SCP-5056

Link to article: SCP-5056.

```
:root {
--thaumiel: 0, 135, 189
}
```

.anom-bar-container.danger .danger-diamond > .quadrants > .right-quad {
    background-color:rgba(255,109,0,0.25);
    background-color: rgb(255,109,0,0.25);

```
height:12px;
```

border:solid 1px #999999; background:#FFE0CB; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;

border:solid 1px #999999; background:#E2F4FF; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;

border:solid 1px #999999; background:#E2FFE5; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;

border:solid 1px #999999; background:#F7D3D3; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;

border:solid 1px #999999; background:#FFF8D9; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;

border:solid 1px #999999; background:#EDEDED; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;

```
fnnum
```
```
fncon
```

[[module css]]
:root {
--thaumiel: 0, 135, 189
}
[[/module]]

[[div]]
[[include :scp-wiki:info:start]]
[[=]]
**SCP-5056: "The Mirror Image"**
What do you see?

[[image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/5056R.png]]

**[[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/this-page-intentionally-left-blank|More by this author!]]]**
[[/=]]
[[include :scp-wiki:info:end]]
[[/div]]

[[div style="height:12px;"]]
[[/div]]

[[div]]
[[include :scp-wiki:component:anomaly-class-bar-source

|item-number= SCP-5056
|clearance= 2
|container-class= esoteric
|secondary-class= memet
|secondary-icon= https://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/memet-icon-3.svg
|disruption-class= keneq
|risk-class= warning

]]

[[include :scp-wiki:component:acs-peppo-split
|object= euclid
|object-image= https://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/component%3Aanomaly-class-bar/euclid-icon.svg
|object-color= euclid
|esoteric-color= thaumiel

]]
[[module css]]
.anom-bar-container.danger .danger-diamond > .quadrants > .right-quad {
    background-color:rgba(255,109,0,0.25);
    background-color: rgb(255,109,0,0.25);
[[/module]]
[[/div]]

----

[[include component:image-block
    name=http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/DougReal.jpg|
    caption=SCP-5056 within a degraded glass surface. |
    width=295px
]]

**Special Containment Procedures:** SCP-5056 is self-containing. Its position is fixed to the position of [http://www.scpwiki.com/secure-facility-dossier-site-43 Site-43] Janitorial and Maintenance Technician JM64, Philip E. Deering, who is therefore confined to SCP Foundation facilities unless otherwise directed by Security Clearance Level 4+ personnel. JM64 must carry at least one reflective object on his person at all times, and is responsible for briefing all new or visiting staff on the details of this anomaly. He is also to undergo exposure response prevention therapy.[[span class="fnnum"]].[[/span]][[span class="fncon"]]A psychological treatment wherein an individual progressively learns to trigger and release intrusive thoughts without acting upon them.[[/span]]

----

**Description:** SCP-5056 is a hairless humanoid with matte grey skin and ragged facial scars approximating two eyes and a mouth. It possesses no observable physical form, manifesting only in reflective surfaces. It can be visually perceived by all sighted beings, but only JM64 can hear its voice.

SCP-5056 first appeared to JM64 subsequent to an [http://www.scpwiki.com/scp-5243 anomalous materials handling disaster] in Acroamatic Abatement Facility AAF-D at Site-43. It has followed him since 09/09/2002 without exception, without pause and without rest. Experiment and incident data demonstrate that it perceives, but chooses to ignore, other living beings. Its interactions with JM64 have evolved over their nearly two decades of entanglement; it initially attempted to frighten or startle him, before moving on to disagreeable speech apparently designed to provoke anxiety and/or existential dread. At present it prefers to emphasize the absurdity of JM64's situation, underscore the fragility of his relationships, or forecast disastrous consequences for his actions. Psychological study has shown it capable of reflecting his underlying uncertainties with 100% accuracy and efficacy.

JM64 exclusively refers to SCP-5056 as "Doug"; in return, it exclusively refers to him as "Philip."
[[div]]
[[div style="border:solid 1px #999999; background:#FFE0CB; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;"]]
[[=]]
++ **SCP-5056 Reassessment (2021) -- Amelia O. Torosyan**
+++ **Chief, Janitorial and Maintenance Section, Site-43**
[[/=]]

[[f>image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/JM.png]]

I don't think anyone understood Doug when he first manifested. They all thought he was an anomalous abuser, a demon with a short fuse, existing just to get a rise out of someone. They tell me Phil was plenty risible back then... introverted and absent-minded, the perfect jumpscare target. But once he stopped being jumpy, Doug started needling him about his low self-esteem. Once he started standing up for himself, Doug made him worry about other people's needs. By the time I met him in 2019 Phil was considerate, unflappable, and still absolutely miserable. That's when Doug started bugging him about his love life.

I don't think Doug is preying on Phil. I think he's trying to help.
[[/div]]

JM64 initially responded to SCP-5056's antics with fear, revulsion and exhaustion. By 2021 this trend has completely reversed; when the [[[SCP-6500]]] Finis-class event caused SCP-5056 to temporarily fade from existence, he demonstrated considerable distress at the absence of his otherwise constant companion and the lack of functioning introspection mechanisms of his own.
[[div style="border:solid 1px #999999; background:#E2F4FF; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;"]]
[[=]]
++ **SCP-5056 Reassessment (2021) -- Dr. Harold R. Blank**
+++ **Chair, Archives and Revision Section, Site-43**
[[/=]]

[[f>image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/AR.png]]

For the longest time, we thought Phil might be anomalous as well. We even tossed around the idea of classing him Thaumiel, which obviously didn't fly. At the very least we were pretty sure "Doug" was an unconscious manifestation of his internal monologue, so we labelled it 5056-A and made him 5056-B. After nearly two decades of observation, however, I can say with near-certainty that there is nothing at all remarkable about Philip Eugene Deering beyond his unusual equanimity in the face of enduring trauma. He's no longer considered an SCP object, and his paranormal paramour has been reclassified as simply SCP-5056: a self-containing, incorporeal emotional parasite requiring no containment because it voluntarily restricts itself to the presence of a man who voluntarily restricts himself to a secure underground bunker! We're still not sure what will happen when Phil dies, but my guess is 5056 gets one last class change -- to "Neutralized."
[[/div]]

SCP-5056 degrades the reflective surfaces on which it manifests. It has been known to utilize this quality offensively, manifesting on the eyes or eyewear of individuals it perceives as posing a threat to JM64. This is extraordinarily traumatic and painful, for unclear reasons; though ocular degeneration does not occur in all cases, many victims lose consciousness while others (such as former Foundation administrator Dr. E. Falkirk) are driven to extreme acts of self-mutilation. Survivors of SCP-5056 attacks are unable to describe the obverse side of SCP-5056; the only such survivor to not have been driven irreparably insane is Dr. M. Bradbury.

[[div style="border:solid 1px #999999; background:#E2FFE5; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;"]]
[[=]]
++ **SCP-5056 Reassessment (2021) -- Dr. Melissa Bradbury**
+++ **Chair, Research and Experimentation Section, Site-43**
[[/=]]

[[f>image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/RE.png]]

No, I can't tell you what I saw, but I can tell you what I felt. That's only after more than a decade of Foundation psychotherapy, mind you; I was comatose for eleven months, and endured three years of blurry vision because I couldn't put on a pair of specs or contact lenses without having a panic attack. When that thing filled up my vision, it felt like someone had gut-punched my brain. You know that late night experience where you suddenly remember some stupid or embarrassing thing you did in your life, and it makes you feel ashamed? Well, imagine if you suddenly thought of //every// stupid or embarrassing thing you'd //ever// done. All at once. Like your conscience finally got fed up and decided to go nuclear on you. No wonder Falkirk tore his eye out.
[[/div]]

When separated from JM64 by the absence of suitable surfaces on which to manifest, SCP-5056 emits a tone at 119 decibels which can be heard throughout Site-43. This has occasioned the installation of plane mirrors wherever JM64's duties or personal activities occur. Encountering SCP-5056 without prior knowledge of its existence typically elicits shock and dismay from human subjects; by 2021, however, it has become such a fixture of the facility that many staff members consider it an unofficial Site mascot and have developed familiar appellations for it.

[[div style="border:solid 1px #999999; background:#F7D3D3; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;"]]
[[=]]
++ **SCP-5056 Reassessment (2021) -- Delfina M. Ibanez**
+++ **Chief, Pursuit and Suppression Section, Site-43**
[[/=]]

[[f>image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/PS.png]]

When Blank said we should let Deering keep playing janitor under his pet monster's watchful eye-scars, I was skeptical. I was Chief of Security and Containment, and that sounded like the polar opposite of both concepts. I'm happy to say I was wrong. Deering has absolutely nil combat utility, and without 5056 his disaster response priority would be somewhere just above the D-Class -- and we don't even have D-class at 43. But //with// 5056, he's practically an intruder deterrent system! You know what they say: a friend is someone who'll help you move, a best friend is someone who'll disintegrate your enemies' eyes.
[[/div]]

The Janitorial and Maintenance Section of Site-43 has a high turnover rate, as few personnel intend to remain in low-level technical or custodial positions indefinitely. Since JM64 is permanently locked into this career by his "haunting," it was initially assumed that significant psychological counselling would be required to acclimate him. This has not been the case. While he did become depressive, the artificial delimitation of his horizons nevertheless perfectly suited his unambitious personality. SCP-5056's long-term emotional effects on its target have been a landmark case in parapsychology.

[[div style="border:solid 1px #999999; background:#FFF8D9; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;"]]
[[=]]
++ **SCP-5056 Reassessment (2021) -- Dr. Nhung T. Ngo**
+++ **Chair, Psychology and Parapsychology Section, Site-43**
[[/=]]

[[f>image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/PP.png]]

SCP-5056 has co-opted JM64's negative thought processes, externalizing his melancholy and self-doubt. His earliest psych evaluations suggested a proclivity towards intrusive anxious thoughts; because these thoughts are now //literally// intrusive, he can assess them much more rationally than he could without anomalous intervention. We still don't know what 5056 //is,// but I can say this much: it is devoted to its opposite number, and wants to help him. It expresses affection in a grating, alien manner, but there's no arguing with the results. It's taken nineteen years, but Deering has finally made peace with himself.

Of course, he's had a little extra help in that regard.
[[/div]]

[[include component:image-block
    name=http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/Philmelia.jpg|
    caption=JM64 and Chief Torosyan within the Site-43 topside exclusion zone. |
    width=286px
]]

JM64 began a stable romantic relationship with Amelia Torosyan, Chief of the Janitorial and Maintenance Section, on 9 September 2020. Counter to the typical reactions of Foundation staff, Chief Torosyan has expressed persistent interest in SCP-5056 and empathy for JM64's entanglement with it. JM64 has reported a concomitant tonal shift in 5056's harangue; when active, it now typically calls attention to aspects of his relationship with Chief Torosyan which can stand improvement, and its periods of passivity have increased dramatically.

JM64 and Chief Torosyan were married in Ipperwash Provincial Park on 12 June, 2021.

[[div style="border:solid 1px #999999; background:#EDEDED; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px; padding-top:6px; margin-bottom: 10px;"]]
[[=]]
++ **SCP-5056 Reassessment (2021) -- Dr. Polyxeni Mataxas**
+++ **Chair, Spectrometry and Spectremetry Section, Site-43**
[[/=]]

[[f>image http://scp-wiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/scp-5056/SS.png]]

They've called this a "haunting" for nineteen years. It's even entered the general terminology: a Deering-Class Haunting denotes the stalking of a corporeal being by an incorporeal one. Nobody really thinks of 5056 as a //ghost,// however. 

Nobody but me.

The materials handling disaster which created "Doug" also annihilated at least two of our subjects in containment. The nature of those subjects is highly classified, but I can say this much: they are intimately connected to the cycles of guilt and apathy through which human society writ large regularly cycles. Is it too much of a stretch to suggest that one of them, or a fragment of one of them, was reconstituted in that thaumaturgical soup into Deering's inescapable conscience? If that's what happened, well, perhaps it //still// doesn't make him all that different from the rest of us.

We're all haunted by something, and we're all haunting something ourselves. Our hopes and fears are just voices in our heads that only we can hear. Everything we are is just the hallucination of a hollow frame of meat and bone. So, what separates us from the thing on the other side of the mirror?

Three dimensions, and room to grow.
[[/div]]

[[/div]]

----
[[div]]
[[=]]
<< **[[[SCP-5056 Audio Transcripts]]]** | **[/on-guard-43-hub Words of Power and Poison]** | **[[[SCP-5729]]]** >>
[[/=]]
[[/div]]

SCP-5056

Module Styles

Inline Styles

Includes

CSS Classes

Page Source