Cruel Angel's Thesis (Pre Q)

WARNING! THIS DOCUMENT IS RETAINED FOR HISTORICAL REFERENCE ONLY. DO NOT RELY ON CONTAINMENT PROCEDURES DESCRIBED HEREIN. SEE MAIN LIST ENTRY FOR CURRENT CONTAINMENT PROCEDURES

Note: This iteration of containment procedures for SCP-401a0 has been entirely deprecated following the loss of Operation "Rebuild". This document is to be kept available until such time as SCP-401a0 is neutralized. All operatives of JOT 2016-11, Foundation or otherwise, must review this information prior to proceeding to the current, "Post-Q" document, which reflects current containment procedures. We messed up bad, people.

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Promotional material for SCP-401a0-aleph.

Item #: SCP-401a0

Object class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: The episodes and films which cause SCP-401a0 have been publicly available for more than two decades, and cannot at present be contained by either mundane or anomalous means. Two concurrent operations with the aim of neutralizing SCP-401a0 are underway.

Operation "Rebuild" is a concerted attempt to shrink and eventually eliminate the spread of SCP-401a0. "Studio khara", a Foundation front, has been producing works featuring nearly identical characters and similar events as those featured in SCP-401a0-aleph, but with a deliberately reduced emotive effect on the viewer. This is to both discourage the possibility of said works becoming SCP-401a0-aleph themselves, and to effectively replace extant aleph works in the public consciousness.
Current projections place this operation at a very high range of success.
Following the release of its third production, Operation "Rebuild" is considered a tentative failure. Following the events of October 2012 and Incident L92-21, Operation "Rebuild" is considered a failure.
Following the events of October-December 2012 and Incident L92-21, Operation Rebuild is considered lost to the enemy.

Operation "Moe" is a partially-retired attempt to avoid the re-occurrence of SCP-401a0-aleph or similar anomalous memetic properties. Operation Moe was originally intended to covertly influence the animation industry in Japan so as to comply with a series of tropes determined least likely to trigger the empathetic response believed to be a component of SCP-401a0 transmission. Before Operation Moe could commence, Foundation analysts realized the relevant industry was self-complying with the operation's stated goals, despite no influence from the Foundation.

Operation Moe was then retasked with covertly disrupting the adoption of streaming technology and services by Japanese industry, which formed a component of the general defense against anomalies like SCP-401a0. Operation Moe continues to this day, though the near-universal progress of similarly-situated countries toward adopting streaming services as a means of delivering content threatens the covert nature of this operation.

Description: SCP-401a0 is an anomalously conveyed personality change, or possibly a collection of interrelated mental disorders, caused by viewing all episodes of the animated television program "Neon Genesis Evangelion"1 in conjunction with the theatrical films2 which continue the television program's story. These items are collectively referred to as SCP-401a0-aleph. When 401a0-aleph is viewed in its entirety (excluding beginning credits, end credits, and the next episode preview), there is a less than 5% chance that the viewer will experience spontaneous and fatal cerebral hemorrhage. Should this fail to occur, the following changes are observed in the afflicted:

  1. A permanent cognitive deficit (subconscious) of 8%. Most of the afflicted acknowledge this impairment generally, and refer to it as "trying to figure out the series/films."
  2. AX-Class Personality and Morality shift, RA/AS3, producing obsessive behavior focused on any single character which (a) appears in 401a0-aleph, and (b) who is depicted in the story as being 13-14 years old, and (c) is compatible with pre-existing gender-related sexual preferences,4 and (d) is not the character "Shinji Ikari".
  3. Each "alignment" (the collective term for everyone afflicted with 401a0 which shares a focus on a particular character) reacts in homicidal opposition against any other alignment whose focus is on a character of the same gender.
  4. Ephebophilia. All previous age-related sexual preferences are overwritten.

SCP-401a0 first came to the Foundation's attention following a spontaneous and nationwide outbreak of extreme violence all across Japan in December 2004. Operations to contain 401a0 commenced immediately and continue to this day.

By the time its anomaly-generating properties were uncovered, SCP-401a0-aleph had become the locus of a billion-dollar merchandising empire, which continues to this day, albeit in a form reduced by Operation "Rebuild" adulteration. 401a0-aleph is culturally and memetically resistant to censorship and/or omission, though this is not believed to be an anomalous effect.

Timeline of SCP-401a0 activity:

July 1997 The final component of SCP-401a0-aleph is released. Japanese afflicted by SCP-401a0 immediately number in the tens of thousands.
December 1997 401a0's pathology causes its effects to spread to roughly 10% of the Japanese population.
September-October 1998 The Black Box Productions English subtitles are released for the substantively new portions of the theatrical films. This "fansub" is widely circulated internationally through mail-order services. Despite omitting of certain elements of "Death & Rebirth" and having a subtitle translation of questionable quality, this release combines with extant domestic releases by ADV Films to form SCP-401a0-aleph. The number of English-speakers subsequently afflicted quickly spread. At this point, 401a0-1 afflicted worldwide are assumed to number approximately 15 million.
December 1998 A coordinated international attack by the "Kaworu" alignment results in the death of more than 1,600 members of the "Kensuke" and "Touji" alignments. This is the first wide-scale instance of inter-alignment conflict.
February 3, 2000 Members of the "Rei" alignment come into conflict with members of the "Asuka" alignment on a train operating on the Yamanote Loop in Tokyo. Based on subsequent review of CCTV footage, the incident appears to have begun between two middle school students who became vocal in their declarations of superiority as to the focus of their respective alignment, which had the effect of alerting those around them to their alignments. The situation would develop for more than six hours, and only ended when the train was successfully derailed with the use of explosives. Over 200 were confirmed dead, with an additional 43 missing. Contemporaneous investigation by the Foundation, not yet aware of the existence of SCP-401a0, classified this as a terrorist attack with a possible anomalous component.
July 2001 Members of the "Young Misato" alignment become aware of some aspects of SCP-401a0, and resolve to disband and pretend to be members of the Rei, Asuka, "Hikari", and "Female Kaworu"5 alignments. Some, perhaps all, are subsequently murdered upon coming into contact with members of their new alignment.
December 2004 A public event in Murakami, Japan, related to the release of a pachinko game based upon SCP-401a0-aleph quickly turns into a nationwide riot when a member of the Asuka alignment declares his affiliation in the background of live news coverage. Local Foundation resources are deployed to combat an uncategorized memetic threat. Containment of the anomalous conflict was achieved through widespread distribution of Class C amnesiacs via food and water supply. Around 20% of the Japanese population between the ages of 11 and 45 are believed to have been killed due to inter-alignment conflict or biological incompatibility with Class C amnesiacs. SCP-401a0 is identified by mid-December, and long-term attempts to contain it begin in earnest.
January 2005 to July 2009 The Japanese government takes steps to avoid a repeat of the events of December 2004 by instituting all of the Foundation's Anti-Memetic, Anti-Proliferation best practices. Some combination thereof prevents significant outbreaks of SCP-401a0 violence in Japan. There are isolated outbreaks of violence both in Japan and worldwide, but all alignments have low population densities outside of Japan, and large-scale conflict is nonexistent. The first production of Operation Rebuild, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone6, is released.
June 27, 2009 Operation Rebuild's second production, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance7 is released. It features a modification of the 401a0-aleph character, Asuka Langley Sohryuu. The new character is named Asuka Langley Shikinami, and is considered to conform to standards drawn up by Operation Moe. This was a deliberate attempt to provoke a change in SCP-401a0's alignment functionality on the part of Operation Rebuild. This was signed off on by the Department of Anomalous Actuaries and several independent agents. All involved personnel have been either terminated, retired, administered Class B amnesiacs, or been assigned non-vital Keter duties, depending on level of incompetence. It doesn't matter if the proofs balance, we screwed up. -O5 Council, February 2013.
August 2009 Members of the Asuka alignment succumb to internecine conflicts due to spontaneous bifurcation of all membership into "Sohryuu" and "Shikinami" sub-types. Shikinamis appear to no longer be under the influence of an underlying AX Personality shift. Most are immediately killed by the still-anomalous Sohryuus, who now identify the Shikinamis as a contrary alignment.
December 30, 2009 There is an outbreak of violence at Tokyo Big Sight8, the location of Comiket,9 the largest dōjinshi10 fair in Japan. Thirty-two people are killed, and several attendees are subsequently reported missing. The violence centers around a table registered to the dōjin Izurumi which was selling a graphic novel titled Mari no Himegoto11 The titular "Mari" refers to "Mari Illustrious Makinami" a character unique to Operation Rebuild productions.
December 31, 2009 Foundation assets, working in conjunction with the JSDF, begin to administer Class C Amnesiacs to survivors, and a cover story is deployed. CCTV footage depicts known members of both the Asuka and Rei alignments attacking the dōjin's table and members of the crowd surrounding it. Researchers are reluctant to categorize this simultaneous attack as evidence of cooperation, as both alignments inflict substantial casualties on each other in the ensuing melee.
January 1, 2010 Research with D-Class personnel establishes that the nature of SCP-401a0 has changed; those exposed to 401a0-aleph now either recognize or become members of a new "Mari" alignment that can be identified by members of all other alignments, with the exception of Shikinami. Members of the Mari alignment, like the Shikinami alignment, exhibit no anomalous effects, save that they can be reliably identified by other alignments.
November 2012 Operation Rebuild's third produced work, "Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo"12 is released. Prompted by the success of the Shikinami/Sohryuu bifurcation, an attempt is made to bifurcate the Rei alignment into "white/black" sub-types.
October 4, 2012 Site 1001, out of which Operation Rebuild is based, goes dark. Mobile Task Force Lambda-92 ("Yankii Doodle Dandies") converges on the site. Most on-site personnel are deceased, but one is discovered in hiding. MTF Lambda-92 secures the location and requests additional support at 1900 hours.
October 5, 2012 At 0300 hours, MTF Lambda-92 spots unusual civilian activity in the streets around Site 1001. The full report is available in Testimonial L92-21. Site 1001 is subsequently abandoned.
Late October, 2012 Extant Operation Rebuild personnel are relocated to a sparsely-populated island in the Japanese archipelago.
Late December, 2012 A routine supply run to Operation Rebuild reveals signs of organized desertion. Investigation reveals evidence that all personnel assigned to Operation Rebuild have been exposed to SCP-401a0-aleph, despite safety measures and protocols meant to prevent that from occurring.
January 2013 Assessment of personnel overseeing SCP-401a0's containment reveal a rate of corruption exceeding 80%. Non-compromised assets are extracted from the Japanese mainland. Any compromised assets not on the Japanese mainland are relocated there.
January-December 2013 The reconstituted SCP-401a0 research committee officially retires all special containment procedures for SCP-401a0, pending a complete reassessment of the phenomena. O5 Council fast-tracks and approves tentative continued Keter classification.

Click here for current containment procedures for SCP-401a0.

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