetime. Subjects that profess to be lucid dreamers report much higher rates of Type B dreams, with over 60% of their dreams following the Type B narrative.

SCP-2142 has only been discovered to affect album recordings by a limited number of artists. Additionally, only certain tracks appear to trigger the Lavinia Complex in listeners, while other tracks may only induce the anomalous disorder after repeated exposure. Below is a list of all songs and albums known to potentially be instances of SCP-2142.