A profile picture used by SCP-1715 on several occasions.

Item #: SCP-1715

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: Foundation-operated web analysis bot Gamma-84 ("ANTIBEN") is to be kept in constant operation and checked for defects twice a week by a Level-2 staff member. When functional, the bot will search a wide range of online message boards for posts created by individuals previously declared deceased. If a manifestation of SCP-1715 on a website is confirmed, the bot will initiate a distributed denial-of-service attack against the site until Foundation personnel are able to either permanently remove the site from operation or convince the site's administrators that SCP-1715 is a person of malicious intent. A list of convincing cover stories for the latter procedure can be found in Document 1715-63.

Description: SCP-1715 is an anomalous entity that sporadically joins and integrates itself into small online communities such as message boards and wiki databases. SCP-1715 uses a different name on each website it joins; however, every recorded username chosen by the entity has either included the word "█████" or been thematically linked to ██████. All efforts to trace SCP-1715's source have failed. It is currently unknown whether SCP-1715 is a corporeal entity accessing the internet from a physical location or an incorporeal phenomenon that exists only on the internet itself.

SCP-1715 describes itself differently from manifestation to manifestation, but always claims to be between 15 and 30 years of age. SCP-1715 typically targets small, but growing web communities that are centered around video games, television programs, musical groups, and similar interests. SCP-1715 primarily targets English-speaking communities, although manifestations on non-English websites have also been documented.1 SCP-1715 has proven capable of manifesting on as many as 9 websites at once; it is currently unknown if this is the extent of its limitations or merely the highest number of cases observed by the Foundation.

For the most part, SCP-1715 uses proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and spelling, with only occasional errors, and displays a high level of knowledge surrounding the topic of the website it is participating in. Other members of the online communities frequented by SCP-1715 generally consider it to be affable, polite, enthusiastic, and helpful. Because of its attractive personality and active level of participation, SCP-1715 will often become a highly respected user on websites within a relatively short amount of time. On a number of occasions, SCP-1715 has been promoted to positions of authority by site administrators.

SCP-1715 begins to show anomalous properties once it has established itself as a presence on an online community, usually within eight weeks of its initial join date. At that time, SCP-1715 will send a number of private messages to other site members, beginning with other popular users. These messages generally begin with a declaration of friendship, followed by fabricated details regarding SCP-1715's personal life, and end with a request for the recipient's personal information. If the user ignores the message or responds without providing any factual personal details, no anomalous effects will take place. If the user provides SCP-1715 with factual personal information, the user and their account will become instances of SCP-1715-1 and SCP-1715-2, respectively.

Within two weeks of responding to SCP-1715's message, instances of SCP-1715-1 will be injured in a violent incident. Such occurrences have included accidents, homicides, and suicides. Although these incidents usually result in immediate death, there have been cases of SCP-1715-1 instances being rendered comatose, brain dead, or similarly incapacitated. Investigations performed by local law enforcement units and Foundation agents have determined all deaths to be apparently non-anomalous in nature and explainable by forensic evidence. In one case, Foundation investigators found evidence that an individual had started planning his murder several years before the SCP-1715-1 victim had ever joined a message board. It is currently unknown if SCP-1715 is somehow influencing these events or if it actively seeks out individuals it knows will die.

After an instance of SCP-1715-1 is deceased or otherwise incapacitated, the corresponding instance of SCP-1715-2 will remain active in its respective online communities, posting content that is consistent with SCP-1715-1's personality and writing style. Instances of SCP-1715-2 possess the same memories as their counterparts up until the time of their death, but deny that they are, in fact, dead (often accusing the inquiring party of being a "troll"2). SCP-1715-2 discuss the same topics as their living counterparts, with the exception that they will occasionally post messages that could be interpreted as references to their deceased state (see Addendum).

Instances of SCP-1715-2 remain active and prolific members until such time that SCP-1715 announces its departure from the website. Once this takes place, all instances of SCP-1715-2 will reply to the announcement with various well-wishes and goodbyes before immediately ceasing all anomalous activity. Beyond their apparently symbiotic connection to SCP-1715, there does not appear to be a limit to the amount of time SCP-1715-2 can remain active: one group remained active for 11 years, analyzing and discussing episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on a daily basis until the site was eventually shut down by Foundation personnel.

Addendum: The following are examples of posts by SCP-1715-2 that could be interpreted as referencing their deceased state.

SCP-1715-2-45

User: "Tungsten", real name Daniel ████████, age 16.

Cause of death: Fall from a balcony.

Context: Posted in a discussion thread about allergies, responding to a user who complained of severe sinus headaches.

Ugh. My head starts killing me as soon as fall is over.

I can sympathize with that. :P

SCP-1715-2-88

User: "PavlovsLemur", real name Tyler ███████, age 22.

Cause of death: Blood loss.

Context: Users were speculating the outcome of the series finale of the television drama Lost. After a user criticized one of Tyler's theories, a third user then came to Tyler's defense.

No, no, it's cool. I just need to think outside the box.

…Except I can't really do anything outside the box. I'm kinda stuck, actually. Except I'm not.

Sorry, I started rambling again. Anyway, don't worry dude. It was a bad idea. I'm not cut up about it or anything. Except…never mind. Forget it. I'll be cool with anything as long as Jack makes it out okay somehow.

SCP-1715-2-109

User: "xXxLionTearsxXx", real name Rebecca █████, age 14.

Cause of death: Decapitation.

Context: Posted in a discussion thread where users were encouraged to post pictures of what their faces look like.

uh, i don't think that's really possible for me… lol

Communication Log: Under the username "CarMichael", Agent Mallager engaged SCP-1715 in conversation on 07/29/2012 via an internet relay chat application. SCP-1715 had recently become a moderator on [REDACTED].net, an online discussion board for fans of the Final Fantasy video game series, and was serving as an operator for the site's official chatroom at the time Agent Mallager made contact.

<Begin Log>

18:50 CarMichael Hello

18:50 StephenFoster Hey there. Need something?

18:50 CarMichael asl?

18:50 StephenFoster Uhh. . . 18, male, Michigan.

18:51 CarMichael whats your real name?

18:51 StephenFoster Brian Parker. Why do you ask?

18:51 CarMichael Just curious

18:51 StephenFoster Okay then. . .

18:52 CarMichael Because when we chatted back on the Maple Story board, you called yourself Cameron Thomas.

18:53 StephenFoster Ah. It's you guys again.

18:53 StephenFoster You know cyberstalking is illegal, right?

18:54 CarMichael Why are you killing people?

18:54 StephenFoster WHOA there!! I haven't touched anybody

18:55 StephenFoster I'm just a lonely guy who likes to talk about Final Fantasy and occasionally Maple Story. Is that so wrong? :)

18:56 CarMichael What are you doing to them?

18:56 StephenFoster You mean my friends? I didn't hurt them or anything. Real life just kept getting in the way for them.

18:56 StephenFoster They were always saying they wished they could spend more time online.

18:57 CarMichael Who are you really?

18:57 StephenFoster Dude. Stop. It's against site rules to harass people for their personal information.

18:57 StephenFoster Of course I'm not going to tell you who I really am.

18:57 StephenFoster After all, you could be anyone! ;P

<End Log>

Following Agent Mallager's conversation, SCP-1715 created a forum post announcing its departure from the website. The thread received 39 responses, no fewer than 26 of which are believed to have been written by deceased individuals.

Footnotes

1. In June of 2014, SCP-1715 manifestations were confirmed on several Russian and Chinese websites, with SCP-1715 observed to be communicating fluently in each site's respective language. Prior to this discovery, it was believed that SCP-1715 exclusively targeted English-speaking communities.

2. An internet user who intentionally tries to provoke a negative emotional response from another user.