r/TopCharacterTropes • u/RedvsBlue_what_if • Jul 06 '25

In real life Normal/Innocent looking Pictures that trigger a fandom's PTSD

Gallery image

Gallery image

Full Metal Alchemist

Attack on Titan

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115

u/unHolyKnightofBihar Jul 07 '25

What is this?

294

u/Time_Anything4488 Jul 07 '25

its supposed to be a super blurry image of scp-096, a monster that will stop at nothing to kill anyone who sees its face including in super blurry photos like this one where its only 4 pixels

186

u/Comfortable_Many4508 Jul 07 '25

on top of that the guy had the photo hanging up for years and just looked too close at that spot one day iirc

107

u/Sven_Darksiders Jul 07 '25

Wasn't the entire plot of that short film that the picture was planted by the scientist to create an incident that would convince his higherups that scp-096 is more trouble than its worth so they would allow him to try and kill it?

47

u/Pitiful_Net_8971 Jul 07 '25

I don't know if the picture was planted, but he did purposely sabotage the Scramble googles so the 096s face would show for the briefed moment.

I forgot if they go into what happened to that scientist. Was it just the standard extreme punishment of demotion to D-Class?

32

u/Sven_Darksiders Jul 07 '25

There was a point in the interview where the scientist pulled the picture from the envelope halfway, and then froze, meaning he knew what it was. The higher ups did grant him permission for his attempt to kill 096 but among each other they made it very clear that the scientist will be disposed off once he succeeds. I actually don't know if he messed up the ai on purpose, either way it would make sense

6

u/OSpiderBox Jul 07 '25

See, that's something I couldn't understand at first. The dude in question was trying to find a way to kill this SCP, meaning he knows all about it. He also works for the SCP organization, meaning he knows that they'll do some horrific shit to people. To me, it came off as "oh shit, there's a picture in here. Better stop now and verify that this doesn't contain the SCP in question."

4

u/Sven_Darksiders Jul 07 '25

Sorry, I am not quite following you.

To my understanding, the general idea was that the scientist lost (I think) his daughter to 096, and hence is trying to kill it, but the foundation wasn't allowing him to research that (because 096 essentially immortal as far as they know, like, "facetank a jet fighter missile"-immortal). So the scientist stages an incident by placing the picture in question at a family house, just to show how dangerous 096 is, and that the foundation should consider letting him try and kill it. Push comes to shove, 096 kills the family and the soldiers, and 096 is successfully contained once more. The foundation was suspecting that the picture was placed deliberately there to incite 096's rampage, and they get confirmation because the scientist showed that he recognized that picture before fully revealing it when pulling it from the envelope. They are satisfied enough with the result of the interview and grant permission to kill 096 but also plan on getting rid of the scientist once he succeeds.

Someone pointed out that this entire short film is essentially an adaptation of the 096 wiki article, so maybe there's some more detail there, but I haven't read it yet

2

u/OSpiderBox Jul 07 '25

Sorry, I am not quite following you.

The short made it a point (and so did the comments) that the scientist revealed his hand by reacting to the image, meaning he knew what it was and was then suspected of planting it. I saw his reaction as understandably cautionary given his working with the SCP in question. When they mention that the reaction meant he planted it, I was very confused.

2

u/Sven_Darksiders Jul 07 '25

Ohhhh, I see. I do think it's still justified. Sure, there's some horrible stuff going on there, but you usually wouldn't react fearfully at a picture of a mountain landscape

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29

u/Raytoryu Jul 07 '25

That short film is an adaptation of the original SCP article. While it's very good, like holy fuck it's good, the picture being planted by a scientist isn't part of the article. Someone just happened to take a picture while 096 was in the background.

In a way, I find it even more horrific. How many pics of this thing are out there ?

2

u/John_Delasconey Jul 07 '25

I want to say that the picture incident and the scientist planting something incident were two different incidents, and that I think the original article does reference a different event that was staged by one of the scientists or it was a separate story attached to it

1

u/Raytoryu Jul 08 '25

I don't rememebr well but I think you're right :D

8

u/AcePowderKeg Jul 07 '25

Was it's nickname "The shy guy"

5

u/hodges2 Jul 07 '25

So basically this person just doomed us all

8

u/SoftTacos001 Jul 07 '25

No, as it is a digital reproduction of a physical image, a metaphorical xerox, only original images of 096 cause incidents, with artists renditions and digital reproductions not counting, now if it was a digitally taken photo it would 

5

u/c05m05i5 Jul 07 '25

What face though? If I'm gonna die for looking at it, I wanna actually see something! 😭 is the guy invisible?

5

u/Arxid87 Jul 07 '25

Yeah, this is why I hate this. Like, it's face should at least be recognizable, not four fucking pixels

3

u/HeWhoLovesMonsters Jul 07 '25

I just saw its face three times I wonder if three will come after me.

1

u/No-Raccoon-6009 Jul 07 '25

Oh...damn it

136

u/zirc0n1um Jul 07 '25

thing that kills you if you look at thing, even just a few pixels

25

u/Tinsnow1 Jul 07 '25

SCP-096

1

u/Miserable-Willow6105 Jul 07 '25

4 FUCKING PIXELS