A cute mug that somehow lets water behave whimsically.

SCP-8040 filled with coffee.

Item #: SCP-8040

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-8040 is to be kept within a standard storage unit for low-risk anomalous items. Tests regarding SCP-8040 should be requested in advance to obtain written approvals, then log in detail within this documentation. Because of its fragile nature, SCP-8040 must be handled with adequate discretion to prevent damage or demolishment.

Description: SCP-8040 is a white mug made of typical ceramics with a thin glaze, which is approximately 10 cm in height and 8 cm in diameter, and has an oval handle able to be gripped with ease. It was first recovered from a civilian's possession secondhand, who claimed to have purchased SCP-8040 from a local retail store, afterward spotted its "unusual water leakage" when used and hence sold it online as titled a "divination cup".

Upon retrieval, a sticker was found on one side of SCP-8040, with simple graphic instructions depicting a way of its usage, shown as a step-by-step guide to fill SCP-8040 with water, then use a teaspoon to scoop a sip of water out from it onto flat surfaces to observe the shape of the spill. Four different instances were illustrated on it, indicating how could the user interpret the results as auguries for anything they wish to query.

The illustration's scanned version.

When SCP-8040 is filled with water or some types of other liquids (see Experiment Log 1 below for further references) and handled by a human subject, who then verbally states an event that will presumably happen in the future, then either scoops the liquid by spoons or directly pours it out from SCP-8040 to a flat surface (e.g., a tabletop), the liquid spill will morph and shift to fit its shape loosely into the four aforementioned categories of the "auspices" to represent a predicted outcome for the subject's question. The shape varies in a small range yet is still distinctly identifiable. The results of this process were proved to be relatively accurate.

The sticker was later unglued and dropped off from the mug due to repetitive water drench, but this does not seem to affect the anomalous property of SCP-8040.

▷ Show Experiment Log 1

▽ Hide Experiment Log 1

Time: Feb 14, 2021.

Procedures: A coin was placed on the table alongside with SCP-8040, which was half-full with potable water. Dr. Alexis Talcite picked the cup up, and then said "Will the coin succeed in being head up?", then used a metal spoon to scoop water. Right after that, the spoon accidentally fell onto the desk. Dr. Talcite denied mishandling, commented this was weird, and repeated the procedure, but this time changed the question to "Will I succeed in seeing the coin's head up?".

Result: The water was prudently shed onto the table in a fairly slow motion. At first, the large drip remained as a whole, but then quickly self-splitted into two separate drips within four seconds, representing the "Failure" result, and finally stopped moving.

Dr. Talcite tossed the coin and got its tail up.

Time: Feb 15, 2021.

Procedures: Researcher Milo Norris filled in SCP-8040 with 75% alcohol and put it on a glass table. After drinking a small sip out of it through a straw, Norris started the procedure by asking "Can I be the first one to leave the site today?", then used the straw to transfer a small amount of alcohol out of SCP-8040 to the glass tabletop.

Result: The bead remained still as a whole droplet for about one minute until it slowly vaporized away. Researcher Norris then left and locked the lab, descended to the first floor to the main gate, and then came back to the containment center after half an hour. She repeated the procedure.

This time, the droplet began to transpose unstably once after it touched the glass table. It shifted around for a dozen of centimeters before it stopped, unresponsive to Norris touching it with the metal straw. Finally, it settled into an irregular shape, denoting the "out of expectation" result, then vaporized at an uncommonly high speed.

Time: Mar 3, 2021.

Procedures: ~100 cc of gasoline was used to fill up SCP-8040 to investigate whether impotable liquids could work on it. Researcher Norris queried "Can we succeed in facilitating the new AI system to ensure it works well in the upcoming year?".

Result: The oil spill was totally inert. After Norris doubted if she had to prove she could drink the diesel to trigger its reaction, a versatile carriage powered by a diesel engine was utilized by Dr. Talcite to grasp SCP-8040 and dictate the same request by its mechanical voice. It was still seen to be unresponsive. SCP-8040 was later cleaned up thoroughly.

Time: Mar 31, 2021.

Procedures: Agent Iris Thompson applied for a test on SCP-8040 and made a cup of coffee using the public coffee machine located in the cafeteria of Site-17. She finished the coffee, left a little, then spoke up the query "Will it be possible for me to meet them again anymore?" in a vague tone. A metal spoon was used to scoop some coffee out from SCP-8040.

Result: The spill didn't seem to react at first. Since Thompson had placed her phone next to SCP-8040, some bits of coffee accidentally splashed onto the screen and lit the screen up. The larger blob beside it shrank to an apparently irregular shape, while suddenly, the virtual typing keyboard on Thompson's phone popped up without being touched at all. The keys were activated by scattered sprinkles of coffee, which were sliding and flowing automatically on the screen. It gradually typed a sentence out by this method in the message input area, read as "idk but maybe on ur next mission". No further actions of SCP-8040 were noticed after this.

Addendum 8040.1: Inspired by the last experiment log above, testing on SCP-8040's potential to interact with electronics was arranged.

▷ Show Experiment Log 2

▽ Hide Experiment Log 2

Time: Mar 31, 2021.

Procedures: Agent Holan Wessel used drinkable warm water to try to establish communication with SCP-8040 under the assistance of Dr. Talcite. A tablet computer was placed horizontally on the desk next to SCP-8040 before Wessel introduced his question"Can all of those people in my team complete this task and return in safety?". Water was then intentionally dripped onto the screen.

Result: At first the screen didn't activate. Next, it was manually turned on, and the input keyboard was pinned to its desktop to allow water from SCP-8040 to conduct capacitance1 on the screen. The water drops stayed silent for a short while, then drew near to each other, coalesced, and fused into a whole. A single word of "fine" was typed in the text box during this process. Then the water remained on the position of the space button and then kept inanimate.

Time: Apr 1, 2021.

Procedures: Dr. Talcite dispensed coffee from a self-made coffee machine situated in his office into SCP-8040. An empty draft of a drawing software along with an emulated keyboard window was opened in advance on a touch terminal. He started by asking SCP-8040 the same question Researcher Norris brought up but didn't get answered in Log 1, then sprinkled coffee on the screen with a ceramic teaspoon.

Result: The liquid drop quickly dispersed into numerous tiny droplets, while not generating any text. Dr. Talcite wiped it off and started the test over again, going by another prompt: "Do you believe that AIs need something more than logic and rationality?". This time, the droplet produced by SCP-8040 stayed as a rounded whole, and glided smoothly over the white space of the drawing canvas, leaving a black trace in the perfect shape of a heart.

Time: Apr 3, 2021.

Procedures: Dr. Skyler Estinteco dripped purified water from SCP-8040 to their phone screen after asking "Will we get better and find the serenity and content of our lives?".

Result: The water drop contracted into a radial pattern on the screen, and then typed "only if u r here" into the blank memo before it halted and eventually dried out.

Footnotes

1. Most touch screens detect fingers' touches by constantly monitoring the change in electrical capacitance, which can be easily altered by conductive materials.